We've had DirecTV sicne December 2000 and it's been great, haven't had a single outage that lasted longer than a minute (i think we only had it twice because of those pesky solar flares). We have 4 DTV boxes, one is a TiVo, one is a RCA HD receiver, and two are Sony SAT-B55s. They all work great, and the sony set top boxes have no problem being controlled by Windows Media Center.
I'd recommend DirecTV in a heartbeat, their service is excellent and their customer support is also excellent; I've only ever had one technical question and it was solved in a 5 minute call to them (almost no hold time).
I'd rather support Microsoft. They're products are much more reliable than Sony's. Anyone ever used a VAIO or a first-gen PS2? Poorly made junk.
I have a $2800 VAIO paperweight on my desk next to me that sony refused to replace the HDD in. They had previously replaced the LCD and DVDROM drive. In my old HP Pavilion 8490 the Sony DVDROM drive failed after about two and a half years of very little use.
Disc Read Errors plague the first generation PS2. Mine has started to have it badly. TechTV has a fairly quick fix for it that seems to work but the problem does eventually come back. It was fixed in later generation models.
Oh and I had a Sony desktop CD player that stopped playing CDs after about a year of light use. I'm very unimpressed by them so far.
I think laptops are actually in general more ergonomic, at least it feels that way to me. Of course, I have to compare my laptop (sitting on my desk head on) to my desktop, which has a CRT that has to sit on my desk to the side because of the size of the tube.
The first thing that makes laptops more ergonomic is the monitor. If you are looking head on with the monitor while typing, which is exactly what you do when you use a laptop because you have to (It's not like you can unmount the monitor and move it.), you are reducing neck strain. Also, the fact that you are using an LCD monitor helps (flicker, eye strain); although a lot of people are making the move to desktop LCDs (smart decision; CRTs are killers for numerous reasons but that's not what we're talking about here).
Laptop keyboards seem to have an easier action to the keys. They require less force to push down and thus you can even type faster (imho).
Key placement is a big issue. Wouldn't the world be great if we all used dvorak? Well. Maybe not. But the "accessory" keys (the keys that aren't letters, numbers, or the space bar) should be thoughtfully placed. I have a Toshiba P15-S479 and I have noticed that all the Toshiba laptops move the keys around a bit.
My favourite Toshiba keyboard difference is the placement of the windows logo key. I primarily use it in the "Win+M" mode so having it in the top right corner means I only need one hand to use that function. The fact that there is a separator between the number and F keys that is small, yet large enough to keep your fingers from going astray, also reduces the need to "reach" for the keys.
I think the largest benefit of laptop keyboard is you don't have to reach for anything. All the keys are close together and even the mouse is right beneath the keyboard when you're using a touchpad.
I used to carry around a USB mouse all the time because of my hatred for the touchpad but I've been using it more often and it has actually been really nice. It's quicker to access when you are typing a document in Word for example and need to access the menu buttons a lot. And the fact that you can click by tapping the touchpad is also great because it means you can navigate your computer using only one finger instead of involving your thumb and making your hand twist at an odd angle (try it).
Overall I think laptops are pretty ergonomic, even though they get such a bad reputation for being bad. Using a laptop actually on your lap, say on a couch, is also beneficial because you're whole body is relaxed. Even if it didn't ease the wrist pain I think using a laptop in the comfort of a deck chair or fireside (ok, maybe tv-side) couch just makes me happier and more productive.
But I've always been an advocate of the "do what you find to be best for you and not what someone else finds is best for everyone" philosophy. So, if you have a laptop, try surfing from the couch for awhile. It might just grow on you. (WiFi networking helps)
Sorry for my long comment, I hope it made some sense.
I think there is a market for me too products. One that hasn't been explored much, the home market. The market for grandparents and little kids who don't know too much about computers. Something sort of like Microsoft Bob was supposed to be (but obviously done right).
Integrate Office-like applications geared for the home market instead of big corporations. I mean how many grandparents do you think need powerpoint?
I know there is MS Works and MS Money and Outlook Express and MSN Messenger and all these individual little applications but computer-illiterate people don't necessarily knwo how to work them.
I see these ads all the time for comptuer tutoring software for computer-illiterate people. Showing people how to use things like Excel and work Windows Explorer. Why not, instead of making these people learn the corporate version of a piece of software, make a piece of software designed for them with ease-of-use in mind.
Sorry for the long, fairly offtopic rant, but I thought somebody should say it.
Oh, and if you are thinking of making my idea, please go ahead and tell me when you're done, I need to buy two copies for each of my parents...
I think that this idea could really spark a nice little company. I think that slashdot readers are some of the most technologically savvy on the planet and if you stuck a bunch of them together in front of a typewriter (or compiler as the case may be) they could write war and peace.
In two years I'd love to see this proposed group of slashdot readers making some cool software that could compete with the big boys. I know I'd buy it!
