« Computer News from 2004 »
NEWS 2004
December 2004
Merry Christmas - if you are a virus!
Got a Christmas greeting card recently? Delete it unread - no, really!
Aparently as many as 1 in 10 emails are infected with the Zafi-D virus. There are others too like the Atak worms, all using social engineering to con you into opening the attached payload. Once infected, there's a lot of nasty things they can do. Is it really worth the risk!?
Symantec shells out $13.5bn for Veritas
In an all-stock merger, the worlds greatest security company is melding with the top backup utilities company, presumably in a move towards being a one stop house. Veritas is perhaps best known for products like Backup Exec™ for servers.
Read the Symantec press release
Quick 101 on the rest until I can get warm, catch up and type it up properly…
- LCD's are down as low as 8ms, but there's a new type coming soon promising to be bigger, brighter and faster.
- PCI Express are getting more and more common, but I've get to see any cards bar graphics cards.
- Nvidia are the current benchmark darlings with SLI'd dual 6800's, but I pass on the extra heat and noise, thanks! That and the £800 price tag.
- Samsung are getting ready for 512Mb DDR3's. Next years graphics card will be interesting!
- CF cards (for digital cameras etc) are now available up to a storming 8Gb
- Motherboards suuporting SATA 300 are coming out now, though Seagate are (IMO) a little behind in releasing the second generation hard drives. Expect a news release from them in the next few weeks.
October and November 2004
*Cough* This update is a LOT bigger than I expected
Snippets, while I'm so busy…
I never saw that coming… Corel have bought up JASC for it's excellent PaintShop Pro. It will remain as a separate entity under the Corel umbrella, apparently.
Difusion have a LCD flat panel with a refresh rates of just 14ms, in the form of the 17" model EA17
Canon have a 16 Megapixel full 35mm digital camera in the offering, while Nikon have a 12 Megapixel using an enhanced form of the D70, but retaining the 1.5x to focal length. (More to follow).
Of related interest, Kingston Technology almost others, I believe, have released bigger, better CompactFlash cards including a high speed 4Gb one.
Back on computers, Seagate - who I will remind you offer a 5 year warranty - have released a retail range of internal and external harddrives going to up 300Gb.
August 2004
VNU report July 2004 brings epidemic of new viruses
Last month saw a massive rise in new viruses - Sophos put the figure at 1,157, the highest figure for three years.
The article finishes off with this ominous note: According to MessageLabs almost every virus it has intercepted during 2004 has lent itself to potential spam distribution.
It isn't getting past my filters - can YOU save the same ?
Out with the old, in with the new!
News, like everything else is on hold while I update Ackadia's design...
If will take a good month to fully move over though the first, primarly change to .php will be done in a week or so. Besides adding (hopefully) unobtrusive adverts, the overall result will move smoother, smaller pages that load faster and even easier to navigate.
Most of the links will be broken until I finish the update, but if you are curious, you can look here: New home
This is the biggest, most radical chance to Ackadia in it's six years, so apologies for any initial confusion and redirection necessary while the changes settle in. Hopefully this will last us the next decade 
When all the dust is settled I'll start the IT database I've been promising...
July 2004
AMD and PCI Express
I was given a (tentative) to market date of August by a AMD exec a few month back, as I mentioned at the time. Well, getting about that time, so I'm going to have a did and see what's what.
Here's a few tidbits...
AMD: "AMD: "Socket 939-based motherboards are expected to usher in the next-generation of platform innovations like: ... Upcoming PCI Express graphics solutions."
The Register: ATI's RS480 is an AMD 939 thang - PCI Express Athlon chipset competitor
The Inquirer: How AMD positions FXs, Athlon 64s and Semprons - Roadmaps
These have a comment on the ASRock board too. (See below).
Here's the salient quotes from the article, I thought:
"Athlon XP is not long for this world, and AMD is moving the Sempron into place to displace the now ancient chip"
"The majority of Athlon 64s and higher speed Semprons will use Socket 754, while the very top end chips, that is to say the first two slabs above, are 939 pin babies"
ATI's offering looks to be in the form of an ATI RS480, with onboard graphics
ALi have a chipset lined up too. (no info to date)
This is one you'll want to read: SiS 756 chipset for Athlon 64 FX's
Similarly, Via have the KT890 for AMD and the PT890 for Intel.
VIA North Bridge solutions such as the PT890 for the Intel processor platform, and the K8T890 for the AMD processor platform, feature twenty PCI Express lanes, with 250MB/s of bandwidth per lane. PCI Express graphics will utilize 16 of these lanes for a dedicated 4GB/s connection. The remaining four PCI Express lanes in the VIA North Bridge provide 1GB/s bandwidth for two further PCI Express devices.
By pairing the PT890 or K8T890 chipsets with the forthcoming VT8251 South Bridge, system designers will be able to incorporate a further two PCI Express lanes for PCI Express devices, such as Gigabit Ethernet connections, bringing the total number of PCI Express lanes supported to 22.
