I fail to see anything the article says being backed up by anything Microsoft said.
It says the Zune marketplace content is not Plays For Sure content. It does NOT say that the Zune is not Plays For Sure compatible.
Yes, the article's submitter lacks reading comprehension, but other articles have made it pretty clear that Microsoft's Zune player will not play PlaysForSure content. Your comment isn't explicitly claiming that Zune players will play PlaysForSure content, but some readers might think it's possible. It's almost certainly not. Zune has been hyped by MS for some time now and will launch in just 8 days. Don't you think PlaysForSure (content) playback would be a great big feature that MS would hype for its Zune player? I'm hoping MS comes to it's senses and adds PlaysForSure compatibility to Zune players at a later date.
Anyhoo, here's part of an Engadget interview with J Allard, MS Corporate Vice President, that discusses the Zune player's compatibility with PlaysForSure content. To me, Allard's answers seem like evasive bullshit mixed with promotional bullshit, but it's pretty clear the Zune player will not (initially) play PlaysForSure content:
===================
So up until this point Microsoft's digital music strategy has been largely to create an ecosystem and be a supplier of a DRM platform to manufacturers and online music stores. PlaysForSure was the thrust of Microsoft's strategy until the announcement of the Zune. How does PlaysForSure fit into Microsoft's strategy going forward? It doesn't appear that the Zune will be compatible with any PlaysForSure retailers. How does that affect Microsoft's current partners who rely on PlaysForSure?
I think there's two answers to the question. First answer is, this whole digital music revolution is really just starting. There's still a lot to be figured. We certainly don't think we have it all figured out, and we think there will be change. The second thing is that specifically when it comes to PlaysForSure, think about you might buy a Windows PC versus how my mother might buy a Windows PC. My mom calls up Dell and says, "I have seven hundred bucks, get me a computer. What's the best thing I can get?" She doesn't specify the keyboard, the monitor, the memory configuration. The conversation might get as specific as, "Do you think you want to burn DVDs?" Then she gets a product that shows up and it's all pre-installed.
There are other people that go to Fry's Electronics and hand pick the graphics card, the case for their computer, they build a Windows-based PC from the ground up. We have a solution for both of those things. We at Microsoft have a platform that is Windows, we have a solution for the crowd of consumers that are very deliberate about how they build their PC solution, and we also have a solution for people who just want turnkey. And I think that's how these two strategies complement each other. The PlaysForSure is still a program we're going to invest in, we still have a lot of partners there, and for a class of consumers who that want to have a hand-crafted media media experience and maximize their choice, we have an answer. There's another class of consumers that just want to get digital media, and they just want to be able to go to one store and have it all just plain, dead simple, and don't want to know what a codec is.
Wasn't that the point of PlaysForSure?
Well, it's like asking a question about Windows -- and the point of Windows was to bring personal computing to the world -- some people are going to pick their PCs, they're going to pick their monitor, they're going to pick their printer, they're going to pick their graphics card, and combine the things that they've chosen. Other people just a want a system that's end-to-end -- all compatible out of the gate -- and that's what Zune
I'd been deferring any sort of upgrade, since Win98SE has been sufficient for games, and I don't like spending money before I need to. At some point this summer/fall I started thinking maybe I should just get Vista, since I'll be waiting long enough. Now I'm beginning to think it should be XP, because the machine is "only" an AthlonXP-2600, 512MB RAM, 40GB HD, 256MB 5700LE. I get the impression that it will run Vista, but won't be that far above minimum requirements.
I think now is the best time to buy Windows XP because (if you buy the right OEM version) you can get a coupon for a free (+S&H) upgrade version of Windows Vista, then upgrade to Vista whenever you want to. It's like a two-for-one deal right now: for the price of an OEM version of XP you get that OEM XP plus an upgrade version of Vista. If you didn't know, you can do clean installations of Windows with upgrade versions.
You may have read last week's news announcing Microsoft's Express Upgrade program, which is in effect from October 26 to March 15. Qualifying systems (or OEM copies of XP) come bundled with a coupon for either a free upgrade to Vista or 50% off an upgrade for Vista, depending on which version of XP you bought:
XP Home Edition (which I would not recommend for a college student) gets a 50% discount off Vista Home Basic ($50) or Vista Home Premium ($80).
XP Media Center Edition gets a free upgrade version of Vista Home Premium.
XP Professional Edition, Tablet PC Edition, and Professional x64 Edition get free upgrades to Vista Business Edition.
It's FOSS, so the GUI is generally crap (it's as unitiuitive as other media players while still being ugly and unskinnable by default) but it's very lightweight and unobtrusive.
