Justin wrote:[color=blue]
> "HEMI-Powered" <none@none.sn> wrote in message
> news:Xns98EEC8F0B935EReplyScoreID@216.168.3.30...
>[color=green]
>> As to gas mileage of 500+ hp cars, who the hell cares? A Viper is
>> north of $82K and a Z-06 Corvette is around $65K. Don't think
>> people with that kinda change worry about $2,70 premium, do you?[/color]
>
> I do. I opted to wait on the SRT8 because of the bug I asked about in
> another thread. However between the SRT8 and a 500HP engine, depending
> on the mileage difference, it might just not be worth it (for me). If
> the difference between 0-60 is .2 seconds yet also 4MPG then as I said,
> not worth it. I'm paying 3.20 a gallon. If the price for the 500HP
> monster is much more then I guess the argument of "being able to afford
> it" can come into play. At this point I can swing an SRT8 but at 3.20 a
> gallon I'd be pushing the gas bill. I commute. Granted it's not a
> commuter but I want what I want. It beats people driving large SUV's
> 80+ miles a day :)[/color]

And if the average speed of the commute is around 45 MPH, what's the
difference, except for the EIF (Ego Inflation Factor)...
--
Tom - Vista, CA

Many large software projects fail. Cars are simple compared to software. I
heard many companies say the will start again then go bankrupt. They may do
sections of windows all new but not everything. The amount of code in
windows to handle exceptional things would be high and would increase with
every bugfix. This is a lot of value that can only be recreated by spending
years fixing bugs.
"HEMI-Powered" <none@none.sn> wrote in message
news:Xns98EE4299DA03BReplyScoreID@216.168.3.30...[color=blue]
> Today, Justin made these interesting comments ...
>[color=green]
>> Hum...it took MS 5+ years to chisel out a new wheel. What's
>> going to happen when they try to make a whole new wheel?[/color]
>
> I've done software and I know the car biz pretty well. Both are
> similar in this way: future "models" are ALWAYS under development
> in a staggered schedule depending on the make and model being
> updated or completely redone, meaning MS has many products, not
> just Windows, and it must keep its own product offerings in synch
> with anything that might partially or completely obsolete them. I
> would expect that the business decisions can get pretty dicey. But,
> back to the car biz, the trend is to stop completely redoing an
> entire vehicle line with all-new everything including drrive-train
> every 4-5 years because it is so expensive and quality suffers on
> every all-new launch - that's true for ALL car makers, BTW. So,
> most of the world's car makers are angling for what are being
> called decade platforms, meaning the basic stuff that is so
> expensive will be somewhat static and the cosmetics will change,
> along with feature and drivetrain upgrades as needed. I would
> speculate that MS is thinking along similar lines for its software.
> But, eventually, anyone making anything soft, firm, or hard HAS to
> start from a clean sheet of paper ...
>
> [snip]
> --
> HP, aka Jerry[/color]

Jerry,
[color=blue][color=green]
>>
>> I guess those of us who don't experience a high level of power
>> brownouts or blackouts are lucky. I've got a UPS on one PC
>> here... the one my wife uses... but my other PC's are not
>> protected by a UPS.[/color]
>
> Lang, your experience and that of many others is why I've tried to
> stay soft, and just relate that there CAN be reasons for doing
> things differently, depending on the realities of where you live,
> what you do with the PC, and your tolerance for pain.[/color]

Well, nobody likes pain, at least those of us who don't subscribe to
masochism. :-P

Fully agree; different strokes for different folks as someone said back in
the 70's, I think. Also different budgets... <sigh>
[color=blue][color=green]
>> As a sidebar, I've been using Diskeeper 2007 (10) for a while
>> now and it's pretty cool. Has "new" technology called
>> "Invisitasking" that replaces the old "set it and forget it"
>> stuff which could really bring a seat to its knees if DK
>> kicked off while one was using the PC. The new version is, to
>> my eyes, completely unintrusive; I have never detected a
>> system lag due to the DK service running.[/color]
>
> What is that, not familiar with it. My two are APC, about $150
> each, 20-25 minutes for my PC, monitor, and external HD. Batteries
> need to be replaced every 4-5 years as total battery time drops, I
> think in the $50 range.[/color]

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear on what Diskeeper is... it's a defrag program.
The one, in fact, on which Windows built in defrag is based. I probably got
earlier msgs mixed up as someone earlier had mentioned scheduling defrags at
night.

