Australian PC World articles from July 2001

Australian PC World archives from July 2001

Back to the future. (Editorial).
July 1, 2001... It really is hard to believe how quickly things change in IT. Unless you see it in black and white, it can be quite hard to fathom the distances travelled, yet we take them in our stride every day. Most of us have heard of Moore's Law (it...

Notebooks get Ath-letic. (News Analysis).
July 1, 2001... Advanced Micro Devices has launched its first mobile Athlon processor, the Mobile Athlon 4, which it hopes will challenge Intel's notebook stalwart, the Mobile Pentium III. The new mobile Athlon 4, formerly known by the code name Palomino,...

Government cans datacasting auction.
July 1, 2001... Owing to a lack of interest, the Federal Government was left with no option but to direct the Australian Communications Authority to cancel the auction of datacasting transmitter licences, which was scheduled for 21 May. The Government had...

AMD pushes back Hammer release.
July 1, 2001... Advanced Micro Devices has decided to delay the commercial release of microprocessors based on its 64-bit Hammer core until the second half of 2002. The chipmaker's first 64-bit processors, which include Clawhammer and a higher-end chip...

Australia tests Office XP. (News Analysis).
July 1, 2001... Australia and New Zealand will be used to trial a new subscription model for Microsoft's Office XP product. The company initially announced the subscription service to US customers at the Comdex trade show in November last year, but later...

Sony unveils Linux for PS2. (News Analysis).
July 1, 2001... In response to demand from Linux users, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) has announced plans to sell a kit which enables the Linux operating system to run on the PlayStation 2 (PS2) game console platform. The kit will allow developers to...

Dell to recall Inspiron notebook batteries.
July 1, 2001... Dell announced a large-scale recall of batteries used in its Inspiron notebook computers, which can overheat and may catch fire, the company said. Dell has contacted customers who bought its Inspiron 5000 and Inspiron 5000(e) notebooks...

Intel shows off 2GHz Pentium 4.
July 1, 2001... Intel has showed off its P4 muscle again. At a show in Taiwan recently, the company demonstrated its upcoming 2GHz Pentium 4. The chip was first demonstrated at IDF in August 2000 and Intel will begin shipping the product as scheduled, in the...

Rambus's claims dismissed. (News Analysis).
July 1, 2001... A US judge has thrown out the claims of copyright infringement in the case brought by memory chip designer Rambus against Germany's Infineon Technologies. Rambus had taken Infineon to court, claiming that the company had infringed upon its...

Cisco comes to the defence. (News Analysis).
July 1, 2001... Australian defence personnel may currently feel quite at home walking around with their F88 Steyr assault rifle in hand. Bur if networking vendor Cisco gets its way, the rifle is not the only thing they will be connected to while in combat. ...

New PS2 game sells 1 million in two days.
July 1, 2001... Two days after it was released in Japan, sales of Sony Computer Entertainment's (SCEI) new Gran Turismo 3 A-spec game passed 1 million. The racing simulation game, which costs 6800 yen (about $98) and was one of the most eagerly awaited...

Singapore girls just wanna have fun.
July 1, 2001... Just when you thought the deep vein thrombosis debate would lead to more passengers moving their legs while in the air, Singapore Airlines has launched a "new-generation" entertainment system that ensures thousands of passengers are stuck to...

IBM breakthrough rubs out LCD problems.
July 1, 2001... Scientists at IBM have found a new way to align crystal molecules inside flat-panel LCDs (liquid crystal displays) that will provide better screen quality as well as large savings for LCD manufacturers. The principle -- atomic beam...

Freedom ATM means card-less cash.
July 1, 2001... A cashpoint machine which dispenses money by connecting with a mobile phone or PDA may not be that far off, according to technology solutions group NCR which launched its concept ATM, code named Freedom. The egg-shaped cash machine can be...

