Re: tlug: parallel-port IDE

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

>>>>> "jdh" == John De Hoog <washi@example.com> writes:

    jdh> karlmax@example.com (Karl-Max Wagner) wrote:

    >> Actually, in Japan pretty much anything is in the hands of
    >> biggies and service generally is shitty...

    >> In general, I always got the impression that computer savvy
    >> people in Japan are a lot less numerous that in Europe.

    jdh> I don't know where you are coming from with these remarks,

My guess is Tsukuba.  There are computer savvy people in the stores
here, but not out front, and my Japanese skills aren't sufficient to
inform a person that he is too ignorant to help me without being
insulting.  I know the computer-savvy peole exist because if it's
5-man-en or more out of my own pocket, I don't worry about "insulting."

    jdh> but they don't match my experience in Japan for the past 21
    jdh> years. Apparently you know which shops to go to in Europe,
    jdh> but not in Japan. Hang out in Akihabara a little longer and

Who will pay my bus fare and substitute in my classes?  Oh, for the
freedom to hang out in Akihabara!  Just once a month would be nice.

    jdh> get to know the back streets a bit more.  And if you want to
    jdh> find out if there are computer-savvy people in Japan, spend
    jdh> some time in the Japanese-language forums of fj.comp.*.

But I don't need them in fj.comp.*, I need them in the store.  More
so, I need them at University-qualified vendors when I'm not allowed
to talk directly to them because University purchasing handles it.

Example: Old computer, I _know_ 72-pin SIMMs won't fit.  I send in an
order _with_ part numbers as specified in user manual, figuring they
probably aren't made any more.  Vendor comes back with a _part number_
and asks _me_ if that's OK.  I say, I don't know, do they match those
part numbers.  Vendor says "they're generic, they should."  And
delivers 72-pin SIMMs and won't accept a return because I OK'd it.

Never heard of substitution tables, obviously.

My experience in the U.S., where I had better language skills, was
much better.  OTOH, University purchasing wasn't splitting 10-20% of
every order with the vendors, so I was (a) getting street prices and
(b) talking directly to vendors of my choice.

But even the vendors _not_ of my choice knew what a substitution table 
was---or they were out of business the next time I made a purchase.
Not so here.

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