Waiting until it "just works" probably won't work. Macs "just work" yet they have a small market share. With the switch to Intels and because of Bootcamp, more are using Macs now but it still is playing catchup.
It will probably also take away some of the shine from OS X as Vista is a good step forward, too.
Activation and WGA are forcing me to leave Windows behind and switch to Macs. While I believe in innocence before guilt MS believe I should have to prove my innocence.
The interesting question will be, what happens when M$ stops (re)activating WinXP installs? I guess that laptop I've been contemplating will be a Mac; Apple is almost as evil, but less grossly incompetent than M$ these days.
Well, if you're going to wait for MS to stop supporting XP before you get a Macbook then you have at least a few years left. Last I heard was that MS didn't stop supporting an OS until a few years after it was last sold by MS. Me, I'm not waiting that long. Though I'm a Windows user because of MS's requirement to Activate Windows as well as WGA I have decided to make my next laptop a Macbook Pro which I hope to order in a couple of weeks. I believe in innocence before proven guilty but MS wants you, the user, to prove you're innocent.
How can Microsoft simultaneously focus on their large enterprise customers (who have hundreds of thousands of end users) and simultaneously stop focusing on end users?
How? The end users, employees of the large enterprise customers, aren't the ones who decide what to get. Those who get to make that decision ar either IT or some executives.
Second: why would it be a negative to fucus on security and SW quality?
The negative isn't about security, not directly at least. It's about constantly being negged by so called security alerts. Once a user reachs the point of being negged too much then they may turn off all alerts and there goes security out of the window.
Stop me if I'm wrong, but the "largest enterprise customers" are end users. They are not all end users, but they are end users nonetheless.
Actually the "largest enterprise customers" aren't the end users, the end users are the enterprise employees that have to use the system they are given to use. I doubt the actual end users decide what system to get, more than likely it's the IT department or some executive that makes the decision on what to buy.
If this was 5 years ago you would be more accurate. Nexium is the best in it's class? I would like to see some citations. There are plenty of competitors that work just as well. I suffer from acid reflux and pretty much every competitor to nexium works just fine.
Nexium, "The Purple Pill", is a reformulation of Omeprazole or (Prilosec). It's patent was running out so the company that makes it reformulated the drug so it could have a new patent. I was given a proscription for Prilosec to treat Gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD.
When I was seriously ill a few years back, my doctors (who were outstanding btw) encouraged me to do research on my own. I scoured medical databases and brought that info to my doctors, who helped me sort through it. I think it elevated the quality of my care, and it made me feel like I retained some control over a scary illness.
As I'm a survivor of a Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI, I've been "ill" for more than ten year, and the last doc I saw encouraged me to do some research as well as your's did. Unfortunately because of her schedule she didn't have enough tyme so we could spend tyme talking about health, maybe that's why she wanted me to do research myself.
And I would consider it a "modern anachronism" that this wasn't computerized, everywhere, a long, long time ago. I shouldn't have to rely solely on a human "remembering" a dangerous combo. That's what databases are for.
Actually there are computerized databases. One such is Physician's Desk Reference, PDR. All doctors' offices should have the book. I myself have gone to the bookstore to lookup every drug I've been given in the PDR.
Why are doctors so resistant to modernization, i.e., accepting that they aren't gods?
Many realize they don't know everything, but like everything else a person buys, they should know what they are buying. Visit several docs until you find the one you like. Of course that cost money many can't afford.
If doctors didn't need marketing, but always prescribed whatever is best supported by the medical literature that they spend hours a day reading, then nobody would waste money on marketing in the first place.
Ah, but marketing doesn't tell, or let, the doctor know what drug is best. The best way for them to know is by reading or attending conferences that aren't drug supported. Though she's only a lab tech in a hospital my mother has to take classes regularly to keep her job. These classes are another method docs learn about new drugs.
you can debate taking one pill vs another, but I'm sure most doctors would steer their patients in the right direction if it made a big difference
I had this happen to me, my doc had me on one drug but changed it to anohter drug when I got a new insurnace policy. I asked her why she switched drugs and she said my new insurance didn't cover the old drug.
Don't forget about the government funded R&D that big pharmaceutical companies often get exclusive rights to.
Like Taxol. The National Institute of Cancer (NCI) spent $183 million developing Taxol for chemotherapy for cancer only to sale exclusive rights to the data the NCI generated to Bristol-Myers Squibb, BMS for $43 million. In 2000 BMS made almost $1 billion in sales of Taxol. Taxol costs less than $1 per dose to make yet treatment cost several thousand dollars.
Problem is, if you buy a $250 system, you're getting a $40 motherboard at best (that's what the lowest-end mobos usually cost), and a $19 power supply, so the foundation is already weak. It's probably good enough if you only expect about 3 years worth of service from it and don't plan to upgrade...
Because I'm on disability and don't work, I have to watch how much I spend. I simply couldn't afford to pay several hundred dollars for a computer. Well I might of been able to but I was also waiting for Apple to release the Macbook Pro with the Core 2 Duo cpu which I then planned on getting.
as you already found, you had to pay more to upgrade it to a reasonable level than it would have cost to start with a better system, which in turn would have better longevity and a longer upgrade path.
