interesting to see employer grow
    16 years
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Our co. has grown to 6X the revenue it had when I started....it's a co where it takes a lot of employees to generate revenue, maybe 15,000 for 4 bil.
What's interesting are two things.
One, how much each individual knows--those are the small co. roots. We have people with 50, 40, 30, 20 year tenures.
But, as medium co. standards are deployed, the Dave factor kicks in.
Also, as time goes by, we are actually able to do less than what was allowed before, by policy.
For example, I am being forced to get a new laptop. I was allowed to "decline" once, so now my laptop is 4 years old, and has been out of warranty for a year (no-no in the corporate world).
My last employer used ThinkPad, so that was always my benchmark. Current employer Dell. When I started, I didn't know they were still around lol
Anyway, the Dell I'm being forced to give up is better than what's offered now. It has a ThinkPad feel as well, touchscreen which I never have used.
New one lacks the pointing stick and buttons to the outside of the "pad" if you will.
Another piece which lends to policy. In my entire career which started in the 90's, I have always been a local admin on every laptop that I was issued. Not the next one.
I told myself, hey, life has so many things to worry about, why worry about work. It does pay the bills and helps save for the future, so appreciate it for what it is. I really put my money where my mouth is....and swam even though I was on call last week. One year ago, I woulda stayed home, not even going to Lowe's to buy something for a repair...
btw when I said why worry....many people, the higher up they go, they actually worry about how much ram they have, what color, their bag, etc. It comes across as a little too much--I've seen similar people request colors of their loaner cars at the dealer. Prestige is a thing.
On the subject of laptops
I have long used Dell's, and mainly because at one time Michael Dell sat on the board for the firm where I was employed. The Dell's replaced IBM laptops, probably in the 1990's, and were found to be significantly more reliable than the IBM machines.
I never cared for the "stick" or trackpad mouse, preferring a regular mouse as a pointing device. Maybe that was due to making presentations to a group with the laptop as the source?
By the way, the generic term for that IBM TrackPoint was "mouse nipple". Perhaps that terminology had something to do with it demise, although I do see it still exists on the top of the line ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop.
John from PA
Alternate Name
By the way, the generic term for that IBM TrackPoint was "mouse nipple". Perhaps that terminology had something to do with it demise, although I do see it still exists on the top of the line ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop.
It has another not-so-acceptable name in not-so-nice society!Message me if you don't already know.
Frank DriveSmart66 37.322760, -79.511267
I’m likely aware of the not-so-acceptable term
…an interesting point is at one time, if you went into the parts list for the IBM Thinkpad, you could find four different types of caps. They were called eraser head (the default), classic dome, soft dome, and soft rim. I had secretary that liked either of the “dome” versions claiming they worked better with her long fingernails.
John from PA
found it online
By the way, the generic term for that IBM TrackPoint was "mouse nipple". Perhaps that terminology had something to do with it demise, although I do see it still exists on the top of the line ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop.
It has another not-so-acceptable name in not-so-nice society!Message me if you don't already know.
Google is my friend....but what's so bad about "pointing stick?" lol j/k I saw it, and have never heard that term before, seriously. I'm truly scared of the day when I "know it all." Always learning!
here they are
…an interesting point is at one time, if you went into the parts list for the IBM Thinkpad, you could find four different types of caps. They were called eraser head (the default), classic dome, soft dome, and soft rim. I had secretary that liked either of the “dome” versions claiming they worked better with her long fingernails.
My machines have the first one on left
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick#/media/File:Thi...
No Idea
…an interesting point is at one time, if you went into the parts list for the IBM Thinkpad, you could find four different types of caps. They were called eraser head (the default), classic dome, soft dome, and soft rim. I had secretary that liked either of the “dome” versions claiming they worked better with her long fingernails.
My machines have the first one on left
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick#/media/File:Thi...
As the only IBM computer I had was the T99 (I think it's the name as it still in the barn) had nothing like that.
What are the caps used for?
Mary
Mary, Nuvi 2450, Garmin Viago, Honda Navigation, Nuvi 750 (gave to son)
cat's tongue
Back in the 20th century the "eraser" was called a cat's tongue because it was so abrasive.
@mgarledge Alternate to a mouse
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick#/media/File:Mou....
