[XCSSA] [SATLUG] for sale

Tue Sep 2 23:22:28 CDT 2008

On Tuesday 02 September 2008 10:12:43 am Ernest De Leon wrote:
[...]
> I've always said that we had let
> our machines (collectively) get out of hand (as far as power consumption
> and resource usage) due to bloated inefficient software. 

Agreed.. The US market is bad about that.  We see this trend in the automotive 
market also.  We invent more powerful and efficient engines.. and instead of 
making smaller more efficient cars from them.. we keep the same gas mileage 
and double and triple the horse power of all the cars on the market.. WTF..  
What even happend to theprecept of being a good steward.  Good engineering... 
Bettering ones self.

Same thing on laptops.  I've always thought that those giant 15-17" behemoths 
were vulgar and backward thinking from what the "laptop" was designed for 
(originally a backlash to the "luggable/everything" PC market from the 80's).  
I mean 17" gamer laptops are the "new luggables", if you will:
WAS:	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kaypro.jpg
IS:	http://tinyurl.com/5psyg7

My first (and still favorite) laptop was the Toshiba T-1000 with battery 
backed (bootable) RAM disk.  Fun little unit:

http://www.toshiba-europe.com/bv/computers/products/notebooks/t1000/picture.shtm

Still.. always looking for smaller.. 
I later got a hold of a Gateway Handbook in like 1995:
	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Handbook

But never did much on it but load system commander and get a few flavors of 
DOS loaded onto it.  Never could get Linux loaded on it due to the lack of 
CD/floppy/network connections on the unit.

> Hopefully this new 
> phenomenon will cause overall efficiency to increase and software bloat to
> decrease.

I doubt bloat will ever "go away".. just as we'll always have trucks and 
hummers (to some degree)... But the market MAY shift.  And that would be 
enough for me.

> Longer battery life is a great benefit as well. Although I like 
> the EEE, I will be getting the new Dell Inspiron 910 (assuming the
> specs/price line up well.)   They are rumored to start selling on Sept. 4.  
> They were previously rumored to start selling on Aug. 22, but you know how
> these internet rumors go.

Well.. if anyone can do mass market appeal.. it could be Dell.  Not that I'm 
conceding any great foresight to them.. they're just the de facto business 
machine.  And if business gets the same epiphany (small & tight + Open Source 
= savings).. then we might be getting somewhere as a society.

> At any rate, I think the netbook market is one of 
> the greatest things that could have happened to Linux (which works well on
> under-powered hardware) and I look forward to what this will bring.  

Agreed.. (although it's official now.. it's called the UMPC market).  Linux 
will thrive in this space.. M$ will be challenged to "fit in" (resource 
wise).  The closest contender they have is PocketPC.. which is more of an App 
Stack for their smart phones than a real OS.

> There 
> is no way to get Vista to work on one of these things, so it seems as if M$
> will have to rely on XP to battle with the lean and mean linux
> distributions.  We already know where that will end up.

Yup.. Be interesting to see what direction this pushes the future M$ R&D 
paths..  Trimming down Vista.. Re-inventing XP.. Actual foray into Open 
Source.. hmmm..

Discuss.. :)

Tweeks