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31st December 1998
Y2K - XML - New Drivers
- Another Beta For Windows 98 Fixes
23:01 GMT Source: News.com
Microsoft released a second beta of its Service Pack for
Windows 98 for computer manufacturers, but the final version of
the fix is still a long way off. The Service Pack is aimed at
eliminating a litany of annoying glitches embedded in the Windows
98 operating system. Although Windows 98 has been the top-selling
software since its release last summer, users have complained
about problematic upgrade experiences and compatibility issues
with some peripherals such as modems. The first Windows 98 service
pack will address some of these issues, as well as offer some
increased functionality.
Microsoft released the second beta of the Service Pack for
computer vendors right before Christmas, according to a Microsoft
spokesman. The spokesman, however, added that the final version of
the Service Pack won't come out until "mid to late Q1,"
he said. In other words, computers containing the fixed version of
Windows 98, won't come out until later in the first quarter of
1999, and consumers won't be able to get the final fix until that
time as well.
In a break with tradition, Microsoft is actually coming out
with two separate Service Packs for Windows 98. One, called OSR,
is aimed at computer vendors. The recent second beta applies to
OSR. The other, called SP1, will be targeted at consumers.
Consumers will download SP1 off the Net to augment store-bought
copies of Windows 98. A first beta for SP1 came out in November. A
second beta has not come out for SP1 as yet.
Microsoft has said SP1 for Windows 98 will include:
- Support for modular Device Bay hardware.
- Additional support for modem drivers.
- Increased support for USB modems.
- WebTV for Windows update.
- Additional support for local area networks.
- Security updates.
- Networking enhancements that will enable dial-up connections
over ATM networks.
- Days Of Overclocking Numbered
19:12 GMT Source: The Register
Letters written by an Intel microprocessor designer to an
Internet overclocking site have revealed that overclocking is set
to become a thing of the future. Chip engineer Karl Andrews wrote
to the Overclockers
Comparison Page earlier this month and said that newer chips
will have a "more effective speed control method" built
into them. That means, said Andrews, that overclocking "will
soon become a dead subject".
He said Intel’s reasons for doing so was not just to prevent
hobbyists experimenting with their personal property but to
prevent counterfeiting. The information is in the public domain,
claimed Andrews. He says that on its Web site there is a statement
that Pentium IIs optimised for the 100MHz front side bus have
circuitry built in to prevent overclocking.
Intel warns that if the speed is set too fast on such
processors, a system will attempt to boot and then reset itself.
When it restarts, the chip will be reset to its default value.
This information does not just apply to the T440BX motherboard but
to other chipsets, Andrew said. Future chips will be hard coded to
prevent over-clocking, he added.
- New
TNT Graphics Blaster Drivers
15:29 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
New Creative Labs - TNT
Graphics Blaster Drivers - For Windows 95/98 have been
released.
- XML
To "Revolutionize" Info Exchange
15:25 GMT Source: News.com
XML will revolutionize the exchange of business information
similar to the way the phone, fax machine, and photocopier did
when those devices were invented, a new report says.
"Those [prior] innovations made a significant impact on
how businesses viewed and exchanged information. XML is poised to
impact the Internet area the same way," said analyst Ron
Rappaport, of Zona
Research, in Redwood City, California.
- Reports
Of Y2K Failures On The Rise
13:40 GMT Source: News.com
The New Year promises to be one of increased computer problems
attributed to the Year 2000 technology glitch, according to a
report released today.
30th December 1998
Site News - Celeron - Jini - DVD - New
Review
- Apache
Havoc Review
23:24 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
I have posted my review of Empire Interactive's latest release
- Apache
Havoc. Here is a piece from the review:
Apache
Havoc has been designed for 3D cards ONLY, so if you don't have
one by now, all I can say is WHY NOT? There is one major thing I
have noticed though, and for a game that is 3D card only I was
quite surprised. Apache Havoc's resolution is 640x480 It cannot be
changed to anything else at least not from what I can see....Does
it really matter? no not really, Apache Havoc has some of the best
graphics I have seen.
- 1999:
The Year Of DVD?
22:10 GMT Source: ZDNet
Even a die-hard pessimist would have trouble finding a cloud
around this silver lining.
Digital video disk or DVD, the high-quality video and audio
format, took off this Christmas, driving at least one online
retailer's holiday sales.
"The big surprise for us this Christmas was DVD,"
said Julie Wainwright, CEO and founder of online video seller
Reel.com. The share of movie sales in the DVD format jumped from
10 percent in September to 36 percent so far this month. [More]
- Microsoft
Files Suit Over Domain Names
19:16 GMT Source: ZDNet
Microsoft Corp. is going after two companies it calls
"cyber-squatters" for registering domains that the
company says infringe on its trademarks.
The two firms, doing business as TexasRGV.com and
Trademarkdomains.com, have registered scores of domains that
Microsoft says infringe on its trademarks, including www.microsoftwindows.com
and www.microsoftoffice.com.
Microsoft filed suit earlier this week in federal court in Texas,
seeking temporary and permanent injunctions against the companies.
[More]
- Microsoft
Issues 'Refresh' Of Win 98 OSR
19:10 GMT Source: ZDNet
This is news we posted just before Christmas, now ZDNet has
made a big
article out of it - here is a short piece.
Microsoft
Corp. recently issued an interim build of the Windows 98 OEM
Service Release Beta 1 and acknowledged a number of issues that
continue to dog the operating system, which was released last
June. The interim build, which includes several minor changes, is
aimed at "refreshing" the version of OSR 1.0 now being
used by testers, especially at PC OEMs, Microsoft officials said.
OSR 1.0 Beta 1 was first introduced in
November.
- Intel Ships New Celerons
19:04 GMT Source: PC World
Paving the way for a large product rollout expected next week,
Intel has started shipping 370-pin socket versions of its Celeron
processor, and has cut the price on earlier Slot 1 versions of the
chip, the company confirms. The 370-pin socket versions of the
Celeron, aimed at low-cost notebooks, come in a less expensive
package than the Slot 1 versions. They are intended to help Intel
fend off competitors such as Advanced Micro Devices, which are
gaining market share at Intel's expense.
Intel has started shipping socket versions of the Celeron
333-MHz and "300a" 300-MHz models for $107 and $90,
respectively, says Seth Walker, a company spokesperson. The 300a
model, like faster versions of the Celeron, has 128KB of Level 2
cache. The "a" is attached to the name to distinguish it
from other Intel 300-MHz processors, which do not have the same
cache specifications. All prices are for quantities of 1000 units.
Prices Cut on Older Chips
Meanwhile, the company has cut prices on the Slot 1 versions
of these chips, Walker confirms. As of December 6, the Slot 1
Celeron-333 was listed at $115, down from $159, and the 300a
version was listed at $94, down from $138. The company has also
started to ship 366-MHz and 400-MHz versions of both socket and
Slot 1 Celerons to manufacturers, Walker says.
Walker declines to specify pricing on the new 366-MHz and
400-MHz models, and to comment on the shipping date other than to
say it will be in the first quarter. But sources have reported
that a wide array of chips, including both the new Celeron chips
and new Pentium II Xeon chips for high-end PCs, will be announced
next week.
