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Tech News for Monday June 26th 2000.IBM
unveils memory-doubling technology. NEW YORK--IBM is launching today a new technology that effectively doubles the amount of memory in a computer. The technology could be used in desktop PCs and even handheld devices, IBM said. It will be introduced first for IBM's Netfinity line of servers with Intel processors for corporate networks and Web sites. "That will be a big boom in the low end of the Intel server market," said Mark Melenovsky, an analyst at International Data Corp. "Memory is one of the constraints that the Intel-based platform is facing in order to continue to expand." The memory doubling is achieved by a chip that acts as an intermediary between the processor, which is the brain of a computer, and the memory. The chip encodes data so that it takes up half the space, IBM said. Fast 40 megabits of bandwidth. Fasten your seatbelts: 40 megabits of bandwidth directly into your computer! NEW YORK. 1:00 PM EDT-A new kind of broadband technology from startup Advent Networks lets cable companies shoot a lightning-fast 40 megabits of bandwidth to their Internet subscribers. The technology is poised to change the face of the networking world and by comparison make the one-megabit connections promised by cable and digital subscriber line (DSL) seem like mere morsels. What's more, the prices are comparable to DSL and cable, ranging anywhere from $40 to $100 per month, according to Advent Chief Operating Officer David Fruhling. The Austin, Tex., company, which launched this week, developed the technology called UltraBand and could make a killing since competitive service providers and cable companies are expected to install it in their networks later this year. UltraBand says tests are under way but have not disclosed participants or likely customers. Cable
Modem and xDSL Optimization Guide. TechExtreme has posted an article on tweaking your Windows PC for cable or xDSL performance. Please note that the tweaks involve modifying your system registry files which could be disastrous if you do not know what you are doing. Promise
Fasttrak 100 ATA/100 RAID Card. There are a few bugs that need to be worked out with the Fasttrak 100, but those are mostly driver enhancement issues. Right out of the box, the RAID card is supported under Windows 9x, Windows ME, NT, and 2000. But what it comes down to is that the FastTrak100 is the fastest RAID setup you can get right now in terms of IDE based hard drives. Support is sure to catch on even quicker as well since Quantum, Maxtor, IBM and Seagate already have hard drives supporting ATA/100. Sony
to unveil Palm-based handheld. Not much useful information yet but very interesting nevertheless... Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) is set to unveil a prototype of its Palmlike handheld gadget Tuesday at PC Expo, the high-profile electronics gathering in New York. Using the Palm OS, the new handheld will be smaller than its competitors, include a MemoryStick memory slot and one-hand navigating. Here's an Update: Although Sony is still finalizing the hardware details of new gadget, this much is known: The device, which will come in a rich blue casing with metallic strips, is set to run on the Palm operating system, which Sony agreed to license late last year, and feature similar calendar and address-book capabilities. But there will be some differences: the Sony device will weigh a light 5.3 ounces, be narrower than the stylish Palm V and thinner than the Palm III, and come in black-and-white as well as color versions. The gadget will include a MemoryStick flash memory slot that can increase the machine's capacity for storing information, and a JogDial scrolling and highlighting button that allows users to maneuver the screen with one hand. Sony will also bundle a MemoryStick, lithium ion rechargeable battery and cradle with the device. Dell
To Pre-Install Red Hat Linux On Servers. Dell Computer said Tuesday that it has selected Red Hat Linux as the third operating system, behind Microsoft Windows and Novell NetWare, that it will factory install and support. The pact gives Dell (stock: DELL) and Red Hat (stock: RHST) a big boost in the Linux- and Unix-powered server markets. It also potentially opens new channels for Linux to capture more market share. "We see significant immediate market opportunity for Linux in high-volume spaces, including the Internet appliance space and in general-purpose servers at the front end of the Internet infrastructure," said Michael Lambert, senior vice president of the enterprise systems group at Dell, Round Rock, Texas. "We see an immediate opportunity to take away business from Sun Solaris and other Unix variations of the front-end of the Internet infrastructure." Under the Dell/Red Hat pact, service calls initially will be fielded by Dell, which will determine whether the call requires hardware or software attention, said a spokeswoman for Dell. The service and support infrastructure, however, will come largely from Red Hat, Durham, N.C. Netscape
