I find MANY more anti-Apple fanatics than I do pro-Apple. Especially in this forum. You see so many people who completely refuse to acknowledge anything positive from Apple.
Tell me, on Slashdot, how many people do you see saying, "Oh, that's just crap, Apple is 10 times better" when some new WinTel advancement comes out, versus the flood of "Apples are Crap" comments that surface when Apple does something new?
You are a great case-in-point. You should look more closely at those benchmarks, my friend. I'd say YOU'RE the one ignoring them.
For the record, I have a single Mac and four PCs. Am I a Mac Fanatic? No. Just an informed individual.
Let's see if any of the Anti-Apple cult start up on me...
It seems you're willing to put up with "bad engineering" as long as it's not Apple?
I think that you're in the minority. I've had a cube I bought used for about three years with no problems. Most of the people I know who are Mac-Heads just don't have nearly the same hardware failure rate that my PCs do. Power Supplies, Hard Drives, Motherboards--I've had plenty of failures on those. The laptop I'm using right now is being RMAed this week because two of the USB ports have died and the left-click on the touchpad is flaky.
I think it's reasonable to say that the hardware failure rate, on a whole, is far less with a product that has a consistent, well-tested set of components -- as opposed to the folks who slap together whatever is cheapest in Korea this week.
This is the advantage that Apple really has from a reliability perspective. Couple that with them being in full control of the operating system that supports the hardware they design and others just can't compete. That's why people buy them even though they WERE more expensive.
I am a tweak by nature. I love to put together PCs and completely rebuild my Home Theater PC about once every year and a half. When it comes to what I use to monitor my UPS and notify the other systems to shut down after a power-outage? The Cube--the only system I have that runs for months on end with no lockups or other problems. While *nix is great, I think OS X gives you the best of both worlds -- the reliability of *nix in a better-than-windows GUI.
Well, it seems that if you like to tweak, you go PC.
But if you don't like to tweak, have work that could be done on either OS and you like to play games, then Mac would be the logical choice -- much as an Console platform (Xbox, PS, etc.) is for many people who just want a system that works without a lot of configuring.
Since there are many folks who buy consoles, I expect that this would be a great idea.
And yes, if I could play HL2 / CS:Source on the OS X, a G5 would be my next machine when upgrade time rolls around.
<FLAMEBAIT> As someone who uses both systems fairly regularly (and pushes the envelope on both), I think most PC Zealots simply regurgitate misinformed rhetoric. My experience with both systems is that TCO for the Mac is FAR less than the PC -- as long as you calculate TCO to include time spent configuring/diagnosing system issues. </FLAMEBAIT>
... getting a fully functional industrialised moon base will make launches like this a thousand times more doable....
The problem here is that eventually the nuclear waste piles up, explodes, and sends the entire planetary body sailing across the universe--initiating cheesey adventures each week for those left alive...
Ya know, as far as I'm concerned, I think it's a great idea to put the MS ads up.
Think about it. How many access "Linux Today" without SOME skepticism toward Microsoft? If the ads that I would guess 98% of the reading audience discard as the usual MS Spin Fluff help pay for the more productive pro-Linux site, isn't that a good thing?
Maybe put some disclaimer above the ads: "The idiocy expressed below is a paid advertisement. Pay no heed to it."
Well, as I understand it, the 10D is simply better made that the Digital Rebel. Digital Rebel is not as rugged as the 10D.
Plus, there are STILL hardware differences -- note that several features of the 10D (second stage shutter, for example) are still unavailable in the Digital Rebel. I believe this *IS* a hardware limitation.
My guess is that they saved money on firmware development by using basically the same chipset -- just created the guts to be flexible enough to handle more than one camera and turned off some of the more complex (or unreliable?) features that they felt the average Digital Rebel consumer wouldn't want to be bothered with.
Hypercard was the tool that drew me into the Apple fold.
It was 1989 and I was managing a team creating instructional material. Our Instructional Designers would write their scripts into a Word document, print them and hand them to the programmers for coding (and re-typing.) I was tired of the programmers having to be responsible for retyping, so I started looking for a new, cheap tool. I knew what I wanted but neither Word or Wordperfect (at the time) could provide what I wanted.
