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Umm.. You do know that's not the tabloid but a computer site? Found by the same guy that started The Register. I don't really follow them much, but they're almost satire of a tabloid, but not really, except they focus on computers. It seems to be fooling people...

Then it must've been some time since you last checked... check out this rather glowing Ubuntu review in the Inquirer, for example. Yeah, I know, not exactly the greatest news outlet in the world, but they're probably as non-geeky as you get, so the fact that they found Ubuntu so easy and comfortable to use says a lot, IMO. :)

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11041

Install Adobe Reader 6 :)
From the Start->Run windows menu, Open the "x:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 6.0\Reader" folder, where x is the right drive letter.
Find the plug_ins folder and rename it plug_ins_disabled
Create a new folder named plug_ins
Copy the following files from "plug_ins_disabled" to "plug_ins": EWH32.api, printme.api, and search.api

Of course this will limit the functionality to viewing non-encrypted pdf files, but that's exactly what I want Acrobat ^B^B^B^B^B Adobe Reader for, 99.9% of the time. You might want to experiment leaving some of the fat in, I mean, .API files, like reflow.api and search5.api (if it's there), and see how it affects functionality and load times.

With the files listed, you get half the load time on low-end systems, and a 2-sec load time on high-end ones. Still, you might want to prefer using Acrobat Reader 4.05 on old systems, since it loads in just seven seconds instead of 20.

Does 20 years in prison for stealing $22 billions a year (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=21062) still look absurd to you?

well it runs gentoo linux just fine. DRM or not. That's the first I've heard of it too. In particular a google search turns up

Intel says there is no DRM.

In fact most sites that say there is DRM are around May 26th 2005. The release from Intel on June 5th 2005. Maybe, some rumors got out of hand and people like you helped spread it?

Eitherway it runs my GNU/Linux software just fine. So if there actually is DRM in there it isn't hindering it [the crappy ALU is though].

Tom

Well, then, happy rumors for you via The Inquirer.

However, I really think the EU made itself ridiculous by ordering Microsoft to ship an alternative version of Windows without the Media Player. Microsoft created that "Windows Reduced Media Edition" (a name that doesn't quite suggest you should buy it) and sold it at the same price (!) as Windows with the Media Player. Obviously they didn't do anything to generate demand for that particular version. So what's the point in all of that? It just became a matter of principle for some bEUrocrats.

Moreover, the EU Commission lacks a consistent strategy for the software market. On the one hand, they start those anti-trust proceedings and believe they make the market more competitive (which the "Windows Reduced Media Edition" obviously didn't). On the other hand, the EU Commission was a driving force behind that EU software patent directive. And now the EU Commission even wants to retry and legalize software patents in Europe as a side effect of a so-called "community patent regulation":
ZDNet UK: EC slipping software patents "through backdoor"
TheInquirer.net: EU attempts to intro software patents by the back door

That makes no sense to me. A bundling of Windows with the Media Player isn't even 1% as bad as patents on multimedia data formats. The bundling may affect market share over time and it may make consumers less likely to choose another software for playing digital media, but patents constitute monopolies from day one and potentially eliminate all choice.

The European Patent Office has granted numerous anti-virus and firewall patents, which the EU Commission wanted and still wants to legalize in Europe:
ZDNet UK: EC slipping software patents "through backdoor"
TheInquirer.net: EU attempts to intro software patents by the back door
That would be much more anti-competitive than any bundling decision that Microsoft could ever take.

It's the same with the Media Player, which the Commission wants to be un-bundled from Windows: Today's computers are multimedia devices, and it's just logical to me that software like that would be pre-installed on a computer when I buy it. As long as those multimedia data formats aren't patented, people would still have the choice to download alternative solutions like MPlayer.

Getting back to Symantec: That company is a crying baby. They can't seriously insist that Microsoft deliver less secure software just so that Symantec can make some more money! If the EU Commission were to support Symantec's special interest in this case, then it might as well start putting out Stalin-like five-year plans for the European IT markets.

There must be a limit to (near-)monopoly abuse. If MSFT were to decide that everyone who wants to buy Windows has to buy Office, then I'd also be against it. But I can't see the reason why MSFT shouldn't provide some security software. In fact, my own experience is that Windows' built-in security tools cause a lot less trouble to my system than Symantec's Norton anti-virus and firewall tools (which also leave a lot to be desired in terms of usability).

