Why get worked up about this latest development? The Borg want you to boycott one Linux distro after another until there's nothing left. If you like SuSE and Xandros, you should keep on using it.
And if you really want to make Microsoft hurt, go out and buy a brand-new (subsidized) Xbox360, but buy all of your games secondhand so they never recoup their investment;-)
What, does Gartner think it's all about lower prices these days? Didn't anyone tell them that in the past 12(?) months:
Hewelett-Packard bought VoodooPC Dell bought Alienware Dell also intro'd the XPS series of deluxe gaming PCs
Maybe the big players have realized that there's not much growth potential in selling $300 commodity PCs anymore? They saw the fatter margins in selling deluxe computers and wanted a piece of that pie badly enough to buy some of the better-known names in the business. With that in mind, why on earth would Apple surrender that very business?
And who really believes that Apple will capture a 20% market share simply by being as cheap as, or cheaper than, Dell? iPod is not the price leader in it's field, but so far, it's done okay.
I intend to be one of the first people buying a wii because of my positive experience with the GBA and DS and the whacky games Nintendo does so well (Warioware Twisted, Electroplankton, Brain Age, etc). I don't have hours to devote to FPS and role-playing games, but half hour of Mario here and there works just fine.
I sold off my Xbox long ago, and my Sony PSP last week because when all was said and done, there just weren't many games I wanted to play on them.
I'm pretty sure I'm buying a Revolution. I've already gotten a sampling of what they can do with motion sensing, thanks for Warioware Twisted! for the GBA and I like it.
The problem with recycling is that it gives folks a warm 'n fuzzy feeling that they're somehow being environmentally conscious, but not enough to actually consider the broader implications of consumption.
Idea: Build your computer from industry-standard parts (such as ATX-standard motherboards and cases rather than odd proprietary bundles). Choose parts that are made to last, and buy only the items you really want, not parts that'll merely suffice for six months until you can upgrade them. When you *do* upgrade a part of the system, make it a BIG upgrade. This approach doesn't always make the most $$ sense, but it sure does cut down the amount of "stuff" that passes in and out of the house: Buy a $1K monitor, $500 case and $200 power supply and I'll bet they won't be headed for the recyling bin soon!
I don't think the future of Digital Television (DTC) is entirely clear yet, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy better TV watching today.
My understanding is that the FCC's 2006 deadline is a "soft deadline", and that the present TV broadcast spectrum will be returned to the FCC by that date or whenever 85% of the population is equipped to receive DTV (Digital Television) broadcasts, so the transition to DTV may actually take a good deal longer.
Also unresolved is the matter of copy protection for high value programming like first-run movies: The movie studios want it, but will the public buy into any scheme which renders a lot of existing video gear obsolete? One such copy protection standard known as DTCP (Digital Television Copy Protection)has been devised. Relying on encrypted IEEE1394 data links between audio and video components, it has the potential to simplify system hookup, but it also gives content providers the means to control your access to their program materials, and it renders current gear obsolete. To the best of my knowledge, only 1 Sony XBR2 set is currently equipped with IEEE1394. Meanwhile, the competing HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) system utilizes a different connection between components. You can find a HDCP overview here: http://www.dvhs.co.uk/100046.htm . I think inclusion of either in the hardware that we buy amounts to a tax benefiting the movie studios. Neither system affects off-the-air broadcasts but rather, D-VHS tapes, premium programming over cable and satellite.
But success of these or other copy-protection schemes depends on our willingness to buy into them (remember DiVX DVDs?)and I'm perfectly happy to vote for "None of the above" with my dollars. Meanwhile, today's regular broadcasts, video games and DVD movies look dramatically better on a line-doubled premium quality CRT, and at $853.97 (Best Buy), I think a set such as the 27" Samsung Dynaflat is well worth a closer look. When mine wears out, I'll check back to see whether the future has sorted itself out yet;-)
I'd love to see the old NeXTcube case modified to take ordinary ATX-type components! Besides the sheer coolness of having a big black cast-magnesium cube with cooling fins, it really seems to cut those RF emissions down a lot.
