I own a Unicomp and a Das Keyboard with Cherry Blue switches. I installed o-rings to every key on the Das Keyboard. Not that it matters, but I use the US International keymap on both.
The Das Keyboard is my home keyboard and is just an absolute joy to use. It feels like an IBM Selectric typewriter from the 1960's. With the o-rings, it is not that loud. The switches click, but the keys never bottom out. I did not like the all black switches so I changed them out with a set that looks like a model M.
The Unicomp is my work keyboard. It feels like the keys travel further before activating, but I do not know if that is real or just a perception that I have. I work in the mechanical piping business and the Unicomp is more suited to the abuse that it may see in my world. It would not be unheard of for me to get grease, liquids, or metal shavings in the keyboard. I just cannot bring myself to use a keyboard with Cherry switches in that environment. The buckling spring keyboard is virtually impervious to such problems.
So, I cannot recommend one over the other. I use them both and like them both. I suppose that with everything else, what you get is a tradeoff of the desired attributes.
When I was in my 20's I took Kung Fu lessons. I like what the instructor said in the first class. "If you are here to learn self defense, then quit and go buy a gun."
We are (probably less than) 12.4% of the workforce and they think that we are so powerful that they have to fear us. I'm absolutely sick of this anti-union FUD that has been spread about us over the last few decades. It is not based in reality.
We have a few dead heads in my local. There is no denying that. (We are about 1400 strong.) But, by and large, nearly everyone that I have met, in my 24 years of membership, has been very diligent and conscientious. We have consistently proven that we can do the job better, more efficiently, and for less money than the non-union outfits that we have either had to compete against, or go behind to redo their shoddy workmanship.
We are highly trained, highly skilled, and very proud of that. Extreme high level craftsmanship is a tradition that we have maintained since 1898.
If you would like to see a real comedy show. Follow around behind a company called Fru-Con. They, seem to, only hire illegal immigrants and convicts on work release. I watched them burn a factory down after videotaping how we built a Sulfur Dioxide generator and then underbidding us on a rebuild effort. That is what non-union will get you in my business.
Presently, I am the pipefitter foreman at a very large and very well known powerplant in the southeast. If I fail in my current project, the EPA will come in and shut down this 1200 megawatt facility this friday. There will be massive repercussions across the southeast USA. If I succeed, then you will know nothing about it. That is the nature of my work. You never hear about the successes. Mark my word; we will succeed, and you will never hear of what we have done. People will still continue to cuss us even though we have been keeping their air-conditioners on all summer.
Having been a union member for 24 years, I find your comments distasteful and misguided.
If it was not for labor unions, YOU would be working for less than minimum wage. Labor unions spearheaded the effort for minimum wage, healthcare, workers safety, etc. You wouldn't like your job nearly as well if it had not been for us.
When workers band together, they bargain with management. When they try to go it alone, they beg.
Labor unions trained me to a very high skill level. I owe them everything I have. I'm proud to be a part.
In the years to come, you will find that it is extremely hard to find a plumber, pipefitter, steamfitter, pipe weldor or HVAC tech. Its already happening. 30 years of this anti-union mentality is about to strike everyone, in America, right in the face. The workforce is aging fast and very few have stepped in, in the last 30 years. People like me are going to become very high paid; not because we are union, but because of supply and demand. We are highly trained and skilled and there is more work on the horizon than we can possibly handle.
If you are wondering what in the world all this has to do with the computer industry then consider these facts. You cannot build a computer chip factory without us. You cannot build a chemical factory, to build components, without us. You cannot build a powerplant without us. You cannot build a water supply without us. You cannot build a sewer system without us. You cannot build an oil refinery without us. You cannot even build a road without us. Try to keep your IT job without all these systems, that I mentioned, in place and working properly.
America's infrastructure is falling apart at the seams. Its a testament to the people holding it together that the general public is mostly unaware of the problems. All of you anti-union, anti-government, anti-tax, right wing jerks who have praised the republicans for not spending money on what you call "pork" projects have caused this mess. Most of these so-called pork projects are infrastructure improvements that have made your standard of living possible. This country is going to have to realize that if they want to maintain their standard of living, then they are going to have to pay for it. There is no free ride.
