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It happens to all of us eventually, theExtremeTech staff probably more than most. Whether due to failure orobsolescence—or after you've run out of alternative upgrade paths—itcomes time to pull a motherboard out of a working system and replace itwith something different.
That's a job. It requires you to pull all of your expansion cards,disconnect and work around all the cabling, wrest the big board fromsometimes-tight quarters within a case, prep the new board, wiggle itinto that possibly cramped quarter, and, when you think you're alldone, you still have to coax Windows through the trauma of waking upwith new hardware.
We find the process daunting but fun—but then again, we're almostdisgustingly techy. If it's less of a treat for you, we've got, well, atreat for you. In the following pages we share our very best hints onswapping out a motherboard, culled from years of experience and scoresof system builds and upgrades.
Now, remember—this is a series of tips, not a step by step how-to.Don't expect a full-on motherboard installation manual; instead, usethe manual that comes with your motherboard, and use our tips to makethe job even easier.
Also, we're assuming you're keeping your existing Windowsinstallation in place. In general, it's better to perform a freshoperating system install if you're replacing your motherboard, butpractical realities often prevent this. So we've got a number of tipsthat should help you prep your Windows installation for the switch,then bring it up properly.
Preparing Windows for the Inevitable Freak-out The first stepin motherboard replacement is to prepare the operating system, andsince most of the world runs on Windows, we'll concentrate on that.Before you even think about pulling the board out of the case:
Uninstall motherboard drivers. Anything you installed withthe disc that came with your previous motherboard (or anything youdownloaded specifically for that board) has to come out. You can dothis easily through Add/Remove Programs (XP) or Uninstall a Program(Vista) in Control Panel.
Don't forget, during your uninstallations, to remove drivers foronboard devices. If your motherboard contains, and you installeddrivers for, an audio codec, a graphics subsystem, a Wi-Fi networkinterface, a wired Ethernet interface, or what have you, uninstall thedrivers for them.
You may leave drivers for expansion cards in place, but you mayhave to reinstall them after the upgrade process. Graphics drivers areespecially touchy.
This is a good time for general maintenance: Clean up the harddrive. Empty the recycle bin, delete old files you don't need any more,uninstall unused programs, run a registry cleaner if you're into thatsort of thing, and generally tidy up. Then, defrag the hard drive.
Make a complete backup of your system. If you have the necessarysoftware, create an image (in other words, an exact snapshot saved to afile) of your entire hard drive(s). If not, use Windows' own backupsoftware to create a complete backup. At the very least, save off yourimportant data files to removable media. You must do this. Shouldsomething go awry and you lose the contents of the drive, you willregret it if you don't back everything up.
Remember Your Activations!
If you have applications that require activation, those may be tied tosome portion of your existing motherboard. The most obvious of these isWindows itself. However, a number of other applications, including somegames and Adobe applications, may also require activations.
The best thing to do is to deactivate and uninstallthese apps. This is particularly true for Adobe apps. You can thenreinstall and reactivate as needed after your motherboard upgrade isdone. Of course, you'll also want the correct CD key or serial numbersfor those apps. In the case of Windows, you may not be able to activateover the Internet, but will need to talk to a live human through theWindows activation phone line. We've never had a reactivation turneddown using this method.
Removing the Old Board
Now that you've tidied up, backed up, and generally prepared thesoftware, it's time to do battle with the hardware. The first step, ofcourse, is to remove the outgoing motherboard. Let's hope your computercase doesn't have any sharp edges. Tips ahoy:
Make sure you have plenty of room to operate. Clean off aworkbench and place the off, unplugged system upon it. Make absolutelysure there aren't any metal shavings or other metal detritus on thebench.
Be static-safe: Plant your feet and ground yourself before touching any electronics. If you move your feet, repeat the process.
Have some sort of repository ready for screws that would otherwiseroll or get scattered away. Old 35mm film canisters work well, as dopaint can tops, shot glasses, or (clean) ashtrays. As you pull screws, drop them in the container for easy access later when you're reassembling the system.
Pull as many wires as you can from the board before you pull it outof the case. It's easier to remove data and power cables with the boardscrewed tight into the enclosure.
Leave the CPU, cooler, and memory in place until the board is out.It's much easier to remove them (or just discard them if you'reupgrading everything) when they're out of the case.
Keep any expansion cards you remove from the PC in antistatic bags,especially if you plan to transfer them to the new system. Set them ina safe place until you're ready to place them into the newly remodeledcomputer.
Leave the cabling in place, but move it out of the way. Sure, youhave to pull cables from the motherboard, but you don't have to pullthe other ends. Leave the cables in your system's hard drive, opticaldrive, media card reader, and so on; simply pull them aside or cramthem in a handy crevice to make room for board swapping.
If your case has a removable drive mount rack, remove it to make more room for trading the motherboards.
Pull the motherboard up by the edges as much as possible. If youmust grab something else, grab a plastic expansion slot; don't move theboard by the CPU cooler, the installed memory, or the various north-and south-bridge heat sinks.
Place the board and any components you won't need in antistaticbags and keep them safe until you know you won't need them (say, incase the new board is a nonworking dud). You might even place the oldboard in the box your new motherboard came in, relabeling it with amarker.