I wish I'd read this thread yesterday, but Foobar2000 has a very popular plug-in called Columns UI. Here's what it looks like by default (when the files haven't been properly tagged): http://yuo.be/images/foo_ui_columns-0.1.3.png
Since Column UI is so popular, I think its site needs to be much easier to access from Foobar2000's front page. Also, to add a "volume slider" (not enabled by default - WTF?), right-click the toolbar area in Columns UI and add the volume slider.
Kudos to apple for hosting a heck of a good trailers site...
... problem is, it's sometimes the ONLY place where you can find trailers for some movies. I guess they have some sort of deal with studios. And they force you to install the latest versions of Quicktime... the last one being unnecessarily bundled with iTunes (which I hate downloading or installing since I don't like the concept of "music library" or the iTunes GUI). Plus, even if you go and download Quicktime, it's a watered down version of a commercial product that lacks features like full screen playback.
This is mentioned here often, but have you tried (or know about) Quicktime Alternative and Media Player Classic? Quicktime Alternative is a codec utility pack (for Windows) that plays back Quicktime-encoded content on other media players (like Windows Media Player) and browsers, but it works best with the lightweight Media Player Classic (looks like the old Windows Media Player 6.4, but has many more functions).
Media Player Classic is a seperate app and has its own sourceforge page, but it is also bundled with Quicktime Alternative, so just download QT Alternative and select MPC as an installation option.
I just tried a 480p "HD" trailer from Apple's trailer site's front page. Quicktime Alternative's Opera plug-in crashed Opera (Windows 2000), but Internet Explorer worked fine. The IE6 plug-in gave me the option of playing it in the browser or downloading. I downloaded and played the trailer using Media Player Classic. It looked great.
The very vigilant viewers of Slashdot cannot visualize the value of this vapid vaporware, but that villainous vampire, devoid of virtue (MICROSOVT!), will vigorously vie for our Visa numbers using their vile, vindictive methods to...
I will admit that the first thing I do with a CD when I buy a new one is CDex it to high quality MP3 format.
Why? Storage space isn't an issue as it once was...
Anyway, I rip my CD's with Exact Audio Copy (offset-corrected) and archive them with FLAC on high-quality DVD media (plus leave a copy on the HDD). Covers and booklets are scanned, CUE sheets verified. In the end, I have a bit-exact copy of the original, and I can fit a dozen CD's on a single DVD.
I think this is getting a little off-topic, but I need add my opinion. I agree 100% that your method (EAC -> FLAC -> DVD backup) gets superior results compared to the GP's method (CDex -> MP3).
However, I think "proper" EAC setup and use (there are so many options) is still a little complicated for many users. I think CDex with "paranoid" rip settings is much easier to use and gives "good enough" results for most users. CDex is MUCH better than using iTunes, Windows Media Player, or Winamp to rip CDs.
Personally, I prefer Foobar2000's new ripper with "paranoid" settings. FLAC and Ogg Vorbis encoders are built-in, and it's easy to add LAME MP3 (LAME settings are included, but not the executable for licensing reasons). As an added bonus, Foobar2000 doubles as a good audio player too (Columns UI).
Burning FLAC-encoded CDs to DVDs is what really got my attention. I wish set top DVD players/changers would add FLAC playback the same way CD players have added MP3 playback. I think I can burn every Led Zeppelin album onto one DVD in FLAC format. Wouldn't it be cool to play them off of one DVD?
To repeat the question, Will the upgrade install on a bare new hare drive or does it need a pre-qualified install of the prior version? Using the Genuine Windows sticker number is not a problem.
From my experience (upgrade versions of Windows 2000 and XP), qualifying prior versions have never needed to be "installed" to perform a "replace/fresh/clean/start-from-scratch" install using an upgrade version. When installig on a bare hard drive, the upgrade version might ask you to pop in the previous version's CD for proof. I didn't use the upgrade version of Windows 95 like you did, but didn't it ask if you wanted to wipe the hard drive and start from scratch (instead of upgrading "on top" of the old installation)?
Just like previous versions of Windows, Windows Vista upgrade versions will still allow clean installations and in-place upgrades (that's what Microsoft calls them). MS describes these options on this page: Upgrade Planning for Windows Vista.
Heck, I'll just cut-and-paste the relevant info from that page:
The options
You can upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista by purchasing and installing an upgrade copy of Windows Vista. Depending on which edition of Windows you are running and the edition of Windows Vista you would like to install, you have two options for the installation process:
In-place upgrade
You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and retain your applications, files, and settings as they were in your previous edition of Windows.
Clean install
Upgrading to Windows Vista with a clean install means that you should use Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to an extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista. After the installation is complete, Windows Easy Transfer will reload your files and settings on your upgraded PC. You will then need to reinstall your applications.
