Micro Mart Forum / Messages To The Editor / Micro Mart Forums / Writing Into The Magazine

Article On Building Computer Under £100?

ChinaTown — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:13:03 GMT

I read an article quite a while back in a different magazine (Sorry, MM) on how you could build your own linux based machine for under £100.

Being tight-fisted, and wanting to build a computer, I was inspired by this. So I decided I was going to build one, for less than £100.

So I wondered... Could I post an article about it (And hopefully get it publish into MM)?

:w00t:

Self Building

John H White — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 21:55:33 GMT

Dear Editor,
Whilst I have found the current series on building one's own computer most interesting; with one of your advertisers offering quite a high spec. machine for around £600, I cannot see how it is possible to save money, buying new components individually. I suppose it could be argued that we pay extra for the fun of building and setting up our own computer. However, for a complete novice of 76 like myself, this could result in a lot more pain than pleasure.:(
A few months ago I attempted a motherboard/processor/soundcard transplant on my existing machine. This resulted in 2 of my sons having to spend quite a few hours putting right what had gone wrong. The poor fellows had thought they had just come to visit us to join me in the annual cycle ride round the Isle of Wight, where I now live!
A bit of gentle upgrading like adding memory might be all right but, for me, a complete home build looks decidedly out of the question:(.
Cheers,
John H White.

Windows 7 coming early?

digger — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:19:11 GMT

I read the article..and it took me back..just a short time back.Vista was late..the promised land was not
on the horizon.The Media pontificated..and made many comments about Vista not having many of the
promised bits..where was? etc etc.
Microsoft was in turmoil..must get it out..it arrived..less many parts discussed by the media..it was bunged into
many as yet unsold PCs..vouchers handed out..to allow upgrades from XP..you name it..they did it.
Could it be that Vista was provided to the gullible public as a "finished" product so that deadlines were [nearly] met
whilst in secret work carried on [in Bills garage] with Vista????
Is Windows 7 really the finished Vista?
This seem the only way that a "new" O/S could be presented to the US Gov in such a short period?
Or am I too sceptical....?

Question for Ask Aaron

BullStuff — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:35:40 GMT

Hi Aaron

I am really enjoying your contributions, having picked up much useful knowledge, from yourself and your colleagues.

My queries are the result of the scarily developing genius that is my 14-year old grandson. After wirelessly networking his home, using a laptop as his server, 2 external hard drives (one runs the LAN) and what began life as a Medion PC (severely upgraded), Jack wants to use a SFF or similar as a Server, freeing the laptop for his mum, my daughter. Who is even more baffled by him than is granddad...

Jack is currently helping to run the website at his Technology College, which is fortunately an establishment with respect for its IT kids. Even from other students, that is. However, he is experiencing certain frustrations with his home equipment, in that he has Server 2003 Enterprise Edition but cannot configure it. So I turn to you on his behalf: can you help? When I tell you that Jack suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, you will understand my pride in this young man and his achievements. Jack has ambitions about becoming a Games developer and I have no doubt that he will get there. The Asperger's gives him absolute Tunnel Vision, you see. What he starts, he has to finish. Successfully. Or else.

I would be grateful for any advice you might be able to supply, in regard to configuring Connection Wizard for server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Also, what form would be best suited to building a Small Server box, with a minimum of components. And please remember - you might just be working for him, someday! Come to think of it, we might ALL be working for him ...

Thanks Aaron

Regards

Bob W.

Ask Jason - Nineteen Eighty - Four? I have to pick you up on that Jason.

Mitch — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:19:30 GMT

You claim that secret monitoring of emails is an "overload of Spooks" but try the following:

Compose 2 emails but don't send them anywhere (save them as drafts as you write them)

In the first email subject header write "Brown and Bush Assassination Attempt" but don't attach anything or put anything in the message body.

In the second email write in the header "Dinner tomorrow" but again don't attach anything or put anything in the message body.

Address them both to your hotmail account and send them to yourself at exactly the same time and see which one comes in first. A friend told me about this and when I tried it, the Brown and Bush one took 2 hours longer to come back, so somebody is reading our emails, although I am not sure who! Now that is Spooky.

Ask Jason Again!

