Affinity Photo Windows Beta Available

In article , Mayayana
wrote:


| I have just had a local firm build a new computer for me. They told me
| that only about 10% of the machines they now build have an optical
| drive. Needless to say, my new machine doesn't have one. I eventually
| discovered I needed an optical drive to install two obsolete pieces of
| software so I borrowed my son's USB optical drive.

Your new machine is Windows? DVD writers
are so cheap now it's hard to see why anyone
wouldn't just put one in.

because they're rarely used anymore.

might as well put another hard drive in that space, or just get a
smaller enclosure.

As I mentioned before,
the last computer I built (the one I'm currently
using) includes a Samsung DVD writer that was
about $18 from Tigerdirect. So I'm surprised by the
10% figure. I use mine all the time for backup,
but I also make video disks with DVD Flick --
lectures and such.

4 terabyte hard drives are currently around $100.

~5x the price for 1000x the capacity and *far* more convenient not to
mention *much* faster and no need to **** around with stacks of dvds.

many people get a cheap pc and set up a media server. some nas devices
can act as a media server without a pc.

dvds are old school.

My ladyfriend just
had some Super8 movies from childhood converted
to digital. Now I can easily write selections of
those to new DVDs if she wants that. On the
other hand, some people don't see any reason to
have a hammer or screwdriver around the house.
Different styles, I guess. (But I won't be able to
lend you a hammer in NZ. Hopefully you have
neighbors who keep useful things around, like DVD
writers, hammers, bread pans, and such.

Maybe another reason for less use of DVD drives
is just that people are doing less with computers
in general.

wrong. they're doing much more than they ever did.

More online services. More online storage.

in other words, more.

Less customizability.

nope. *more* customizable.

Many people probably use a
PC to stream TV shows and upload their photos
to something like Dropbox

or they use a roku box, chromecast, fire tv or apple tv. they might
also have their own media server (with a large hard drive) for movies
they own.

that's *much* more convenient than dealing with physical discs.

without ever actually
relating to anything on the level of a file, much less
writing files to disks.

no need.

you're *so* stuck in the past.

In article , Eric Stevens
wrote:


| The other issue is that fewer and fewer of the latest computers are
| delivered with an optical drive.

That's a Mac thing. The last time I built a computer
it cost me something like $18 for an internal DVD writer.
Not getting one would have been crazy. I use it
not only for backup and software installs, but also
sometimes to make DVDs from videos to watch on
TV. Not having a DVD writer would be ridiculous on
Windows. And if I buy a copy of, say, Windows
that's downloaded I'd probably put that onto a
DVD for convenience. It's a lot cheaper and more
compatible than a USB stick.

I have just had a local firm build a new computer for me. They told me
that only about 10% of the machines they now build have an optical
drive. Needless to say, my new machine doesn't have one. I eventually
discovered I needed an optical drive to install two obsolete pieces of
software so I borrowed my son's USB optical drive.

so much for it being a mac thing.

On Sun, 13 Nov 2016 18:03:20 -0500, "Mayayana"
wrote:

"Eric Stevens" wrote

| It's like someone who buys a microwave and
| then tells you that stoves are the past. "How
| do you bake bread in a microwave?"
|
| Seek and ye shall find. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Oc6BBLXAa0
|

Ick. I had friends once who bought one
of those beread making machines. The
ingredients go in. you put the top on.
Plug it in. Wait awhile. It wasn't great
bread, though.

I have a Panasonic. I went back to first principles and now I make a
white loaf which is very much to my satisfaction
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

On Sun, 13 Nov 2016 18:16:02 -0500, "Mayayana"
wrote:

"Eric Stevens" wrote

| I have just had a local firm build a new computer for me. They told me
| that only about 10% of the machines they now build have an optical
| drive. Needless to say, my new machine doesn't have one. I eventually
| discovered I needed an optical drive to install two obsolete pieces of
| software so I borrowed my son's USB optical drive.

