Perhaps you should listen to the conversations Best Buy sales reps have
Yeah, that's Best Buy for you. Their sales reps are just about as clueless when it comes to the PCs though. Though they love to talk about service contracts! But what about all those Apples sold over the internet? Or at Apple Stores? What about all those consumers that do have a clue and ignore Best Buy drones like the rest of us?
Though, to the Best Buy drone's defense, the one button mouse is pretty damn lame.
It would look cool but there's no reason why a two button + scroll wheel mouse from Apple would cost twice the price of a standard mouse from the PC world bundled with the machine
Okay, I agree that bundling a scroll mouse with the computer is not going to cost Apple much more than a single button mouse. But at retail prices, Apple will jack up the price, like they usually do. Right now, at the Apple store, the standard 1 button corded mouse is $29. I pay about $15 for the USB 3 button scroll wheel Logitech mice that are around here. Since the Mini does not come with a mouse, this is still a big deal.
More interestingly though, Apple apparently sells Kensington and Microsoft(!!!) mice at its store. Click Here.
Personally, I think the reason why Apple sticks with the one button mouse is because if they were to "give in" and release a 2+ button mouse, it would be like saying everyone who's mocked the one button mouse for the last 25 years was right. And Steve Job's ego won't let that happen.
I think the cell phone has already killed the stick shift car market, atleast here in the US. People find they can't talk on the phone and drive a stick at the same time, so they buy a car with an automatic (they should just hang up the phone and drive, but that's another thread). It seems pretty hard to find a stick shift car now that is not a base economy car, or is a not a sports car. And even the latter can be hard to come by.
There are sports sedans that are a stick (such as the Nissan Maxima) - but you pretty much have to buy it new from the dealer. Because they are so rare, you'll have to wait forever for a nice used one to turn up. That's why I ended up getting an automatic for my current car, which I bought about a year ago. I just couldn't something that I liked with the right features and price that was a stick shift.
Flip phones are unreliable. They get broken easier due to them being more flimsy. Even if you baby the thing, it will still go bad as the ribbon cable connecting the halves will wear out from the thing being opened and closed all the time. The "candybar" phones are a much better design.
It is my belief that if Apple finally brought out a two button + scroll wheel mouse, coupled with the always reliable style of Apple, Apple would pick up a lot of sales to the PC market and steal away marketshare from both Logitech and Microsoft, not to mention halt the trend of Mac users buying two button mice from the two previously mentioned companies.
Let me get this straight. You think that a significant reason why people haven't made the switch to Apple is due to the lack of an Apple branded 2 button plus scroll wheel mouse? Are you out of your mind?
Besides, even if Apple did offer such a mouse, it would cost atleast 2-3 times as much as Microsoft's and Logitech's offerings, do less, and be uncomfortable to use. But it would sure look cool.
Why not give away a nice Dual G5 system with the 30 inch cinema display instead of 10 iPods. What would you do with 10 iPods anyway? I mean 1 or 2 iPod's would be nice but 10??
Who would want that? The G5 is yesterday's news. Now, about 4 of those 30" cinema displays would be nice.
Zonealarm seems to be unable to handle a lot of connections or network traffic. Using any kind of P2P program (such as bittorrent) will basically overwhelm Zonealarm. Kerio Personal Firewall is a bit better in this regard, but I find it that it still uses a lot of CPU, though it doesn't leak memory like Zonealarm.
My solution? Install Sygate Personal Firewall. It seems to have the best performance of the freebies, though it's interface is not nearly as nice as Kerio's.
The problem lies mostly with the user. If malware starts coming out for the Mac, these users are going to get infected just like they did on Windows. I don't call that solving the problem.
If they're too poor to buy a new Mac, have them buy a used Mac. A slot-loading gumdrop iMac can run Tiger just fine with 512mb of RAM.
You can't be serious. A gumdrop iMac + upgrade to 512MB of ram + copy of Tiger is probably going to cost them more than the base model $299 PC's.
That's only half the story. What you really have is IIS on Windows vs. Apache on Linux/BSD/MacOS/Windows/AIX/Solaris/whatever else you can get it to compile on. My guess is trying to design something that will affect Apache on all platforms to hit that 60%+ mark is pretty tough.
2.) A custom adbanner blocking HOSTS file with 35,000++ entries in it with known banner ad servers in it (which have been shown in some cases even as bearing malicious javascript etc. in them as well as just plain slowing you down as you surf the web by calling out to DNS' servers for URL to IP resolution & loading their remote data).
