Munich picks Linux. Judge Jackson thought Linux was a joke but Munich plans to install it on about 14,000 desktops. Brave? Not really. It's following a lead given by the German government, and it will have the backing of the world's biggest computer company, IBM.
Guardian Online
Schofield column


The Webby Awards, and World Environment Day. The portal for people with impaired vision, and the Connexion for troubled teens. Who remembers you? This site could help find out. Broad Brother -- the high-speed version of Channel 4's Big Brother. Geek tests: which Matrix character are you, and other quizzes.
Web watch

Hot Tosh: The Satellite that shuts down after half an hour. There may be a tilde (~) file on your Windows desktop -- here's why. The CD-ROM drive stops reading the disc -- try giving it a clean. Removing browser hijackers, including i-lookup. Backchat: more on Polish caracters (but it helps if you read Polish).
Ask Jack

Blogging software is going to become an important business tool. You should be playing with it now, to learn what it can do.
Schofield column
Computer Weekly

Why we need stupid networks
Guardian Online
Schofield column

All aboard the ARKive, a site for endangered species.
Web watch

The Fizzer virus, driving Windows using MouseKeys, and other problems
Ask Jack

Thursday, May 15, 2003

The Silver Surfer of the Year Award heralds a new push to get the over 50s online.
Guardian Online

Social software -- is it the next big thing, or something we've had for decades? It was certainly the hot topic at the recent O'Reilly Emerging Technologies conference, highlighted by a terrific keynote from Clay Shirky.
Guardian Online

When computer companies collide: it's a year since Hewlett-Packard took over Compaq to create a computer giant. Computer industry mergers are usually a bad idea, but this one seems to be going better than most.
Guardian Online
Schofield column

Art after Levi's. DNA revisited -- the Linux Pauling story. Where did that band name come from? May weeks: time to celebrate National Breastfeeding Awareness Week and National Vegetarian Week, among others. Six of the best: Revision sites.
Web watch

Why doesn't a "40GB" drive hold 40GB of data? How much space is Windows taking up? And how much is a second-hand PC worth?
Ask Jack

Thursday, May 1, 2003

Drive to put in a good word -- Brewster Kahle thinks big. In a world where most people can't back up their own hard drive, he started keeping an archive of the internet, and created the Wayback Machine. His latest project is even bigger: to provide universal access to all human knowledge. Putting about a million books (soon!) in the back of a van is just the start.
Guardian Online

Molecular machines -- Eric Drexler, who coined the term nanotechnology, spoke at the O'Reilly Emerging Technologies conference in Santa Clara, California, last week.
Guardian Online
Schofield column

You can copy a Web site to CD, but is it legal to send it to a school in Kenya? Blocking those Messenger service pop-up ads in Windows XP. Getting files off the desktop. Software to synchronise a PC with an external hard drive for back-up purposes.
Ask Jack

You don't have to be clever to crack the computer security of most British companies: all you have to do is stand on Waterloo station handing out cheap pens.
Guardian Online
Schofield column

Sproqit seems to have solved the problem that afflicts almost every serious business user: how do you get access to your Microsoft Outlook data when you are not at your PC?
Guardian Online

Not everyone is interested in the Internet, including 42% of Americans, according to a new study. The Penis Blog. Toolbars for search engines. Online Etch A Sketch. Six of the best: soccer sites
Web watch

How many dead pixels are acceptable on an LCD screen? Putting MS Publisher files on the Web.
Ask Jack

Japanese computer companies (Toshiba, Sony, NEC) are becoming major players while American ones (Packard Bell, Apple, Gateway) are in retreat. The move to notebook PCs and mobile devices plays to the Japanese strengths, so the focus of the industry is shifting towards Japan.....
Computer Weekly

Something old, something new : The last one.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, April 17, 2003

The spreadsheet was the "killer app" for personal computers in business, and it could be killing them.
Guardian Online
Schofield column

Wi-Fi for the Wary. Wireless networking has been a huge success, but it would still be a good idea to think carefully before upgrading from 802.11b -- today's standard -- to 802.11a or 11g.
Guardian Online
Schofield column

The Webby Award nominations have been unveiled, so now you can vote. Where to find information about Sars. The BBC's search for Great Books. Optimus Prime goes to war. Terminator 3: the trailer is now online -- and so is the trailer for the next Lara Croft movie. PowerPoint Hamlet wins award. Six of the best: War news
Web watch

One way to make sure you don't overwrite your original file in Microsoft Word when you use it to create a new one. A macro program to save keystrokes. What does 403 mean (accessing Al Jazeera)? Psynchronising a Psion handheld with Novell GroupWise. The wholly bogus printer driver message. Backchat: how to fry a chip.
Ask Jack

Beware of first movers How do new technologies enter the market, achieve success, and become widely adopted? It doesn't happen overnight. The Technology Adoption Model is a popular way to describe how new technologies are absorbed -- and it has a lot of implications for IT markets.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, April 3, 2003

Home truths: businesses are falling behind, and most professionals have better computers at home than they do in the office....
Guardian Online
Schofield column

