Same with Apple PC's. Every apple story has comments about their bad service even going so far as that when you order a Apple with more memory all of a sudden it is a custom build and you loose a lot of warranty. Dell would never get away with it but Steve Jobs just judged it right that Apple fans defend that a PC build entirely by Apple is still a custom build because you told them to plug in more memory and therefore you don't deserve full warranty.
That has definately not been my experience from Apple. Apple warrents their products for at least one year (you can buy AppleCare to get more milage). When my expensive display broke, Apple overnighted me a new display, allowing me to return the old one within a week or two at no charge.
I custom ordered a PowerMac G5 and I have had absolutely no problems with Apple's service, even after two repairs. (The broken parts were custom-configured)
Also, if you complain about Apple's service, you should complain about every other company's service. Apple scored the highest in a study done over all the major computer manufacturers. I do not know where you get your stories, but they you are citing an unknown third party who may in turn be a third party- not a good way to back up your claims with concrete facts. Unless you have first-hand experience with Apple Support it is best to stay out of the ring.
Several years ago when I worked at CompUSA, the employees had a racket of going to Microsoft's training site, completing little flash quizzes, and getting "points" towards Microsoft products. We amassed thousands of points and exchanged the points for products Microsoft offered as rewards.
To make a long story short, we calculated the point/cost ratio and found out that Virtual PC was the most profitable product to order. Some of my friends just waited 'til xmas and turned the Virtual PC in at CompUSA for store credit. I didn't like this model, so I decided I would sell several copies of Virtual PC over a period of a few months on eBay. Plus, I have a beef about ripping off my employers- I owe no loyalty to MS, so to eBay the VPC went.
It was very profitable: $150-$200 a pop for each boxed and unopened copy of Virtual PC. In leet speak "M$ got pwn3d." It appears that now the era of free Virtual PC is over.
Although technically not software piracy (there was an "agreement" to use the software for personal use, whatever that means), it was a great back door and I was able to buy a nice printer with the money I made, plus save a little for my college education. Thank you Microsoft!
To recap:
Train at Microsoft's site
Order Virtual PC
Sell on eBay
??
Profit!
Those were the days before I actually had real responsibility...
all the electronic design was Cadence's toolchain, Flowtherm for the thermal modling, I forget what the mechanical package was called, but I had a sun on my desk to run it on...
I have to agree with that statement... we don't have candence working on windows systems, but rather Red Hat Linux. As far as the rest goes, there is a LOT one can do with MATLAB/SIMULINK if they know how to use the software package (and have LOTS of money). That runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac.
Cadence does make a program called OrCAD for Windows only that is decent, but for logic-level applications and designing integrated circuits, pcb's, and other production items OrCAD can't hold a candle to Cadence.
Some of the other Cadence packages include Virtuoso and Allegro, which are very nice.
That said, Cadence is rough around the edges (it uses older GTK on our machines) but it definitely gets the job done.
That, I think is the point of wizards - to save you time, not to do for you things you don't understand. When new users start using wizards, bad code WILL result.
This is all too true yet some people refuse to accept it. If you program java and don't know that javac does the compiling then you have a significant problem when trying to write more advanced code. It sets up a learning barrier that is often hard to overcome.
It's actually pretty educational to watch a software package written in C compile on the command line- you learn that not only gcc but ld and a little script called libtool are very important in many applications (for *NIX at least). Knowing how to hack these little pieces makes your code more efficient and better as a result.
For example, I noted to a certain professor that there are both compiling and linking stages in a multi-file program. At first he did not believe me, so I told him to ask a CS professor about it. That is one of the biggest barriers to really understanding how code turns into a program.
I go to a major state University, we have one of the top 50 engineering programs in the country. Last semester, there were about 40 new Electrical Engineering Freshmen- Quite a disappointment for me and many of the professors. In my class there are over 100 students, and I am in EE. Maybe my school is not attracting good people, our EE enrollment is way down.
On the other hand, we do quite well for Chemical Engineering. Especially in the organic chemistry areas where we have some of the top professors in the nation in the department, we have very good enrollment there.
I can't figure out what the problem is, and neither have any of my friends. What does the shashdot crowd think is happening at major American Universities?
Ok ok, so my C is rusty. I have had to program in Java for the past year so it's easy to forget things like that. Sorry to all the C people out there who I thoroughly offended, just trying to have a little fun.
