Similarly I know a garage where I live that are still using 486 machines in their workshops which connect to a web server in the main office.
The simple reason for this is that modern PC components don't seem to have the resilience of the older stuff and don't handle the temperature fluctuations/dust/vibration levels as well etc. etc.
Plus when one dies they just replace it with another unit (they buy up replacements from car boot sales for an average £ 20) As long as there's a browser on the box they don't care what O/S it's running.
Firstly let me say that I'm not an Apple fan boy by any stretch of the imagination - mainly due to having just bought an expensive upgrade to Emagics Logic about three weeks before Apple bought them out and killed the Windows line (At the time I bought my first Logic/Wintel machine I simply couldn't afford a MAC)
However I function as the increasingly irate and fed up "first port of call" for my friends Windows (ostly XP Home) spyware/dialler/virus etc. etc. problems. And I am sick to death of fixing crap only to find one of their kids has used IE to do something and we're back to spyware central.
If you could remove IE altogther that would be fine but you simply can't explain internet security to a 10 year old and quite frankly why should a user put up with this level of incompetent security in an operating system ?
So... if we don't get the usual ridiculous UK price hike (i.e. if the Mini mac comes in at a reasonable price - which will not be $499 = £499) then in future they'll be getting one piece of advice from me. Sell the XP box then buy a MAC for computing and a games console for gaming.
Maybe then they can get on with actually usuing their computers instead of spending all their time fighting to remove crap off them. And maybe I can have a week without having to deinfest some crap off an XP machine.
Worst part of it is that I only accept beer in return for my efforts so I've not only got a garage full of booze but I'm becoming an alcoholic (I have to drink to forget the frustration of removing all the crud from the Windows boxes) But quite frankly my liver and my sanity could do with a rest. Hell I might even get enough free time to properly understand my Linux boxes !
So to anyone at Apple reading this you're still a bunch of bastards for shafting us "Emagic on Windows folks" but well done for this. I hope you sell millions. My only question is why didn't you get your finger out and do this sooner ? And when can I look forward to the supporting adverts ?
"Are you tired of spending all your time removing spyware and viruses from your computer ? Wouldn't you rather use it as a productive tool instead ?"
"Then why not buy our Mini Mac and remember how computing was supposed to be"..
These people are idiots and I don't have a grain of sympathy for them. I suppose they'll soon grow up into the sort of adults who land themselves with huge unpayable credit card/loan related debts because they're simply too stupid to understand that you can't spend more than you earn.
I feel like I'm going to have to keep saying this 'til the day I die...
All these DRM/Copy protection schemes are an attempt to return us to the days before the Gutnburg printing press when an elite group (in those days the Church) were the only people who could read and write the Latin books and hence the only people that could interpret the Bible for you.
Add to this the fact that with a closed proprietary format then in X years time you may not be able to view content you've paid for (the hardware is no longer manufactured, the format is proprietary and the skills/information needed to decode it have been lost/forgotten)
What we have with all these schemes is utter barbarians trying to appropriate culture for their own use and profit.
Monopolise the means of production the means of distribution (digital certificates, DRM) and kill any minor players (independent producers who are priced out of the process) These people want an Eastern Bloc style Communist entertainment industry ! "The party makes good stuff huh and you will buy".
What cultural inheritance will our current generations leave for future historians ? Nothing at this rate (min you that could be a blessing for the ones to come;)
All together now.... vote with your wallets and just say no.
Microsoft are relasing anti spyware ? has the world gone mad ? Why don't they just fix their damned OS so that:
1 A user can see ALL running processes (NO exceptions) with complete information as to which file the bloody code was loaded from.
2 Give the user the facility to terminate ANY running process(es) they choose regardless of whether it wishes to close or not and regardless of what state it's in.
On this note they should mark their system services as being system services, document what they're called and what they do and then don't let third parties interfere with them (published file names, published checksums etc.) No more bloody "generic host" services either thanks.
