I was using Kubuntu 7.10 with every video player I could get my hands on, an I had a horrible time with subtitles. They either looked like *crap* or parts of them were missed during playback! Sadly, these sorts of problems with media support under Linux are what's keeping me in XP at the moment. Things have vastly improved feature-wise over the last while, but the software is still buggy and unstable.
Same thing happened to me when I wanted to buy a gas cook-top(?) - Dual gas burners. They weren't sold anywhere in Canada, and the explanation was that they weren't CSA approved. We finally find a store in the US who will ship us one for an outrageous price (plus the duty/shipping, etc).
It was manufactured in Ontario, and has CSA certification listings *all over it*!
A friend of mine really disliked his former cellular provider, so when he changed companies he overpaid his last bill by 2 cents. He's received a bill from that company every month for three years now, cheerfully informing him that he has a 2 cent credit.
I keep telling him that if he ever moves, he should make sure that they receive his change-of-address notification.:)
Also, for the last two builds, I've had a boot-up problem where I *HAVE* to have my Windows install disc in the DVD drive for Windows to boot on the hard drive. If the disc isn't in there, it won't boot (even though Windows is on the hard drive and it's not actually booting to the install disc). When I had that it was some problem with boot order in the bios. I didn't have the right hard drive selected as the boot drive. When the WinXP cd is in the CDROM, it will boot and give the "press a key to boot from CD" message. If you don't, it'll ignore bios settings and boot something. (Whether it's the first drive or what, I don't know.)
Trying to compare the Vulcan to a laptop somewhat misses the point of a device of this size and portability.
1) This device *will* fit into my coat pocket. 2) It isn't meant to be sat down on a desk. Hold it in both hands and thumb-type on it. That takes care of both the screen resolution problem and the complaints about the keyboard. That's how I use the Zaurus clamshells, and I love it. Thumb typing is fast and I don't have to look for a surface to set the thing down on before I can use it - just try that with your laptop!
That's where earlier ultra-portables like the Libretto U100 and the Sony Picturebook failed - they were too big to use without setting them down. You can't thumb-type on them because they're too wide and holding them in one hand and pecking on them with the other was uncomfortable and unstable. And even when you sat them down on a table, you still couldn't touch type unless you were a 12-year old girl. Also, the ultra-high resolution of the screens (the 7" 1280x720 screen on the Libretto is nearly 200 dpi) is too small to use off of desk, but just about right in the hands, so you could only read it if you were holding it.
The 1.1ghz CPU is plenty of horsepower - it's the same CPU as the Libretto and that will take anything I throw at it.
1024x600 is a usable resolution - finally. The 800x480 of the Kohjinsha and OQO, and 640x480 of the Zaurus just doesn't cut it. The 1280x720 of the Libretto (1280x800 in the Macbook) is nice, but would probably be too much for a pocketable device. 1024x600 is a minimal usefull resolution, but it is genuinely useful.
I want one of these things and want it pretty badly. The drawbacks being that the price is ridiculous - the same specs can be had in a Sony UX for $1000 less while also nabbing you a better docking station and touchscreen - and the 512mb of ram. Like the screen, 512mb is a usable minimum. Unlike the screen, there's no reason whatsoever to have compromised the size of the ram like that.
Given the price and ram limitations, I'll probably end up replacing my Libretto/Zaurus combo with a Sony UX for now. Doesn't mean that I won't be dreaming of the clamshell goodness offered by a future V2-non-braindead revision of the Vulcan, though.
The Sharp Zaurus gets mentioned a lot in threads like this. The thumb-keyboard on the Zaurus clamshells is similar to the Vulcan's, and I can type on that thing for hours. Try pulling your Macbook out on the bus to do any typing - not gonna happen. My Zaurus is in my pocket and I spend a lot of otherwise wasted bus time working on text with it. That's the market the Vulcan is aiming for - true portability, not some sort of half-baked where's-a-flat-surface-so-I-can-read-email quasi-portability. For example - try using the Macbook standing up.
