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Comment: Frivolous cookie problem (Score 1) 82

by Misagon (#40142855) Attached to: 64 Complaints Received On UK Cookie Law

I think that the biggest problem is that sites set too many cookies. It can get difficult to distinguish one type of cookie from another.
Browsers have a cookie setting for "Ask me every time", which is practically useless as most of your time web browsing gets spent at clicking the popup dialogue.

One example where no cookie needs to be set at default, is on a web site's front page. The user should then be able to give implicit consent to a cookie by clicking on a link inside the site. Not setting a cookie by default on the front page does not imply that the site would not be able to read (and renew) a cookie on the front page that has previously been set.

Comment: Used peripherals (Score 1) 412

by Misagon (#40122179) Attached to: Can You Buy Tech With a Clean Conscience?

When it comes to keyboards and mice, some used items are just as good as new. KeyTronic keyboards, Cherry keyboards, IBM (Model M) keyboard, many older mice. Last a long time.

And the best high-end keyboards are not made in China:
- The old IBM Model M, is not made by IBM any more, but made and sold by Unicomp in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
- If you don't like clicky and prefer the rubber dome feel, then get a Topre Realforce. The Rolls Royce of rubberdome. Made in Japan.
They may cost a few times more than the cheap Chinese-made stuff, but they will also last a lifetime.

Comment: Leave to recycling (Score 1) 309

by Misagon (#39970631) Attached to: What do you usually do with old hardware?
I would take it down to the dumpster room in my apartment block and leave it in the bin labeled "Electronics". When the bin is full, someone in my house will call the recycling company who will come and empty the bin free of charge.

In the European Union, the cost of recycling a piece of electronics is supposed to be embedded in the sales price from the start. It could work much better, though, if all apartment blocks actually did have electronics bin and if people weren't so lazy and actually threw the right stuff into the right bins ...

Comment: Re:Hoarding, I guess. (Score 1) 309

by Misagon (#39970459) Attached to: What do you usually do with old hardware?

I know that there are people who collect vintage hardware who would buy that PC. There are some people who want just the keyboards, so that would be easier to sell.
Vintage clicky keyboards from IBM are highly sought after right now. It would have been better if it had talked the PS/2 protocol, though.

Many old things are collectibles these days. Getting money out of it is a matter of finding the right buyer.

Comment: Re:Oh god (Score 1) 95

by Misagon (#39566507) Attached to: Dell To Acquire Wyse

Some of the Wyse PCE keyboards (with IBM PC like layout) talk the PS/2 protocol and can be connected directly to a modern PC with or without a simple adapter. Look for model numbers 900840 and 900866.

The key switches in the Wyse keyboards are "Cherry MX Black". There are now loads of new keyboards with the different variations of the Cherry MX (black, red, blue, brown...) -- because they have become popular for computer gaming. One of the first, and now most inexpensive models with blacks, was Steelseries 6GV2 and Steelseries 7G. Look also for Filco, Rosewill, Leopold, Deck, CM Storm Quickfire and TT eSports Meka [G1], but note that some of them can come with different Cherry MX switches.

Vintage Wyse keyboards are quite popular among keyboard enthusiasts (collectors) these days. However ... they are mainly not after the key action but for the key caps to put on their modern keyboards. The key caps on the keyboards for the Wyse 50 terminals (without cursor keys) were made of thick plastic, but the others are quite good too. Both were double-shot injection molded, so that the legends never wear off. People also like the vintage colour scheme of dark blue (not black) on grey/dark grey. In fact, some groups of enthusiasts have made replica key sets. There is a project right now for making an adapter kit with a few missing keys in the vintage style to make them all fit modern keyboard layouts and have the same style.
A while ago, a group of Korean collectors got a full replica set made ... but they botched the colour code for the blue legends when the ordered it so they got light blue instead ... and now there are other enthusiasts who are making a replica of that set, even, hehe.

if (argc > 1 && strcmp(argv[1], "-advice") == 0) { printf("Don't Panic!\n"); exit(42); } (Arnold Robbins in the LJ of February '95, describing RCS)

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