I've kept this bottled up for at least two years, and now I'm going to let it out and would love to hear your comments. Computers have been in the home on a large scale for about twelve years now and certain aspects of computing just don't work in today's' tech world. Here is my list of what no longer works:
Anything less than 1024 X 768 resolution. Even many productivity programs require this minimum resolution today. If the print seems small to you at this resolution, there are ways to have the better resolution and bigger text.
15" CRT monitors. Because they won't display anything resolution above 800 X 600, they need to be thrown out.
Dial-up Internet. Even for email only computer users, dial-up Internet is not only pathetically slow, but dangerous.
Windows 98 (unless you use the computer only for word processing and Internet…with a high speed connection). Digital photography, mp3 players, and even a lot of multimedia on the web just doesn't work well on Windows 98.
Anything less than 512mb or RAM for XP machines. Five years ago, prior to Service Pack 2, XP could run ok on 256 megabytes of RAM, but you need a minimum of 512mb today to run XP at any appreciable speed. For new computers you must get 1 gigabyte (gb) of RAM or more.
AOL. Heck, even they agree me with now. They don't even charge for their service any more because they finally realized that the Internet is too independent to be bogged down with slow, buggy proprietary software and an email system barely compatible with the rest of the world.
Yes, you can survive with any or all of the above tech no-no's, but you risk wasting a lot of time and money as you try new things with old technology. I still live firmly in the camp that if it isn't broke, then don't fix it, but these things are broke or breaking down quickly.