(For the record, I own a Core2 Duo macbook and a Toshiba Libretto U100 as well as my Zaurus)
I have both a Libretto U100 and several Sharp Zaurii. The libretto keyboard is miserable because it's too wide to thumb type on and too small to touch type. I adore the keyboard on the Zaurus clamshells because it seems ideally suited to thumb typing, and I've typed for hours at a time on it (on the plane, bullet train, etc.) The keyboard on the Vulcan looks quite similar to that on the Zaurus.
THe Libretto's CPU is perfect (and it's the same as the Vulcan) - long battery life and plenty of power for everything I've cared to throw at it. If something requires more CPU, then it generally isn't something I'd attempt on a micro-pc. That's what my multi-core desktop or 2ghz/2gb ram Macbook is for.
As far as portability is concerned, I consider the Macbook to be barely luggable. The Libretto was pretty nice, but I'm looking for a Zaurus sized unit. I think the Vulcan is about as close as I'm going to get. Too bad about the price and ram - I'm considering a Sony UX for those very reasons.
I have Zaurii. I'm currently running x-windows, Firefox 1.5 and abiword on it, and I love it. I will also be replacing that Z with either the Vulcan or a Sony UX micropc because the Zaurus has given me a taste of what pocket computing can be but is ultimately frustratingly underpowered. A 400mhz strongarm and 64mb of ram don't cut it these days.
The 1.1ghz in the Vulcan is fine - that's the same speed as my current mini-laptop (A libretto U100)
The screen will be pretty good. It's 5" @ 1024x768 (~200dpi?) The Zaurus is 3.7" 640x480 (~200dip), the Libretto is 7" 1280x720 (~190dpi). I've used a SonyUX and thought the 4.5" 1024x600 screen was beautiful. The trick to remember is that this thing is meant to be held in the hands when you're using it - you're much closer to the screen than if you were using a regular laptop. The Sony's screen would be way too small at regular lap-distances, but works beautifully if you're holding it. (And my eyes aren't very good)
The Vulcan will *just* fit in my (not too big) inner jacket pocket. The Sony won't. THe Zaurus fits with room to spare.
The keyboard is better than the UX - the machine is slightly narrower and the keys are raised and more widely spaced than the Sony - it actually bears a striking resemblance to the Zaurus keyboard, which I can type on for literally hours on end.
The two places this thing falls down majorly are price (~2400CAD vs ~1500CAD for the 512mb Ram Sony/$1800CAD for the 1gb Sony), and ram. I mean, 512mb? Really? WTF?
I hate to say it - as much as I love the clamshell form factor (and I absolutely *adore* my Zaurus and Libretto), I'm probably going to have to buy the Sony for now. I'll be waiting till V2 Flipstart comes out.
Just a minor nit - pick. The Mini-A connector for USB on the go hosting looks similar to the mini-b client only connector, but they are not the same. You can't plug a Mini-A plug into a non-host capable mini-B connector. The Mini-A connector acts like a host or a client depending on whether a Mini-A or Mini-B cable is plugged in. Rather neat, actually.
I've got a couple of Sharp Zaurii that can USB host with a Mini-A cable, and connect to a computer using a regular Mini-B cable.
That's my 3000. The two devices to the left are a 40gb hard drive and a CD-Burner, both fully functional. The mouse and keyboard do belong to the Zaurus. These things make a fantastic laptop replacement. In fact, I no longer carry a PDA, Laptop, or MP3 player (because I have a wired music remote for the Zaurus).
Although I have to admit that I'm running linux - A beta version of the stock rom that has been rebuilt along the lines of this: http://www.cacko.biz/
And I should point out that SSH, both client and server, do work just fine under linux:)
Have you looked at the Sharp SL-C3000? Higher Res screen than the 5600, USB host, bigger keyboard, 4gb HD. Same size as an SL-C860. I'm replacing my 860 with a 3000 in about 21hrs =)
My 860 replaced my MP3 player, my Palm Pilot, my laptop, and all the books I used to carry around. It even functions as a great video player.
