I'm a PC.... a Linux PC

Story: Attention Microsoft: I'm A PC (Running Ubuntu Linux)Total Replies: 38
Author Content
tracyanne

Sep 22, 2008
6:53 AM EDT
Microsoft is running their “Life Without Walls” campaign http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1596 the irony is that When there are no Walls, there is no need for Windows.

And then there's this http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/windows/featureStories.as... the Life without walls themes. Spot the Penguins, obviously Microsoft's ad people don't do Irony.
techiem2

Sep 22, 2008
8:41 AM EDT
heh. Yeah, I can't stand the latest commercial. And it really annoys me that "PC" has come to equal "Windows" (I suspect primarily because of the Apple Ads) Especially since according to the proper definition of a PC Macs are PCs as well....and of course Linux boxes....and BSD boxes...and OS/2 boxes...etc...etc...etc....
theboomboomcars

Sep 22, 2008
9:13 AM EDT
I think we should call all linux PCs Tuxs. That way we can go around saying I am a Tux. :)
TxtEdMacs

Sep 22, 2008
9:32 AM EDT
Call Linux PCs Tux[es], too damn formal in my opinion.

What's wrong with a T-shirted, shorts wearing with flippers PC? Guess that is kinda long ... but it really tells the true story [with the exception of those blasted server types running the Enterprise]. Now this is really getting long. BBL [Be Back Later]
dinotrac

Sep 22, 2008
12:38 PM EDT
The only part I didn't understand was the lack of appropriate theme music behind the guy from the space station. If they're relying on Windows for anything important, shouldn't "Say a Little Prayer for Me" have been playing in the background?
jdixon

Sep 22, 2008
1:10 PM EDT
> Especially since according to the proper definition of a PC Macs are PCs as well....and of course Linux boxes....and BSD boxes...and OS/2 boxes.

If you take the literal definition, then Commodores, Apple I/II's, Amiga's, Tandy's, et.al., were all PC's.

> If they're relying on Windows for anything important, shouldn't "Say a Little Prayer for Me" have been playing in the background?

I'd go for the theme from Jaws myself.
herzeleid

Sep 22, 2008
1:16 PM EDT
So, essentially what you're saying is, just about everything is a "pc" - so basically, the term has become meaningless, and nobody knows what anybody is talking about anymore.

But I've seen several software vendors that understand the difference. For example, when you go to the firefox download site, you have 3 platform choices: "pc, mac and linux" - not "pc, pc and pc" as some here would insist.

I like the "I'm a tux" idea - or better yet, "I'm linux" as in the Novell ads.
jdixon

Sep 22, 2008
1:47 PM EDT
> ...just about everything is a "pc"

PC stood for personal computer. I believe IBM gets credit for creating the term, though I'm not certain. So, strictly speaking, anything that is a computer and is intended for use by an individual is indeed a PC, regardless of the hardware or software it uses.

That said, the term quickly came to be used exclusively for IBM compatible computers by most people. But even limiting the definition to that case, there was no limitation as to OS or software.

AFAICT, the term PC has never exclusively referred to Windows machines.
number6x

Sep 22, 2008
1:59 PM EDT
I am a person.

I use a PC, and I have chosen to use a Linux PC.
herzeleid

Sep 22, 2008
2:17 PM EDT
Quoting:So, strictly speaking, anything that is a computer and is intended for use by an individual is indeed a PC, regardless of the hardware or software it uses.
That's where I disagree. The personality and capabilities of a computer are determined not by the cpu type, but by the operating system.

Quoting:AFAICT, the term PC has never exclusively referred to Windows machines.
OK, go to the firefox download site and look at the 3 platform choices:

pc, mac, linux

Do you not see one choice among the 3 platforms which refers exclusively to ms windows?
herzeleid

Sep 22, 2008
2:21 PM EDT
Quoting:I use a PC, and I have chosen to use a Linux PC.
The term is IMHO self contradictory. We have no pcs at my place, but we have mac and linux. The hardware is quite similar but the personality is quite different.

At the university where I worked, we used some software called "pcnfs" which provided something called "pc to unix connectivity". So we would install the pcnfs client software on pc side, and the pcnfs daemon would run on the unix side.