- Microsoft
Trying To Match Sun's Jini
15:39 GMT Source: News.com
Microsoft is scrambling to catch rival Sun Microsystems after
falling behind in the race to simplify computer networks. Within
the next month, the software giant will likely disclose its
efforts to make small office and home networks easier to create
and use. [More]
- New
Sound Drivers
15:30 GMT Source: Diamond
Diamond Multimedia has released
driver version 1.0101Bw for their MX300 sound card.
- Intellimouse Drivers Stuff
03:41 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
We have got it confirmed that those 2.2c drivers were released
on the Microsoft website around the 5th of November, so if you
have downloaded any Intellimouse drivers from the MS site over the
past month, there is a very good chance that you already have
version 2.2c.
- Site News
03:29 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
Morning everyone. We will now be making this "site
news" a daily thing, this is because we have many new things
going on over the coming weeks.
First up - I have made a few additions to the navigation frame
that Internet Explorer 4/5 users view when they first visit the
site.
Second - We have started our revamp of the tips
section, when I say revamp, what I really mean is that we have
begun to correct spellings, grammar and misinformation. We have
also started to change some tips over to our .shtml format for
easier editing via our database.
As most of you now know - Wayne left us on Sunday. This means
that the tips section is now being run by me, Luis and Cliff. This
will mean regular (possibly daily) updates to all tips. You can
still e-mail Wayne on his wayne@activeie.com
e-mail address as he will continue to be able to use our mail
server and have space on the website.
29th December 1998
Phillips - News - Top News Stories -
Drivers
- PalmPilot
Dominance May Slip In 1999
22:59 GMT Source: News.com
The popular PalmPilot is winning many battles against devices
running Windows CE, but analysts say the handheld computing war is
far from over. [More]
- Intel
Quietly Cuts Celeron Prices
22:54 GMT Source: News.com
Intel ratcheted up its ongoing price war with Advanced Micro
Devices by quietly cutting prices on its Celeron chips by roughly
30 percent this month and releasing a new, even cheaper version of
the chip earlier than expected. The unscheduled, unannounced price
cuts, which took place on December 6, mean that the fastest
Celeron chips can be bought for between $85 and $105 in retail
outlets today, or about $40 less than in November, according to
dealers. And, while AMD did not officially respond with a price
cut of its own, chip dealers note that the market has effectively
lowered the price of K6-2 chips to close to the same level. [More]
- Downloads
Updated
21:14 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
I have started to update the downloads
section again, I have fixed various bad links, grammar and
given it a similar look to the rest of the website.
- New
Intellimouse Drivers?
19:35 GMT Source: Hardware One
One of our affiliates, Hardware One are saying that there are
some new Microsoft Intellimouse Drivers available for download.
Although I believe version 2.2c has been out for well over a
month.
- MS
Force Feedback Steering Wheel Review
19:31 GMT Source: Avault
Adrenaline Vault has posted a review of the Microsoft
Force Feedback Steering Wheel. Here is a snippet from the
review:
First up,
Microsoft and the other new controller joining Microsoft's
SideWinder family of game controllers, the SideWinder Force
Feedback Wheel. As the second force feedback controller from
Microsoft (the first being the SideWinder Force Feedback Pro
joystick), the Force Feedback Wheel is an all-digital controller
with the SideWinder-styling and the SideWinder Game Controller
Software. Full-size pedals complement the wheel, which also
features a quick-release clamp to secure it to your desk.
- Toshiba Unveils Ultra-Portable PC Hard Drives
19:28 GMT Source: The Register
Toshiba has developed a pair of 2.5in hard disk drives for
slimline notebook PCs. The first offers 10GB of storage space and
is 12.5mm thick. The second is slimmer (8.45mm) but can hold only
6.4GB of data.
Both drives will begin shipping to OEMs next month. Pricing to
non-Japanese PC vendors has yet to be confirmed, but pricing puts
the two drives at Y120,000 and Y80,000, respectively.
- Holiday
Online Sales Top Expectations
15:57 GMT Source: ZDNet
The first reports are in, and it looks like online shopping
this holiday season was a big winner. A new study from shop.org
and the Boston Consulting Group said online sales rose 230 percent
for the period of November 23 through December 20. The study,
which tracked data from 17 online merchants, found that the
average order was $55, up 6 percent from last year.
- Fad
Or Future? 1998's Top Tech News Stories
13:37 GMT Source: CNet
The tech world churned through a busy year in 1998, even by its
own fast-paced, headline-grabbing standards. - The news included
Microsoft's antitrust trial, the spread of the sub-$1,000 PC,
soaring Net stocks, and megamergers--some of them cutting across
different industries. Here are the top 20 stories of 1998 as
compiled by the News.com staff, and what to watch for as they
continue into 1999.
- Phillips
Unveils Integrated Video/Graphics Solution
01:38 GMT Source: EE News/CoolInfo
Squarely targeting the Internet and Windows-terminal market,
Philips Semiconductors has launched an integrated video and
2-D/3-D graphics chip. The SAA9730 integrates PC-level graphics
capabilities, I/O functions and high-speed Internet-interface and
access features. The chip is designed to interface with a MIPS
R5000 or X86 CPU, and includes an NTSC/PAL encoder. [More]
- Site News etc
01:36 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
There is a distinct lack of technical news around at the
moment, but then again, it is still Christmas, hopefully it will
pick up before the new year.
Things are moving ahead well with the DVD article, although we
would still love to hear
from more DVD Hardware Decoder companies. We have a number of new
reviews on the way in the next week or so too.
We have been notified by a number of people who are telling us
about various websites who are using our layout for their main
pages, while we don't mind this so much - we would like to be
credited, otherwise it is pretty unfair to those who actually
designed it.
28th December 1998
Year 2000 Fix - New Tips
- Consumer
Electronics Embrace Digital Era
19:26 GMT Source: Reuters
The digital revolution in consumer electronics, including
personal computer gadgets, began to gain attention in 1998, and it
is expected to take a stronger hold of the market in the coming
year. In 1998 the consumer electronics industry set the groundwork
for the switch to digital products from analog products, as
companies formed alliances and introduced new products in the
personal computer gadget, digital camera and digital television
arenas. Digital technology produces sharper, higher-resolution
images and crisper sound. "Everything is going from analog to
digital," said Kevin Hause, an analyst at International Data
Corp. He added the shift will drive the consumer electronics
market for the next five to six years. [More]
- New
FrontPage Tips Added
17:43 GMT Source: Luis
We have posted a few more FrontPage 98 tips in our Program
tips section, as we mentioned before, this section will become
full of all the latest tips for your favorite programs over the
coming months.
- Accute
Unveils Year 2000 Bios Clock Software Fix
17:19 GMT Source: News Bytes
Accute Year 2000 Solutions has launched Accute-Date Year 2000
Fix, a package which sells for just $19.95 and is billed as
solving the Year 2000 issue on Windows 3.xx, 95 and 98-based PCs.
According to Dr. D. Wong, the firm's president, the software uses
an unique and patent-pending approach to solving the BIOS problems
on PCs as regards the Year 2000. Since the software tackles the
issue at the BIOS level, it is superior, he says, to other
applications on the market. [More]
27th December 1998
New Review - Virus - ImageStyler
- AMD
K6-3 Review
15:58 GMT Source: VE3D/Anand
Anand
has posted up the second installment to his AMD K6-3 Review.