Do you have any idea how slow a 35000+ hosts file can make a Windows computer? I tried one of those mega-hosts files, and quickly nuked it because the banner ads slowed down the system considerably less than parsing the hosts file. I then slowly started adding the worst offenders (like doubleclick) back in.
A download is still a download, it's just that in this case the download comes from within the network instead of outside the network -- bandwidth is still used.
The bandwidth problem is the school's limited connection to the rest of the internet. Most schools could care less about the internal LAN bandwidth, as there is usually more than plenty to spare (barring any nasty worm infections).
It just takes one student sys admin with access to the whole freaking library, and there you have it, piracy at it's best.
I don't see what good a crapload of DRM'd WMA files are going to do anyone. Actually, Napster and the school probably wouldn't care if the students are sharing the WMA files. They are only going to play on the student's computers that have Napster anyway, and if the students copy the files from their friends then it will actually save bandwidth.
Maybe you should wake up. Some people are just evil and like to rule others. History is rife with examples. You don't have to do anything wrong to be attacked by people who want power. It is your choice how you respond. I choose to fight back.
Maybe you should wake up. The reason these people attack is because they are "fighting back" against the west which they view as evil because the west is trying to rule them for their own profit. The best thing to do would be to get out of the Middle East and leave them the hell alone to fight amonst themselves.
A lot of the time the Slashdot effect isn't due to bandwidth being exceeded, but rather due to the database server being overloaded on database-driven sites.
Really? I was under the impression that it was mostly due to their webserver catching fire and being engulfed in flames, eventually ending up as a puddle of molten metal on the floor of the server room. But oh well, what do I know anyway?
If you ever pass through Indianapolis, be sure to drive past the 56th and Emerson area on the NE side. There is a homeowner there that puts your "really working class guy" to shame. He has bought 5 houses on adjacent lots, and joined them together into one big super-house.
This thread is no good without pictures.
Re:Mystery of the computer industry
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 1
There is one thing I can't understand: why is Windows so ugly ? Why are non-Apple computers so ugly (yes, Sony's and IBM's PCs are ugly too) ?
It's all a matter of taste. I think Apple has made some damn ugly computers. They also make some nice looking ones. I also think Sony makes some ugly ass PCs too (though they have some decent looking notebooks). I think IBMs with the all black cases with the ribbed plastic are actually pretty cool.
Though overall, I don't care too much about looks. When I go case shopping, I want something that can hold all the guts of my PC plus plenty of room to expand, is reasonably well designed, and isn't offensively ugly (that means no case lights, strange paint jobs, and definently not a window). Because in the end, it's just going to go under a desk and try to not bring attention to itself.
You know, being serious for a sec, I really think MS ought to implement this. With their OS being so ubiquitous, it certainly doesn't help the marketing department to see gigantic billboards, video walls, and huge LCD screens with the BSOD on them all the time. They should put in a feature to just dump the memory to a file and go black.
They already do something like this. The default for XP when it blue screens is to do a small memory dump, write some stuff to the log files, and automatically reboot. That may also be the case with Windows 2000 (don't remember).
Re:Product vs. service, support: Not a Response
on
Longhorn Preview
·
· Score: 1
"I'm looking for a home-OS is for it to be easily compatible with my usual web/mail and games software" Over the years I've found Win 3.x-Win95,98,Me-Win2000-XP to require "upgrades" for all my usual web/mail and games software, which makes it less "easily" compatible.
Well, the reason why you have to upgrade your operating system is because you are upgrading your applications. Old versions of Windows still run old versions of programs just fine. So, it sounds like you're complaining that old versions of Windows can't run new software. Do you really expect Windows 95 to run things like Halflife 2, Firefox 1.1, or MS Office 2003?
We just have trouble making ourselves pay $200+ for an OS that is just as insecure as the one we already are using daily only to get extra "eye-candy".
And who says that Longhorn is going to be insecure? Longhorn could be to security what 2000 was to stability for all we know. That kind of thing tends to not show up very well in screenshots though.
Or maybe some people just like different resolutions. My mother doesn't have the best eyes. Now, I could go around and increase the button sizes, font sizes, and everything else so she can see things at the native resolution. Or I could just drop it down to 800x600. Guess which one I did?
Slashdot Mirror
Perhaps you should listen to the conversations Best Buy sales reps have
Yeah, that's Best Buy for you. Their sales reps are just about as clueless when it comes to the PCs though. Though they love to talk about service contracts! But what about all those Apples sold over the internet? Or at Apple Stores? What about all those consumers that do have a clue and ignore Best Buy drones like the rest of us?
