Techspec

New Revision3 Shows

2005-11-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

Coming soon is a cooking show called Ctrl+Alt+Chicken and a sitcom called Outsourced. Also of course you all know Martin Sargent has made his return with a podcast on Revision3 called Infected. So have some fun and go check it out. Till then.

-Vash

$100 Laptop

2005-09-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

MIT released a Laptop for $100
The machine's A-C adapter would double as a carrying strap, and a hand crank would power them when there's no electricity. They'd be foldable into more positions than traditional notebook PCs, and carried like slim lunchboxes.
This is mainly a laptop for kids to use for school purposes. But I think, We're all going to have a good use for it.
Among the key specs: A 500-megahertz processor (that was fast in the 1990s but slow by today's standards) by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and flash memory instead of a hard drive with moving parts. To save on software costs, the laptops would run the freely available Linux operating system instead of Windows.

-More new to come soon

..::Hacked.Alias::..

ITU Ready to Assume Control

2005-09-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

The International Telecommunications Union says the United Nations is ready to take control of the internet if the United States is ready to hand over the reigns. Yoshio Utsumi, head of ITU says ITU, "could do it if we were asked to" at a news conference on Friday. The chances of the United States handing the U.N. the key to the front door appears to be slim to none with no signs of change. The United States has made it clear that it has no intentions of turning its Internet traffic policing duties over to the United Nations, however that stance could create a roadblock in international web policy in the future. Countries like Iran are saying that the U.S. could use the control of the internet as a political gain, and to shut its enemies out. The U.S. called such talk like that nonsense, saying it wouldn't dream of harming the operation of the Internet for something like that. Beta News

-Vash

Zotob Worm Suspect in Court

2005-09-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

An 18 year old Science student is in court, for his role in creating and/or distributing the Zotob Worm. The Zotob Worm infected all major companies running Windows 2000; which includes CNN and New York Times. Despite the Zotob worm's power, it did not create such widespread havoc as previous malicious software programs like SQL Slammer and MyDoom.

..::Hacked.Alias::..

TWIT 24 is in the can!

2005-09-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the main feed for the mp3, or you can go to Revision3 and get the video version through bittorrent. Remember that video is the h.264 version only as of right now. Some topics covered are Microsoft's reorganization, updating to Firefox 1.0.7, how Dvorak can help you stop blog spam, and that Digg has added an RSS search to it's search feeds. Enjoy!

-Vash

G4 CEO Released

2005-09-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

Charles Hirschhorn who was not only the founder but the CEO as well, has been released from his duties. So far that is all that has been released so far but more will come later.
Kevin Rose

-Vash

Windows Vista To Have Seven Editions

2005-09-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

For some time now many have speculated how Microsoft will release its newest OS Windows Vista. Thanks to some exclusive insider information given to Paul Thurrott of Windows ITPro.com this information is now known. Windows Vista is distributed in not one or two editions, but in seven.

All of the editions are either categorized into two main categories; Home and Business (excluding the Ultimate Edition which is a combination of both). The home editions consist of: Windows Vista Starter Edition, Windows Vista Basic Edition and Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. The business editions consist of: Windows Vista Professional Edition, Windows Vista Small Business Edition and Windows Vista Enterprise Edition. There will also be an ultimate edition on Windows Vista that is a combination of both the home and the business editions. This is called nothing else but Windows Vista Ultimate Edition.

Product Overview
(ll Product Overview information is provided by Paul Thurrott of WindowsITPro.com)

Windows Vista Starter Edition:
Aimed at beginner computer users in emerging markets who can only afford a low cost PC. As with the XP version, Windows Vista Starter Edition is a subset of Home Edition, and will ship in a 32-bit version only (no 64-bit x64 version). Starter Edition will allow only three applications (and/or three windows) to run simultaneously, will provide Internet connectivity but not incoming network communications, and will not provide for logon passwords or Fast User Switching (FUS). Windows Vista Starter Edition is analogous to XP Starter Edition. This version will only be sold in emerging markets.

Windows Vista Home Basic Edition:
A simple version of Windows Vista that is aimed at single PC homes. Windows Vista Home Basic is the baseline version of Windows Vista, and the version that all other product editions will build from. It will include features such as Windows Firewall, Windows Security Center, secure wireless networking, parental controls, anti-spam/anti-virus/anti-spyware functionality, network map, Windows Search, the Aero user interface, Movie Maker, Photo Library, Windows Media Player, Outlook Express with RSS support, P2P Messenger, and more. Windows Vista Home Basic Edition is roughly analogous to Windows XP Home Edition. This version is aimed at general consumers, Windows 9x/XP Starter Edition upgraders, and price sensitive/first-time buyers.

Windows Vista Home Premium Edition:
Whole home entertainment and personal productivity throughout the home and on the go. As a true superset of Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition will include everything from Home Basic, as well as Media Center and Media Center Extender functionality (including Cable Card support), DVD video authoring and HDTV support, DVD ripping support (yes, you read that right), Tablet PC functionality, Mobility Center and other mobility and presentation features, auxiliary display support, P2P ad-hoc meeting capabilities, Wi-Fi auto-config and roaming, unified parental controls that work over multiple PCs, backup to network functionality, Internet File Sharing, Offline Folders, PC-to-PC sync, Sync Manager, and support for Quattro Home Server. Windows Vista Premium Edition is similar to XP Media Center Edition, except that it adds numerous other features and functionality, including Tablet PC support. My guess is that this will be the volume consumer offering in the Windows Vista timeframe (today, XP Pro is the dominant seller). This version is aimed at PC enthusiasts, multiple-PC homes, homes with kids, and notebook users.

Windows Vista Professional Edition:
A powerful, reliable and secure OS for businesses of all sizes. Windows Vista Pro Edition will include domain join and management functionality, compatibility with non-Microsoft networking protocols (Netware, SNMP, etc.), Remote Desktop, IIS Web server, and Encrypted File System (EFS). Additionally, Pro Standard will include Tablet PC functionality. Windows Vista Pro is roughly analogous to XP Pro today. This version is aimed at business decision makers and IT managers and generalists.

Windows Vista Small Business Edition:
Designed for small businesses without IT staff. Small Business Edition is a superset of Vista Pro Standard Edition, and includes the following unique features: Backup and Shadow Copy support, Castle and server-join networking, and PC fax and scanning utility. Additionally, Microsoft is looking at including a number of other features, many of which might be cut: These include Small Business Edition guided tour, pre-paid access to the Windows Live! Small Business or Microsoft Office Live! subscription services, Multi-PC Health (a managed version of Microsoft One Care Live), and membership in the Microsoft Small Business Club online service. Microsoft will offer a Step-Up program for Small Business Edition that will allow customers to upgrade to Windows Vista Enterprise Edition (see below) or Windows Vista Ultimate Edition (see below) at a reduced cost. This SKU is new to Windows Vista; there is no XP Small Business Edition. This version is aimed at small business owners and managers.

Windows Vista Enterprise Edition:
Optimized for the enterprise, this version will be a true superset of Windows Vista Pro Edition. It will also include unique features such as Virtual PC, the multi-language user interface (MUI), and the Secure Startup/full volume encryption security technologies ("Cornerstone"). There is no analogous XP version for this product. This version is aimed at business decision makers, IT managers and decision makers, and information workers/general business users.

Windows Vista Ultimate Edition:
The best operating system ever offered for a personal PC, optimized for the individual. Windows Vista Ultimate Edition is a superset of both Vista Home Premium and Vista Pro Edition, so it includes all of the features of both of those product versions, plus adds Game Performance Tweaker with integrated gaming experiences, a Podcast creation utility (under consideration, may be cut from product), and online "Club" services (exclusive access to music, movies, services and preferred customer care) and other offerings (also under consideration, may be cut from product). Microsoft is still investigating how to position its most impressive Windows release yet, and is looking into offering Ultimate Edition owners such services as extended A1 subscriptions, free music downloads, free movie downloads, Online Spotlight and entertainment software, preferred product support, and custom themes. There is nothing like Vista Ultimate Edition today. This version is aimed at high-end PC users and technology influencers, gamers, digital media enthusiasts, and students.
According to internal Microsoft documentation, the goal of the product edition differentiations in Windows Vista is to provide "clear value proposition" to all customer segments and take XP-era innovations, such as the Media Center and Tablet PC functionality, to the mainstream. 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. Microsoft expects to transition almost completely to x64 post-Vista.

