Fine...I'll bring this back on topic. With effective use of Suspend, dimming the LCD, having enough RAM (to keep hdd access down) and the like, you can get a much better battery life out of a system with already respectable battery life.
Now...admittedly, there are systems that will play a full DVD on a single charge, but if this is a priority for you, then you should own two batteries anyway.
In other words though...while the system certainly matters, how you use it can matter more. (Of course, nothing will save you if you get one of those portable systems that are all Desktop hardware shoe-horned into a portable chassis).
Google going down is the first sign of the apocalypse. Now if my wife asks me for sex (the second sign), I'll know the world is going to end...
Re:Dell These Days = Sucks
on
Dell CEO Tells All
·
· Score: 4, Informative
When he finally got it the cmos battery died within a week and the DVD drive failed. He hasn't gotten it fixed because, unlike Apple, you can't simply send the machine back in. They must come to you (as far as I'm aware), and being a high school student, he isn't home when techs are on duty.
If you are able to repair the system yourself, you can always just ask for the parts. Dell will be happy to not have to pay the on-site tech and will just send you the parts. Also, if you have a portable system you can get a return to depot warranty, but honestly, if you view having a technician come out to your house the next business day and repairing your computer to be an inconvenience, then is there any pleasing you?
Oh...they can also come out after 4 or even 5 o'clock well after High School lets out. And if the problem happened in the first 21 days, you could just demand a replacement computer.
...the repair techs don't actually work for Dell and have to do repairs for us we could very well do on our own.
The repair techs used by Dell are contracted pretty much from the companies that everyone elses uses also. Banctec, Qualxserv, Unisys...there are others. Those companies do a thriving business because companies like IBM, Dell, HP/Compaq, Sony and the like contract them. And again, if you think you can handle the repair yourself, Dell will just send you the parts. Of course, if you break the computer while trying to repair you, then you are liable for paying to repair what you damaged, but that's just fair.
Also, if you are a larger company you can have someone certified for Premier Access, then you can just order your own parts, do your own repairs and you aren't liable for breaking a computer while trying to repair it...unless it was intentional.
Honestly...get your facts straight. I wouldn't even normally have bothered to respond, but since someone mod'd you up to Informative...*shrugs*
First of all...you are only talking about a difference of 1,600 employees. Second of all though, that report is from April 13 with data dated back to January.
The interview with Kevin Rollins is much more recent then that. Who is to say that Dell hasn't hired more people in the U.S. in the intervening months? Or for that matter, reduce their workforce abroad?
Maybe Dell can work out a deal where anyone can sell their machines with any o/s preloaded as a ghosted image, provided you send them the CD and you're liable if the image is crap... that would be sweet! Then we could all compete with our favorite o/s's and with wal-mart (to some tiny degree)
Dell already does this. They call it Custom Factory Integration...or Dell+. It costs a fair bit, because interrupting their normal manufacturing process for your special requests is pricy for them. Also, if you have a CFI image they will not provide software support, but then why should they, it's running your image.
This same process can be used to swap out certain hardware components as well. If you want a different Wireless Networking card, you might be able to arrange that through CFI as well.
Yes...but covering up the symptom allows you to stay online long enough to update windows, update your virus protection and clean the virus off the computer. But then, you knew that...you were just being a smart-ass. I can't blame you.
Then you obviously have done no research, you are just talking out of your ass. The Dell Dimension XPS desktop system and Inspiron XPS portable system are both very well respected entries in the gaming market...and they command a significant portion of the market share.
Most of the parts (including the case, mb and power supply) for the Dimension XPS actually come from Dell's upper end Workstation and lower end Server models. The parts used are high quality and very solid, with extremely low failure rates, especially when compared to other gaming systems.
The cases doesn't offer all the customization boasted by many of the manufacturers, however, it is a very functional and aesthetically pleasing case to begin with.
If you look at some of the numbers posted by the Dimension XPS (especially when "tricked out") you will find that it is very competitive in the gaming market.
Let me just say that I am hoping my dream will someday be realized. I imagine a future where the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will allow the one organization in the United States which is still making Nuclear Power Plants...to make some for commercial power production.
It would overjoy me to see the Department of Naval Reactors called in to work with government contractors in the design, construction and staffing of Naval Nuclear Power Plants (built on a larger scale) for civilian power consumption.
The plants themselves could easily be a logical evolution of those plants which are used in Nimitz class aircraft carriers. They already produce a considerable amount of power, combine 4 in one location (instead of the normal loadout of 2) and you have a very respectably sized power plant.
Furthermore, while the Navy would sell this power to other utility companies, the Navy is not charged with making a profit. Corners are not cut. Risks are not taken. The plants themselves would be guarded by Marines along with well armed civilian private security teams.
