Little Damn Computer Discussion Thread

Renzatic on 12/10/2010 at 00:15

Since the future is apparently all about tiny things that aren't easy to use, but are really popular because they're tiny, I figured it's time for me to join the portable revolution. Within the next couple of weeks, I'll be buying one of two fancy ass products designed to cater to my fast paced on-the-go lifestyle. They are:

(http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=HrglRhH8D60Rmlv3) The Asus Eee 1215n netbook.
Powerful as hell for the size, not too terribly expensive, and not so small it's difficult to use.

and...

(http://www.apple.com/ipad/) The Apple iPad.
Cuz I'm a goddamn hypocrite. "Oh, it's just a glorified iPhone", I said, or "Oh, I'll buy one when it's $150 but no sooner". I can change my mind. Who are you to judge? And anyway, I've seen enough stuff for the iPad for it to start appealing to me.

The reason I'm starting this thread is mainly because of the iPad. Mainly jailbreaking it. I don't intend on downloading free apps or doing any other heavy pirating. I just want to have all the options available, which, unfortunately, that cantankerous old man with the bad attitude who runs Apple doesn't seem too keen on letting me do. Beyond using it for taking notes, keeping records, looking at pictures, watching movies, playing music, or reading books, things the iPad excels at out of the box, I might also want to fire up Dosbox or SCUMMVM. I can't do the latter without jailbreaking, and so...here I am.

Everything I've looked up on jailbreaking is vague at best. It tells me how to do it, but not how well it runs, and how easy it is to convert back if I so choose. If I were to jailbreak, would I still have access to the app store? Would the OS still run as smoothly? Will all my bought software run as well? I can't find any straight answers to these questions, and I'm hoping someone here can provide some answers for me so I can finally decide on the Asus or the iPad.

So what do you all know about jailbreaking an Apple device?

lost_soul on 12/10/2010 at 00:34

I know nothing about the Ipad.

I too had to make this choice last year when I wanted *something* portable to take around with me. I went with a netbook, but I wish I had spent the extra doe for one with a graphics chip made by competent people (read: NVIDIA). Netbooks really do make good classic gaming machines. Quake 3 runs very well on it under Windows, but not Linux due to said ineptitude.

I don't think you're going to get much out of it when it comes to DOSbox though. I tried even an old game like Blake Stone, and enabling Adlib emulation just makes the Atom beg for mercy. Mine is only an Atom n270 though. I did only pay $258 for this thing, including shipping and all.

Being the only cheap, small, user-controlled (read: no backdoors or killswitches) device around, I feel I got a good deal. I don't want the suits deleting my music, removing functionality, or dictating what OS I will use.

If only these things were the size of a GameBoy...

Friendly tip: watch out for Windows 7 Starter Edition. It is just a way for them to "starter" (haha) emptying your wallet, by charging you for features that already existed in previous versions of the OS. "You wanna change your wallpaper or use that external VGA port??? $80 please!"

Here's the proof: (http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/03/28/surprise-you-cant-change-your-wallpaper-in-windows-7-starter-edition/)

I cannot believe people fall for things like this, but then I also can't believe people are dumb enough to text-message while driving..

Renzatic on 12/10/2010 at 01:04

I'm well aware of the W7 starter edition bullshit. It's one of the main reasons why I chose a higher end Asus netbook. The entire 12xx line all come with Home Premium standard. If I were given a choice, I'd probably forego Windows altogether and slap Ubuntu on there. I think it's a better fit for a netbook. The only problem there is Nvidia doesn't support Ion2 and Optimus for Linux, so I'd be spending $500 on the thing, and only have access to the crappy Intel chipset.

Though if I did want to go with Linux, I could get the 1201n. It works with Ubuntu straight out of the box. But it's actually a little more expensive for lesser hardware, and doesn't have quite as good battery life.

Man, I hate shopping for portable computers. You have a ton of options, yet you can never find one that sports exactly what you want. You have to make a compromise on something no matter what you get.

lost_soul on 12/10/2010 at 01:53

This would be a great little machine. It is closer to the size of the GameBoy. It aint $300 though. :) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHuSmTC2d0I)

Aja on 12/10/2010 at 02:00

Quote Posted by Renzatic

Everything I've looked up on jailbreaking is vague at best. It tells me how to do it, but not how well it runs, and how easy it is to convert back if I so choose. If I were to jailbreak, would I still have access to the app store? Would the OS still run as smoothly? Will all my bought software run as well? I can't find any straight answers to these questions, and I'm hoping someone here can provide some answers for me so I can finally decide on the Asus or the iPad.?

I jailbreaked my phone, here's what I know:

-You can still access the app store, still buy apps, and still use the ones you bought (I don't have the program that pirates them)
-you can go back at any time (simple as updating the firmware in itunes)
-The OS runs about as smoothly as normal, though depending on what you install, you can fuck it up. But, it gives you easier options for things like terminating processes and rebooting, so in the end it might even be a bit smoother, if a bit less elegant, which brings me to my next point:
-jailbreak people have little sense of aesthetics. Most of the stuff they make is ugly, unnecessary, and half-functional. So even with a lot of the good stuff you have to tolerate a bit of messiness.
-also, the jailbreak people want to charge you for their work, and they generally want more than 99 cents.
-but, in the end, it's worth it for the minor tweaks; you can get rid of small annoyances and bypass some of Apple's weirder inconveniences (like not allowing a flashlight app that functions at full brightness). I haven't tried any of the more involving stuff like SCUMMVM or Dosbox.

