Screw the battery--I'd like a removable hard drive like the Dells. Unlike the Dells, though, you could probably actually get away with swapping drives in different models without having to reconfigure drivers and/or build disk images that will work when you take it from a 620 and put it in a 630. Probably wouldn't be able to easily swap drives between a Pro and Book though.
A bazillion downloads a day (hyperbole mine) will not allow for lossless formats. Most ears can't tell either. (Engineering--tradeoffs--that usual conversation here)
I'm all for tiered pricing schemes. Britney's "Womanizer" crap can sell for $1.29 all day long while I'm buying non-crap for $.69 and $.99
The WORST thing about the iTunes store is the Top-10 seller lists. I haven't seen a track on there in years that I'd buy. And since those will be the target of $1.29 tracks, good for them for bilking people with horrible musical tastes.
Wait, can't this be done in a simple update? I've been following the anti-drm tirades here on slashdot for years and it seems the drm-laden songs are checked in iTunes for authorization before they'll play on a PC/Mac. Wouldn't it be easy to put out an iTunes upgrade that just ignores that whole process (no longer checks for authorization), or is there something else going on technically that I'm unaware of?
Also, won't this FINALLY kill the (mostly) lame argument that this has all been some sort of insidious Apple lock-in strategy? (I can hear it now...but now that they have a near monopoly on digital music players, they can afford to go DRM-free..blah blah blah).
My point is that, a) they lock our computers down so hard, I'm not allowed maintain my own machine, even if I could, and b) why have an IT department (and pay them) if I'm just expected to do everything myself?
Like I said, I make about twice as much as our IT guys. If I have to spend 30 minutes configuring a machine (above and beyond normal requirements for developing a Flash storyboard, for example), that is unethical to charge the client 2x the rate.
This is the third time in the PAST YEAR that TWC has played the silly victim card (we three different content providers). I'm switching to AT&T UVerse on Monday. I gave TWC the benefit of the doubt the first time--was a bit more skeptical the second--now I'm convinced they are just trying to max their profits all-the-while playing the victim.
The inclusion of avatars is a sound technique backed by 15+ years of research when it comes to e-learning. It is a totally acceptable (and even expected) tool of sound instructional design. The problem with Microsoft is they took it out of the realm of e-learning and put it in your face every moment of every computer function.
Shifting your problems to someone else simply because they can easily resolve them is not a good thing.
Yeah, but when a someone else is GETTING PAID to fix my problems AND they can more easily resolve them than I can, it is not only a good thing, but a necessary thing. I make twice as much per hour than our IT guys. Why should our customers pay my labor rate for something that will take me twice as long to fix as somebody who makes half as much as me?
I totally disagree. I'm technical (a tech writer at a software company), but when my Windows box starts acting up, I don't expect to have to do anything other than call the IT guys. It's their job to fix it, not mine. Plus, they've locked me out doing anything to my system, so now it's REALLY their job to fix my computer.
I don't expect anyone to switch OSes (even though being able to run Windows on a Mac pretty much makes that decision a no-brainer for me), but I was just curious to see what kind of software is so important to other people, that they have to have Windows. I'm a tech writer. 50% of my time is doing creative design stuff using the standard Adobe stuff but the other half is using Adobe Robo-help (no Mac version). The difference in work flow is so much better in favor of OSX that is "almost" worth going without the other Windows-centric programs altogether. "Almost". I guess it just depends on how important those non OSX apps are to your daily existence.
I still don't get it. Do they not make glasses that fix your visual deficiency? I mean, they make reading glasses, right? In any case, I'm worried, because I've been doing graphic design for 8-10 hours a day since 1989. So far so good...not even any astigmatism or near/far sightedness. Perhaps using a computer for so long is like lifting weights for your eyes?
I'm not old (39), nor do I wear glasses, but I don't get all the complaints about high resolutions by old people or people with bad vision. If you wear glasses, doesn't that fix your vision problems? Do glasses not work on pixels?