The computer the new system replaces isn't exactly a cheap no name brand, it's an HP Pavillion. In the first year I had to have the hdd and motherboard replaced. Since then I've had to replace the ram twice.
WorstBuy and similar national megastore chains are hideously expensive for components.
I've bought a couple of hdds from Best Buy, and a second video card for a dual monitor setup, but that's it for components. However I did get my HP there, with an extended warranty which came in handy. I would like to support small local shoppes however I don't know of any around where I live.
If you're comfy with mail-order,
I'm not. I'd rather support local businesses, but also I want a brick and mortor location I can go to for help if I need it.
Gateways are the most standard, most upgradeable, and least likely to be sick or dead, tho sometimes have odd quirks. HPs are usually okay as they are, and are seldom dead, but are tough to upgrade or fix.
I first tried Gateway, in part because it was supposed to be a good brand but also because they had just bought Amiga and I loved Amigas. Unfortunately they didn't do anything with the Amiga and as far as I'm concerned the brand isn't good. That first pc, a laptop, had the hdd and motherboard die the first year I owned it. I was without the laptop for 4 weeks when the mb died. Tech support had a box to ship it into the repair center the dropped off the following day, but then after a week because they were a part short it took another week for the part to come in. Two weeks after shipping it to them I called back to see what was up and they told me it had just been dropped off by the shipper. Between calls to both Gateway and the shipper Gateway decided to send a new laptop as a replacement. Ok, so I wait a week, call back and am again told they are short a part. Finally 4 weeks after sending the old one in for repairs I go tthe replacement. And I hadn't even had it a year.
With the trouble from Gateway I switched to HP for a new pc. It however was no better, in the first year both the hdd and motherboard had to be replaced just as happened with the Gateway. I ordered and got the Gateway in December 1997 and replaced it with the HP in 2001. Now the Gateway wasn't my first computer, the first computer I bought was a used Mac SE 30 in 1992. It finally died when the floppy disk drive died in 2000. It lasted 8 years versus 4 years for the Gateway, and the only problem I had with the Mac, other than the fdd failing was that it was not expandable. The Gateway lasted half as long and gave me problem almost from the start.
I don't like Mac hardware either... have found that under the hood, a Mac is equivalent to a cheap OEM PC, even tho it looks prettier on the outside.
Especially since the switch to Intels, most of the components are used in PCs as well. However it seems Apple takes more deligence in quality control than most PC manufacturers. Sure there are problem however from what I've seen Macs last longer than PCs. Now with the switch to Intels that's going to change, Apple can no longer take as much tyme designing computers as they used
Would you care to share what meds you had been taking, for what length of time, and an example of the diet you've been using. Also, did you stop eating/drinking any of the "no-no's," e.g., caffeinated drinks, vanilla, chocolate, spicy foods(?),...? Were there any other meds (or other things you changed) you started or stopped at about that time? It's not that I doubt the results,... it's that I can't
Me, I had gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD which at first my doc gave me a prescription of Cimetidine, however because it wasn't that effective, she switched to prevacid which was changed to Omeprazole (Prilosec) after my insurance changed, When that wasn't enough she had me take prevacid/prilosec in the morning and Cimetidine at night. I took them for a few years, however during the last year I took them someone here at slashdot told me yogurt with live acidophilus culture helped him. Not having anything to loose, and liking yogurt, I went ahead and tried it. Prior to trying it I'd occassionally miss taking prevacid/prilosec in the morning, when I did within a few hours my throat woud be burning. However after starting to eat yogurt with acidophilus the tyme it too before the burning started got longer and longer until I was able to stop taking the drugs.
I'm torn on the issue. I see what you're saying and don't disagree, but on the other hand if I had a long term condition I might not be in to see the doctor on a regular basis, and therefore might not be aware that a new treatment is available that could help. For those people I think the ads are helpful.
While I agree hardly any of these ads actually tell the viewer what the drug is for, many don't even describe symtoms.
The target audience gets heartburn because they eat too much and are overweight.
I know this because I am friends with a general practitioner (been an MD for about 15 years now) and he tells me that people in shape, like the actors in the commercials - in general - don't get heartburn.
I also know this because I was one of those people that got heartburn regularly. Once I started eating properly and getting back in shape, my heartburn disappeared.
For years I suffered what some call "heartburn" but in my case it was my throat. My throat would burn so bad it felt like molten metal was being pored down it. Niether my diet or exercise had anthing to do with it though, when it first appeared I ate mostly health food. My exercise was I rode my bike 100+ miles a week, it was my main transportation, ran several miles a day at least tree days a week for warmups, then after warmup had a class in a martial arts for two hours. I was a busy beaver. Before I took any drug the only way I could get rid of the burning was to either chew and suck on ginger or licorice root. Unfortunately ginger only worked as long as I had a piece to chew on and while licorice worked longer it made me nauseaous. Years later my doc ordered a test wherein a camera is inserted into the throat down to the stomach to take photos. A flap that is supposed to close where the esophagous meets the stomach to prevent the contents of the stomach from going back up the esophagous wasn't properly closing, a condition known as Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
As for joining, if it seems like it would be fun you should give it a shot. I did and I'm hooked. It's really the most fun collection-of-hobbies-all-rolled-into-one there is.
