Author Topic: The computing stuff rant thread (Read 403944 times)

Biggsy · « **Reply #125 on:** 06 May, 2014, 10:53:53 pm »

Quote from: Wombat on 06 May, 2014, 09:55:59 pm

And why does it copy to the laptop's SSD at around twice the speed anything will copy to or from the desktop's OCZ Revodrive PCI-E hybrid drive which claims a transfer speed twice that of the SATA SSD? In both cases they are reading to or from the same USB3 stick. that Revodrive is kack, its going in the bin. I'd ditch it now, but I've blown a lot of money on the laptop. Now, it did have a warranty, even though it was refurbished. Can I just send it back as failing to meet the specs? It seems to be acting like it doesn't have an SSD strapped to the back of the hard disk.

The motherboard could be crippling it, even if it's supposed to be compatible. For a start, something like "PCIe x4" should appear during boot up. My Revodrive in an Asus P7P55D-E only gets x1 on a cold boot, or x2 after resuming from standby. I have to reset the PC to get the full four lanes.

And it's limited to 2.5GT/s, halving the top speed. Still, it's a First World problem to complain about 735 MB/s.

(Mine's a full SSD version rather than hybrid).

Wombat · « **Reply #126 on:** 07 May, 2014, 01:33:56 pm »

I'll check what it says on bootup. It should be a pretty whizzy mobo, what I bought to replace the P7P55D I had, which is now rehomed. I'll recheck for latest drivers etc, too. Its definitely the weak point on what should be a seriously fast PC.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #127 on:** 12 May, 2014, 12:33:28 am »

Aaaaaaarrrrgh! Either I'm too old-skool for my own good or this fucking thing is not fit for purpose

And where the fuck are the equivalent of the arrow keys? And why does it require me to hammer away at the screen like a drugged-up woodpecker just to close a fucking tab?

iPad? iCrap, more like

pcolbeck · « **Reply #128 on:** 12 May, 2014, 03:32:31 pm »

Take a deep breath and don't treat it like a PC it isnt a PC its a tablet.

The iPAD is many things, locked into to teh Apple Ecosystem, and overpriced for example but crap it isn't.

You need to learn the gestures rather than looking for arrow keys. Swipe up and down to scroll and three finger pinch to background an app.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #129 on:** 12 May, 2014, 03:47:51 pm »

On current form I am more likely to treat it as a paperweight $:-\$ Also I've had enough pills in the last three months to satisfy my tabletty needs for the remainder of my life, so what Dr Larrington had in mind when she thought "my brother has consumed his own not-inconsiderable mass in chlordiazepoxide since his birthday so I will cheer him up by giving him a tablet" I wot not

It would help if it were supplied with something a little more comprehensive than a wossname the size of a playing card, which only tells you how to turn it on. Even the online TFM leaves something to be desired, like the pommel of a broadsword applied vigorously to the head of its author.

Three finger pinch? I thought that was something perfected by Mr Spock...

TimC · « **Reply #130 on:** 12 May, 2014, 04:08:15 pm »

You'll get there, Mr L. The iPad is a lovely device. It has some limitations, but far fewer than you'd think. It is different to a computer, and once you accept that and work with it rather than try and make it work with you, it'll fall into place. There are some websites that don't play nice with tablets (or phones), but that's their fault, not the device's.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #131 on:** 12 May, 2014, 05:12:17 pm »

Are you musical at all Mr L ? If you like guitar or keyboards there is a huge amount of fun stuff for the iPAD most of which is very cheap. Hours of endless fun playing with synths etc.

CrinklyLion · « **Reply #132 on:** 12 May, 2014, 06:28:00 pm »

Give it to a small child to play with, and watch attentively. It's like the Modern equivalent of the video machines of our youth...

nicknack · « **Reply #133 on:** 12 May, 2014, 07:33:05 pm »

On the other hand...

Why the fuck is working with audio such a pain in Linux?

Fucking useless jack.

A few days ago, after a month or two of actually working, jack decides,"Enough is enough, I'm not doing it anymore." This is on the PC running Mint. Ok, I thinks, I'll use this one that's on Ubuntu, it's always been fine. But not now. "Sorry", says jack, "I'm not playing on this one either".

Back to fucking Windows and Cubase.

Kim · « **Reply #134 on:** 12 May, 2014, 10:48:54 pm »

Quote from: nicknack on 12 May, 2014, 07:33:05 pm

On the other hand...

Why the fuck is working with audio such a pain in Linux?

Fucking useless jack.

Because every couple of years someone (presumably with clever reasons that make sense at the time) decides to reinvent the whole stack from scratch. So it's never quite finished, and application support is a mess.

Vince · « **Reply #135 on:** 22 May, 2014, 11:44:09 am »

XML Spy - Thank you for the really useless error message related to validating XML against a schema:

Quote

Sample.xml is not valid.
   Element <Delivery> is not allowed under element <Report>.
      Reason: The following elements are expected at this location (see below)
         <Success>
         <Delivery>
         <Error>
      Error location: Report / Delivery

I have a suspicion this namespace related, but it would be nice if you told me!

