Dead on. If I could, I would buy the motherboard and processors from Apple. Everything else I can get cheaper somewhere else, and put it together in an hour or so.
I see IDE disks becoming the backup. Offsite networked mirrors and such. LTO is the new tape device, but even that will fade away. Massive disk arrays are where we're headed.
I've been a Macintosh Administrator for roughly four years now, and this has been my BIGGEST gripe the entire time. But I've come to understand their reasoning. If you watch an everyday Mac user, they never take their hand off the mouse anyway - not even to type, because they so rarely type anyway. There isn't really a need for keyboard shortcuts.
However, there probably are more keyboard shortcuts than you're aware of. You can navigate Finder by typing the file name in the view you are currently in and it will jump to it. Command+O will open it (why they didn't use ENTER is beyond me), and Command+W closes it. For popup and dialog windows in most Apple applications and many other major producers you can Command+[first letter of the button you want to *click*] and it will activate that button. Though you don't have nav arrows and an enter key like you do in Windows.
I think there are more keyboard shortcuts with the Mac OSes than people give Apple credit for (due to lack of use/knowledge of the OS), but it's still true that Windows can be completely controlled via the keyboard. I've done everything from the first part of the install to daily use without even a mouse plugged into the computer. Some people would say this was crazy talk and why would anyone want to, but as I'm flying through popup windows and navigating my OS while you're moving your mouse around to click a silly button, you'll understand.
The Pioneer drive that Apple puts in their PowerMac and new iMacs (dubbed "SuperDrive") is really nice, but it doesn't do +RW. Dell is putting someone elses DVD writer in their computers that does +RW but they don't even offer a -RW alternative.
And besides, Sony is the best darn electronics company on the planet (:
Maybe now I can upgrade my Sony 12x to a DVD writer. What are the speeds up to these days?
An ISP that scans and removes the javascript that opens popup windows on page loads would be rather helpful.
Most geeks are just going to want 'raw Internet', but the AOL customers want the Internet mushed around and handed to them on a silver platter. Why not scan and strip annoying code? I think, to a degree, it can be done quite effectively. It would be similar to parental lock sites.
Oh yes, one of my favorites as well. How could I have forgotten this episode?
I've used the 'win by attrition' method a number of times in StarCraft, Red Alert, and the like. When you know you're beaten, curl up in your shell and don't die.
Lets hope they can prove there are other, less annoying advertising models that work!
I've found in most any form of advertising that a quality ad draws more attention than an obnoxious ad. Perhaps more companies should turn to real advertising agencies for their web banners, rather than letting their make-shift inhouse marketing departments hack away at some animated gifs.
This is exactly what my friends and I talk about. Instead of finding and training better coders, they just build bigger and faster hardware. This in turn makes for lazier coders. We need the guys that used to code for Atari and Nintendo "back in the day" to write code for the new platforms. Games would be incredible because they would be effeceint. Load times would be next to nothing. And then we need some really great writers to create story lines to base the games on. Then we need more artists like Gyger (horrible spelling... the dude that did the Alien series). Beautiful art, wonderful story, and programmers to pull it all together. What's missing... oh, someone that knows how to make it FUN. Call in ID (:
It's a 64mb MX 400 dual VGA. It does get that resolution for one monitor, but when it's running two CRTs, it can only handle 2560 x 1024. If I had smaller monitors, 17", I wouldn't mind. But with 19" monitors using a slightly lower resolution makes me feel like I'm jipping myself.
I could throw in a couple additional cards now and spread out the desktop - the reason I don't is because I like to have Windows think that it's all one display. It treats windows and the desktop differently, and the tasktray spans the entire desktop field. I've got a PCI GeForce2 MX that I could throw in and add another 2 monitors, but it can only handle 1280 x 1024... not bad, but I'd rather crank up the res while my eyes are still good (:
I'm currently running an AGP Matrox G450 with 32mb of RAM with two CRTs. I like the card because it allows me to go up to 3200 x 1200 resolution with 32bit color.
I really like the prospect of having three monitors to eliviate the issue of having a giant gap between displays due to the thick boarder of any display. However...
This new card claims it only does 3840 x 1024 resolution on three cards. It still has the max color depth, but the resolution has to drop. By going to this big fancy new card I'd only gain 100,000 pixels, which in reality is next to nothing.
