# What Orphaned Technology Do You Miss? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598 "2009-05-06T22:11:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/41 "2009-05-08T04:50:24Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I miss the photo program that came with Windows. It was the greatest tool for scanning and quickly cropping or adjusting a picture. Newer versions of Windows would beep some indignation if it was loaded but it worked until I got to XP professional and now it just refuses to let it run. I think you mean Microsoft Photo Editor. It runs on XP - just doesn’t come with it. I simply copied the folder from an older version of Windows, moved it to my XP machine, and it works! Definitely is a good, simple program for basic editing. Amazing how MS manages to discontinue the stuff that people like. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/42 "2009-05-08T05:06:31Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > I think you mean Microsoft Photo Editor. It runs on XP - just doesn’t come with it. I simply copied the folder from an older version of Windows, moved it to my XP machine, and it works! > > Definitely is a good, simple program for basic editing. Amazing how MS manages to discontinue the stuff that people like. It was originally a Doctor Hallow program. I just reloaded it off a disk and it works again. I did the same thing on my laptop and it didn’t work. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/43 "2009-05-08T05:20:06Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Definitely is a good, simple program for basic editing. Amazing how MS manages to discontinue the stuff that people like. It’s as if there is a department at MS in charge of pissing people off. They take something called “file manager” and change the name and how it works. They take programs like Excel and completely redesign the layout so someone who has used it for 20 years has to sit down and figure out how to PRINT something. And last but not least, they come out with Vista which is not compatible with earlier software making anyone who purchases a new computer revert back to earlier versions of Windows to avoid replacing all their software (yes, the next version will solve this problem) ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/44 "2009-05-08T06:51:16Z")
I miss my Kaypro. (CPM, circa 1983) I could have used WordPerfect 5.1+ for the rest of my life. I bought a dishwasher about 4 years ago, worked great. Last summer when I moved I had to buy another new dishwasher (I thought really hard about taking my relatively new one and buying some crap used dishwasher to replace, after all it’s not like this is a big deal in the overal real estate market). God I wish I 'd done that. My old dishwasher had a little timer dial you could look at an estimate roughly when it would be done. My new one has all flat places. You push them and a light comes on. You have no idea how long it’s been since it was turned on, i.e., if it’s too late to throw in another coffee cup you just found. The light is on and it’s running, and then when it’s done the light moves down and tells you it’s drying. (Stupid dishwasher. The air will dry them.) ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/45 "2009-05-08T12:16:10Z")
ummmm…will I get laughed at if I say that I miss old telephones? Dial or push-button versions, I don’t care… ahhh… having the confidence that you were able to make a simple phone call without taking a picture of your ear at the same time… as long as you, me, and everybody else on the planet actually knew how to use. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/46 "2009-05-08T13:10:17Z")
I’d give a pretty to be able to run my all time [favorite screensaver](http://www.plaguepuppy.net/public_html/P.pup/Schwa%20aliens.htm)from the sinister (and defunct) [Schwa Corporation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwa_(art)). It was originally released for Windows 3.11, and I ran it successfully under 95, 98, and 2000ME. From XP on, no joy. I used to fall asleep at night to this screensaver’s music.’ ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/47 "2009-05-08T13:17:55Z")
On the non-computer side, I miss Concorde. I never flew in it, but it sure was a gorgeous aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/48 "2009-05-08T15:47:29Z")
Mac OS9. For a long time after “upgrading” to X, I was always encountering things that no longer worked as well as they had. One thing I still miss are the OS9 icons for Photoshop files. They were larger and more clearly defined. The files I had created in OS9 still have the older icons, and the difference is depressing. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/49 "2009-05-08T15:53:46Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > No so much orphaned as obsolete: cassette tapes. They were easier and less finicky to record than CD-Rs, more robust, and towards the end of the 1990s, acheiving a sound quality that was close to CD on a car or non-audiophile home system. [The Nakamichi Dragon.](http://www.thevintageknob.org/THEVAULT1/DRAGON/DRAGON.html) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/50 "2009-05-08T15:55:52Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > No so much orphaned as obsolete: cassette tapes. They were easier and less finicky to record than CD-Rs, more robust, and towards the end of the 1990s, acheiving a sound quality that was close to CD on a car or non-audiophile home system. I for one was extremely glad to quit using cassette tapes, and VHS tapes as well. Sequential access sucks! Give me MP3 players and DVRs! ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/51 "2009-05-08T17:52:29Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > However, it has a USB port so I found a micro-sd reader that is the [size of a nickle](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=120398862713). Only a 1/4 inch of it sticks out of my stereo so I effectively now have an 8 gb hard drive. I’m a little confused. What does that gizmo do? Please speak slowly, as if to an eight-year-old. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/52 "2009-05-08T20:16:51Z")
