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Manchester SSEM - Baby

Mitch — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:51:16 GMT

I went to see this - this weekend and it is fascinating. In fact the computer section at the Manchester MOSI is brilliant and FREE so get your kids down there!

An article on machines like this and how they shaped the future of computing would be excellent.
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Small-Scale_Experimental_Machine][/url]

Operating Systems used by Military, Government, etc.

tiborpollerman — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:56:53 GMT

I'm a retired computer consultant, with many years working with military and government computers. In the early years of mainframes we always had full access to source code, we signed a non-disclosure agreement with the vendor which provided for a severe penalty if I released any of the source code to anyone not authorized to see it. I can remember occasions when we tracked down a problem, or found a vulnerability by reviewing the source code
That era is long gone with Microsoft, Sun, and other OSes used by the military in critical, sensitive, and classified situations. As a systems admin with such systems, I had no means of reviewing or verifying the actual software in use, it was not vetted by any oorganization and, since 9/11, it seems inconceivable to me that Al Qaeda or other like oorganizationsdon't have some people working in Redmond or Silicon Valley, adding trap doors and vulnerabilities that become widely distributed, and are even now running not only on sensitive military and government computers, but also on my laptop.
I've read occasionally that NSA in the USA tests some OSes, but that doesn't fill me with much confidence.
An investigative article about this subject would be very interesting.
Today even much of our infrastructure, banking, transportation, are highly dependent on these "invisible" OSes.

Cheap but good home printers

bombus — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:14:11 GMT

Maybe I should buy a different mag for this though??

HTPC case review

nitrowing — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:25:38 GMT

I've been considering getting a new HTPC case (I already have a CoolMaster one and the 'DrawerPC') as there are a few with integrated touchscreens now and they're verry priddy!

[url]http://www.afterhours.co.uk/zalman-hd160xt-silver-home-theatre-pc-case-p-4105.html[/url]

[url]http://www.afterhours.co.uk/silverstone-lascala-lc18-with-vista-64bit-ready-touchscreen-p-665.html[/url]

[url]http://www.afterhours.co.uk/silverstone-crown-cw03mt-with-hd-touchscreen-lcd-display-black-case-p-3733.html[/url]

[url]http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews.php?type=3&id=74&page=3&desc=origenae_x15e_htpc_atx_case[/url]

[url]http://www.monshopper.com/shop/moncaso-972-p-307-c-36_37_41.html[/url]

[url]http://www.xtremecomputing.co.uk/review.php?id=390&page=4[/url]

[url]http://www.telfordmedia.co.uk/OnlineStore/HomeTheatreCases/tabid/159/CategoryID/24/List/1/catpageindex/2/Level/1/ProductID/260/Default.aspx?SortField=UnitCost%2CProductName[/url]

These range in price from £280 to £500 (for the full HD touchscreen) and that's quite a bit of money to spend without having someone do a full comparison review!

Don't forget

Old Man — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:06:27 GMT

There are two great games that I thought deserved a mention (and more I'm sure), but they really should be given a "heads up".

Time Of Defiance
[url]http://www.nicelycrafted.com/todc/index.html[/url]

Savage 2
[url]http://savage2.s2games.com/main.php[/url]

Phantom power consumtion.

Teafie — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:20:54 GMT

Sorry, but this request is house hold and is not specific to computers.

But all my consumer electronics are either linked to computers or feature computer technologys of there own. like the HIFI/TV.

Is it possible for MM to do a feature on just how much money/carbon is leaking from my house due to computerized consumer electronics.

I have a PC which I use at the weekends only, or even less often, so this means that whilst the PC is so called off the psu is still keeping the MoBo battery charged, but @ what cost.

Top ten must buy PC games.

Basil — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:15:30 GMT

Title says it all really, ideally not just a regurgitation of the years top sellers (mention the Sims in it and I will cheerfully murder you all :hehe: ).
It would be nice to see some older but still good games in it (for example; fallout anyone?).

3d Screens

Spedley — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:54:24 GMT

I haven't seen a review of a 3D screen in MM yet.

With the Zalman Trimon ZM-M220W being <£400 for a 22" display at 1680x1050 I think they are an option now for many people.
I'd love to know how they stack up in 2D performance, is the 3D effect any good, if MM think it's worth the money and what alternatives are available or forthcoming.

Also, is this the perfect usage for SLI/Crossfire? One card per eye would give a genuine 100% speed improvement.