Is it the perfect solution? No...maybe not, but a Navy nuclear power plant can operate for over a decade without the need to refuel, something no civilian plant can come close to boasting.
Sorry...but I read this through twice, and the thing I kept hearing in my mind was bad 70's porn music. Bowm, Chica, chica Bowm bowm. That would be shakespeare in a whole new light...
She shows a nice map of the radiation levels, but without showing the scale it doesn't mean jack. She has the norm listed as 12-18.
I am guessing that she means millirem per hour, but I honestly have no idea. Anyone know?
Actually, Dell pushes tons of research and development. It's just not done in house.
When Dell squeezes more features into a portable, desktop, pda or server, how do you think they do it? They go to their vendors and tell them what they want a product to be able to do, then their vendors trip over themselves to develop just that very thing so Dell will buy it.
That alone has spurred more change and inovation in the computer industry then most people would believe.
Also, if you have a Dell portable system, you can contact Tech Support and get any part numbers you may need. Then they can transfer you to spare parts where you can purchase any replacement parts you may need or want. Including down to component plastics like bezels, memory doors, etc.
And yes, Complete Care covers everything except for Loss, Theft or the system being involved in a building fire. As long as it was an accident (not intentional) it's covered. I've seen systems with bullet holes replaced for Police Departments.
Just have your wireless devices set to a DMZ that opens to one page, a VPN portal. Then you have a wireless connection, with VPN providing your security. Voila...a little bit more cumbersome, but isn't your network integrity worth it?
I would like to see the Department of Naval Reactors, in conjuction with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy be contracted to design, build, man and run nuclear power plants for commercial power consumption. Then turn around and sell that power to the utilities companies.
They already buy power from one another on a regular basis and the more importantly the track record of the U.S. Navy in Nuclear Power useage is impeccable. The training program, security, design protocols, safety record and tradition of excellence make them the only people in the world I would trust 100% to run a nuclear power plant.
Dell still sells Truemobile 1150 mini-pci cards (which are only certified to work in Dell portable systems with a mini-pci slot) and Truemobile 1150 pcmcia cards. You can buy those through the Dell website or through sales.
They are both using the older Lucent chipset which has an abundance of available cross platform drivers (like Linux). On a side note, it is also probably one of the best wireless chipsets ever made, even if it is pushing 3 years old. These are 802.11b.
As for Broadcom not coughing up info or cooperating for Linux drivers...I've heard one explanation that makes sense. Their chipset is the same one used in all of their wireless products which also have military and industrial applications, and any opensource driver would allow users to adjust the chipset into frequencies not allowed by the FCC, for which Broadcom could be held responsible.
The 2.4GHz unlicensed band has 3 non-overlapping channels (1, 6 and 11). You can use up to three DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) devices in the same location without them interfering with one another to a great extent. This would include one or more Wi-Fi networks, 2.4GHz cordless phones (that use DSSS, not FHSS), Baby Monitor, etc.
Anytime you have more than three devices co-located some of them are going to interfere with one another. That interference is going to either degrade your connection speed or it's going to prevent you from being able to connect all together.
If this 108Mbps technology is truly setup to use channel 5 and 6, then Broadcom is right. It is going to interfere with 2/3's of the available non-overlapping channels.
On a quick side note, because wireless connections do not have collision detection, they have to rely on collision avoidance. Once a packet is sent the receiving station has to reply with a receipt acknowledgement before more data is sent, this basically works to cut the actual data transfer rate in half, not that it matters anyway, since almost all wireless networks are used for internet access from ISP's that are lucky to break 3Mbps.
Back to my point though...if you have a wireless network, then be a conscientious wireless user and keep to channels 1, 6 or 11. You can also use the site survey software that came with your wireless adapters to find out what channel other nearby users have occupied already so you can avoid those. Additionally, if you buy other wireless products, avoid the 2.4GHz band if you can. If you must get a 2.4GHz cordless phone or baby monitor then do your homework and strictly avoid those devices which use FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) - they are frequency hogs which have a tendency to kill other wireless devices.
Craenor - Senior Wireless Networking Specialist for Dell, Inc.
Like I said, I don't really know anything about projectors. But this is better quality than anything I have ever seen in a home theatre system. Forget plasma, forget HDTV, forget bigscreen TV's...the projector blew them all away. Crisp, beautiful picture. Bright, vibrant colors, no hesitations or delays in the image quality. I can't recommend it enough. If every projector is like this, everybody should own one.
Slashdot Mirror
Eventually, some new technology such as fuel cell will enable us to have our cake (lotsa features) and eat it too (very long battery life).
Totally off-topic here...but the original quote was, "You can eat your cake and have it too."
Makes a lot more sense, eh?