Preparing and Installing the New Board
Now it's time to reverse the process and install the brand-newmotherboard, and any other new components, into the system currentlyunder the proverbial surgical knife. Here are the tips:
Unbox the motherboard and examine it. Familiarity will makelife easier, especially if it's significantly different from your oldone. Know where the SATA and, if necessary, IDE and floppy ports are.Check out the CPU socket if it's different from your old one (it'squite a culture shock to go from an AMD-style ZIF (zero insertionforce) socket to an Intel-style LGA (land grid array) socket).
Also examine the extra stuff that came with your new board. You'llprobably have SATA cables, an IDE cable, a floppy cable, some expansionbrackets for USB and/or IEEE 1394 ports with onboard headers, a bookand CD or DVD, and, depending on the price point of your board and thegenerosity of the manufacturer, other goodies. Decide whether you planto use any of it, and unwrap that which you will.
Check the layout of screw holes in the board and brass standoffs inthe case. Make sure they all match up, and move any brass standoffsthat do not match with motherboard screw holes.
Install the CPU, CPU cooler, and memory before you insert the boardinto the case. It's far easier to do that on a nice, flat surface thanit is when the board is deep within the confines of the enclosure.
Lay the board on the corner of the case and attach as muchcabling as you can. It's easier to attach cables with the board out ofthe case than with it buried within. Attach SATA, IDE, and floppy datacables to their ports; front-panel connectors to the front panelheaders; any expansion bracket ports you wish to use to the properheaders; and even the power supply cables.
Lower the board into the case by the edges. Again, if you have tomaneuver it by a component, avoid the RAM and cooling parts in favor ofexpansion slots.
Screw the case into place with every screw available. Secure itsolidly within the case. With electricity and fan action comesvibration: Using every available screw will cut down on vibration thatcan eventually cause premature failure of the board.
Finally, replace any straggling wires, add expansion cards and you're almost ready.
When you first start the system up, do it with the case open. Makesure the PC will POST before you even think of sealing it up. You mighteven launch Windows once before you close the case. There's some sortof law of nature that says if you close the case too early, somethingwill be loose or unplugged and you'll just have to open it again.<!-- start ziffarticle //-->
Resolving Windows' Contortions of Protest
A Windows computer doesn't relish the idea of getting new insides.Windows installs hoards of low-level subsystem drivers on installation,and when you change-up the low-level subsystems the OS gets fidgety.Here are some tips to make its reentry a bit smoother:
Begin by letting it do its thing. It will run its driverinstallation routine for what might seem like hours. Let it install allits low-level stuff; anything you install manually will supersedeWindows' built-in drivers.
As dialog boxes appear asking for discs or driver locations, click Cancel on them. You'll install any drivers Windows doesn't already have on your own.
Windows will probably want to reboot between two and fifty times(we're kidding!) before it lets you install drivers. Allow it to do so.
When the time comes that Windows finally stops installing its owndrivers, start installing your own. Do them in this order: Motherboardcore INF files; then any other motherboard drivers (SATA/RAID,Ethernet, audio, and so on); then graphics; then any other devices thataren't working.
If you're unsure about which devices need drivers, use DeviceManager. It's available in the System area of Control Panel andpresents a list of devices in the computer. Devices lacking driverswill appear with an alert icon near their entries.
When your drivers are all installed, you should be through with the process. Enjoy your new souped up computer!
Upgrading your motherboard doesn't have to be an adverse experience.Our tips should help you streamline your motherboard install, reducefrustration, and enable a smooth transition.
lol, srry, i didnt read thru all the posts =/.. but i still have a problem. i get the pop-up when i click dl, but the pop-up sez O open file[browse]
O save file
[] do this automatically for files like thisfrom now on.
i have nothing that sez run'...
i might just quit the whole macro thing.. i just wanted a 99 stat b4 gears of war2(nov. 7) came out.. but...... any and all help is appreciated, ty
uhhh.. how do i work this? i have dl both the files above, and i now have them on my desktop, but when i double click on them, all i get is a new window that looks exactly the same as the window when i first went to dl it... i just want a program that i can dl, click on it, and start doing w/e auto i want...
it, evidently, is a little more complicated than that.. plz and ty
Samsung has finally confirmed the rumours that it is putting their laptop HDDs Spinpoint M6 and M2 into mass production.
TheM2 – which Samsung call 'one of the world's fastest laptop hard drives'– is a 250GB 2.5in hard drive which operates at a 7200rpm rotationspeed, the MP2 which would appear to be well-suited to desktopreplacement laptops and gaming laptops.
The Spinpoint M6, a500GB drive, is built for the expanding data storage needs of modernlaptops and features a 5400rpm spindle speed, a 8MB cache, and 3.0GbpsSATA interface.
Stick it in your notebook "TheSpinpoint M6 is ideal for notebook power users who require vast amountsof storage space for their data, video and music files," said HubbertSmith, Director of Storage, Samsung Semiconductor.
"The MP2 hasspeed, features and capacity similar to a 3.5in hard drive and isperfect for users who require a smaller form factor with advanced datastorage needs."
F1 racing Meanwhile,Samsung has confirmed that its new Spinpoint F1 RAID Class SATA 1TBcapacity HD has gone into mass production and will be available soon.
Featuringa 334GB per-platter capacity, a 7200RPM spindle speed and a 32MB cache– Samsung has also included its rotational vibration controller and anoptimised system-on-chip (SOC) that lowers power consumption.
