Netscape was a pretty slick browser; due to an antitrust settlement with Microsoft, it contained both the Netscape and Internet Explorer rendering engines. Now, how about a browser with three rendering engines?
Why would you want such a thing? If you're a regular old surfer, you don't. But if you're a Web developer looking at compatibility, you do!
Lunascape, available for the last year as an alpha, gets good marks from one reviewer who praises the ability to toggle between the engines. On the downside, it's too clunky and buggy to serve as a day-to-day browser.
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/16/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Google recently
unveiled a hunk of middleware code that speeds downloads and thus speeds the performance of Web apps.
The new Native Client is so fast that, apparently, you can even do fancy image processing over the Web. It's also meant to block malware. So far, though, the client doesn't work with IE. It'll be interesting to see if Google and Microsoft can come to terms and put these two tools on friendly footing.
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/15/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Readers share their thoughts on
multi-core processors:
Dual-core processors show promise, but it is up to the software to take advantage of it! Both OSes and apps need to step it up. My single-core desktop (AMD 2500+ 1.8GhZ cpu) streams video very smoothly (i.e., I can watch and record HDTV signals via USB tuner). My dual-core (Intel 1.8GhZ) laptop runs rings around the desktop when editing/rendering the recorded video. But try watching or recording with the dual-core laptop, same USB tuner. No way.
I would have thought the dual-core CPU would negate the video differences and the two systems. That leaves the OS. As it stands, I'll watch and record on the desktop, then do all edits and video ripping/burning on the laptop. CPU, OS or video problems -- you be the judge.
-Thomas
It seems the biggest benificiaries of multi-core CPUs are the makers of bloated anti-virus software. My dual-core laptop will frequently run a scan on start-up, which hogs one of the cores. But the other is free for other system tasks and applications. (Disk I/O still suffers.) But other than that, I don't see a big benefit over my previous single-core system.
-Marc
I recently went from an Intel Pentium 4 3.4GHz with 1GB of RAM to an Intel Quad Core2 2.6GHz with 4GB of RAM at work. I definitely see a difference when I open apps such as Word, Excel, Access and Acrobat -- they launch faster. And the CPU fan does not kick in when I have 20 apps open.
-Rich
The problem with the apps needing to be written to support numerous cores has been the main reason I have not purchased a Core 2 yet (along with price, even though it has come down a lot). I have always suspected that some apps would run slower like you said. I do use a Pentium D, but that's not really two cores; it's more like one-and-a-half. And at 3.0GHz, it's just as fast as many Core 2s I have seen, in my opinion. A fast Pentium D (with a nice L2 cache) with at least 2 gigs of RAM and a healthy FSB speed to match runs even Vista Ultimate with no issues; I haven't seen any difference in the Core 2s performance on similar machines.
And as far as playing games is concerned, your GPU is the bottleneck before the processor is when you're running at 3 GHz and your GPU core is only running at 650MHz. In my opinion, there's still no reason to get a Core 2 yet.
-Matt
I just finished updating an IBM ThinkPad T23 (circa 2001) for a customer. It boasts an Intel Mobile Pentium III 1.2 Ghz and 384Gb RAM. Impressive! It is running XP Pro SP3 as snappily as any machine that I have dealt with. I thought I had gotten into one of those "under-powered machine, over-powered expectations" situations that our customers seem to have periodically. Was I wrong! On the other hand, I have an HP Pavilion dv4000 with a Centrino 1.6 and 1GB RAM and a Gateway Core 2 1.8 with 2GB RAM, and neither seem to perform as well. By performance, I mean I can't tap my fingers more than once waiting on the ThinkPad, but the other two are good for at least four or five taps.
Empiric reasoning and perception? I guess so, but perception is everything and I certainly perceive better performance from an eight-year-old machine than I do from the "vastly improved" four-year-old machine and two-year-old machine. Funny thing though: My customer probably spent twice as much for that IBM when he bought it as I did for either of its two technologically improved successors. So have we regressed along with the cost? Or better yet, what do we really need to get the job done?
-Michael
And you know that recent Apple recommendation to get anti-virus software for Macs? Not so fast:
I thought your piece called "Macs Need Anti-Virus, Too" was interesting enough that I tried to find out what was available for AV protection for my Mac. Then, I ran across this gem.
Just in case you haven't received a torrent of flame-mail already.
-Henry
Tune in tomorrow for more reader letters! In the meantime, let us know what you think -- leave a comment below or e-mail [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/15/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
It's a minor miracle that this newsletter is landing in your inbox today.
I live in Northern Massachusetts, right next to the New Hampshire border. My cable TV, then the Internet, and finally my electricity all went down Thursday night during a vicious ice storm. I spent the night listening to all the trees around me disintegrate.
For three days, my family hunkered down around the fireplace, the only source of protection against 15- to 20-degree temperatures. Finally, we bailed, largely to warm up my 2-year-old daughter who, despite the plunging temperatures (standing six feet from the flames, I could still see her breath), refused to wear socks or a proper shirt. We all fled north to my parents' house in New Hampshire where there's heat, power and warm food -- plus a couple of swell parents!
Any New England stories you have the ability to share? Send 'em (even by Pony Express) to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/15/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Reality check time. We're all led to believe that IE is far less secure than Firefox. I bought it, and have been in the Firefox camp ever since. But while this was clearly true for older IEs, it may not be the case for the latest incarnation.
IE 8, still in beta, appears to be taking the lead in Internet security. It's the safest, most bug-free browser, according to Utest, which invited users to submit their findings as part of a "battle of the browsers" bug contest.