Here is a short piece from the review:
The K6-3 is
still placed far enough from the Celeron A and the Pentium II to
be considered a weak gaming performer with the Riva TNT. The TNT
performance has been improved greatly over the K6-2 400, simply
due to the increased L2 cache speed, which the TNT benefits
greatly from as you can see by the performance difference between
the cacheless Celeron 300 and the Celeron 300A equipped with 128KB
of L2 cache running at clock speed. The K6-3 400 scores a smooth
13 fps more than the K6-2 400 for no reason other than its L2
cache, as the K6-3 core is identical to the K6-2 400 CXT's core in
every way, including FPU performance.
- ImageStyler
1.0 Review
15:51 GMT Source: NetiGen Web
NetiGen Web has posted a review of Adobe's latest graphics
application, ImageStyler
1.0. Adobe ImageStyler is a powerful tool for creating
professional-looking Web graphics. However, unlike its other
products, Adobe has taken a new approach in the ever-expanding
graphics medium. ImageStyler is not aimed at professional graphic
designers, but rather at the average developer. [More]
- Symantec,
Network Associates Programs Spot New Virus
15:47 GMT Source: PC World
Rival anti-virus developers Network Associates and Symantec
both have detection utilities for a new, self-replicating,
server-based virus, and both expect to spend part of the Christmas
holidays searching for a vaccine. Network Associates reported that
the virus called Remote Explorer showed up last weekend at MCI
WorldCom. It is unusual because it resides on a Windows NT server
and replicates across nodes on a network, encrypting files as it
goes, according to Network Associates representatives. [More]
- AOpen
AX6B Plus Review
13:54 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
Matt has posted his review of the new AOpen
AX6B Plus motherboard. Here is a short piece from the review:
Installation
of the AX6B Plus was fairly simple. I had no problems installing
the board except that the ATX Power Connector was in the very
annoying spot between the Slot-1 connector and the ATX Panel. The
processor retention mechanism was the best I've seen yet. Unlike
all the other boards I've tested which make you screw in the
retention mechanism the AX6B has it already screwed on and has
fold up sides that allow the board to be shipped safely inside a
standard sized box.
25th December 1998
Christmas Day
- Netscape In The Shell
- The Active Network Wishes You All Happy
Holidays!
14:00 GMT Source: Wayne
Flyers
I have tried my best to complete the hardware
section, although the tips isn't much because I have a lot of
uncompleted pages. It has been a long day and I hardly got enough
sleep. Oh well, I guess it's the thought that counts ;-)
Oh ya, thanks for all of you who sent in the tips - I'll try to
post them tomorrow. Please send in any more tips. I want to
collect as much as possible.
- Replacing Shell With Netscape Speeds Up
Windows
00:23 GMT Source: NetiGen
Web
Reports reached The Register late today that a simple
substitution of the Netscape Communicator for the Windows shell
would speed up Microsoft's operating system by a factor of ten.
Sources close to Microsoft acknowledged it was an easy feat but
were unable to explain why this was so. However, the software
engineer who alerted us to the switch said the simple fact
indicated that Microsoft's claims that its browsers and operating
systems were inseparable were spurious.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/981224-000011.html
24th December 1998
Christmas - Wayne Leaving
- Silent Night, Holy Night
18:00 GMT Source: Wayne
Flyers
I am very sorry that I can't complete the hardware tips today
as promised. This has been a long and busy day for me. It is
already Christmas here and I have came back from a caroling
session. By hook or by crook, I will get the hardware tips up -
just the matter on how informative it is. Other than that, no more
updates for tomorrow (hey, we need a break!). Good night and sweet
dreams to all of you.
- Early
Look At New AMD Processor
17:57 GMT Source: MSNBC
Chip technology and information site AnandTech has exposed No.
2 PC chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc.’s next piece of
silicon, the K6-3. Codenamed “Sharptooth,” the chip is
expected to be released in January. While most of the details of
Sharptooth are public, AnandTech was the first site to publish
benchmarks of the coming processor. [More]
- Wayne Leaving
12:54 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
A sad note for everyone. Wayne Flyers - our main tips writer
will be leaving ActiveWindows this Sunday (27th). Writing tips and
keeping the site updated has become more difficult for him over
the past few weeks, due to the fact that he will be going to a new
school very soon.
We wish him the best of luck with whatever he does next (Just
don't join any other site ;o) )
23rd December 1998
Win 98 SP - New HyperSnap -
Pentium 3 - Lots Of Fixes
- Frame
Spoof Hole Fix
22:51 GMT Source: CoolInfo
The Microsoft
Windows Update page has a critical update for Win95/98 that
closes a frame
spoof hole in MSIE.
Summary:
Microsoft has released a patch that fixes a vulnerability in
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® that could allow a malicious web
site operator to impersonate a window on a legitimate web site.
The threat posed by this vulnerability is that the bogus window
could collect information from the user and send it back to the
malicious site.
Issue: This
vulnerability exists because Internet Explorer's cross domain
protection does not extend to navigation of frames. This makes it
possible for a malicious web site to insert content into a frame
within another web site's window. If done properly, the user might
not be able to tell that the frame contents were not from the
legitimate site, and could be tricked into providing personal data
to the malicious site. Non-secure (HTTP) and secure (HTTPS) sites
are equally at risk from this vulnerability.
- New
Opera 3.51 Released
22:34 GMT Source: NetiGen
Web
Opera Software has released an update to its popular
alternative web browser. Opera 3.51 is a minor update that
incorporates several small bug fixes. The file size is slightly
larger than past releases, with the download weighing in at 1.23
MB. Additionally, there seem to have been some changes to the
Cascading Style Sheet or HTML rendering engine. Netigen had this
to say about the new release
After
previewing Netigen Web (http://www.netigen.com) in both Version
3.50 and 3.51 it is obvious that something is amiss -- many of the
tables are displayed incorrectly in Opera 3.51. Spaces are
displayed where they shouldn't, and even cells with specified
heights are displayed incorrectly (i.e. cells defined as height=22
display with a height greater than 22, etc.). Hopefully this issue
will be resolved in future releases.
- Katmai Is The Pentium III
19:59 GMT Source: CoolInfo/the register
Intel will use the Superbowl game in mid-January to introduce
its Katmai chip to a waiting universe and will call it Pentium
III, it has emerged. One year ago, The Register said that Katmai
would be called the Pentium III. (Story:Intel to slash PII prices
next month)
US magazine Advertising Age leaked the details earlier this
week.
Last week, The Register published a story saying there was some
internal discussion about whether to drop the Pentium III name in
favour of another.
An Intel representative said today he could neither confirm nor
deny that Katmai will be the Pentium III, nor whether the
Superbowl would be the venue. Meanwhile, the Pentium mobile
platform will be called the Pentium IIe and will be introduced
later in January. Formerly called Dixons, it will include 256K
cache on die.
- Benwin
Flat Speakers Review
16:03 GMT Source: CoolInfo/PlanetHardware
PlanetHardware has just posted a review
of the Benwin Flat Speakers. Here is a snippet:
It seems to
be getting more and more prominent lately that flat is in. LCD
flat panel monitors are starting to be accepted by mainstream
consumers, plasma Flat TV displays are getting heralded as the
next big technology to hit the television industry. Everyone wants
more space in their houses or desktops, it's just human nature.