Apple hasunveiled MobileMe, which is a push method of controlling calendars,emails and contacts by sending the information from a remotely storedbase. The service replaces the .Mac service which hasn’t really set the world alight so far. The programme works with Mac, PC and iPhone, and works with Mail, iCal and Address book on the Mac, or Outlook on Windows. Applehas also built a suite of web 2.0 applications for the MobileMe serviceusing Ajax, which provides a desktop-like experience on the web tointeract with the data, and can be accessed at me.com. Send photos from the beach Photoscan even be synched over the air, either from the iPhone or a Mac orPC, which means Apple is working to drop hard into the Web 2.0 spaceGoogle and Yahoo have been beavering away at over the last two years. MobileMealso has over the air interaction; i.e. email is sent to the device, itinteracts with Google Maps, finds a restaurant mentioned in the email,and stores it as a contact for use on your computer. Unveiled atWWDC, it was termed as a perfect application for the iPhone or iPodtouch for $99 per year with 20GB storage, but it comes with a free 60day trial.
MobileMe Difference between .Mac and MobileMe While mostly replacing .Mac (which was primarily centered aroundInternet services for Apple's desktop and notebook computers), MobileMeprovides Internet services for both Mac OS X and the iPhone OS as well as the iPod touch device and Microsoft Windowsusers. This means that now you are not restricted to a Mac runningsoftware like Mail and iCal, but can access your personal data from anycomputer connected to the internet. Features Storage 20GB of online storage featuring 200GB of monthly transfer. Thefamily pack includes this for the main user as well as 5GB of storageand 50GB of transfer for each sub user (up to four additional users)
Mail Free Push Mail. Includes a @me.com email address. When a message is received it is sent directly to all the user's devices.
Address Book Address Book (Push). When a contacted is added or amended it is updated immediately on all the user's devices.
Calendar Calendar (Push). When a calendar appointment is added or amended it is updated immediately on all the user's devices. Gallery Public photo gallery. Photos can be uploaded in the web browser or synced by iPhoto on a mac
iDisk iDisk, which is accessible via a web browser, the Finder on a Mac, or as a remote disk in Microsoft Windows.The iDisk can also share files by emailing a link to the intendedrecipient. Another feature is to set an expiration on the link. Thismeans access to file will stop after a set number of downloads or aftercertain time period.
Web 2.0 MobileMe uses web 2.0 technologies to provide the look and feel of desktop-class applications in the user's web browser.
Pricing An Individual purchase of a MobileMe account for one-year is $99 USD (£59), while a Family Packsubscription (which includes one individual account and four familyaccounts with a specific email address for each one) is $149 USD (£89)for one year. The Individual account will have 20GB of combined emailand file storage and 200GB of monthly data transfer, while the FamilyPack will have, for each account in the Pack, 5GB of combined email andfile storage, and 50GB of monthly data transfer.
Competitors MobileMe is supposed to comprise Microsoft Exchange-like features for consumers.
Browser Support MobileMe's online services can be accessed in Desktop Applications.MobileMe also allows access to the user's data in desktop-likeenvironment in a web browser. Featured browsers are:
WWDC 2008 is currently taking place from June 9 to June 13 at Moscone West, San Francisco.
Applereported that, for the first time, this conference is sold out. Thereare three tracks for developers, iPhone, Mac, and IT.
Announcementsat the keynote included the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch, thestable version of the iPhone SDK, a subsidized 3G version of the iPhonefor Worldwide markets, version 2.0 of the iPhone OS, Mac OS X v10.6,and the replacement/rebranding of .Mac as MobileMe. Mac OS X version 10.6 "Snow Leopard" is the presumptive designation of Apple's next major version of Mac OS X. It was announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs at WWDC on June 9, 2008. It is scheduled to ship "about a year" from the announcement. Mac OS X v10.6 will not introduce any major new features, ratherfocusing on improving performance, stability and reducing the footprintof Mac OS X. However, full support for Microsoft Exchange will be included. Snow Leopard
MobileMe Difference between .Mac and MobileMe While mostly replacing .Mac (which was primarily centered aroundInternet services for Apple's desktop and notebook computers), MobileMeprovides Internet services for both Mac OS X and the iPhone OS as well as the iPod touch device and Microsoft Windowsusers. This means that now you are not restricted to a Mac runningsoftware like Mail and iCal, but can access your personal data from anycomputer connected to the internet. Features Storage 20GB of online storage featuring 200GB of monthly transfer. Thefamily pack includes this for the main user as well as 5GB of storageand 50GB of transfer for each sub user (up to four additional users)
Mail Free Push Mail. Includes a @me.com email address. When a message is received it is sent directly to all the user's devices.
Address Book Address Book (Push). When a contacted is added or amended it is updated immediately on all the user's devices.
Calendar Calendar (Push). When a calendar appointment is added or amended it is updated immediately on all the user's devices. Gallery Public photo gallery. Photos can be uploaded in the web browser or synced by iPhoto on a mac
iDisk iDisk, which is accessible via a web browser, the Finder on a Mac, or as a remote disk in Microsoft Windows.The iDisk can also share files by emailing a link to the intendedrecipient. Another feature is to set an expiration on the link. Thismeans access to file will stop after a set number of downloads or aftercertain time period.
Web 2.0 MobileMe uses web 2.0 technologies to provide the look and feel of desktop-class applications in the user's web browser.
