BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:39:48 -0400, Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:


That only is accurate if they make a superior product than the
competition. If MS continues to make a product that the consumer
is not
happy with, it opens the door for serious competition.

They have a long way to go before they will have "serious"
competition, but Apple *is* coming on strong. I'm just
disappointed that all this negative Vista attention, hasn't
translated to much of an increase in Linux use. Linux is still
1-2%, depending on how you measure.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1520


I doubt Apple's recent sales boosts are related to VISTA. Going from
a Windoze PC to an Apple PC takes a huge leap of faith and an even
bigger gulp. Apple has introduced some splashy new hardware
recently, including some new computers. The MacBooks are selling
like hotcakes at my local Apple store, along with iPhones, iPods, et
cetera.

I think the LINUX star is setting. At some point, there will be a
really strong port of Apple's UNIX OS to PC's that have been running
MS OS, and *that* will be a very interesting development. There are
some ports around now, but they are flaky.

Why bother with LINUX when you can use Apple's Leopard, which is
UNIX in a sweet candy shell?


Do some research before you open your mouth again. UNIX is a
registered trademark.

LINUX is the preferred UNIX like OS for PC's.

Apple took a UNIX variant and wrapped their GUI around it.

The LINUX star is still rising.


Yeah? Based on what, LINUX desktop market share?

Ok, you win.


Indeed. There's nothing wrong with LINUX and it certainly has made its
mark in the server world, but it's just not going to be much of a
success in the plain old user desktop market. It's too much of a kit.

HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:39:48 -0400, Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:


That only is accurate if they make a superior product than the
competition. If MS continues to make a product that the consumer
is not
happy with, it opens the door for serious competition.

They have a long way to go before they will have "serious"
competition, but Apple *is* coming on strong. I'm just
disappointed that all this negative Vista attention, hasn't
translated to much of an increase in Linux use. Linux is still
1-2%, depending on how you measure.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1520


I doubt Apple's recent sales boosts are related to VISTA. Going
from a Windoze PC to an Apple PC takes a huge leap of faith and an
even bigger gulp. Apple has introduced some splashy new hardware
recently, including some new computers. The MacBooks are selling
like hotcakes at my local Apple store, along with iPhones, iPods,
et cetera.

I think the LINUX star is setting. At some point, there will be a
really strong port of Apple's UNIX OS to PC's that have been
running MS OS, and *that* will be a very interesting development.
There are some ports around now, but they are flaky.

Why bother with LINUX when you can use Apple's Leopard, which is
UNIX in a sweet candy shell?


Do some research before you open your mouth again. UNIX is a
registered trademark.

LINUX is the preferred UNIX like OS for PC's.

Apple took a UNIX variant and wrapped their GUI around it.

The LINUX star is still rising.


Yeah? Based on what, LINUX desktop market share?

Ok, you win.


Indeed. There's nothing wrong with LINUX and it certainly has made its
mark in the server world, but it's just not going to be much of a
success in the plain old user desktop market. It's too much of a kit.

Ok, you win.

wrote:
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:58:14 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

How much of what you use today with respect to computer software or hardware
is backwards compatible to your first computer?
When was the last time you used a 5-1/4" floppy?

I still use dBase that ran on my first 5150. It has functionality you
still don't have with Access


Well, I don't use "rBase" anymore! :)
MS Access is a real pain in the ass, though. As with all MS applicaiton
software, it wants you to do things its way, not your way.

wrote:
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:58:14 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

How much of what you use today with respect to computer software or hardware
is backwards compatible to your first computer?
When was the last time you used a 5-1/4" floppy?

I still use dBase that ran on my first 5150. It has functionality you
still don't have with Access

Just trade up to SQL Server 2005

HK wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:58:14 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

How much of what you use today with respect to computer software or
hardware is backwards compatible to your first computer?
When was the last time you used a 5-1/4" floppy?

I still use dBase that ran on my first 5150. It has functionality you
still don't have with Access


Well, I don't use "rBase" anymore! :)
MS Access is a real pain in the ass, though. As with all MS applicaiton
software, it wants you to do things its way, not your way.

