computer myths and outdated terms?

[igowerf]

There a lot of computer myths and terms that don't seem to apply anymore.

1. Don't turn your computer on and off. I do that a lot when I overclock. I don't think it really applies anymore with ATX psu's.
2. Don't mix ram (i saw this in another post). I mix Micron 322 and Toshiba 332 and my system is fine.
3. Intel is the most compatible. I've heard that there are still some compatibility problems with professional software on non intel systems but it seems very rare.

Any others myths?

As for terms:
1. IBM compatible. Does anybody use that anymore? Does IBM actually make home PC's anymore?
2. Floppy disk/drive. Doesn't the word "floppy" come from the old 5.25 disks? (i still have some of those. don't have a drive anymore though) The 3.5's aren't very floppy.

Any other terms?

 

[StickHead]

Floppy applies to the actual disk inside the hard case of a 3.5" floopy disk. The is side is floppy!

 

[Frosty20]

SCSI = small computer simple interface

Simple?? Ultra 160 is simple?!! Come on!!

 

[Zeeliv]

SCSI = Small Computer System Interface

 

[Sir Fredrick]

Well, I guess we've discovered that it's a myth that SCSI stands for Small Computer Simple Interface. Though honestly I don't think many people ever thought it did...

 

[Zenmervolt]

Anyone else remember Tandy? I never experienced the TRS 80 series, so the only Tandys I remember were the crappy late 80's ones.

As far as terms:

MGGA: Multi Color Graphics Array
CGA: Color Graphics Array
EGA: Enhanced Graphics Array

Zenmervolt

 

[R0b0tN1k]

I'll challenge a few of your "myths". Leaving a computer on constantly is much easier on it...especially the moving parts in your hard drive. Turning that thing on and off is more harmful to the spindle motor than leaving it on. ATX power supply or not, turning the power on and off to certain components really doesn't help them.

Intel components really are the most compatible. They are the largest driving force in the computer industry today...everything must be compatible with it. Intel's "competitors" (AMD, VIA, etc) just aren't up to the same level of quality and dependability.

/me puts on his flame-retardent suit

 

[divinemartyr]

You know I haven't personally tested it, but some professional graphics software and audio software (for instance, digidesign's protools) specifically state certain incompatibilities with anything BUT Intel CPU's. Like I said i Havne't tested it but if the manufacturer states it, I can't imagine why they would lie. They make and test their software, especially expensive outfits such as ProTools. Why do you think I pay a small premium for intel?

divinemartyr

 

[chiwawa626]

howbout ps2 is NOT hotswappable....yes it is sorta

"Dont turn comp off with power button, drives will crash"
"Amd sucks..."hehe outdated for sure, never to be said again
"never unplug the keyboard or any cables of the computer while its on"
"if ur card or ram has gold pins, replace it with another with gold pins"
"put in ram in pairs"
"no magnets near monitor" sorta, but we got deguass

 

[H8tank]

<< Why do you think I pay a small premium for intel? >>



Uhhhm,mmmm.... because you're a moron?

 

[jpprod]

The reason why professional software and hardware developers state that &quot;Intel processor required&quot; or something in those lines is to weasel out of technical support. I'm not implying running professional software would cause more problems on an AMD processor than on Intel one, just that if a person with non-Intel CPU contacts the software company's technical support they can quickly dismiss the problem by stating &quot;We do not support non-Intel platforms&quot;.

There are tons of people running professional software on Athlon systems today simply because their performance compared to Intel counterparts is superior in many fields. Raytracing, scientific computation and CAD requiring double-precision floating point are just examples where Athlon shines compared to Intel P3/P4, a even dual-processor system.

On the other hand, there is professional hardware (some really expensive PCI sound boards for example) which for one reason or another, only works properly on motherboards with Intel chipsets. Reason for this is VIA chipsets's incapability to match Intel in concurrent PCI performance. Hopefully AMD-760 changes this situation.

 

[HellRaven]

Jpprod,

EXACTLY! I am glad there are a few of us here that understand that. Also, it has a little to do with brand recognition. The average moron has seen the blue man commercial and the dancing clean suit guys and knows and recognizes Intel's name more than AMD's.

I know plenty of professionals that still have Intel bias. Usually when I press them about why Intel is better they start to stutter and I can tell they are trying really hard to come up with a logical reason. They usually say something like better compatability or faster speed. Usually I don't even attempt to argue because I know the real reason behind it. They are more comfortable with the name and brand recognition of Intel. It is the same reason large companies usually go with Intel.

 

[cbwolf]

Anyone here remember the old Commodore 64's?
I used to have one with a whopping 32kb of RAM.

Hhehe...i still have mine actually..still works too. I also still have my 486, with a 5.25&quot; disk drive

Ahh..the good ol' days.

 

[BFG10K]

Computing myths which annoy me the most:

Windows 9x/ME can't handle more than 128 MB of RAM.
Windows 9x/ME is DOS + GUI.
Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000 is slow and bloated.
Microsoft products suck.
Microsoft is evil.

The human eye can't see more than 24/30 FPS so that's enough in 3D games.
3dfx suck.
UT is better than Quake 3.

Well OK, that last one was a bit controversial.

 

[peemo]

And screensavers actually save your &quot;screen&quot;.

