On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 07:34:49 +1000, Krypsis >
wrote:

> The other advantage is that you can upgrade or fix them yourself. These
> all in ones and laptops don't lend themselves to that.

But you see, those of us who don't even take the case off a computer
to dust it don't care. When you replace or upgrade one thing, three
more need to be replaced or upgraded too; drivers being the least of
the problems. I, personally, don't want to diddle around with that.
My average computer is 8 years old when it's replaced. By that time
*everything* has changed enough that a brand new computer is sleeker
and faster than a refurbished old one ever would be. I keep my
computer and OS as is, skipping a lot of transitional stages, until I
get a new computer - and that method works for me.

--

You are what you eat, so avoid fruitcake and nuts.

On Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:26:16 -1000, dsi1
> wrote:

> I switched the phone
> to an Motorola Photon. If the phone dies on me, I just switch out the
> SIM card to one of the phones I got laying around. When my battery
> starts refusing to hold a charge, I just pop in a new one. How freaking
> easy is that? OTOH, easy as pie in an Android.

That's convoluted logic. When the battery starts to not hold a
charge, it's time to replace the phone because you've probably got
enough credit built up with your carrier to get the best one they've
got for the price of a new battery.

--

You are what you eat, so avoid fruitcake and nuts.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 07:34:49 +1000, Krypsis >
> wrote:
>
>> The other advantage is that you can upgrade or fix them yourself. These
>> all in ones and laptops don't lend themselves to that.
>
> But you see, those of us who don't even take the case off a computer
> to dust it don't care. When you replace or upgrade one thing, three
> more need to be replaced or upgraded too; drivers being the least of
> the problems. I, personally, don't want to diddle around with that.
> My average computer is 8 years old when it's replaced. By that time
> *everything* has changed enough that a brand new computer is sleeker
> and faster than a refurbished old one ever would be. I keep my
> computer and OS as is, skipping a lot of transitional stages, until I
> get a new computer - and that method works for me.
>



I agree completely. I just buy something cheap, every 4 or 5 years and add
memory. The low end machines seem to always skimp on memory but that is
very easy to upgrade and not cost much.

It is satisfying to put your own machine together and good project for the
young, but I agree it's easier and less headache and sometime less money to
just buy off the rack.

On 6/21/2012 2:52 AM, Somebody wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 6/20/2012 4:56 PM, Somebody wrote:
>>>
>>> kids have it too easy these days. Downloading entire songs in seconds...
>>> In
>>> my day, it took hours and sometimes you lost the connection just when it
>>> was
>>> about to finish! Made you appreciate things more.
>>
>> Kids won't ever believe that it sometimes took hours to download stuff. I
>> can hardly believe it myself.
>
> And that there were other places to download things beside iTunes. And if
> something didn't exist on iTunes that didn't mean it didn't exist. And
> people actually bought CDs and didn't just download mp3s. I remember
> finding things that weren't out on DVDs (back when DVDs barely existed) and
> being so happy finding obscure things. Now, just about anything is out
> there. Kids don't have to learn how to do research, and learn about the
> gray market, and participate in tape swapping (actual tapes via the mail)
> like the old days.
>
>

What a world we live in! I have loaded apps into my cell phone from my
computer. I'm not even sure how that works. Surely we're headed towards
a great fall because of how connected our devices are. It will only get
worse, I think.

Google and Apple are able to disable apps remotely. I like to imagine
they have a big red button that's marked "DO NOT TOUCH!" Google has used
the big red button AKA, "killswitch" at least twice. Apple? Who knows.
That's the breaks.

On 6/21/2012 5:56 AM, sf wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:26:16 -1000, dsi1
> > wrote:
>
>> I switched the phone
>> to an Motorola Photon. If the phone dies on me, I just switch out the
>> SIM card to one of the phones I got laying around. When my battery
>> starts refusing to hold a charge, I just pop in a new one. How freaking
>> easy is that? OTOH, easy as pie in an Android.
>
> That's convoluted logic. When the battery starts to not hold a
> charge, it's time to replace the phone because you've probably got
> enough credit built up with your carrier to get the best one they've
> got for the price of a new battery.
>

Batteries have a limited number of times that they can be charged. I
shop for phones that have a higher than average talk time and like to
have at least a couple of days between charges. Over the life of the
battery, the ability to hold a charge greatly diminishes. Depending on
your phone, the useful life of a battery will be about 18 months. At
that time, you may find yourself having to charge the battery every day
or more. I find it simpler to get a Chinese battery from eBay for 7
bucks or less, stick it in the phone and I'm good to go. You cannot do
this as casually with an iPhone.