Chrome, just out of beta, was found the least safe. My assumption is most tests were of the beta and Chrome hasn't had the gazillion-fix cycles that IE and Firefox enjoy.
The only problem for Microsoft: Few still trust or like IE. Maybe if IE lives up to the Utest finding, it can overcome the bad rap.
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/15/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Microsoft may aggressively sell against open source, but it does play -- just a
bit -- in this world.
Redmond's interoperability efforts are well-known, and generally well-done.
But Microsoft has also released a decent bit of code into the public domain.
The latest installment is Oxite, a developer-oriented content management system built
by Redmond code monkeys to test out ASP.NET MVC. Microsoft now wants to show
the entire development world just how cool Oxite and ASP.NET MVC are.
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/11/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
We don't export like we used to. Koreans buy Kias, the Japanese purchase
Nissans, Swedes get Saabs, and the rest of the world...well they just go for
Toyotas.
But there's one area where we Americans apparently shine: malware. According
to WhiteHat Security, U.S. servers now host more
malware than anyone else. Guess it's time to finally stop blaming Bulgaria
for all our security woes!
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/11/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
A day after Microsoft publicly fixed 28 holes (including four Internet Explorer flaws), a researcher found that hackers
already have an attack for IE 7.
The exploit delays the processing of XML tags, can crash the browser (though
IE and Firefox do a great job of crashing on their own, at least on my aging
Latitude D520) and can then inject malicious code upon browser restart.
There may well be a fresh patch to beat back these attacks. We'll keep you
posted.
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/11/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Readers opine about Microsoft's coolness, what snappy slogans the company
should use for its
new
line of T-shirts...and wish Doug a happy birthday:
Hey, happy (belated) birthday! Microsoft T-shirts? I can see Microsoft
bringing back its old "Where do you want to go today?" ad on a T-shirt,
followed by the beloved "C:\>"!
-Dan
I do think Microsoft is cool. Back when .NET was relatively new, I
remember I paid for a big sticker of the .NET logo and put it on my car. Not
because I consider myself as a geek, but because of the impact that this kind
of technology has on the people.
It's funny to watch people that really understand technology grin when
they check out your shirt.
-Armando
First, DOS=MSDOS is a myth. Mac OS, Linux, Unix, etc. are all flavors
of DOS. Second, I'd be more likely to purchase a T-shirt with Linus Torvalds'
name and "LINUX" written under it than one with Gates and DOS. I love the
GNU/GPL.
-Earl
I'd buy one that said something like "DOS? Who needs DOS when you can use Unix?" or "DOS is for sissies. Real geeks use Unix."
-Cheryl
Bet they'll try to keep the "Blue Shirt of Death" quiet. Plus, we can
plug any dangerous holes in our clothing on "Patch Tuesday." I'll be here all
week. Try the veal.
-Joseph
Happy (belated) birthday to you and Nick. The kid has good taste in
game machines. Yes, I would buy and wear the Microsoft line of nostalgic
T-shirts. They are cool, and hearken to the days of being a true geek.
-Steve
Since you mentioned it was your birthday, I thought I would wish you a
belated happy birthday. My son turns 36 on Dec. 11 and I believe he has
nearly all of the gaming systems that have been made over the last 20-plus
years (but thankfully, I have not been the one that has had to buy them!). I
do have the Sony PS3, but only because it was a good way to get a Blu-ray
player at the time.
Although I have been in the computer field forever, it seems I have
never developed an interest in playing games on the computer. Now that I am
pushing 65, I think more about embracing retirement than embracing new
technology!
-Dean
Share your thoughts with us! Write to [email protected] or leave a
comment below. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and
clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or
e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/11/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Netflix recently moved to Silverlight as its standard Web video player -- and
the ROI was immediate. Because Silverlight is so darn good, Netflix
fired 50 customer help-desk techs!
I wonder if Microsoft has any software that can help U.S. banks and
automakers?
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/11/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Multi-core processors have such promise. Imagine: Instead of one CPU, you
have two, four, eight, 16 or perhaps many more. Why, your performance would
multiply! But performance increases aren't linear -- not even close.
I looked
into this subject and found it stunningly complex. The bottom line is that
unless a program is specifically designed for cores, there isn't a huge
performance increase. Sometimes, apps even run slower because the clock speed
on the multi-cores is slower.
Now there's another issue holding back multi-core: It seems that multi-cores
can't efficiently
use memory. The CPU may be ready to grind away, but the memory can't
respond fast enough. One solution? Putting memory right on top of each CPU.
Interesting.
Do you have a dual- or multi-core machine? And if so, how does it work?
Share your experience at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/10/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Mac bigots (three of my kids easily qualify for this label) love to make fun
of PC users for all the viruses and malware we encounter. But not so fast,
buckos! The Mac needs anti-virus too -- and not just one tool, but multiple
anti-virus apps. Who said such a thing? Bill Gates, the girl Steve Jobs dumped
30 years ago? Nope. It was
Apple
itself.
This is great advice. Microsoft comes clean the second Tuesday of every
month with a public list of its flaws. I'm glad Apple came a little bit clean
on its potential flaws. Here's why it's so important: Many Mac users are so
confident that they pile up gigabyte after gigabyte of personal documents,
photos, data and songs. If a virus hits, they have lots to lose, and often
haven't taken as many precautions as their PC brethren.
Has your Mac ever been hit by malware? Horror stories and bragging about
your uninfected machines both readily accepted at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/10/2008 at 1:16 PM0 comments