I hope you're joking about David Eddings, since his work seems to me simplistic in the extreme and a perfect example of how to write boring fantasy by the numbers. Especially when your next choice of author is the excellent Greg Bear, this seems bizarre.
The thing is that I've been in same situation as that customer when it actually was the fault of the company. I don't find that video amusing or entertaining, even though I sympathise with the member of staff. The customer in that instance was an asshole, but then again, most companies are weasels about repairing or replacing faulty hardware. That video does a very nice job of spreading propaganda, but in my experience, there are just as many situations like this [slashdot.org] as there are situations like the one in that video.
Bottom line? It sucks really hard to be a technically inclined customer, because the support staff at whatever company you give your valuable business to will most likely a) not be technically inclined, and b) assume that you are not either. I have only limited sympathy for sob-stories from tech support guys. It's a hard job, and you knew that when you took it on. If thats the way you're earning your crust, then you go in every day with the full knowledge that it's not an easy, pleasant, or satisfying task. I'm not about to support those customers who shout at you, or employ verbal abuse, but I am quite bored of being treated as an imbecile by technical support.
Sure it does. Pop into any one of a dozen smaller stores that sell anime, and you will find that far from being ADV, Geneon and the like, most of the cheaper boxsets are made in Hong Kong, subtitled in Chinese and English, and totally illegal. The store owners don't care. This doesn't happen in your Best Buy type of stores, but there are plenty of sole traders who couldn't care less about copyright.
"Sir... Sir... I'm going to have to ask you to find your Start Button." "I have OSX" "Sir... I understand, but I need to walk you through this. Please locate your Start button." "You don't understand - I'm on a Mac, I don't have a Start button." "Sir... You're not making this any easier. Once we go through this we can identify your issue." "Don't pretend this is my problem. The problem is that you don't understand how to do the job you are paid to do. Get me your supervisor, pronto."
I'll admit, reluctantly, that the older LJs are decent. On the other hand, every inkjet they ever made is a piece of irreceemable junk in my opinion. If I get modded for this, as well as for my last comment, then that will prove that/. has become a place where you can't express an opinion.
Your view can hardly be considered objective. Given the choice between an HP product and an equivalent product not manufactured by HP, then I would always choose the non-HP alternative. No exceptions. This is not predjudice, this is years of experience in college and in the workplace.
In fact, I think I'd rather go without the capability to produce hard copy than use an HP printer. Assuming that those were the only choices.
Well, it was also with several other 3d-games that was important, and since I am a gamer, I make no excuse for calling any chip without decent floating foint performance a POS. Sorry, but I'm not going to buy junk for no reason. Even if I didn't regularly require floating foint performance, then I still wouldn't have bought one, because I want something that is a quality piece of equipment. That's why I won't buy anything other than AMD nowadays. Hell, it's same reason I won't buy an ECS motherboard, no matter how cheap. I had one once, and it was a huge piece of junk.
I just realised how few Intel chips I've ever had. My 8086 was an Intel, as was my 386. My 486 was an Cyrix, and it was a POS, and after that, I've had nothing but AMD. I moved on to a K5, then a K6, an Athlon-XP, and now an Athlon64.
Up to and including the K6, it was purely a cost issue. I never had any issues with the AMDs, despite the heat. You just need to cool them better, and not try to save a few pennies on that side of things. That's been true since the K5.
With regards to Cyrix, they never made a decent X86-compatible chip in the lifespan of the company, this much is true, but AMD are not the same.
When the Athlon-XP came out, it was no longer a cost issue. Accept no substititutes, it had to be an Authentic AMD for me. That was based upon their proven track record of good service. YMMV.
I'm typing this on a Athlon-64 box that is as reliable as anything I've ever owned, and is currently running with a core temperature of 45C.
I could make that lower, but I'd need to turn my fans up. That temp is under load, mind you. Prescott cores run way hotter than that, I'm pretty sure.
Well, in answer to this point, I grant that it can be a functional step forward, but it will always be a technological step backwards. I did not characterise the nature of this move as a step backwards in order to look down upon it, since I think that for many businesses it is a good idea. I said, or intended to, that it was unlikely to kill the PC.