 

[Pakman]

<< never unplug the keyboard or any cables of the computer while its on >>

This one still applies. Unless u got a serial or USB device. You don't wanna plug any ps/2 devices while the computer is on. It'll lock up your system or cause permanant damage to your ps/2 port.



<< put in ram in pairs >>

This still applies if your running a Pentium system with SIMM modules.

 

[bernse]

I have always, always turned off my PCs. The wife and I are still using a P200 classic that I bought new in 94-95 (ATX). I have never had a problem with it ever. I think you should turn them off, especially when you start talking about 300W power supplies now and they are sucking juice all the time, and your monitor if you leave it on 24/7. Thats a lot of power, and you will see it on your power bill.

My first computer was a C64 too, still works (turned it off all the time too

My .02

 

[Workin']

<< 1. IBM compatible. Does anybody use that anymore? Does IBM actually make home PC's anymore? >>

Yes. They are called Thinkpads. They also sell desktop PC's called Aptiva's. Those are also called junk.

I deal with Macintosh people all the time, and to them a PC is a Mac, so I have to say &quot;IBM compatible PC&quot; so they know what I am talking about.

 

[loosbrew]

heres one that really bugs me

when you increase your physical ram, you must increase your virtual memory to ...min=12megs more than physical and the max=2.5x physical!&quot;

god..they make me do that at work and it just burns my biscuits when i install 256mb ram on an old gateway2000 pII200 with a 4 gig HDD and wasting 512mb ram on the pagefile!!

loooo

oh yeah and i still have my old commodore 128/64 with the 5 1/4&quot; external drive and the big cluncky sounding *chika chika chika* type dot matrix printers...whew..it must be ten years or more since i last saw that thing in the basement, i do however use the 15 inch monitor for old nintendo and sega playing

 

[CQuinn]

The problem with most of the computer &quot;myths&quot; is that you
have to understand the context they were created in to
really be sure they are myths or not...



<< 1. Don't turn your computer on and off. >>



Nowadays, (ever since Energy Star became the standard) you can put the system
into sleep or standby to reduce energy consumption and potential wear on
parts. More people are learning to leave the system on to run some
background processing while they are away from it (RC5) - which also takes
away need or desire to turn it off. On older systems, however, there have
been cases of old power supplies starting fires when left on too long. So
you still might want to turn the system off for cleaning every now and then.



<< 2. Don't mix ram (i saw this in another post). >>



Depends on what you mean by &quot;ram&quot;. Fastpage? ECC? EDO? BEDO? SIMMs, DIMMs, SDRAM?
I have a Super7 board that has slots for SIMMs and DIMMs, doesn't mean its a good
idea to use both types at the same time.



<< 3. Intel is the most compatible. >>



You're right, ever since the Pentium floating point flaw, even Intel isn't fully
x86 compatible.


IBM does still make PCs last I checked -
http://www.pc.ibm.com/

Many people still use IBM Compatible to refer to the legacy of modern PCs having
come from the many &quot;clone&quot; manufacturers. &quot;Intel Compatible&quot; is more widely used
now to refer to x86 based systems. The X-box would be considered Intel Compatible,
but not necessarily IBM compatible.

Floppy refers to the flexible magnetic platter used for storage, so even Zip disks
can be considered as a form of floppy. BTW, I think the term came from the old
8&quot; disks that were around before 5.25&quot; became a standard.

IIRC, SCSI was an offshoot of SASI &quot;Shugart Associates System Interface&quot;, invented
by the company of the same name.



My favorite myth:

Higher Mhz = Better performance

This one becomes truer after you take the impact of the rest of the system into
account, but most people only react to the higher number, and not whether that
actually helps deliver more processing of real data.

 

[SloppyB]

Myth #45324533 - No one will ever need more than 640K of RAM.

Not really a myth...but reading this thread made me miss my Commodore Vic 20 with a whopping 1.01 MHz processor.

 

[1greatguy]

<< Floppy disk/drive. Doesn't the word &quot;floppy&quot; come from the old 5.25 disks? (i still have some of those. don't have a drive anymore though) The 3.5's aren't very floppy. >>





<< Floppy applies to the actual disk inside the hard case of a 3.5&quot; floopy disk. The is side is floppy! >>



exactly! besides, we can't call them hard disk drives, we already have those (and they are hard inside)

 

[1greatguy]

<< Not really a myth...but reading this thread made me miss my Commodore Vic 20 with a whopping 1.01 MHz processor. >>



lol, you threw in that .01 mhz wonder if we'll think of the .1 in 1.1 ghz the same way some day.

hmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[A2KLAU]

Terms:
E.U.N.U.C.H = Extreme Use of Nearly Universal Cooling Hardware

Thats the term used for extreme overclocking were you have to use a freezer to keep the CPU cool enough after OC, and stable running it!

Albert. (SKY)

 

[Moonbender]

The human eye can't see more than 24/30 FPS so that's enough in 3D games.

I still have yet to see from a reliable source that this is a myth. On the contrary, I just read in the highly respectable c't magazine that this is not a myth but the truth.

put in ram in pairs

This was necessary with some pre-SDRAM modules, like EDORAM. AFAIk, this is done to get the necessary bandwith (64 bits?), each module has one half of it.