My first Unix box was a NeXTcube: I had it up and running in minutes, and when I had to install a fresh copy of the OS onto a new hard drive, the job went quickly--GUI'd point 'n click installation throughout; I loved that!
My first Linux install was Red Hat 5.2; This did not go so smoothly! I had to partition the hard drive, but I didn't know why, or how big the partitions should be and worse, my GUI didn't work the way it was supposed to, so I had to:
Somehow determine that I needed a newer version of X for my video card
Figure out which software was to blame
Find out how to set up a dialup connection to my ISP
Learn to browse the web with lynx
Learn to ftp with ncftp
Learn to upgrade my software with rpm (at least I was spared having to compile from source)
All that just to have a nice GUI like the Red Hat manual said I should! Lucky I already had some familiarity with the Unix shell or I'd really have been lost.
Closed systems like the Mac or NeXT cost more, and the hardware may seem a bit stale at times, but when everyone's computer is about the same, software updates, maintenance and troubleshooting are really easy. Now give it all a stylish look and you've got a premium product that'll please a lot of folks who think a shell is something you find on the beach--and want to keep it that way;-)
I love my Red Hat 7 but then again, I've already paid my dues...
This is particularly cool news for me because I'm the IT guy at an ecological products/alt energy company.;-) I'd love to have energy-saving hubs, switches and servers; if nothing else, reduced air conditioning bills could save us a substantial amount of money every year, and that kind of talk makes even skeptical folks smile.
We've got part of the office lighting and some of the computers on solar power now. We've found that the key to making it work involves more than just better/more efficient technology; it requires discipline as well--weaning ourselves away from the lure of instant-on products which are always consuming power, for instance.
I bought a NeXTcube and NeXT laser printer for around $3,000 when BusinessLand was closing their doors. I loved the looks of the hardware and GUI and still think that a cast-magnesium housing is a really cool idea--almost no RFI emissions at all!
Problems:
Expensive to buy new
Expensive to upgrade-remember the $500 external SCSI PLI 2.88M floppy drive? Newer Turbo Cubes got an internal floppy but NeXT wouldn't sell the necessary parts to upgrade the original.
Proprietary everything: We really never saw a 3rd party market develop for replacement mice, monitors, printers or keyboards.
Expensive, limited selection of software, much of it pretty but weak compared to their Mac counterparts.
No easy way to distribute new software: I forgot how much a floptical cost but think it would be worse than distributing new software on a Jaz disk these days.
Lots of emphasis on network connectivity but kind of fussy for plain ole dialup connections
In the end, I decided that the NeXT owner's club was just too exclusive for it's own good and though it crashed too much, I had a better time using my brand-new Powerbook 100: Inferior technology, but more polished and cheaper.
Today I run Red Hat Linux on an ATX box that I assembled myself: I paid around $15 for the floppy drive. Computing is fun again because it seems like all of the old-time Mac community creativity has turned to Linux. The only thing I miss about NeXT is the style of the black hardware.
I like petroleum: It's remarkably handy stuff and there's a great infrastructure in place for getting it to where you need it. The real problem is overdependance on the private automobile which made it practical to work in the city, live in the country and buy groceries at the megamart in the next town because the prices are lower there. It's an alluring idea and millions of people have bought into this vision. But the price is traffic jams, smog, long commute times and rising fuel prices. More and better freeways, super-efficient cars and alternative fuels can serve as band-aids but they're by no means a cure. What can you do? Stop making excuses for your own lack of action. Change your expectations: Temper your visions of a big affordable home in a suburban cul-de-sac with visions of long commute times. Move into the city near mass transit lines (don't just "support" mass transit--use it) Turn the car into what it once was: A wonderful luxury for enjoyable weekend treks. Used thus, go ahead and buy that Ford Excursion or 6.6 liter Trans Am and feel free to keep the A/C on max!
