[Leica] computers and cameras, Dell and otherwise

[reid at mejac.palo-alto.ca.us (Brian Reid)]

This LUG consists of people who claim to be interested in Leica cameras and 
who own a computer. One of the reasons that there is anything to discuss 
about cameras and other mechanical objects is that they sometimes fail or 
break or misbehave.

In most manufactured goods there is a hierarchy of quality, ranging 
something like this:
   * discount
   * consumer grade
   * high-end consumer grade
   * professional light duty
   * industrial and professional heavy duty
   * military and aerospace

We spend a lot of time discussing quality issues in cameras. Given that 
computers are what link us all together, and that increasingly, computers 
are where we store our work, I think it is appropriate to discuss computers 
here as long as we don't get carried away by it.

Dell computers are no more or less reliable than any other consumer brand, 
and, like all big manufacturers, Dell makes several different quality levels.

Since this is the Leica Users Group and not the Point-and-shoot User's 
Group, I see no particular benefit from discussing, or demeaning, any brand 
of consumer-grade product. The variance in manufacturing at the consumer 
level is such that all statements of the form "My computer works really 
well" or "Brand ABC is awful and I will never buy one" are specious. Your 
own personal experience with any consumer-grade product is not meaningful. 
Aggregate statistics are meaningful, though, but the LUG is 
not the place to do that aggregation. There are publications such as "Which 
Computer?" or "Consumer Reports" that do this evaluation. Read them. They 
contain actual facts.

However, given that digital photography is becoming a way of life, and that 
the reliability of computers is paramount to the viability of professional 
digital photography, I do believe it is appropriate to discuss (in a 
non-emotional way, without namecalling) the availability, technology, and 
usability of computers built for the professional and industrial market. 
That is a small enough market that the identity of the manufacturer matters.

So, here's a new rule for the LUG: it's not OK to discuss consumer brands of 
computers. It is OK to ask for help in dire circumstances. And it is not 
only OK but encouraged to talk about professional and industrial brands of 
computers, as long as those computers are capable of running Photoshop and 
image database software and driving printers.

Brian Reid
LUG Saloon keeper