Post the very best in obsolete and failed technology

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barbecue at the folks: Jul 20, 2007

I'm also a recent convert to M1 Macbooks and can't help proselytizing, I've had this Air for a year now and it's the best laptop I've ever owned by a mile. Great screen, fanless design, amazing battery life, the best touchpad on the market. For a scholarly person who touches their computer up to 10 hours a day, it's a a level of comfort on the go that I won't be compromising on ever again. Every expensive Lenovo/Dell Windows laptop I've owned has always almost worked as intended since the OS just can't help getting in the way, and then they've broken down in a new and surprising way. Obsolete and failed tech :haw:

# ? Mar 31, 2022 12:10

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# ? May 27, 2024 07:57

Collateral Damage: Jun 13, 2009

lobsterminator posted:

The Spotlight search in OS X Tiger in 2005 was pretty cool. And it's still a pretty decent search system (especially compared to windows' search).

There's a Windows PowerToy that gives you a Spotlight clone and it's pretty good.

edit: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/run

Collateral Damage has a new favorite as of 13:20 on Mar 31, 2022

# ? Mar 31, 2022 12:46

lobsterminator: Oct 16, 2012

Collateral Damage posted:

There's a Windows PowerToy that gives you a Spotlight clone and it's pretty good.

For Windows I use Everything which is awesome.

https://www.voidtools.com/

# ? Mar 31, 2022 13:02

Humphreys: Jan 26, 2013; We conceived a way to use my mother as a porn mule

Collateral Damage posted:

There's a Windows PowerToy that gives you a Spotlight clone and it's pretty good.

The Alt + Space is very nice. But I've found simply WIN + whatever is just as fast for most of what I want. Windows Search itself has regressed into something completely bullshit and tries to feed web/bing data unrelated to a local file search I am wishing to do...and at some arbitrary moment in typing I instantly see some of the targets I want that as I complete and hit Return *poof* never found on a multi-minute search

PowerToys should be standard. I use FancyZones qutie a lot on my home system to arrange my stupid preferences of layouts.

# ? Mar 31, 2022 13:08

The Sausages: Sep 30, 2012; What do you want to do? Who do you want to be?

I'm not allowed to share pics but I've been working in a place that's littered with stone tools and imo some of them are loving rad. Mostly little sharp chips that I guess were the equivalent of a pocket knife, but I did see a couple of longer stone knives and what appeared to be hand axes as well. I'm no archaeologist and it's likely the items I'm seeing are only from the last few centuries, but it's kind of exciting in a way.

On previous jobs I've used the stone chips to cut stuff after forgetting to bring my leatherman out for the day; and from rudimentary testing (not using actual artefacts) it seems like a hafted stone axe can work as well as a steel hatchet. Just like calculators, modern equipment is better in so many ways but that old poo poo still works and it works well for the appropriate tasks. "Stone age" technology is still technology imo, something perfected over thousands of years and something to be proud of as a human, it rates at least mention itt.

# ? Mar 31, 2022 13:28

Groke: Jul 27, 2007; New Adventures In Mom Strength

Didn't I read a story once about how there was this bone tool from the paleolithic of unknown purpose, until someone showed it to a leatherworker? And the latter was like, oh yeah we still use those to burnish leather, nobody has come up with anything that works better.

# ? Mar 31, 2022 13:42

Quaint Quail Quilt: Jun 19, 2006; Ask me about that time I told people mixing bleach and vinegar is okay

lobsterminator posted:

The Spotlight search in OS X Tiger in 2005 was pretty cool. And it's still a pretty decent search system (especially compared to windows' search).

Good news then! Windows powertoys is back and one of it's features is a excellent working search bar that pops up with alt+space

It's similar to the search on Mac.

Edit: beaten

# ? Mar 31, 2022 13:51

Groke: Jul 27, 2007; New Adventures In Mom Strength

Also. The area in Norway where I grew up was one of the first where dry land came out when the ice melted, with the oldest traces of humans. We'd sometimes find bits of flint after turning the soil; never found actual tools, but small chips from where someone had once sat and made tools. No flint deposits anywhere nearby so no other reason for that stuff to exist there.