The reason I mentioned this new version of DK was because I think the
technology of "real time" defrag has reached a point where it is not
intrusive to system performance which was not true in even the previous
version of this product. Point being, with "real time" defrag, one doesn't
have to schedule defrags.

[color=blue][color=green]
>> And... my comment was not directed at you... you appear to be
>> someone who actually contributes assistance in this NG. Unlike
>> the OP.[/color]
>
> Thanks, Lang, appreciate it. I have tried to turn over a new leaf
> from the flamer and anti-MS, anti-MVP creep I was last summer.[/color]

Well, you certainly do seem to be maintaining an even keel... always a
welcome relief here, especially when opinions differ.

Thanks,

Lang

I agree. I want power. I don't need it, but I want it.

Well, I need it in the sense that I need to tow heavy toys but again, I
don't need the toys, I WANT the toys.

Not only do I want the power but I also want to FEEL the power. Chevy has
plenty of power but I hate Chevy for one main reason. When I put that
peddle down, I feel nothing. The truck goes but I just don't feel the
connection between the engine and the peddle. It's almost like an after
thought. The term "wishy washy" comes to mind. That's why I like my Ford
truck and Dodge cars. It's probably something as stupid as just feeling the
vibration through to the gas peddle. I don't care. I like it!

There's a difference between shooting a pellet gun and a mag .45. I'll take
the mag .45.

There's a difference between driving a Prius and a Charger. I'll take the
Charger.

For those that feel the need to save gun powder (gas) and don't need the
power of a .45 (HP), they are more then welcome to drive a Prius. Welcome
to freedom of choice!



"HEMI-Powered" <none@none.sn> wrote in message
news:Xns98EEE1DA1D0FReplyScoreID@216.168.3.30...[color=blue]
> Today, Adam Albright made these interesting comments ...
>[color=green]
>> On Fri, 9 Mar 2007 17:00:47 -0800, "Justin" <None@None.com>
>> wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>> If you really want to take the car biz into this NG, which
>>>> is pretty OT, we should start a new thread.
>>>
>>>As long as we keep comparing it to MS :)[/color]
>>
>> My brand new Pirus gets 46 MPG and has multiple computer
>> systems, two power trains, a gas engine and electric motor, no
>> iginition key, the shift knob (actually is just a knob) is on
>> the dash and so is the keyless "power" button that turns the
>> car off and on. So there. I didn't even mention the
>> regentative brake system or the continious variable smooth as
>> silk transmission. <giggle>
>>[/color]
> I take nothing away from them who feel the need to drive a Prius,
> and it is a fine car. But, to take a quote out of the Top Gun
> movie, I feel the need - for speed! I was in college during much of
> the muscle car era, lasted only a year before getting drafted and
> when I got home, it was over. So, I'm enjoying a mid-life crisis. I
> quoted mpg for my HEMI in another reply, but I consider 15-16 city
> driving exuberantly and low 20s on the road to be top notch for a
> 4100 lb car that can do 0-60 in under six seconds. Don't bother
> telling me nobody needs that, 'cuz it is true, but people also
> don't need 3-seat huge SUVs and drive around alone.
>
> BTW, Toyota, Honda, and the major hybrid manufacturers are under
> heavy fire from pissed off customers who actually believe the CAFE
> numbers. Sometime, when I am waxing philosophically, I'll describe
> how CAFE is really tested for and how absurd a standard it really
> is, but not tonight.
>
> --
> HP, aka Jerry[/color]

