Immersion PC. You'll already be working with a sealed case.

"this is a heavy burden which we do not want to take on us."

Go figure, GOOD PRACTICES are too much of a fucking burden.

What sort of shit software developer are you?

" They don't make any of the things they 'invent'"

Have you even paid attention to IBM recently with the TrueNorth processor? They sure do make and invent.

My face when you can't recognize reductio ad absurdum.

Idiot.

"they just grabbed an existing microcontroller design and added an extra module or two to it"

AND somehow implemented a feature-size shrink on top of that, with another mask. Did you even read the tear-down?

They didn't grab shit. This was a new FABRICATION MADE AS A COUNTERFEIT.

I've got the semiconductor experience to tell you that for a fact.

"Ladies' night"? Kosher

Nope. State courts in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have ruled that ladies' night discounts are unlawful gender discrimination under state or local statutes.

" It's like offering cheaper drinks on ladies night. Just because you aren't part of what ever group that they offer a discount to, doesn't make it false advertising."

No, that makes it discrimination.

Let's take two people and have them shop on the internet right next to each other so they can see the other persons screen. Same computer systems, same browser, same store. Everything is the same, down to having never bought anything from the store so there is no prior business relationship incentive in play. There is only one difference - one person is logged in, the other is not.

They go to the same item. The person logged in is told $4.99. The person not logged in is told $6.99

You can bet money the person not logged in, having no logically-based disadvantage versus the other person, is not going to be happy about that at all.

"So buy through their designated supply channel and QC what you receive to ensure its provenance."

You fail at logistics too, it seems. When you get down to it, the only way to guarantee authenticity is to rip the thing apart yourself (costing money) and analyzing it against a known-real sample from the company. Then to top it off, I'm DESTROYING potentially usable product to ensure that I've got real stuff. Now I'm losing more money.

There is NOTHING that stops shipment swaps. Even the best logistics places have this happen all the time.

Do you even have reading comprehension skills?

It's very apparent you do not, otherwise "Now, this won't work since FTDI isn't a Chinese company." in my comment would've stood out like a fucking sore thumb before you typed your inane comment.

You very clearly didn't see the die exposure article.

The counterfeit chip is in fact WAY more complex. It's not off the shelf, so to speak. They custom-modified. It's obvious once you start looking at the physical silicon.

Thunderbolt is only (and not even then) necessary for video. HDMI does the same and can just as easily change to do the same thing. It's already doing ethernet, audio, and video, it would be a snap to have keyboard and mouse, joystick, etc.

Hyperthreading is pointless when you're getting 4 threads either way from either chip.

It doesn't take more than 8GB RAM but we're comparing BASE features, here, EG what it already comes with.

Performance numbers are just about equal.

You can either buy the laptop at $329 and have a complete system, or buy the Mac Mini at $499 and STILL have to buy more shit just to make it even work.

That's a goddamned ripoff.

FTDI would have probably NEVER admitted fault until Microsoft got in touch with them.

"Buy direct. They sell direct. Most chipmakers do."

That does absolutely nothing with concerns to shipment swap/redirections, which I guarantee you the chip makers aren't running their own freight logistics.

Your 'guarantee' is not even close to iron-clad.

" buy direct. They sell direct"

Plenty of companies refuse to sell direct. For example, you will not buy anything directly from Cree unless you become their distributor. They'll send you engineering samples if you've got a legit request, but that's as far as it goes. You're stuck with Mouser or Digikey or similar.

" getting them directly from FTDI for example, to ensure the provenance of the hardware I'm selling, rather than trying to find lots of them on alibaba."

I got some real bad news for you. If the company making the authentic product is in China - IT'S ON ALIBABA. Trying to source direct will only get you laughed at.

Now, this won't work since FTDI isn't a Chinese company.

Yes, I do tons of global sourcing. Alibaba is about to steamroll the internet.