We did not create this mess, but we union members are going to find a way to pull you through it. We will be properly compensated for it also. Not because we are greedy. Thats corporate America's thing. We do it because we are American citizens also. It costs us just as much to live as it does you.
"Christians aren't going to start murdering innocents if you make fun of them in a comic."
Hmmm... Granted, this wasn't about a comic strip, but John Lennon was killed for song lyrics that upset the radical christian community. His killer was a former student at a wealthy christian college in my area.
I have worked in the hydroelectric industry for 23 years. I have never seen a dam with floodgates that could be operated by remote control. Those with pushbutton activated hoists are not connected to any computer. They are a simple pushbutton and counter system. Most of the main river dams, that I have worked on, require a man to operate a deck crane and a man to physically connect the hook to the gates.
Hydroelectric dams are old technology. Most of them were completed by the late 1940's. In my area, the newest dam was completed in 1968. That was one year before arpanet was dreamed up, and it operates the same as the 1933 model which is immediately upstream.
A potential terrorist would have better luck with a bass boat loaded with explosives. Quit trying to scare the public. Some of us know better.
My sons gaming machine is (dont laugh) a new machine with a 98Lite modified Windows ME installation. It has the latest drivers from the hardware manufacturers (free downloads), never hiccups, and is fast as lightning.
This same software configuration works on every pentium, or better, machine I have ever tried it on.
All the buggy stuff is removed by 98Lite (yes, it can be done for free too) and you end up with a small, tight little GUI shell with the bare essentials that still runs smoothly on 5-10 year old hardware. Because you start with ME, you get something resembling a modern networking stack and usb support.
Of course, all our serious machines are running Ubuntu 6.06 or 6.10.
but I have been using it at home since 1995. It works just fine.
In 1995, linux was a real pain to get working properly. But in 1995, every OS was a real pain. I have never regretted taking the extra steps to learn linux. I learned more about Windows and Macs from switching to linux than I ever would have from staying on Windows or Mac. (particularly Mac)
If linux has no future, then why are the more respected colleges (like the one my wife is enrolled in) seriously teaching linux?
The way I look at this article is that Microsoft has just released another bloated version of an old OS and they want to continue to generate a revenue stream from it. Hence, here comes the FUD.
For instance; I work in the electric power industry. The largest single contributor to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is Coal fired steam plants. If all the coal fired steam plants are shut down, then I am, most likely, out of a job.
The most logical thing, economically, for me to do is to deny the problem. But I do not.
Why? Very simple. When one technology proves untenable, it is time for another to take its place. There are always massive opportunities for those who embrace the future instead of clinging to the past.
But: when the human race is confronted with something they do not like, they will fight to grim death to maintain the status quo. There are countless examples throughout history. I see no need to rehash them.
Solar, Wind, Geothermal, etc. are mostly fringe power technologies. Should they be ignored and relegated to lunatic status. No; all technologies are worth exploring and being evaluated on their merits or faults.
Nuclear energy is on the verge of a massive resurgence in the US. Is it perfect? Not hardly. However, it is the only technology that can be brought on line, in a timely manner, that will provide the necessary amounts of electricity.
So...America....here are your choices
1. Nuclear plants
2. Coal Fired plants
3. Go without electricity
BTW, for you "conservative republicans" out there; I'm a democrat, who acknowledges the realities of global warming. But here I am giving support for nuclear power. I don't do that to "reach across the divide. I do it because it is the most logical, immediate, solution to a problem we all face. Even if some of us don't want to admit that we have a problem.
Since the religious radical republicans have taken over the state, I've had serious thoughts of moving back to TN. At least TN hasn't gone completely down the political toilet like GA.
Slackware did something very similar many years ago. They may even still have the option. I don't know since I don't use slackware anymore.
It was not too complicated to install a loopback filesystem in a file on a FAT partition. If I remember correctly, I did this as a Linux newbie around the mid to late '90's.
