#559 – Petty

It’s interesting to think about how much time I spend on the internet now compared to just a few years ago. I just sort of take it for granted that it’s there. We just canceled our satellite TV today. We just don’t watch it enough to justify the cost anymore. Our internet connection however, is essential.

Tags

46 thoughts on “#559 – Petty”

  1. Torg says:

    He probably got that tip off of the Internet.

  2. Bojangles says:

    Can’t risk getting E-cramps.

  3. Micah says:

    Yep, the internet is one of the bare essentials now.

  4. Jack Hollow says:

    yeah, the internet is great. in fact, I’m useing it RIGHT NOW!

  5. Torg says:

    Hey, me too! Small world, huh?

  6. I have never used the Internet and I don’t think I ever will.

  7. J says:

    Yeah, i’ve seen some things on the internet that have made me wish i had waited after eating.

  8. speearr says:

    Careful….you don’t want to end up in surgery for surfing immediately after heavy meals…… I hear food can get lodged in the crook of your index finger. Lol!

  9. trevor says:

    I was actually eating while reading this.

  10. K says:

    Trevor lives life on the EDGE, man.

  11. Yay! Biff is a Mac user!

  12. DracoZereul says:

    I’m enrolled in ITT Tech online. I play WoW almost religiously, and when I’m not doing that or schoolwork, I’m downloading anime and comedy to watch. The TV is here specifically on the off-chance that I want to play PS2

  13. Matthew says:

    @Samuel: That’s not necessarily a good thing. Considering Biff usually goes with the stuff that bring problems (as Macs do)

  14. It looks like Biff uses an iBook. I would recognize that charger anywhere. @Matthew: Speak for yourself, I have had more problems with a PC than a Mac, for example I am forced to use a PC at work and couldn’t get a CD to eject the normal way of dragging it to the trash (not to mention it wasn’t conveniently on my desktop) I eventually had to find eject in the right click menu. That is just the tip of the iceberg on problems with PC’s. Don’t get me started on Vista.

  15. To much work and no joy makes Biff a dull boy…

  16. JFargo says:

    See, I see this and think something along the lines of “Biff’s dog had a really big tongue.”

    Yes? No? Maybe?

  17. trevor says:

    I came back here while eating again…all I can say is, los, laugh out silenty.

  18. Izual Shima says:

    @Vince LoGreco:

    At risk of igniting something (it is not my intention at all, I assure you), I dissent.

    My position is simple. Always PC, never used a Mac. Have nothing against them, ‘cos really, it’d be silly to have something against a product I haven’t ever used.
    I work in the field, and I hear enough good stuff about them, to believe they have a solid niche, a pretty good system, and a clear reason to be. Why haven’t I used any? Haven’t had the reason to. PCs are enough for my needs, all my experience is with them, and no client of mine has, or ever needed service for, a Mac.

    I understand, respect, and roughly agree with your statement. Why do I dissent though, in the end? Your example is inherently flawed, I believe.

    You complain that you couldn’t eject a CD in the “normal” way, which you define as “dragging to the trash.” What is “normal”? What you use? What most people use? You’re part of a minority, that’s a simple fact. Not just as a Mac user, but also as a single, unique person.
    That’s what makes our experiences in life so relative, at times… Each of us, is just one among billions.

    What is “normal” for me, is to eject the CD in the way you had to do. I don’t pretend that to be the actual normal, even.

    But your example is flawed, because you’re not describing a problem. A bug. You’re describing a simple confusion. A natural piece of ignorance. You tried to use a Mac method on a PC. They’re different. It was a logical guess, to give it a try, but not a safe and sound one. You ignored the PC way to do it. That’s your own lack of knowledge, not PC’s fault.
    It’s too basic a situation, to just say “It’s their fault I couldn’t know the way to eject a CD, or that they don’t do it like other company does.”

    I’m not intending to defend them either, by the way. The PCs and their mainstream OS are a constant bounty of trouble. Enough to keep me, and millions like me, with a steady, lucrative job. But it’s still running after the issues brought by a system that could take a couple lessons from their tree-spawned comrade.