Conclusion
I myself see Microsoft’s decision to release 7 separate editions of Windows Vista as one that will result in confusion among the consumers. However at this point it is hard to tell considering the fact that the final product has not yet been released yet (or a price for the matter).The release of Windows Vista may prove to be very interesting, however only time can tell what can happen at this point.
Source: WindowsITPro.com

Firefox Beta 1.5 out/Security Flaw with FF

2005-09-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

The new beta of Firefox is out. Go and get it! But beware, a major security flaw is now being seen as a security threat in all versions of Firefox. The problem has do with the way Firefox deals with IDN's or International Domain Names. IDN's are domain names that use local language characters. Although there is no known attack yet the exploit could be very devasting to those who haven't downloaded the patch. Director of Engineering at Mozilla, Mike Schroepfer said, "Luckily we do not have any known use of this exploit, but it is fairly critical if there were to be (an attack), so this is a recommended download"
Cnet

-Vash

Mac mini promotion already dead

2005-09-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

A few days ago Apple announced a 30-day, money-back gurantee on the Mac mini and other apple products. But of course as soon as that deal rippled the water it got smashed with a rock. The deal didn't even last 24 hours. Any of Ars Technica's calls to Apple were not returned but one Apple employee said the deal was "pulled" and would not comment further. Ars Technica

-Vash

Kazaa gets slapped in Australia

2005-09-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

The Federal Court in Australia has ruled that Sharman Networks has essentially authorized its users to violate copyright, so they must now modify it to prevent that. So now the recording industry is doing their little victory breakdance. "This is a milestone in the fight against internet piracy worldwide," said John Kennedy, chairman of the International Federation of Phonographic INdustries. Sharman Networks is also being ordered to pay 90% of the legal bill of the plaintiffs. Ars Technica

-Vash

Security Now #3

2005-09-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

Here's the direct download link. This week Steve and Leo talk about the benefits of using a NAT router. Steve also recommends using some software firewalls as well. Enjoy!

-Vash

Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

As many of you know Hurricane Katrina has taken the lives of many and has made many others homeless. People are trapped in New Orleans and they are litterally dying in the streets. On behalf of the Techspec I would like to offer our thoughs and prayers to the families and ask that you all donate to the red cross.
Huricane Katrina Relief fund
Donate
1-800-435-7669

Techspec now has hosting!

2005-08-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

I finally got some hosting for the Techspec. If any body would like to be a writer for the new site then send me an email at Kreasons@gmail.com. Also if anybody would like to help out with designing the site then let me know. I will be bring over the writers that I have here at Techspec and will change the focus of the site a little bit. The next version of Techspec will only be a glimpse (a small one) of what I would like to see the site turn into. It will be a fully functioning tech site of course (very much more then it is now) however it won’t be the "finished product" in my eyes. More to come soon... :)

Security Now podcast with Leo Laporte/Steve Gibson

2005-08-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

Although Episode #1 is only eighteen minutes long I think you people should give it a try. Head over to This Week in Tech or Feedburner to download now. It covers hot topics in security. Also Leo has set up an iTunes link.

-Vash

Call for Help returning to the US

2005-08-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

Nothing else to be said except 'finally'.

G4 Forum Announcement

HBO uses Firefox to promote "Rome"

2005-08-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

HBO has designed a downloadable skin for the Firefox browser using the theme of it's upcoming series entitled "Rome." This skin will transform the buttons and external design of the browser into the feeling of "antiquity." The skin is available through your Firefox's tools menu but as of late last night, it was not available. Cnet News

-Vash

Diggnation Shirts are out!!

2005-08-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Alex Albrecht announced that the new Diggnation shirts are out at Jinx. Have at it!

-Vash

Apple Accidently Sues Itself.

2005-08-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Way too funny. Thanks to Apple Rumors.
Apple Sues Itself.

Ðoak

The San Andreas Backlash

2005-08-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well, for people like me that look for game prices to go down over time just caught a bit of bad luck. While waiting for San Andreas to go down in price to pick it up for the Xbox, it gets taken off the market because of this hidden sex game, which makes the game AO, or Adults Only. Anyhow, needless to say, this event severly kicked up the price of the game on ebay, now Xbox versions of the game are usually going for no less than 60 bucks. What lesson did I learn from this? Buy a video game when it first comes out so if someone finds a hidden sex game in this years version of Madden, I'll still have the game. Which is why I've already bought it of course.

Ðoak

Microsoft cuts Monad Shell feature in Windows Vista

2005-08-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

After hearing public reports that viruses have been written for Vista, Microsoft has cut the Monad Shell feature. The Monad Shell allows a user to access the operating systems using text-based commands instead of the usual graphical interface of Windows. However, Microsoft Director of Product Management Eric Berg said the Monad feature will be included with Vista in the next three to five years. "Our intention is to synchronize it with both client and server operating systems, " says Berg. The only reason they offer as to why this feature will not be included is that the Monad Shell would be an attractive tarket for hackers, even more if the shell were enabled by default. "Presumably, as time goes on, all of Microsoft's products will have Monad scripting interfaces," Berg said. PC World

-Vash

Linux to take hold of Indiana classrooms

2005-08-05T19:55:00.000-07:00

A program in Indiana will try and get a laptop to every high school student. The catch, it's got Linux on it. The Indiana schools are testing the laptops and hope to distribute about 300,000 laptops across the state. "Indiana schools aren't just talking about desktop Linux – students and teachers are actually using it every day," said Kevin Carmony, CEO of Linspire, which is supplying the Linux OS and software. The first initial rollout of Linux started three years ago but now they are finally getting their act together. More info can be found at Beta News.

-Vash

Zeta R1 Review

2005-08-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

When people look for alternative operating systems, most would look toward to Linux, or the BSD's, however, Zeta, based on BeOS R5 code, is trying to gain some of the spotlight for itself in the market. Right before Be Inc. was bought out by Palm, Inc. in 2001, a licensing deal was set up with YellowTAB to use the source to BeOS 5.1.0. Since then, YellowTAB has continued development on the operating system, and after a number of “release candidates”, version 1.0 has finally arrived. As it improved and worth the wait? Well.... It depends.

Zeta 1.0 has many improvement's over the release candidates and BeOS R5. First, Zeta 1.0 can now boot if more then 1 gig. Of ram is present in the computer, where before, a hack was needed to limit the amount Zeta would recognize. Second, the installer has been greatly improved. The partitioner, powered by Paragon, allows for non destructive partitioning of NTFS partitions, however other kinds must be reformatted, and partitions cannot be deleted outright. Hopefully future versions improve over this. The rest of the installer works just fine, however some of the default software choices are a bit puzzling. It's very bloated in software, for example, there are over 170 megabytes of game software (most of which are just emulators, or poor SDL games). While they can be turned off from being installed, for those just going with the defaults, there will be a lot of extra software that just does not need to be there.

After the install, the computer restarts, and boots Zeta (unless of course you are running a multi-boot system, then bootman starts and allows one to pick which OS to start). Now, here are where the problems really begin. The major issue right after starting Zeta, hardware support. My video card (ATI x800 pro AGP) is not supported, being so, Zeta only allowed resolutions up to 800x600 at 8-bit's of color. Being based off the “multimedia OS”, this was a major issue. Alternative drivers did not help at all as well. Also, my network card was not detected as well , which is very odd as according to YellowTAB's website my network card is supported right out of the box. Again, alternative drivers did not help, however I was able to get network support from my motherboards Ethernet slot detected, but I could not use it for some reason. My Creative sound blaster live card worked fine, but if I can't watch any of the video's on my computer because of the video driver or go on the Internet to get new videos or games, it just does not work out. The cost of Zeta is also very high, at around $120 to $130

If your hardware is supported (REALLY supported) by Zeta, then there is a good amount to like. The interface is easy to use (however menus can be a bit convoluted), mounting of partitions and drives is painless. Mozilla firefox comes in right out of the box, and works very well (much better then past versions), however, There is no Java support as of right now. The media player plays videos and music well enough (depending on hardware). Boot time for Zeta is very low (because of the BeOS/Zeta micro-kernel), being about 10-15 seconds. Word processing and such is taken care of thanks to Gobe Productive, which is a very easy to use and well made program.