This does bring up one of my favorite pet peeves. I started with linux in 1995. I was a DOS user with no idea of the complexity of linux. All that I knew was that I hated Win95 because it was more restrictive than DOS. Without actually understanding what I was doing, I was able to read a set of instructions and manually install an early version of Slackware. It worked and got me going down the Linux road.
It absolutely gripes my ass that "so called" computer whiz kids, who wouldnt know a command line if it bit them, say that linux cannot do this or linux cannot do that. What they really are saying is that they are too lazy to learn some simple task that Microsoft is presently handling for them.
Seriously though; modern linux distro's are easier and quicker to install than any 32 bit version of windows. I welcome a web based, loopback filesystem, installation program. It is the only way some people are going to learn that they are being duped by a company selling them nothing but false promises.
Anyone who says something like that has never used an oxy-hydrogen torch. It makes a nice clear flame that burns at about 5400 degrees F. You connect the hydrogen hose to the side of the torch marked "fuel".
By the same logic that says hydrogen is not a fuel, I could say that any fuel we use is an energy transfer medium and not a fuel in itself. That includes food. Ultimately, every energy source we have started as a result of gravity.
That was a good article, but I started to question that magazine's integrity over twenty years ago. They have really produced some bonehead stuff over the years.
We have some major political/economical/environmental problems because of our long dependence on crude oil. The answer is not going to come easily or obviously. In the early days of the automobile, gasoline was not the dominant fuel. Electricity and steam were extremely competitive until the invention of the electric starter for gasoline engines.
There are many promising alternatives to crude oil and we need to try each and every one till we suddenly realize that we don't depend on crude oil anymore.
Speaking of steam power: A steam engine will run off anything that will burn. Take your pick of fuels; liquid, solid, gas, or any combination. The fuels are not burned under compression which means that many of the harmful nitrogen compounds are never produced. All torque and horsepower produced, by the particular design, is available at any speed greater than zero rpm. Transmissions are totally unnecessary. Essentially, all you really need is a flash boiler, a small steam engine, and a condenser. Surely, with all the electronic control and modern steam technology at our disposal, we could make a practical car that didn't care what you used for fuel.
There are currently seven functioning computers around my house. Three Ubuntu desktops, one freessco box, one headless XP machine, a wireless XP laptop and a wireless Ubuntu laptop that absolutely rocks.
My personal desktop is a 766Mhz celeron running Ubuntu. It does everything I feel I currently need. My son is happy playing his online games on a three year old Ubuntu machine. My wife is perfectly capable of doing anything she needs towards finishing her college degree with the remaining systems.
The XP desktop would not even be here if it were not for my wife foolishly buying a Canon "3 in 1" printer that only works on windows.
Think about it. My family can do anything they decide to do with what amounts to other peoples throw away machines. Most of our closer friends have come to us when they felt that they needed new computers. If they were ready for linux, we put them on the favorite linux distro at that time (currently Ubuntu). If they were not ready for linux, we set them up with a 98lite gutted version of ME (don't laugh, its a pretty slick little system if you go the "micro" route). They are all still running along happily with no major complaints.
I've been doing my part to stop this mentality that says "we have to upgrade because Microsoft has a new system." The old argument about how hard it is to use anything other than Mac or Windows doesn't fly in my house. We swapped to Linux in 1995. I'm not an IT pro. I'm a steamfitter. Guys, its just not that hard.
Even my Macintosh nazi father-in-law is beginning to question this continual upgrade cycle.
Perhaps the rest of the community is starting to figure out that they are getting ripped off by computer and software manufacturers.
Long file names in windows is kinda hokey. If you are at the command line, then you are stuck with the 8.3 format. Ending a directory name in "~1" is not my idea of long file name support.
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I own a Unicomp and a Das Keyboard with Cherry Blue switches. I installed o-rings to every key on the Das Keyboard. Not that it matters, but I use the US International keymap on both.
The Das Keyboard is my home keyboard and is just an absolute joy to use. It feels like an IBM Selectric typewriter from the 1960's. With the o-rings, it is not that loud. The switches click, but the keys never bottom out. I did not like the all black switches so I changed them out with a set that looks like a model M.
