But that Dell will run Vista... well, "run" should be interpreted loosely... Vista won't actually "run" (crawl, maybe if you're lucky) on any cheap hardware, and you have no choice but to buy vista on a new PC (well, you can beg and whine for XP, and you might get it, but you'll have to fight with the powers that be).
So that Dell $200 computer will just be a slow, useless, brick with its hard drive grinding endlessly into the night, while the slightly more expensive mini will actually run some stuff.
Vista killed the cheap computer.... that makes macintoshes a much more viable option now.
...of outrage if the suggestion was to buy MacBooks for every classroom.
Probably not... although, I imagine that 30 years ago, there was probably some resistance to buying kids Apple II's in their schools, with the same old curmudgeon responses, "But the roads stink. We don't need more stuff in schools... bah!!!"
Yes, Michigan roads stink... I always know I've hit the Michigan border when I hear the "kerchunk, kerchunk" every few seconds... you can set a timer to it. Perhaps it's the fact that you guys drive like 90 MPH.
Michigan is in the same dire straights that Ohio is now, but it's not because of Jennifer Granholm or anything the state government did or did not do. The U.S. automobile industry is in the tanker, and the economy of Michigan feeds off of the Big 3. No amount of state intervention (or non-intervention) would have helped the situation. If you can blame anyone, blame our federal government, who has shown little interest in protecting American industries. Michigan is just feeling it's disastrous effects. Of course, political opponents are using this to their advantage. But, does anyone really believe that DeVos would have been able to improve anything?
This single line item in the budget that has everybody so in an uproar won't pass. It can't pass, since the state can't run a deficit like the feds... It sure struck a nerve, but unfairly so, I believe.
In January of 1984, there was a new show called, The New Show, which was kind of a ripoff of SNL... Steve Martin Guest starred, and they did a skit based on the 1984 novel with him as Winston.
In one scene, he was on a date with someone in the disco, and Big Brother on the telescreen was shouting out dance commands, including the one I'll never forget...
Good choice! WP5.1 pushed the old, venerable PC as far as it could go! It actually had a multitasking print spooler that could print in the background while you continued working on documents! It had independent printer drivers (including postscript) and a menuing system (that was always turned off by default for some reason), so you didn't have to look at your stupid F-key template (ever notice how there was no rhyme or reason where the functions were placed). It did not have WYSIWYG, but the print preview was quite accurate... and you could embed Lotus 1-2-3 graphs, charts and even clipart in it's DOS interface. Despite it's power and later date of release, it could still run like a charm on a PC XT with 512K of RAM, hercules monochrome graphics, and a single DD floppy drive.
Because of it's power, and ability to print postscript to any laser printer, WP5.1 was the default word processor at not-for-profit organizations... many of which run their offices on hand-me-down computers. Even in the late 90's WP5.1 was still the system of choice at poor non-profits. I wouldn't be surprised if some offices are STILL using it.
It was a program that was ahead of it's time... and the most powerful DOS program to date. It essentially was it's own "operating system" for the machine, and really pushed the envelope of the original x86 platform.
Stupid list, they forgot C64. How many programmers haven't learnt programming using C64 BASIC?
I'm sorry to hear that... Commodore BASIC v. 2 was pretty much just PET basic ported the the C64, and had ZERO support for the C64's uniqute features (like graphics, sound, peripherals)... what a horrible language for someone to cut their teeth on.. neverending lines upon lines of confusing, non-intuitive POKE's in decimal. Compared to other microcomputer BASIC's of the day, I think that machine's BASIC did more to discourage programming than it did to encourage it, especially for kids.
I know that I honestly preferred Atari BASIC myself. It was slow, but I could actually DO stuff with it!
But you also forget a lot of people can't afford to pay $1100, like college students. $500 is a lot of money to some people.
But, thanks to the insane operating requirements for Vista, that $500 laptop will run like a dog... in fact, I would imagine that it would practically be unusable with only 512 meg of RAM that it probably comes with.
Microsoft helped out Apple significantly by essentially killing the cheap laptop market with memory-hogging Vista.
So, now you quite literally HAVE TO pay $1100 for a laptop to get something that runs... that makes MacBook a very viable option.
Congratulations, ChemGeek on your successful entrepeneurship... Don't forget that for every successful, entrepeneur, thousands others have failed.. also, do not forget that you are only a lawsuit or an illness (individual health insurance is very hard to get and afford) away from bankruptcy.
Your success can vanish in an instant. Do not assume that you are any more secure than the rest of us, because you've done reasonably well for yourself. We are all in the same boat, and the tide is falling, not rising.