Though, to the Best Buy drone's defense, the one button mouse is pretty damn lame.
It would look cool but there's no reason why a two button + scroll wheel mouse from Apple would cost twice the price of a standard mouse from the PC world bundled with the machine
Okay, I agree that bundling a scroll mouse with the computer is not going to cost Apple much more than a single button mouse. But at retail prices, Apple will jack up the price, like they usually do. Right now, at the Apple store, the standard 1 button corded mouse is $29. I pay about $15 for the USB 3 button scroll wheel Logitech mice that are around here. Since the Mini does not come with a mouse, this is still a big deal.
More interestingly though, Apple apparently sells Kensington and Microsoft(!!!) mice at its store. Click Here.
Personally, I think the reason why Apple sticks with the one button mouse is because if they were to "give in" and release a 2+ button mouse, it would be like saying everyone who's mocked the one button mouse for the last 25 years was right. And Steve Job's ego won't let that happen.
I think the cell phone has already killed the stick shift car market, atleast here in the US. People find they can't talk on the phone and drive a stick at the same time, so they buy a car with an automatic (they should just hang up the phone and drive, but that's another thread). It seems pretty hard to find a stick shift car now that is not a base economy car, or is a not a sports car. And even the latter can be hard to come by.
There are sports sedans that are a stick (such as the Nissan Maxima) - but you pretty much have to buy it new from the dealer. Because they are so rare, you'll have to wait forever for a nice used one to turn up. That's why I ended up getting an automatic for my current car, which I bought about a year ago. I just couldn't something that I liked with the right features and price that was a stick shift.
Note to mods: this joke doesn't work if you don't mod this up funny ;-)
I love these games! I'll take a +5 Interesting please.
Flip phones are unreliable. They get broken easier due to them being more flimsy. Even if you baby the thing, it will still go bad as the ribbon cable connecting the halves will wear out from the thing being opened and closed all the time. The "candybar" phones are a much better design.
It is my belief that if Apple finally brought out a two button + scroll wheel mouse, coupled with the always reliable style of Apple, Apple would pick up a lot of sales to the PC market and steal away marketshare from both Logitech and Microsoft, not to mention halt the trend of Mac users buying two button mice from the two previously mentioned companies.
Let me get this straight. You think that a significant reason why people haven't made the switch to Apple is due to the lack of an Apple branded 2 button plus scroll wheel mouse? Are you out of your mind?
Besides, even if Apple did offer such a mouse, it would cost atleast 2-3 times as much as Microsoft's and Logitech's offerings, do less, and be uncomfortable to use. But it would sure look cool.
Why not give away a nice Dual G5 system with the 30 inch cinema display instead of 10 iPods. What would you do with 10 iPods anyway? I mean 1 or 2 iPod's would be nice but 10??
Who would want that? The G5 is yesterday's news. Now, about 4 of those 30" cinema displays would be nice.
You can probably sell the 10,000 song card on ebay for pretty close to $10,000 which should easily cover your tax bill.
I doubt that. I would rather have $1000 in my pocket than 10,000 songs from iTMS.
Zonealarm seems to be unable to handle a lot of connections or network traffic. Using any kind of P2P program (such as bittorrent) will basically overwhelm Zonealarm. Kerio Personal Firewall is a bit better in this regard, but I find it that it still uses a lot of CPU, though it doesn't leak memory like Zonealarm.
My solution? Install Sygate Personal Firewall. It seems to have the best performance of the freebies, though it's interface is not nearly as nice as Kerio's.
Buy a Mac. Problem solved.
The problem lies mostly with the user. If malware starts coming out for the Mac, these users are going to get infected just like they did on Windows. I don't call that solving the problem.
If they're too poor to buy a new Mac, have them buy a used Mac. A slot-loading gumdrop iMac can run Tiger just fine with 512mb of RAM.
You can't be serious. A gumdrop iMac + upgrade to 512MB of ram + copy of Tiger is probably going to cost them more than the base model $299 PC's.
That's only half the story. What you really have is IIS on Windows vs. Apache on Linux/BSD/MacOS/Windows/AIX/Solaris/whatever else you can get it to compile on. My guess is trying to design something that will affect Apache on all platforms to hit that 60%+ mark is pretty tough.
2.) A custom adbanner blocking HOSTS file with 35,000++ entries in it with known banner ad servers in it (which have been shown in some cases even as bearing malicious javascript etc. in them as well as just plain slowing you down as you surf the web by calling out to DNS' servers for URL to IP resolution & loading their remote data).