OS X Leopard will be fully 64-bit, and unlike Windows, will ship on one 32-bit/64-bit Intel/PPC universal binary disc, so you don't have to buy separate versions of 32-bit and 64-bit.
Not disagreeing, but just nitpicking (or clarifying): while Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit are separate "products," Windows Vista will ship with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions on the same DVD (and will ship before Leapord). From Paul Thurrott's Vista Product Editions page:
"Windows Vista is also being positioned as a transitionary product for the x64 platform: Almost all Windows Vista editions will be offered in both x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) versions, and these versions will ship in the same box. So, for example, when you purchase Vista Home Premium, the version you get will depend on which type of PC you have: If it's an x64-based PC, the x64 version will be installed. Microsoft expects to transition its client product lines completely to x64 after the release of Windows Vista."
in the MBPs, but many of them can be flashed to be region free.
Will flashing the drive with hacked firmware void the warranty? I've read some blogs and forum postings that seem to say that doing so will void your warranty. If this is true, then I think this should be mentioned.
what's sad is that Apple assumes all PROs want a huge-ass 17" screen. What about those of us who are PROs (maybe in an industry other than media), who want a 12" (or smaller) ultralight Mac? Apple makes exactly two things that can accomodate us: jack and squat.
You'll probably get some sympathy from the NON-PROs that want a decent desktop (no laptop parts, not a workstation) without a built-in monitor. Of course, no single computer maker covers all possible categories. The problem is, only one computer maker makes Macs, so some potential Mac buyers (like us) that want specific features have to compromise. A Windows/Linux buyer can probably find something closer to what they want from all those PC makers.
As far as I understand it, the 4GB limitation (which leads to the 3GB application maximum, since 1GB is mapped by the kernel) is basically inherent in 32-bit architectures. There are hacks, of which PAE is the largest, that allow the processor to address more than 4GB of RAM, but even then you can only have 4GB per process...
...if you're in 64-bit-land (as Mac OS X is), then there's no reason for PAE to exist. All processes running in 64-bit mode should see the whole address space and thus you ought to not only be able to address huge quantities of physical memory from the processor, you should be able to give 4+GB chunks to individual processes.
Apple saw this limit coming up and switched from 32 to 64 bits, at a time when a lot of people derided them for this.
I'm not disagreeing with your points, but I think it should be noted that OS X was also limited to 4GB per application until Tiger was released on April 29, 2005. So for nearly two years, the 64-bit mode of the PowerMac G5 (released June 2003) was limited by OS X.
Also, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition was released on April 25, 2005. It was hardly usable back then (mostly due to drivers), but it's much better now.
Finally, who derided Apple for using 64-bit CPUs? 64-bit AMD Opterons were very popular when the PowerMac G5 was announced.
You also forgot to take into account, all the time and money you'd wasting trying to track down iLife replacements on Windows. Out-of-the box, the bundled Apple software covers all the basics,
First, the bundled Apple software doesn't cover all the basics. Where's the real word processor, spreadsheet, and personal finance software? How much "time and money" is "wasted" trying to track down these on a Mac?
Also, most people wouldn't choose to buy all of the iLife software that Apple bundles, so the amount of money "wasted" trying to find iLife replacements depends on which apps the buyer actually wants (at least Dell buyers have a choice). Would every computer buyer actually spend money on GarageBand or iWeb (the worst website creation software I've seen)?
Finally, it doesn't take much time at all to get good starter bundle on a Dell because you can choose low-cost bundles when you configure your Dell. For example, Microsoft Works (basic word processor, spreadsheet, database, advanced calandar/addressbook) is free. MS Works Suite (Word, Works, Money, Digital Image, Encarta Encyclopedia, Streets & Trips) is a $79 option. The Dell already comes bundled with movie-making and DVD-creation software (from Microsoft and Sonic), but the Sonic MyDVD Plus add-on is $29. MS Office Basic (Word, Excel, Outlook) is $149.
My best guess would be the iMac. With Colored Cases, and it all in one design...
I also think it's the iMac, but why was it an "accident?" Was it because it was initially designed to be Apple's version of Larry Ellison's lamebrain "$500 network computer" idea? I'm not sure if that rumor is true.
For you youngsters, that kook Ellison tried to convince everyone that cheap diskless computers (which couldn't boot without a network connection) would outsell desktop PCs with actual hard disks. Who really needs local storage and applications, anyway?
The iMac looked like it could have been a "network computer." Did the 'i' in iMac stand for "internet" Mac?
And when it comes to video-- let's be honest, what really drives video card upgrades on the Windows side of the fence? The latest flavor-of-the-month GPU-hungry game, that's what. Like it or not, this is still not much of an issue on the Mac side.
Didn't many iBook, iMac, and Mac mini owners wish they had better GPUs after Steve Jobs mesmerized us with his Core Video presentation at WWDC?