3 Make sure applications are started in a consistent manner. i.e. Everything that is run at startup or login gets started either via registry entries or via.INI files not BOTH. This is not to mention the other myriad way apps can get themselves loaded (via auto executed scripts etc.etc.) That way a user may have a chance of finding exactly what will get started and will have a cat in hells chance to stop these bastard spyware apps starting.
In fact on this note why are a users "application settings" in a different directory to their "documents" directory (i.e. "Documents & Settings" and "My Documents") Why aren't all a users settings in one place ? What's wonrg with hidden.dot files/directories ? What's wrong the excellent idea of a "home" directory ?
In other words they should FIX THEIR FUCKING O/S instead of trying to paper over the gaping cracks.
Oh nurse, pass me the tablets.... Anyone who uses this is a moron. I hope it comes with spyware built in. I really do.
This is as bad as Ford making cars with razor blades in the steering wheels and then offering to sell you some thick leather driving gloves......
If I wanted to send a secure communication to some body the very last device I would use is a computer especially one that I didn't build myself.
If it's not logged on your companies servers, it's logged by your ISPs servers, numerous intermediate servers, Echelon, Carnivore etc. etc. and ALL encryption is defeatable (the only difference being how much effort is required). In fact I fully expect that even quantum cryptography will be defeatable once it becomes used "in the field".
The only way to stealthily communicate is to use a completely open totally noticable system that, to the onlooker, seems like average speech. In other words:
"Hey do you like the new retardz (tm) movie ?", "No it sucks"
translates to
"Oh great master shall we kill them all now ?", "No we await a later date as I'm wearing my best suit today".
And what's more just think if digital recording technology had been invented first. Would there even have been any compression effects ?
Personally I don't care what anyone says. Decent quality analogue gear simply sounds better. Perhaps not cleaner or more accurate but definitely better.
After all any digital reproduction is actually very short clips of sound played so fast your brain doesn't hear the gaps. A life form which processes data faster would hear a right racket !
So whilst I'm glad for my tiny MP3 player hats off to the analogue originators for a damned fine job.
"Now, if it ran in Windows too, it would truly crush VB for database applications"
Oh dear. Why does anything Linux related have to "crush/smash/destroy" something Windows related ? Why not just aim to make a better tool ? Computers are after all only a tool to get a job done.
And in case the author missed it the Microsoft world went.Net a while back so VB 6.0 is now officially "legacy code".
Well if this can be done by the *AA criminals you can bet your life it's already been exploited by the other criminals (who are now probably pissed off due to the clumsy *AA having exposed their previously nicely hidden back door)
So if anyone had any doubts left stop using WMA now (personally I've never touched it due it being crippled with DRM)
"Microsoft Security" is an even better oxymoron than "Miltary Intelligence".
Whenever a Windows/*NIX comparison is made there should be a mandatory reference to the TCV and TCS for the Windows boxes - which obviously stand for the "Total Cost of Viruses" and "Total Cost of Spyware".
(Yeah, yeah I know the viruses and spyware come free it's the cost of removal and associated downtime that needs talking up:)
Are these COMPUTER viruses or (more likely) MICROSOFT WINDOWS viruses.
There's one hell of a difference and I'm betting it's the latter. Why ? Because Microsoft Windows is designed without regard to security. Hence the number of viruses/exploits for the platform.
I can only whoeheartedly agree on the point about file versioning. I learnt my computing on International Computers Limited (ICL)s Virtual Machine Environment (VME) (A British O/S !) where each file has an associated generation number and it's so bloody useful !
e.g. When you create a file then by default it's created at generation 1 (You may of course specify it should be created with, say, generation 100). At a later point you then edit the file which results in a new generation of the file being placed, with a generation number of highest current generation + 1.
So several edits later and you've got generation numbers 1 to 11 of your file but realise you've just made a pigs ear of things. No problem generation 8 is still good so you can simply edit generation 8 which will result in a new file with generation number of 12 (unless you specify otherwise files are always placed with highest possible generation number + 1)
Of course there are all the tools necessary to delete old generations etc. etc.
Quite frankly having started out my "serious computing" on this operating system I have found all PC based O/Ss utterly primitive. "Only one copy of each file ? That's so crappy..."