Co-Founder Allies With Microsoft. Marc Andreessen, whose former company Netscape battled Microsoft in the storied browser war, on Thursday announced plans to become an Internet software development partner with his former nemesis. Microsoft (stock: MSFT) and Andreessen's new company, Loudcloud, announced a strategic alliance to provide software and services for companies setting up Internet businesses. The alliance is part of what Microsoft called its most ambitious project since the Windows operating system when it unveiled it Thursday. The so-called "dot-net" strategy will integrate its software with the Internet and make it easier to swap information between computing devices. The AMD
Duron. Ars-Technica looks at AMD's latest low-cost high-performance processor called the "Duron". All I can add is that the benchmarks on the Duron compared to the Celeron or even the Pentium III is very impressive. In the benchmarks provided the Duron clocked at 700mhz beats the Pentium III 550e clocked at 770mhz. All in all the Duron looks to be a great CPU, and should make buying a "value" machine less like buying an economy car, and more like buying a sporty economy car. I'm going to give the Duron a solid 9 out of 10. It's going to lose a point for being too complicated to overclock (as it stands now). If somebody finds a way to get a GFA-type unit onto the Duron to allow us to change multipliers, this could be the big daddy of the CPU world in no time flat. Intel
Announces New Celerons. With AMD's new low-cost "Duron" processor Intel is releasing several new low-end Celeron processors. Intel Corporation today introduced the company's fastest-ever processors for sub-$1000 PCs -- three new Intel® Celeron™ processors at 700, 667 and 633 MHz. The processors are manufactured on the company's advanced 0.18-micron technology, which enables greater speeds, higher-volume manufacturing and lower overall production costs.Intel Celeron processors are now available in volume at 700, 667, 633, 600, 566, 533, and 500 MHz. In 1,000-unit quantities, the Intel Celeron processors at 700, 667 and 633 MHz are priced at $192, $170 and $138, respectively. We're
back! Finally my Compaq laptop is back online and hopefully I can try to catch up with all the tech-news from last week. I was never able to get Windows NT 4.0 to work on my laptop and no thanks to Compaq for not having any drivers available online. It is beyond any common sense that Compaq does not post drivers online for customers to download. Suffice it to say that I am very disappointed in Compaq products and would never purchase any product from them in the future. Tech News for Wednesday June 21st 2000.Site
News Update. I apologize for the lack of news over the last several days. My laptop has decided to quit and I was brave (or foolish) enough to try and install Windows NT 4.0 on a Compaq laptop. Well, everything works fine until I try and install the internal Win Lucent modem. From that point it is all down hill with frequent crashes and random lock-ups. Fun. One point I cannot figure out is why Compaq does not have drivers available for download on their website. This is simply beyond my comprehension. Hopefully later tomorrow I should be back on my feet and news updates will be added as usual. Tech News for Monday June 19th 2000.Windows
Millennium goes "Gold". Windows Millennium build 3000.2 has been labeled as the final version. Here are some of the details, courtesy of ActiveWin. Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me) consumer operating system is complete and the product has been released to manufacturing. Windows Me is the latest version of the Microsoft operating system designed specifically for the home user. It improves the home computing experience by delivering enhancements in the areas of PC health, digital media, home networking and the online experience. Consumers will be able to purchase retail versions of Windows Me on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000. 'Stages.worm'
on the loose. Mail network administrators take note: British and U.S. firms were infected with a computer virus this weekend that arrives via e-mail and convincingly masquerades as an innocent plain text file. The bug, called "Stages.worm," does not damage computer files but can shut down corporate e-mail servers.While there is some concern that employees arriving on Monday morning may be fooled into opening e-mail that carries the bug, anti-virus companies tell MSNBC that a wide-scale outbreak is not expected. Red
