Not a bash on digital but...

[RObert Budding]

It's difficult to stay current with computer technology. I'm pretty comfortable opening up boxes and adding componenets, flashing a new BIOS, etc. I even installed OS2 on several machines back in the old days. But I had someone else build me a new PC and install Win XP - the new SATA interface is not supposrted by the XP install so you must interupt the install to copy the appropriate drivers to the HD. I just can't keep up with computers any longer, so I've outsourced to my local clone maker!

Glad to hear that the files were rescued!

Robert

 

[Kin Lau]

It's a funny thread... I work on a helpdesk, so I'm allowed to laugh at this 🙂 (I've paid my dues).

People should just start treating computers like cars... bring it in for a tune-up, oil-change -> aka media change, hd/mem upgrades, and just trade it in for a new model every few years. The average consumer is just that, a consumer, and probably shouldn't be allowed under the hood, in a car or a computer.

In a few years, bringing in a APS cartridge to get a shot reprinted will also get the same look at the local 1hr place, same as a 126, 110 or med or large fmt neg rignt now in many places. They'll send you to the pro shop, and be prepared to pay the price.

 

[JasonC]

OK, I have to ask. If your coworker does not know anything "under the hood", how could he/she know how to yank the hard disk out?? 😕

Jason.

 

[dlofgreen]

Good question, JaxonC. My coworker actually dragged the whole box in to the guys in IT. That's what my coworker calls the "hard drive", the whole box!

My coworker also tried the external usb hard drive thing but the drivers that came with it didn't support Win98 and no other external drive on the shelf would either, on inspection of the boxes.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Does your IT keep any of the older ZIP or JAZ drives around? They sold units that worked off of the printer port, and even had a printer-port-SCSI adapter. I use them with my old machine and use the parallel-to-SCSI adapter on the notebook. The software includes a "guest" program to install drivers after boot-up. Win98 supports them as well.

 

[nomade]

Our technologies are improving day by day and the old stuff liek win 98 just seem like a skull compared to what we have today, u need to stay upgraded and updated, and there r just so many things to follow...

But the only reason i dislike digital for, is that i never print the ones i really wanted to print..

 

[jrong]

As a trained electrical engineer, I've gradually become wary of computers and new technology, the built-in obsolescence periods just keep getting shorter and shorter. Even if you wanted to stick with your hardware for 5-6 years, you'd likely find yourself increasingly pressured to keep upgrading your equipment.

It is rather strange, a computer that was fast in 2000 is now considered excruciatingly slow, too slow to use... and yet we were all quite happy using it in 2000. I remember buying an 8086 machine in the late 80s, thinking that for my personal intents and purposes, I'd never need a fixed hard drive. How things change. Even though I tried to hold out as much as I could, I was forced to upgrade some years later.

I imagine if one had a huge archive of digitised images, one had better draw up a decent plan on how to keep migrating them from one storage device to the next... I can see CD-Rs going out of fashion within 3-4 years....

Jin

 

[Kin Lau]

Does your IT keep any of the older ZIP or JAZ drives around? They sold units that worked off of the printer port, and even had a printer-port-SCSI adapter. I use them with my old machine and use the parallel-to-SCSI adapter on the notebook. The software includes a "guest" program to install drivers after boot-up. Win98 supports them as well.

This is one reason why I keep an old 100meg parallel port zip drive around. When everything else blows up, I use a DOS boot diskette.

 

[Kin Lau]

As a trained electrical engineer, I've gradually become wary of computers and new technology, the built-in obsolescence periods just keep getting shorter and shorter. Even if you wanted to stick with your hardware for 5-6 years, you'd likely find yourself increasingly pressured to keep upgrading your equipment.

It is rather strange, a computer that was fast in 2000 is now considered excruciatingly slow, too slow to use... and yet we were all quite happy using it in 2000. I remember buying an 8086 machine in the late 80s, thinking that for my personal intents and purposes, I'd never need a fixed hard drive. How things change. Even though I tried to hold out as much as I could, I was forced to upgrade some years later.

I imagine if one had a huge archive of digitised images, one had better draw up a decent plan on how to keep migrating them from one storage device to the next... I can see CD-Rs going out of fashion within 3-4 years....

Jin

I don't think it's just "new technology"... it's the way things are marketed. We live in a consumer society obsessed with "newest, latest, greatest ..." Whether we describe it as "in-style, modern looking, latest model, fad, trend" etc, it's all the same thing... trying to get you to buy more, consume more, to keep the economy going and it applies to cars, clothes, food, toothpaste, electronics etc etc etc.

How often have you heard the phrase "xxx companies growth rate was less than anticipated, so investors are dumping their stock", or something in a similar vein. If a country's economy doesn't "grow", then it's a "recession" or it's "stagnant". So saving money, spending less is not encouraged.

 

[Nikon Bob]

How often have you heard the phrase "xxx companies growth rate was less than anticipated, so investors are dumping their stock", or something in a similar vein. If a country's economy doesn't "grow", then it's a "recession" or it's "stagnant". So saving money, spending less is not encouraged.

That is likely why Canadian personal debt is the highest it has ever been and personal savings the lowest. Don't you just hate to be pushed into upgrading.

Bob

 

[djon]

...OK, so you know what's under a computer's hood...bfd...a useless skillset unless you want low wages in a sweatshop...but can you solder copper pipe properly, or install a clutch in a manual transmission, or communicate with morse code? Can you kill a chicken properly, gut a deer, make your own pasta, make dovetail joints without jigs using a hand saw? 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

 

[eric]

...OK, so you know what's under a computer's hood...bfd...

Man, you are depressing me now 🙁 I'm in front of a dang computer all day!

but can you solder copper pipe properly,

Sadly, no

or install a clutch in a manual transmission

Where's manual transmission in my car? Last I checked, there was only P, R, N, D, 3, 2, and 1

or communicate with morse code?

I'm not bad at pgp or gnupg

Can you kill a chicken properly, gut a deer, make your own pasta,

Now your talking! Check my avatar

make dovetail joints without jigs using a hand saw?

I know how to roll a joint. Does that count?

 

[Socke]

...OK, so you know what's under a computer's hood...bfd...a useless skillset unless you want low wages in a sweatshop

1700 Euros a day, but I'm implementing document management systems so our customers can keep their data for more than 20 years 🙂

...but can you solder copper pipe properly,

It doesn't look good but it works for household water presure. I never mastered welding aluminium.

or install a clutch in a manual transmission,

depends, 1972 Mini Cooper S yes, 2005 Mini Cooper S no.

or communicate with morse code?

Yes, eight years as a radio operator in the navy

Can you kill a chicken properly, gut a deer, make your own pasta,

yes, yes and yes

make dovetail joints without jigs using a hand saw?

No, but I have a friend with a carpenter's workshop who needs somebody maintaining here computers.
And a sister with a farm to get the realy fresh chicken as well as eggs and wheat to make the noodles 🙂

 

[Nikon Bob]

...OK, so you know what's under a computer's hood...bfd...a useless skillset unless you want low wages in a sweatshop...but can you solder copper pipe properly, or install a clutch in a manual transmission, or communicate with morse code? Can you kill a chicken properly, gut a deer, make your own pasta, make dovetail joints without jigs using a hand saw? 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

There seems to be no lack of people seemingly qualified to work on computers but in Canada there seems to be a lack of qualified trades in industry and construction. Both types of skill sets are needed it is too bad there is no balance.

Bob