Disk Keeper, which Windows Defrag is based on, always had as its design goal
to run without affecting performance (it was designed to run on 24/7
servers). When newer programs came out they used Dos techniques and did this
and that because they were aimed at previous dos users who expected bells
and whistles. People said bad things about DK because of its lack of
features and didn't realise that it was designed to do one thing and to do
it without hurting performance - that was to defrag a disk.
"Lang Murphy" <lang_murphy********.com> wrote in message
news:FA48CFD7-AF15-417D-BC3E-E83E14202D86@microsoft.com...[color=blue]
> Jerry,
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>
>>> I guess those of us who don't experience a high level of power
>>> brownouts or blackouts are lucky. I've got a UPS on one PC
>>> here... the one my wife uses... but my other PC's are not
>>> protected by a UPS.[/color]
>>
>> Lang, your experience and that of many others is why I've tried to
>> stay soft, and just relate that there CAN be reasons for doing
>> things differently, depending on the realities of where you live,
>> what you do with the PC, and your tolerance for pain.[/color]
>
> Well, nobody likes pain, at least those of us who don't subscribe to
> masochism. :-P
>
> Fully agree; different strokes for different folks as someone said back in
> the 70's, I think. Also different budgets... <sigh>
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>> As a sidebar, I've been using Diskeeper 2007 (10) for a while
>>> now and it's pretty cool. Has "new" technology called
>>> "Invisitasking" that replaces the old "set it and forget it"
>>> stuff which could really bring a seat to its knees if DK
>>> kicked off while one was using the PC. The new version is, to
>>> my eyes, completely unintrusive; I have never detected a
>>> system lag due to the DK service running.[/color]
>>
>> What is that, not familiar with it. My two are APC, about $150
>> each, 20-25 minutes for my PC, monitor, and external HD. Batteries
>> need to be replaced every 4-5 years as total battery time drops, I
>> think in the $50 range.[/color]
>
> Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear on what Diskeeper is... it's a defrag
> program. The one, in fact, on which Windows built in defrag is based. I
> probably got earlier msgs mixed up as someone earlier had mentioned
> scheduling defrags at night.
>
> The reason I mentioned this new version of DK was because I think the
> technology of "real time" defrag has reached a point where it is not
> intrusive to system performance which was not true in even the previous
> version of this product. Point being, with "real time" defrag, one doesn't
> have to schedule defrags.
>
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>> And... my comment was not directed at you... you appear to be
>>> someone who actually contributes assistance in this NG. Unlike
>>> the OP.[/color]
>>
>> Thanks, Lang, appreciate it. I have tried to turn over a new leaf
>> from the flamer and anti-MS, anti-MVP creep I was last summer.[/color]
>
> Well, you certainly do seem to be maintaining an even keel... always a
> welcome relief here, especially when opinions differ.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Lang[/color]

"HEMI-Powered" <none@none.sn> wrote in message
news:Xns98EEE12478C51ReplyScoreID@216.168.3.30...[color=blue]
> Not to try again to turn this into a car group, the Japanese and
> Koreans are not only formidable competitors, they are improving
> at an accelerating rate. The American Big Three have come a long,
> long way but their rate of improvement is flatter, thus the
> differences, while not huge, are getting wider. Lots of reasons
> for that, and lots behind any hoopla you may read about wages,
> healthcare, pensions, and the like. I do not evangelize American
> cars, and certainly not Chrysler products, nor do I disparage my
> competitors. There is simply no upside to going negative. But,
> there is a lot more to this very complex industry than most
> people see on the 6 o'clock news, just as someone familiar with
> the overall development process of the entire MS suite of
> products could describe.[/color]

There is more to everything than what most people see on the 6 o'clock news.
:)

