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You think you didn't already drop $$ on memory?

Do you feel relieved when you buy PC's, and don't have to buy the OS?

Bill

Dell has the same 1600x1200 display on some of their high-end consumer laptops. I've got an Inspiron 8100 with the UXGA display, and it kicks ass. Q3A at 1600x1200 & 75fps, baby. Prices are much more reasonable on the Inspiron than on the Precision Workstation.

1024x768 is about as high as most laptops get for resolution. Gateway has a 1280x1024 15.7" laptop screen (I know, because I'm using one here at work as I type this), and a few vendors squeeze a higher resolution out of 15.1" displays, but not on anything smaller that I know of. Dell has a monster 1600x1200 packed into a 15.1" display on their Precision Workstation M40, but that thing is heavy and expensive as all get out, along with being rather tiny-pixeled.

The Gateways with the big screens (the 9000 series) are nice, though heavy - but the prices are pretty good for what you get.
The Apple G4 has the cool 1152x768 15.2" widescreen, as another direction. I have one of those at home, and it's da bomb.

you just described most of the current ultra-portable notebooks in existence. Try these:

Dell Inspiron

Compaq EVO

Sony VAIO R505 series

You'll have some trouble finding a notebook that is completely devoid of those features you mentioned. All three of these come with the standard legacy and PS/2 connectors, but none of them have any internal floppy or optical drives, which saves a great deal of weight and battery life. And they're all about $1400...not too bad if you ask me. We use the Dells here at my place of employment, and they work great. It's not mentioned on Dell's website, but you can order any of their laptops without an operating system at a $100 discount.

Of course, they're not cheap at ~$2400 maxed out, but so worth it if you're looking for top o' the line.

Though, (and this holds for any laptop manufacturer) you should really shop around for laptop memory instead of having the manufacturer install it. To have Dell max out my laptop (at 512mb PC133 SoDIMM's) would be over $600, but when I ordered the memory myself, I only paid $120. Sure, I had to take a screwdriver to it, but I figure that it was more than worth the $500 I saved by doing it myself.

Because of agreements with M$, OEMs are not allowed to link to their linux sections from other section of their website (i.e. you should not be able to find linux by clicking around starting from the main page), you have to know the secret URL ,try this: dell.com/linux.

If you need to buy a desktop, get a workstation from Dell. If you go for instance to www.dell.com/linux you get redirected to their Linux web page. They usually offer Linux workstations there. They are doing it righ now.

And I am sure you are aware that there are plenty of small companies selling pretty much anything with Linux preinstalled, but this is not what you are asking for here.

-- Don Inodoro

SquadBoy wrote:
Not so much for gaming but in my last job I talked to many people who wanted "awesome gfx" on their laptops to do presentations using high end (http://www.ptc.com) cad/cam packages.

nVidia's mobile CAD/CAM GPU is the Quadro2 Go (just announced in August). You can get it now in Dell's first-ever CAD/CAM-specific laptop, the Workstation M40.

-nukebuddy

These new chips coming from AMD are nothing short of amazing. While Intel struggles with their attempts to force a slower, proprietary memory architecture on PC users and push a weaker processing architecture, AMD is leading the market and producing technology that is faster, more reliable, and cheaper.

Unfortunately for AMD, better technology often loses to superior marketing forces. Several of my friends went to work for Dell after graduation, and they told me that their employer is not going to be supporting these new AMD offerings out of allegiance to Intel. Dell (and many other manufacturers, such as Gateway) are afraid of Intel cutting them out of the loop when supplies are tight so they give AMD second-rate status or drop support altogether. The problem also exists that many customers buy Intel exclusively, despite its low performance/price ratio.

The future isn't nearly as bright for AMD and TMTA as it should be. If our government actually punished companies for anticompetitive practices, things would be different. Maybe in 2004 it will be a priority for the new administration. But I am not holding my breath.

~walter

Guess what. They are called laptops. Unless I missed something the point of a handheld is that it can fit in your pocket. If you want something that big then you might as well use a keyboard since it's faster than pen input anyway.

Who ships with Gigabit ethernet standard on all towers? Apple.

And Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships gigabit ethernet on all highend Laptops? Apple.

And Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships computers that can have 802.11b for on $99? Apple.

Many 802.11b (pronounced "eight oh two dot eleven bee") cards can be purchased for less than $99. However, Apple users frown upon them, because they have protruding antennae that hurt their bums.

What company allows networking over firewire? Apple.

