Posts by MeJ

Ubuntu's Oneiric Ocelot: Nice, but necessary?

It's a dog. Upgrade from 11.04 broke my desktop, the dual core is stuck at maximum rpm, installing fall-back did not put things back the way I wanted, tried the new Kubuntu but that is still crack-headed, downloading Mint DE.

Apple MacBook Pro 17in 2011

Why Firewire? Music Hardware as well as video

Most musos (who commonly use movable Macs since PCs require braincells already otherwise occupied or defunct) that have been making music for some time will have a collection of thousands of pounds/dollars worth of Firewire connected sound cards, samplers, I/O, disks. effect units and so on... they will use the ExpressCard/34 with another Firewiree adaptor to get more ports.

Video semi-pros are in a similar position.

If Apple leave out Firewire and ExpressCard/34 they will be excommunicating a significant part of their professional user base.

Moving to Windows 7: Is it worth it?

Xp till '14 for most...

As a company we dumped XP as a principal desktop system for ourselves as soon as 7 came out. But we are a consultancy, and for most of our clients we'll be leaving them on XP until it is no longer supported. Why?

- problems with vertical market software

There's hundreds of special VM applications out there, for solicitors, EDM, accounting, design, electronics, - you name it, that won't work either under Windows 7 or Office 2008 or Win7/64 bit (thank you Sage). These are business-critical and until they are working there will be no change of OS.

- problems with new tech

XP install = 4GB, 7 install = 17GB, SSD = 60 GB. Which OS would you prefer?

- problems with training

Most people who claim to be computer literate mean that they can type a letter in Word 2000/3. Moving to 7/Office 2008 means a complete retrain. For zero gain, mind you.

- costs

Everything needs to be replaced. CBA says 'no'.

OTOH, some new PC's from HP that are supposed to give downgrade rights do not have XP drivers. Really!

So overall we'll wait 'till '14, when we will also need to replace the rest of the infrastructure as IP4 will be dying...

Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now!

A little premature - but yes

I agree. My view on NP has steadily been shifting. The performance of these quite old reactors has so far been exemplary given extraordinary circumstances. If over the next week or two this is maintained, then it constitutes a strong argument that safe fission reactors can be - and have been - built.