The VGA Zaurii (SL-Cxx0) make great e-book readers. They work equally well in either landscape or portrait mode (the screen swivels like one of the convertible "tablet Pcs") You've got a huge range of font sizes, 6 different backlight levels and the screen is utterly amazing. Sharp's CG Silicon displays are fantastic. (For reference, the PSP screen is a Sharp unit, but the one in the Zaurus is both higher res and brighter, with a better FOV)
The C3000 has to be as close to perfect as a PDA can get. Now only if it weren't a Japanese only product so they'd build in wi-fi or bluetooth.
Sharp makes absolutely fantastic LCD displays. Ever seen the Sharp "CG Silicon" screen on a SLC series Zaurus? 3.7in, 640x480 resolution, absolutely breathtaking contrast, brightness, and color. Sharp is renowned for its screen technology.
(On my flight back from Japan, a Japanese girl and her mother, not tech people by any stretch of the imagination, commented on my SLC-860, thinking it was a Kanji dictionary. When I told them what it was they asked who made it. When I said "Sharp" their response was "Ah - the best screens!")
I installed Linux and Win2k on my M34 by removing the hard drive and putting in another laptop. (A desktop adapter would also work, and can be had for ~$10)
The X 4.x drivers for the touchscreen don't seem to have calibration working yet. (Or the fellow didn't have the calibration utility pre-compiled, and to compile his stuff you need to compile X first.)
It also has fully twice the screen resolution as the highest-rez device you listed (the T5, I believe), and closer to 4 times the rez of everything else. It also includes what is probably one of the best built in keyboards on the market, on top of having as much storage capacity as the iPod mini.
How does that make any of the above "better"?
You'd have to combine 1.5 T5's, the Palm C for the keyboard, AND the iPod mini into a single unit to match it. You'd have to add a CF card for connectivity to the Zaurus, but that still leaves you USB-host, the serial port, and an SD slot for expansion.
Some people use PDAs. Other people want 4-inch laptops. The Zaurus is definitely the latter.
> True Wireless Well, you have your choice of CF 802.11b, CF BT, an upcoming SDIO 802.11b card, serial BT, or any one of a dozen or so different types of CF cellular cards.
>CD/DVD Playback. Lots of people do this already. ~200 to 450mb/movie, stuck onto the storage medium of choice. The internal 4gb is *plenty*
>Easy iPod style interface when the unit is closed There's a wired remote that plugs into the headphone socket. Not quite an iPod, but certainly very nice.
>Option to Recharge 1800mah Li-ion battery. Barrel plug for power so you can use your 5v battery extender of choice. I use a set of 8 NiMH 2300 mah AA's that give me ~18hrs runtime on the Zaurus 5500, which had notoriously bad battery life.
My SLC-860 is waiting in my friend's appartment in Otsu for when I jump the pond next week. I'm planning on eventually getting a second, but I'm not sure yet if the SL-C3000 is worth the extra cash. I'm definitely not going to be rushing the purchase.
Re:Far off, but going to happen
on
Palmtop Nirvana?
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Altimeter, Thermometer, barometer
A thermometer on a watch is almost useless. A buddy of mine had a Casio with these three built in. The altimiter and barometer worked okay, but the thermometer basically always read 37 degrees Celcius.
Don't most computers with built in Wi-Fi have a switch for the radio - the laptops I've seen with the card built in have switches. I thought they *had* to have some way to turn the radio off, as it is illegal to operate them in certain areas. (Med students at the U need to turn off their Wi-Fi before entering some areas of the hospital.) Is it just my hospital that limits it?
I read every article Dan writes - they're informative, seem legit, and usually pretty funny. Do yourselves a favour and check out his (rather out of date but outrageously funny) article on raid:
Yes, we want them to. I do phone support for a large ISP, and I have talked to people that would rather drop their high speed connection in favor of dial up instead of cleaning a virus off of their computer (The connection over dial up felt faster than their virus saturated high speed)
The people causing the problems don't know, don't care, and can't be made to care.