# ? Mar 31, 2022 13:54

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

lobsterminator posted:

I tried to think when was the last time an OS upgrade had something interesting in it.

The Spotlight search in OS X Tiger in 2005 was pretty cool. And it's still a pretty decent search system (especially compared to windows' search).

In the last 10 years all new features in operating systems have been some mobile integrations and Siri/Cortana stuff or video chat or whatever.

None of those have any relevance to my use.

WSL - the linux on window thing - is genuinely neat, useful, and fairly well integrated; I use it for both work and random private projects. I also dualboot the laptop and have BSD servers, but being able to just open a Ubuntu terminal with my windows drives mounted (and working GUI forwarding, these days) is convenient.

Of course, it may not be great that best new feature in Windows I can think of is "it can run something that's not windows".

# ? Mar 31, 2022 16:05

Rev. Bleech_: Oct 19, 2004; ~OKAY, WE'LL DRINK TO OUR LEGS!~

Speaking of Mac stuff, my dad's old Intel Mini from 2007 came into my possession. Everything worked fine on it the day he shut it down before I took it home. When I got home and ever since...it won't even try to boot. It just lies there dead. I've tried swapping out the CMOS/PRAM battery, swapping out the power brick, swapping out the RAM, trying the PRAM reset procedure Apple recommends. Nothing, no light, no chime, no fan spinning up, nothing. Anything else y'all would recommend?

# ? Mar 31, 2022 16:23

Armacham: Mar 3, 2007; Then brothers in war, to the skirmish must we hence! Shall we hence?

Lincoln posted:

The new M1 MBP fuckin slaps (the 14- & 16-inch models). Amazing display, fantastic keyboard, and they brought some missing ports back, like a media card slot. Incredibly, it seems Apple actually paid attention to the howls of protest over the previous generation.

I got to play with one in the store, and they feel much better than my current 2018 MBP. I still have my 2012, and keep it as an emergency backup (these are exclusively work computers). Runs like a champ. Apple hardware is extremely durable.

But I’m a PC-to-Mac convert, and they say there’s no zealot like the converted.

edit: is that what the kids say these days? Fuckin slaps?

Yeah I got one for my wife because she's a Mac person and it's a lot better than the last few before.

# ? Mar 31, 2022 16:39

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

lobsterminator posted:

For Windows I use Everything which is awesome.

https://www.voidtools.com/

# ? Mar 31, 2022 22:11

Dick Trauma: Nov 30, 2007; God damn it, you've got to be kind.

https://twitter.com/Synology/status/1509939175625265153?s=20&t=ZVYj0A7OdvnN6K62-JPicA

# ? Apr 1, 2022 19:47

ugh whatever jeez: Mar 19, 2009; Buglord

I think this thing is gonna flop.

:tipshat:

# ? Apr 1, 2022 21:13

Cojawfee: May 31, 2006; I think the US is dumb for not using Celsius

Foone is already demanding that Synology send one.

# ? Apr 1, 2022 21:17

Code Jockey: Jan 24, 2006; 69420 basic bytes free

Cojawfee posted:

Foone is already demanding that Synology send one.

so am I, that vga port on the front is perfect

# ? Apr 1, 2022 21:26

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Code Jockey posted:

so am I, that vga port on the front is perfect

I just got a new Dell rack mount server earlier today. The only connectors on the front are a single USB connector - and VGA.

No floppy, but there is room - but I assume SATA to floppy ribbon is not a commonly found adapter?

# ? Apr 1, 2022 21:31

Code Jockey: Jan 24, 2006; 69420 basic bytes free

Computer viking posted:

I just got a new Dell rack mount server earlier today. The only connectors on the front are a single USB connector - and VGA.

No floppy, but there is room - but I assume SATA to floppy ribbon is not a commonly found adapter?

Yeah, my newest server is a... Gen 8 HP, and still no DVI or HDMI or DP anywhere, VGA for miles lol

and I haven't used a cable like that before but it's gotta be possible, or like a bridge with an arduino to translate or something

# ? Apr 1, 2022 21:36

WithoutTheFezOn: Aug 28, 2005; Oh no

Code Jockey posted:

so am I, that vga port on the front is perfect

9 pins, that�s a serial port right?