Am I the only one that has somewhat competent and intelligent grandparents? This isn't an age thing as much as it is a smart/dumb thing. Young dumb people grow up to be old dumb people and vice-versa. My 80 year old grandfather is a recently retired law professor and he does just fine with computers, because, surprise, he's intelligent.
Well I hate to be the "get off my lawn" guy, but most adults don't share their music with friends. It's not that we don't want to, it's that we have other priorities after college.
sometimes there's just not one. I don't know where you live that everyone has internet.
Your point is ridiculous. You need an Internet connection for things far more important to getting your new computer running than authorizing an iTunes account.
It's not like you are cruising along listening to tunes with no Internet connection and you are suddenly prompted to connect to the Internet to verify your account. It doesn't work that way.
I'm not so sure we are in as much agreement as you think. Basically I'm saying "take it or leave it" and you are yelling (rather loudly) "LEAVE IT BECAUSE IT IS EVIL EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK IT AFFECTS YOU!!!".
First, you seriously can't use this arguement: "what if there's no internet connection". Simple, find one and authorize your computer. It takes 5 seconds. If you are buying songs on iTunes, you have an Internet connection.
Second, if you want to be able to play your music anywhere you want, go buy formats that allow that. I like to play my music pretty much everywhere I want too, and since I use OSX, iPods and iPhones, I have that ability. If I didn't, I wouldn't use the iTunes store. Pretty simple, actaully. I don't believe I have any right, other than to spend my money elsewhere.
I'm on a Mac, but I also have iTunes on my PC (just don't use it at all). I can look and see what the setting differences are and let you know how it works on the PC. I gotta get home first.
Slashdot Mirror
Screw the battery--I'd like a removable hard drive like the Dells. Unlike the Dells, though, you could probably actually get away with swapping drives in different models without having to reconfigure drivers and/or build disk images that will work when you take it from a 620 and put it in a 630. Probably wouldn't be able to easily swap drives between a Pro and Book though.
A non-removable battery would have completely destroyed my MBP.
Oh, and you have the psychic foresight to remove a removable battery right BEFORE it explodes?
A bazillion downloads a day (hyperbole mine) will not allow for lossless formats. Most ears can't tell either. (Engineering--tradeoffs--that usual conversation here)
I'm all for tiered pricing schemes. Britney's "Womanizer" crap can sell for $1.29 all day long while I'm buying non-crap for $.69 and $.99
The WORST thing about the iTunes store is the Top-10 seller lists. I haven't seen a track on there in years that I'd buy. And since those will be the target of $1.29 tracks, good for them for bilking people with horrible musical tastes.
Wait, can't this be done in a simple update? I've been following the anti-drm tirades here on slashdot for years and it seems the drm-laden songs are checked in iTunes for authorization before they'll play on a PC/Mac. Wouldn't it be easy to put out an iTunes upgrade that just ignores that whole process (no longer checks for authorization), or is there something else going on technically that I'm unaware of?
Also, won't this FINALLY kill the (mostly) lame argument that this has all been some sort of insidious Apple lock-in strategy? (I can hear it now...but now that they have a near monopoly on digital music players, they can afford to go DRM-free..blah blah blah).
I was hoping to see a discontinued Mac Mini ;-)
My point is that, a) they lock our computers down so hard, I'm not allowed maintain my own machine, even if I could, and b) why have an IT department (and pay them) if I'm just expected to do everything myself?
Like I said, I make about twice as much as our IT guys. If I have to spend 30 minutes configuring a machine (above and beyond normal requirements for developing a Flash storyboard, for example), that is unethical to charge the client 2x the rate.
This is the third time in the PAST YEAR that TWC has played the silly victim card (we three different content providers). I'm switching to AT&T UVerse on Monday. I gave TWC the benefit of the doubt the first time--was a bit more skeptical the second--now I'm convinced they are just trying to max their profits all-the-while playing the victim.