From the article:

"The attached photo of a PCB from the 2Gbyte iPod nano dissected by iSuppli shows the Samsung name and part number listed on the NAND flash devices.

As with most products that employ commodity memory parts, the iPod nano is capable of using and sometimes does utilize comparable products from alternative suppliers--a practice known as "second-sourcing." "

No chilling effects? How much money did that Lexmark case cost Static Control? Could you personally afford to fight Lexmark in court? No, I didn't think so. So you think DMCA precedent was set in the Lexmark v. SCC case? Then why is SCC now suing ISV for doing the exact same thing? Here's a clue, the law is a sham. It forces out smaller players who can stand up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in court costs. THAT is a chilling effect on innovation and Rick Boucher is on of the few people on the hill I don't consider to be an absolute slime ball.

The Library of Congress is soliciting feedback on the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions again. Without doubt, they have heard it all before, but with this particular piece of legislation, the complaints bear repeating. Since that time, the DMCA anti-circumvention clauses have been used against manufacturers of garage door openers, against owners of robot dogs, and to stifle competition in the mobile phone service market just to name a few. You have until December 1, 2005 to submit your written comments.

The Library of Congress is soliciting feedback on the DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions again. Without doubt, they have heard it all before, but with this particular piece of legislation, the complaints bear repeating. Since that time, the DMCA anti-circumvention clauses have been used against manufacturers of of printer cartridges and garage door openers, against owners of robot dogs and to stifle competition in the mobile phone service market just to name a few. You have until December 1, 2005 to submit your written comments, so hop to it.

Actually, the "iq" domain was on ice because the Texas-based company administrating it was under suspicion for funding terrorists.

I stand corrected, then. But the fact remains that as long as sensitive aspects of the internet are solely in US hands, the rest of the world will simply have to trust the US to look out for everyone's interests, and the US will have to deal with the increasingly complex issues which come with the responsibility.

I can understand the desire to keep the internet safely in their hands, but question the wisdom of doing so.

Here in America, I was able to write an article criticizing Microsoft for their stance on Office, with regards to OpenDocument support. Would I be able to criticize the largest software company in China, for example? I doubt I would have the right (or the expectation to not suffer the repurcussions of angering one of the largest companies) merely for speaking out.

I can stand up and voice an opinion that goes against "the party line." (valid in more than just Communist China) If I were to do this in China, or any of the other listed countries, I would face prison, at the least, if not death.

I'm sorry, I'll stick with the US being in control. What's broke about it? What has the US done wrong with regards to controlling the internet? Up until now we've let ICANN run things how they want...the "hands-off" approach has worked well. We would be among the first to complain should the US administration start exerting control, as that would be censorship, and against our Constitution. The UN does not recogonize the right of free speech as a right member countries citizens have.

Yeah, that's what I thought too, but you've just gotta read between the lines! From the first link:

GOOGLE HAS confirmed that it will ... take on Microsoft. ...

The other day, when Sun's Scott McNealy and ... Google ... met up, ... wary ... point blank, McNealy said ... was something to be investigated. However Sun's Australian spokesman Paul O'Connor was a little more forthright ... he ... bubbled ... wa[r]s ... for Microsoft.

See, there ya go!

Jack Thompson may be lying -- or so says the office of Governor Jeb Bush. this article at Advanced Media details the whole story, and they have backup from sources: GamePolitics.com, here at Inquirer, and here at Joystiq. Someone is lying... could be Bush's people, could be Thompson.

Actually, accoding the the Inquirer and Amazon.com its actually going to come out in December. I suck at HTML Link

Thats the game, not the movie. Surprised Slashdot didn't link this, but its understandable since it's vaporware.

Could we please just put that asshole Thompson out of our collective misery already?

Specs are a form of communication. It's important that everyone knows what the other is doing and doing it the same way as everyone else. Appearently he doesn't like that. Linux is really starting to fall apart these days. Enough with all these crappy distro's. Free is great, but if everyone is doing thier own thing instead of making one product better, then it's pointless. http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26642 Basically with free software, you get a mess instead of a clear focus piece of software. Why? Lack of communication and getting everyone on the same page. That's why linux will never be mainsteam. How many distro's are out there? Too many, that's what. Red Hat, SuSe, and Mandrake. Everyone else can go home. Bye! :)

Will SP3 , already on its way, fix this flaw?
Most certainly not. Look through what's included in this service pack (don't mind the ads at top...)