Renzatic on 12/10/2010 at 02:40

Quote Posted by lost_soul

This would be a great little machine. It is closer to the size of the GameBoy. It aint $300 though. :) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHuSmTC2d0I)

Man, that's too small. It's basically the size of a very large smartphone, which I'm trying to avoid because I think anything that size feels too cramped and awkward for anything remotely computer related.

It's neat, but not for me. I want something a little more comfortable.

Quote Posted by Aja

Stuff

I can live with a bit of messiness, so long as it doesn't totally screw up the UI. I got a couple more questions though.

You said you can fuck it up depending on what you install. Is that pretty random, or do you have to start digging deep into it before you screw it up? It's pretty stable otherwise, right?

lost_soul on 12/10/2010 at 02:50

Remember, if you get a device with an X86 processor, you can always run FreeDOS. In this way, it is sure to be fast enough to run any DOS app without breaking a sweat.

Aja on 12/10/2010 at 05:08

Quote Posted by Renzatic

You said you can fuck it up depending on what you install. Is that pretty random, or do you have to start digging deep into it before you screw it up? It's pretty stable otherwise, right?

Jailbreaking installs an app called Cydia, which allows you to browse and install unauthorized software. Cydia comes with its own repository of "safe" software, and if you stick to that, you should be fine. You can add other repositories if you want, though that's riskier. Generally I think it would be pretty hard to ruin your device, unless you wantonly download from the haxxxn3tt rep, or whatever; when I said "fuck it up" I was talking more about little glitches that invariably occur when you try to modify Apple's tightly controlled interface.

For example, I installed a hack called Infinifolders, which lets me put as many icons in a folder as I want. Works pretty well, except when you try to delete stuff sometimes the little "x" hangs around longer than it should. Jailbreaking also comes with a program called SB Settings, that provides, with a swipe on the homescreen, a set of toggles for various things like wifi and bluetooth and vibrate. Handy, but it's ugly as hell and doesn't mesh with the iOS style at all. Not a deal breaker by any means, just less aesthetic appeal. And either way, you can always uninstall everything you don't like. Your phone can be jailbroken and behave exactly like a legit device.

Renzatic on 12/10/2010 at 09:09

Quote Posted by Aja

Your phone can be jailbroken and behave exactly like a legit device

That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I still have some reservations, mainly in that it'll do everything I want it to do, but the iPad is looking to be the forerunner for my little damn computer purchase.

Though as a safety precaution, I'm keeping in mind that most Apple products sell for almost as much as you buy them for, even if they're a generation behind. If I end up disappointed in it I can just pop it up on Craigslist and get 90% of my money back to put towards the Asus. It's doubtful I'll take that route, though. The iPad already has great support and more than its fair share of great programs and games. It's bound to only get better from here.

Ostriig on 12/10/2010 at 18:19

Quote:

Man, I hate shopping for portable computers. You have a ton of options, yet you can never find one that sports exactly what you want. You have to make a compromise on something no matter what you get.

Tell me about it. Just got off the phone with Asus sales, looks like I'm gonna have to sit on buying a new lappy. That N53Jn currently available comes with a BluRay combo drive, not a burner, if I want an N53Jf with a burner I'll have to wait for January or so, or maybe I'll even get lucky and they'll launch an N43 with a burner, that would be best for me. By the way, Asus support lines really are as crap as they say, they're eons behind, wait for it... Acer.

Anyway, as to the subject at hand - between their (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=867010) Big Brother (http://www.macworld.com/article/142130/2009/08/ninjawords.html) attitude, dubious obsolescence (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=985082) gimmicks and corporate (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1021872) responsibility, as well as the straight out Jobs (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=956807) hissy-(http://www.neowin.net/news/apple-bans-adobe039s-flash-to-iphone-compiler-plus-related-applications) fits, I'm always reluctant when it comes to Apple. Take it with a grain of salt, given my admitted bias, but I think you should keep in mind that (http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile/jailbreaking-goes-legal-and-apple-still-voids-warranty-if-you-jailbreak/) Apple don't like you jailbreaking their shit, regardless of it being legal now. I'm not saying I expect them to put up further hurdles against your evil jailbreaking habits in the future, but it wouldn't knock me off my feet if they did.

I guess what I'm getting at is that if you buy an iPad you should be prepared to either use it "as intended" or potentially have to give up on continued support from Apple further down the line.

But one solid piece of advice I can give you is to hold off a bit longer. I've seen some speculation regarding the second generation of the iPad coming along in the next couple of months, so if I were you I'd wait to get the newer one. I mean, I know tech like this has a fast refresh rate anyway, but this new iteration might be very close at hand. Well, unless it doesn't get announced or anything by the end of November, which would prove all that speculation to be bullshit.