Other people will do as you suggest and get a new phone along with a new
2 year contract. For the most part, you ain't gonna get the latest and
greatest phone for free - more likely it will cost you $120 to $199. I'd
rather not be stuck on that carrier merry-go-round. I want to finish out
my contract and be free to choose the best deal available from any
carrier. It might be convoluted logic but I hope at least, it's being a
smart consumer.

Automobile batteries are also sold in order to get you on their
merry-go-round. That's why batteries that last 36 months or so are sold
with a 48 or 60 month warranty. Sears is famous for putting folks on
that ride. Of course, that's merely my opinion.

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> On 6/21/2012 2:52 AM, Somebody wrote:
>> > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 6/20/2012 4:56 PM, Somebody wrote:
>>>>
>>>> kids have it too easy these days. Downloading entire songs in
>>>> seconds...
>>>> In
>>>> my day, it took hours and sometimes you lost the connection just when
>>>> it
>>>> was
>>>> about to finish! Made you appreciate things more.
>>>
>>> Kids won't ever believe that it sometimes took hours to download stuff.
>>> I
>>> can hardly believe it myself.
>>
>> And that there were other places to download things beside iTunes. And
>> if
>> something didn't exist on iTunes that didn't mean it didn't exist. And
>> people actually bought CDs and didn't just download mp3s. I remember
>> finding things that weren't out on DVDs (back when DVDs barely existed)
>> and
>> being so happy finding obscure things. Now, just about anything is out
>> there. Kids don't have to learn how to do research, and learn about the
>> gray market, and participate in tape swapping (actual tapes via the mail)
>> like the old days.
>>
>>
>
> What a world we live in! I have loaded apps into my cell phone from my
> computer. I'm not even sure how that works. Surely we're headed towards a
> great fall because of how connected our devices are. It will only get
> worse, I think.
>
> Google and Apple are able to disable apps remotely. I like to imagine they
> have a big red button that's marked "DO NOT TOUCH!" Google has used the
> big red button AKA, "killswitch" at least twice. Apple? Who knows. That's
> the breaks.


I'm looking forward to "Revolution". Sounds like it may be interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwfCRAtkYEI

On 6/21/2012 12:43 PM, Somebody wrote:
>
> I'm looking forward to "Revolution". Sounds like it may be interesting.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwfCRAtkYEI
>
>

Ha ha - I love it!

"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> On 6/21/2012 12:43 PM, Somebody wrote:
>>
>> I'm looking forward to "Revolution". Sounds like it may be interesting.
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwfCRAtkYEI
>>
>>
>
> Ha ha - I love it!


it's jj abrams, so I don't know if it's my cup of tea. I could only take
about 12 minutes of Lost. But it sounds worth checking out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_gRQ...feature=relmfu

On 6/21/2012 2:13 PM, Somebody wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 6/21/2012 12:43 PM, Somebody wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm looking forward to "Revolution". Sounds like it may be interesting.
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwfCRAtkYEI
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Ha ha - I love it!
>
>
> it's jj abrams, so I don't know if it's my cup of tea. I could only take
> about 12 minutes of Lost. But it sounds worth checking out.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_gRQ...feature=relmfu
>
>

Congratulations! You watched about 5 times the amount I did. :-)

They must have been do some filming somewhere in my hometown of Kailua
cause the cops arrested the cast for DUIs several times. That's the
breaks - the locals here drive pretty slow. It must be an awful thing to
have to drive so slow - especially for those Hollywood types. I feel
sorry for mainlanders being forced to drive like us. The average speed
that I drive is less than 15 MPH on average. Amazing but true!

On Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:55:51 -1000, dsi1 >
wrote:

> Other people will do as you suggest and get a new phone along with a new
> 2 year contract. For the most part, you ain't gonna get the latest and
> greatest phone for free - more likely it will cost you $120 to $199. I'd
> rather not be stuck on that carrier merry-go-round. I want to finish out
> my contract and be free to choose the best deal available from any
> carrier. It might be convoluted logic but I hope at least, it's being a
> smart consumer.

