I bought Computer Shopper back in the ages for the ads, reviews, and the BBS phone numbers they would list in the back.
It was a great publication for those of us out in the boonies with only a 2400 baud modem. I built my first computer entirely of parts ordered from ads in the CS, and then used CS to find a couple BBSes to dial into.
Ah, updated April 20th of 2005. So, this is a fairly recent change.
Still, I have successfully activated the same COA number a minimum of eight times over the course of ownership of my Sony VAIO laptop.
I most recently reloaded the OS when I sold the laptop, in July. This new policy must only affect COA numbers and OEM loads since April (my old laptop was three years old).
The machines that have been reloaded at work, though, are less than a year old.
I'd like for you to point me towards some bit of documentation ANYWHERE that will back up that claim.
I've repeatedly used a Dell OEM Windows XP Home CD-ROM to blank and reinstall the operating system on multpile machines, using the CD-Key/serial number from the stickers on the individual machines (not reusing the Dell key).
As far as I can tell, this is either a very new thing, or doesn't exist.
OEM installation CDs won't work with retail CD-Keys, that I've seen. But I've never had an authentic OEM CD not work with an authentic OEM CD-Key.
I used a Dell branded Windows XP Home installation disk to wipe and reload my Sony VAIO. I had zero problems using the Dell CD, even using the serial number/CD-Key off of the sticker on my Sony laptop.
If you can see Google making their own browser, why not a simple OS?
Taking that further, maybe Google will be the company/ISP that can finally bring a decent sub-$200 PC for the masses to the market?
People who use Google Mail already store their email on Google's servers. Why not have a simple multimedia system that can stream stored video, audio, still pictures, documents, etc from a centralized server? (Yes, I know other companies have tried this and failed. But, this is Google...)
I have a feeling we're about to see more than just the tip of the iceberg that is Google.
Strangely enough, I grew up not far from Oxford, OH. Funny to see this place mentioned on Slashdot. Even more hilarious to see it on Slashdot due to the actions of some irresponsible people!
Smoke has nothing to do with sulfur content, just the health of your engine, really. If it's not tuned properly, it's gonna smoke all the time.
I don't know how correct their analysis for black smoke from diesel engines is, though. It's probably true for a vehicle that smokes constantly.
As for cetane ratings, I've seen pumps that advertise 50 cetane fuel at truck stops. I think I've seen even higher than that, but I wouldn't swear to it.
Well, don't think I don't know how to drive diesels either. I've driven a few of the new TDIs for test drives, and I used to drive plenty of diesel powered vehicles on my parents farm, including passenger cars and trucks. I know about low-end torque, manual versus automatic transmissions, etc.
Even with the manual trans, it's still a vehicle that makes all of its torque at lower RPMs (although the torque curve is nice on those TDIs to allow for SOME revs), and as you point out, must be driven with precision in order to get the performance you speak.
You're misrepresenting TDI diesels with claims of performance that 90% (your number) of said cars will most likely never achieve. I know how you feel, because personally, I'd prefer it if everyone switched to diesel powered cars and trucks. Great efficiency, simple technology, and normally a longer life with diesel engines.
I know of an old 1977 Chevy step-side pickup with a twin-turbo setup on a 6.2L V8 diesel that did 9 seconds in the 1/4 mile on regular diesel fuel. That doesn't mean I think all GM 6.2L powered trucks are quick (very far from it).
Black smoke happens with gas and diesel engines any time you apply the maximum amount of throttle under a high load. It very little to do with how clean the fuel is.
I can speak for Verizon's data services, which work very well through my V710 using a USB cable. 144Kbit/s total bandwidth on the 1x network is very nice. Ping times are pretty high, but consistent.
You don't have to buy the PCMCIA card to get a laptop on Verizon's network. Just get the USB cable (Mobile Office Kit, or something like that from Verizon, not all phones supported) and it's easy to set up.
Phone looks like a USB modem, use DUN to go out to the network. I believe this even works under Linux with little to no modifications.
