commodore.ca | Modern PC News For the week Ending Nov 17 2002

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Good thing all those big companies bought Software Assurance hu? Screwed again!

Microsoft has scratched plans for a major overhaul to an upcoming version of its Windows operating system for servers, the company confirmed Tuesday.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker has been working on delivering the next major desktop and server versions of Windows--code-named Longhorn--by late 2004. Although the desktop version of Longhorn is still expected within this timeframe, a server version is not expected until 2005 or 2006, the company said.

Until Windows XP, the company had been releasing desktop and server versions of its business operating systems around the same time. With the latest change, Microsoft may have to grapple with customer confusion as it works to get its operating system release schedule back on track.

A Microsoft spokeswoman Tuesday confirmed that the next release of the company's server software "would follow the release of Windows .Net Server," yet essentially skip a generation to focus on the next version of Windows, code-named Blackcomb--initially planned as a successor to Longhorn.

Gartner analyst Michael Silver described the Longhorn-to-Blackcomb jump as "skipping a server release."

Because of the complexity of Windows 2000 Server's activity directory--software for managing users and computers on a network--many companies deploy software on desktops well ahead of servers, he said.

"Server products are so complex, (simultaneous installation) may not always work out the way people hope," Silver said. "Maybe Microsoft has come to that realization, too."

Microsoft characterized the deadline change as something that customers would welcome.

"Another major Windows server release in the Longhorn timeframe does not meet the needs of most of our customers," the spokeswoman said. The delay "is a response to what our customers are asking for."

Analysts expect the company's upcoming server software, .Net Server, to take off slowly as many businesses have either recently moved to Windows 2000 or are in the process of doing so. A majority of customers, then, would begin deploying .Net Server in late 2004--around the same time as the planned release of the Longhorn desktop and server software versions

For the record, I have been saying the following for the last year.

A leading analyst has urged information technology executives to start deploying Web Services now, but prepare to leap a series of political hurdles in 2003 as corporate disillusionment with the technology sets in...

The "little" (AIW 7500) All-in-Wonder card is meant to be one thing before all others - $200 cheaper than its bigger sibling. Let me qualify that statement to put it in perspective. While it does deliver on the lower price, this remains the card's only real advantage over the 8500 DV. Not only does the AIW 7500 lack a firewire port, but its 3D performance is also markedly lower than that of the bigger model. And yet, the competition's GeForce2 MX based "Personal Cinema" solutions (for example, the Visiontek "XTASY Everything 5564" for $180, V I S I O N T E K) still rank at least a class below the ATi card, in performance as well as in features.

For everyday use, the conventional TV-tuner isn't the disadvantage it initially seems to be. Quite the opposite; it runs a lot cooler than that of the 8500 DV. In this respect, at least, the AIW 7500 is the better choice. Still, all things considered, the RADEON 8500 DV retains the title of optimal multimedia board hands-down, leaving the AIW 7500 to play the role of the bargain model.

Graphic Card Comparison
Chip Name	ATI AIW RADEON	ATI AIW RADEON 7500	ATI AIW RADEON 8500 DV	NVIDIA Personal Cinema
Core	-	RV200	R200	NV 11 (MX400)
Manuf. Process	0.18 Micron	0.15 Micron	0.15 Micron	0.18 Micron
Chipclock	166 MHz	260 MHz	230 MHz	200 MHz
Memoryclock	333 MHz (DDR)	360 MHz (DDR)	380 MHz (DDR)	166 MHz
Memory Type	SDRAM/SGRAM	SGRAM	SGRAM	SDRAM
Memory Bus	128Bit DDR	128Bit DDR	128Bit DDR	128Bit SD
Memory Size	32 MB	64 MB	64 MB	64 MB
RAMDAC (S)	350 MHz	2x 400 MHz	2x 400 MHz	1x 350 MHz 1x 150 (?)Mhz
Businterface	AGP 1x/2x/4x	AGP 1x/2x/4x	AGP 1x/2x/4x	AGP 1x/2x/4x
T&L	2nd. Generation	2rd. Generation	3rd. Generation	2rd. Generation
DirectX Generation	DX7	DX7	DX8	DX7
Pixel Shader	No	No	Yes	No
Vertex Shader	No	No	Yes	No
Truform	No	No	Yes	No
Render Pipelines	2	2	4	2
Texturen per Pipe	3	3	3	2
TV-Tuner	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Video In / Out	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
TV-Out DualView	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
IEEE 1394 Firewire	No	No	Yes	No
Remote Controll	No	Yes (RF)	Yes (RF)	Yes (IR)
Price	Pricegrabber	Official: $199	Pricegrabber Official: $399	Pricegrabber

