Re: xxd -i vs DIY Was: C23 thoughts and opinions

On 29/05/2024 18:27, Malcolm McLean wrote:

On 29/05/2024 13:10, David Brown wrote:

>
It wasn't the cheapest available, and 64 GB memory (and 4 TB SSD)
don't come free.  (And I buy these bare-bones.  Machines with Windows
"pre-installed" are often cheaper because they are sponsored by the
junk-ware and ad-ware forced on unsuspecting users.)
>

Yes, I got a job at Cambridge which didn't work out (Cantab dons, much
less tolerant people then their counterparts at another university, but
that's another story). And I was given a brand new Windows machine, and
told that we had to use Linux. So I installed a Linux version which ran
on top of Windows. No good, I was told. Might cause problems with that
"interesting" set up. ...

They're quite right in that regard, as I can testify from personal
experience.

... So I had to scrub a brand new version of Windows.
It felt like the most extravagant waste.

Keep in mind that, as David pointed out, the "waste" was probably
negative. You got a better price on the machine than you would have
otherwise, and erasing that malware gave you more space to put useful
stuff on your machine.