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A quick Google search of the phrase "build an animated display" with one of the following strings appended to the end reveals the answer, I should think: "rasp

A quick Google search of the phrase "build an animated display" with one of the following strings appended to the end reveals the answer, I should think: "raspberry pi" -- 1,060,000 results "linux" -- 4,890,000 results "os x" -- 6,910,000 results "windows" -- 32,800,000 results

alexchamberlain 13y ago
There's an office near work that gives its receptionists Macs; it looks great, but an insane amount of money for the functionality they use I'm sure.
- simonw 13y ago
  Alternatively, if it saves them a few days of work in lost productivity due to malware, viruses and unintuitive software, it's a great investment.
  - pionar 13y ago
    Ha, I had to laugh at the "unintuitive software" bit. It's only unintuitive to a Mac user. I'm not insulting here, it works the other way, too. I recently bought a Mac to see what all the fuss was about, and am finding many things in OS X to be very counter-intuitive as a PC (Win/Linux) user for so many years.
  - jamesjguthrie 13y ago
    This comment (simonw's) should be the downvoted one and not its parent. Edited for clarity.
  - ShirtlessRod 13y ago
    Are you being serious with this comment?
- enscr 13y ago
  You are forgetting the IT support headache for 2 Windows PC while the rest of the company might be using Macs
  - 300bps 13y ago
    Yeah that's a big problem in the 5% of companies where that situation exists.
- _random_ 13y ago
  Well maybe they installed good old Win 7 on them? As a customer you just need to see the aluminium and a glowing apple.
- ollysb 13y ago
  They have macs for the same reason fancy shops always have macs, they're a status signal and just look better.
  - stephenr 13y ago
    Or because, you know, they find that paying a little more up front gives them a better overall product - longer usable life, less maintenance, etc. Just because you don’t see the point of an Apple product beyond “ooh shiny” doesn’t mean others don’t. I work for a global company where > 50% of people work from home offices and > 90% of our staff use Macs. I can only actually think of 2 specific people (out of 200+) that use Windows, but Im sure there are a few others, and some Linux users. Are you suggesting that all these people, many of whom are in countries with lower wage standards, pay “extra” just to have a shiny apple logo on their desk at home that no one but them sees?
    - ollysb 13y ago
      I'm pretty much a self-confessed apple fanboy :) but I do recognise that a machine that's going to be used for a single task without any great hardware requirements could be pretty much anything and do the job reliably.
    - pessimizer 13y ago
      >longer usable life, less maintenance I'm not aware of any evidence of this, and I don't even remember any of my Apple fanatic friends even claiming this. Any references? >Are you suggesting that all these people, many of whom are in countries with lower wage standards, pay “extra” just to have a shiny apple logo on their desk at home that no one but them sees? This is a dishonest way of having a discussion.
      - esusatyo 13y ago
        > I'm not aware of any evidence of this, and I don't even remember any of my Apple fanatic friends even claiming this. Any references? From my personal experience, yeah they do last a lot longer than my other PCs, maybe with the exception of ThinkPad. Mac hardwares are very strong and well designed. Most other PC manufacturers needs to cut cost from every single component, thus they won't be able to use the highest quality components.
- jonknee 13y ago
  An insane amount of money? iMacs start at $1,299 which is probably around what a pay cycle for the receptionist would run. Seems like a cheap way to make a first impression (not to mention IT savings for the years the machine is used).
Someone 13y ago
Cause or effect? The question is not whether many people use Windows to drive an animated display, but why.
- jballanc 13y ago
  I'd argue cause...something like technology's version of the "trickle-down effect". Some displays will require advanced engineering skill, but I'd wager that the majority do not. When you're working at the leading edge of technology it's much easier to evaluate multiple competing technologies and compare them on the merits. When you're given a $5000 contract to produce an advertising display in 2 weeks, you're going to go for the most Google-able solution.

alexchamberlain 13y ago

There's an office near work that gives its receptionists Macs; it looks great, but an insane amount of money for the functionality they use I'm sure.

simonw 13y ago
Alternatively, if it saves them a few days of work in lost productivity due to malware, viruses and unintuitive software, it's a great investment.
- pionar 13y ago
  Ha, I had to laugh at the "unintuitive software" bit. It's only unintuitive to a Mac user. I'm not insulting here, it works the other way, too. I recently bought a Mac to see what all the fuss was about, and am finding many things in OS X to be very counter-intuitive as a PC (Win/Linux) user for so many years.
- jamesjguthrie 13y ago
  This comment (simonw's) should be the downvoted one and not its parent. Edited for clarity.
- ShirtlessRod 13y ago
  Are you being serious with this comment?
enscr 13y ago
You are forgetting the IT support headache for 2 Windows PC while the rest of the company might be using Macs
- 300bps 13y ago
  Yeah that's a big problem in the 5% of companies where that situation exists.
_random_ 13y ago
Well maybe they installed good old Win 7 on them? As a customer you just need to see the aluminium and a glowing apple.
ollysb 13y ago
They have macs for the same reason fancy shops always have macs, they're a status signal and just look better.
- stephenr 13y ago
  Or because, you know, they find that paying a little more up front gives them a better overall product - longer usable life, less maintenance, etc. Just because you don’t see the point of an Apple product beyond “ooh shiny” doesn’t mean others don’t. I work for a global company where > 50% of people work from home offices and > 90% of our staff use Macs. I can only actually think of 2 specific people (out of 200+) that use Windows, but Im sure there are a few others, and some Linux users. Are you suggesting that all these people, many of whom are in countries with lower wage standards, pay “extra” just to have a shiny apple logo on their desk at home that no one but them sees?
  - ollysb 13y ago
    I'm pretty much a self-confessed apple fanboy :) but I do recognise that a machine that's going to be used for a single task without any great hardware requirements could be pretty much anything and do the job reliably.
  - pessimizer 13y ago
    >longer usable life, less maintenance I'm not aware of any evidence of this, and I don't even remember any of my Apple fanatic friends even claiming this. Any references? >Are you suggesting that all these people, many of whom are in countries with lower wage standards, pay “extra” just to have a shiny apple logo on their desk at home that no one but them sees? This is a dishonest way of having a discussion.
    - esusatyo 13y ago
      > I'm not aware of any evidence of this, and I don't even remember any of my Apple fanatic friends even claiming this. Any references? From my personal experience, yeah they do last a lot longer than my other PCs, maybe with the exception of ThinkPad. Mac hardwares are very strong and well designed. Most other PC manufacturers needs to cut cost from every single component, thus they won't be able to use the highest quality components.
jonknee 13y ago
An insane amount of money? iMacs start at $1,299 which is probably around what a pay cycle for the receptionist would run. Seems like a cheap way to make a first impression (not to mention IT savings for the years the machine is used).

Someone 13y ago

Cause or effect? The question is not whether many people use Windows to drive an animated display, but why.

jballanc 13y ago
I'd argue cause...something like technology's version of the "trickle-down effect". Some displays will require advanced engineering skill, but I'd wager that the majority do not. When you're working at the leading edge of technology it's much easier to evaluate multiple competing technologies and compare them on the merits. When you're given a $5000 contract to produce an advertising display in 2 weeks, you're going to go for the most Google-able solution.