Fixtheleek? — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:03:55 GMT

Sorry Jason I am afraid I must hold my hand up to making the ‘hideous sound when coming from the lips of a non-American’:P
Being a carpenter for nearly 40years before I happened upon a broadband inspired ‘router’[that rhymes with hooter as in rooter] the only one I knew before that was a wood cutting ‘router’ [rowter] chisel, plane and electric. Perhaps a better choice of spelling would have helped us slightly dyslexic thickies:doze: to manage this modern vocabulary.:hehe:

Question for Ask Gordon

cocorico — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:58:32 GMT

Dear Gordon,

I've been very impressed with the range of answers you give on coding issues, and I was therefore wondering if perhaps you may know a way around this problem.

I tried to forward a promotional e-mail for an I.T. event to an I.T. professional that I know, but when I tried to do so I was met with an MS alert boxout that said the following:

"To complete this action, Outlook must download content from a server other than your e-mail server. This could verify to the sender that your e-mail address is valid and increase the amount of junk e-mail you receive in the future."

Is there any way that I can edit the coding in the message file so that I can forward it, without it contacting the senders server?

Many Thanks John [forumite name 'cocorico']

cheap-it.com

Claptrap — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:14:14 GMT

I thought to send you a copy of the letter I've sent to cheap- it.com, which run a double page advert in your magazine for at least a couple of times. I hope nobody else got jilted like I did. Unfortunately, I was desperate as my computer had broken down just three weeks before the end of college - and this company promised a next day delivery, and I was pleased about office 2003 trial that would tie me over the rest of the time at college - so I didn't have time to research the company and couldn't organise my friend to pay for the product with his credit card. Instead, I used my debit card.

Trying to catch up with my college work, I didn't notice or find out many of the problems mentioned here, such as not being able to play DVDs. I did contact the company the very next day about lack of Office trial key but got the following answer:"Oh, we are not supporting any software issues, love, that's why we're so cheap." I was not satisfied with the answer but I didn't have the time to argue - let's just say that someone kindly installed a copy of much older version of Office (I couldn't download OpenOffice either) so I could at least get assignments done on most parts. By the same token, I only realised much later that modem doesn't work (I could not find modem or com 3 port in device manager), after having spent 8 pounds! on a modem lead.

For all the reasons mentioned in my letter below, I stopped using the laptop soon after college ended and have gone to write all my letters and checking emails at my friend's house. When I go back to college, I cannot rely solely on mt friend's computer (no right software to start with) but with no income, *another* 599 pounds (software demands more than most basic model) is just too much.... Here is the letter I sent to cheap-it.com:

Client Services Department

PO Box 4236 Dunstable, Beds,

LU6 1XY

10 July 2007

Dear Sir/Madam,

I purchased from you (www.cheap-it.com) a Toshiba A105 laptop on 4^th June 2007, having seen an advert for it in Micromart, 3^rd-9^th May 2007, page 47.

This week, I tried to play a DVD in it and could not believe it when it would not play and a message came up saying it was because the wrong region. I then discovered a sticker on the back of the machine that said it was made in the USA and realised that it was configured for NTSC DVDs only. This explained too why it had an American keyboard.

Furthermore, the sticker said it was reconditioned and that the warranty was valid in the USA only. I then realised that your own information received with the laptop said that the warranty was only for 3 months.

On further inspection, I found that the processor speed was 1.7 ghz, that the com 3 port (modem) for connection to the internet was not working and that the Microsoft Office Word 2003 trial was not operational because of a missing trial key. The system clock keeps changing its date randomly, which means that any date stamps on digital files, vital for legal and other reasons, are incorrect. This alone is unacceptable.

I decided to purchase the laptop, having seen it advertised in a UK magazine, and therefore had every right to expect a computer that played UK DVDs. It also stated quite clearly ‘1 year full warranty’ (not 3 months). The processor speed stated 1.83ghz (not 1.7) and it stated that there is a V92 modem, which one assumes will work (it doesn’t). It stated nowhere in the advert that this is a reconditioned machine (it is), nor was I told this when I purchased it. Unless I had been informed otherwise, I would be quite within my rights to expect a new machine. The fact that other models in your advertisement state clearly that they are reconditioned, reinforces the impression that the one I purchased should have been new.

Therefore I will be returning the laptop to you in accordance with my consumer rights as discussed with Trading Standards, namely that I have been missold goods which differ from that advertised and do not fully work.

This is of course extremely disappointing, apart from anything because of the cost of sending it back to you. I wish to know, before I do, whether you intend to provide me with a new laptop with all the specifications as advertised, or whether you intend to give me a full refund (₤599-00).