If you have the right combination of hardware, Zeta 1.0 is a easy to use OS worthy of your time, however because the hardware and drivers issues, it's very hard to recommend this operating system. Most of the problems with Zeta stem from issues using BeOS, which also had issues with hardware support. The best bet, is to wait for the next version's of the operating system, which hopefully will iron out these issues. Zeta: Try before you buy.

Microsoft, a dying age?

2005-08-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Those of you listened to any of Leo Laporte's various podcasts you'll have heard of Leo saying that Microsoft is a dying age. I agree wholeheartedly. I think Windows Vista is just the latest mistake that Microsoft is making while going down in a blaze of shame. All the great things that were supposed to be in Vista have been stripped and now Windows Vista seems to me like nothing but a new distribution of Windows that is full of nothing. Of course Vista wasn't Microsoft's only mistake. Inlude Window's Mellenium Edition. I have that currently installed on my crappy HP Pavilion 6830. I hate it so much. Thank god the opposition has come out with open source alternatives like Linux and their distro's, along with Apple with OS X. Another of Microsoft's big mistakes, Internet Explorer. This thing is so riddled full of security holes you could throw a flare in it and see all the way to China. Here's the solution to Internet Explorer, obviously one of them definately is Firefox, another is Opera. Both of these are fine alternatives to the joke of a web browser Internet Explorer. So here's what I say, if your a tech geek, make the switch to Linux. If your just your run of the mill average joe, then go with an Apple product and use OS X. Only gamers should really stick to Windows. Considering almost all pc games are formatted for only Windows use. So be a rebel and dump Microsoft quickly!

-Vash

P.S. The guy on the Opera home page is wearing a power ranger's suit.

Systm Episode #3

2005-07-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

Finally another episode of the great systm is out. Your gonna need bit torrent though to download it (Not that anyone doesn't have this). Go to Revision 3 if you haven't downloaded the episode yet.

-Vash

Edit: As many of you now know that there are direct downloads now on the systm episode 3 page. So download now!!!

iHome iH5 iPod dock/clock needs some tweaks

2005-07-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is a little cool dock for your iPod that includes AM/FM tuning and compatibility with all iPod models. After looking at this device on the Engadget page, I agree with Mark Perton about how the dock needs radio presets. How could you not include those with that? All I can say is thank god it comes with a remote.

-Vash

Diggnation #4 video out

2005-07-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the direct download link or you can go to diggnation.com. Enjoy!!!

-Vash

AMD dealt another blow

2005-07-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

AMD lost the sponorship to this years QuakeCon, dealing quite a blow to AMD's gaming fanbase. Looks like Intel is trying to get a leg up on AMD and AMD is not liking it. The Inquirer

-Vash

Diggnation Episode #4 is out

2005-07-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

Of course it came out like twelve hours ago but I didn't wake up till one in the afternoon. Episode 4 covers some pretty cool topics like the leaked Xbox 360 motherboard pictures, Spielberg's take on the transformer movie, and Rockstar stops manufacturing on San Andreas. Here's the direct download link or you can go to diggnation.com for all your diggnation needs. Also the video for episode three is out. Enjoy you digging geniuses!

-Vash

Ahhh, the keyboard...it's alive!!!! Includes TV/PC Use

2005-07-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

Actually just kidding but Microsoft just launched a new all-in-one keyboard. The keyboard is wireless, has a remote control, and includes a mouse pointer. The keyboard also has a backlight so you can see which key's your hitting if you like to type in the dark. The keyboard operates on 4 AA batteries and has an infared wireless link to the pc. You can sit as far as thirty feet from your pc (not that you would want to sit that far from your pc). You can send instant messages, watch your movies, view images and control your tv all on this keyboard. Check it out at Real Tech News.

-Vash

Oh no, the upgrade some TiVo owners fear

2005-07-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

TiVo is pushing some of it's owners to get a software update for it's TiVo's. The popular digital video recorder's new update will make advertising harder to avoid in programs that are recorded. However this only applies to TiVo series 2 boxes. When fast-forwarding through commercials some will sprout a pop-up ad that will try to catch a viewers attention. If the viewer becomes intrigued he or she may access more information via his or her remote. More info can be found at Ars Technica.

-Vash

Diggnation #3

2005-07-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Although this is two days late I apologize. The third episode of Diggnation is out as many of you people know. If you haven't then go to the official Diggnation website or you can get the direct download here. Once again Alex and Kevin are kicking it Diggnation style! Peace..

-Vash

Is this really a good idea?

2005-07-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

The U.N. wants to control the internet and not too many people are enthusiastic about that. The proposal due to be released July 18th proposes that the International Telecommunications Union under the U.N.'s power, would regulate and control how the internet is ran nowadays. Many countries are claiming that there is now a "convergence of views." They claim that part of the new organization responsibilities would be Internet surveillance or what they call, "consumer protection." The next bad thing about this is that the U.N. would have the ability to tax domain names for "universal access." So far this is not sounding like a good idea. Of course the Bush administration said it would not hand over the control of Internet domain names and addresses to anyone else.
What would be even worse is that Brazil and China have brandished their weapon in what they have called a fragmented root. Or in other words this means that top level domain names would not be recognized by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), but would be recognized by the rest of the world. The downside of this, this option would create an internet where two computers would find different web sites at the same address. This option is only small however, but could possibly happen. So now we play the waiting game.

-Vash

Choosing the right Linux distro

2005-07-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Many people who have gotten sick of Windows have started making the switch to Linux. There as so many of distributions of Linux that sometimes it may be hard to choose. Each distribution has it's own little quirks and customizations to suit your needs. To help suit those special needs of yours you can take a quiz that will help you determine which Linux distro is right for you. Here's the link.

-Vash

Linux, at a Microsoft show?

2005-07-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a surprise when Microsoft allowed attendees to get a hands on expierence with Linux and all sorts of Linux desktop software. Most of these attendees were unfamiliar with Linux and experimented with K Desktop Environment as well as watching an Apache server in action. Don Johnson (not the actor) gave an overview of linux and their concepts. Johnson explained to the attendees the key tradeoffs between Linux and Windows. Johnson also got explaining how user-friendly Windows and Linux were. Windows was obviously more user-friendly and he pointed out that you have IT expertise and knowledge to run Linux. The last tradeoff he pointed out was that Linux had the ability to run on almost anything whereas Windows has a limited platform focus. More info can be found at eWeek.

-Vash

Mess Patch

2005-07-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

From the random bits of software that make my life less annoying group, comes the mess patch for MSN Messenger. I know alot of you, including myself, use MSN Messenger, and if you have it, you'll want this. Not only does it allow run multiple instances of Messenger on your computer, it also has a bevy of other features that usually come out as seperate patches.

Some examples of what it can do:
-Get rid of ALL advertisments
-Allows you to use Winamp to display what you're listening to, instead of just WMP
-Steal display pics from other people
-Polygamy, or, multiple instances of messenger running at once.
-More chat characters allowed, and multiple line display names

Thats just a few things the mess patch can do. Its definantly worth your time if you use MSN Messenger.

www.mess.be

Ðoak

Intel, a vicious company?