[color=blue]
> Non-volitile RAM of some secret sort. No HD or optical, of
> course. Memory needs to be almost exclusively non-volital so the
> car doesn't lose its collective brains if the battery goes dead.
> Usually, about all a driver has to do if that rarity happens is
> maybe reset the clock and their radio stations.
>
> As to computers in the cars, the biggies are the engine and trans
> controllers, but there's a giant one to control all the stuff in
> the body, with smaller ones doing things as simple as controlling
> the door locks, heater settings, audio controls in the radio,
> etc. So, not all of the 25 or so are at all that large, but the
> bigger ones when I was aware of it - and the true numbers are
> VERY confidential - suggest that they ran into the tens of
> millions of lines of code each. And, remember that in cars, for
> emissions and safety, we design for 100-150,000 miles and 10
> years, so the code MUST work at least that long. Now, are there
> SPs? Of course. Some are done the way MS does critical updates,
> via recalls, and some are done during normal service and the
> customer doesn't necessarily even know it. But, big but, the
> testing is pretty sophisticated and when we blow it, it can be
> VERY expensive,over hundreds of thousands of cars.[/color]

Very interesting read, thanks!

To put this into perspective, the "chip" I constantly re-program for
performance enhancements, where does it fit into percentage of all this
code?

That just seems like an awful lot of code to be processed. Especially when
you need mechanical actions within milliseconds. Is it possible this
"amount" of code is what's required to make these chips? That would be a
huge difference.

"HEMI-Powered" <none@none.sn> wrote in message
news:Xns98EEE365AA95AReplyScoreID@216.168.3.30...[color=blue]
> For my own curiosity, exactly what were the symptoms, really piss
> poor mileage, drivability, what? In my car, I can watch the tach
> and sometimes see the cylinders go on or off, but the transition
> can take place in as little as 50 ms so none but the most skilled
> drivers can detect it. Basically, though, 4 shut down immediately
> if you lift the gas and only a short distance at steady state
> will shut them down. Works great, withing physical limitations.
> And, from what I've heard, GM's Displacement On Demand is equally
> effective. This is a far cry from muscle cars that had to
> struggle to get 6 or 7 in the city and 9 or 10 on the highway.[/color]

Just what I said. It wasn't going from 8 to 4 when it should. So the only
result from that was lower MPG.

I passed on it. Next round. Wife got a new car instead. I'll check out
the Challenger.

"TOM7601" <ewfr@none.net> wrote in message
news:#PvFGVsYHHA.2552@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> And if the average speed of the commute is around 45 MPH, what's the
> difference, except for the EIF (Ego Inflation Factor)...[/color]

The fact that you'll be looking at my rear!

Going to...oops...too much info. I take plenty of trips to...fun places...

It's all about having fun! Fun on the road with a car and fun in the dirty
with a truck.

If you don't understand then it's probably not for you.

Jerry, Acronis PerfectDisk 8.0 does a beautiful job of defragmenting ALL the
System Files, including the Pagefile and the MFT. I do that about every two
weeks.

Yes, you're right -- the Disk Defragmenter in XP is simply not up to that
task -- it's not sophisticated enough.

My performance improvements are across the board after defragmenting.

Have you considered putting more on the C:\ Drive rather than on D:\ or E:\
Drives?

Thanks for the info on UPS.

DSH
-------------------------------------------------

"HEMI-Powered" <none@none.sn> wrote in message
news:Xns98EEDE398607DReplyScoreID@216.168.3.30...
[color=blue]
> Today, D. Spencer Hines made these interesting comments ...
>[color=green]
>> Nope.
>>
>> Pagefile CAN be defragmented -- I do it every couple of weeks.
>>[/color]
> How do you manage that? As best I can see, Windows built-in
> defragger, the only one I've tried since Norton System Works 2006
> refused to run correctly, says that its blocks cannot be moved.
>
> And, how much of a performance improvement do you see, and how do
> you know? Launch times go down, when you know an app or Windows
> is paging and you see a difference, you work on huge bitmaps? It
> isn't that I am arguing with anyone, I just don't see it, but
> that doesn't mean it ain't so.[/color]