Hat Sees Revenue Jump Of 95 Percent. Linux software distributor Red Hat reported a revenue jump of 95 percent for its first quarter sales after market close Thursday. The Research Triangle Park, N.C., company said sales for the first quarter, ended May 31 were $16 million, compared with $8.2 million for the first quarter last year. For the first quarter of fiscal 2001, Red Hat (stock: RHAT) reported a net loss of $2.5 million, or 2 cents per share, compared with $3.8 million, or 8 cents per share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2000. First Call had predicted a loss of 4 cents per share in thequarter. AOL
Debuts AOLTV. America Online Inc. Monday took to the air waives with the launch its interactive television services for the masses, dubbed AOLTV. AOLTV viewers can watch television using their existing broadcast signals and choose from a variety of popular AOL features including e-mail, instant messaging, chat and a built-in programming guide. The service is connected through a set-top box and comes with a wireless keyboard or universal remote control. The launch of AOLTV is the latest jewel in
America Online's Microsoft
buys Bungie to boost Xbox development. This is one of those surprise "take-over's" and I'm guessing there are going to be many upset people over this purchase. REDMOND, Wash.--Microsoft said it acquired Bungie Software Products to bolster its development of games for personal computers and its planned Xbox video-game console. Terms weren't disclosed. Closely held Bungie makes games such as Myth and Marathon. The Chicago-based game maker and almost all of its 50 employees will join Microsoft as a separate development studio within the Microsoft games division. The purchase gives Microsoft new game titles and developers as it builds its first game console, expected to come out in the second half of 2001 to strong competition from Sony, Nintendo and Sega Enterprises. To make the Xbox a success, Microsoft needs to make sure there are games written to work with it by the time it's released. "Bungie is going to move up to Redmond and create great games for the PC and Xbox and really help us shape Xbox as the games platform of the future," said Ed Fries, vice president of Microsoft's games division. Oracle
to offer wireless Web access for handhelds. Here's something to think about: Do you remember the person that was in traffic in front of you today chatting on the cellphone and thus not paying any attention. Can you imagine what happens when users are surfing the web on the freeway? OracleMobile, a subsidiary of database giant Oracle, today said it will offer a new wireless service that allows handheld devices to access the Web. The Oracle unit said it will team with Metrocall and Research in Motion (RIM), both wireless data and messaging firms. The emphasis on a wireless strategy by leading e-commerce and technology companies reflects the anticipation that the market for wireless services is about to take off. In the past few months, companies such as Palm Computing, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon.com, Charles Schwab and others have rushed to offer wireless services. Oracle's service, dubbed "Ask@OracleMobile," will allow people to access information such as stock quotes, driving directions and flight information from OracleMobile's wireless portal. CD-R
Quality tests. Every time I stop by one of the local computer stores there are various new CD-R brands that I've never heard of. CD Media World tests the various different CD-R types and let's you know if they stand up to the various tests. The results are surprising.... Low CD-R media prices, unknown CD-R vendors, conflicting claims by these vendors, then there are the green / gold / blue dye's and gold / silver metallizations. All this information is very confusing to the CD-R buyer. Users just want quality CD-R's for a low price but usually this doesn't mix.There are a lot of these low budget CD-R's on sale everywhere but no-one can really tell what the quality of these CD-R's is and will be the impact of ageing is on the CD-R's. In late 1998/early 1999 a few computer magazines in Europe featured a very interesting article on the quality of CD-R's. In this article a total of 170 CD-R's (17 brands, 10 per brand) were subjected to a test and the results varied a lot. AMD
Duron Debuts to Much Acclaim. AMD today introduced its new 'Duron' processor for the low-end market, providing a fierce competitor to Intel's Celeron. Despite being marketed for sub-$1000 PCs, the Duron is already causing quite a stir around the Internet. Based on AMD's Athlon design, the Duron destroys the Celeron in benchmark tests and even goes head-to-head with equivalent Pentium IIIs. Touting 25% more performance than the Celeron, AMD will offer Duron-based systems with Compaq, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM, NEC, Systemax and others. Duron processors will be avilable worldwide at speeds of 700, 650, and 600Mhz. For more information, read AMD's press release, or visit Tom's Hardware and AnandTech for some benchmarks. Tech News for Thursday June 15th 2000.Net
