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Re:Where does this stop? by 0111+1110 · 2008-05-22 10:42 · Score: 1 · on Federal Court Says First-Sale Doctrine Covers Software, Too

Where do you buy a machine that comes with a regular windows disk? Here. Doesn't come with a windows disk though. You are expected to get that from here.

Re:Ehh, it's been done before by TheGratefulNet · 2008-05-22 08:20 · Score: 1 · on Pushing a CPU to Heat Death, Intentionally

so far, I've modded a celeron 420 (heh heh - love that nomenclature!) and also an e2180.

both ran VERY VERY COLD to the touch even after the upgrade.

never before have I seen a chip run cold like that, even after 'over-bussing' like this.

normally I avoid OC since I want server stability. however, prime95 and memtest86 say that this is FINE. running a 'make -j3' on /usr/src/linux also showed no internal compiler errors (good sign that your hardware IS ok).

I would say go for it. you need only STOCK COOLING and STOCK VOLTAGE. what's not to like? ;)

on dumb mobos like I use (intel brand; mostly to get that most excellent eepro1000 gig-e chip onboard) don't even let you set FSB. so the BSEL mod is the only real way to tell the mobo that its a 1066 chip and not an 800mhz one.

fwiw, my fave server-grade mobo that is consumer-priced is this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121304R

(while they last). its an open-box (read: brand new from intel but ONLY the mobo, not even an i/o shield). but for a linux server, wow, its great! best ich9R (ahci) sata controller, best gig-e chip and has onboard video for server config use. you need NOTHING in the way of pci/pcie cards to make a very respectable software md-raid system (ahci/ich9r means you can do true sata hotswap, too). highly recommended. and yes, this board does 'sense' the BSEL modded chips just fine.

Re:Consider the do it yourself way... by bendodge · 2008-05-22 07:27 · Score: 4, Informative · on Parent-Friendly Wireless Bridge To Span 500 Meters?

500mW Signal Booster at both ends ($57 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833130039

Two 19 dBi directional outdoor antennas ($82 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833980012

Various Cabling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812146013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164143

Two WRT54GL's ($60 each) to be equipped with Linux firmware (recommend DD-WRT)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190

I'm sure there will be all sorts of adapters (M to F and TNC to N-type) needed, so plan on making several batches of purchases before you go to the site. Also disable the unused antenna in DD-WRT.

Re:Consider the do it yourself way... by bendodge · 2008-05-22 07:27 · Score: 4, Informative · on Parent-Friendly Wireless Bridge To Span 500 Meters?

500mW Signal Booster at both ends ($57 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833130039

Two 19 dBi directional outdoor antennas ($82 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833980012

Various Cabling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812146013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164143

Two WRT54GL's ($60 each) to be equipped with Linux firmware (recommend DD-WRT)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190

I'm sure there will be all sorts of adapters (M to F and TNC to N-type) needed, so plan on making several batches of purchases before you go to the site. Also disable the unused antenna in DD-WRT.

Re:Consider the do it yourself way... by bendodge · 2008-05-22 07:27 · Score: 4, Informative · on Parent-Friendly Wireless Bridge To Span 500 Meters?

500mW Signal Booster at both ends ($57 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833130039

Two 19 dBi directional outdoor antennas ($82 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833980012

Various Cabling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812146013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164143

Two WRT54GL's ($60 each) to be equipped with Linux firmware (recommend DD-WRT)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190

I'm sure there will be all sorts of adapters (M to F and TNC to N-type) needed, so plan on making several batches of purchases before you go to the site. Also disable the unused antenna in DD-WRT.

Re:Consider the do it yourself way... by bendodge · 2008-05-22 07:27 · Score: 4, Informative · on Parent-Friendly Wireless Bridge To Span 500 Meters?

500mW Signal Booster at both ends ($57 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833130039

Two 19 dBi directional outdoor antennas ($82 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833980012

Various Cabling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812146013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164143

Two WRT54GL's ($60 each) to be equipped with Linux firmware (recommend DD-WRT)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190

I'm sure there will be all sorts of adapters (M to F and TNC to N-type) needed, so plan on making several batches of purchases before you go to the site. Also disable the unused antenna in DD-WRT.

Re:Consider the do it yourself way... by bendodge · 2008-05-22 07:27 · Score: 4, Informative · on Parent-Friendly Wireless Bridge To Span 500 Meters?