I came across Hypercard and within two weeks of cannonball coding (and learning Hypertalk) I built an application that allowed the Instructional Designers to place text and paste images. Once they were done, the app would generate the code into a single file with the text appropriately placed, leaving the programmers to do the stuff they were good at. We cut our development time from 3 weeks to 1 week per course. We got all the developers Macs and never looked back.
IIRC, there is a product called "Toolbook" which was supposed to be somewhat of a PC version of Hypercard/Supercard.
I recently bought an AMD 3400+ based laptop from a company called Hypersonic PC. So far, it's a fantastic machine. Hypersonic was cheaper than Alienware and offered the higher-end 64-bit processor at a great price.
I travel a lot and actually was given $1000 from my partner toward replacing my old HP Omnibook so I would be more effective when working from the road (he was tired of my bitching about capacity, connectivity, etc..)
When I am on the road, I really appreciate a system that is powerful enough to game (I really don't socialize much from the hotel rooms) as well as work. I game pretty regularly. The term I've found used across the industry is a "Desktop Replacement" laptop.
I got this thing called the "Oyster" docking station and hooked up the VGA port to the 20" monitor I used to use with my desktop.
Given the large video memory and fast video processor (ATI 9800 128Mb) I now run dual monitors at full speed, so I actually improved the capabilities of my workstation beyond speed and memory. I paid about $2900 including bells & whistles: 802.11 a/b/g card, 1G Memory, extra high-cap battery, the AMD 3400+ (as opposed to the 3000+ all the other US manufacturers were promoting.)
So far, I am happy as a clam (oyster?) and this thing screams with UT2004 (all settings at max.) My old desktop gets relegated to become my wife's media station / family backup server.
Also -- they claim the AX6 is upgradeable to the 3700+ but I won't be holding my breath. You can get it in a variety of beautiful colors,too.
Heh. Some of us are software engineers and do the building as a hobby. My issue is that my HTPC is no longer my hobby machine and used by my wife as well--she's just not as enthused as I am when I take it down to install a new piece of hardware...
I'll definitely give you one point here -- if you indeed only use it to record TV, then use a crappy machine for your TIVO and move on.
But. For those of use who use our machines for Home-theater type applications (a main market for Snapstream, I believe) we'd like it to multifunction. Hell, if I felt the way you do, I'd just BUY that TIVO and be done with it. I mean, if I've got to buy dedicated hardware anyway, why waste all the configuration time and energy? The tradeoffs (not having to pay monthly.. yet) begin to outweigh the benefits.
And my primary argument stands. There are other very reasonable software alternatives that may not be up to dedicated hardware standards but are excellent for casual viewing of NTSC programming. And since my machine is dedicated to HT stuff, I don't mind it spending a few cycles on recording when necessary.
Now. BTV is $79 for the software. The "deal" from Snapstream is $179 for software and hardware. You wanna talk Ebay? I just watched moments ago when a 60 hour Tivo went for $170.
They've got others out there with Lifetime Subscription for $300.
It's one thing to install and configure new software that I can update and improve as time goes on. It's another to have to crack the case and install a new piece of hardware, effectively dropping anchor on the technology.
I've got a good sound card that is showing its age. I've got a decent video card that is showing its age. My MB and processor are showing their age. I upgrade those things like, maybe once every two-three years (different parts at different times) depending on fiscal realities and application needs (i.e. games I want to play.) The key is that they all contribute across the board to all the applications I run on the HTPC. I upgrade software much more than that. I went to XP. I upgraded Showshitter. I recently got (bartered for some interface coding) a new Pronto. I've gone through several WinDVD upgrades and have one pending.
Maybe it's just me, but I find it much harder to achieve hardware balance than software balance. I mean, getting everything to work together requires rebooting repeatedly -- making sure BIOS settings are correct.
And please -- don't bring 3D accelerators into this. They aren't dedicated to a single app -- they perform a basic function within the system. You're asking me to buy hardware to support a single application, which just seems wrong when there is so much out there that can do a great job of it.
OK. I really have to take issue with this. I've become somewhat embroiled a similar discussion in the BeyondTV forum.