In addition to Bill's reasoning, which I don't entirely follow, there is also the question of the hobbyist/games user. Business users may choose to go thin-client, but in my opinion, the user who is technically-minded will never be satisfied with any of the so-called replacements for the personal computer, and I don't personally think that any of these replacements will ever take off outside of the office.
If businesses switch to the 'thin client' model, or anything similar, then this will be a step backwards, technologically speaking, and it will be a decision which is based entirely on financial motives. Those who appreciate technology will have little reason to follow this lead, and therefore will not.
On the other hand, those home users who do not enjoy technology, who simply wish to treat their computer as a dumb interface to DRMed MP3s and the web/email will probably be delighted with a 'thin client'. There will still continue to be money in the other market for a while, though. As for 'thin clients' in the office, then I say, sure, they will take off there - it's a cost thing. They just won't kill the home PC. That's my take on this.
Last of all: Is it just me or does someone predict this every year? I first heard it in about 1996, and I'm still waiting! This claim wears even more thin with every passing year...
I can't even begin to express how distasteful it is to me to hear the words of the NRA coming from my own fingers, but I'm forced to admit that this is my attitude as well. I simply don't trust anyone to administrate my boxes as well as I do myself.
In addition to this, there's no way that games will ever work in this model. Not the same way they do now. Forget about it.
Did I say that I am a BT Yahoo! Customer? No. Did I imply that there is a good chance that I might know if they were getting complaint about "Cleanfeed"? Yes. Apart from anything else, ADSLGuide.org.uk would probably know about it, as would./ and any number of other self-appointed watchdogs.
Here in the UK, some ISPs are doing this exact thing. BT Yahoo! call it 'cleanfeed' technology, and it seems to be working. Certainly if the false positive problem was big, they'd be getting complaints. No?
...that cooling would be a problem in this form factor, wouldn't you? Sure, I know that the chips Apple uses don't run at the blistering, silicon-melting temperatures of the Athlon-XP, but the new hard drive I got not so long ago runs hot enough to be uncomfortable to the touch. How do they get away with it?
Another thing: It really does look so far, so iMac, doesn't it? I suppose that I'm the only one who likes having a nice big chunky case to show for my money?:-D
...is something similar to this whereby the entire car is quite simply propelled by magnetic repulsion. Think about it: If all the roads had the appropriately polarised magnetic cores implanted in them, surely it would be possible to use the maglev system already implemented in mass-transit systems on a new and unprecedented scale. Is it too much to hope that this might be the first step towards reaching that lofty goal?
In my book, it just figures that a loudspeaker company would be the first to start tinkering with this kind of tech. It's just the sort of thing that you can imagine occuring to some sound engineer after too many hours screwing around with large magnets.
...ever heard of a little thing called prior art? As far as I know, you can't just patent something that a person invented years ago, but failed to take out a patent on, because their work counts as prior art. Is this not the case?
Really, whatever the situation, it's past time that things were fixed so that you can only have patents on things which are demonstrably yours.
Well, in the UK it is illegal to sell the game to anyone under the age of 18. It carries a BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) certificate of "(18) - Not To Be Sold To Any Person Under That Age.", and that certificate is enforceable by law. What I'm talking about is parents who assume that because it's a game, it couldn't possibly be harmfull. Then, when they see the game, later, in the tabloid press, they come over all moralistic. It's a bit late for that, isn't it.
Are you telling me that in the US, a child can buy this game? Because when you say that stores should not be selling to children, I assure you that we are (here in the UK) not allowed to do so, on pain of enormous fines.
You could be right... When I last used POV-Ray, it was back on the old Atari ST, and in those days, you would crank out the text file by hand. I managed to get a few simple scenes done, even so.
Slashdot Mirror
I hope you're joking about David Eddings, since his work seems to me simplistic in the extreme and a perfect example of how to write boring fantasy by the numbers. Especially when your next choice of author is the excellent Greg Bear, this seems bizarre.