Now flat-panel speakers are coming into focus. While the
technology to develop these speakers has been around for many,
many years, it has always been too expensive to create a
consumer-level product. While the Benwin BW-2000 Flat Panel
speaker set isn't the first consumer flat-speaker set, (second,
after the Monsoon MM-1000), they are the first set to bring this
technology to consumer-level prices. At a retail price of $129,
this costs less than most higher end cone-based speaker sets, and
Benwin is betting quite a lot of income hoping consumers will hop
on the flat-panel bandwagon.
- HyperSnap-DX V.3.30 Beta 7 Released
13:25 GMT Source: Byron Hinson
HyperSnap-DX
is a screen capture utility that capture pictures from DVD movies,
games etc and other similar software, if the player is using
DirectX technology to create and handle the video overlay.
Here are the improvements:
Further
improved DrivectX and DVD capture. Added new "Quick Corp and
Scale" function to Capture menu. Added "Toggle Cursor
Capture" button to the toolbar. Fixed some more bugs. This
release is feature complete for final ver. 3.30 release. Only the
help text needs to be updated.
You can download HyperSnap-Dx v. 3.30 Beta 7 (1.1 MB)
here! Note: This beta test version expires on Jan. 31, 1999.
After that date you will have to download either a newer beta, or
a fully released version.
22nd December 1998
ActiveWin In Schools - Win OSR -
Articles - New Drivers
- How
To Check For Remote Explorer Bug
21:18 GMT Source: ZDNet
Following on its announcement Monday of a sophisticated malicious
mobile virus aimed at Windows NT installations, dubbed Remote
Explorer, security specialist Network Associates Inc. has posted a
patch to its Web site. [More]
- Bug
Of The Day Report
21:14 GMT Source: Bugnet/Betabites
According to Microsoft,
a Windows 98 computer with Advanced Configurations and Power
Interface (ACPI), an Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) video adapter
and a program that uses some of the DirectX 6.0 features is like
mixing oil and water. IF YOU RUN ONE of those programs after
resuming your computer from Suspend or Standby mode, your computer
may hang. A fix will be in the next service pack, but if you want
it earlier you should contact Microsoft Technical Support and ask
for Pci.vxd 4.10.2017 11/6/98 6:28pm 65,919 bytes Pcimp.pci
4.10.2017 11/6/98 6:33pm 16,240 bytes. Be careful, however. If you
ask for more technical support than just asking for these files,
you may be charged for the call.
Go here to the Windows98
Tech Support Phone #'s webpage.
- ActiveWindows Featured In Windows Magazine
Annual Special
19:50 GMT Source: John Fellin
Not only have we been featured in
the new schoolbook that is coming out (Mentioned earlier today),
but we have also made it into windows magazine 2,002 tips annual
special. Thanks to John Fellin
for sending us in a scanned
pic.
- Opera
Unveil Minimalist Browser
19:37 GMT Source: News Bytes/CoolInfo
Opera Software has unveiled version
3.5 of Opera, the minimalist Web browser software. As reported
previously by Newsbytes, Opera was developed for the millions of
users of PCs whose machines are not really capable of running
"bloatware" Web applications such as Netscape
Communicator 4.x and Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.x. The
package was originally developed for users of 386-based and 486-
based PCs, typically running under Windows 3.xx, in Eastern
Europe, Russia, Asia and those parts of the world where older PCs
are still in widespread use. [More]
- Intel
Readies Chip Onslaught
19:33 GMT Source: PC World
Intel has picked early January to
release a truckload of new processors, industry sources say,
including its first mobile Celeron chips for low-cost notebooks,
and powerful Pentium II Xeon chips for workstations and servers
that will sport a whopping 2MB of Level 2 cache memory. Many of
the new chips will be aimed at lower-cost desktop and mobile PCs,
as well as at so-called mininotebooks, an emerging class of
lightweight portables expected to sell for as low as $1000. [More]
- Easter
Eggs Update
16:17 GMT Source: Wayne
Flyers
Christmas is just a stone's throw away. I am still working very
hard to do all the tips update, Apart from tips, there are also
quite some huge updates on the Easter
Eggs section. All new pages or pages with new eggs are marked
with a "new" icon. Stay tuned for more.
- ActiveWindows Featured In School Textbook
02:19 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson/Robert Stein
Yes Sir! heh, ActiveWindows has been featured in a new
education book published by Que
E&T and will be available to colleges, universities &
high schools. The textbook is called Computers
In Your Future, Third Edition. The book features some of our
tips and info and pictures on our website.
21st December 1998
New Review - DVD Stuff - Site Stuff -
Money - NT Virus
- Microsoft
Sidewinder Freestyle Pro Review
20:57 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
I have posted my review
of Microsoft's Sidewinder Freestyle Pro. Here is a snippet
from the review:
Now on to
the actual tilting part of the gamepad. "Tilt" is
clearly designed for racing games and thankfully Motocross Madness
comes in the box. At first you are likely to tilt the gamepad too
much, this results in over-steering in whatever racing game you
are playing. Tilting the gamepad is not easy to master, it will
take you much longer to master than you expect...At some points
while playing you may decide to switch off the sensor and just use
the pad instead of tilting, I would recommend tilting until you
master it, as it becomes far easier to use as you go along.
- Have
You Been Bitten By The Millennium Bug?
20:12 GMT Source: Luis
The year 2000 is coming, and right behind it is the Year 2000
Bug. Are you infected? Do you know what to do? Epics has posted
some info to find out if you are infected, and what to do about
it. Click
Here
- Microsoft
Names Steven Sinofsky and Brian Valentine Vice President
15:14 GMT Source: Press Release
Microsoft Corp. today announced the promotion of Steven
Sinofsky to vice president of Microsoft® Office and Brian
Valentine to vice president of Windows® development.
Sinofsky manages the design and development of the Office suite
and its applications, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel,
the Outlook® messaging and collaboration client, Microsoft
Access, and the PowerPoint® presentation graphics program.
Sinofsky reports to Jon DeVaan, vice president of desktop
applications. [More]
- Iomega
USB Zip Drive Review
13:55 GMT Source: CoolComputing
Our affiliates, CoolComputing has just posted up a review
of the new Iomega USB Zip drive. Here is a small piece from
the review:
At a
glance, the Iomega
USB Zip drive looks quite different than the other external Zip
drives. Although the basic shape is the same, the casing of the
USB Zip drive is a stylish translucent-blue, designed to emulate
the appearance of the Apple iMac. The USB connection located at
the back of the drive is tiny, and the supplied silver-ish USB
cable is refreshingly thin compared to those clunky parallel and
SCSI cables used by other external Zip drives. In addition, the DC
power supply block measures just 2" x 1.75" x 1".
Its small size means that it can comfortably coexist with other
power plugs on conventional power strips. The external Zip drives
many of you may have purchased a year or two ago have a much
larger power supply block that was merciless in cannibalizing real
estate on the surge protector. Note that, however, although the
USB specification allows power be delivered from the computer to
the USB device, the USB Zip 100 requires too much power and thus
the power supply block is still necessary.
- DVD Roundup Update
03:02 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
Just an update on how we are doing getting hold of various DVD
related items for review on our large DVD article the will go
online very soon. We are still looking for various hardware DVD
companies (Videologic etc) to get
in touch with us so they can get involved. We currently have
the following products to review, ATI DVD Player 1.2, Power DVD,
XingDVD and the DVD players that come with a couple of Riva TNT
cards we are reviewing too, on the movie side we will be comparing
both Widescreen and Pan Scan movies to tell you which one gives
the best look on a PC monitor and reviewing reference material on
DVD (Encarta 99).
