Modern Buddy

i have been thinking as a mac & pc user and in terms of seeing others on scooters i just think my Buddy is more and more like a mac than a PC (being other makes) which some are great too, ( kym,sym,aprillia,etc oh and vespa,lol!), i really think there could be a "Buddy World" mag soon like a MacWorld, there is just such a cult of the Buddy only rivaled by other unique scoots. that being said, have you found "easter eggs" in /on your Buddy? do you have stupid Buddy tricks? I can think of a few but wanted to hear from you guys,,,everyone has a pc but not everyone has a mac, i guess the same is so in the scooter world.,, think different

My scoot is lightweight (think overly thin) and has a black turtleneck ... only cool people ride Buddy's...

I'd like to think of mine as opensource.

nateandcourt wrote:I'd like to think of mine as opensource.

Mac OS X is based on open source BSD Unix.

djelliott wrote:

nateandcourt wrote:I'd like to think of mine as opensource.

Mac OS X is based on open source BSD Unix.

I would expect a voodoo guy to know that

You win on a technicality.

It's like a Mac in that the engine is a proprietary version of something much more commonplace, therefore upgrades aren't as easily encouraged despite it being based on existing hardware. It's like a Mac in that buyers feel like they're unique and special despite buying something mass market produced.

mojobuddy70cc wrote:i really think there could be a "Buddy World" mag soon like a MacWorld, there is just such a cult of the Buddy only rivaled by other unique scoots

There's a PC World magazine too.

Regardless, the Mac/PC debate is asinine as is Buddy/other scooters. Get a machine you're happy with and you shouldn't need to tell the world why yours is better than some other brand.

I didn't have to learn how to avoid a mechanical "blue screen" to own a Buddy. I decided to learn how it worked so I could really get what I wanted out of it (lil' bit of voodoo)...but it wasn't required to keep it from crashing on me.

Easter eggs? Hmm. I didn't have to spend money on a shop manual. Not sure if I've found any of those on my iMac either. Either I have and just went with it or haven't been looking.

"Stupid" Buddy tricks? I don't do stupid tricks, same thing I tell people that want me to wheelie. Hmm. I'm still trying to break myself of a bad pre-MSF habit left over from bicycling days: drafting. I'm getting much better at catching myself and putting a safe following distance in front of me. Buddy-specific? I'll go with my seat latch. It can be a little tricky until you figure out just where to press. Mine's even worse, as it's an Italia seat on a black 125: not the seat it came with. I've learned to press down just past the seam in the middle of the seat until there's resistance, then press down and sideways...sometimes the sideways direction changes spontaneously.

Where is the fun rivalry? I was expecting great comments.

like

"mine is like a pc cause I crashed"

or

"mine is like a mac because its cute and cant do real work"?

nateandcourt wrote:"mine is like a mac because its cute while doing real work"?

Fixed that for ya.

DISCLAIMER: I am a former Apple employee and a long-time Apple user, but not a cultist.

djelliott wrote:Mac OS X is based on open source BSD Unix.

Technically it's based on NeXTstep (which was itself based on BSD), but you still get credit for knowing that it's not based on Linux (which I hear a lot from Mac users who don't know the difference).

The Buddy is like an early-2000s Mac (or a modern iPod) because of the many pretty colors it comes in. It's also like a Mac because Buddy stores are few and far between in most of the country, but the people who work at them are mostly very knowledgable about them. But it's most like a Mac in that usually It Just Works, with a minimum of fuss and bother.

Cheshire wrote:

nateandcourt wrote:"mine is like a mac because its cute while doing real work"?

Fixed that for ya.

That's more like it.

,,tapps toes,,well???

In contrast to most people, I see Vespa as the Mac, and Buddy as the PC:

* Vespa is premium priced, Buddy is a lower-priced alternative. A MacBook is premium priced to a PC laptop.
* Vespa has higher quality switchgear, Buddy "gets the job done." MacBook hardware quality > PC
* Vespa has a monocoque frame; Buddy has a plastic-wrapped (albeit a great execution!) body. MacBooks are also monocoque; other PC laptops are usually plastic-bodied
* Vespas have more proprietary parts like Macs, Buddies have more GY6-compatible bits (well, maybe more on the 150cc side), as PCs have more peripherals/expansion boards, etc.
* Vespa accessories cost more like Mac accessories do; Buddy accessories are not as expensive as PC accessories are
* Vespa owners (modern ones) are more likely to simply take their Vespa in for service at the dealer, as Mac customers usually take their Macs to an Apple Store for service. I get the impression that Buddy owners are more DIY type of people, as PC techies are. I have absolutely no data to prove this point, but merely speculation. No offense to anyone out there on the interwebs.