The thing is that I've been in same situation as that customer when it actually was the fault of the company. I don't find that video amusing or entertaining, even though I sympathise with the member of staff. The customer in that instance was an asshole, but then again, most companies are weasels about repairing or replacing faulty hardware. That video does a very nice job of spreading propaganda, but in my experience, there are just as many situations like this [slashdot.org] as there are situations like the one in that video.
Bottom line? It sucks really hard to be a technically inclined customer, because the support staff at whatever company you give your valuable business to will most likely a) not be technically inclined, and b) assume that you are not either. I have only limited sympathy for sob-stories from tech support guys. It's a hard job, and you knew that when you took it on. If thats the way you're earning your crust, then you go in every day with the full knowledge that it's not an easy, pleasant, or satisfying task. I'm not about to support those customers who shout at you, or employ verbal abuse, but I am quite bored of being treated as an imbecile by technical support.
Just so you know, the
1) Do something.
2) ????
3) PROFIT!
structure is a meme popular on 4chan. It originated with a South Park episode.
Sure it does. Pop into any one of a dozen smaller stores that sell anime, and you will find that far from being ADV, Geneon and the like, most of the cheaper boxsets are made in Hong Kong, subtitled in Chinese and English, and totally illegal. The store owners don't care. This doesn't happen in your Best Buy type of stores, but there are plenty of sole traders who couldn't care less about copyright.
"Sir... Sir... I'm going to have to ask you to find your Start Button."
"I have OSX"
"Sir... I understand, but I need to walk you through this. Please locate your Start button."
"You don't understand - I'm on a Mac, I don't have a Start button."
"Sir... You're not making this any easier. Once we go through this we can identify your issue."
"Don't pretend this is my problem. The problem is that you don't understand how to do the job you are paid to do. Get me your supervisor, pronto."
Fixed.
Hehe. You just made a strawman out of his strawman. That was fun.
I never thought you were the modder, actually. That would be impossible, you posted in this discussion.
Yeah, I'm an HP hater, so I guess I did deserve the mod down.
I'll admit, reluctantly, that the older LJs are decent. On the other hand, every inkjet they ever made is a piece of irreceemable junk in my opinion. If I get modded for this, as well as for my last comment, then that will prove that /. has become a place where you can't express an opinion.
Trolling? How?
That's the first negative mod I've had in ages. I expressed my opinion, and pointed out that yours is not objective. "Troll" is a little much.
Your view can hardly be considered objective. Given the choice between an HP product and an equivalent product not manufactured by HP, then I would always choose the non-HP alternative. No exceptions. This is not predjudice, this is years of experience in college and in the workplace.
In fact, I think I'd rather go without the capability to produce hard copy than use an HP printer. Assuming that those were the only choices.
Well, it was also with several other 3d-games that was important, and since I am a gamer, I make no excuse for calling any chip without decent floating foint performance a POS. Sorry, but I'm not going to buy junk for no reason. Even if I didn't regularly require floating foint performance, then I still wouldn't have bought one, because I want something that is a quality piece of equipment. That's why I won't buy anything other than AMD nowadays. Hell, it's same reason I won't buy an ECS motherboard, no matter how cheap. I had one once, and it was a huge piece of junk.
I just realised how few Intel chips I've ever had. My 8086 was an Intel, as was my 386. My 486 was an Cyrix, and it was a POS, and after that, I've had nothing but AMD. I moved on to a K5, then a K6, an Athlon-XP, and now an Athlon64.
Up to and including the K6, it was purely a cost issue. I never had any issues with the AMDs, despite the heat. You just need to cool them better, and not try to save a few pennies on that side of things. That's been true since the K5.
With regards to Cyrix, they never made a decent X86-compatible chip in the lifespan of the company, this much is true, but AMD are not the same.
When the Athlon-XP came out, it was no longer a cost issue. Accept no substititutes, it had to be an Authentic AMD for me. That was based upon their proven track record of good service. YMMV.
I'm typing this on a Athlon-64 box that is as reliable as anything I've ever owned, and is currently running with a core temperature of 45C.
I could make that lower, but I'd need to turn my fans up. That temp is under load, mind you. Prescott cores run way hotter than that, I'm pretty sure.
