Indeed, they've been skating on thin ice for some time now. Fr'instance, I bought a H-P LaserJet 3100 (multi-function winprinter) about two years ago. I like the hardware fine; but, I was a little surprised to find that it came only with Win3.x/95/98 drivers -- no NT or 2000, eh. The installer program was really hokey, too.
I was yet more surprised when I discovered that I couldn't simply download Win2K drivers for this thing, but I had to purchase a CD-ROM with the correct drivers. I mean, you can't even download it for pay. It took some serious hunting on H-P's website to discover even this tidbit.
Excuse me, but that's just plain insulting! Where do they get off charging for ordinary drivers for a recent and widely-used consumer electronics product? I guess they have me over a barrel now... Yeah H-P, that's a great way to keep your customers coming back.
Of course, I didn't give them their blood-money, but instead acquired the correct drivers via another means. Too bad so sad if Carly doesn't like it. Oh yeah, and one more thing -- even in 2002, the NT/2000 driver installer is still as embarassingly flaky as the ca. 1998 Win3.x installer was. D'oh!
-cheers, csb
P.S. I'm an HP-UX sysadmin. H-P9000's are simply the bee's knees, but that doesn't mean I'm going to overlook what H-P has become, either. Between axing calculators and the H-P3000, the Board of Directors ought to be totally ashamed.
GM's relatively new Duramax 6600 was designed and built entirely by subsidiary Isuzu, who knows their Diesels (think NPR commercial trucks, 20 years of Diesel Trooper off-roading, &c.).
Outside of semi-exotics like a Ford F-650 SuperCrewZer (which features a most lovely Caterpillar motor), the Duramax is clearly the best CIDI truck engine available in North America today.
The Duramax would be a great choice, I've read nothing but stellar things about it.
If 520 lb-ft of torque is simply not enough for you, then drop in a Caterpillar 3126B -- that's the plant which Ford put in their F-650 SuperCrewzer. It sports 860 lb-ft of torque, along with the same 300bhp.
In any case, this vehicle (however nice it is, otherwise) is clearly tainted by the fact it has a mere petrol engine. Convert to DERV immediately.
More info: I work in a small local office with a tightly knit team of people whom I have worked with before. I genuinely enjoy being with my team, this is what makes me get up in the morning.
In addition, my employer has generous benefits, including an emphasis on training and education. There's a lot of room for growth here, if we can make it through the current tribulations.
The company is IT professional services, so when we're billable, we can do little wrong; but, when we're not billable, we can do little right. Part of the problem is a legacy of poor salespeople.
This month, we found a new salesperson who shows great promise. I think that he'll have our office showing signs of life by year's end. In summary, it just isn't time to give up yet.
Of course, I'm keeping an eye on the job market; but, things are quite slow in my city. I would much rather tough it out with my crew than to hit the streets and fight the crowds.
We have savings, so if I have to take the pay cut, it wouldn't hurt too badly, I suppose. I would ask to get the difference back after business improves -- there ought to be a reward.
In sum, I don't think that my company is going down. They're just finishing a large reorganization, so I think that some of the chaos is coming from that, not just the recession.
I may be sentimental; but, I also think we can survive. I don't like changing jobs any more than I have to, and I definitely want to stay with what I think is a fun and very talented team.
Hear-hear, you said it better than I was going to... Ep. 1 was so bad / disappointing / sold-out that I can't imagine even renting it, nevertheless owning it.
Don't get me wrong, I am huge huge fan of ep's 4-6 (especially 5). It changed my life, and all of that... but ep. 1 was simply a dog's breakfast, there's no way to ever make it look good.
Volkswagen AG was founded by the British military after the end of WWII. Germans took control of the company thereafter -- it's stil 20% owned by Lower Saxony, home to Wolfsburg.
While Dr. Porsche designed the KdF-wagen (Beetle prototype) which was paraded around by Hitler, the history of the VW corporation as we know it has absolutely no link to the National Socialists, slave labor, &c. It's no more or less evil than any other big corporation today.
Almost every auto-maker has skeletons in the closet -- here's a great example. A relative of mine strenuously objected to owning VW's based upon the perceived connection to Nazi's. This person currently drives a Subaru, made by Fuji Heavy Industries, who made all sorts of military equipment for Japan during the war.
Before that, this same person drove a Geo, made by GM, whose European division (Adam Opel AG) infamously used slave labor during the war. Henry Ford's extreme political views and friendship with Hitler are well-storied. So, let's please be mindful of this before we lay into VW too heavily, okay? Thanks.
