Domain: pcworld.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to pcworld.com.
Comments · 2,312
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Re:The real question is...this is up to 12801920 bytes of text
That is 26 minutes and 40 seconds of voice grade audio. At $0.30 per minute, it would cost less than $10 to send that much data. At $10.60 per minute, it would cost $282.70 to transfer 12 MB. On their old pricing plan, it would have cost him $16,002.40 to send 80,012 messages!
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Re:Wow, I now I understand the implications of OLE
I think the lifetime is more around 10,000 hours. In one of the recent
/. discussions relating to OLEDs there was a discussion about this, can't seem to find it though. This article does mention 10,000 hours, and so does this very interesting OLED Technology Roadmap (PDF). It actually says about the performance targets that by 2004, the lifetime for 300 cd/m^2 should be about 10k hours, while for 2007 and 2010, the aim is 20k and respectively 40k hours. Note: I just skimmed that document, but it should be an interesting read... -
Infinium Labs way aheaed of you!
Infinium Labs is way ahead of Bill and Schwartz. But as we, all know the Phantom was built "By Gamers, For Gamers(c)", so this is not wholly unexpected.
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infinium labs way ahead of you!
Infinium Labs is way ahead of Bill and Schwartz. But as we, all know the Phantom was built "By Gamers, For Gamers(c)", so this is not wholly unexpected.
:) -
Not SurprisingThis isn't entirely a surprise. Everybody's seen sales slump. Sony, as the article says, will be focusing on the mobile phone market.
I recently ditched my Palm IIIxe for a Sony Ericsson T616. It isn't technically a "smartphone", but it still has a calendar, to do list, phone book (of course). And it syncs perfectly with iSync over bluetooth.
If you want to see the real future of Sony PDAs, look here.
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Re:A small piece of experienceFound this article from a few years ago:
But repeated tests of the Windows XP Internet Time utility produced a variety of unharmonious results. Compared with the NIST's atomic clock, Microsoft was repeatedly off by as much as nine minutes.
Maybe that was the problem. Microsoft has since fixed it.
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Re:Punishments go up, never down
Personally, I think the most effective solution is to convince people that if they break such-and-such a law, they will get caught. Presently, most ways to back up that threat involve trampling on civil liberties.
Except in the case of virus and worm writers, unless you're amazingly stupid there's almost no chance you're going to get caught. The situtation is as if anyone with a small amount of knowledge could walk up to a payphone and wreak havoc on the phone network.
In this case the only way you're going to stop people doing damage from releasing viruses is to change the computing environment. The OS shouldn't run apps unless they've been signed by an administrator. For business computing the administrator isn't the user. People will bitch and moan about not being able to run their weather app, but too bad. If you're not capable not spreading viruses, you're not capable of administrating your machine. Do we let general users mess with the inner workings of tools they don't understand like a typewriter? No, of course not. Why then do we let users install apps, run cutesey executables that were sent by Mom, etc? Until this practice stops, you're not going to stop the massive email spreading worms. -
Good IdeaThis sounds like a good way to ensure accountability on who made what changes, and when they did it. Linus says the SCO debacle "have provided a "big impetus" for the changes", this will make sure similar legal action can be shot down immediately.
Considering all the code thats been leaked lately, this is a welcome insurance policy to keep Linux on track as free alternative OS.
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Re:Man am I out of the loop.
After I posted that, I did a quick google:
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,94724,00 .asp -
Re:/. double standards?
How is Microsoft a Monopoly if Apple exists?
because they control the vast amount of the computing market. you don't have to own all 100% of it just to be declared a monopoly. perhaps you should also keep up with the news. the US and the EU have declared microsoft a monopoly.
