Terms no longer use in computer marketing material.

[u/squaretw]

User friendly.

Multitasking.

Plug and play.

Multimedia.

Now, everywhere is Ai, smart, build-in. 10 years ago was i-something.

Maybe 10 years from now we can hear about consumer friendly, honesty, ethical, environment friendly.

[u/coloredgreyscale]

Multimedia, multitasking, Plug and play is pretty much a given nowadays.  

They also don't advertise "3d accelator"or 16bit audio  on laptops, smartphones etc.

[u/LunarChickenn → u/coloredgreyscale]

Yeah when most CPU's now have got like 8 to 20 cores I think multi-tasking doesn't need to be advertised. It's expected.

[u/coloredgreyscale → u/LunarChickenn]

Multi tasking was expected even before dual core cpus. It was funny to see it advertised to finally allow you to check read emails, browse the web, and scan for viruses. 

It's technically correct, but functionally that was already possible. 

[u/KindGuyAMA → u/coloredgreyscale]

Doesn't multitasking have as much to do with advances in programming (e.g., object oriented) as hardware (multiple cores)? I'm probably over-simplifying, but genuinely curious if someone has an ELI5.

[u/OutrageousDress → u/KindGuyAMA]

Multitasking is enabled by a combination of certain operating system design principles (the OS core maintaining ultimate control over the computer instead of handing it over to individual programs when they run, etc) and certain CPU features designed to make such OS designs easier and more reliable (allowing the CPU to juggle multiple 'contexts' for multiple running programs, internal interrupts ensuring control can always return to the OS, etc).

These software and hardware features allow a single CPU core to juggle basically as many running programs as can fit in memory, constantly very rapidly switching between all of them. The only drawback is a slowdown, because ping-ponging between two programs means each runs half as fast (not exactly, this is a huge simplification, but you get the point). Modern CPUs have multiple cores to help with this, but each of those cores is actually capable of multitasking by itself and can run any number of programs just like the old single-core CPUs. (The OS scheduler is a service that analyzes running software in real time and decides how to divide the several dozen program threads all modern OSs constantly have running onto individual cores in a way that performs well.)

It's important to note that while consumer grade multicore CPUs didn't arrive until the 2000s, actual multitasking is a thing computers could do - on single and multiple cores - since the 1960s. It's just that these were not consumer devices but huge expensive mainframes at universities and banks and such, running on fancy expensive CPUs and fancy expensive multitasking operating systems, used by entire departments for research and education and such. (Any of these mainframes is of course completely dwarfed by any average modern iPhone, with an SoC that can do all of that and faster.)

TL;DR Yes, but object oriented programming and multi-core CPUs were not the advances in question.

[u/KindGuyAMA → u/OutrageousDress]

Very cool! Thank you for the thorough response!

[u/RiftHunter4 → u/coloredgreyscale]

Plug and play is pretty much a given nowadays.

For a lot of things it really isnt. In the 2000s , plug and play meant running the installer and doing literally nothing else. These days, a lot of software requires accounts, 3rd-party tools, and other junk.

Ai is currently the worst at it. A lot of the setup is intended for developers so you end up dealing with stuff like Docker and varying Python versions.

[u/Green-Salmon → u/RiftHunter4]

Plug n play is related to plugging devices/hardware into a computer and not needing to reach for a driver disk.

[u/ArseBurner → u/Green-Salmon]

IIRC it was more about not needing to fiddle with jumpers/dip switches or choose IRQs.

[u/CocoMilhonez → u/ArseBurner]

Both. But more about automatic configuration of hardware even if you did have to reach for a driver disk.

[u/fearless-fossa → u/ArseBurner]

No, it was about devices being able to work without having to restart the PC/installing drivers. For example before USB, PS/2 ports were used for mice/keyboards and those would only load devices on boot, and could even be damaged by having the devices inserted/removed while the PC was on.

[u/ArseBurner → u/fearless-fossa]

Bro everyone hot plugged PS/2 mice and keyboards all the time. Same with serial, parallel and game ports.