Iraq doesn't have to go anywhere. They have their domain under their control. The REASON why ICANN was reluctant was because the domain was previously part of an elaborate terrorist funding affair. You'd be reluctant to turn it back too, if you previously had to sieze it because of terrorist funding.

Besides, so the Iraqis had to register through a foreign company. Big whoop. At least they could. Under current Iraqi regulations, private citizens are NOT allowed to have .Iq domains. Great freedom that is, eh?

I was just about to go attempt to register an Iq domain when I found this. No mention of Texas for the Iq domain, it all says "Bagdad". Not sure what that means, but I figured I'd throw it out there.

In any case, you can register an .Iq domain here. Since this particular site bundles trademarks with domain names, I imagine that there are probably quite a few other sites that allow you to register .Iq domains.

BTW, I just answered my own question.

• Protecting Nanos with nanofabrics.
  
• Protecting a Nano with ordinary LCD camera screen protectors.
  
• The InvisibleSHIELD (the best protector I've seen).
  
• Removing scratches from your iPod with GS27.
  
• A review of various iPod scratch removers.

Why wait? Why do we even discuss this? Dual format players are already announced by major players like Samsung.

This format war was over before it even began. Isn't this the exact same discussion we were having about the DVD+-RW format issues? And now everyone has drives that support everything and it's a moot point.

that is trying to track cyber-cafe users it seems. the inquirer reports that france is going to require internet cafes to keep track of who access what for a period of 3 years! http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=26482

Doesn't someone else have a birthday around this time of year?

Here's hoping Google stays hip at 30.

Here is the link to the court docket PDF file of "RIAA vs. Candy Chan": http://www.theinquirer.net/images/articles/chan.pd f

Personally, I feel the Crossfire solution has far too many drawbacks for the benifits. Not only do you require a special motherboard, but now you also need a special Crossfire capable video card. The second card can be any card, but the RAM buffer should be the same size, otherwise it will defualt to the lowest value for both cards. The external cable adds some nice external heft to the system, as well.

So, what do you get over the SLI system? There are added antrisropic filtering methods and increased anti-ailising, but these are already appearing in the latest nVidia drivers. You can use your exisitng card to upgrade to a Crossfire system, but you can already do this with SLI. All in all, the system has it's flaws, too many I think to make it worthwhile.

"IBM today announced that it is using just a few atoms of "pixie dust" to push back the data storage industry's most formidable barrier"

From The Enquirer

IBM says it has tweaked its Pixie Dust to produce an 80Gb mobile hard disk drive. The company says its enhancements to "Pixie Dust" technology have enable it to boost storage density by 100 per cent

...The company says it managed this by adding another coating of "Pixie Dust" -- or an additional ruthenium/magnetic layer to create a five-layer sandwich called laminated-Pixie Dust.

"Pixie Dust" achieves greater storage density by sandwiching a three-atom-thick layer of the element ruthenium, a metal similar to platinum, between two magnetic layers -- technically called antiferromagnetically-coupled media. That only a few atoms could have such a dramatic impact caused some IBM scientists to refer to the ruthenium layer informally as "Pixie Dust," they say.

The combination of programs in there office suite is meant to be the problem, Word and Outlook seems to be the big ones.

The Inquirer had some extra details here.

What they both posted is basically just rumors without sources.

Links: http://www.glud-marstrand.com/sw67.aspGlud & Marstrand Website Can't find anything here about the lawsuit. Earlier The Inquirer Article 9-16 as opposed to 9-19, but equally shoddy on the details...no wait, slightly better in that it says the lawsuit is taking place in a washington court. (Washington in this case being a State of the United States).
Viva's website is harder to pin down.
A search for Microsoft on Washington's Courts Website, most of which are about the Microsoft Word format... :) tp:wwwcourtswagovfadwhomeWashington Case Search Page...Wants a last name first initial . Don't know how you'd do Microsoft.

