The latest hardware news…
This interface was created by Adaptive Path for Mozilla. Quite interesting concept. At the end of the video you will find some comments.. So enjoy:
Aurora (Part 1) from Adaptive Path on Vimeo.
And here is a Mozilla’s mobile interface presentation:
Firefox Mobile Concept Video from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.
The new version of GPU Caps Viewer is available. Among the new features, there are new gpu-stress-test demos, the display of the gpu core temperature for NVIDIA/ATI and some new gpu codenames such as the G92. GPU Caps Viewer is a freeware utility that quickly describes the essential capabilities of your graphics card/GPU including GPU type, amount of VRAM , OpenGL API support level, OpenGL API extensions database and general system configuration, as well as a GPU-Stress-Test functionality (GPU-Burner).
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Microsoft Corporation announced it will keep selling Windows XP operating system until the end of June 2008, delaying plan to phase out its sales by January 30th 2008. The software maker decided to extend XP sales in response to feedback from computer manufacturers who said there were customers who still wanted to buy the older operating system, instead of newer Windows Vista, Reuters reports.
“Some customers have voiced displeasure with Vista due to a lack of compatibility with existing software programs and devices. The hardware requirements needed to run Vista also are a significant upgrade from many older computers. The company downplayed any dissatisfaction with Vista, saying it is the fastest-selling operating system in the history of Microsoft,” the report says.
As of the end of June, Microsoft had sold more than 60 million Windows Vista licenses reportedly.
Here are some of the things waiting for you with Opera 9.5 alpha:
After a week of pretending that there were no real problems, Microsoft has finally admitted that playing music in Vista throttle’s network performance significantly.
Writing in his blog, Microsoft’s Mark Russinovich acknowledged a bug with Vista’s network programming that can noticeably slow down file transfers on a local network if you play music at the same time.
Russinovich said that the bug in the NDIS throttling code magnifies if you have multiple NICs.
A system with both wireless and wired adapters will process at most 8000 packets per second, and with three adapters it will process a maximum of 6000 packets per second. 6000 packets per second equals 9MB/s, a limit that’s visible even on 100Mb networks.
More here.
According to an online survey by Valve Software, only one in fifty players who access download service Steam has a DirectX 10-compatible graphics card and Windows Vista installed. In an interview with heise online, Gabe Newell, president of Valve Software, said that Microsoft made a terrible mistake releasing DirectX 10 for Vista only and excluding Windows XP. He said this decision affected the whole industry as so far only a very small percentage of
players can use DirectX 10.
When developing cross-platform games which are also released fo Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, developers look for the smallest common denominator. And since neither Microsoft’s nor Sony’s new consoles support Shader Model 4.0 for DirectX 10, only few games use it, he said.
In addition, Newell bemoaned the increasing lack of input device diversity in PC gaming culture. He would like to see controllers like the Wiimote or the Guitar Hero guitar, but since DirectX support for devices like these had increasingly been reduced over the last few years, developers didn’t dare implement these expensive innovations.
The Half-Life 2 Orange Box, which will be released for PC and Xbox 360 on 12. October, uses DirectX 10 functionality only for accelerating some mimics. Visually, however, it was virtually impossible to differentiate between the versions. The PS3 edition is being developed by an EA studio and is scheduled for release two to three weeks later.
The game will already be available from download service Steam on 10. October. Newell said the later release date for the retail editions was requested by the retailers. Retailers also didn’t want different versions, resulting in the release of a complete package containing Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress. Even before the release date, Valve will announce additional bundles for Steam so that existing Half-Life 2 users don’t have to buy a second copy of the game.
The source engine was expanded for Episode 2. A special alpha blend mode generates smoother anti-aliasing edges. In addition, the demo version exhibits new distortion effects and soft shadows. The Orange Box console versions will also apply the new engine features, including high dynamic range rendering and multi core support, to the main game. The PC main game was not revised. Half-Life 2 runs at a resolution of 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Source: http://www.guru3d.com/newsitem.php?id=5809
Poor Vista, you really can’t buy a break. First you’ve got legions of users angrily awaiting a decent update for a whole slew of problems, then there’s the CEOs taking pot-shots at you, and now, Lenovo, supplier of the 2008 Olympic Games’ computer systems says it’s sticking with XP. Word on the street is that all vital computing tasks for the Games will be handled on XP-enabled PCs, while some internet lounges used by athletes will be equipped with Vista systems. According to Yang Yuanqing, chairman of Lenovo, “the Olympic Games require mature, stable technologies and it’s not a place to try new technologies.” Yang, we’re pretty sure a legion of Vista users feel similarly about their desktops. You can almost hear Microsoft’s sharp intake of breath from here.
Source: www.engadget.com
PURVEYOR OF SOFTWARE, Microsoft has released a new version of Windows XP to manufacturing for shipment to OEMs next month, says Technet.
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2c resolves a shortage of product keys caused by the longevity of Windows XP Professional, says the company. In order to allow OEMs to ship XP right up to its end-of-life on January 31, 2009. There are no other features or fixes included in the new version.
January 31, 2008 marks the EoL for Windows XP for all channels except System Builders, who have a further 12 months before having to find an alternative OS.
More here
Source: www.theinquirer.net
As scheduled the first beta of KDE 4 was released a few days ago. This is the first step toward integrating the new technologies of KDE 4 in the new applications. The beta namely marks the freezing of the library interface. This means that there will be no more changes (if not extremely essential) to the libraries and that the application developers can start integrating the new powerful functions of the KDE 4 without having to worry about changes to the libraries. Konsole, Okular, KWin, Dolpin, Konqueror, Gwenview, (and the rest) have all been updated with new features and tighter integration. More detailed information is in the KDE press release.
Source: www.nordichardware.com