Seems like (nearly) every time a Mac/Intel story pops up, CmdrTaco chimes in with some comment on WoW/Molten Core.
Yup, Taco is definately addicted to that game. Once I played WoW, but being a Level 60 Restoration Druid will wear you out:( Being a healer is hard work and there's lots of it that needs to be done. There's always someone who needed a healer at 3 o'clock in the morning even after I had started playing at 7am the previous morning. I have a ludicriously fast system and never experienced lag in WoW, even when faced with pvp at ogrimmar. I have a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0Ghz (original) with a LOT of RAM and I have Ultra320 SCSI hard disks that go upwards of 270MB/s (that's MB, not Mb).
What I'm trying to get at is that processor is not the entire machine. The MacBook Pro has a significantly better graphics card than its predecessor as well as a faster hard drive and processor. We focus so much on the processor speed that sometimes it blinds us to the other things that effect a computer's performance. All in all, the MacBook Pro seems to be a great upgrade, especially when Adobe and Microsoft come out with Universal Applications. I'd get one if I hadn't pimped out my PowerMac G5 so much T.t <-- crying face.
If you look at the OSX86project.org site you might notice that the only real change is that there are no longer any links to the patches at http://maxxuss.hotbox.ru/ [hotbox.ru]. So don't post a link and you should be fine.
Who else sees the Irony of that post? Hope Apple does not come after slashdot.:)
Really, the poem is a great way for Apple to spread their culture in the hacker community. Just look at Perl poetry: although that is written in Perl, the feeling is the same.
Rather than brute forcing everyone into accepting their Hardware on their OS, they can instead say "Go for it, but you'll not get any tech support." Apple knows it can't totally contain OS X completely, but they are succeeding in keeping OS X out of the mainstream x86 boxen.
This is an example of how new ideas get made and how the market progresses in a way that benefits everyone.:)
The skill to write well is a thousand times more valuable today than most people give it credit for. In a time when so much of our worldwide communication is written, we have to know how to properly build a written message instead of simply writing what we would speak and assume the reader will "get" it. You never know when you might offend someone.
Ah yes, but we in acedamea do not know of this idea you are talking about.:) Sometimes we assume that people are smart and will understand us, certainly that is true in all of my classes. Yet, there are other people who do not understand at first:(, many of whom will remain single for a large part of their lives:(.
As evidence, I site a math class I took where there were many girls who had questions about the material. I understood where they were having problems and I tried to ask a question to clarify the material. Unfortunately, some guy (who will NEVER get a girlfriend with that attitude) said, "IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE, GO TO HIS [instructor's] OFFICE HOURS. Although that comment made me feel like shit:(, the instructor did reproach the poor young soul, saying that questions are ok at any time in his class.
I guess the moral of the story is that everyone is not on the same page as you are, and to get them there, it takes a lot of extra work. In the end, being able to communicate with the jerk in class and the girls both is the ideal situation.:D
Surely Apple's been in the game long enough that they've got something in their IP portfolio to sting AT&T with, and thus enter a cross licensing deal, rather than licensing it straight out?
Exactly. How you play the game is mention a large company that you really have no intension of sueing to frighten smaller companies into giving you money. Since AT&T does so many things with phones, there HAS to be some type of Apple technology (i.e. Newton) that Apple can reverse-blackmail them with.
I was looking through the source code on Apple's 1 Billion dollar site to see if there was a javascript calculator doing the counter, and I found this:
<p class="sosumi">*No purchase necessary to win. <a href="/itunes/1billion/entryform/">Click here</a> to submit a free entry form.</p>
The NYT is probably not the best source for scientific information or unbiased coverage of the government. Rather they were defending their reporter, and they tried to slant NASA's remarks to fit that story.
I don't blame them, but then again they might be digging themselves into a deeper hole with all the commotion this has caused.
I remember from way back then when Steve's yearly salary at Apple was $1.00. Someone asked him why he had such a small salary, and he replied, "So I can get the company's [Apple] health plan." I think that speaks volumes to his personality.
In my part of the USA, we do now know what a "Chav" is. I did some research to educate myself about the world.
My question is, where the hell are the parents of these kids? So many parents are in denial about what their children actually do- if there are even two parents. It sickens me to see lives go to waste like this.