Hey,hey Mattew what do you see.

Teafie — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:56:42 GMT

I see cloud computing.

Imagine if google purchased an ISP and rolled out 100mb connection across the uk and offered a free hub for every subscriber.

Want to be the captain of a boat big boat.:w00t::P:cool:

article

BigT — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:54:11 GMT

I know that this has been kind of covered before through articles about freeware, shareware etc, but I would be very interested in an article about programs to put onto usb drives or easily portable hard drives for troubleshooting. As an example, I have a usb drive with ccleaner, avg, cpuid, sandra and various other progs to help me when some one asks me to check out their box (I am not an engineer, just a talented amateur with a bit of a knack for finally working out the reason for a problem). I would also be interested in how to set up a usb drive or a CD to boot, get online and troubleshoot as well. This would prove invaluable to fiddlers like me, and who knows, may prove to be of some value to your many professional readers as well!

Thanks for producing a very worthwhile magazine, I have decided that once I move house (middle of next month) I shall look to subscribing to Micromart - that will save the annoyance I feel when I get to the newsagents to find it is sold out.

p.s. I was looking though a copy of PC Advisor recently and spotted an article by Jason, but it couldn't be the same one - the picture of this Jason looked a bit older that Micromarts Jason (Ahem!)

Regards to all

BigT

Mobile Broadband does A Linux Mind Meld

Jeremiah — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:04:32 GMT

Hi there,

I dream of a future where like in the Star Trek (c) franchise all things work seamlessly together and there's an universal translator, until then I will make do with getting my Three (c) E220 HSPDA modem working under Linux (various formats).

I am just (yes just) a [b]user [i][/i][/b]who does not get the command lines, terminals or even konsoles way of doing things (REM I didn't ever see a XZ Spectrum - see what I mean?). After the trials of getting Linux to load (not a real chore) and finding this didn't work and that didn't work (out of the box) I find that I have a working system that does mostly all I need.

The internet on a cable broadband modem works now, may I add casting my mind back Two years ago my graphics card driver (well a proper display) was not loaded or the cable modem or streaming radio from some websites, thankfully things have moved on.

What I find and yes what can you expect for free is, it's always a catch up game, by the time the drivers or applications have become available quite frankly the hardware is either a second thought on an old machine or been upgraded to a newer device. Yes this may seem unfair but once you have given up on day 1,2,3 or day 7 you generally don't revisit the problem and slink back to the Windows platform.

In short can we read an article/masterclass on installing an E220 modem on the latest Linux distros, maybe the top five most popular.

Just a thought.

Regards ALL.

Jeremiah

:) A good cause finds weapons to defend it.

How to build a Media PC

chappers — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24:38 GMT

if this has been metioned before or printed before [re-run it :D] me sorry.

As lots of ppl are or have built/ing a media pc, is there any chance of a article on the best cost effective way in components/OS/software ect and solutions to know issues to do with these?

just a suggestion :)

Blackberry Phones

andyj2004uk — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:03:28 GMT

Good afternoon.

I have just changed my mobile phoe to a Blackberry 8320 Curve and am surprised at what i can do with it. I just wondered if you could do an article about what can now be done with these as well as the newer mobile phones (sat nav, video etc).

Best regards

Andy

Ray Tracing

Spedley — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:55:59 GMT

I really do think that now is the time for Ray-Tracing (Radiosity) to take over from current graphics cards.

Current cards rely on making object look like they are in a scene but with todays computing power it is possible to 'ray-trace' in real time so that the scene is more alive. i.e. it doens' have shadow maps etc because they are part of the scene. Objects reflect on each other, shadows are soft and the graphics process is the otherway around, the objects are put into a scene rather than the scene put onto objects.

Anyway, here are some demos I stumbled accross whilst looking for 3d fractals

[url]http://dee.cz/[/url] ... and, an old link which requires at least an ATI 9500 card! but doesn't require installation [url]http://dee.cz/rrb/RRBugs.rar[/url]

Some bland ideas for articles

IronClaw — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:36:06 GMT

I'm now bored of the repeat 'rebuild/build/update your "xxxx" computer" sections that now seem to act as a space filler in the magazine these days. You guys are doing a great job but it's now seems you're running out of ideas for space fillers :D; so here's one for you.
How about installing an OS on the PS3/Wii/Xbox and try using it as a personal computing device, or some hack that can turn your handheld console into some remote control for your PC and home digital gadget(s).