Philips: first DVD recorder. (News Analysis).
July 1, 2001... Philips has announced that later this year Australians will get what it claims to be the country's first DVD video recorder -- the DVDR1000. Depending on the desired quality, the DVDR1000 will record one to four hours of content on a...

`.info' and `.biz' open up shop. (News Analysis).
July 1, 2001... After much delay, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has approved plans for the roll-out of .biz and .info top-level domain (TLDs) name suffixes. The new TLDs are the first since the mid-1980s and will join .com,...

Researchers to develop 3G phones for the deaf. (News Analysis).
July 1, 2001... The next generation of mobile phones should help deaf people lead more independent lives, if a group of European scientists has its way. Hearing-impaired users will be able to call up news, weather and sports information in sign language...

Myst comes out of Exile.
July 1, 2001... The third instalment of the world's top selling PC adventure game Myst, called Myst III Exile, has been released. The Myst series has been one of the world's most eagerly anticipated PC games, When Myst debuted in 1993 it was the first...

Hands-free car phone kit talks back.
July 1, 2001... Siemens plans to release a new hands-free mobile phone kit that for the first time reads aloud names of callers and senders of SMS (short message service) text messages. The Car Kit Professional Voice II should be available for retail...

A real lesson in broadband. (broadband).
July 1, 2001... It is not just homes and businesses that are gaining from the latest in broadband technology. In a deal between the ACT Department of Education and service provider TransACT, all of Canberra's government schools will be connected to TransACTs...

ADSL on request. (broadband briefs).
July 1, 2001... The number of telcos in the broadband Internet market is growing by the day. The latest entrant is RequestDSL, which chose the now2001 communications trade show in May to launch its wholesale ADSL service called RequestXpress. Request...

Broadband Britain? you must be joking. (broadband briefs).
July 1, 2001... The UK is in the shameful position of being 21st of 30 countries in a study of broadband Internet access adoption. The report by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) found the UK has fewer broadband lines per 100...

Video compression. (DivX).
July 1, 2001... It may seem that digital video needs a new format like a hole in the head, but few of the existing technologies are yet able to deliver a compact format that doesn't eradicate picture quality. This elusive goal has led to the development of...

Hotmail passes 100 million users. (online news).
July 1, 2001... Microsoft's free e-mail service MSN Hotmail has passed the 100 million user mark, while its instant messenger service maintained its top spot against competitors such as Yahoo end AOL Time Warner. According to figures from Microsoft, in...

Site to fight cross-border online fraud. (online news).
July 1, 2001... A new Web site has been launched to aid in the battle against online fraud. Called Econsumer.gov, the site unifies the efforts of 13 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Mexico, and will work to combat cross-border Internet...

MP3.com spins Net-only CDs. (online news).
July 1, 2001... In yet another twist in music's touch-and-go relationship with the Web, online music company MP3.com is offering Internet-only versions of CDs called netCDs, which will be stored online in My.MP3 `music lockers'. Once a customer buys a...

Gateaway opens door for fraudsters. (online news).
July 1, 2001... Computer maker Gateaway found itself rather red faced recently, admitting it had exposed customer information on its Web site. When customers used the site to ascertain delivery costs they were led to two Excel spreadsheets, one containing...

Moving to the next level. (tech.files).
July 1, 2001... The computer industry is unique in that its hardware products are almost guaranteed to under go rapid and continuous improvement. Every month, it seems, there is a newer, faster, cheaper chip that can do more than ever before. We'll take a look...

Macromedia FreeHand 10 and Director 8.5 Beta: content creation software. (first looks).
July 1, 2001... Macromedia, one of the most popular manufacturers of software for making Web content, has produced new versions of two major products. At times, FreeHand has looked out of place in the Macromedia stable, with its Web features seemingly...

Nero Burning ROM 5.5, Easy CD Creator 5.0, Veritas MyCD Pro 2.0: CD burning software. (first looks).
July 1, 2001... CD BURNING SOFTWARE Increasing numbers of people are turning to the CD-ROM for back-up or bulk data storage. We compare the latest versions of three popular software utilities. Nero Burning ROM 5.5 Nero is often cited as the...