500 miles per tank? That's not a very ambitous goal, IMO. A Volkswagen TDI (Golf, Jetta, or New Beetle) can easily go 750 miles on a 15-gallon tank -- 850 miles, if you try a little. I can go get one of those right now, for under $20K. These are some of the safest compact vehicles ever built.
You can run them on anything from kerosene to soybeans, even synthetic fuel made from natgas. I won't list the many other advantages of compression-ignition, direct-injection (CIDI) engines here; but, if you want to hear more about all the advantages of CIDI, just visit Fred's TDI Club.
I think that TDI's are attractive in almost every category; and, one can argue that they stand up well against up-and-coming technologies such as hybrids, fuel-cells, &c. Interestingly, the excellent TDI's that we get in the U.S. represent older technology -- improvements and enhancements are coming out of Europe fast and furious.
Volkswagen AG is driving their Lupo CIDI subcompact around the world on a publicity tour. This is the first production "3-liter" car (uses less than 3 liters of diesel for every 100km -- about 78mpg).
It also sports a new transmission that's supposedly more efficient than a stick-shift.
BTW, VW is actually getting better-than-expected mileage. =-) This is more or less the same technology that you can get in a VW TDI (New Beetle, Jetta, Golf) right now in the U.S.
If you want something that's signifigantly more economical and environmentally friendly than gasser engines, and that's available now, and doesn't cost way too much, and that's even *fun to drive*, then Compression Ignition Direct-Injection (CIDI) engines are where it's at.
Modern direct injection diesels are all over Europe, but thanks to poor market perception and yet poorer fuel quality, North America hasn't caught on yet. The best example that you can find in the U.S.A. is Volkswagen's wonderful TDI motors. More manufacturers will offer CIDI alternatives in the very near future.
Performance is quite good. Even though a 1.9-liter TDI only produces 90HP, it produces as much torque as a larger-displacement gasser engine -- and torque is more important, IMHO. Also, the maximum torque is available at about 1750RPM. You get power where at the revs you visit most.
There's a lot of scoot in there, if you tweak your driving habits just a bit. You won't win every drag race, but you can sure pass on the expressway with authority. Many TDI owners have modded their vehicles for performance, with surprising results (see Fred's TDI club below).
Emissions are impressive. Save for NO2 and particulates, TDI motors have lower emissions than gassers in the other four categories. Even so, the particulate levels are very low compared to the sooty old passenger diesels that you're used to seeing -- they rarely "smoke".
Puegot is developing a particulate trap that will further reduce this category of emissions. That can be retrofitted to existing CIDI cars, and will certainly come on newer models. There's a lot of research going on, but the phony enviro-types such as Gore in the U.S. certainly haven't been promoting it.
Fuel economy is very good. Many TDI owners report 49-52 MPG regularly, even with some spirited driving. Did I mention that diesel fuel is often cheaper than petrol? That's exactly why so many Europeans drive CIDI cars... both fuels are hideously expensive there.
Also, CIDI motors use very little fuel at idle, unlike gassers... so, they're good for the city, as well as the highway. It's very hard to stall a TDI. =-)
Maintenance on CIDI engines is lower -- there's no ignition system, for instance. If you change your timing belt every 40-50K, a TDI motor should last 500,000km easily. Contrary to popular belief, modern diesels are easy to start, even in the extreme cold. They were designed to work in Northern Europe, so they would have to! =-)
Everything else aside, alternative fuel availability is the real holy grail here. You can run on straight dino-diesel, or mix in some veggie-based biodiesel, or even work in some natural-gas based synthetic diesel. In a pinch, you could run several other substances. There's lots of room for future development here.
As long as the cetane level is high enough, and the lubricity is sufficient to make it past the injector pumps, &c. then it'll probably run great. Modern gassers (the ones that I like, anyways) will never, ever run on anything but premium petrol, made from dinosaur oil. That's the biggest difference for me!
Don't get me wrong, I like other automotive technologies, too... I just happen to like CIDI better. Especially since I can get a practical car with a TDI motor in the U.S. today for less than $20K.
The internal combustion engine is far from dead. Don't let Al Gore kill it off... that would be a huge mistake. Like a previous poster said, diesel contains more energy than petrol. It's also easier to refine, so there's less pollution and energy needed to make it compared to petrol.
For more than you ever wanted to know about CIDI (and VW TDI's in particular), check out Fred's. Be careful, it can be addictive. But so are french fries, for that matter. =-)
Slashdot Mirror
Indeed, they've been skating on thin ice for some time now. Fr'instance, I bought a H-P LaserJet 3100 (multi-function winprinter) about two years ago. I like the hardware fine; but, I was a little surprised to find that it came only with Win3.x/95/98 drivers -- no NT or 2000, eh. The installer program was really hokey, too.
