A while back, we bought a new computer (the one I am now posting from). We went to a local computer store where the people are usually pretty smart and generally don't act like car salesmen when they are trying to sell you something. The guy who helped us get a custom computer built to order was an exception.
We were listing the various things we didn't need because we already had them, and I mentioned that we already had a PS/2 keyboard, so we din't need to pay them $30 for the fancy keyboard that came standard with all their computers. "It won't work on this computer," says Mr. Fresh Out Of College Salesman. "Does this computer have a PS/2 keyboard port on it?" says I. "Yeh," says the guy, with that look of fear on his face that is only displayed by one who realizes full well that he is talking down to a 13-year-old (now 14), which is a lot like a 21-year-old Private talking sass to a 13-year-old Installation Commander, "But what version of Windows do you have?"
"98, but that simply makes no difference, bec--"
"Then it won't work! The old computer keyboard won't work on this."
"How is that?"
"Mumblemrmmumf-mumf."
"Listen. In order for them to be able to sell this keyboard as a PS/2 keyboard, it has to encode things in a certain format and send certain signals to certain pins on the--"
"It... is... obsolete."
So later we ask the guy if he can just not install the Ethernet card and let us install the one we already have. "It's attached to the motherboard, built right in next to the RIX chips (yeah, RIX. Uh-huh.). You do know that, right? I can't take it off, so you can't get discounted. You probably should know that." Now I have not yet opened the comuter to check and see if he was telling the truth, but nowhere on the motherboard's box or in the motherboard manual does it mention a built-in NIC.
Here I sit, typing this message, on my old "obsolete" keyboard.
Who thinks I should call this place and chew them out? And who wants a WAV of this call when I finally call them?
Oh yeah, earlier that day when I was at another store I asked this guy who looks and sounds just like Phillip Drummond if a 3D card he was trying to sell had a good built-in cooling system. "Well, this is a relativey new card, so it doesn't have that. That's only to make CDs spin faster, which is (and here he starts chuckling) pretty crazy if you ask me. Right, Mario?" he adds to one of his 'associates' (his son, it appears). Mario nods. "I used to work for NVadaya," says Mario, who is not more than 16. Mr. Drummond nods.
Dark"Yeah. NVadaya. Okay."Nova