No PCI Express Please...
Who remembers the "old" days of PC's? When computers were propriarity abominations that could require entire makeovers or replacement if one part died? Then, for the last 10 or so years, the computer industry actualy LISTENED to their consumers... we like this, we don't like that... so there was no issue... we needed a better video pipeline that can handle 3D, so AGP was born.. we wanted faster bandwidth for our newdie newdie nakie nakie, so Broadband was rolled out. Well, with the introduction of PCI-E, I belive that the computer industry is going back to their roots of putting out what they want to, and dam the consumer.
Now, I will say that every trade magazine I read is pumped up with PCI-E, but what's that mean? They get demo samples and get more demo samples if they are nice in their reviews to the product, so how is this any good to the consumer? AGP is still a viable product, yet I've seen it declared dead in magazine after magazine, even though they admit that the only benefit is the amount of power on tap for the slot and the wide pipline, and that there is little that will take advantage of the arcitecture for many years to come. Again, So how is this any good? Users are still buying AGP products, and (hopefully) will push PCI-E out, but not likely... we're back in the day of the Packard-Bell (othewise know as the Edsel of computing hardware by those in the know).
Why are we back in the day of the hardware that the industry tells us we want? Simply, because there are more and more users with a small slice of knowledge who are no longer listening to those who work day in and day out with the technology. It used to be that a person would have to ask their knowledgable friend about what to buy, and would listen, but with easier and easier components to install, people with less and less knowledge are building their own computers. No longer do you have to ask a friend to help you out, all you need to do is purchase enough of the products involved, and each one comes with a friendly install sheet. Processors to Water Cooling systems, that used to be the domain of the knowledgable are all now fair game for the High School kid who has a screwdriver, and with this, we have gone from people with experience building PC's to everyone who has spare cash and free time labeling themselves as an system builder... Well I say ENOUGH! It's time for the industry to just improve on what they already have and cut out the crap... why couldn't AGP have another itteration that included a few extra pins for power and pipeline included? That way I could move my new Radion from an older PC to one that has AGP 16 with the option to buy a new card later... No, it's new form instead... yet another issue that makes me crazy. Even PC modification had been corupted by the weekend warrior with a dremil... My little brother worked for months to fit his custom window to his case, but now all you need is a pencil, some masking tape and a jigsaw, and if you screw it up, well, they will happily sell you a new case side... AAAARGH!
I've had it proposed to me that this is an effort to "Revive" the computer hardware industry, but this isn't going to happen... Remember when telephones were still obscure? No, neither do I, but they went from being a tool to a lifestyle, and when they became a lifestyle, they also became propriarity... you would have to buy or more likely lease the phone from the phone company... and people suffered, till they finally came back around and realized that even though a lifestyle, they were also a tool... this resulted in every body in the world producing phones for sale. When that happened, we all got a reprive from the bad phones leased by the telco's, and phone technology was finally driven by the consumer wants, not what you were told you would have. This needs to happen to the IT industry, we don't need to be told what we want, we already know, and would like it in the best shape possible, till some newer technology comes along that requires it, and from what I can tell... Doom and HalfLife 2 run just fine on AGP. Thank you very much, now get your crapy little slot out of my face....
TTFN
P.S. Unless you can tell me that PCI-E will produce and support holographic display.. then sign me up. Yeah HeadCrabs in 4D!!! W00T!!!
P.P.S Same with Websites... No, just because you can create a brochure in Word should you label yourself a Webmaster... Shame on you... Frontpage back-ally creatns... if you can't configure Apache in one evening you are just a office schmow... not a Webmaster
Now, I will say that every trade magazine I read is pumped up with PCI-E, but what's that mean? They get demo samples and get more demo samples if they are nice in their reviews to the product, so how is this any good to the consumer? AGP is still a viable product, yet I've seen it declared dead in magazine after magazine, even though they admit that the only benefit is the amount of power on tap for the slot and the wide pipline, and that there is little that will take advantage of the arcitecture for many years to come. Again, So how is this any good? Users are still buying AGP products, and (hopefully) will push PCI-E out, but not likely... we're back in the day of the Packard-Bell (othewise know as the Edsel of computing hardware by those in the know).
Why are we back in the day of the hardware that the industry tells us we want? Simply, because there are more and more users with a small slice of knowledge who are no longer listening to those who work day in and day out with the technology. It used to be that a person would have to ask their knowledgable friend about what to buy, and would listen, but with easier and easier components to install, people with less and less knowledge are building their own computers. No longer do you have to ask a friend to help you out, all you need to do is purchase enough of the products involved, and each one comes with a friendly install sheet. Processors to Water Cooling systems, that used to be the domain of the knowledgable are all now fair game for the High School kid who has a screwdriver, and with this, we have gone from people with experience building PC's to everyone who has spare cash and free time labeling themselves as an system builder... Well I say ENOUGH! It's time for the industry to just improve on what they already have and cut out the crap... why couldn't AGP have another itteration that included a few extra pins for power and pipeline included? That way I could move my new Radion from an older PC to one that has AGP 16 with the option to buy a new card later... No, it's new form instead... yet another issue that makes me crazy. Even PC modification had been corupted by the weekend warrior with a dremil... My little brother worked for months to fit his custom window to his case, but now all you need is a pencil, some masking tape and a jigsaw, and if you screw it up, well, they will happily sell you a new case side... AAAARGH!
I've had it proposed to me that this is an effort to "Revive" the computer hardware industry, but this isn't going to happen... Remember when telephones were still obscure? No, neither do I, but they went from being a tool to a lifestyle, and when they became a lifestyle, they also became propriarity... you would have to buy or more likely lease the phone from the phone company... and people suffered, till they finally came back around and realized that even though a lifestyle, they were also a tool... this resulted in every body in the world producing phones for sale. When that happened, we all got a reprive from the bad phones leased by the telco's, and phone technology was finally driven by the consumer wants, not what you were told you would have. This needs to happen to the IT industry, we don't need to be told what we want, we already know, and would like it in the best shape possible, till some newer technology comes along that requires it, and from what I can tell... Doom and HalfLife 2 run just fine on AGP. Thank you very much, now get your crapy little slot out of my face....
TTFN
P.S. Unless you can tell me that PCI-E will produce and support holographic display.. then sign me up. Yeah HeadCrabs in 4D!!! W00T!!!
P.P.S Same with Websites... No, just because you can create a brochure in Word should you label yourself a Webmaster... Shame on you... Frontpage back-ally creatns... if you can't configure Apache in one evening you are just a office schmow... not a Webmaster
posted by RP Woods at 12:10 AM
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