I was yet more surprised when I discovered that I couldn't simply download Win2K drivers for this thing, but I had to purchase a CD-ROM with the correct drivers. I mean, you can't even download it for pay. It took some serious hunting on H-P's website to discover even this tidbit.
Excuse me, but that's just plain insulting! Where do they get off charging for ordinary drivers for a recent and widely-used consumer electronics product? I guess they have me over a barrel now... Yeah H-P, that's a great way to keep your customers coming back.
Of course, I didn't give them their blood-money, but instead acquired the correct drivers via another means. Too bad so sad if Carly doesn't like it. Oh yeah, and one more thing -- even in 2002, the NT/2000 driver installer is still as embarassingly flaky as the ca. 1998 Win3.x installer was. D'oh!
-cheers, csb
P.S. I'm an HP-UX sysadmin. H-P9000's are simply the bee's knees, but that doesn't mean I'm going to overlook what H-P has become, either. Between axing calculators and the H-P3000, the Board of Directors ought to be totally ashamed.
GM's relatively new Duramax 6600 was designed and built entirely by subsidiary Isuzu, who knows their Diesels (think NPR commercial trucks, 20 years of Diesel Trooper off-roading, &c.).
Outside of semi-exotics like a Ford F-650 SuperCrewZer (which features a most lovely Caterpillar motor), the Duramax is clearly the best CIDI truck engine available in North America today.
-cheers, CSB
The Duramax would be a great choice, I've read nothing but stellar things about it.
If 520 lb-ft of torque is simply not enough for you, then drop in a Caterpillar 3126B -- that's the plant which Ford put in their F-650 SuperCrewzer. It sports 860 lb-ft of torque, along with the same 300bhp.
In any case, this vehicle (however nice it is, otherwise) is clearly tainted by the fact it has a mere petrol engine. Convert to DERV immediately.
-cheers, csb
More info: I work in a small local office with a tightly knit team of people whom I have worked with before. I genuinely enjoy being with my team, this is what makes me get up in the morning.
In addition, my employer has generous benefits, including an emphasis on training and education. There's a lot of room for growth here, if we can make it through the current tribulations.
The company is IT professional services, so when we're billable, we can do little wrong; but, when we're not billable, we can do little right. Part of the problem is a legacy of poor salespeople.
This month, we found a new salesperson who shows great promise. I think that he'll have our office showing signs of life by year's end. In summary, it just isn't time to give up yet.
Of course, I'm keeping an eye on the job market; but, things are quite slow in my city. I would much rather tough it out with my crew than to hit the streets and fight the crowds.
We have savings, so if I have to take the pay cut, it wouldn't hurt too badly, I suppose. I would ask to get the difference back after business improves -- there ought to be a reward.
In sum, I don't think that my company is going down. They're just finishing a large reorganization, so I think that some of the chaos is coming from that, not just the recession.
I may be sentimental; but, I also think we can survive. I don't like changing jobs any more than I have to, and I definitely want to stay with what I think is a fun and very talented team.
Don't get me wrong, I am huge huge fan of ep's 4-6 (especially 5). It changed my life, and all of that... but ep. 1 was simply a dog's breakfast, there's no way to ever make it look good.
Volkswagen AG was founded by the British military after the end of WWII. Germans took control of the company thereafter -- it's stil 20% owned by Lower Saxony, home to Wolfsburg.
While Dr. Porsche designed the KdF-wagen (Beetle prototype) which was paraded around by Hitler, the history of the VW corporation as we know it has absolutely no link to the National Socialists, slave labor, &c. It's no more or less evil than any other big corporation today.
Almost every auto-maker has skeletons in the closet -- here's a great example. A relative of mine strenuously objected to owning VW's based upon the perceived connection to Nazi's. This person currently drives a Subaru, made by Fuji Heavy Industries, who made all sorts of military equipment for Japan during the war.
Before that, this same person drove a Geo, made by GM, whose European division (Adam Opel AG) infamously used slave labor during the war. Henry Ford's extreme political views and friendship with Hitler are well-storied. So, let's please be mindful of this before we lay into VW too heavily, okay? Thanks.
500 miles per tank? That's not a very ambitous goal, IMO. A Volkswagen TDI (Golf, Jetta, or New Beetle) can easily go 750 miles on a 15-gallon tank -- 850 miles, if you try a little. I can go get one of those right now, for under $20K. These are some of the safest compact vehicles ever built.
