Re: @ Mikeyboosh

Not always... I have three aluminuim laptops at home. Two of them are from before Apple started using it to build their laptops. Only one (and without a doubt the worst for everything except battery life) is the MacBook Pro.

@Vic - please re-read my post...

>If you don't lock your wheels, your ABS system does *nothing at all*. It doesn't make any difference whatsoever to an unlocked wheel. So your stopping distance, if you don't lock the wheels, is absolutely 100% identical.

>If, however, you *do* lock the wheels, then the ABS does something: it unlocks the wheel. This means that you can get some retardation from the wheel, rather than just sliding across the road. This *dramatically* shortens the stopping distance.

That's exactly what I was saying!!!!!! ABS releases the brakes to allow the wheels to rotate, this allows them to regain tracktion. Then the brakes are reapplied until they lock again. Repeat as required. The same as with manual cadence braking, just much, much faster than a human can achieve. Obviously skidding to a stop takes longer than using ABS, but then braking just short of the the point of where the ABS is needed will be better still as your brakes will never be released (at that point you are not slowing down as your brakes are not applied).

>Perhaps. But ABS isn't there for when you do everything completely right - it's there to pick up the pieces when you make a mistake. Have you ever made a mistake? I certainly have

I beleive that I said ABS had saved the front end on my car. I'm human (last time I chekced) so yes I make mistakes.

>Even imagining that ABS might generate grip that isn't there shows just how little you understand the technology.

Again, that is exactly what I was saying. When you try to stop on sheet ice the ABS works perfectly, but the the grip just an't there for it to be efective. And this can happen even at tiny speeds. I never said it would generate grip. In fact I said exactly the opposite.

What I said is that correct winter tyres help more in the winter than relying on ABS to stop you...

So yes, I do have an inderstanding of how it works, and I also know that if I ever use it (not often) then it means I have put myself into a stupid situation where I've had to jam the brakes on too hard.

OMG

I can't beleive that in this day and age there is still so much ignorance surrounding ABS...

It does not stop you faster in a straight line - in fact it increases the distance from stopping without locking the wheels in the first place. It works by releasing and reapplying the brakes when the wheels stop turning so that you still have control over your car to (as a couple of others have said) to steer around the obstacle rather than careening into the back of it.

Learning how your car reacts on different road surfaces and knowing how hard to hit the brakes in an emergency will improive your stopping distances.

And in my experience it fails on ice... It does 'work' but it doesn't slow you down as the grip just isn't there before you start. Using winter tyres (not an option in the UK due to the stupid insurance companies I know) has a much bigger impact on stopping distances in wintery conditions than the ABS.

And no I don't think I am Dancia Patrick, and yes I have had the front end of my car saved on one occasion by the ABS kicking in and allowing me to keep control. But it isn't something I try to rely on!

I think the saftey systems on modern cars are great (look at the falling death rates on the roads) but people do need to realise that it is not an excuse to drive 1m from the car in front...

Have you seen some of the Asus stuff?

I have been buying Asus for nearly a decade now and their kit is amazing!

In 2006 I brough one of their W2 models with a beautiful 17" screen that was pin sharp, had a great resolution and a sub-woofer that was powerful enough to make the laptop something that you could listen to music on and still enjoy it, a top end chip and plenty of RAM. And all housed in brushed alluminium case that looks better 5 years on than my MacBook Pro 13 looks after 5 months!

The problem is that they also produce 400GBP 17" laptops that are, well, terrible. (As most at that price are). Maybe they need to make a low end brand and keep Asus for the good kit?

@Nigel

switch off your television set and go and do something less boring instead.

Wow, that sentence brought back some memories of watching summer holiday programes when I was growing up!

And made me feel old...

Couldn't agree more. As a sculpture sitting in the room it's beautiful.

As long as it's not the gold one. That just looks tacky to me...

But the white one is stunning.

But what screen?

And I don't just mean resolution. But pixel density, and general screen quality. I love Asus kit, and in fact from 2000 to this year brought almost nothing but Asus.