500mW Signal Booster at both ends ($57 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833130039

Two 19 dBi directional outdoor antennas ($82 each)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833980012

Various Cabling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812146013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164143

Two WRT54GL's ($60 each) to be equipped with Linux firmware (recommend DD-WRT)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124190

I'm sure there will be all sorts of adapters (M to F and TNC to N-type) needed, so plan on making several batches of purchases before you go to the site. Also disable the unused antenna in DD-WRT.

Re:But... does it make phone calls? by Hal_Porter · 2008-05-22 05:47 · Score: 2, Interesting · on Review of HTC's X7510 Advantage Smartphone

I'd rather have a Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

http://www.phonemag.com/xperia-x1-vs-iphone-spend-now-or-save-02943.php

Looks about the same size as an iPhone but it has a foldout qwerty keyboard and HSDPA. It has Wifi too. Oh and unlike the iPhone it has microSDHC slot which allows for cards upto 32GB, though only 8GB cards currently exist. Still 8GB is a lot of music or media files. And they only cost about US$50. I can use WinamPAQ on the X1.

The display is much higher resolution than an iPhone too, 800*480 instead of 320*480.

Safari works ok on my iPod touch, so I think Opera on an X1 would be quite usable. And with a flat rate HSDPA Sim I could use it anywhere, not just in places that have Wifi. Skype works on Windows Mobile too, so I can use it as a VOIP phone. It has a camera and a light too, both key features. And I can use it as an bluetooth HSDPA modem with a laptop. All in a package smaller than the iPod touch.

Re:Consider the do it yourself way... by char70ger · 2008-05-22 05:35 · Score: 5, Informative · on Parent-Friendly Wireless Bridge To Span 500 Meters?

Why not just get an aircard? You can get wireless EVDO routers like this one from keyocera. http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/264/63/ Or even get a pci to pcmcia adapter, this will allow you to use one in your PC. They sell them at newegg for under $20.00. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124021Y I used a Verizon air card for over a year and ran a 5 computer network off it. I had to use an external antenna as I had no signal with my pc on the floor in the corner of my room.It was made by Wilson they call it their "Trucker Cellular Antenna" http://www.wpsantennas.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3 It cost me 100 bucks but was well worth the investment. It wasn't cable but it sure beat dial-up. I now have a wireless setup that uses Motorola Canopy technology that rocks!!!

Re:I'm a believer by SatanicPuppy · 2008-05-22 03:37 · Score: 1 · on Cisco CSO Says Antivirus Money "Completely Wasted"

I bet you don't use a multi-thousand dollar cisco security appliance either.

My home firewall router does everything a semi-equivalent cisco router would do; VPN, multi-ISP support, DMZ, firewall, etc, etc. The difference is mine is OSS based, running on an old desktop, and cost me, conservatively, 50 bucks, where their equivalent product runs $1000+ and doesn't have gigabit or fibre support.

For what they offer, their appliances are wildly overpriced.

Re:No open FPGA tools, though... by LWATCDR · 2008-05-21 13:22 · Score: 1 · on Open Source Graphics Card Available For Advance Orders

What about this card?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195040
It may just work for you.

Practical Rails Projects? by rk · 2008-05-21 11:50 · Score: 1 · on Practical Rails Projects

You can buy this book for cheap in electronic format. Newegg has them, 100 copies on DVD for 24.99. and free three day shipping.

I keed, I keed. Relax! Hey you, RoR fans with the mod points! Put those back down!

Re:Soo... by xSauronx · 2008-05-20 05:48 · Score: 1 · on 2nd Generation "$100 Laptop" Will Be an E-Book Reader

It is a laptop with two touchscreen displays, which is nothing short of amazing. O RLY?

yeah, not exactly the same. but a dual touchscreen device isnt that amazing. What will be amazing is if they can hit even $150 for this thing.

Desktop parts / Rack style by Anonymous Coward · 2008-05-16 03:07 · Score: 0 · on Replacing a Personal Rack-Mounted Server?

Buy a case like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811219015

This way you only buy the case once and you will always be able to upgrade it. Then you can buy inexpensive desktop parts for way more performance than you need.

Go with a Barebones Rackmount by casualsax3 · 2008-05-15 04:57 · Score: 1 · on Replacing a Personal Rack-Mounted Server?

