Bill Sux

All Windows versions that support filenames longer than 8.3 maintain a parallel directory of automatically-generated 8.3 filenames. You can see them by using the /x flag with the DIR command. It is stupid to blame the operating system for the deficiencies of the layered, 3rd party applications. But of course it is part of that favorite American pastime of sniping at MS.

Over five minutes a page the last time I used it, and I have 5 MB per second broadband.

Hello Michael,

Hasn't been that long over here but the Philips page loading is indeed quite anemic. They probably never tried it from overseas.

It is just so weird when the top brass complains to the next managerial levels about not hitting their numbers while the marketing folks appear to be asleep at the wheel.

Regards, Joerg

They should try accessing it from a third world country with a 14.4 modem and frequent disconnects. They should also base the pay the site designers on a formula based on hits that generate sales, over bandwidth costs. The faster a page loads, and the less they pay for bandwidth should be rewarded.

Some of their pages were over 300 KB just to get a link to save a PDF datasheet. Why can't they have a single page, or a small series of pages with all part numbers listed along with the data sheet and all relevant application notes and spice models? No damn mouseover BS, kill all the lousy graphics and keep the code as tight as possible.

I'm really sorry for your internet access, we all have ADSL and at least

We decided to review it in six months or so. We have more business than we can currently handle, and we'll be moving to a new building in a few months, so redesigning the web site is hardly a priority. And we're not really concerned with changing the look as we are with making it easier for people with specific needs to find interesting products.

Actually, I suspect that most people find our products by googling keywords and going directly to product pages, rather than by starting on our home page and exploring. Given that, a home page is sort of fluff. What's really important is what you can't see: all the things that get a potential customer to the product pages in the first place.

It seems to me that the more you pay a professional web designer, the more you pay, twice: his fees, and lost sales from visitors who bail. I know that when I'm searching through 2000 or so google hits, I bail from slow, flashy, or unclear web sites; I don't have 2000*30 seconds to spare.

John

My backup batch file already dumps the Firefox cache to save space and time during backups. But I have to run IE to update Windows regularly, as bugs are turned up in mass quantities, and the Microsoft Update site added all that crap.

Funny, whan I try to add a script line

del "C:\\Documents and Settings\\John Larkin\\Local Settings\\Temporary Internet Files\\*.*"

It says it can't find the path or something. I think it may have something to do with Windows spotting cookie files and deciding that I shouldn't be allowed to delete them.

Windows is such carp. Or crap. Whatever.

John

Try doing a (x)copy from one drive to another. The LFN->SFN translation will be all mucked up. It *IS* a problem with the OS. SFNs should have been scrapped when LFNs were enabled.

Whenever I install M$ Office, I select "custom" and un-check almost everything, including - nay, especially - that stupid dancing paper clip. (and/or poopy dog on training wheels, or whatever cutesy-poo animations that B!!! thinks will keep the customers cooing).

Thanks! Rich

What happens when the directory gets updated? To work at all,the LFN->SFN mapping has to be kept. There is no attempt to do this in Win (there is/was in OS/2). YOY does WinBlows put SFNs in the registry?!

Absolutely the best. Try Abuelo's in Chandler if you're ever in the neighborhood.

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

? I have 5 Mb/s on the Road Runner private fiber backbone in the US. This is fiber to a fwe blocks from my home, then it becomes fiber enhanced CATV that is quite fast anywhere in the US served by the fiber backbone. Its when you have to access something in another part of the world that things slow down.

In article , Keith Williams wrote: [...]

If the SFNs were simply something like the directory entry number, they would still serve the purpose of letting DOS programs be used without all the problems the current method leads to.

I'm streaming full screen movies from the US(800k/s) and can watch 2h without interruption or artefacts, nice. And I'm sure also your veterans will enjoy. I do not see significant speed difference across continents here, depends probably mainly on the host server and its access.

Of course I knew you had a good speed because of your address, but your logic seemed to imply a poor service point. And I enjoy a well made modern site. I do not like animations or music, but rollover pop-up help descriptions and all the links without scrolling is IMHO a convenient ease. There is that nostalgic feeling when looking at Larkins site, but as Speff said, you have to have the tools and knowledge to produce a little more sophisticated page. That's why I advised a professional web-designer. I think even Larkin has already pondered about and soon comes in a new outfit? Funny, in electronics we all agree on the circuit which has superiour specs as better, but concerning webpages a kind of ascetism seems to prevail, though we download with 300kB/s or more. To aprecciate those monospaced

Hello John,

I could not agree more. They could even statistically measure bailing by monitoring when a page download is capped. But they don't. Which doesn't surprise me...

Regards, Joerg

Hello Ban,

So you have never worked from a hotel room somewhere in the boonies? Maybe you are only staying in big cities and lodging at the Ritz Carlton.

Lots of $$. It's not about the company, it's about access in remote locations. The third world or the former third world might not matter to you but it does to the world markets. In some regions in Asia you may not have DSL or cable but they sure buy electronic parts by the truckload. However, I do not expect every large company to understand that.

Not everywhere.

Regards, Joerg

So, "to Hell with all the engineers in third world countries, aestetics over functionality for all"? And how about the guys who decided to locate in the boonies so they can have something better in their non-work hours? Broadband isn't likely to come to most of the Berkshires very soon, so anyone choosing to live and work there deserves to be treated as a second-class person because the web sites must conform to some bandwidth wasting design styles? Is that what you want to promote?

rollover pop-up help

Whereas I would rather have all the information on one TEXT page, I don't mind scrolling but I HATE being spoon-fed information. I also hate things that pop-up, or in any other way change their visual appearance with mouse motion -- TOO DAMN DISTRACTING. Your preference for "rollover pop-up" is one of the things I find terminally distracting and disgusting. And "smooth scroll" makes my stomach turn - literally. Zooming windows, sliding drop downs, (just to name a few) are all time wasting crap IMHO.

I'm not saying you should enjoy websites which may be more to my taste. But I think you should realize that these things are just that -- matters of taste, and not some Ten Commandments handed down from some blessed design gurus on high.

My wife thinks Clippy is "adorable." But then, she thinks I'm adorable. Her eyesight is even worse than mine.

John

Hello Martin,

That is usually a big turn-off, companies like that are often regarded as not serious or as some garage business without a real budget.

Ah, and they have the stuff of my youthful days, like this:

Life can be relaxed here in California as well. Looking forward to a few margaritas tonight. Maybe with that dash of Grand Marnier on top.

Regards, Joerg