The Unicomp is my work keyboard. It feels like the keys travel further before activating, but I do not know if that is real or just a perception that I have. I work in the mechanical piping business and the Unicomp is more suited to the abuse that it may see in my world. It would not be unheard of for me to get grease, liquids, or metal shavings in the keyboard. I just cannot bring myself to use a keyboard with Cherry switches in that environment. The buckling spring keyboard is virtually impervious to such problems.
So, I cannot recommend one over the other. I use them both and like them both. I suppose that with everything else, what you get is a tradeoff of the desired attributes.
Mars just had to fart.
Because they need to move out of their mother's basement and get a girlfriend?
When I was in my 20's I took Kung Fu lessons. I like what the instructor said in the first class. "If you are here to learn self defense, then quit and go buy a gun."
Thank you for pointing that out.
We are (probably less than) 12.4% of the workforce and they think that we are so powerful that they have to fear us. I'm absolutely sick of this anti-union FUD that has been spread about us over the last few decades. It is not based in reality.
We have a few dead heads in my local. There is no denying that. (We are about 1400 strong.) But, by and large, nearly everyone that I have met, in my 24 years of membership, has been very diligent and conscientious. We have consistently proven that we can do the job better, more efficiently, and for less money than the non-union outfits that we have either had to compete against, or go behind to redo their shoddy workmanship.
We are highly trained, highly skilled, and very proud of that. Extreme high level craftsmanship is a tradition that we have maintained since 1898.
If you would like to see a real comedy show. Follow around behind a company called Fru-Con. They, seem to, only hire illegal immigrants and convicts on work release. I watched them burn a factory down after videotaping how we built a Sulfur Dioxide generator and then underbidding us on a rebuild effort. That is what non-union will get you in my business.
Presently, I am the pipefitter foreman at a very large and very well known powerplant in the southeast. If I fail in my current project, the EPA will come in and shut down this 1200 megawatt facility this friday. There will be massive repercussions across the southeast USA. If I succeed, then you will know nothing about it. That is the nature of my work. You never hear about the successes. Mark my word; we will succeed, and you will never hear of what we have done. People will still continue to cuss us even though we have been keeping their air-conditioners on all summer.
Having been a union member for 24 years, I find your comments distasteful and misguided.
If it was not for labor unions, YOU would be working for less than minimum wage. Labor unions spearheaded the effort for minimum wage, healthcare, workers safety, etc. You wouldn't like your job nearly as well if it had not been for us.
When workers band together, they bargain with management. When they try to go it alone, they beg.
Labor unions trained me to a very high skill level. I owe them everything I have. I'm proud to be a part.
In the years to come, you will find that it is extremely hard to find a plumber, pipefitter, steamfitter, pipe weldor or HVAC tech. Its already happening. 30 years of this anti-union mentality is about to strike everyone, in America, right in the face. The workforce is aging fast and very few have stepped in, in the last 30 years. People like me are going to become very high paid; not because we are union, but because of supply and demand. We are highly trained and skilled and there is more work on the horizon than we can possibly handle.
If you are wondering what in the world all this has to do with the computer industry then consider these facts. You cannot build a computer chip factory without us. You cannot build a chemical factory, to build components, without us. You cannot build a powerplant without us. You cannot build a water supply without us. You cannot build a sewer system without us. You cannot build an oil refinery without us. You cannot even build a road without us. Try to keep your IT job without all these systems, that I mentioned, in place and working properly.
America's infrastructure is falling apart at the seams. Its a testament to the people holding it together that the general public is mostly unaware of the problems. All of you anti-union, anti-government, anti-tax, right wing jerks who have praised the republicans for not spending money on what you call "pork" projects have caused this mess. Most of these so-called pork projects are infrastructure improvements that have made your standard of living possible. This country is going to have to realize that if they want to maintain their standard of living, then they are going to have to pay for it. There is no free ride.
We did not create this mess, but we union members are going to find a way to pull you through it. We will be properly compensated for it also. Not because we are greedy. Thats corporate America's thing. We do it because we are American citizens also. It costs us just as much to live as it does you.
