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Low End PC Archive. October 2001

Links Low End PC

• Forward into the past?, Dan Knight, The Knight Line, 10.31. Why both Windows XP and the Pentium 4 offer one step forward, two steps back performance.
• The power of kawaii. How a dot-bomb casualty won my heart, Michelle Klein-Häss, Geek Speak, 10.30. How a cheap, compact PC won my heart - and what I had to do to make it work well.
• More on Internet at the low end, L Victor Marks, Second Time Around, 10.29. More on free and low-cost operating systems and Internet software for older PCs. My first PC, Katherine Keller, Thinking From the Box, 10.26. "Upgrading and Fixing PCs for Dummies" made that computer mine.
• Will it run Windows?, Gregg Eshelman, Tales From the Trailing Edge, 10.23. Which versions of Windows will run on which older PCs - from the PC through the 486.
• Internet access at the low end, L Victor Marks, Second Time Around, 10.22. Operating systems and Internet software (including browsers) for XTs and higher. School dropout gets software, goes surfing, Garry Hamblin, Ramblin' Hamblin, 10.19. Picking the right Windows, browser, email client, and software.
• Upgrading your Socket 7 computer, James Burton, Thinking From the Box, 10.17. Advice on updating that old system with a Socket 7 motherboard.
• What is the Windows Shell?, Gregg Eshelman, Tales From the Trailing Edge, 10.16. What the Windows Shell is, how you can change it, and why you may want to.
• Free DOS for the lowest-end PCs, Freya, Thinking From the Box, 10.15. Introduction to FreeDOS, a free alternative to MS-DOS that even works on XTs.
• Is Microsoft the enemy?, Dan Knight, The Knight Line, 10.15. Is Microsoft's dominance of personal computing a bad thing? If so, what can we do about it? School dropout gets upgrades, Garry Hamblin, Ramblin' Hamblin, 10.12. Upgrading the $35 laptop on the cheap.
• Low End PC Discussion List, our new email list for discussing low-end PCs and this site. Launched 2001.10.12.
• Low End PC News List, receive email every day that we post new content. Launched 2001.10.12.
• How to turn that 486 into a webpliance, Katherine Keller, Thinking From the Box, 10.11. A floppy, an old 8 MB 386 (or better) PC, a modem, and a free OS = instant Web access.
• A "must not" upgrade. Windows XP, Michelle Klein-Häss (a.k.a. Ms. Geek), Geek Speak, 10.10. Why you really should avoid Windows XP at all costs.
• The importance of the software license, L Victor Marks, Second Time Around, 10.09. In fact, you don't own anything other than limited rights to use the software.
• The PC performance scam, Mike Wafkowski, Thinking From the Box, 10.08. The need for the latest and greatest and fastest PC is nothing but marketing hype and adolescent ego insecurity.
• It all began with a school dropout, Garry Hamblin, Ramblin' Hamblin, 10.05. Serious budget computing - would you believe a $35 laptop?
• Last ditch disaster recovery, Gregg Eshelman, Tales From the Trailing Edge, 10.04. Things to try when Windows won't load.
• Meeting your needs with a low-end PC, L Victor Marks, Second Time Around, 10.02. You don't need to have the latest greatest software and hardware to be productive.
• The missing upgrade variable, Mick Benoit, Three Finger Salute, 10.01. When upgrading your PC, do you consider switching your operating system?