So this would be the single best idea that could be incoporated into *NIX.
Pah ! I spit at your puny single copies of files paradigm... It is a weak and continental thing and the product of unclean minds.
Well I'm afraid that I don't care what the winner in the new format wars will be. Whichever wins I'll not be "upgrading" until my old stuff dies. I just don't care about watching fims any more.
As enough people have already said it'll just be another excuse to put more unnecessary crap on discs. And on this note the current output of the American film industry is so dire that I've not bought a single disc all year. Nor have I been to the pictures (movies for y'all) or rented anything.
Sorry but it's all the same tired old shite.
1 Evil power threatens world. 2 Good guy can't get girl. 3 Car chase. 4 Random crapola plot 5 Car chase. 6 Good guy gets girl. 7 Another fucking car chase. 8 Semi unfinished ending just in case it sells and a remake looks profitable.
Swap two of the car chases for songs and you've got the "kiddie" (Disney, Pixar et. al.) market covered too.
What a load of fucking shite.
As for backing stuff up well just get some more hard drives in removable caddies/USB cradles. A couple of 640Gb backup drives should be enough for anyone (ducks)
Blu Ray/HD ? Oooh it's so exciting which do I choose ?
And then you will eventually be locked into pay per view on everything as the content will only be available from streams from the studios. These streams will not be savable.
Not that I've got anything against Jesus (actually he seemed like a bloody good bloke.. it's just a shame about his latter day followers) but this is why I will only refer to the midwinter festivities as Xmas - that way "X" can represent the reason of your choice:)
Actually if you take anything more than a casual look at Christian festival days you'll find they've simply usurped an existing festival. Anyone for the godess Oestre and her symbol of fertility the hare (one of the few animals that can conceive again whilst pregnant) ? Ooh look that'll be Easter in the Christianised version with the poor old hare being made into a cutesy pie rabbit.
Remember the motto: "Where the Roman war machine failed, the Church followed".
iRiver international have a flash only website. What a bunch of retards.
I know this as the batteries in my iRiver CD player have just died and I've been trying to contact their UK representatives to ask about replacements.
However... the only non FLash web preseence I could find for them was their USA website (which isn't Flash based) and after using their online contact page (to ask how I could contact their UK representatives) they've now sent me two emails telling me about some crappy "eform account" theylve set up for me. WTF ?
Fuck that. I wanted simple reply to a very simple question and they're pissing me about.
So fuck iRiver and FUCK Their Flash only website. Any company that has a Flash only website deserves to go bust. I work with a partially sighted chap (who has a 21" monitor set at 640 x 480 hi contrast settings) and he simply can't use Flash only sites at all. It's discrimination plain and simple.
The fucking miserable bastards. The fucking miserable, retarded, clueless, fucking bastards. Shitheads like that shouldn't even be on the internet.
Finally on a better note I tracked down some replacements batteries quite cheaply via the web but I'll never buy iRiver again.
Now that is one UGLY box. It looks just like the crappy "all-in-one" pseudo hi-fi sets they sell in the big retail stores in the UK. Much found in teenagers bedrooms and all featuring a complete lack of style.
But if you really want to see what a hi-fi style case should look like I'd suggest you take a look at the HTPC case range which you can see at:
http://www.quietpc.com/uk/htpc.php
I'm especially talking about the Accent HT-400 (in black naturally) which really does look like a piece of hi-fi equipment !
Now that is something that could sit in my rack (they're all the right fecking dimensions to stack for starters) Having said that they're not the cheapsest of cases but they do look well made.
If only I could scrape the pennies together that would make a damn nice start to a Myth-TV box !
Well I got a GMail account especially so I can use it to sign up to bulletin boards, forums and to use when I order stuff over the web etc. etc.
That way all the spam I get should start going to my GMail account thereby leaving my real email account (hosted on my home server) free for me to use with friends and family etc. (It's been 100% spam free in the nine months I've been using it)
Previously I'd been using a "throwaway" domain name I bought specially for this (which gets redirected to a real account) but it's due for expiry soon and, now I have a GMail account, it can go ! So my top tip of the week is get several free web mail accounts and use them for everything but your private stuff.