When compared to XP's UI, Vista is way too difficult.
Are you sure Vista's UI is not just different and changing your XP habits is the difficult part? I'm kidding. I'll take your word for it (that Vista's UI is more difficult). I just had to say it because that's what many Mac and Linux fanatics say when Windows users have a hard time adjusting to OS X or GNOME/KDE.
They have changed the behavior of common icons (e.g. the network system tray icon does not have a "right-click properties" method of accessing the connection settings).
I'm not certain about this, but you seem to be running XP using a "Computer administrator account" because a "Limited account" doesn't allow the user to change network connection settings. Last time I checked, Vista doesn't run with administrator priveledges by default, so that's probably why you can't access network connection setting anymore. You can use Fast User Switching (Windows Key + 'L') to temporarily logon to your admin account, change your network connection settings, then logoff your admin account.
Also, there is no more Start -> Run option. They have replaced it with Start -> "Search". This appears to offer the same functionality as "Run", but does not seem intuitive.
I think the vast majority of Windows users never use the "Run..." command from the Start menu (I think this is an intermediate-advanced function). I also think that a Windows user that's knowledgable enough to be a regular user of the "Run..." command would know the keyboard shortcut (Windows Key + 'R') or could add "Run..." back onto the Start menu by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Properties -> Customize." TFA mentioned this.
... if you combine them on the same die with a large shared cache and the on-chip memory controller... you can see where I'm going with this. Think of it as a separate CPU, just printed on the same silicon wafer. That means you only need 1 fan to cool it and you can lose a lot of heat producing power management circuitry on the video card.
Obviously this is not going to be ideal for high end gaming rigs; but it will improve the quality of integrated video chipsets on lower end and even mid range PCs.
Do you remember how Intel tried to do this with their (code name) Timna processor in 2000? Timna was supposed to be a low cost solution that integrated a CPU, GPU, and memory controller on the same silicon wafer. The CPU was a Celeron CPU (Pentium III based), the GPU was based on Intel's new i740, and the memory controller used RAMBUS (yes, RAMBUS) memory. At the same time, Intel was also developing the first chipset with integrated graphics (i810 chipset) and the first RAMBUS chipset (i820 chipset). RAMBUS was supposed to be the successor to PC100 SDRAM.
When Timna was initially finished, RAMBUS was still so expensive that Timna's release had to be delayed so that a (PC100-to-RAMBUS) memory translator could be added. Those of us who followed chipsets back then know how badly RAMBUS and memory translators bombed. The integrated RAMBUS memory controller had to be the biggest reason Timna was cancelled. This might also be a reason Intel doesn't integrate a memory controller onto their current CPUs.
Now instead of AllofMP3 customers paying a small fee for music, I bet a lof of them will hit Shareaza and the file share networks again.
Great move RIAA...
The RIAA didn't get a penny of that small fee paid for music all AllofMP3, so this makes them happy. If a lot of them use "Shareaza and the file share networks," then a lot of them will be easier for the RIAA to find and threaten with lawsuits. Also, I'm sure some of them would switch to sites that do pay the RIAA (like iTunes and PlaysForSure sites).
I hate the RIAA, but why is this a "bad move" (for them) to stop sales by AllofMP3? They got nothing out of AllofMP3 sales. The alternatives to AllofMP3 are either nothing (no gain or loss) or something (iTunes sales, CD sales, or lawsuits).
My last laptop was a Dell Inspiron 1100. Within two months of getting the MacBook, the Dell laptop was in the closet.
That's an entry-level Dell notebook that was discontinued a long time ago and would sell for less than $400 today. You're comparing that to a MacBook with a new architecture that starts at $1100 ($950 refurbished). At the time the Dell Inspiron 1100 was available, the iBook used a G4 processor and had no models that cheap. A comparably-priced Inspiron at that time would have had a Pentium M or Celeron M (not the desktop-based Celeron in that Inspiron 1100).
If you were to compare the MacBook with a Dell D620, the MacBook is a wonderfully engineered machine. While big corporations buy tons of Dell every year, corporate buyers care only about the price and not the user experience.
Many corporate buyers see more value in the Dell D620's PC Card slot, docking station options, Smart Card reader, cheap MS Office bundles (including Basic and Small Business versions), and flexible configuration options. The Macbook is a nice machine for many home users, but it's not flexible enough for many corporate buyers.
It might be a little more expensive than a build your own machine, but, it will last longer.
For long-lasting PCs, I think it's a good idea to buy Intel-brand motherboards. They're durable and supported for a long time by Intel. Or buy an IBM ThinkCentre.
The PowerMac 9500 I bought in 1996 I just recently retired. But the Windows machine I put together in 1997 got retired in 2000...