Is it a driver limitation, or does it take more than a 512bit dual 400mhz 256mb video card to push 4800 x 1200 for simple 2D functions?
That's surprising to me - I've not had any trouble with Matrox cards ever. I'm currently running a G450 with two CRTs and it's amazing. Matrox also has some really nice software for making dual head easier. They have browser plugins that allow you to open and control multiple browser windows loading the same webpage. And really slick software that possitions windows based on the user's options. I have mine set to open windows in on the monitor that the cursor is in, center in the screen.
The only problem I'm having with my G450 is the two inch plastic boarder in the center of my vision. I will definitely be considering this card when it comes out.
It seems to me the point of using them would be to use a LOT of them. In which case it would make sense (to me) to put a broadband adapter in it and have a netboot server for them. That way you can harness their cheap processing power and don't have to worry about difficult hardware manipulation to add a hard drive.
The site is slashdotted so I can't get the specs on the hardware, but I bet you could make a pretty nice Linux Workgroup server out of one, and it'd be cuter than the Sun Cobalt Qube or even the Green Computer PowerElf. And you would have a display/keyboard/mouse locally at the machine. Sounds cool to me.
That's basically how it works. But if you don't want to waste your 10 seconds renaming a file, Microsoft Word defaultly handles RTF and the icon is similar to the Word Document icon. Hopefully the same cluelessness would lead the individual to not pay attention to the RTF in place of DOC - Lord knows they don't pay attention to EXE, PIF, and COM...
It's not like I have the right to inspect the computers of everyone attached to the network that I run.
You are the network administrator and you don't take responsibility for your computers? That's not how I run my network. The computers are the property of the company and all the data on them belongs to the company. The users have access to the computer as a tool, not a personal toy. I think you need to check where you stand, and if there are company policies that need to be installed so be it. You should have full control over those computers.
It seems the masses have flocked to Yahoo Games for worktime leisure. I've played many games of spades (at work or at home on my off days) with people who keep insisting that the play get a little quicker because they're at work and need to get back to productivity. I just laugh and tell them to get a job like mine where they pay me to do nothing (:
I wouldn't really call that telemarketing, but it does remind me of a scam that was going on when pagers were becoming popular.
There was a 'company' that somehow got a hold of large lists of pager number and would page them with their toll number. I think they were charging $90 a minute or something obsurd. I don't remember the outcome, but they were heavily sued by several large parties.
I'll second this off-topic post. You'd be hard pressed to talk me into dropping $50 for a console game and run the risk of it being rittled with unpatchable bugs. I give you GranTurismo 2 as an example. The Original US release was incompletable due to a simple math error in the conversion. I usually wait for a game to go into a second run, and possibly drop to a reasonable $35 (just bought Oni for $20).
Wireless would be really cool in this situation, but not everyone has that option in their laptops. What we all do have is a 56k modem. If there was a system that allowed subscribers to dial in to businesses and be forwarded to a modem bank and routed out through their Internet connection, I think they'd have something. It would have to be 'user proof' and streamlined. If all the user had to do was dial a 1800 number, and that got them connected to a local number with 56k access, I think it would have a chance. Everything would have to be transparent to the user though.
Buying a bunch of modems would be so much more expensive than a simple wireless setup though (from what I can tell...)
I think that's the way it's going to be with most things for a while. Linux still doesn't have a standard for the desktop, but makes a powerful server solution. Windows, Mac OS, and OS X are the leaders in the home and the office at the desktop where this kind of application is presented.
I think more software vendors will support Linux, or even have open source projects, when there is standardization on the Linux desktop.
Slashdot Mirror
You mean like Legos? Maybe this story should be listed with the Lego brick icon.
~LoudMusic
Dead on. If I could, I would buy the motherboard and processors from Apple. Everything else I can get cheaper somewhere else, and put it together in an hour or so.
~LoudMusic
I see IDE disks becoming the backup. Offsite networked mirrors and such. LTO is the new tape device, but even that will fade away. Massive disk arrays are where we're headed.
I've been a Macintosh Administrator for roughly four years now, and this has been my BIGGEST gripe the entire time. But I've come to understand their reasoning. If you watch an everyday Mac user, they never take their hand off the mouse anyway - not even to type, because they so rarely type anyway. There isn't really a need for keyboard shortcuts.