"... It's true, software encoding mpeg will always be a dog because of it's nature.... "
Is it me, or is this total crap? The apparent thinking coming from the Beyond TV faction is pretty much summed up above. Well, the truth is that there are many software-based encoders that work JUST FINE and it's sad that Snapstream doesn't have one of them. To make the statement that hardware encoding will always be better just because Snapstream doesn't have the code chops (or the licensing $$) to pull it off is pathetic. Right now, I'd have to concede that real-time hardware-based encoding is superior. Let's see what happens when the 64-bit processors get some legs.
What I read from your statement is that a dedicated card for processing will always be better at encoding, regardless of RAM and processor power? So in two years, when I upgrade my motherboard to the 10Gz P7EE and.5T memory (pause... mmmm Terabytes...), you're saying that the PVR-250 I buy today will still outperform any software decoder I run on it??
I remember back in the day when people used to say the same crap about MPEG players -- that a hardware based decoder would always be faster than a software-based one. Usually it was someone who had a stake in my purchasing one. What's funny is that the DVB issue mentioned above is much more easily addressed via a software-based solution.
When you upgrade your PC, you gain overall improvement across the board, not just for a single app. I was using Showshifter with moderate quality running 1Ghz P4. I swapped out the motherboard on my HTPC and am now running an AMD 2800+ with 1Ghz RAM. Then I tuned Showshifter to record at a higher quality.
My point is that this song has been heard before -- don't listen. And as for Snapstream, quit the crap and write (or rewrite) what you have to to at least come close to the PQ of comparable products. Maybe buy-out|merge|be-purchased-by the guys at Showshifter. If you could take your interface and features with their backend support for encoding/decoding (minus the vice-grip it likes to take with the system), you guys would kill the market.
As pointed out multiple times already, a pen and paper will be easier to carry around and cost less.
Yes, yes, yes... And a horse doesn't burn gas, a slide rule doesn't need batteries, home computers are just another fad and who would ever need more than 64K? If you take the time to learn to use the tool, it is a tenfold savings in time and energy.
Perhaps in English/PolySci you learn to take notes differently, but the fact that I can search my notes makes all the difference in the world. And that I can keep them all in one spot, reorganize quickly, and BACK THEM UP is pretty significant as well. Not to mention the daytimer/schedule notebook and the calculator you have to haul around. I carry enough already, thank you.
Yes, and the library already has computers in it for me to use. Why bring another one? Help support my local larcenist, I suppose.
Yeah. Doesn't everyone love the lines when you really need the terminals? That is so fun--AND a great use of one's time. When you do your research do you kill a few more trees and print out your research, or stash them on a floppy? I guess we can add that to your list of things you cart around with your stone knives and bearskins.
After reading your post it seems to me that your idea of doing work is sitting outside with friends socializing?
You probably should read it again. Two different points. One was the fact that you slammed study groups as well as making the insightful generalization that those who buy laptops for school are stupid (ah. With the exception of lab work.)
The fact that I like to be outside to work, if I can, is no commentary on what I do socially or whom I work with.
Did you capture the right quote for your comment?
What is a Luddite like you doing trolling slashdot, anyway?
Wow. I can feel myself compelled to waste energy on this troll.
I wonder how many tablets he actually has gone through himself, to have such an informed opinion.
Overall though, I kind of think buying a portable anything is stupid for college. Unless you're in some kind of program where you have to take your laptop/whatever into a lab for data or something, then you're not really going to take your laptop with you and do useful work. It's just as bad as trying to be in a study group. Much more effecient to study alone.
Wow. Where to begin? Well, first thing is that people actually DO useful things in class with laptops: notetaking, scheduling, calculations, etc. -- and can do pretty much the same stuff in class more conveniently with a Tablet. Does it have the horsepower of a desktop? No--but a 1.7 M (runs equivalent to a 2.8Ghz P4) is more than enough for most *anything* short of finite element analysis and/or 3d animation.
Stupid to get a portable? I guess if you're a Dorm drone and never leave your room, that might be appropriate. Ever go to the library to do your paper? Much more efficient to lug the books, home, eh? How about just getting out of your room to do some work outside?
But his last point is very telling. He's rationalized his social isolation by saying (and I'm paraphrasing, of course), "Well, it's more efficient to be alone, ANYWAY. Wah."
How do you figure THIS will raise costs, though? I mean, if I can take my number with me, you can BET I'll go to the best service for the price. This increases competition and will more easily drive companies with bad service and/or higher prices out of business.