Pricing An Individual purchase of a MobileMe account for one-year is $99 USD (£59), while a Family Packsubscription (which includes one individual account and four familyaccounts with a specific email address for each one) is $149 USD (£89)for one year. The Individual account will have 20GB of combined emailand file storage and 200GB of monthly data transfer, while the FamilyPack will have, for each account in the Pack, 5GB of combined email andfile storage, and 50GB of monthly data transfer.
Competitors MobileMe is supposed to comprise Microsoft Exchange-like features for consumers.
Browser Support MobileMe's online services can be accessed in Desktop Applications.MobileMe also allows access to the user's data in desktop-likeenvironment in a web browser. Featured browsers are:
Safari 3 or later (Mac + PC)
Firefox 2 or later (Mac + PC)
Internet Explorer 7 (PC)
iPhone 2.0
Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support
Push email
Push contacts
Push calendar
Global Address List
Certificates and Identities
WPA2/802.1x
Enforced security policies
Extra keyboard languages including Chinese and Korean
Cisco IPsec VPN support
Device configuration
Remote wipe
Ability to view PowerPoint attachments
Mass email delete
Mass email move
Bonjour service discovery protocol
Support for SVG
Parental controls
Ability to search contacts
App Store (To manage third-party applications)
New "Calendar" menu in "Settings"
Updated calculator with extra features in portrait mode, a scientific calculator in landscape mode and an updated icon.
Updated iTunes with a new icon and reordered category icons within iTunes application.
Ability to save or open images from websites in Safari
Support for Traditional and Simplified Chinese handwriting recognition
Geotagging
Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Korean and Brazilian Portuguese language interface in iPhone, previously these languages were only in the iPod Touch since 1.1.1
Workers hang Apple's logo outside Moscone Center, where the Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off Monday. (Credit: James Martin/CNET News.com) Expect to hear new details about the future of Apple's Mac OS X andWeb business next week at the Worldwide Developers Conference--and wethink there might be a new iPhone, too. On Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs will take the stage at the Moscone WestConvention Center in San Francisco to address a gathering of Apple'sdevelopers and the media. This year's WWDCis sold out to the development community, who will be hearing formalpresentations by Apple on both Mac and iPhone development during theweek's sessions and meetings. Anyone with even a passing interest in consumer electronics is probably aware that Apple is expected to unveil the next generation of the iPhone in the near future. The older version has been sold out for weeks as we approach the anniversary of the first model's debut, and anticipation of a model that can connect to 3G cellular networks has been building almost since that date last year. One of the primary drawbacks of the first iteration of the iPhone hasbeen its reliance on the slower EDGE network outside of Wi-Fi hotspots, which can make downloading a Web page an exercise in patience.Upgrading to a faster connection should encourage people to do more Webbrowsing outside of Wi-Fi connections and could open up a whole newclass of applications that need a faster pipe to work effectively. Apple is also expected to include GPS technologyinside the latest version, another development that could pique thesoftware development community's interest in the iPhone. Location-awareservices are available on several phones that use GPS technology, andthe iPhone developers could soon be ready to join the party. Will the new iPhone be available immediately following Jobs' keynote?It's not clear. There have been conflicting reports, but Brian Tong ofCNET TV is hearing from his sources that Apple Retail employees havenot yet been told whether they'll need to report early on Monday for aspecial training session, which the company has done in the past beforemajor announcements. Next Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs could announce a new iPhone and a new operating system. (Credit: Apple) While the iPhone gets all the attention as the new kid on the block,WWDC is always, in large part, about the Mac. Apple chose a picture oftwo Golden Gate bridges branching off in different directions toillustrate its WWDC invitation, and while the iPhone branch mightaccount for the sold-out conference, the Mac branch is the bread andbutter of this conference. The Unofficial Apple Weblogreported on Wednesday that Apple would be providing developers with anearly version of Mac OS X 10.6 during the conference. It's unclearwhether that means Apple is ready to start demonstrating features fromthat release, but the report said the new version is expected to focuson "stability and security." Apple released Leopard, Mac OS X 10.5, last October after a delay needed to make sure the iPhone arrived on time. At the time, Jobs told The New York Times that he wants Apple to stick to an operating-system deployment cycle of 12 to 18 months. TUAW's report says Apple could be eyeing a Macworld 2009 release forMac OS X 10.6, which would certainly nestle within that time frame.Microsoft recently said it wants to get the next version of Windows out by the end of 2009. Another interesting part of that report is the notion that 10.6 will bean Intel-only release. Users of older Macs running PowerPC chips wereable to upgrade to Leopard, but the report suggests that Apple willdrop PowerPC support with the next release. Apple will likely spend a healthy portion of Jobs' keynote discussingMac OS X, but it remains to be seen how much of a peek we'll get at thenext version. One question on the minds of many Apple users: afterwhich big cat will Apple choose to name the next release? Ars Technica's Infinite Loopreported Wednesday that "Snow Leopard" was the name slated for the nextversion, which sounds like it could be somewhat confusing, given thefact that the current version is called Leopard. In a poll on TUAW'ssite, "Cougar" was in the lead, trailed by "Lynx" and "LOLcat," the last of which we can probably eliminate. The third leg of the WWDC presentation could involve Apple's .Macservice. There have been a number of recent signs that Apple isrethinking its presence on the Internet, with new domain names beingsnapped up by the company and code strings in the iPhone SDK suggesting that a new name is on tap. One interesting thing to watch for concerning any new version of .Macis how much of the service Apple keeps in-house, as opposed to bringinga Web-savvy partner like Google into the mix. The .Mac service is a good idea, but it isn't widely used among Mac users due to issues with its stability, feature list, and price tag. Any or all of those objections could change, if Apple transfers theback end of the service to a huge Internet services provider likeGoogle, and uses the service to bring Macs and iPhones together ininteresting ways. As usual, Apple is very tight-lipped about what may or may not bearriving during this year's WWDC. The latest iPhone may or may not beready for an actual release on the first day of the show, but expectthe topic to be the highlight of the day's announcements.