Canon PowerShot Pro90 IS: digital camera. (first looks).
July 1, 2001... Entry-level consumer cameras have many capabilities, but they also have their limitations. Most are fully automatic, or have only limited manual modes, which makes them easy for novices to handle but restricts more experienced photographers....

Kodak DX3500: digital camera.
July 1, 2001... This entry-level Kodak follows a different path to that of the Canon reviewed above. Aiming for simplicity, economy and ease of use, this camera has comparatively few controls and is much lighter in construction. Almost a century ago, the...

Casio PC Tag Writer: tag printer and printer mouse. (First Looks).
July 1, 2001... For those times when scribbling on a sticky note is just too much trouble, Casio's Tag Writers offer a handy (literally) alternative: highlight some text on screen, right-click your mouse and -- hey presto! -- a printed message glides from your...

Alpha DVD StarGaze and Mars: informtional DVDS. (First Looks).
July 1, 2001... Our cover CD for May featured a collection of spectacular photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope, prompting local distributor Wild Releasing to send us a couple of space-based educational DVDs created by Alpha DVD. StarGaze: Hubble's...

Targus Universal AC Adapter: multi-purpose portable power adapter. (First Looks).
July 1, 2001... Mobile devices are supposed to make life on the go easier and, for the most part, they do. But no matter how small or lightweight your notebook, PDA, or mobile phone is, you're still saddled with bulky AC adapter bricks to power and recharge...

Compaq MP2800: microportable projector. (First Looks).
July 1, 2001... The Compaq MP2800 projector is one of the smallest units available on the market and provides maximum portability for the corporate traveller, without compromising on superb picture quality or feature set. The MP2800 uses digital light...

A0L 6.0: internet access. (First Looks).
July 1, 2001... AOL is an Internet access and content service aimed at beginners, with the goal of making the online experience as simple as possible. It seems to have some success with this policy, having gained 29 million subscribers worldwide. The...

Jabber Instant Messenger 1.6.0.3: Internet chat client. (First Looks).
July 1, 2001... Instant messaging is great when everyone you need to reach uses the same system, but it can become a Tower of Babel nightmare when they don't. With the free Jabber Instant Messenger, you're able to chat with ICQ, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo...

D-Link DWL-120: USB wireless networking adapter. (First Looks).
July 1, 2001... If you're considering setting up a home or small-business wireless network using the popular 802.11b standard (also known as Wi-Fi), your task has just become easier. The use of this standard means that wireless networks can include products...

Complay Firefly: game controller. (First Looks).
July 1, 2001... Few areas of home computer hardware development are as diverse as that of input devices -- controls which convert human movements into instructions for machines -- and game controllers are some of the most unusual among these. Not only are...

Smart economics: Oz brain training. (Opinions Industry Watch).
July 1, 2001... One of the technological brains which had drained from Australia during the last decade wanted to come home. His mum rang to discuss the dilemma. Here was a smart, highly qualified young man who was prepared to take a significant cut in...

Modifying PHP-Nuke. (Opinions The Open Source).
July 1, 2001... I have a confession to make: I am an undisciplined programmer at heart. Unless someone or something provides external motivation to do otherwise, I tend to jump in and start coding a project without any formal plans. This approach usually...

On the money. (Opinions Read Only).
July 1, 2001... Today I sold my motorcycle. My motorcycle, my conveyance, my noisy joy, my slowly rusting friend. Two days ago I placed an ad in the Trading Post via the Net. Then a man called: "I think I want it," he said, and you could hear in his voice...

Telstra out of touch? (Readers' forum).
July 1, 2001... Thank you for your discussion of Telstra ADSL in the May issue of PC World. As someone who has been a BigPond subscriber for a few years, and an ADSL subscriber since February of this year, I have been quite shaken by the unreliability of...