# ? Apr 1, 2022 21:59

BattleMaster: Aug 14, 2000

WithoutTheFezOn posted:

9 pins, that�s a serial port right?

Yeah that would be how it connects to the computer and achieves those blazing 115 kbps transfer speeds.

though 2 bits of every 10 from that 115,200 baud rate is spent on framing so real transfer rates would be lower

# ? Apr 1, 2022 22:01

Zopotantor: Feb 24, 2013; ...und ist er drin dann lassen wir ihn niemals wieder raus...

BattleMaster posted:

Yeah that would be how it connects to the computer and achieves those blazing 115 kbps transfer speeds.

though 2 bits of every 10 from that 115,200 baud rate is spent on framing so real transfer rates would be lower

I still sometimes have a hard time remembering that serial interfaces are the fast ones now.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 02:35

Capt.Whorebags: Jan 10, 2005

Code Jockey posted:

Yeah, my newest server is a... Gen 8 HP, and still no DVI or HDMI or DP anywhere, VGA for miles lol

and I haven't used a cable like that before but it's gotta be possible, or like a bridge with an arduino to translate or something

Is this because of all the KVM switches still being overwhelmingly VGA?

I can't imagine there's a technical impediment to putting HDMI on a server.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 04:10

KozmoNaut: Apr 23, 2008; Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle

Capt.Whorebags posted:

Is this because of all the KVM switches still being overwhelmingly VGA?

I can't imagine there's a technical impediment to putting HDMI on a server.

VGA is free to use and is good enough for anything you want to do with a server, without having to add a dedicated GPU.

HDMI has an annual fee and a per-unit fee on top of that. Displayport has a per unit cost, because of MPEG-LA licensing.

Plus VGA KVMs can be quite simple electrical devices, aside from the PS/2 or USB part. HDMI and DP KVMs are a lot more complicated and expensive.

KozmoNaut has a new favorite as of 09:50 on Apr 2, 2022

# ? Apr 2, 2022 09:46

Capt.Whorebags: Jan 10, 2005

KozmoNaut posted:

VGA is free to use and is good enough for anything you want to do with a server, without having to add a dedicated GPU.

HDMI has an annual fee and a per-unit fee on top of that. Displayport has a per unit cost, because of MPEG-LA licensing.

Plus VGA KVMs can be quite simple electrical devices, aside from the PS/2 or USB part. HDMI and DP KVMs are a lot more complicated and expensive.

Thanks, the licencing costs never occured to me. Makes sense.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 10:42

KozmoNaut: Apr 23, 2008; Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle

I had to buy a DP KVM recently and to get one that is supports DP 1.2, EDID passthrough and USB emulation (needed for wireless mice etc), you're quickly at $400+.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 12:13

Nocheez: Sep 5, 2000; Can you spare a little cheddar?; Nap Ghost

My wife has 2 docking stations that don't work for her company laptop. They're USB-C connections to the computer, and the dock has a couple HDMI, a couple DP, a VGA and a DVI. They tried two different ones but neither show video so we think we might have to have get her a new laptop too.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 14:17

Trabant: Nov 26, 2011; All systems nominal.

Nocheez posted:

My wife has 2 docking stations that don't work for her company laptop. They're USB-C connections to the computer, and the dock has a couple HDMI, a couple DP, a VGA and a DVI. They tried two different ones but neither show video so we think we might have to have get her a new laptop too.

Have they tried this one?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KN4J2XD/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_XR7TXEABCD8VKQ7SS6SX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I got it couple months ago and it works perfectly. It is extremely picky about which cable goes where, but the instructions make it clear.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 15:06

Bourricot: Aug 7, 2016

Nocheez posted:

My wife has 2 docking stations that don't work for her company laptop. They're USB-C connections to the computer, and the dock has a couple HDMI, a couple DP, a VGA and a DVI. They tried two different ones but neither show video so we think we might have to have get her a new laptop too.

Maybe the video outs require DisplayLink drivers? Windows Update should install those automatically, but it could be worth a try.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 15:12

Dick Trauma: Nov 30, 2007; God damn it, you've got to be kind.