Well, they can hardly say "Well, turn it on and our network tech will be at your house immediately to reconfigure your malfuntioning software firewall", and "We won't let you on the internet until you get that fixed because running without one is unthinkable" isn't much better.
Most of these people don't have the know-how to fix it themselves, and tech support can't be expected to fix the regurgitated pap that passes for operating systems that some of these people use. (Like 7year old installs of Windows 95, or Windows XP with 4 virus scanners and a dozen spyware programs.)
I work tech support for a big ISP in Canada, and the number of problems caused by broken or incorrectly configured firewalls are staggering.
As others have pointed out, there is a difference between somebody who doesn't know how to use computers, and someone who is stupid/inept/incapable of listening.
I'm an phone support agent for a large ISP, and quite good at my job. I can quite happily talk someone through the entire troubleshooting routine in just a few minutes. However, once a month or so you run into that one person who refuses to listen, tries to tell you why you are wrong and just fix it already, can't type the same thing twice in a row, and takes 8 minutes of explanation to find the "forward slash" button on the keyboard. (He couldn't find the question mark key either.) THOSE are the clients you get mad at.
There is a difference between stupidity and ignorance. Ignorance can be cured.
Re:Stick with Windows and if you do...
on
PC Annoyances
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· Score: 1
While both of these arguments may be true, they seem to run counter to reality. Most people are blissfully unaware of just how much garbage their machine is collecting - and spewing.
I'm an internet support tech for a large ISP, and I've seen customers who decided to drop ADSL and go back to dial up rather than try to remove a virus from their machine. (Me "You have a virus." Them "Well, it works on dial up so please switch my account over."
Reminds me about playing Car Wars back in high school. A friend of mine got the Tank expansion set so brilliant me decides to challenge a bunch of maxed out cars against 1 100 "space" tank.
Long story short - the car's heavy weapons bounced off the tanks armour, while a single tank shot went through our cars in the following order: front armour, engine, driver, rear equipment, rear armour, out the back of the car.
Slashdot Mirror
I was using Kubuntu 7.10 with every video player I could get my hands on, an I had a horrible time with subtitles. They either looked like *crap* or parts of them were missed during playback! Sadly, these sorts of problems with media support under Linux are what's keeping me in XP at the moment. Things have vastly improved feature-wise over the last while, but the software is still buggy and unstable.
Same thing happened to me when I wanted to buy a gas cook-top(?) - Dual gas burners. They weren't sold anywhere in Canada, and the explanation was that they weren't CSA approved. We finally find a store in the US who will ship us one for an outrageous price (plus the duty/shipping, etc).
It was manufactured in Ontario, and has CSA certification listings *all over it*!
Bah!
A friend of mine really disliked his former cellular provider, so when he changed companies he overpaid his last bill by 2 cents. He's received a bill from that company every month for three years now, cheerfully informing him that he has a 2 cent credit.
:)
I keep telling him that if he ever moves, he should make sure that they receive his change-of-address notification.
Trying to compare the Vulcan to a laptop somewhat misses the point of a device of this size and portability.
1) This device *will* fit into my coat pocket.
2) It isn't meant to be sat down on a desk. Hold it in both hands and thumb-type on it. That takes care of both the screen resolution problem and the complaints about the keyboard. That's how I use the Zaurus clamshells, and I love it. Thumb typing is fast and I don't have to look for a surface to set the thing down on before I can use it - just try that with your laptop!
That's where earlier ultra-portables like the Libretto U100 and the Sony Picturebook failed - they were too big to use without setting them down. You can't thumb-type on them because they're too wide and holding them in one hand and pecking on them with the other was uncomfortable and unstable. And even when you sat them down on a table, you still couldn't touch type unless you were a 12-year old girl. Also, the ultra-high resolution of the screens (the 7" 1280x720 screen on the Libretto is nearly 200 dpi) is too small to use off of desk, but just about right in the hands, so you could only read it if you were holding it.