I had a lot of fun attending the meetings I went to. Part of that is that I love to study different cultures. One of the hobbies I'd like to tryout is metalurgy, I want to learn to make blades, knives and swords. At one tyme I wanted to study with a samori sword maker. I'm also interested in making bows and arrows.
Plus it's nice to get away from the computers and cellphones for a while, and sit by a campfire under some trees every so often. Good for the blood pressure, y'know?
Now this is where I may have trouble, forget the cellphone but I'd love to have my cameras and laptop with me at least some of the tyme. I want both anachronisms and modernity, while I've had some say I was born too late others have said I was born too early.
As for what apps are used, other than games most people don't install apps they've bought, they use the apps that are installed for them.
Dude...wtf do you mean? If you bother to buy some piece of software you're going to install it.
I misspoke, what I meant to say is that many people don't go out to buy software seperately, they try to get a computer with the software already installed. Look at how many retailers sale computers with software bundles already installed. Now of course this ignores gamers who do buy games to install.
um, even RAW files are only 12 bit, jpeg is 8bit. what camera are you using that you need 32bit?
While many digital cameras use 12 bits per colour, some use 14 and a few use 16 according to an article in current edition, Jan/Feb 2007, of Digital Photo Pro. I'd bet more and more will use 16 bit colour depths with medium format digital backs having even more depth. I don't currently have a digital camera, but I'd like to get one like Canon's EOS 1Ds Mark II. I just read where it's colour bit depth is only 12 bits. However I also would like to get a medium format camera, perhaps a 645 maybe from Mamiya, a Hasselblad, or a Sigma.
if you need 16bit to accommodate the extra bits from your RAW files there is CinePaint (AKA filmGIMP).
CinePaint handles up to 32bit colour spaces. http://www.cinepaint.org/ [cinepaint.org]
Thanks, I'll check it out.
I agree that there is nothing like PS, but for most people gimp works as well as PS. I recently mad the move from GIMP to PS Elements 4.0 (MAC) strictly for the RAW import so I understand where you are coming from, but that doesn't change that there are other packages that support higher bit colour spaces. Having never done a RAW conversion on a Linux machine I have no idea what you would use to import RAW files into CinePaint.
I'm not exactly the average person that uses cameras, in high school I took a class in photography learning how to use cameras and work in darkrooms. Because of this and I had a 35mm slr when I was in the army I was my unit's unoffical photographer. My commanding officer would give me film to shoot some photos whenever we went out into the field or when we were training. We had an arts and crafts center on post where I'd develop, make enlargements, of photos for those in my unit. Then in college I took photography as an elective. While it's been years since I have worked in a darkroom I plan on joining a local photography association, IFP Minnesota, that has photography classes and darkrooms members can use. I'm hoping they can help me work as a photographer, I'm on disability and don't work now. As for what OS I'll use, I'm typing this on a Windows PC, however because it's old I recently got a tower PC with Linux preinstalled and I'm getting a Macbook Pro for a laptop.
I wish I had the dough to buy CS2 (or CS3 when it's available) but Elements is all I can afford right now. I still use GIMP a lot because there are some things I'm used to in GIMP that I can't figure out how to do or even if they area possible in Elements. (layer mask for example)
I know what you mean, I wish I could afford CS3 myself. I'm hoping I'll be able to find work quickly as a photographer and can then afford it. However something I thought of which may help you if you want to get CS3, is to find and buy an older version of Photoshop. Around here a few tymes a year we have computer shows wherein booths sale older versions of software with prices dramatically lowered. Then Adobe sales upgrade versions for a lot less than full versions, between the costs of an old version and the new one, this may be cheaper than the full version. You may even be able to find old versions in some stores, though I haven't looked specifically for Photoshop but some of the stores around here have a bin or shelf with outdated software for sale at reduced prices.
Again, thanks for the info on Cinepaint, I'll see how well it works.
If a CPU/mobo combo was going to cost you as much as a whole new OEM machine, you need to shop somewhere else. Normal price range for a combo is around 1/3rd the price of an equivalent OEM system.
I don't recall what CPU/mobos I looked at but the mobos were about $100, towards the lower end in cost and a cpu $150, again lower end. My new PC cost $250 and it had a $50 mailin rebate. Now I did get more RAM, it only came with 128 MB, and a second hdd as the one it came with was only 40GB. I got 1GB ram for $100 and a 750GB hdd for $300. So the total cost was $650. Unfortunately it's only optical drive was a cd, so I've been looking for a dvd. However I haven't found a dl dvd that is compatible with linux, which was preinstalled. I'd also like to add firewire 800. As I plan on getting a Macbook Pro I figure I can forgo these though.