naming group proposes policies for new domains. It would be a good idea to expand the choices for domain naming conventions like adding something like .php for personal home pages or maybe .isp for service providers. The Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has posted an initial proposal for creating policies to add new domains that expand beyond the commonplace ".com," ".net" and ".org" suffixes. The proposal, which was posted yesterday on ICANN's Web site, acts as a guideline in establishing these new domains. The document mainly outlines ways the policy can be shaped, such as whether there should be new names at all and what the names should reflect. As previously reported, several of the current domain-name registrars support the expansion and have suggested the creation of new domains such as ".shop" and ".banc." AOL
Almost Everywhere. AOL will be debuting on Sprint PCS cellular phones tomorrow, marking the first step in AOL's quest to have "AOL Everywhere" as their new slogan touts. The next step will be for AOLtv to premier at the end of this month, and bring the Internet giant into homes via America's favorite way to pass time, the television. Post AOLtv comes the merger with Time Warner, which will push the megacoporation's content onto magazines, television, Internet, all things. When and if the government approves this merger, the company can fill the shoes of its slogan "AOL Everywhere." Underwater
E-Mail Capabilities. Here's something interesting to talk about in those long "constructive" IT meetings: Last month, the
U.S. Navy utilized a new technology created by Massachusetts-based Benthos Inc.,
to communicate with a naval base in San Diego through e-mail. The USS Dolphin
was able to transmit e-mails up to a distance of three miles to a relayer buoy.
The buoy then translates the data, and transfers it to land. Intel
0.13 Micron Process. This is fantastic news if we actually see this available to the consumer within a year or less. Basically smaller CPU's translate into lower power consumption which means cooler operating temperatures and faster processor clock speeds. Intel normally develops a core process technology at its Hillsboro center and then transfers it to the company's fabrication facilities. In some cases the process is tweaked by engineering teams at company headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., Bohr said. Intel is now using 0.18-micron design rules as its leading-edge process, and plans to move to a 0.13-micron (drawn) process next year. That process technology, which will likely be disclosed this fall, will have a transistor gate length of 0.07-microns. Bohr would not comment on the technology node -- whether 0.10 micron, 0.07 micron or finer -- at which Intel would start offering different process technologies. Tech News for Wednesday June 14th 2000.Red
Hat buys WireSpeed. Linux software developer Red Hat Inc. (Nasdaq: RHAT) will acquire WireSpeed Communications Corp. in a stock swap worth around $33.4 million. Privately held WireSpeed develops network and telecommunications components for embedded systems software. Cisco,
Xircom to Build Wireless Network Adapters. Networking colossus Cisco Systems Inc. and mobile data technology expert Xircom Inc. Wednesday teamed up to cooperate in the development of wire-free network adapters. Based on the IEEE 802.11b Wireless Ethernet standard, the two companies agreed to amplify efforts to provide mobile data solutions for Wide Area, Personal Area, and Local Area Networks. The collaboration deal expands Cisco's (NASDAQ:CSCO) flagship Aironet wireless LAN product offering, as it will include a family of industry standard network adapters to provide a complete mobile data networking solution. Cisco and Xircom (NASDAQ:XIRC) intend to jointly develop and market handheld, universal serial bus, mini peripheral component interconnect, and personal computer card adapters in both industry-standard and Xircom-unique form factors. Larry Birenbaum, Cisco vice president and general manager for the desktop switching business unit, said its partnership with Xircom is all about developing the high-speed wireless marketplace. "Cisco is delighted to collaborate with Xircom in developing and marketing industry-standard, wireless LAN adapters, and enabling true network mobility for organizations worldwide," Birenbaum said. "Our collective efforts will yield superior wireless solutions, and help establish high-speed wireless LAN connectivity as a must-have solution for mobile users." Missing
