Join us as we retreat to a safe distance…
1 MP3 Vs Vinyl
If we were to say either one of these was better than the other, you can guarantee we’d get ‘letters’, informing us why we’re wrong. Those on the side of vinyl will say it’s a true reproduction of the source material, while MP3 is merely a compressed sample. Digital fans will point to the high quality of lossless formats, while also mentioning the flaws in vinyl. Never, though, will they concede ground to the other side. We say put the dance floor in no man’s land and enjoy the tunes in whatever format they arrive.
2 Cheap Vs Expensive Cables
It’s not just the world of music that’s been affected by the advent of digital formats; people now even fight about cables. Most techies seem to agree that when it comes to analogue cables, paying for the expensive ones, with their gold components and so on, makes for better quality video or audio. On the subject of leads for digital formats, however, there’s much less agreement. Can a £50 HDMI cable do a better job of delivering the ones and zeroes of a Blu-ray better than one that costs £5, or are they just a rip-off?
3 Defrag Or Not
The idea of defragmenting a hard drive (let’s forget about SSDs for now) is pretty straightforward. As you use your drive, files get stored in different areas of it, and some of them are broken into fairly disparate parts. By defragging, you put those parts in a more logical order, which gives the drive’s heads a bit less work to do, thereby increasing access speed. Well, that’s the theory, anyway. Of course, no one can agree on this, and those against defragging say the fast speeds of modern drives makes it completely pointless. We say do it if you want and don’t if you don’t. Can we stop fighting now?
4 Apple Vs Everyone
Whether we’re talking about iPods, iPads and iPhones or Macs, the stereotype associated with Apple users paints them as smug and with more money than sense. We’re going to come off the fence for a moment and say that’s not really a fair representation any more. Sure, Apple computers are still luxury items, but thanks to mobile phone contracts, the iPhone isn’t just restricted to those who drive BMWs and have trust funds. The real question, then, is whether Apple’s walled garden approach is better than the relative freedom of Windows, Android and so on. That, we say, is up to you.
5 Windows Vs Linux
And finally, we come to the ultimate way to get computer enthusiasts bearing their teeth and growling at each other (well, inasmuch as typing on a web forum will allow). Windows ‘just works’ and is better for games, say Microsoft users. Linux is more secure and costs nothing, say fans of the open-source OS. Intriguing stuff, but what about this?: each one has advantages and disadvantages, and if you’re happy with what you have, then stick with it. Or, in other words, why can’t we all just get along!?