Also check out AMD Boards.com on 939 m/b's
Can't decide? Hanging on the fence? Maybe ASRocks K8 combo is the answer ...
Nopt tried it myself, but ASRock do have a good reputation. Here's what they have to say...
"... Based on the elaborate future-proof CPU socket combo design, ASRock K8 Combo motherboard collocates both Socket 754 and Socket 939 CPU architectures on a single motherboard; users can easily upgrade their PC system from Socket 754 CPU (Athlon64) to Socket 939 CPU (Athlon64 FX) without changing the motherboard."
Basically, plentify of reference boards and words, but no product on the market.
I can found out with a phonecall, but I rather suspect Abit will release a board early in September. Looks like ASRock will pip them at the post mind.
You can never be too paranoid!
I was having a lie down when two lads walked past and one says to the other:
"... that mark means it's been warchalked..."
Meep!!!
I shot out of bed and checked the house for the nefarious logos. Phew, All clear! Just to be safe I checked the routers firmware page and uploaded this months security patches and changed the passwords again.
For those of you that don't know, if means some no-mark running or driving (or even flying around - literally) and marking houses, offices and buildings with unsecure networks. Then the toe-rags tell all their mates and, pretty much, are free to steal your bandwidth, browse your shared files or worse, depending how good they are.
The mark incidentally is a bit like this - )( - like two letter C's back to back. Needless to say there's other marks, feel free to Google the topic.
"It doesn't matter, I have nothing to steal"
"It's just a bit of a laugh, there aren't doing any harm..."
Noooo, if they decide that a bit of a laugh includes trying to hack the FBI, guess who IP is on the records. The hackers, nah...
If they are good hackers (admittedly a very rare breed) and they don't like you, you are screwed. They geek you bullied in school... Piece of cake to drop a few files on your system, maybe virus code, them cause a little mayhem and deliberately leave a trail to your door....
"Wasn't me guv!"
"Tell that to the judge, sunny, you're nicked. Got you bang to rights!"
Scaremongering? Yep, absolutely. At the very, very least, it's will affect your connectivity. Me? I'd rather be safe that sorry.
Hardware comments
While I'll never be one of the overclocking fraternity, I have very fixed ideas and predictions of what (and who's) hardware I should be using, and when it should be available on the market. With that in mind, I have to ask myself why, when I can buy the likes of a BTC 8x DVD-writer with USB and 7 Card-reader slots for under 50 quid, I hear almost nothing - from anyone - about SATA readers and writers. To my knowledge, the only company making or at least promoting them is Plextor in the form of a PX-712SA - but you try and buy one... Given our market and the benefits of moving to SATA I find it frankly lucridous that I can't buy off the shelf, or at least order a SATA DVD-ROM from Dixons or any local IT retailer.
On a similar note, but rather less exasperating, is the fact no-one has announced PCI Express cards, apart from a few (largely unobtainable ) videocards. OK, yes, there's no real (processing) benefit for PCI-e soundcards etc, but I am still gob-smacked that Creative Labs and co. haven't announced a single thing - not even rumours!
And no, this isn't me being a geek, this in me knowing where the market is today, where - beyond any doubt - it will be in 12 months time and staring at a void where I know I should be hearing and seeing large numbers of product announcements. For me this is like buying a "Big Mac" going to take a bite and shouting, "Oye, where's the sodding burger..." or reaching for my keys and going "What the ..." There's a sense of wrongness that frankly astounds and unnerves me.
On a related note, there's a very good review of the i925 Alderwood motherboard over at The Register. Naturally benchmarks rear their ugly head but of more note is the comments relating to ideally pairing the board with EPS PSU (has extra connectors). It also touches on the fact DDR2 have a gross mark-up, but I expect them to drop considerably over the next six months, myself. The article claims a 90% hike, but I believe a balanced and more honest figure puts them on a par. For instance, at MicroDirect (prices inc VAT) ...
CorsairŪ 1024MB TwinX XMS 4200 DDR2 Memory Kit (2 x 512MB) is £271
OCZ 1GB (2x512MB) PC4000 Dual Channel Series EL-DDR (OCZ5001024ELDC-K) is £276
In comparison:
1.0 GB DDR333 PC2700 RAM (major brand) (one stick) is only £103
GeilŪ Value 1Gb PC3200 Dual Chan DDR Kit (2x512MB) (5ns Cas 2.5 8-4-4 ) is £123
Like all things in life, you get what you pay for. Yes, DDR2 is twice as expensive, but only because you can only get the quality memory. For my childrens computers, darn right I'll wait for the vanilla "major brand" DDR2 at 100 quid a Gb, but for my own use... has to be Corsair! As an aside, there's also the point that DDR2 is "recommended", not compulsory - there's no reason you can't used a DDR based i915 motherboard, like the Soltek SL-915GPro-FGR...
