The Vent and Rant Thread

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Ah, ARJ... I used that a bunch. Later, the front-end I wrote got some extra code to also support ARJ, but that was it. Never used the other ones back then. In 1991, it was either ZIP or ARJ, at least in my circle.

ARJ wasn't my preference, but was fairly widely used. The other that got (and still gets) use was RAR, picked because it made the smallest archives.

LHA was problematic for a while because it used the Lev-Zempel-Welch compression algorithm. Terry Welch was working for Sperry when he wrote a paper describing a simplified version of the Lev-Zempel algorithm that was a lot easier to implement in a program, and his contract with Sperry stipulated that what he did on their time belonged to them. Sperry became part of Unisys. The LZW algorithm was used in GIF images, Unisys belatedly woke up are realized they had some rights to it, and started going after places like Compuserve that used GIF images to collect royalties. The PNG format was a direct outgrowth, intended as a graphics format not encumbered with proprietary code that anyone could use for any purpose. Unisys's rights have long since expired, but the damage was already done.

These days I just use 7-Zip as my standard archiver. It extracts pretty much any current archive format including RAR, and creates 7z and Zip files. The underlying compression engine has been ported to other thibngs besides Windows, and I can create and extract 7z files on Linux, too.

http://www.toodarkpark.org/computers...f-in-foot.html

Blast from the past

The one I saw was an earlier iteration, shorter, and (IMHO) funnier. (I need to come up with an example for TECO... )

That one cracked me up

Having dealt with it, I was amused by the entry for 370 JCL. Eight statements in the language, but viewed as a black art by almost everyone.
______
Dennis

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

The moral I got from the story was "Take the extra time and do the research to make sure the product does what you want."

The consequences of not being willing to spend the time up front are what you experienced - getting something that won't do the job and having to spend more time and money afterward to repair the oversight.

That is true. On the other hand, how much time should one spend doing so?

I've read specifications (most of them OK for what I wanted), looked at product shots, and read several reviews that gave the device good marks and didn't raise any complaints.

For all intents and purposes, it looked just fine. I'm sure it can do what I'd like to do with it, except for the fact that it doesn't have a backlight. And that's what irks me to no end: the pictures are edited to make it look it DOES have a backlight.

Specifications can't be trusted: even those of the Brother are not complete. It jus says "LCD Screen". Backlight is not mentioned. On the descriptions page however, is a list with characteristics, and a download for the product leaflet, and both do mention the backlight.

I did find a product video regarding this device:



And a very extensive review:



This thing seems to be specifically created for the stuff I want to do. It only has two drawbacks:

- I will only need it once for a lot of labeling, and then only sporadically.
- It's fracking orange (probably so you can find it easily in between a bunch of grey/black machines).

PS: There's a project at work that may get off the ground. If that happens, I definitely *NEED* one of these things, because it involves a lot of network, HDMI, power cables, and connections.

And yes, if what you have is basically business/industrial needs, buy business/industrial products. The Dymo you got wasn't really intended for your use case. The Brother you are looking at is.

I don't really have industrial needs. Do I *NEED* a workstation class, ISV-certified notebook? No. I can do everything I want with a higher mid-end laptop as well.

However, there are some wants:

- a 15.6 inch IPS screen (I'm already used to wide-angle screens with my SPVA and iPS Eizo screens which I've used for the last 8,5 years)
- an SSD for software, an HDD for data (used to that as well, in my desktop and older laptop)
- the capability to install 32GB of RAM (I was used to 8, but that's often running low now; at this point, 16 is installed, but I want to be able t to upgrade)
- it must be built like a tank (this will, eventually, be my only computer)
- have 5 years of on-site warranty (because of being the only computer in use and maintained)
- 5+ years parts availability (I intend to use this laptop until it either breaks after 5 years and can't be economically repaired, or, at some point, isn't fast enough anymore. Being not fast enough anymore is what happened to my older desktop and laptop).

Those are all things I don't really *need*, but because I want them, it puts me in the middle of the workstation class notebooks.

Fortunately, I can afford one of them; at least in this time of my life. If I didn't have had the money, it would be pointless wanting these things. Then I'd just have to buy what I could afford (which I did, before getting to work full time).

[WT Sharpe]

I have the DYMO Label Maker 160. It was a present from my daughter, and I don't know where she bought it, but these pictures from Office Max don't at all make the screen look backlit as the pictures on your model do, Kat (especially that third one).

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I have the DYMO Label Maker 160. It was a present from my daughter, and I don't know where she bought it, but these pictures from Office Max don't at all make the screen look backlit as the pictures on your model do, Dennis (especially that third one).