"Christians aren't going to start murdering innocents if you make fun of them in a comic."
Hmmm... Granted, this wasn't about a comic strip, but John Lennon was killed for song lyrics that upset the radical christian community. His killer was a former student at a wealthy christian college in my area.
So, I call bullshit on that notion.
If they weren't using MS Windows, then this wouldn't be an issue.
I swapped to Linux in 1995. What is this "Vista" you talking about?
I have worked in the hydroelectric industry for 23 years. I have never seen a dam with floodgates that could be operated by remote control. Those with pushbutton activated hoists are not connected to any computer. They are a simple pushbutton and counter system. Most of the main river dams, that I have worked on, require a man to operate a deck crane and a man to physically connect the hook to the gates.
Hydroelectric dams are old technology. Most of them were completed by the late 1940's. In my area, the newest dam was completed in 1968. That was one year before arpanet was dreamed up, and it operates the same as the 1933 model which is immediately upstream.
A potential terrorist would have better luck with a bass boat loaded with explosives. Quit trying to scare the public. Some of us know better.
It already exists.
My sons gaming machine is (dont laugh) a new machine with a 98Lite modified Windows ME installation. It has the latest drivers from the hardware manufacturers (free downloads), never hiccups, and is fast as lightning.
This same software configuration works on every pentium, or better, machine I have ever tried it on.
All the buggy stuff is removed by 98Lite (yes, it can be done for free too) and you end up with a small, tight little GUI shell with the bare essentials that still runs smoothly on 5-10 year old hardware. Because you start with ME, you get something resembling a modern networking stack and usb support.
Of course, all our serious machines are running Ubuntu 6.06 or 6.10.
but I have been using it at home since 1995. It works just fine.
In 1995, linux was a real pain to get working properly. But in 1995, every OS was a real pain. I have never regretted taking the extra steps to learn linux. I learned more about Windows and Macs from switching to linux than I ever would have from staying on Windows or Mac. (particularly Mac)
If linux has no future, then why are the more respected colleges (like the one my wife is enrolled in) seriously teaching linux?
The way I look at this article is that Microsoft has just released another bloated version of an old OS and they want to continue to generate a revenue stream from it. Hence, here comes the FUD.
It's inconvenient.
Its really that simple.
For instance; I work in the electric power industry. The largest single contributor to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is Coal fired steam plants. If all the coal fired steam plants are shut down, then I am, most likely, out of a job.
The most logical thing, economically, for me to do is to deny the problem. But I do not.
Why? Very simple. When one technology proves untenable, it is time for another to take its place. There are always massive opportunities for those who embrace the future instead of clinging to the past.
But: when the human race is confronted with something they do not like, they will fight to grim death to maintain the status quo. There are countless examples throughout history. I see no need to rehash them.
Solar, Wind, Geothermal, etc. are mostly fringe power technologies. Should they be ignored and relegated to lunatic status. No; all technologies are worth exploring and being evaluated on their merits or faults.
Nuclear energy is on the verge of a massive resurgence in the US. Is it perfect? Not hardly. However, it is the only technology that can be brought on line, in a timely manner, that will provide the necessary amounts of electricity.
So...America....here are your choices
1. Nuclear plants
2. Coal Fired plants
3. Go without electricity
BTW, for you "conservative republicans" out there; I'm a democrat, who acknowledges the realities of global warming. But here I am giving support for nuclear power. I don't do that to "reach across the divide. I do it because it is the most logical, immediate, solution to a problem we all face. Even if some of us don't want to admit that we have a problem.
tries to make another stupid law.
Since the religious radical republicans have taken over the state, I've had serious thoughts of moving back to TN. At least TN hasn't gone completely down the political toilet like GA.
Slackware did something very similar many years ago. They may even still have the option. I don't know since I don't use slackware anymore.
It was not too complicated to install a loopback filesystem in a file on a FAT partition. If I remember correctly, I did this as a Linux newbie around the mid to late '90's.