So remember - If your company (Creative, Toshiba ;o) want to
get in touch with us about your DVD hardware, e-mail
us ASAP.
- Microsoft
Prints New Money In January
01:35 GMT Source: PC World
If you're running a small business from your kitchen table
after hours or have decided to pursue your own piece of the
American Dream, one of the first challenges you'll face is keeping
track of where the cash is flowing. Money 99 Personal &
Business, due to ship January 4, can make that job easier--while
managing your personal finances from bill paying to retirement.
Personal checking accounts and credit cards have a way of blending
with business expenses in start-ups, and there's very little time
to count beans in these situations. Who likes accounting, anyway?
But I took a look at the new Money and found plenty of wizards and
other helpers that lead just about anyone through day-to-day
bookkeeping without need for a CPA or even much free time. [More]
20th December 1998
Thief Review - Office 2000 - DirectX 7
- Intel
CPU News
16:21 GMT Source: Voodoo
Extreme/ZDNet
ZDNet has posted some new info about
the new Celerons, Xeon, and mobile chips, like Dixon. They
also mention 256k of L2 integrated into the core. Here is a
snippet:
Intel also
will debut next month new enhanced mobile 333MHz and 366MHz
Pentium IIs. Code-named Dixon, the Pentium II Enhanced processors
will include 256KB of integrated L2 (Level 2) cache, which should
push the chip's performance beyond that of Pentium II chips that
have 512KB of external L2 cache.
- Thief:
The Dark Project Review
00:03 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
I have posted my review
of Looking Glass Studios excellent Thief: The Dark Project, I have
also updated the layout of our reviews, here is a short piece from
the review.
Creeping up
on guards is just a small part of the game, by using your
blackjack weapon you can get close enough to the enemy to give
them one swift blow to the back of the head, this knocks them
unconscious. Yet again, just knocking out a guard isn't always
enough to stop you being noticed, if another person walks past an
unconscious body lying on the cobbled floors, he will gladly shout
out or sound an alarm. There is a way around this, you can pick up
the unconscious body and carry it into a darkened area of the
level and leave it there, and this means it is unlikely that
anyone will spot the body on the ground.
19th
December 1998
Internet Explorer 4.5 - Rio Review -
Win2000 Vs. Win98
- Diamond
Rio Review
16:30 GMT Source: AGN/CoolInfo
3D Hardware has posted a review
of the Diamond Rio. Here is a snippet:
When I
traveled to Las Vegas for Comdex this year, the total travel time,
including the layover in Dulles, came out to be around five hours.
I wanted to bring some mixes of my favorite music along, to make
the trip go easier. You know, some Garbage, some K's Choice, some
Sundays, maybe some Poe, all of those chick bands I love so much.
It would
cost me one thousand dollars to do it on the Rio. That's ten of
those 32MB memory cards at 30 minutes of music apeice. Unless, of
course, I put the MP3's on a laptop computer... but then why
wouldn't I just play them from the laptop with Winamp? What did I
do instead?
- Microsoft
Asks For Java Extension
14:13 GMT Source: News.Com/ActiveWindows
In a move which could signal Windows 98 OSR to hit stores (As
we mentioned earlier in the week), Microsoft asked the U.S.
District Court in San Jose, California, to extend the time it has
to comply with a preliminary injunction requiring it to modify
software that includes Sun's Java programming language.
- ActivePC
Award Nomination
03:45 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
ActivePC has announced that ActiveWindows is on their shortlist
for site of the year...read on and find out how you can vote for
us.
The
ActivePC Crew is proud to announce that your site is one of the
few selected as a nominee for the ActivePC Site of the Year Award.
In addition to our monthly Thumbs Up Awards, the ActivePC will be
deciding who shall receive the Site of the Year award through our
site poll and content/design criteria. Because of your reliable
content, site popularity, and excellent design, your site has
automatically been chosen as a nominee. We encourage you to have
your visitors show support for your site by having them vote at
our polls at http://www.gamepost.com/activepc/.
The survey will be conducted from now until January 31, 1999.
- NTKERN Errors Etc
Etc
03:43 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
Oh what a day it has been for me - Today I have been finding
out just how buggy the SideWinder Gaming Device Software is -
especially when it deals with a USB Freestyle Pro. I have been
reading in some newsgroups that people have been complaining of a
NTKERN(01) error when trying to restart in DOS - well the problem
seems to be the Sidewinder Gaming Software 3.02. Uninstalling the
software and then putting back 3.00 fixed the problem without any
trouble.
Next up I put on a new bios update for my Intel SE440BX
motherboard everything went like clockwork until I found out there
is a bug in the new bios release that causes your keyboard to
lock-up if you have any mention of a keyboard in your
Autoexec.bat....So again, if anyone is having a problem there -
REM out any reference to keyboards in your Autoexec.bat
Ok - That's quite enough moaning for one day, but I could go
on<g>
- Microsoft
Readies Internet Explorer 4.5 For The Mac
00:25 GMT Source: NetiGen
Web
Microsoft is preparing an update to Internet Explorer for the
Macintosh that incorporates some of the technology first used in
the Macintosh version of Office 98 and emphasizes ease of use for
Apple's largely consumer customer base.
Apple has told Microsoft that 29 percent of customers who buy
the iMac are new computer users attracted by the machine's
simplicity. Microsoft has fine-tuned Internet Explorer 4.5 with
those customers in mind, said Jody Ropert, group product manager
for Microsoft's Macintosh business unit. IE 4.5 is smaller, faster
and more stable than IE 4.01, the version that shipped with Mac OS
8.
18th
December 1998
On The Way - Java Appeal - New Drivers
- Logitech
USB Wheel Mouse Review
21:47 GMT Source: AGN
AGN Hardware has posted a review
of Logitech's USB Wheel Mouse. Here is a short snippet:
The mouse
is the peripheral of choice of the discerning people who are part
of the first person shooter gaming community. This is because the
mouse offers an unprecedented level of control over aiming and
other movement when you are engaged in a little one on 31 combat.
The PS2 mouse has been around for a while, and was not designed
with gaming in mind. This means that when you are engaged in that
firefight, your PS2 mouse is only updating position 40 times per
second. This may seem like a lot, but milliseconds count when you
are trying to move to avoid the oncoming rocket fired from Mr Big’s
Bazooka.
The USB
mouse on the other hand updates its position with the computer 125
times a second, offering more precise control. This additional
updating offers a USB mouse gamer and advantage that could mean
the difference between being the low man on the totem pole like
myself, or the owner of a used Ferrari.
- Hardware Troubleshooting Tips
16:30 GMT Source: Wayne
Flyers
'Tis a season to be jolly... or is it? With all the troubles
with hardwares you are facing, you can hardly smile. We got up a
Hardware Troubleshooting section up on the Tips
page. I will try my best to write as many tips as possible before
Christmas - that's a promise.
Of course if you kind readers are willing to help, it would be
better. If you have any tips to contribute, e-mail us.
Give a helping hand to other fellow WIndows users. That's the
Christmas spirit :-)
- What's On The Way At ActiveWindows
00:35 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
Just a few shorts pieces of information about what kinds of
things you can expect from us over the next few weeks before I
head off for bed<g>
We have reviews of new hardware on the way including, ELSA TNT,
Microsoft Freestyle Pro and and STB TNT and also some new software
and games, Thief: The Dark Project, The Golf Pro 2, Tomb Raider 3,
Sin and Encarta 99 DVD Edition.