Your new machine is Windows? DVD writers
are so cheap now it's hard to see why anyone
wouldn't just put one in. As I mentioned before,
the last computer I built (the one I'm currently
using) includes a Samsung DVD writer that was
about $18 from Tigerdirect. So I'm surprised by the
10% figure. I use mine all the time for backup,
but I also make video disks with DVD Flick --
lectures and such. My ladyfriend just
had some Super8 movies from childhood converted
to digital. Now I can easily write selections of
those to new DVDs if she wants that. On the
other hand, some people don't see any reason to
have a hammer or screwdriver around the house.
Different styles, I guess. (But I won't be able to
lend you a hammer in NZ. Hopefully you have
neighbors who keep useful things around, like DVD
writers, hammers, bread pans, and such.

Maybe another reason for less use of DVD drives
is just that people are doing less with computers
in general. More online services. More online storage.
Less customizability. Many people probably use a
PC to stream TV shows and upload their photos
to something like Dropbox without ever actually
relating to anything on the level of a file, much less
writing files to disks.

Part of the problem was that I didn't want to mess up what otherwise
was a very clean case. http://tinyurl.com/grkl58q
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

"Eric Stevens" wrote

| Maybe another reason for less use of DVD drives
| is just that people are doing less with computers
| in general. More online services. More online storage.
| Less customizability. Many people probably use a
| PC to stream TV shows and upload their photos
| to something like Dropbox without ever actually
| relating to anything on the level of a file, much less
| writing files to disks.
|
| Part of the problem was that I didn't want to mess up what otherwise
| was a very clean case. http://tinyurl.com/grkl58q

This seems like a better link:

http://www.overclockersclub.com/revi...330r_titanium/

It looks to me like it's got a door over 3 potential
external bays, so that if you had a DVD writer it
would be hidden until you open the door to use it.
(And for a few dollars + a few minutes you can
still do that.)

But why buy a big box with 7 bays if you're
not going to use more than 2 internals? If your
main concern is looks then for another $2,000 you
could buy a Mac. Or they could have made you
a mini-box unit, like a "thin client", which would free
up a lot of desk space. The only reason for a big
box is expandability.

I can understand people wanting to own something
like a Mazerati or DeLorean. I can't understand paying
$100 for a computer case.
My current case is "Cougar". Typical low-end design
intended to impress 13-year-olds who watch too
much sci-fi TV, without paying a lot of money to design
engineers. I think it was $20. There's no sense paying
more. It's just a box made of thin sheet metal. The
functionality is all in the internal parts. I've got a DVD
writer and a 4-card reader on the front (which I took
from an older HP box.) The card reader is gray. The box
is black. As the saying goes, "Ask me if I care."

The really sad part is that you spent $80 you could
have put toward buying a stove, so you wouldn't have
to eat Panasonic bread.

On 11/13/2016 3:54 PM, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Sun, 13 Nov 2016 10:06:37 -0500, "Mayayana"
wrote:

snip

It's like someone who buys a microwave and
then tells you that stoves are the past. "How
do you bake bread in a microwave?"

Seek and ye shall find. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Oc6BBLXAa0


The taste and texture of a microwave cooked starch, is noting like oven
baked bread.



--
PeterN

On Mon, 14 Nov 2016 13:08:51 -0500, PeterN
wrote:

On 11/13/2016 3:54 PM, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Sun, 13 Nov 2016 10:06:37 -0500, "Mayayana"
wrote:

snip

It's like someone who buys a microwave and
then tells you that stoves are the past. "How
do you bake bread in a microwave?"

Seek and ye shall find. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Oc6BBLXAa0


The taste and texture of a microwave cooked starch, is noting like oven
baked bread.