Ummm... that's about all I have off the top of my head. It's Monday. I'm done thinking for the day, and it's barely noon here!

I dont really think you can compare a scooter to a operating system, but ok I'll go for it. It's a PC, it's cheaper and works. A vespa which is 2k more goes the same speed and carries the same load.

My Buddy is NOT like a Mac, its much more like my Linux powered EEE-PC.

Its inexpensive, compact, goes anywhere, is infinitely modifiable, can be customized to suit my needs, gets many comments from interested bystanders about how its surprisingly fast and small, and fits the niche it was built for perfectly.

I'd have to say it's more windows/linux. You can upgrade the bike a handful of ways just like you can upgrade a PC you bought/built. But you cant upgrade a mac besides HDD or Ram generally, the graphics card is soldered directly to the internal mother board. Unless we're talking about a mac pro desktop then....

pyrocpu wrote:In contrast to most people, I see Vespa as the Mac, and Buddy as the PC:

* Vespa is premium priced, Buddy is a lower-priced alternative. A MacBook is premium priced to a PC laptop.
* Vespa has higher quality switchgear, Buddy "gets the job done." MacBook hardware quality > PC
* Vespa has a monocoque frame; Buddy has a plastic-wrapped (albeit a great execution!) body. MacBooks are also monocoque; other PC laptops are usually plastic-bodied
* Vespas have more proprietary parts like Macs, Buddies have more GY6-compatible bits (well, maybe more on the 150cc side), as PCs have more peripherals/expansion boards, etc.
* Vespa accessories cost more like Mac accessories do; Buddy accessories are not as expensive as PC accessories are
* Vespa owners (modern ones) are more likely to simply take their Vespa in for service at the dealer, as Mac customers usually take their Macs to an Apple Store for service. I get the impression that Buddy owners are more DIY type of people, as PC techies are. I have absolutely no data to prove this point, but merely speculation. No offense to anyone out there on the interwebs.

Ummm... that's about all I have off the top of my head. It's Monday. I'm done thinking for the day, and it's barely noon here!

i agree completely.

How is my Buddy like a Mac?

My Buddy just works.

(And thus far has never crashed...)

pyrocpu wrote:* Vespa owners (modern ones) are more likely to simply take their Vespa in for service at the dealer, as Mac customers usually take their Macs to an Apple Store for service. I get the impression that Buddy owners are more DIY type of people, as PC techies are. I have absolutely no data to prove this point, but merely speculation. No offense to anyone out there on the interwebs.

Perhaps true, but for what reason? I have both Macs and PCs. I'd bring a Mac in to the Apple store (if it ever needs it) because I trust the folks there. I fix my own PCs because there isn't a PC-repair place that I trust like that.

Kaos wrote:My Buddy is NOT like a Mac, its much more like my Linux powered EEE-PC.

Its inexpensive, compact, goes anywhere, is infinitely modifiable, can be customized to suit my needs, gets many comments from interested bystanders about how its surprisingly fast and small, and fits the niche it was built for perfectly.

I always have my aspire one netbook with me, just put a 9cell battery on that thing . it sure beats carrying around my Vaio or Sager.

jfrost2 wrote:I'd have to say it's more windows/linux. You can upgrade the bike a handful of ways just like you can upgrade a PC you bought/built. But you cant upgrade a mac besides HDD or Ram generally, the graphics card is soldered directly to the internal mother board. Unless we're talking about a mac pro desktop then....

There are DIY-friendly PC models (more than there are DIY-friend Macs, to be sure), but most PCs sold these days (by number of units) are almost as difficult to upgrade as an iMac. And of course most laptops of any variety are pretty much sealed boxes.

I think it analogy fits Vespa better.

Just as Vespa orphaned all its customers and left the US market for awhile, Apple orphans all its customers when it goes through a major hardware or OS change. Anyone remember the PowerPC chip machines?

TVB wrote:

jfrost2 wrote:I'd have to say it's more windows/linux. You can upgrade the bike a handful of ways just like you can upgrade a PC you bought/built. But you cant upgrade a mac besides HDD or Ram generally, the graphics card is soldered directly to the internal mother board. Unless we're talking about a mac pro desktop then....

