Unpopularity of Elba

[Janina Sajka]

ndeed. And I didn't get one. Instead I got a new IBM Thinkpad, though I
must confess I'm not happy with it, either. My problem with the thinkpad
is that IBM seems to have begun cheapening the quality of construction.
The T30 I have just doesn't feel as robust as my old T20. Worse than
that, though, is the very cheezy sound card. It's an Intel I1810 and it
stinks.

At this point I'm hoping someone soon writes drivers for the Echo
Indigo.

Luke Davis writes:
> From: Luke Davis <ldavis at shellworld.net>
> 
> That assumes that you even *can* do your own Linux install on it.  Do
> its drivers for its proprietary hardware even have public source code?  I
> would not think so, although admittedly I am not certain.
> 
> For that kind of hassle, a Thinkpad would be just as good, and several
> times better, as the upgrade path is very much open.
> 
> 
> On Sat, 3 May 2003, Janina Sajka wrote:
> 
> > Well, I did have the money, and decided not to get it. I'll tell you
> > why, if you care ...
> >
> > The size is an annoyance, certainly, but I could have lived with that.
> > What I can't live with is all the proprietary crap they put on the Elba,
> > all those scripts and what not they put to get it look and act like a
> > Windows machine. If I wanted Windows, I'd get Windows. I don't need a
> > Linux machine that tries to act like a Windows machine.
> >
> > Another reason, their screen reader is proprietary. I want Speakup and
> > Emacspeak, not their proprietary Linux screen reader that I've never
> > played with and have no idea how it works.
> >
> > So, had I decided to get this unit, I would be blowing away all that
> > stuff they put into it and doing my own Linux install. Heck, if I'm
> > going to do that, I have lots of hardware to choose from.
> >
> >
> > Saqib Shaikh writes:
> > > From: "Saqib Shaikh" <sshaik at essex.ac.uk>
> > >
> > > Hi
> > >
> > > I talked to someone I know at Papenmeier UK.  He very much likes the
> > > machines, but there are a few reasons he thinks noone else likes them.
> > >
> > > 1.  Size.  We're talking 2.something kg, or 5 pounds.  That's the weight of
> > > a laptop.  In fact you can get laptops weighing 1.2 kg.  In terms of size
> > > you're talking 12 inches by 8 inches, which is also not all that small.  It
> > > is also made of aluminium and is "built like a brick".  This may be good in
> > > terms of not breaking if you crash into a brick wall, but it has its
> > > disadvantages too.
> > >
> > > 2.  Inconsistency of Linux.  I think they should have done more to adapt
> > > Linux for the Elba.  They maybe should have put a slightly nicer user
> > > interface on the underlying apps.  He mentioned, for example, that new users
> > > never understood why they should press ctrl+g for help in Pico, but ? in
> > > Pine.  I don't use these programs so don't know.  But in general it doesn't
> > > have the polish of the Keysoft suite of applications.
> > >
> > > 3.  Upgrading the system is a pain - you have to download the file, unzip it
> > > onto a flash card, and then boot from the flash card.  Problems are that you
> > > need to buy both a flash card, as well as a flash card reader for the PC.
> > >
> > > 4.  While a minor point, it boasts all this network functionality.  But
> > > since they only have 16MB to play with you can only copy files to your PC,
> > > but not from your PC (or maybe it was the other way around).  In any case,
> > > it is only one way.
> > >
> > > So, I still think it is a nice machine, and I'd probably still get it if I
> > > had the money, due to its open nature.  Many people on this list may also go
> > > for it.  But at the end of the day it comes down to whether you want a
> > > powerful tool that you can do a lot with, or a beautiful, elegant box which
> > > takes inputs and produces neat, precise output.
> > >
> > > I'll be seeing a demo of it for myself in a weeks time, and I'll report my
> > > findings.
> > >
> > > Saqib Shaikh
> > > Email me at saqibshaikh.com
> > > Web site www.saqibshaikh.com
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Speakup mailing list
> > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> >
> >
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup

-- 
	
				Janina Sajka, Director
				Technology Research and Development
				Governmental Relations Group
				American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)

Email: janina at afb.net		Phone: (202) 408-8175