Today, TOM7601 made these interesting comments ...
[color=blue]
> Justin wrote:[color=green]
>> "HEMI-Powered" <none@none.sn> wrote in message
>> news:Xns98EEC8F0B935EReplyScoreID@216.168.3.30...
>>[color=darkred]
>>> As to gas mileage of 500+ hp cars, who the hell cares? A
>>> Viper is north of $82K and a Z-06 Corvette is around $65K.
>>> Don't think people with that kinda change worry about $2,70
>>> premium, do you?[/color]
>>
>> I do. I opted to wait on the SRT8 because of the bug I asked
>> about in another thread. However between the SRT8 and a
>> 500HP engine, depending on the mileage difference, it might
>> just not be worth it (for me). If the difference between
>> 0-60 is .2 seconds yet also 4MPG then as I said, not worth
>> it. I'm paying 3.20 a gallon. If the price for the 500HP
>> monster is much more then I guess the argument of "being able
>> to afford it" can come into play. At this point I can swing
>> an SRT8 but at 3.20 a gallon I'd be pushing the gas bill. I
>> commute. Granted it's not a commuter but I want what I want.
>> It beats people driving large SUV's 80+ miles a day :)[/color]
>
> And if the average speed of the commute is around 45 MPH,
> what's the difference, except for the EIF (Ego Inflation
> Factor)...[/color]

First, while it is true that you can't have much fun with a HEMI
in a traffice jam, nor a Corvette or Euro sports car in traffic,
you also can't have much fun with a pickup or SUV, and your Jeep
can't do much off-roading on the pavement. But, yes, there is a
lot of EIF, the same kind of EIF that makes people buy the latest
designer clothes, new music CDs, new movies on DVD, AND, new PCs
with Vista. So, before you accuse someone of being immoral, as
you may be doing, this is a form of censorship, which if applied
to MS Windows, would render them out-of-business as well as who
needs Vista or even XP to surf the web and do a few quick letters
in Word.

--
HP, aka Jerry

Today, Justin made these interesting comments ...
[color=blue]
> "TOM7601" <ewfr@none.net> wrote in message
> news:#PvFGVsYHHA.2552@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> And if the average speed of the commute is around 45 MPH,
>> what's the difference, except for the EIF (Ego Inflation
>> Factor)...[/color]
>
> The fact that you'll be looking at my rear!
>
> Going to...oops...too much info. I take plenty of trips
> to...fun places...
>
> It's all about having fun! Fun on the road with a car and fun
> in the dirty with a truck.
>
> If you don't understand then it's probably not for you.
>[/color]
I like the mantra of Jeepers, also - "you wouldn't understand, it's
a Jeep thing". Notwithstanding our dependence on foreign oil and
global warming, the latter which has very little to do with cars,
the really great thing about living in a (almost) free country is
the freedom to choose. To choose one's car - and to choose one's
O/S.

--
HP, aka Jerry

Today, Justin made these interesting comments ...
[color=blue]
> I agree. I want power. I don't need it, but I want it.
>
> Well, I need it in the sense that I need to tow heavy toys but
> again, I don't need the toys, I WANT the toys.
>
> Not only do I want the power but I also want to FEEL the
> power. Chevy has plenty of power but I hate Chevy for one
> main reason. When I put that peddle down, I feel nothing.
> The truck goes but I just don't feel the connection between
> the engine and the peddle. It's almost like an after thought.
> The term "wishy washy" comes to mind. That's why I like my
> Ford truck and Dodge cars. It's probably something as stupid
> as just feeling the vibration through to the gas peddle. I
> don't care. I like it![/color]

There is nothing that can compare to the pull you get on the back
of your neck on a banzai start at a light, or the feeling of
exhillaration along with the acceleration, as you jump on an
Interstate at 45-50, pound the loud pedal, hold on for a few
seconds and when you look down, the speedo says you at 100+. And,
safely, albeit not if the fuzz sees you. People who drive at high
speed in the halcyon days of the muscle car were doing it with
poor brakes and polyglas tires.
[color=blue]
> There's a difference between shooting a pellet gun and a mag
> .45. I'll take the mag .45.
>
> There's a difference between driving a Prius and a Charger.
> I'll take the Charger.
>
> For those that feel the need to save gun powder (gas) and
> don't need the power of a .45 (HP), they are more then welcome
> to drive a Prius. Welcome to freedom of choice!
>[/color]
Justin, I have what I think is an interesting defintion of the
oft mis-used term "exiting" as applies to vehicles. Many/most
perceive this to mean "high performance", while I think it means
"a vehicle which EXCEEDS my expectations". I like this better
because ecoboxes can be exiting, as can minivans, pickups, sports
cars, or yes, giant HEMIs able to leap in a single bound over
lesser cars and even some greater cars. And, as I stated a few
times last night, today's hi-po cars, unlike the 196x/197x muscle
cars, is clean, safe, quiet and refined, ultra-high featured,
comfortable, and pretty **** stingy on gas.

