Posted 10/15/2009 at 10:00:43am

If I didn't have heavy computing requirements, gaming, video editing, etc. and was in school dorm with limited space and a limited budget, then, yeah, I may consider a netbook as a main system. After all, plug in a usb keyboard and mouse, a external DVD drive and a monitor and you overcome the most obvious limitations. Of course, CPU speed and graphic performance would still be a problem.

Posted 06/29/2009 at 03:08:28pm

I have XP 64 bits and it was incompatible with lots of things some years ago but nowadays you can find drivers at least for brand-name accessories.

I have iTunes installed on it and with the appropiate 64bit GEAR drivers it can even burn CDs (will still tell you it can't when starting up, but will burn them).  Never tried connecting an iPod or iPhone to it, though. Other things that work in it are my Nostromo n52 controller (you really have to look hard for this driver), the Asus P7141 or something like that TV Tuner, Nero burner, most games (except those with 32-bit copy protection schemes, newish games should work) and, generally, I've found few incompatibilities.

Of course, you still have to look for the drivers, but mostly that's just a Google search away or visiting the manufacturers' sites.

I also have Vista 64 bits and I can't remember that anything has failed to install or run, even if things have needed a bit of coaxing to get running. Sometimes you have to hunt the drivers down, but most things now include 64-bit drivers in the CD.

Posted 03/29/2009 at 08:44:11pm

Just one more argument in favor of professional jurors.

Posted 01/26/2009 at 09:48:43am

if you care about flying properly, learning about navigation, procedures, airplane systems, etc. Although it's not everybody's gravy but many do really get into it, it's not really a game, it's a hobby all of its own. There is an entire ecology of third-party developers and hardware manufacturers that I'm sure the hobby will live on even if there is no more FS.

I got my first FS when it was made by subLogic, for the Commodore 64. So it's kind of sad to see the end of the line, but at least FSX is a very good sim and we still have X-Plane and Flightgear.

Posted 01/24/2009 at 12:55:29pm

I bought a Eee701 about a month or two after they came out and I still carry it with me every day. I've been thinking of replacing it recently, but finally decided against it as it still does what I want it to do so I'll just wait to see what else comes this year.

Seems to me that the people who are unhappy with netbooks are the ones who thought they were getting a laptop. The netbook is not a laptop replacement, much less a desktop replacement. It's a complement. If you want or need a laptop, get a laptop. Expecting a netbook to be on the same level of a full-fledged laptop is just as silly as using a Honda Civic for hauling and cargo.

Posted 08/05/2008 at 03:21:21pm

I've been using 64 bit Windows since XP Pro x64, about three years now, and although there were certainly some compatibility issues with drivers I found that most of the hardware and software I used worked just fine, including games (although Star Wars Galaxies would hang from time to time). But I don't have a ton of either.

I then got Vista 64 and pretty much the same. Apart from the instability of Vista in general at the beginning it now is very good with only the occasional hang at boot up (at least it's right at the start) and can use basically everything. Sometimes you have to go hunting for drivers but they are there. I've even been able to use my Nostromo n52 controller and the Asus MyCinema TV tuner, both of which I had trouble with in XP x64.

Overall my experience with 64 bit computing in general and Vista 64 in particular has been rather good.

Posted 08/01/2008 at 01:49:38pm

Well, yes. Microsoft must be thinking that the design is too similar to their own to be just a coincidence. Of course, it could be a coincidence, that's what the judge will try to determine. All companies have to defend their patents, at least show that they're willing to fight for them.In the case of MS at least they spend money in research and development, marketing and manufacturing. It's not like they just buy patents and then sue whatever has the same color.

Posted 07/23/2008 at 03:28:10pm

Hmmm... my Commodore 64 booted from ROM and was ready to go almost as soon as you flipped the switch. The reason those kind of systems went away is because replacing and upgrading the OS is much easier when it's on a floppy or hard drive, if they can figure a way to combine both (ROM daughterboard?) maybe they'll be onto something. Specially, as others have mentioned, in laptops.

 As it is right now it feels more like a gimmick, but it sure has potential.

Posted 03/03/2008 at 11:29:32pm

I've had a pretty good experience using 64-bit Vista for almost a year now. Although drivers were rare at first, now I even have my Asus P-7131 TV Tuner working with PowerCinema 5, and the nvidia drivers for the 8600 GTS seem a lot better than they used to be. Granted, my components are not that hot, I use the onboard sound and only have 2GB of RAM; but I have found surprisingly few problems. Stability was an issue at first, but the October-November updates seem to have fixed that almost completely (though there's the occasional crash, but what windows doesn't crash occasionally?). Gameswise, I haven't had any problem with newish games (Crysis, Bioshock, Medieval II, Oblivion) or even older ones (SimCity 4, FIFA 2004, Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed!). Some have required a bit of tweaking (Silent Hunter III, IL-2, Empire Earth only works at 640x400). Ironically the only ones that just plainly refuse to run are the Combat Flight Simulators from MS. In general my experience with Vista has been pretty good. But that's just me, maybe I'm lucky.

Posted 01/17/2008 at 11:13:58am

Now we have to worry about giant killer robots controlled by crazed telepathic monkeys flinging robot feces.