Traditionally, the cellphone companies lured you in with some sweet deals, raised prices and/or under-delivered on services and relied on the high hassle-factor of changing you telephone number.
Reducing the hassle-factor will force cell phone companies to become more competitive.
I did that and some continued to sneak in. And truly, you get tired of playing the same guys all the time.
I really love CS. Probably the single most entertaing game I've played in the last 10 years. When they added the voice-chat component, it just racheted up a beyond anything else out there. Shows how successful things can be when the company writes a quality core and supports mod efforts.
But the gameplay is/was second to none. The first game where real tactics could outclass those trying to take advantage of some weirdness in the game implementation. How many multiplay games do you know where there isn't at least one (usually many more) tactic that is considered "cheese" that leverages a weakness in the implementation. CounterStrike just rules.
And having the audio cut out when you drop was truly cool. It actually made it a priority to report movement and numbers before you started trying to pick off the enemy--even retreating and calling in support when facing an overwhelming force. When I was working with a team that was clicking, I lured many a CT to their destruction by telling teammates where to set up an ambush.
Hm. Just typing about this gets the juices flowing. Maybe I'll go play a round or two...
The biggest issue with HL and all the mods is CHEATS. If they come out with a version that already has the hacks and cheats ready, they will suffer major revenue hits.
I stopped playing CS for this very reason. I won't buy HL2 if they don't address the cheats.
My guess is that this guy is one of those hack-kiddies who couldn't play worth crap without an auto-aimer or see-through walls.
Excuse me? The original was excellent. Didn't take itself quite as seriously as the pretentious TV series did.
The original was an excellent platform to jump off from. Whedon indeed kept some of the best parts of the movie and then added some interesting twists to make it his own, but don't go dissin' the original, bud. You owe your precious series to it.
Slashdot Mirror
Is Firefox secretly paying for this great, new marketing strategy?
Yikes! Print Density! Print Density!
Learn to use a hard return now and again, eh? Your post is just too much work to read through.
Paragraphs are NOT the enemy!
Wow. I gotta disagree here.
I find MANY more anti-Apple fanatics than I do pro-Apple. Especially in this forum. You see so many people who completely refuse to acknowledge anything positive from Apple.
Tell me, on Slashdot, how many people do you see saying, "Oh, that's just crap, Apple is 10 times better" when some new WinTel advancement comes out, versus the flood of "Apples are Crap" comments that surface when Apple does something new?
You are a great case-in-point. You should look more closely at those benchmarks, my friend. I'd say YOU'RE the one ignoring them.
For the record, I have a single Mac and four PCs. Am I a Mac Fanatic? No. Just an informed individual.
Let's see if any of the Anti-Apple cult start up on me...
It seems you're willing to put up with "bad engineering" as long as it's not Apple?
I think that you're in the minority. I've had a cube I bought used for about three years with no problems. Most of the people I know who are Mac-Heads just don't have nearly the same hardware failure rate that my PCs do. Power Supplies, Hard Drives, Motherboards--I've had plenty of failures on those. The laptop I'm using right now is being RMAed this week because two of the USB ports have died and the left-click on the touchpad is flaky.
I think it's reasonable to say that the hardware failure rate, on a whole, is far less with a product that has a consistent, well-tested set of components -- as opposed to the folks who slap together whatever is cheapest in Korea this week.
This is the advantage that Apple really has from a reliability perspective. Couple that with them being in full control of the operating system that supports the hardware they design and others just can't compete. That's why people buy them even though they WERE more expensive.
I am a tweak by nature. I love to put together PCs and completely rebuild my Home Theater PC about once every year and a half. When it comes to what I use to monitor my UPS and notify the other systems to shut down after a power-outage? The Cube--the only system I have that runs for months on end with no lockups or other problems. While *nix is great, I think OS X gives you the best of both worlds -- the reliability of *nix in a better-than-windows GUI.
But if you don't like to tweak, have work that could be done on either OS and you like to play games, then Mac would be the logical choice -- much as an Console platform (Xbox, PS, etc.) is for many people who just want a system that works without a lot of configuring.
Since there are many folks who buy consoles, I expect that this would be a great idea.
And yes, if I could play HL2 / CS:Source on the OS X, a G5 would be my next machine when upgrade time rolls around.