Oh as for where I looked, I don't know of good places to get electrical/electronic parts around here so I went to Best Buy, CompUSA, Microcenter, and a few other chains. I wish I knew of someplace like Skycraft. I used to go there, brick and mortor store, to look for components and surplus equipment.
eMachines are made cheap, yeah (tho somewhat better now that they're owned by Gateway)
eMachines are better now that Gateway owns them? They must of been real sh**s then. I've bought two PCs from Gateway. On the first one I had to have both the motherboard and the hdd replaced before a year was over. A few months after I got it it started acting weird, so I called tech support and they had me go through a number of tests before they said the hdd needed to be replaced. That wasn't too bad as two days later I got the new hdd. Then two weeks before I had a year I started having trouble again. This tyme tech support aranged to have a box dropped off the following day for me to send it into to be repaired. A week later I called back and was told the motherboard had to be replaced, however they were out of them and had to wait for new ones to come in. Another week goes by when I call again. They said it had been shipped back, and was just returned, but I didn't have it. After going back and forth between them and the shipper Gateway decided to send a new one, unfortunately they were short on parts again, so I had to wait more. Finally a month after I sent my PC in I got the replacement. On my second Gateway, a laptop, the LCD cracked and when I called tech support they said they don't cover LCDs, so I asked how much it would cost to have it replaced. They gave me a price range, from $300 to $1200, but not an exact amount. So fuck them!
I find it's vastly better to build my own. I get a far better machine for less money, AND it's far more upgradeable.
BYO is better in that you get to pick what components you use, but it's not cheaper. This was true years ago however not anymore. Several months ago I went out pricing parts to upgrade my PC and just the cpu/motherboard combo was about what a new system cost, admittedly a cheap one. Adding in all the other things I would of needed to replace, nic, ram, sound, and video and it would of cost me more to upgrade my system than it cost to buy a new one. So I ended up buying a new system, with Linux preinstalled.
There shouldn't be ANY inconvenience!!! We're supposed to be innocent before proven guilty! And computers are supposed to improve and make life more not less convenient, easier not harder.
All? That's too much, there shouldn't be any requirement to change hardware, except technical requirements. Needing new drivers is one thing but it's totally different to need to re-Activate.
It's no longer cheaper to build your own computer now, from the prices I've seen. I just wanted to upgrade the cpu/motherboard on my PC and together they cost as much as a whole new computer.
I want a system configured the way I want.
That is the best reasons, along with the satsifaction, to build a PC.
I'm not even a programmer, and I use Linux on a daily basis for everything, and I don't have a single Windows installation (or a Mac). It IS already good enough for people who are willing to accept the differences.
Though I've programmed, I'm not a programmer either. I was working on a programming degree, but in my second to last semester for the degree I had to dropout. While I've used Linux and Macs, I haven't done any programming on either one. Well I have done some bash scripts, only for a class I took years ago. I also took a class for Dreamweaver we used Macs for, however the rest of the classes I took all used Windows.
That said, most people panic because the names of the programs don't include "Microsoft" or "Adobe" in them... because it's different. They don't WANT to learn.
The past several years I've used Windows PCs 99% of the tyme, however for a long tyme I used mostly Macs. It's been years since I have but I've also used Linux and took a Unix class. My favorite computer/OS I've used though is the Amiga and if they were still being made I'd be using it. As for apps, er Adobe and Photoshop, the reason people use it is that there just isn't a photo editing app like it. Sure there are some editors out there that do some of them but none have the capability of Photoshop. For instance many say GIMP is good, however whereas PS works with 32 bit colour GIMP doesn't even work with 16 bits yet, and for a photographer that's a big selling point for PS. Then with apps like the Office suit people use it instead of others, if they know about them, is because they need to be sure a document they send to someone else can be read by that person. And MS made sure other programs couldn't read Office file formats. Heck MS even changed file formats between versions so that while new ones could read old ones the old ones couldn't read new formats.
More importantly, Microsoft has done a damn good job of exclusively promoting its products to developers of proprietary application software and peripherals. Customers choose an application and then choose an operating system that can run this. For far too many applications, the only compatible OS is a Microsoft product.
I disagree, promoting to developers isn't why Windows owns most desktops. MS's Monopoly practicies and stranglehold on OEMs is why more computers run Windows than any other OS. As for what apps are used, other than games most people don't install apps they've bought, they use the apps that are installed for them. And for nearly every app for Windows users can find the same or an equivilant app for Linux or Macs. MS even makes Office for Macs, which most people use for word processing, spread sheets, and such. However Open Office is getting to be a good replacement.
Seriously, I know Slashdotters are anti-social and hate talking to people, but can the damned excuses. Either you can use a phone, or you can use TTY. You can come up with crazy situations all day long, but it all comes down to that.
Activation is what's crazy, along with WGA!!! Because of these, MS has forced me to switch to Linux and Macs.
Slashdot Mirror
Waiting until it "just works" probably won't work. Macs "just work" yet they have a small market share. With the switch to Intels and because of Bootcamp, more are using Macs now but it still is playing catchup.