However, there probably are more keyboard shortcuts than you're aware of. You can navigate Finder by typing the file name in the view you are currently in and it will jump to it. Command+O will open it (why they didn't use ENTER is beyond me), and Command+W closes it. For popup and dialog windows in most Apple applications and many other major producers you can Command+[first letter of the button you want to *click*] and it will activate that button. Though you don't have nav arrows and an enter key like you do in Windows.
I think there are more keyboard shortcuts with the Mac OSes than people give Apple credit for (due to lack of use/knowledge of the OS), but it's still true that Windows can be completely controlled via the keyboard. I've done everything from the first part of the install to daily use without even a mouse plugged into the computer. Some people would say this was crazy talk and why would anyone want to, but as I'm flying through popup windows and navigating my OS while you're moving your mouse around to click a silly button, you'll understand.
~LoudMusic
The Pioneer drive that Apple puts in their PowerMac and new iMacs (dubbed "SuperDrive") is really nice, but it doesn't do +RW. Dell is putting someone elses DVD writer in their computers that does +RW but they don't even offer a -RW alternative.
And besides, Sony is the best darn electronics company on the planet (:
Maybe now I can upgrade my Sony 12x to a DVD writer. What are the speeds up to these days?
~LoudMusic
An ISP that scans and removes the javascript that opens popup windows on page loads would be rather helpful.
Most geeks are just going to want 'raw Internet', but the AOL customers want the Internet mushed around and handed to them on a silver platter. Why not scan and strip annoying code? I think, to a degree, it can be done quite effectively. It would be similar to parental lock sites.
~LoudMusic
Oh yes, one of my favorites as well. How could I have forgotten this episode?
I've used the 'win by attrition' method a number of times in StarCraft, Red Alert, and the like. When you know you're beaten, curl up in your shell and don't die.
~LoudMusic
And for all you Trek fans out there - remember the great Moriarty episodes? "Computer, design a foe good enough to challange Data"
i so des_tng_detail_68364.asp
http://www.startrek.com/library/tng_episodes/ep
We're in deep shit when this kind of AI programming is readily available.
~LoudMusic
Lets hope they can prove there are other, less annoying advertising models that work!
I've found in most any form of advertising that a quality ad draws more attention than an obnoxious ad. Perhaps more companies should turn to real advertising agencies for their web banners, rather than letting their make-shift inhouse marketing departments hack away at some animated gifs.
~LoudMusic
This is exactly what my friends and I talk about. Instead of finding and training better coders, they just build bigger and faster hardware. This in turn makes for lazier coders. We need the guys that used to code for Atari and Nintendo "back in the day" to write code for the new platforms. Games would be incredible because they would be effeceint. Load times would be next to nothing. And then we need some really great writers to create story lines to base the games on. Then we need more artists like Gyger (horrible spelling ... the dude that did the Alien series). Beautiful art, wonderful story, and programmers to pull it all together. What's missing ... oh, someone that knows how to make it FUN. Call in ID (:
~LoudMusic
It's a 64mb MX 400 dual VGA. It does get that resolution for one monitor, but when it's running two CRTs, it can only handle 2560 x 1024. If I had smaller monitors, 17", I wouldn't mind. But with 19" monitors using a slightly lower resolution makes me feel like I'm jipping myself.
~LoudMusic
Ah, actually an informative answer. Thanks (:
... not bad, but I'd rather crank up the res while my eyes are still good (:
I could throw in a couple additional cards now and spread out the desktop - the reason I don't is because I like to have Windows think that it's all one display. It treats windows and the desktop differently, and the tasktray spans the entire desktop field. I've got a PCI GeForce2 MX that I could throw in and add another 2 monitors, but it can only handle 1280 x 1024
~LoudMusic
I'm currently running an AGP Matrox G450 with 32mb of RAM with two CRTs. I like the card because it allows me to go up to 3200 x 1200 resolution with 32bit color.
...
I really like the prospect of having three monitors to eliviate the issue of having a giant gap between displays due to the thick boarder of any display. However
This new card claims it only does 3840 x 1024 resolution on three cards. It still has the max color depth, but the resolution has to drop. By going to this big fancy new card I'd only gain 100,000 pixels, which in reality is next to nothing.