If that makes Microsoft a monopoly doesn't that make Apple an even worse monopoly (they control the hardware AND the software)?
sigh. i sometimes wonder if people will ever understand the truth about apple. apple makes the case, the motherboard, the power supply, and the operating system. that's IT. every other component of a mac (including the cpu, video card, hard disk, ram, cdrom, lcds, crts, etc, etc) is standard. if some other company came along and implemented a ppc chip that implemented the same instruction set as the g3-g5 chips and used hardware components (ethernet, video, sound) that are compatible with os x's drivers and implement the openfirmware STANDARD then it will run os x. now that may not be legal according to the EULA but you can do it. worst case you can run linux on your machine, or freebsd, or the various other free *nix operating systems that run just FINE on ppc hardware. heck even windows nt 4 ran on mac hardware (albeit a long time ago, not anymore). if you want more ppc hardware, send a nice letter to amd and intel to implement more ppc compatible chips. send a letter to the various mobo manufacterers to implement more motherboards that agree to said specs. its no different than companies implementing intel's x86 specs. stop spreading FUD -
Revenue Models and Marketing
Here's Garriott's take on Tabula Rasa about a year ago.
I believe that the market will force the MMOG industry to abolish the up-front fee within a few years. Some publishers are already doing that (and more), but the majority seem dead-set on requiring me to pay $49.95 to test the waters. This has kept me away from some that I might otherwise enjoy. Those that offer free trials are in the minority, and should do more to tout their low-barrier-to-entry. Horizons, made by the same folks who brought us the excellent Mordor, might be good, but until about ten minutes ago, I had assumed that they, too, required the initial investment to try out.
Commercial and shareware demos exist because there's so much competition there -- consumers can usually overlook a title that doesn't allow them to kick the tires. Given the sheer number of MMORPGs that exist, I think it it won't be long before their publishers follow suit. Guild Wars' model -- free play, with sales generated from expansions -- is a great way to differentiate it from other games. And what better way to hook someone? C'mon, man. The first one's free.
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Amusing trivia: Will Wright on his first game, Raid on Bungeling Bay: "I found that I was having more fun actually creating and editing these islands than I was actually bombing them in the game." -
Internet tax
You know, there was a senator who once proposed a e-mail tax. If thise kind of under-the-table loopholes could be closed, especially to the big companies like MS, maybe tax wouldn't be such a bad idea...given that we would find a solution to bad internet buisness.
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Re:This sounds like a joke, but it's not April 1.
I wonder how many iPods there are out there in the public's hands for every Sony Memory-Stick and "Hi-MD" device. I'm guessing at least 4, and that's being generous to Sony.
It depends on whether the ordinary MD players will be compatible (they all use ATRAC). According to this link 56 million MD players had shipped worldwide at the end of 2001. According to Apple 2 million iPods have shipped around the start of this year. MD has had a 10 year head start on the iPod, and quite a few brands sell players (Panasonic, Sharp, JVC, Aiwa, Kenwood, Denon). The big growth is undoubtedly in the iPod, but there is little doubt that MD has an overall larger installer base. The reason why Apple seems to do so much better to you is that the MD format has mostly flopped in the US, which unfortunately for Sony is also the largest market.
And 1GB. Wow. That's sooo much music. Has anyone at Sony ever even heard of hard drives? C'mon, I was expecting some sort of competition here, but this is more like a joke.
As for 1GB discs, there is a market for a lot of different formats (remember the ./ reaction on the iPod mini). According to you everybody would be buying HD based players, while flash-players are still selling quite well. There are tradeoffs with every technology. Any HD player will require li-ion batteries. The MD players will play 25 hours on a single AA battery. The iPod may or may not survive a drop from a bike ride. Likewise the MD player, but the discs with the actual data will almost certainly survive. MDs are handy as an exchange format (not in the US, but in Asia where lots of people have them). Of course, iPods have their own advantages, but I won't list them since you know them well enough. -
How soon they forgetFrom a parallel universe comes that will complete a set of tasks automatically if you forget to "reset" it peridically. And I know it works, as one fellow forgot to reset it and delivered an unexpected last will and testament top the discussion board one day. That said, this same community recently lost a member to suicide, and it's interesting to see how that person's online data becomes a virtual meeting place for the mourners.
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Re:microsoftI'm willing to bet that the first person/company who can provide people with a computing experience without a computer stands to make a lot of $$$.