    What I’m defending thus, is what I simply think is basic logics in the analysis of problems.

    I welcome any and all such analysis of my own post.

  19. Chris says:

    Wouldn’t that be great if the whole Mac VS PC debate was finally put to rest in the comments section of a silly comic?

  20. Fafnir13 says:

    Not bloddy likely.

    My impression from the comic is that Biff is lying in wait for the internet. Is he perhaps taking to the “internet stalker” archetype a tad literally?

  21. Izual Shima says:

    @Chris

    Sorry if it looked like a debate to you. In all honesty, I never intended it to be such a thing. I thought I succeeded in making it a clean thing. Definitely never expected to bother the author himself. What I spoused, is that the problem mentioned is something different, not a “PC Vs Mac” situation really.

    Now, your webcomic is awesome. One of the very very few things I’ve successfully got into thanks to an ad (saw it at PvP). The ad in itself was simple but effective, showing some of your best pieces here.

    I try to replace all communication systems (TV included) with my computer. Frankly, downloading TV shows is so much more convenient then having to watch them on schedule. Plus, I get them when they air at their country of origin…not when the local lazy networks decide to.

    The intarwubs are clearly destined to become just that. The ultimate communication/broadcasting network, that will eventually include all previous similar services.

    “One web to rule them all, one Google to find them, one network to bring them all, and in the forums bind them.”

  22. Chris says:

    @Izual – Sorry if that felt like an attack against you, it wasn’t. I was just trying to diffuse a situation that hadn’t actually happened yet. 🙂

  23. silfedac says:

    I come in a few hours late and you guys have already had a massive debate. I can’t turn my back on you for a second, can I?

  24. randomperson says:

    Good one Bojangles

  25. Charlotte says:

    With regards to internet being considered as essential nowadays, a few weeks ago a charity here in the UK (Might have been the Joshep Rowntree Foundation but I’m not sure) published some survey results about what is considered “essential to a socially accepted quality of life in the UK” (So more or less what things you need to be sociable and happy)
    To my utter surprise the internet wasn’t on the list (Apparently we’re meant to make do with having a couple of hours free net per day at the local library) but the Freeview box which gives extra free TV channels was. Personally I’d rather have the net 24/7 than a bunch of channels which just show old BBC shows! :S

  26. Wizard says:

    Personally, I find Windoze much easier to use than OS X, but that’s at least partly a factor of experience. As for stability, if Microsoft had the same rigid control over the hardware their OS runs on that Apple has, Windows would be a lot more stable, too. On the upside, I can build or modify a PC for a wide variety of roles, something that’s difficult or impossible to do with a Mac.

    As for Apple hardware, it’s pretty, but still a little pricey. For example, my Mac Mini cost about the same as my Compaq laptop. Similar processors, memory, drives and overall performance, but the Mac didn’t include a keyboard or mouse, much less a monitor. Oh, and now that Apple finally makes a mouse with a right button, why doesn’t the OS use it? (@Vince: you think having to right click is bad? My Mac drives me insane by not having one, requiring me to use both hands for many routine actions I can perform with one on my PC.)

    As for Vista, I haven’t used it a lot yet, but I’m guardedly optimistic. I recently did a Vista install, and I have to say it was the easiest Windoze install I’ve ever done. On a Mac, no less. If nothing else, Vista is certainly much prettier than XP.

    Sorry, Chris, I don’t think Biff is quite up to ending the Mac vs. PC debate. Then again, I doubt the combined efforts of the Pope, the Dalai Lama, Gandhi, Albert Einstein and Superman could end the Mac vs. PC debate. Nice thought, though…

    Must quit babbling now.

  27. Izual Shima says:

    @Chris

    I totally understand what you were trying to prevent.
    It may look like it already happened, but I believe we’re being pretty laid back and fair to each other. And that humor still remains. Exchanging experiences, which is fortunately pretty far from whining or flame-throwing.

    And…Don’t worry, you haven’t offended me at all. My first reaction was simply to cower under the holy mien of Da Biff.

    Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Biff is holy. And mighty. Word among the damned is he had a hand at creating the dreaded holy grenades.

    @everyone pretty much

    My guess is, Mac stuff would be a lot cheaper if they had the vast majority of the market for themselves, instead of 20% at best. It’s just how the market goes, the most common is the cheapest. Prices are consequences first, causes seconds.

    The very idea of Microsoft getting such a tight control over the hardware as Mac has, terrifies me. They’ve proven to be dangerously greedy, self-centered and close-minded already.

    They already have a massive lot of cooperation from the hardware manufacturers (as in, they have to bend to the whims of Microsoft more often than not). And yet here we are, with all those issues. Fool hardware control would only improve things slightly, at best.

    Now, Mac, with that control already, doesn’t seem to be trying to take over the world. Then again, who knows what happens when (if) they get a chance…

    Seriously though, I’m not trying to compare. They’re both big companies, and most big companies just seek a simple thing: Profit through the applying of a particular business philosophy. They use the competence as a defining framework for media purposes, and each seeks to possess different niches. That’s all.

    One thing though…I believe the right term would be “PC vs Mac,” not “Mac vs PC.” PC seems to have the “active” hand on the “competition,” while Mac goes with the flow and embraces its position. Passive but not submissive.

  28. Izual Shima says:

    Er…meant “FULL” hardware control, not “fool.” I always typo like that *facepalm*

  29. Haywire says:

    Everything I’ve heard about Vista is negative. I have no firsthad experience with it, but I hear that it’s slow and is a memory and processor hog. I use XP, and I’ve never had any major problems with it..

  30. Spenser says:

    I find it funny that this has somehow turned into a fanboy war.

    Brilliant joke anyhow 😉

  31. Sanguine says:

    I have always used pc, when i was in high school our computer lab had macs, and they worked well, i was just raised in a pc household. I was born in the days of yore (1991) and the first computer i really remember using was a windows 94. I like it and have continued to use windows since, today i have a vista! But i dont forget all the work i did with those macs. What im saying is neither are bad its just our prefrences. (But i do hate those stupid mac commericals “Hi im a pc”, “And im a Mac!”)

  32. taber_man says:

    gnarly.

  33. Neo Cloudski says:

    I am a PC user myself. Used a Mac, always try them out a bit whenever at the store, but never did take to them easily. These days, in all honesty, it is just a matter of preference… Or you have to be PC if a hardcore gamer type, but I digress. The lines are blurring between them at this point.

    All I have to add, is a funny comic based on the PC/Mac commercials.
    http://www.threepanelsoul.com/view.php?date=2007-02-20

  34. Grez says:

    @Vince LoGreco:

    No wonder we are so dependable on oil when normal way of dealing with the CD after use is trashing it.

  35. Torg says:

    @Vince LoGreco: I’ve been trying to figure out your post, and I have to admit I’m lost. How do you eject a CD by right-clicking? I’ve used Windows my whole life and I’ve played around with it far more than most people I know, and I have never seen an on-screen option to eject the CD. I thought the only way to do that was to reach over to the CD drive and press the button.

  36. Izual Shima says:

    @Spenser

    I insist in that this is not anything close to a fanboy war. Just think of the real flame wars in some forums, and you’ll realise we’re being peace-loving dudes by comparison….and peaceful people by any standard.

    @Torg

    Go to wherever you have the icon for the CD drive itself on your computer (“My PC,” usually. Mine’s called NAVI, heheh).
    Do a right-click… the menu should have an “Eject” option. This feature is commonplace in several disc-burning software products, too.

    Maybe *your* computer in particular doesn’t have it. We all know Windows is prone to unique glitches…but trust me, it’s everywhere pretty much.
    I have been dealing heavily with computers for 17 years now, from home stuff to my city’s gov’t networks. Thousands of computers througout all these years. I’m not the best out there, but I have a big load of PC experience.

