To the poor, overworked 486-33MhZ that powers the SDMB...

The BBQ Pit
21

Abacus? Pfah! I imagine a Flintstone-esque system of birds chiseling stone.

:slight_smile:

22

Ah, memories. My first computer was a 486-25. We upgraded it later to a 486-100 and my dad still uses it for Microsoft Works.

23

I don’t see why the server that The Straight Dope is on has to be owned by the Chicago Reader. If one was dreaming the following scenerio could work

  1. Chicago Reader pays for an internet connection but is not attached to anything

  2. Chicago Reader leases said internet connection to a not for profit group called anything. Part of the lease agreement calls for a payment fo $1.00 a year to be made to the Chicago Reader.

  3. This Not For Profit group attaches one or more servers to the internet connection and offers webhosting for $1.00 a year to The Chicago Reader who can then run The Straight Dope Message board.

  4. The techs who originally worked on this message board are made members of the not for profit orginization so they can maintain it and update it.

Now it’s 2am when I came up with this, so I’m ready for you to shoot it full of holes