It's a Toshiba P15-S479. It has an outboard TV Tuner via USB2. The 17" toshiba MCE laptop has the tv tuner built in, but that thing is just way too massive.
1) My XPMCE laptop boots in about 20-30 seconds, much faster than my XP Pro desktop or SuSE 9 desktop.
2) Does it really matter? I mean, in the home environment (I hope to god our corporations aren't stupid enough to buy MCEs for workstations) what is 45 seconds at maximum to wait for the computer to boot. If you REALLY need your computer to boot that fast then just put it into standby or hibernation - both options are excellent and give you almost instant gratification. Standby in my MCE laptop takes about 1.5 seconds to get up and running and coming back from hibernation takes about 5-6 seconds.
Re:treat code like a book
on
Perens on Patents
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
I've always said patents are for things and copyrights are for thoughts. Being as software is not a thing, it is data that you can't pick up and hold in your hand and look at and smell and feel (unless printed, but that would be ink and paper).
You can pick up a book and smell it and feel it but it smells and feels the same is the book that was sitting next to it on the shelf and the book that sat next to that book. The story contained within the book, of course is different than the one in the book next to it.
You can treat software the same way. Unless you have something physical, it shouldn't be patent-able.
Right now, I'm connected at 19.2Kbps. I've done everything to make my surfing more tolerable. I browse using Mozilla or Opera due to their speed; and sites that aren't compatible with either one I dump like a bag of rocks.
This is just going to be worse. Luckily Mozilla Firebird doesnt seem to handle most of Microsoft's little built in web browsing "features" so hopefully I'll be safe.
And another thing; I like the way they say it can't be blocked using pop up blockers. Give the 'net community two weeks and there'll be 20 pieces of software for every flavour of browser and OS to abolish the unwanted media.
But don't get me wrong, I know a lot of sites go under because they can't keep the lights on and the drives spinning. I think interstitials are the best way of advertising. They don't put strain on your system or annoy you with more windows. They only last 10-15 seconds. And they're quick to load. If you're a website and you choose interstitials, good on you mate.
I certainly would put five bucks in the jar if I used it once. Of course, I'd like to see A/G used, my laptop has support for A/B/G and I think we need to see more A access points around because I find the overall experience to be better with A than with G. And B is just sooo 2003;-)
I sent off my voucher three days ago and I think when I get it back I'm going to buy a copy of Mandrake and a nice new flat panel monitor. I never knew there would actually be a benefit to being a previously loyal money-losing microsoft customer.
Slashdot Mirror
We've had DirecTV sicne December 2000 and it's been great, haven't had a single outage that lasted longer than a minute (i think we only had it twice because of those pesky solar flares). We have 4 DTV boxes, one is a TiVo, one is a RCA HD receiver, and two are Sony SAT-B55s. They all work great, and the sony set top boxes have no problem being controlled by Windows Media Center.
I'd recommend DirecTV in a heartbeat, their service is excellent and their customer support is also excellent; I've only ever had one technical question and it was solved in a 5 minute call to them (almost no hold time).
Hope this helps in your considerations!
I have a $2800 VAIO paperweight on my desk next to me that sony refused to replace the HDD in. They had previously replaced the LCD and DVDROM drive. In my old HP Pavilion 8490 the Sony DVDROM drive failed after about two and a half years of very little use.
Disc Read Errors plague the first generation PS2. Mine has started to have it badly. TechTV has a fairly quick fix for it that seems to work but the problem does eventually come back. It was fixed in later generation models.
Oh and I had a Sony desktop CD player that stopped playing CDs after about a year of light use. I'm very unimpressed by them so far.
I think laptops are actually in general more ergonomic, at least it feels that way to me. Of course, I have to compare my laptop (sitting on my desk head on) to my desktop, which has a CRT that has to sit on my desk to the side because of the size of the tube.
The first thing that makes laptops more ergonomic is the monitor. If you are looking head on with the monitor while typing, which is exactly what you do when you use a laptop because you have to (It's not like you can unmount the monitor and move it.), you are reducing neck strain. Also, the fact that you are using an LCD monitor helps (flicker, eye strain); although a lot of people are making the move to desktop LCDs (smart decision; CRTs are killers for numerous reasons but that's not what we're talking about here).
Laptop keyboards seem to have an easier action to the keys. They require less force to push down and thus you can even type faster (imho).
Key placement is a big issue. Wouldn't the world be great if we all used dvorak? Well. Maybe not. But the "accessory" keys (the keys that aren't letters, numbers, or the space bar) should be thoughtfully placed. I have a Toshiba P15-S479 and I have noticed that all the Toshiba laptops move the keys around a bit.
My favourite Toshiba keyboard difference is the placement of the windows logo key. I primarily use it in the "Win+M" mode so having it in the top right corner means I only need one hand to use that function. The fact that there is a separator between the number and F keys that is small, yet large enough to keep your fingers from going astray, also reduces the need to "reach" for the keys.