    Anyways…so…there…should be…dunno, maybe you use Windows Biff Edition? lol

  37. no name says:

    Wow. You must really like writing, Izual Shima. No offense, but those comments look more like essays to me. 🙂

  38. Izual Shima says:

    @ no name

    I do. I also actually try that it’s got something to it, and it’s not just babble. Sometimes I actually succeed 😛

    I haven’t had the time to get into decent conversation spots in a looong while, so these quick drops of comments seemed to fit the purpose. I can now say I’ve been in a place where the “Mac and PC, PC and Mac” deal has been talked out with complete maturity and honest objectivity.

    Anyways, on with the Biff’ing.

  39. Vaedrin says:

    I’ve been a long time reader of the comics, and the comments. Both very amusing but I’ve kept my mouth shut for far too long.

    I don’t know if this will solve anything, but if you look up the history of Apple, you’ll find this:

    The Microsoft Deal

    At the 1997 Macworld Expo, Steve Jobs announced that Apple would be entering into partnership with Microsoft. Included in this was a five-year commitment from Microsoft to release Microsoft Office for Macintosh as well a US$150 million investment in Apple. It was also announced that Internet Explorer would be shipped as the default browser on the Macintosh. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates appeared at the expo on-screen, further explaining Microsoft’s plans for the software they were developing for Mac, and stating that he was very excited to be helping Apple return to success. After this, Steve Jobs said this to the audience at the expo:
    “ If we want to move forward and see Apple healthy and prospering again, we have to let go of a few things here. We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose. We have to embrace a notion that for Apple to win, Apple has to do a really good job. And if others are going to help us that’s great, because we need all the help we can get, and if we screw up and we don’t do a good job, it’s not somebody else’s fault, it’s our fault. So I think that is a very important perspective. If we want Microsoft Office on the Mac, we better treat the company that puts it out with a little bit of gratitude; we like their software.

    So, the era of setting this up as a competition between Apple and Microsoft is over as far as I’m concerned. This is about getting Apple healthy, this is about Apple being able to make incredibly great contributions to the industry and to get healthy and prosper again.

    So you see, no matter how much you want to debate it, Microsoft and Apple rely on eachother to survive. Argue as you will, but the bottom line is neither is better than the other and neither can exist without the other. They’re trying to cater to everyone’s needs.

  40. T3chW01f says:

    Felt the need to throw in my two cents here. Being both a user of Macs on occasion and PC’s on a steady basis I tend to walk the line. Macs are great for editing media that’s their niche that keeps them in the market. Their stuff does it the best and all the professionals in such fields as photography and video editing know this and thus use it. Without this Mac would probably die off because amateurs can get by on PC’s and any real stability/safety freaks are using Unix/Linux/GNU by now. Because that’s where Mac’s stability and safety come it’s OS is built off the base Unix kernel. PC’s are basically your utility belt they can provide a wide array of functions in just their basic set ups. You can’t beef them up in different ways to build them for specific tasks, but even then they can provide the utility belt array of functions. So in the end Mac has it’s niche and I think that’s all it’ll ever have unless it lets loose and makes them at least upgradeable piece meal to bring down the costs of upgrading their systems. I don’t want to have to buy a whole new computer every year or two just because I can’t switch out my video card or mother board or sound card. The price is what will always keep them from coming out of their niche market.

  41. technosasquatch says:

    the internet!? that thing is still around?

  42. Deteramot says:

    Considering what one might find on the internets, that might be a good idea.

  43. Radical Edward says:

    The internet has become a tool that almost everyone I know uses.

    I use it to buy stuff like CDs and DVDs

  44. hayabusa says:

    i use vista 64-bit premium on my PC. it does seem to be a memory and processor hog, which i tried to explain to my friend, who has just about the same setup as me (he has less RAM, but more Ghz). he would always tell me he didn’t know what i was talking about since his PC ran fast even with vista, and then his started slowing down like mine has.

  45. YukiSnowflake says:

    lol, i have just eaten!
    sadly, it was a chicken burger sandwich and waffles…. heh…
    (*insert anime-esque sweatdrop here*)

  46. Octothorpe says:

    You wouldn’t want to get any finger cramps. you might just drown in the web.

Leave a Reply to technosasquatch Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *