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#288686 - 24/10/2006 16:07 25 Worst Tech Products
CrackersMcCheese
pooh-bah

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
Look whats at number one!

Edited the subject to make sense!


Edited by Phil. (24/10/2006 17:44)

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#288687 - 24/10/2006 16:36 Re: 25 Worst Tech Projects [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
Dignan
carpal tunnel

Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12320
Loc: Sterling, VA
Wow, a lot of those were more obscure than I expected, but unlike most "top whatever" lists, I certainly don't disagree with any of their choices. The top five is seems about right to me (although I hadn't heard about that system memory application). RealPlayer deserves to die a long, painful death.

I've been so happy lately that I get people calling me, asking how they're supposed to live in a world where their email doesn't come in through AOL.

"Now how do I get the internet?"

"Don't you have Comcast?"

"Yes."

"You have the internet."


Edited by Dignan (24/10/2006 16:37)
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Matt

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#288688 - 24/10/2006 18:27 Re: 25 Worst Tech Products [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
Robotic
pooh-bah

Registered: 06/04/2005
Posts: 2026
Loc: Seattle transplant
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10101311 (20GB- backup empeg)
10101466 (2x60GB, Eutronix/GreenLights Blue) (Stolen!)

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#288689 - 25/10/2006 01:16 Re: 25 Worst Tech Products [Re: Robotic]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
Don't know if I should be ashamed to admit that I have one of number 13 stored away in the original box. Seems that while they were relatively expensive, except when compared to a 5150.
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Glenn

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#288690 - 25/10/2006 01:42 Re: 25 Worst Tech Products [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
msaeger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/09/2000
Posts: 3608
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
There are so many how can they narrow it down to 25. Anyone remember pointcast.
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Matt

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#288691 - 25/10/2006 03:35 Re: 25 Worst Tech Projects [Re: Dignan]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
It's unfortunate to see people still to this day remember only "bad handwriting recognition" when thinking of the Newton. That problem affected only early models and by the time the MP2000 came out the recognition was superb. It didn't make their list of 25 but made it into their dishonourable mentions. A flop it was, but mostly because it was a product (and product class) way ahead of its time.

Glad to see AOL and Real up top in the list. I'll continue to steer clear of anything from Real and won't be sorry when they're burried. Though you can say their crap software set a trend for other developers to follow. Now even companies like Adobe produce crap product version after crap version.
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#288692 - 25/10/2006 07:52 Re: 25 Worst Tech Projects [Re: hybrid8]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4174
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
It's unfortunate to see people still to this day remember only "bad handwriting recognition" when thinking of the Newton. That problem affected only early models and by the time the MP2000 came out the recognition was superb. It didn't make their list of 25 but made it into their dishonourable mentions. A flop it was, but mostly because it was a product (and product class) way ahead of its time.

I agree; that same software on a Palm-sized device or a phone nowadays would still be pretty cool. When Newton was invented, the hardware just wasn't up to the job: a friend of mine was briefly in charge of UK marketing for the Newton, and he went out and bought a pair of cargo trousers specifically so he could call the Newton "pocket-sized" without feeling bad about it.

Peter

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#288693 - 25/10/2006 08:05 Re: 25 Worst Tech Projects [Re: peter]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:
a friend of mine was briefly in charge of UK marketing for the Newton, and he went out and bought a pair of cargo trousers specifically so he could call the Newton "pocket-sized" without feeling bad about it.

I briefly used one a while ago and I thought it was pretty neat actually.

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#288694 - 25/10/2006 14:44 Re: 25 Worst Tech Products [Re: msaeger]
loren
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
Quote:
There are so many how can they narrow it down to 25. Anyone remember pointcast.


I was going to write a post about this. I remember pointcast well, I used the hell out of it and thought it was pretty brilliant. It was the precursor to RSS and OPML and all that, just ahead of it's time and a bit too heavy handed. I don't remember ever having any problems with it and don't think it deserves to be on that list, but whateva.
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#288695 - 25/10/2006 15:03 Re: 25 Worst Tech Products [Re: loren]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Many would point out that the utility of a program that displays (nominally) useful information as a screensaver, which is largely on while no one is there, might be somewhat suspect.

Personally, I hated it solely because it was the favorite toy of marketroids.
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Bitt Faulk

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#288696 - 25/10/2006 15:49 Re: 25 Worst Tech Products [Re: wfaulk]
loren
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
It was also possible to use it aside from being a screen saver, and the news updates and tech report channels you could subscribe to were no different than RSS feeds we have now. They were just more limited in breadth. I liked it then for the same reasons I like RSS now, it consolidated information I wanted in one place. I'm not saying it was the greatest thing since sliced cheese, but at the time it was something. I just don't remember it being a horrible horrible evil worst thing on earth bit of software. It did what it did then died out. I suppose, the more I think about it, that what I liked about it was the idea of push and collective info. It was just another "portal" ... ah remember that meme!?
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|| loren ||

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#288697 - 25/10/2006 18:33 Re: 25 Worst Tech Products [Re: gbeer]
canuckInOR
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/02/2002
Posts: 3212
Loc: Portland, OR
From the (Dis)Honourable list, I have an Audrey sitting in the bottom drawer of my desk at work. It can't support broadband by default, but it's the perfect size for sitting on the kitchen counter as an e-recipe book. There's a considerable amount of info out on the web for hacking the Audrey, including a site that performs CPU and WiFi upgrades.

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#288698 - 25/10/2006 23:41 Re: 25 Worst Tech Projects [Re: hybrid8]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Quote:
Glad to see AOL and Real up top in the list.

Everything "Real" is banned from my university department network. Friggin auto updating, deeply nesting, popup popping, spyware filth.

I saw a gut wrenching yet brilliant bit of mindshare sharing regarding AOL's pathetic "keywords". On the bottom of my recent CDWG catalog at work, I saw "Google Keyword: EdTechMagazine" (or something like that). Clearly guiding unfortunately uninformed AOL users away from whatever proprietary not-really-the-Internet search they know and toward the real Wild Wild Web.

I was always embarassed on behalf of the major MAJOR corporations each time they mentioned their AOL keyword at the end of a big budget movie trailer, superbowl commercial, or other hundred million dollar venture. Good riddance.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#288699 - 25/10/2006 23:51 Re: 25 Worst Tech Projects [Re: FireFox31]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Quote:
November 08, 1995 PC Magazine, Family PC Magazine, Online Access Magazine and Information Industry Association rate AOL "Best Consumer Online Service"

From AOL's History. Good thing PC World wasn't on there.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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