I think the largest benefit of laptop keyboard is you don't have to reach for anything. All the keys are close together and even the mouse is right beneath the keyboard when you're using a touchpad.
I used to carry around a USB mouse all the time because of my hatred for the touchpad but I've been using it more often and it has actually been really nice. It's quicker to access when you are typing a document in Word for example and need to access the menu buttons a lot. And the fact that you can click by tapping the touchpad is also great because it means you can navigate your computer using only one finger instead of involving your thumb and making your hand twist at an odd angle (try it).
Overall I think laptops are pretty ergonomic, even though they get such a bad reputation for being bad. Using a laptop actually on your lap, say on a couch, is also beneficial because you're whole body is relaxed. Even if it didn't ease the wrist pain I think using a laptop in the comfort of a deck chair or fireside (ok, maybe tv-side) couch just makes me happier and more productive.
But I've always been an advocate of the "do what you find to be best for you and not what someone else finds is best for everyone" philosophy. So, if you have a laptop, try surfing from the couch for awhile. It might just grow on you. (WiFi networking helps)
Sorry for my long comment, I hope it made some sense.
I think there is a market for me too products. One that hasn't been explored much, the home market. The market for grandparents and little kids who don't know too much about computers. Something sort of like Microsoft Bob was supposed to be (but obviously done right).
Integrate Office-like applications geared for the home market instead of big corporations. I mean how many grandparents do you think need powerpoint?
I know there is MS Works and MS Money and Outlook Express and MSN Messenger and all these individual little applications but computer-illiterate people don't necessarily knwo how to work them.
I see these ads all the time for comptuer tutoring software for computer-illiterate people. Showing people how to use things like Excel and work Windows Explorer. Why not, instead of making these people learn the corporate version of a piece of software, make a piece of software designed for them with ease-of-use in mind.
Sorry for the long, fairly offtopic rant, but I thought somebody should say it.
Oh, and if you are thinking of making my idea, please go ahead and tell me when you're done, I need to buy two copies for each of my parents...
I think that this idea could really spark a nice little company. I think that slashdot readers are some of the most technologically savvy on the planet and if you stuck a bunch of them together in front of a typewriter (or compiler as the case may be) they could write war and peace.
In two years I'd love to see this proposed group of slashdot readers making some cool software that could compete with the big boys. I know I'd buy it!
Nomadix has a building just down the road from where I live in Wesltake Village, CA. Always wondered what they did...
It's a Toshiba P15-S479. It has an outboard TV Tuner via USB2. The 17" toshiba MCE laptop has the tv tuner built in, but that thing is just way too massive.
1) My XPMCE laptop boots in about 20-30 seconds, much faster than my XP Pro desktop or SuSE 9 desktop.
2) Does it really matter? I mean, in the home environment (I hope to god our corporations aren't stupid enough to buy MCEs for workstations) what is 45 seconds at maximum to wait for the computer to boot. If you REALLY need your computer to boot that fast then just put it into standby or hibernation - both options are excellent and give you almost instant gratification. Standby in my MCE laptop takes about 1.5 seconds to get up and running and coming back from hibernation takes about 5-6 seconds.
I've always said patents are for things and copyrights are for thoughts. Being as software is not a thing, it is data that you can't pick up and hold in your hand and look at and smell and feel (unless printed, but that would be ink and paper).
You can pick up a book and smell it and feel it but it smells and feels the same is the book that was sitting next to it on the shelf and the book that sat next to that book. The story contained within the book, of course is different than the one in the book next to it.
You can treat software the same way. Unless you have something physical, it shouldn't be patent-able.
I cannot write about perl For I do not know it and fear it'll make me hurl
My parents bought me land on the moon for xmas. *big evil grin*
Right now, I'm connected at 19.2Kbps. I've done everything to make my surfing more tolerable. I browse using Mozilla or Opera due to their speed; and sites that aren't compatible with either one I dump like a bag of rocks.
This is just going to be worse. Luckily Mozilla Firebird doesnt seem to handle most of Microsoft's little built in web browsing "features" so hopefully I'll be safe.
And another thing; I like the way they say it can't be blocked using pop up blockers. Give the 'net community two weeks and there'll be 20 pieces of software for every flavour of browser and OS to abolish the unwanted media.
But don't get me wrong, I know a lot of sites go under because they can't keep the lights on and the drives spinning. I think interstitials are the best way of advertising. They don't put strain on your system or annoy you with more windows. They only last 10-15 seconds. And they're quick to load. If you're a website and you choose interstitials, good on you mate.
'nuff said
I'll still be looking forward to it either way.
I certainly would put five bucks in the jar if I used it once. Of course, I'd like to see A/G used, my laptop has support for A/B/G and I think we need to see more A access points around because I find the overall experience to be better with A than with G. And B is just sooo 2003 ;-)
I sent off my voucher three days ago and I think when I get it back I'm going to buy a copy of Mandrake and a nice new flat panel monitor. I never knew there would actually be a benefit to being a previously loyal money-losing microsoft customer.