"boost overall performance, responsiveness, and battery life"
That's the crux: SSDs boost performance pretty much only when doing random reads. Not random writes, not sequential reads, and not anything not HD-related. Basically, you're boosting boot times, app launch, game level load... and anything else that has to do with disk access, exclusively.
$200-400 is a lot to pay for a boost, even sizeable, in those rare occasions. They don't help with anything CPU-, RAM- or I/O-intensive. And cost pretty much the price of a second computer, or a netbook.
Backups are: - off line (viruses, power surge, sabotage...) - off site (fires, theft...) - tested (i've got horrors stories of people that THOUGHT they had backups...) - multiple (... and of backups that turn bad at the worst possible moment)
So backing up data is a hassle, and can be expensive depending on what you need: a DVD, a BD, an HD... But pretty much the only foolproof solution anyway is to burn your data onto a media you then send away to your parents' or other trusted 3rd party. Once a month is the very minimum.
If you're using HDs, you may want to re-use them after a while, but don't forget to keep some very old ones, for when you realize ages after the facts that one of your files got corrupted.
For really valuable files (the ones I won't ever be able to replace if I lose them: my own documents, my photos), I burn a monthly DVD and drop it alternatively at my parents' and brother's.
For the rest of the junk (media files: music, videos, books...)that are very large but not that important (or easily replaceable), I have a large external HD to which I clone my main HD once a week. I then keep the Backup HD off-line until the next time.
Very true. I'm amazed at how much effort is poured into adding solo content, and how little is put into making the group experience better. Possible areas of improved, in WoW, would be:
- a Karma system, actually 2, one for skill and one for social intelligence. Assholes and retards spoil the game for whomever groups with them, and it's amazing how many of those there are. Blizzard must have the intellectual and financial means to build a karma system that works ?
- Multi-player combo moves. Buffs are fine, but having combat combo moves that require several players to collaborate would be oodles of fun.
- Vocal chat. 6 years on, we still have to use very un-ergonomic 3rd party programs. Blizzard could at least buy & re-design those, or help their developpers interface with WoW... WoW's own voice chat make the idiotic assumption that we want to disconnect whenever you're not in the game, or switch toons...
They did at last get the grouping interface mostly right (should take alts into account, though).
Wow's subscription costs about the same as - 2 movie tickets - half a nice restaurant meal - 1/4th of a new game - a very cheap/bad theater/opera ticket - a new CD - a new DVD -...
you can play very little WoW (6-8 hours/month), and still get more "entertainment time" for your money than you would with more traditional entertainment.
of course, you won't get the same benefits out of it.. it's pretty much a-cultural... but then again, given how bad most recent movies have been...
I agree with you in general, as long as "program" is in ONE place, and one place only, and "data" in ONE place only too. That's far too rare already.
Furthermore, I'm unclear about where you think "config" belongs: it's not really "program", but it is required for the program to run, and it's clearly not "data" either.
WoW does not really have "data" in the way a spreadsheet or wordprocessor does. Pretty much everything is on Blizzard's servers, except config info and addons, and addons are really not much more than extended config. Blizzard chose to consider that as "program", and to put them in the program directory, but segregated, each in a separate subdir of the WoW folder. Thus users who care still can easily backup/copy/alias... it, and users who don't care can just forget about it, and easily reinstall their OS without ruining their WoW setup, or move their WoW install to another PC by simply copying one folder.
I understand how, for more generic, less net-dependant apps, it makes sense to have a system-wide "data" repository, so that several apps and several users can easily point to it. In the specific case of purely online, single-purpose, data-less stuff like WoW, it does not really have any advantages, and would confuse things.
As incredible as it might seem, WoW has specific, separate, subfolders for ressources (static data that gets upgraded only during patches) and for user data. So it can perfectly run without administrator privileges, handle several users...
Windows has per-folder access control (actually, it has much more precise acces control than that). Also, WoW does run under Vista.
Right-click on "my documents" to move it to a folder on D:
Also, well-programmed apps (World of Warcraft comes to mind) are actually self-contained: everything they need is in their own directory, so if you put them on D:, they'll run right of the bat after a reinstall. One can't help but wonder why all apps are not that way.
Actually, it was even worse that that: during the BC period, hunters HAD to use a macro, they did not only do it for convenience/laziness: they had to perfectly "weave" two shots (steady and auto), and due to lag, the only way to achieve that perfectly and consistently was a macro. Thank god hunters no longer have to do that.