The V710 with Bluetooth works nicely when I want to get my Palm 72 on the internet. Folding keyboard for the Palm means SSH sessions work very well.
If it was a bit faster (no, EVDO isn't in my area), I'd dump all land-based internet connectivity, and go strictly over the cell network for internet access.
I'm sorry, but TDI cars are slow, slow, slow off of the line compared to just about anything else on the road.
I don't have any problems getting around the new Golfs and Passats after a toll booth, all the while they're blowing black smoke, trying to get up to speed.
I drive an '88 Honda Civic LX with 273,000 miles on it. It gets 40-42mpg average per tank right now (it'll go down a little in the winter). I do 90% highway driving.
I LOVE diesels, but you're very much mistaken on the straight-line performance of the new TDIs. Tweak them, they'd be OK. Stock, they're very slow cars indeed.
They're buying up all this dark fiber to connect all of their data centers, and possibly implementing IPv6 on all of their networks.
My guess is they're jumpstarting the migration to IPv6 with their own backbone. Offer free WiFi, but it'll be IPv6. Not only does everyone (possibly) get free WiFi, but they also get their own net block.
I used to manage over 2500 Windows desktops and servers in 17 locations in North America. I also managed over 200 Linux and Solaris servers at the same time.
Both were equally time consuming, but for very different reasons. Hardware failures on the cheap Dell workstations caused me a lot of grief with the Windows workstations. Constant software updates, installs, and hardware upgrades consumed most of my time with the *nix machines.
I also had no clustering or vendor support, except for Dell techs who were dispatched onsite to replace hard drives and motherboards.
Personally, I prefer working with Solaris and Linux, but that doesn't mean I won't administer Windows boxes to the best of my abilities either.
The point is, it depends on what you do with your Windows machines, and what you do with your Linux/Unix machines. In my case, 2500+ Windows machines didn't take a lot of time to manage once they were set up and locked down. The 200+ *nix servers did take a lot of time to manage, but they also did all of the heavy lifting for the company.
Another very satisfied Verizon customer here. I carry a V710 for my personal cell phone, and the wife has a T720. Good stuff.
I have to carry a Nextel phone for work, and hate this thing with a passion. Service is terrible, coverage is terrible, and the phones are junk.
A friend of mine works for Sprint. He says Sprint bought Nextel so they could have more towers to hang CDMA equipment. They're going to phase out iDen entirely.
He probably says that because of the excellent compatibility with many different operating systems (and versions of said operating systems), they're not that expensive, and they tend to not use nearly as much CPU as a cheap card will.
But, I'd have to disagree with the Netgear recommendation. Why buy good network cards if you use crappy switches for the back end?
Used Cisco equipment is plentiful and cheap on eBay, and provides much more funcionality than crap like unmanaged Netgear, Dlink, Linksys, etc unmanaged switches.
At any rate, people planning on deploying a network should really look at the hardware they're going to need, and spend wisely. Sometimes buying the more expensive stuff (even if it's a bit painful) up front can make things much easier to deal with down the road, and may even save you some money. Don't install junk.
Slashdot Mirror
Problem is, if a significant number of people start using this system, demand for natural gas is still going to go up, and so will the prices.
I love the concept, though. If it's efficient enough to offset the electrical load from the grid, it might be cost effective.
It's called a subscription.
I bought Computer Shopper back in the ages for the ads, reviews, and the BBS phone numbers they would list in the back.
It was a great publication for those of us out in the boonies with only a 2400 baud modem. I built my first computer entirely of parts ordered from ads in the CS, and then used CS to find a couple BBSes to dial into.
Ah, the good ol' days.
Ah, updated April 20th of 2005. So, this is a fairly recent change.
Still, I have successfully activated the same COA number a minimum of eight times over the course of ownership of my Sony VAIO laptop.
I most recently reloaded the OS when I sold the laptop, in July. This new policy must only affect COA numbers and OEM loads since April (my old laptop was three years old).
The machines that have been reloaded at work, though, are less than a year old.
I'd like for you to point me towards some bit of documentation ANYWHERE that will back up that claim.