Do you have any idea how slow a 35000+ hosts file can make a Windows computer? I tried one of those mega-hosts files, and quickly nuked it because the banner ads slowed down the system considerably less than parsing the hosts file. I then slowly started adding the worst offenders (like doubleclick) back in.
A download is still a download, it's just that in this case the download comes from within the network instead of outside the network -- bandwidth is still used.
The bandwidth problem is the school's limited connection to the rest of the internet. Most schools could care less about the internal LAN bandwidth, as there is usually more than plenty to spare (barring any nasty worm infections).
It just takes one student sys admin with access to the whole freaking library, and there you have it, piracy at it's best.
I don't see what good a crapload of DRM'd WMA files are going to do anyone. Actually, Napster and the school probably wouldn't care if the students are sharing the WMA files. They are only going to play on the student's computers that have Napster anyway, and if the students copy the files from their friends then it will actually save bandwidth.
The college again starts restricting access, expelling students, and other Bad Things(TM) because they don't want legal trouble from the RIAA.
That's pretty much how the school is going to operate towards illegal downloading regardless of whether or not they offer Napster.
Maybe you should wake up. Some people are just evil and like to rule others. History is rife with examples. You don't have to do anything wrong to be attacked by people who want power. It is your choice how you respond. I choose to fight back.
Maybe you should wake up. The reason these people attack is because they are "fighting back" against the west which they view as evil because the west is trying to rule them for their own profit. The best thing to do would be to get out of the Middle East and leave them the hell alone to fight amonst themselves.
But if you had the former, wouldn't the text be sharper?
It's perfectly sharp. The monitor is a CRT (a rather nice Sony Trinitron I might add).
A lot of the time the Slashdot effect isn't due to bandwidth being exceeded, but rather due to the database server being overloaded on database-driven sites.
Really? I was under the impression that it was mostly due to their webserver catching fire and being engulfed in flames, eventually ending up as a puddle of molten metal on the floor of the server room. But oh well, what do I know anyway?
Atleast when you upgrade Opera you don't have to worry about breaking your extensions.
If you ever pass through Indianapolis, be sure to drive past the 56th and Emerson area on the NE side. There is a homeowner there that puts your "really working class guy" to shame. He has bought 5 houses on adjacent lots, and joined them together into one big super-house.
This thread is no good without pictures.
There is one thing I can't understand: why is Windows so ugly ? Why are non-Apple computers so ugly (yes, Sony's and IBM's PCs are ugly too) ?
It's all a matter of taste. I think Apple has made some damn ugly computers. They also make some nice looking ones. I also think Sony makes some ugly ass PCs too (though they have some decent looking notebooks). I think IBMs with the all black cases with the ribbed plastic are actually pretty cool.
Though overall, I don't care too much about looks. When I go case shopping, I want something that can hold all the guts of my PC plus plenty of room to expand, is reasonably well designed, and isn't offensively ugly (that means no case lights, strange paint jobs, and definently not a window). Because in the end, it's just going to go under a desk and try to not bring attention to itself.
You know, being serious for a sec, I really think MS ought to implement this. With their OS being so ubiquitous, it certainly doesn't help the marketing department to see gigantic billboards, video walls, and huge LCD screens with the BSOD on them all the time. They should put in a feature to just dump the memory to a file and go black.
They already do something like this. The default for XP when it blue screens is to do a small memory dump, write some stuff to the log files, and automatically reboot. That may also be the case with Windows 2000 (don't remember).
"I'm looking for a home-OS is for it to be easily compatible with my usual web/mail and games software" Over the years I've found Win 3.x-Win95,98,Me-Win2000-XP to require "upgrades" for all my usual web/mail and games software, which makes it less "easily" compatible.
Well, the reason why you have to upgrade your operating system is because you are upgrading your applications. Old versions of Windows still run old versions of programs just fine. So, it sounds like you're complaining that old versions of Windows can't run new software. Do you really expect Windows 95 to run things like Halflife 2, Firefox 1.1, or MS Office 2003?
We just have trouble making ourselves pay $200+ for an OS that is just as insecure as the one we already are using daily only to get extra "eye-candy".
And who says that Longhorn is going to be insecure? Longhorn could be to security what 2000 was to stability for all we know. That kind of thing tends to not show up very well in screenshots though.
Or maybe some people just like different resolutions. My mother doesn't have the best eyes. Now, I could go around and increase the button sizes, font sizes, and everything else so she can see things at the native resolution. Or I could just drop it down to 800x600. Guess which one I did?
Are you buying the Xbox, or buying a license to use it a certain way?
I don't know about you, but I've never had to sign a contract to buy any game console.