Valve has an odd way of getting the news about big developments out into the open. At a recent press event, with around seven journalists in attendance,Gabe Newell spoke about PC gaming and announced an exciting new featurefor Steam. You see, your personal computer may become the leastimportant part of your PC gaming experience. Steam Cloud hopes to keepeverything from your purchased games, to your saved game files andcontrol configurations, on a central server so you can log onto youraccount from anywhere and pick up exactly where you left off; you won'teven have to invert your mouse.
Valve's plan for Steam doesn't lack ambition; the company wants as manygames as humanly possible on the service, and they want as manydevelopers as possible taking advantage of what the platform offers.These seem like lofty goals, but it's also hard to argue with the stepsbeing taken to achieve them. The Steamworks SDK allows developers to drop Steam and its benefits into games quickly and easily, and hardly a week goes by without news of more games being added to the service. The independent title Audiosurf was a big hit at last year's Game Developers Conference, and became a surprise hit on the service.
The social aspects of Steam are also well-implemented, creating theXbox Live-type experience on the PC that Microsoft desperately wanted,and failed to deliver. Even worse for the competition, Steam is freeand, with a wide user-base of entrenched PC gamers, it's going to behard to compete with the service. The growing pains seem to be over.
While all these developments make sense, the Steam Cloudannouncement doesn't appear part of the rather linear growth offeatures Steam has already enjoyed. The SDK helps developers get onboard, the social networking and cross-game invitation system createsgamer loyalty, but how many people have ever wanted to play Half-Life 2at a friend's house? The obvious winners will be LAN centers, whoseusers will now be able to play their own games seamlessly, but that's amarket that exists largely outside of North America. There is a demandto make content such as music and video portable to be used on multipledevices, but it's hard to say how many serious PC gamers wish to sitdown at locations away from their home to play their games. It's awelcome feature, but it may not have the broad impact that Valvehopes.
The Medic was the first TF2 class to see dramatic updates
What Steam does easily is allow games to evolve, and Valve's Robin Walker told Next Generation that's the direction that the company is moving towards. Team Fortress 2is a game that launched with a smaller number of maps than mostmultiplayer games, but the title has seen a staggering 53 updates sincelaunch. Valve is watching the community and making constant, smallnudges to improve the game based on the constant feedback it receives.These updates add new content and change existing strategies,keeping the game fresh for players. This is an interesting blueprintfor Valve: smaller games that both expand and focus on what playerswant as time goes on.
No one in the PC gaming industry has ever tried to create somethingas ambitious as Steam, and Valve seems to want it all for its service.Blazing this trail means missteps and odd choices, and it's possiblethat Steam Cloud may be more useful than it at first appears. What isclear is that Steam has done more things right than wrong, and PCgaming is changing with it.
Related
Valve Steam Cloud - Online storage for saved games like CS:S
Adobe announced that public betas of the CS4 version of Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Soundbooth are now available at Adobe labs.While the downloads are publicly available, only existing CS3 ownerswill be able to use the beta software beyond an initial 48 hour window.
TheDreamweaver beta for Web design and development, the Fireworks beta forprototyping, and the Soundbooth beta for audio creating and editing,demonstrate the direction that Adobe Creative Suite is taking withfeatures and technologies that will simplify and streamline design anddevelopment workflows across all media. The betas also offer users theopportunity to give Adobe feedback for further product development.
Adobe lists the new features included in each beta on their respective pages: Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks CS4, Soundbooth CS4.
The firm said the betas are available to anyone wanting to test the products. However they will only be active for 48 hours after download, and after that only Creative Suite 3 customers will be able to continue using them.
Features in the Dreamweaver beta include Code Navigator and a Related Files Toolbar that allows developers to view pages containing links to embedded XML data, JavaScript docs and HTML files.
The Fireworks beta is compatible with the firm’s rich web product Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) as well as Flash, HTML and Flex builder.
Soundbooth’s beta comes loaded with audio production features that include a speech-to-text option, multiple track support to edit audio clips and to tweak volume levels across audio files. MP3 compression settings can also be previewed before users save the file.
Creative Suite 4 is expected to ship late this year or in early 2009.
The (minified) code weighs in at about 11 Kb, but unlike the Mario gamefrom last month, this one uses several external image files. This wasmore a test of how smooth I could get a game like this to feel, anyway,so filesize wasn't an issue. I think it runs pretty ok, though.
Thereare a couple of rendering settings you can play with. "Quality"controls how many horizontal lines are rendered, "Screen scale"controls the size of the screen (duh). Both trade visual appearance forperformance.