There are DIY-friendly PC models (more than there are DIY-friend Macs, to be sure), but most PCs sold these days (by number of units) are almost as difficult to upgrade as an iMac. And of course most laptops of any variety are pretty much sealed boxes.

All in one PC's that sit on the desk are just as difficult to upgrade as a iMac. ANY out of the box full ATX tower PC is easily upgradable. Even compact half sized towers are just as easy. The impossible ones are the new nettop PC's for media playback. Everything is soldered onto the motherboard on this little disk drive sized PC's.

,,i jail-breaked my iPhone, does that work on a blackberry? i listen to sat/radio while i ride my Buddy and my Vespa, on the Vespa issue as in the "not-so-modern" forum there are alot of vintage scoots that have hardware
parts from ace hardware and even bicycle shops, i have a bell cowel mirror.
but ,,do you ever chain your Buddy (short-term) on the kickstand loop ( it`s for the foot to hit to pop it down)?, of course the pimp lights(led`s) mine are red,
the helmet hooks,,, can you burn rubber on your Buddy?? I can,
,, i think of my Vespa as a like 68 chevy pick-up 6cylinder,, parts are still easy, it will run forever, easy to work on and a very solid scoot. not sure about the Buddy.,,but the mods are not as pedestrian as that of a PC-scoot.
tried to find jets locally? or upgrade a carb? maybe that Prima pipe thing-y is like the PowerPC chip too,, i had an apple-outta that sack,lol!

My Buddy is not like a Mac because if it was, I wouldn't own it. Because I don't own a Mac.

I'm not really sure that even makes sense.

pcbikedude wrote:Just as Vespa orphaned all its customers and left the US market for awhile, Apple orphans all its customers when it goes through a major hardware or OS change. Anyone remember the PowerPC chip machines?

Yes, because I have one (a Mac Mini G4 running OS X.5, plus a few 20th century Macs for auld lang syne). They aren't orphaned like Vespas were; Apple and its dealers still have parts and service the non-antique models (though obviously the PPC models are all out of warranty).

Granted, I'm biased, but I think Apple has been pretty generous supporting technology it was no longer producing: apps for Motorola68K on PowerPC CPUs (for 7 years), apps for OS Classic on OS X (6 years), apps for PowerPC on Intel CPUs (4 years and counting), and OS X on PowerPC CPUs (2.5-3.5 years, depending on how you count it). Admittedly, this period has been getting shorter, and it bugs me a little that my middle-aged G4 won't have as long a useful life as my geriatric Quadra did, but it isn't substantively different from Microsoft and HP/Dell/etc. orphaning 5-year-old PCs that can't run Vista/7.

Most XP machines should be able to run Win 7. It won't be pretty and not recommended for memory deprived PCs.

But Apple maybe missing the boat. With cloud computing creeping closer, will we need that much horsepower inside a PC or a Mac? Will we need anything more than a netbook?

pcbikedude wrote:Most XP machines should be able to run Win 7. It won't be pretty and not recommended for memory deprived PCs.

But Apple maybe missing the boat. With cloud computing creeping closer, will we need that much horsepower inside a PC or a Mac? Will we need anything more than a netbook?

I am not a big fan of cloud computing. I fear something like t-mobile's recent data loss.

but

I cant wait to see www.onlive.com in action.

i remember OS 8.1. OS X was so weird at first, but i like it much better now.
my Buddy is unlike my Flower Power iMac because my Buddy doesn't sit in its box.
yet it is nowhere comparable to a MAC address which is what the subject suggests the comparison is supposed to be

pyrocpu wrote:In contrast to most people, I see Vespa as the Mac, and Buddy as the PC:

* Vespa is premium priced, Buddy is a lower-priced alternative. A MacBook is premium priced to a PC laptop.
* Vespa has higher quality switchgear, Buddy "gets the job done." MacBook hardware quality > PC
* Vespa has a monocoque frame; Buddy has a plastic-wrapped (albeit a great execution!) body. MacBooks are also monocoque; other PC laptops are usually plastic-bodied
* Vespas have more proprietary parts like Macs, Buddies have more GY6-compatible bits (well, maybe more on the 150cc side), as PCs have more peripherals/expansion boards, etc.
* Vespa accessories cost more like Mac accessories do; Buddy accessories are not as expensive as PC accessories are
* Vespa owners (modern ones) are more likely to simply take their Vespa in for service at the dealer, as Mac customers usually take their Macs to an Apple Store for service. I get the impression that Buddy owners are more DIY type of people, as PC techies are. I have absolutely no data to prove this point, but merely speculation. No offense to anyone out there on the interwebs.