2005-07-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

Stemming from a forty-eight page complaint against Intel, AMD certainly says so. The report gives insight into Intel paying other companies so that they would abandon AMD and use Intel exclusively for microprocessors. Even the Japanese Fair Trade Commission or JFTC has recommended that Intel be sanctioned for its misconduct directed at AMD. AMD complains that Intel has targeted both U.S. and around the world customers to refrain from buying AMD from any market anywhere. They say that this goal of Intel’s keeps customers dependent on Intel for very substantial amounts of their product. The forty-eight page complaint also states that companies wishing to deal with AMD to use their microprocessors in their products are threatened with not receiving any quarterly money from Intel which would result in substantial loss to their company. Such companies as Dell have been clamored by customers for AMD solutions particularly in servers. Unfortunately for them Intel has bought exclusivity from Dell with large payments and favorable pricing. AMD also complains that Intel paid Sony not to release any of it’s notebooks in 2003. They say that the payoff, which was in the multimillions, was disguised as discounts and promotional support. AMD’s share of Sony ’s business in Japan abruptly dropped sharply from 23% to 0% from 2002 to 2003.

In 2002, the complaint states that Hewlett Packard was all set to release AMD’s microprocessors in it’s “Evo” product line when at the last minute HP disclosed this plan to Intel in which Intel pressured them to stop immediate use of any AMD product. Intel went as far as pressuring Hewlett Packard’s senior management to consider firing the HP executive who came up with the AMD commercial desktop proposal. When AMD came to Hewlett Packard to convince them to carry a AMD-powered notebook, HP declined. HP explained that Intel had paid between three and four million dollars for exclusivity on HP’s notebook product line for at least one year.

The report goes into other companies like IBM were bought off as well. According to IBM executive Ed Thum, Intel paid them “millions of dollars in market development fund.” AMD also states that AMD was forced to discount their price on their products so that they could compete with Intel but that that it resulted in loss of profit. They say that each time a new line of models come out that this exclusionary practice keeps AMD from becoming a real competitor. The report also seems to say that Intel holds a sever penalty against a company that fails to meet their quarterly targets. In the fourth quarter of 2004, AMD succeeded in getting it’s product into HP’s mobile computers. These products sold very well. AMD captured 60% of HP’s U.S. retail sales for the quarter. Intel responded by withholding HP’s fourth quarter rebate check. They would not forgive HP for failing to achieve Intel’s targeted rebate goal. Hewlett Packard was forced to make it up to them by promising them at least 90% of HP’s mainstream retail business. This is an apparent taste of what Intel could leave in your mouth. The trial will be tried by a jury. So that begs the question. Should other companies even dare now attempt a partnership with Intel? Even if they donate millions to you?

-Vash

Using Google News without using Google News.

2005-07-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

Newsmap.

If you're a Google News reader, like me, you'll definitely love Newsmap.

Newsmap is an application that visually reflects the constantly changing landscape of the Google News news aggregator. A treemap visualization algorithm helps display the enormous amount of information gathered by the aggregator. Treemaps are traditionally space-constrained visualizations of information. Newsmap's objective takes that goal a step further and provides a tool to divide information into quickly recognizable bands which, when presented together, reveal underlying patterns in news reporting across cultures and within news segments in constant change around the globe.
-Marumushi site.

It displays Google News in real time with beautiful visuals. It even allows you to go back several days and check older news feeds from news.google.com. It's pretty awesome. Everyone should check it out.

-InX

Attack on London

2005-07-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

Not tech related, but very news-worthy.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050707/325/fmugz.html

Our thoughts and prayers are with our English friends.

Just so there is a little tech, Lloyd from Perfect Path will be podcasting his London Podwalks again as soon as it's safe.

---DW

Remove Those Pesky eXeem Advertisments

2005-07-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Shortly after Suprnova folded last year, the Suprnova Team began work on their own P2P client, "eXeem." eXeem was publicly released Januaray 21, 2005 and was heavily criticized for it's in-program adware and spyware. Since it's inital release all of the spyware and all but 2 small advertisments have been removed. The two remaining advertisments can now be removed as well using a small VBScript appropriatley titled "Ad-Nuke" to add the eXeem advertiser's websites to Internet Explorer's RESTRICTED SITES ZONE. Check it out. "Ad-Nuke" can also be downloaded via eXeem ;).
Scott

Distrowatch.com

2005-07-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

I found this through an article on Digg. At first I was reading about Leather Linux, a different distro of linux when to my amazement, found that distrowatch has tons of distros all compiled on one website. You can also purchase distro's of linux at Budget Linux Cd's.

-Vash

What has the world come to?

2005-07-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

This article infuriated me at the fact that humans will simply kill each other over things like this.
NY Teen killed over iPod.

-Vash

The Quiet PC

2005-07-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

I was zooming around on the feeds when I noticed this article. It's about building a really quiet pc even for people who like to push their clock speeds and voltages. It's a nice little article on Extreme Tech.

Antec P180. Check it out!

-Vash

IT Certification Study Guides

2005-07-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

We all know that breaking into the IT industry involves getting some of those certifications everybody talks about. I've managed to get three so far: A+, Network+, and Microsoft Certified Professional. I'm working on getting my MCSA and I thought I would take this time to let you guys know about some of the resources I use when I'm studying for these things.

First we have the Transcender practice tests. These things are pretty hardcore and the company guarantees that if you pass these, you can pass the actual exam. They have them for nearly every certification that you could possibly want. I like these things because they do simulate the testing environment really well and will help you understand what you are going up against. They even go as far as to simulate the interactive questions where you drag stuff around. It's not all just multiple choice when it comes to these exams.

Then we have the Test King study guides. I really recommend these things because they are nearly word for word what the questions on the test are. It's ridiculous! I used one for Network+ and was surprised to see at least 40 questions that I'd already seen. I finished that test in 20 minutes because nothing surprised me. I know plenty about networking and was confident about the test anyway, but this thing made the test crazy easy.

So that's a couple things you can do to prepare yourself. You can always get books to study from too and most of those are great. The Exam Cram books are great resources. I just prefer these because how accurate they are compared to the real thing. So look into those and go get certified!

-Steve

Diggnation is out

2005-07-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

The podcast that I had mentioned in a previous post is out. Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht are now doing a podcast about Digg stories. Both of their sites contain links to downloads. Happy Downloading!!
-Vash

IE users beware

2005-07-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Security researchers have just recently discovered a bug with Internet Explorer. When you access pages with Active X components, attackers can overwrite registers on your computers processor. This can cause your computer's memory to fill with malicious code in what Austrian SEC Consult Martin Eisner calls, "a heap-based buffer overflow." Say that ten times fast. SEC Consult is a security consulting firm. Eisner is a chief technical official with SEC Consult. Eisner says he expects Microsoft should patch the bug within a couple of weeks. He also says that as of right now the bug is not that dangerous. "But of course within a couple of weeks there will be somebody who has a little bit more time than we have and there will be an exploit then" says Eisner.
-Vash

Microsoft pays big in anti-trust suit

2005-07-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Microsoft is settling an anti-trust suit with IBM, paying it $775 million and another $75 million in credit announced today. This resolves claims made by the U.S. government against Microsoft. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson found that IBM was hurt by Microsoft's anti-trust practices. The two companies were both pleased to settle the lawsuit. Part of the settlement includes that IBM cannot make claims for what they are calling server monetary damages for two years or claims made before June 30, 2002.
-Vash

Operation Site Down

2005-07-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

The FBI has collaborated with Federal authorities from all over the world in another international software/movie piracy crackdown. Operation Site Down is the second successful piracy crackdown initiated by the FBI through the use of an undercover FTP site administrator. In 2001, the FBI conducted a similar crackdown in Operation Buccaneer.

--Opus X

Digg Podcast

2005-06-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

First I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Vash and I'm one of the newest writers to Techspec. As many of you know Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht (who's finally resurfaced) are now going to be doing a podcast on Digg and some of the most dugg stories and their favorites. They are planning to release an episode within the next two weeks.
-Vash

The iPods Makeover

2005-06-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Apple made some big announcements this week about the ipod. All of the original iPods have been replaced with the iPod photo(color screen) for the same price of the original iPod (the U2 special edition iPod is now also in color).Apple also cut the price of the 1gig iPod shuffle from $150 to $129.Rumors of a 2gig and 4gig iPod shuffle as well as an 8gig iPod mini have also been going around. iTunes 4.9 was also released which has the infamous podcasting feature. I highly suggest for everybody to get an iPod if they don’t already have one as well as get into podcasting.This independent media era that we are going through is historical and I highly suggest that you contribute to it.
Phatlip12

Canadian copyright law update - you can stop it!