Personally, as time allows, I'm looking for a decent i915 / i925 based board that still supports the 478 P4's and DDR - it would save me a few hundred fortune on the upgrade
Nforce4, SLI returns and more...
Far, far, FAR to much to catch up on, so here's the highlights. Nvidia (and I believe ATI) are working on dual PCI Express video cards - like the old VooDoo's, if you remember them. Nvidia is also believed to have an Nforce4 lined up for Christmas with this in mind. Also, there's mention of whether to run two GPU's on one card, or whether to link the cards.
Couple of thoughts...
In my best, or worst, Clint Eastwood accents: "Y' gotta ask y'self this. Do you feel lucky? Well, do you, punk!?"
I have a few serious concerns about this...
What the heck needs that level of power?
That level of power including pull in Watts - you are talking maybe needing two PSU's to cope.
They run extremely hot. One is bad enough, running two in tandem is going to really stress your system.
Besides baking the computer, the noise of the fans and cooling needed will drive you nuts!
Woot, 300fps! And your eyes can tell the difference between 200 and 300fps, really ? TV is what, 25fps...
While you are asking, here's the link to the Inquirer article about Nforce4
Not big on AMD myself, though I am watching the FX33 with interest, but anyway, here's the given breakdown on the Nforce 4, CK8-04:
- Socket 754/939 and 940 capable
- Multi-processing ready - up to 8 way
- PCI Express enabled (up to 32 lanes)
- suggested 1x16 X PCI-E slot, one 1 x 8X for SLI card and four times one lane for peripheral devices
- 5 PCI slots, 2 Nvidia Gbit Ethernet and Nvidia RAID
- 8 S-ATA drives, 6 P-ATA drives and 10 USB 2.0 ports
- SP-10, Soundstorm 2 audio (support up to 7.1)
Naturally this is rumour mill stuff and "supports" goes before all the above - you aren't going to get all that on one board. Just goes to reiterates my long held view that AGP is a dead duck.
AV writers nailed
F-Secure's virus weblog has details of a few virus writers that have been caught and jailed. The weblog is kept up to date and is an interesting and valuable resource.
HDD DVD-Recorders price war coming ...
No, this isn't in the trade press, nor will it be for several months, but if it's one thing I know it's the IT industry. Basically, Taiwan has entered the DVD recorder industry, with Lite-On leading the way and several others including BenQ (better known for monitors) and Mustek (a market leader for scanners) ready in the wings. I expect an announcement or two from Ronin and others also.
Basically - which I again predicted - it's a convergence thing and one that will roll forward. The IT industry is ploughing into the living room and we rarely take prisoners. Pretty much (unless Asda - Walmart get there first) the minute it hits the channel it will get heavily discounted by some cowboy or other. Then the cats out the bag and the bigger players have to join it or get left holding the baby...
I can virtually guarantee that the price of domestic DVD-Recorder will at least half in price before Christmas.
Ignoring the underlying technologyy, here's a few sombering thoughts...
A PC DVD-ROM trades for about £15
A PC 8x DVD-RW trades for about £45
A low end 40Gb HDD trades for about £23.50
(A really good one like the 160Gb SATA Seagates are still only about £80 )
Now...
A domestic DVD player sells for under £30 in the shops...
You do the maths...
Personally, I predict we'll see £99 HDD DVD-Recorders for this christmas !
ATI X800 or Nvidia 6800, what to choose...
Neither, you can't get hold of PCI Express versions for love nor money at present and anyone splashing out that sort of money for an AGP card (that is out of date before it's even made) is either puddled, completely uninformed and seriously has more money than sense...
Pretty much I can go out and buy a top of the range Asus or Abit i92x and a gig of Corsair DDR2 anytime I want - but Dell and co have all the darn cards. Want my opinion ? Wait a few months, the prices will drop, the cards will actually be available, and the replacements for late autumn will be about...
Prescott 775 (socket T) also runs way way too hot. Buy a cheap P4 and wait for the REAL next generation hardware in a few months or so.
(Addenda): Abit have a Ati X800 XT PCI-e in the form of the "RX800 XT-PCIE." UK Dealers might be able to get, or at least pre-order from Morex+, though it's not on their lists yet..
As an addenda:
I contemplated ordering a system from Dell, while they have stock - earliest shipping date is 12th July, so even they can't get them fast enough!
For the geeks out there, I put together a 3.6Ghz P4, i925 m/b, 1Gb DDR2, 160Gb SATA and, importantly, a 256MB PCI Express x16 ATI Radeon X800 XT (with DVI/VGA - TV out via S-video port) ~ Dell come to £1,796 with VAT and shipping. Given that I estimated almost exactly the same price (sans the software as I have a site licence), it is an amazingly good deal. If I was still dealing systems about now I'd hang up my coat and go home because I wouldn't even try and compete with that. Actually, it's about £100 cheaper than I could reasonable build at cost without cutting corners like using cheap memory* and hard drives*. Makes you think, eh.
