Well, not very important really, but a nice little something to add in here because this IS a site focussed on Linux after all. Anyways, recently I downloaded Knoppix and took it to college with me, crammed it into a Dell computer they got over there and started messing around with it. A bunch of people became interested and I happily burned a few more Knoppix CDs for em. They got copied some more and at least 10 people in my class now have Knoppix which the use or not. It's more because of the fact they realize that there is an alternative, it's up to them to decide which is better. A few weeks later they started with Unix classes, starting with the very basics such as telnet sessions, simple commands like ls, free, pwd, the absolute basics. Because some of them have liked Knoppix so far, they embraced the installation of Mandrake we got shoved at us (Mandrake 9.0... Not the best choice, I find it a rather bad Mandrake release tbh) and now I'm seeing people using and exploring Linux, both as desktop (yuck) and as server. Perhaps they aren't going to keep on Linux, perhaps they'll keep focussed on Windows even for server tasks... But it feels kinda good to have let people know that there is an alternative at least. That, and it's the best I can do for OSS because I still suck at coding :\

And yes, I'm thinking about using OpenDarwin and some BSD to test what they are up to. Heard remarkeable things about BeOS as well, but this comp ran out of partitions to install OSes on and to give people stuff before trying it out myself so I can't help them looks rather amateurish...

Okay, this is generally aimed to all manufacturers of computer equipment. The latest trend for the past few years has generally been Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. (© Daft Punk) The latest Intels reach into the 3ghz boundary and AMD is happily hopping after Intel with a few months to catch up like always. Motherboards get more complicated/expansive and generally get faster as well with stuff like AGP x8 en faster then ever FSB speeds. Videocards get faster (and bigger) as well, with some clear example being the latest nVidia Geforce NV30, which is quite huge and most likely sounds like a Boeing at take off during a cold day and all of this is simply to get more "Oomph!" out of your PC at ridiculous prices.

Am I the only one here who thinks it is time for a change in the mindset of at least some of the manufacturers? I mean, one of the biggest markets is the one where Pcs are supplied to offices and schools/colleges. A good example would be my college, where we recently got a batch of Dells. 256Mb DDR memory with a 1,6ghz proc, running Windows NT with Office 97 and a bunch of apps of pre-2000 applications. What do you mean, a waste? Suppose someone wanted a PC merely for official use, like writing letters, reading email, occasionally browsing the net and chatting, with no new games... A 500mhz PC with 128mb SDRAM and some Matrox VGA card would be ideal for this, but those simply arent made anymore, nearly everything is up to the latest specs...

That is what I feel that should change, some companies need to start manufacturing stuff based on already existing technologies. Instead of making CPUs/RAM/VGA cards/TFTs faster, larger, more powerful and flatter, why don't they make something smaller, quieter, cooler and less expensive? Do you really think AGP x8 is needed for IRC? Or 512mb DDR 333mhz for browsing? Would any word processing application benefit from 1,6+ ghz of power? Of course not, it might save you a few seconds at boot perhaps, but that is largely OS dependant anyways. But what about efficiency? Modern day CPUs/GPUs use allot of power, allot of which goes to waste on heat, which requires MORE power in order for the heat to be cooled... We need cheaper, more efficient Pcs. So where are these Pcs? Where is this elegant solution that offers enough power to do what one wants and still doesn't sound like a continuous sonic boom? Where is the ideal 500/600mhz office PC which is quiet, efficient and sleek? (Did I just think of Macs?) Would anyone buy a 2000+ ton capable cargo ship to ship around 250 ton (max) of goods? Would anyone rent a 15.000 square foot office for a 15 person company? Then why do people buy an expensive 1,6ghz tower case machine while a 500mhz brick would be enough?