hard drives lead to missing nuclear secrets. This was all over the news wire yesterday. I hope they find the missing drives quickly. A pair of hard drives from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico have gone AWOL. The hard drives are no typical data storage devices however, they happen to contain nuclear secrets amongst other sensitive data. Officials report that they have been missing since June 1st, when a forest fire caused the building to be evacuated. They doubt that espionage is involved in this case, but remain very serious in the search for the materials. The two drives were used by the Nuclear Emergency Search Team, which is trained to respond to nuclear emergencies in the United States. The hard drives were stored in the highly secured "X Division" where nuclear researchers do their work. Halt
of Napster Requested. Let's face it: The cat's out of the bag and there is no stopping this new file transfer medium. There are a least a handful of other services that offer similar file transfer options to Napster. Napster happens to be in the media limelight and therefore is targeted the most. On
Monday, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a brief
requesting that the popular music portal, Napster, be prevented from
"facilitating or assisting others in, the copying, downloading, uploading,
transmission or distribution of copyrighted musical works." The brief was
reinforced by declarations from MP3.com's CEO, Michael Roberston. Sony
Introduces World's First CD-R Based Digital Still Camera. "...Sony Electronics today
announced the first ever CD Recordable (CD-R) based digital still camera, the
Mavica MVC-CD1000. The new Mavica camera uses a high-capacity 156MB 3 1/2-inch
CD-R in an easy-to-use camera for Americans who use the 260 million CD or CD-R
drives with their PCs, and even those who don't. Matrox
Announced Millennium G450. Matrox has always developed reliable and superb quality video products. The new G450 will be showing up in retail for around $150.00. Equipped with 32 MB of Double Data Rate (DDR) memory, the Millennium G450 card is designed around the highly integrated Matrox G450 2D, 3D and DVD graphics chip. As the Millennium G450’s power source, the Matrox G450 chip builds on the Matrox G400’s award-winning technology. Plus, it integrates a digital flat panel transmitter, TV output encoder, secondary RAMDAC and 64-bit DDR memory interface. Hosting all of these components onboard the Millennium G450 has allowed Matrox to introduce a more feature-rich product that is set to standardize DualHead across more markets than ever before. The Millennium G450’s DualHead technology provides immediate and valuable benefits by letting users double their display real estate by connecting two displays to a single graphics card. In fact, the Millennium G450 supports as many as eight different configurations of VGA monitor, analog flat panel, DVI-based digital flat panel and/or TV. Output to these displays is routed through the card’s VGA and DVI connectors and two adapter cables, which also enable output to a TV and second VGA monitor. Microsoft
Files Appeal Of Breakup, Conduct Penalties. Microsoft on Tuesday filed an official notice that it will appeal last week's ruling in the government's antitrust case, clearing the way for consideration of a separate appeal to stay conduct restrictions and a breakup. The government is now expected to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. A federal judge said earlier Tuesday he would not consider Microsoft's (stock: MSFT) request to stay a breakup and conduct penalties until the company filed a formal notice of appeal. "The court being of the opinion that consideration of a stay pending appeal is premature in that no notice of appeal has yet been filed, it is ordered that the court reserves ruling on Microsoft's motion until such time as a timely notice of appeal is filed," said U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson. Tech News for Tuesday June 13th 2000.MIPS
shows 20K 64-bit core. The first implementation of the 20K architecture will be a standalone processor that NEC Corp. and Toshiba Corp. will be making by the end of this year. It will be followed in mid-2001 by a hard intellectual property (IP) core tuned for system-on-chip designs. Produced with 0.18-micron technology, this version is expected to run at up to 600 MHz. A shrink to a 0.15-micron process should push clock speeds to 750 MHz. The 20K processor and the 20Kc IP core both use a dual-issue MIPS64 integer core joined to a 64-kbit-wide floating-point unit. Largely aimed at 3-D graphics geometry processing, the floating-point unit can be split in half to run two 32-bit operations in parallel. Most 3-D geometry code needs an accuracy of no more than 32-bits. Because the design is intended for systems that cannot afford a cooling fan, the designers have had to balance processing performance against power consumption. The design is separated into a number of domains that can be powered separately. At 300 MHz, the company reckons that the processor should consume about 900 mW. Summing
up Windows Millennium. By the time you read this, Windows Millennium should be gold - in other words "final". In the meantime you can visit this link over ZDNET to find out more information regarding Windows Millennium.
