I don't understand your comment. People have been saying that activation and WGA sucks ever since they started using it. Now they use it more, and the new problems they cause are even worse! Following this logic, the more we tell them it sucks, the MORE it sucks. In other words, we are helping them die FASTER!
Again, "functional" for what? MS Word? Sure. Multiple VM sessions? Not hardly. Those old thinkpads only supported 512M. Even 2G sucks in certain situations, and the CPU on the old T20 is way too slow too. There are many modern apps that have minimum requirements well beyond the capability of the T20.
So it depends on what you do / use it for.
As for toasters etc., the QUALITY of modern items tends to be horrible. They frequently are not realistically repairable, due to labor costs / parts availability.
That and only one mouse button. Mac fanatics insist that it's the "one true way", but then apple turns around and sells external mice that have 2, or even 3. I just don't understand why they can't make the built-in button act like the apple mighty mouse, where it behaves like one or two, depending on your settings.
The t20 only supports a max of 512M ram. And those chips are REALLY expensive... A 256M module costs quite a bit more than a 1G module of current tech.
I don't believe that is true for all systems anymore. Furthermore, I would expect the "base" system to be assembled in China (or wherever) with the motherboard, etc. pre-installed and just options added by a tech in the US.
Also, "assembled" is different than "made". I pretty sure that nearly all the parts are in China or some other Asian country. About the only possible exception I can think of is the CPU, but no guarantees there either.
But anyway, this is about laptops. I don't think any (outside of some military or rugged models) are made in the US. Can't compete on labor costs, and all the parts are made in China anyway.
You know, it's amazing just how wrong that is. Look at nvidia, where their driver works on just about every Intel based linux box, or Acrobat Reader, firefox, open office, Java, etc. Even pretty invasive software like VMWare works just about anywhere.
Figure out how to link statically and a single binary works fine.
It's fine to limit "official" support to a subset like Suse, RedHat, and Ubuntu, but it's fairly trivial to be able to run on damn near any flavor of Linux.
It's amazing how well Linux works on the desktop despite so many manufacturers REFUSING to support Linux for one reason or another.
The over all Linux market share for the desktop is low, but it's not zero. In terms of sheer unit numbers, it's still a lot. As more and more embedded devices use Linux (as well as other platforms (mobile) that are not Windows / IE centric,) the demand will grow for more compatibility / open protocols / etc. and manufacturers / sites / etc. will have to support it. Us Linux users are a patient bunch.
Actually, the reason that AV software doesn't pick this shit up is TOTALLY different than what you claim.
The reason AV software doesn't pick this crap up is that the current crop of AV software uses a BLACKLIST based model and not WHITELIST based model. Since AV software is blacklist based, there IS NO "trusted" anything. Once they move to a whitelist model, THEN we can start talking about what is "trusted" and what is not.
Your right. Misinformation began already... But it was with the original and subsequent Apple statements.
Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's software
This is bullshit by definition. The phones still work, so the software is not "damaged." Yes, the firmware values may now be "different" but "different" does not automatically equal "damaged." In fact, one may go so far as to conclude that the software was "enhanced" by the unlocking code as it allows the phone to work with other carriers AS WELL as AT&T.
This exact scenario has been well hashed out in the courts regarding third party modifications to automobiles and warranties. I believe Apple will lose this one in any court case, certainly in the court of public opinion.
Except your statement assumes that Apple hacked a few iPods into the exact same state as all the hacked iPhones and already ran a patch to see what would happen.
That's a pretty damn safe assumption to make. Any COMPETENT product engineering team / product management team would ABSOLUTELY do so.
You KNOW that they have at LEAST applied the unlock hack to phones to see exactly what it does and how it works. You also know that they are working on (and surely finished by now) a patch that "undoes" the unlock hack.
It would be ridiculous to think that they would make the statement that their updates will brick a phone without knowing for sure.
It would also be ridiculous to think that any information on this at Apple would remain secret during a court case and the resulting subpoenas / depositions.
Sysadmin type work is NEVER simply a 9-5 type job. Why? Because so much maint has to be done during off hours. That's the way it has always been. If you have an incompetent jerk boss that decides that you need to work 9-5 everyday PLUS do off hours maint with no comp. time or anything, then that's YOUR problem. My "night maint" guys start late the day of maint, get free dinner, and only work a half-day the next day (frequently resulting in a less-than 40 hour week.)
Um, you may want to look around. The security vulnerabilities are already out there for the iPhone allowing black-hat web sites to grab all your data. That type of thing is exactly what needs to be fixed.
Oh yes, your right. I forgot - you CAN'T install third party software on the iPhone. Except the hack of course... And any other software that hackers have found a way to install...
You should feel happy that Apple is warning people that if they unlocked the phone they shouldn't install the update. They didn't have to do that.
The next Service Pack for Windows Vista will cause your computer to self destruct if you have installed Firefox or OpenOffice.org. As a bonus, a chair will be arriving via your living room window.