I have to confirm that CompUSA does it too. I filed a rebate 6 months ago and have never seen a check. Sure it might come later, but currently my $40 is unaccounted for. Out of 6 rebates I have applied for, I have only gotten a check for two- not a very good record.
One reason I did not get a rebate was because I "Did not send the UPC, please send the UPC." Well the problem is you have to cut out the UPC and place it in an envelope for God knows where and you never see it again. Basically I did everything correctly but the company I wanted my rebate from said too bad, we're taking your money and your UPC so there's nothing you can do about it.
Now, there are exceptions: Seagate Technologies company rebates are fairly reliable and get done in a timely manner. So far, I have not had a problem with any Seagate purchases.
Just think, Microsoft's own salvation could be its undoing. When Vista ships with EFI support, will Intel Macs boot it? If so, will corporate customers (who like their MS Office and such) decide to say "Dude, you're getting an Apple" instead?
This is a really great story. Here is my example Apple tech support call:
Apple: Hello, Apple Tech Support this is iMac, how can I help you? Nerd: My new iMac Core Duo won't boot up. Apple: Ok, could I get your name and telephone number? Nerd:...Ok (gives name and telephone number) Apple: Hmmm.... Nerd: What? Apple: Have you called about problems with this computer before? Nerd: Yes. It's been very buggy. Apple: I'm showing 10 other tech support calls and 10 replacement iMac's sent to you. Nerd: Yeah, like I said they are really buggy machines. Apple: You know what? Do I look stupid? DO YOU THINK WE WEREN'T TOLD THIS WOULD HAPPEN? Nerd: Well I just.... Apple: (interrupts) Stop messing with the EFI!!! Nerd: But I WANT to boot Windows!! How else am I supposed to do it? Apple: I think we need to start seeing other people. Nerd: What... WHY? Apple: I need some space, and I feel like you can never be honest with me. Nerd: I'm honest with you most of the time.... Apple: It's over guy, get a new girlfrield. Maybe you can go back to Dell, I hear she's available. Nerd: But iMac you are so sexxxy!! You're breaking my heart! Apple: No, you are literally breaking mine. My motherboard > you. (click) (Nerd goes into corner, cries, and calls Dell.) Dell: Hello you have reached Dell Tech Support. Nerd: My iMac just dumped me, I need a friend....
I criticized CmdrTaco the other day and I got blasted for it.... so much for that +5 informative I got earlier in the month about a very similar subject, which happens to be my research field at my college- something few people on slashdot even understand.
--
I'm suprised Steve lets the mods talk with their mouth full.
I think I am on sig revision 5 now, still trying to get something that is intellectually provocative yet appealing to slashdot moderators. I never post as an AC, maybe that is my problem.
I live on a college campus, and every time I go out for class I play "Count the iPods." Last semester I could average about 10iPods/trip, now I see 16iPods/trip. Everyone who does not have an iPod wants an iPod, even if only to sell it on eBay. Apple nailed the college market- I wonder how soon professors will start adopting them?
Slashdot Mirror
That has definately not been my experience from Apple. Apple warrents their products for at least one year (you can buy AppleCare to get more milage). When my expensive display broke, Apple overnighted me a new display, allowing me to return the old one within a week or two at no charge.
I custom ordered a PowerMac G5 and I have had absolutely no problems with Apple's service, even after two repairs. (The broken parts were custom-configured)
Also, if you complain about Apple's service, you should complain about every other company's service. Apple scored the highest in a study done over all the major computer manufacturers. I do not know where you get your stories, but they you are citing an unknown third party who may in turn be a third party- not a good way to back up your claims with concrete facts. Unless you have first-hand experience with Apple Support it is best to stay out of the ring.
To make a long story short, we calculated the point/cost ratio and found out that Virtual PC was the most profitable product to order. Some of my friends just waited 'til xmas and turned the Virtual PC in at CompUSA for store credit. I didn't like this model, so I decided I would sell several copies of Virtual PC over a period of a few months on eBay. Plus, I have a beef about ripping off my employers- I owe no loyalty to MS, so to eBay the VPC went.
It was very profitable: $150-$200 a pop for each boxed and unopened copy of Virtual PC. In leet speak "M$ got pwn3d." It appears that now the era of free Virtual PC is over.