There once was a time when people living in the richest country in the world had a reasonable expectation that they could share in that wealth as long as they worked hard and played by the rules. It's not an unfair "expectation". After all, the 50's era (a time that conservatives like yourself laud as being the American ideal) was a time where you could get a good job with great security and live well for the rest of your life. You would have health insurance, life inusrance, pension, the whole 9 yards. If someone brought that up today, they would be accused of being a communist, yet this era was considered the capitalist ideal--the idea of the American Dream came from this time period in history.
Even crappy retail jobs that are being derided on this site had these kind of benefits. A retail person COULD own a house, believe it or not... almost impossible today.
Of course, back then we had control over markets, imposed trade barriers, and the population had significant union representation. We also actually manufactured things, as opposed to today. Conservatives who want to go back to the 50's conveniently forget these facts.
But, it is irrelevant... at some point we became so jaded when these ideals were stripped from our society, that we now resent and try to bring down anyone who still has health insurance, union membership, or a pension plan. Instead of demanding more for ourselves, we are demanding less for everyone else--somehow it is better for everyone to be dragged down rather than lifting everyone up.
It's a little depressing that Americans have been so beaten down by the system that they are afraid to stand up for themselves. What's even sadder is that posters like yourself seem intent on cutting off your nose to spite your face.
It is no wonder that the United States of America is in such a bad state. It's time for America to rise up and demand the America Dream again. It is our birthright, but only if we stand up for it.
Bah! It ain't in the Bible! Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that Programs don't believe in the Users, and that we should just blindly accept the secular rule of the Master Control Program.
That's it... isn't it? It's all just an MCP trick!
Well, I still believe in and will fight for the users!!
Well, he and Allen wrote BASIC for the MITS Altair 8800 by scratch on an emulator and cross-assembler with no documentation to go by.
But, from what I understand, Gates was the Steve Jobs of Microsoft, while Paul Allen was the Steve Wozniak. Gates took care of the business and marketing, mostly, while Paul did most of the coding.
I don't see why you say that. People actually liked Fortran. Grace Hopper (inventor of the odious COBOL programming language) must have had a secret service contingent to protect her from very angry and miserable programmers. She lived to a ripe old age of 85.
I believe the project was called WebTop... it would have been a desktop environment that could run on top of any OS, and applications could be written for it using it's API... allowing the creation of totally portable applications and, if done right, making Windows essentially irrelevant. It was a revolutionary concept and was aimed right at the heart of Microsoft.
Unfortunately, Netscape was in the crosshairs of Microsoft already, and with the company losing money like crazy, WebTop never saw the light of day...
..The "subsidy" is not earmarked from the general budget, but from the money earned from the sale of the now free analog spectrum rights to the highest bidders. This sale is expected to raise many billions of dollars (if not more). Taking a small amount of that revenue and giving it back to the people is not only fair and just, it makes sense, since the airwaves are public property.
Awhile ago my dad put his old 8088 PC onto the curb, and someone took it. It still worked too. We used to play Hack 103 on that thing. Ah, memories.
Oh, man... I would have picked that one up in a heartbeat.. my 8088's floppy disk isn't working to well anymore.... gotta love the old hercules graphics!
Are you kidding me??? Lower the price??? That is not Apple's way!
If Apple lowers the price on anything, I'll eat my shirt! Apple has always been overpriced. The Apple II was overpriced, the Mac was/is overpriced, the iPod is overpriced. Overpricing is Apple's core business philosophy.
I guess when you showed tMobile your non-user-programmable iPhone and boasted how users would be totally screwed, they thought that idea was a real winner! Now, tMobile is taking your brain-dead lock-down, lock-in philosophy to their entire line of phones! 'Cos if anyone knows about screwing over consumers, it is apple and the Cell Phone companies!
Makes you wish that the other Steve would have been the one running Apple.
September 13, 1999... A nuvclear explosion on the moon sends moonbase alpha hurtling out of orbit into interstellar space, looking for the planet meta in order to recolonize.
I'm suprised you have't heard about it. It was in all the papers!
Slashdot Mirror
Spock: Invisibility is theoretically possible, Captain--selectively bending light. But the power cost is enormous. They may have solved that.
But that Dell will run Vista... well, "run" should be interpreted loosely... Vista won't actually "run" (crawl, maybe if you're lucky) on any cheap hardware, and you have no choice but to buy vista on a new PC (well, you can beg and whine for XP, and you might get it, but you'll have to fight with the powers that be).
So that Dell $200 computer will just be a slow, useless, brick with its hard drive grinding endlessly into the night, while the slightly more expensive mini will actually run some stuff.
Vista killed the cheap computer.... that makes macintoshes a much more viable option now.
Thanks,
Mike
...of outrage if the suggestion was to buy MacBooks for every classroom.