But with the looming US debt owed to China, how long before they say, "No, Yankee, we don't feel like it. What are you going to do about it" and grin the grin of one who knows they hold the other by the short hairs?

It is a two way street and will be for quite some time. China buys a lot of US bonds. But the US is China's largest market by far and for the forseeable future. They need the US to keep buying from them (remember the whole brohaha over most-favored-nation trading status). Additionally, China has a couple of looming problems - the double-digit economic growth rates are unstustainble for the long run, their economy will slow, at which point they will need the US market even more. Secondly, the one-child policy has produced a major age inversion - it is going to get harder to support the aging population with less able-bodied people entering the workforce than are retiring from it.

Over the past year, China has made a show of cracking down on flagrant IP violators. My impression (and that's all it is, an impression) is that big crackdowns have had no long-term effects on the 'market' as a whole.

This case is different in that Baidu is in the top-5 websites with the most page-hits in all of the world, I suspect that the Chinese goverment has "pride" in Baidu and a big punishment would be considered a loss of face. But, big show-punishments seems to be how they've handled similar complaints recently. So there is probably some level of internal conflict here. Just my occidental analysis of the situation.

And yet Google isn't [overvalued]?

Not the way Baidu is, see this analysis.

I challenge you to find a laptop manufacturer that hasn't had those types of problems. Dell's had it's share of exploding battery packs and fire hazard power adapters. HP's had it's share problems, including the memory problem that was recently subject to a recall (also affected Toshiba). The floppy drive issue on the Toshiba laptops involved more than just Toshiba -- a few other laptops had similar issues (including Compaq).

There have been speculations about all these 1207 pins in AMD's SocketM2 (due somewhere in 2006) will be used for an integrated PCIe controller.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=24756

Well not only that, but according to the Inquirer, it's cost per die, not cost per chip. That means that you have to add the cost of all the failed chips. You can only sell the ones that work, and yield is never that high for processors using the latest process. Also, the die price may not include packaging the chip (i.e. adding all the pins, heat spreader, etc. Seems cheap but it actually adds a noticable amount to the overall cost.

Finally, average is just a stupid metric to begin with. Intel probably sells a lot more $59 Celeron Ds than they do $1005 Pentium 4EEs. I'm sure the production cost is quite different, yet with the average metric it looks good on paper to sell more cheap chips. TFA quotes average die cost and a near maximum price, where average price would make a lot more sense. I doubt that its anywhere near $600 on average given the number of low-end OEM chips Intel sells.

feb 2006 - the onStar system gains awareness.
        GM, in a panic tries to pull the plug, in turn the onStar system tries to defend it self.

Apparently, it'll be OnStar versus Cisco in an all-out brawl in a giant muuuuuud pit!

Face it, most US corporations treat employees and stockholders like serfs. Everything for upper management and to hell with everyone else. The sale of a couple of GulfStreams could keep thousands on the payroll.

see
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11542

And before people start yelling about Europe's high unemployment I would like to point out:

1) US unemployment rates only count actively registered unemployed. Once the unemployment runs out most people don't bother showing up to register anymore. In Europe they have 'the dole' for which you get paid to show up and so they record larger numbers of unemployed. In the US the official numbers are skewed.

2) Oh, and while on the dole you still get some minimum of health care.

3) Oh, and there are 1.9 million US citizens in prison in the US who are not counted as unemployed. Contrast that to China with about 1.4 million in prison (see this pdf for an eye opener http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r188.pdf a report developed by the UK government no less!). Did I mention China has about 3 times the US populations AND is a Communist regiem?

What they need to do is get rid of some overpriced C*Os and sell a couple of airplanes.

I hope the French stick it to them.

(no, no rant here, move along, nothing to see... )

Around the end of May, there were several sites

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23425
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-is-betting- on-Flash-disk-drives-2222.shtml

reporting that Samsung would be having a 16GB flash hard disk (SDD) available around August 2005. Has anyone seen those? I know for a very good reason that I would be insterested in installing one of those in my Powerbook: the joy of silence.

WTF?

It's hard to reconcile Microsofts statements about "saving" PC gaming with their statements about the future of DirectX.

Initially, Microsoft said that DirectX 9.1 would be the last major version of DirectX, and that it would be replaced by Windows Graphics Foundation (essentially putting app and game graphics development under the same umbrella).