NewEgg has some relatively inexpensive Asus and SuperMicro chassis to chose from: http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=8&name=Server-Barebones

Re:Just a tad over the top? by MoriaOrc · 2008-05-12 19:46 · Score: 1 · on DDR3 RAM Explained

I realize that there are several other factors. The drives are both pretty much the same speed (in fact if anything mine might be faster - my computer uses newer SATA drives I bought with the computer about 3 years ago, while my friend still uses an old IDE drive from his last computer). When it comes to fragmentation my friend probably has the advantage, as we installed the game shortly after setting up the system (including formatting the drive), while mine was installed several months after I set up my system. Aside from that, his computer is better in every other way that would matter.

It was not a rigorous scientific test, or even a very good benchmark. It was merely an example of a situation I've observed (reading lots of data into memory in a short period - such as loading a level for a game) in which greatly increased throughput to RAM (among other factors) can be a nice benefit, especially when the price difference is negligible (DDR has slightly lower latency, DDR2 is slightly cheaper even the before rebate and comes with some perks like a heat sink).

Re:Just a tad over the top? by MoriaOrc · 2008-05-12 19:46 · Score: 1 · on DDR3 RAM Explained

I realize that there are several other factors. The drives are both pretty much the same speed (in fact if anything mine might be faster - my computer uses newer SATA drives I bought with the computer about 3 years ago, while my friend still uses an old IDE drive from his last computer). When it comes to fragmentation my friend probably has the advantage, as we installed the game shortly after setting up the system (including formatting the drive), while mine was installed several months after I set up my system. Aside from that, his computer is better in every other way that would matter.

It was not a rigorous scientific test, or even a very good benchmark. It was merely an example of a situation I've observed (reading lots of data into memory in a short period - such as loading a level for a game) in which greatly increased throughput to RAM (among other factors) can be a nice benefit, especially when the price difference is negligible (DDR has slightly lower latency, DDR2 is slightly cheaper even the before rebate and comes with some perks like a heat sink).

Heck, I'll share my secret by Chris+Mattern · 2008-05-12 12:44 · Score: 1 · on A Walk Through the Hard Drive Recovery Process

Here it is. Nothing helps a hard disk recovery like 500 Gigs of mirrored backup goodness.

Re:not cost effective for the performance gain by MojoStan · 2008-05-11 15:55 · Score: 1 · on DDR3 RAM Explained

DDR3 is still 5-10 times the cost of DDR2, and the performance gain is not big (maybe 10% at best) on overall system performance. And to take it even further, that's just the cost of memory. A quick NewEgg search for DDR3 motherboard came up with a whopping 10 boards. The cheapest are 150 for open box items. The typical price is over 300. If you compare (using Newegg) otherwise identical motherboards where the only difference is DDR2 or DDR3 (e.g. ASUS P5K DELUXE vs ASUS P5K3 DELUXE), the price premium for the DDR3 motherboard is typically $50. Those "typical" $300 DDR3 motherboards are high-end enthusiast boards and their DDR2 equivalents are pretty darned expensive, too (typically $250).

I'm not saying it's better to buy DDR3 now, but I don't think it's as bad as you and the GP make it out to be. One advantage of going with the newer memory standard is that it's more future-proof. If you're likely to upgrade or re-use memory three years from now, fast high-capacity DDR3 will be significantly cheaper than DDR2 and it should be easier to move your "old" DDR3 to another computer. Currently, decent 2x1GB DDR400 is about 80% more expensive than decent DDR2 800.

The only buyers who would even consider DDR3 today are those building new high-end systems. Going with 2x1GB of DDR3 will cost about $125 more than DDR2 (~$50 for the board and ~$75 for memory). For a $1000+ system, I don't think it's that bad.

Re:not cost effective for the performance gain by MojoStan · 2008-05-11 15:55 · Score: 1 · on DDR3 RAM Explained

DDR3 is still 5-10 times the cost of DDR2, and the performance gain is not big (maybe 10% at best) on overall system performance. And to take it even further, that's just the cost of memory. A quick NewEgg search for DDR3 motherboard came up with a whopping 10 boards. The cheapest are 150 for open box items. The typical price is over 300. If you compare (using Newegg) otherwise identical motherboards where the only difference is DDR2 or DDR3 (e.g. ASUS P5K DELUXE vs ASUS P5K3 DELUXE), the price premium for the DDR3 motherboard is typically $50. Those "typical" $300 DDR3 motherboards are high-end enthusiast boards and their DDR2 equivalents are pretty darned expensive, too (typically $250).

