> > Age, also, alone, does not make a classic. I doubt that the standard
> > run-of-the-mill '386 PeeCee will ever amount to anything except to,
> > perhaps, archaeologists who dig one out of a landfill. There were too
> > many of them made, and they were (are) regarded as "disposable".
>
> On the other hand, the "PeeCee" is destined to decome a classic, just
> because of the huge impact they have made.
Thanks to the internet, and freely Linux/BSD, and large part of M$,
so called PeeCees' are getting plenty by the numbers becasuse cost
have fallen and a decent quality one can be had for 1.5k CDN
ready to roll package + friendly support with some s/w from private
retailers. And loads of shady retailers are out there. But if you
take time to sniff out reliable retailers, you win in the end.
Snip!
> I am a little uneasy with this. True, most machines in the 1960s were
> built like tanks - they _had_ to be, or they would not last in the
> marketplace. Buying a computer back then was a very big deal, not like
> today. Today, the cost is so low on small systems that managers do not
> have to worry about buying a dud - if they do, no big deal. ANS
> purchased some really bad TI laptops, and we are regretting them. Did
> anyone lose credibility because of a few thousand dollars worth of junky
> computers? Of course not. For bigger things, the story is much different.
> If a manager purchased many tens of thousands of dollars worth of junk,
> they may not get thier Christmas bonus. I think they would look at
> quality much more closely with real money on the line.
Right. Now no one but very few dared to repair digital boards at
component level. :( Except for monitors, they still require
repairs. I do not needlessly toss boards out if I can fix 'em and
even do some UNauthorized modifications on them. One example:
swapped out the both 386sx 20 and osc for 25mhz parts on a LTE
386s/20 successfully. One thing, this is ONLY comsumer-quality
computer using aero-space technologies. One-piece fold up
motherboard via flexiable flat cables as part of PCB material, You
know, that rigid PCB board with flex-cables enbedded in it. Closest
sibling that uses similar chipsets is SLT 386s/20.
(AHHHHHHHHH! others runs out for their life from a true h/w hacker.)
:)
> Just look at the quality of Sun equipment - out of the box everything
> will work, nothing will be banged up, and the thing will compute forever -
> when you pay $50,000 for a midrange Ultra, you buy the quality. Now look
> at a $1500 PeeCee and you will see the difference. If Sun ever made a
> $1500 Ultra, I think it would not be very far off from PeeCee quality.
Agreed with this point, but I can't see point of ripping too much
strictly to keep investors happy these days. :( This is my pick
bone. RIght now too many are cutting to keep investors bubbling
happy. Seez! They can't make more $ if jobs are cut. They get $
but the $ flows to everywhere else, opening up jobs in turn and
incrases in next investing in the end. Now it's matter of short
term instead of long-term.
> > Pop the hood on the
> > latest thing to come down the 'pike - it's all ASICs, custom silicon,
> > and surface mount stuff on wafer-thin boards. In short - not built
> > to last. Nor is it designed to.
>
> Why is surface mount, etc., not mean quality? It is just a different way
> to manufacture electronics. After all, the Cray X/MP and Y/MPs are built
> with ASICs, custom silicon, and surface mount stuff on wafer-thin boards.
If maker followed strict control and insure compatiblity they tend to
be reliable and work with most things. There are no good ones
besides very few brands and as far as I know that you can buy loose
boards is Asus with that compareable quality.
> Modern stuff would be repairable if their was a market to repair it. Just
> like the TV repair business, the home computer repair business has not
> been around for a good 15 years.
Truth. But cost of new parts is too low to cover still increasing
wages and parts to repair 'em SO, users just chuck parts out for
new one if something breaks after warrenty or upgrades. New age
version of swapper-fixuppers, dumb people comes out in that end, and
few smarts in the end and too many average people. Sorry but I had
to say that. In past, before 80's there were lot of smart people who
appreciate quality and have knowledge but right now we're allowing
requirements relax in education systems and those who can't find jobs
because some future employers have few people needed in key positions
and have technologies to be productive and have better machines.
We're should have kept the silicon technologies also keep some key
manufacturing sites free of those silicon and bring back several
labour intersive manaufacturing and depend less on technologies that
uses semi for most applications and they can be blown to bits with
back EMF from atomic blast.
Very distressing.
> William Donzelli
> william_at_ans.net
Troll
Received on Sun Nov 16 1997 - 16:57:31 GMT
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