Ummm... that's about all I have off the top of my head. It's Monday. I'm done thinking for the day, and it's barely noon here!

lol, nice. I've got to give you the nod on this one. But for the record, I'd love to have both a (nother) Mac and a Vespa, but I like being able to work on my PC and my Scooter.

if anything i would say a Buddy is a Vespa clone,remember the Mac clones??, a
Buddy is for sure more expensive than a $800 mainland scoot, remember
the Alien PC gaming machines?? i saw one @ the dump the other day.

Huh. So far my Buddy has not irritated a single colleague with incompatible applications, lack of functionality, or complete inability to perform something.

So I'm gonna have to say no comparison.

pcbikedude wrote:Most XP machines should be able to run Win 7.

Not according to Microsoft. Win7's official minimum is 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, and DirectX9-compatible video card. WinXP's official minimum is 233MHz, 64MB RAM, and pretty much any video card made in the last 15 years. (For either one, I'd double the specs for decent performance.) If you bought a non-netbook PC in the last few years, Win7 will probably run OK on it, but there are a lot of sub-GHz, 512MB machines with legacy video still out there (e.g. my laptop), and WinXP is the end of the line for them.

I'm a PC, and I ride a Rattler

pcbikedude wrote:But Apple maybe missing the boat. With cloud computing creeping closer, will we need that much horsepower inside a PC or a Mac? Will we need anything more than a netbook?

You'll have to pry my desktop from my cold dead fingers, and I will never trust anyone else to backup my data. Ever.

TVB wrote:

pcbikedude wrote:But Apple maybe missing the boat. With cloud computing creeping closer, will we need that much horsepower inside a PC or a Mac? Will we need anything more than a netbook?

You'll have to pry my desktop from my cold dead fingers, and I will never trust anyone else to backup my data. Ever.

Yeah, thats my beef with it as well. I just don't trust other people to store my data securely.

Mary Somerville wrote:Huh. So far my Buddy has not irritated a single colleague with incompatible applications, lack of functionality, or complete inability to perform something.

I go back and forth between a Windows PC at the office and a Mac at home every day, and in a previous job I supported a couple hundred of each kind on the same network. The most-used applications or their functional equivalents are available for both platforms (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Firefox, Photoshop, Flash, Acrobat, Quicken, Notes, etc), and I have yet to experience these "complete inability" problems you allude to with either platform. Neither one is perfect, but neither is as useless as you seem to want to believe.

If the Buddy is a Mac, than my Blur must be a PC. I'm good with that: All Business!!!

pcbikedude wrote:Most XP machines should be able to run Win 7. It won't be pretty and not recommended for memory deprived PCs.

But Apple maybe missing the boat. With cloud computing creeping closer, will we need that much horsepower inside a PC or a Mac? Will we need anything more than a netbook?

With Windows, every other build is a good one, so 7 should be excellent! I have run 7 as a beta and it's pretty good. It's all the good things about Vista with none of the problems that some people have experienced. Actually, I have had no problems with Vista. I do have to run CCleaner quite a bit on it to keep it running fast. Windows gets a bad rap, but if you run utilities every few weeks while you back up (which you should do with any computer Mac/PC/Linnix/Lindows, etc).

Loves my netbook by the way. Solid state drive to handle those bumps during the time it spends in my pet carrier!

TVB wrote:

Mary Somerville wrote:Huh. So far my Buddy has not irritated a single colleague with incompatible applications, lack of functionality, or complete inability to perform something.

I go back and forth between a Windows PC at the office and a Mac at home every day, and in a previous job I supported a couple hundred of each kind on the same network. The most-used applications or their functional equivalents are available for both platforms (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Firefox, Photoshop, Flash, Acrobat, Quicken, Notes, etc), and I have yet to experience these "complete inability" problems you allude to with either platform. Neither one is perfect, but neither is as useless as you seem to want to believe.

Mac users don't even know about some of the functions they are missing. We asked a colleague to repeatedly do stuff in powerpoint that we do all the time. The functions are absent in Mac. So we have to do his work for him.

We also had a brochure printed up for our product. I described the shot I wanted, and we got the brochure back and it was wrong. I showed it again. Back: wrong. Turns out Macs don't have the ability to view the powerpoint slides the same way. Costs us money and time, and the brochure ended up just wrong--missing a key point.