Re:Don't like it? Don't buy into it.
on
The Leased Life?
·
· Score: 3
If leasing bugs you:
Make do with what you already have
Do without
Find alternatives
Ask yourself whether you really need it
Don't give out saleable personal info in exchange for "free" services
And then there's the alternative of buying things outright in cash. Remember cash? It's still very handy.
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Why get worked up about this latest development? The Borg want you to boycott one Linux distro after another until there's nothing left. If you like SuSE and Xandros, you should keep on using it.
;-)
And if you really want to make Microsoft hurt, go out and buy a brand-new (subsidized) Xbox360, but buy all of your games secondhand so they never recoup their investment
I wonder how well it fits into the average Japanese home?
What, does Gartner think it's all about lower prices these days? Didn't anyone tell them that in the past 12(?) months:
Hewelett-Packard bought VoodooPC
Dell bought Alienware
Dell also intro'd the XPS series of deluxe gaming PCs
Maybe the big players have realized that there's not much growth potential in selling $300 commodity PCs anymore? They saw the fatter margins in selling deluxe computers and wanted a piece of that pie badly enough to buy some of the better-known names in the business. With that in mind, why on earth would Apple surrender that very business?
And who really believes that Apple will capture a 20% market share simply by being as cheap as, or cheaper than, Dell? iPod is not the price leader in it's field, but so far, it's done okay.
I intend to be one of the first people buying a wii because of my positive experience with the GBA and DS and the whacky games Nintendo does so well (Warioware Twisted, Electroplankton, Brain Age, etc). I don't have hours to devote to FPS and role-playing games, but half hour of Mario here and there works just fine.
I agree.
I sold off my Xbox long ago, and my Sony PSP last week because when all was said and done, there just weren't many games I wanted to play on them.
I'm pretty sure I'm buying a Revolution. I've already gotten a sampling of what they can do with motion sensing, thanks for Warioware Twisted! for the GBA and I like it.
The problem with recycling is that it gives folks a warm 'n fuzzy feeling that they're somehow being environmentally conscious, but not enough to actually consider the broader implications of consumption.
Idea: Build your computer from industry-standard parts (such as ATX-standard motherboards and cases rather than odd proprietary bundles). Choose parts that are made to last, and buy only the items you really want, not parts that'll merely suffice for six months until you can upgrade them. When you *do* upgrade a part of the system, make it a BIG upgrade. This approach doesn't always make the most $$ sense, but it sure does cut down the amount of "stuff" that passes in and out of the house: Buy a $1K monitor, $500 case and $200 power supply and I'll bet they won't be headed for the recyling bin soon!
I don't think the future of Digital Television (DTC) is entirely clear yet, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy better TV watching today.
My understanding is that the FCC's 2006 deadline is a "soft deadline", and that the present TV broadcast spectrum will be returned to the FCC by that date or whenever 85% of the population is equipped to receive DTV (Digital Television) broadcasts, so the transition to DTV may actually take a good deal longer.
Also unresolved is the matter of copy protection for high value programming like first-run movies: The movie studios want it, but will the public buy into any scheme which renders a lot of existing video gear obsolete? One such copy protection standard known as DTCP (Digital Television Copy Protection)has been devised. Relying on encrypted IEEE1394 data links between audio and video components, it has the potential to simplify system hookup, but it also gives content providers the means to control your access to their program materials, and it renders current gear obsolete. To the best of my knowledge, only 1 Sony XBR2 set is currently equipped with IEEE1394. Meanwhile, the competing HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) system utilizes a different connection between components. You can find a HDCP overview here: http://www.dvhs.co.uk/100046.htm . I think inclusion of either in the hardware that we buy amounts to a tax benefiting the movie studios. Neither system affects off-the-air broadcasts but rather, D-VHS tapes, premium programming over cable and satellite.