The 1.1ghz CPU is plenty of horsepower - it's the same CPU as the Libretto and that will take anything I throw at it.
1024x600 is a usable resolution - finally. The 800x480 of the Kohjinsha and OQO, and 640x480 of the Zaurus just doesn't cut it. The 1280x720 of the Libretto (1280x800 in the Macbook) is nice, but would probably be too much for a pocketable device. 1024x600 is a minimal usefull resolution, but it is genuinely useful.
I want one of these things and want it pretty badly. The drawbacks being that the price is ridiculous - the same specs can be had in a Sony UX for $1000 less while also nabbing you a better docking station and touchscreen - and the 512mb of ram. Like the screen, 512mb is a usable minimum. Unlike the screen, there's no reason whatsoever to have compromised the size of the ram like that.
Given the price and ram limitations, I'll probably end up replacing my Libretto/Zaurus combo with a Sony UX for now. Doesn't mean that I won't be dreaming of the clamshell goodness offered by a future V2-non-braindead revision of the Vulcan, though.
The Sharp Zaurus gets mentioned a lot in threads like this. The thumb-keyboard on the Zaurus clamshells is similar to the Vulcan's, and I can type on that thing for hours. Try pulling your Macbook out on the bus to do any typing - not gonna happen. My Zaurus is in my pocket and I spend a lot of otherwise wasted bus time working on text with it. That's the market the Vulcan is aiming for - true portability, not some sort of half-baked where's-a-flat-surface-so-I-can-read-email quasi-portability. For example - try using the Macbook standing up.
(For the record, I own a Core2 Duo macbook and a Toshiba Libretto U100 as well as my Zaurus)
I have both a Libretto U100 and several Sharp Zaurii. The libretto keyboard is miserable because it's too wide to thumb type on and too small to touch type. I adore the keyboard on the Zaurus clamshells because it seems ideally suited to thumb typing, and I've typed for hours at a time on it (on the plane, bullet train, etc.) The keyboard on the Vulcan looks quite similar to that on the Zaurus.
THe Libretto's CPU is perfect (and it's the same as the Vulcan) - long battery life and plenty of power for everything I've cared to throw at it. If something requires more CPU, then it generally isn't something I'd attempt on a micro-pc. That's what my multi-core desktop or 2ghz/2gb ram Macbook is for.
As far as portability is concerned, I consider the Macbook to be barely luggable. The Libretto was pretty nice, but I'm looking for a Zaurus sized unit. I think the Vulcan is about as close as I'm going to get. Too bad about the price and ram - I'm considering a Sony UX for those very reasons.
I have Zaurii. I'm currently running x-windows, Firefox 1.5 and abiword on it, and I love it. I will also be replacing that Z with either the Vulcan or a Sony UX micropc because the Zaurus has given me a taste of what pocket computing can be but is ultimately frustratingly underpowered. A 400mhz strongarm and 64mb of ram don't cut it these days.
The 1.1ghz in the Vulcan is fine - that's the same speed as my current mini-laptop (A libretto U100)
The screen will be pretty good. It's 5" @ 1024x768 (~200dpi?) The Zaurus is 3.7" 640x480 (~200dip), the Libretto is 7" 1280x720 (~190dpi). I've used a SonyUX and thought the 4.5" 1024x600 screen was beautiful. The trick to remember is that this thing is meant to be held in the hands when you're using it - you're much closer to the screen than if you were using a regular laptop. The Sony's screen would be way too small at regular lap-distances, but works beautifully if you're holding it. (And my eyes aren't very good)
The Vulcan will *just* fit in my (not too big) inner jacket pocket. The Sony won't. THe Zaurus fits with room to spare.
The keyboard is better than the UX - the machine is slightly narrower and the keys are raised and more widely spaced than the Sony - it actually bears a striking resemblance to the Zaurus keyboard, which I can type on for literally hours on end.
