many computer things for sale here (you need to be a member of hexus.net to view, signing up is free).

a lorry loaded with lager jack-knifed...

alternatively, the ideal games machine is a pII 350 - Apparently games don't need a decent processor to make a playable 30fps game. So the next xbox will be running an even slower processor, to help it compete with more popular consoles like the playstation 2 and nintendo 64? sorry I meant nintendo gamecube.

Just for my own info really, Opteron processors from overclockers.co.uk:

AMD Opteron model, speed	xx=14	xx=24
xx0, 1.4GHz	�182.00 (�213.85�Including VAT) (140)	�182.00 ��(�213.85�Including VAT) (240)
xx2, 1.6GHz	�227.50 (�267.31�Including VAT)	�344.95 ��(�405.32�Including VAT) (242)
xx4, 1.8GHz	�330.95 (�388.87�Including VAT)	N/A

"Opteron lines will include the 100 Series, for single-processor machines; the 200 Series, for dual-processor systems; and the 800 for computers using up to eight processors." - other than this - "number of coherent hypertransport links": 1 for the 200 series and 3 for the 800 series, I see little difference.
-Opteron's memory controller only supports ECC memory, has 128bit memory bandwitdth, has 1meg l2 cache and 128k l1 cache.
(the Athlon 64 will have half memory bandwidth and be available with L2 cache size choice of 1meg or 256k)
-According to AMD's competitive server benchmarks the single processor 246 (2.0ghz) machine has similar performance to a P4@3.2ghz on 800mhz bus (floating point) and beat both xeon 3.06ghz and P4@3.2ghz (SPECint).
there are some opteron motherboards here.

-Opteron divide by 2 multiply by 3 = pentium 4.
-Opteron scales well: more processors are not slowed down by bandwidth unlike equivalent xeons.
-Single opteron performance compared to fastest XP: eg; single MP2800 (2.225ghz) equivalent to single Xeon 2.8ghz at maya rendering. link so not much benefit to switching to single opteron. (MP2600+ �169.14inc vat, Barton XP3200+ �370.07inc vat from overclockers.co.uk)

havva look at this fake mac case for your pc :) looks quite neat

more SCO stuff: techworld: "SCO's controversial court case against IBM in which it claims Linux uses copyrighted Unix source code has been comprehensively chewed up online by the Open Source Initiative."

ZDnet review Macromedia Studio MX 2004.

Check this out : Pentium-M goodness in a 102mm x 147mm package!!! CRIKEY that's SMALL!!

the beeb to open up archive and let you watch / download tv programs off'tinternet

Geek Name Generator

this dude's made an fm transmitting mini-epia system that looks like an imac very cool.

windows in insecure by design according to the washington post

new zealand spammer shut down makes a big difference further details here.

athon xp2000+ (1.67ghz) vs G5 1.6ghz and G4 CPUs in this benchmark test thing here show the AMD CPU to beat the G5 and absolutely paste the G4 :)

and microsoft looks like they're going to distribute blaster beating CDs according to this.

dude builds a web controlled mp3 player using a via epia motherboard (wahey) sweet

Fat boy slim funky video in flash... jamie oliver's hungry!, and mad mac user (they're all mad* apart from friends and family) says he can open 1 million safari windows. can ya mat?

*funny video with a mad mac person.

Linux users vs SCO "Users and analysts have poured scorn on SCO's claim that it owns so much of the code in Linux that to remove it would cause the operating system to collapse."

Dell to reduce prices 22% bbc news, the inq say that HP are set to increase their PC prices... hmmm, I wonder which people will buy if they actually stop and think about it...

more security patches from MS all of them fairly critical. chuffin nora. there's more holes in windows than a chuffin thing with loads of holes in.

You don't get this sort of behaviour round nelson:
minellium bridge
somerset house

Why windows update needs an update.

AMD Duron lives on up to 1.8GHz, with 266mhz bus and Barton based core, but with less cache.

I can't believe SCO are Preparing Legal Action Against a Customer.

"SCO Group Inc is preparing to take a Linux user to court to speed up the legal process in its claim Unix code has been illegally copied into Linux, and also encourage Linux users to take out a license for its intellectual property."

Copied code shown to select few. The code seemed to be then leaked onto the net and linux boffins say SCO are wrong.