I would like you to know that I use Windows XP (short for "experience") on my lap-top. In the Network Connections folder, there is an option for "1394 Net Connection." To an Apple user, this means "networking over firewire."

What company's keyboards have USB hubs built in? Apple.

And Microsoft, and Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships consistantly ships the most enviromentally friendly machines? Apple.

My Compaq Presario gets consistently gets more than 30 miles per gallon on regular fuel, not like the premium 93-octane that you have to put in your iBook (short for "Internet Book").

Who invented the first computer? Apple. Who invented the mouse? Apple. Who created the idea of "software"? Apple. Who created the very first printer? Apple. And the list goes on. :p

Touche.

Who ships with Gigabit ethernet standard on all towers? Apple.

And Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships gigabit ethernet on all highend Laptops? Apple.

And Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships computers that can have 802.11b for on $99? Apple.

Many 802.11b (pronounced "eight oh two dot eleven bee") cards can be purchased for less than $99. However, Apple users frown upon them, because they have protruding antennae that hurt their bums.

What company allows networking over firewire? Apple.

I would like you to know that I use Windows XP (short for "experience") on my lap-top. In the Network Connections folder, there is an option for "1394 Net Connection." To an Apple user, this means "networking over firewire."

What company's keyboards have USB hubs built in? Apple.

And Microsoft, and Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships consistantly ships the most enviromentally friendly machines? Apple.

My Compaq Presario gets consistently gets more than 30 miles per gallon on regular fuel, not like the premium 93-octane that you have to put in your iBook (short for "Internet Book").

Who invented the first computer? Apple. Who invented the mouse? Apple. Who created the idea of "software"? Apple. Who created the very first printer? Apple. And the list goes on. :p

Touche.

Who ships with Gigabit ethernet standard on all towers? Apple.

And Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships gigabit ethernet on all highend Laptops? Apple.

And Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships computers that can have 802.11b for on $99? Apple.

Many 802.11b (pronounced "eight oh two dot eleven bee") cards can be purchased for less than $99. However, Apple users frown upon them, because they have protruding antennae that hurt their bums.

What company allows networking over firewire? Apple.

I would like you to know that I use Windows XP (short for "experience") on my lap-top. In the Network Connections folder, there is an option for "1394 Net Connection." To an Apple user, this means "networking over firewire."

What company's keyboards have USB hubs built in? Apple.

And Microsoft, and Compaq, and IBM, and Dell...

Who ships consistantly ships the most enviromentally friendly machines? Apple.

My Compaq Presario gets consistently gets more than 30 miles per gallon on regular fuel, not like the premium 93-octane that you have to put in your iBook (short for "Internet Book").

Who invented the first computer? Apple. Who invented the mouse? Apple. Who created the idea of "software"? Apple. Who created the very first printer? Apple. And the list goes on. :p

Touche.

Okay... what you say might be true and I'm not on a quest to build up Dell here, but I have some questions...

1) Why didn't you test the first few you imaged, instead of doing all 100 & then saying "Oh shit, they're all jacked up!"?

2) We received Dell Premier Support, the same support that all businesses, school, and government institutions receive. Don't believe me? Go to Dell's Support Page and see how they're classified.

3) Regardless of that, we were covered under the support contract that came with the system that is separate from your status. It is determined by the contract under which you bought the system.

4) Furthermore, you imaged the disks from their original configs. Why should Dell have to reinstall Windows becuase you guys messed up? If the disks went physically bad, then they should replace them per the purchase service agreement. Otherwise, every OEM in the world will tell you to take a flying leap, unless you have a special clause in your contract.

5) Of course Dell's buying parts from IBM! They primarily build systems. For example, they buy memory from Siemens, HDD's from Maxtor, CD-ROM's from LG, etc. So again, your statement has no relevance that I can see.

6) Finally, I'm sorry, but I usually have trouble listening to ancedotal information from AC's. Why don't you log in? It's not like you were posting flamebait or offtopic, just incorrect information.

If you feel anything I said is wrong or being mis-percieved, feel free to correct me. Thanks.

"Not to mention places like Dell have dropped installing Linux."

Not true. Dell still sells pre-installed linux desktops/workstations.

I have a 3year complete care warrenty (anything happens, they'll fix it -- unless they see hammer marks ;)). I payed $6000CDN for the laptop (around $4000US at the time) I would appreciate it if you email Dell support, expressing your opinions on this issue. Thank you very much for your reply's. I'll take all of them into consideration in my next phone call to Dell :). --- Chris Edwards Co-Founder PocketMatrix.com

Everyone loves to rag on Apple, especially over the PowerBook 5300 with defective batteries and other problems. Nobody seems to remember that less than five of these units were in customer hands when the battery problems surfaced, as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of affected units in customer hands when Dell and Compaq have done recent battery recalls.

