|
Proteus Jones posted:Jesus, I just had a nasty flashback. For certain people here, these 3 words will strike terror in their hearts. One of my favorite tricks involving my 1541 was removing the disk halfway through booting a very good but hellishly difficult game (Asylum). The program would basically give up, dump multiple flag messages to the parser, and shove a bunch of goodies into my inventory. I'd put the disk back in and go my merry way. I guess this is the precursor to cartridge-tilting, and both of them have been rendered obsolete by digitally delivered software (and CD/DVD-ROMs--can you hotswap a CD/DVD to bug up a game in interesting ways? Not counting using them in Monster Rancher and the like).
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 14:26
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 17:31 |
|
|
Proteus Jones posted:Jesus, I just had a nasty flashback. For certain people here, these 3 words will strike terror in their hearts. For the unfamiliar, the 1541 had no way of knowing where the head was on an absolute basis. So whenever an event occurs which necessitates moving the head to track 0, the controller simply moves the head 40 tracks in the direction of track 0. If it's on track 40 at the time, fine, the head ends up at track 0 with no drama. If the head's at track 1, then it moves one track over to track zero and then bangs against the hard stop 39 times. This was not good for head alignment. Hirayuki posted:I've heard about it, but I somehow never had that problem with my 1541. And I used the poo poo out of it, too. Likewise. I mean mine made a hell of a lot of noise, but it never misaligned to the point that it stopped working. But then I also owned one of the infamous IBM Deathstar drives (the ones that were so bad they led indirectly to IBM's exit from the hard drive market) and it also never failed on me despite making a bunch of really interesting noises. So maybe that's my superpower.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 14:45
|
|
|
Those Deathstar drives were fast. The crunchy noises reminded me my operating system and games were living on the edge at all times. I had a couple of those bad Maxtor drives in raid 0 too. YOLO, game installs.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 14:51
|
|
|
If we're on the subject of old IBM's, I was running this baby for a while in the year 2000: The sad thing was it was only 4 years old at that point and it might as well been 20. No internal CD drive and no USB and I think a 75mhz cpu. You could get Windows 95 on it, but not 98 S2. I think we managed a network install of Linux. It retailed for something like $4k, but I bought it for $180. Kids these days have no idea how fast computers went obsolete in the 80's and 90's. But man, it was a classy af looking laptop. I put stickers all over mine because I wasn't very classy af. EDIT: and to be sure, that's $4k in 1996 money. That's $6,300 in today's dollars. And you probably needed the docking station too so maybe $7,800 out the door. They have one in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art. Krispy Wafer has a new favorite as of 15:14 on Apr 30, 2018 |
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 15:04
|
|
|
Krispy Wafer posted:If we're on the subject of old IBM's, I was running this baby for a while in the year 2000: I never got the gimmick with ultra-thin laptops. I've got a cheap lenovo right now and it feels all  to me. It's thin and lightweight, sure, but...
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 15:26
|
|
|
ryonguy posted:I never got the gimmick with ultra-thin laptops. I've got a cheap lenovo right now and it feels all LGR has a pretty good video describing what led to the butterfly keyboard, at least. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRVJCtREW38
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 15:55
|
|
|
I miss the nubbin/clit mouse
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 15:57
|
|
|
Coffee And Pie posted:I miss the nubbin/clit mouse My new X260 has it. It also has three mouse buttons still.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 16:21
|
|
|
Hirayuki posted:I've heard about it, but I somehow never had that problem with my 1541. And I used the poo poo out of it, too. There was a way of swapping FF7 disc with a specific other game, and it would gently caress up the world map in a way that let you walk up to the Northern Crater and then you'd switch the disc back and finish the game.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 17:57
|
|
|
Pham Nuwen posted:My new X260 has it. It also has three mouse buttons still. I picked up one of the Anniversary Editions when they were going on sale before the T480 launch, so I have the old keyboard too. Not that the new one isn't nice.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 18:53
|
|
|
Coffee And Pie posted:I miss the nubbin/clit mouse Business laptops are still delivered with them.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 19:36
|
|
|
Pham Nuwen posted:My new X260 has it. It also has three mouse buttons still. "obsolete" tech: Middle mouse button that is actually a button and not a loving scroll wheel/button combo that inevitably stops working properly because shoehorning two different mechanisms together like a one-man-band of bad design is cheaper. I'll take a nipple mouse over a trackpad any day though since they usually put them right below the space bar in a prime location for accidental touching.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 20:20
|
|
|
Proteus Jones posted:Jesus, I just had a nasty flashback. For certain people here, these 3 words will strike terror in their hearts. This is why I installed soft stops in my 1541. Along with a reset button and a drive select switch.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 21:39
|
|
|
ryonguy posted:"obsolete" tech: Middle mouse button that is actually a button and not a loving scroll wheel/button combo that inevitably stops working properly because shoehorning two different mechanisms together like a one-man-band of bad design is cheaper. Is this a common issue? I have never seen a scrollwheel/button combo fail.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 22:10
|
|
|
Toast Museum posted:Is this a common issue? I have never seen a scrollwheel/button combo fail. It's pretty much the only reason I replace mice anymore. The middle-click on the scrollwheel sometimes won't register the click, or worse, it'll register as two or three clicks. Even a heavily-used mouse will still last a few years, though.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 23:19
|
|
|
I have had the same Logitech mx518 for like 15 years.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 23:26
|
|
|
I had something very similar to that for like 5 years, then it broke when I spilled soup on it. Protip: don't spill soup on your mouse.