I'm not saying it's better to buy DDR3 now, but I don't think it's as bad as you and the GP make it out to be. One advantage of going with the newer memory standard is that it's more future-proof. If you're likely to upgrade or re-use memory three years from now, fast high-capacity DDR3 will be significantly cheaper than DDR2 and it should be easier to move your "old" DDR3 to another computer. Currently, decent 2x1GB DDR400 is about 80% more expensive than decent DDR2 800.

The only buyers who would even consider DDR3 today are those building new high-end systems. Going with 2x1GB of DDR3 will cost about $125 more than DDR2 (~$50 for the board and ~$75 for memory). For a $1000+ system, I don't think it's that bad.

Re:Using His Jet Analogy by toddestan · 2008-05-11 15:39 · Score: 1 · on DDR3 RAM Explained

Actually, you can get some pretty fancy AGP cards still, such as http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131090. Though I'm not sure why, as anyone I can envision who would buy a high end graphics card has already moved off of AGP, and those that still are on AGP (like me) aren't going to sink that kind of money into their existing, outdated systems. And don't ask me how the Crossfire works on AGP.

Re:One problem machine out of many installs by prisoner-of-enigma · 2008-05-10 04:16 · Score: 1 · on Windows XP SP3 Creating Havoc

Now, lets factor in the new video card to actually use numerous GUI features in Vista Business Edition... oh - but that needs a new motherboard as the one that came in that HP or whatever PC only came with PCI slots and no AGP or PCI-Express (or ancient AGP on a crappy MSI board).... ...blah blah blah...

OK, now it is definitely a small fortune.

OK, now you've gone completely off the deep end in an attempt to make your point.

First off, no one is forcing anybody to put Vista -- a currently-released OS -- on such a hideously old PC as what you're describing. The OS has recommended minimum specs. If your system doesn't meet those requirements, you can (a) continue use XP, (b) pay to upgrade your hardware, or (c) go with an alternative OS. I'll also note the Aero Glass is not a requirement for Vista. You can run it with the basic GUI the same as XP or Win2K if you like. Other than some pretty translucency effects -- stuff that would similarly work either slowly or not at all under high-end Linux GUI -- it doesn't affect the OS at all. You either (a) were ignorant of that fact or (b) purposefully ignored it because it damages your argument.

Second, now that we've established you don't need a new graphics card, your requirement of a new PSU also evaporates. For that matter, you can still buy AGP and PCI video cards. Newegg has an AGP Radeon 2600XT -- which supports DX10 and will run Aero Glass -- which requires no extra power connector for only $149. You'd have to go back eight to ten years to find a motherboard with no AGP slots. Your argument takes another hit.

Third, you further base your premise that you need a new motherboard, and that for some reason it doesn't come with IDE ports on it. I don't know what strange parallel dimension you inhabit, but you have to look hard -- really hard -- to find a modern motherboard that lacks IDE ports. This, of course, assumes you need a new mobo in the first place to run Vista, and it's already been established this is not a requirement. You'd have no difficulty using your old IDE hard drive, so your argument again takes a hit.

Fourth, you mention you need more RAM. Finally, you make a point that's somewhat valid. Vista is quite a RAM hog. XP machines that ran fine with 1GB will be sluggish under Vista. However, you can buy two 2GB sticks (4GB total) of DDR2 for $65 from Newegg. Require DDR instead? Given that it's not used anymore, it'll cost you a bit more: $120 for four 1GB sticks from Newegg. I won't get into SDRAM; if your PC is that old, upgrading is your only practical option if you want to run any modern OS with a high-res, accelerated GUI. So, worst case for RAM is you're spending $120. If this is a small fortune then you need to get a job instead of depending upon your parents for allowance money.

Fifth, you claim you need to antivirus/antispyware. So long as your software isn't more than a couple of years old, this is unlikely. However, if it is older, you probably need to upgrade anyway to protect against new types of threats that the old software didn't address. As an aside, most antivirus/antispyware vendors sell you yearly subscriptions that include upgrades, so this is a moot point if you have current software...which you should if you have any sense.