And on this note I'd never use my GMail account for any private stuff as, fer fecks sake, they're a SEARCH company. How long do you think it'll be before their new corporate shareholder overlords start doing some real intensive data mining on all your GMails ?
"But dude, their motto is do no evil" I hear you squeak. Sorry, they're a publically listed company and will do whatever "the market" tells them to do...
Well I used to love Firefox and it's still a better browser than IE (by miles)
But since version 1.0 I'm getting sick to death of it telling me I need plug ins for websites I visit (via the small yellow div it superimposes at the top of each affected page)
No, I dont want these plugins thanks. Nor do I wish to be asked about them EVER AGAIN. I don't want flash, I don't want streaming medai crap. I'm a luddite who wants text and images full stop. Every other whizz bang plugin seems to be used for one thing - crappy advertising. And I don't want 'em on my PC.
This continual nagging is pissing me off as much as the inability to stop IE prompting me to download Active-X ("For the umpteenth time, No I do not want to download their crappy plugins")
Please people, if you write software respect your users. Ask me once and give me the options to say "No thanks" and "NO thanks and don;t bother me again about it".
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe what's really needed for our friends in the less advanced countries is a web site that functions as a browser ?
Yes thankyou, I am an idiot.
Similarly I know a garage where I live that are still using 486 machines in their workshops which connect to a web server in the main office.
The simple reason for this is that modern PC components don't seem to have the resilience of the older stuff and don't handle the temperature fluctuations/dust/vibration levels as well etc. etc.
Plus when one dies they just replace it with another unit (they buy up replacements from car boot sales for an average £ 20) As long as there's a browser on the box they don't care what O/S it's running.
Firstly let me say that I'm not an Apple fan boy by any stretch of the imagination - mainly due to having just bought an expensive upgrade to Emagics Logic about three weeks before Apple bought them out and killed the Windows line (At the time I bought my first Logic/Wintel machine I simply couldn't afford a MAC)
However I function as the increasingly irate and fed up "first port of call" for my friends Windows (ostly XP Home) spyware/dialler/virus etc. etc. problems. And I am sick to death of fixing crap only to find one of their kids has used IE to do something and we're back to spyware central.
If you could remove IE altogther that would be fine but you simply can't explain internet security to a 10 year old and quite frankly why should a user put up with this level of incompetent security in an operating system ?
So... if we don't get the usual ridiculous UK price hike (i.e. if the Mini mac comes in at a reasonable price - which will not be $499 = £499) then in future they'll be getting one piece of advice from me. Sell the XP box then buy a MAC for computing and a games console for gaming.
Maybe then they can get on with actually usuing their computers instead of spending all their time fighting to remove crap off them. And maybe I can have a week without having to deinfest some crap off an XP machine.
Worst part of it is that I only accept beer in return for my efforts so I've not only got a garage full of booze but I'm becoming an alcoholic (I have to drink to forget the frustration of removing all the crud from the Windows boxes) But quite frankly my liver and my sanity could do with a rest. Hell I might even get enough free time to properly understand my Linux boxes !
So to anyone at Apple reading this you're still a bunch of bastards for shafting us "Emagic on Windows folks" but well done for this. I hope you sell millions. My only question is why didn't you get your finger out and do this sooner ? And when can I look forward to the supporting adverts ?
"Are you tired of spending all your time removing spyware and viruses from your computer ? Wouldn't you rather use it as a productive tool instead ?"
"Then why not buy our Mini Mac and remember how computing was supposed to be"..
You get the picture.
Who cares ?
These people are idiots and I don't have a grain of sympathy for them. I suppose they'll soon grow up into the sort of adults who land themselves with huge unpayable credit card/loan related debts because they're simply too stupid to understand that you can't spend more than you earn.
Let them rot.
I feel like I'm going to have to keep saying this 'til the day I die...
