re hardware: Janko, I'm not a MHz-believer too, but -
don't underestimate the influence of a fast system in communication-speed. When you say "bandwith", it's only a way, not the target, but speed of data-transfer and reaction-times, that's the target - and a few milliseconds delay by your own system can cause a few seconds delay on turnaround-time for the hole communication-cycle.
This is not "linear", and the "user-machine"-relation is for me ("IMHO") a weak argument. You as me are educated as "engeneers" - as we both know, that's a bunch of idiots spending their live to optimize something by 1 or 2%, while you could optimize another part of the system so that results would increase by a few 100%. (see lemma)
This is my "hitlist" for internet-handling (related to actual cost, assuming at least pentium 200 MHz, and, OF COURSE, the NEWEST release of IE - "never use a 3.x-version!!!"):
1a 20" 1600 x 1200 (more as soon as available, especially TFT due to the "missing" convergence-problem!!!)
1b Matrox Millennium (this girl is sharp!)
1c A high-bandwith split-cable, it's meaningless to buy good hardware and to kill the sharpness the same time by a bad cable.
2. ISDN (in real life doublespeed compared to 56k, read c't) - a lot of internet-servers doesn't supply enough speed for a full use of ISDN. (so do most ISP's...)
3. Fastest tolerable (due to the aggressive noise of fast turning disks) harddisk - IBM's new series, so far I know (I'm still using quantum atlas 8 GB)
4. 64 MB RAM, more if your system-cache can handle it
5. If you use to load several windows (like me most of you here do it obviously), RAM in combination with NT is the key to safety & speed.
A remark to notebooks:
Like Steve I'm not satisfied by my IBM 760E. I have a lot of wishes: DVD-RW, more than 48 MB RAM, more HD-capacity - but the most important were higher resolution and lower weight.
Like Steve I'm using ISDN and modem, plus network, plus backup, plus printer - that's a lot of cables and external units, a lot kg's.
I'm looking for a new generation of notebooks - Sony offers 1280 x 1024, HP has a new very slim model (1.5 kg!!!), DVD-RAM can eliminate the need of backup, sometimes I can spare a printer using a fax nearby (some hotels HAVE fax yet...) as printout-unit. Best of all, a coming worldwide GSM-succeeder should support 1 MBit/s datatransfers... Hope & see.
Lemma: You can find fine examples for that in the report for the Club Of Rome "Faktor 4" written by Weizs„cher - f.e. related to air-condition-units. |