This does bring up one of my favorite pet peeves. I started with linux in 1995. I was a DOS user with no idea of the complexity of linux. All that I knew was that I hated Win95 because it was more restrictive than DOS. Without actually understanding what I was doing, I was able to read a set of instructions and manually install an early version of Slackware. It worked and got me going down the Linux road.
It absolutely gripes my ass that "so called" computer whiz kids, who wouldnt know a command line if it bit them, say that linux cannot do this or linux cannot do that. What they really are saying is that they are too lazy to learn some simple task that Microsoft is presently handling for them.
Seriously though; modern linux distro's are easier and quicker to install than any 32 bit version of windows. I welcome a web based, loopback filesystem, installation program. It is the only way some people are going to learn that they are being duped by a company selling them nothing but false promises.
I've never found them to live up to the hype.
Going by way of the Commodore route would appease me.
Then again; maybe not. I had more respect for Commodore than I do Microsoft.
It was called "The Time Machine", or something like it.
Anyone who says something like that has never used an oxy-hydrogen torch. It makes a nice clear flame that burns at about 5400 degrees F. You connect the hydrogen hose to the side of the torch marked "fuel".
By the same logic that says hydrogen is not a fuel, I could say that any fuel we use is an energy transfer medium and not a fuel in itself. That includes food. Ultimately, every energy source we have started as a result of gravity.
That was a good article, but I started to question that magazine's integrity over twenty years ago. They have really produced some bonehead stuff over the years.
We have some major political/economical/environmental problems because of our long dependence on crude oil. The answer is not going to come easily or obviously. In the early days of the automobile, gasoline was not the dominant fuel. Electricity and steam were extremely competitive until the invention of the electric starter for gasoline engines.
There are many promising alternatives to crude oil and we need to try each and every one till we suddenly realize that we don't depend on crude oil anymore.
Speaking of steam power: A steam engine will run off anything that will burn. Take your pick of fuels; liquid, solid, gas, or any combination. The fuels are not burned under compression which means that many of the harmful nitrogen compounds are never produced. All torque and horsepower produced, by the particular design, is available at any speed greater than zero rpm. Transmissions are totally unnecessary. Essentially, all you really need is a flash boiler, a small steam engine, and a condenser. Surely, with all the electronic control and modern steam technology at our disposal, we could make a practical car that didn't care what you used for fuel.
WinFLoP?
"Might as well close the Patent Office because everything useful had already been invented." (?)
I'm having a hard enough time remembering to not call it Bombay.
Way to go!
There are currently seven functioning computers around my house. Three Ubuntu desktops, one freessco box, one headless XP machine, a wireless XP laptop and a wireless Ubuntu laptop that absolutely rocks.
My personal desktop is a 766Mhz celeron running Ubuntu. It does everything I feel I currently need. My son is happy playing his online games on a three year old Ubuntu machine. My wife is perfectly capable of doing anything she needs towards finishing her college degree with the remaining systems.
The XP desktop would not even be here if it were not for my wife foolishly buying a Canon "3 in 1" printer that only works on windows.
Think about it. My family can do anything they decide to do with what amounts to other peoples throw away machines. Most of our closer friends have come to us when they felt that they needed new computers. If they were ready for linux, we put them on the favorite linux distro at that time (currently Ubuntu). If they were not ready for linux, we set them up with a 98lite gutted version of ME (don't laugh, its a pretty slick little system if you go the "micro" route). They are all still running along happily with no major complaints.
I've been doing my part to stop this mentality that says "we have to upgrade because Microsoft has a new system." The old argument about how hard it is to use anything other than Mac or Windows doesn't fly in my house. We swapped to Linux in 1995. I'm not an IT pro. I'm a steamfitter. Guys, its just not that hard.
Even my Macintosh nazi father-in-law is beginning to question this continual upgrade cycle.
Perhaps the rest of the community is starting to figure out that they are getting ripped off by computer and software manufacturers.
If it isn't broke, don't fix it.
Long file names in windows is kinda hokey. If you are at the command line, then you are stuck with the 8.3 format. Ending a directory name in "~1" is not my idea of long file name support.