However... I would never dream of buying a 500GBP machine as the quality is just terrible - screen and build quality. No matter the brand! My Asus machines make the Apple look cheap (actually I have the apple for working on the train as it gave me the best screen / optical drive combo for the money - there is a way to annoy the Apple fans I know; tell them you brought a MBP because it was the cheap option!) but they have lasted years and have pin sharp screens with lots of desktop real estate and are wonderful for editing photos.

My sister in laws cheapo laptop is awful though - you can never see the whole screen in good quality as the viewing angle is so poor that either the top or bottom is washed out and the pixel density and colour reproduction is just a joke.

So give me the option. Some people don't want sharp screens, others do. The screen on the 13" MBP isn't bad, but it's awful after using my 11" Vaio that had 1366*768 - if it wasn't for Sony removing the optical drives from their 11" Vaios my broken one (I dropped something on the screen - f**k) would have been replaced with another.

You leave my optical drive alone!!!! The only reason I have my MBP 13" from mid this year is that it had an optical dive in it!

They have lots of official partner stores - complete with Genius bars etx, and are currently destroying momumental building in Amsterdam to have a full blown Apple store.

A hidden camera would be very useful...

http://www.apple.com/nl/buy/locator/map.html?tySearch=1&viaProduct=4&viaSpecial=-1&strCountry=NLD&lat=52.2336066&lng=5.1794274&gCountry=NL

Bloody hell! You work for Apple don't you?

For the amount of money an apple gadget costs I would expect it to last me a lot longer than the two years mandated by the Dutch goverment! I was quite happy when they brought that it, and remember Apple being on the consumer programs because of their attitude.

It's unreal that any private person would seriously say 'No, please, I want LESS warrenty and protection not MORE! Let me give my money to Apple releatedly - after all it's only fair!' Wow.

Reading riddiculous statements from Apple owners is really making me think that I made a mistake buying the MB Pro I got in the summer. The kit sucks (no more than windows kit of the same cost, but certainly no less) and I get lumbered in the same category as people like you!

Maybe because...

You need to be able to show that you can write because I would like to be able to understand the CV’s that get forwarded to me and because in this day and age even techies have to communicate with 'the outside world'. In our department we have to talk to the business a lot of the time, if you can’t communicate then you shouldn’t be working here – no cave dwelling pizza eaters here.

@Lallabalalla

Not in my experience...

Yes Apple provide hotfixes like everyone else.

But I've yet to see a friendly forum. When searching for answers from previously asked questions I've been put off from answring by the vindictiveness of posters towards anyone who suggests that there may be a problem. When I requested help from an Apple user I know for a MacBook Pro not talking to a router (that I had attached lots of other kit to without a problem) I was simply told - Macs just work, your router must be broken.

When looking to find out why the print quality options were not turned on on my own MacBook Pro when using my printer from the built in driver (something that I was told is an advantage of Macs - all of the drivers are built in and you never need to install anything - yeah, right...) I found a forum with the same question and the user was told to go learn how to use a computer before coming and asking stupid questions. Not one single person had an answer for the poor soul that asked the question and I now print exclusiuvely from my Windows machine as they Mac still refuses to print anything except draft.

Very helpful friendly people...

How about because all of the Apple faithful like to carp on about how fantastic Apples are, how they never break, just work and have no bugs?

I use Apple machines and Windows (and iPhones and Android ones). They are all the same - full of bugs and annoying as hell. The difference is that when you have a problem in Windows and Android you can generally find help, when something breaks in an Apple you can generally find lots of people telling you that Apples never break and it must be some external problem.

You think that was a mistake?

I do...

I used to think Avira was great (hence getting the paid for version), but the new release has caused so many headaches and false positives that when the license runs out I'll do the same as my new machines - just use Windows own AV...

Because the Desire has so much space?

I have a desire, and i love it. It's got a great screen, is quite quick and does the job I want very well.