|
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2018 23:29
|
|
|
I lose more mice from accidentally dropping them on the floor than anything else
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2018 00:25
|
|
|
My mice die about every five years, usually its right click going spotty/multi-registering clicks. One mouse in particular I blame on minecraft. But, the last time I paid for a mouse was when WoW:BC came out. Since then, every time it goes out Logitech has happily sent me a new model equivalent to my old one, no muss no fuss. Their warranty support owns bones.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2018 01:52
|
|
|
I don't know if wired mice are more rugged, but the only reason I replaced my last one which I bought around the time vanilla WoW was a thing was because someone decided lasers were bad and everything switched back to optical.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2018 02:07
|
|
|
Powered Descent posted:It's pretty much the only reason I replace mice anymore. The middle-click on the scrollwheel sometimes won't register the click, or worse, it'll register as two or three clicks. Or it'll register as a scroll action. Or if you go to scroll oops you accidentally used too much pressure, here's a new tab for you to close. One I have even has left-right functionality of some sort, so I'm practically halfway to having a nubbin mouse on top of my mouse  . It wouldn't and shouldn't be an issue if the functions were separate mechanisms. I've literally never had any other problem with any other feature of any mouse I've ever owned, it's always the scroll wheel getting gummed up to the point of uselessness.I just want a real middle mouse button so I don't have to worry about all that crap. And not a "Just buy the NerdGimmick BJ69SX it has remappable buttons" because every one I've ever seen still has the stupid scroll wheel button right where a useful middle button should be.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2018 03:22
|
|
|
My friend have you heard of the MX Master? That middle button normally set to be a clutch-switch for the freewheel scroll (which is amazing and you can make it automatically switch, and set the threshold for it doing so -- it's my favorite feature of any mouse ever) can be reprogrammed to be a middle button because it's not a mechanical clutch like on other Logitech mice. This may seem insane but I use the thumbwheel for volume, the thumb button (not back/forward, the bottom thumb) for mute/unmute, and the clutch switch is the standard clutch switch. But, if the thumbwheel ever breaks, I'll use gestures for volume. The middle click underneath the MX Master's wheel, when not in freewheel mode, is very solid and I rarely ever get an accidental scroll. I bet (no, I KNOW) that I use middle-click way more than the right mouse button. When browsing, or researching (open tab with middle click, close tab with the same), it's maybe used more than the normal left-click, too. Middle mouse buttons are serious business, and no sarcasm on that one. I never would have moved onto the MX Master if my second-favorite mouse of all time, the M705 Marathon, didn't get a funky middle-click after about two years on each one I've purchased. Yes, I can open them up and re-bend the tabs, and I have, but it only works for so long. Put the MX Master's scroll wheel and clutch mechanism in the M705 and give it similar battery life, and I'll stock up on ten.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2018 03:47
|
|
|
Metal Geir Skogul posted:My friend have you heard of the MX Master?
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2018 13:15
|
|
|
ryonguy posted:Just buy the NerdGimmick BJ69SX it has remappable buttons Cool $50+ for a mouse that has something a five dollar one should have in the first place.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2018 18:42
|
|
|
ryonguy posted:Cool $50+ for a mouse that has something a five dollar one should have in the first place. Wow its AUD$149! For that money I'll just find another RAT7 or RAT9 if i want wireless.
|
|
#
?
May 2, 2018 11:35
|
|
|
mobby_6kl posted:
 I only got the point of this post when I scrolled down and noticed what page we were on. Also, the poster mentioning having to look up a certain word on the owners manual to unlock a game gave me a flashback to something I haven't thought about in years. Back in the 80s when choose your own adventure books were The Cool New Thing, I had one called Be An Interplanetary Spy (or something like that). Not only did you CYOA, but the some of the decisions you made were based on solving puzzles in the book. One involved copying the ISBN and then doing a math problem based on it, and that told you which page to turn to to avoid peril. That was some top of the line interactive fun back in the Stone Age.
|
|
#
?
May 2, 2018 18:31
|
|
|
JacquelineDempsey posted:
I used to hit the local copy shop and use the self-service machines to copy whole manuals back in the day.
|
|
#
?
