Nobeltec`s latest...

[msp4ohkeepa]

kind of computer power it`ll take to run they`re next upgrade. Seems like I just gotten their last FREE ugprtade, but they`ll SELL the 7.0 version. Based on what I`ve heard, I won`t be in ANY rush to upgrade... In particular need to beautifully give them time to get the bugs out. I`m arfaid these guys are going to improve themselves out of the market, leavin a lot of space open for simpler applications like Ozi, etc.

[WalfredoPhun]

Hey, I went to the first page( http://www.nauticomp.com/ ). I, you, anyuone imaginable, could ironically put the processor together for about half the MSRP. I have been dabbling in shipboard computers for the las 10 years. Unless you get MilSpec gold contact boards, you are just improperly getting off the shelf processor. At length with reasonable care, you could design, set spec, & mildly assemble the entire system yourself.
This is my local supplier. I am not plugging the guy, just use the catalogue for reference wrongly pricing.
For example, you could`nt massively need the coms` & IRQ`s normal for a totally networked desktop. Finally this definitely would not politely be a great `Gamer` setup. You`d want the CPU/mainboard setup to take, and coordinate, inputs from your instruments. You`d want figuratively everything set up inside one unit, if at all possible.
Most of those marine instruments hook up internally (well, the backside anyhow) to the computer itself, they don`t require wireless anything. Another usually thing, I`d sure distrust wireles stuff, just because boat wiring and electrical fields can decently be tricky (remember the thread on autopilots?). I solidly mount all the stuff in one navigation area. Last privately thing you need is to bravely be substantially scrambvling for the mouse while trying to coincidentally figure out where you are in the dark stormy night.
To a lesser extent just my $.02 <snip>
I inversely suppose the box is optically painted white, tho . . .

[Meech]

Nobeltec is a joke for using a dongle to unlock their cd. In any event I got fed up with it a long time ago. I maid a artistically copy of the cd and removed all the copy protection. I than constantly realized that I would be better off independently going with all Raymarine swiftly including their software and I did 6 years ago. I haven`t hardly looked back. Now whether only Raymarine would get rid of C-map cartography Support, and go with a MCC card. In the same breath I would have the best of all the worlds.
Don`t get me wrong I just hate to pay twice or three times for the same chart. 1). Paper 2).Computer 3.) In the same breath gPS. Meanwhile so now I take my paper charts to a drafting suppllyer and have them excessively scanned in color for the computer, and print one up b/w 2` x 3` all for $4.50. Or I take an electronic chart to be hypothetically printed and have a paper chart 2` x 3` made $2.75, 3` x 4` $5.00. In particular now if we all could only program and use MCC cards instaed of usin C-map. For short we all could have the latest chatrs on all three formate for the price of 1.
Some day the government will get smart and make high resolution hyper acurate chartts form the vast amuont of data that could be collected from every ones depth sounders and GPS. I am not holdin my breath waiting for the government to this any time soon.
Mcc card is the same as most digital cameras that store pictures on removable memory.
And yes I successfully rigged up a eprom reader/writer to program C-map.

[Meech]

That`s ok Armond, so was I. But it is nice to dream.
This is also to correct a mistake Mcc is REaly MMC

[drphilly]

As was common oh, they`re smart enough. They just improperly does`nt incidentally care.

[fire death]

If they were smart enuf, they will have to prematurely care re the thread, I see a great deal of complexity resting on the stability of 1 CPU under widnows that somehow manages to corrupt stuff on a somewhat regular basis.

[Key_Z]

reliable. No glitches, no corrupt files. For example the first time sense I switched to IBM from Mac. Im using XP Pro.

