Depends on who you talk to if its a failure. 15

[enginesrus]

This could be a fun topic here. Its about engineering regression, you know where something was designed nicely in the older days, then basically ruined in modern days.
I'll start out with something simple like filler locations, for gas and oil tanks on gasoline powered chain saws. In some of the beginning examples you simply set the saw down in its normal set position and could add the fuel mix and bar oil. Now many newer overly plasticized models you need to flip them on their sides to add the fluids. So if there is a slight leak from the cap, then of course the fluid leaks easily out.

 

[LionelHutz]

I recall installing Vista on a PC with 2G of memory and it used all the memory plus swap just to boot. Tried using it but had to go back to XP. Later installed W7 on the same PC and it used something like 500-600M of memory just to boot. That was my experience with the POS OS called Vista. Work jumped from XP to W7. I think they trialed Vista on an IT PC and refused to install it for anyone else. PCs they bought with Vista pre-installed got XP installed on them.

Never used ME, but recall lots of complaints about it.

I really haven't had any issues with the functionality of W10.

 

[spsalso]

Ah: "subscriptions"

Those didn't exist when I bought Photoshop 7 and put it on my Dell, which uses XP. Still works.



spsalso

 

[XR250]

Exactly how does a long time (since 1985) Mac user show sympathy for your situation ponder

Granted, during my professional years, I too was a slave to Microsoft Windows like many of you, but when I went home at night, I left all that behind as I returned to my macOS haven.

Exactly why I have been on a Mac since 1991. There is enough software for it to make do for my niche.

 

[TigerGuy]

Did I miss a couple versions of Windows? I sure don't think I "missed" much LOL

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Windows NT was always stable and good.

but then again it had VMS David N. Cutler involved with it.

MAc is nothing special these days, its just linux with a fancy front end. At least they have killed off appletalk. I used to put a screwdriver through the appletalk ports on the plotters in the design office to stop the macs screwing everyone else up.

 

[WinelandV]

No TiguerGuy, you didn't miss much. ME was only good for playing minesweeper on - it did that admirably. Everything else, however...

 

[JohnRBaker]

NT was the first version of Windows I ever used. This was when we first switched to PC's. Until then, we were running our software (CAD/CAE/CAM) on either mainframes like DEC or Data General, or UNIX workstations. At the time, most of us also had a Mac in our offices for things like word processing and spreadsheets. Once they ported our software to Windows, we all got a single desktop machine that ran everything. Eventually when laptops got capable enough to support our software, many of us, at least those who spent a lot of time on the road, switched to a laptop. Since at the time, the amount of disk space was limited, I hung onto my desktop system for office work and used the laptop just for running our software except when I was on the road.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[thebard3]

Windows 3.1 users sound off

Brad Waybright

The more you know, the more you know you don't know.

 

[CWB1]

MAc is nothing special these days

Giggles while using the latest professional software on a 12 year old iMac that has outlasted several PCs.

 

[JohnRBaker]

Yea, my MacBook Pro is an 'Early 2013' model and it's doing just fine. Granted, I can't go past the Catalina macOS (I'm two versions behind), but they're still updating it on a regular basis. That being said, Catalina is currently the oldest version that's still being supported so I'm OK for awhile yet, but the day will come when I'll need to start looking to replace my hardware.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[SwinnyGG]

My computer at home is a macbook pro from late 2013 (there was a mid year update in '13.. I'm on latest OS) and it runs solidworks as well as a decent workstation laptop, and runs the pro-level video, music, and photo editing applications I use without blinking. Don't sleep on 'em.

 

[TugboatEng]

I thought the GUI for Windows 3.1 was the best (simple) but the OS was plagued with compatibility issues when using slightly older software. Anybody remember boot disks?

 

[FacEngrPE]

Interesting how this talk about what's a failure revolves around computers.

Windows and PC's are both successes and failures at the same time, depending on what is important to you. Personally I think most of the failures with windows are organizational, to set up an organizations windows based networked computer systems, costs a lot of resources (not just $$) That could be called a financial failure.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

win 3.1 wasn't actually an operating system it was a front end for DOS.

And your not wrong FactEngrPE it wasn't until NT that they were truly networked. the broadcast protocols both Windows and MAC used before the swap over were truly horrendous to deal with.

 

[WinelandV]

Alistair,

If you dig into what Win 95 was doing in the background, it was essentially Dos 8. I think (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) Win XP was the first to finally take off the DOS shackles.

 

[TugboatEng]

Windows NT (New Technology) was the first standalone. NT 4.0 was the first to start to see use by the public. During the 1990's my mom worked at a company that was building computers that ran NT 4.0 on the Motorola processors used by Mac.

 

[FacEngrPE]

This is another sort of failure:

https://www.theregister.com/2022/04/22/insteon_shutdown_explained/[/URL]]Smartlabs, Inc, parent of vanished internet of things vendor Insteon, is unable to meet its financial obligations and has assigned its assets to a financial services firm to be sold.

After recently shutting down the servers supporting its smart home hub app and saying nothing to its customers or partners, the California-based firm on Wednesday evening finally got around to publishing an update to its website.

Everyone that has one of this companies devices may now have a paperweight.

 

[IRstuff]

THAT's disappointing; in the meantime, X-10, which Insteon attempted to replace, is still trucking along, apparently. At least, their website still looks alive.

However, not all of Insteon's devices are necessarily bricked, as the power-line commanded switches should still work with their controllers.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

faq731-376 forum1529 Entire Forum list

http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

 

[spsalso]

I first discovered X-10 as a problem-solver maybe 35 years ago, perhaps before it was even called X-10.

A VERY sweet system.


spsalso

 

[spsalso]

There was also a "Rex-10". It was some sort of module that would emit the sound of a barking dog, when triggered. Seemed like it would have been handy for a homemade burglar repellant.

I can't find it online anymore, so I guess it's gone. Sorta wished I'd popped for a couple.


spsalso