But success of these or other copy-protection schemes depends on our willingness to buy into them (remember DiVX DVDs?)and I'm perfectly happy to vote for "None of the above" with my dollars. Meanwhile, today's regular broadcasts, video games and DVD movies look dramatically better on a line-doubled premium quality CRT, and at $853.97 (Best Buy), I think a set such as the 27" Samsung Dynaflat is well worth a closer look. When mine wears out, I'll check back to see whether the future has sorted itself out yet ;-)
I'd love to see the old NeXTcube case modified to take ordinary ATX-type components! Besides the sheer coolness of having a big black cast-magnesium cube with cooling fins, it really seems to cut those RF emissions down a lot.
My first Unix box was a NeXTcube: I had it up and running in minutes, and when I had to install a fresh copy of the OS onto a new hard drive, the job went quickly--GUI'd point 'n click installation throughout; I loved that!
My first Linux install was Red Hat 5.2; This did not go so smoothly! I had to partition the hard drive, but I didn't know why, or how big the partitions should be and worse, my GUI didn't work the way it was supposed to, so I had to:- Somehow determine that I needed a newer version of X for my video card
- Figure out which software was to blame
- Find out how to set up a dialup connection to my ISP
- Learn to browse the web with lynx
- Learn to ftp with ncftp
- Learn to upgrade my software with rpm (at least I was spared having to compile from source)
All that just to have a nice GUI like the Red Hat manual said I should! Lucky I already had some familiarity with the Unix shell or I'd really have been lost.Closed systems like the Mac or NeXT cost more, and the hardware may seem a bit stale at times, but when everyone's computer is about the same, software updates, maintenance and troubleshooting are really easy. Now give it all a stylish look and you've got a premium product that'll please a lot of folks who think a shell is something you find on the beach--and want to keep it that way ;-)
I love my Red Hat 7 but then again, I've already paid my dues...
This is particularly cool news for me because I'm the IT guy at an ecological products/alt energy company. ;-) I'd love to have energy-saving hubs, switches and servers; if nothing else, reduced air conditioning bills could save us a substantial amount of money every year, and that kind of talk makes even skeptical folks smile.
We've got part of the office lighting and some of the computers on solar power now. We've found that the key to making it work involves more than just better/more efficient technology; it requires discipline as well--weaning ourselves away from the lure of instant-on products which are always consuming power, for instance.
http://www.jademountain.comI bought a NeXTcube and NeXT laser printer for around $3,000 when BusinessLand was closing their doors. I loved the looks of the hardware and GUI and still think that a cast-magnesium housing is a really cool idea--almost no RFI emissions at all!
Problems:In the end, I decided that the NeXT owner's club was just too exclusive for it's own good and though it crashed too much, I had a better time using my brand-new Powerbook 100: Inferior technology, but more polished and cheaper.
Today I run Red Hat Linux on an ATX box that I assembled myself: I paid around $15 for the floppy drive. Computing is fun again because it seems like all of the old-time Mac community creativity has turned to Linux. The only thing I miss about NeXT is the style of the black hardware.
I like petroleum: It's remarkably handy stuff and there's a great infrastructure in place for getting it to where you need it. The real problem is overdependance on the private automobile which made it practical to work in the city, live in the country and buy groceries at the megamart in the next town because the prices are lower there. It's an alluring idea and millions of people have bought into this vision. But the price is traffic jams, smog, long commute times and rising fuel prices. More and better freeways, super-efficient cars and alternative fuels can serve as band-aids but they're by no means a cure. What can you do? Stop making excuses for your own lack of action. Change your expectations: Temper your visions of a big affordable home in a suburban cul-de-sac with visions of long commute times. Move into the city near mass transit lines (don't just "support" mass transit--use it) Turn the car into what it once was: A wonderful luxury for enjoyable weekend treks. Used thus, go ahead and buy that Ford Excursion or 6.6 liter Trans Am and feel free to keep the A/C on max!
- Make do with what you already have
- Do without
- Find alternatives
- Ask yourself whether you really need it
- Don't give out saleable personal info in exchange for "free" services
And then there's the alternative of buying things outright in cash. Remember cash? It's still very handy.