I've repeatedly used a Dell OEM Windows XP Home CD-ROM to blank and reinstall the operating system on multpile machines, using the CD-Key/serial number from the stickers on the individual machines (not reusing the Dell key).
As far as I can tell, this is either a very new thing, or doesn't exist.
OEM installation CDs won't work with retail CD-Keys, that I've seen. But I've never had an authentic OEM CD not work with an authentic OEM CD-Key.
I used a Dell branded Windows XP Home installation disk to wipe and reload my Sony VAIO. I had zero problems using the Dell CD, even using the serial number/CD-Key off of the sticker on my Sony laptop.
Activated, and worked fine.
The Matrix, or possibly...
SKYNET!
*runs away*
If you can see Google making their own browser, why not a simple OS?
Taking that further, maybe Google will be the company/ISP that can finally bring a decent sub-$200 PC for the masses to the market?
People who use Google Mail already store their email on Google's servers. Why not have a simple multimedia system that can stream stored video, audio, still pictures, documents, etc from a centralized server? (Yes, I know other companies have tried this and failed. But, this is Google...)
I have a feeling we're about to see more than just the tip of the iceberg that is Google.
Yup, get rid of the sulfur, let's start modernizing some of these diesel engines. Direct injection, no sulfur, and turbos for everyone!
Oxford, OH.
Strangely enough, I grew up not far from Oxford, OH. Funny to see this place mentioned on Slashdot. Even more hilarious to see it on Slashdot due to the actions of some irresponsible people!
1.> I drive 90 miles one way to work every day. Unrealistic.
2.> My job requires that I have my own mode of transportation. I cannot carpool.
3.> There is no viable public transportation from the city I live in to the area I work.
4.> I would LOVE to do this, but my contract requires me to perform my duties on-site.
Oh, well. Time to get a better job, I guess.
Take off the trailing slash to make that link work. Sorry.
Here's a link to a site that explains how to read "smoke signals" from gasoline and diesel engines:
n g%20Vehicles/svindex.html/
http://www.co.missoula.mt.us/EnvHealth/AirQ/Smoki
Smoke has nothing to do with sulfur content, just the health of your engine, really. If it's not tuned properly, it's gonna smoke all the time.
I don't know how correct their analysis for black smoke from diesel engines is, though. It's probably true for a vehicle that smokes constantly.
As for cetane ratings, I've seen pumps that advertise 50 cetane fuel at truck stops. I think I've seen even higher than that, but I wouldn't swear to it.
Well, don't think I don't know how to drive diesels either. I've driven a few of the new TDIs for test drives, and I used to drive plenty of diesel powered vehicles on my parents farm, including passenger cars and trucks. I know about low-end torque, manual versus automatic transmissions, etc.
Even with the manual trans, it's still a vehicle that makes all of its torque at lower RPMs (although the torque curve is nice on those TDIs to allow for SOME revs), and as you point out, must be driven with precision in order to get the performance you speak.
You're misrepresenting TDI diesels with claims of performance that 90% (your number) of said cars will most likely never achieve. I know how you feel, because personally, I'd prefer it if everyone switched to diesel powered cars and trucks. Great efficiency, simple technology, and normally a longer life with diesel engines.
I know of an old 1977 Chevy step-side pickup with a twin-turbo setup on a 6.2L V8 diesel that did 9 seconds in the 1/4 mile on regular diesel fuel. That doesn't mean I think all GM 6.2L powered trucks are quick (very far from it).
Black smoke happens with gas and diesel engines any time you apply the maximum amount of throttle under a high load. It very little to do with how clean the fuel is.
I can speak for Verizon's data services, which work very well through my V710 using a USB cable. 144Kbit/s total bandwidth on the 1x network is very nice. Ping times are pretty high, but consistent.
You don't have to buy the PCMCIA card to get a laptop on Verizon's network. Just get the USB cable (Mobile Office Kit, or something like that from Verizon, not all phones supported) and it's easy to set up.
Phone looks like a USB modem, use DUN to go out to the network. I believe this even works under Linux with little to no modifications.