Is it a driver limitation, or does it take more than a 512bit dual 400mhz 256mb video card to push 4800 x 1200 for simple 2D functions?
~LoudMusic
That's surprising to me - I've not had any trouble with Matrox cards ever. I'm currently running a G450 with two CRTs and it's amazing. Matrox also has some really nice software for making dual head easier. They have browser plugins that allow you to open and control multiple browser windows loading the same webpage. And really slick software that possitions windows based on the user's options. I have mine set to open windows in on the monitor that the cursor is in, center in the screen.
The only problem I'm having with my G450 is the two inch plastic boarder in the center of my vision. I will definitely be considering this card when it comes out.
~LoudMusic
It seems to me the point of using them would be to use a LOT of them. In which case it would make sense (to me) to put a broadband adapter in it and have a netboot server for them. That way you can harness their cheap processing power and don't have to worry about difficult hardware manipulation to add a hard drive.
~LoudMusic
The site is slashdotted so I can't get the specs on the hardware, but I bet you could make a pretty nice Linux Workgroup server out of one, and it'd be cuter than the Sun Cobalt Qube or even the Green Computer PowerElf. And you would have a display/keyboard/mouse locally at the machine. Sounds cool to me.
~LoudMusic
That's basically how it works. But if you don't want to waste your 10 seconds renaming a file, Microsoft Word defaultly handles RTF and the icon is similar to the Word Document icon. Hopefully the same cluelessness would lead the individual to not pay attention to the RTF in place of DOC - Lord knows they don't pay attention to EXE, PIF, and COM ...
~LoudMusic
It's not like I have the right to inspect the computers of everyone attached to the network that I run.
You are the network administrator and you don't take responsibility for your computers? That's not how I run my network. The computers are the property of the company and all the data on them belongs to the company. The users have access to the computer as a tool, not a personal toy. I think you need to check where you stand, and if there are company policies that need to be installed so be it. You should have full control over those computers.
~LoudMusic
It seems the masses have flocked to Yahoo Games for worktime leisure. I've played many games of spades (at work or at home on my off days) with people who keep insisting that the play get a little quicker because they're at work and need to get back to productivity. I just laugh and tell them to get a job like mine where they pay me to do nothing (:
~LoudMusic
I wouldn't really call that telemarketing, but it does remind me of a scam that was going on when pagers were becoming popular.
There was a 'company' that somehow got a hold of large lists of pager number and would page them with their toll number. I think they were charging $90 a minute or something obsurd. I don't remember the outcome, but they were heavily sued by several large parties.
~LoudMusic
I'll second this off-topic post. You'd be hard pressed to talk me into dropping $50 for a console game and run the risk of it being rittled with unpatchable bugs. I give you GranTurismo 2 as an example. The Original US release was incompletable due to a simple math error in the conversion. I usually wait for a game to go into a second run, and possibly drop to a reasonable $35 (just bought Oni for $20).
~LoudMusic
Are we just making up acronyms now? Holy moly ...
~LoudMusic
All the difficulties and problems aside ...
...)
Wireless would be really cool in this situation, but not everyone has that option in their laptops. What we all do have is a 56k modem. If there was a system that allowed subscribers to dial in to businesses and be forwarded to a modem bank and routed out through their Internet connection, I think they'd have something. It would have to be 'user proof' and streamlined. If all the user had to do was dial a 1800 number, and that got them connected to a local number with 56k access, I think it would have a chance. Everything would have to be transparent to the user though.
Buying a bunch of modems would be so much more expensive than a simple wireless setup though (from what I can tell
~LoudMusic
May I suggest http://www.fuck.it ? Lets hear them read that one in an official court.
... johndoe at fuuu.... fuuu... well it's writen there on the court agenda."
"Well, we sent the documents to his email address
~LoudMusic
I think that's the way it's going to be with most things for a while. Linux still doesn't have a standard for the desktop, but makes a powerful server solution. Windows, Mac OS, and OS X are the leaders in the home and the office at the desktop where this kind of application is presented.
I think more software vendors will support Linux, or even have open source projects, when there is standardization on the Linux desktop.
~LoudMusic