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Comment Re:won't matter what it will or will not run (Score 2) 46

Wish I had mod points for you. I didn't bother researching the Acer brand before I bought the Aspire E 15 I'm currently typing this up on. Didn't take long for me to regret choosing this over an Asus model based on price. I can deal with the fact that the case/cover has the look and feel of cheap plastic. But the fact that shoddy build quality meant every time I type a key, the loose touchpad will rattle makes this machine very annoying to use, especially in a library or during lecture where I've gotten more than a few dirty glances. Compared to the older HP/Compaq laptop it replaced, this thing is more compact and has better battery life. But the bad quality outweigh the good IMO. My venerable Presario was an extraordinarily well engineered machine that was a dream to service and maintain. I kept it going for 7 years before it gave up the ghost. I can't even open up this damn thing I'm now using.

Comment Re:two steps backward. (Score 2) 42

A lot of of us find these developments perplexing. But perhaps the reasons is non-engineering related? Outwardly, Boston Dynamics offerings are clearly more powerful and advanced. But IIRC, an Alphabet statement said something to the effect that they are letting BD go because they have a hard time figuring out how to commercialize the asset in the future. I know less than the average person does about the details of both entities, but I would venture to guess it is the business aspect of the whole thing that is getting in the way. Maybe the direction BD wants to go isn't incompatible with what Alphabet has in mind and they would rather let BD (try to) thrive independently (or under different ownership) than try to micromanage their way into a subpar compromise product that does nothing well.

Comment Does it all really have to die? (Score 1) 81

Cases abound of legacy users/consumers decrying the passing of obsolete technology. But it seems to me an opportunity is lost here. How feasible is it for groups like development-oriented NGOs to arrange for the transfer of technology and manufacturing rights to developing countries who currently lack industrial infrastructure and could use a compelling reason to start one? Maybe you can't really make money off an old product. But there is still value in the thing if the byproduct of making it can be of benefit.

Comment go back (Score 1) 1839

I feel that revenue seeking / advertising on slashdot has gone too far and needs to be pulled back. I'm not explicitly against it, but the stuff is far more intrusive now than it was back in the days when this site was good. My 2 main peeves are 1) the auto playing videos that distract me with noise when I'm trying to read and 2) the flash ads that always crashes my browser. Other changes I can put up with, but these two are the main reasons why I mostly browse reddit now.

Comment Re:Something is very fishy (Score 1) 464

I stand corrected. Still, there is so much that doesn't make sense. There is talk of mental illness being involved. The family has asked that people respect their privacy. But doesn't appear to be any indication that Ian has been unwell recently... has there?

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