That aside If you install more than a couple of apps you suddenly start getting the 'Phone memory low' messages and have to start moving apps to the storage card, or uninstalling apps all together.

The lack of memory is my biggest gripe against the thing. And it cost me a lot more than that Sony costs...

That said... It is a beautiful looking phone and I would gladly swap my Desire for it if I was looking for a new phone!

You don't know much about car history do you?

I had an MR2 which anyone who was not into cars initially mistook for a Ferrari (as I am sure was Toyota's idea when they designed it!)

There are also companies producing 'Kit' cars that do exactly what you say here. You buy a skeleton car and fit your own seats, engine gearbox (steering, suspension et al) and you have a Countach, AC Cobra, Lotus 7, 355GTS etc etc etc. (Well look alike anyway!) There is a whole industry surrounding this!

Had the same experience

I updated my father in laws MacBook Pro, and my own MacBook Pro recently and it took an age and multiple reboots before it said my software was up to date.

Neither was an OS update (in fact the 1.xGB of mine was immediately after updating the factory Snow Leapard to Lion!)

A very windows experience! Especially the way the time remaining seems to fluctuate (no one told me before I fot the machine that Macs are worse than Windows in time estimation!)

Love it!

You managed to crap all over your own point there!

Yes people do buy BMW's for a reason. And I imagine it's the same reason people buy iPhones. Badges carry a lot of clout these days :)

The 3G was a great phone compared to the rest of the market - it's just a shame the market moved and the iPhone didn't - which is why I now have a HTC Desire (that 'just works' with much less hassle than the 3G ever did) and the iPhone is a music player plugged into my stereo.

Wow, cold person...

Whilst I agree with your points - he killed innovation rather than fostered it, and all of the sycophantic outpouring in the press and peoples blogs today are pure drivel (best scientist of our age, up there with Einstein at al) - the man has died, and that is terribly sad.

He has left behind family and friends and died at a tragically young age. I can't think of that many people who's death I wouldn't mourn - loss of life is loss of life.

Actually, they are not

The ribbon is +/- three rows of tool bars (which most people I know have on their screen). So it takes up no more space. If you hide the toolbar you actually have more space than with the toolbars.

But then people just love to hate MS. If they don't change they are dinosaurs, and if they do then they get slated because people have to learn something new.

It took me a while to get used to them, but I love the ribbons. If you really want your tool bars then get office on a Mac - then you get both :)

Yes be quiet

How dare you say something negative about Apple! They are great, and without them we are worthless.

Really?

I hate almost everything about Apple - from the way it does business to the way that they treat their company as a religion or cult (and the fact that almost everyone I know who has an Apple is a stupendiously annoying fanboi that just repeats the Apple mantra of "must be the other things fault, Apples work out of the box, they never break, they are perfect" anytime they or someone else have problems) - but I'm amazed to find anybody who says they can't do marketing.

Surely the *only* thing they can do is marketing!

What have you been smoking?

Before apple made the iPad Windows tablets were... Lets see now... From the view they have used in their pictures...

4:3 ratio rectangles with rounded corners and (as Windows has done since Windows 95) displayed a grid of icons on the desktop (or as Apple like to call it the home screen).

Yup - revolutionary!

I'll give you the glossy screen that reflects all the light sources! I didn't see those on the earlier tablets.

Uh-huh

That's exactly what I was thinking...

So it's a different shape, different size, doesn't have the docked icons at the bottom, can show widgets and has connectivity other than an Apple connector (which it doesn't have)

What is copied exactly?

Ask MS how they did it?

I went from XP to Vista to Windows 7 with a lot of development tools and obscure hardware support applications installed.

The upgrade advisor said what would work, what wouldn't work and what they couldn't be sure off.

It even does the same when you install software on it if there are known compatibility issues (and what the solutions are to the problem - if known of course).

And so far it has got everything right... And the Windows Ecosystem is way larger than the Mac ecosystem...

But then I forgot MS sucks, and when they break compatibility it is a crime against the world, and telling people what apps are broken before you start is a terrible idea; when Apple does it people should just accept that installing a new OS may break stuff with no warnings given...