Beware: hoax emails are not coming from Microsoft, but it is easy to check. Putting word processed files on the Web -- software can help, if you have a lot of them. The problem with touchpads on notebook computers, and processors generating heat. Alternatives to Outlook Express. Backchat: another way to remove the games from Windows 2000 and XP.
Ask Jack

Lock-ins that aren't any fun Did you pay too little for your mobile phone? Why are games consoles sold at a loss? And isn't it strange that cheap printers don't cost much more than their ink cartridges? These are all examples of price manipulation that rely on at least some vertical integration and some degree of lock-in. Of course, the companies that provide "good deals" on the initial purchase have to make their money back, and more, on running costs -- mobile phone charges, printer cartridges, games or whatever.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, March 27, 2003

Adam Osborne, who has died aged 64, launched the first successful portable computer, the Osborne 1, though actually it was a mains-powered luggable machine. He also created Osborne Publishing (which continues as part of McGraw-Hill) and launched Paperback Software.
Obituary: Adam Osborne
The Guardian

A look at the Dell Axim X5, Hewlett-Packard iPaq H1910, and Palm-based Sony Clié NZ-90, which includes a 2-megapixel (1600 x 1200 resolution) camera.
Guardian Online: What's new: PDAs

Dealing with Lop, NewDotNet and other PC parasites. Ports on the internet. Removing the games from recent versions of Windows. Backchat: we're still seeking a replacement for MyBBC.
Ask Jack

The search for standards In the computer industry, everybody believes in standards -- especially if they own one. Users depend on them. But where do they come from? Obviously there isn't a single answer....
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, March 20, 2003

The Oscars, and places to vote for the nominees you want to win. The tale of the Raging Cow: the blogging world is being used to promote sugared, flavoured milk drinks. Tara Calishain's Google Hacks book is out now. Wanted: nominations for the UK's Silver Surfer of the Year. Nick Crowe's Axis of Evil ring tones. ZeFrank plays with names (and anything else you type in).
Guardian Online: Web watch

Getting rid of those unwanted porn pictures -- and removing other personal information if you plan to sell an old PC. Converting Web pages into plain text. Looking for a UK-oriented personalised news service. An unofficial site where you can find out which services you can stop in Windows NT and XP. Regret upgrading a program? There's an Oldversion.com Web site where you can sometimes get that old version back. Backchat: making MP3s. Ping with Mac OS 9.
Ask Jack

Battle of the browsers When the computer industry was vertically integrated, it exploited "lock in", which discouraged users from defecting to alternative systems. Today's interdependent suppliers are more likely to talk about "buy in" as a way of sustaining thier platforms. In the browser wars, Microsoft used "buy in" to support Internet Explorer and defeat Netscape Navigator.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Intel launches Centrino -- a new Mobile Pentium chip set that includes Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless capabilities and delivers much better battery life.
Guardian Online

Which format for music to go, MP3 or WMA? Installing Wi-Fi -- it may be too soon to go for the faster 802.11g version. Is your mail being sent? BCC: copies to yourself and you can check. When the net slows or stops, use ping and trace route to find the hold-up. Backchat -- readers recommend software photo albums that preserve and use EXIF data.
Ask Jack

Portable PCs based on Intel's Centrino chip set should have a much greater appeal in the business market because time is money and purchases should be able to demonstrate a clear return on investment. Whether it is worth making the much bigger step to Centrino-based Tablet PCs is another matter, though Intel and Microsoft will be glad to trouser your money if you do.
Computer Weekly

Monday, March 10, 2003

Obituary: Roger Needham, former head of Cambridge University's Computer Lab, and founder of Microsoft Research in Cambridge.
The Guardian

Boxed in (Web exclusive)
People often confuse computing and consumer electronics, though they are very different industries and work on different principles. But personal computers are becoming more like consumer electronics devices, and in the future, that could change....
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, March 6, 2003

Duct tape, and duck tape, and things you can do with it. Two sites to support the Department of Health's mental health anti-stigma campaign. Lavasoft has launched a new version of Ad-aware. Primal Art -- the exhibition of the forthcoming Sony PlayStation game. Virtual U: an educational simulation game that lets you run an American university. Images from New York collections. Six of the best: F1.
Guardian Online: Web watch

EXIF -- reading and saving the picture data from your digital camera. Potect your privacy on the Web, and visit a site that will audit your PC. Stopping those pop-up ads that arrive via the Windows Messenger service. Symbols for male and female. How to get a window back on screen when you can't grab it with the mouse.
Ask Jack

When innovation is a bad idea (Web exclusive)
Almost everyone pays lip service to the idea that innovation is good, but very often it isn't -- it can be more trouble than it's worth. Sometimes it's actually a "negative benefit", when it involves a variation from market standards, as it did with IBM's launch of the PS/2 range of personal computers in the 1980s.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, February 27, 2003

A spammer in the works -- and how you can greatly reduce the amount of spam that reaches your mailbox.
Guardian Online

