tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276531209730408101.post7473438097581200598..comments2024-03-18T21:13:23.616-04:00Comments on Ecofrugal Living: Repair or replace?Amy Livingstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362533758291353748noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276531209730408101.post-4748780204495026962011-07-29T11:19:58.005-04:002011-07-29T11:19:58.005-04:00Until its hard drive died in May, I was running an...Until its hard drive died in May, I was running an overpowered (for when it was built) seven year old Windows 98 machine for web browsing. Karen has a similar vintage PC at work which people still use. Maybe the extra 3-4 years really makes the difference, but minutes to load web pages seems surprising. :shrugDoug Bonarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04833700146695394598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276531209730408101.post-32792132869566807022011-07-29T08:48:04.234-04:002011-07-29T08:48:04.234-04:00A ten-year-old machine that's inherently limit...A ten-year-old machine that's inherently limited by its processor speed and memory capacity, trying to cope with the demands of an Internet that, for all practical purposes, didn't exist when it was built.Amy Livingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16362533758291353748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276531209730408101.post-65229640167398502872011-07-29T06:33:50.204-04:002011-07-29T06:33:50.204-04:00As a side note, I'm now really curious about y...As a side note, I'm now really curious about your old computer. I can't figure out what would make page loading slow down like that.Doug Bonarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04833700146695394598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276531209730408101.post-71895782272938363492011-07-29T06:30:30.899-04:002011-07-29T06:30:30.899-04:00I'm not saying the mini isn't the right ch...I'm not saying the mini isn't the right choice for you. I have one too, I quite like them, and I am convinced they can be the answer to "What's the right computer for me?" I expect you'll be happy with it, and I might have suggested one.<br /><br />But,....<br /><br />You're first justification is that you "[don't] `want`" more computer. Then you named two particular virtues that computer has out of many possible virtues a computer can have. All I'm saying is that other people might `want more computer` (whatever that means) or have different factors that they weight most heavily.<br /><br />I think the computer is a good example that no-one can "pre-make" the decision for you. That product rankings or rules of thumb because you are always left wondering (as you were about the bike rankings, and the car and appliance rules-of-thumb) whether the factors they value are the same ones you value.Doug Bonarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04833700146695394598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276531209730408101.post-65481013082074797592011-07-28T17:43:38.400-04:002011-07-28T17:43:38.400-04:00Also, regarding your point about choosing a PC rat...Also, regarding your point about choosing a PC rather than a Mac: it's true that we could have had more computer for the same amount of money by choosing a PC, but we didn't *want* more computer. My new Mini is extremely energy-efficient and extremely quiet. It's also very stable, which a Windows machine would not be. The "learning curve for a new OS" was definitely not the issue (especially since this Mac does have a new version of OSX, which has necessitated buying new software, so there is still a learning curve involved). Nor was it simply a question of "pleasure" in a Mac as opposed to a PC. There were actual practical considerations involved, just as there are with the bicycle.Amy Livingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16362533758291353748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276531209730408101.post-72606641241741559762011-07-28T17:14:42.442-04:002011-07-28T17:14:42.442-04:00My computer is a good example of what?
Anyway, I ...My computer is a good example of what?<br /><br />Anyway, I can assure you that with the old Mac, I was definitely NOT the slowest component. It had reached the point where I would click on a link and then walk away and do something else for five minutes, rather than sit there waiting for the page to load. (And sometimes I'd come back and it still wouldn't be done loading.)Amy Livingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16362533758291353748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6276531209730408101.post-82976598884960035142011-07-28T12:30:08.611-04:002011-07-28T12:30:08.611-04:00I think your computer example is a very good one. ...I think your computer example is a very good one. Unless the computer fully died - and the memory comment suggests it didn't - replacement was probably not the Eco move (you are the slowest component). Almost certainly a mac mini was not the frugal move - non-Apple hardware probably was given that the learning curve for a new OS is low and incremental. I'm pretty sure it is only your frustration with the old computer and pleasure in a mac that made it the right choice. No-one else can quantify those factors. <br /><br />That said, if there was a nearby used bike, I would think that was the right thing to try 'cause looking would be low cost. W/o that, I would go with 100$ of overhaul on the old bike if its frame is still good. If the frame is bad, I would buy a new bike, but I expect there are good ones less than 500$ I spent 200$ on one for K back in grad school. Maybe that's 300 or 350$ now?Doug Bonarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04833700146695394598noreply@blogger.com