Yours faithfully

A Karhunen

BBC I-Player

Mitch — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:22:27 GMT

If you want to watch a load of repeats, then why on earth would you log on to the internet and download them? Just switch the TV on and save us all the bandwidth. BBC1,2, ITV and Channel 4 have outdone themselves this year, as my Sky planner has become a replication 3 days running, and at the same time I am being told to log on to the internet and download this tripe.

Thank god for the Red Dwarf repeats eh?....They are keeping me sane.

futureproofing

cocorico — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:27:44 GMT

I decided to make a number of comments on the subject of 'futureproofing', which was introduced as an 'off topic' subject in another thread, which is why I have addressed it here.

I'm not intending to preach to anybody, nor am I going to tell people anything that they don't already know. There is a lot of cynicism and despair out there, and I just want to 'package' an explanation of the modern value of the concept and put things in context.

The term 'futureproofing' is around as long as I can remember being involved in computer usage. The initial concept was simple. Spend in excess of the cost of 'entry level' kit now, in the hope that it will keep your kit meeting your needs for longer, and thus minimizing your overall cost of computing over time.

Think about your current needs and your computing skills level. Ask yourself what you need a computer for right now, and what uses your skill will allow. Try to take a guess at what 'extra things' you might want it for in the future, and be honest with yourself about how your skill level is likely to improve and broaden.

Now, decide how much you can afford to spend, and draft a spec. that meets all your current needs first. Look at your list of 'extra things'. Prioritize them [honesty time again!]. Shop around and cost them all. Add to/modify the spec. according to the priority order, and buy up to your spending limit. Job done!

Most MM readers are familiar with the development path of the PC processor, from the humble 086 to quad core, the progress made in hardware features, the evolution of various operating systems, application, utility and entertainment software, and the advent of mass available, affordable internet.

Over time, developments in computer products, particularly hardware, has accellerated to the point where the 'generation gap' between successive PC 'incarnations', and the associated hardware available to them, graphics cards, hard drives, input devices, communication devices etc, has contracted to a degree where 'futureproofing' in the old sense of the word, may seem meaningless to some people.

There always seems to be some brave new world of computing potential right around the corner, and it appears impossible to predict. There always seems to be a new leap in computing power and speed, that opens the gateway to hitherto unknown software authoring possibilities.

Futureproofing may have over time, become a bit of a misnomer, but nothing really has changed. Most of us, whether buying a complete off the shelf system, or building our own from components, go through the same considerations I already outlined - we first focus on what we need to achieve with the machine for now - and then we prioritize our predictions about what we may like to do with it in the future, until our available budget runs out. Many of us will be on a subsequent, rather than a first computer. So as a minimum, our 'next gen' computer will have to do what the existing one does, but faster, better, more user friendlier, and then we will have new expectations based on the limitations we increasingly experienced on the old one, as it became eclipsed by the onward march of technology, and the ever increasing resourse demands of newer software.

But for many of us, and more of us, as time marches on, a lot HAS and WILL CONTINUE to change.

As home networks continue to become more extensive, and the things we want them to do, continues to expand, not to mention, the increasing enthusiasm with which 'ordinary' 'joe publics' are becoming willing to experiment with Linux, the rise of online phenomenon like Facebook and MySpace, and increasing bandwidth of home broadband allowing us to do more, I can see 'Advanced Networking', 'Operating System [and application] Interoperability' and 'Home Web Serving' as the three biggest growth areas for Comsumer Advice Demand from domestic computer owners.

Simple linear networks offered out an IP address by for instance, a broadband router, by DHCP, are barely adequate for some of the home networks of today, and certainly not of the future.

The domestic housing market, and the inability for many first time buyers to get their foot on the property market means extended families in one home longer than anticipated. This means computer users with vastly different demands, often spanning three or four generations in age, occupying the same property, and sharing a pooled network of computing resources, may become increasingly more common.

Pressure on living spaces continues to increase, and the above, is by no means the only model of increasingly more widespread 'homes in multiple occupation'.

Privacy, Accessibility, Security, Maintenance Overhead, Physical Durability, Power Consumption, Recyclability, Procurement Overhead,..[this is not an exhaustive list!].... are all in the mix, and what happens to be 'under the hood' in one computing 'unit' is now almost looking like a distraction... a 'red herring'!

The complexity of future home networks, and the collapsing ratio between how much we pay for hardware, and what they are increasingly capable of delivering, means that one comodity, above all, is emerging supreme in the whole equation of pursuing best value for the computer consumer. This is the value of users time.