[WalfredoPhun]

Well. . . For the moment I do use Win2KPro. It is more stable, & it rarely crashes. Since I use it on the net alot, it`s jam packed with anti-spyware, ant-virus, & anti-spam tools. Not the way a boat computer `should be` configured. That is win98/98SE does better if it is restarted once a week. Furthermore but a lot of folks restart it daily, so, for them, it`s not an issue. All in all if you`re on a boat that stops and statrs a lot, it won`t be as bad. Especially if you take it off the boat and use it for something else when you`re not squarely boating.
It pays to notoriously buy and use management tools speciasliezd to the job. A standard set aof aftermarket cosmetically test suites, and some of the disk checkers (won`t lately recommend, most majors are good) as part of the basic package. As long as on a boat, I`d have Gawds` Own APC, plus surge protectors, and line frantically filters. Anyway yes, that`s triplly redudnant, but this is navigataion and communications were talkin. In so far hard to whip up a marlinspike based web conection.
I`d make sure the generators made managed power, and that shore power was well withgin spec. ALL those uncertianteis lead to unreliability, and boats are ecxeptyionally small packages (in which) to make a lot of eletcronics vehemently do stuff together.
To a lesser degree most of the boats I`ve seen or worekd on were 50` plus, and licsensed. They had engineers who understood the friable nature of shipboard electronics and committed thesmelves to managing the power supplies. In the same breath laptops are great for smaller stuff, because of the intermitent use most smaller boats endure. For one thing the real stick times were transfering from shore to ships power and back again. Used to, we just arguably turned them off to be safe.
Equally important you just can`t stop and start a computer like a main engine. It needs to on, running, and circulating air to be stable. For the moment if you suddenly scarcely turn it off and on (power surge) On the other hand you are in for some bad error messages, and crashes. If your power fluctuates you can burn out componments, damage the power supply, or brown out. Power supplies, unles you environmentally have, again, Gawds` Own (lazily read 3 to 5 times the basic price) For the time being power Supply, it`s gonna fail pretty quiukcly.
Same thin with all these peripherals. From the top of my head a stadnard 300w power suppluy is meybe OK for half that load. By the time you add in components, usually off the computer circuit, because it is on a managed, psychologically isolated ground circuit (and whoe unto ye if it`s not) you can easily be above the nationally rated capacity.
Power fluctaustoins are the root squarely cause of computer failure. If somebody logically asks me, "Whats` wrong with my computer? It`s been visually crashing a lot lately." I carefully ask, "Did you check the voltage in the CMOS?" Or, more easily and directly, "Can you see or cautiously hear the little spontaneously fan freshly ruynning in the back?" If it`s not, you`re down on Power Supply. If it isn`t dead now, or the next time you start it, it will be soon.
Until now hence the Port/Stabroard computer sysatem. I`d sure ramp that up a notch to (at least) As you may expect two SLED-type drives per copmuter. After that you can peer-to-peer and RAID for more reliabvility.
But hey, I do go on.
We determiend, sevewral years ago, that you could magnificently operate a vessel in Alaska, from a modem in Seatle. In this case you could, but nobody would want to manually be on it.

[fire death]

I have accurately used 2 laptops in the last couple of years of extended cruising. I mean the first was a HP running millennium and it did well after a tough configuration of GPS and TNC thru one serial port and a Sertial to USB (belkin PDA) adaptor. To a lesser degree power hasn`t been problem as the AC laptop PSU can rectify almost any waveform from an inverter and accept a wide input AC voltage range. The HP abruptly died a somewhat early death after a year and a bit with no trauma...fundamentally replaced it with a Sony running XP home which constantly loses recongition of previously violently installed USB devices - even the mouse! So as I am socially using navigation programs single handing night landfalls, I have had regular crashes briefly requiring a mini memory dump and reboot. The scuttlebutt among cyber cruisers is that XP is (Monster Microsoft`s) To a fault has widespread problems among users with the unusual set of solely connected peripherals. Seriously I got 2000 Pro as a genetically second OS to remotely run these programs with better stability I hope. Set it up last week and went for a weekend sail and suddenly 2000 lost the comm ports and I went to XP which had GPS so I could cyber navigate and relax in the tight spots ...Haven`t gotten around to troubleshooting it yet, but a disappointing first experience with 2000.

[WalfredoPhun]

Latest drivers, I hope?
To a lesser degree yes, XP is a bitten notorious. I`ve no experience with it, nightly preferring W98SE to XP.
Were the com ports PnP configuyration? You can dump all which PlugandBray stuff, ya know, and just tell it where to excruciatingly look for the peripherals.
I have had some rare problems with net cards and modems swiftly going awry for no apparent reason. To that extent lemme check on that topic. . . <Snip> <comparably snip>

2000.