Big write up on computex

Teafie — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:29:47 GMT

Yup.:)

Video encoding

old timer — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:45:15 GMT

Over the years I have built many computers - generally of the mundane "office" type, but I always learn a bit more from the frequent "build your own PC" articles that appear in MM (and in other mags). Normally I would not specifically ask for guidance as there is already enough out there, covering machines for the office, for photographers (still not movie), for gamers, for servers, for almost any purpose in fact.

However one type of machine never seems to get a mention - specifically an unashamed number cruncher for intensive processing like video encoding. Obviously for a machine of this nature such exotic items as high speed graphics cards, multiple USB ports, surround sound audio, etc. are not required. Indeed it may be possible to operate one without any graphics capability at all over a LAN. It may also be the case, I do not know:unsure: that a light OS of the Linux variety would be better than Windows.

The last such machine I tried to build was a few years ago based on an ASUS P5P800SE, Pentum 4 3.2GHz, 2GB RAM and XP, but converting about 10 minutes worth of video into something I could put on a CD/DVD took so long that I gave up and re-allocated the PC to general duties.

So how about an article on such a project - this would include a spec for a high end machine for the comparatively rich:P and a spec for a more budget machine for the likes of us poor relations. It would, of course lead into considerations of software (free if possible), file formats, timings (most important - if I am going to be a cine director I want to spend my time shooting video, not sitting waiting for a computer), and tips on how to get the best out of the software and hardware.

If all that is too much, then how about a simple listing of suitable specs?:P

Failing that, a few lines on the problem page???

Here's hoping

Edit
I may, of course, be barking up the wrong tree and perhaps I do not need a PC at all! Maybe there is some super duper plugin hardware (PCI of USB) that would do the job just as well

Insain in the membrain

Teafie — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:50:55 GMT

Hi MM guys.

What it is, is this service pk3 XP: A featured link posted to the so called final via Captain cad on the MM forums.

http://download.windowsupdate.com/msdownload/update/software/svpk/2008/04/windowsxp-kb936929-sp3-x86-enu_c81472f7eeea2eca421e116cd4c03e2300ebfde4.exe

My previous set up was service PK2 only and my copy of windows was slipstreemed for gaming.

Upon loading SP3 I find my machine to be, well more powerfull and responsive.

Super PI test was faster and upon re test was consistently faster than default spk2.

Even weirder was bench marking with 3D mark 06/05

My previous benchies was around 06/8563>05/13566

With SPK3 the scores came out around 06/8911 and 05 also came out a goodly 400 points higher score.

MM I have noticed a significant improvemnt in gaming performance since installing spk3

Killer apps Colin Mcrea Dirt and crysis have seen significant increses in FPS> In Dirt: the lower demanding app of the 2 now runs flawlessley.:w00t:

I am completley gob smacked.

Is there any chane MM could test the eficency of SPK3 against SPK2 @ default to see if I am correct, or is poor old teafs insain in the membrain.:)

CHOICE EDITING: GATEWAY TIES NOTEBOOKS TO MICROSoFT

FADINGFAST — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 23:24:42 GMT

According to the email sent to me by Gateway, their MT3104b notebook is designed only for use with Vista and cannot not be used with 100% functionality with any other OS.

I really do not like being denied choice and I especially dislike discovering this after
forking out the readies so in the spirit of true bloodymindedness, I spent several hours installing an alternative OS and drivers - they got me on the audio though as the OEM was forbidden by Gateway to release any drivers for the on board STAC 920... but a USB dongle gives equal 5:1 audio quality.

If Gateway had made it clear that they now make Vista an integral part of their notebooks, I would have strongly advised against purchase

Why not come out into the open and call themselves GATESWAY?...it would be a clear indication of their allegiance to Microsoft and all that is implied by that association.

************************************************************************
Hello Brian,
;)Thank you for your e-mail. I apologize but changing the Operating System
is not supported because your computer is designed for Windows Vista
and there are possibilities that somedrivers will not work in XP.
However its your choice to install XP in your computer however we cant
provide you the drivers you need for sound because we only have here
drivers for vista and some drivers for XP but doesnt have a sound driver
for xp. What I can do is to recommend that you contact the Motherboard
manufacturer of your Gateway Computer to get the driver you need that is
compatible with XP.
Thank you.

Please reply to this message if you require further assistance with this
issue. If your reply is received while I am out of the office, to
ensure a speedy resolution, your issue will be handled by one of my
colleagues.