It doesn’t DO anything! That’s the beauty of it! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/53 "2009-05-08T20:45:40Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > I’m a little confused. What does that gizmo do? Please speak slowly, as if to an eight-year-old. 🙂 It’s a USB device that reads micro SD cards. Micro SD’s are the really small memory cards used in phones and cameras. What makes this device so clever is that it utilizes the space of the USB plug-end to hold the memory card. That’s why only 1/4" of the device sticks out of a USB port. It literally can’t be made any smaller and still be able to be handled. When plugged into the front of my car stereo it looks like another push button. The blue indicator light even matches the blue lights in the stereo. If you’re still confused, think of it as a USB memory stick that’s really tiny. If it’s plugged into a laptop there is no worry about snapping it off (been there, done that). You can plug any microSD card in that you’d like. In my case, I use an 8 gb card which will allow me to store 6 days worth of continuous music. I don’t see a need for a higher capacity memory card at this point. Instead of a multi CD changer full of expensive CD’s I plug this device in. Nothing has to be rewired in the car. I no longer have to worry about stolen CD’s or music that skips when I hit a bump. I also keep other files on it such as Open Office in case I need a decent word processor or spreadsheet on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/54 "2009-05-08T21:02:57Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > On the non-computer side, I miss Concorde. I never flew in it, but it sure was a gorgeous aircraft. Sigh, I wish I had spent the money at Oshkosh to ride on it. $400 for a quick trip to Canada and back. Best memory of the plane. There was an event at Oshkosh that brought together most of the Astronauts from the Apollo program for a question and answer session. It was an open air theater with a clear view of the runway and the Concord landed during the middle of the program. Of course, a crowd full of pilots could not help but turn around and watch the plane land. It was such a beautiful sight. The speaker said something to the effect that you can’t compete with something that spectacular. That was one of the coolest events I’d ever been too and the Concord added to the experience. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/55 "2009-05-08T21:29:01Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I miss actual knobs on car stereos. Actual knobs that had a definite high/low limit rather then just being infinitely spinning and computer-sampled. And separate knobs for bass, trable, balance, fader, although I rarely touched the last two. Now you have to go beep-beep-beeping though a bunch of menus to do anything. Likewise, analog knobs and meters on hi-fi equipment. I toy with the idea of buying one of those old analogue tuners or receivers on eBay, just because there was something deeply satisfying about spinning the perfectly machined, weighted tuning knob and watching the needle glide smoothly across the dial. Those things just oozed quality. Everything had a pleasing heft to it. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/56 "2009-05-09T00:48:30Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Likewise, analog knobs and meters on hi-fi equipment. I toy with the idea of buying one of those old analogue tuners or receivers on eBay, just because there was something deeply satisfying about spinning the perfectly machined, weighted tuning knob and watching the needle glide smoothly across the dial. Those things just oozed quality. Everything had a pleasing heft to it. No control on Earth slicker than the tuning knob on a Marantz receiver. Wonderfully weighted, perfectly balanced, all analog, can’t be beat for trying to pull in distant stations. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/57 "2009-05-09T01:34:31Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I miss the photo program that came with Windows. It was the greatest tool for scanning and quickly cropping or adjusting a picture. [XNVIEW](http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Xnview/xnview.html) is an excellent free program for photo scanning and manipulation I miss the Windows Entertainment Pack that came with Windows 95. Fortunately I still have a copy. I can play Chips Challenge, Jezzball, Pipe Dream and other various FUN games. That aren’t over complex with the graphics. ---
**Author:** ![luv2draw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@luv2draw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luv2draw)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/58 "2009-05-09T02:42:14Z")
I’m an old fart and I really miss plain ol’ ordinary televison. You know, you go out and buy one, plug it in to the electric, turn to a network channel. Easy. Oh yeah, no more expense either except for the little electric the set uses. No cable, no dish, no FIO charge monthly, no HD converter box. Yeah. That’s what I miss. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/59 "2009-05-09T02:42:53Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > [XNVIEW](http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Xnview/xnview.html) is an excellent free program for photo scanning and manipulation > > I miss the Windows Entertainment Pack that came with Windows 95. Fortunately I still have a copy. I can play Chips Challenge, Jezzball, Pipe Dream and other various FUN games. That aren’t over complex with the graphics. Thanks, I downloaded it and it has gamma correction along with brightness and contrast. It even as a before/after preview window. I’m going to play with this program some more but that is what I was looking for. If it crops quickly it will be a solid replacement for Photo Editor. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598/60 "2009-05-10T04:55:49Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Thanks, I downloaded it and it has gamma correction along with brightness and contrast. It even as a before/after preview window. I’m going to play with this program some more but that is what I was looking for. If it crops quickly it will be a solid replacement for Photo Editor. Yes it does this quickly. Just open your photo, then put your mouse on the upper left part of the area you want to keep. Left click and go down and then to your right and you’ll get a square of the area you want to keep. Then you can hit the Scissors icon on the menu bar, or go to Edit -\> Crop or hit SHIFT+X (not Ctrl X but SHIFT plus X) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-orphaned-technology-do-you-miss/495598.md?page=4)