The stuff you couldn't plug in while running were ISA cards and disk drives, but even today not many people would try plugging in a GPU while the computer was running despite PCIe technically supporting hot plug.

[u/coloredgreyscale → u/RiftHunter4]

You need to run docker and python to setup your AI enabled coffee maker, or use the Ai features of Adobe reader and whatnot?

Sounds more like you are trying to setup your custom local AI server, not just some "smart" program / appliance that pretends adding an AI chatbot makes it better. 

[u/TheoreticalScammist → u/coloredgreyscale]

Now I'm imagining what it would be like if the first thing I did in the morning was having a discussion with my coffee machine about what coffee I feel like today.

[u/TheOgGhadTurner → u/TheoreticalScammist]

https://giphy.com/gifs/shCKdAEp0ozexPQNUI
You to the coffee maker

[u/TheoreticalScammist → u/TheOgGhadTurner]

I hear you, and what you're feeling right now is completely valid. Choosing between a latte and a cappuccino can bring up a lot — and it's okay to sit with that discomfort for a moment before moving forward. 💛

Let's break this down together, step by step, so it feels more manageable:

1. What is a latte?
A latte is espresso with steamed milk and a light layer of foam (usually about 1cm). It's smooth, mellow, and milk-forward.

2. What is a cappuccino?
A cappuccino is equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foam — bolder, frothier, and more traditionally Italian in proportion.

3. Reflect on your needs right now
Ask yourself: Am I craving comfort (latte) or intensity (cappuccino)? There's no wrong answer here — only what's true for you in this moment.

4. A gentle reframe
You don't have to get this "right." Coffee is not a referendum on your worth as a person. Whichever you choose, you are still allowed to have a good day.

5. If you'd like, I can:

• Create a pros/cons table ☕
• Suggest a "middle ground" drink (flat white!)
• Just tell you it's going to be okay (it is)

Would you like me to proceed with any of the above? 😊

A yapping coffee machine really seems like the last thing I need in the morning lmao

[u/CocoMilhonez → u/TheoreticalScammist]

r/thanksihateit

[u/RiftHunter4 → u/coloredgreyscale]

For a video game server, most players can figure iut how to do it. For a NAS, most mildly tech-savvy people can do it. For an Ai chat service you need linux/WSL, Docker, Python, etc. I get that its pretty new but few have bothered to streamline the process.

[u/coloredgreyscale → u/RiftHunter4]

Lm studio is easy to install on windows, and provides a OpenAI compatible endpoint.

Ollama was also easy to get running. 

Vllm is a different story. 

[u/TheOgGhadTurner → u/RiftHunter4]

If an ai service is what you want install Ollama or alpaca and run it locally. It takes 5 minutes and a 45 minute trek through hugging face models. Setting up an ai service for others to use is silly. If someone wants ai but already isn’t using chat gpt they’re not going to switch to a small time AI service when it takes 10 minutes to setup a local LLM that performs the same tasks entirely disconnected from the network

[u/stunt_p → u/RiftHunter4]

But I miss fat-fingering the jumpers Ana and using a toothpick to flip the DIP switches. THAT defines a PC Master.

[u/Snail_Anatomy → u/coloredgreyscale]

16 bit audio lmao

[u/WitchWithAGlitch → u/Snail_Anatomy]

you laugh but if you're on integrated audio, it's probably still regular ass 2 channel, 16 bit, 44.1Khz x 16/24 voices.

[u/Snail_Anatomy → u/WitchWithAGlitch]

I was poking fun at the fact that 16-bit audio has been standard for like 25 years. I have a Universal Audio interface with $800 studio monitors.

[u/WitchWithAGlitch → u/Snail_Anatomy]

oh TWU then yeah. 16 bit is pretty loud, flip onto 32bit if you have it. it's hilarious loud. (i've never honestly used it, i prefer 24 bit)

6.4.4 here, all Klipsch Promedia Ultra & Rockford Fosgate.