And everyone is so quick to condemn Apple for the 5300, but nobody praises them when they do make things right. Like the 5300/190 Repair Extension Program, which fixed specific defects in the 5300 and 190 series PowerBooks, for free, for a period 7 years after they were discontinued-- I do believe it is still in effect.

And let's not forget the numerous times in the last 18 months or so that Apple offered people who still owned those machines trade-in deals to get much, much better PowerBook G3 units at reduced cost.

~Philly

About six months ago, when my last employer went titsup.com, I had the opportunity to buy my brand-new totally maxed out Dell laptop from the company for about 20 cents on the dollar.

The machine had been purchased with one of those pricey Dell on-site same-day-service warranties . Since the video card seemed to be giving me problems, and the laptop cover was slightly warped, I decided that I should transfer the warranty to myself -- post-haste... When I had first purchased the laptop on the company account, Dell had bollocksed the order...multiple times . Despite the fact that my company had purchased hundreds of Dell machines, and despite the fact that Dell was one of our company's major sources of venture capital, orders were always being botched.

The order for my laptop had been lost 3 times. An entire month passed before I finally received it. When it arrived, the video didn't work, but nobody at Dell support had any idea what the problem was . Our head of MIS suggested that I send it back and get another -- but I doubted that our company would last long enough for me to ever see it.

So, I was not looking forward to transferring the warranty.

When I called Dell to find out about the transfer, I was told that they had a transfer ownership page on their website that would automate the process. Sure enough, they did.

I filled out all the spaces on the transfer form and hit the submit button. A message appeared stating that I would get a confirmation email within twenty-four hours. Guess what. I got nothing.

Rather than spend another hour on the phone with Dell support, I decided to fill the form out again...and again. I submitted the form from Windows, Mac, and Linux machines...using different browsers. All of this took but a few minutes. Far less than it would have taken for me to get a live human being at Dell support. I even toyed with the idea of writing a quick perl script to do it continuously.

Another 24 hours and no confirmation.

So I called Dell support.

No one had any ability to confirm whether any human or machine had received my request. I was told that the only way to transfer ownership was via the web page. Several Dell employees even filled out the form themselves.

On the third call to Dell support, I was informed that it would take 3-4 weeks to transfer ownership, and that Dell would have to contact my former employer to verify the sale. I told them that my employer had ceased business and had disconnected their phones. No one offered a solution.

PART TWO, HOW I GOT GOOD SERVICE FROM DELL!

I decided to use a trick that I employed when I needed to get the CDROM on my powerbook replaced...

I scoured the web for three phone numbers which you won't find on their website:
1)Dell's Public Relations Dept.
2)Dell's Marketing Dept.
3)Dell's Legal Dept.

I called the public relations office first, and stated:

Hello, this is (linearb) calling from Austin, Texas. I'm getting ready to launch a massive interactive Dell complaint site on the web. Rather than wait for you to contact me, asking what it would take to get me to stop, I'm giving you the opportunity to stop me from putting the site up in the first place. All you have to do is solve a simple problem - I want the ownership of my laptop transferred. I do not want to be put on hold. I want someone to contact me who can solve this problem. And I want it solved in the next few days.

The woman on the phone was very polite and sympathetic. I assured her that none of my frustration was directed at her, and thanked her for taking my call. Seriously, it's important to separate individuals from the company they work for. When a company has massive problems, most of the employees know it. Despite that, many still do the best they can.

I was assured that I would get a return call within 2 days.

Sure enough, I recieved a call...from a total mean bitch on wheels. She told me that there was nothing wrong with the website, and that I simply had to fill in the form properly, and that I would receive a confirmation within 24 hours. I gave her the name of several Dell employees who had filled out the form themselves a week previously, but no confirmation was ever recieved.

I asked her why Dell had no internal way of tracking whether the transfer process had been initiated. She said they did. I said "prove it." She had no answer.

I told the woman that all I wanted was a printed confirmation that ownership had been transferred to me. She said that she would do it personally, and gave me her phone number.

A day later, she called me back stating that the ownership had been transferred. I said that was good, but I still wanted a written confirmation stating such. She said she would send me an email.

I tried to get her to admit that the web interface didn't work, but she refused to do so. She didn't even apologize for my inconvenience in the matter. However, the woman obviously had the juice to solve my problem quickly.