More ADSL trials. (Readers' forum).
July 1, 2001... This is the tale of a rather long saga showing my attempts to use ADSL, and Telstra's lack of service. I ordered ADSL and, once the order was confirmed, I was contacted and told that the service would be installed on Monday 9 April 2001....

Software privacy concerns. (Readers' forum).
July 1, 2001... After recently reading about the ability of the latest versions of Microsoft programs to allow Mr Gates & Co. to remotely identify our personal computers without our knowledge, much less our permission, I'm terrified. Is this practice explained...

Power browsing: beef up your browser with these plug-ins, add-ons, and tips for getting the most out of the Web. (Feature Web And You).
July 1, 2001... If you go online using a Web browser alone, you're only minimally equipped for the Internet. A Web browser by itself can take you only so far. It can't help you do extensive research, for example, or play video clips on its own. To make...

Buyer beware Part II of our report on spotting a scam: pay for a colour TV and get a black-and-white model, and you know something is fishy. But can you tell whether the 1000MHz Pentium III you bought really is what it claims to be? Aldis Ozols teaches you the secrets of smart. (Feature Buyer Beware).
July 1, 2001... In the rapidly changing PC world, unskilled and unwary buyers are at the mercy of the computer retailer's knowledge of the marketplace. A few unscrupulous dealers take advantage of the customer's ignorance to rake in unjustifiable and sometimes...

Fortress PC: how can you patch up the holes and keep attackers at bay? our ultimate guide to system security gives you the tools you need: antivirus utilities, firewalls, file encryptors, and other PC protectors. (Feature Security Toolkit).
July 1, 2001... As Henry Kissinger once said, "Even a paranoid has some real enemies." And anyone who uses a computer has something to fear from the Internet's scurvy crew of hackers, crackers, and virus writers, or from companies that want to track your...

Why hackers attack: computer intrusions have more than tripled in the last two years. Who are the people trying to get their hands on your data, and why? We got answers from some experts -- including hackers themselves. (Feature Hackers).
July 1, 2001... He couldn't be more than 12 years old, but that doesn't stop him from possessing the swagger of a pop star as he takes a swig of soft drink, stubs out a cigarette, and squints at the screen that has held his attention for the past six hours....

Peer-to-peer gets down to business: the file-sharing site Napster -- one of the biggest Web stories of the past year -- put peer-based networking in the news. Now businesses are using similar technology to collaborate, share data, and more. (eComWorld).
July 1, 2001... Have you been wondering what to do with all the processing power, surplus hard disk space, and high-speed Internet connections you've built up over the past few years? Take a clue from Napster. The renegade MP3-swapping site may be on the...

Mixed news from economic downturn. (News).
July 1, 2001... While one in two business owners saw a bright future for e-commerce in July 2000, that optimism has declined noticeably as the IT industry and other economic sectors try to weather the current economic slowdown. A new study released in...

Domain names set for big changes. (eComWorld).
July 1, 2001... The .au Domain Administration (auDA) board has approved the final recommendations for its naming policies, clearing the way for significant changes to the Australian domain name system (DNS). The board has accepted in full the...

ESign launches warranty program. (eComWorld).
July 1, 2001... In a bid to help organisations that conduct business over the Web feel secure in using e-commerce. eSign has launched the eSign Protection Plan. Customers of eSign's Web server certificates will automatically be covered by the plan against...

Forrester: the Web will die. (eComWorld).
July 1, 2001... Dumb, boring, dusty -- according to technology research firm Forrester Research, that's just what today's Web is. In a report released in May, the research firm predicts that the Internet will experience a second round of expansion that...

Case study: integrity data www.integritydata.com.au.: new methods, new margins. (e-ComWorld).
July 1, 2001... When South Australian enterprise wireless solutions distributor Integrity Data took on a SOHO product, the company faced a marketing problem. The margins were too low to make it viable through its normal sales channels, so another way of...

