# Fred # wrote:
"brianlanning" wrote in message
oups.com...
# Fred # wrote:
I wouldn't mind getting one but couple of things I'm concern about. One
is
reliability. Also the controller board may cost an arm and leg to replace
few years down the road - don't know, just my guess. Could be obsolete in
a
few short years when new and improved operating system won't support the
software routine.

As a software developer, let me say that this is highly unlikely. If
the software is win32 based, it will be quite some time before that's
not supported anymore, i'd guess in the 5 to 10 year range. If it's
dotnet based (which is more likely) it will be around much longer.

brian


I bet you a lot of existing computers and devices that's running on XP now
won't work when the new Vista OS comes out - just like switching from Win 98
to XP.

I also have more than a dozen of devices and systems (computers, graphics
cards, xy-plotters, printers, digitizers, printers - you name it) that were
orphaned every time a new OS comes out. From CPM to DOS, from DOS to Win
3.x, from Win3.x to Win98, from Win98 to WinXP and so on. Every upgrade
means some device or system become unusable and I don't think the
Compucarver is all that different.

The way the machine works is that your design is saved onto a ram
drive, which then plugs into the machine. The machine is not directly
hooked up to your PC.

XP has several mechanisms built in to run 16 bit apps. I've yet to
have one work correctly. If your plotter doesn't work, it's because
your plotter manufacturer abandoned writing drivers for it, not because
XP is screwy.