WoW is indeed trying to move away from fixed rotations, but not only by making random "procs" more important (actually, they are kinda trying to move away from randomness, too, or so they say). They are above all trying to make fights much more about situational awareness and group coordinnation.
As a side effect, that invalidates much theorycrafting, which tries to work out how to reach the best results, but does NOT take into account that on some fights, you spend 50%+ of the time on the move, thus never really manage to either cast slow spells nor deploy your best rotation if it is a long one. Theorycrafting really need to work out a "mobility" coefficient, at least, and maybe also a "complexity" one.
I disagree. The lastest WoW content, Ulduar, is very much about situational awareness and group coordination. Granted, an effective DPS/Heal/Tanking rotation is a plus, but what makes or breaks most of the fights is how quickly and reliably people manage to 1- jump out of harm's way or into good's way, and 2- do what they are supposed to do (target the right enemy, use such-and-such special class ability at the right time on the right target...)
As far as mashing keys fast, WoW never has been so much about that. There is a maximum "key-mashing" rate of 1 per second plus lag, called the Global Cooldown (GCD, is 1.5s to start with, but can be lowered to 1.0). And then, most key abilities have their own, longer, cooldown (CD), or require a specific rotation to apply a buff/debuff beforehand in order to make them more effective.
The article is about leveling your character with official levels, as opposed to leveling individuals competencies ("skills"). WoW has a bit of "skills" (trade,weapon), but is very much "level" based. It makes it easier to find partners of the right level while leveling up your character, but then becomes useless as a grouping criteria for the end game, where gear quality and PLAYER (as opposed to character) skill become the discriminating factors.
Re:I stopped reading the summary
on
Best eSATA JBOD?
·
· Score: 1
fixed it for you:
Someone tell all those people... BUYING...
from the Amazon TOS:
"NEITHER WE NOR ANY OF OUR LICENSORS SHALL BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY [...] DAMAGES[...] INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY SUCH DAMAGES RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES; (ii) THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS AND SERVICES; (iii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR CONTENT.
IN ANY CASE, OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID BY YOU TO US HEREUNDER FOR THE SERVICES. "
- "open standards" pretty much guarantee that you can port software, and interface hardware, to newer stuff. And that somebody will do it. I have 15+ year old ISA cards that still work in recent PCs. I'm 100% sure that my.txt,.jpg,.rtf,.html,... files will be readable by my grandchildren, if they care. They might be able to hack my old parallel printer to actually print stuff on paper, and laugh at the idea.
- "Popular" used to guarantee pretty much the same thing - I can still read my CP/M Wordstar Docs ! Except now with DRM and DMCA, it's harder, and it's a crime. I'm fairly sure you won't have a kindle reader + Windows 2035 / Ubuntu 40.10 synch software + amazon authentification server to access your Kindle books 25 years from now, and that Amazon won't be around, or willing, to help. And forget about the children ^^
as the apparent ability and willingness of Amazon to take back content and features at any time that turn me off.
Sure, I like to really own something I bought, ie know for sure that 10 years down the road when Amazon is gone I'll still be able to read my books, and that's open standards.
But with their current policy, I'm not even sure I'll be able to read my books tomorrow.
raid will make your data highly available, not secure.
if you want security, you need backups, and backups are: - off line (viruses, power surge, sabotage...) - off site (fires, theft...) - tested (i've got horrors stories of people that THOUGHT they had backups...) - multiple (... and of backups that turn bad at the worst possible moment)
Raid is none of that. I know plenty of people who thought their data was safe because they had raid. It isn't, it wasn't, it ain't ever gonna be.
- http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/store/home.php ARM+ Linux, 1024x600 9" LCD, Screen-only tablet $300, $100 keyboard turns it into an almost regular netbook. Just coming out, so no reviews/experience.
There's 2 sides to the coin. If students can guarantee they won't bring the network down by spreading viruses or walware, then such intrusive solutions are not warranted. However, they can't.
The easier solution, then is to have that software, but have a clear explanations of what it can/cannot do. I take it it doesn't impair computer use in any way, apart from virus/malware checks.
If it indeed can't keylog nor snoop files, I don't see what the hissy fit is about.Learn to be a responsible part of a network. You're not longer king in your (parent's) basement, and your next job will pretty much enforce the same, or much stronger rules.