The inclusion of avatars is a sound technique backed by 15+ years of research when it comes to e-learning. It is a totally acceptable (and even expected) tool of sound instructional design. The problem with Microsoft is they took it out of the realm of e-learning and put it in your face every moment of every computer function.
When they lock your box down so hard that you don't even have permission to reboot, I fail to see how that's "not trying".
Shifting your problems to someone else simply because they can easily resolve them is not a good thing.
Yeah, but when a someone else is GETTING PAID to fix my problems AND they can more easily resolve them than I can, it is not only a good thing, but a necessary thing. I make twice as much per hour than our IT guys. Why should our customers pay my labor rate for something that will take me twice as long to fix as somebody who makes half as much as me?
I totally disagree. I'm technical (a tech writer at a software company), but when my Windows box starts acting up, I don't expect to have to do anything other than call the IT guys. It's their job to fix it, not mine. Plus, they've locked me out doing anything to my system, so now it's REALLY their job to fix my computer.
re: #8 -- What's a modem?
I don't expect anyone to switch OSes (even though being able to run Windows on a Mac pretty much makes that decision a no-brainer for me), but I was just curious to see what kind of software is so important to other people, that they have to have Windows. I'm a tech writer. 50% of my time is doing creative design stuff using the standard Adobe stuff but the other half is using Adobe Robo-help (no Mac version). The difference in work flow is so much better in favor of OSX that is "almost" worth going without the other Windows-centric programs altogether. "Almost". I guess it just depends on how important those non OSX apps are to your daily existence.
I still don't get it. Do they not make glasses that fix your visual deficiency? I mean, they make reading glasses, right? In any case, I'm worried, because I've been doing graphic design for 8-10 hours a day since 1989. So far so good...not even any astigmatism or near/far sightedness. Perhaps using a computer for so long is like lifting weights for your eyes?
Care to name a few?
I'm not old (39), nor do I wear glasses, but I don't get all the complaints about high resolutions by old people or people with bad vision. If you wear glasses, doesn't that fix your vision problems? Do glasses not work on pixels?
contrary to most people's belief you do NOT have to run the latest OS.
You do if you want to have the easy Time Machine backups that the original post recommends.
I'm 39. Why in the world would I want 1280x1024 on a 20" screen when I turn 40 in 11 months?
Am I the only one that has somewhat competent and intelligent grandparents? This isn't an age thing as much as it is a smart/dumb thing. Young dumb people grow up to be old dumb people and vice-versa. My 80 year old grandfather is a recently retired law professor and he does just fine with computers, because, surprise, he's intelligent.
The length of your post alone demonstrates perfectly why many of us stopped using Windows years ago.
Well I hate to be the "get off my lawn" guy, but most adults don't share their music with friends. It's not that we don't want to, it's that we have other priorities after college.
sometimes there's just not one. I don't know where you live that everyone has internet.
Your point is ridiculous. You need an Internet connection for things far more important to getting your new computer running than authorizing an iTunes account.
It's not like you are cruising along listening to tunes with no Internet connection and you are suddenly prompted to connect to the Internet to verify your account. It doesn't work that way.
I'm not so sure we are in as much agreement as you think. Basically I'm saying "take it or leave it" and you are yelling (rather loudly) "LEAVE IT BECAUSE IT IS EVIL EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK IT AFFECTS YOU!!!".
First, you seriously can't use this arguement: "what if there's no internet connection". Simple, find one and authorize your computer. It takes 5 seconds. If you are buying songs on iTunes, you have an Internet connection.
Second, if you want to be able to play your music anywhere you want, go buy formats that allow that. I like to play my music pretty much everywhere I want too, and since I use OSX, iPods and iPhones, I have that ability. If I didn't, I wouldn't use the iTunes store. Pretty simple, actaully. I don't believe I have any right, other than to spend my money elsewhere.
I'm on a Mac, but I also have iTunes on my PC (just don't use it at all). I can look and see what the setting differences are and let you know how it works on the PC. I gotta get home first.