Tip: Heads up on M$ Office

In message , T writes:
On 11/9/19 7:12 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , T writes:

An NVMe drive, is a little module about 3/4" by 4"
that fits directly into your motherboard that
substitutes for a mechanical hard drive.* NVMe
drives are currently the fastest a form of SSD
(solid state) drive.
Got it (see previous post). I'm still wary of SSDs, though on
increasingly unjustifiable grounds (if I backup properly).

An NVMe drive is approximately eight times faster than a
mechanical drive.* Your computers comes to life.
[]
How about compared to a standard (SATA I presume) SSD?

SATA SSD's are ~four times faster than a mechanical drive.
I use them in older laptops and Windows 7 machines
(Windows 7 makes it a pain in the ass to install the
NVMe drivers).

Useful to know. Presumably the NVMe manufacturers will stop even
creating the drivers for 7 after January )-:.

You a good to be wary. I took it in the shorts with SSD
before I sold only Samsung. When SSD die, they brick. Brick
means totally dead. I only trust Samsung now-a-days

That's my reason for wariness. Yes, I've had spinning drives fail
suddenly, but _usually_ they go gradually. I've no experience with SSDs.

Also, be careful of folks that talk about SSD lifespan.
They are only correct when speak of the memory cells.
They are not when you throw in the surrounding electronics
the operated the cells. That will cause a brick too.
[]
So you're a system builder. Interesting that small (I presume you're
_reasonably_ small) such still exist; I thought the economics of home
assembly, or small-scale custom assembly, had more or less driven it
into just enthusiasts (gamers etc.), about the start of XP, in that
the cost of most Windows licences could be more than the cost of a
standard complete system (including Windows).


You are correct. I only build for customers I have know for
at least a year (they need to trust me abd I need to trust
them) and who want them tailored for what the need. Plus

What sort of things _do_ they need? _Is_ it mostly gamers, with a
sprinkling of ones that want unusual interfaces (which nowadays I fear
includes serial and parallel)?
[]
the downtime. I build about five to 10 a year.
right out, no warranty without a UPS. They alway go
for a UPS, if they don't already have one.

Do you use the sort of UPS that can be built into the PC case, or a
separate box?
[]
I have come across Fast Boot enabled computers that were
so messed up that is what I had to do. If you do such,
leave it unplugged for a minute or more to let all
the capacitors drain out

An alternative is to turn it on (press the power button) with the power
lead unplugged. (You might get a brief flash of an LED.)

I use Classic Shell _on_ 7!

You should think of upgrading to Open Shell. Classic Shell
is dead now. They look identical.

Would I actually get any benefit/see any difference under 7?
[]
Ping me if you have any other questions.
Thanks; can't think of any for the moment.

You know where to find me!

You are most welcome.

Thanks!

-Todd

John
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

I long for the commercialised Christmas of the 1970s. It's got so religious
now, it's lost its true meaning. - Mike [{at}ostic.demon.co.uk], 2003-12-24

In message , Chris
writes:
Ant wrote:
[]
I just don't upgrade my softwares. I can still get old hardwares.

That's not something businesses can do. Scrimping on IT only results in
serious problems down the line.

Agreed, it's not a policy a business can pursue, as (a) it needs
reasonable knowledge, (b) what's available varies so you have to be
adaptable [I suppose that's why I said (a)].

It's not necessarily scrimping; getting reliable old hardware can be
expensive.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

I long for the commercialised Christmas of the 1970s. It's got so religious
now, it's lost its true meaning. - Mike [{at}ostic.demon.co.uk], 2003-12-24

In message , Chris
writes:
[]
It's not a panacea. Plenty of abandoned open source projects no longer work
because underlying frameworks or libraries have deprecated key functions. A
core dependency to glibc that's changed will kill whatever uses it. Early
versions of Firefox will not work on today's linux.

Change is continuous and unavoidable.

Except from vending machines (-:
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

I long for the commercialised Christmas of the 1970s. It's got so religious
now, it's lost its true meaning. - Mike [{at}ostic.demon.co.uk], 2003-12-24

On 2019-11-09, Carlos E.R. wrote:
I agree that WP 5.1 (for MsDOS) is excellent software, but it lacks some
features one would expect on a XXI century setup.

It's very efficient for entering lots of text, and for someone that's
been working with it for 30 years it's easy to use. (That's why I still
use the "vi" text editor on Unix-type systems even though by today's
standards it's pretty unwieldy.)

I recently installed WP 5.1 for DOS on a client's new Windows 10 machine
using the vDosWP system and it seems to work well. The way printing is
handled is pretty slick and works well with PCL or Postscript printers,
even network printers. The inherent limitations of working with a
DOS program (like no long file names) were not an issue in this case.
I believe current versions of WordPerfect will recognize and open files
created in WP 5.1 if a ".wpd" extension is added.

When I mentioned ancient software I was not going that far: I was
considering ancient Windows software only :-)

Well, you can go home (to DOS) again, at least to a limited extent!