I can't believe noone could name the Variable sword...
Wow.
... getting a fully functional industrialised moon base will make launches like this a thousand times more doable. ...
The problem here is that eventually the nuclear waste piles up, explodes, and sends the entire planetary body sailing across the universe--initiating cheesey adventures each week for those left alive...
Ya know, as far as I'm concerned, I think it's a great idea to put the MS ads up.
Think about it. How many access "Linux Today" without SOME skepticism toward Microsoft? If the ads that I would guess 98% of the reading audience discard as the usual MS Spin Fluff help pay for the more productive pro-Linux site, isn't that a good thing?
Maybe put some disclaimer above the ads:
"The idiocy expressed below is a paid advertisement. Pay no heed to it."
Well, as I understand it, the 10D is simply better made that the Digital Rebel. Digital Rebel is not as rugged as the 10D.
Plus, there are STILL hardware differences -- note that several features of the 10D (second stage shutter, for example) are still unavailable in the Digital Rebel. I believe this *IS* a hardware limitation.
My guess is that they saved money on firmware development by using basically the same chipset -- just created the guts to be flexible enough to handle more than one camera and turned off some of the more complex (or unreliable?) features that they felt the average Digital Rebel consumer wouldn't want to be bothered with.
Please feel free to post their names and numbers.
...
Could give new meaning to the concept of "being slashdotted"
\Of course, you could just be living in "Phase One" of your companies' plan...
Hypercard was the tool that drew me into the Apple fold.
It was 1989 and I was managing a team creating instructional material. Our Instructional Designers would write their scripts into a Word document, print them and hand them to the programmers for coding (and re-typing.) I was tired of the programmers having to be responsible for retyping, so I started looking for a new, cheap tool. I knew what I wanted but neither Word or Wordperfect (at the time) could provide what I wanted.
I came across Hypercard and within two weeks of cannonball coding (and learning Hypertalk) I built an application that allowed the Instructional Designers to place text and paste images. Once they were done, the app would generate the code into a single file with the text appropriately placed, leaving the programmers to do the stuff they were good at. We cut our development time from 3 weeks to 1 week per course. We got all the developers Macs and never looked back.
IIRC, there is a product called "Toolbook" which was supposed to be somewhat of a PC version of Hypercard/Supercard.
I'm an idiot. No idea how I stuck this to THIS subject.
My apologies to all who wasted bandwidth and memory displaying this and the previous message.
I recently bought an AMD 3400+ based laptop from a company called Hypersonic PC. So far, it's a fantastic machine. Hypersonic was cheaper than Alienware and offered the higher-end 64-bit processor at a great price.
I travel a lot and actually was given $1000 from my partner toward replacing my old HP Omnibook so I would be more effective when working from the road (he was tired of my bitching about capacity, connectivity, etc..)
When I am on the road, I really appreciate a system that is powerful enough to game (I really don't socialize much from the hotel rooms) as well as work. I game pretty regularly. The term I've found used across the industry is a "Desktop Replacement" laptop.
I got this thing called the "Oyster" docking station and hooked up the VGA port to the 20" monitor I used to use with my desktop.
Given the large video memory and fast video processor (ATI 9800 128Mb) I now run dual monitors at full speed, so I actually improved the capabilities of my workstation beyond speed and memory. I paid about $2900 including bells & whistles: 802.11 a/b/g card, 1G Memory, extra high-cap battery, the AMD 3400+ (as opposed to the 3000+ all the other US manufacturers were promoting.)
So far, I am happy as a clam (oyster?) and this thing screams with UT2004 (all settings at max.) My old desktop gets relegated to become my wife's media station / family backup server.
Also -- they claim the AX6 is upgradeable to the 3700+ but I won't be holding my breath. You can get it in a variety of beautiful colors,too.
Heh. Some of us are software engineers and do the building as a hobby. My issue is that my HTPC is no longer my hobby machine and used by my wife as well--she's just not as enthused as I am when I take it down to install a new piece of hardware...
(insert "You insensitive clod!" wherever appropriate)
I'll definitely give you one point here -- if you indeed only use it to record TV, then use a crappy machine for your TIVO and move on.