Last, and perhaps the most nebulous of your "points," is the assertion that people pay for these things with a credit card, and the interest associated with paying it off over three years ruins the amortization figures. Like many of your other above ideas, this is absurd. If you take three years to pay off a $279 operation system purchase, you either have no financial sense or no financial means. In either case, you're better off using a free PC in the public library if you're that strapped for cash. However, I doubt you -- or an

Re:One problem machine out of many installs by prisoner-of-enigma · 2008-05-10 04:16 · Score: 1 · on Windows XP SP3 Creating Havoc

Now, lets factor in the new video card to actually use numerous GUI features in Vista Business Edition... oh - but that needs a new motherboard as the one that came in that HP or whatever PC only came with PCI slots and no AGP or PCI-Express (or ancient AGP on a crappy MSI board).... ...blah blah blah...

OK, now it is definitely a small fortune.

OK, now you've gone completely off the deep end in an attempt to make your point.

First off, no one is forcing anybody to put Vista -- a currently-released OS -- on such a hideously old PC as what you're describing. The OS has recommended minimum specs. If your system doesn't meet those requirements, you can (a) continue use XP, (b) pay to upgrade your hardware, or (c) go with an alternative OS. I'll also note the Aero Glass is not a requirement for Vista. You can run it with the basic GUI the same as XP or Win2K if you like. Other than some pretty translucency effects -- stuff that would similarly work either slowly or not at all under high-end Linux GUI -- it doesn't affect the OS at all. You either (a) were ignorant of that fact or (b) purposefully ignored it because it damages your argument.

Second, now that we've established you don't need a new graphics card, your requirement of a new PSU also evaporates. For that matter, you can still buy AGP and PCI video cards. Newegg has an AGP Radeon 2600XT -- which supports DX10 and will run Aero Glass -- which requires no extra power connector for only $149. You'd have to go back eight to ten years to find a motherboard with no AGP slots. Your argument takes another hit.

Third, you further base your premise that you need a new motherboard, and that for some reason it doesn't come with IDE ports on it. I don't know what strange parallel dimension you inhabit, but you have to look hard -- really hard -- to find a modern motherboard that lacks IDE ports. This, of course, assumes you need a new mobo in the first place to run Vista, and it's already been established this is not a requirement. You'd have no difficulty using your old IDE hard drive, so your argument again takes a hit.

Fourth, you mention you need more RAM. Finally, you make a point that's somewhat valid. Vista is quite a RAM hog. XP machines that ran fine with 1GB will be sluggish under Vista. However, you can buy two 2GB sticks (4GB total) of DDR2 for $65 from Newegg. Require DDR instead? Given that it's not used anymore, it'll cost you a bit more: $120 for four 1GB sticks from Newegg. I won't get into SDRAM; if your PC is that old, upgrading is your only practical option if you want to run any modern OS with a high-res, accelerated GUI. So, worst case for RAM is you're spending $120. If this is a small fortune then you need to get a job instead of depending upon your parents for allowance money.

Fifth, you claim you need to antivirus/antispyware. So long as your software isn't more than a couple of years old, this is unlikely. However, if it is older, you probably need to upgrade anyway to protect against new types of threats that the old software didn't address. As an aside, most antivirus/antispyware vendors sell you yearly subscriptions that include upgrades, so this is a moot point if you have current software...which you should if you have any sense.

Last, and perhaps the most nebulous of your "points," is the assertion that people pay for these things with a credit card, and the interest associated with paying it off over three years ruins the amortization figures. Like many of your other above ideas, this is absurd. If you take three years to pay off a $279 operation system purchase, you either have no financial sense or no financial means. In either case, you're better off using a free PC in the public library if you're that strapped for cash. However, I doubt you -- or an

Re:One problem machine out of many installs by prisoner-of-enigma · 2008-05-09 12:25 · Score: 1, Insightful · on Windows XP SP3 Creating Havoc

Yes, but the difference with Windows is that you pay a small fortune for it.

You know, I thought the same thing about the cost of Windows (or any other piece of large, complex commercial software out there) until I sat down and did the math. What I found was surprising.

Let's assume you buy the fairly-standard Windows Vista Business Edition. Newegg lists it for $279, assuming you get the full retail version and not an OEM or upgrade version. Now let's assume you use it for three years. XP users have waited five years, but MS claims they'll never go that long again between upgrades. Time will tell if MS can actually do it, but I digress.