Fine...I'll bring this back on topic. With effective use of Suspend, dimming the LCD, having enough RAM (to keep hdd access down) and the like, you can get a much better battery life out of a system with already respectable battery life.
Now...admittedly, there are systems that will play a full DVD on a single charge, but if this is a priority for you, then you should own two batteries anyway.
In other words though...while the system certainly matters, how you use it can matter more. (Of course, nothing will save you if you get one of those portable systems that are all Desktop hardware shoe-horned into a portable chassis).
Damn...did I forget to put in the *sarcasm* html tag again? ...crud, gotta use that preview thing.
That if you leave it in suspend the whole time, or bettery yet HIBERNATE...you can get it to last for days.
To make the, "How do you like them Apples?" crack...
Sadly, that's not a sign of the Apocalypse, that's the sign that it's Monday.
Google going down is the first sign of the apocalypse. Now if my wife asks me for sex (the second sign), I'll know the world is going to end...
When he finally got it the cmos battery died within a week and the DVD drive failed. He hasn't gotten it fixed because, unlike Apple, you can't simply send the machine back in. They must come to you (as far as I'm aware), and being a high school student, he isn't home when techs are on duty.
...the repair techs don't actually work for Dell and have to do repairs for us we could very well do on our own.
If you are able to repair the system yourself, you can always just ask for the parts. Dell will be happy to not have to pay the on-site tech and will just send you the parts. Also, if you have a portable system you can get a return to depot warranty, but honestly, if you view having a technician come out to your house the next business day and repairing your computer to be an inconvenience, then is there any pleasing you?
Oh...they can also come out after 4 or even 5 o'clock well after High School lets out. And if the problem happened in the first 21 days, you could just demand a replacement computer.
The repair techs used by Dell are contracted pretty much from the companies that everyone elses uses also. Banctec, Qualxserv, Unisys...there are others. Those companies do a thriving business because companies like IBM, Dell, HP/Compaq, Sony and the like contract them. And again, if you think you can handle the repair yourself, Dell will just send you the parts. Of course, if you break the computer while trying to repair you, then you are liable for paying to repair what you damaged, but that's just fair.
Also, if you are a larger company you can have someone certified for Premier Access, then you can just order your own parts, do your own repairs and you aren't liable for breaking a computer while trying to repair it...unless it was intentional.
Honestly...get your facts straight. I wouldn't even normally have bothered to respond, but since someone mod'd you up to Informative...*shrugs*
First of all...you are only talking about a difference of 1,600 employees. Second of all though, that report is from April 13 with data dated back to January.
The interview with Kevin Rollins is much more recent then that. Who is to say that Dell hasn't hired more people in the U.S. in the intervening months? Or for that matter, reduce their workforce abroad?
Maybe Dell can work out a deal where anyone can sell their machines with any o/s preloaded as a ghosted image, provided you send them the CD and you're liable if the image is crap... that would be sweet! Then we could all compete with our favorite o/s's and with wal-mart (to some tiny degree)
Dell already does this. They call it Custom Factory Integration...or Dell+. It costs a fair bit, because interrupting their normal manufacturing process for your special requests is pricy for them. Also, if you have a CFI image they will not provide software support, but then why should they, it's running your image.
This same process can be used to swap out certain hardware components as well. If you want a different Wireless Networking card, you might be able to arrange that through CFI as well.
Yes...but covering up the symptom allows you to stay online long enough to update windows, update your virus protection and clean the virus off the computer. But then, you knew that...you were just being a smart-ass. I can't blame you.
Problem pretty much solved.
If you want though, before you ever plug in the network cable, you can:
Craenor
Then you obviously have done no research, you are just talking out of your ass. The Dell Dimension XPS desktop system and Inspiron XPS portable system are both very well respected entries in the gaming market...and they command a significant portion of the market share.
Most of the parts (including the case, mb and power supply) for the Dimension XPS actually come from Dell's upper end Workstation and lower end Server models. The parts used are high quality and very solid, with extremely low failure rates, especially when compared to other gaming systems.
The cases doesn't offer all the customization boasted by many of the manufacturers, however, it is a very functional and aesthetically pleasing case to begin with.
If you look at some of the numbers posted by the Dimension XPS (especially when "tricked out") you will find that it is very competitive in the gaming market.
Let me just say that I am hoping my dream will someday be realized. I imagine a future where the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will allow the one organization in the United States which is still making Nuclear Power Plants...to make some for commercial power production.
It would overjoy me to see the Department of Naval Reactors called in to work with government contractors in the design, construction and staffing of Naval Nuclear Power Plants (built on a larger scale) for civilian power consumption.
The plants themselves could easily be a logical evolution of those plants which are used in Nimitz class aircraft carriers. They already produce a considerable amount of power, combine 4 in one location (instead of the normal loadout of 2) and you have a very respectably sized power plant.