;)
All these DRM/Copy protection schemes are an attempt to return us to the days before the Gutnburg printing press when an elite group (in those days the Church) were the only people who could read and write the Latin books and hence the only people that could interpret the Bible for you.
Add to this the fact that with a closed proprietary format then in X years time you may not be able to view content you've paid for (the hardware is no longer manufactured, the format is proprietary and the skills/information needed to decode it have been lost/forgotten)
What we have with all these schemes is utter barbarians trying to appropriate culture for their own use and profit.
Monopolise the means of production the means of distribution (digital certificates, DRM) and kill any minor players (independent producers who are priced out of the process) These people want an Eastern Bloc style Communist entertainment industry ! "The party makes good stuff huh and you will buy".
What cultural inheritance will our current generations leave for future historians ? Nothing at this rate (min you that could be a blessing for the ones to come
All together now.... vote with your wallets and just say no.
Egad !
.INI files not BOTH. This is not to mention the other myriad way apps can get themselves loaded (via auto executed scripts etc.etc.) That way a user may have a chance of finding exactly what will get started and will have a cat in hells chance to stop these bastard spyware apps starting.
.dot files/directories ? What's wrong the excellent idea of a "home" directory ?
Microsoft are relasing anti spyware ? has the world gone mad ? Why don't they just fix their damned OS so that:
1 A user can see ALL running processes (NO exceptions) with complete information as to which file the bloody code was loaded from.
2 Give the user the facility to terminate ANY running process(es) they choose regardless of whether it wishes to close or not and regardless of what state it's in.
On this note they should mark their system services as being system services, document what they're called and what they do and then don't let third parties interfere with them (published file names, published checksums etc.) No more bloody "generic host" services either thanks.
3 Make sure applications are started in a consistent manner. i.e. Everything that is run at startup or login gets started either via registry entries or via
In fact on this note why are a users "application settings" in a different directory to their "documents" directory (i.e. "Documents & Settings" and "My Documents") Why aren't all a users settings in one place ? What's wonrg with hidden
In other words they should FIX THEIR FUCKING O/S instead of trying to paper over the gaping cracks.
Oh nurse, pass me the tablets.... Anyone who uses this is a moron. I hope it comes with spyware built in. I really do.
This is as bad as Ford making cars with razor blades in the steering wheels and then offering to sell you some thick leather driving gloves......
Yep, compartmentalization is King.
I bought hi-fi seperates cause when I can afford a better CD player/Tape Deck/Whatever next I unplug the old bit & plug in the new bit.
Similarly if one of the items fails I replace just the failed item, not the whole show.
And we all know what happens when you tightly integrate everything (hello viruses, worms, adware, crapware scumware etc. etc. etc.)
"Sorry I couldn't phone you back 'cause my MP3 player got a virus and it's shut down and formatted my entire Microsoft house (tm)".
If I wanted to send a secure communication to some body the very last device I would use is a computer especially one that I didn't build myself.
If it's not logged on your companies servers, it's logged by your ISPs servers, numerous intermediate servers, Echelon, Carnivore etc. etc. and ALL encryption is defeatable (the only difference being how much effort is required). In fact I fully expect that even quantum cryptography will be defeatable once it becomes used "in the field".
The only way to stealthily communicate is to use a completely open totally noticable system that, to the onlooker, seems like average speech. In other words:
"Hey do you like the new retardz (tm) movie ?",
"No it sucks"
translates to
"Oh great master shall we kill them all now ?",
"No we await a later date as I'm wearing my best suit today".
The idiots got what they desrved.
And what's more just think if digital recording technology had been invented first. Would there even have been any compression effects ?
Personally I don't care what anyone says. Decent quality analogue gear simply sounds better. Perhaps not cleaner or more accurate but definitely better.
After all any digital reproduction is actually very short clips of sound played so fast your brain doesn't hear the gaps. A life form which processes data faster would hear a right racket !
So whilst I'm glad for my tiny MP3 player hats off to the analogue originators for a damned fine job.
"Now, if it ran in Windows too, it would truly crush VB for database applications"
.Net a while back so VB 6.0 is now officially "legacy code".