FalconIt will probably also take away some of the shine from OS X as Vista is a good step forward, too.
Activation and WGA are forcing me to leave Windows behind and switch to Macs. While I believe in innocence before guilt MS believe I should have to prove my innocence.
FalconThe interesting question will be, what happens when M$ stops (re)activating WinXP installs? I guess that laptop I've been contemplating will be a Mac; Apple is almost as evil, but less grossly incompetent than M$ these days.
Well, if you're going to wait for MS to stop supporting XP before you get a Macbook then you have at least a few years left. Last I heard was that MS didn't stop supporting an OS until a few years after it was last sold by MS. Me, I'm not waiting that long. Though I'm a Windows user because of MS's requirement to Activate Windows as well as WGA I have decided to make my next laptop a Macbook Pro which I hope to order in a couple of weeks. I believe in innocence before proven guilty but MS wants you, the user, to prove you're innocent.
FalconHow can Microsoft simultaneously focus on their large enterprise customers (who have hundreds of thousands of end users) and simultaneously stop focusing on end users?
How? The end users, employees of the large enterprise customers, aren't the ones who decide what to get. Those who get to make that decision ar either IT or some executives.
Second: why would it be a negative to fucus on security and SW quality?
The negative isn't about security, not directly at least. It's about constantly being negged by so called security alerts. Once a user reachs the point of being negged too much then they may turn off all alerts and there goes security out of the window.
FalconStop me if I'm wrong, but the "largest enterprise customers" are end users. They are not all end users, but they are end users nonetheless.
Actually the "largest enterprise customers" aren't the end users, the end users are the enterprise employees that have to use the system they are given to use. I doubt the actual end users decide what system to get, more than likely it's the IT department or some executive that makes the decision on what to buy.
FalconIf this was 5 years ago you would be more accurate. Nexium is the best in it's class? I would like to see some citations. There are plenty of competitors that work just as well. I suffer from acid reflux and pretty much every competitor to nexium works just fine.
Nexium, "The Purple Pill", is a reformulation of Omeprazole or (Prilosec). It's patent was running out so the company that makes it reformulated the drug so it could have a new patent. I was given a proscription for Prilosec to treat Gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD.
FalconWhen I was seriously ill a few years back, my doctors (who were outstanding btw) encouraged me to do research on my own. I scoured medical databases and brought that info to my doctors, who helped me sort through it. I think it elevated the quality of my care, and it made me feel like I retained some control over a scary illness.
As I'm a survivor of a Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI, I've been "ill" for more than ten year, and the last doc I saw encouraged me to do some research as well as your's did. Unfortunately because of her schedule she didn't have enough tyme so we could spend tyme talking about health, maybe that's why she wanted me to do research myself.
FalconAnd I would consider it a "modern anachronism" that this wasn't computerized, everywhere, a long, long time ago. I shouldn't have to rely solely on a human "remembering" a dangerous combo. That's what databases are for.
Actually there are computerized databases. One such is Physician's Desk Reference, PDR. All doctors' offices should have the book. I myself have gone to the bookstore to lookup every drug I've been given in the PDR.
Why are doctors so resistant to modernization, i.e., accepting that they aren't gods?
Many realize they don't know everything, but like everything else a person buys, they should know what they are buying. Visit several docs until you find the one you like. Of course that cost money many can't afford.
FalconIf doctors didn't need marketing, but always prescribed whatever is best supported by the medical literature that they spend hours a day reading, then nobody would waste money on marketing in the first place.
Ah, but marketing doesn't tell, or let, the doctor know what drug is best. The best way for them to know is by reading or attending conferences that aren't drug supported. Though she's only a lab tech in a hospital my mother has to take classes regularly to keep her job. These classes are another method docs learn about new drugs.
you can debate taking one pill vs another, but I'm sure most doctors would steer their patients in the right direction if it made a big difference
I had this happen to me, my doc had me on one drug but changed it to anohter drug when I got a new insurnace policy. I asked her why she switched drugs and she said my new insurance didn't cover the old drug.
FalconDon't forget about the government funded R&D that big pharmaceutical companies often get exclusive rights to.
Like Taxol. The National Institute of Cancer (NCI) spent $183 million developing Taxol for chemotherapy for cancer only to sale exclusive rights to the data the NCI generated to Bristol-Myers Squibb, BMS for $43 million. In 2000 BMS made almost $1 billion in sales of Taxol. Taxol costs less than $1 per dose to make yet treatment cost several thousand dollars.
FalconProblem is, if you buy a $250 system, you're getting a $40 motherboard at best (that's what the lowest-end mobos usually cost), and a $19 power supply, so the foundation is already weak. It's probably good enough if you only expect about 3 years worth of service from it and don't plan to upgrade...
Because I'm on disability and don't work, I have to watch how much I spend. I simply couldn't afford to pay several hundred dollars for a computer. Well I might of been able to but I was also waiting for Apple to release the Macbook Pro with the Core 2 Duo cpu which I then planned on getting.
as you already found, you had to pay more to upgrade it to a reasonable level than it would have cost to start with a better system, which in turn would have better longevity and a longer upgrade path.