Chip Name	ATI AIW RADEON 7500	ATI AIW RADEON 8500 DV	ATI AIW RADEON 8500	ATI AIW 9700 PRO
Core	RV200	R200	R200	R300
Manuf. Process	0.15 Micron	0.15 Micron	0.15 Micron	0.15 Micron
Chipclock	260 MHz	230 MHz	275 MHz	325 MHz
Memoryclock	360 MHz (DDR)	380 MHz (DDR)	550 MHz (DDR)	620 MHz (DDR)
Memory Type	SGRAM	SGRAM	SGRAM	BGA
Memory Bus	128Bit DDR	128Bit DDR	128Bit DDR	256Bit DDR
Memory Size	64 MB	64 MB	128 MB	128 MB
RAMDAC (S)	2x 400 MHz	2x 400 MHz	2x 400 MHz	2x 400 MHz
Bus interface	AGP 1x/2x/4x	AGP 1x/2x/4x	AGP 1x/2x/4x	AGP 1x/2x/4x/8x
T&L	2rd Generation	3rd Generation	3rd Generation	4th Generation
DirectX Generation	DX7	DX8	DX8	DX9
Pixel Shader	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Vertex Shader	No	Yes (2)	Yes (2)	Yes (4)
Truform	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Render Pipelines	2	4	4	8
Textures per Pipe	3	3	3	1
TV-Tuner	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Video In / Out	Yes Rage Theater	Yes Rage Theater	Yes Rage Theater	Yes Theater 200
TV-Out DualView	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
IEEE 1394 Firewire	No	Yes	No	No
Remote Controll	Yes (RF)	Yes (RF)	Yes (RF)	Yes (RF)
Price	Official: $149	Official: $199	Official: $299	Less than $500

commodore.ca | So now that the product is out and I have had time to investigate in some detail, I can tell you that Microsoft is 'sort of' correct in their assertion that the units will cost about CDN$300 more than normal laptops. MS is comparing the new touch screen units to ultra thin laptops and in this segment their CDN$300ish math works. The problem is that this segment of the market is not concerned with performance. For instance most of the units are Toshiba Portégé 3500

only PIII 800Mhz: welcome to 1999! In fairness they are using Intels special Ultra Low Voltage CPU's which maximize battery life but cost alot more. The problem is that they are CRAP for performance. Most of the units come in at about CDN$3000 and the fastest one I have seen so far is a Toshiba 3500 running P4 1.6Ghz, 512MB, DVD 12" but it retails for about $3700. Compare this to Toshiba's new 1900 series a 2.4Ghz, 512MB, DVD/Burner, 15" killer laptop for CDN$3000. The premium in this comparison is about CDN$900 in my estimation... just a wee bit more than CDN $300.

Microsoft Corp. will offer instant messaging software and services geared toward corporations that want to conduct business via quick text messages but also need more control and security, the world's largest software maker said on Tuesday.

...Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said that its new messaging service will let companies perform transactions with customers, record and log messaging conversations as well as allow companies to ensure the identity of messaging users.

...Microsoft said it would charge $24 per year for each messaging user and provide volume discounts. AOL plans to license and sell subscriptions for its new product, charging $34 to $40 a person per year and also offer volume discounts.

...Microsoft said its new messaging service will be available sometime during the first three months of 2003.

