Laptop is a iBook G3/500. 10GB. DVDROM. Just picked it up a week ago.

Both are on wireless AirPort connected with a cable modem connection.

Among the software I run, I have registered licenses of:
Adobe Photoshop 6.0 (accept no substitutes)
Adobe Illustrator 7.0
Adobe PageMaker 6.5
Adobe GoLive 5.0 (very designer friendly)
Adobe LiveMotion 1.0.2
Macromedia Freehand 9
Macromedia Flash 5
Macromedia Fireworks 2
CorelDRAW 9.0
Fractal Design Painter 4.0
FlexiSign-Pro 6.5
CASmate Pro 6.52
Aries Graphics Neon Wizard 4.0
Microsoft Word 2000
Microsoft Excel 2000

I was holding a GeForce3 in my hand today. $435 US. Guy at the store has one, says it rocks.

Work =
Pentium 233 w/ 128 meg ram running WIN98
56k dialup
Creative AWE 64 Gold
Intense voodoo 3d rush (6meg)

Joe, Final Cut Pro is damn near the easiest to learn non-linear editing system I have ever seen, I have been usuing it for almost a year and a half and I have almost mastered it. I cant stand Adobe premiere its fairly difficult to use and version 6 is buggier then any of version 5.

It is actually an early form of multitasking, also known as "SneakerNet," where you move stuff around on diskettes. He keeps all client files strictly on floppy diskettes, never on hard drives, which provides added security for confidential matters. At the office or home, he'll be writing threatening letters or a pleading or brief on one computer. When done it's saved on the client disk, a process requiring standing up and moving around a little -- providing needed exercise -- then moved over to another XT which is connected to a printer. It prints while he works on something else.

As with the car, I am a computer minimalist. Currently using a Pentium 150, with 64MB RAM, which is in a large tower case with two HDD's in removable slide-out drawers. One HDD is primarily data, it comes out at nite and goes into the inner vault of my Diebold fireproof filing cabinet. With the need to preserve backwards compatibilty due to my large library of carefully-archived old software there is a dual 360k/1.2MB and 1.44 floppy drive unit, plus a internal Zip-100 drive and a fast CD read-only drive.

The most important software is further backed up by a dos utility called "DiskCopyFast!" which creates image files of diskettes on HDD; with this a replacement diskette can be created anytime needed.

These days for floppy I mostly use the zip and a couple of these disks are set for critical system backups, just pop it in and launch the bat in the root.

With RAM prices so low I'm about to add more and lotsa RAM makes a HUGE difference in performance as many of us here know, I think.

"Want your computer to fly?" Give it MEMORY!!!

I'm becoming very concerned about the worrisome direction the internet and certain infamous monopolies are taking. If certain little-publicized trends are not reversed... in 10 years from today or sooner, you will have to pay rent every month or all your software will stop. Personal HDD's will be prohibited by Federal law, and you will have to rent space on the monopoly's central system for all your files, which will be open to the gov't snoopy and Big Bu$$$iness interests.

If you want to print anything, a per-page royalty will be charged; a portion of which will go to the MPAA and the RIAA just in case you are inadvertently printing something which they say is their copyrighted property [no appeal,] that is if you are allowed to print it at all after the central monopoly looks at what you want to print and decides if you may.

{{ If Film-Techers would like to know more about some of this stuff, such as "CPRM," let me know and I can start a thread. It's gonna be heavy going and a lot to read, though. Meanwhile, I would warn -- Don't Upgrade Anything, and figger that Windows-98 is the end. }}

Anyway I am planning to install an additional very hi-tech top/line computer with a CD burner which will be exclusively for internet + audio-video stuff use and no connection to anything else. When necessary I'll transfer from internet to other computers via zip disk.

But for routine everyday & business stuff not too much will change. I use 1988-93 dos software daily, it all still works, and there's just no need to change. Netscape 4.5 is my preferred browser; and I use at&t cable modem hi-speed internet service; so I do "upgrade" but only if there is a need.

Remains my antiquarian view that many web sites have become far too hi-tech for their own good; all loaded up with too much javascript, frames and whistles&bells. The proprietors of such sites seem blissfully unaware of the fact that a person can have the fastest latest whiz-bang computer made; but if resides in a small town with lousy fone lines their site will be unusable by that person.

So "Keep It Simple Stupid" is still a good rules for web sites, as well as computers, and have a text-based section if you want to be ACCESSIBLE to EVERYBODY.

I have an iMac DV/400. I have all the necessary toys to go with it, though:
Umax scanner
HP printer.
Imation Superdisk.
JumpShot Compact Flash reader.
Que! Fire CD-RW.
Epson Digital still camera.
Cannon Digital Video Camera.

I have never had a problem finding a way to do just about anything I want to make the computer do. This includes ripping movie clips off DVDs. Honestly I don't know what people are talking about when they say there's no software for the Mac. My answer would be to take a look on the shelf of just about any computer store and see what software for the PeeSee there really is. How many different ways are there to make a program that lets you store all your wedding pictures on your computer? If it were me I'd just burn them all onto a CD and use QuickTime to turn them into a slide show.

As far as games go, I only have three of them. I have a casino game, a billiards simulation and a game of Cribbage. The only one that I play regularly is Cribbage. Honestly If I want to play a video game I'll go to one of my theatres and pay my quarter(s). Even then I only play games every once in a while. If you want MY opinion, there's nothing in this world that can beat a game of good ol' fashioned PINBALL!

-HP Deskjet 970 Cse (Beats the living hell out of every other printer in the world except for the printers that are better!)

I also have:

-Epson Photo PC 750Z Digital Still Camera (Better than everything in the world that is inferior to it).

-Canon XL1 DV Camera with all the trimmin's such as 3X wide angle lens, lens cap, and sound. (This camera beats the hell out of everything else in the world, including real life!)

Final Cut Pro is awesome! I have version 1.25 and am considering upgrading to 2.0. Adobe Premiere is not considered a professional editing program by any means.

 |  IP: Logged

 |  IP: Logged

AMD Athlon 750 Mhz CPU
Biostar M7MKE Motherboard
128 MB PC 100 Sdram
WD 20 GB Hard Drive No Partitions
LinkSys 10/100 Ethernet card
Voodoo 3500 AGP Video Card
Soundblaster Live Platinum Sound Card
SuperMicro Full Server Tower 300w P/S 6 open bays + 4 Hidden.
Floppy Drive
Creative Labs PC/DVD Encore 8
Creative Labs CDRW 8432

OS: Windows 2000 Professional

Computer 2: Scratch Built

AMD Thunderbird 1GH 266 FSB
Asus A7266 Motherboard
128 MB PC 133 SDRAM
WD 20 GB Hard Drive No Partition
LinkSys LNE 100 10/100 Ethernet Card
Soundbalster Live Platinum 5.1 card w/ Live Drive Bay
Hurcules Ultra 2 GeForce2 AGP 64MB DDR ram Video Card
Creative Labs CDWR 8432
SuperMicro Mid Tower 400W P/S 3 bays open and 3 hidden.
Floppy Drive

OS: Windows 98 Second Edition. Primamrilly a gamming P/C Specifically for Everquest. Bad A$$ Game if anyone wants my opinion.

Both Computers are running through a KVM switch to a KBS 19" Monitor. Printer is a Network shared HP 890cse Color Ink Jet. Also on the Network are my roommmates two P/C and his HP Laserjet 4si printer. Other components include a Cable Modem running to a Linksys 10/100 Router then to a Cisco 1924 Switch.