ACA Expansion Alternatives?

[demolition]

Originally Posted by E-Penguin

Interesting tip, although it seems a bit extreme. A disable jumper would have been nice.

If there had been a jumper, people would try it without reading the manual and likely kill off some expensive accelerator they had installed.. Yes, as a general rule, expect your users to be stupid and/or ignorant. It is just safer that way.

At least when you need to do a more invasive procedure, you are more likely to double-check what you're doing is right.

[BadHatGamer]

Originally Posted by demolition

Yes, as a general rule, expect your users to be stupid and/or ignorant. It is just safer that way.

Its that line of thinking that put both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs in pole position.........

You know what I mean, like "we dont want users to crash our OS out of
stupidity, so we'll make it crash itself out of intent to self-manage instead".

Ideas like "end-to-end vendor control" (thanks Mr. Jobs!) are by-products of a lack
of interest in USER control that has grown over the years like cancer. Anyone remember
the dark ages when you vitually needed a university degree just to operate a computer?

The lesson here is that stupid people will continue to be stupid until they are
allowed to screw up badly enough to realize their stupidity and act to remedy it.
It should be generally assumed that people are intelligent enough to read and/or
ask questions before attempting something they don't fully understand.

If a user doesn't bother to read a manual on how to operate a device they
own and bricks said device as a result, Who is responsible? The vendor?

Of course not. Shoulda read the manual - and failing that, shoulda posted
their questions on some amiga forum.

[E-Penguin]

Originally Posted by demolition

If there had been a jumper, people would try it without reading the manual and likely kill off some expensive accelerator they had installed..

Ah, a jumper and a strongly worded warning sticker then!

[demolition]

Originally Posted by BadHatGamer

It should be generally assumed that people are intelligent enough to read and/or ask questions before attempting something they don't fully understand.

If a user doesn't bother to read a manual on how to operate a device they
own and bricks said device as a result, Who is responsible? The vendor?

Of course not. Shoulda read the manual - and failing that, shoulda posted
their questions on some amiga forum.

In an ideal world yes, but in reality a manufacturer/reseller will spend a lot of time (and thus money) on those customers that did not bother to read the manual so it is a good investment to help the customer to not make the bad choice to begin with.

People expect today that most stuff is 'fool-proofed' and that they can just start using it without reading anything. Since that is what people expect, then you have to make it so or the product will fail to meet expectations and the buyer will get a bad experience.

If you walk across the road in a pedestrian crossing and gets hit by a car, then it doesn't really matter much that in the eyes of the law the car is to blame, as you are still the one taking the hit.

Originally Posted by E-Penguin

Ah, a jumper and a strongly worded warning sticker then!

If you look at many of their products, you see that they are not strangers to printing warnings and exclamation marks.

[BadHatGamer]

Originally Posted by demolition

In an ideal world yes, but in reality a manufacturer/reseller will spend a lot of time (and thus money) on those customers that did not bother to read the manual so it is a good investment to help the customer to not make the bad choice to begin with.

Wait, how exactly is this the vendor's problem? Vendors are retail businesses not institutions of learning.
They provide a product with relevant documentation. Thats enough. Its up to the buyer to do their
homework. Even the evil Ebay won't accept "user ignorance" as an acceptable
excuse for a buyer wanting a return or refund.

Originally Posted by demolition

People expect today that most stuff is 'fool-proofed' and that they can just start using it without reading anything. Since that is what people expect, then you have to make it so or the product will fail to meet expectations and the buyer will get a bad experience.

So should restaurants start handing out bibs to every customer so they never
have to bother learning how to properly use a knife and fork? Of course not.
It is assumed that one understands basic human etiquette. Why? Because
virtually every intelligent free-thinking human being over the age of two years does.

Society tends to frown upon those who are too ignorant to learn basic etiquette.
Unfortunately, society panders to ignorance - when it should be discouraging it.

Originally Posted by demolition

If you walk across the road in a pedestrian crossing and gets hit by a car, then it doesn't really matter much that in the eyes of the law the car is to blame, as you are still the one taking the hit.

Yes, but if you survive its the driver's wallet that is the one taking a hit.........with a lawsuit.
And if you're dead, then it doesn't really matter to you anyway, does it?

Jokes aside though, how does this even begin to apply to the ignorance of consumerism?

[demolition]

Originally Posted by BadHatGamer

Wait, how exactly is this the vendor's problem? Vendors are retail businesses not institutions of learning.