Worm stuff: Blaster Fixing Worm causes more damage than the original Blaster worm. Update That worm plus the Sobig.F causes double whammy of pain!. and makes me wonder again... why SO many people don't have anti-virus software even when it's FREE! Also, it begs the question, why are they allowed on the internet!!?!?

via announce fanless 733mhz cpu press release here. the latest virus to rear it's ugly head is the sobig.f. so really really make sure your free anti-virus software is up to date :)

Its irritating when the BBC almost manage to report computing news accurately.

update another worm tries to fix the blaster problem (but fails) causing lots of internet traffic, according to this article, blaster has infected 1.5 million pcs. Microsoft think about turning Auto-Update on as a default option.

new worm "W32.Welchia.Worm" exploiting the RPC hole in Windows NT based systems (NT,2000,XP,2003) just when you thought it was safe to go back to sleep. remember to get your PC patched and protected and up to date, if you still not patched, there's a mirror here.

Also, using windowsupdate may not work perfectly, although using it is definitely better than not using it, but to make sure your system is completely up to date, it is recommended you use Microsoft's BaseLine Security Analyser.

epialinks.tk via epia links - more links than you can throw a stick at - if you know of any more sites / reviews etc, then let me know. also, check out epiacenter.com ;)

"..somebody in India starves because of lack of tech support calls. Please. Think of the Indians. Buy PC." is the first reply to this slashdot article, that asks "Recommend Apple, Lose Your Job?.

"Microsoft has had to front-end its "WindowsUpdate" site with about 15,000 Akamai servers this weekend (and very ironically, those Akamai servers are all running Linux)." crikey - is that enough servers to make WindowsUpdate a super computer yet?

possibly a non-story but they reckon there's a flaw in windows updates if the pc crashes half way through update. eWeek say windows update is still alive, and CNet news say the worm isn't doing too much, but it could get worse.

here's another mirror for the MS Blast update heise.de. and in a slashdot poll, the most zealous zealots are currently no.1: anti-microsoft zealots, with no.2: apple zealots a close second, figures here

joshwaller.tk has had a bit of a face lift. check it out.

Windows XP + Office XP for �36 in Thai!!! without the Activation! Crikey!

More MSBlast stuff: very good details about the worm, patch from MS, and a command line tool that scans the network to tell you which computers are unpatched. and there's even a document explaining how to install a personal firewall. If you need an alternative location to get the patches, then you can also get them from download.com. an article about patching computers here at the bbc

there's a review of a Matrox graphics card here which may interest some of you. (not a lot, but it might)

More SCO stupidness. - Update they seem to have changed their mind.

a rant about microsoft security (the lack of). some of it's kinda interesting. and here's some pretty comprehensive information about the blaster worm check it out here.

I got a pleasant email from Zonelabs today saying if I buy Zone Alarm Pro I'll be protected from the MSBlast thing... they fail to mention that it's possible to be protected by getting the free patch from Microsoft. And in other news of companies cashing in on other people's stupidity, PC World (the store in the UK) announced they will "cure" your PC of the MSBlast thingy for a mere �19.99, probably using tools they downloaded for free off the internet!! Unbelievable!

MSBlast.exe / Lovsan RPC Worm / Blaster Worm. a.k.a. W32/Lovsan.worm, W32.Blaster.Worm, Poza, Lovsun, Lovsan.c, Penis32.exe, TEEKIDS.EXE etc. Here's some help.

Windows XP Users will find their PC reboots when they're connected to the internet / network. "The worm doesn�t seem to infect your computer so much as control it. It forces your Remote Procedure Call service to overload and restart your computer. Those who have experienced this will know that it happens within about 30 seconds of connecting to the Internet i.e. browsing is impossible! - First you need to stop the computer restarting. To do this go to �control panel� - �Administrator Tools� - and �Services� - Find �Remote Procedure Call (RPC)� and double click - Select the tab �Recovery� and change the options from �Restart Computer� to �Take no action� - get the MS patch for Windows XP here. If you do not have time to get this, then get a friend to get it for you, and disconnect your PC from the internet!

Windows 2000 Apparently this won't cause your PC to reboot when you are being attacked, get the patch here.