The two places this thing falls down majorly are price (~2400CAD vs ~1500CAD for the 512mb Ram Sony/$1800CAD for the 1gb Sony), and ram. I mean, 512mb? Really? WTF?
I hate to say it - as much as I love the clamshell form factor (and I absolutely *adore* my Zaurus and Libretto), I'm probably going to have to buy the Sony for now. I'll be waiting till V2 Flipstart comes out.
Just a minor nit - pick. The Mini-A connector for USB on the go hosting looks similar to the mini-b client only connector, but they are not the same. You can't plug a Mini-A plug into a non-host capable mini-B connector. The Mini-A connector acts like a host or a client depending on whether a Mini-A or Mini-B cable is plugged in. Rather neat, actually.
I've got a couple of Sharp Zaurii that can USB host with a Mini-A cable, and connect to a computer using a regular Mini-B cable.
I suspect that you've got an older Z. The newer clamshell Zaurii have fantastic batter life - nearly 8hrs with 50% backlight.
http://www.slackwaregallery.com/albums/userpics/10 249/z-work-area-sm.JPG
:)
That's my 3000. The two devices to the left are a 40gb hard drive and a CD-Burner, both fully functional. The mouse and keyboard do belong to the Zaurus. These things make a fantastic laptop replacement. In fact, I no longer carry a PDA, Laptop, or MP3 player (because I have a wired music remote for the Zaurus).
Although I have to admit that I'm running linux - A beta version of the stock rom that has been rebuilt along the lines of this: http://www.cacko.biz/
And I should point out that SSH, both client and server, do work just fine under linux
There's tons of support for EDICT dictionaries. Zedict, for example. A linux based Zaurus is a great upgrade for the older Z's
Check out the forums at www.oesf.org.
Have you looked at the Sharp SL-C3000? Higher Res screen than the 5600, USB host, bigger keyboard, 4gb HD. Same size as an SL-C860. I'm replacing my 860 with a 3000 in about 21hrs =)
My 860 replaced my MP3 player, my Palm Pilot, my laptop, and all the books I used to carry around. It even functions as a great video player.
The VGA Zaurii (SL-Cxx0) make great e-book readers. They work equally well in either landscape or portrait mode (the screen swivels like one of the convertible "tablet Pcs") You've got a huge range of font sizes, 6 different backlight levels and the screen is utterly amazing. Sharp's CG Silicon displays are fantastic. (For reference, the PSP screen is a Sharp unit, but the one in the Zaurus is both higher res and brighter, with a better FOV)
The C3000 has to be as close to perfect as a PDA can get. Now only if it weren't a Japanese only product so they'd build in wi-fi or bluetooth.
Sharp makes absolutely fantastic LCD displays. Ever seen the Sharp "CG Silicon" screen on a SLC series Zaurus? 3.7in, 640x480 resolution, absolutely breathtaking contrast, brightness, and color. Sharp is renowned for its screen technology.
(On my flight back from Japan, a Japanese girl and her mother, not tech people by any stretch of the imagination, commented on my SLC-860, thinking it was a Kanji dictionary. When I told them what it was they asked who made it. When I said "Sharp" their response was "Ah - the best screens!")
I installed Linux and Win2k on my M34 by removing the hard drive and putting in another laptop. (A desktop adapter would also work, and can be had for ~$10)
The X 4.x drivers for the touchscreen don't seem to have calibration working yet. (Or the fellow didn't have the calibration utility pre-compiled, and to compile his stuff you need to compile X first.)
The SL-C3000 is 124mm by 87mm by 25mm (4.9x3.4x1)
It also has fully twice the screen resolution as the highest-rez device you listed (the T5, I believe), and closer to 4 times the rez of everything else. It also includes what is probably one of the best built in keyboards on the market, on top of having as much storage capacity as the iPod mini.
How does that make any of the above "better"?