If you don't keep your phone updated, then you run a much greater security risk. Kinda like running Windows XP with no security patches applied. Really want to run that risk???
IMHO, the only way Apple could release a firmware update that would brick a hack iPhone is if they INTENTIONALLY brick it on detection of the hack. This "oh gee, it might happen" attitude is BULLSHIT. You KNOW Apple is testing the hacks internally to see how they work, and KNOW that they have been testing updates against hacked phones. To claim otherwise is offensive. I fully expect a class action lawsuit.
Furthermore, is the laptop rugged? Can it run off a built-in hand crank generator? Can you read the screen in sunlight? Is it designed (like the OLPC is) to be maintained / repaired by a child? The answer to all of these is NO. It's really amazing how many people just don't "get it." This is not simply a "low-end" Dell. It is a custom laptop designed as a teaching tool used in harsh environments for kids without easy access to electricity.
Show me a Best Buy, Circuit City, Comp USA, Office Max, Staples, or Office Depot where you can buy a non-windows based PC... They don't exist. Even on the Dell web site, the only machines with no OS at all are certain servers. I did find a couple "open source" latitude models with "freedos" and found the difference to be $30 less than the exact same machine with Windows XP Home (which is interesting considering that Dell pays more for XP home than that and considering that Freedos is "free"...) The selection for "OS-less" machines was pathetic however, which is inline with the GP's assertion.
IMHO, this isn't as much about money (the $30) as it is about choice. I should NEVER be forced to buy Windows when I buy hardware no matter where I decide to buy it from. The concept of an "OEM" license should disappear. Get rid of bundling. Prohibit the practice. Prohibit exclusionary contracts that forbid hardware vendors from pre-installing multiple OS choices that can be selected at initial boot time (those exclusionary contracts are what killed BeOS BTW...)
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I don't understand your comment. People have been saying that activation and WGA sucks ever since they started using it. Now they use it more, and the new problems they cause are even worse! Following this logic, the more we tell them it sucks, the MORE it sucks. In other words, we are helping them die FASTER!
Does it do that when you are running Windows (via bootcamp?) I'm making the assumption that the person replacing a Thinkpad will run Windows...
Every laptop's case flexes when you push on it from an old 600, T20, T40, or T61. No better or worse. Ditto for Macs, HP's, Dells, etc.
Again, "functional" for what? MS Word? Sure. Multiple VM sessions? Not hardly. Those old thinkpads only supported 512M. Even 2G sucks in certain situations, and the CPU on the old T20 is way too slow too. There are many modern apps that have minimum requirements well beyond the capability of the T20.
So it depends on what you do / use it for.
As for toasters etc., the QUALITY of modern items tends to be horrible. They frequently are not realistically repairable, due to labor costs / parts availability.
That and only one mouse button. Mac fanatics insist that it's the "one true way", but then apple turns around and sells external mice that have 2, or even 3. I just don't understand why they can't make the built-in button act like the apple mighty mouse, where it behaves like one or two, depending on your settings.
The t20 only supports a max of 512M ram. And those chips are REALLY expensive... A 256M module costs quite a bit more than a 1G module of current tech.
full size Dell computers are made in the U.S.A.
I don't believe that is true for all systems anymore. Furthermore, I would expect the "base" system to be assembled in China (or wherever) with the motherboard, etc. pre-installed and just options added by a tech in the US.
Also, "assembled" is different than "made". I pretty sure that nearly all the parts are in China or some other Asian country. About the only possible exception I can think of is the CPU, but no guarantees there either.
But anyway, this is about laptops. I don't think any (outside of some military or rugged models) are made in the US. Can't compete on labor costs, and all the parts are made in China anyway.
You know, it's amazing just how wrong that is. Look at nvidia, where their driver works on just about every Intel based linux box, or Acrobat Reader, firefox, open office, Java, etc. Even pretty invasive software like VMWare works just about anywhere.
Figure out how to link statically and a single binary works fine.
It's fine to limit "official" support to a subset like Suse, RedHat, and Ubuntu, but it's fairly trivial to be able to run on damn near any flavor of Linux.
It's amazing how well Linux works on the desktop despite so many manufacturers REFUSING to support Linux for one reason or another.
The over all Linux market share for the desktop is low, but it's not zero. In terms of sheer unit numbers, it's still a lot. As more and more embedded devices use Linux (as well as other platforms (mobile) that are not Windows / IE centric,) the demand will grow for more compatibility / open protocols / etc. and manufacturers / sites / etc. will have to support it. Us Linux users are a patient bunch.
What about the option:
Notify about update - allow user to approve or deny -> not evil
If MS would have pushed this update out in the normal way, this whole issue wouldn't have come up.
Actually, the reason that AV software doesn't pick this shit up is TOTALLY different than what you claim.
The reason AV software doesn't pick this crap up is that the current crop of AV software uses a BLACKLIST based model and not WHITELIST based model. Since AV software is blacklist based, there IS NO "trusted" anything. Once they move to a whitelist model, THEN we can start talking about what is "trusted" and what is not.