I used RBase 4000, previously MicroRIM from MicroCom,
http://www.corptechusa.com/rbase.asp?n=2&d=5

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:22:29 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:05:09 -0400, wrote:

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:57:53 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:58:14 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

How much of what you use today with respect to computer software or hardware
is backwards compatible to your first computer?
When was the last time you used a 5-1/4" floppy?

I still use dBase that ran on my first 5150. It has functionality you
still don't have with Access

How did you get it past Y2K issues?


I closed my books on 12/31/99 and opened them on 1/1/00 with a carry
forward balance. (my business was on a Jan 1 to Dec 31 FY anyway) I
am good until 2042 (or whenever it is when everyone's clock stops
working)
I am also using a very functional FAX client that is not Y2K. Again, I
simply archived the 99 and older faxes in a different directory so
they still sorted right and moved forward.
I am one of the people who predicted Y2K was simply a scam to sell
hardware and software. Anyone with a basic understnding of the problem
should be able to deal with it. For most systems it was really a one
minute event.

I was one who predicted in 1980 that Y2K would be a big problem, but I
would be out of that business by then.
It was, and I wasn't.

--Vic

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:47:05 -0400, HK wrote:


I think the LINUX star is setting. At some point, there will be a really
strong port of Apple's UNIX OS to PC's that have been running MS OS, and
*that* will be a very interesting development. There are some ports
around now, but they are flaky.

Why bother with LINUX when you can use Apple's Leopard, which is UNIX in
a sweet candy shell?

A better question is, why switch from one proprietary OS to another? ;-)

Clearly, it's a different strokes thing, but I'm quite happy with
Linux. I wasn't happy with Bill Gates' way. I don't know why I should
expect to be happy with Steve Jobs' way. With Linux, I can have it my
way.

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:46:11 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:13:41 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I am one of the people who predicted Y2K was simply a scam to sell
hardware and software. Anyone with a basic understnding of the problem
should be able to deal with it. For most systems it was really a one
minute event.

I was one who predicted in 1980 that Y2K would be a big problem, but I
would be out of that business by then.
It was, and I wasn't.


What was the big problem?


Media hype.

Eisboch

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:46:11 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:13:41 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I am one of the people who predicted Y2K was simply a scam to sell
hardware and software. Anyone with a basic understnding of the problem
should be able to deal with it. For most systems it was really a one
minute event.

I was one who predicted in 1980 that Y2K would be a big problem, but I
would be out of that business by then.
It was, and I wasn't.

What was the big problem?

Two byte year of birth, two byte year of policy inception, two byte
year of renewal date, blah, blah, blah.
Two year project to change programs and data streams.
Par for the course for most business "legacy" systems.
Many business apps use many dates for most everything they do.
Your insurance, banking, credit card, stocks, bonds, bills, etc, were
nearly all dependent on big changes to old apps.
When these mainframe apps were designed, conservation of precious disk
space, fast I/O and frugal CPU time was more important than thinking
20 years in the future.
Remember when you first read Orwell's "1984"?
I had no concept that 1984 it would come and go so quickly.
Never saw so many old guys come out of retirement to
cash in on the Y2K coding frenzy.
"Problem" might be strong. But it was a big "issue" in IT.
Big enough task that many apps weren't changed until time was short.
But nobody with any sense of the problem ever imagined the world
would end. I didn't mean that.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:
On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:46:11 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:13:41 -0600, Vic Smith
wrote:

I am one of the people who predicted Y2K was simply a scam to sell
hardware and software. Anyone with a basic understnding of the problem
should be able to deal with it. For most systems it was really a one
minute event.
I was one who predicted in 1980 that Y2K would be a big problem, but I
would be out of that business by then.
It was, and I wasn't.
What was the big problem?

Two byte year of birth, two byte year of policy inception, two byte
year of renewal date, blah, blah, blah.

One byte year, two bytes month and two bytes year. Solution go through
code and make 0 greater than 1. Oh, wait a minute were are talking Y2K,
not 1979 to 1980.