*( For me is HAS to be Seagate and Corsair TwinX )
There's only a few things stopping me...
... ... I spent up on camera's 'cos I couldn't get my hands on an ATI X800 XT
... ... I really, REALLY, REALLY want a Zalman TNN 500A case
... ... No REALLY !
OK, the case is hugely expensive - with the extra's you won't see change out of £820 and that's with discounts - but damn! Putting it into perspective bar the first, I've lovingly/hatingly built every computer I ever owned ... over the decades ... but if Dell had that case I'd order in an instant.
!!! no may ask.
'Cos it is quiet. The PSU is silent - and thats it. No fans, nada. Silence is golden and for me at least, it's worth every penny.
Quote: TNN500A's noise level is below 20dB and cannot be measured. (The anechoic room used by ZALMAN has an ambient noise level of 20dB.)
BUT...
Don't you hate but's...
BUT, there's no stocks in the UK and it hasn't been tested with the ATI X800 / NV6800, nor for the i925 boards and 3.6Ghz P4's. For that kind of money even I want to be very sure that the thing is compatible. Plus, it's not BTX compatible, which is where the future's at ...
Aaany old iron ...
Most of you aren't old enough to remember "Rag and Bone men" - short of re-runs of Steptoe & Son - but the basic idea was you off-loaded your old tat for a few bob just to get rid...
A few months back I confidentally predicted that around the end of June on, manufacturers would dump "old legacy" P4's etc at bargain prices for the newer PCI Express flavours. Well, if you are quick, Dell are currently selling Dimension 2400's for £241 - including VAT and delivery. Offers and discounts apply to other "old" models until the end of July, when, presumably, they will have sold them all.
( http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/dimen_2400?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs )
CAVEATS:
Dell are devious to say the least...
"3.5in 1.44MB Floppy Drive [add £23.50 or £1/month1] Dell Recommended"
"Dell Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Card [add £17.63]"
No monitor - "Dell E773p 17" (16.0 VIS) Value CRT Monitor [add £105.74 or £3/month1]"
Floppy drives are extra - but the (1 off) trade price for a floppy is a mere £3.50 or less
Monitor quality is a whole different set of rules, but given the 1-off price for a 17" can be under £59 ...
All the other "recommends" have insane markups, but that's why they are so profitable.
As a point of reference, a few years back Escom tried the same trick - (selling at a loss for market share) - and everyone in the trade knows what happened to them... Joe public bought the tat and ignored the "tempting" offers and they went bust owing some £50 million.
Anyway, it's hardly a games machine... still and so, it's a good deal for any home user or small business.
Is it honestly a good price though... ?
Let's put it this way - I'm really rather good at what I do and without haggling the nearest I can get to a similar spec is £275 - (that includes a the MS Works Dell bundle) and I very much doubt it will be anywhere near the quality Dell built to at that price.
On the plus side, tossing in a floppy drive and monitor takes my price to £348 vs Dell's £370 - a saving of £22.
So yes, it's a ruddy amazing deal...
June 2004
Intel Grantsdale, Aldershot
Well, 21st has been and gone so the i915 and 925 chipsets are officially out.
More on this in a day or so.
Meanwhile, in RIP-Off Britain...
Yep, on my hobby-horse again. The Mail recently run two articles, one of the alledged dishonest (and possibly fraudulent) sales antics of Comet staff and the other on the extortionate markups multi-nationals are applying to Europe in general and to the UK in particular.
Oh yes, it REALLY gets me going...
Here's a perfect example:
Nikon D70 digital camera kit with a Nikkor 18-70 lenses... RRP £999 ($1,820.68 at current rates)
Dixons: £999 (but there's a special offer of 10% off digital camera's) - None available*
Local dealer £999 (we don't do pricematch, begger off) - none available anyway*
Dabs £925 - One available*)
Camera Depot £868.33 - none available for at least 30 days (60 on backorder)
*Nikon can't make them fast enough...
Okayyyy, the best price in the UK is £868
Let's just cross the pond to America (current exchange $1=£0.5487 / £1=$1.8225 )...
The average price is around $1,079 (£592 ) from the likes of Express Cameras, NJ
The best price is: $850 (£466 ) from the likes of BestPriceCameras.com (advertise via Yahoo)
The worst price is around $1,369 (£751 ) from the like of DBuys.com, NY
In other words, no matter how you cut it, at best we are overcharged 25%, at worst, it's over 100% more expensive in the UK for the same model...
May 2004
Ah, it warms the cockles of my heart to live in the UK - and get raped by the government every ruddy day!!!
As every British driver is aware, there's a yet another petrol crisis, so gas goes up and up. Never seems comes down again mind...
Personally I don't drive, but the wife does. Here's a snap-shot of prices per gallon around the world...