I'm in the **US** and **5** men suddenly jump-out and demand all my money, or they'll slit my throat. Am I allowed to carry **machine-gun** and shoot the murderer?
If the answer is "no" then you are not truly free. Ownership of your own body is the first right. Self-defense of that body is the second. To be secure in your papers, home, and car from random unwarranted searches is the third....
I'm in the **US** and **5 men with machine guns** suddenly jump-out and demand all my money, or they'll slit my throat. Am I allowed to **have an armored tank** and shoot the murderers?
If the answer is "no" then you are not truly free. Ownership of your own body is the first right. Self-defense of that body is the second. To be secure in your papers, home, and car from random unwarranted searches is the third....
I'm in the **US** and **5 men with amored tanks** suddenly jump-out and demand all my money, or they'll slit my throat. Am I allowed to **have a nuke** and shoot the murderers?
If the answer is "no" then you are not truly free. Ownership of your own body is the first right. Self-defense of that body is the second. To be secure in your papers, home, and car from random unwarranted searches is the third......
Both would love to have you they are interchangeable with their.. patron, when in truth they're mainly here to make a buck on the back of very abstract ideas.
latest try was on an MSI pizza-box style PC, with an i815 IGP chipset, an oldish CPU (Celeron or via), and no extension card whatsoever: some RAM, 1 HD, 1CD drive, and that's it.
Slashdot Mirror
"boost overall performance, responsiveness, and battery life"
That's the crux: SSDs boost performance pretty much only when doing random reads. Not random writes, not sequential reads, and not anything not HD-related. Basically, you're boosting boot times, app launch, game level load... and anything else that has to do with disk access, exclusively.
$200-400 is a lot to pay for a boost, even sizeable, in those rare occasions. They don't help with anything CPU-, RAM- or I/O-intensive. And cost pretty much the price of a second computer, or a netbook.
Is any of you data valuable enough that anyone would care ?
Not to be rude, but your family photos, PhD paper, and Facebook journal aren't worth sh*t.
Backups are:
- off line (viruses, power surge, sabotage...)
- off site (fires, theft...)
- tested (i've got horrors stories of people that THOUGHT they had backups...)
- multiple (... and of backups that turn bad at the worst possible moment)
So backing up data is a hassle, and can be expensive depending on what you need: a DVD, a BD, an HD... But pretty much the only foolproof solution anyway is to burn your data onto a media you then send away to your parents' or other trusted 3rd party. Once a month is the very minimum.
If you're using HDs, you may want to re-use them after a while, but don't forget to keep some very old ones, for when you realize ages after the facts that one of your files got corrupted.
For really valuable files (the ones I won't ever be able to replace if I lose them: my own documents, my photos), I burn a monthly DVD and drop it alternatively at my parents' and brother's.
For the rest of the junk (media files: music, videos, books...)that are very large but not that important (or easily replaceable), I have a large external HD to which I clone my main HD once a week. I then keep the Backup HD off-line until the next time.
What would you call racism against cops... jobism ?
Very true. I'm amazed at how much effort is poured into adding solo content, and how little is put into making the group experience better. Possible areas of improved, in WoW, would be:
- a Karma system, actually 2, one for skill and one for social intelligence. Assholes and retards spoil the game for whomever groups with them, and it's amazing how many of those there are. Blizzard must have the intellectual and financial means to build a karma system that works ?
- Multi-player combo moves. Buffs are fine, but having combat combo moves that require several players to collaborate would be oodles of fun.
- Vocal chat. 6 years on, we still have to use very un-ergonomic 3rd party programs. Blizzard could at least buy & re-design those, or help their developpers interface with WoW... WoW's own voice chat make the idiotic assumption that we want to disconnect whenever you're not in the game, or switch toons ...
They did at last get the grouping interface mostly right (should take alts into account, though).
Wow's subscription costs about the same as ...
- 2 movie tickets
- half a nice restaurant meal
- 1/4th of a new game
- a very cheap/bad theater/opera ticket
- a new CD
- a new DVD
-
you can play very little WoW (6-8 hours/month), and still get more "entertainment time" for your money than you would with more traditional entertainment.
of course, you won't get the same benefits out of it.. it's pretty much a-cultural... but then again, given how bad most recent movies have been ...
read that again... breathe... there.... you got it, champ.
step one to being a successful "criminal": don't advertize whatever illegal stuff you're going to do...
and no, facebook is not private...
