12 Jan
2001
12 Jan
'01
4:26 p.m.
On Fri, 12 Jan 2001, McFadden, Mike wrote:
Neighbor Q: I though computers allowed you to do lots
of things at the same
time?
Neighbor Q: I really want to play games, download music and listen to it at
the same time
MY Q: Do you want to burn CD's?
Neighbor A: Yes
MY Q: Do you want to scan pictures and print them?
Neighbor A: Yes
My A: Get a CRAY computer
Neighbor Q: How much are they?
I feel much better now that I've vented.
People want a black box that works without them thinking, and that's what
they have been promised by Dell, Gateway and Compaq.
And for the most part that's what Windows delivers, albeit sometimes very
poorly. I can be playing Casino99, listening to Napster tunes, surfing
the web, checking my e-mail, have a telnet session open, and have Outlook
Express open, all concurrently. But then when I close down Casino99 while
Napster is playing a tune, Napster crashes. Then it causes other shit to
go haywire sometimes, resulting in the need to reboot. This is on a Dell
Dimension 4100. A nice box.
If I would trade convenience for stability and run Linux instead, I could
do all these things, only faster, better, and cheaper (in terms of less
medication for my high blood pressure caused by every Windows reboot).
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org