Probably not... although, I imagine that 30 years ago, there was probably some resistance to buying kids Apple II's in their schools, with the same old curmudgeon responses, "But the roads stink. We don't need more stuff in schools... bah!!!"
Yes, Michigan roads stink... I always know I've hit the Michigan border when I hear the "kerchunk, kerchunk" every few seconds... you can set a timer to it. Perhaps it's the fact that you guys drive like 90 MPH.
Michigan is in the same dire straights that Ohio is now, but it's not because of Jennifer Granholm or anything the state government did or did not do. The U.S. automobile industry is in the tanker, and the economy of Michigan feeds off of the Big 3. No amount of state intervention (or non-intervention) would have helped the situation. If you can blame anyone, blame our federal government, who has shown little interest in protecting American industries. Michigan is just feeling it's disastrous effects. Of course, political opponents are using this to their advantage. But, does anyone really believe that DeVos would have been able to improve anything?
This single line item in the budget that has everybody so in an uproar won't pass. It can't pass, since the state can't run a deficit like the feds... It sure struck a nerve, but unfairly so, I believe.
Thanks,
Mike
Or you could have the Steve Martin version...
In January of 1984, there was a new show called, The New Show, which was kind of a ripoff of SNL... Steve Martin Guest starred, and they did a skit based on the 1984 novel with him as Winston.
In one scene, he was on a date with someone in the disco, and Big Brother on the telescreen was shouting out dance commands, including the one I'll never forget...
"Do the funky chicken!"
Too funny!
Thanks,
Mike
Good choice! WP5.1 pushed the old, venerable PC as far as it could go! It actually had a multitasking print spooler that could print in the background while you continued working on documents! It had independent printer drivers (including postscript) and a menuing system (that was always turned off by default for some reason), so you didn't have to look at your stupid F-key template (ever notice how there was no rhyme or reason where the functions were placed). It did not have WYSIWYG, but the print preview was quite accurate... and you could embed Lotus 1-2-3 graphs, charts and even clipart in it's DOS interface. Despite it's power and later date of release, it could still run like a charm on a PC XT with 512K of RAM, hercules monochrome graphics, and a single DD floppy drive.
Because of it's power, and ability to print postscript to any laser printer, WP5.1 was the default word processor at not-for-profit organizations... many of which run their offices on hand-me-down computers. Even in the late 90's WP5.1 was still the system of choice at poor non-profits. I wouldn't be surprised if some offices are STILL using it.
It was a program that was ahead of it's time... and the most powerful DOS program to date. It essentially was it's own "operating system" for the machine, and really pushed the envelope of the original x86 platform.
Thanks,
Mike
I'm sorry to hear that... Commodore BASIC v. 2 was pretty much just PET basic ported the the C64, and had ZERO support for the C64's uniqute features (like graphics, sound, peripherals)... what a horrible language for someone to cut their teeth on.. neverending lines upon lines of confusing, non-intuitive POKE's in decimal. Compared to other microcomputer BASIC's of the day, I think that machine's BASIC did more to discourage programming than it did to encourage it, especially for kids.
I know that I honestly preferred Atari BASIC myself. It was slow, but I could actually DO stuff with it!
Thanks,
Mike
But, thanks to the insane operating requirements for Vista, that $500 laptop will run like a dog... in fact, I would imagine that it would practically be unusable with only 512 meg of RAM that it probably comes with.
Microsoft helped out Apple significantly by essentially killing the cheap laptop market with memory-hogging Vista.
So, now you quite literally HAVE TO pay $1100 for a laptop to get something that runs... that makes MacBook a very viable option.
Thanks,
Mike
Congratulations, ChemGeek on your successful entrepeneurship... Don't forget that for every successful, entrepeneur, thousands others have failed.. also, do not forget that you are only a lawsuit or an illness (individual health insurance is very hard to get and afford) away from bankruptcy.
Your success can vanish in an instant. Do not assume that you are any more secure than the rest of us, because you've done reasonably well for yourself. We are all in the same boat, and the tide is falling, not rising.
Thanks,
Mike
There once was a time when people living in the richest country in the world had a reasonable expectation that they could share in that wealth as long as they worked hard and played by the rules. It's not an unfair "expectation". After all, the 50's era (a time that conservatives like yourself laud as being the American ideal) was a time where you could get a good job with great security and live well for the rest of your life. You would have health insurance, life inusrance, pension, the whole 9 yards. If someone brought that up today, they would be accused of being a communist, yet this era was considered the capitalist ideal--the idea of the American Dream came from this time period in history.
Even crappy retail jobs that are being derided on this site had these kind of benefits. A retail person COULD own a house, believe it or not... almost impossible today.
Of course, back then we had control over markets, imposed trade barriers, and the population had significant union representation. We also actually manufactured things, as opposed to today. Conservatives who want to go back to the 50's conveniently forget these facts.