As to Priii, plural of Priuses, I just love to leave a 15-20
batch of 2-tire rubber next to them folk who paid a premium for a
vehicle that will NEVER break even on total overall cost at
today's gas prices, if you remember to count periodic battery
replacement along with whatever your real-world mpg is.

And, yep, as I just commented on, freedom isn't just great, it is
everything in a free society. And, with it comes the heavy burden
of allowing others their space and freedom even if you - or I -
have pretty different views. Oh, you lucky devil, do I envy you
that 425 hp! I had to settle for a .357, which is still a pretty
powerful handgun, so I'm not that unhappy.

--
HP, aka Jerry

Today, Justin made these interesting comments ...
[color=blue]
> To put this into perspective, the "chip" I constantly
> re-program for performance enhancements, where does it fit
> into percentage of all this code?[/color]

It looms pretty large. Unless you blindly trust what the maker of
the engine controller chip says - I assume that's the one you
mean - one gets the most bang for the buck by paying the freight
to test a few on a chassis dyno. But, Mopar sells several levels
of these things that can significantly increase hp without
killing the warranty, and a few that do. During the Neon SRT-4
days, Chrysler sold at least 3 levels of mods for the turbo 4-
banger that could get you into the 400 hp range (!) and could
literally stay with a then-current Viper through 120 mph and
nearly take it in the standing 1320. Now that is performance!
[color=blue]
> That just seems like an awful lot of code to be processed.
> Especially when you need mechanical actions within
> milliseconds. Is it possible this "amount" of code is what's
> required to make these chips? That would be a huge
> difference.
>[/color]
Yes. You may have noticed that the Mercedes-designed 5-speed
auto, though, has some driveability issues in its modified by
Chrysler state - we beefed it to handle the SRRT8 motor. If you
stomp on it, suddently realize you're climbing up somebody's
butt, let up, then go back to part throttle, the transmission
controller gets ALL confused. It is measuring pedal depression,
vehicle speed, and engine condition, all in a two-way feedback
mechanism, and it hunts and fetches until it finds the right
gear. No longevity problem, but I find it annoying.

The real reason why so much hp can be gleaned from very
inexpensive reprogrammed chips is that the car makers generally
design them a whole bunch UNDER where the engine and trans will
live, partially to glean satisfactory CAFE which is important all
the way around and partially so folks that can't drive a high
performance car don't kill themselves. So, knowledgeable drivers
can take advantage of this over-design and take out some or all
of the excess mechanical strenght in the engine and add 25, 50,
100 or more real net hp. Ain't life great?!

Past what I've already said, some of which is pretty factual but
out-of-date while the rest is extrapolation, yes there are lots
of lines of code.But, much of the chip reprograms are lesser
problems of lines of code than they are of resetting known - and
tested for - conditions such as old-fashion fuel-air mixture,
amount of fuel metered, spark advance, and other things, to very
quickly alter performance, but STILL maintain full EPA or CARB
emissions compliance, the law not being suspended for them who
tweak their mills.