But. For those of use who use our machines for Home-theater type applications (a main market for Snapstream, I believe) we'd like it to multifunction. Hell, if I felt the way you do, I'd just BUY that TIVO and be done with it. I mean, if I've got to buy dedicated hardware anyway, why waste all the configuration time and energy? The tradeoffs (not having to pay monthly.. yet) begin to outweigh the benefits.
And my primary argument stands. There are other very reasonable software alternatives that may not be up to dedicated hardware standards but are excellent for casual viewing of NTSC programming. And since my machine is dedicated to HT stuff, I don't mind it spending a few cycles on recording when necessary.
Now. BTV is $79 for the software. The "deal" from Snapstream is $179 for software and hardware. You wanna talk Ebay? I just watched moments ago when a 60 hour Tivo went for $170.
They've got others out there with Lifetime Subscription for $300.
It's one thing to install and configure new software that I can update and improve as time goes on. It's another to have to crack the case and install a new piece of hardware, effectively dropping anchor on the technology.
I've got a good sound card that is showing its age. I've got a decent video card that is showing its age. My MB and processor are showing their age. I upgrade those things like, maybe once every two-three years (different parts at different times) depending on fiscal realities and application needs (i.e. games I want to play.) The key is that they all contribute across the board to all the applications I run on the HTPC. I upgrade software much more than that. I went to XP. I upgraded Showshitter. I recently got (bartered for some interface coding) a new Pronto. I've gone through several WinDVD upgrades and have one pending.
Maybe it's just me, but I find it much harder to achieve hardware balance than software balance. I mean, getting everything to work together requires rebooting repeatedly -- making sure BIOS settings are correct.
And please -- don't bring 3D accelerators into this. They aren't dedicated to a single app -- they perform a basic function within the system. You're asking me to buy hardware to support a single application, which just seems wrong when there is so much out there that can do a great job of it.
OK. I really have to take issue with this. I've become somewhat embroiled a similar discussion in the BeyondTV forum.
... It's true, software encoding mpeg will always be a dog because of it's nature. ... "
.5T memory (pause... mmmm Terabytes...), you're saying that the PVR-250 I buy today will still outperform any software decoder I run on it??
"
Is it me, or is this total crap? The apparent thinking coming from the Beyond TV faction is pretty much summed up above. Well, the truth is that there are many software-based encoders that work JUST FINE and it's sad that Snapstream doesn't have one of them. To make the statement that hardware encoding will always be better just because Snapstream doesn't have the code chops (or the licensing $$) to pull it off is pathetic. Right now, I'd have to concede that real-time hardware-based encoding is superior. Let's see what happens when the 64-bit processors get some legs.
What I read from your statement is that a dedicated card for processing will always be better at encoding, regardless of RAM and processor power? So in two years, when I upgrade my motherboard to the 10Gz P7EE and
I remember back in the day when people used to say the same crap about MPEG players -- that a hardware based decoder would always be faster than a software-based one. Usually it was someone who had a stake in my purchasing one. What's funny is that the DVB issue mentioned above is much more easily addressed via a software-based solution.
When you upgrade your PC, you gain overall improvement across the board, not just for a single app. I was using Showshifter with moderate quality running 1Ghz P4. I swapped out the motherboard on my HTPC and am now running an AMD 2800+ with 1Ghz RAM. Then I tuned Showshifter to record at a higher quality.
My point is that this song has been heard before -- don't listen. And as for Snapstream, quit the crap and write (or rewrite) what you have to to at least come close to the PQ of comparable products. Maybe buy-out|merge|be-purchased-by the guys at Showshifter. If you could take your interface and features with their backend support for encoding/decoding (minus the vice-grip it likes to take with the system), you guys would kill the market.
As pointed out multiple times already, a pen and paper will be easier to carry around and cost less.
Yes, yes, yes... And a horse doesn't burn gas, a slide rule doesn't need batteries, home computers are just another fad and who would ever need more than 64K? If you take the time to learn to use the tool, it is a tenfold savings in time and energy.
Perhaps in English/PolySci you learn to take notes differently, but the fact that I can search my notes makes all the difference in the world. And that I can keep them all in one spot, reorganize quickly, and BACK THEM UP is pretty significant as well. Not to mention the daytimer/schedule notebook and the calculator you have to haul around. I carry enough already, thank you.