Well, I'm satisfied with my carrier so I'm fine with a new contract.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 6/20/2012 2:01 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Jun 2012 03:38:12 -0400, Cheryl wrote:
>
>> If old bbs were the only way other than facebook or google groups, and
>> Usenet died, I'd choose the old bbs. BBs were my first experience with
>> connecting with people across the world and I liked it.
>
> Girls didn't use BBS's! You must have been some sort of Tomboy!
>
> -sw

I forgot about this old thread. I will never get used to how TB threads
anymore. It's still fun to read all these old posts especially when I
was involved in it and I wish I'd kept up with it! lol

On Wednesday, June 20, 2012 1:42:46 PM UTC-6, sf wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Jun 2012 08:36:49 -1000, dsi1
> > wrote:
>
> > My guess is that for a lot of folks, buying another yet Wintel computer
> > will be an unattractive proposition. I'm not sure if I'll ever assemble
> > another desktop computer. Too bad, I enjoyed doing that.
>
> You don't have to assemble anything anymore. My desktop is an
> "all-in-one" with bluetooth capability. Everything is wireless and
> the monitor contains what used to be in a tower, but it's thinner than
> my television is.
>
> --
> Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

My "all-in-one" HP computer is a year old and has worked OK although I had
a few "start-up" problems. One thing I don't like is the cheap wireless
keyboard which drops characters like mad if I type fast.

start-up problems

On Fri, 6 Jul 2012 08:13:02 -0700 (PDT), Roy >
wrote:

> On Wednesday, June 20, 2012 1:42:46 PM UTC-6, sf wrote:
> > On Wed, 20 Jun 2012 08:36:49 -1000, dsi1
> > > wrote:
> >
> > > My guess is that for a lot of folks, buying another yet Wintel computer
> > > will be an unattractive proposition. I'm not sure if I'll ever assemble
> > > another desktop computer. Too bad, I enjoyed doing that.
> >
> > You don't have to assemble anything anymore. My desktop is an
> > "all-in-one" with bluetooth capability. Everything is wireless and
> > the monitor contains what used to be in a tower, but it's thinner than
> > my television is.
> >
>
> My "all-in-one" HP computer is a year old and has worked OK although I had
> a few "start-up" problems. One thing I don't like is the cheap wireless
> keyboard which drops characters like mad if I type fast.
>
> start-up problems

You can always buy a different keyboard, but please define start-up
problems (other than figuring how/where to install XP software on a
W7). I have some software issues that I haven't taken care of yet and
the warranty will be up in Sept, so I'd better get cracking. This is
the first computer I've had that has given me any trouble like that.
I figured it happened because I bought it when HP was going to ditch
their computer division and selling everything at fire sale prices, so
no one was minding the store at that time.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

sf wrote:

> I figured it happened because I bought it when HP was going to ditch
> their computer division and selling everything at fire sale prices, so
> no one was minding the store at that time.

HP out of the PC biz? That turned out to be wrong, didn't it? They
bought Compaq and they're still making PCs.

On Friday, July 6, 2012 10:17:58 AM UTC-6, sf wrote:
> On Fri, 6 Jul 2012 08:13:02 -0700 (PDT), Roy >
> wrote:
>
> > On Wednesday, June 20, 2012 1:42:46 PM UTC-6, sf wrote:
> > > On Wed, 20 Jun 2012 08:36:49 -1000, dsi1
> > > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > My guess is that for a lot of folks, buying another yet Wintel computer
> > > > will be an unattractive proposition. I'm not sure if I'll ever assemble
> > > > another desktop computer. Too bad, I enjoyed doing that.
> > >
> > > You don't have to assemble anything anymore. My desktop is an
> > > "all-in-one" with bluetooth capability. Everything is wireless and
> > > the monitor contains what used to be in a tower, but it's thinner than
> > > my television is.
> > >
> >
> > My "all-in-one" HP computer is a year old and has worked OK although I had
> > a few "start-up" problems. One thing I don't like is the cheap wireless
> > keyboard which drops characters like mad if I type fast.
> >
> > start-up problems
>
> You can always buy a different keyboard, but please define start-up
> problems (other than figuring how/where to install XP software on a
> W7). I have some software issues that I haven't taken care of yet and
> the warranty will be up in Sept, so I'd better get cracking. This is
> the first computer I've had that has given me any trouble like that.
> I figured it happened because I bought it when HP was going to ditch
> their computer division and selling everything at fire sale prices, so
> no one was minding the store at that time.
>
> --
> Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