So, as a service to you dear readers of Geek Austin, I'm going to save you the trouble I had to go through. If you have a real problem, I suggest that you just call this woman directly. She may be arrogant, curt, and totally unsympathetic; but she clearly has the juice to solve your problem.

Margaret Coca
margaret_coca@dell.com
1-800-624-9897
1-512-338-4400

This is somewhat unfortunate for several of my scientist clients, some of whom prefer the Alpha's superior floating-point capabilities for their workstations. They aren't about to run out and drop $12,000 on an Itanium development box from Dell.

Of course, if Red Hat's actually dropped the Alpha, maybe I can get those users onto Debian ....

Its funny how there are about a half dozen different ways to approach the same model machine (through the 'Small Business', 'Home User', 'Higher Education' profiles) and each one can give you its own benefits and gripes.

acm

Dell has a relatively interesting cheap box on sale at the moment.

$599 for a P-4 1.6GHz with 256M ram (after rebates, etc).

Dell has a relatively interesting cheap box on sale at the moment.

$599 for a P-4 1.6GHz with 256M ram (after rebates, etc).

I'm not an Itanium fan, because very long instruction word machines require a near-omniscient optimizing compiler to find enough concurrency in the code to keep the hardware busy. (Smart people are, at this moment, beating their heads against the wall on that problem. Assuming, of course, that the HP compiler team didn't get laid off.) Respected CPU architecture designers have looked at the thing and groaned. It's viewed as a move by Intel to move the industry from an open CPU architecture to a proprietary one over which Intel has a monopoly. Intel has enough patents on the Itanium to prevent cloning. The architecture is so wierd that it requires lots of new inventions to make it work, so Intel can get strong intellectual property rights by going this route. (By comparison, the AMD Sledgehammer 64-bit architecture is a straightforward extension of IA-32, minus some of the cruft.)

But if you want an Itanium machine, you can get one. Although, unusually for Dell, the Dell product page doesn't mention price or have a "Buy" button, so Dell isn't serious about selling it.

The short battery life is probably down to the "decent screen" and other components (DVD, Harddisk) and little to do with the CPU if you compare the latest from Intel / Transmeta.

That being said, I'm typing this on a Dell Inspiron 8100 which I can get 9 hours of work done between recharges... I do have 2 batteries in it, but I think that this is still quite good.

(Running Slackware 8.0, 2.4.6 kernel with APM on, with Windows 2000 under VMWare)

About 3-6 months ago I went looking for notebooks with 1600x1200 screens (and built-in CD-RW drives) and after noticing that Dell had em, I checked to find out who else did. HP, Compaq, Gateway, and Sony didn't, but IBM (and Dell) did.

Check out the Dell Inspiron 8100 (also sold with Linux on it through Emporer Linux.) And IBM has a somewhat more expensive ThinkPad A Series A22p.

While the font size is small, it is configurable and I appreciate the greater screen real estate.

--LP

No such luck. I wonder if we /.ed DELL we could bring it to its knees. What kind of servers are running on each site ???

> CPU: AMD Thunderbird 1.2GHz Socket A 266MHz
> RAM: DDR SDRAM 2100 2 * 256 MB

Cool.

> Harddrive: Western Digital Caviar 7200 RPM 40 GB

Get a cheap Maxtor 40gig instead - faster, more reliable and standards compliant.

> Motherboard: Asus A7M266, AMD761-chipsett,

Not one I know about, but sure :)

> Sound Card: Creative Soundblaster Live! 1024

Either stick with the onboard audio, get something that Linux has OS drivers for, or an Audigy.

> Video Card: Matrox Millenium G450 32MB DDR-Ram, Bulk

Pretty good card, if you're not after the latest games. If you are, get a Radeon.

> CRT: Samtron 96P

CRT? Pah. Get the Planar 17.4" LCD instead - 25ns refresh, DVI+analog. Have a look at Anandtech Forums for some comments.

> CD-ROM-drive: Creative 52x IDE

The Liteon 24x is possibly the best drive on the market, especially if you want to be able to make backups (for legit use).

Damien

Docs for the full Inspiron line.

C-X C-S

This bullshit is here because of CrapDot's fucking lame-ass compression filter.
Goatse.cx links follow.
Goat #1
Goat #2
Goat #3
Goat #4
Goat #5
Goat #6
Maybe now this poorly-engineered piece of rubbish will let me post.

it appears that MOST of this laptop can be upgraded. I saw an ebay ad talking about upgrading the video "card" and it had a link to the Dell site, which I listed above.