We will also be changing the main news page again slightly to
add some new graphics and features you have requested.
Finally as you may well know, we have relaunched ActiveSci-Fi,
so make sure you keep a check on all the latest Sci-Fi news and
reviews. There are also a few more places available there for news
writers, so get
in touch.
17th
December 1998
MotorCross Tracks - MS Games Strategy
Book - IE Remover
- MS Release Win 2000 To Testers
20:40 GMT Source: Anon
Windows 2000 Beta3 RC0 (Bld 1946 ) has
today been officially released to Windows 2000 testers.
- USB
Hub Review
03:25 GMT Source: AGN
AGN Hardware has posted a review of the SIIG's
4-port USB Hub. Here is a small snippet from the review.
Siig’s
USB Hub 4000 is the perfect solution for my problem of not enough
USB ports to support my desire for USB peripherals. By plugging
the Hub into one of the two USB ports on the back of my computer,
I was able to add an additional 4 ports to my computer. (You
actually only gain 3 addition ports since you have to give up one
to plug the hub into your computer.)
The USB Hub
4000 offers full support for the USB standard, giving support from
a low speed of 1.5Mbps to as high as 12Mbps. The hub offers
bi-directional support for devices such as scanners, modems,
digital speakers, cameras, joysticks and more! Making it the
perfect choice for support of your growing list of USB devices.
- Emerging
Web Standards
03:23 GMT Source: CoolInfo/Hardware One
C|Net Singapore posted a comprehensive
article explaining what terms like SMIL, XML, XSL, RDF, PNG
etc mean.
Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) is to
synchronized multimedia what HTML is to hyperlinked text.
Pronounced smile, SMIL is a simple, vendor-neutral markup language
designed to let Web builders of all skill levels schedule audio,
video, text, and graphics files across a timeline without having
to master development tools or complex programming languages.
- IE
Remover Separates Browser From Windows
03:03 GMT Source: Internetnews
Microsoft Corp. said it couldn't be done and has spent untold
millions trying to convince the government that its Internet
Explorer browser and Windows 98 operating system cannot be
separated. Now a Hyattsville, Md. biology researcher has refuted
the software giant's claims and has come up with 98 Lite, a custom
installer that can provide a clean installation of Windows98, sans
IE. (More)
16th December 1998
ICQ99 Released - IE5 - Windows 2000 B3
RC0 - Exchange SP2
- Service
Pack 2 For Exchange On The Way
20:10 GMT Source: ZDNet
Service Pack 2 for Exchange 5.5, due to ship by month's end,
includes bug fixes; improved S/MIME and calendaring support for
Microsoft's Outlook client for the Macintosh; the Inter Org
Replication Utility for replicating public folders and scheduling
data between disparate Exchange servers; and the Move Server
Wizard for reconfiguring Exchange organizations and moving servers
between sites and organizations, officials said. (More)
- Windows
2000 Beta 3 RC0 Ships
20:04 GMT Source: ZDNet/ActiveWindows/Microsoft
We have got the confirmation of the news we posted earlier in
the day about the release of Beta 3 Release Candidate 0. RC0 ships
today to 1,000 select software vendors and OEMs, and it will be
available to Rapid Deployment Partners at Microsoft's technical
beta site, said Jonathan Perera, lead product manager for Windows
2000 Server.
- Dreamcast
DirectX 6.0 Presentation
13:27 GMT Source: DirectX
Website
View two slide show presentations, Direct3D for DirectX 6.0
and DirectX for Dreamcast, given by Microsoft evangelist
Phil Taylor at the 1999 Game Developer's Conference (GDC) in
Seattle. Gain insight on DirectX 6.0 features like multitexture
and bump mapping, as well as on the rapidly progressing technology
of DirectX. To view the presentations, visit the GDC
Web site.
- MS
Digital Sound System 80 Review
13:16 GMT Source: Avault
Adrenaline Vault has posted a review of the Microsoft
Digital Sound System 80. Here is a snippet:
Microsoft's
SideWinder line of game controllers has maintained a common
appearance, predominantly "dressed in black," with round
edges and curves. The Digital Sound System 80 may not be part of
the SideWinder line, but the family resemblance is obviously
there. The black satellites have a wavy design, while the black
subwoofer is more of a breadbox design. Like most systems, the
subwoofer holds most of the connections; in this case, an analog
input jack, a PS/2-style connector connecting the satellites, a
power cord, and the USB connection for digital audio.
- ICQ
99 Public?
02:10 GMT Source: ActiveWindows
Someone who works on ICQ for Mirabilis has
informed us that the file that is on the public ICQ servers isn't
supposed to be as it hasn't yet been announced, well, not much we
can do about that is there<g>
15th December 1998
New Drivers - 3Dfx - Newsgroup - IE5 -
OSR News
- IE5
Goes Offline
20:07 GMT Source: ZDNet
If you get to the Net via a dial-up connection,
you know all too well how slow surfing can get, and you may get
tired of firing up your modem for only a quick peek at a favorite
site. The beta of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5.0 shows great
promise in its ability to attack speed problems, making offline
browsing and saving Web pages considerably easier. IE5 adds a
handy new synchronization feature and two new ways to save a Web
page on your hard drive. It's also gotten hip to saving newsgroup
discussions offline. (More)
- Attacking
The Quality Monster
15:14 GMT Source: BetaBites/ZDNet
PCWeek
Labs has a 3 part Report on "Software Bugs Bite it."
In the first report, Peter Coffee has written an article titled:
"Attacking the quality monster." This is really a great
article to point out the ever increasing number of bugs found in
PC software. The article includes a couple of graphical
screenshots of bugs stats. Is it all the developers fault? No!
Here is just a small bite from the article:
The impact
of poor quality on large-scale users of PC software is huge. The
direct cost to U.S. buyers of poor software design, inadequate
documentation and actual software errors is on the order of 5
million workdays per year, based on statistics indicating roughly
200 million technical support calls per year at an average
"on-hold" time of at least 12 minutes. This makes no
provision for time spent by users studying manuals or reading
tutorial books in an effort to figure out features that are either
overly obscure or poorly designed, according to Cem Kaner, an
author and software quality gadfly based in Santa Clara, Calif.
- ActiveWindows
Newsgroup
03:08 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
This is really just a simple reminder for all those people who
e-mail us day with questions about the site, hardware, software
and bugs etc etc. It is far easier for us if you use our newsgroups
to get the message across.
- 3Dfx
Acquires STB Systems
02:26 GMT Source: NetiGen
3Dfx Interactive hopes to work its voodoo magic on struggling
board vendor STB Systems, which 3Dfx acquired Monday. 3Dfx, the
San Jose, Calif.-based company best known for its Voodoo 3-D
graphics chips, agreed to take over Richardson, Texas-based STB.
STB stockholders will receive 0.65 shares of 3Dfx in the stock
swap, valued at about $141 million.
14th December 1998
Office 2000 - Modems - Layout - Katmai
- Katmai Shows Little Advantage
Over Pentium II
20:32 GMT Source: CoolInfo
ZDnet has posted a review
of the Intel Katmai. Here is a clip:
The first
tests conducted by PC Professionell in Germany showed that Katmai
had a great deal to offer 3D performance. In these tests the
levels within the 3D pipeline were examined relating specifically
to the performance of the processor and not to the graphics card.