There are also two different rendering modes. The"Single canvas" mode seems the fastest for all browsers. For thetechnically curious, the difference is in the way each horizontal lineis rendered. In the single canvas mode every line is drawn unto thesame large canvas, whereas in the "Per-line canvas" mode, each line hasit's own canvas. They both give different visual appearances, so trythem out if you want.
The sprites were all found at The Shyguy Kingdom and the maps were found at Rick N. Bruns' snesmaps.com, so thanks to those two sites!
Sofar, it's just racing. No weapons or any of that fancy stuff. At themoment, you can choose from 3 different drivers (Mario, Luigi andPrincess Peach) and 2 different maps (Mushroom Cup Round 1 and 2).There is no lap count, no timer and no finish. You can just race aroundforever and try to beat the others (it's not hard, especially if cut afew corners). The AI is rather crude, but seems to work ok for the timebeing.
There is (simple) collision detection against theboundaries of the map and the colored "blocking" blocks, but notagainst the karts, so you can't crash into the other drivers. Drivesafely, anyway!
Word of an interesting new PlayStation 3 SDK addition has surfaced. DevelopMagis reporting that Sony has added native YouTube API support to thePlayStation 3 SDK, allowing developers to leverage the popular videosite with the console's software.
Although it’s hard to see the valuein watching someone else play their favourite videogame, Sony clearlybelieves it’s onto something after it started allowing PS3 players toupload clips of gameplay to YouTube.
The move comes just under a week after YouTube announced its APIfor allowing in-game video uploads was ready. Unsurprisingly, the firstgame to take advantage of the facility is a Japan-only PlayStationNetwork title.
Click and go Mainichi Issho(Together Everyday) players simply have to choose to upload their mostrecent clip and - assuming account settings have been input - itappears immediately in their YouTube account.
If you want to see the function in action, here’s a demo from the Japanese game, but - we have to warn you - it’s far from riveting.
YouTubeexplains how it sees gamers using the ability: “Whether it's showingoff that fantastic touchdown pass, car slide or karaoke sing-along, wehope that more user-generated content from games will make their way toYouTube and connect with the gamer communities.”
Frankly, it’s agrim picture, but if the standard of typical YouTube user comments isany guide, it’s sure to be a smash hit among that community.
Fornow, Sony Computer Entertainment is offering the software it added toMainichi Issho to any game developer keen to add YouTube uploads, soit’s certain to spread rapidly.
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Access to the YouTube API will allow developers to directly integratethe ability to download and upload YouTube content from within thegame. This makes the PlayStation 3 the first console to nativelysupport YouTube on a platform-wide scale following the recent expansion of the YouTube API.
One major example of how this technology will be used is already out: EA's skate uses similar technology, though EA hosts the video files itself. The feature in skate is Flash-based, and my interest was piqued at E3 last year.I talked with a developer on-site about the complexities behind theproject; he thought the community-building aspect of the software wasworth the time and effort. Direct access to the YouTube API will allowthis functionality to become a possibility for any game, as there willbe no strain on developers to host the video files themselves. Gamersthemselves will be able to make their creations viral. Imagine pullingoff something insane in a game, hitting a button to save the video, andthen uploading it directly to YouTube to share. Home integration couldallow you to show your favorite clips on a projection screen in yourvirtual house.
The theater mode of Halo 3is an incredibly popular feature, and the thought of having a morerobust and flexible video service to save videos from any PlayStation 3game is enticing. Sharing in-game media is one of the aspects of thesocial media revolution that consoles have been slow to adopt, but Sonycould be in position to change that.
BBC The iPlayer(formerly know as the iMP, or Interactive Media Player) was announcedin 2003 and intended to be an extension to the successful Radio Player,built around RealPlayer. The final iPlayer is, thankfully, shaping upto be a much slicker affair, looking like a cross between Joost and acable/satellite Electronic Program Guide (EPG). As long as you live inthe UK, on launch you will be able to download a selection of programsup to 7 days after broadcast, and you then have 30 days in which towatch it before the DRM kicks in. I’m guessing that the range ofprograms will be similar to the offerings on Virgin Media’s “Replay”feature, i.e. most popular “home-grown” programs such as Eastenders,Doctor Who and Life on Mars.
The iPlayer has come under fire from open source advocatesbecause, at launch, it will only be available for Windows XP users.This goes against the BBC’s charter, restricting the application, andtherefore the programs, to certain systems. The BBC Trust has confirmedthat versions for Apple Mac, Windows Vista and mobile platforms willfollow [Ed. once the BBC can find a platform agnostic DRM solution, which could take some time],and more recently, the BBC’s announced that they are meeting with theOpen Source Consortium (OSC). The OSC are to work with the BBC on the possibility of developing an open source iPlayer.
The BBC also plans to expand the functionality of the iPlayer, suchas adding on-demand streaming, which would allow you to watch a programwithout downloading it first. They are also looking to add seriesstacking (allowing you to download previous episodes of a series) andintegrating the Radio Player with the iPlayer. The BBC will bepromoting the iPlayer heavily: via the BBC TV channels, links on theBBC website and also on partner websites such as YouTube, AOL andMySpace. There are indications that live streaming of BBC channels mayalso possible.