Windows NT 4 Server, Terminal Server Edition, Windows XP 64bit, Windows 2003 Server get your patches here.

If you think your PC is infected get the removal tool here.

If you don't have anti-virus software then you can get AVG Anti Virus Software for FREE from grisoft.com. After installing this, you can set it to automatically keep itself up to date.

If you have a broadband internet connection then get a personal firewall, such as the FREE ZoneAlarm program, or the FREE Sygate Personal Firewall. If you have a home network, and a spare PC, then you might want to look at setting up a spare PC as a Firewall [only recommended to people who know what they're doing] using the FREE smoothwall or the FREE Clark Connect.

To keep your PC up to date in future you can either go to windowsupdate.com and scan for new updates, or with Windows 2000 and XP, you can enable "Automatic Updates", which will keep your computer up to date for you! Just go to [Windows 2000] Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double click "Automatic Updates", make sure the box is ticked when it starts "Keep my computer up to date..." and then choose one of the settings, if you trust microsoft, then you could select "Automatically download the updates, and install them on the schedule that I specify." [Windows XP] Find the Automatic Updates in the control panel, and make sure it's turned on.

If you are unable to access windowsupdate.microsoft.com you can also download the latest patches etc, from Microsoft's download center.

BBC News article about it. It affects Windows NT4.0, but Microsoft do not seem to have made a patch available for NT4.0! What are NT4.0 users going to do?

Symptoms of being attacked or infected Windows 2000 users may experience Copy and Paste no longer working, (this has happened where I work and the RPC service has stopped / crashed), and general unresponsiveness. Windows XP users will experience the machine rebooting itself when connected to the network or the internet. Microsoft has some helpful information about it as well. Please let me know if you experience any other symptoms / problems due to being affected / infected with the Worm.

there's loads of stuff here about that worm : don't know how useful it is but there's a lot there, don't know how you can write so much about it in so little time! (they must be paid for it!) Arstechnica say people didn't patch their systems becuase they didn't want to reboot which sort of makes sense if you're running a server and you do IT support, and people use the server 9-5 and you as the IT person work 9-5. There's also a new version of the MSBlast thing out... with 300,000 people infected so far (With the old one). This must be a nightmare for people who have Windows XP and don't have a clue why everytime they switch their PC on it reboots after 30 seconds... how are they supposed to find a fix...? "The new variety uses the name TEEKIDS.EXE"

MS say third party software is to blame for most crashes! yeah, that's the easy excuse. Outlook Express to go bye bye...? doh for some people at least. Windows 98 down to less than 4.5mb might be a good option with NT based systems broken! :) Apple are said to be giving refunds to people who don't like OS X or people who are annoyed by it! (looks like it's for G3 users who don't get all the features).

for those of you interested joshwaller.tk is now back. (my broadband internet is working again and the server is up) the ip address is: 82.42.131.178 should you need it.

another alternate OS : reactOS

Intel say Apple should be using their chips....

Nude walkers near the Leeds-Liverpool canal my ass!

have i mentioned epiacenter.com? it's a new epia site, it's pretty good too :) (i didn't do it...)

SCO stops licensing Linux hoorah! can't believe they were doing that in the first place!

New virus could infect 10 million machines, and bring down windowsupdate.com further details. Known as "W32.Blaster.Worm" by Symantec, "W32/Lovsan.worm" by Mcafee and who knows what else by the other A/V companies... also known as MSBlast and Lovsan bbc news reports. I'm hearing a lot of people (on the internet) say they've been infected and are being attacked by a lot of other people on the network (eg broadband etc), also our exchange server has been attacked by it as well. The MS patch fixed the RPC problem though, and the server wasn't infected.

Microsoft fined $520 million in patent case. microsoft to appeal what is it with microsoft, they always appeal! surely a court case that's been decided is an acceptable result...