The e-mail rules: manage the medium: like getting e-mail? Great, I'll forward you some of mine. Be careful what you ask for, though. I send roughly 22,000 e-mail messages a year and receive more than twice that amount. (eComWorld).
July 1, 2001... How do I know? Eudora, my e-mail client of choice, tracks all my e-mail use, reporting, for example, that about 3500 of the messages I received last year had attachments, of which I read only about 60 per cent. Here are some of my e-mail...

Special Report: education and technology.
July 1, 2001... The area most affected by the march of technology is probably education. From PCs in schoolrooms to online learning, computers and the Internet are rapidly changing the way we learn -- and the way we view the entire education process. Gone...

Too cool for school: sites of learning: don't forget the Web in your quest for knowledge! There are loads of useful -- sometimes fun, as well -- sites to help get homework in on time. Here are some for students of all ages, plus a sample of the vast range of educational software available.
July 1, 2001... It's tough finding a lot of things on the Web, and suitable educational material for kids is one of the hardest to find. When you find the right stuff, though, the Web can be an educational goldmine. We trawled through the Web to find the best...

Software for pre-schoolers/early primary.
July 1, 2001... The educational software for very young children segment is an extremely active one. Here's a sample of the extensive range of products out there: ADIBOO DISCOVER MAZES Scholastic New Media www.scholastic.com.au/newmedia ...

Software for primary schoold kids.
July 1, 2001... This is where things get fun: developers of software for primary school children try to work in a good deal of entertainment with the learning. Here's a sample: CODEHEAD X-TREME CULTURE Scholastic New Media ...

Software for high-schoolers.
July 1, 2001... When it comes to secondary schoolchildren, software runs the gamut of products designed, from helping them to ace their exams to building new interests, These are just a few examples: MEGALEX MACQUARIE CONCISE DICTIONARY V3 Scholastic...

Tips for buying software for kids.
July 1, 2001... DO find titles that fit with your child's schoolwork and interests. DO research before you shop; very few stores will have a sales assistant expert in education software. DO check the return policy before you buy -- in case your kids...

Breaking into IT: looking for new opportunities? with over 1 million vacant IT positions worldwide, chances are one of them is the right one for you.
July 1, 2001... Make no mistake about it: the IT skills shortage is real. In a November 2000 survey of training managers from Australia's blue chip companies (coveting 80,000 employees), conducted by The Leading Edge Market Research Consultants, more than 60...

Hot jobs.
July 1, 2001... What out's there in the Australian IT job market? Here's a list of some typical in-demand positions, according to our recruitment experts: HELPDESK PROFESSIONAL You must have previous helpdesk experience, outstanding communication...

Talman: portrait of an Aussie employer.
July 1, 2001... There aren't many IT companies that can say they've been in operation for 25 years. Even fewer are Australian. Nevertheless, as founder/director Peter Metcalf is only too happy to point out, Sydney-based wool industry software specialist Talman...

Certification uncertainty: is a vendor certification your ticket to a great job? Maybe: things aren't what they used to be.
July 1, 2001... Many vendors have recognised the skill shortage and therefore have structured courses to provide school leavers and others with the technical ability needed to gain entry into certain areas within the IT industry. For example, Cisco offers its...

Unisys: portrait of a multinational employer.
July 1, 2001... Formed in the 1986 merger of Sperry and Burroughs, Unisys has a history that stretches back over 100 years to the original Burroughs adding machine company. Offering hardware, software, services and support to the corporate world, it is now one...

To degree or not to degree? There are many ways to break into IT, but nothing helps you get a foot in an employer's door better than tertiary education.
July 1, 2001... "First time candidates have few options unless they undertake some sort of education." That's the assessment offered by Mike Bryan, branch operations manager for Candle IT Recruitment. Experience may be what employers prize most of all, but for...

Stay at home, get educated! An ever-widening array of Internet-based learning means you can fit courses from around the world into your schedule.
July 1, 2001... One of the original purposes of the Internet -- aside from the story that it was developed as a nuclear war-proof means of communication for the United States military -- was to increase and facilitate the exchange of academic information....