ITV ITV are following the BBC’s lead, with the imaginatively titled “ITV Broadband“.They are offering programs that are viewable within the browser, usingWindows Media Player integrated into their web pages. At the momentthey are only offering 10 minutes catch-ups of the last 30 days’episodes of Emmerdale and Coronation Street, which are book-ended byadverts (being popular programs these are probably the two that couldattract the most advertising and therefore generate the most onlinerevenue), but that is set to expand. ITV are promising catch up optionson Drama, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Sport and News programs, plus a“Best of ITV” section too.
The biggest drawback I found was that ITV Broadband (which isPC-only) favors Internet Explorer. The only way I could view content inFirefox was to use the IETab add-on,which allows the current tab to be rendered using the Internet Explorerengine instead of the Firefox one, but fortunately ITV have had thesense to display a link to download IETab where the video normallyappears.
ITV also offers live streaming of their four channels from the website which is of reasonable quality.
It’s also worth mentioning ITV Local, the site for regional ITVbroadcasters such as Granada, Meridian and Tyne Tees. The site streamsnews updates, weather reports and other videos from the region, ondemand.
Channel 4/More4/E4 Channel 4’s “4oD”application has been available since December 2006 and is similar tothe forthcoming iPlayer. You can download a selection of programs fromChannel 4, More4 and E4 for free from the last seven days, or choosefrom the available archives. Again, DRM only lets you watch thedownloaded programs for up to 30 days. They also offer paid content,both television programs (including US imports such as Lost and UglyBetty) and films, from 99p.
Be prepared for long download times although the actual videoquality is very good. The application is sluggish on lower specmachines which may result in slow adoption; another problem may be theway in which the network actually serves the programs. It uses Kontiki,a peer-to-peer platform, to distribute video, which means that evenwhen you are not using the 4oD application, your computer may still beserving files to others, which some security- and bandwidth-conscioususers may dislike. It is also limited to running only on Windows XPsystems with Internet Explorer and Windows Media player, so once againApple Mac and open source fans will be left out in the cold.
Channel 4 too offers streaming through a browser-embedded MediaPlayer, for which you have to register (to make sure you’re a UKresident presumably) but the quality is quite good, even at full screen.
Five Fivehas always been the black sheep of the UK TV industry. Their contenthas never really been on the same par as that of the other networks andtheir “fivedownload” service isn’t much better. It seems the onlyprograms they offer are Grey’s Anatomy and CSI (three flavours: CSI,CSI:Miami and CSI:NY) and it’s a pay service. With iTunes possiblyoffering a similar feature soon (these shows are available in the USstore so they may come to the UK too) I don’t really see that Five’sapplication will have much of a future unless they improve and increasethe available content.
Sky Sky offers their “Sky Anytime”feature, which uses Kontiki, similar to Channel 4’s 4oD. To use SkyAnytime you need to register on Sky’s website, and then download theSky Anytime application (one again, PC-only). After installation, youlog in as expected and the first thing that hits you is how slick theapplication is. It’s responsive, looks good and has a large amount ofcontent. I’m not a Sky customer so I was limited to what programs Icould download, but TV subscriptions to entertainment, movies andsports packages unlocks similar content on Sky Anytime.
Its worth noting that Sky also let users program their Sky+ box over the net.
Conclusion The major UK TV networks are making good ground with TV on the net.Of the dedicated applications on offer, Sky’s seem to be the bestoverall (at the moment) with its clean look, and responsive andintuitive interface. The range of content across the board is growing,with Channel 4 and the BBC ahead — and as advertising and other revenuestreams for internet TV are realized, the content from commercialnetworks will likely increase in quantity, as market forces demand it.
All of the UK networks employ techniques to prevent non-UK viewersfrom accessing their Internet TV offerings, such as geo-blocking, wherethe user’s IP address is used to establish their location. This is,in-part, a world-wide licensing issue (which in the BBC’s case is mademore complicated by its state-funding), but also protects potentialrevenue from overseas sales. However, with many popular UK programsappearing illegally online, and the fact that geo-blocking can becircumvented — moving forward, I think we’re likely to see the networkstake a more global approach to Internet TV programming, especially withregards to older content.
As a side note, it’s also worth mentioning that users can programtheir Sky+ box (the company’s own DVR offering) over the internet andvia a mobile phone. The next logical step would be to allow users tostream programs recorded on their Sky+ box (or any other DVR) over thenet, similar to a Slingbox.This would add another dimension to Internet TV; you could be workingaway in another part of the country, or on holiday abroad, and with adecent broadband connection you can access content that you’vepreviously recorded.
This is an exciting time for Internet TV, and in particular I hopethat the iPlayer lives up to my expectations. I’m fairly convinced thatthe BBC is moving in the right direction and will push the boundariesof Internet TV, not only in the UK but also worldwide.
The UK Ministry of Defence has begun releasing its voluminous files regarding unidentified flying objects, aerial phenomena, possible alien visitations etc. The documents will all become available to the public via the National Archives over the next three years.
Many of the UFO files - including, probably, most of the good stuff - have already been revealed under Freedom of Information Act requests. In particular, the splendid conspiracy fodder surrounding the Rendlesham Forest incident of 1980 ("Britain's Roswell") has long been available, full of mysterious lights, strange marks left in the ground and traces of radiation. Even better, the cameras recording the British air-defence radar picture were switched off at the time, indicating an almost certain government conspiracy.
