on 1/22/06 6:56 AM, Eric Dunbar at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > To bring out the anal retentive in me... > > Floppy disks and RAM are both measured in KB and both store the same > binary data. The one simply stores it in transient materials which > require continuous input of current whereas the other is a less > transient material where the info is stored magnetically.
I'm afraid I'm not exactly sure what point it is you're trying to establish here, (transient materials?) but perhaps some equivocation has leaked in? There are different terms for different computer components/operations because they are, well, different. When you're troubleshooting, (or explaining something to an end user) it's usually a good idea to be as exact as possible in your language so that everyone understands what is happening and why. >From a purely technical perspective, categorically equating memory to floppy (or hard drive) storage is incorrect simply because floppy/HD storage is *only* accessible through system calls and sequences of I/O instructions, _not_ through memory operations. These are two different things. >From a more meaningful "real world" end user perspective, the "simple" difference you mentioned between floppies and memory is rather a critical one. I say this as someone who had to support Mac users back in the 80s (and who has a full set of scars to verify this). These were, quite often, kids for whom using a computer was a New and Exciting Thing. When the machines they were typing their due-in-20-minutes term papers on were subjected to the occasional system crash/kicked power cord/outright power outage, they learned in a very real and meaningful way the difference between "memory" and "storage." Those faces will forever haunt me... > Extended Keyboard II*. Hands down the best keyboard ever made! I've > had numerous Extendeds and Extended IIs over the years (people throw > them away nowadays and I simply can't stand to see them go to waste) > and the Extended II was IMNSHO a slightly nicer and better quality > keyboard I wonder if someone has been brave enough to take one each of the Extended I/II keyboards to pieces and do a point-by-point comparison of the build quality? Perhaps this is one of the few cases where the later model is actually more soldly constructed than the earlier one? [shrugs] I've always been amazed at what manufacturers will do to shave pennies (literally) off of their manufacturing costs. Of course, such practice is understandable when consumers typically show a general preference for "cheapest" versus "best." [sigh] > (Apple really screwed up in the mid- to late-90s with the > el-cheapo extended and compact keyboards (well, OK, so Apple screwed > up on many fronts during that time period ;-)). Yes, the AppleDesign keyboard from around this time is a good exmple of the el-cheapo cost-cutting ethos at work. Apple went away from the trusty-dusty Alps keyswitches and got into the "mushy" rubber membrane-type keyboards. Granted, that sort of thing is okay if you have end users who don't know (or care) about the difference. For the old timers used to the snappy, responsive keyboards that Apple put out before that, though, it was a sad day indeed. > *Although, I loved the "compact" keyboard that came with the SE (same > basic design as the Apple Extended Keyboard [I]) because of its size > and the fact that it had the same responsiveness as the Extended > keyboards. I agree completely, the M0116 was definitely a well-made keyboard: http://www.farclip.com/hardware.shtml (scroll down a bit) Perhaps the kindest thing you can say about the keyboards that most end users use nowadays is: if they like what they have, great. Somehow, though, it's always struck me as ironic that more people are obsessed with having a newer/faster/shinier box on their desk rather than having the best keyboard they can afford. You know, putting some consideration and care into the *one* piece of hardware that they will spend most of their time actually coming into physical contact with. After all, you've only got one pair of hands. It would be nice if they found the experience of coming into contact with a chunk of plastic a few (hundred) thousand times a day a pleasant one. Or at least one that they can sustain over the long term. http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/wrists.html (NB: some slightly naughty language) Best, James Fraser -- Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Mac Canada info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/mac-can.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/mac-canada%40mail.maclaunch.com/>