The first problem was that it came with French language installed. HP remote
help from India got that straightened out. Then a bunch of old XP software was
not compatible with Windows 7...most of it finally got installed and runs in XP mode. Win 7 didn't like my Epson scanner...finally found a compatible driver.
Most problems are not HP's fault but Windows 7's.

I even run some old software (games) designed for Windows 95 but Win 7 sometimes goes into a tailspin and refuses to co-operate.

Worst thing was IE9 64bit not working properly on some sites. I use Firefox or
Chrome to get around those problems.

On Fri, 6 Jul 2012 10:30:10 -0700 (PDT), Roy >
wrote:

> Worst thing was IE9 64bit not working properly on some sites.

IE just plain didn't want to work for me right out of the box. I
haven't fixed it yet because I don't use IE, but it's on the "to do"
list before it's too late. I didn't realize I could put w7 into an
"XP mode" (which would have made my life much easier at the time)...
although I did figure out how to make all of my Word documents save to
v2003. Thanks!

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Friday, July 6, 2012 1:42:21 PM UTC-6, MotoFox wrote:
> And it came to pass that sf delivered the following message unto the
> people, saying~
>
> > You can always buy a different keyboard, but please define start-up
> > problems (other than figuring how/where to install XP software on a W7).
> > I have some software issues that I haven't taken care of yet and the
> > warranty will be up in Sept, so I'd better get cracking. This is the
> > first computer I've had that has given me any trouble like that. I figured
> > it happened because I bought it when HP was going to ditch their computer
> > division and selling everything at fire sale prices, so no one was minding
> > the store at that time.
>
> Regardless of vendor, I fix most software problems by wiping the whole
> thing with Boot Nuker and sticking Debian or (increasingly) BSD on it.
> It's not a very well-known fact, but 100% of all Window$ problems can be
> solved that way!
>
> --
> 2D 2D 0D 0A 4D 6F 74 6F 46 6F 78 0D 0A 44 45 41
>
> 54 48 20 54 4F 20 45 42 43 44 49 43 21 21 16 04

If I want Linux I'll install it. I don't at the moment.

"MotoFox" > wrote in message
...
> --
> 2D 2D 0D 0A 4D 6F 74 6F 46 6F 78 0D 0A 44 45 41
> 54 48 20 54 4F 20 45 42 43 44 49 43 21 21 16 04


One of the questions on my test asked what word processor you would use with
Linux... One of the possible answers was "Word for Linux"

On 7/07/2012 5:42 AM, MotoFox wrote:
> And it came to pass that sf delivered the following message unto the
> people, saying~
>
>> You can always buy a different keyboard, but please define start-up
>> problems (other than figuring how/where to install XP software on a W7).
>> I have some software issues that I haven't taken care of yet and the
>> warranty will be up in Sept, so I'd better get cracking. This is the
>> first computer I've had that has given me any trouble like that. I figured
>> it happened because I bought it when HP was going to ditch their computer
>> division and selling everything at fire sale prices, so no one was minding
>> the store at that time.
>
> Regardless of vendor, I fix most software problems by wiping the whole
> thing with Boot Nuker and sticking Debian or (increasingly) BSD on it.
> It's not a very well-known fact, but 100% of all Window$ problems can be
> solved that way!
>
Installed Linux for a friend of my wife just this afternoon.

--

Krypsis

On 7/07/2012 6:00 AM, Somebody wrote:
> "MotoFox" > wrote in message
> ...
>> --
>> 2D 2D 0D 0A 4D 6F 74 6F 46 6F 78 0D 0A 44 45 41
>> 54 48 20 54 4F 20 45 42 43 44 49 43 21 21 16 04
>
>
> One of the questions on my test asked what word processor you would use with
> Linux... One of the possible answers was "Word for Linux"
>
>
>
Good luck with that!

I tend to stick with Libre Office. A bit top heavy but it works.

--

Krypsis