Furthermore, while the Navy would sell this power to other utility companies, the Navy is not charged with making a profit. Corners are not cut. Risks are not taken. The plants themselves would be guarded by Marines along with well armed civilian private security teams.
Is it the perfect solution? No...maybe not, but a Navy nuclear power plant can operate for over a decade without the need to refuel, something no civilian plant can come close to boasting.
Oh well...I keep hoping...
You have obviously never been shopping with my wife...
'Hot' Hotspots?
Sorry...but I read this through twice, and the thing I kept hearing in my mind was bad 70's porn music. Bowm, Chica, chica Bowm bowm. That would be shakespeare in a whole new light...
She shows a nice map of the radiation levels, but without showing the scale it doesn't mean jack. She has the norm listed as 12-18.
I am guessing that she means millirem per hour, but I honestly have no idea. Anyone know?
Actually, Dell pushes tons of research and development. It's just not done in house.
When Dell squeezes more features into a portable, desktop, pda or server, how do you think they do it? They go to their vendors and tell them what they want a product to be able to do, then their vendors trip over themselves to develop just that very thing so Dell will buy it.
That alone has spurred more change and inovation in the computer industry then most people would believe.
Also, if you have a Dell portable system, you can contact Tech Support and get any part numbers you may need. Then they can transfer you to spare parts where you can purchase any replacement parts you may need or want. Including down to component plastics like bezels, memory doors, etc.
And yes, Complete Care covers everything except for Loss, Theft or the system being involved in a building fire. As long as it was an accident (not intentional) it's covered. I've seen systems with bullet holes replaced for Police Departments.
Just have your wireless devices set to a DMZ that opens to one page, a VPN portal. Then you have a wireless connection, with VPN providing your security. Voila...a little bit more cumbersome, but isn't your network integrity worth it?
I would like to see the Department of Naval Reactors, in conjuction with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Navy be contracted to design, build, man and run nuclear power plants for commercial power consumption. Then turn around and sell that power to the utilities companies.
They already buy power from one another on a regular basis and the more importantly the track record of the U.S. Navy in Nuclear Power useage is impeccable. The training program, security, design protocols, safety record and tradition of excellence make them the only people in the world I would trust 100% to run a nuclear power plant.
Dell still sells Truemobile 1150 mini-pci cards (which are only certified to work in Dell portable systems with a mini-pci slot) and Truemobile 1150 pcmcia cards. You can buy those through the Dell website or through sales.
They are both using the older Lucent chipset which has an abundance of available cross platform drivers (like Linux). On a side note, it is also probably one of the best wireless chipsets ever made, even if it is pushing 3 years old. These are 802.11b.
As for Broadcom not coughing up info or cooperating for Linux drivers...I've heard one explanation that makes sense. Their chipset is the same one used in all of their wireless products which also have military and industrial applications, and any opensource driver would allow users to adjust the chipset into frequencies not allowed by the FCC, for which Broadcom could be held responsible.
The 2.4GHz unlicensed band has 3 non-overlapping channels (1, 6 and 11). You can use up to three DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) devices in the same location without them interfering with one another to a great extent. This would include one or more Wi-Fi networks, 2.4GHz cordless phones (that use DSSS, not FHSS), Baby Monitor, etc.
Anytime you have more than three devices co-located some of them are going to interfere with one another. That interference is going to either degrade your connection speed or it's going to prevent you from being able to connect all together.
If this 108Mbps technology is truly setup to use channel 5 and 6, then Broadcom is right. It is going to interfere with 2/3's of the available non-overlapping channels.
On a quick side note, because wireless connections do not have collision detection, they have to rely on collision avoidance. Once a packet is sent the receiving station has to reply with a receipt acknowledgement before more data is sent, this basically works to cut the actual data transfer rate in half, not that it matters anyway, since almost all wireless networks are used for internet access from ISP's that are lucky to break 3Mbps.
Back to my point though...if you have a wireless network, then be a conscientious wireless user and keep to channels 1, 6 or 11. You can also use the site survey software that came with your wireless adapters to find out what channel other nearby users have occupied already so you can avoid those. Additionally, if you buy other wireless products, avoid the 2.4GHz band if you can. If you must get a 2.4GHz cordless phone or baby monitor then do your homework and strictly avoid those devices which use FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) - they are frequency hogs which have a tendency to kill other wireless devices.
Craenor - Senior Wireless Networking Specialist for Dell, Inc.
Like I said, I don't really know anything about projectors. But this is better quality than anything I have ever seen in a home theatre system. Forget plasma, forget HDTV, forget bigscreen TV's...the projector blew them all away. Crisp, beautiful picture. Bright, vibrant colors, no hesitations or delays in the image quality. I can't recommend it enough. If every projector is like this, everybody should own one.