Sincerely,

Sid
Badge GWEL4336
https://support.gateway.com/Support/copilot/en/us/chat_us_gw_upgrade.asp?id=retailsig
Original Message Follows:
-------------------------

General Customer Service Questions
phone:
Subject: Gateway General Customer Service Questions AA3
Purchase Location:
Email Address: bsansonkirk@tiscali.co.uk
First Name: Brian
Last Name:
Address1: Bubwith-East Yorkshire-UK
City1: Selby
State1: OTHER
Zip1:
Country: Other
Order Number:
Issue Description: Bought for me as present by dad. Came with Vista but
vista not my preferred choice.
Managed to install XP except for audio driver-STAC920+945pm Chipset.
Cannot find non-vista driver for MT 3104b notebook. Will have to sell
product if you cannot help. Why restrict OS to Vista? You will lose
customers permanently by doing this!
Hope you can help or adios laptop and Gateway!!!
Regards
B Sanson!

Case mods you can do yourself.

gully666uk — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:15:01 GMT

I was hoping you could do a story on case mod's you can do at home, like neon lighting, putting in fancy temp lcd's in the front of your case.And things like stickers spraying ect ect.And where we can look for inspiration and suppliers of stuff we can throw in or on.

De-cr@pifie a new PC

neill — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:28:29 GMT

Having just bought a new Dell laptop, how about an article on decrapifing a new PC, ie removing all the stuff you dont want and stopping services not required.

Silent Graphics Cards

artemis — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:53:35 GMT

A round up of the quietest on the market would be very useful as my current ASUS 1650 turns my otherwise silent PC into the M25

What micromart writers look for in a new PC

asininity — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:54:34 GMT

Like those articles about the writers first computers etc, this one would be about what the writers look for in a new PC before they look at components, etc, and the reasons why.

For example, when I start thinking about a new PC the prerequisites I have straight away are that it has to be small, quiet (if not silent), good looking (in a computer way), and as cheap as possible. It also has to be able to encode video as quick as possible, be linux compatible, and have lots of storage.

If this ones already been done I either missed it or forgot it.

Hows about, now then, now then, Micro Mart

Teafie — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:33:33 GMT

Yeppers, it will be a real wowzers if you can pull it off.:)

Micromart attend a LAN party?

monkey.boy — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:43:42 GMT

Some may say that the LAN party scene is getting bigger as more people get involved with PCs as an entertainment medium. Some may say that the LAN party scene has been decimated by the arrival of cheap, easy to access broadband. In some respects I think both schools of thought are correct.
The large, well run LANs such as Multiplays I series are certainly getting bigger (1400ish people at the last event if I remember correctly) and the smaller, locally run LAN parties do seem to have dwindled in number since most people have a fast, always on connection to the internet through which to play games at home.
I attend a lot of LAN parties, on the smaller scale I have attended a couple of monthly ones in Leicester to which I have been going for around 7 years now. The numbers have certainly dropped from their heyday to a small number of staunch regulars who refuse to abandon them. Unfortunately, one of these LAN parties now no longer runs due to small numbers of attendees and the other is definitely only a shadow of its former self. These are now more of a social event (lots of beer then games and films) rather than an all out gaming fest. I also attend the I series events run by multiplay at Newbury race course. These events have certainly gone from strength to strength, with bigger and better prizes, high profile talks and gaming announcements plus a huge amount of like minded people to play against and chat to.
There is a definite difference in the atmosphere between the small quieter LAN party where everyone knows each other and the hustle and bustle of the big events when you know maybe 1% of the attendees. Each has its charm and pull.
I attend the larger LANs with a clan of about 10 to 12 people as do a lot of other attendees but there are people who do attend the LANs on their own, even coming from far oversea to the event. As always, these people are made to feel welcome and if sat near us, are generally asked if they want to join in the games that my clan are playing to make them feel involved. I have heard several reports of people feeling out of place at the big events when attending on their own or in a small group due to the sheer scale but if you get involved and chat to people you will find you will have a memorable time and certainly make new friends. At the smaller LANs people who attend for the first time may initially feel like outsiders ie: inside jokes about other attendees and such: but after a short time generally feel welcomed and part of the crowd. A lot of these people also seem to keep coming back time after time due to the fun they have.

My point to this near endless stream of LAN love is this:-

Have the Micromart attended any LAN parties - big or small?