The computer the new system replaces isn't exactly a cheap no name brand, it's an HP Pavillion. In the first year I had to have the hdd and motherboard replaced. Since then I've had to replace the ram twice.
WorstBuy and similar national megastore chains are hideously expensive for components.
I've bought a couple of hdds from Best Buy, and a second video card for a dual monitor setup, but that's it for components. However I did get my HP there, with an extended warranty which came in handy. I would like to support small local shoppes however I don't know of any around where I live.
If you're comfy with mail-order,
I'm not. I'd rather support local businesses, but also I want a brick and mortor location I can go to for help if I need it.
Gateways are the most standard, most upgradeable, and least likely to be sick or dead, tho sometimes have odd quirks. HPs are usually okay as they are, and are seldom dead, but are tough to upgrade or fix.
I first tried Gateway, in part because it was supposed to be a good brand but also because they had just bought Amiga and I loved Amigas. Unfortunately they didn't do anything with the Amiga and as far as I'm concerned the brand isn't good. That first pc, a laptop, had the hdd and motherboard die the first year I owned it. I was without the laptop for 4 weeks when the mb died. Tech support had a box to ship it into the repair center the dropped off the following day, but then after a week because they were a part short it took another week for the part to come in. Two weeks after shipping it to them I called back to see what was up and they told me it had just been dropped off by the shipper. Between calls to both Gateway and the shipper Gateway decided to send a new laptop as a replacement. Ok, so I wait a week, call back and am again told they are short a part. Finally 4 weeks after sending the old one in for repairs I go tthe replacement. And I hadn't even had it a year.
With the trouble from Gateway I switched to HP for a new pc. It however was no better, in the first year both the hdd and motherboard had to be replaced just as happened with the Gateway. I ordered and got the Gateway in December 1997 and replaced it with the HP in 2001. Now the Gateway wasn't my first computer, the first computer I bought was a used Mac SE 30 in 1992. It finally died when the floppy disk drive died in 2000. It lasted 8 years versus 4 years for the Gateway, and the only problem I had with the Mac, other than the fdd failing was that it was not expandable. The Gateway lasted half as long and gave me problem almost from the start.
I don't like Mac hardware either... have found that under the hood, a Mac is equivalent to a cheap OEM PC, even tho it looks prettier on the outside.
Especially since the switch to Intels, most of the components are used in PCs as well. However it seems Apple takes more deligence in quality control than most PC manufacturers. Sure there are problem however from what I've seen Macs last longer than PCs. Now with the switch to Intels that's going to change, Apple can no longer take as much tyme designing computers as they used
Would you care to share what meds you had been taking, for what length of time, and an example of the diet you've been using. Also, did you stop eating/drinking any of the "no-no's," e.g., caffeinated drinks, vanilla, chocolate, spicy foods(?),...? Were there any other meds (or other things you changed) you started or stopped at about that time? It's not that I doubt the results,... it's that I can't
Me, I had gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD which at first my doc gave me a prescription of Cimetidine, however because it wasn't that effective, she switched to prevacid which was changed to Omeprazole (Prilosec) after my insurance changed, When that wasn't enough she had me take prevacid/prilosec in the morning and Cimetidine at night. I took them for a few years, however during the last year I took them someone here at slashdot told me yogurt with live acidophilus culture helped him. Not having anything to loose, and liking yogurt, I went ahead and tried it. Prior to trying it I'd occassionally miss taking prevacid/prilosec in the morning, when I did within a few hours my throat woud be burning. However after starting to eat yogurt with acidophilus the tyme it too before the burning started got longer and longer until I was able to stop taking the drugs.
FalconI'm torn on the issue. I see what you're saying and don't disagree, but on the other hand if I had a long term condition I might not be in to see the doctor on a regular basis, and therefore might not be aware that a new treatment is available that could help. For those people I think the ads are helpful.
While I agree hardly any of these ads actually tell the viewer what the drug is for, many don't even describe symtoms.
FalconThe target audience gets heartburn because they eat too much and are overweight.
I know this because I am friends with a general practitioner (been an MD for about 15 years now) and he tells me that people in shape, like the actors in the commercials - in general - don't get heartburn.
I also know this because I was one of those people that got heartburn regularly. Once I started eating properly and getting back in shape, my heartburn disappeared.
For years I suffered what some call "heartburn" but in my case it was my throat. My throat would burn so bad it felt like molten metal was being pored down it. Niether my diet or exercise had anthing to do with it though, when it first appeared I ate mostly health food. My exercise was I rode my bike 100+ miles a week, it was my main transportation, ran several miles a day at least tree days a week for warmups, then after warmup had a class in a martial arts for two hours. I was a busy beaver. Before I took any drug the only way I could get rid of the burning was to either chew and suck on ginger or licorice root. Unfortunately ginger only worked as long as I had a piece to chew on and while licorice worked longer it made me nauseaous. Years later my doc ordered a test wherein a camera is inserted into the throat down to the stomach to take photos. A flap that is supposed to close where the esophagous meets the stomach to prevent the contents of the stomach from going back up the esophagous wasn't properly closing, a condition known as Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD.