--
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On 09/11/2019 10.40, T wrote:
On 11/9/19 12:37 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , T writes:
[]
Four quick tips on calming 10 down:

1) NVMe drive

Would you care to explain, in words a bear of little brain might
understand, why that helps? (Probably starting with "what is an NVMe
drive - is it something new, or something old?")

Hi John,

Certainly!

An NVMe drive, is a little module about 3/4" by 4"
that fits directly into your motherboard that
substitutes for a mechanical hard drive.Â* NVMe
drives are currently the fastest a form of SSD
(solid state) drive.

It doesn't directly substitute a mechanical drive, nor an SSD drive,
because it doesn have a SATA connection, but on the PCIe BUS directly.
And it needs specific support from the firmware for booting from it.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NVM_Express


NVM Express (NVMe) or Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface
Specification (NVMHCIS) is an open logical device interface
specification for accessing non-volatile storage media attached via a
PCI Express (PCIe) bus. The acronym NVM stands for non-volatile memory,
which is often NAND flash memory that comes in several physical form
factors, including solid-state drives (SSDs), PCI Express (PCIe) add-in
cards, M.2 cards, and other forms. NVM Express, as a logical device
interface, has been designed to capitalize on the low latency and
internal parallelism of solid-state storage devices.[1]

By its design, NVM Express allows host hardware and software to fully
exploit the levels of parallelism possible in modern SSDs. As a result,
NVM Express reduces I/O overhead and brings various performance
improvements relative to previous logical-device interfaces, including
multiple long command queues, and reduced latency. (The previous
interface protocols were developed for use with far slower hard disk
drives (HDD) where a very lengthy delay (relative to CPU operations)
exists between a request and data transfer, where data speeds are much
slower than RAM speeds, and where disk rotation and seek time give rise
to further optimization requirements.)

NVM Express devices are chiefly available in the form of standard-sized
PCI Express expansion cards[2] and as 2.5-inch form-factor devices that
provide a four-lane PCI Express interface through the U.2 connector
(formerly known as SFF-8639).[3][4] However, there are also storage
devices using SATA Express and the M.2 specification which support NVM
Express as the logical device interface. These have recently become a
popular use-case for NVMe and are quickly becoming the dominant form of
solid-state storage for desktops and laptops alike.[5][6]

- - - -

For the machine, it is /something/ like addressing memory, not disk
blocks...


--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 11/9/19 6:48 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
Yes, I loved it too, even though I won't claim to understand it all: I
_always_ enjoy a Paul answer, as it is so detailed, and (AFAIK, and
evidenceÂ*soÂ*farÂ*hasÂ*supportedÂ*that)Â*definiti ve.

Paul is a force of nature. If I told him what I really
thought of him, h;'d get the big head so bad, he'd
be insufferable for two weeks!

On 11/10/19 3:19 AM, Paul wrote:
T wrote:

C'mon guys!Â* You've never heard about trimming before replying?


NOOOOO!!!!Â* Wait, I just did.Â* RATS !!!!

:-)

You still tied to a chair?

It's not me. I'm still tied to that rope in the back yard.

Â*Â* Paul

Hi Paul,

Okay, this was originally meant for dog owners, but it
would also help those who don't use diapers and
tie their kids to ropes in the back yard:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1500_.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1500_.jpg

I am not sure what emoticon to put here.

-T

On 11/10/19 6:11 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , Chris
writes:
Ant wrote:
[]
I just don't upgrade my softwares. I can still get old hardwares.

That's not something businesses can do. Scrimping on IT only results in
serious problems down the line.

Agreed, it's not a policy a business can pursue, as (a) it needs
reasonable knowledge, (b) what's available varies so you have to be
adaptable [I suppose that's why I said (a)].

It's not necessarily scrimping; getting reliable old hardware can be
expensive.

Oh Ya! Lets ditch a perfectly functional 20,000 U$D
printer because some cheap ass computer no longer
has a parallel port!

Oh and that perfectly functional 200,000 U$D
software package whose company went out of business
and does not run on Windows 10. Cobalt folks
went though this crap during the Y2K hoax.

T wrote:
On 11/10/19 3:19 AM, Paul wrote:
T wrote:

C'mon guys! You've never heard about trimming before replying?


NOOOOO!!!! Wait, I just did. RATS !!!!

:-)

You still tied to a chair?

It's not me. I'm still tied to that rope in the back yard.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Okay, this was originally meant for dog owners, but it
would also help those who don't use diapers and
tie their kids to ropes in the back yard:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1500_.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1500_.jpg

I am not sure what emoticon to put here.

-T

Yikes! A mine field!

There's a lot of wishful thinking going on there.
Someone didn't think this through.

Paul

On 11/10/19 4:29 PM, Paul wrote:
T wrote:
On 11/10/19 3:19 AM, Paul wrote:
T wrote:

C'mon guys!Â* You've never heard about trimming before replying?


NOOOOO!!!!Â* Wait, I just did.Â* RATS !!!!

:-)

You still tied to a chair?

It's not me. I'm still tied to that rope in the back yard.

Â*Â*Â* Paul

Hi Paul,

Okay, this was originally meant for dog owners, but it
would also help those who don't use diapers and
tie their kids to ropes in the back yard:

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1500_.jpg

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1500_.jpg

I am not sure what emoticon to put here.