AT&T
prepares wireless high-bandwidth technology. As long as the test results for radiation from cellphones checks out negative then this would be something we have been waiting for. Imagine no longer having to wire hundreds of cables throughout your offices/home to obtain broadband network access. AT&T's (stock: T) wireless service group has created a test bed wireless data network that supports data speeds of roughly 100 Kbps using equipment from Nortel Networks (stock: NT), Mitsubishi (stock: MBK), and Motorola (stock: MOT). By comparison, AT&T's current wireless data network supports data rates of up to 14.4 Kbps. The network will be open to software developers and AT&T technicians and engineers in Silicon Valley. AT&T doesn't plan to stop at 100 Kbps, either. Next year, the carrier will test Enhanced Data for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology, which can shove data at 384 Kbps, for possible deployment in 2002. A spokesman for AT&T's wireless-services unit declined to say if the company would roll out the test bed technology as an interim step to EDGE. Intel,
Microsoft Working On Bluetooth Standard. It appears as if the Bluetooth standard is gaining more and more momentum. Bluetooth is a shortband wireless protocol for portable devices. What this means is that portable devices will be able to communicate to printers, scanners and other peripherals without having to physically connect a wire. Expect to see patches/OS updates for your Windows operating system to support Bluetooth devices. This would obviously also require a hardware addition to your system. Intel and Microsoft on Tuesday said they are jointly developing a standard to use Bluetooth wireless technology in connecting cell phones with computers. Tech News for Monday June 12th 2000.U.N.
Looks To Evict Cybersquatters. Don't ask me how the UN became involved in this issue but I agree with the move. These days people are purchasing domain names left and right without actually using them. The purchaser then simply sits back and waits for someone to purchase the name of them for outragous prices. I think they should pass a law that you can only purchase a domain name if you show valid intent to use it. The name "Cybersquatting" did strike me as rather funny. "The rising number of alleged cybersquatting cases shows the growing premium placed on domain names by companies and individuals operating in the wired environment," said Francis Gurry, WIPO assistant director general. Gurry said the United States, the world's largest wired market, represented more than half of all the complainants so far with 299 cases, and half of all the respondents with 332. Of the 179 decisions made so far, 147 led to the transfer or the eviction of the alleged cybersquatter, WIPO said. IBM
install Linux on laptops. Big Blue is increasing its commitment to the Unix variant in high-end systems, laptops and desktop PCs. Big Blue last year broke ground on certifying Linux for portables--Red Hat 6.0 on the ThinkPad 600E--but fell short of offering it preinstalled. Today’s commitment goes much further, with Linux available direct from IBM and on its newest ThinkPad models. IBM is not the only major computer manufacturer offering Linux on portables. Dell in February started offering Red hat Linux 6.1 preinstalled on Latitude CPx and Inspiron 7500 notebooks. IBM today committed to preloading Caldera OpenLinux eDesktop 2.4 on ThinkPad A20m and T20 models. In the third quarter, IBM promised to certify select ThinkPad models for Red Hat, SuSe and TurboLinux versions of Linux. Internet
Explorer 5.5 Hits Gold.
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