[jsmithepa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hempcamp /img/forum/go_quote.gif but I can relate how Time Machine has already saved my (digital) life:

Fair enuff.

If it backs up *that often*, do u notice a hiccup on you WiFi when the BU kicks in?

 

[VicAjax]

but this can't be used with a DAC as a music server without having to turn the computer on... can it???

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax /img/forum/go_quote.gif but this can't be used with a DAC as a music server without having to turn the computer on... can it???

If by DAC you mean a Squeezebox, Roku, or some other kind of self-contained device, it's not clear yet. It would depend on whether it shares via SMB/CIFS or some other protocol that those devices can talk to. Some NASes do work directly with the Squeezebox.

 

[jsmithepa]

If your DAC can access a file server to retrive music, I dunn see why not.

Anybody turn their boxes off anymore? Everybody these days just put them to sleep right and instant wakeup as needed.

 

[IceClass]

What is an NAS???

 

[etherealbeats]

Network-attached storage.

 

[jsmithepa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by etherealbeats /img/forum/go_quote.gif Network-attached storage.

Techically a stand-along storage box with an ethernet/fiber/now Wifi connection. Simple OS promises 24x7 reliability. Plug&Play.

Loosely, I guess ANY storage that u can access on the LAN (local network) could be referred to also, but I personally use File Server for this type. Here u have to content with less reliability due to generic OS and OTHERS things u may have going on the same box. Not quite P&P.

 

[hempcamp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsmithepa /img/forum/go_quote.gif Fair enuff. If it backs up *that often*, do u notice a hiccup on you WiFi when the BU kicks in?

Note that I do not have the Time Capsule yet, I have only used Time Machine through a FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 connection to my external drive.

I suspect once per hour backups would have little to no effect on bandwidth. Wireless N is a pretty fat pipe, and Time Machine uses FSEvents to only back up files that have changed since the last backup.

Should you need full bandwidth for a determined period of time, one small "switch" turns off Time Machine in System Preferences.

Time Machine and Time Capsule is really outstanding technology not because it is anything new (rsync, SuperDuper, Retrospect, etc have been around for ages, so have NAS etc.) but because it is so easy to use and so transparent, and you can go back to your deleted/destroyed files as if you were in Finder (thus the name Time Machine).

--Chris

 

[IceClass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hempcamp /img/forum/go_quote.gif Time Machine and Time Capsule is really outstanding technology not because it is anything new (rsync, SuperDuper, Retrospect, etc have been around for ages, so have NAS etc.) but because it is so easy to use and so transparent, and you can go back to your deleted/destroyed files as if you were in Finder (thus the name Time Machine). --Chris

Apple's genius always seems to lie in their ability to take existing concepts and technologies and make a better working and integrated product and experience than their competitors.

The Apple sleek design doesn't hurt either.

I switch back and forth between Windows and OSX environments and machines all the time and by far get off on the Mac better.

That said, I'm still trying to understand why the solid state drive on the MacBook Air is so darned expensive and what the advantages are.

 

[jsmithepa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceClass /img/forum/go_quote.gif That said, I'm still trying to understand why the solid state drive on the MacBook Air is so darned expensive and what the advantages are.

Nowadays, conventional HD are so reliable that one has to pause and wonder if the premium$ is worth it. The advantages I can see are less heat dissipation and lower power consumption which may tip it over, but I'd wait to see real numbers/reviews. I guess I'd be willing to pay for a COMPLETELY silent machine.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsmithepa /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nowadays, conventional HD are so reliable that one has to pause and wonder if the premium$ is worth it. The advantages I can see are less heat dissipation and lower power consumption which may tip it over, but I'd wait to see real numbers/reviews. I guess I'd be willing to pay for a COMPLETELY silent machine.

It's not just lower power consumption... SSD drives have zero seek time and are wicked fast. We're talking multiple times faster (an order of magnitude basically) than regular hard drives on mixed loads. This makes a huge difference in practice, much moreso than doubling or tripling your processor speed. People don't realize just how slow hard drives are compared to modern processors.

SSD is a massive win. More durable, much lower power consumption, much faster. (Longevity may be an issue, but regular laptop hard drives don't tend to last all that long anyway so I think it's a wash.) They're expensive but oh so worth it.

 

[jsmithepa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy /img/forum/go_quote.gif This makes a huge difference in practice, much moreso than doubling or tripling your processor speed.

Only during Applications load, once loaded, no difference.

 

[SR-71Panorama]

I was reday willing and able to get the mac book air, until I found out the cost of the SSD and the battery issue.

For me to still get one, I'd have to confirm that the SSD makes the MB Air 'wicked fast' even with such a low processor speed, and that Apple will continue the free install of batteries indefinitely; not just for a year or two. I want fast and I want durable. If I can't get a battery replaced the extra durability of the SSD is moot for me.

I too would love a quiet computer, for headphone use.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsmithepa /img/forum/go_quote.gif Only during Applications load, once loaded, no difference.

And any time an application needs to pull any data off disk: loading a new document, your web browser hitting the cache to display an image, your mail reader opening your mail archive, doing a search to find that file you're looking for... basically all the time.

Read up on the concept of cache hierarchies for why improving storage speed dramatically improves overall system performance. Some of the database and webserver benchmarks on these devices are insane... look at the webserver benchmark here for instance:
Tom's Hardware
All the SSD options are literally thousands of times faster at serving web pages. It's like having two to eight thousand webservers in one box!

 

[jsmithepa]

Webserver with thousands of open sessions, OK.

Single User system? Still not convinced it's worth the extra$.