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The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

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Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#261

Post by Zak »

drexel wrote: post #236
Zak wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When my friends ask for laptop-buying advice I tell them if they like the keyboard and screen, then its just plain hard to be disappointed with anything new. That's exactly what I'm disappointed with on everything new. The Thinkpad T60p, from 2006 remains superior on both points to everything new from my point of view.

Better than newer T series? I've been looking into Lenovos because the keyboard is the main differentiator I care about on a laptop.

I've typed on a T530. It was pretty good, but the removal of several keys I actually use and the relocation of others bothers me. I don't think the feel is quite as good on the T530 as on the T60, but it's still one of the best laptop keyboards.

Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#262

Post by mindslight »

platz wrote: post #235
mindslight wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn't universally wrong, but it is dead-wrong with present technology. And covering our eyes and pretending that we are currently that advanced doesn't make it so. Because while basic computation is a universal commodity, what is implemented on top of it certainly isn't - a piece of software always functions as someone's agent. When the systems you end up relying on are entirely defined by someone else, the only…

Good thoughts here. I am optimistic due to things like raspberry pi and arduino becoming popular, but at the same time these things just feel like this generations version of building radio kits and model airplanes. Ultimately it's the data rather than the computation that's important.

Yeah exactly, it's not that general purpose CPUs will be outlawed like we worried about in the 90s, it's that the generally popular ways of using technology won't be using their capabilities.

It's not just the data itself, but really about protocols used to access the data. Protocols mediate between parties, and by choosing to download a binary blob simply to check your email, you've given up any true bargaining power in that exchange. You still have some autonomy by hacking the blob (userscript injection, etc), but you're only building on unstable ground.

Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#263

Post by voltagex_ »

rythie wrote: post #209
taigeair wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but the video is so loud!

Yeah I know it's awful, if my Celeron 450Mhz could play DVDs at no effort, I don't know why this can't play videos on 5-10% CPU and not spin up the fan.

The older Mac laptops had (SMCUtil?) a utility to change the threshold for the fan - I know lots of Wintel systems have this in BIOS/EFI.

Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#264

Post by b1daly »

It's weird,but I feel like my PCs are all you slow. I bought a rMAcBook Pro recently expecting to be blown away, but it still feels sluggish to me. I want instantaneous response when it comes down to it. There actually is a qualitative difference between 100ms and 10ms response time. I'm surprised, I really thought we would be closer.

Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#265

Post by b1daly »

It's weird,but I feel like my PCs are all you slow. I bought a rMAcBook Pro recently expecting to be blown away, but it still feels sluggish to me. I want instantaneous response when it comes down to it. There actually is a qualitative difference between 100ms and 10ms response time. I'm surprised, I really thought we would be closer.

Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#266

Post by r00fus »

asafira wrote: post #141
simonsarris wrote: post #96

I've felt this way since I built my last desktop in 2008. I was sort-of waiting for the "gee its time to upgrade" mark to roll around in 3 or 4 years, but it hasn't happened yet. Any games I want to play it still runs very well, and it still feels very fast to me even compared to modern off-the-shelf systems. When my friends ask for laptop-buying advice I tell them if they like the keyboard and screen, then its just…

I agree with the general consensus here regarding how computers in general have been aging better now. Especially with different computing devices available today, it's hard for the average person to justify buying a new computer within 3-4 years of theirs. At the same time, I think even the "average" person would want more than a 128gb ssd, and therefore today's entry-level harddrives equipped with these small ssd's…

Quick solution: USB3 (or e-sata or thunderbolt) external hard drive. Alternatively, NAS (that you can cloud-ify).

Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#268

Post by zanny »

gtaylor wrote: post #43
arjunnarayan wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You overpaid. You're better off spending $800 and upgrading 3 times as often.

Particularly with GPUs. I wouldn't touch something like Nvidia's Titan unless I just had gobs of money lying around.

Well yeah, something like the Titan has no price / performance at all. Usually the best valuation is around $200, ie, an r7 270x or a 760. And if you want a premium card, 280x / 770 are both devouring modern titles. Anything past that is "I want the best there is right now, screw the cost".

Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#269

Post by r00fus »

gohrt wrote: post #88
JVIDEL wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In what planet? I'm not even going to use myself as an example because I do other heavy stuff with my PC, I'm going to use my non-tech friends: one of them got a new laptop with 8GB of RAM, why? because she was complaining about webapps using too much memory and slowing down her previous system. Regular users don't know or care about memory management, they don't even close old windows or tabs, its about convenience.…

4GB is plenty of RAM for a web browser with many tabs, especially with an SSD for backing virtual memory. If it isn't there is a memory leak, and if there is a leak, 8GB is as bad as 12GB. My MBA has 4GB and I constantly forget, because it is enough, and I am constantly surprised that it doesn't have 8GB. All modern web browsers save and restore sessions across restarts.

Re: MBA/MBP - with Mavericks 4GB is doable given how it aggressively manages memory: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/os-x-10-9/17/#compresse...

Re: The PC is not dead, we just don't need new ones

#270

Post by bradleyjg »

johngalt wrote: post #124
simonsarris wrote: post #96

I've felt this way since I built my last desktop in 2008. I was sort-of waiting for the "gee its time to upgrade" mark to roll around in 3 or 4 years, but it hasn't happened yet. Any games I want to play it still runs very well, and it still feels very fast to me even compared to modern off-the-shelf systems. When my friends ask for laptop-buying advice I tell them if they like the keyboard and screen, then its just…

We would be better off steering into the skid. History has plenty of examples of people who've tried to hang onto the old ways 'because that's how I learned it'. The way forward isn't to try and keep cheap PCs viable for creativity's sake, but to ensure that creative desires are being met on the newer devices. Would I have learned memory management and dual booting if I'd had a tablet instead of a 386? Probably not.…

Long form writing seems close to impossible on a tablet. A long hacker news comment is possible, but once you are looking at even a modest book report, I can't see it.

Maybe with some sort of accessory keyboard, but then you are looking at more of an ad hoc laptop than a pure tablet.

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