Sending large files via a mobile phone is probably not a good idea, but you can compress them first, and split them into parts. The page to visit if your browser has been hi-jacked in favour of Searchex.com. Floppy disks still have their uses. Backchat on Windows NT (2000/XP) software compatibility, premium rate phone numbers, and Pretty Good Privacy (PGP).
Ask Jack

Integration's what you need (Web exclusive)
Here's another paradox: every year, the computer industry offers more and more power, and more and more capabilities, but does it with fewer and fewer parts. The secret of success is integration, and it is happening at every level of the industry.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

DIY: Build your own PC. What to buy next after Windows 98. Windows XP: product activation and registration are two different things. A porn link that comes from mis-typing the address. AutoCorrect in Microsoft Word. Backchat: AOL parental controls, and the company that got a huge bill for dialling 090 numbers.
Ask Jack
Guardian Online

One program to rule them all (Web exclusive)
Here's an interesting paradox. The computer industry is widely acknowledged to be one of the most brutally competitive markets the world has ever seen. So why are most segments of the market dominated by a single supplier? Both old fashioned and new fashioned ecomonics have answers -- economies of scale; network effects. But in the end, the answer often boils down to: "well, it makes life easier".
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Thursday, February 13, 2003

Wi-Fi is the simplest way of installing a home network and making a broadband Internet connection available to several computers. A new generation of systems that combine Wi-Fi with a broadband adaptor, such as BT's new Voyager 2000, make it even easier.
Guardian Online

St Valentine's Day, and William Gibson's new book, Pattern Recognition. Lana Clarkson, the B-movie queen killed in the Spector case. San Diego is Googletown. Send your complaints about poor service by text message to Grumbletext. Meet Zoe, the AIM (or AOL Instant Messenger) chat-bot. The ice warrior who plans to walk to the pole (not a Dr Who character). Ze's on-screen kaleidoscope. Six of the best: Valentine's Day.
Web watch

Filtering out spam, and tackling spam in AOL mailboxes. What is the best alternative to AOL? Buffering and breaks in streaming media. Backchat: more on typing the musical marks for sharp, natural and flat, and how to see the BCC: list in Outlook Express e-mail you have sent.
Ask Jack

Microsoft needs to find new markets in order to generate growth. The launch of the Xbox games consoles and Smartphone 2002 software are among the recent examples. But it is also starting to get serious about an area it has more or less ignored for 25 years: business software solutions, such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Although not ready to take on the heavyweights such as IBM and Siebel, it's a market Microsoft has marked out for "consolidation": ie takeover.
Computer Weekly

The open road to success (Web exclusive)
Palm's strategy is to avoid Apple's mistake, and turn itself from a vertically-integrated company into one of many supporters of a horizontal platform. Vertical integration is a good way of opening up a new market by offering "the whole product". However, in the long term, no single company can supply everything users of a successful platform will need. They need to get other companies on board to produce a choice of hardware, software and services, and drive down prices. It means switching from the vertical to the horizontal approach. Apple failed to do that when it mattered, but Psion and Palm are among the companies trying to make it work.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

Memory on the cards: a round-up of the main types of memory storage card from CompactFlash to the mini-me RS-MMC cards that are coming soon. These cards are used in all sorts of gadgets from palmtops to cameras to voice recorders and MP3 players, and you may well end up with several incompatible types. Here's what to watch....
Guardian Online

What can you do (in the UK) if you have an e-mail "stalker". How to protect your personal files in Windows. The GuardianUnlimited Web site and access for people with disabilities. How to get a dynamic Web page sent by e-mail. Looking after lithium-ion batteries. Getting flat and sharp on the page with a musical font for Windows and Mac. Backchat: phone drop charges, and running Turnpike software under Windows XP.
Ask Jack

The joys (and risks) of being horizontal (Web exclusive)
The computer industry has turned through 90 degrees during the past 25 years. In the early days, it made sense for manufacturers to be "vertically integrated," supplying complete systems -- hardware, operating software, applications etc. The problem with that is that it locks users into proprietary and, inevitably, expensive systems. But, particularly after the launch of the IBM PC, the industry has changed to horizontal structure with competition at every level. That competition has expanded the market and driven down prices. However, the problem with chosing "best of breed" parts is that users have to become their own IT managers and system integrators.
Schofield on Saturday
Guardian Unlimited

The Smoking Gun has what The Who guitarist Pete Townshend wrote about child porn a year ago. Habeas uses a haiku to show e-mail is not spam. The EU is having a Year of People with Disability and IBM is aiming to make Web sites more accessible. Listen to old-time radio at RadioLovers. The Ten Second Film Competition (short enough to enter with many digital still cameras) and This Page Intentionally Left Blank. Plus: Six of the best online photo albums.
Guardian Online Webwatch

If you are getting lots of e-mail from big@boss.com, it's a virus, of course. Opt out: spam from Opt in Marketing. How to control cookies. Sites to help you rip DVDs to CD, free. Is a Wi-Fi system in the lounge a health risk? Back chat: securing e-mail with PGP, and "typo of the week", Simsbury's.
Ask Jack