You'd have to combine 1.5 T5's, the Palm C for the keyboard, AND the iPod mini into a single unit to match it. You'd have to add a CF card for connectivity to the Zaurus, but that still leaves you USB-host, the serial port, and an SD slot for expansion.
Some people use PDAs. Other people want 4-inch laptops. The Zaurus is definitely the latter.
> True Wireless
Well, you have your choice of CF 802.11b, CF BT, an upcoming SDIO 802.11b card, serial BT, or any one of a dozen or so different types of CF cellular cards.
>CD/DVD Playback.
Lots of people do this already. ~200 to 450mb/movie, stuck onto the storage medium of choice. The internal 4gb is *plenty*
>Easy iPod style interface when the unit is closed
There's a wired remote that plugs into the headphone socket. Not quite an iPod, but certainly very nice.
>Option to Recharge
1800mah Li-ion battery. Barrel plug for power so you can use your 5v battery extender of choice. I use a set of 8 NiMH 2300 mah AA's that give me ~18hrs runtime on the Zaurus 5500, which had notoriously bad battery life.
My SLC-860 is waiting in my friend's appartment in Otsu for when I jump the pond next week. I'm planning on eventually getting a second, but I'm not sure yet if the SL-C3000 is worth the extra cash. I'm definitely not going to be rushing the purchase.
Altimeter, Thermometer, barometer
A thermometer on a watch is almost useless. A buddy of mine had a Casio with these three built in. The altimiter and barometer worked okay, but the thermometer basically always read 37 degrees Celcius.
Don't most computers with built in Wi-Fi have a switch for the radio - the laptops I've seen with the card built in have switches. I thought they *had* to have some way to turn the radio off, as it is illegal to operate them in certain areas. (Med students at the U need to turn off their Wi-Fi before entering some areas of the hospital.) Is it just my hospital that limits it?
I read every article Dan writes - they're informative, seem legit, and usually pretty funny. Do yourselves a favour and check out his (rather out of date but outrageously funny) article on raid:
http://www.dansdata.com/raidagain.htm
Yes, we want them to. I do phone support for a large ISP, and I have talked to people that would rather drop their high speed connection in favor of dial up instead of cleaning a virus off of their computer (The connection over dial up felt faster than their virus saturated high speed)
The people causing the problems don't know, don't care, and can't be made to care.
Most of these people don't have the know-how to fix it themselves, and tech support can't be expected to fix the regurgitated pap that passes for operating systems that some of these people use. (Like 7year old installs of Windows 95, or Windows XP with 4 virus scanners and a dozen spyware programs.)
I work tech support for a big ISP in Canada, and the number of problems caused by broken or incorrectly configured firewalls are staggering.
As others have pointed out, there is a difference between somebody who doesn't know how to use computers, and someone who is stupid/inept/incapable of listening.
I'm an phone support agent for a large ISP, and quite good at my job. I can quite happily talk someone through the entire troubleshooting routine in just a few minutes. However, once a month or so you run into that one person who refuses to listen, tries to tell you why you are wrong and just fix it already, can't type the same thing twice in a row, and takes 8 minutes of explanation to find the "forward slash" button on the keyboard. (He couldn't find the question mark key either.) THOSE are the clients you get mad at.
There is a difference between stupidity and ignorance. Ignorance can be cured.
While both of these arguments may be true, they seem to run counter to reality. Most people are blissfully unaware of just how much garbage their machine is collecting - and spewing.
I'm an internet support tech for a large ISP, and I've seen customers who decided to drop ADSL and go back to dial up rather than try to remove a virus from their machine. (Me "You have a virus." Them "Well, it works on dial up so please switch my account over."
Reminds me about playing Car Wars back in high school. A friend of mine got the Tank expansion set so brilliant me decides to challenge a bunch of maxed out cars against 1 100 "space" tank.
Long story short - the car's heavy weapons bounced off the tanks armour, while a single tank shot went through our cars in the following order: front armour, engine, driver, rear equipment, rear armour, out the back of the car.