Because if you turn down a customer on the basis that they are at fault themselves, you probably lose a future customer. That might not be so bad seeing as how troublesome this particular customer may be, but then he/she could influence their friends and family to not take their business to you. It might also end in a bad review online, turning away even more people. And finally, this particularly customer could make a big fuss about it and then something that could have been mitigated by simply sorting out the problem even though you didn't have to, now turns into a much bigger thing that you now need to deal with. I have seen countless examples of this happen, and particularly in these FB-times it is very easy for people to make a big deal out of something minor when they feel mistreated.

[BadHatGamer]

Originally Posted by demolition

Because if you turn down a customer on the basis that they are at fault themselves, you probably lose a future customer. That might not be so bad seeing as how troublesome this particular customer may be, but then he/she could influence their friends and family to not take their business to you. It might also end in a bad review online, turning away even more people. And finally, this particularly customer could make a big fuss about it and then something that could have been mitigated by simply sorting out the problem even though you didn't have to, now turns into a much bigger thing that you now need to deal with. I have seen countless examples of this happen, and particularly in these FB-times it is very easy for people to make a big deal out of something minor when they feel mistreated.

You're not turning down a customer. You're just not getting involved in what isn't your concern.
A customer is someone who buys something from a seller. That's it. Why is there this self-entitled
notion in society that once you buy a belt from a department store they are locked into making sure
you don't fashion a noose out of, and hang yourself with their belt?

I mean seriously, when did simply thinking coherently for one's own self become a topic for debate?

And besides - as hobbyists and tinkerers, we of all people should know the potential benefits of
wrecking stuff so we know what not to do in future endeavors. Its how we grow and its where
we get most of our spare parts when money is tight.

I've bricked plenty of embedded devices and x86 garbage in my time, and my only regret was
killing a perfectly good PowerMac G4 that I should have installed MorphOS on instead.
The guy I bought it from for peanuts didn't care what I did with it. Neither did I at the time really.

And who else is going to be buying Amiga stuff in this day and age, besides hobbyists and tinkerers - really?

[E-Penguin]

Caveat emptor is dead as a concept in this day and age. Even if the law doesn't regulate stupidity, the power of a bad review on social media means it is commercially necessary to stop people doing stupid things with a product.

[BadHatGamer]

Originally Posted by E-Penguin

Caveat emptor is dead as a concept in this day and age. Even if the law doesn't regulate stupidity, the power of a bad review on social media means it is commercially necessary to stop people doing stupid things with a product.

I've always thought "Buyer beware" a rather paranoid phrase. How about "Putat acquirendi ante"?

So theres one or two bad morons bad-mouthing your business on the net. Anyone with half a brain between their ears can weigh this against whatever good reviews are circulating as well. I'm sure you did the same before investing in most of your own Amiga hardware - just as you did while choosing which brand of [insert product here] to buy, or before buying a car, or a house, or a.....well you get the idea.

Look at any decent Ebay seller for example, and you're garanteed to see at least a couple of idiots leaving negative feedback next to a flood of A-pluses. What does that tell you in comparison to the loser seller who has 75% negative?

A stupid customer would disregard the above deductions. These types of people deserve their failures. Unfortunately, society instead rewards the idiot for making idiot choices, by offering them a discount on their next purchase.

To me this sounds dangerously close to bribery, or "hush money". Why should any business owner be so terrified of an idiot?



Putat acquirendi ante!

[BadHatGamer]

Ok so I thought I'd throw up an update/conclusion to the original topic.

Originally Posted by demolition

If you want a plain classic machine, just get a 2nd Amiga (or more like I have).

But.....but.....but.....Dammit! I only have ONE man cave!

Originally Posted by E-Penguin

On topic - I've talked myself into getting an A590 scsi hard disk + 2Mb fast ram in lieu of an ACAsomething or HC508. It's neither a practical or economical option.

I mentioned earlier in the thread that the A590s are "damn illusive" down in Ozland.
I take that back, as I just recently managed to bag one insanely cheap.
Only issue was the original XT hard drive was busted and the owner assumed it to be dead.
I had another SCSI drive lying about to test it with and - bugger me - it worked.
The controller itself and casing are in pristine condition. No ram though, but I got some
ram chips on the way. Might even invest in a SCSI to microSD adapter
for the sake of longevity for the A590, as micro SD cards are far easier to replace than
old SCSI drives smaller than 512mb.

Woohoo! (X 10000)

This was after I received my ACA1233n @ 40mhz + 128mb RAM, which is awesome.
How I'm going to use up 128mb RAM on an A500 is beyond me though. Overkill.

Now if only someone would invent an expansion slot double adapter so i can
slot my ACA500+ and ACA1233n vertically between the A500 and A590.....

I must be crazy.