New (Computer) Toy Gloat!

[Daniel]

Given that the DVD burners run at a faster speed to the CD burners then I will upgrade to a DVD burner when the new version of windows comes out next year, I think.

There running an evaluation copy at work here, much better that XP.

My first computer was a Amstrad 64 with tape drive to load software very slow, then an upgrade to an IBM clone AT 286 and have had many since then.

Actually the history of computers is quite interesting when you think about it, both IBM and Xerox shot themselves in the backside in the early 70's.

Xerox could of been one of the world leader in computers today having invented windows and many more items that are used on computers today but management at that time could not see any value in marketing products of such. How wrong they were.


Daniel

Daniel

[stephenmeddings]

Imagine if Digital Research (I think) got the job for the new operating system in the IBM PC rather than Microsoft???

Would we all be hating them now?

They tried a comeback a while back with DR-DOS but Microsoft kept moving the playing field by making programs incompatible with it and thus entrenching Microsoft & Windows into our modern society.

Its amazing think back, to see how far we have come with computers in that last 20 odd years.

Getting back to DVD burners. It doesn't seem that long ago that for $1000 we got a SCSI 3x CD burner at work. We were the envy of everyone. A Box of CD's was $50 and a lot of those ended up in the bin or as coasters since that was well before burn-proof technology. Now you can go out and pick up a 48x burner for $70ish, CD's are 50cents and everything works. Even DVD burners a few years back were for the elite and set you back a couple of thousand and $50 odd for 1 DVD. Now the ordinary bloke at home (or should that read Cyclone God ) can get one.

[silentC]

The pace of change now is way too rapid for my liking. You buy a machine or piece of hardware and tomorrow it's superceded, worthless and you can't get support for it anymore. I've got a CD burner which wont work with Win2000 without a firmware update but Pioneer doesn't make it available any more because my model is no longer supported - it's 5 years old.

When you go out and pay top dollar for the latest CPU, ROM drive or whatever, all you are doing is paying the R&D costs of the developer. They already have the next few incremental versions on the drawing board, if not on the production line. They're happy to sell you the 'latest' technology at a premium, even though they know it's old news by next week.

I worked for Combank a few years ago. There was a guy who was the 'custodian' of the CD burner. No-one was allowed to walk near it when he was burning a disk. The blanks were gold plated and about $20 a pop. He had a 'wall of shame' where all the stuffed disks were stuck up with the name of the person 'responsible' for stuffing them up.

By the way, DVD has already been superceded by that Blue disk format.

[craigb]

He had a 'wall of shame' where all the stuffed disks were stuck up with the name of the person 'responsible' for stuffing them up.

Sounds like a right prat I've worked with a few similar 'pesonalities' over the years.

Craig

[silentC]

That's for sure. This business certainly attracts its fair share of oddballs.

[AlexS]

Geez...makes a bloke feel old. I remember having to write a specification to call tenders to buy ONE desktop calculator with nixie-cube display.

First desk-top computer was an Olivetti 101, 13 registers (I think) some of them could be split to use half precision, programmed on magnetic cards. There was very little it did that didn't need to be run overnight...so the cleaner could turn it off or it could run out of paper.

Had neat flashing red & blue lights though!

[Stuart]

Old? you only have to be in your early 30s to sympathise!