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Newsletter from Fred
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A long time ago in a galaxy far,
far away, all computer users were hardware hackers. At the dawn of the PC era 25
years ago, for example, it went without saying that every computer user's
toolkit would include a soldering gun. The above is fresh in my mind
because I just spent a wonderful series of hours poring through my
almost-complete collection of old Byte Magazines; Byte was there at the start of
the PC era, and covered it all--- including things you'd never see in a current
PC magazine, such as wire wrapping and soldering techniques. <g> But it got me to thinking: Where
have all the hardware hackers gone? I knew about online sites like
the superlative Tom's Hardware Guide ( http://www.tomshardware.com/
), of course; and other techie hardware sites such as SysOpt.Com ( http://sysopt.earthweb.com/
); but even these hardcore sites have gravitated to more of a subsystems
approach: Hardware hacking increasingly has come to mean bolting together prefab
commercial boards and add-ons within prefab commercial boxes to produce more or
less standard PCs that may differ from factory-built units only in one or two
details. That's fine, but I still wondered
about the really extreme, hardcore hackers--- the ones doing truly major mods,
or better-still, designing stuff from the benchtop up; the ones using unusual
parts to build exotic electronic stuff; the ones not happy until they understand
(and can modify) every working component of any electronic device. So, I went looking--- and I found
them. Here are two quick examples of
hardware hacking, today: See, for example, this
unbelievable Rube Goldberg contraption that's attached to a highly-modified PC:
It drains excess heat from a too-hot, "overclocked" CPU by dribbling
mineral oil all over the chip, and then pumping the now-warmed fluid through a
converted truck transmission oil cooler! ( http://www.accsdata.com/drffreeze/Test2.htm
) Or this: Some hackers move beyond
computers, per se, and explore the electronic guts of any gizmo that catches
their interests---even if the gizmo is a whimsical, overpriced, mechanized,
talking stuffed toy. See, for example, the "Hacking Furby" pages at http://www.phobe.com/furby/hacking.html
. My "Monitor" column for
Byte this month explores the new world of hardware hacking and shows you
projects ranging from simple, money-saving tasks that are within the range of
anyone with Erector Set skills (in fact, with just a little screwdriver effort,
you can assemble a PC to your own specs that probably will cost less and may
perform better than factory units); to ultra-hard-core mods best undertaken only
if you have high skills and deep pockets. It's fascinating stuff! Check it out via the
"Monitor" column link at Byte.Com today! ( http://www.byte.com/column/BYT20000620S0002
) Join in! Click to
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Reader George Davis wrote: This is really starting
to bug me... either set me straight or get the word out that Netscape ain't
dead. I have both Netscape v4.6 and MSIE v5.01 installed on my Win95 system. I
prefer Netscape for 2 very important reasons. On MY system, Netscape scrolls
_much_ more smoothly than MSIE, there's just no comparison (and smooth scrolling
is turned on in MSIE); maybe this has to do with keyboard vs. mouse, I'm a
keyboarder. And I have found no means of turning off _all_ sounds within MSIE;
I've tried all the various settings, both within MSIE and in the various Control
Panel applets; with everything turned off, I am now getting an extremely
annoying click. One other thing: I
haven't seen any security alerts involving Netscape, maybe I just missed them? So, my complaint. In the
past couple of weeks, several small websites have started abandoning support for
Netscape, mainly in displaying links. I suspect this is the start of a trend. So
far, when I point this out, the various webmasters have gone back and added the
Netscape support back in. But these are friendly shareware authors, the backbone
of personal computing as well as the web. There are probably at least one or two
arrogant webmasters out there that will ignore Netscape completely. At least one
or two. Unless Netscape is truly
dead, maybe you could do us Netscapers a favor and ask everyone to "keep
the links alive!" Let's take the questions one at a
time: 1) We've covered IE5's clicking
noises before--- in fact almost a year ago: http://www.langa.com/newsletters/1999/aug-30-99.htm#ie5
; it is indeed controlled from within the sounds applet, if you know where
to look. 2) As for security, NS does have
security problems, and does release patches, but slowly, rarely, and often
almost in secret: http://browserwatch.internet.com/news/story/news-20000504-8.html To their credit, Microsoft makes
a big deal of announcing and fixing security problems in their products; the