So you used a high-end Power Mac with a PowerPC 604 (120-200MHz) and PCI graphics (no AGP slot) until just recently? OS X was not officially supported on that machine, so I'm assuming you ran OS 9 on that Power Mac.
A decent high-end Windows machine (since you're comparing it to a high-end Mac) built in 1997 probably had a Pentium II and an AGP slot, which could have run Windows 98, Windows NT 4, or Windows 2000 until "just recently," but you retired it in 2000.
... then then next one was built, and retired in 2003, and the next one was built, and will be retired for a new iMac 20".
A decent PC built in 2000 that's in the same price range as a Power Mac or iMac 20" would have had a Pentium III, AGP, and support for 1GB+ of memory. That would still be usable today with Windows XP. But you retired it in 2003 and continued using a PowerPC 601 with no AGP and OS 9 until "just recently?"
If you like long-lasting computers, you seem to have made poor choices of PC hardware, especially if you think a PowerPC 604 120-200Mhz still "usable."
USB can handle more types of devices and can handle hard drives at least 95% as well as Firewire 400
Uh no. USB2 is crap at handling throughput. I wish I could remember where I saw it, it was ars technica or hothardware or something, but some guys did a study where they hooked the same drive up to the same PC, but first through USB2 and then through FW400... USB2 is CRAP and anyone who uses it for storage when they have access even to FW400 (let alone -800) is losing out on performance.... USB2 doesn't even manage to come close to its supposed 480Mbps of throughput.
Like ethernet and Firewire, USB 2.0 performance depends largely on the quality of the USB controller and drivers. The early benchmarks that I saw used USB 2.0 PCI cards of questionable quality and non-mature drivers. Firewire was the more mature technology at the time.
Better implementations of USB 2.0 (e.g. built into Intel chipsets) performed nearly as well (in throughput, not CPU utilization) as Firewire 400. For example, in May 2004, the Mac-centric site Bare Feats benchmarked Mac implementations of USB 2.0 vs Mac implementations of Firewire 400 and 800, and Mac FW400 easily beat Mac USB 2.0. However, they also noted that the "Windows PC implementation of USB 2.0 puts the Mac to shame." Windows USB 2.0 achieved "33MB/s READ and 27MB/s WRITE", which was pretty close to the Firewire 400 performance of a G5 Power Mac (37MB/s READ, 28MB/s WRITE).
Using current mature implementations, FW400 hard drives still outperform USB 2.0, but the differences aren't so great anymore. While CPU utilization is still higher for USB 2.0, it is significantly lower than those early implementations and today's faster processors make it less troublesome (remember DVD decoder cards?).
That said, I always make sure my motherboards have a built-in Firewire controller.
Win95c came out in 1997, the rest of your correction means nothing (patching win98a and b? whoTF bothered with doing that?).
Anybody that bought a USB peripheral bothered with doing that. The peripheral's simple instructions say "insert CD or floppy" and "click 'setup.exe' to install USB drivers. Done.
this is not relavant to my argument, anyway. mmost people DID not use USB on PC's untill the win market got educated to it. a long process. there was a time when USB perifirals for apple might have actually out-sold the same perifirals for PC's (iMac killed the legacy ADB standard, while pc's still used, and most are STILL using serial connectors...)
I don't think it was such a long process. I agree that Apple helped push peripheral manufacturers to release USB peripherals, but when the iMac was shipped on August 15, 1998, many PC users were waiting for more USB peripherals to use with their Windows 95 and Windows 98 PCs. Windows 98 was released on June 25, 1998 (51 days before the iMac), so I think (no proof, though) that USB-ready PCs (new Win98 PCs, Win98-upgraded PCs, Win95-patched PCs) far outnumbered USB Macs (iMacs) right away.
I don't want to downplay the iMac's probable influence on the USB standard. Again, I believe the iMac helped pushed peripheral makers to ship their USB products. I don't believe it was just a coincidence that USB peripherals (which worked for both Macs and PCs) started shipping in mass after the legacy-free iMac became popular. But PC makers and Windows were ready for USB before the iMac.
As a user of a large screen I do think Microsoft and Apple need to add a new feature to OSX and Windows. The half Maximize. There should be two extra buttons on the opposite top side: [Maximize Right][Maximize Left]. The two buttons would quickly resize the window to take up half the screen.
Did you know you can do this using the Windows Taskbar? Select two Taskbar buttons (select multiple Taskbar buttons by holding down the 'Ctrl' key), then right-click one of those buttons, then select 'Tile Vertically."
I would rather do it this way than adding two seldom-used buttons to the title bar.
That order page was very easy to find from the MS's Windows XP page. Yes, a shipping and handling charge is added. They also encourage users to share the SP2 CD with friends and family.