2005-06-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

While this has been circulating around the Internet for some time now, many people do not have details on the new Canadian copyright Bill, or information on how to stop it. The Canadian government has finally introduced and tabled what is known as Bill C-60. For those of you that may be unfamiliar with Bill C-60, it has been compared to the infamous DMCA in the United States, but perhaps with other "fair use" issues, and other implications to P2P technology. For example, previously in Canada, if you owned a CD (owned being the keyword), it was not illegal to copy the music from that CD to another medium, even if that CD has some sort of copy protection scheme. The governments of the past understood that you have paid for that content, and that upgrades in technology should not prevent you from using what you have paid for ... unfortunately the Canadian government today has lost that vision.

Bill C-60 is not yet law. An organization is submitting a petition to Parliament on behalf of Canadians who are opposed to this backwards step in technological advancement.

A brief summary of how Bill C-60 will affect Canadians can be foudn at: http://www.digital-copyright.ca/billc60/Consumer_Fact_Sheet.shtml

Information on the petition, including instructions on how to join it, and Bill C-60 can be found at http://www.digital-copyright.ca

--Opus X

Firefox 1.0.5 Test Builds

2005-06-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Firefox 1.0.5 test builds are now available to download:
Mac
Windows
Linux
Phatlip12

Games of the Past

2005-06-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

My childhood was pretty boring. I lived in the country for the most part, and my gaming extent was confined to a 150 Gigahertz, 16 Mb of RAM, Compaq Presario, which if you know anything about computers, you hold the Compaq in the same light as Hewlitt Packard computers. Cheap, and pretty much…terrible. But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t pass the time while playing some overall great games. You’ll recognize a few games on this list, but some you won’t. Or probably wont that is.

Age of Empires
Yeah, the first one. Screw the 2nd one. The first one really opened me up into the world of pc gaming, and besides another game that blew me away at the time, which was Chrono Trigger by the way, was the definitive game to have back then. With its beautiful graphics, and nearly infinite replay value, this game could hold your attention for a long time coming. This only was helped by some smooth online play, which allowed even me on my 33.6kbs dial-up modem to play relatively well. Plus you can get it and its expansion, Rise of Rome, for only ten bucks now. You can’t beat that.

Crime Fighter
Time to dig way back here. What could very easily be the predecessor to today’s Grand Theft Auto series, this game does exactly the opposite of what it says you should be doing. Instead of playing as a crime fighter, you begin as a weak little nobody in the crime world and must move up by completing tasks like kidnapping kids and selling them for cheap labor, blackmailing the mayor with nudie photos, and causing large train wrecks for money. But what makes this game awesome is the absurdity of it all. You may attempt to break into a house, only to find that Rambo owns it. You may try and kidnap a kid, but upon nabbing the kid, all the grandma’s in the park pull machine guns out of their purses to attempt to stop you. And you thought Grand Theft Auto was bad. This is a really old DOS game, but does fine on Windows.

Star Wars Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight
The first Dark Forces game was good, but this improved on the idea so much, it easily gets the nod. The first game to give you Jedi powers and the first game that allowed you to run around and slash people up with a lightsaber. It also allowed you to choose, depending on whom you killed and what force powers you use during the game, between the light and dark side of the force, each with a separate ending. Truly awesome game. What’s really strange about this is that there is still a small mod community around this game at http://www.massassi.net/.

Bad Mojo
I had to include this. You play as a cockroach. Sounds exciting already huh? Back in the day though, this game had some serious graphical muscle, and look surprisingly good with its photorealistic graphics. But, oh right, the story. You are a mad scientist who transformed himself into a cockroach. You must survive the everyday perils of a cockroach, dodging a hot oven, scalding hot chili, and of course, insect traps. What’s also cool is they recently re-released the game with the name Bad Mojo: Redux, which is pretty much the same game, but it’s only for twenty bucks. You owe it to yourself to give this game a look.

Grand Theft Auto
I had to put this on here, because a lot of people hadn’t even heard of the series until the third iteration came out. The original was a top-down version of essentially the games you play today, except playing top-down is a bit harder than it is in 3D. Recently Rockstar released this as a classic free game. So, especially since it’s free, you should definitely check this game out.

Duke Nukem
Before the series went 3D, and now has gone AWOL, the first two Duke games were classic side scrollers, and surprisingly good games. It didn’t have the gratuitous violence, and the women like 3D did, but it did have a solid action component that was surprisingly more fun than it probably should’ve been. The 2nd iteration was by far more sophisticated and more fun than the first one, so check that one out first.

Lemonade Stand
Do NOT hate on this game. Everyone of you know that one time or another, you were attempting to set the prices right at your stand, so you could get maximum money without losing customers. While this game has turned into a cheap, quick, online flash game, it used to be an original DOS game, with super simplistic graphics, and mostly just text. But as boring as it sounds, it was highly addicting, and I’m sure it all made your mommies proud that you were learning supply and demand at such an early age.

Quake
The first game in the series redefined the First Person Shooter, and brought the genre into a new age with its graphics, and the real quick reactionary abilities needed. It also had superb level design, and good lighting for a game of its time. It’s also had the netcode necessary to hold impressive multiplayer battles, which is the primary reason this game became such a huge hit.

X-wing Alliance
I’m a big space sim junkie, joystick and all, and the last really excellent title in that series to come out is X-wing Alliance. A deep, deep story mode, with extra goods depending on how well you do in some of the missions, and some very unforgettable online play made for one hell of a space sim game. And again, for its time, the graphics were great.

Alright, I think I’ve compiled a pretty good list of PC games that you might have missed from back in the day. I’ve also included some links here at the bottom to point you in the right direction of where you can find demos or full versions of these games on the Internet today.

Links
Age of Empires – http://www.microsoft.com/games/empires/downloads.htm
Crime Fighter – http://www.pssoft.de/english/
Star Wars Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight – http://www.3dgamers.com/games/jediknight/
Bad Mojo – http://www.download.com/3000-2097-858713.html?legacy=cnet
Grand Theft Auto – http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/
Duke Nukem – http://www.3drealms.com/downloads.html
Lemonade Stand – http://www.lemonadegame.com/
Quake – http://thegw.com/archives/quake/demo.html
X-Wing Alliance - http://www.gamershell.com/download_4673.shtml
The Gipper

Apple+Intel=Mac & Windows ????

2005-06-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the biggest buzz going around in the computer world now is Apples decision to ditch IBM and go with Intel. Intel, the chip of the PC world is now a chip of the Mac world. This transition has brought up many questions such as "Can I run Mac OS X on a PC?" and "Can I run Windows on a Mac?". Many believe that it is possible, some have already made claims that they did it. Pics of a Dell laptop running Mac OS X(video available here) were released on the internet recently as well as a pics of a Mac running Windows. None of these pics can be confirmed yet but it brings to question "Will I see the Mac OS sitting on the shelf with a sticker on it that says now available to PC users and vise versa for Windows?" Only time can tell...
Phatlip12

Free Forums

2005-06-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

If you're anything like me, then you want a centralized place for viewers of your website to go and communicate with one another. I have been wanting something like this for a while and today I finally stumbled onto a solution: myfreebb.com. I love that place!

I've been fooling around with trying to install a PHPBB forum on a free webserver from dhost.info, but it just wasn't working as well as I had hoped it would. The whole system just wasn't very reliable. This place gives you a PHPBB 2 forum with plenty of themes to choose from and an administrative control center and everything. Signing up was just like anything else: an activation email and you're ready to go.