Pickled Onion · « **Reply #136 on:** 22 May, 2014, 12:13:41 pm »

You also get that same useless message when the correct order is required

Vince · « **Reply #137 on:** 23 May, 2014, 09:33:08 am »

Quote from: Vince on 22 May, 2014, 11:44:09 am

XML Spy - Thank you for the really useless error message related to validating XML against a schema:

Quote
Sample.xml is not valid.
   Element <Delivery> is not allowed under element <Report>.
      Reason: The following elements are expected at this location (see below)
         <Success>
         <Delivery>
         <Error>
      Error location: Report / Delivery

I have a suspicion this namespace related, but it would be nice if you told me!

Turns out to be a bug in the XML validator. Even though a default namespace is added to the root. it has to be explicitly put infront of the root tag. This is only an issue where a second schema is imported that uses a different target namespace.

Biggsy · « **Reply #138 on:** 25 May, 2014, 02:50:05 pm »

Plastic tool-free push fittings on CPU coolers. Is it just me, or are these things shit - fiddly and prone to failing after three or four uses?

Using nuts and bolts instead would need access to the motherboard underside, but us punters don't seem to be trusted to not overtighten them anyway.

Kim · « **Reply #139 on:** 25 May, 2014, 02:51:37 pm »

Quote from: Biggsy on 25 May, 2014, 02:50:05 pm

Plastic tool-free push fittings on CPU coolers. Is it just me, or are these things shit - fiddly and prone to failing after three or four uses?

It's not just you, but the vast majority of CPU coolers are fitted once.

perpetual dan · « **Reply #140 on:** 04 June, 2014, 02:35:04 pm »

Grumbling while I work up to a rant...
Got my new Matrox box for smearing my laptop video out across multiple proper screens.
Except it doesn't. I just get one screen working and another blank. Swap the ports over and the other screen works, but that wasn't really the idea. The box can see two screens but is declining to use both at once. And technical support seems to be in another time zone.

Biggsy · « **Reply #141 on:** 04 June, 2014, 03:19:40 pm »

I've now fitted a new CPU cooler with a single quick-release lever type fitting, but unlike with bike wheel QRs, you can't adjust this thing to adjust the pressure on the CPU to make up for real-world difference from the theoretical perfection it's designed for.

tiermat · « **Reply #142 on:** 04 June, 2014, 03:22:19 pm »

iTunes 11, you blow goats!

Why do you insist on scanning ALL the music in my collection each time you start up?

I think I might just swap to Media Monkey.

Jaded · « **Reply #143 on:** 04 June, 2014, 03:33:54 pm »

Micro$haft. I have a license for XP. My VM is filled with treacle, so I wish to create a new one. The workig, active code won't activate XP, it is invalid, apparently. And be says they don't support XP any more the phone line authorisation bloke wouldn't do anything.
Yes, I know I could buy Win 7. Thing is, I've got a proper, full price eye-gouging copy of Win 8. I just want a lean, basic install of windows to do lean basic things. I'm not paying for that, I've already paid for it.

With their two biggest rivals giving OSs away, M$ must be leaching non-corporate users at an alarming rate.

barakta · « **Reply #144 on:** 04 June, 2014, 08:36:25 pm »

I reinstalled XP on my laptop. It won't hack Win7 and Win8 is a bit like Vista aka I won't use it cos it's evil. I don't use proper OSes which pretend they are for tablets on principle!

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #145 on:** 13 June, 2014, 12:16:47 pm »

Book Crawler! If I tell you that a book is by Iain M. Banks and not Iain Banks, then I expect you to take notice when I tap "Save".

And not slyly to reinstate Iain Banks as a co-author when my back is turned.

And the same goes for the translators of FOREIGN books.

Edit: I think I have sussed this. Is it obvious how to do it?

No. No, it isn't. Bah!

Afasoas · « **Reply #146 on:** 15 June, 2014, 06:30:39 pm »

PC manufacturers and drivers.

With some manufactures (I'm looking at your right now Acer) you provide a model serial number and yet still they give you a choice of four possible drivers for a number of devices.
Why can't you record the exact specification for a given machine and spew out the exact driver instead of Realtek, Aetheros, Broadcom and a.n. other alternatives?

And whilst we're on the subject, how about one single package with all the drivers in? Saves instigating multiple small downloads and awaiting for available sockets before they can all begin.

Eh thank you.

Kim · « **Reply #147 on:** 15 June, 2014, 08:47:10 pm »

Quote from: Afasoas on 15 June, 2014, 06:30:39 pm

And whilst we're on the subject, how about one single package with all the drivers in? Saves instigating multiple small downloads and awaiting for available sockets before they can all begin.

They used to do this. It was called a "driver CD".

Biggsy · « **Reply #148 on:** 15 June, 2014, 09:37:41 pm »

Quote from: Afasoas on 15 June, 2014, 06:30:39 pm

And whilst we're on the subject, how about one single package with all the drivers in? Saves instigating multiple small downloads and awaiting for available sockets before they can all begin.

Hear hear and here here. You're also supposed to reset the machine after each individual driver install as well. (I don't).

Afasoas · « **Reply #149 on:** 15 June, 2014, 10:45:11 pm »

Ditto. I tend to group them together.