PHOTOS Computers? Hmm, complicated.

[Jackeens]

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Manicia Standard and Christopher Smith discuss computer components with President Barack Obama during his visit to Year Up June 19, 2009 in Arlington, Virginia. Year Up's mission is "providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education."



President Obama visited a not-for-profit group in Arlington, Va., Friday to offer a morale boost to job trainees enrolled in a program there. "The economy is going through a tough time," said Obama, declaring that he didn't want "anybody to be discouraged."

Obama made the visit to the organization Year Up, which gives training and paid apprenticeships to 18-to-24-year-olds with high school diplomas or GEDs, as part of an afternoon of White House events in honor of Father's Day.

He also held a question-and-answer session with the trainees for about 20 minutes, but reporters were not permitted inside during the back-and-forth.

Earlier at the center, Obama met with two 22-year-old trainees studying computer technology, according to a pool report. "So the next time my computer's not working I can call you all up?" Obama asked them. They said he could.

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0609/fathers_day_tour_be3d89b7-701a-4052-a64d-4d6be971ea2b.html

[tabatha]

1. wonderful

[Aristus]

2. Man, the nay-sayers need to chill out. I say we're still incredibly lucky to have this man

as our President. We can actually talk to him, and he actually listens. If I was happy with every single thing he was doing, I'd think there was something wrong with me. Or him...

[NYC_SKP]

4. Oh, Really??? For 2012 we need a THIRD PARTY!

For the Republicans...they're in limbo, let's let them split their vote.

GOBAMA2012!

[liquid diamond]

21. Nice poster NYC_SKP!

[Jackeens]

22. That poster is........

sweet!

:toast:

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. Please don't misunderstand me because I do believe he is better than the alternative.

But if he was actually listening to folks doing the talking, Don't Ask Don't Tell would be gone.

[ksoze]

3. His reaction says, "Should have got a Mac"

[HopeOverFear]

6. LOL

[Uzybone]

7. lol....good one

[Clio the Leo]

16. lol, exactly what I was about to say. NT

[mkultra]

18. macs are like left handed scissors

cost more to do the same job and only people that cant use the standard tool need them.

[boppers]

19. Only if computers were as simple as scissors...

...and only "Windows" was the standard for all tasks.

:evilgrin:

[mkultra]

20. well, for desktops at least

everything else is unix :)

[boppers]

25. What kind of operating system is MacOS, and runs the iPhone?

Here's the mascot:
http://www.hexley.com/

edit: URL didn't work

[mkultra]

26. I believe that all mac os now has a linux kernel.

If i thought mac more useful, i would probably know more about it.

[boppers]

27. Nah, not linux.

Linux uses a microkernel, that eventually became a mega-kernel, with loadable modules.

MacOS/Darwin uses a BSD/Mach hybrid, still something of a microkernel, with loadable modules... See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XNU

While the linux kernel family went for broadest device support on top of a hardened core, XNU/BSD were much more focused on stability/security of the core, at a cost of less supported devices and features.

..and rounding out the pack, the NT/XP family built on the VMS and OS/2 kernels, which tried to have a super-hardened core micro-kernel, with loadable modules, *but* since the modules could hook into the core, there were stability issues.

Three different philosophies. This is why something like a bad video driver could nuke a windows machine, but only take down the current screen session on a Mac/BSD/Linux box.

[mkultra]

28. linux and unix are similar enough to not bifurcate

Essentially, OSX is founded on UNIX if you want to be specific. If , like many fan boys, your contention is that Mac is superior because of its stability, you can only logically couch your idealism if you ignore the use of an extremely varied hardware base in the WIN environment. The reason the NT/XP family must use loadable modules is that it, unlike OSX, will run on an ever changing hardware base. Essentially, if Microsoft made hardware, i have no doubt they would be as stable as an mac.

Not that i really care for WIN either. Posix is the superior platform in all respects aside from user inadequacy protection(apples specialty)

[boppers]

29. I drive a Saab.

Because all of the components are integrated together, it works quite well.

Meanwhile, other cars under the GM brand had to be interchangable, working with a great many other components. Thus, rather than maximum vehicle ability being a prime target, maximum interchangeability took over. GM cars don't hit 146 mph in their stock sedan models for a reason.

Basically, MacOS and SunOS/Solaris had similar philosophies, which gave them increased performance/stability benefits, by having a closed platform. OTOH, Open platforms had cheaper components, at costs of performance, and stability.