- England:
£4.05 - 5.00+ !!! ($7.23 ~ $8.92 USD) - Brasil:
(£1.87 or $3.35 USD) 10.36 reais (2,35/litre). - Australia (Perth):
(£1.77 or $3.18 USD) $4.54 ($1/litre) - US (Hawaii):
(£1.29) $2.32 - US:
(£1.12) $2.00
(Conversion rates as at 10am 21st May 2004)
Notes: The prices at the pumps are in litres now, so it's largely immaterial, but...
gallons (GB) gallons (USA) x 1.2009
gallons (GB) litres/(ers) x 4.54609
gallons (USA) gallons (GB) x 0.8327
gallons (USA) litres/(ers) x 3.785
Here's a useful set of conversion tables
Here's another, orientated to petrol consumption
Intel et al
In a fug this month but as soon as I get my head out the clouds I'll comment and link to all the news on ATI and Nvidia's new cards and Intel's surprising decision to drop the Tejas as such. On the plus side, it means the Tejas replacement will be designed to run cooler, therefore quieter. Quiet is good! All fun and games eh. Guess I'm not doing my annual upgrade this year...
Note, I still maintain my stance that anyone buying a high-end video card would be HIGHLY advised to wait for the upcoming PCI Express versions and related motherboards. Intels 915 boards are set for June 21st, so far. AMD's equivalent will be around August.
Get your teeth round this: broadband at £10 a Mb!
Apparently Bulldog is offering its 4Mbit/sec service at £39.99 per month. It includes up to 400kb upstream too!
Sadly the PrimeTime4000 offer is limited to the London area
Given they buy off BT, it makes a joke of the £35 a month I pay BT for my 512/256 line.
BT currently charge £130 a month (with VAT that's over £150 a month) for a 2Mb/s line. That's almost 8x as expensive !
*Mutters rebelliously*
April 2004
Dixons? Dixoff's more like...
Never really liked Dixons for their sharp practices so the news it is to close a third of it's least profitable high-street shops (106 of 320) fails to sadden me. Having had a high-street shop I can't say I blame them, business rates for town and city centre premises bypass extortionate and fasttrack into taking the proverbial...
My overall reaction at the shocking news?
"Eh up, our branch is closing too, wonder what'll replace it."
Locally, along with Dixons news, yet another computer retailer shut up shop - right on the heels of two more opening! Spiteful, but I smiled: They charged *me* £9.20 for a floppy drive. Stupid really, I was senting him a couple of customers and enquiries a month, every month up till then. One order alone would have been substantial.
*Shrugs*
Don't see the point myself, unless you are long established - with a GOOD customer base - then it's a mugs game. There's no money in shifting computers anymore...
IMPRESSED!
Never mind the upcoming videocards which are impressive in an eyecandy sort of way...
Skype VoIP
I'll say that again in case you missed it:
Skype VoIP
A friend asked me to test this VoIP software and I have to say, it impressed the hell out of me. Given that I've been in computers longer than half of you have lived, it ain't an easy thing to do!
My memories shot to pieces, but suffice to say the last time I recall being THIS impressed with anything on a computer was the first time I card Creative Labs Soundblaster - the original one - playing Eye of the Beholder.
OK, I've known of VoIP years, been asked to resell it several times, but I'd never bothered trying it. This ? WooHoo. This is right up there with my text editor and html validator!
Putting it into perspective, I intensely dislike all IM's, I long ago swore against mobile phones and folk calling me on my business line are generally met with grouchy "What!?"
OK, I won't use this much either, but all the same. Damn. Just DAMN!!!
And, at present, it's free.
Free, pathetically easy to use and even advert free.
... stuck for words!
A friend was arguing the toss over BTX and the worth of upgrading to PCI Express...
He was pretty much right in many respects, but...
For BTX, much to my disgust, politics rears it's ugly head. That and marketing factors...
The amount of stuff in the channel, easing folk into the changes instead of shell shocking them and the grubby fact that making it in two jumps means more revenue from early adaptors and later upgraders. By next year though, certainly next summer, BTX will start to be common.
As I said, Intel expect a "hesitant entry to BTX" which in anyone's books means initially at a hefty premium. Still, despite the sad fact only a few companies and individuals out there knew what I was talking out, the reference designs are out there. Behind doors that are closed and locked with NDA's, but being prepped all the same.
PCI Express is still also covered by a lot of NDA's as a whole, but, as one voice, whether I spoke to Intel, AMD or Dutch and Taiwanese manufacturers even I'd never heard of, AGP is dead within a year. As for benchmarks - never trusted them and never will - but it's a moot point. The premium is looking to be in the 10-15% range (even with DDR-II) and drop rapidly.
He is right in that moving to PCI Express for the sake of it is lunacy, but still, for those looking to upgrade or replace, waiting until summer to make a more educated choose makes a whole lot of sense, eh.