downside---for Microsoft--- is that everyone knows how insecure many of their
products are.<g> Netscape has problems, too, but they take a different
tack by quietly slipstreaming patches with essentially zero publicity. You can
draw your own conclusions as to why. My take is that Netscape simply wants to
avoid drawing attention to any flaws in their browser, even though that leaves
Netscape customers ignorant of potential problems. 3) As for fixing sites to work
with Netscape browsers: Netscape 4.x has some nice features, but it's actually
the *least* standards-compliant of all the major browsers; web sites require a
ton of extra work to handle Netscape's wildly nonstandard operations. (It does
not follow the W3C standards for DHTML, for example; it is completely ignorant
of XML, etc etc etc.) Netscape's successor product, Mozilla 5, probably will
adhere to most current standards, but may or may not be backwards-compatible
with the 4.x series--- and Moz 5 is already running two years late. Here's why: When Netscape
originally decided to go the "open source" route, it donated the
Netscape browser source code to the Mozilla project. Initial estimates were that
would take maybe 6 months to bring out Mozilla 5, which would also become
Netscape 5. But once the Mozillans actually
looked at the Netscape code and tried to use it, they discovered an unworkable,
closed, proprietary, "spaghetti code" dead end. They essentially THREW
THE CORE CODE AWAY and started over, from scratch. That's how bad the Netscape
code was! And that's why Moz5 is taking so long. Here's the part that blows me
away: Today, while talking the talk about open sourcing and quality software,
Netscape is still shipping the same proprietary core code that the Mozillans
declared obsolete and unworkable almost two years ago! Indeed, Netscape knows the code
they're still shipping is bad: Netscape has announced that when Mozilla 5
finally ships, they'll adopt its core as the replacement for the current
browsers; but now they'll call it Netscape "6." (There will be no
Netscape 5 because Netscape wants their browser to have a higher version number
than Microsoft's browser.) So, to come back to George's
question, it's asking a lot
to expect that sites will devote time and resources to support the dead-end and
decidedly funky NS4.x browser series--- a browser that is in its final months,
and that Netscape itself will replace as soon as it can possibly do so. It's not a good situation, but
it's one entirely of Netscape's own making: They produced the bad code; they
chose to adopt their own proprietary standards instead of following the open,
W3C standards. Netscape users have been paying the price ever since. Bottom line: When a site doesn't
work with a Netscape browser, blame Netscape, not the site. Click to
email this item to a friend Reader Lynn Farmer had a
frustrating problem with her ISP: Fred, I went to BT2K
last week (which is GREAT!!) in the morning & ran the test. I was getting
38K through put. That same night I went back again (after rebooting) & ran
the test again. This time it said my throughput was so slow it couldn't measure
it. This is not a problem with BT2K. I live in a rural area. I have a choice of
2 ISPs. The other one is terrible. I'm running a P-III 500 512M RAM with a 3COM
56K V.Everything modem. I have used both the internal & the external model
with Win 98. During the mornings
& up until about 4:00 PM I get pretty good up/download speeds. But after
4:00 PM it starts degrading. I am running the freeware program DUNMon & it
shows that I am not sending or receiving ANYTHING. Many times a opening a page
or downloading a file will just stop. It's like I'm lost in the blackhole of
cyberspace. When NetScape 4.7.3 came
out I tried to download it twice one evening. The download would just stop. The
next morning I downloaded NetScape in about 15 mins. I've tried some of the
download programs but they don't help any. Do you have any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks..... Repeatable, time-of-day slowness
is almost always due to an ISP being overcrowded. There's nothing you can do
about it (because the problem's not in your system)--- except try to find
another ISP. Alas, in many areas, most or even
all the local ISPs actually share equipment behind the scenes: all users in a
given region may dial into the same phone bank on the same lines; inbound calls
are sorted out and sent to the correct individual ISP only after the user enters
their name/password. There's not much you can do about this except to look for
it: If two or more ISPs in a given area advertise the same general call-in
number---or sometimes, very similar call-in numbers, say just one digit apart---
they may be sharing front-end phone equipment, and thus will probably give
near-identical connection speed results. When BrowserTune suspects you may
have a bad ISP, it suggests using a service such as http://www.isps.com
to find another. In fact, BrowserTune can help identify any of about 300(!)