Although technically not software piracy (there was an "agreement" to use the software for personal use, whatever that means), it was a great back door and I was able to buy a nice printer with the money I made, plus save a little for my college education. Thank you Microsoft!
To recap:
Those were the days before I actually had real responsibility...
I have to agree with that statement... we don't have candence working on windows systems, but rather Red Hat Linux. As far as the rest goes, there is a LOT one can do with MATLAB/SIMULINK if they know how to use the software package (and have LOTS of money). That runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac.
Cadence does make a program called OrCAD for Windows only that is decent, but for logic-level applications and designing integrated circuits, pcb's, and other production items OrCAD can't hold a candle to Cadence.
Some of the other Cadence packages include Virtuoso and Allegro, which are very nice.
That said, Cadence is rough around the edges (it uses older GTK on our machines) but it definitely gets the job done.
When will boxxet finally put Zonk out of a job? Surely /. could get better stories with an advanced computer program.
*tongue in cheek*
This is all too true yet some people refuse to accept it. If you program java and don't know that javac does the compiling then you have a significant problem when trying to write more advanced code. It sets up a learning barrier that is often hard to overcome.
It's actually pretty educational to watch a software package written in C compile on the command line- you learn that not only gcc but ld and a little script called libtool are very important in many applications (for *NIX at least). Knowing how to hack these little pieces makes your code more efficient and better as a result.
For example, I noted to a certain professor that there are both compiling and linking stages in a multi-file program. At first he did not believe me, so I told him to ask a CS professor about it. That is one of the biggest barriers to really understanding how code turns into a program.
On the other hand, we do quite well for Chemical Engineering. Especially in the organic chemistry areas where we have some of the top professors in the nation in the department, we have very good enrollment there.
I can't figure out what the problem is, and neither have any of my friends. What does the shashdot crowd think is happening at major American Universities?
Ok ok, so my C is rusty. I have had to program in Java for the past year so it's easy to forget things like that. Sorry to all the C people out there who I thoroughly offended, just trying to have a little fun.
ok
SERVER *SUN;
char HappyNerd[1337];
HappyNerd = sendToBlog(*SUN);
.... :)
Don't forget the & on the other side
Yup, Taco is definately addicted to that game. Once I played WoW, but being a Level 60 Restoration Druid will wear you out :( Being a healer is hard work and there's lots of it that needs to be done. There's always someone who needed a healer at 3 o'clock in the morning even after I had started playing at 7am the previous morning. I have a ludicriously fast system and never experienced lag in WoW, even when faced with pvp at ogrimmar. I have a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0Ghz (original) with a LOT of RAM and I have Ultra320 SCSI hard disks that go upwards of 270MB/s (that's MB, not Mb).
What I'm trying to get at is that processor is not the entire machine. The MacBook Pro has a significantly better graphics card than its predecessor as well as a faster hard drive and processor. We focus so much on the processor speed that sometimes it blinds us to the other things that effect a computer's performance. All in all, the MacBook Pro seems to be a great upgrade, especially when Adobe and Microsoft come out with Universal Applications. I'd get one if I hadn't pimped out my PowerMac G5 so much T.t <-- crying face.
On 3-way iChat: Ballmer: Screw you both! I'm goint to F*ing kill Google!
Who else sees the Irony of that post? Hope Apple does not come after slashdot. :)
Rather than brute forcing everyone into accepting their Hardware on their OS, they can instead say "Go for it, but you'll not get any tech support." Apple knows it can't totally contain OS X completely, but they are succeeding in keeping OS X out of the mainstream x86 boxen.
This is an example of how new ideas get made and how the market progresses in a way that benefits everyone. :)
I bought at X800XT Mac Edition off the shelves last year and if it doesn't support this video encryption crap then I will absolutlely spazz out!
CmdrTaco said "No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame." In this story.
People have given him a hard time ever since T.t <--Crying face
Ah yes, but we in acedamea do not know of this idea you are talking about. :) Sometimes we assume that people are smart and will understand us, certainly that is true in all of my classes. Yet, there are other people who do not understand at first :(, many of whom will remain single for a large part of their lives :(.