Would you consider doing a 'Micromart clan goes to...' article about the writersgoing to a large and a small LAN as newcomers or even old hats?

Is there any plans to attend something like the I series? I bet the multiplay would welcome you to the event.

Be gentle, this is my first time at suggesting an article and I picked one that I thought many people would be interested in. If you do go to the next I series LAN then look up my clan TRS - usually in the battlefield section. A beer is always available to the writers of my favorite mag if you do attend :D

Karl aka [TRS]MONSTER

Fixing hardware

bombus — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:42:14 GMT

I recently cracked the screen on my laptop rendering it unusable. However, I found out that they're not that hard to replace. I ordered a second-hand screen and replaced it myself. It cost £120 including delivery, and it took about 3/4 of an hour to fix. Well worth it.

Maybe other components can be fixed quite easily? PSU's? Hard Drives? even Motherboards? Would it be worth an investigation and an article?

Just a thought...

Bi-weekly or monthly Folding article

Hughbert001 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:33:21 GMT

Why don't we have a Bi-weekly or if that is not possible why not Monthly article about the folding at home teem with regular updates on how the team is doing, personal mile stones and the top folders of the month.

any suggestions on how to improve this are appreciated.

Hugh

bios weirdness

triumph — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:47:52 GMT

i am a subscriber, but cunningly not in my name, my girlfriend subscribes for me as i truthfully explained that micromart is an absolute necessity if i am to keep her world of
warblecraft system in good health. she bought a viper system from an mm ad and very good it is too. the viper system runs vista hp and wow a lot. the second system runs xp for her email and workstuff..my second system runs linux for email forum searches etc...my main system is my first self build succesfull thanks to mm it runs vista hp. i obtained vista
smoker, and am quite pleased with it, also from an mm review...so mm is a big help..there is one article that would help immensely.....before i venture into the world of overclocking
i really would like an in depth explanation of the settings in the bios, not just what to set them at but what do they do and how...for example...what is asus cross graphics impellor..
my board is a p5k pemium black pearl good choice for an article... ok so my system runs just fine at the moment..but the warnings in the bios about incorrect settings may cause at some future time a large black and white stripey vortex to appear and rend the fabric of the universe asunder, a bit worrying...oh i particularly liked the past article on quantum
computing...thanks..

Virus disection.

Teafie — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:20:54 GMT

what viruses get upto. some of there coding explaind. Manual targeting and deletion advice if your ani virus software is the sort that just points you in the right direction but does nothing else. Like AGV. Boy have those guys moved the goal posts on there free stuff. waste of time, but you will find yourself sorted if you trial a full version like AGV8. Trouble is after a month they coming knocking on yer screen for monies.

What support do you get with a paid for Linux Distro?

malc_wright — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:16:42 GMT

Hi Simon,

There are several Linux Distros that sell not just the operating system but say 30 or 60 days support.

So never having bought a package offering support, just what do you get, and how good is it?

It might make an article to take a PC, with a few add on cards, install some paid for Distros and see if the support could walk you a newcomer to Linux through any set up issues.

If you used the same PC it could even highlight what different issues arose in the first instance and there resolution.

Sky+ box making it in to a media server

The Jackal — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:42:09 GMT

I recently had a Sky+ HD system installed and noticed a host of well known connectors on the back that are not mentioned in the user guide i.e. USB port, RJ45 LAN, eSATA. Is it possible to access these ports and make the Sky+ box the hub of a home digital media network.

The possibilities are many, combining the sky programming, PVR, the internet, wireless/home network and possibly games consoles on the same network able to exchange data and stream media files all over the house.

Can it be done and does anyone at MM towers want to try?

Carl

de-crapiying old pc`s

maticus2 — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:39:54 GMT

Having read the previous topic I got me thinking. A couple of months a go I was called to fix a laptop that was running achingly slow. After throwing every incantation in the book at it 6 hours had past it was midnight and I had to go home with the job half done.

now the thing is as I was scanning and defragging and whatever else needed doing I couldn’t help think that I may be I wasn’t going about it the best way, maybe if I did things in a different order (and used something else besides spybot) I would of been home sooner.

so how about a sister article to go with dealing with new Pc`s rubbish as well

Wireless Gigital Media Players

bBob — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:39:25 GMT

I would like to see an article on wireless media players - PC wireless to media player - HD TV
article to include various choices and a guide to set-up

Rise of the simpleton.

