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acroyearSo I'm sitting at a new computer right now. How new? REAL new!
e-Machines box, with athlon 2300, 128meg, 40gig hd, usb2 (like a truck -- four in back 2 in front), 48x CDRW. XP (yeah, I know, its windows, but when you read what i'm using it for, you'll understand). No monitor, but I had a spare with nothing to do, so there you go; only 1024x768, but I'll live. Maybe when 19in flat-panels get cheap, I'll upgrade it.
Plus, I got an additional 256 meg card (so it actually runs, and doesn't crawl), Linksys wireless USB receiver (so it taps into my existing world of wirelessness), & internal DVD+-R(W), and 10 each of the blank DVDs (+R and -R; not sure which is most compatible with my player so I wanted to have options).
Now the important bit. The price. Total for all of this, $700. The main reason? The CPU box itself was a floor-room show model at Circuit City. With the box no longer manufactured by e-Machines (though still supported), it meant it was no longer of any use to them. Their offer: $270. Yeah, $270. damn.
But that's not all.
There's a rebate on the DVD for almost half off (register: 149. Rebate 70). A rebate on the memory ($20 off), A rebate on the wireless ($20), and a rebate on one of the two stacks of dvd blanks ($10). Yeah, if it had a rebate, I took them up on it.
There's also still a slot for a new HD as the secondary, but I'll go without for a bit until this thing seems to need it.
So what am I going to do with it? Video Toaster.
With finally having a box fast enough (up 'til now, nothing we had broke 500mgtz), I got the VideOh! DVD Convertor kit. This means I can hook up the digital cameras and/or VCRs to this box, cut together the movies and/or digital photos, and build DVDs. This was really the only "full price" item I got.
First target: the long overdue Foggy Bottom UK2K tour.
So far, the wifey thinks I did the right thing, but she hasn't actually seen it yet, as she was out networking among engineering types and then went stitching-n-bitching.
Of cource I had to get the damned thing working first, and had the usual little problems. The CDrom disappeared at first loose cable), the wireless driver wouldn't install (fixed by reboot), the wireless network was found but couldn't connect (fixed by undoing the access controls restriction on the wireless driver). Then had to get Firefox (Mozilla), Thunderbird (Mozilla email), and Gaim (no AIM on this thing, dammit; not putting up with that again...).
Then had to figure out how the start menu stuff works in XP 'cause I'm quite used to 98/2K. Anyways, yeah its M$ and you know my bitching. However, I remain practical first, dogmatic second. The hardware and software I need to run is for Windows, and that's that. This isn't a dev box, or a "daily" box. My dev box is Linux, and that's enough for me. This is just for Video Toasting, and being downstairs and wireless, means it can also be used for email checking and wench-chat.
Oh, and we need a new computer table to host this thing, 'cause right now its using an old endtable that only has room to hold the monitor and that's it. Still, it works.
Now, time to get back to work building the new MSFB webpage...or should I install Java on this box first...?
e-Machines box, with athlon 2300, 128meg, 40gig hd, usb2 (like a truck -- four in back 2 in front), 48x CDRW. XP (yeah, I know, its windows, but when you read what i'm using it for, you'll understand). No monitor, but I had a spare with nothing to do, so there you go; only 1024x768, but I'll live. Maybe when 19in flat-panels get cheap, I'll upgrade it.
Plus, I got an additional 256 meg card (so it actually runs, and doesn't crawl), Linksys wireless USB receiver (so it taps into my existing world of wirelessness), & internal DVD+-R(W), and 10 each of the blank DVDs (+R and -R; not sure which is most compatible with my player so I wanted to have options).
Now the important bit. The price. Total for all of this, $700. The main reason? The CPU box itself was a floor-room show model at Circuit City. With the box no longer manufactured by e-Machines (though still supported), it meant it was no longer of any use to them. Their offer: $270. Yeah, $270. damn.
But that's not all.
There's a rebate on the DVD for almost half off (register: 149. Rebate 70). A rebate on the memory ($20 off), A rebate on the wireless ($20), and a rebate on one of the two stacks of dvd blanks ($10). Yeah, if it had a rebate, I took them up on it.
There's also still a slot for a new HD as the secondary, but I'll go without for a bit until this thing seems to need it.
So what am I going to do with it? Video Toaster.
With finally having a box fast enough (up 'til now, nothing we had broke 500mgtz), I got the VideOh! DVD Convertor kit. This means I can hook up the digital cameras and/or VCRs to this box, cut together the movies and/or digital photos, and build DVDs. This was really the only "full price" item I got.
First target: the long overdue Foggy Bottom UK2K tour.
So far, the wifey thinks I did the right thing, but she hasn't actually seen it yet, as she was out networking among engineering types and then went stitching-n-bitching.
Of cource I had to get the damned thing working first, and had the usual little problems. The CDrom disappeared at first loose cable), the wireless driver wouldn't install (fixed by reboot), the wireless network was found but couldn't connect (fixed by undoing the access controls restriction on the wireless driver). Then had to get Firefox (Mozilla), Thunderbird (Mozilla email), and Gaim (no AIM on this thing, dammit; not putting up with that again...).
Then had to figure out how the start menu stuff works in XP 'cause I'm quite used to 98/2K. Anyways, yeah its M$ and you know my bitching. However, I remain practical first, dogmatic second. The hardware and software I need to run is for Windows, and that's that. This isn't a dev box, or a "daily" box. My dev box is Linux, and that's enough for me. This is just for Video Toasting, and being downstairs and wireless, means it can also be used for email checking and wench-chat.
Oh, and we need a new computer table to host this thing, 'cause right now its using an old endtable that only has room to hold the monitor and that's it. Still, it works.
Now, time to get back to work building the new MSFB webpage...or should I install Java on this box first...?
