<wm_walsh@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:d2d354e0-19f8-4bb9-94dc-ae8aa2996143@y38g2000hsy.googlegroups.com...
> It does seem that a lot of their newest systems do away with the basic
> ports...the only survivor being a parallel port. At least that's what
> I saw with an Optiplex 740 that I recently set up. Otherwise, the
> OP740 is a very nice computer.
The Vostro systems we've been getting in don't even have the
parallel port.
On Wed, 14 May 2008 20:54:54 GMT, "Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com>
wrote:
>They risk losing me as a customer. I realize they own Alienware, but as
>far as I know, I can't go to support.dell.com for Alienware support. I
>know and use and like the Dell support site. I have all Dells in my
>house so I DON'T have to deal with another support site.
>
>Tom
They will lose me as a customer too. If Dell stopped making the
equivalent of the XPS 410/420 line I might consider building my own
computer.
I use a ThinkPad now and no Dell laptop but I still like the Latitude
line and would recommend it to anyone. Dell's support with web
downloads of drivers IMO is better than Lenovo's method, and Lenovo
support (based on web reviews) is not as good as Dell's. I just
prefer the ThinkPad hardware slightly more.
It will be interesting to see what the new Vostro and Latitude laptops
are like. I think with the Latitudes Dell has a chance of competing
head on hardware-wise against Lenovo. In a few leaked pictures it
looks like the new Latitudes will have a metal hinge -- I hope so.
"Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:68F183FFB25C410A8C28FD0401155768@M2010...
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: S.Lewis [mailto:Gossamer@interesting.com]
>> Posted At: Tuesday, May 13, 2008 9:30 AM
>> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
>> Conversation: XPS line is going, going,....
>> Subject: Re: XPS line is going, going,....
>>
>>
>> "WSZsr" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:482999b7$0$3383$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
>> > According to this morning's WSJ, Dell is phasing out its XPS line
>> because
>> > it cannibalizes Alienware systems!
>>
>>
>> I'd be a little bit surprised if they did that. I can see where the
>> Alienware boxes would likely have a greater profit % per system,
> maybe.
>> I
>> know that the XPS line was a one time Dell's most profitable model (by
>> unit).
>>
>> Sounds like someone is thinking that they can lop headcount for the
>> dedicated XPS support along with other costs (manufacturing, etc.)
>>
>> The only thing that strikes me about this is that if they did cease
> the
>> XPS
>> line, not all of those gaming/performance enthusiasts would
>> automatically
>> gravitate to Alienware.
>>
>> I'd always thought of the XPS gaming line as perhaps the most
>> prominent/visible offered by any major OEM out there.
>>
>> Who knows.
>
> They risk losing me as a customer. I realize they own Alienware, but as
> far as I know, I can't go to support.dell.com for Alienware support. I
> know and use and like the Dell support site. I have all Dells in my
> house so I DON'T have to deal with another support site.
>
> Tom
>
It appears to be a short-sighted decision imo, Tom.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tom Lake [mailto:tlake@twcny.rr.com]
> Posted At: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 5:08 PM
> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
> Conversation: XPS line is going, going,....
> Subject: Re: XPS line is going, going,....
>
>
>
> <wm_walsh@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:d2d354e0-19f8-4bb9-94dc-
> ae8aa2996143@y38g2000hsy.googlegroups.com...
>
> > It does seem that a lot of their newest systems do away with the
> basic
> > ports...the only survivor being a parallel port. At least that's
what
> > I saw with an Optiplex 740 that I recently set up. Otherwise, the
> > OP740 is a very nice computer.
>
> The Vostro systems we've been getting in don't even have the
> parallel port.
>
> Tom Lake
Most computers don't. I don't think I've had a Dell with one for
awhile. It's a legacy port -- dead,dead,dead
"Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:84BCCE917EAF43FEA4028E46373B4FDD@M2010...
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Tom Lake [mailto:tlake@twcny.rr.com]
>> Posted At: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 5:08 PM
>> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
>> Conversation: XPS line is going, going,....
>> Subject: Re: XPS line is going, going,....
>>
>>
>>
>> <wm_walsh@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:d2d354e0-19f8-4bb9-94dc-
>> ae8aa2996143@y38g2000hsy.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> > It does seem that a lot of their newest systems do away with the
>> basic
>> > ports...the only survivor being a parallel port. At least that's
> what
>> > I saw with an Optiplex 740 that I recently set up. Otherwise, the
>> > OP740 is a very nice computer.
>>
>> The Vostro systems we've been getting in don't even have the
>> parallel port.
>>
>> Tom Lake
>
> Most computers don't. I don't think I've had a Dell with one for
> awhile. It's a legacy port -- dead,dead,dead
The Optiplex 330's we bought a couple of months ago still had a parallel
port on it to my surprise and delight when it came to replacing a
secretary's PC that had a Deskjet 950 attached to it.
In news:OZOdne8WYufi3rHVnZ2dnUVZ_siknZ2d@giganews.com ,
Timothy Drouillard typed on Thu, 15 May 2008 10:06:40 -0400:
> "Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:84BCCE917EAF43FEA4028E46373B4FDD@M2010...