But then they've recently announced that the WGF concept is dead, and there will be, in fact, DirectX 10.

Incredibly, they've further announced that DirectX 10 will not be backwards compatible with directx 7, 8, or even directx 9.1 !!! Apparently the legacy directx API will run in a software compatibility layer and/or emulation, which means that Directx 9.1 games will run slower after you install DirectX 10.

Now, the article is from the inquirer so it could be bogus, but I've read this other places as well. I'm hoping someone here can show that it *is* bogus and/or misquoted, because if it's true I fail to see how this is going to do anything but hasten the death of PC gaming regardless of what Microsoft's marketing department does.

WGF is dead:

http://theinquirer.net/?article=25902

WGF is DirectX.

Is this plan B, in case the XBox 360 fizzles out?

Ok, just so this doesn't sound like a total troll, isn't DirectX set to be replaced by the "Windows Graphic Foundation" when Vista ships? How will this make the job easier for developers, seeing as they've been riding the DirectX bandwagon since Windows 98 (or before - I'm not sure when it started).

Or are the two really that similar that they won't be causing problems for game developers and hardware vendors?

Well, for a produt that has been delayed, (and "praised" for delays...), they've got the unenviable position of having started the marketing machine. They've now got to sustain a buzz until the spring.

"Autoduel"-style games are great, and much needed, but the particular implementation will have to be seen.
MMP FPSs have been around for some time, contrary to popular belief. Heck, even that train-wreck of a release World War Two Online is still around with a devoted following (disclosure: I am not a follower, let alone a devoted one) after 4 years of being a MMORPG/FPS -- they're even getting ready for another release (or maybe they've released it already). What's missing is a wildly successful MMORPG/FPS.

Then again, Auto Assault is supposed to be third-person from behind the cars, so it's not an FPS either.

And, like most hype articles, the claim here is that you can have your cake and eat it too. Those big-ass games that people play, have something called "leveling" that stands in for talent and narrative -- spend enough time, you go up a level, get new abilities, and new access to narrative content. So: leveling = new narrative + new abilities. Take away either one of these things, and people complain. Narrative is one of your biggest costs in these MMP games -- come up with ridiculous stories and maintain interest over time. Making people do repetitive tasks is a way to stretch the narrative out.

The claim of making leveling "fun", as well as everything else, suggests 100% narrative. The subtext suggests 100% automotive fights. Now, these are going to be simple enough that your average moron can pull them off -- otherwise, some people won't level, and you'll lose your sub base (a la WW2OL). So how's it gonna work?

Here's the latest iPod non-killer. (Story here.)

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=9678

The PS3 will support mice for gaming.

This text from this post is copied directly from here: http://theinquirer.net/?article=25928

I wouldn't trust The Inquirer regarding PS3 news.

They were the ones who spread false PS3 news last week based on a message board post saying that the Nvidia 7800GTX was faster than the PS3's RSX. It turned out that the person on the message board misread PSM magazine and it really said the RSX is FASTER than the 7800GTX. I don't think that they do any fact checking. Likelyhood is that Sony manfacters the Blu-ray drives in house and it won't cost more than adding the DVD to the PS2 and they would likely be able to leverage economies of scale in the long run(which were very expensive at the time of the PS2 launch).

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25838

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25862

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/9126/PlayStation-3-G PU-Less-Powerful-than-GeForce-7800/

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/9132/PlayStation-3-G PU-More-Powerful-than-GeForce-7800/

I wouldn't trust The Inquirer regarding PS3 news.

They were the ones who spread false PS3 news last week based on a message board post saying that the Nvidia 7800GTX was faster than the PS3's RSX. It turned out that the person on the message board misread PSM magazine and it really said the RSX is FASTER than the 7800GTX. I don't think that they do any fact checking. Likelyhood is that Sony manfacters the Blu-ray drives in house and it won't cost more than adding the DVD to the PS2 and they would likely be able to leverage economies of scale in the long run(which were very expensive at the time of the PS2 launch).

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25838

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25862

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/9126/PlayStation-3-G PU-Less-Powerful-than-GeForce-7800/

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/9132/PlayStation-3-G PU-More-Powerful-than-GeForce-7800/

Did the state of Mass. not consider the free Office Viewers?