It sat in the keyboard and by pressing on it the mouse pointer would move. It came out in 1992 and I believe the T99 predates that by abot 5 years.
John from PA
Thinking back
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick#/media/File:Mou....
It sat in the keyboard and by pressing on it the mouse pointer would move. It came out in 1992 and I believe the T99 predates that by abot 5 years.
Ok, Now that makes sense. The red caps looked like something you would put over the keys when they were just setting on the desk.
I had a Toshiba laptop many years ago. I think it had a little button on it for the mouse. Not sure but that kind of lays back in my memory.
There are so many things I have forgotten that little things trigger my brain into thinking. A part of being old
Mary
Mary, Nuvi 2450, Garmin Viago, Honda Navigation, Nuvi 750 (gave to son)
Keys
This made me think back when they put black caps over the typewriter keys to learn how to type.
johnm405 660 & MSS&T
I seem
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointing_stick#/media/File:Mou....
It sat in the keyboard and by pressing on it the mouse pointer would move. It came out in 1992 and I believe the T99 predates that by abot 5 years.
Ok, Now that makes sense. The red caps looked like something you would put over the keys when they were just setting on the desk.
I had a Toshiba laptop many years ago. I think it had a little button on it for the mouse. Not sure but that kind of lays back in my memory.
There are so many things I have forgotten that little things trigger my brain into thinking. A part of being old
Mary
to remember having a Toshiba as well. It was purchased from Lechmere. Googled it and the store dates back to 1913. In a strange way, it's odd that stores that old, for the most part, didn't survive, yet one would have thought they'd be the ones who held the advantage over newcomers like amazon etc. I would see grad school classmates exchange floppy disks with Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets, and I asked my dad why I couldn't open those spreadsheets. he tried but I didn't understand that the disks contained files, but one needed the app to be able to open them.
A long way
I used to know so much about computers. Changed out my hard drives, fans, power supply at times.
I find if I don't try to use the things I knew they are gone. My fan is making noise and I am trying to decide on opening the case up and vacuuming or maybe having to replace it or just buying a new PC.
It bad to get this old. But better than not.
Mary
Just looked up to see what this threat was originally about. Sorry for getting off track!
Mary, Nuvi 2450, Garmin Viago, Honda Navigation, Nuvi 750 (gave to son)
haha
I once knew zero, knew some, and probably not much again. I really don't care about specs on computers other than I try to buy an even generation Intel and if I can afford it, the highest processor line such as i7 prior.
I don't want a new laptop at work because inevitably there will be issues in the transition.
I feel as you do, with cars. Our newest is a 2011 and already it has tech that makes it hard to work on. Our oldest is a 2006, and it seems to be at a crossroads where some things were more modern for its time, and also difficult to work on from home (it has navigation and everything ended 12/31/22--I think it's 2001 technology and they actually went out 20 years or so and never thought there'd be any need to go beyond). It had its satellite radio antenna go bad and I needed to adapt one for it because what it uses, no longer exists.
My current laptop, old still
My current laptop, old still works fine on W10, is a Lenovo Thinkpad T420, with a TrackPoint Pointing Stick and a Touchpad. But I prefer a wireless Trackball mouse.
I have on occasion left the wireless mouse at home and used the built-in mice on the laptop. I prefer to use the touchpad, and not the little red stick, which I think is too slow.
I never get lost, but I do explore new territory every now and then.
my daily
My current laptop, old still works fine on W10, is a Lenovo Thinkpad T420, with a TrackPoint Pointing Stick and a Touchpad. But I prefer a wireless Trackball mouse.
I have on occasion left the wireless mouse at home and used the built-in mice on the laptop. I prefer to use the touchpad, and not the little red stick, which I think is too slow.
driver at home is a T450s. I bought it on my own and I think it was $1400 in 2015. It got rave reviews as a business laptop, where it's replacement the T460, did not. 450 still has a removeable, and an internal battery. The way the keyboard feels is legendary ThinkPad. The Dell I have from work today, has that feel. The new ones, do not.
During the pandemic I got a ThinkPad X390, business laptop with Win10 Pro and 3 year warranty, $649. That was a joke--the pandemic created some of these deals. It is smaller and does NOT have the T450s keyboard feel either...but is a great machine...