In the "pc to unix connectivity" equation, the pc side was ms windows, and the unix side was linux. The hardware on both sides could be identical. It's the OS that made one side "pc" and the other side "unix".
techiem2

Sep 22, 2008
3:09 PM EDT
Yes, the whole thing is rather confusing anymore. But it seems to me that Apple caused a good bit of it by defining PC as Windows with their ads. And unfortunately most of the industry seems to have followed them.
jdixon

Sep 22, 2008
3:12 PM EDT
> In the "pc to unix connectivity" equation, the pc side was ms windows...

I believe that the pcnfs client actually ran at the DOS level, not at the Windows level.
theboomboomcars

Sep 22, 2008
3:13 PM EDT
It seems we are just misinterpreting what PC stands for. It doesn't stand for personal computer it stands for pile of crap.
DiBosco

Sep 22, 2008
3:56 PM EDT
I am fairly certain the term PC was around a long time before Windows appeared. I seem to remember the phrase being used when I was at university in the mid '80s. To my mind it's nonsensical to have PC and a computer running windows as interchangable phrases.

PC = personal computer, whether it's running Linux, Windows or any other OS. Unfortunately, seems like the idiotic advertising company who came out with the Apple ads have made people think PC is for Windows only.
jdixon

Sep 22, 2008
4:08 PM EDT
> I am fairly certain the term PC was around a long time before Windows appeared.

Since the original IBM PC's ran DOS, It's a safe bet it was, yes.
dumper4311

Sep 22, 2008
4:54 PM EDT
>"Unfortunately, seems like the idiotic advertising company who came out with the Apple ads have made people think PC is for Windows only."

Don't think for a minute that was by accident, from either camp. It was strictly intended; "a Mac is different and much better than a mere PC" is the message Apple wants to convey.

MS on the other hand, wants to convey the message that "We are The Personal Computer, and anything else is nonstandard and irrelevant".

I tend to agree with jdixon on the terms origin, but while the literal use may be applicable to any platform, it's original popular use was quickly associated with the IBM PC compatible line - MS or PC-DOS at the time. This has sadly been co-opted to be synonymous with "Windows PC" in modern culture.

Interesting isn't it, the damage that can be done by taking a clear technical term and altering it's meaning to suit a political/corporate purpose?
herzeleid

Sep 22, 2008
6:47 PM EDT
@jdixon -

> I believe that the pcnfs client actually ran at the DOS level, not at the Windows level.

Yes, technically you're correct - it was possible to use pcnfs from dos. But these machines were all running windows 3.x
helios

Sep 23, 2008
10:14 AM EDT
Then just call them "TC's" (tux computers)
gus3

Sep 23, 2008
11:47 AM EDT
And Carla Schroeder will play that role in the commercials. ;-)
Sander_Marechal

Sep 23, 2008
1:03 PM EDT
Reminds me of those Novell ads. Say what you will of Novell, but Mac v.s. PC v.s. Linux was well done. Much better than MS's Seinfeld ads :-D
gus3

Sep 23, 2008
1:43 PM EDT
I agree. I downloaded them for the occasional snicker.
NoDough

Sep 23, 2008
5:11 PM EDT
You are all correct. PC meant Personal Computer long before Windows arrived on the scene.

That having been said, the definition has changed. Change is a continuous part of life. Get used to it.

The current perception by the public at large is PC=Windows, Mac=Apple, and I doubt they realize there are any other options. Right or wrong, perception is reality.

BTW, this is not necessarily a bad thing for FOSS. Let's say you introduce someone to Linux and they ask, "What does it run on?" 1998 Answer: "It runs on all types of PCs." Response: "Huh?" 2008 Answer: "It runs on PCs, Macs, PlayStations, XBoxes, smart phones, and just about every other type of computer." Response: "Wow!"

