Self Same computers (was HP & Compaq)

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Thu Sep 6 15:27:37 2001

You can make the generalization that "brand-named" computers are harder to work
with, i.e. have mfg-imposed limitations that interfere, say, with expandability,
but you can't really generalize over a particular manufacturer here in the U.S.
since a goodly share of their products are built offshore in compliance with
spec's designed by a committee whose main concern is not to tread on another
product line's market.

Further, if you try to get information about the details of how motherboards
work, you'll often find you're on your way up a blind alley, as motherboard
makers seldom know any more than your as yet unborn grandson about the products
they sell. They hire all the work out and publish a copy of a manual provided
by the same folks who provide them with the PCB artwork, and they buy the BIOS
from the lowest bidder. More often than not, the CD shipped with a motherboard
bought on the "open" market doesn't even contain information regarding the
motherboard with which it was included, because the market window is so small
there's no time to incorporate that information into a CD. As fickle as the
market is these days, that should surpise no one.

This isn't the case with ALL motherboards you can buy, but it's surprisingly
common among the "popular" brands. Much of the time you get barely enough to
make them work.

Unfortunately, the "name brands" e.g. COMPAQ, HP, DELL, and eMachines, though I
guess the latter is pretty much history by now, all have simitaitons on what
they tell you, and often, as has been cited, there are numerous things about
which they tell you nothing. Spyware, if that's a concern, can be avoided by
buying systems sans-OS and installing your own OS. That puts the control in
your hands. Of course, that limits your choices.

These big computer companies will probably all go the way of the COMPAQ's and
others. They're unable to support their products adequately, so they need
subcontroactors to handle that for them. The subcontractors, however, can do
the job better if the "big brother" company gets out of the way, hence, they end
up putting together systems using general market component products. Those are
more easily maintained, updated, set-up, and paid-for. Support your local PC
vendor. He's not afraid to discuss non-MS OS' and he's not afraid to tell the
truth about the latest hardware fad.

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Stan Sieler" <sieler_at_allegro.com>
To: "McManis, Charles" <Charles.McManis_at_netapp.com>; "'Classic Computer
Collectors'" <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2001 12:48 PM
Subject: Re: Self Same computers (was HP & Compaq)


> Re:
> > As for brand names, I think they will come more and more to mean
> > _everything_. After all it has happened with cars it will happen
>
> Did you mean: _nothing_, not _everything_?
> Your arguments argued in favor of *nothing*, after all!
>
> > No doubt the auto industry had a very similar time of it and
> > today cars are largely identical except for things like body
> > styling and number of cup holders. So what used to be special
> > and unique, is now common and mundane.
>
> I.e., the brand name doesn't mean anything ("common, mundane"
> and not longer "unique").
>
> In that case, I agree...brand names in computers have come to mean
> nothing, well ... perhaps less than that: there are a few that have
> become negative. I.e., I won't buy an HP PC ... they're too
> idiosynractic. I'd much rather buy a generic PC, where I can
> get the information about the motherboard, chipset, etc., and don't
> have to fight software that's got oddball spyware pre-installed for me,
> or that requires a software key from HP to reinstall.
>
>
> Stan Sieler sieler_at_allegro.com
> www.allegro.com/sieler/wanted/index.html www.allegro.com/sieler
>
>
Received on Thu Sep 06 2001 - 15:27:37 BST