You can run them on anything from kerosene to soybeans, even synthetic fuel made from natgas. I won't list the many other advantages of compression-ignition, direct-injection (CIDI) engines here; but, if you want to hear more about all the advantages of CIDI, just visit Fred's TDI Club.
I think that TDI's are attractive in almost every category; and, one can argue that they stand up well against up-and-coming technologies such as hybrids, fuel-cells, &c. Interestingly, the excellent TDI's that we get in the U.S. represent older technology -- improvements and enhancements are coming out of Europe fast and furious.
"My Sat has three corners, three corners has my Sat!"
The religious implications here cannot be ignored... suddenly, I feel a craving for hummentaschen.
'nother CIDI link that I forgot:
Volkswagen AG is driving their Lupo CIDI subcompact around the world on a publicity tour. This is the first production "3-liter" car (uses less than 3 liters of diesel for every 100km -- about 78mpg).
It also sports a new transmission that's supposedly more efficient than a stick-shift.
Lupo 80 Days
BTW, VW is actually getting better-than-expected mileage. =-) This is more or less the same technology that you can get in a VW TDI (New Beetle, Jetta, Golf) right now in the U.S.
-cheers, fattyfox
Has anybody mentioned CIDI yet?
If you want something that's signifigantly more economical and environmentally friendly than gasser engines, and that's available now, and doesn't cost way too much, and that's even *fun to drive*, then Compression Ignition Direct-Injection (CIDI) engines are where it's at.
Modern direct injection diesels are all over Europe, but thanks to poor market perception and yet poorer fuel quality, North America hasn't caught on yet. The best example that you can find in the U.S.A. is Volkswagen's wonderful TDI motors. More manufacturers will offer CIDI alternatives in the very near future.
Performance is quite good. Even though a 1.9-liter TDI only produces 90HP, it produces as much torque as a larger-displacement gasser engine -- and torque is more important, IMHO. Also, the maximum torque is available at about 1750RPM. You get power where at the revs you visit most.
There's a lot of scoot in there, if you tweak your driving habits just a bit. You won't win every drag race, but you can sure pass on the expressway with authority. Many TDI owners have modded their vehicles for performance, with surprising results (see Fred's TDI club below).
Emissions are impressive. Save for NO2 and particulates, TDI motors have lower emissions than gassers in the other four categories. Even so, the particulate levels are very low compared to the sooty old passenger diesels that you're used to seeing -- they rarely "smoke".
Puegot is developing a particulate trap that will further reduce this category of emissions. That can be retrofitted to existing CIDI cars, and will certainly come on newer models. There's a lot of research going on, but the phony enviro-types such as Gore in the U.S. certainly haven't been promoting it.
Fuel economy is very good. Many TDI owners report 49-52 MPG regularly, even with some spirited driving. Did I mention that diesel fuel is often cheaper than petrol? That's exactly why so many Europeans drive CIDI cars... both fuels are hideously expensive there.
Also, CIDI motors use very little fuel at idle, unlike gassers... so, they're good for the city, as well as the highway. It's very hard to stall a TDI. =-)
Maintenance on CIDI engines is lower -- there's no ignition system, for instance. If you change your timing belt every 40-50K, a TDI motor should last 500,000km easily. Contrary to popular belief, modern diesels are easy to start, even in the extreme cold. They were designed to work in Northern Europe, so they would have to! =-)
Everything else aside, alternative fuel availability is the real holy grail here. You can run on straight dino-diesel, or mix in some veggie-based biodiesel, or even work in some natural-gas based synthetic diesel. In a pinch, you could run several other substances. There's lots of room for future development here.
As long as the cetane level is high enough, and the lubricity is sufficient to make it past the injector pumps, &c. then it'll probably run great. Modern gassers (the ones that I like, anyways) will never, ever run on anything but premium petrol, made from dinosaur oil. That's the biggest difference for me!
Don't get me wrong, I like other automotive technologies, too... I just happen to like CIDI better. Especially since I can get a practical car with a TDI motor in the U.S. today for less than $20K.
The internal combustion engine is far from dead. Don't let Al Gore kill it off... that would be a huge mistake. Like a previous poster said, diesel contains more energy than petrol. It's also easier to refine, so there's less pollution and energy needed to make it compared to petrol.
For more than you ever wanted to know about CIDI (and VW TDI's in particular), check out Fred's. Be careful, it can be addictive. But so are french fries, for that matter. =-)
Fred's TDI Club
hey CIDI enthusiasts, did I leave anything out?
-cheers, fattyfox
I would call it: Calculon
"Calculon! We thought you were dead..."
Apologies to Matt Groenig and his funny-people