Microsoft's big bet. (Feature Microsoft's Big Bet).
July 1, 2001... Is Microsoft ever out of the news? This time it's not the high drama of an antitrust battle with the US Government; instead, Microsoft is hitting the market with a raft of product releases intended to simplify its product lines, lock out the...

Best buys: home, sub-$2000 & business PCs. (Best Buys PCs).
July 1, 2001... 1 e@Pc Dominator - Series 6.1 NEW Since debuting with two hot pole position-grabbing machines in last month's issue, e@Pc has continued to dominate our Best Buys charts. This time, it secures number one position on the Home chart with a...

Best buys: notebooks. (Best Buys Notebooks).
July 1, 2001... 1 Dell Inspiron 8000 Within the dark grey casing of the 8000 is a PIII 1GHz, 128MB of RAM, 32MB DDR SDRAM NVIDIA GeForce2 Go video controller, ESS Maestro 3 audio controller, 8x DVD-ROM drive, single eight-cell lithium ion battery,...

Best buys: inkjet printers. (Best Buys Inkjet Printers).
July 1, 2001... This month we examine the latest colour inkjet printers on offer. There is currently a large pool of available models, so we asked printer vendors to submit one printer priced under $200, one between $200 and $500 and one between $500 and...

Scanning with SANE. (using Linux).
July 1, 2001... SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy) is an open source project that provides Linux and UNIX drivers for a range of image capture devices including scanners. It is currently the premium choice for scanning with Linux, as it incorporates into one...

Install a bigger, faster hard drive. (Here's How Upgrader).
July 1, 2001... Installing a new hard drive remains one of the most popular upgrade projects for PC users. And it's easy to see why. Today's drives are bigger than ever and bargain priced, and they offer a performance boost, as well. You'll need that extra...

Defrag troubleshooting. (Windows 9x).
July 1, 2001... Fragmentation of a hard drive occurs when you undertake a lot of data and application management duties. Creating, deleting, copying and moving files will, in time, mean that data being saved to your hard disk will be scattered, instead of...

Perform server tasks. (Windows 2000).
July 1, 2001... Even though Windows 2000 Professional is mainly a desktop operating system, it can perform server tasks as well. It ships with Internet Information Server (IIS) 5.0, which can be used as a development Web server, or to serve up a small site for...

File protection for me. (windows me).
July 1, 2001... The stability of an operating system is almost always compromised when vendors of third-party products try to overwrite its system files with versions of their own, sometimes customised, files. This can cause problems with other applications on...

Getting started with Linux file management. (Linux).
July 1, 2001... This month, in addition to the LinuxWorld print section, PC World has resurrected the Here's How column on Linux. Many PC World readers have installed Linux for the first time from one of our cover CDs or the Linux Minibook, and in this column...

Make Mac OS X more familiar. (Mac OS).
July 1, 2001... Mac OS X is the biggest change to the way the Mac works in, well, ever. For a start, it's based on Unix. For another thing, its user interface owes as much to the NeXT operating system Apple acquired when it bought Steve Jobs as it does to...

Creating sound schemes for Windows. (audio).
July 1, 2001... Chances are you have heard the Windows startup sound when you switch on your PC, or heard your computer beep in distaste when an alert or error message appears. These default sounds may well be to your taste, but they can be changed if not....

Red-eye. (graphics).
July 1, 2001... Many people have bemoaned the appearance of red-eye in photographs. Since many important events are held either indoors or at night, this unwanted effect can ruin treasured photographs. Thankfully, you can use your PC to remove red-eye, bur it...

Introducing HTML. (HTML).
July 1, 2001... HTML is a new addition to the Here's How section. Each month this column will cover topics from basic concepts to building Web sites, site design and more advanced tricks. If you think HTML is only for die-hard Web-heads, then you may be...