Around the Web

• Opinion. Sleeping with the enemy, Jim Heid, modbee.com, 10.29. "The best computing platform is a Mac - running Microsoft software."
• Analysis. Is Windows XP really a new operating system?, Adam Barr, osOpinion, 10.26. "Windows XP is based on the NT kernel used in Windows 2000...."
• Humor. Anti-terror bill requires Americans to install Windows XP, SatireWire [WOSC]. "... the anti-terror act mandates that the F.B.I. become an official Microsoft partner."
• Opinion. Macintosh OS X. Apple is nifty, but Windows is more practical , Mike Wendland, Detroit Free Press, 10.26. "You can keep Windows as long as I can have a Macintosh running OS X...."
• Opinion. MS-DOS R.I.P., Jonathan Erickson, Byte.com, 10.29. "MS-DOS passed away Thursday, October 25, 2001...."
• News. Will XP reboot the PC world?, Independent, 10.22 [LWM]. "Windows ME and Windows 2000 Professional will still be available until June next year...."
• Analysis. Waiting for Windows XP, P. J. Connolly, InfoWorld, 10.26 [MsGeek]. It's not just bigger; it's also slower than Windows 2000 under load.
• Opinion. The power user minority, Michael Zuhlke, My Turn, Low End Mac, 10.29. Former PC "power users" notes "power users" a minority, their hot rod PCs not comparable to off-the-shelf computers. Opinion. Macs, PCs, and power users, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 10.26. Looking at the differences between PC power users and Mac power users.
• Opinion. Tech Week in Review 2001.10.26, Chris Lawson, Tech Reflections. Dealing with unplayable CDs, FBI Internet snooping, Internet Exploder update, AAPL pro and con, the iPod, and MS blocks non-MS browsers at MSN.com.
• Web. Living Without Microsoft
• Dark Side. MSN.com shuts out non-Microsoft browsers, Yahoo/News.com, 10.25 [/.]. Funny thing is, if you have iCab tell MSN that it's IE5, everything works just fine.
• Analysis. Apple gets a boost from Microsoft, Jim Heid, LA Times, 10.25. "Best Windows ever" makes MP3s second-class citizens - at best.
• Analysis. Intel to revive PIII?, Nils Dahl, Van's Hardware, 10.25. Intel needs to keep Pentium III around for servers, other power users.
• News. Big Brother Award nomination for WPA, Passport pains MS, John Lettice, The Register, 10.25. MS creates Orwellian activation and Passport, then balks when people recognize it for what it is.
• Opinion. Why PCs are better for power users, Tino, My Turn, Low End Mac, 10.25. Complete choice over components makes PCs a superior choice for power users.
• Opinion. XP ballyhoo builds to a crescendo, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, Low End Mac, 10.25. Windows XP™. What all the fuss is about. Software. TinyApps.org, a guide to very small software for your PC. By definition, tiny software will fit on a 1.44M floppy.
• Dark Side. Intel strong-arms site, OC-AthlonXP.com [Van's]. Intel lawyers demand publisher remove "Trash Inside" from parody of "Intel Inside" logo.
• Benchmarks. Pentium vs. Athlon, Emulators.com, 10.22 [Van's]. Pentium 4 consistently slower than Pentium III and AMD Athlon.
• Analysis. Meet the dark side of Windows XP, David Coursey, ZDNet, 10.21. Licensing, cost, activation, firewall woes, wireless troubles, drivers, software compatibility, "home version" limitations, memory demands, Passport, MSN, lack of MP3 support, and MS firewall are all issues with new OS.
• Tech. What is the difference between extended and expanded memory?, Indiana University. Remember, expanded memory for a PC, extended for the AT and beyond.
• Web. Lots of other jumper settings. Information on jumper settings for old cards.
• Profiles. Fuji FinePix digital cameras, Digigraphica.com, 10.22.
• Analysis. Billy gets a laptop, MSNBC.com, 10.19. Gov. Angus King of Maine, a technologically literate politician.
• Photography. Nikon N4004 (F401) and N6006 (F601) profiled, Dan Knight, Digigraphica, 10.19. I've been into 35mm photography far longer than computers.
• OS. Open War, Russ Mitchell, Wired. "Linux is highly reliable, but unfortunately that's about all it offers the typical desktop user."
• News. Gateway loss in line with outlook, Yahoo/Reuters, 10.18. $520 million in losses on 818,000 units sold plus cost of layoffs, closing overseas operations.
• Hardware. SubzeroPC.com - serious CPU cooling! AtlantaOC is having a SubZero heatsink giveaway.
• Opinion. What's MS' ultimate goal for XP? Hint. Way more than an OS, Patrick Houston, ZDNet, 10.18. Wants to turn XP into the heart of an AOL-like system - count on that meaning a monthly fee.
• Advice. Build/upgrade tutorial for beginners and pros, Louis Green, Sniper, 10.18. This one seems to cover every aspect of upgrading or building your own PC.
• Advice. Slow PC? No problem! Fix up your clunker for under $50, Janice Chen, Computer Shopper, 10.18. First upgrade RAM, then tune your hard drive.
• Review. Shuttle SV24, VIAHardware.com, 10.17. Little $250 "bare bones" PC is light, compact, has plenty of built-in ports, and cleverly puts USB and audio ports up front.
• Software. Transitive creates 1 GHz PowerPC on Athlon, Matthew Broersma, ZNet UK, 10.18. Virtual Mac offers 1 GHz performance on a 1.4 GHz AMD Athlon, but not ready for market.
• Opinion. A teacher explains technology integration, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, Low End Mac, 10.18. If computers aren't helping your students, maybe you shouldn't have them in the classroom.
• Advice. Saving time, space, and privacy in email, Beverly Woods, Acoustic Mac, Low End Mac, 10.18. Advice on configuring your email program, forwarding messages, when to use BCC, and setting up an email list. Web. DOS Games Archive, over 150 MS-DOS available for download.