Well, in answer to this point, I grant that it can be a functional step forward, but it will always be a technological step backwards. I did not characterise the nature of this move as a step backwards in order to look down upon it, since I think that for many businesses it is a good idea. I said, or intended to, that it was unlikely to kill the PC.
In addition to Bill's reasoning, which I don't entirely follow, there is also the question of the hobbyist/games user. Business users may choose to go thin-client, but in my opinion, the user who is technically-minded will never be satisfied with any of the so-called replacements for the personal computer, and I don't personally think that any of these replacements will ever take off outside of the office.
If businesses switch to the 'thin client' model, or anything similar, then this will be a step backwards, technologically speaking, and it will be a decision which is based entirely on financial motives. Those who appreciate technology will have little reason to follow this lead, and therefore will not.
On the other hand, those home users who do not enjoy technology, who simply wish to treat their computer as a dumb interface to DRMed MP3s and the web/email will probably be delighted with a 'thin client'. There will still continue to be money in the other market for a while, though. As for 'thin clients' in the office, then I say, sure, they will take off there - it's a cost thing. They just won't kill the home PC. That's my take on this.
Last of all: Is it just me or does someone predict this every year? I first heard it in about 1996, and I'm still waiting! This claim wears even more thin with every passing year...
I can't even begin to express how distasteful it is to me to hear the words of the NRA coming from my own fingers, but I'm forced to admit that this is my attitude as well. I simply don't trust anyone to administrate my boxes as well as I do myself.
In addition to this, there's no way that games will ever work in this model. Not the same way they do now. Forget about it.
I'm surprised it's been that slow. EVERYONE seems to have broadband now.
Did I say that I am a BT Yahoo! Customer? No. Did I imply that there is a good chance that I might know if they were getting complaint about "Cleanfeed"? Yes. Apart from anything else, ADSLGuide.org.uk would probably know about it, as would ./ and any number of other self-appointed watchdogs.
Here in the UK, some ISPs are doing this exact thing. BT Yahoo! call it 'cleanfeed' technology, and it seems to be working. Certainly if the false positive problem was big, they'd be getting complaints. No?
...that cooling would be a problem in this form factor, wouldn't you? Sure, I know that the chips Apple uses don't run at the blistering, silicon-melting temperatures of the Athlon-XP, but the new hard drive I got not so long ago runs hot enough to be uncomfortable to the touch. How do they get away with it?
:-D
Another thing: It really does look so far, so iMac, doesn't it? I suppose that I'm the only one who likes having a nice big chunky case to show for my money?
Wha? What do rolling papers have to do with MagLev tech? Are you implying that I'd need to be stoned to post that comment?
...is something similar to this whereby the entire car is quite simply propelled by magnetic repulsion. Think about it: If all the roads had the appropriately polarised magnetic cores implanted in them, surely it would be possible to use the maglev system already implemented in mass-transit systems on a new and unprecedented scale. Is it too much to hope that this might be the first step towards reaching that lofty goal?
In my book, it just figures that a loudspeaker company would be the first to start tinkering with this kind of tech. It's just the sort of thing that you can imagine occuring to some sound engineer after too many hours screwing around with large magnets.
We are just going to accept this as the way things are, are we? It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness in my book!
...ever heard of a little thing called prior art? As far as I know, you can't just patent something that a person invented years ago, but failed to take out a patent on, because their work counts as prior art. Is this not the case?
Really, whatever the situation, it's past time that things were fixed so that you can only have patents on things which are demonstrably yours.
Well, in the UK it is illegal to sell the game to anyone under the age of 18. It carries a BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) certificate of "(18) - Not To Be Sold To Any Person Under That Age.", and that certificate is enforceable by law. What I'm talking about is parents who assume that because it's a game, it couldn't possibly be harmfull. Then, when they see the game, later, in the tabloid press, they come over all moralistic. It's a bit late for that, isn't it.
Are you telling me that in the US, a child can buy this game? Because when you say that stores should not be selling to children, I assure you that we are (here in the UK) not allowed to do so, on pain of enormous fines.
You could be right... When I last used POV-Ray, it was back on the old Atari ST, and in those days, you would crank out the text file by hand. I managed to get a few simple scenes done, even so.