[X4U] Re: PRAM Battery Research & Test

[Ed Gould]

On Jun 1, 2008, at 1:10 AM, Randy B. Singer wrote:

>
> On May 31, 2008, at 4:47 PM, Ronald Steinke wrote:
>
>> You would not believe the number of local school teachers who  
>> simply could not begin to understand why they were having no video  
>> at startup. I would explain that it was the surest indication that  
>> the battery needed to be replaced, but they would insist that the  
>> computer was working properly, just no video at startup.
>>
>> When I demonstrated the procedure and then changed the battery for  
>> a good one, they usually asked why Apple didn't just make the "low  
>> battery" dialogue window appear when the computer was turned on. I  
>> guess that they couldn't make the connection between a low  
>> battery, no video signal, and not being able to show a dialogue  
>> window on screen.
>>
>> These people were teaching our kids?
>
> I encounter a surprising number of users who will not be dissuaded  
> in their blind belief that:
>
> 1. Apple is infallible
> 2. Their Macintosh never needs any type of maintenance, ever
> 3. If their Macintosh would benefit from the use of any type of  
> utility software, Apple would have provided it with their Macintosh  
> (e.g. they refuse to believe that there is ever any need for Disk  
> Warrior, or, under OS 8/9 when there were a number of Mac viruses,  
> they refused to believe that using Disinfectant might be a good  
> idea. )
>
> --------------SNIP---------------------

I am not, because just look at the example WINDOWS (not to compare it  
with APPLE).
I will have to agree somewhat that if the design specs calls for  
replacing a battery every so often then there *SHOULD* be a clear  
message at Boot up (or when the failure occurs) indicating that the  
battery *MUST* be replaced ASAP *AND* if that is indeed the case it  
should be easily accessible for *ANYONE* to do so. Anything else and  
you are back to windows mentality. Macintosh's are designed to be  
user friendly and displaying a simple message at boot time is simple  
and straight forward. What I cannot address is if it fails during  
use.  That means some smarts that need to be in the firmware and the  
software to recognize the failure.

To change the subject (a little) there was a story a week ago or so  
that some AMD processors were not 100 percent compatible with  
(VISTA ?). My point (to get back to the MACINTOSH, was that either  
AMD was at fault for not shipping 100 percent compatible to INTEL and  
it was the responsibility of AMD to tell the world that was the case.  
My friend told me that in the PC world 100 percent compatible doesn't  
really mean that and that 99.99 is "close enough" I was shocked to  
hear that. I also suggested that if INTEL knew this then they should  
have told the world. In either case it was not an MS issue per se  
(IMO) but of a difference between the two. I for one would be  
extremely weary of buying an OEM Macintosh look alike just for this  
reason.

Ed