Flicking on Windows machines

[Shahram kakaei]

Following is an excerpt from the book 'Active Skills for Reading 4'. Would someone please explain the bold part?


Later that afternoon, she walks around the computer room her grandparents have set aside for her, flicking on no fewer than four Windows machine.

 

[Ponyprof]

Following is an excerpt from the book 'Active Skills for Reading 4'. Would someone please explain the bold part?


Later that afternoon, she walks around the computer room her grandparents have set aside for her, flicking on no fewer than four Windows machine.

This doesn't make sense. Did you transcribe correctly?

 

[cidertree]

This doesn't make sense. Did you transcribe correctly?

It does, but it takes a while, and yes, there is an error in the transcript - it should be windows machines.

"flicking on no fewer than four Windows machines" means turning the machines on with a quick tap of her finger. No fewer than is used to emphasize the number of computers.

 

[Ponyprof]

I have never heard anyone call a PC computer that runs Windows a "Windows machine."

 

[Shahram kakaei]

This doesn't make sense. Did you transcribe correctly?

 

[cidertree]

Where I work we run various operating systems and refer to them as Windows machine, Linux machine, etc.

 

[Shahram kakaei]

It does, but it takes a while, and yes, there is an error in the transcript - it should be windows machines.

"flicking on no fewer than four Windows machines" means turning the machines on with a quick tap of her finger. No fewer than is used to emphasize the number of computers.

That's right.
I should have written machines instead of machine. It was just a typo.

 

[Ponyprof]

Where I work we run various operating systems and refer to them as Windows machine, Linux machine, etc.

Well, there you go. I learned something!

 

[entangledbank]

Yes, they're only Windows machines if you're specifically contrasting them with other operating systems. It's not how we usually speak of a machine that happens to run Windows. But if the grandparents have four of them in one room, that's an unusual situation.

 

[cidertree]

Yes, they're only Windows machines if you're specifically contrasting them with other operating systems. It's not how we usually speak of a machine that happens to run Windows. But if the grandparents have four of them in one room, that's an unusual situation.

They're always Windows machines, but most people (aside from the PC vs Mac brigade) do not particularly know or care about their OS. The OP is taken from an article about a hacker (who does care). It's her grandparents' room - they're her machines.

 

[Hildy1]

The telephone scammers who try to get access to my computer refer to "your Windows computer".

 

[kentix]

They're always Windows machines

I'm not sure what this means. They are only Windows machines if they are computers that run Windows as their only or primary operating system. Macs aren't Windows machines.

 

[cidertree]

I'm not sure what this means. They are only Windows machines if they are computers that run Windows as their only or primary operating system. Macs aren't Windows machines.

Yes, I know. If you look again you will see that it was in response to entangledbank's comment that "they're only Windows machines if you're specifically contrasting them with other operating systems."

 

[dojibear]

I'm not sure what this means. They are only Windows machines if they are computers that run Windows as their only or primary operating system. Macs aren't Windows machines.

It makes sense to me. They are computers designed to run Windows. You can't run MacOS on those computers (wrong processor, wrong keyboard interface, etc.). Maybe you can run Linux on them, but 99.9% of people run Windows on them. Literally those computers were designed to run Windows. I see no problem with calling them "Windows machines".

We call something a "bathtub", but you don't have to take a bath in it. Some people buy it to grow flowers in. We call it a "bathtub" because it was designed for people to take baths in.