I'll check it out. I haven't had time the last few years to devote to a series. Thank God for the series/season DVDs....I can catch up.
Make sure you can devote about fifteen hours of a weekend to watch all 14 episodes (45 minutes each with 90 minute premiere) and to watch the movie again (it's a different experience after watching the tv series). You might think you have the self-discipline to watch a reasonable number of minutes per day, but just in case...
Personally, I made the mistake of watching the Firefly DVD one evening and (since I wasn't doing anything important the next day) stayed up all night. I feel like such a dope admitting this on Slashdot.
Slashdot Mirror
Yes, the article's submitter lacks reading comprehension, but other articles have made it pretty clear that Microsoft's Zune player will not play PlaysForSure content. Your comment isn't explicitly claiming that Zune players will play PlaysForSure content, but some readers might think it's possible. It's almost certainly not. Zune has been hyped by MS for some time now and will launch in just 8 days. Don't you think PlaysForSure (content) playback would be a great big feature that MS would hype for its Zune player? I'm hoping MS comes to it's senses and adds PlaysForSure compatibility to Zune players at a later date.
Anyhoo, here's part of an Engadget interview with J Allard, MS Corporate Vice President, that discusses the Zune player's compatibility with PlaysForSure content. To me, Allard's answers seem like evasive bullshit mixed with promotional bullshit, but it's pretty clear the Zune player will not (initially) play PlaysForSure content:
===================
So up until this point Microsoft's digital music strategy has been largely to create an ecosystem and be a supplier of a DRM platform to manufacturers and online music stores. PlaysForSure was the thrust of Microsoft's strategy until the announcement of the Zune. How does PlaysForSure fit into Microsoft's strategy going forward? It doesn't appear that the Zune will be compatible with any PlaysForSure retailers. How does that affect Microsoft's current partners who rely on PlaysForSure?
I think there's two answers to the question. First answer is, this whole digital music revolution is really just starting. There's still a lot to be figured. We certainly don't think we have it all figured out, and we think there will be change. The second thing is that specifically when it comes to PlaysForSure, think about you might buy a Windows PC versus how my mother might buy a Windows PC. My mom calls up Dell and says, "I have seven hundred bucks, get me a computer. What's the best thing I can get?" She doesn't specify the keyboard, the monitor, the memory configuration. The conversation might get as specific as, "Do you think you want to burn DVDs?" Then she gets a product that shows up and it's all pre-installed.
There are other people that go to Fry's Electronics and hand pick the graphics card, the case for their computer, they build a Windows-based PC from the ground up. We have a solution for both of those things. We at Microsoft have a platform that is Windows, we have a solution for the crowd of consumers that are very deliberate about how they build their PC solution, and we also have a solution for people who just want turnkey. And I think that's how these two strategies complement each other. The PlaysForSure is still a program we're going to invest in, we still have a lot of partners there, and for a class of consumers who that want to have a hand-crafted media media experience and maximize their choice, we have an answer. There's another class of consumers that just want to get digital media, and they just want to be able to go to one store and have it all just plain, dead simple, and don't want to know what a codec is.
Wasn't that the point of PlaysForSure?
Well, it's like asking a question about Windows -- and the point of Windows was to bring personal computing to the world -- some people are going to pick their PCs, they're going to pick their monitor, they're going to pick their printer, they're going to pick their graphics card, and combine the things that they've chosen. Other people just a want a system that's end-to-end -- all compatible out of the gate -- and that's what Zune
You may have read last week's news announcing Microsoft's Express Upgrade program, which is in effect from October 26 to March 15. Qualifying systems (or OEM copies of XP) come bundled with a coupon for either a free upgrade to Vista or 50% off an upgrade for Vista, depending on which version of XP you bought:
- XP Home Edition (which I would not recommend for a college student) gets a 50% discount off Vista Home Basic ($50) or Vista Home Premium ($80).
- XP Media Center Edition gets a free upgrade version of Vista Home Premium.
- XP Professional Edition, Tablet PC Edition, and Professional x64 Edition get free upgrades to Vista Business Edition.
Not all OEM versions of XP (or systems) are bundled with these upgrade coupons, so shop carefully. Newegg is now selling OEM versions of XP with the bundled coupons. I'm sure many others will start doing the same.Here's what it looks like with one person's customizations and skins: http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Imag e:Columnsui.png
Since Column UI is so popular, I think its site needs to be much easier to access from Foobar2000's front page. Also, to add a "volume slider" (not enabled by default - WTF?), right-click the toolbar area in Columns UI and add the volume slider.
Media Player Classic is a seperate app and has its own sourceforge page, but it is also bundled with Quicktime Alternative, so just download QT Alternative and select MPC as an installation option.