UFOs of various kinds have been sighted and reported to the MoD and its predecessors for at least a hundred years. In general, the number and nature of sightings is much more affected by things such as movie releases or war scares than by any other apparent factor, all the way back to the "Phantom airships" widely reported in the UK before and during World War One - when panic about German zeppelins was at its height.
The files contain a wide range of UFO-related documents covering the years 1978–2002. So if you want to find out more about lights in the sky over Waterloo Bridge, near misses by pilots, crop circles - and what the UK government thought of it all - this is the place to start. The files are in PDF format.
Because we think it’s informative to see how OS X performs on a computer that isn’t a Mac, Macworld ordered a Psystar Open Computer about a week or so ago. The machine, which Psystar touts as a low-cost alternative to Apple’s hardware, has arrived in our lab, where we plan to put it to the test, just like the home-made Mac built by our own Rob Griffiths.
Thesystem we bought from Psystar features a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duoprocessor, 2GB of 667MHz RAM, and a 250GB Hard Drive (specifically, aHitachi Deskstar in our machine). Though the base model includesIntel’s integrated graphics, we splurged and purchased an NvidiaGeForce 8600GT for $110 so that we could test the Open Computer withboth cards.
I ordered our Open Computer directly from thePsystar Web site, since that was the only way to place an order at thetime. (Psystar now offers sales over the phone.) Originally, I placedan order for an Open Computer without OS X installed—Psystar charges$155 to install the operating system, and I figured we could save a fewbucks on our order with a little do-it-yourself know-how. But a fewdays after ordering, I called Psystar looking for a status update. Alive human being answered the phone—somewhat surprising to me, giventhe storiesthat had appeared about the company immediately after it announcedplans to sell a Mac clone—and put me on hold to look up the order.Moments later, another Psystar employee came on the line and stronglysuggested that I pay to have OS X pre-installed. He explained that,unlike the Windows and Linux, installing OS X is a very difficult andcomplicated process and that the company does not provide installationinstructions for OSX. I reluctantly pulled out the credit card, and thesystem shipped out to us a few days later. The system cost us $399.99,plus $50 for a FireWire card. Add in the $110 graphics card and the$155 OS installation, and the machine cost $714.99; shipping broughtthe price to $751.47.
As I mentioned above, we’re currentlytesting the Open Computer to see how it performs compared to anhonest-to-goodness Mac. But here are some first impressions gleanedfrom receiving and setting up the machine…
The Psystar Open Computer, resting comfortably in our Lab
IfPsystar is all about giving you the Mac OS X experience at a moreaffordable price, it was obvious right away that product packaging isone area where the company is looking to trim costs. When the boxarrived, we found it stuffed with white foam packing peanuts, makingthe unpacking process a big mess—I hate those things. The Open Computerwas just sitting in there with the packing peanuts, with nothingcovering it. Some of the doors on the front of the case that cover theoptical drive and the USB ports were a ajar with little pieces of thepacking peanuts lodged in there. After we cleared out the offendingbits, the doors closed properly and the computer appeared to be noworse for wear.
We had a bit of scare, however, when we tried to start up thecomputer. As soon as I hit the power button it sounded like I’d turnedon the garbage disposal. I quickly unplugged the power cable and openedthe case. It turns out that one of the power cables was getting caughtin the fan. I rerouted the cable and restarted. The crunching sound ofthe cable hitting the fan was gone, but the fan was still pretty darnloud. You won’t want this computer sitting on your desk.
After using Rob’s home-made Frankenmacfor a few days last week, I was prepared for all of those elegant PCBIOS and bootup screens. Unlike Rob’s machine though, there were noother visible partitions or operating systems stored on the hard drive.Once the Open Computer was all booted up, I was able to plug in aFireWire drive and have it be recognized. The system asked if I wantedto use the external drive as a Time Machine backup drive, and I clickedYes. And though the icon of the drive changed to reflect its new statusas Time Machine volume, the backup would immediately fail each time itattempted to run.
The Psystar site features a pagewith lots of available software update downloads, including one forfixing Time Machine errors. Psystar turns off the Mac OS’s automaticSystem Update feature, so you need to download and install updatesmanually. One might think that the company would send you a machinethat’s as up-to-date as possible, but that’s not the case. I calledPsystar tech support and learned that the company will offer a downloadin the next couple weeks that will enable Psystar users to takeadvantage of Apple’s Software Update utility.
Macworld Labuses Migration Assistant to transfer our Speedmark user files andfolders to our test system from a clean system booted into FireWireTarget Disk Mode, and that process worked just fine with the OpenComputer. We found, however, that we were unable to boot the OpenComputer into FireWire Target disk mode. The tech support person didn’tthink that Psystar offered that feature. Other startup options, likeSafeBoot, zapping of PRAM, and startup drive selection via the Optionkey are also not available.
I tried cloning the internal drive to an external FireWire drive using Carbon Copy Cloner.It cloned successfully, but I was unable to boot from it, even though amessage said the volume would be bootable. It sounds like a couple of folksin the Psystar forums were able to find a way to do it, but theyweren’t giving out specific instructions. We’ll continue to look intothat.
That said, I’ve been impressed by how compatiblethe Psystar is with applications and peripherals—many of the OS Xfeatures work as they would on a legitimate Mac. Look for Speedmarkresults for our Open Computer, as well as other interesting tidbits wecome across, in the coming days.