I can believe that. There are probably some people who prefer it.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

On Mon, 14 Nov 2016 09:14:02 -0500, "Mayayana"
wrote:

"Eric Stevens" wrote

| Maybe another reason for less use of DVD drives
| is just that people are doing less with computers
| in general. More online services. More online storage.
| Less customizability. Many people probably use a
| PC to stream TV shows and upload their photos
| to something like Dropbox without ever actually
| relating to anything on the level of a file, much less
| writing files to disks.
|
| Part of the problem was that I didn't want to mess up what otherwise
| was a very clean case. http://tinyurl.com/grkl58q

This seems like a better link:

http://www.overclockersclub.com/revi...330r_titanium/

It looks to me like it's got a door over 3 potential
external bays, so that if you had a DVD writer it
would be hidden until you open the door to use it.
(And for a few dollars + a few minutes you can
still do that.)

But why buy a big box with 7 bays if you're
not going to use more than 2 internals?

(1) It was a good price.

(2) It is *very* quiet.

If your
main concern is looks then for another $2,000 you
could buy a Mac. Or they could have made you
a mini-box unit, like a "thin client", which would free
up a lot of desk space. The only reason for a big
box is expandability.

With my spec I had already expanded. I needed space for fans, cooler
and graphics card.

I can understand people wanting to own something
like a Mazerati or DeLorean. I can't understand paying
$100 for a computer case.
My current case is "Cougar". Typical low-end design
intended to impress 13-year-olds who watch too
much sci-fi TV, without paying a lot of money to design
engineers. I think it was $20. There's no sense paying
more. It's just a box made of thin sheet metal. The
functionality is all in the internal parts. I've got a DVD
writer and a 4-card reader on the front (which I took
from an older HP box.) The card reader is gray. The box
is black. As the saying goes, "Ask me if I care."

It's certainly cheaper, but is it quiet?

The really sad part is that you spent $80 you could
have put toward buying a stove, so you wouldn't have
to eat Panasonic bread.

Currently, I don't eat bread in any case. :-(
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens

"Eric Stevens" wrote

| My current case is "Cougar". Typical low-end design
| intended to impress 13-year-olds who watch too
| much sci-fi TV, without paying a lot of money to design
| engineers. I think it was $20. There's no sense paying
| more. It's just a box made of thin sheet metal. The
| functionality is all in the internal parts. I've got a DVD
| writer and a 4-card reader on the front (which I took
| from an older HP box.) The card reader is gray. The box
| is black. As the saying goes, "Ask me if I care."
|
| It's certainly cheaper, but is it quiet?

Quiet is not about the case. Personally I
don't care much about quiet. I'm more concerned
about cool, so I add a fan or two. I have a Dell
that's very quiet, but the case is nothing special.
It's just quiet because the fan(s) is quiet. I guess
I could probably find quieter fans, but that really
doesn't bother me.

On Mon, 14 Nov 2016 18:47:57 -0500, "Mayayana"
wrote:

"Eric Stevens" wrote

| My current case is "Cougar". Typical low-end design
| intended to impress 13-year-olds who watch too
| much sci-fi TV, without paying a lot of money to design
| engineers. I think it was $20. There's no sense paying
| more. It's just a box made of thin sheet metal. The
| functionality is all in the internal parts. I've got a DVD
| writer and a 4-card reader on the front (which I took
| from an older HP box.) The card reader is gray. The box
| is black. As the saying goes, "Ask me if I care."
|
| It's certainly cheaper, but is it quiet?

Quiet is not about the case.

The case is certainly a factor. You can reduce noise by reducing fan
size but yout CPU/GPU defines limits below which you cannot safely go.
After that noise reduction depends on the sound absorbtion
capabilities of the case, and the case I chose is very good in that
repsect.

Personally I
don't care much about quiet. I'm more concerned
about cool, so I add a fan or two. I have a Dell
that's very quiet, but the case is nothing special.
It's just quiet because the fan(s) is quiet. I guess
I could probably find quieter fans, but that really
doesn't bother me.

The quieter fans would bother you if they didn't shift air.
--

Regards,

Eric Stevens