gus_m

<i>You are a victim of marketing, and PC's are a lot like print films; most of them suck, and you need some experience to pick the ones that stand out. There is very little difference in the machines you mention except perhaps the video card, case, cheap speaker system, and 10% faster processor you pay 2x as much for. The difference between the $3,000 AlienWare game machine vs the $800 Dell desktop used by an office secretary is the video card being used (which cost $100 more) then fancy speakers (which cost $50 more), and the 10%faster processor (which cost $200 more). Do the math. AlienWare essentially charges you $1,500 for the the ugly plastic case. </i>

<P>I'd say that is more than just a bit of an exaggeration. First of all, the vast majority of AlienWare machines are under $3000, and some are well under $3000. But lets compare the systems. The <a href="http://www.alienware.com/main/system_pages/area51.asp">Alienware Area 51 system</a> costs $2469. Are there Dells available for $800? Yes, the <a href="http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.asp?customer_id=19&order_code=D455RL&keycode=6V355&cfgpg=2">Dell 4550</a>.<P>What are the key differences between the two systems? The Alienware has an ATI 9700 video card which, despite what Scott says, costs between $300 and 400. You get a 3.06 GHz P4 instead of a 2.0 GHz P4. The retail difference between the two is $500. The Alienware has 512 MB of RDRAM, compared to 128 MB of DDR Ram. The Dell comes with a CD-ROM drive. The Alienware comes with both a DVD-ROM and a CD-RW drive. The Dell includes a 15 inch monitor, the Alienware doesn't include any monitor. Is the price difference reasonable? Yes. Do you need the extras provided by the Alienware? No, not for image manipulation. The Alienware is a gaming machine, though it can, of course, run Photoshop. (Alienware does sell cheaper configurations, though.)<P>Anyway, back to the original question. All you need is a computer with a good amount of memory (512 MB or so), enough hard-drive storage, and a CD-RW. Practically any computer you can buy for about $1000 meets this criteria (though most don't come with 512 MB standard, and you have to ask for it).<P>I do agree that building a system is not that difficult. It is not for everyone, though, as it does take more time than just opening the package Dell sends you, but I wouldn't call it difficult. All you have to do is stick part A (CPU) into one socket, put RAM into another socket, attach a few disk drive cables, and set up BIOS and install the OS.

<p><i>Popular Photography</i> did a test in their June 1999 issue. Check out <a href="http://people.smu.edu/rmonagha/third/mlu.html">

the following link from the Medium Format Library</a> for a discussion of the article.

I hate when people answer questions when they don't know what they are talking about. The book "Patent It Yourself" is a Patent book. Patents and copyrights are not the same.

As for the question, the law is simple, 17 USC § 101 defines work for hire as including "a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment". If you are a computer programmer, programs you write are within the scope of your employment. But a picture you take during your lunch hour is not within the scope of your employment. If your employer gets pissy and tries to get credit for it, get a new job, your employer sucks.