>> Most computers don't. I don't think I've had a Dell with one for
>> awhile. It's a legacy port -- dead,dead,dead
>
> The Optiplex 330's we bought a couple of months ago still had a
> parallel port on it to my surprise and delight when it came to
> replacing a secretary's PC that had a Deskjet 950 attached to it.
They sell USB to serial and parallel adapters. I have used them before
and they work fine most of the time. :-D
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Timothy Drouillard [mailto:timdrouillard@comcast.net]
> Posted At: Thursday, May 15, 2008 9:07 AM
> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
> Conversation: XPS line is going, going,....
> Subject: Re: XPS line is going, going,....
>
>
> "Tom Scales" <tjscales@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:84BCCE917EAF43FEA4028E46373B4FDD@M2010...
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Tom Lake [mailto:tlake@twcny.rr.com]
> >> Posted At: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 5:08 PM
> >> Posted To: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
> >> Conversation: XPS line is going, going,....
> >> Subject: Re: XPS line is going, going,....
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> <wm_walsh@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> >> news:d2d354e0-19f8-4bb9-94dc-
> >> ae8aa2996143@y38g2000hsy.googlegroups.com...
> >>
> >> > It does seem that a lot of their newest systems do away with the
> >> basic
> >> > ports...the only survivor being a parallel port. At least that's
> > what
> >> > I saw with an Optiplex 740 that I recently set up. Otherwise, the
> >> > OP740 is a very nice computer.
> >>
> >> The Vostro systems we've been getting in don't even have the
> >> parallel port.
> >>
> >> Tom Lake
> >
> > Most computers don't. I don't think I've had a Dell with one for
> > awhile. It's a legacy port -- dead,dead,dead
>
> The Optiplex 330's we bought a couple of months ago still had a
> parallel
> port on it to my surprise and delight when it came to replacing a
> secretary's PC that had a Deskjet 950 attached to it.
>
> >
Makes sense that the business line still has them. Dell promises much
slower refreshes there.
> In my opinion, the Dimension 9200/ XPS 410 case is vastly superior.
> The D8400 case stops opening and closing well as it ages.
I like the way they look, and my Dimension 8300 (while giving me grief
for the longest time in terms of performance) has never shown any sign
of deterioration in the "hinge" that holds the two case halves
together. It's been opened and closed many hundreds of times since
2004.
I think the Dimension 9200 looks ugly.
I agree that they could have designed the 8300/8400 case better, or at
least used a more conventional "the side of the case comes off"
design. This is mainly because I hate having to lift the rear of the
system unit up to push in the bottom latch.
> Why would you want an AMD?
1. I'm still reeling from the late model Pentium 4's less than
spectacular performance and incredible heat output. (Yes, Prescott P4,
I'm talking about you!)
2. I've run AMD for years (since the 486 at least) and never been
unhappy. (Though they did have me going pretty good when I tried and
failed to find drivers for the ATI/AMD 690 chipset recently.)
3. To a certain extent, I guess I like supporting the "underdog".
4. Personal preference. I like the AMD parts and always have.
> Most computers don't. I don't think I've had a Dell with one for
> awhile. It's a legacy port -- dead,dead,dead
But should it be?
I realize the serial, parallel, PS/2 and to a lesser extent 15-pin
analog VGA ports are old news. There is something to be said for each
connector being unique, however. I'm one of those types that reaches
behind the computer to plug or unplug something without looking at it.
This is where the older style ports and cables have an advantage. I
can tell them apart by feel. (Wow. I'm not sure I should admit to
that. It might mean I spend too much time computing.)
Give me that any day over fifteen identical USB cables. (Went for the
keyboard, got a memory card reader instead...oops...)
Every motherboard still includes a super I/O chip (because it does
other things, such as control fan speeds. And so far, every one of
these still has a complete implementation of the legacy
ports...leaving the only expense as connectors and a tiny bit of
support circuitry. I guess that's just too expensive to keep adding to
new products, however...
>Hi!
>
>> Most computers don't. I don't think I've had a Dell with one for
>> awhile. It's a legacy port -- dead,dead,dead
>
>But should it be?
>
>I realize the serial, parallel, PS/2 and to a lesser extent 15-pin
>analog VGA ports are old news. There is something to be said for each
>connector being unique, however. I'm one of those types that reaches
>behind the computer to plug or unplug something without looking at it.
>This is where the older style ports and cables have an advantage. I
>can tell them apart by feel. (Wow. I'm not sure I should admit to
>that. It might mean I spend too much time computing.)
>
>Give me that any day over fifteen identical USB cables. (Went for the
>keyboard, got a memory card reader instead...oops...)
>
>Every motherboard still includes a super I/O chip (because it does
>other things, such as control fan speeds. And so far, every one of
>these still has a complete implementation of the legacy
>ports...leaving the only expense as connectors and a tiny bit of
>support circuitry. I guess that's just too expensive to keep adding to
>new products, however...
>
>William
Something that helps me identify cables is to label both ends of a
cable and power supply. Address labels can be used for this. I have
been too lazy to do this for all my cables but for the ones I have
done it I can see the advantage.
Re: XPS line is going, going,.... 
Linear Mode