The V710 with Bluetooth works nicely when I want to get my Palm 72 on the internet. Folding keyboard for the Palm means SSH sessions work very well.
If it was a bit faster (no, EVDO isn't in my area), I'd dump all land-based internet connectivity, and go strictly over the cell network for internet access.
I'm sorry, but TDI cars are slow, slow, slow off of the line compared to just about anything else on the road.
I don't have any problems getting around the new Golfs and Passats after a toll booth, all the while they're blowing black smoke, trying to get up to speed.
I drive an '88 Honda Civic LX with 273,000 miles on it. It gets 40-42mpg average per tank right now (it'll go down a little in the winter). I do 90% highway driving.
I LOVE diesels, but you're very much mistaken on the straight-line performance of the new TDIs. Tweak them, they'd be OK. Stock, they're very slow cars indeed.
...that there's more than corn in Indiana!
:-)
Wow. I had no idea a company like that operated in Indiana, of all places.
They're buying up all this dark fiber to connect all of their data centers, and possibly implementing IPv6 on all of their networks.
My guess is they're jumpstarting the migration to IPv6 with their own backbone. Offer free WiFi, but it'll be IPv6. Not only does everyone (possibly) get free WiFi, but they also get their own net block.
*scratches chin*
Now THAT would be something.
Because I saved over $300,000 on the house I purchased 1.5 hours away from work.
Because crime is lower where I live than in the city.
Because I like older houses and yards versus cramped apartment living in the city.
The space around me isn't wasted either. There's a lot of farmland between the area I live and where I work.
Also realize, the US has an excellent road system. The 80 miles I commute one way is about 70 miles of interstate highway.
I used to manage over 2500 Windows desktops and servers in 17 locations in North America. I also managed over 200 Linux and Solaris servers at the same time.
Both were equally time consuming, but for very different reasons. Hardware failures on the cheap Dell workstations caused me a lot of grief with the Windows workstations. Constant software updates, installs, and hardware upgrades consumed most of my time with the *nix machines.
I also had no clustering or vendor support, except for Dell techs who were dispatched onsite to replace hard drives and motherboards.
Personally, I prefer working with Solaris and Linux, but that doesn't mean I won't administer Windows boxes to the best of my abilities either.
The point is, it depends on what you do with your Windows machines, and what you do with your Linux/Unix machines. In my case, 2500+ Windows machines didn't take a lot of time to manage once they were set up and locked down. The 200+ *nix servers did take a lot of time to manage, but they also did all of the heavy lifting for the company.
Is that in kph or mph?
Another very satisfied Verizon customer here. I carry a V710 for my personal cell phone, and the wife has a T720. Good stuff.
I have to carry a Nextel phone for work, and hate this thing with a passion. Service is terrible, coverage is terrible, and the phones are junk.
A friend of mine works for Sprint. He says Sprint bought Nextel so they could have more towers to hang CDMA equipment. They're going to phase out iDen entirely.
Praise Jebus!
It's more about reliability, but management has its perks when you're doing admin work remotely.
I'm not saying I've never had Cisco gear fail on me, but I have replaced a lot of Netgear hardware with Cisco.
He probably says that because of the excellent compatibility with many different operating systems (and versions of said operating systems), they're not that expensive, and they tend to not use nearly as much CPU as a cheap card will.
But, I'd have to disagree with the Netgear recommendation. Why buy good network cards if you use crappy switches for the back end?
Used Cisco equipment is plentiful and cheap on eBay, and provides much more funcionality than crap like unmanaged Netgear, Dlink, Linksys, etc unmanaged switches.
At any rate, people planning on deploying a network should really look at the hardware they're going to need, and spend wisely. Sometimes buying the more expensive stuff (even if it's a bit painful) up front can make things much easier to deal with down the road, and may even save you some money. Don't install junk.
Seriously, that's not flamebait, it's just another view on alternative energy sources.
Biodiesel is a very real alternative, and one that's being used TODAY in much greater quantities than Hydrogen.