True. I did consider the 160 as well, but didn't get that one because it was obvious that it didn't have a backlight; and it was mentioned in several reviews as well, saying that some competitors in the same price-range did offer one.

[WT Sharpe]

And I called you Dennis earlier. Sorry! Got my replies mixed up.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

And I called you Dennis earlier. Sorry! Got my replies mixed up.

As long as you don't call me Shirley.

[WT Sharpe]

The lack of a back-light has never been an issue for me, but I can envision situations, especially if it were being used at work, where it would be. Those photos are misleading, but then so are the ones of LCD tablets with crystal clear screens in beach shots. Vendors shouldn't exaggerate the capabilities of their products, but most do.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

The lack of a back-light has never been an issue for me, but I can envision situations, especially if it were being used at work, where it would be. Those photos are misleading, but then so are the ones of LCD tablets with crystal clear screens in beach shots. Vendors shouldn't exaggerate the capabilities of their products, but most do.

This thing will live in its case for most of the time. When I'm starting my labeling spree, I'll probably connect it to the computer (or through Wi-Fi), and make all the labels using the software that comes with the device.

After everything is done (though it's a huge amount of labels, make no mistake ), I'll only need the device sporadically to either replace/'update' a label, or make a one or two new ones. I'd like to be able to do so from the device itself, without having to bring it to a room with good lighting.

My kitchen and computer room have the best/most lighting in the house. They both have enough lighting to easily read a paperback book, but not enough to read the screen of the Dymo 280. I would need to be directly under the light.

When the project I mentioned takes off at work, I will not only want, but even need a label maker there as well, that can do cable wraps. One of the smaller versions of a product in this project will have have at least 18 cables in it, of which 6 will run to the outside. (And some additional power cables and connections as well, but I haven't counted those yet.)

The biggest version is essentially only limited by practical considerations, mainly space and cost.

[wodin]

ARRGH!!! My debit card got skimmed again, to the tune of $1,024.01 USD in three $300+ transactions at Sports Authority.

The last time this happened it took me months to get it all sorted out.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by wodin

ARRGH!!! My debit card got skimmed again, to the tune of $1,024.01 USD in three $300+ transactions at Sports Authority.

The last time this happened it took me months to get it all sorted out.

That's crap. Fortunately I've never had something like that happen.

I wonder how it's done, as you say "again". I'm too stupid to envision things like this; I'd very bad at stealing, apparently.

[CRussel]

dummy terminals sitting on top of real ones. Basically "man in the middle" of a hardwired transaction.

A major business here in Canada, where we us Interac _heavily_. Why all our cards are moving to chips.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by CRussel

dummy terminals sitting on top of real ones. Basically "man in the middle" of a hardwired transaction.

I should have known. So simple I didn't even think of it.

[Cinisajoy]

This is why we started using a credit card instead of a debit card.
Now our bank is really good about cutting off the account if they find an odd purchase on the debit card.
The last time was because the card showed being used in Austin and less than an hour later at the Walmart in Cleburne.
Note, the card was not in Austin but was at the Cleburne State Park.
It was taken care of quickly. But still an inconvenience.

[wodin]

Yes, it happened to me once before about five years ago, it got sorted out but was a PITA. Thankfully they cut off the card after the three $300+ transactions at "SPORTS AUTHORITY 0660 ANTIOCH CAUS", I haven't a clue where that could be. I wasn't alerted until I tried to use my card at WalMart at about 7:30 PM HST and it was declined.

I went home and checked my account and found the three transactions, and immediately called the emergency number on the card and permanently blocked the card.

Now I need to go to my bank and get a new card issued, then inform all my on line payment folks that the number was changed. I also need to initiate procedures to recover the fraudulent losses, I'm not sure who's pocket it comes from but I suspect it's Sports Authority's.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by wodin

Yes, it happened to me once before about five years ago, it got sorted out but was a PITA. Thankfully they cut off the card after the three $300+ transactions at "SPORTS AUTHORITY 0660 ANTIOCH CAUS", I haven't a clue where that could be. I wasn't alerted until I tried to use my card at WalMart at about 7:30 PM HST and it was declined.

I went home and checked my account and found the three transactions, and immediately called the emergency number on the card and permanently blocked the card.

Now I need to go to my bank and get a new card issued, then inform all my on line payment folks that the number was changed. I also need to initiate procedures to recover the fraudulent losses, I'm not sure who's pocket it comes from but I suspect it's Sports Authority's.

Good luck, though I am a bit surprised you have to go to the bank to get a new debit card. When ours was hacked years ago, the bank put a hold on the card, called us, cancelled the card immediately and then sent a new one.
This was a debit card and it had been used fraudulently.