Yes, and the library already has computers in it for me to use. Why bring another one? Help support my local larcenist, I suppose.
Yeah. Doesn't everyone love the lines when you really need the terminals? That is so fun--AND a great use of one's time. When you do your research do you kill a few more trees and print out your research, or stash them on a floppy? I guess we can add that to your list of things you cart around with your stone knives and bearskins.
After reading your post it seems to me that your idea of doing work is sitting outside with friends socializing?
You probably should read it again. Two different points. One was the fact that you slammed study groups as well as making the insightful generalization that those who buy laptops for school are stupid (ah. With the exception of lab work.)
The fact that I like to be outside to work, if I can, is no commentary on what I do socially or whom I work with.
Did you capture the right quote for your comment?
What is a Luddite like you doing trolling slashdot, anyway?
I especially liked the cannibalism article that linked off this one -- and ended with:
"Meiwes made a video of the event, which was shown to the court during a closed session. He could be released early for good behaviour."
I assume good behaviour would be that he kept his napkin in his lap next time.
Wow. I can feel myself compelled to waste energy on this troll.
I wonder how many tablets he actually has gone through himself, to have such an informed opinion.
Overall though, I kind of think buying a portable anything is stupid for college. Unless you're in some kind of program where you have to take your laptop/whatever into a lab for data or something, then you're not really going to take your laptop with you and do useful work. It's just as bad as trying to be in a study group. Much more effecient to study alone.
Wow. Where to begin? Well, first thing is that people actually DO useful things in class with laptops: notetaking, scheduling, calculations, etc. -- and can do pretty much the same stuff in class more conveniently with a Tablet. Does it have the horsepower of a desktop? No--but a 1.7 M (runs equivalent to a 2.8Ghz P4) is more than enough for most *anything* short of finite element analysis and/or 3d animation.
Stupid to get a portable? I guess if you're a Dorm drone and never leave your room, that might be appropriate. Ever go to the library to do your paper? Much more efficient to lug the books, home, eh? How about just getting out of your room to do some work outside?
But his last point is very telling. He's rationalized his social isolation by saying (and I'm paraphrasing, of course), "Well, it's more efficient to be alone, ANYWAY. Wah."
Toad.
Now I feel better.
... You work for a cell phone company, right?
How do you figure THIS will raise costs, though? I mean, if I can take my number with me, you can BET I'll go to the best service for the price. This increases competition and will more easily drive companies with bad service and/or higher prices out of business.
Traditionally, the cellphone companies lured you in with some sweet deals, raised prices and/or under-delivered on services and relied on the high hassle-factor of changing you telephone number.
Reducing the hassle-factor will force cell phone companies to become more competitive.
I did that and some continued to sneak in. And truly, you get tired of playing the same guys all the time.
I really love CS. Probably the single most entertaing game I've played in the last 10 years. When they added the voice-chat component, it just racheted up a beyond anything else out there. Shows how successful things can be when the company writes a quality core and supports mod efforts.
But the gameplay is/was second to none. The first game where real tactics could outclass those trying to take advantage of some weirdness in the game implementation. How many multiplay games do you know where there isn't at least one (usually many more) tactic that is considered "cheese" that leverages a weakness in the implementation. CounterStrike just rules.
And having the audio cut out when you drop was truly cool. It actually made it a priority to report movement and numbers before you started trying to pick off the enemy--even retreating and calling in support when facing an overwhelming force. When I was working with a team that was clicking, I lured many a CT to their destruction by telling teammates where to set up an ambush.
Hm. Just typing about this gets the juices flowing. Maybe I'll go play a round or two...
This guy is an obvious moron.
The biggest issue with HL and all the mods is CHEATS. If they come out with a version that already has the hacks and cheats ready, they will suffer major revenue hits.
I stopped playing CS for this very reason. I won't buy HL2 if they don't address the cheats.
My guess is that this guy is one of those hack-kiddies who couldn't play worth crap without an auto-aimer or see-through walls.
No, no, no...
You've confused this with the upcoming season of "Enterprise"....
Excuse me? The original was excellent. Didn't take itself quite as seriously as the pretentious TV series did.
The original was an excellent platform to jump off from. Whedon indeed kept some of the best parts of the movie and then added some interesting twists to make it his own, but don't go dissin' the original, bud. You owe your precious series to it.