We have tried to use a number of web-based presentation platforms, many we have to abandon because they don't support mac users. We end up paying significantly more to accommodate the Mac user. There are several other types of software that we use that do not have a corresponding Mac version.

It doesn't matter if *some* things have both, if the things you need to use to do your job every day don't.

Before anyone replies here again, please go read all 700 replies to this thread on ModernVespa:

http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/topic7040

Then you can come back and discuss again.

Mary Somerville wrote:Mac users don't even know about some of the functions they are missing.

That's a rather broad statement. I'm also a bit puzzled what judgment it makes of someone like me, who has used both for >15 years. When I happen to turn on my Mac instead of my PC, do I forget what Windows can do?

Mary Somerville wrote:We have tried to use a number of web-based presentation platforms, many we have to abandon because they don't support mac users.

You're right: there are quite a few developers out there who have produced "web" apps that only work with Internet Explorer, rather than using standards that will work with various browsers on various platforms. They put all their money on a single horse, and as IE has lost market share to Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc, that bet is looking less wise. Any web developer whose apps don't at least support Firefox by now... frankly, that should be a warning sign about their general competence.

Mary Somerville wrote:There are several other types of software that we use that do not have a corresponding Mac version.

By all means, if the software you need isn't available for both, use the platform that supports it. (But again, I consider a single-OS strategy a warning sign against a software developer; I tend to avoid both Mac-only and Windows-only software unless it's really outstanding.) Neither OS is perfect, and I'll be the first to point out that there are things that are easier to do in Windows than in OS X. Are they 100% interchangeable? Of course not; what would be the point of that? But in my professional experience working with both, they have proven to be more interoperable and more self-sufficient than your summary dismissal suggests.

ericalm wrote:Before anyone replies here again, please go read all 700 replies to this thread on ModernVespa:

http://www.modernvespa.com/forum/topic7040

Then you can come back and discuss again.

700 replies to the biggest debate since Protestant/Catholic or Canon/Nikon? I'm a little disappointed in MV!

Syd wrote:700 replies to the biggest debate since Protestant/Catholic or Canon/Nikon? I'm a little disappointed in MV!

Olympus.

(Which debate I'm weighing in on... I'm not saying. )

TVB wrote:

Syd wrote:700 replies to the biggest debate since Protestant/Catholic or Canon/Nikon? I'm a little disappointed in MV!

Olympus.

(Which debate I'm weighing in on... I'm not saying. )

Clever.

TVB wrote:Not according to Microsoft. Win7's official minimum is 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, and DirectX9-compatible video card. WinXP's official minimum is 233MHz, 64MB RAM, and pretty much any video card made in the last 15 years. (For either one, I'd double the specs for decent performance.) If you bought a non-netbook PC in the last few years, Win7 will probably run OK on it, but there are a lot of sub-GHz, 512MB machines with legacy video still out there (e.g. my laptop), and WinXP is the end of the line for them.

WinXP should be support by MS for a least until Win7 SP1 is released. A lot of businesses are taking a wait-and-see towards Win7. A healthy stance.

People running memory deprived machines should NOT upgrade. If your computer is more than 3 years old, don't upgrade.

If you like being a geek and standing in line overnight in front of a store to buy the latest OS, buy a Mac

pcbikedude wrote:

TVB wrote:Not according to Microsoft. Win7's official minimum is 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, and DirectX9-compatible video card. WinXP's official minimum is 233MHz, 64MB RAM, and pretty much any video card made in the last 15 years. (For either one, I'd double the specs for decent performance.) If you bought a non-netbook PC in the last few years, Win7 will probably run OK on it, but there are a lot of sub-GHz, 512MB machines with legacy video still out there (e.g. my laptop), and WinXP is the end of the line for them.

WinXP should be support by MS for a least until Win7 SP1 is released. A lot of businesses are taking a wait-and-see towards Win7. A healthy stance.

People running memory deprived machines should NOT upgrade. If your computer is more than 3 years old, don't upgrade.

If you like being a geek and standing in line overnight in front of a store to buy the latest OS, buy a Mac

+1 And never upgrade a laptop.

This thread is still going?

Really, as a community, do we need to go out of our way to identify things to disagree on so we can then argue about them and belittle each other? Especially something as ridiculous as this, that's been debated over and over and over and over for a couple decades now?

I keep on catching Steve Jobs sneaking into my carport at night trying to find ways to make my buddy smaller and have more apps. The only thing I've found that scares him away is a protective shield of Zunes.