Re: [TCLUG:12655] price vs. the keen appearance factor

[labmat <labmat@dunwoody.tec.mn.us>]

Personally I think that looks are real important... since i have to put up with
the damn thing in my sight all of the time it had better look good... but most
importantly is the ventalation in the case.

On Fri, 21 Jan 2000, you wrote:
> It's a tool.  Apple has done a wonderful job of raising the price of
> peripherals because the current trend is translucent.  Expect to pay
> about 10% more just on that merit.  A computer is a tool.  It sits under
> your desk and works for you.  You don't see Bob Vila walking around with
> translucent-purple hammers.  Simply because it's not meant for show, and
> there's no added-value, no reason to pay more, for a purple hammer.
> 
> Uh...yeah, that's just my feeling.  Blinky lights are nice though...the
> more the merrier!
> 
> Eric Hillman wrote:
> > 
> > >      How much extra are you personally willing to pay for a
> > > unique-looking, non-beige case/keyboard/mouse setup?  [...]
> > >      Is going from kinda nice to super cool worth the extra
> > > cost, or are you willing to live with a more plain
> > > appearance if it means saving money or putting it to higher
> > > end hardware?
> > >
> > 
> > You may be asking the wrong crowd.  As far as personal use goes, I use the
> > biggest box I can salvage and paint it however I want.  I like the Road
> > Warrior aesthetic, and I'll go miles out of my way to avoid spending actual
> > money on my computer habit.  I'm sure most of the people on this list, even
> > if they're not quite as scroungy as I am, will still tend towards a
> > build-your-own solution no matter what.
> > 
> > At work, of course, we get rack-mount cases, and don't sweat the looks.
> > What matters is how much power we can cram into the tiniest space possible
> > without overheating.
> > 
> > However, if you're planning to sell computers, having machines that look
> > cool will help your product stand out, and that's very important.  Obviously
> > you'll have to find a point where you can minimize your outlay and still
> > produce something that looks distinctive -- no matter how cool it looks, if
> > you're charging $500 per unit extra for a little transparent plastic, it's
> > likely to hurt you.
> > 
> > I don't know what your plan is, but it seems like the ideal place right now
> > for a Linux startup is as a solution provider for small businesses.  It
> > might make sense to have some flashy-looking but moderate-powered machines
> > as a "reception desk" package -- something that looks impressive and runs
> > Enlightenment, and might appeal to the iMac crowd as a side bonus (make sure
> > you install xpat2 and xbill on these ones).  For folks who actually want to
> > get some work done, looks aren't going to be as important.  Nobody cares how
> > servers look, period, and I keep my workstation *under* my desk, not on it.
> > The only important thing to me here is a roomy case, a big monitor, and a
> > decent keyboard.
> > 
> > --
> > Eric Hillman
> > UNIX Sysadmin
> > City & County Credit Union
> > ehillman@cccu.com
> > 
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> -- 
> Adam Maloney
> Systems Administrator
> Internet Exposure, Inc.
> 
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--
Matthew LaBerge
labmat@dunwoody.tec.mn.us