I've always liked the way PHPBB looked and this was perfect for what I wanted to do. The real challenge is getting anybody to sign up for it and be active. With an internet saturated by message boards, it takes somebody with a real following to make anything that people will visit But this is something for you guys if you've been wanting to set up a forum for your clan or guild, or whatever you call your online gaming group. So check these guys out.

-Steve

IpodderXP out at Gnomedex

2005-06-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

IpodderXP will be out and on display at Gnomedex! There will also be a public beta! This is a great for all of us Windows Lackies!!!

---More to come
UAB Tech Guy

Console war not only a war for video games

2005-06-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

One thing that the next gen consoles will surely bring is excitement which is something that everybody should have considering it is truly a technological revolution. The next gen consoles include the Xbox 360, Playstation3 as well as the Nintendo Revolution. One thing that all of these gaming consoles have in common is they are also computers. They may not run Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux (the Playstation 3 is supposed to come with a distro of Linux) out of the box but they all have the potential to do so (the Revolutions specs aren’t yet known but they are rumored to be very similar to the other’s consoles).

Why would anybody want to spend well over $500 for a PC with the same specs as that of a $300 Xbox 360? This just goes to prove to the consumer that computers can and will be built cheaper in the future. Such a decrease in the price of computers could lead to a computer being in ever house much like its predecessor the telephone. One thing that Microsoft loves to do is crush the competition. How could Microsoft crush the competition in the console world as well as making a further advance in the PC world? By allowing the Xbox 360 users to have some form of Windows on their machine. With the now upcoming release of Windows Longhorn many have begun to wonder how Windows Longhorn and the Xbox 360 will tie together. There is obviously more pressure for Microsoft to infatuate Windows into the Xbox some how as Sony is planning on releasing a distro of Linux with the Playstation 3 hard drive. The last thing Microsoft wants is to lose the console war as well as allow Linux to make any sort of gain on Microsoft. Millions of Playstation 3’s will be sold which means that there is a potential that millions of more people will be introduced to Linux. Believe it or not, the console war could also be a war not only for video games but also for the next leading OS.

If there is one thing that people like it is all in one devices. The problem with all in once devices such as media center PC’s is they are very expensive. The Xbox 360 is going to come with a media center extender much like the media center hacks for the original Xbox. This allows for the user to be able to listen to their music, watch their DVD’s, and view their pictures all on the same box. Add that to the fact that the Xbox360 is only $300 as compared to an expensive media center pc and you already have a deal.

Microsoft as well as many other companies learned a valuable lesson due to the hacking of the Xbox. This lesson is that people will eat the forbidden fruit. They will find ways around things in order to get what they want. I believe that it is time for Microsoft as well as other companies to listen to the people. Permit us to eat the forbidden fruit, make a profit your self and give the consumer what they want. The console war could be the start of something great or a complete failure for Microsoft. The choice is theirs, they can listen to what the consumer wants or they can watch as we get what we want anyway.
Phatlip12
digg this story

Techspec's new look

2005-06-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

As some of you may have noticed I have made some minor changes to the Techspec. I have a new banner that is bigger that was made due to the kindness of cbradio from the Scopetech forums. I also added some links as well as extending the content area of the site (which is much easier on the eyes). I am working on getting a hosting company so that we can make the Techspec more professional. The Techspec is going to be bigger and better in a matter of time!
Phatlip12

Go Make Something

2005-06-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

In a world where everything we hear and see is controlled by the urge to make more money, there is a movement bubbling up from the underground. People all over the globe are finding ways to express themselves and be heard. Between blogs, podcasts, and internet TV shows, the possibilities are endless for user created content.

Blogs are increasing by the thousands everyday, whether they be by aspiring journalists or just people eager to tell their story. Blogging has even become so huge that the word “blog” was officially added to the dictionary late last year. This form of media has helped to fuel the fire of independent media, convincing people that they can be heard if they have something to say.

Podcasts were the next step in the movement, allowing the common man to make his own radio show. It’s not easy to get on the radio these days. There are too many rules, regulations, and bad number one songs to keep an average person from making the content they want to make. Podcasts have allowed people all over the world to say what they have to say without worrying about what “The Boss” thinks. In podcasting, you are the boss.

IpTV is the final frontier of independent media. There are ways for a TV show to be distributed all over the world through the internet. If anyone has the desire to be seen on TV they don’t have to wait around for someone to notice their talent. They just need a camera, a computer, and the drive to create something that big corporations won’t.

Now is the time to rise to the challenge and make sure that the large networks know that we don’t need them anymore. Technology has finally given us the ability to make whatever content we want and have it seen without the assistance of larger corporations. So take advantage of this moment in history and go make something.

-steve

My Life Bytes Promo played on Daily Source Code!!!

2005-06-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Adam Curry from Daily Source Code for playing my promo for "My Life Bytes"!!!

You can listen to "My Life Bytes" via The Feed or The Website! If you like what you hear, vote for me on The Alley or The Pickle!!!
UAB Tech Guy

iTunes + Podcasting: Am I the only one drooling?

2005-06-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

Many of you have heard that the new version of iTunes (4.9) will have capabilities of subscribing to and downloading Podcasts. Oh joy! Did Apple just make life even easier? Is that even possible? It seems so.

Steve Jobs demoed iTunes 4.9 at the latest WWDC. I wasn't at all shocked to see how easy the process was to subscribe and download Podcasts. Apple gathered 8,000 Podcasts and threw them into their music store.

Apple itself also released a Podcast to it's New Music Tuesdays section of the store. It's pretty simple and has a DJ that tells you about and lets you listen to samples of new music. The cool part about Apple's Podcast is the album art switching as the 'cast goes on. The current sample of the song playing displays new artwork in the artwork section of iTunes and switches as the samples switch. Pretty sweet.

Will this kill apps like iPodder? Probably not. But there will be a lot of healthy competition playing out in the coming months.

iTunes 4.9 with Podcast support should be out within the next 30 days.

::Looks at watch::

--InX

Apple - QuickTime - Download - QuickTime 7 for Windows Public Preview

2005-06-07T00:36:00.000-07:00

QuickTime 7, the latest version of the world's most advanced digital media technology. Download the public preview to get a first look at the exciting new features in QuickTime 7 for Windows.

Link Here
UAB Tech Guy

Systm Release 2

2005-06-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

Episode 2 of SYSTM is going to come out some time this week!

read more | digg story
Phatlip12

WSJ.com - Blogging Becomes A Corporate Job; Digital 'Handshake'?

2005-06-01T00:50:00.000-07:00

Blogging Becomes A Corporate Job; Digital 'Handshake'?

In its short lifespan, blogging has largely been a freewheeling exercise in online self-expression. Now it is also becoming a corporate job.

A small but growing number of businesses are hiring people to write blogs, otherwise known as Web logs, or frequently updated online journals. Companies are looking for candidates who can write in a conversational style about timely topics that would appeal to customers, clients and potential recruits.

Link Here
UAB Tech Guy

Revision3 (Systm/thebroken) Announces CEO

2005-05-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

Jay Adelson will be joining Revision3 Studios (our Systm/thebroken holding company) as Chairman and CEO. Jay is founder and Chief Technology Officer of Equinix, Inc. (nasdaq: EQIX). Equinix is the leading global provider of network-neutral data centers and Internet exchange services for enterprises, content companies, systems integrators and network services providers.

Link Here

---DW

PClinuxOS

2005-05-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

After spending a few months with Kanotix Linux, which I considered to be one of the best Linux distributions I have used. I figured it was time to try out a new distribution, after doing my daily search on DistroWatch, I came across PClinuxOS, based on Mandrake-Mandriva Linux. I had tried this distribution once before, and really disliked it. It was hard to use, most of the programs did not load right off the live cd and the install to the hard drive did not work. Now there was a new updated version, so I gave it another shot, and good thing I did. This distribution is definitely worth checking out.