I just tried a 480p "HD" trailer from Apple's trailer site's front page. Quicktime Alternative's Opera plug-in crashed Opera (Windows 2000), but Internet Explorer worked fine. The IE6 plug-in gave me the option of playing it in the browser or downloading. I downloaded and played the trailer using Media Player Classic. It looked great.
The very vigilant viewers of Slashdot cannot visualize the value of this vapid vaporware, but that villainous vampire, devoid of virtue (MICROSOVT!), will vigorously vie for our Visa numbers using their vile, vindictive methods to...
Oh, vuck it. I don't have time for this. I'll just think about Natalie Portman's boobs.
However, I think "proper" EAC setup and use (there are so many options) is still a little complicated for many users. I think CDex with "paranoid" rip settings is much easier to use and gives "good enough" results for most users. CDex is MUCH better than using iTunes, Windows Media Player, or Winamp to rip CDs.
Personally, I prefer Foobar2000's new ripper with "paranoid" settings. FLAC and Ogg Vorbis encoders are built-in, and it's easy to add LAME MP3 (LAME settings are included, but not the executable for licensing reasons). As an added bonus, Foobar2000 doubles as a good audio player too (Columns UI).
Burning FLAC-encoded CDs to DVDs is what really got my attention. I wish set top DVD players/changers would add FLAC playback the same way CD players have added MP3 playback. I think I can burn every Led Zeppelin album onto one DVD in FLAC format. Wouldn't it be cool to play them off of one DVD?
From my experience (upgrade versions of Windows 2000 and XP), qualifying prior versions have never needed to be "installed" to perform a "replace/fresh/clean/start-from-scratch" install using an upgrade version. When installig on a bare hard drive, the upgrade version might ask you to pop in the previous version's CD for proof. I didn't use the upgrade version of Windows 95 like you did, but didn't it ask if you wanted to wipe the hard drive and start from scratch (instead of upgrading "on top" of the old installation)?
Just like previous versions of Windows, Windows Vista upgrade versions will still allow clean installations and in-place upgrades (that's what Microsoft calls them). MS describes these options on this page: Upgrade Planning for Windows Vista.
Heck, I'll just cut-and-paste the relevant info from that page:
The options
You can upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista by purchasing and installing an upgrade copy of Windows Vista. Depending on which edition of Windows you are running and the edition of Windows Vista you would like to install, you have two options for the installation process:
In-place upgrade
You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and retain your applications, files, and settings as they were in your previous edition of Windows.
Clean install
Upgrading to Windows Vista with a clean install means that you should use Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to an extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista. After the installation is complete, Windows Easy Transfer will reload your files and settings on your upgraded PC. You will then need to reinstall your applications.
Not disagreeing, but just nitpicking (or clarifying): while Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit are separate "products," Windows Vista will ship with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions on the same DVD (and will ship before Leapord). From Paul Thurrott's Vista Product Editions page:
"Windows Vista is also being positioned as a transitionary product for the x64 platform: Almost all Windows Vista editions will be offered in both x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) versions, and these versions will ship in the same box. So, for example, when you purchase Vista Home Premium, the version you get will depend on which type of PC you have: If it's an x64-based PC, the x64 version will be installed. Microsoft expects to transition its client product lines completely to x64 after the release of Windows Vista."
Will flashing the drive with hacked firmware void the warranty? I've read some blogs and forum postings that seem to say that doing so will void your warranty. If this is true, then I think this should be mentioned.
You'll probably get some sympathy from the NON-PROs that want a decent desktop (no laptop parts, not a workstation) without a built-in monitor. Of course, no single computer maker covers all possible categories. The problem is, only one computer maker makes Macs, so some potential Mac buyers (like us) that want specific features have to compromise. A Windows/Linux buyer can probably find something closer to what they want from all those PC makers.
Also, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition was released on April 25, 2005. It was hardly usable back then (mostly due to drivers), but it's much better now.
Finally, who derided Apple for using 64-bit CPUs? 64-bit AMD Opterons were very popular when the PowerMac G5 was announced.
First, the bundled Apple software doesn't cover all the basics. Where's the real word processor, spreadsheet, and personal finance software? How much "time and money" is "wasted" trying to track down these on a Mac?
Also, most people wouldn't choose to buy all of the iLife software that Apple bundles, so the amount of money "wasted" trying to find iLife replacements depends on which apps the buyer actually wants (at least Dell buyers have a choice). Would every computer buyer actually spend money on GarageBand or iWeb (the worst website creation software I've seen)?