6 Degrees of Separation, interesting Columbia University experiment that uses a chain letter as its medium - Is it ethical? Conslusions at least some poeple are smart enough, or jaded enough, not to forward emails? http://smallworld.columbia.edu

G5 delivery dates here says
"The low-end and mid-range models, at 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz, respectively, are expected to become available the third week of August, beginning August 18, in line with Apple's promise to ship the new systems in August.
Things don't look quite as bright for the high-end, dual-2GHz Power Mac G5. According to the updated ETA from Ingram, the dual-GHz won't reach the channel until "late September.""
- talk about false overhypertising (www.apple.com : the worlds fastest personal computer.. the worlds first 64 bit personal computer..) ok eventually I go to the apple.com website and it says estimated shipping time 7-10 weeks. So that would be erm late september, early october.

dude in london talks to people on the tube join his website and do good deeds on friday. don't worry it's not some kind of religious mumbo jumbo, it's just some good deeds thing.

Atari, Amiga etc could not compete with the IBM clone, and now even the IBM clone struggles to make money from selling PCs. HP merger with Compaq wisdom questioned.

The Evil Spork

via epia systems power an army of robots with A.I. like the robots in Terminator 3 - we're all doomed!! :)

some stuff for sale here. not very interesting - have a look anyway though.

Opteron 2ghz (246) CPU benchmarked in 1CPU configuration vs 3.2Ghz P4, and XP3200+

"One thing that is certain however is that with Intel's rumored power issues with Prescott, and even IBM pointing a finger at their power consumption, the pressure is on for Q4. IBM is aiming directly at Dell sales, and Opteron is one of their many weapons. Intel has to be watching that closely."

in other AMD news, Gateway should be selling AMD 64bit systems, IBM are to launch Opteron Workstations (but I can't find where I read that anymore), and AMD may not bother with 64-bit CPUs slower than 2 GHz.

another "found on some other website" link brought to you by josh. ascii rock (although they're a bit big considering they seem to be just ascii and midi files...?) and what's flashmobbing all about then, especially when it's at home?

microsoft say sorry to that man from merseyside, who they thought was a spam master linky.

Things Matt Missed� AMD Opteron� Processors Power LinuxWorld Conference�s Best Cluster Solution as voted by LinuxWorld Conference and Expo. IBM counter-sues SCO hoorah! Here's a quote:

"In a 45-page document filed late Wednesday, IBM argues that because SCO distributed a version of Linux under the open-source General Public License (GPL), it can't claim that Linux software is proprietary. IBM also argues that SCO software violates four IBM patents and that the company interfered with IBM's business by saying it had terminated IBM's right to ship a Unix product, AIX."

more on this saga : SCO Calls IBM Countersuit "Unsubstantiated Allegations"

More stuff: Windows 95 in 4.47mb linked at slashdot [a mirror], Athlon64 getting nearer, The Inq Review a Dual Boxx AMD Opteron 240 (1.4 GHz) PC, and that's all that seemed interesting...

Its been 5 days since Joshes last post, is he okay? I've had no email from him in that time. Is it time to send out a search party? Could he be dead in front of his computer.

Comp news so far this week..

Inquirer gets flamed for publishing "senior analyst" story about the G5.
Original story
flame against inq, G5, analyst
analyst complains
inquirer flamed

IBM really think they can get 65nanometer chips to work
IBM and Chartered plan to have the jointly developed 65-nanometer process installed in their most advanced fabrication plants

Microsoft get a strongly worded letter from Europe
European Commission to punish Microsoft

Geek alert ! Robot hacks wi-fi net works, check out the nerds in the accompanying picture.

26,920 tablet pcs have been sold in Europe/Middle East/Africa from Nov 2002 to June 2003. (see pcpro) suggesting that the atari STylus was ahead of its time and they were fools to develop it in the first place :-)

This is well cool - more about nelson

Tony Blair wants to puts God / Christianity at the centre of Government.

on a lighter note, teenage lawnmower looks cool here.

whoa, the F-22 Raptor's software requires in-flight reboots. Apparently the 2 million line software project is 93% done. sounds a bit Terminator 3 / Skynet stuff to me. "it's critical software. This is the 'let's go kill people' software" that still has to be integrated into the plane ! :(

AMD CPU price cuts Biggest price cut, Opteron 242 (1.6GHz) down 34% to 455 US$ (�283 UK). There's some stuff here about what the Athlon64s will probably look like pin / cache / ram support wise. This robot shark is cool the TV program is on BBC One, this Sunday 8pm.

This dude made a silent Nehemiah (1ghz) VIA computer in an old Cambridge Audio A4 Amplifier :)