I agree with you in general, as long as "program" is in ONE place, and one place only, and "data" in ONE place only too. That's far too rare already.
Furthermore, I'm unclear about where you think "config" belongs: it's not really "program", but it is required for the program to run, and it's clearly not "data" either.
WoW does not really have "data" in the way a spreadsheet or wordprocessor does. Pretty much everything is on Blizzard's servers, except config info and addons, and addons are really not much more than extended config. Blizzard chose to consider that as "program", and to put them in the program directory, but segregated, each in a separate subdir of the WoW folder. Thus users who care still can easily backup/copy/alias... it, and users who don't care can just forget about it, and easily reinstall their OS without ruining their WoW setup, or move their WoW install to another PC by simply copying one folder.
I understand how, for more generic, less net-dependant apps, it makes sense to have a system-wide "data" repository, so that several apps and several users can easily point to it. In the specific case of purely online, single-purpose, data-less stuff like WoW, it does not really have any advantages, and would confuse things.
BTW, WoW does handle multiple suers nicely.
As incredible as it might seem, WoW has specific, separate, subfolders for ressources (static data that gets upgraded only during patches) and for user data. So it can perfectly run without administrator privileges, handle several users...
Windows has per-folder access control (actually, it has much more precise acces control than that). Also, WoW does run under Vista.
That's the smart way to do it.
Right-click on "my documents" to move it to a folder on D:
Also, well-programmed apps (World of Warcraft comes to mind) are actually self-contained: everything they need is in their own directory, so if you put them on D:, they'll run right of the bat after a reinstall. One can't help but wonder why all apps are not that way.
Opera Unite: http://unite.opera.com/
Indeed.
Actually, it was even worse that that: during the BC period, hunters HAD to use a macro, they did not only do it for convenience/laziness: they had to perfectly "weave" two shots (steady and auto), and due to lag, the only way to achieve that perfectly and consistently was a macro. Thank god hunters no longer have to do that.
WoW is indeed trying to move away from fixed rotations, but not only by making random "procs" more important (actually, they are kinda trying to move away from randomness, too, or so they say). They are above all trying to make fights much more about situational awareness and group coordinnation.
As a side effect, that invalidates much theorycrafting, which tries to work out how to reach the best results, but does NOT take into account that on some fights, you spend 50%+ of the time on the move, thus never really manage to either cast slow spells nor deploy your best rotation if it is a long one. Theorycrafting really need to work out a "mobility" coefficient, at least, and maybe also a "complexity" one.
I disagree. The lastest WoW content, Ulduar, is very much about situational awareness and group coordination. Granted, an effective DPS/Heal/Tanking rotation is a plus, but what makes or breaks most of the fights is how quickly and reliably people manage to 1- jump out of harm's way or into good's way, and 2- do what they are supposed to do (target the right enemy, use such-and-such special class ability at the right time on the right target...)
As far as mashing keys fast, WoW never has been so much about that. There is a maximum "key-mashing" rate of 1 per second plus lag, called the Global Cooldown (GCD, is 1.5s to start with, but can be lowered to 1.0). And then, most key abilities have their own, longer, cooldown (CD), or require a specific rotation to apply a buff/debuff beforehand in order to make them more effective.
The article is about leveling your character with official levels, as opposed to leveling individuals competencies ("skills"). WoW has a bit of "skills" (trade,weapon), but is very much "level" based. It makes it easier to find partners of the right level while leveling up your character, but then becomes useless as a grouping criteria for the end game, where gear quality and PLAYER (as opposed to character) skill become the discriminating factors.
fixed it for you:
Someone tell all those people ... BUYING ...
from the Amazon TOS:
"NEITHER WE NOR ANY OF OUR LICENSORS SHALL BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY [...] DAMAGES[...] INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY SUCH DAMAGES RESULTING FROM:
(i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES;
(ii) THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS AND SERVICES;
(iii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR CONTENT.
IN ANY CASE, OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT ACTUALLY PAID BY YOU TO US HEREUNDER FOR THE SERVICES. "
hey, that does inspire confidence... or not.
- "open standards" pretty much guarantee that you can port software, and interface hardware, to newer stuff. And that somebody will do it. I have 15+ year old ISA cards that still work in recent PCs. I'm 100% sure that my .txt, .jpg, .rtf, .html, ... files will be readable by my grandchildren, if they care. They might be able to hack my old parallel printer to actually print stuff on paper, and laugh at the idea.
- "Popular" used to guarantee pretty much the same thing - I can still read my CP/M Wordstar Docs ! Except now with DRM and DMCA, it's harder, and it's a crime. I'm fairly sure you won't have a kindle reader + Windows 2035 / Ubuntu 40.10 synch software + amazon authentification server to access your Kindle books 25 years from now, and that Amazon won't be around, or willing, to help. And forget about the children ^^
as the apparent ability and willingness of Amazon to take back content and features at any time that turn me off.
Sure, I like to really own something I bought, ie know for sure that 10 years down the road when Amazon is gone I'll still be able to read my books, and that's open standards.
But with their current policy, I'm not even sure I'll be able to read my books tomorrow.
Don't let the door hit you on your way out.
raid will make your data highly available, not secure.
if you want security, you need backups, and backups are:
- off line (viruses, power surge, sabotage...)
- off site (fires, theft...)
- tested (i've got horrors stories of people that THOUGHT they had backups...)
- multiple (... and of backups that turn bad at the worst possible moment)
Raid is none of that. I know plenty of people who thought their data was safe because they had raid. It isn't, it wasn't, it ain't ever gonna be.
I googled "tablet netbook". Notable results:
- http://www.alwaysinnovating.com/store/home.php ARM+ Linux, 1024x600 9" LCD, Screen-only tablet $300, $100 keyboard turns it into an almost regular netbook. Just coming out, so no reviews/experience.
- http://www.journaldugeek.com/2009/01/22/video-du-asus-eee-pc-t101h/ Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, NEC and others seem on the verge of introducing touchscreen 9-10" netbooks.
I'm still using a Palm TX for reading fiction. But these toys, or maybe the next generation, may replace it.
I'd love a "tablet netbook" with an e-ink display.
yeah sure.
Let's say it again: Backups are:
- off-site
- offline
- multiple
- tested
anything else is just some kind of high-availability solution, that does NOT protect against catastrophic failure, fires, viruses...
There's 2 sides to the coin. If students can guarantee they won't bring the network down by spreading viruses or walware, then such intrusive solutions are not warranted. However, they can't.
The easier solution, then is to have that software, but have a clear explanations of what it can/cannot do. I take it it doesn't impair computer use in any way, apart from virus/malware checks.
If it indeed can't keylog nor snoop files, I don't see what the hissy fit is about.Learn to be a responsible part of a network. You're not longer king in your (parent's) basement, and your next job will pretty much enforce the same, or much stronger rules.
I'm in the **US** and **5** men suddenly jump-out and demand all my money, or they'll slit my throat. Am I allowed to carry **machine-gun** and shoot the murderer?
If the answer is "no" then you are not truly free. Ownership of your own body is the first right. Self-defense of that body is the second. To be secure in your papers, home, and car from random unwarranted searches is the third. ...
I'm in the **US** and **5 men with machine guns** suddenly jump-out and demand all my money, or they'll slit my throat. Am I allowed to **have an armored tank** and shoot the murderers?
If the answer is "no" then you are not truly free. Ownership of your own body is the first right. Self-defense of that body is the second. To be secure in your papers, home, and car from random unwarranted searches is the third. ...
I'm in the **US** and **5 men with amored tanks** suddenly jump-out and demand all my money, or they'll slit my throat. Am I allowed to **have a nuke** and shoot the murderers?
If the answer is "no" then you are not truly free. Ownership of your own body is the first right. Self-defense of that body is the second. To be secure in your papers, home, and car from random unwarranted searches is the third. .....
Could you kind sir please give examples of the use of taxation to discourage bad behaviour ?
I'm right now thinking about the taxes on wages, and on profits... Those two must be bad... if not, they woudln't be taxed ? I'm getting confused....
government != patriot, same a church != god.
Both would love to have you they are interchangeable with their.. patron, when in truth they're mainly here to make a buck on the back of very abstract ideas.
latest try was on an MSI pizza-box style PC, with an i815 IGP chipset, an oldish CPU (Celeron or via), and no extension card whatsoever: some RAM, 1 HD, 1CD drive, and that's it.