FalconAs for joining, if it seems like it would be fun you should give it a shot. I did and I'm hooked. It's really the most fun collection-of-hobbies-all-rolled-into-one there is.
I had a lot of fun attending the meetings I went to. Part of that is that I love to study different cultures. One of the hobbies I'd like to tryout is metalurgy, I want to learn to make blades, knives and swords. At one tyme I wanted to study with a samori sword maker. I'm also interested in making bows and arrows.
Plus it's nice to get away from the computers and cellphones for a while, and sit by a campfire under some trees every so often. Good for the blood pressure, y'know?
Now this is where I may have trouble, forget the cellphone but I'd love to have my cameras and laptop with me at least some of the tyme. I want both anachronisms and modernity, while I've had some say I was born too late others have said I was born too early.
FalconAs for what apps are used, other than games most people don't install apps they've bought, they use the apps that are installed for them.
Dude...wtf do you mean? If you bother to buy some piece of software you're going to install it.
I misspoke, what I meant to say is that many people don't go out to buy software seperately, they try to get a computer with the software already installed. Look at how many retailers sale computers with software bundles already installed. Now of course this ignores gamers who do buy games to install.
Falconum, even RAW files are only 12 bit, jpeg is 8bit. what camera are you using that you need 32bit?
While many digital cameras use 12 bits per colour, some use 14 and a few use 16 according to an article in current edition, Jan/Feb 2007, of Digital Photo Pro . I'd bet more and more will use 16 bit colour depths with medium format digital backs having even more depth. I don't currently have a digital camera, but I'd like to get one like Canon's EOS 1Ds Mark II. I just read where it's colour bit depth is only 12 bits. However I also would like to get a medium format camera, perhaps a 645 maybe from Mamiya, a Hasselblad, or a Sigma.
if you need 16bit to accommodate the extra bits from your RAW files there is CinePaint (AKA filmGIMP).
CinePaint handles up to 32bit colour spaces.
http://www.cinepaint.org/ [cinepaint.org]
Thanks, I'll check it out.
I agree that there is nothing like PS, but for most people gimp works as well as PS. I recently mad the move from GIMP to PS Elements 4.0 (MAC) strictly for the RAW import so I understand where you are coming from, but that doesn't change that there are other packages that support higher bit colour spaces. Having never done a RAW conversion on a Linux machine I have no idea what you would use to import RAW files into CinePaint.
I'm not exactly the average person that uses cameras, in high school I took a class in photography learning how to use cameras and work in darkrooms. Because of this and I had a 35mm slr when I was in the army I was my unit's unoffical photographer. My commanding officer would give me film to shoot some photos whenever we went out into the field or when we were training. We had an arts and crafts center on post where I'd develop, make enlargements, of photos for those in my unit. Then in college I took photography as an elective. While it's been years since I have worked in a darkroom I plan on joining a local photography association, IFP Minnesota, that has photography classes and darkrooms members can use. I'm hoping they can help me work as a photographer, I'm on disability and don't work now. As for what OS I'll use, I'm typing this on a Windows PC, however because it's old I recently got a tower PC with Linux preinstalled and I'm getting a Macbook Pro for a laptop.
I wish I had the dough to buy CS2 (or CS3 when it's available) but Elements is all I can afford right now. I still use GIMP a lot because there are some things I'm used to in GIMP that I can't figure out how to do or even if they area possible in Elements. (layer mask for example)
I know what you mean, I wish I could afford CS3 myself. I'm hoping I'll be able to find work quickly as a photographer and can then afford it. However something I thought of which may help you if you want to get CS3, is to find and buy an older version of Photoshop. Around here a few tymes a year we have computer shows wherein booths sale older versions of software with prices dramatically lowered. Then Adobe sales upgrade versions for a lot less than full versions, between the costs of an old version and the new one, this may be cheaper than the full version. You may even be able to find old versions in some stores, though I haven't looked specifically for Photoshop but some of the stores around here have a bin or shelf with outdated software for sale at reduced prices.
Again, thanks for the info on Cinepaint, I'll see how well it works.
FalconIf a CPU/mobo combo was going to cost you as much as a whole new OEM machine, you need to shop somewhere else. Normal price range for a combo is around 1/3rd the price of an equivalent OEM system.
I don't recall what CPU/mobos I looked at but the mobos were about $100, towards the lower end in cost and a cpu $150, again lower end. My new PC cost $250 and it had a $50 mailin rebate. Now I did get more RAM, it only came with 128 MB, and a second hdd as the one it came with was only 40GB. I got 1GB ram for $100 and a 750GB hdd for $300. So the total cost was $650. Unfortunately it's only optical drive was a cd, so I've been looking for a dvd. However I haven't found a dl dvd that is compatible with linux, which was preinstalled. I'd also like to add firewire 800. As I plan on getting a Macbook Pro I figure I can forgo these though.