This distribution comes in three different forms. One with no proprietary video card driver included, one with the ATI proprietary driver, the other with the NVIDIA driver. I have an ATI X800 pro, so I downloaded the ATI ISO. As I started the system, it found my USB cable modem connection and Ethernet ports, and loaded up the fglrx driver. The distribution is a Live-cd which can also be installed to the hard drive. This is nice for when a rescue disk is needed. I went directly for the hard drive install, which went very smooth. Had all the functions needed to make an install nice and smooth. After it was done, I rebooted the system to load it up to my nice new Linux distribution.

However, after I rebooted into it, I faced many more problems. My USB connection to my cable modem was no longer working right. It would connect to the DHCP server, but not to the Internet. I could not figure out why, so I set up my Ethernet connection, which worked out fine. Also, my sound faced many issues. As I played some music in Amarok, the sound was just plain bad. I tried to tweak the settings and use different programs, but nothing worked. That is, until I went to the sound settings to see that it set my speaker configuration as Speakers 2.0. I have a subwoofer, so I changed it to speakers 2.1, and everything sounded fine. Also, a lot of the packages in this distribution are very outdated, for example KDE is version 3.3.2, not the new 3.4. Luckily for us, PClinuxOS included the RPM version of apt (which threw me off at first, as I usually use YUM for RPM distributions.) so it is very easy to update the system to all the new programs.

PClinuxOS includes Openoffice.org for all your office needs, Mozilla Firefox and konqueror for web browsing, and gaim or kopete for instant messaging. Also included are bit torrent programs, an easy to use control center to change system configurations, skype for VOIP, and more.

Overall, if you are looking for an easy to use distribution using the RPM Package system, this is the one to get. For a Debian system, get Kanotix.
innerlogic

Why, oh why...Nintendo will never die...

2005-05-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Nintendo.

That name stirs up a lot of emotion for pretty much every gamer. And rightfully so. Hiroshi Yamauchi and the rest of Nintendo Co. Ltd. did an outstanding job of bringing console gaming to the level it's at today. Unfortunately, we all know how Nintendo missed the boat with the Nintendo GameCube. But will Nintendo bounce back from their GameCube woes? Possibly. This year's E3 will have a lot to say about that. Revolution had better have on-line multi-player and DVD, or once again, it will be playing third fiddle to the PS3 and Xbox:360.

But enough with the rumors. It's time to look back at yester-year. Back when gamers would go to the arcades to meet up with friends, or head over to Timmy's house for an all night session of Super Mario Brothers. And, most importantly, a look at why, oh why, Nintendo will weather the storm of the console wars, no matter what the others throw at it.

Let's start off with something near and dear to my heart. Music. Everyone likes it in some form or fashion. We carry it around with us. We listen to it at work. We take it in the car. We listen to it to help us sleep. We use it for all sorts of things. And we reward people for it, or at least we're trying to.

But what about all those great songs that backed Nintendo games? Well, have no fear those great doots and hoots are no further than Google. I searched "Nintendo Music" and returned 4,690,000 hits! One of the hits, Nintendo Midi Music, has a great selection of music. From Zelda to Kid Icarus, Super Mario Bros. 3 to MegaMan, you can find just about every game on this site. I love it. I think I'll put on my Nintendo-themed desktop now.

Another hit, and truly a bit more impressive, is the Blindfolded Nintendo Piano Player. WOW, does not describe it. I sat through the entire 10 minutes awestruck, which is not easy to do. Even my boss at work recognized the songs. She had me e-mail her a link so she could pass it on to her son!

While we're on the subject of musical interpretations, let's not forget the choirs. Being a 5-year veteran of South Alabama show choirs, I know how much work and time usually goes into just 2 or 3 performances at the end of the year. And these guys and gals did it a capella!!! *Stands and claps* Outstanding job to all of you (especially the guy brave enough to yell out 'MORTAL KOMBAT')!!

But enough with the music! What will Nintendo bring to the table in the future? Well, at this year's E3, Nintendo really seemed to announce a bunch of nothing! Now don't go calling for my head just yet. Yes, I watched their news conference via the web. But to be perfectly honest, I'm not impressed! Let's take a look at some of what Nintendo actually did at E3.

Nintendo Micro
Where did this come from? Yes, I love the stylish look of it, the small size, and the back lit screen. But really, do we need ANOTHER Gameboy? Unless it's going to support mp3, it's just another play for Nintendo to try and suck the last little bit of cash out of a tired game system. Please, but the boy to rest and join up with the rest of the gaming industry.

Nintendo DS
Finally!!! Nintendo does something with an on-line multiplayer. With the ability to connect to pretty much ANY wifi hotspot, it seems that the DS may be the system to watch for Nintendo this year. And with games now starting to take advantage of the touch screen feature (Animal Crossing DS), DS might be able to compete with the Sony PSP (YEA RIGHT!).

Nintendo Revolution
Well, There's not much to talk about. All Nintendo decided to bring to E3 was the shell of the Revolution. While promising backwards compatibility and a service that will allow you to play ALL of Nintendo's games, even those from the good old days of NES, Nintendo decided not to "reveal it's hand just yet". Not even a glance at a controller. No one knows what to think of this move by Nintendo. But everyone IS placing them squarely behind Xbox 360 and PS3 in the next-gen console wars.

Any way you look at it, Nintendo is here to stay. The question everyone should be asking themselves now is, 'Will Nintendo continue to disappoint, or will it begin a new Revolution in the gaming industry? Nintendo was last place in the last console battle, will it be last again, or will it blow everyone away? We shall see, we shall see...
-UAB Tech Guy

DVD's that could possibly hold up to 850 Gigs.

2005-05-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

This was too cool to rip off from somewhere, so I’ll just link and give a quick rundown. A company called Iomega has received two patents that cover a specific use of nanotechnology to write the info to the disk. This in turn could allow DVD's to hold up to 100 times more than what they hold now. We'll see if they can get it working well enough for it to be commercially acceptable, but holy crap, if they do, who will need Blue-Ray? People aren't going to want to ditch out DVD's yet. I just don't believe they've lived out their cycle yet. I suppose only time will tell, but an 850 GB DVD will surely help their cause to hang around a bit longer.
Full Article

Ðoak

PearPC

2005-05-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Ahh, good old PearPC. While most know of this emulation program to run the PPC architecture (for things like Mac OSX), not many have seen how much it has advanced in a matter of one year. Although the last version on the sourceforge site is at version 0.3.1 the CVS and "Pre 4.0" versions have been in the works. PearPC can now emulate G4 processors, and allows users to right click on the mouse and scroll (by a patch).

Now speed wise, don't expect this to replace a normal Mac. The emulation right now, while useable, is no where near "great". I have an AMD 2700++ Athlon 32 bit CPU and 1 gigabyte of ram, yet it still has lots of problems running it. It is very slow, loading programs can be quite a task, and from someone who uses Linux and Windows, it's quite a bit different to use OSX. However, just the fact that the people working on this project got the thing "running" is just insane, and how it's gotten more useable in such a short time is even more of an accomplishment.

Also note, OSX Tiger right now is "working" but not really. It will run on PearPC, but installing it is somewhat hard. The other OSX versions run fine however.

Also, check out pearpc.net for pre-0.4.0 downloads, CVS version's and guides on how to set up PearPC

PearPC is for Windows, MacOSX, Linux, even BeOS.
- innerlogic

Greetings from the M guy

2005-05-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess now would be a good time as any to formally introduce myself. With the busy schedule, you'll see a few opinion articles here from me, but mostly I'll be the BTS person typing up... well, let's just call them items for right now (psst... it's a secret!)

My name is Jake, but I'm probably better known as MrMiscellanious, the mean one on G4tv.com's forums, or the annoying one on Wikipedia. Right now, I'm focusing most of my free time on Wikinews, a great free source for freelance journalists, or amateurs looking to learn a few items of the trade. I've been most active in the Audio Wikinews subproject at Wikinews, mostly working with audio scripts.

I have 6 computers, Five desktops and one laptop. Two run Windows XP, one is running Slackware Linux 10, another running OpenBSD and the last is my nice little SPARC running Solaris 9. And of course, my modded Xbox also runs Xebian. I've been quite the fan of technology and electricity since an early age, and the one thing that fascinates me about the future is solar energy (which has already shown a great purpose to be a secondary energy source for low cost), which could in my crazy theories someday fuel us all - independent of coal burning.