For
"Transformation" and "Transformation and
Lighting" the tests conducted by 3D Winbench 99 the processor
carried out the calculations required to place various light
sources and objects in a 3D scene.
Katmai,
compared with a Pentium II and a K6-2/400, clearly demonstrated a
better performance in the 3D Pipeline levels examined. The games
of the future will be equipped with more than one light source and
the superiority of the Katmai processor will be confirmed.
- Western
Digital Announces New EIDE Drive
20:26 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
Western Digital Corp. (NYSE:WDC - news) Monday announced a new
4-platter WD Caviar 20.4 GB Ultra ATA/66 hard drive which utilizes
giant magneto-resistive (GMR) head technology as well as the new
high-speed Ultra ATA/66 interface. The new 5.1 GB per platter WD
Caviar hard drive also incorporates Western Digital's Data
Lifeguard feature, which protects end-user data by automatically
detecting, isolating and repairing possible problem areas on the
hard drive before data loss can occur.
- Shake-Up
Hits MS Windows Division
15:12 GMT Source: ZDNet
Sooner or later, somebody had to be the scapegoat for the
perpetually-slipping ship date for Windows 2000, according to
conventional wisdom. And it looks like that person will be
long-time Microsoft executive and Windows development vice
president Moshe Dunie.
- Newer Layout
15:05 GMT Source: Byron
Hinson
I have updated the layout of this main page to make it easier
for people to read the headlines. There is only one problem with
the new layout, and that is that it doesn't display as well in
Netscape as it does in Internet Explorer, so no change there
really. It will be fixed at a later date by doing bits and pieces
in CSS.
- IBM To Give Away Software To Stop e-mail
Hackers
12:40 GMT Source: Reuters
IBM to give away software to stop e-mail hackers - IBM, in a
move to boost confidence that the Internet is a safe place to do
business, plans to introduce on Monday software that protects
electronic mail systems against vulnerabilities that can be
exploited by computer hackers.
13th December 1998
NeoPlanet - Dreamweaver 2.0 Review
- Oracle,
Sun To Unveil OS-Less Computer
17:58 GMT Source: ZDNet
Oracle Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc., in a direct assault on
their mutual archrival Microsoft Corp., will announce on Monday
they will work together on a new type of computer that does not
require an operating system, analysts and industry sources said.
- Macromedia Dreamweaver 2.0 Review
02:18 GMT Source: NetiGen
The NetiGen Web
has posted a review
of Macromedia's Dreamweaver 2.0. Here is a piece from the
review.
One of the
greatest areas of improvement over Dreamweaver 1.2 is in site
design. The new template feature allows you to specify elements
common to multiple pages within a site, such as navigation bars
and page banners. Moreover, these templates separate content from
design, meaning that content producers can update information
without worrying about changing the underlying design code.
Another useful feature is the new Set
Color Scheme tool, which lets you apply a color scheme to an
entire page. There are over thirty professional color schemes
included.
12th
December 1998
DVD- Java Battle Continues - IE - MSN
- 20:15 GMT - Remember to keep an eye on ActiveSci-Fi
now that we have more people to update it. Let's get the hits
rising on that site as much as they have here.
- 20:10 GMT - Microsoft
Network has pulled the plug on its Canadian Net access service
- MSN Canada has sent a notice to customers stating that as of
February 1, 1999, MSN will no longer offer online access in the
North American country. "However, ongoing delivery of
high-quality, high-speed, reasonably priced Internet access will
be available from AT&T Canada Internet Service, our preferred
Internet access provider," the notice states. MSN subscribers
can keep their "msn.com" email addresses, but AT&T
will be the provider. The monthly cost of $24.95 will remain the
same for most customers, and in some cases will go down.
- 12:52 GMT - Developer
Sues MS Over Y2K Bug - Microsoft is being sued by a software
developer for making database tools that allegedly can't process
dates properly beyond Dec. 31, 1999, among the first suits against
Microsoft over the Year 2000 bug.
- 12:48 GMT - Expert
Says IE Can Be Removed From Windows - It is possible to remove
Web browsing from Microsoft's Windows 95 and Windows 98 without
harming the non-browser functionality of the operating systems, a
computer consultant has testified.
- 02:38 GMT - New
Microsoft VM Has Bug, Sun Says - Sun Microsystems' internal
testing of Microsoft's recently released Java virtual machine has
turned up a bug in the VM's handling of arithmetic functions, Sun
executives told InternetWeek.
- 02:29 GMT - PC World has posted an article all about DVD
on the PC. Makes a good read.
11th
December 1998
Reviews - Excel 97 Fix
- 20:01 GMT - Microsoft has released a patch that fixes a
vulnerability in Microsoft Excel 97 that could allow certain types
of executables to be run without a warning to the user. A
legitimate Excel function, CALL, allows executables to be run from
a worksheet. If the executable called by the function is of a
malicious nature, a worksheet containing this function could
represent a security risk to customers. The patch is available via
the Office
Update web site.[Source-
Beta Test]
- 15:05 GMT - Man
breaks Microsoft's windows - Legal attacks aren't the only
problem plaguing Microsoft these days. On Wednesday, the company's
main campus in Redmond, Washington was physically attacked -- by a
Texas man with no apparent connection to the software giant.
Redmond police arrested 25-year-old Kristopher Stubenrauch, of
Arlington, Texas, after he used a cement ashtray to shatter a
window at Building 27 on the campus and went on a computer-killing
rampage. -- Luke Reiter, CyberCrime
- 13:17 GMT - Added a review of Fifa
99. Here is a short snippet.
Again I
have to say the overall gameplay is both good and bad, mostly good
so don't worry Fifa fans. The game now seems to be moving away
from realistic football into the realms of an arcade game, this is
all fine as long as EA keep the speed settings available to the
players, but Fifa 99 is so fast it can end up playing like a
pinball game because of the speed and the size of the pitches
being too small yet again. Volley the ball from your penalty box
and 1 out of 3 times you will see the ball fly off and out for a
goal kick at the other end of the pitch, not humanly possible in
any football match I've seen (But you support Cambridge Utd
Byron!)
10th
December 1998
Sega Dreamcast - Cheats
- 20:53 GMT - SQL
Server 7.0 goes gold - Microsoft Corp. released SQL Server 7.0
to manufacturing last week, a little less than a month after many
observers expected the product to go gold simultaneous with its Comdex/Fall
unveiling.
- 20:50 GMT - Updated ActiveIE
- We still plan to bring the two sites together into one.
- 15:30 GMT - According to Netscape the new
"Gecko" Layout engine will be available for free
from Netscape's Open Studio web site Friday, December 11. [Source:
Windows 98 Central]
- 14:34 GMT - We are looking for a few reliable people to
help add news to ActiveSci-Fi as we are now starting that site
back up again. If you are interested, please e-mail
us for details.
- 02:32 GMT - Sharky
Extreme has posted a review of Sega's Dreamcast system,
powered by Hitachi's SH-4 processor, VideoLogic's PowerVR2DC
graphics chipset and Windows
CE. Read the review
which includes some great info, pics, and even screenshots!
9th December 1998
Lights Out - Gecko - Office 2000
- 22:39 GMT - We have updated the review of Montego
A3DXstream to take notice of the latest drivers available for
it.
- 15:44 GMT - McAfee
Online: Next-generation portal? - McAfee Online might not bear
much resemblance to so-called "portals" like Yahoo! and
Excite, but industry observers say it could soon be hard on the
heels of those super-successful sites.