It's been done. Ever seen a standalone X Terminal> Or the i-Opener. Both work reasonably well. Nobody wanted them.
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Re:RIAA
I wouldn't know, as I am a mere mortal internet connection wise.
But just give it time
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Just in time for sales slump
Recent industry reporting seems to indicate a big slump in the PDA market. The trend is toward devices that incorporate cell phone features.
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Imagine that
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Other Sources
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Why not try some of the alternatives
Why not investigate some of the alternatives while the site is
./ed.
http://desk3d.sourceforge.net/
Sun's attempt
http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/A.Steed/3ddesktop/ -
Bullshit Warning!
Now where did your hear the name Chariglione? Could it have been during the Felten dispute? (He was executive director of the SDMI standards body). This guy's a member of the industry that has sprung up, complete with lobbyists and all, trying to deliver "secure content" (read: snake oil).
If we look at what he wants it's clear that he has already chosen DRM to be the solution, and now we must find some way to make end users "accept" it. He talks a lot about "mapping traditional usage rights to the digital space" but the fact is that he's trying to replace court rulings on fair use with software. I wonder how well software will replace judges and jurors? (Remember, the preciousss "content" should at all times stay "protected") Someone please mandate "open" standards for playback devices!
He's sweet-talking, and politicians will really want to believe his promises - too bad that he's earning money from seeing DRM as the solution rather than the problem. -
Pending U.S. Senate Bills
If WhenU.com is unhappy about Utah law, I can only imagine how they will respond if either the proposed Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge (SPYBLOCK) Act or the Controlling Invasive and Unauthorized Software Act is passed and signed into law.
These bills have been covered by:
PC World
InfoWorld
ComputerWorld, and
TechNewsWorld
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Re:Pfft. BS Flag.This one
Perhaps this summary would do, you tools.
But who cares, I don't need this crap, I use better OS.
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A better URL
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Re:Wow, I'm not impressed.
Saying that linux is easy because a child can play games and mash the keyboard on it is ignorant and overlooks the broader issue of actually using the system to get work done.
What kind of work do you need to get done? Writing and printing documents, spreadsheets? Sending and receiving emails? Browsing web pages? Designing web applications? All can be done on Linux just as easily as on Windows, provided you're trained in the appropriate Windows or Linux programs.
Once configured properly (and both Windows and Linux machines need to be configured before the average user can use them), Linux is just as usable for most tasks as Windows. THAT'S what the point of the article was.
For an article on successfully using Linux to get professional work done, check out this PC World article. -
New Idea? Not really.
All the author is saying is we need to reapply Moore's law to another aspect of electronic manufacturing. Specifically to the creation of better, more efficient, power supplies for our wireless devices.
This is hardly ground breaking. Companies like to permutate Moore's laws all of the time. I've even heard marketing guys try to use it as a model for deciding a schedule to promote the next product.
Focusing on more efficient power supplies is indeed a worthy cause. And there are already attempts out there to use things such as fuel cell technology to help rectify this problem. So the author of the article shouldn't feel as if the issue is being ignored.
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Re:Lets hope Corel doesn't screw this up.
Does it? The shelf space reserved for Linux hardware and software at Computer City doesn't seem to be growing any.
Walmart.com to Offer LindowsOS (February 4, 2003)
Walmart.com Offers a New Linux PC (July 14, 2003)
Sun Sells Linux PC at Wal-Mart (March 31, 2004) -
Re:Lets hope Corel doesn't screw this up.
Does it? The shelf space reserved for Linux hardware and software at Computer City doesn't seem to be growing any.
Walmart.com to Offer LindowsOS (February 4, 2003)
Walmart.com Offers a New Linux PC (July 14, 2003)
Sun Sells Linux PC at Wal-Mart (March 31, 2004) -
Re:Did someone say 'monopoly'?
Monopolies only apply to single companies, not to an industry association. No single company can seriously be said to have a monopoly over selling music to the general public, nor is any single company using its market position to create an uneven marketplace. So there's not really a case for anti-trust policy, because it's just an industry association acting on behalf of its members, not a single company acting exclusively in its own interests, against the others.