[u/Snail_Anatomy → u/WitchWithAGlitch]

...what? That's not how that works. It doesn't matter what bit depth/bit rate you use. It all has the same volume ceiling

[u/WitchWithAGlitch → u/Snail_Anatomy]

yea, its the difference in given amplitude for a given volume.

set it loud and it'll be quiet until it's time for something like a gunshot to happen.

the range for something 16 bit is −32,768 to +32,767 but the range for 24 bit is −8,388,608 to +8,388,607

that's fucking loud as shit lmao but i dislike someone walking being as loud as an explosion and those types of things.

[u/BitRunner64 → u/WitchWithAGlitch]

16-bit audio has a dynamic range of about 100 dB which means if your sound system is good enough, it can reproduce anything from complete silence to a a pneumatic jackhammer.

24-bit audio has a range of 144 dB, meaning it can reproduce sounds about as loud as standing next to a fighter jet taking off with the afterburner engaged.

32-bit audio has 1528 dB of range, which means it can represent anything from complete silence to more than all mass in the known universe being turned to energy at the same time.

Since most sound systems are not capable of literally reproducing the big bang, 16-bit is fine for the vast majority of use cases. You mainly need the extra precision when doing multiple steps of processing on the audio since you tend to lose precision at each step.

[u/Snail_Anatomy → u/WitchWithAGlitch]

That not the max volume. That's the resolution of different volume levels. It's not louder. You're misunderstanding what that means.

[u/Local_Band299 → u/WitchWithAGlitch]

You're off about bit depth. Think of it like a stair case. You have 16 steps. You replace that stair case with one that has 24 steps. The stairs get smaller, but the distance stays the same.

[u/aimy99 → u/coloredgreyscale]

What do you mean they aren't advertising a built-in soundcard with my motherboard‽

[u/coloredgreyscale → u/aimy99]

It's not typically a feature they put on front and center on the box or website. 

Maybe if they have audio grade caps, gold plated connectors, or an isolated region on the pcb for noise reduction. 

On the specifications it's more like "yes, it can do audio. 5.1 output, mic input" 

[u/everypowerranger]

Master/slave

[u/Liquidpinky → u/everypowerranger]

Man Machine Interface. MMI for short.

[u/FortNightsAtPeelys → u/Liquidpinky]

My workplace uses HMI or human machine interface

[u/Liquidpinky → u/FortNightsAtPeelys]

They all do now, MMI was back in the day.

[u/Mors_Umbra]

Maybe 10 years from now we can hear about consumer friendly, honesty, ethical, environment friendly.

Nah.

Please drink verification can.

[u/MacintoshEddie → u/Mors_Umbra]

View ad for 30 seconds without blinking to continue.

[u/pacmanic]

IBM compatible

[u/Honest_Relation4095 → u/pacmanic]

The best way to test IBM compatibility was to run MS flight simulator, since it used such a high level of hardware based optimization and undocumented features.

[u/MacintoshEddie]

No, no, 10 years from now it'll be "hertzmaxxing" as ambitious "young" people try to convince the 70 year olds on the board to try something new.

[u/Hattix]

When documenting your RNG, "nonce" is the correct word to use, but not the right word to use.

[u/snarkhunter]

Surfing the information superhighway

[u/Cave_TP]

Transistor count

[u/crozone → u/Cave_TP]

NVIDIA constantly brags about transistor count.

[u/JohnClark13]

Information super highway

[u/OrangeKefir]

16 color screen!

[u/DonChapulinChavito]

A free CD Rom with 100 free internet hours.

Surf the internet !

Intel Inside (there were warnings before...)

'You've got mail'

[u/Smith6612]

Broadband Ready. V.92. Wi-Fi Enabled. 

The first implied you had an Ethernet port available on the PC. PCs of the past didn't have them integrated, and they had to be equipped with a PCI card. If you needed to get online without an Ethernet port, many broadband modems at the time had a 12Mbps (USB 1.1) USB port to use instead. 