--
HP, aka Jerry

Today, Justin made these interesting comments ...
[color=blue]
> "HEMI-Powered" <none@none.sn> wrote in message
> news:Xns98EEE365AA95AReplyScoreID@216.168.3.30...[color=green]
>> For my own curiosity, exactly what were the symptoms, really
>> piss poor mileage, drivability, what? In my car, I can watch
>> the tach and sometimes see the cylinders go on or off, but
>> the transition can take place in as little as 50 ms so none
>> but the most skilled drivers can detect it. Basically,
>> though, 4 shut down immediately if you lift the gas and only
>> a short distance at steady state will shut them down. Works
>> great, withing physical limitations. And, from what I've
>> heard, GM's Displacement On Demand is equally effective. This
>> is a far cry from muscle cars that had to struggle to get 6
>> or 7 in the city and 9 or 10 on the highway.[/color]
>
> Just what I said. It wasn't going from 8 to 4 when it should.
> So the only result from that was lower MPG.
>
> I passed on it. Next round. Wife got a new car instead.
> I'll check out the Challenger.
>[/color]
OK. Hadn't heard that, but I suppose one could find it out by
buying the DVDs with the TSBs on them or asking around. Chrysler
generally doesn't publish its warranty numbers or dirty laundry,
nor do the other players.

Now that both my wife's and my parents have long ago passed away
and my daughter is an adult, I really don't need a 4-door, but
often find it very convenient to just open up a rear door and
toos some stuff in. Plus today's sports sedans are pretty stylish
compared to the old, staid look you and I eschew. I suppose I'd
have popped for a 2-door, my preference when I wore the clothes
of a younger man, but I very much like the Charger in almost
every respect. If I do another 24-month dealer lease vs. going
back on the Chrysler 12-month company car program, I wouldn't be
able to get a Challenger until about this time in 2009, which may
be OK. And, economics in my budget being what they are, I'll
probably have to sit out the 425 hp or the 500 baby if really
built.

BTW, you ever notice that while people pay really big bucks for
fast/quick cars, you almost never see them even get on it? Wonder
where they go to have some safe fun?

Forgot to comment on the Challenger. It is, of course, based on
the renewal of today's big RWD LX platform which evolves into LY
for 2009. It isn't clear yet when the various cars will launch,
there's 300, Magnum, Charger, and Challenger coming first, and
it's looking like Imperial is coming either in late 2009 or 2010.
If the Challenger is destined to be a marketing leader, it will
launch in the spring of 2008 and you'll see them by summer, or it
will launch more in the traditional late summer, with cars
getting to dealers in October.

Incidentally, the very early built cars get sucked off for P.G.
testing, those are pre-production, then the 1st 30 days of
production cars is quarantined until accelerated endurance
testing, emissions, and crash can be confirmed, then if no issues
are found, they take the cork out of the bottle, ship the cars,
and wind of full production. This is both required to ensure that
no EPA or NTSA problems may be present, but also to reasonably
ensure a quality launch, both of which explain why today's cars
are so much higher in quality even if you get an early one. And,
again, while I have no direct knowledge, I can look at the bread
crumbs on the ground and deduce that the other car makers are
doing similar things.

--
HP, aka Jerry

Today, D. Spencer Hines made these interesting comments ...
[color=blue]
> Jerry, Acronis PerfectDisk 8.0 does a beautiful job of
> defragmenting ALL the System Files, including the Pagefile and
> the MFT. I do that about every two weeks.[/color]

Didn't know about that, I'll look into it, thanks.
[color=blue]
> Yes, you're right -- the Disk Defragmenter in XP is simply not
> up to that task -- it's not sophisticated enough.
>
> My performance improvements are across the board after
> defragmenting.
>
> Have you considered putting more on the C:\ Drive rather than
> on D:\ or E:\ Drives?
>[/color]
Why would I do that, Spence? The whole idea of segregating data
from code is two-fold in my view: 1) reduce fragmentation on the
drive with the code on it for max performance even without defrags
and 2) to protect valuable data in the event of something bad
happening to C:\ such as a partial HD crash, malware infestation,
etc. And, I find it FAR easier to manage hundreds of folders if I
keep things in a logical order, which goes to why I subdivide my
data into graphics and non-graphics.

I'll listen to your views, of course, I am always in learning mode.
I just drifted away from a single partition once HD sizes started
edging up and liked its many advantages - to me.

Have a good one!

--
HP, aka Jerry