• News. Intel profits tumble 77 percent, Yahoo/Reuters, 10.16.
• Profiles of Canon PowerShot S30, S40, G2, Digigraphica.
• Rights. RIAA wants to hack your PC, Wired, 10.15 [/.]. "The recording industry wants the right to hack into your computer and delete . . . stolen MP3s."
• Education. Thermos bottle barometer, Steve Wood, View From the Classroom, 10.15. Coffee, old computers in school, education priorities, and handicapped kids.
• Opinion. Microsoft will remain a monopoly, Bradley J. Fikes, North County Times, 10.14. "...despite the company's often inept and flatly unbelievable statements in such areas as antitrust, Microsoft continues to dominate the personal computing environment."
• Opinion. Windows XP Home. Don't go there, Bill Machrons, PC Magazine, 10.12. "Though Windows XP's networking capabilities are the best yet, Windows XP Home Edition is deliberately crippled."
• Opinion. Disabling formatted email - yes!, Charles W. Moore, Applelinks, 10.12. "I regard formatted email as a regressive plague, and I strongly advocate disabling it...."
• Virus. SirCam ready to drop payload, Wired News, 10.12. "...every year on Oct. 16 the worm will delete all the files and folders contained on the hard drives of randomly selected SirCam-infected computers."
• Analysis. Apple and oranges. The Cyrix PR debacle vs. the Athlon model number, Joel Hruska, Van's Hardware, 10.12. Model numbers may be imperfect, but they are more meaningful than MHz.
• Analysis. What the hell is Microsoft's new software licensing programme?, Kieren McCarthy, The Register, 10.12. "The great advantage - and coincidentally, people's great fear - about MS' .Net idea is that everything is run by Microsoft."
• Opinion. Is Dell the antitechnology company?, Red Herring, 10.11. "Dell's style of rapidly commoditizing marketplaces . . . goes against everything technology companies are all about."
• Advice. How to turn off HTML or RTF email, List Administrators, RootsWeb. Also see Instructions for turning off formatted email, Berner.org, and Configuring mail clients to send plain ASCII text, Pinehurst.net. Advice. E-mail droppings. On the trail of the wild equals sign, Jon C. Thomason, Washington Apple Pi. "Quotation marks get a long list of letters and symbols, the number 20 keeps appearing everywhere, contractions are also big problems..."
• Opinion. AMD's Athlon XP numbering scheme misses the (bench)mark, Tony Smith, The Register, 10.10. "...we're not sure that slapping '1800+' on a CPU enough to convince punters that it's faster than a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4."
• Opinion. There'll be no XP for me, Brian Livingston, Window Manager, InfoWorld, 10.08. "After looking at the changes Microsoft has made in its forthcoming Windows XP, I'm recommending that most companies and individuals avoid it."
• Opinion. Microsoft eyes auctions of old Windows, Active Network, 10.08. "...people who buy a computer with pre-loaded software cannot break out the software and sell it." Opinion. In defense of AMD's model rating sytem, Van Smith, Van's Hardware, 10.06. "Since megahertz mean nothing, consumers need a quick and easy number to summarize relative performance...."
• Low End. Arachne Web browser for DOS 3.3 and higher.
• Low End. PC DOS 2000, IBM. Y2K compliant, Euro support.
• Low End. OpenDOS, Caldera. OpenDOS is a freely distributed clone of the popular MS-DOS operating system.
• Low End. GEM, Deltasoft. A alternative to Windows pioneered by Digital Research.
• Humor. Microsoft patents, ones, zeros, The Onion.
• Opinion. Microsoft Research. Defending ourselves from "The System," Ken Standard, osOpinion, 10.04. "This stinks of maniacal dominance of an industry that has been relatively free flowing since the home-built" computers of the mid-70s.
• Upgrades. How to make your PC five times faster, Tom's Hardware Guide, 10.05. How selectively replacing components gives a three-year-old PC new life.
• Oops. IBM DeskStar 75GXP hard drive failures, Slashdot, 10.04. Reliability of popular 75GXP mechanism (we have one & have recommended them) is a big unknown.
• Benchmarks. Duron 1100 vs. Celeron 1200, Tom's Hardware Guide, 10.04. New Duron outperforms even newer Celeron in most tests - and costs less.
• OS. Linux popularity breeds more worms, Aoife White, vnunet.com, 10.04. No numbers, "more" is a pretty imprecise term, and it's probably less than 1% as many as Windows has.
• OS. Pipes in Linux, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, Dr. Edward G. Bradford, IBM [Slashdot]. Which OS has faster pipes? Well, Windows XP is very disappointing.
• News. FBI lists 20 most dangerous Internet security holes, The Register, 10.03. Addresses lots of Windows flaws.
• Web. FTC seeks to trap a mousetrapper, Wired News, 10.02. "...the FTC has charged Zuccarini with engaging in unfair business practices, as well as attempting to defraud consumers."
• Web. 80,000 Microsoft servers "disappear," vnunet.com, 10.02. About 2,000 running alternatives to IIS, others simply missing in action.
• Dark Side. Expiring OSes? Check the Windows "best before" date, John Lettice, The Register, 10.02. See Microsoft's entire expiration cycle for Windows.
• Web. FCC shuts down "pop-up trapping" sites, Slashdot, 10.01. "The FCC today ordered the shutdown of 5,500 sites owned by John Zuccarini, all of them the so-called 'typo' sites...." More on c|net.
• Humor. Gaps people really care about, Jeff Adkins, The Lite Side, 10.01. Beyond the gender gap - gaps that are important in the real world.
• Virus. Nimda worms its way to top of September virus chart, The Register, 10.01. SirCam at #2 and still busy sending out random attachments.

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