I have not tried this myself, but am very anxious to upgrade my cpu, once I can find one that is faster than what I currently have; fast enough to justify the risk of opening my laptop, that is.

let's hope slashdot doesn't cut off this URL...

If you've got a Samba server in your house (and who doesn'?) this thing looks like a really kickass box.

PC game development is a marginally profitable endeavor anyway. For every iD, there are lots of losers. Aside from Wal-Mart specials like Deer Hunter and Millionaire, PC game development is a risky proposition at best. Retail software in general is an incredibly competitive business; the retail game software business is brutal.

Linux gamers, as a group, are willing to pay for games, but only for mega-elite titles. These are games that are already successful on Windows. In particular, multiplayer games are only successful with a large gamer population, most of which will be running Windows.

Console gaming is the only profitable market for most game companies. The margins are higher, the technology is simpler due to uniform hardware, losses to piracy are low, and there is significant revenue from rental outlets.

To those of you unwilling to dual-boot to Windows, do what I did - buy a cheap second (3rd/4th/etc) machine and a KVM switch. Or get a game console and rent software. Don't let funky OS advocacy blind you to reasonable alternatives. Hey, I love my TiVo, but the fact it runs Linux means diddly to me.

Really? Then why is this computer one thousand dollars less?

Sorry, the G4 Ti IS an awesome computer, but it is not what I would call "cost competitive". At $2600 it is definitely a botique computer.

Last year I bought a Dell Inspiron 3800 for $1200, and I dare say it is 95% of the computer the G4 Ti is for less than half the price. I could have bought another for the kitchen and still come out ahead!

This is just my opinion....I like Dell. They are the only brand of workstation, laptop, or X86 server that I recommend. I've been using a Dell Latitude for a couple years now ,and I've loved it. I just recently decided to upgrade to a Dell Latitude C800. 15.1" screen, 32MB video ram, 512MB system ram, 1Ghz, 20GB HDD, CDRW, DVD...Plus...they run Linux like a champ! I personally wanted a really powerful system, and I wanted it new with a warranty. I'm sure if you look carefully, and are patient, you could get a decent Dell C600 or C800 on eBay for somewhere near $1000.

-)Is it going to run Linux? then hardware becomes a major concern, though there are many sites that show you how to run Linux on the iBook, but you might not be a Mac Zealot.

-)Do you want DVD support?

-)What speed range? How much RAM?

-)What chip...AMD or Intel?

-)Are you looking for a mobile desktop?

there are plenty more things to consider, but I'd look at Dell, the iBook starting at $1200 is a beautiful machine, and give Toshiba a look see.

This stuff is pretty dependent on your needs and wants, the iBooks are ideal and more for students, but aren't usually compatible with all business machines which are often x86. Look around, compare prices, and look at the common sense article on top-of-the-line computer hardware.

what, you mean like one of these?

whoops.

I don't know about you guys (and gals), but last time I was at this tiny web site for a tiny computer manufacturer, I had the choice of Win98 SE, WinME, Win2K or Win2K with an upgrade to WinXP. That doesn't sound like manufacturers are limiting my choice of viable Microsoft operating systems to me.

People wouldn't be forced to participate, but if they remain anonymous, I might choose to block them. I certainly wouldn't accept file attachments from them. I know you hate this idea, but I think the Internet needs a fingerprint.

Hmm... And who would control this "fingerprint"? Our beloved government, who is trustworthy? A large computer corporation like, say, Microsoft? And how would something like this work internationally? Who is forcing you to accept attachments now? I run Win98, WinME, Win2K and WinXP all on different machines. Over the last week, I've been sent about 10 emails with both SirCam and Badtrans, and none of my machines are infected. Why? First off, I didn't open the attachments right away. Second, I tested the attachments by saving them and then scanning them first. This is not a difficult concept! If someone puts a big package in your mailbox at home, and it's ticking, do you just open it up if the return address says it's from someone you trust?

You can choose not to have a fingerprint, but then your ability to communicate with others may be limited -- a price many people may choose to pay.

This is endorsed by the same crowd that bitches about MS Passports?

If kids want to install an Internet game, the game's IP port would be registered and permitted to operate, hopefully by the parent.

Why can I not see this happening in the general population? The average users I know bitch about having to confirm Internet activity when Zone Alarm or other personal firewalls pop up and ask.

Programmers who ought to be familiar with Microsoft's plans have suggested that the real motive for raw socket support is for Microsoft to use Windows XP to exploit a bad situation, to deliberately make things worse.