- 15:40 GMT - Lights
out in San Francisco - One of the worst blackouts in the
region's history knocks out power for nearly 1 million people and
cripples Internet usage in the process.
8th
December 1998
New NeoPlanet - FAQ - IE5 - New Drivers
- 22:50 GMT - Yet another new build of NeoPlanet
is out (383) seems like they are releasing new builds
everyday.
- 19:58 GMT - AOL
plans interactive TV, high-speed Net - America Online
reportedly is looking for a manufacturer to make television
set-top boxes that would allow it to offer interactive TV in
competition with Microsoft's Web TV.
- 15:43 GMT - The Year 2000 update has now been posted
along with an updated version of the Windows Update Critical
Update Notification at Windows
Update.
- 01:18 GMT - The NeoPlanet development team seems to have
recommenced releasing new builds. After only two days, a new
build (378) has been made available. [Source:
NetiGen]
7th December 1998
Y2K Fix - Windows 2000 - Word 2000 - Opera
3.5 Review
- 23:18 GMT - Today Netscape Communications Corp. announced
significant new details about Gecko, its next-generation browser
engine, and made a prealpha version available to attendees of the
Builder.com conference in New Orleans. Netscape hopes the compact,
standards-based, open-source engine will inspire a new wave of Web
development in which people will build Web sites and applications
once and view them anywhere, no matter the operating system or the
device. All future releases of Netscape's browser, Navigator, will
include Gecko technology. (Source:
PC Magazine)
- 20:38 GMT - Microsoft has released a patch to fix some Year
2000 problems. Here is the blurb:
Microsoft
Corp. today announced that it has identified and addressed minor
year 2000 issues in the Microsoft® Windows® 98 operating system.
The identified issues pose no risk of data loss or PC damage, and
customers would be unlikely to encounter the issues during normal,
daily use of their computer. Nevertheless, because these minor
issues can potentially result in the inaccurate display of dates
in 2000 in certain areas of the operating system, Microsoft is
making the Year 2000 Update widely available so its customers can
obtain and install it easily. Customers can download the free
Windows 98 Year 2000 Update from the Windows Update Web site at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
or call (800) 363-2896 to receive it on CD-ROM
- 20:35 GMT - Apologies for the downtime today - Our line
supplier went down, something which is out of our control.
- 16:14 GMT - Added a review of DreamWorks Trespasser.
Here is a short piece from the review:
The first
level loads and at first looks amazing, you are facing out to sea
just after the plane has crashed down, bits of debris are lying
around you and rocks and pebbles are slipping off of cliffs nearby
and falling into the sea with a great degree of detail. While
facing the sea and watching the rocks fall in the water all looks
great, at some point you must decide to turn around and start your
journey off of Site B, I turned the mouse to the left and to my
horror, my PII 450 looked as if it has turned back into my old
166. The screen jerks at around 10-15 FPS when turning, and this
is when there is very little on the screen apart from trees.
- 14:00 GMT - BetaBites has posted a review of Opera 3.5 -
To see what Penelope thought about the Opera 3.5 Final --- read
the Beta Bites Opera
3.5 Final Review!
- 02:00 GMT - For those of you who don't already have it,
you can download the Windows NT Resource Kit as well as the
Support Tools to gain more knowledge and get a whole bunch of
useful tools from Microsoft.
- 01:47 GMT - Find out more about Word
2000 from Microsoft's site.
6th December 1998
Drivers - DVD - Affiliates
- 11:15 GMT - It seems like Reveal, graphic card
manufacturer, is no longer operating. Looks like you can't expect
any drivers updates from them :-(
5th December 1998
New NeoPlanet - Communicator 5
- 19:08 GMT - Communicator
5.0 on the way - In a move long anticipated and warmly
welcomed by Web developers, Netscape
Communications is expected to unveil on Monday a developer
preview of the next-generation layout engine for Communicator 5.0,
CNET News.com has learned. I
guess those two developers they mentioned will be pleased about
this news then.
- 19:01 GMT - A new build of NeoPlanet 2.0 was just posted.
I'm downloading as I type this, so I haven't a clue as to any
changes from previous builds. Source:
Netigen
Follow Up:
Just wanted to update you with two updates in this build that I
have noticed so far. First is a new system-tray icon which gives
you access to the NeoPlanet browser and mail client. And second is
the new smooth-animation feature. The toolbar expands into it's
position (like the DHTML effect), and all of the menus expand.
Overall, there doesn't seem to be that many new features.
http://ftp.neoplanet.com/pub/neosetup20367.exe
4th December 1998
New Driver - News - Lotus - Chrome -
Hotmail
- 19:41 GMT - Hotmail
Flood The Net - MSN Hotmail, the popular Web-based e-mail
service run by Microsoft Corp., says it has fixed a glitch that
was sending out a flood of e-mail messages from users' accounts
Thursday.
- 19:26 GMT - There has been a lack of news today due to
the fact it is my day off work (Byron) and I have been out most of
the day, my apologies and it won't happen again<g>.
3rd
December 1998
Reviews - Chrome's Back - AutoPC
- 20:57 GMT - Added a review of Grand
Touring by Empire Interactive.
- 20:13 GMT - AutoPC
Goes On sale Friday - The first personal
computer for the car, made by Clarion, will go on sale Friday,
marking another bold Microsoft step outside of the PC industry.
- 20:05 GMT - HP's
Platt: PCs are "pretty crude" - Lewis Platt, chief
executive of Hewlett-Packard, today talked about the obsolescence
of the PC, which he described as "pretty crude."
- 13:41 GMT - Over the next few weeks will most likely
start to join ActiveIE to ActiveWindows to create one site, this
is because it is more time consuming to keep on creating separate
pages of news etc for both Internet Explorer and Windows news.
- 13:39 GMT - We have a number of new reviews coming your
way in the next week, they include the following. Sin, Tomb Raider
3, Grand Touring, The Golf Pro 2, Thief: Dark Project, Western
Front and Fifa 99.
2nd December 1998
NetShow - Cable - Interactive TV - WebTV
- Articles
- 19:51 GMT - Microsoft
to consolidate Windows CE software - In an effort to alleviate
confusion about the various versions of Windows CE, Microsoft
Corp. plans to move all CE users to a single version of the mobile
operating system next year.
1st December 1998
Netscapesucks - Christmas - Cable -
NeoLite
NeoLite
compresses Windows 32-bit executable files (and
DLLs) and their resources. It compresses them in
such a manner that they are still executed normally. No
additional software is required to run the compressed software,
it is completely transparent.
You can try it out right
here.
- 13:33 GMT - BetaNews has got a new competition up.
Through
donations of software from many different companies, I have set up
a contest for anyone who wants to win some software. It is pretty
easy to enter, all you have to do is answer 20 trivia questions.
The prizes include 4 copies of Office 2000 Beta 2 Consumer Preview
Program, 2 copies of HomeSite 4.0, 3 copies of Entrepreneur, a
copy of Object Desktop, and 5 copies of CuteFTP including
t-shirts. The contest is open to ANYONE, even you guys can enter.
It is located at: http://www.betanews.com/contest.html
and will stay up for 2 weeks.
- 02:13 GMT - It's December - The countdown to Christmas
finally begins.
Do you have any Windows based news? - just e-mail
us
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