PC, once ambiguous, now neatly defines Windows computers making it easier to explain things to noobs.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it (until it changes.)
herzeleid

Sep 23, 2008
5:41 PM EDT
Quoting:The current perception by the public at large is PC=Windows, Mac=Apple, and I doubt they realize there are any other options.
Then again there are the more progressive software vendors e.g. mozilla, who offer programs for the platforms "pc, mac, and linux"

Quoting: BTW, this is not necessarily a bad thing for FOSS. Let's say you introduce someone to Linux and they ask, "What does it run on?" 1998 Answer: "It runs on all types of PCs." Response: "Huh?"
Actually, my answer back then was: In addition to normal x86 hardware (i.e. the same garden variety hardware as is used by pc operating systems), it runs on mips, sparc, alpha, power and mainframe hardware.

edit: If you tell people that linux runs on "pcs" they say "oh so it's a windows program then?"
DiBosco

Sep 24, 2008
3:59 AM EDT
Quoting: edit: If you tell people that linux runs on "pcs" they say "oh so it's a windows program then?"


That's staggering. AFAIK, we didn't get those "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" ads on the TV in the UK, so I don't think it's got quite that far here. People here tend to talk about a "Windows machine" and a "Linux box" - no idea why the terms arose like that. (Mac is rarely seen here.)

The power of advertising is quite alarming at times!
NoDough

Sep 25, 2008
9:15 AM EDT
Quoting:The power of advertising is quite alarming at times!


Perception is reality. People don't make decisions based on actual truth. They make decisions based on perceived truth. Therefore, if the advertiser can control the buyer's perception, he can control their decisions.
jdixon

Sep 25, 2008
12:08 PM EDT
> Therefore, if the advertiser can control the buyer's perception, he can control their decisions.

Of course, that only works as long as the advertiser is believed. How many people actually believe anything they see in advertisements anymore? For me, advertisements are entertainment, not information.
Sander_Marechal

Sep 25, 2008
12:33 PM EDT
To me they're not entertainment but an annoyance.

I'd *die* for a TV that can detect when commercial blocks start/end and automatically mute during commercials.
happyfeet

Sep 25, 2008
1:08 PM EDT
@Sander - Amen to that!
theboomboomcars

Sep 25, 2008
3:03 PM EDT
I watched a TV show on Hulu last night and one of the commercials was just a picture of a Honda Pilot, someone saying the Pilot by Honda, then it showed the Honda H sign. That was it. My type of commercial.
jezuch

Sep 25, 2008
3:28 PM EDT
Quoting:I'd *die* for a TV that can detect when commercial blocks start/end and automatically mute during commercials.


Well, I guess that in the future when absofreakinlutely everything will be visual and digital (and there will be no meaningful life for me) we'll have an equivalent of present-day bayesian anti-spam filters, only that they will be filtering our daily fix of "visual content" and, based on a personal training database, throw out everything that doesn't match our preferences.

Just a guess...
tracyanne

Sep 25, 2008
4:54 PM EDT
@Sander: You'll die before then. It's not that it can't happen. But I can't see the corporates doing anything like that.
Sander_Marechal

Sep 25, 2008
7:14 PM EDT
Perhaps I should get a Dreambox and reprogram that.
jacog

Sep 26, 2008
8:44 AM EDT
We have the perfect method for avoiding TV advertising at home... we have no TV.
gus3

Sep 26, 2008
11:54 AM EDT
But... but... how do you watch commercials during the Super Bowl? They're the best part!
jdixon

Sep 26, 2008
5:04 PM EDT
> We have the perfect method for avoiding TV advertising at home... we have no TV.

We have a TV. What we don't have is television service. We're in a valley, the hills to either side block all the over the air transmissions, there is no cable service, and satellite services cost more than we're willing to pay.
tracyanne

Sep 26, 2008
5:55 PM EDT
We just whatch ABC (that's Australian Broadcasting Commission), they don't have ads, being publically funded. In addition the programs are better. No dancing with the stars, no Big brother, no Australian (American, British etc) Idol, in fact no "Reality" shows. And ABC has Dr Who.
azerthoth

Sep 26, 2008
7:11 PM EDT
I want that TV station. No (non-)reality shows, and Dr. Who? sign me up.
Sander_Marechal

Sep 26, 2008
7:27 PM EDT
azeroth: BBC has the same. My main reason for getting digital TV is so I get BBC 3 and 4 (normal cable only carries BBC 1 and 2). For a while, BBC ran the newer Dr. Who series daily at 18:00h (20:00h my time). Sweet!

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