But, it is irrelevant... at some point we became so jaded when these ideals were stripped from our society, that we now resent and try to bring down anyone who still has health insurance, union membership, or a pension plan. Instead of demanding more for ourselves, we are demanding less for everyone else--somehow it is better for everyone to be dragged down rather than lifting everyone up.
It's a little depressing that Americans have been so beaten down by the system that they are afraid to stand up for themselves. What's even sadder is that posters like yourself seem intent on cutting off your nose to spite your face.
It is no wonder that the United States of America is in such a bad state. It's time for America to rise up and demand the America Dream again. It is our birthright, but only if we stand up for it.
Thanks,
Mike
Bah! It ain't in the Bible! Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that Programs don't believe in the Users, and that we should just blindly accept the secular rule of the Master Control Program.
That's it... isn't it? It's all just an MCP trick!
Well, I still believe in and will fight for the users!!
Thanks,
Mike
Well, he and Allen wrote BASIC for the MITS Altair 8800 by scratch on an emulator and cross-assembler with no documentation to go by.
But, from what I understand, Gates was the Steve Jobs of Microsoft, while Paul Allen was the Steve Wozniak. Gates took care of the business and marketing, mostly, while Paul did most of the coding.
Thanks,
Mike
Maybe I'm just an old timer, but Pole Position still is very realistic to me...
Thanks,
Mike
I don't see why you say that. People actually liked Fortran. Grace Hopper (inventor of the odious COBOL programming language) must have had a secret service contingent to protect her from very angry and miserable programmers. She lived to a ripe old age of 85.
Thanks,
Mike
I believe the project was called WebTop... it would have been a desktop environment that could run on top of any OS, and applications could be written for it using it's API... allowing the creation of totally portable applications and, if done right, making Windows essentially irrelevant. It was a revolutionary concept and was aimed right at the heart of Microsoft.
Unfortunately, Netscape was in the crosshairs of Microsoft already, and with the company losing money like crazy, WebTop never saw the light of day...
Until now!
Thanks,
Mike
..The "subsidy" is not earmarked from the general budget, but from the money earned from the sale of the now free analog spectrum rights to the highest bidders. This sale is expected to raise many billions of dollars (if not more). Taking a small amount of that revenue and giving it back to the people is not only fair and just, it makes sense, since the airwaves are public property.
Thanks,
Mike
Where??? I thought the iPod was a totally closed system and apple pretty much has told third party developers to go shove it... perhaps not????
Where does one get info on developing for the iPod?
Thanks in advance!
Mike
Dump the girl, keep the VAX... a lot less headaches! VMS is much more stable than any girlfriend could be.
Thanks,
Mike
Oh, man... I would have picked that one up in a heartbeat.. my 8088's floppy disk isn't working to well anymore.... gotta love the old hercules graphics!
Thanks,
Mike
Are you kidding me??? Lower the price??? That is not Apple's way!
If Apple lowers the price on anything, I'll eat my shirt! Apple has always been overpriced. The Apple II was overpriced, the Mac was/is overpriced, the iPod is overpriced. Overpricing is Apple's core business philosophy.
Thanks,
Mike
I guess when you showed tMobile your non-user-programmable iPhone and boasted how users would be totally screwed, they thought that idea was a real winner! Now, tMobile is taking your brain-dead lock-down, lock-in philosophy to their entire line of phones! 'Cos if anyone knows about screwing over consumers, it is apple and the Cell Phone companies!
Makes you wish that the other Steve would have been the one running Apple.
Thanks,
Mike
No slight...
She invented COBOL.
That fact alone should prevent her from receiving any major computer science award for at least the next 1000 years.
Thanks,
Mike
September 13, 1999... A nuvclear explosion on the moon sends moonbase alpha hurtling out of orbit into interstellar space, looking for the planet meta in order to recolonize.
I'm suprised you have't heard about it. It was in all the papers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WZW4groJro
Really....
Hmm... let's take a price comparison of the lowest models, shall we?
Acer Aspire, Core Duo 1.7 GHz processor with a 15" screen, 1 gig of memory: $850 at Circuit City
Apple Macbook 1.83 GHz with only a 13" screen and 512 MB of memory: $1100 at Circuit City
How is Apple cheaper again?
Thanks,
Mike
Apple users are compfrotable paying way more than they should for software, hardware, etc. Mac users won't be flustered a bit! :-)
Thanks,
Mike
Now, if Apple would only let us program these things, perhaps we could figure out other cool ways to use them...
I know, I know... forget about it... Jobs will never, ever let you use HIS hardware in any fashion that HE didn't think up first...
Man, talk about losing the vision that originally made you successful...
Thanks,
Mike