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Board » General Discussion » Windows or Mac?

l just killed my Mac, so am starting from scratch. l used it solely for web browsing, downloading movies, and Sol. What I couldn't do was use blue water or other routing software with a Mac. What do other SOLers use?

Also tablets. l have a Samsung Galaxy Notebook 10.1, but no flash and therefore no sol. What do other SOLers use?
I use Win PC (running an old OS) and all that stuff works just fine. There are some folks that use Linux distros...stoertebaeker and kropper I seem to remember.
I've actually looked at and played with a chromebook, which did sol very well as well as played netflicks and youtube stuff.
If you're into playing with your system, then a Linux setup might be the best.
If you just want something that works out of the box, Win8 or a chromebook might be best. Of course most Nav software is designed to run on Windoze, not sure how that stuff would work on the chromebook.

Just as a point of interest, how did you kill your Mac? I fried the motherboard on my previous laptop by spilling a really good IPA on it. :-p
Yes, I use linux.

I see apple software a bit like a taxi: pricey, you (almost) always get where you want to go, but you rarely have a choice in how you get there. If something goes wrong, you're scr..- you're fu..- you're not happy.

windows is more like your own car, where you can steer yourself. But the steering wheel comes loose once in a while, and occasionally you have a flat battery :)

linux more like the car that you spend your whole Sunday on to get it working again, not because it broke down, but because you want to make it better.

chromebook... I don't have much experience with that. As far as I know, it's basically a browser. More like a train, only a limited number of places you can go to, with a railway guard that watches you.

---
well that was fun :) what was the question?

If you like playing around with your computer, take a look at linux. If not, take a look at linux :) If really not, well, never mind then.

If you was happy with apple, then stay with apple. There are ways to get BWR running on apple, but I would recommend looking for other nautical software that can run on mac without much trouble. For a router: qtVlm is crossplatform, it shouldn't be too hard to get it running on mac.

If you don't have a special preference for apple, go for windows. Most programs run at least on windows, just because they form the majority of the market. Maybe look into chromebook, I'm not sure how easy (if even possible) it is to install things like routers on a chromebook.

You can install windows and linux on the same PC. Apple has trouble keeping hardware and software separate.

As for the tablet... My opinion is that it combines the disadvantages of laptop and smartphone: you can't put it in your pocket, and you can't do much with it. But that's just me.

On "no flash"-machines, people use puffin to get the SOL client running. I have no experience with that.

---
PS: if you do choose for linux, or are seriously considering it, there is a lot to choose from.
Maybe it's still possible to boot Linux on a PC. But M$ is trying to make it hard.
SSD won't boot

--- Last Edited by captjack1942 at 2014-03-05 18:01:30 ---

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Regata dell’Accademia Navale 2025

Welcome to Sailonline’s first partnership with the City of Livorno, in cooperation with the local yacht clubs and the Italian Navy, to offer you the online opportunity to race the Regata dell’Accademia Navale. 630nm in length, starting and finishing in Livorno, the race takes you the length and breadth of the Tyrrhenian Sea via Porto Cervo and Capri. Online, you will be sailing a Class 40, which should keep you well in with the top of the real-life fleet which we will be tracking on screen!
Race #1902
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Gulf of St Lawrence 2025


The Gulf of St. Lawrence, with one of the largest and deepest estuaries in the world, will be the site of a completely new race in SOL. Our Melges 40 will take us 950 nm from Bathurst in Baie des Chaleurs around the islands of Anticosti, Pelee and Prince Edward admiring beautiful landscapes along the way. Fair winds.
Race #1910
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Transat à Deux 2025

Above you see a single-handed sailor semi-foiling his Beneteau Figaro III to the horizon. It is in fact Ireland’s Sailor of the Year and the overall winner of last year’s Solitaire du Figaro, Tom Dolan. Somehow, we got our hands on a polar for the Class, and rather than trying to surreptitiously track Tom and his mates in the 2025 edition of the Solitaire, sailing rather-short, single-handed legs across the Celtic Sea and Biscay, we thought we’d see how our virtual craft would fare on the Class’s double-handed 3900nm Trans-Atlantic, from somewhere in Brittanny to somewhere in the Caribbean via somewhere in the Canaries. Allez, mes braves!
Race #1901
INFOby brainaid.de
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Gladstone Ports Corporation Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race 2025


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Race #1904
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Bahamas and Back TIMED Race 2025

Welcome to sunny South Florida for this race that has us crossing the Gulf Stream twice. We depart from Palm Beach for a short run over to Freeport, Bahamas then it’s on to Miami before heading to the finish line back in Palm Beach. This is a TIMED race, so you may RE-REGISTER HERE to try again, after finishing a run. You will have 13 days and 11 hours to test your skill and decision making after the race opens.
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Santa Cruz 70 PARTICULARS
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Sinbad by Balloon 2025 - Toamasina to Baia de l'Oiseau


You may recall that when last we visited Madagascar in the company of Sinbad, the Sultan commanded our intrepid inspirator to seek out fabled islands where in Summer the sun barely set. We did and we returned but the Sultan wasn’t happy with Sinbad’s report, so here we go again, now by SOL Balloon instead of sailing vessel. Expect to be in the air for at least 2100nm and depending on how the wind brings us, anything between two weeks and two months before we shall descend at the Sultan’s given coordinates!
Race #1884
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Valparaiso to San Francisco 2025

Get ready for an exhilarating new challenge as we set sail on the fourth leg of the 2025 Ocean Championship Series! Following in the 19th century footsteps of Isabel Allende's heroine, Eliza Sommers, 'Daughter of Fortune', this all-new route takes us across the vast eastern Pacific, from Valparaíso, Chile, to San Francisco, California - a 3500nm journey of endurance, strategy, and pure sailing adrenaline. This leg will be raced aboard the powerful Rapido 60, pushing sailors to their limits as they navigate the open ocean. Do you have what it takes to conquer the Pacific? Join us and put your skills to the ultimate test!
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1900
INFO by brainaid.de
Rapido 60 PARTICULARS
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Ranking: OCQ2 - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Apr 07th 11:00 Registration Closed
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Melbourne Osaka Cup Double-Handed Yacht Race 2025

Welcome once again to what these days is Sailonline’s almost annual virtual Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race. In real life, this double-handed 5500 nm race between these two sister cities, one deep in the southern hemisphere, the other high in the northern hemisphere, is run every four to five years, and this year is such a year. So, this year’s online version is in sync with the Melbourne Osaka Cup 2025 organised by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV), and the Sandringham (SYC) and Osaka Hokko (OHYC) yacht clubs. We’ll be racing the well-known First 40, a popular size of boat which should be a good match for many of the boats entered in the real race. With the doldrums unavoidably lying across our course, you can expect to be at virtual sea for at least a month!
Race #1669
INFO by brainaid.de
First 40 Particulars
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RACE CLOSE: Wednesday,
April 23 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Mar 16th 06:00 Registration Closed

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