Zalman TNN 500A - The ultimate choice for a noiseless computer!
I saw this at the CTO Show held at the NEC, England and it is to die for. But for a few concerns of my own, I'd have bought one on the spot. I am still tempted too, despite the hefty £675 price tag. That's a pre-order offer, the anticipated retail price will be £765
The thing weights a tonne* and is silent. Not "quiet or "ultraquiet" which, for me is still too darn noisy, but "Are you sure it's on. Well damn me!" quiet.
* OK, not a tonne, but 25kg (55lb) when it's empty.
Here's my concerns...
- P4 (up to 150Watts) and Althon 64's only.
- Unsure about Socket T support for PCI Express boards
- Not all motherboards are suitable
- Needs extra heat pipes for ATI Radeon 9800 (or above) or an NVidia 5800 (or above)
- No details or availability for a BTX form factor version
Basically, I'm loathe to get one with no BTX option, but if it supports the PCI Express boards I will definitely think about one.
See Zalman USA for further details
After talking shop at a recent trade show here's what I've reliably come up with:
Intel:
The first official 915P boards roll out in June...
Intels reference board is:
Socket T for Prescott (will take Tejas later)
ATX format (still)
PCI slots (2 off)
PCI Express (x1) (2 off)
PCI Express (x16) (1 off) - to wholly replace AGP
DDR-II memory (4 slots)
AMD
They are 'watching the market' but will be releasing PCI Express boards in August.
Due to chip design, these will only take standard DDR memory.
Intel, AMD and others concur: AGP is dead within 12 months.
As far as new systems are concerned, AGP is a piece of history...
Seagate:
At least year end for S-ATA 2, likely Q1 2005, but I can wait.
BTX format:
Set back due to 'politics' that and half the manufacturers haven't got their act together.
The word is some reference cases are ready - Enlight have them for one - but the roll out will only "hesitantly start in November" And that the "BTX cases are large"
Creative
Never showed, leastwise I couldn't find the tech guy I was looking for.
Apparently they will "have product ready to announce in June" but they are playing their cards close to their chest. Almost certainly it will include PCI Express video cards and, I suspect, a port of the SoundBlaster Audigy.
:( Most disappointed I never met. First time in years they never showed.
Microsoft
and Longhorn...
Feeling ~ Microsoft employs some right muppets!!! Sheesh
Generally, the feeling was that the channel (read dealers and distributers) haven't got a clue but politics aside, the big guys will steam roll it through this summer regardless.
Watch this space
If you are even remotely thinking of spending money of your computer this year, you REALLY, REALLY want to follow this Inquirer link:
PCs to change radically in 2004
Here's an overview from the article:
Intel replace the current socket 478 with socket 775 (Q2)
AMD will move from 754 and 940 pin sockets to mostly 939 pin designs.
DDR-II replaces DRR
BTX form factor replace ATX cases, motherboards and PSU's
PCI Express replace PCI and AGP (Allowing overlap for the PCI)
USB 2.0 and Firewire remain the same.
S-ATA stays, but gets faster S-ATA 2 option.
DVD's etc move towards SATA connection too - about time IMO!
Those of you who know me as Nordic will know I'm one of those sad computer geeks without a life. The offside is (even retired) as a computer consultant I'm rather good at what I do.
So when I tell you this in THE biggest, most important change to computers in the past decade, believe me. I've followed this new technology for the past few years and it's about to roll out over the coming months.
This means what, exactly?
First off, computers get an order of magnitude faster
Secondly, the price differential is negligible as these things are measured
Thirdly, it's a longevity thing...
AGP cards, PCI cards, SDRAM, DDR and even ATX cases and PSU's are about to be made history over the coming year or so!
SATA gets upgraded to SATA-2 too
(Older PC Techies/users read remember this: AT, ISA and VLBus - THAT big a change!)
Also, initially DDR-II costs aside, for volume it's actually CHEAPER to manufacture these. As a result of such a win-win situation this will roll over very, very fast compare to the years it took to lose ISA card. Heck you can still but new boards with these slots!
Finally, I absolutely guarantee that vendors and stores all over the world will do one of the following:
1) Poo poo the whole thing - and go bust (smaller computer companies will take it hard!)
2) Poo poo the whole thing - while they offload the "old" stock to the gullible
3) Keep absolutely quiet - while they offload the "old" stock to the gullible
Option 4) is tell folk to wait six months, but that isn't gonna happen.
The net benefits are one of the following:
If you are looking for a bargain, high end systems will be available at fire sale prices when large manufacturers off-load in the summer
If you are looking for a cutting edge machine these things will take your fingers off - without coming at a massive premium.
Personally, depending what mood I'm in after talking to Intel and co. next week, I'll may wait until next Spring and go on a mad spending spree, but my system is fast enough that I can wait.
~ Paul
March 2004
29th March
*Blink*
That month went fast, but I spent the best part of it feeling rough.
*Shrug*
I'll make up for it next month with loads of news, but the main points of interest are news on the Intel Prescott - which I won't be pushing, my money is on the Tejas, even if I have to wait until next Spring!
Then there's the end of AGP and the rise of PCI Express, which regulars will know I've been following for the past few years. Complimenting this will be DDR2 memory and SATA 300 memory (which becomes SATA 600 in 2005 all being well).
Net result, if you are in the market for a high end system, you're nuts to buy before I give you the nod. Really, you'll kick yourself! That said, I'll get another year out on my old 3Ghz, so I can afford to wait for the system I want...
On the writer front. WooHoo, DVD writers are 8x now, I've rush out and replace my 2x - Not!
Actually the 2x in more than adequate for my backup needs, but a word to the wise, the 8x will soon be replaced by the 16x DVD's ~ about June if I recall.
The higher 50Gb DVD's from the likes of Sony are starting to make the news, but again we have another childish formats war going on, so I'd leave well alone for at least two years there!
COMMENT
If you follow my Anti-Spam section, you will know I've got my daily Spam down from over 500 a day at it's peak, through 150 a day last month to a mere handful today (6 to be precise). The off-shoot of my manic filtering is this: despite the huge number of trojans rolling out at present, anti-virus software aside, it is extremely unlikely I will ever get infected!
Basically, attachments and embedded code are killed at the mail server. A little beyond most of you who will be using Outlook Express, but what you can do is minimise the risk...
See my 101 guide to Blocking Spam with Outlook Express
Basically, you can use OE to move / delete all attachments and "priority" messages ~ Spammers have this insane believe that their junk is urgent, a trick applied to infects mail. Real people almost never, ever sent attachments and priority mail. If they do, just retrieve it!
Feb 2004
19th Feb
Still tied up fighting Spammers.
Just need to train another 100,000 to fight by my side!
I'm seen Spam jump another 50% in the past month. The average person in the street is no better, businesses are getting done up like a kipper in the cost of fighting this - and politicians continue to turn a blind eye while there pockets are lined with dirty money. Come things never change, eh!
1st Feb
I believe the MyDoom/Novarg DoS onslaught starts today. I'll look on it later.
Only a thought, but the domains the virus is using (helo=...) ~ done honestly it's the machine/terminal actually sending.
Looking at the URL's given from one system throwing them at me, (winace, gamesdomain, Finnish sites) I believe I right in assuming that the virus is pulling them from the browsers "My Favourites" list, either randomly, or more likely, cycling through them.
Just my observation
January 2004
31st Jan
I am being kind - for now - and assuming this person is unaware of the damage they are causing
I am being kind - for now - and assuming this person has gone away and left the computer running, which is why they ignored a large number of emails over time telling them they are infected.
I am being kind - for now - and passing the details on the the FBI for possible investigation!*
*Actually I passed them on yesterday, but for a different reason.
Regardless of your views on a virus that is targetting Microsoft and SCO, anyone deliberately running this virus is missing a few important points (and a few screws, you ask me!)...
The virus appears to have a third payload, remotely triggered...
Countless millions of infected systems are going to reek mayhem. I certainly don't know what this is - do you, hmmm...?
Very good. Put the gun down, NOW! OK cuff him! Book him Danno!
On a more legal note, I don't do legal, but it seems to me that running this on purpose is wilful damage and falls under several cyberlaws that involves punitive damages and long jail sentences...
On a more personal note, it's affecting MY network and wasting MY time firefighting this...
29th Jan
OK. I'm good. Following a few confirmations, I reckon I know who is behind that ruddy virus. So far I've contacted Symantec, SCO (got terse reply (read rude). I half hope I'm wrong and the virus rips them to pieces!), Microsoft and the FBI, amongst others. Let's see what we see, hmmm.
27th Jan ~ update 10pm
Right, that's annoyed me. I was going to see Paycheck tonight!
*Growl*
OK, heads down you lot. I hope you're reading this!
I'm doing what damage limitation I can reporting these every few minutes, but it's going nuclear! Far as I can tell, going off the viruses I've seen, the epicentre was/is Frontier Communications in Rochester, NY. (66.133.128.0 - 66.133.191.255).
Ouch! OK, this is going to be bad, no horrible, and I suspect I'm going to get it in the neck. From the initial few this afternoon I am now seeing one every three minutes...
Sigh!
Multiple payloads, to's and subject lines. These, so far include:
Test, Hi and "Mail Delivery System" which is particularly devious given it will generate bounces.
I'm also getting reports as if I'd sent them. Sheesh! I'm far to paranoid to get viruses any more.
I'm that paranoid I treble checked anyway 
The REAL failed delivery message for this was "Delivery Status Notification (Failure)"
Hmmm...