...Yahoo Inc. (NasdaqNM:YHOO - news) also said earlier this month it would introduce an instant messaging service for businesses.

BetaNews.com | Gateway Profile 4 vs. Apple iMac
Joe Wilcox

...Strangely, both computers have more in common with notebooks than they do with larger desktops, which is one of the major reasons why neither is a great value. The iMac, for example, uses notebook memory. The Profile 4 uses 4-pin FireWire ports and comes with a PC Card slot--both features found on notebooks. The Profile also packs the aforementioned PC Card slot. But the larger resemblance is that both computers are essentially fixed, all-in-one, not-easily-upgraded systems build around a flat-panel monitor. Well, so is a notebook.

And many notebook displays are much better than the ones you get on either of these computers. Notebook SXGA+ and UXGA displays offer much higher resolution, such as 1280 x 1024 or 1600 x 1200, and finer detail, too. Notebooks are easily portable, much more than either of Apple's or Gateway's all-in-one. Notebooks in the price range of the iMac and Profile 4 I tested and particularly the midrange models deliver kick-ass features.

One example: Sony Vaio PCG-GRX500 notebook with 16.1-inch UXGA display with resolution up to 1600 x 1200, 1.6GHz Pentium 4 processor, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 32MB ATI Radeon 7500 graphics accelerator, 40GB hard drive, CD-RW/DVD combo drive, one 4-pin FireWire and 3 USB ports, 56k modem, 10/100 networking and Windows XP Home for $1,520 direct from Sony. The GRX500 weighs 8 pounds. This notebook is very competitive with the $1,499 iMac and two Profile 4s, but it's much more portable. Another example, in the same price range: Dell Inspiron 8200 with 15-inch SXGA+ display, 1.7GHz Pentium 4 processor, 256MB of DDR SDRAM, 32MB nVidia GeForce2 Go graphics accelerator, 40GB hard drive, CD-RW/DVD combo drive, USB and FireWire ports, 56k modem, 10/100 networking and Windows XP Home for $1,477.

Moving up into the price range of the high-end Profile 4 and iMac is the Toshiba Satellite 1955-S801 notebook, which was discounted after the company introduced the 1955-S803. PC Mall sells the 1955-S801, which comes with 16-inch SXGA+ display, 2.2GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of DDR SDRAM, 32MB nVidia GeForce4 440 Go graphics accelerator, 40GB hard drive, CD-RW/DVD combo drive, one 4-pin FireWire and 3 USB ports, 56k modem, 10/100 networking and Windows XP Home, for $1,999.

Of course, these comparisons assume the buyer is not looking only at a Mac. Apple has intentionally priced its portables so that similar features are not available for the same price as the iMac. Frankly, for many Mac buyers on a budget, the iMac is a great deal because of the monitor. A Power Mac would cost much more. But for those making a choice between an iMac or Profile 4 might consider a notebook if an all-in-one system is the preference. But a regular desktop would be cheaper still and offer more power for the buck. Gateway recently concluded a Pentium 4 PC with 15-inch flat-panel monitor special for $699. Expect more deals like this as the holidays approach.

ZDNet.com | Intel Breaks 3GHz Speed Barrier But it Won't Be Cheap
John G. Spooner

...Manufacturers are also expected to pair the new chip with a number of other top-of-the-line components to form high-test, special-edition desktops that sell for US$3,000 or more.

These machines will include the new Pentium 4, along with 512MB to 1GB of RAM, hard drives ranging from 120GB to 200GB, DVD burners, large flat-panel displays with screen sizes of 17 inches or greater, and ATI Technologies' new Radeon 9700 Pro graphics board. Many manufacturers made similar offers with the launch of the 2GHz Pentium 4.

But the newest 3GHz special-edition desktops will likely cost less than some of their predecessors, the first 1GHz PCs. Some of the desktops that included the first 1GHz Athlon and 1GHz Pentium III chips sold for thousands more than this week's expected crop--some for as much as US$5,999...