-T

Yikes! A mine field!

There's a lot of wishful thinking going on there.
Someone didn't think this through.

Â*Â* Paul

That was one of many prank gift boxes

https://www.amazon.com/Prank-Pack-Fi...6KB/ref=sr_1_1

There is about 15 of them. Some are hysterically funny.

T wrote:

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

It's not necessarily scrimping; getting reliable old hardware can be
expensive.

Oh Ya! Lets ditch a perfectly functional 20,000 U$D printer because
some cheap ass computer no longer has a parallel port!

So why did you get new hardware that doesn't support your old hardware?
I kept around a Win98 host with an ancient Pentium 100 MMX to continue
using a scanner that never did have a separate driver but had its
software communicate directly with the hardware. It was a legal-sized
scanner, so it came in handy when copying or faxing those longer docs.
Only after many years of non-use did I get rid of both the old computer
and scanner. The legal-sized parallel scanner got replaced with a SCSI
legal-sized scanner which required adding a SCSI card in a mobo slot.
So, now that newer but still old computer sits around to continue using
the old but still used SCSI scanner. That got discarded about 2 years
(after sitting unused in the basement for 12 years) with a USB scanner
whose software could stitch together a long document.

Just who is going to support that old printer or scanner when (not if)
it breaks? Like the belt goes bad that moves the head back and forth or
move the scan light along the doc? Who's going to diagnose and replace
components on a PCB that got got hit with a surge? Where you going to
get ink cartridges for that old printer? Where are you going to get the
light tube for the ancient scanner?

Yep, as mentioned, maintaining or repairing that old hardware can become
not just expensive but very expensive. Even if you do the work for
free, the parts will become ever more expensive as they become more
rare. The cost of parts alone for repairs could outweight the cost for
a new computing platform and a new peripheral.

Oh and that perfectly functional 200,000 U$D software package whose
company went out of business and does not run on Windows 10.

You expect a company to reconstitute itself just to get its old software
to work under a new version of an OS or on a different OS for a handful
of users? Why did you move from an old OS under which that business
critical software would properly operate?

Sure looks like some very poor business decisions got made. You don't
get rid of old stuff when your business relies on that old stuff to
generate its revenue.

Cost-effective migration is part of what your customers pay you for. If
your customers don't migrate then they accept that the old stuff is no
longer made (no buying a replacement, and parts will become unavailable)
and that there will no support (even from you since you're not going to
reprogram the software). Some companies do contract for programming
services to migrate their old critical software to a new OS platform,
but it is very expensive, just like Gilliver mentioned. Or they pay to
keep the old hardware working and the same for the old software, but
eventually there will be a dearth of support for both, so cost goes up.

On 11/10/19 5:57 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
So why did you get new hardware that doesn't support your old hardware?

I will give you three guesses!

How did you get loose?

T wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

So why did you get new hardware that doesn't support your old
hardware?

I will give you three guesses!

How did you get loose?

If your customers are making their own choices, and they don't give a
gnat's fart about their paid consultant's opinions (i.e., yours), they
are paying you to support their choices, and you choose to remain
employed by them, then stop whining about making an income on their
choices.

I've yet to see a car mechanic at the shop whine about what choices
their customers made for brand and model of car. They get paid to work
on whatever car the customer has. If your customers made perfect
choices as you profess they should, they wouldn't need you and you'd be
collecting welfare or living with your parents and having them feed you.

Hmm, they're paying you to be their consultant, but they don't listen to
you. That might be a clue as to whether they really want you working
for them. Seems a waste of their money to pay you when they don't care
about what you recommend.

I've yet to see any customer that had a perfect setup when you show up
after they hire you. Ever have a sysadmin job at a corporate site?

On 11/11/19 3:54 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
T wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

So why did you get new hardware that doesn't support your old
hardware?

I will give you three guesses!

How did you get loose?

If your customers are making their own choices, and they don't give a
gnat's fart about their paid consultant's opinions (i.e., yours), they
are paying you to support their choices, and you choose to remain
employed by them, then stop whining about making an income on their
choices.

I've yet to see a car mechanic at the shop whine about what choices
their customers made for brand and model of car. They get paid to work
on whatever car the customer has. If your customers made perfect
choices as you profess they should, they wouldn't need you and you'd be
collecting welfare or living with your parents and having them feed you.

Hmm, they're paying you to be their consultant, but they don't listen to
you. That might be a clue as to whether they really want you working
for them. Seems a waste of their money to pay you when they don't care
about what you recommend.

I've yet to see any customer that had a perfect setup when you show up
after they hire you. Ever have a sysadmin job at a corporate site?



You were not there. I gave no details other than the spec
on the label printer. I did not tell anyone the outcome
or what I did. I made no mention of the custmer's reaction.
Yet you seems to know. How is that?

WHO UNTIED YOU ????

In article , VanguardLH
wrote:

I've yet to see a car mechanic at the shop whine about what choices
their customers made for brand and model of car. They get paid to work
on whatever car the customer has.

they might not whine directly to the customer, but they definitely
whine and in many cases, will refuse to work on certain makes/models.