Three years is 1,095 days (assuming no leap years). That means the amortized cost of that Vista buy is right around $0.26, or a tad more than a quarter a day. Most people probably spend more than that on coffee. Unless you work at home (or are unemployed, or walk/ride a bike), you definitely spend several times that amount on either gas for your car or a subway/bus fare every day. If you have the typical $39/month DSL Internet feed, you're paying five times as much per day for that feed compared to the cost of Vista. Depending upon what kind of PC you have and what power costs are like in your area, your daily Slashdot surfing probably costs you more in electricity than Vista does.

Now, you can say that things like Fedora Core are free and thus have no amortized costs, and you'd be right. But to say that Windows costs a "small fortune" is utter absurdity. When considered over the course of a typical Windows OS lifespan, it's probably one of the smallest computer-related costs you'll incur. Even if you throw in Office 2007 Professional ($389 at Newegg), the cost per day only goes up to $0.61 per day. You can't even buy a bottle of Coca-Cola for that. A small fortune? I don't think so.

Re:One problem machine out of many installs by prisoner-of-enigma · 2008-05-09 12:25 · Score: 1, Insightful · on Windows XP SP3 Creating Havoc

Yes, but the difference with Windows is that you pay a small fortune for it.

You know, I thought the same thing about the cost of Windows (or any other piece of large, complex commercial software out there) until I sat down and did the math. What I found was surprising.

Let's assume you buy the fairly-standard Windows Vista Business Edition. Newegg lists it for $279, assuming you get the full retail version and not an OEM or upgrade version. Now let's assume you use it for three years. XP users have waited five years, but MS claims they'll never go that long again between upgrades. Time will tell if MS can actually do it, but I digress.

Three years is 1,095 days (assuming no leap years). That means the amortized cost of that Vista buy is right around $0.26, or a tad more than a quarter a day. Most people probably spend more than that on coffee. Unless you work at home (or are unemployed, or walk/ride a bike), you definitely spend several times that amount on either gas for your car or a subway/bus fare every day. If you have the typical $39/month DSL Internet feed, you're paying five times as much per day for that feed compared to the cost of Vista. Depending upon what kind of PC you have and what power costs are like in your area, your daily Slashdot surfing probably costs you more in electricity than Vista does.

Now, you can say that things like Fedora Core are free and thus have no amortized costs, and you'd be right. But to say that Windows costs a "small fortune" is utter absurdity. When considered over the course of a typical Windows OS lifespan, it's probably one of the smallest computer-related costs you'll incur. Even if you throw in Office 2007 Professional ($389 at Newegg), the cost per day only goes up to $0.61 per day. You can't even buy a bottle of Coca-Cola for that. A small fortune? I don't think so.

Re:Not for the casual user by Anonymous Coward · 2008-05-06 06:56 · Score: 0 · on How To Move Your Linux Systems To ext4

1TB drives are available now. Currently they run $220-$280.

Of course, those aren't truly 1TB but rather 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (0.91TB) instead of 1,099,511,627,776 bytes (1TB)...

Re:Almost Any Hardware...? by BadHaggis · 2008-05-05 06:08 · Score: 2, Informative · on Linux Desktop Distro Shootout

Not Best Buy, but here is the link you asked for. Best Buy may have them on the shelf but not available online.

PCMCIA - Laptop (ATH0 drivers)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839127003

PCI - Desktop (ATH0 drivers)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127075

I have systems running these cards and just about every linux distro I tried found and configured them with no issues.

Re:Almost Any Hardware...? by BadHaggis · 2008-05-05 06:08 · Score: 2, Informative · on Linux Desktop Distro Shootout

Not Best Buy, but here is the link you asked for. Best Buy may have them on the shelf but not available online.

PCMCIA - Laptop (ATH0 drivers)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16839127003

PCI - Desktop (ATH0 drivers)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127075

I have systems running these cards and just about every linux distro I tried found and configured them with no issues.

Re:It has to be said.. by Z34107 · 2008-05-02 04:44 · Score: 3, Informative · on Creative Sued for Base-10 Capacities On HDD MP3 Players

"Gibi" is a prefix invented by Wikipedia. For those of you who have been foiled, I supply a conversion chart.

Some people are angry that their precious SI prefixes were usurped. I'd say "understandably angry," but I'm afraid it's not. Memory has been measured in kilo-mega-giga-tera-et al. since at least the time that IBM made PCs, and probably since 5000 years ago when Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs to church every Sunday.