So when does this "association" cross the line into racketeering? When they are their own law enforcement? Or practices wholesale extortion?
This isn't news to anyone here, of course. They're US-based of course. The best government money can buy! -
Re:Why should Dell care?Alright, AC, I will take your post as the paragon for lack of bias. So now when I argue with Apple's claims (which appears to be the only thing I can do if I am unbiased), I will leave out the actual ship dates of AMD machines from vendors, which came after the G5 shipped.
If I build my own AMD system that predates the G5, I will fail to mention that I built it or obtained it through some other arrangement. I will also assume that any Joe Shmoe can install and run his own 64-bit linux system *after* building it himself. Oh, and I'll make sure to accuse Apple of claiming the first 64-bit laptop, even though someone else shipped them first and there is no actual indication Apple is going to make such a claim.
I will also generate a bunch of self-serving definitions about what a "personal computer" is when everyone really knows that the general public did not have a 64-bit system that they could buy, take home, and plug in until the G5 shipped. This is home (aka personal) use we are talking about and the fact that Apple's ad shows a guy *at home* should clue people like NAB into that. Don't worry. In my lack of bias you won't hear me pointing that out.
Finally, when I talk about the arguments of someone who disagrees with my position, like As the Apple Turns, I will make sure to assume their name is the indication of their lack of intelligence rather than a tounge-in-cheek reference to the Apple rumor mill.
AC, thy name is Troll.
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Yahoo is now patchedApparently the emails that were sent weren't ignored. PCWorld is running an article stating the vulnerability is patched.
"We learned of a cross-site scripting issue in Yahoo Mail, and immediately began working towards a resolution which was implemented yesterday," says Mary Osako, senior director of communications at Yahoo
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Yahoo is now patchedApparently the emails that were sent weren't ignored. PCWorld is running an article stating the vulnerability is patched.
"We learned of a cross-site scripting issue in Yahoo Mail, and immediately began working towards a resolution which was implemented yesterday," says Mary Osako, senior director of communications at Yahoo
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Re:Bah
Perhaps (portable) fuel cells will be your 'Energon cubes'(?) - a quick Google search found some interesting links.
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Re:Linkage
It seems the first system using it will have a CD-ROM drive. Now look at the first link.
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Ironic Advertising
I load up the PC World article on nano-tech and what ad do I see? That's right, an ad for ENIACS on the cheap.
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Just Because of Linus TorvaldsI think transmeta is loved by geek community just because of Linus Torvalds connection.
Their first chip Crusoe, although saving power, underperformed badly. And the Efficeon doesn't look fast compared to its rivals. The Efficeon TM 8000 can do 1.1GHz consuming 7W. Intel's Pentium M does 1.7GHz for the same power consumption.
I don't think there's anything particularly cool about this news. It is the same as the discovery of the new planet. There are better ones already out there.
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Just Because of Linus TorvaldsI think transmeta is loved by geek community just because of Linus Torvalds connection.
Their first chip Crusoe, although saving power, underperformed badly. And the Efficeon doesn't look fast compared to its rivals. The Efficeon TM 8000 can do 1.1GHz consuming 7W. Intel's Pentium M does 1.7GHz for the same power consumption.
I don't think there's anything particularly cool about this news. It is the same as the discovery of the new planet. There are better ones already out there.
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Just Because of Linus TorvaldsI think transmeta is loved by geek community just because of Linus Torvalds connection.
Their first chip Crusoe, although saving power, underperformed badly. And the Efficeon doesn't look fast compared to its rivals. The Efficeon TM 8000 can do 1.1GHz consuming 7W. Intel's Pentium M does 1.7GHz for the same power consumption.
I don't think there's anything particularly cool about this news. It is the same as the discovery of the new planet. There are better ones already out there.
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Re:Why not buy a laptop?