Jesus, what a conspiracy theory. This guy gets paid for this?

Move along, Cringley. Common sense tells us that you're just spreading FUD. Meanwhile, I'll get modded down for criticizing you, I'm sure.

--SC

However, it really does cost Dell a lot to support Linux. They have to test and validate the OS with every hardware configuration they sell and note those configurations that don't work, they have to make changes to the manufacturing process to support the new OS, and they have to train and staff support lines for Linux customers, and so on.

This was a month ago on an entry-level Dimension L. Here's the link that *didn't* offer Linux. (Did I miss it? I can't see how to get it without Windows. Dell lost the sale as a result.)

This was a month ago on an entry-level Dimension L. Here's the link that *didn't* offer Linux. (Did I miss it? I can't see how to get it without Windows. Dell lost the sale as a result.)

Start with a $2000 PC buget:
*buy this PC
*spend 1000 bucks on beer. Drink beer, play games. Dr Cheeks, what a magnificent gaming system you have devised.

• Intense 3D Wildcat 4000: "Performance up to 2.6 million triangles per second (3D, Z-buffered, 25 pixel, Gouraud shaded)."
• GeForce 3: "57 million triangles per second"

I think that exaggerates the GEforce 3's performance, which, realistically, is about half that, but still, that's a big ratio. Why is Wildcat only at 2.7 million triangles per second? That's way too low today.

NVidia had a "pro version" (called Quadro) and a "gamer version" (called GeForce) of each product line, with the gamer version crippled in some way. (The difference was a jumper change read by the driver.) With the GeForce 3, there's a "Quadro DCC", with dual-head output, but the performance is about the same as with the GEforce 3. It seems to be mostly a branding thing; the boards are sold through 3DS Max dealers only.

The low end has eaten the high end.

Good question. I would assume it would have to be, but it is not clear from Dell's website. They are advertising the new mobile 1.13 P-III's here. But here you have a Dell Dimension 4100 with either a P-III at 1.0 GHz or 1.1 GHz (add $40) and there is no additional explaination. The only P-III's that exist right now above 1.0GHz are the new Tualatins so that must be it.

Good question. I would assume it would have to be, but it is not clear from Dell's website. They are advertising the new mobile 1.13 P-III's here. But here you have a Dell Dimension 4100 with either a P-III at 1.0 GHz or 1.1 GHz (add $40) and there is no additional explaination. The only P-III's that exist right now above 1.0GHz are the new Tualatins so that must be it.

Exactly. A nice 2U like a Dell 2550 would be awesome. Something that meets Data Center Standards. Right now any server room with Macs in it need to dedicate more space per capita than the NT side. It's generally a nicer fit to install an NT server and Use Services for Macintosh as a File/Print server. If I could stick something that looked like a Dell or CQ in my manager's face, I'd have a signed PO by the end of the day.

And no, there are no real alternatives to Windows on the desktop, not yet, not for the average user.

Well then, what does it take to satisfy the average user?

1. Ease of use: Id say that the latest editions of the big distributions are all quite easy to use and to maintain. My mom actually runs Linux, she tried it at my place and liked the GUI better. She might run into problems configuring drivers and such, but the average user doesnt do that too much, and calls support anyway.

2. Reasonable pricing: Well, that battle is already won, wouldnt you say?

3. Lots of useful programs to run on it: Here Linux still have a disadvantage, but not by much. There are excellent (and cheap, if not free) replacement for almost all common Win apps. They might be hard to find for the average bloke though.

4. Games: Yup. A home PC is pretty much about entertainment. More and faster porting is needed.

5. Availability: Lets face it. Most pepole dont care or dare enough to replace what came preinstalled in their box. And that is Windows, and soon enough only Windows XP. But that might start to change. Dell just started shipping workstations with Red Hat 7.1 preinstalled. What if they extend that to consumer desktops? It could be the start of something interresting...
Heres Dells page about it.

AT-SDR=4

Sending that command to your modem (presumably as part of the init. string) will tell your modem only to answer on a triple ring. It will report this as "RING 3." If you wanted it only to work for the single rings, you'd use AT-SDR=1 ("RING 1") and for dual rings, AT-SDR=2 ("RING 2".) Some modems will send "RING A," "RING B," etc. -- I gather that there's no such thing as a standard message for this.

Some of the places that I gathered this from include Motorola, FaxTalk, Fosh Australia and Dell Europe. This google was the most useful one.

Good luck -- you should have pretty much all of the info that you need at this point, I hope.

-Waldo