Reporting-MTA: dns;ermc2.ERMC.COM
Received-From-MTA: dns;ackadia.com
Arrival-Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2004 15:19:37 -0600
Other bounce reports included giving the sender as brent@ackadia.com
My first once was 9.30 am
Next 5.30 pm and another at 6 pm
7.42 pm to 7.58 pm saw 6 more
8 to 9pm jumped to 11
9 to 10pm fell to 5 WooHoo! Maybe I caught it in time.
I have a sneeky suspicion I even know who started, but we shall see.
Computer Buyer has an article on it also.
They are calling it the 'MyDoom worm', a variant of the MiMail virus. Interestingly for me, like Symantecs, the subject headers they list ('error', 'hello', 'hi', 'mail delivery system' or 'mail transaction failed') exclude 'test', which is what I was seeing early on. GRisoft do mention it on their encyclopedia, while McAfee say it's random.
*Sits and ponders a moment...*
27th Jan : w32.novarg.a@mm runs rampant
Oh joy, another clever loser to bone idle and selfish to get a real job has released another virus onto the net. One day, there will be a reckonning, mark my words.
"John-boy, you git me a long piece o' hemp, I'm oft' find me a high branch for this varmint!"
Symantec on the virus: w32.novarg.a@mm
W32.Novarg.A@mm is a mass-mailing worm that arrives as an attachment with the file extension .bat, .cmd, .exe, .pif, .scr, or .zip. When a computer is infected, the worm will set up a backdoor into the system by opening TCP ports 3127 thru 3198. This can potentially allow an attacker to connect to the computer and use it as a proxy to gain access to its network resources. In addition, the backdoor has the ability to download and execute arbitrary files. The worm will perform a DoS starting on February 1, 2004. It also has a trigger date to stop spreading on February 12, 2004.
25th Jan
Some clown used Ackadia as the target in a virus campaign.
*Rolls eyes*
Looks like they are trying to get the spelling and grammar right, at least.
... Trojan dropper is a Trojan Horse that drops Trojan Horses or Backdoor Trojans onto an infected computer.
Interestingly, Symantec add that it's a Zoo virus:
"A threat that exists only in virus and antivirus labs, not in the wild. Most zoo threats never get released into the wild, and as a result, rarely threaten users."
Subject: Billing Notice From ackadia.com
Body:
*** ackadia.com 's Billing dpt notice ***
Internet Billing Notice
Please press "open" and read the attached Billing Notice.
Note if you do not read this within 24 hours we at ackadia.com regret to inform you we will have to suspend internet service.
or
Subject: Billing Notice From ackadia.com 's Accounting Dpt
Body:
*** ackadia.com 's accounting dpt notice ***
Internet Billing Notice
Please press "open" and read the attached Billing Notice.
Note if you do not read this withing 24 hours we at ackadia.com regret we will have to terminate internet service.
or
Subject: Billing Notice From ackadia.com
Body:
*** ackadia.com 's Billing dpt notice ***
Internet Billing Notice
Please press "open" and read the attached Billing Notice.
Note if you do not read this within 24 hours we at ackadia.com regret to inform you we will have to suspend internet service.
Virus payload: page.hta attachment: Trojan dropper:
Intel Prescott 2.8Ghz LGA 775
Can't read a word of Chinese myself, but a picture tells a thousand words, as they say.
So, go to HKEPC and feast your eyes on some pre-production closes of the new socket setup, and may even a Tejas processor.
Brits and Europeans get stuffed. Business as usual then, eh!
The average US price for a Nikon D100 is $1,499 - that's about £828 inc vat at the current exchange rate.
The average UK price is £1,200 - or $2,173.80 (while the dollar has recovered slightly to 1.81).
Similarly in the music world...
As The Inquirer reports here, Coke online music site plays $ worth £ game in what they are calling "Exchange rape". Seen it so often I'm beyond caring. It disgusts me. Basically, download from the States, it's 99¢ the same track in the UK is 99p - about $1.81
Needless to say, as this other Inquirer report tells, Apple are playing the same dirty trick with the iPod...
At the online US Apple store you can buy a 15GB iPod holding 3700 songs for $299.
In Europe is jumps up to €349 ($443)
A ferry away and the same machine from the UK branch of the Apple store, is £248.99. ($453.63)
SCO Fails to Comply Fully with Court Order
This CBR Online news byte gives the latest update on the SCO debacle.
Basically, SCO failed to come up with the goods, claiming they didn't have time to find the evidence of the contended. D'oh! Their reasoning apparently goes that if IBM gives them the source to it's Unix code, then, no problem, SCO will find examples of it in their code...
*cough*
Needless the court rightly told them to go away...
~ I've finally put in a decent Forum!
I was going to wait until I was happy with it but I've had a commercial forum for six months and not released it. Anyway, for now it's mostly a straight install of phpBB until I get a minute to reconfigure the style and setup, but it is live and ready for users.
Feel free to post any thoughts, queries or requests for help.
Happy New Year!