Actually, there is alot of confusion with the way Intel decided to name the new mobile processors. The actual processor is the Pentium M, not to be confused with any Pentium 4-M chips. The Centrino comes from the integration of this Pentium M chip, wireless Lan, and a different chip set. So it really is just the Pentium M processor, (not the Pentium 4-M that is used in moste laptops though) but through the chip set and alot of power management features the Centrino books are quite a bit faster. Some of this comes from the fact that a Centrino notebook executes more commands per clock cycle than other processors. Here is a quote from PCWorlds review of Centrino laptops:
"The new chip completes more instructions per clock cycle than today's P4 chips (which favor higher MHz instead), and the Pentium M has a 1MB Level 2 cache (twice that of the P4's 512KB L2 cache). As a result, the three 1.6-GHz test notebooks landed impressive PC WorldBench 4 scores, outpacing notebooks with faster-running P4 and P4-M processors."
Here is the Article, It is still a little confusing to me. Here is another snippet from PCMag that tries to explain the confusing names better than I could:
"For starters, Intel named the new chip the Pentium M, which is bound to be confused with the faster-clocked (but not better performing) Intel Mobile Pentium 4 Processor-M family. Worse, the Centrino moniker--the new mobile-platform brand name that Intel will be pushing in its marketing--can be used on a notebook only if the notebook contains both the Pentium M (married to one of the two new Intel chipsets) and Intel's integrated wireless networking solution, the Intel PRO/Wireless 2100."
Well now everything is clear as mud, right! -
Re:Hmmm....
PC World also notes on this subject. Fellowes is announcing that they are going to begin injecting a product called "Microban" into their keyboards and mice, to create an environment where bacteria cannot survive and grow.
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Re:cheap version of my dram laptop
> So i ask you slashdotters, what good slim laptops do you like?
I'm using a Thinkpad X23, 866mhz, 384mb RAM. I had a smaller Toshiba Portege and Sony Vaio before, but their keyboards were pretty lousy. I might upgrade to the Thinkpad X40 in the future, but the X23 still does everything I need. -
Re:Cynical
Flamebait? Honestly guys, give the massive negative moderation a break. The MPAA gives money to politicians. Here's an old PCworld Article.
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Just Because of Linus TorvaldsI think transmeta is loved by geek community just because of Linus Torvalds connection.
Their first chip Crusoe, although saving power, underperformed badly. And the Efficeon doesn't look fast compared to its rivals. The Efficeon TM 8000 can do 1.1GHz consuming 7W. Intel's Pentium M does 1.7GHz for the same power consumption.
I don't think there's anything particularly cool about this news. It is the same as the discovery of the new planet. There are better ones already out there.
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Re:How about text on the /data/ side of the CD?
great idea! oh but wait - it looks like yamaha beat you to it!
rtfa next time. -
Re:burning images onto normal cdrs
This has nothing to do, that 1's look different than 0's. Its only the difference between written parts (consisting of 0's *and* 1's) and unwritten parts (*nothing* on the disk, not even 0's and 1's. Only unmarked dye).
What you're trying to do was already done with Yamahas Disc T@2(spoken: "Tattoo"). The story even has a link to an article about this technology.
So if you want to get sued by Yamaha for patent infringement, go ahead and write your Disc-Labeling Program. *grin* -
PCWorld TestsAt PCworld, they have an article explaining this exact issue.
I only mention it because I'm in it
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Re:PredictionPerhaps we need a legitimate kazaa?
Um, Kazaa is legitimate. I'm not aware of any jursidictions in which it has been ruled illegal, but it certainly has been ruled legal. And common sense would say that just because it can be, or even often is, used illegally doesn't mean it is inherently illegitimate. It does have legitimate legal uses.
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Re:Looking for information, not an argument
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New MSIE?
Will they be coming out with an updated version of Internet Explorer? IE is already seriously almost everybody else in terms of standards support (not that they were ever near the front). When they have to be very seriously pressured to release just one measley patch, it means they either don't care anymore, or they're working on something big. Just release something, please, so web developers don't have to keep suffering when developing for the lame uninformated masses that are stuck behind.
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Re:I love the smell of Antitrust Lawsuits in the m
Edit: I just noticed that I forgot to include the link to the PC World article. You can view it here.