Your right. Misinformation began already... But it was with the original and subsequent Apple statements.
Apple has discovered that many of the unauthorized iPhone unlocking programs available on the Internet cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's software
This is bullshit by definition. The phones still work, so the software is not "damaged." Yes, the firmware values may now be "different" but "different" does not automatically equal "damaged." In fact, one may go so far as to conclude that the software was "enhanced" by the unlocking code as it allows the phone to work with other carriers AS WELL as AT&T.
This exact scenario has been well hashed out in the courts regarding third party modifications to automobiles and warranties. I believe Apple will lose this one in any court case, certainly in the court of public opinion.
Except your statement assumes that Apple hacked a few iPods into the exact same state as all the hacked iPhones and already ran a patch to see what would happen.
That's a pretty damn safe assumption to make. Any COMPETENT product engineering team / product management team would ABSOLUTELY do so.
You KNOW that they have at LEAST applied the unlock hack to phones to see exactly what it does and how it works. You also know that they are working on (and surely finished by now) a patch that "undoes" the unlock hack.
It would be ridiculous to think that they would make the statement that their updates will brick a phone without knowing for sure.
It would also be ridiculous to think that any information on this at Apple would remain secret during a court case and the resulting subpoenas / depositions.
Come on. We, and Apple, just are not that stupid.
Sysadmin type work is NEVER simply a 9-5 type job. Why? Because so much maint has to be done during off hours. That's the way it has always been. If you have an incompetent jerk boss that decides that you need to work 9-5 everyday PLUS do off hours maint with no comp. time or anything, then that's YOUR problem. My "night maint" guys start late the day of maint, get free dinner, and only work a half-day the next day (frequently resulting in a less-than 40 hour week.)
Well, then ASK for it. Or quit. It's pretty simple.
Data being stolen? Maybe. But unlikely, I feel.
Um, you may want to look around. The security vulnerabilities are already out there for the iPhone allowing black-hat web sites to grab all your data. That type of thing is exactly what needs to be fixed.
MS gets the "Ballmar Quantity" discount for chairs at Costco. Buy one, throw one free!
Oh yes, your right. I forgot - you CAN'T install third party software on the iPhone. Except the hack of course... And any other software that hackers have found a way to install...
You should feel happy that Apple is warning people that if they unlocked the phone they shouldn't install the update. They didn't have to do that.
The next Service Pack for Windows Vista will cause your computer to self destruct if you have installed Firefox or OpenOffice.org. As a bonus, a chair will be arriving via your living room window.
Your's truely,
Steven A. Ballmer
Or do you mean because it renders unlocked phones useless?
Even bricked iPhones have a use... You can always blend it.
If you don't keep your phone updated, then you run a much greater security risk. Kinda like running Windows XP with no security patches applied. Really want to run that risk???
IMHO, the only way Apple could release a firmware update that would brick a hack iPhone is if they INTENTIONALLY brick it on detection of the hack. This "oh gee, it might happen" attitude is BULLSHIT. You KNOW Apple is testing the hacks internally to see how they work, and KNOW that they have been testing updates against hacked phones. To claim otherwise is offensive. I fully expect a class action lawsuit.
Furthermore, is the laptop rugged? Can it run off a built-in hand crank generator? Can you read the screen in sunlight? Is it designed (like the OLPC is) to be maintained / repaired by a child? The answer to all of these is NO. It's really amazing how many people just don't "get it." This is not simply a "low-end" Dell. It is a custom laptop designed as a teaching tool used in harsh environments for kids without easy access to electricity.
If (by the time you receive your degree) you can't apply what you learned, you are useless, and haven't *really* learned a thing.
I read of a USGS survey that concluded the Rocky Mountains have enough potential wind power to supply all of the electrical needs of the US.
And I have read that we have enough tap-able geothermal energy to run the world's needs 5000 times over.
The problem isn't in the potential, it's in the will and ability to execute. NIMBY is really hurting a lot of these alternative energy projects.
Show me a Best Buy, Circuit City, Comp USA, Office Max, Staples, or Office Depot where you can buy a non-windows based PC... They don't exist. Even on the Dell web site, the only machines with no OS at all are certain servers. I did find a couple "open source" latitude models with "freedos" and found the difference to be $30 less than the exact same machine with Windows XP Home (which is interesting considering that Dell pays more for XP home than that and considering that Freedos is "free"...) The selection for "OS-less" machines was pathetic however, which is inline with the GP's assertion.
IMHO, this isn't as much about money (the $30) as it is about choice. I should NEVER be forced to buy Windows when I buy hardware no matter where I decide to buy it from. The concept of an "OEM" license should disappear. Get rid of bundling. Prohibit the practice. Prohibit exclusionary contracts that forbid hardware vendors from pre-installing multiple OS choices that can be selected at initial boot time (those exclusionary contracts are what killed BeOS BTW...)