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Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#391

Post by fao_ »

anexprogrammer wrote: post #156
frik wrote: post #142

* IBM ThinkPad T41p/60. Lenovo T410/X210 where still somewhat fine. But these newer ultrabooks nowadays have less powerful specs than 5 year old notebooks. The Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon isn't bad, but a far cry given it's ultrabook less powerful specs than an 5 year old high end notebook. And these shitty keyboard nowadays, give me back the old keyboard layout like grouped F1-F12 key, better placed Home/PgUp/PgDn/End…

Lenovo destroyed the Thinkpad legacy. I gave up on them a few years ago when they dropped the 7 row keyboard. The 7 row keyboard was leagues ahead of any other laptop keyboard, ever. The replacement keyboard is awful. I hate the loss of web forward/back keys too. I hate chicklet keys. I hate pgup/dn placed as though I'll almost never use them. I still prefer the trackpoint over any touchpad. I'd buy a retro Thinkpad,…

> I'd buy a retro Thinkpad, like you link, in a second.

I'm not sure if the Libreboot would fit your needs? https://minifree.org/

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#392

Post by matt_morgan »

Going way back, the easy answer for me is the Paradox desktop database from Borland. I used it in DOS in 1990; Windows kind of killed it. It was amazingly easy to build apps in it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_%28database%29

Although reading that page I see that it still exists!? So maybe it doesn't qualify for this question.

[Edit: I see the dBase/FoxPro family mentioned down below. Same idea, roughly. Also great.]

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#393

Post by mathgeek »

davb wrote: post #383
avar wrote: post #116

A few things: Everything not being 4:3 screens. I found it better for programming than everything being cinematic screens. Back when monitor manufacturers were racing to make better / higher resolution monitors, instead of just leaving it at 1080p / 4k / whatever the current standard good enough for movies is. The GMail interface before it started auto-converting the textarea to HTML when edited externally. Console g…

> Console gaming when it Just Worked. Nowadays when I pop in a game it's update this and update that, long loading times etc. This might be about to change with Nintendo's upcoming NX system rumoured to use ROM cartridges rather than optical media. The cart-based 3DS has loading times comparable to the Mega Drive or SNES (negligible). And the cartridge distribution model is great for this with sub-par internet connec…

There were still be patches and online services involved. You can also bet that they won't eschew online purchases and digital downloads. I know I won't buy it if I have to go back to physical media.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#394

Post by arturhoo »

Grue3 wrote: post #151

Google Reader. There are no replacements that a) update fast enough, and b) allow search for free. I know, I tried all of them. Firefox had an amazing plugin called "Ubiquity", which was basically like command line for your browser and you could write custom scripts for it. It was seriously better than anything that exists today. They stopped developing it for some reason. Tab Groups is another feature that's now aba…

Give AOL Reader a try (I know) http://reader.aol.com/

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#395

Post by berntb »

kome wrote: post #157
avar wrote: post #116

A few things: Everything not being 4:3 screens. I found it better for programming than everything being cinematic screens. Back when monitor manufacturers were racing to make better / higher resolution monitors, instead of just leaving it at 1080p / 4k / whatever the current standard good enough for movies is. The GMail interface before it started auto-converting the textarea to HTML when edited externally. Console g…

> E-Mail before we lost the "text should be text and not goddamn HTML" war. I am still fighting, and the war is not over.

Good luck, "forest brother".

Where should I leave stashes with food and ammo? :-) :-(

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#396

Post by donatj »

op00to wrote: post #313
frik wrote: post #302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your rhetoric is off, "smuggle" is the term for illegal stuff. Don't use it for legal stuff. And don't make cash money look like it's bad - that's just the propaganda that started after the Davos conference to bad mouth cash money in the interest of a small elite. We all know better: You transfer legal stuff. Cash money is valid money form, you just carry money around in your wallet. While it's already true, some sta…

You're free to transfer value anonymously. Purchase gold.

You get to a border with a bunch of gold and I promise there will be more than questions.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#400

Post by freshyill »

hoof_marks wrote: post #101

Windows XP and its search feature- Win7 above does not have it. Yahoo Geocities- simply miss it. and also Yahoo in general. My current yahoo mail is chock a block with spam mails. plus their ads. Xerox Ventura desktop publishing software- that was cool when book publishing was required. Motorola T90/91 basic mobile phone. superb and handiest phone used. Current Moto is smart but not unbeatable. Most importantly old B…

Tap water varies greatly even over a small area. New York City, for example, is extremely proud of the quality of its water, which comes from reservoirs upstate. I noticed it was good before I ever found out that it's something they like to boast about.

In DC, however, the chlorine is over the top, especially at times when they're flushing the lines.

I find that most places are somewhere in between these two extremes, even just outside the cities, where different municipalities have their own reservoirs and sources.

As for paper bags, why not just use a reusable bag. In many places in the US, plastic bags are taxed (5¢ or so), with the funds going to clean up rivers. It's led to a major change in behavior.

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