[geeks] KVM for Sun Sparc Servers with USB keyboards

[Phil Stracchino]

Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> High end factory stereos are a waste of money because even a mid-range  
> aftermarket will usually put them to shame.

Arguably true.  On the other hand, in the high-background-noise
environment of a car, I'm not expecting concert-hall reproduction in the
first place, and any decent aftermarket stereo is a theft target.  I had
aftermarket stereos stolen out of my Z28 Camaro twice.

On top of that, I hate to say this, but many aftermarket stereos are
ergonomically awful.  They have a hundred features I will either never
use or might use once to initially set them up and will then never touch
again, and they have fifty little tiny buttons to control those hundred
features.

> Also, frequently the electronic toys are idiotically tied into the  
> head unit, so it becomes a pain when you upgrade your stereo, and in  
> many cases you lose those expensive goodies.
> 
> I think it is bloody stupid for auto makers to do that.
> 
> The only regret is that I did not get the traction control system.  It  
> would have saved me a bit on car insurance.  Of course, one thing I've  
> noted is that my car sticks to the
> road very well, and you generally have to do very stupid things even  
> in the rain to make it go off-track.
> 
> However, it was only a $500 option, and I really should have gotten it.
> 
> I think it is bloody stupid that you can't add it later: all the parts  
> are there.

The REALLY stupid thing I hate about Detroit is the damned option
matrix.  To cite just one example, it was UTTERLY BARKING INSANE that on
a 1991 Z28 with a 5.7L V8, you could *not* have both the heavy-duty rear
axle *and* the four-wheel disc brakes on the same car.  On a supposedly
high performance car, you have to choose EITHER four-wheel discs OR the
heavy-duty rear axle?  And you couldn't have a stickshift with your 5.7L
V8, either.  You could have a six-speed manual with your 5.7L V8 in a
Corvette, but if you wanted that 5.7L in a Camaro, you had to settle for
a four-speed automatic.  If you wanted the five-speed manual in the
Camaro (you couldn't get the six-speed at all), you had to settle for a
5.0L.  Not because the hardware wasn't available.  Just because God
Forbid A Mere Camaro Should Ever Even APPEAR To Challenge The Corvette's
Divine Shininess.  (In fact, if you got the 5.0L, you HAD to have the
five-speed manual.  You could not order the car with the 5.0L V8 and a
four-speed automatic if the only thing you really wanted was to get a
firmer ride and better roadholding than the base Camaro model.)

And speaking of shiny, there's the bloody badge-engineering crap.  Build
a car.  Sell it as a Chevrolet.  Change some trim, install plushier
seats and carpets, sell the mechanically-exactly-the-same car as a
Buick.  Add half an acre of chrome and a little extra soundproofing, and
sell it as a Cadillac for twice the price of the Chevy.  Who's kidding
who here?

Still, badge engineering has its uses.  The Cadillac badge makes a great
more-money-and-vanity-than-sense indicator.



-- 
  Phil Stracchino, CDK#2     DoD#299792458     ICBM: 43.5607, -71.355
  alaric at caerllewys.net   alaric at metrocast.net   phil at co.ordinate.org
         Renaissance Man, Unix ronin, Perl hacker, Free Stater
                 It's not the years, it's the mileage.