Oh dear. Why does anything Linux related have to "crush/smash/destroy" something Windows related ? Why not just aim to make a better tool ? Computers are after all only a tool to get a job done.
And in case the author missed it the Microsoft world went
I think you'll find their new motto is:
"Do no evil - unless the shareholders require it".
Next stop - in car peer to peer !
My how we laughed at their silly DRM schemes.
Well if this can be done by the *AA criminals you can bet your life it's already been exploited by the other criminals (who are now probably pissed off due to the clumsy *AA having exposed their previously nicely hidden back door)
So if anyone had any doubts left stop using WMA now (personally I've never touched it due it being crippled with DRM)
"Microsoft Security" is an even better oxymoron than "Miltary Intelligence".
Whenever a Windows/*NIX comparison is made there should be a mandatory reference to the TCV and TCS for the Windows boxes - which obviously stand for the "Total Cost of Viruses" and "Total Cost of Spyware".
:)
(Yeah, yeah I know the viruses and spyware come free it's the cost of removal and associated downtime that needs talking up
Are these COMPUTER viruses or (more likely) MICROSOFT WINDOWS viruses.
There's one hell of a difference and I'm betting it's the latter. Why ? Because Microsoft Windows is designed without regard to security. Hence the number of viruses/exploits for the platform.
I can only whoeheartedly agree on the point about file versioning. I learnt my computing on International Computers Limited (ICL)s Virtual Machine Environment (VME) (A British O/S !) where each file has an associated generation number and it's so bloody useful !
e.g. When you create a file then by default it's created at generation 1 (You may of course specify it should be created with, say, generation 100). At a later point you then edit the file which results in a new generation of the file being placed, with a generation number of highest current generation + 1.
So several edits later and you've got generation numbers 1 to 11 of your file but realise you've just made a pigs ear of things. No problem generation 8 is still good so you can simply edit generation 8 which will result in a new file with generation number of 12 (unless you specify otherwise files are always placed with highest possible generation number + 1)
Of course there are all the tools necessary to delete old generations etc. etc.
Quite frankly having started out my "serious computing" on this operating system I have found all PC based O/Ss utterly primitive. "Only one copy of each file ? That's so crappy..."
So this would be the single best idea that could be incoporated into *NIX.
Pah ! I spit at your puny single copies of files paradigm... It is a weak and continental thing and the product of unclean minds.
Well I'm afraid that I don't care what the winner in the new format wars will be. Whichever wins I'll not be "upgrading" until my old stuff dies. I just don't care about watching fims any more.
As enough people have already said it'll just be another excuse to put more unnecessary crap on discs. And on this note the current output of the American film industry is so dire that I've not bought a single disc all year. Nor have I been to the pictures (movies for y'all) or rented anything.
Sorry but it's all the same tired old shite.
1 Evil power threatens world.
2 Good guy can't get girl.
3 Car chase.
4 Random crapola plot
5 Car chase.
6 Good guy gets girl.
7 Another fucking car chase.
8 Semi unfinished ending just in case it sells and a remake looks profitable.
Swap two of the car chases for songs and you've got the "kiddie" (Disney, Pixar et. al.) market covered too.
What a load of fucking shite.
As for backing stuff up well just get some more hard drives in removable caddies/USB cradles. A couple of 640Gb backup drives should be enough for anyone (ducks)
Blu Ray/HD ? Oooh it's so exciting which do I choose ?
Guess who's got a new shovel ?
And then you will eventually be locked into pay per view on everything as the content will only be available from streams from the studios. These streams will not be savable.
The studios will have achieved their holy grail.
Well said.
:)
Not that I've got anything against Jesus (actually he seemed like a bloody good bloke.. it's just a shame about his latter day followers) but this is why I will only refer to the midwinter festivities as Xmas - that way "X" can represent the reason of your choice
Actually if you take anything more than a casual look at Christian festival days you'll find they've simply usurped an existing festival. Anyone for the godess Oestre and her symbol of fertility the hare (one of the few animals that can conceive again whilst pregnant) ? Ooh look that'll be Easter in the Christianised version with the poor old hare being made into a cutesy pie rabbit.
