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The Lite Side

Quiz: Are You a Mac-head or PC Drone?

- 2002.05.28

Here's a simple little quiz to help those of you who are ambivalent about operating systems decide if you are a Mac-lovin' zealot or a mindless PeeCee drone. Give yourself points according to the following scale: +1 true, -1 false, 0 doesn't apply.

I own a Mac with a G3 or G4 processor.
Well designed software should only require a single button mouse to operate.
I don't care where a file goes so long as I can find it again.
The menu bar for a program belongs at the top of the screen so you can always find it.
Devices should have names, not numbers.
What I do on a computer is more important than what I do to a computer.
I'd give up the Internet for AppleTalk.
If I wanted to play video games, I'd buy a computer gaming console.
I don't have anyone to ask about how to fix my computer so I learned to do it all myself.
I own a Mac with a PowerPC processor that isn't a G3 or G4.
I own a 68K Mac and know what that means.
I do not own or use any Microsoft software, including Office and Internet Explorer.
I don't trust floppy disks.
I don't buy things just because everyone else does.
I like reading Low End Mac.
I have installed the Mac OS on a computer without wiping the hard drive.

Now, reverse the scale: award yourself -1 true, + 1 false, 0 doesn't apply.

I know how to use a PC and some modern (post-3.1) version of Windows.
I know the difference between Windows CE, ME, NT, XP, 95, and 98.
More buttons means more control; a mouse ought to have 3 buttons and 2 scroll wheels.
I always want a thick, well-documented paper manual with my software.
Conformity is more important to me than finding my own way.
I drive the same kind of car everyone else in my neighborhood owns. I hire someone to keep my grass in line with everyone else's.
Being able to buy software off the shelf at Staples is very important to me.
If a window is blocking the portion of the screen I need to see, I'd rather back up than move the window.
I have a legal copy of Microsoft Office on my computer.
I'm all for diversity - as long as everyone is just like me.
I back up everything on floppies. Each one is labeled and numbered with a date.
Although I've never actually done it, I bought my computer so it could be upgraded.
I have upgraded my computer, but I found the upgrade didn't perform as expected.
I have reinstalled Windows after wiping my hard drive of information I didn't have backed up.
I know someone who knows more about Windows than I do, and I constantly have to think of creative ways to ask for this person's help.
I like reading Low End PC.

Now on to score yourself:

-32	Scott Adams wants to meet you. Now.
-24 to -31	You buy into the whole "Dell Dude" thing.
-18 to -23	You need to teach an Office class from time to time to let your innermost self be free.
-12 to -17	Your security patches are up to date.
-6 to - 11	You don't know where your registration key for Windows is, but you still have the disk.
-1 to -5	The only way you can cope is to do the same thing, over and over, without variation for fear of crashing your computer.
0	You sit on an IT committee charged with satisfying all everyone in the known universe.
1 to 5	You used to use a Mac but became disillusioned in the Performic Era.
6 to 11	You use Windows because you have no choice, but someday you're going to buy a Mac anyway.
12 to 17	You know how to save files without cluttering up your System Folder.
18 to 23	You own several Macs and can't decide which is your favorite.
24 to 31	You spend more time making content than trying to download it.
32	Steve Jobs wants to meet you. Now.

How'd you do?

NOTE: If your score involves imaginary numbers (i.e., square root of -1), then you are a Linux user.

NOTE 2: If your scores don't add up, please perform a software update.

Recent Lite Sides

You Might Be a Computer Geek If..., 06.17. 20 signs that you just might possibly be a computer geek.
What if Apple thought like a PC company?, 11.01. Apple has innovated and blazed its own trail. But what if it had followed the path taken by the PC copycats?
How Microsoft can turn Vista lemons into lemonade, 10.22. How Microsoft could profit by no longer allowing manufacturers to sell new PCs with Windows XP installed.
iPods that never passed beta or focus groups, 09.13. "What most Apple fans don't realize is that there were a few iPod variants that never made it out of beta testing and the focus group stage."
More in the The Lite Side index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Mac mini Core Solo, Feb. 2006 - The only Mac to use a Core Solo CPU, this model ran at 1.5 GHz, has integrated graphics, and includes a Combo drive
Group of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
November 24 in LEM history: 98: Microsoft's heavy hand - 00: Looking at the iMac - 04: The best Mac for the holidays - Picking the right replacement for a dead mouse - Better battery for 15" AlBook
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Recent Deals

Best G4 iMac Deals, 11.24. Used 15" 700 MHz CD-RW, $150; 800 MHz Combo, $229; 1 GHz, $289; 17" 1.25 GHz, $200; 20" 1.25 GHz, $509.
Best MacBook Air Deals, 11.24. Used from $899; refurb from $1,099; new 1.6 GHz/120 HD, $1,150 after rebate; 1.8/64 SSD, $1,150 a/r; 1.86/128 SSD, $1,350 a/r; 2.13/128 SSD, $1,694 a/r.
Best PowerBook G3 Deals, 11.24. Used 233 MHz WallStreet, $75; 266 MHz, $160; 400 MHz Lombard, $199; 400 MHz Pismo, $289; 500 MHz, $350.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.23. Used 867 MHz SuperDrive, $348; 1 GHz Combo, $379; SD, $519; 1.33 GHz, $529; 1.5 GHz Combo, $549; SuperDrive, $609.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.23. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 4-core. $1,919; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.93 8-core, $4,999; new 2.26 8-core, $2,290.
Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.23. Used 802.11g AirPort Extreme, $49; 500 GB Time Capsule, $150; new, $190; 1 TB dual-band, $280; 2 TB, $469; 802.11n AirPort Extreme, $170.
Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
More deals in our archive.

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