Case in point: Go to newegg.com's memory page. See any memory modules sold by the "gibibit"? Consult your motherboard manual; I doubt they'll support a 512 mebibit SDRAM stick, but it maybe, just maybe might support that 512 MEGABYTE module.

Gibi? Might as well measure memory in millionths of a square furlong chip area times a density coefficient.

Remember booting any computer made since the '70s? The BIOS POST would always report memory in "K" - which God^H^H^HIBM did not intend to mean metric kirbybits or whatever nonsense.

Moderators, I humbly suggest modding any "gibi" references as "troll." It's what's right for America!

Re:Oblig by Just+Some+Guy · 2008-05-02 01:58 · Score: 2, Insightful · on OpenBSD 4.3 Released

Great! FreeBSD is grown a lot lately, the default installation is over 800 MB.

Dang! At current prices, that'll cost me nearly 14 cents. That's just unacceptable.

Sarcasm aside, I think FreeBSD long ago gave up any pretense of being a minimal OS. There's nothing at all wrong with that goal, but FreeBSD's target hardware is larger servers.

Re:50%? by Anonymous Coward · 2008-05-02 01:56 · Score: 0 · on Creative Sued for Base-10 Capacities On HDD MP3 Players

Anyone else notice that the cheapest 1GB MP3 player on Creative's website was $34.99 and that they offer 2GB and 4GB models for about the same price? Price of a 1GB Creative MP3 player on Newegg: $19.99 So the 50% coupon just brings their prices in line with normal retail outlets...

Re:Apple Won't Bother with Pystar by plantman-the-womb-st · 2008-05-01 02:13 · Score: 1 · on Psystar Open Computer Notes, Benchmarks and Video

Fair enough, good call on the memory, change out the $60 one for this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134648 and toss in a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815108108 and it meets your specs. The new total coming too $2,739.87 plus $16.40 for shipping to my zip code. The price of the OS, free, I'll take the Ubuntu option. The shipping on that Mac I linked to isn't free, it's $29.49 according to newegg. As far as a guarantee, every part on my list has at least a one year manufacturers warranty, so the parts are covered. So, still cheaper, still more machine. Though you are right about the case, the Antec stuff is a lot more atractive. I personally find it more appealing than the white (looks pretty white in these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883104031 photos) case that Apple offers.

The conclusion, the Apple hardware is overpriced. Do keep in mind I'm paying retail for these parts, I'd bet that someone with a resellers license and agreement could build it much cheaper.

Re:Apple Won't Bother with Pystar by plantman-the-womb-st · 2008-05-01 02:13 · Score: 1 · on Psystar Open Computer Notes, Benchmarks and Video

Fair enough, good call on the memory, change out the $60 one for this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134648 and toss in a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815108108 and it meets your specs. The new total coming too $2,739.87 plus $16.40 for shipping to my zip code. The price of the OS, free, I'll take the Ubuntu option. The shipping on that Mac I linked to isn't free, it's $29.49 according to newegg. As far as a guarantee, every part on my list has at least a one year manufacturers warranty, so the parts are covered. So, still cheaper, still more machine. Though you are right about the case, the Antec stuff is a lot more atractive. I personally find it more appealing than the white (looks pretty white in these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883104031 photos) case that Apple offers.

The conclusion, the Apple hardware is overpriced. Do keep in mind I'm paying retail for these parts, I'd bet that someone with a resellers license and agreement could build it much cheaper.

Re:Apple Won't Bother with Pystar by plantman-the-womb-st · 2008-05-01 02:13 · Score: 1 · on Psystar Open Computer Notes, Benchmarks and Video

Fair enough, good call on the memory, change out the $60 one for this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134648 and toss in a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815108108 and it meets your specs. The new total coming too $2,739.87 plus $16.40 for shipping to my zip code. The price of the OS, free, I'll take the Ubuntu option. The shipping on that Mac I linked to isn't free, it's $29.49 according to newegg. As far as a guarantee, every part on my list has at least a one year manufacturers warranty, so the parts are covered. So, still cheaper, still more machine. Though you are right about the case, the Antec stuff is a lot more atractive. I personally find it more appealing than the white (looks pretty white in these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883104031 photos) case that Apple offers.

The conclusion, the Apple hardware is overpriced. Do keep in mind I'm paying retail for these parts, I'd bet that someone with a resellers license and agreement could build it much cheaper.