Oh as for where I looked, I don't know of good places to get electrical/electronic parts around here so I went to Best Buy, CompUSA, Microcenter, and a few other chains. I wish I knew of someplace like Skycraft. I used to go there, brick and mortor store, to look for components and surplus equipment.
FalconeMachines are made cheap, yeah (tho somewhat better now that they're owned by Gateway)
eMachines are better now that Gateway owns them? They must of been real sh**s then. I've bought two PCs from Gateway. On the first one I had to have both the motherboard and the hdd replaced before a year was over. A few months after I got it it started acting weird, so I called tech support and they had me go through a number of tests before they said the hdd needed to be replaced. That wasn't too bad as two days later I got the new hdd. Then two weeks before I had a year I started having trouble again. This tyme tech support aranged to have a box dropped off the following day for me to send it into to be repaired. A week later I called back and was told the motherboard had to be replaced, however they were out of them and had to wait for new ones to come in. Another week goes by when I call again. They said it had been shipped back, and was just returned, but I didn't have it. After going back and forth between them and the shipper Gateway decided to send a new one, unfortunately they were short on parts again, so I had to wait more. Finally a month after I sent my PC in I got the replacement. On my second Gateway, a laptop, the LCD cracked and when I called tech support they said they don't cover LCDs, so I asked how much it would cost to have it replaced. They gave me a price range, from $300 to $1200, but not an exact amount. So fuck them!
I find it's vastly better to build my own. I get a far better machine for less money, AND it's far more upgradeable.
BYO is better in that you get to pick what components you use, but it's not cheaper. This was true years ago however not anymore. Several months ago I went out pricing parts to upgrade my PC and just the cpu/motherboard combo was about what a new system cost, admittedly a cheap one. Adding in all the other things I would of needed to replace, nic, ram, sound, and video and it would of cost me more to upgrade my system than it cost to buy a new one. So I ended up buying a new system, with Linux preinstalled.
FalconThere shouldn't be ANY inconvenience!!! We're supposed to be innocent before proven guilty! And computers are supposed to improve and make life more not less convenient, easier not harder.
Falconall it takes is a phone call.
All? That's too much, there shouldn't be any requirement to change hardware, except technical requirements. Needing new drivers is one thing but it's totally different to need to re-Activate.
FalconMy motivation is not expense
It's no longer cheaper to build your own computer now, from the prices I've seen. I just wanted to upgrade the cpu/motherboard on my PC and together they cost as much as a whole new computer.
I want a system configured the way I want.
That is the best reasons, along with the satsifaction, to build a PC.
FalconI'm not even a programmer, and I use Linux on a daily basis for everything, and I don't have a single Windows installation (or a Mac). It IS already good enough for people who are willing to accept the differences.
Though I've programmed, I'm not a programmer either. I was working on a programming degree, but in my second to last semester for the degree I had to dropout. While I've used Linux and Macs, I haven't done any programming on either one. Well I have done some bash scripts, only for a class I took years ago. I also took a class for Dreamweaver we used Macs for, however the rest of the classes I took all used Windows.
That said, most people panic because the names of the programs don't include "Microsoft" or "Adobe" in them... because it's different. They don't WANT to learn.
The past several years I've used Windows PCs 99% of the tyme, however for a long tyme I used mostly Macs. It's been years since I have but I've also used Linux and took a Unix class. My favorite computer/OS I've used though is the Amiga and if they were still being made I'd be using it. As for apps, er Adobe and Photoshop, the reason people use it is that there just isn't a photo editing app like it. Sure there are some editors out there that do some of them but none have the capability of Photoshop. For instance many say GIMP is good, however whereas PS works with 32 bit colour GIMP doesn't even work with 16 bits yet, and for a photographer that's a big selling point for PS. Then with apps like the Office suit people use it instead of others, if they know about them, is because they need to be sure a document they send to someone else can be read by that person. And MS made sure other programs couldn't read Office file formats. Heck MS even changed file formats between versions so that while new ones could read old ones the old ones couldn't read new formats.
FalconMore importantly, Microsoft has done a damn good job of exclusively promoting its products to developers of proprietary application software and peripherals. Customers choose an application and then choose an operating system that can run this. For far too many applications, the only compatible OS is a Microsoft product.
I disagree, promoting to developers isn't why Windows owns most desktops. MS's Monopoly practicies and stranglehold on OEMs is why more computers run Windows than any other OS. As for what apps are used, other than games most people don't install apps they've bought, they use the apps that are installed for them. And for nearly every app for Windows users can find the same or an equivilant app for Linux or Macs. MS even makes Office for Macs, which most people use for word processing, spread sheets, and such. However Open Office is getting to be a good replacement.
FalconSeriously, I know Slashdotters are anti-social and hate talking to people, but can the damned excuses. Either you can use a phone, or you can use TTY. You can come up with crazy situations all day long, but it all comes down to that.
Activation is what's crazy, along with WGA!!! Because of these, MS has forced me to switch to Linux and Macs.
Falcon