Also got two on mine

Though I did not buy from the high street... I could have, but it was a one day delivery time and 200 pounds more than the laptop specialist that I went to charges.

But... I called the shop, they had it in stock and I went to fetch it the same day :)

Surely it should

But surely it should be compared with the same computers in all tests - not pick computers at random so you can't see which the overall better performer is?

Is it being compared to 1800 machines (the 15" Apple and the Sony F21), or the cheaper 13" inch Apple and Sony C?

And for the battery which Sony Viao F are we talking about? The 3d monster F21, or the more sedate F13s?

Is there any particular time limit you want to put on this???

Oh sorry - I forgot when racing you stop at 30. Or 20... Or whatever time it is that they other car starts to dissapear.

I stand by my original comment... I have found the time for a prius to 30 (a little over three seconds).

From what I can see on the net the GTi should be in the range of 2.5 to 3 without extreme driving, less with. We are talking racing from the lights here so I would say the 2 of extreme launch counts. So it's slightly quicker to 30 (without killing the drive shafts), quite a lot quicker in all likelyhood if you are going for it and *much* quicker to any decent speed.

The extreme talk that is discussed is also slightly dissapointing. Less than my T5 develops at 1500rpm. Hardly earth shattering.

Still thanks for the smile of racing to 30. Very funny.

As Mr Bennet would say

You think that dear, if it gives you comfort.

Have you seen the performance figures for a Prius? Unless we are taking about the fat underpowered GTi''s that have been thrashed to an inch of their life in the 90's that is...

New Golf GTi < 7 second to 60... Prius > 10 seconds...

Any modern GTi (or similar) you are beating is either not bothered about racing you, or can't drive...

Because this car is about economy and not performance maybe...

It's nice of you to share that you don't give a crap about those around you, as long as you have the things that make you feel safer.

If you look at the economy it delivers and compare it to the little standard diesels that you can get in the same car, I think you will find that the economy is far better. This is not a hybrid where you are lugging batteries and electric motors around, this is a 'normal' diesel designed to be very economic.

Why not simply stop innovation altogether - after all you have the three things you need in life, so further R&D is obviously pointless. Personally I think the padestrian awareness system is far more important than the ABS (which lets face it, only lulls people into thinking that they can tailgate even closer). That system will hopefully help in built up areas when someone runs out from between parked cars - the car can react faster than you can in those situations.

As for the Satnav, I don't know what peoples problems are with it, but mine in my V50 got me from Amsterdam to the Italian Riviera (sp?) - +/-1300kms - without me going wrong a single time. It's a fantastic piece of kit that is so easy to use.

No...

That is for when you have broken down and are causing a hazzard.

Being parked on a dark lane you do not want lights that go on and off, you need a constant low power light to be seen.

The sidelights are there for this reason. My V50 does have a buzzer for those IIRC (but it's that long since I have changed the switch position from 'on' I can't actually remember)...

wow, good argument

Calling someone a cretin when they say something you don't agree with. Well done.

I never said MS tablets were a success, I said MS could never have got away selling an iPad, yet you ignored that and went for the personal attack.

Fanboi much?

Good point!

Crazy goat :)

You're right, a Windows tablet is a full blown computer that you can use as a full blown computer.

A stripped down low res surfing machine is what's needed.

If you think this would have worked had anyone but Apple come up with it then I want what you are smoking. Apple is a religion - they say this is cool and millions of Apple fans immediately being the 'We need one' mantra. It is a success and then others copy the stripped down format to be like Apple...

If MS had said here is a tablet that's so locked down you can't do everything with it that you can do with a computer; you can't even plug it into an external monitor without an overpriced cable do you think it would have been met with 'Wow!!!!! This is the future!!!!' No, it would have been met with 'What crap is this from MS!'

MS Sucks. Apple sucks more - but has a better PR machine than any company on the planet.

And yet

You post anonymously so that no one can take you up on it...