Remember the motto: "Where the Roman war machine failed, the Church followed".
Well if your co workers don't understand your code or the reasons why you've done things the way you have I'd say you have have one of two problems.
1 Your co workers need training.
2 You have insufficient comments in the code (or comments that are insufficiently clear)
Where I work we used to have problem 2 but sufficient shouting soon got us into shape !
People please be aware.
iRiver international have a flash only website. What a bunch of retards.
I know this as the batteries in my iRiver CD player have just died and I've been trying to contact their UK representatives to ask about replacements.
However... the only non FLash web preseence I could find for them was their USA website (which isn't Flash based) and after using their online contact page (to ask how I could contact their UK representatives) they've now sent me two emails telling me about some crappy "eform account" theylve set up for me. WTF ?
Fuck that. I wanted simple reply to a very simple question and they're pissing me about.
So fuck iRiver and FUCK Their Flash only website. Any company that has a Flash only website deserves to go bust. I work with a partially sighted chap (who has a 21" monitor set at 640 x 480 hi contrast settings) and he simply can't use Flash only sites at all. It's discrimination plain and simple.
The fucking miserable bastards. The fucking miserable, retarded, clueless, fucking bastards. Shitheads like that shouldn't even be on the internet.
Finally on a better note I tracked down some replacements batteries quite cheaply via the web but I'll never buy iRiver again.
Now that is one UGLY box. It looks just like the crappy "all-in-one" pseudo hi-fi sets they sell in the big retail stores in the UK. Much found in teenagers bedrooms and all featuring a complete lack of style.
But if you really want to see what a hi-fi style case should look like I'd suggest you take a look at the HTPC case range which you can see at:
http://www.quietpc.com/uk/htpc.php
I'm especially talking about the Accent HT-400 (in black naturally) which really does look like a piece of hi-fi equipment !
Now that is something that could sit in my rack (they're all the right fecking dimensions to stack for starters) Having said that they're not the cheapsest of cases but they do look well made.
If only I could scrape the pennies together that would make a damn nice start to a Myth-TV box !
Well I got a GMail account especially so I can use it to sign up to bulletin boards, forums and to use when I order stuff over the web etc. etc.
That way all the spam I get should start going to my GMail account thereby leaving my real email account (hosted on my home server) free for me to use with friends and family etc. (It's been 100% spam free in the nine months I've been using it)
Previously I'd been using a "throwaway" domain name I bought specially for this (which gets redirected to a real account) but it's due for expiry soon and, now I have a GMail account, it can go ! So my top tip of the week is get several free web mail accounts and use them for everything but your private stuff.
And on this note I'd never use my GMail account for any private stuff as, fer fecks sake, they're a SEARCH company. How long do you think it'll be before their new corporate shareholder overlords start doing some real intensive data mining on all your GMails ?
"But dude, their motto is do no evil" I hear you squeak. Sorry, they're a publically listed company and will do whatever "the market" tells them to do...
Well I used to love Firefox and it's still a better browser than IE (by miles)
But since version 1.0 I'm getting sick to death of it telling me I need plug ins for websites I visit (via the small yellow div it superimposes at the top of each affected page)
No, I dont want these plugins thanks. Nor do I wish to be asked about them EVER AGAIN. I don't want flash, I don't want streaming medai crap. I'm a luddite who wants text and images full stop. Every other whizz bang plugin seems to be used for one thing - crappy advertising. And I don't want 'em on my PC.
This continual nagging is pissing me off as much as the inability to stop IE prompting me to download Active-X ("For the umpteenth time, No I do not want to download their crappy plugins")
Please people, if you write software respect your users. Ask me once and give me the options to say "No thanks" and "NO thanks and don;t bother me again about it".
Jesus !
Well I don't have to deal with IE only websites.
My previous bank had an IE only website. I switched banks.
My previous electricity provider had an IE only wbsite. I switched providers.
If you're IE only you don't get my business. Full fucking stop.
So no sir, I DO NOT have to deal with IE only websites.