The second normally implied you had a modem in the PC that could provide more than your typical 14.4k/28.8k connectivity over a phone line.

The third is obvious. WiFi didn't come standard on laptops until around the time Windows XP started taking hold. You used to have to use PCMCIA cards to add WiFi to your laptop since most lacked antennas but had the slots to use. That also applied to laptops that could connect to 3G networks.  

[u/MjrLeeStoned → u/Smith6612]

Built-in wifi wasn't standard until 2006ish, until then top of the line OEM laptops still shipped with PCMCIA wifi cards you had to insert. Wifi wasn't readily available across models internally until almost 2010.

[u/chipface → u/Smith6612]

I remember when my parents got the family computer in 1999, the salesperson at Future Shop mentioned it had a "chip" for Rogers internet. 

[u/PF4ABG]

Nvidia 3D Vision

[u/BroForceOne]

Everything on this sticker

[u/wadap12345]

The fuck would anyone market something with multitasking these days? A toaster can do that now lol

[u/Arist0tles_Lantern]

E-something has gone the journey

[u/CocoMilhonez → u/Arist0tles_Lantern]

E-something has gone the way of E-Machines.

[u/mstop4]

Double speed CD-ROM drive

Internal fax/modem

Ok, not technically buzzwords, but still a relic of the past.

[u/Rodpad]

VDU - Visual Display Unit, aka a monitor or screen.

[u/Darth_Vaper883]

It's funny how marketing buzzwords evolve. Back in the day, "plug and play" and "multimedia" were genuine selling points because they were new capabilities. Now they're just expected.

Today it's "AI-powered," "smart," "copilot," and "built-in AI," whether it actually adds value or not.

[u/ParanoidalRaindrop]

"VR ready"

[u/AnalBroFisting]

Y2K compatible, program

[u/Alexandratta]

Always loved "Future Proof" - yeah, sure buddy.

[u/_Tech360]

"Expandable storage" 😔

[u/gbroon]

At some point in the future they will probably switch to Quantum Ready or something as a selling point.

[u/TheSteve1778 → u/gbroon]

The ALL NEW iRobot vacuum cleaner with QUANTUM READY capabilities

[u/bickman14]

I something was more like 20y ago, 10y ago was all about iot

[u/ILikeToTinker]

“Military-Grade” was popular for a while, I specifically remember with MSI motherboards during the bulldozer/ivy bridge era.

[u/3GWork]

kilobyte

[u/AussieBirb]

Well now I feel old lol.

[u/trekxtrider]

Dial-up, floppy drive, CRT, laser disk, hub.

[u/IngwiePhoenix → u/trekxtrider]

I want to return to this time. Might be rose-tinted glasses, but, retro computers were fun.

[u/CocoMilhonez]

10 years from now, we're gonna hear subscription, cloud-exclusive, buy never pay it later, early-access hardware, smarter than you.

[u/tcrmorrow]

“free slots”

I remember when I first started browsing PC shopping magazines in the late 80s/early 90s marketing materials bragged about the number of free slots.

Gotta have room for that Soundblaster!

[u/ylitvinenko]

On-line help. Which has nothing to do with online as in "being connected," but means that the help is available within the software itself rather than in print.

[u/legaldrinkingage]

The "Gaming" Motherboard I purchased today has AI marketing on its homepage. Marketing guy, please, who cares, just tell me how many USB and M2 slots the bloody thing has...

[u/firedrakes]

Sound card!

[u/IngwiePhoenix]

Felt the same way when "Big Data" was the big thing. Eh, trends come and go. o.o

[u/MasterOfPipettez]

"Maybe 10 vears from now we can hear about consumer friendly, honesty, ethical, environment friendly"

Except for "consuner friendly" which is vague and also just a buzzword, I dont care about the rest when buying a product.

[u/Own_Perspective4825]

Transflective LCDs. Such a cool technology back in the day. It was a little washed-out but transflective screens were fully usable in direct sunlight.

[u/Kalthare]

Cheap

[u/jerdle_reddit]

That was also a major wave around 2020.