May 2, 2018 19:26
|
|
|
Just got my hands on a Thinkpad X220, T430s and T440s from the electronics recycling. The 220 needs a new disk, the 440 has a cracked screen, and the 430 needed a good cleaning and to have its RAM reseated. I've never had the opportunity to spend much time with Thinkpads before, and the build quality on these is insane!
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 11:42
|
|
|
evobatman posted:Just got my hands on a Thinkpad X220, T430s and T440s from the electronics recycling. The 220 needs a new disk, the 440 has a cracked screen, and the 430 needed a good cleaning and to have its RAM reseated. I've never had the opportunity to spend much time with Thinkpads before, and the build quality on these is insane! My mom worked for IBM and there was a lot of despair when they exited the small computer business. With desktops it made sense because they couldn't compete with all cheap clones, but IBM should have kept their laptops. They could have followed an Apple model and kept the engineering in-house and just outsourced the production.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 12:10
|
|
|
Krispy Wafer posted:My mom worked for IBM and there was a lot of despair when they exited the small computer business. With desktops it made sense because they couldn't compete with all cheap clones, but IBM should have kept their laptops. They could have followed an Apple model and kept the engineering in-house and just outsourced the production. Isn't that exactly what they did for a while? Lenovo took over the brand because they'd already been producing the laptops for years.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 12:54
|
|
|
Computer viking posted:Isn't that exactly what they did for a while? Lenovo took over the brand because they'd already been producing the laptops for years. Maybe. My mom wasn't in hardware so I'm not entirely sure how they were doing it. I know they couldn't keep their margins up on desktop computers, but the significant number of Apple laptops in corporate America tells me there's still a premium market for laptops. IBM could have kept up the build quality of tank-like ThinkPads and made a profit, but I guess they wanted to get out while the brand was still worth a premium.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 13:00
|
|
|
Computer viking posted:Isn't that exactly what they did for a while? Lenovo took over the brand because they'd already been producing the laptops for years. Yes, Lenovo was their manufacturer before the sale.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 13:10
|
|
|
Lenovo Thinkpads are still about as nice a laptop as you can get, they're even finally improving their screens
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 16:11
|
|
|
Hirayuki posted:I've heard about it, but I somehow never had that problem with my 1541. And I used the poo poo out of it, too. There was a way to cheat on the C64 version of Autoduel by taping over the write notch on the second floppy. Your character started with three gibberish cargo shipments that were worth enough to get you through most of the game. I guess it needed to zero out a starting value for your character or something.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 16:40
|
|
|
The Lenovo laptop trackpads that are clickable are abominations. I have an office full of those things and the first thing I do when I have to work on one is plug in a mouse. Also the Carbon X1 pre gen 5 tend to develop a lovely and incurable flex. Makes it feel like you can wring one out, like a wet towel. From day one here I started buying Dells, just like at my last place. One day all the Lenovos will be purged. EDIT: I loved Autoduel and probably did what you described because I was also a filthy cheater. Dick Trauma has a new favorite as of 17:18 on May 4, 2018 |
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 17:15
|
|
|
I'd rather have a worn gen1 X1 than the mediocre keyboards (and layouts) dell try to get away with, but I'll admit that that is a bit of a taste thing.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 17:47
|
|
|
Do not taste keyboards. God, the keyboards I have seen. 
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 18:33
|
|
|
Is it time to mention that keyboard goop thread yet?
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 18:54
|
|
|
Krispy Wafer posted:Maybe. My mom wasn't in hardware so I'm not entirely sure how they were doing it. I know they couldn't keep their margins up on desktop computers, but the significant number of Apple laptops in corporate America tells me there's still a premium market for laptops. IBM could have kept up the build quality of tank-like ThinkPads and made a profit, but I guess they wanted to get out while the brand was still worth a premium.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 18:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 26, 2024 17:31 |
|
|
Dick Trauma posted:Do not taste keyboards. I share a desk with another shift and keep a keyboard in my locker. I can see little bits of crumbs in between the keys of my co-worker's keyboard and the mouse is strangely slick.  Aunt Beth posted:The sad thing is that the whole line was profitable, but IBM prefers mainframe profit margins of 50% or greater, so when PC hardware dipped to 20% or something they got rid of it to focus on their core business of layoffs and financial engineering. The layoffs were crazy. I've met more former IBMer's than I ever knew current ones. The late 80's were an awesome time though. They'd put on employee picnics and have a tent full of arcade games where you could play Ghosts & Ghouls over and over and over again. Every few years we'd get a new computer and it'd come with a whole bookshelf worth of spiral bound instruction manuals and then you'd spend a hour trying to disable your mouse so you could claw back an extra 4kb of RAM to run your game.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2018 19:01
|
|