Slowhandash — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:09:18 GMT

I have been reading the mag for a few weeks now since the Vista cover story 'one year on' and I think that it would be a good idea to have a simpletons section. Now the reason being that not all of your readers will be simply using computers and will be reading for reviews and new info from the world of computing (like me) and will not want the ''well, we can sell you this'' approach of many magazines flattering their advertisers. I don't mean go from power on, but, info on how to dual boot windows and Linux and the benefits it has would be good. Also how to install new hardware. Not basic stuff but not advanced either. The sort of intermediate stuff that a computer literate or home user will want to know so they don't have to go out and spend loads of money on new gear and get someone to intall it. Also I notice a lot of highstreet retailers dont know a great deal about PC's and their workings. (Ask PC world the difference between a PC and a MAC. your laughing but how many customers to they needlessly take money from.) I would also predict that if this were a regular feature like the ones you have for web designers and system builders it would gain you a readership. for example how to speed up a PC without spending any money and splash that across the front page. It will catch the eye especially from the like of me and my ilk, the simpleton.

Apart from that its a fab mag and I will be reading week on week (when I remember to get it).

Cheers Guys

Mircomart Reader's Top 45 Most influencial people it IT

Mitch — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:20:05 GMT

I cannot believe some of the positions of people in the Intel Top 45:

Wozniak 42nd?

BABBAGE 39th! (Crazy)

Gates 32nd? (Disrespectful, regardless of your views of MS)

Baird 26th?

Jobs 14th? (Oh come on, more influencial than the man with 92% market share of OS?)

TURING 7th? (Cripes, there wouldn't be I.T. without him, Baird and Babbage)

and then the bizzarest of all:

2nd & 3rd Go to the Google boys! How so? The IT world wouldn't be vastly different without Google, because Yahoo would still be up there.

I will give them Berners-Lee although 1st???? Where is Sanders by the way guys????

Those Intel guys want to stick to making CPU's! (Moore in 6th place....slurp)

Hard Drive power saving

Spedley — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 16:17:03 GMT

Can I request that someone at MM contacts the major HD manufacturers and gets official data on whether spin up/down damages their drives and if so, how manu up/down cycles are they rated for.

I also expect that older model drives are more prone to this due to recent green issues which makes it more likely drives are stopping and starting. Can you find out if this is true and which models/date/manufacturers do not suffer from the problem.

Out of the box functionality

DerekMort — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:51:58 GMT

Most people today expect things to work as soon as they plug them in. Lets say a modern 2.2 family has bought a modern pc to use alongside their aging one. Wireless sounds like the way to go to get both on the internet so a wireless router etc is required as well. Printer needs to be shared between both computers as well as some files so a small network would be nice as well. Salesmen reccomends the appropriate equipment and they go home happy.

How easy is it for casual pc users to actually get all this stuff setup and working? I've been asked numerous times to help people set up a network etc, as have others on the forums. Is it a lack of instruction from manufacturers or are people just too accustomed to having things 'plug and play'?

Many people also experience problems when they decide to play a game online only to find they can't connect and have to forward some ports on the router. For many this is a daunting task, the router is supposed to protect them isnt it, what if they muck something up?

Ok, MM is a magazine that most buy because it caters for more adanced users, but there are also novice users who have gained from its articles. Surely a look at how much work is required to properly get thigns running as stated above will help many of those users, as well as perhaps highlight which equipment delivers on its promise.

Laptop speakers

nitrowing — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:47:23 GMT

Could we see a group test on laptop speakers that are actually portable (that fit in the bag with the laptop)?
I have a set of sennheiser mx400 in ear headphones which sound fantastic but they start to irritate my ears after a while and aren't any good if I want to do anything apart from sit at the laptop!
I also have the TDK CD holder speakers (converted to take USB power as well as batteries). They sound fine but there is little sound seperation as they're side-by-side.
I've just purchased JazzSpeakers Sound Walker USB J1301. They're terrible. :w00t:

Win 98

ews — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:22:14 GMT

An article or a small regular section on Win 98, re what CPU's /motherboards/ programes are still available to us, as there are still a lot of users of Win 98 . The magazine runs small articles on other less popular O/S's. We seem to be forgoten with the race to newer/faster ??? O/S's. Not all of us want XP/Vista, and have to dispose of kit which works and serves us well.

I am still using a AMD K6-500, for office/imaging/general use, alongside(OmniCube 2 portKVM box) a AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (single core)dual booted with Win98 and Xandros (Xandros for internet use).