But I'll save my ramblings for future items. Right now, the real people that deserve the attention are the posters that have posted before me.
mrmiscellanious

New writer on board!

2005-05-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

And what a writer it is!

Hey everyone, this is InnerLogic (Because i'm scared that I will get rabid fans that will start calling my home and stalking my house if I give my real name ;-) ). I have done some game reviews and tech articles for websites and local newspapers before. I love to write about "tech" things because it makes me feel really damn smart for a short while. Untill I realise that all of you people who read it see right through the faux-ness of it. Then I get sad and sit in a corner, crying to myself. Then all of you will write back to me to tell me how bad you were and try to make me feel better.

It's a cycle. :-D

But really, I hope I can be of some help to all of you out there. Let me talk a "little" bit more about myself. I am a Linux-Distro Whore, I'm on distrowatch all the time wating for all the new Linux distro's to come out for me to try. I also like trying other OS's as they come out, like Zeta -BeOS (Which I have been a fan of for quite some time) and others. Also, I love playing games, Old and new. Give me a Intellivision over a Xbox anyday.

If you have any questions or comments, send it to innerlogic4321@gmail.com

innerlogic

Introduction Thing.

2005-05-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all. My name's Doak Gips, technology writer for The University Star in San Marcos, and now, writer here at Techspec. I do alot of gaming work, but love the tech just as much. If ya want to speak with me about something more than how much you hate me, drop me a line TheGipper08@gmail.com. Peace.

Ðoak

Kevin Rose leaves G4

2005-05-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

This is the final liberation; the last of TechTV has left the G4 building. A grand event, a grand event indeed!

Link
UAB Tech Guy

Introductions are in order...

2005-05-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow tech junkies,

My name is Daniel and I will be sharing my tech knowledge w/ you via articles, links, and random bablings. This will be a wonderful and interesting venture. I hope that all you geeks out there in cyberspace will give us feedback on things that you would like to see us talk about. I'll take audio and text questions and answer them in a weekly "Questions" post. All you have to do is email them to me @ uabtechguy@gmail.com.

That's all I've got for now. I should have my first full blown article up no later than Monday. Until then you can check out my website, www.uabtechguy.com, and listen to my twice-weekly podcast.

Hasta Luego!!!
UAB Tech Guy

Firefox 1.0.4

2005-05-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Firefox 1.0.4 is now officially available!
Here's what's new in Firefox 1.0.4:

* Several security fixes.
* Fix to DHTML errors encountered at some web sites.
Click here to download
Phatlip12

Google DNS Error

2005-05-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

I recently tried to get on Google and noticed that the site was down. Then I found out that Google had a DNS Error.

Source:
mrmiscellanious from the G4tv forums
Phatlip12

Next-Gen games look awesome!

2005-04-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some screen shots of some games that are supposed to come out for the new Playstation 3 as well as the Xbox 360. The authenticity of these pics has not yet been confirmed however it gives us any idea of what the nex-gen games may look like.

This is a game that is supposed to come out for the PS3 called "2 Days To Vegas":

This is supposed to be what Madden will look like on the Xbox 360:

Phatlip12

Xbox 360 (Xbox 2)

2005-04-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the Xbox 360 (Xbox 2) have been leaked on the internet. There have been similar "leaks" before of the new Xbox however it seems like this one may have some more truth to it. You be the judge! Here are some pics:

Sources:
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000760030410/
http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8112/Xbox-360-Exposed/
http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8101/Xbox-360-Revealed/
Phatlip12

Apple in the media

2005-04-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning of the “computer revolution” Apple has played a major role in the formation of the computers that we use today. The Apple II was the first highly successful computer that was mass produced. The release of the Apple II may quiet possibly be the sole reason why Apple still exists today. Apple continued to make new computers only to eventually come around and make the Macintosh. Apple’s operating system went on to being the leading OS of it’s time by the late 80’s and early 90’s. While Apple continued to pave the road to success Microsoft followed. Microsoft slowly gained popularity until they eventually took the lead as the leading OS with the release of Microsoft Windows. Just like that Apple’s support was gone over night.

Apple has recently made several strives at gaining support back. This includes developing new products such as mp3 players as well as using the power of the media. Apple is known for its advertisements, when you see an Apple advertisement you remember it. This goes all the way back to Apples superbowl advertisement for the Macintosh. Apple has recently taken a different advertisement approach such as its “Think Different” ads as well as it’s testimonials of people stating why you should switch to a Mac. The idea behind the “Think Different” ad is to get the consumer to realize that they have a choice in what they chose. You can buy a Mac and be like Albert Einstein or buy a PC and be like everybody else. The idea behind the customer testimonials is to find everyday people that made the switch and are happy with it. This allows the consumer to relate to the person and consider buying the product. Apple is now also advertising their products on the big-screen as well as the television. There have recently been several movies and television shows that featured Apple products on them. This is one of Apples way of targeting their product to younger audiences. When younger people see that there favorite actors and actresses use a Mac it encourages them to go use one as well. Apple is also trying to appeal to the consumer by having a “cool factor”. Recent Apple products feature unique designs that stand out and look good. Such design methods are causing a sort of “Barbie syndrome”. Little girls can’t just buy a Barbie; they also need to buy her convertible as well as all of her friends. The same concept applies to Apple. You can’t buy an ipod and not an ibook, they must be one!

Since Apple has taken these new advertisement as well as design approaches they have seen an increase in sales. These advertisement and design approaches wont be enough however to bring Apple back to the top. Microsoft products are now being designed to be put in your living room. With advancements in media center PC's we all may very well see a computer in every living room very shortly. Consumers like the idea of being able to sit in their favorite lazy-boy chair and at the same time being able to enjoy all of their media in one device. I predict that if Apple makes advancements in putting a Mac in your living room as well as keeping up there current advertisement plans that they may be able to gain the popularity that they once had so many years ago. Apple went into the unknown and paved the road for the computers that we have today. Once the road was paved Microsoft jumped on it. It’s time for Apple to take the lead and finish what they created.
Phatlip12

Firefox 1.0.4 beta

2005-04-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Firefox 1.0.4 beta is now available to download. They have been coming out with these updates left and right! It's nice to know that you use a browser that fixes its security holes unlike IE.
Firefox 1.0.4 beta
How firefox rates with other browsers-Click here to see
Phatlip12

Scopetech Hacked!!!

2005-04-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

UPDATE
Scopetech is up and running again. I made this post because Scopetech was temporarily down. The forums are now up and running.
Phatlip12

Firefox 1.0.3

2005-04-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

Firefox 1.0.3 is now available at a modem near you. Firefox version 1.0.3 offers its usual security updates to keep your internet browsing safe.
Click here to download version 1.0.3
How firefox rates with other browsers-Click here to see
Phatlip12

Sony's lock on the PSP

2005-04-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

Picture made by: ecstasy90 from the G4tv forum

The Sony PSP truly puts a new meaning to the term "all in one". The PSP acts not only as a portable gaming system but also as a portable media center. For $250.00 you can play your games, watch movies, listen to music, view your pictures and even get online! What’s the catch? Sony only allows you to play your media on a limited media format. All images or video must be a MPEG-4 format and all music must be a ATRAC3 plus or MP3 format. Most of us can deal with the MP3 format; it's the MPEG-4 format that I see problems with. I found this very disappointing until I found some helpful software that allows you to convert your video formats to MPEG-4. It's called PSP Video 9 and the best part about it is it's free! PSP Video 9 allows you to convert your PC video files to MPEg-4. The software also allows you to manage/copy your PSP video files from pc-PSP. With the upcoming release of bigger memory stick sizes this software opens up many new windows to the PSP. PSP Video 9 is great user friendly software that I think that every PSP owner should have. Go out and buy a bigger memory stick and then get this software, this is a must have!
PSP Video 9-Click here to download
Phatlip12