As evidence, I site a math class I took where there were many girls who had questions about the material. I understood where they were having problems and I tried to ask a question to clarify the material. Unfortunately, some guy (who will NEVER get a girlfriend with that attitude) said, "IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE, GO TO HIS [instructor's] OFFICE HOURS. Although that comment made me feel like shit :(, the instructor did reproach the poor young soul, saying that questions are ok at any time in his class.
I guess the moral of the story is that everyone is not on the same page as you are, and to get them there, it takes a lot of extra work. In the end, being able to communicate with the jerk in class and the girls both is the ideal situation. :D
Exactly. How you play the game is mention a large company that you really have no intension of sueing to frighten smaller companies into giving you money. Since AT&T does so many things with phones, there HAS to be some type of Apple technology (i.e. Newton) that Apple can reverse-blackmail them with.
I was looking through the source code on Apple's 1 Billion dollar site to see if there was a javascript calculator doing the counter, and I found this:
<p class="sosumi">*No purchase necessary to win. <a href="/itunes/1billion/entryform/">Click here</a> to submit a free entry form.</p>
Sosumi... mmmmm...
I don't blame them, but then again they might be digging themselves into a deeper hole with all the commotion this has caused.
I remember from way back then when Steve's yearly salary at Apple was $1.00. Someone asked him why he had such a small salary, and he replied, "So I can get the company's [Apple] health plan." I think that speaks volumes to his personality.
My question is, where the hell are the parents of these kids? So many parents are in denial about what their children actually do- if there are even two parents. It sickens me to see lives go to waste like this.
I have to confirm that CompUSA does it too. I filed a rebate 6 months ago and have never seen a check. Sure it might come later, but currently my $40 is unaccounted for. Out of 6 rebates I have applied for, I have only gotten a check for two- not a very good record.
One reason I did not get a rebate was because I "Did not send the UPC, please send the UPC." Well the problem is you have to cut out the UPC and place it in an envelope for God knows where and you never see it again. Basically I did everything correctly but the company I wanted my rebate from said too bad, we're taking your money and your UPC so there's nothing you can do about it.
Now, there are exceptions: Seagate Technologies company rebates are fairly reliable and get done in a timely manner. So far, I have not had a problem with any Seagate purchases.
Just think, Microsoft's own salvation could be its undoing. When Vista ships with EFI support, will Intel Macs boot it? If so, will corporate customers (who like their MS Office and such) decide to say "Dude, you're getting an Apple" instead?
This is a really great story. Here is my example Apple tech support call:
...Ok (gives name and telephone number)
Apple: Hello, Apple Tech Support this is iMac, how can I help you?
Nerd: My new iMac Core Duo won't boot up.
Apple: Ok, could I get your name and telephone number?
Nerd:
Apple: Hmmm....
Nerd: What?
Apple: Have you called about problems with this computer before?
Nerd: Yes. It's been very buggy.
Apple: I'm showing 10 other tech support calls and 10 replacement iMac's sent to you.
Nerd: Yeah, like I said they are really buggy machines.
Apple: You know what? Do I look stupid? DO YOU THINK WE WEREN'T TOLD THIS WOULD HAPPEN?
Nerd: Well I just....
Apple: (interrupts) Stop messing with the EFI!!!
Nerd: But I WANT to boot Windows!! How else am I supposed to do it?
Apple: I think we need to start seeing other people.
Nerd: What... WHY?
Apple: I need some space, and I feel like you can never be honest with me.
Nerd: I'm honest with you most of the time....
Apple: It's over guy, get a new girlfrield. Maybe you can go back to Dell, I hear she's available.
Nerd: But iMac you are so sexxxy!! You're breaking my heart!
Apple: No, you are literally breaking mine. My motherboard > you. (click)
(Nerd goes into corner, cries, and calls Dell.)
Dell: Hello you have reached Dell Tech Support.
Nerd: My iMac just dumped me, I need a friend....
--
I'm suprised Steve lets the mods talk with their mouth full.
I think I am on sig revision 5 now, still trying to get something that is intellectually provocative yet appealing to slashdot moderators. I never post as an AC, maybe that is my problem.
I live on a college campus, and every time I go out for class I play "Count the iPods." Last semester I could average about 10iPods/trip, now I see 16iPods/trip. Everyone who does not have an iPod wants an iPod, even if only to sell it on eBay. Apple nailed the college market- I wonder how soon professors will start adopting them?