As far as why I'm still an Apple fanboy, only one platform lets me run software compiled for MacOS, Win32, BSD, Solaris/i86, or GNU/Linux.

All other platforms cannot.

[mkultra]

30. Any PC do the same thing

This may come as a shock to you as you seem to have been in a MAC bomb shelter for a decade but the same technique that allows you to run those different software compiles is usable on both linux and PC. Its called virtualization. You just dont hear about it because no one cares to run Mac software on a PC. I personally only need windows on my desktop and Linux on my server. Those are the only two platforms software is really written for. Everything else is a port.

Whenever i want to upgrade, i just buy the parts and swap up. I can build a new machine on the fly and, if i really wanted to, i could take old machines from others, fix them with minor cost and time, and cluster them together to make a cloud. (i have a mental image of a mac user taping his ilamps together with duct tape)

PLUS, i can download tons of free utilities and, here's the fun part, write my own code with out paying the apple library license. The iphone is the only platform in which they seem to be opening development up to the crowd which should be a big boon to them. the cocoa stuff seems pretty interesting so far. Don't get me wrong, their hand held products rock the house.

Don't try and claim your mac doesn't break. I know enough people that have to pack their junk up and send it in for repair to know that they break. I can build a PC with decent parts that never flinches.


This question is a simple equation that balances stability VS costs. Frankly speaking, any Dell is just as stable as a mac with the same level of support.


And btw, I think the word saab is missing the "n" after the S. I personally drive a toyota avalon, It never breaks, gets awesome gas millage and goes fast.

[boppers]

33. I know virtualization (I'm big on Xen, myself, for servers)

Virtualization, however, does not let you run Cocoa binaries on a Dell running windows.

Mac clustering has been around since the Xserve days.... long before the lamps (which are now obsolete, as well). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xserve

And yes, my Macs, like my Saab, break, and are more expensive to fix than a commodity car or computer.

[mkultra]

34. Well, i have heard that cocoa can be run on win

but i have never had the need to try it so i don't know. I heard it was an open source project. Like i mentioned, from my perspective, software is mostly written for PC first, then ported to MAC. I personally cant think of a single reason to run MAC software on a windows machine.

As far as clustering goes, I know macs can do it, but the more important question to me is can YOU do it. When it comes to Linux clustering, I can do it myself and I can do it for free. Is it the same in your world?

[mwooldri]

32. Macs work on same principles as PCs...

Some of the older ones look remarkably similar inside.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. He gets to do some fun things!

[Cha]

13. That's a grrrroovy picture,

Rosa!

[onethatcares]

8. hmmm, so these all come from Maylasia

I guess we don't have the brains or the plants to produce such things here in the United States. If you need a job, try India, I understand they make milllions of these and send them to us.

(sorry, but motherboards and disc drives aren't that exciting)

WE NEED JOBS< WE NEED JOBS NOW>

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. It's just dawned on me that President Obama is likely the most...

technologically savvy president we've ever had. Cool!

[Cha]

11. Outstanding!

"Earlier at the center, Obama met with two 22-year-old trainees studying computer technology, according to a pool report. "So the next time my computer's not working I can call you all up?" Obama asked them. They said he could."

[Arkana]

12. "I'm the fucking Flash...watch as I reassemble this goddamn computer

with my motherfucking SUPER GODDAMN SPEED."

[baldguy]

14. I'm sorry, young lady, but this video card isn't seated properly.

[high density]

23. lol -- PCI video at that

What is that, a PC from 1998? :)

[mwooldri]

31. Most add on video cards are PCI Express these days...

but it doesn't matter too much if the components are based from 1998 or 2008 - same principles apply.

Definitely those components aren't "cutting edge"...

[Phx_Dem]

15. What's Mr. Fix-it doing in photo 3? LOL

Okay, I'm starting to get a little jealous here. All kinds of "regular folk" are getting to the meet the President on a weekly basis! I think it's awesome, but I'm a tad jealous. I'm gonna move to D.C. and get a job a Five Brothers (or whatever it's called)!

[eppur_se_muova]

17. For some reason, I can't help but imagine Bu**sh** in the same situation ...

just think of the clown acts we're missing on a regular basis ... and how GOOOOOOOOD it feels. :)

[rufus dog]

24. Someone in Northern Virginia should offer Ms. Standard a job

I would hire her based upon the first three pictures for a sales/consulting job. Appears very poised and engaging.