Bourricot posted:

Maybe the video outs require DisplayLink drivers? Windows Update should install those automatically, but it could be worth a try.

I've found that sometimes this is necessary to get things going, but also see if there's a firmware update for the dock.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 15:13

roffels: Jul 27, 2004; Yo Taxi!

Rev. Bleech_ posted:

For actual movies I skipped them, minus when a copy of Attack of the Clones was posted to usenet a week before the release date

I wish I still had that copy, if I recall correctly, it had some alternate shots from what was theatrically released.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 15:26

Nocheez: Sep 5, 2000; Can you spare a little cheddar?; Nap Ghost

Bourricot posted:

Maybe the video outs require DisplayLink drivers? Windows Update should install those automatically, but it could be worth a try.

She said they did some driver stuff but they're not paying me to figure it out, so I'll let her IT handle it from here. She works for a hospital system so the computers are pretty well locked down against making changes.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 19:58

Humbug Scoolbus: Apr 25, 2008; The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.; Clapping Larry

My little Displaylink dongle has saved my rear end so many times. Such a great piece of gear.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 20:07

Computer viking: May 30, 2011; Now with less breakage.

Could also be a case of the dock being thunderbolt over USB-C while the laptop is "just" USB and display over USB-C. I know one of the (locked down hospital system) laptops at work had that exact issue - the easy fix was to request a less old laptop.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 21:16

Improbable Lobster: Jan 6, 2012; "From each according to his ability" said Ares. It sounded like a quotation.; Buglord

Groke posted:

Didn't I read a story once about how there was this bone tool from the paleolithic of unknown purpose, until someone showed it to a leatherworker? And the latter was like, oh yeah we still use those to burnish leather, nobody has come up with anything that works better.

Usually in cases like that it's a hobby or something that one of the archaeologists has, not them just wandering around showing artifacts to random trades workers.

# ? Apr 2, 2022 22:52

Kwyndig: Sep 23, 2006; Heeeeeey

A lot of archaeologists have hobbies resurrecting primitive arts and crafts based on scraps of lore in old stories and carving in clays, poo poo like that.

# ? Apr 3, 2022 03:49

Humphreys: Jan 26, 2013; We conceived a way to use my mother as a porn mule

Kwyndig posted:

A lot of archaeologists have hobbies resurrecting primitive arts and crafts based on scraps of lore in old stories and carving in clays, poo poo like that.

Theres a dude on youtube I watch that remakes ancient food recipes. It's very interesting. He is an actual chef but goes into some amazing historical details. Also looks constantly stoned.

# ? Apr 3, 2022 10:45

Zopotantor: Feb 24, 2013; ...und ist er drin dann lassen wir ihn niemals wieder raus...

Humphreys posted:

Theres a dude on youtube I watch that remakes ancient food recipes. It's very interesting. He is an actual chef but goes into some amazing historical details. Also looks constantly stoned.

"Now this recipe calls for silphium, which unfortunately is extinct. I�m going to try using cannabis instead."

# ? Apr 3, 2022 11:34

tribbledirigible: Jul 27, 2004; I finally beat the internet. The end boss was hard.

Humphreys posted:

Theres a dude on youtube I watch that remakes ancient food recipes. It's very interesting. He is an actual chef but goes into some amazing historical details. Also looks constantly stoned.

Care to link? Tasting History, Townsends, and the like are my jam.

# ? Apr 3, 2022 13:27

ZombieLenin: Sep 6, 2009; "Democracy for the insignificant minority, democracy for the rich--that is the democracy of capitalist society." VI Lenin

[/quote]

Arsenic Lupin posted:

Yeah, I know, a twitter thread, but it's about a very cool mechanical rotary calculator.

https://twitter.com/Srasgon/status/1505292245234163713

My grandfather who was a navy engineer had three of these. He died in 2009 at the age of 97; and I have no idea what happened to them.

# ? Apr 3, 2022 18:39

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# ? May 27, 2024 07:57

Kwyndig: Sep 23, 2006; Heeeeeey

Assuming somebody recognized their value it would be sold at an estate sale.

# ? Apr 3, 2022 21:56

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