Finally, it doesn't take much time at all to get good starter bundle on a Dell because you can choose low-cost bundles when you configure your Dell. For example, Microsoft Works (basic word processor, spreadsheet, database, advanced calandar/addressbook) is free. MS Works Suite (Word, Works, Money, Digital Image, Encarta Encyclopedia, Streets & Trips) is a $79 option. The Dell already comes bundled with movie-making and DVD-creation software (from Microsoft and Sonic), but the Sonic MyDVD Plus add-on is $29. MS Office Basic (Word, Excel, Outlook) is $149.
I also think it's the iMac, but why was it an "accident?" Was it because it was initially designed to be Apple's version of Larry Ellison's lamebrain "$500 network computer" idea? I'm not sure if that rumor is true.
For you youngsters, that kook Ellison tried to convince everyone that cheap diskless computers (which couldn't boot without a network connection) would outsell desktop PCs with actual hard disks. Who really needs local storage and applications, anyway?
The iMac looked like it could have been a "network computer." Did the 'i' in iMac stand for "internet" Mac?
He said freeware and open source, but off the top of my head (including freeware):
Foobar2000
Exact Audio Copy
VirtualDub
DVDShrink
Quicktime Alternative
Media Player Classic
7-zip
Quickpar
Nvu
Irfanview
Picasa 2
Paint.net
FileZilla
Didn't many iBook, iMac, and Mac mini owners wish they had better GPUs after Steve Jobs mesmerized us with his Core Video presentation at WWDC?
When Timna was initially finished, RAMBUS was still so expensive that Timna's release had to be delayed so that a (PC100-to-RAMBUS) memory translator could be added. Those of us who followed chipsets back then know how badly RAMBUS and memory translators bombed. The integrated RAMBUS memory controller had to be the biggest reason Timna was cancelled. This might also be a reason Intel doesn't integrate a memory controller onto their current CPUs.
Interestingly, Timna was the first project of Intel's new Israeli design team. Not a great start, but their second project was pretty darned good (Pentium M/Centrino).
The RIAA didn't get a penny of that small fee paid for music all AllofMP3, so this makes them happy. If a lot of them use "Shareaza and the file share networks," then a lot of them will be easier for the RIAA to find and threaten with lawsuits. Also, I'm sure some of them would switch to sites that do pay the RIAA (like iTunes and PlaysForSure sites).
I hate the RIAA, but why is this a "bad move" (for them) to stop sales by AllofMP3? They got nothing out of AllofMP3 sales. The alternatives to AllofMP3 are either nothing (no gain or loss) or something (iTunes sales, CD sales, or lawsuits).
A decent high-end Windows machine (since you're comparing it to a high-end Mac) built in 1997 probably had a Pentium II and an AGP slot, which could have run Windows 98, Windows NT 4, or Windows 2000 until "just recently," but you retired it in 2000.
A decent PC built in 2000 that's in the same price range as a Power Mac or iMac 20" would have had a Pentium III, AGP, and support for 1GB+ of memory. That would still be usable today with Windows XP. But you retired it in 2003 and continued using a PowerPC 601 with no AGP and OS 9 until "just recently?"If you like long-lasting computers, you seem to have made poor choices of PC hardware, especially if you think a PowerPC 604 120-200Mhz still "usable."
Better implementations of USB 2.0 (e.g. built into Intel chipsets) performed nearly as well (in throughput, not CPU utilization) as Firewire 400. For example, in May 2004, the Mac-centric site Bare Feats benchmarked Mac implementations of USB 2.0 vs Mac implementations of Firewire 400 and 800, and Mac FW400 easily beat Mac USB 2.0. However, they also noted that the "Windows PC implementation of USB 2.0 puts the Mac to shame." Windows USB 2.0 achieved "33MB/s READ and 27MB/s WRITE", which was pretty close to the Firewire 400 performance of a G5 Power Mac (37MB/s READ, 28MB/s WRITE).
Using current mature implementations, FW400 hard drives still outperform USB 2.0, but the differences aren't so great anymore. While CPU utilization is still higher for USB 2.0, it is significantly lower than those early implementations and today's faster processors make it less troublesome (remember DVD decoder cards?).
That said, I always make sure my motherboards have a built-in Firewire controller.
I don't want to downplay the iMac's probable influence on the USB standard. Again, I believe the iMac helped pushed peripheral makers to ship their USB products. I don't believe it was just a coincidence that USB peripherals (which worked for both Macs and PCs) started shipping in mass after the legacy-free iMac became popular. But PC makers and Windows were ready for USB before the iMac.
I would rather do it this way than adding two seldom-used buttons to the title bar.
That order page was very easy to find from the MS's Windows XP page. Yes, a shipping and handling charge is added. They also encourage users to share the SP2 CD with friends and family.
Personally, I made the mistake of watching the Firefly DVD one evening and (since I wasn't doing anything important the next day) stayed up all night. I feel like such a dope admitting this on Slashdot.