potential problems with your browser---or Internet connection. Check it out at http://www.browsertune.com/bt2k
! Click to
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Yikes! I'm getting a TON of great
email suggestions in regard to the "Resource Leaks; Part III" column
(and ongoing discussion) now running at http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2000/13.htm
. You can get far more info via
that link, but here's a free tip and two FREE tools that have cropped up in
recent email: Alejandro Lorenzo offers this
tip: Hello Fred, My Win 98 based PII (128
Ram) starts with 97% free system resources, including the few apps that
automatically start with my OS (my other PC, a P133 - Win 98 can even reach 99%,
with less start-up apps). This may be very low, but I found a trick to get TWO
extra percent. I simply delete the
Shelliconcache file in c:\windows, and to prevent the system from restoring it,
I have the following 2 lines in autoexec.bat and dosstart.bat [Note: the first
line is long and may wrap; that one line starts with "if" and ends
with "-s"]: if exist
C:\WINDOWS\SHELLICO C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ATTRIB C:\WINDOWS\SHELLICO -r -h -s Now my icons (initially)
appear slowly whenever Windows starts, but its a minor problem, compared with
the extra 2% resources when Shelliconcache is present. I don't know whether this
is consistent among all Win-based systems. I hope this may be useful for free
resource addicts like me. Interesting, Alejandro, and
thanks. There's always a tradeoff between speed and cached resources; if you
want top speed, then leaving the cache is probably best. If you want maximum
resources, then killing the icon cache may help. For the free tools, see the next
item. Click to
email this item to a friend Jean-Pierre Savard writes: Hey Fred, I always enjoy
your questions-answers letters... For System Resources, I found this very
practical utility that I consider quite complete and it's free :-) SYSTEM ANALYSER v 3.5 at I am confident that many
of the LangaList fans will appreciate this program. Indeed, many will. Thanks,
Jean-Pierre. Robert Behrens writes: Fred, Though this program does
not give information on ram and sys usage, it is a freeware program which
provides similar information (though not as extensive) as Norton's System
Information. One is able to get a quick review of programs being used and is
able to get information on modules in use with their size. It is a bit easier to
get information on the modules than is Norton's. http://www.members.tripod.com/circlet/ The memload program may
also be useful though mine does not display well. The 'details' will list the
apps in use and size. I thoroughly enjoy your newsletter and gain much. I refer
to it in my own newsletter often. Thanks, Robert. That site has
three apps--- one for monitoring network connections, one for checking memory,
and one for checking what modules are loaded into memory. They are a little
rough-edged--- but you can't beat the price. 8-) Click to
email this item to a friend On June 30, I'll
choose another monthly winner of a copy of "Poor Richard's E-Mail
Publishing: Creating Newsletters, Bulletins, Discussion Groups and Other
Powerful Communications Tools." This book has been described as "An
excellent, straightforward manual on email publishing, banner ads, driving
traffic and especially ethics." To have a shot at
winning, just use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a
friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may
gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a book! (Full details also available
via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 The more times you
make a recommendation, the greater your chances are of winning! Or, if you'd like to
try to win $10,000(!), try this link (full details also available here): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1 Either way, thank
you, and good luck! Click to
email this item to a friend Do you have a home page or
website? (It doesn't matter what size.) Please click over to http://www.langa.com/code.htm,
and maybe you can join the hundreds and hundreds of LangaList readers who have
"Loaded the Code!" (If you've already "Loaded The Code" and
are wondering if your site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web site, please
see http://www.langa.com/link.txt
) Speaking of which: Here's another
eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal: Click to
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I asked a geek trivia question in
the last issue: Who could tell me where the wonderful phrase "Overdrawn at
the Memory Bank" came from? Congratulations to reader Frank
Tirado who provided the first fully-correct answer: He knew it was the
title of an excellent, funny and clever sci-fi story by John Varley, published
in 1976. Varley's story spawned an astonishingly bad, absolutely execrable,
low-budget, Mystery Science Theater-quality movie in 1983 called, simply enough,
"Overdrawn at the Memory Bank," starring Raul Julia. (In fact, it
actually was shown on MST3000.... and that's what many readers incorrectly cited
as the source---sorry, guys! <g>.) It was also made into an entirely, er,
forgettable and short-lived TV show (also by the same name) in 1985, starring
people you never hard of before or since. Varley's work may have been
inspired in part by Phillip K. Dick's short story "We Can Remember It for
You Wholesale," which spawned the clumsy, but fun, $100 million
special-effects, Scwartzenegger-on-Mars extravaganza called "Total
Recall" in 1990. Schwartzenegger was actually the
second choice for the lead: The original lead, before the script was rewritten
to play up the action sequences was---believe it or not--- Richard Dreyfuss. His
character would have been much closer to Dick's original story--- but (I guess)
less salable as a boffo box office hit. So, the lead became the musclebound,
"Ahl be beck," Arnold. I could go on, but I won't.
Sounds like my own memory banks may be just a tad too full, eh? (Note to self:
Get a life.) Click to
email this item to a friend More potential product liability
disclaimers and info! James A. Winslow offers this: Fred, I enjoy your mails
and read them all. I would like to give you another "Just for grins"
that I found while in maintenance at my previous employer. I ordered a
transformer and when the box arrived it had the following written on the side of
the box: "Open box before removal". Joe Russell writes: Being a flight
instructor, I have to teach my students... the use and understanding of the POH,
(pilots operating handbook). This one particular student has a Beechcraft
designed aircraft, and in the handbook under "operating limitations"
it lists... "minimum crew, one." Don't you suppose that is a given? But, building on last issue's
week's list, here are more from A.Q. (Tony) King. These product warnings all
could be used because they're 100% true and for-real, based on our best current
understanding of Physics: PUBLIC NOTICE AS
REQUIRED BY LAW: Any Use of This Product, in Any Manner Whatsoever, Will
Increase the Amount of Disorder in the Universe. Although No Liability Is
Implied Herein, the Consumer Is Warned That This Process Will Ultimately Lead to
the Heat Death of the Universe. NOTE: The Most
Fundamental Particles in This Product Are Held Together by a "Gluing"
Force About Which Little is Currently Known and Whose Adhesive Power Can
Therefore Not Be Permanently Guaranteed. NEW GRAND UNIFIED THEORY
DISCLAIMER: The Manufacturer May Technically Be Entitled to Claim That This
Product Is Ten Dimensional. However, the Consumer Is Reminded That This Confers
No Legal Rights Above and Beyond Those Applicable to three-dimensional Objects,
Since the Seven New Dimensions Are "Rolled Up" into Such a Small
"Area" That They Cannot Be Detected. PLEASE NOTE: Some
Quantum Physics Theories Suggest That When the Consumer Is Not Directly
Observing This Product, It May Cease to Exist or Will Exist Only in a Vague and
Undetermined State. COMPONENT EQUIVALENCY
NOTICE: The Subatomic Particles (Electrons, Protons, etc.) Comprising This
Product Are Exactly the Same in Every Measurable Respect as Those Used in the
Products of Other Manufacturers, and No Claim to the Contrary May Legitimately
Be Expressed or Implied. HEALTH WARNING: Care
Should Be Taken When Lifting This Product, Since Its Mass, and Thus Its Weight,
Is Dependent on Its Velocity Relative to the User. IMPORTANT NOTICE TO
PURCHASERS: The Entire Physical Universe, Including This Product, May One Day
Collapse Back into an Infinitesimally Small Space. Should Another Universe
Subsequently Re-emerge, the Existence of This Product in That Universe Cannot Be
Guaranteed. Click to
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