Posted on 11/13/2011 5:25:57 PM PST by Swordmaker
That's a good philosophy for any major purchase: Washing machine, car, house....
Heh, yes, you are right... Only been in computers since the 60’s (when they were called computers in the military). No offense meant...
ShiftRegLeft to ya....
By the way - you past sounds very much like mine... Same experience with processor chips, languages, and such...
The only difference that I can point to immediately is that with Datapoint, I use Databus for my initial programming in addition to assembly...
Sounds like we grew up in the same environment...heh.
And I'm 62. I may be the only person on here who has made his own PNP transistor from scratch (well, from silicon wafer). I did that as part of a 1965 Bell Labs project where 100 selected High School students were the materials and instructions on how to make one by hand. Mine was one of the 43 successful transistors produced by the high school students around the country. I too, have built computers, programed, and branched over to database design. . . Then into business management. For the last 30 years I've run my own business supporting other businesses' computers, both in PCs and Macs.
One thing I can say: once I converted a business to Macs, I generally made far less money from that business fixing problems. They had no problems! The Macs just worked. No longer was I called in to clean up the malware messes or even the incompatibilities caused by update Tuesdays with vertical solution software breaking with MS software patches. I stopped making so much money from them, but they remained convinced clients and highly recommended me to friends. . . who I'd make money from fixing their PC infestation until I could convince them the cost of Windows PC ownership was just too great. . . and the cycle would repeat. Every convert would essentially say "I can't believe I put up with Windows so long! What took me so long?" or "I can't believe how easy this is!" or "using a computer is FUN again!"
For those that are a bit interested in computer history, I initially worked at Datapoint building and maintaining the 2200 computer. It’s motherboard was built on discrete components because when they asked Intel to put it on a chip, it was too slow...
Now of course, that eventually became the 8008 and eventually the 8080 computer chip...
Ah, love it!! One of the original transistor pioneers! You have had a grand experience I’d say! Doesn’t get much better than that...
Indeed it does!! Greetings!
Time for bed, gentlemen, have at, and enjoy. I'll check back after work tomorrow....
Best FRegards to all.
Yes, goodnight to you all and thanks for the ride through the past...heh. Yes, we are a bunch of old fudie dudies... however that is spelled...
It was fun. Spent hours after school in the electronics lab carefully doping and measuring the thickness of the chemicals. Then scraping it off and trying again to get the right amount. Then putting on another layer of another chemical, and getting that just right. The whole thing had to be heated in a mini-kiln I had to build and heated to a temperature I can't remember to save my neck. . . I used the little temperature cones they use to fire ceramics to precise temperatures. Too hot and the transistor would be ruined, too cool and it wouldn't be a transistor. Once it was fired, it had to be plated so leads could be soldered to each side. And one from the center... Fun to get the center contact to work.
Hardly a pioneer. . . Just fun and interesting. This was at the end of the time when kids were still concerned about how many transistors their radio had. NINE was the gold standard... Unless you had nine, you were nobody. IIRC, three and five were the other sizes of transistor radios. Integrated circuits were the realm of aerospace and military in 1965, electronics were just in transition from tube tech through transistor tech, a surprisingly short period, to IC, which started to appear in consumer electronics in the late 60s and early 70s.
I think the IC is what killed Heathkit. I still have my Heathkit VTVM I built in 1966... What fun is there in plugging in an IC into a prefab multilayer printed circuit board? WHEEEE—not.
Does anybody memorize the resistor color codes anymore?
So much for who's experience is bigger. LOL!
No, Actually, you were a pioneer - just look back at history and you were part of it! That is something that should be remembered and passed down to your children. That is history!
Oh wow - speaking of resistor codes - I learned by the saying “bad boys rape our young girls but violet gives willingly”... Heh. If you don’t understand that, then you’ve forgotten the code...ha.
As to Heathkits, loved them and probably was partially responsible for keeping them in business. Made all of my test equipment from kits (VM, Freq Gen, Scopes, etc.) along with 4 tvs, H8 computer and all accessories, and other items that I’ve forgotten. They were a great company to me and at the time, could not understand how they could have gone out of business...
Not to mention the kits for etching your own circuit boards, plugin circuit boards (can’t even remember what they were called), etc...such is life...
Experience is always biggest for the individual telling their story...
One thing that I forgot... I lived in Grand Rapids Mich. for a few years and use to drive to Benton Harbor to pick up Heathkits from their store. It was very nice and really fun to wonder around there with mouth watering...heh.
I have built some twenty computers (windows) for myself and friends; I am now 62 years-old.
<GRIN...>
but I don’t need two, just 1 each that has extremely little management needs.
Most often I find android or Win, while I personally have the skill sets needed, stink if you are not a power user or at the very least fairly competent.
Window’s ultraportables with the same specs COST WAY more than a baseline macbook air. (which even has ssd).
Oh- come on!
What is that supposed to mean?
Listen you’re not going to out “power-user” me.
I’m not some tech noob here.... name a system, piece of hardware, software etc... and we discuss usefulness over lifestyle till your blue in the face.
I have an Andriod phone for work. It stinks and isn’t as quick to do things on the go as the Iphone.
Macbook air- find me a comparable ultra portable pc with the same parts for anywhere near that price (including the SSD).
Iphone/Macbook air works way better faster for on-the go then you could ever manage with the current Android/Win7 hybrid (and boot times would take much longer too).... and Window phone... get back to me next year... it has the potential to be good by then maybe....
Not sure where you were going with your post...
I’m not sure where you’re shopping. I got this laptop at present with better specs than the air for around 300 bucks.
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