We want solutions that allow us to achieve what we need, with great simplicity and speed... We want new technology available to us as it emerges.... but.. we want none of the following: waiting on customer service lines; doing manual backups; waiting on installing software; waiting on downloads; waiting on technicians to attend; waiting on deliveries; waiting on security software;..... [another on exhaustive list!]

Futureproofing is a redundant phrase because the way we need to approach ongoing home computing provision has changed. It's no longer one unit in isolation, like a car, or a refrigerator, or a TV, which will have a lifetime, and at some point, due to failure or obsolecence, or both will need replacing.

The future of home computing ownership will involve a continuous process of assessment, with no clear starting or end-point, in order to achieve best value.

Managing this requires the casting aside of the dated concept of futureproofing and the adoption of an alternative phrase whose focus, in the pursuit of 'best value' above all other consideration, is the minimizing of people's wasted time.

It's not a new phrase, and has been the bane and holy grail of commerical information systems management for quite a long time. That is 'Total Cost of Ownership' or 'TCO' for short.

But in principle, the concept is the same. It's all about just getting the best deal you can, and in the long run, not having to waste money. But now, more than ever, the phrase 'time is money' rings true.

So, just as P4 gave way to C2D and then C2Q, just as Socket A gave way to 754, then 939, and then AM, just as Win 2K gave way to XP and then... err... well!....

Welcome to Futureproofing 2.0 - TCO!

Many Thanks John

why

beako — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 16:31:50 GMT

hi this is the story so far sys, socket a 2800 +barton, assrock board K7VT4A+,xfx6800gt agp graphics ,600 watt psu audigy sound card ,xp OS. 2 X 512MB 3200 CRUCIAL STICKS MEM .the problem i have is on far cry the game video settings will only play on low; if i go for med i get areas that are not painted, idid buy the card on ebay and wonder if the card had been overclocked and reset et alower setting i have loaded the latest drivers .i do remember you did an article on overclocking via the registry settings could you email step by step instructions for me many thanks, beako.

Outdated

Omser — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:36:26 GMT

:w00t:Ref issue 970. Feature No24 Tip 21 (BootVis). For Info, This application is no longer available for download from Microsoft

Leo's Logging Off (Issue 939)

madmacs — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 18:42:55 GMT

While I can see your point about plagiarism in the use of the net I can still remember my school days (just about). When given a research project I had to go to the library, locate an appropriate book and research my subject. In that era most people had a public library whch was open till early evening and Saturday morning. Nowadays due to financial restraints my local library is poorly stocked and opens three days a week for half a day. The internet provides us with 24/7 coverage of every possible subject much simplifying research. In all fairness except perhaps in the case of literature where it is all to easy to copy someone else's work I don't see a lot of difference in looking up information on the web and in a book. After all it was easy enough to just copy the info from a book even if you couldn't cut and paste it. Not that I ever did, trust me. Yes things have changed but I think there are at least as many positives as negatives.

Database Article in this weeks Issue [954]

cocorico — Thu, 24 May 2007 14:44:12 GMT

Arrrgh! - relieving tension!

I was really happy when I saw the heading 'Which Database is Best for You' as a cover story - because databases are big business, and I was looking forward to reading something that was plain truth and not vendor hype, or talked up views from individuals resigned to a particular 'camp'.

First, and this is minor, I went into page 4 and 5, expecting to find the article quickly under 'COVER STORY' - why would that be? because the article is mentioned on the COVER of course.

I eventually, in the small print in the blue margin, found an article called 'Group Test Databases' which I can only assume is the same thing.

Now first of all, let me say, that I hate Access, not for what it is, because what it is, it is quite good at actually, but for what it is not, or more specifically, when a business grows, and the DB needs of businesses exceed what Access can offer, individuals try to shoe horn Access into coping with what its not designed for, because they are too lazy to reskill themselves to. There is no rational reason why Access shouldn't be fully scalable, except MS don't want it competing with its flagship MS Sql Server in the big league, and medium size businesses, that once were quite small, would prefer to give their [already overstressed and inadequately resourced] IT team, the task of integrating front end Access use with something else [which never really works perfectly] rather than retrain and upskill their 125 approx administrative staff [ that once was a small team of around 8].

And beyond people that think they can shoe horn Excel into doing things they really should be using Access to do, there is only one other thing DB related that I hate more than Access, and that is programs that are made by somebody else, and try to be Access, but aren't quite as good.

Now you can see why I am let down by this week's article!

The fact is that Oracle, IBM Informix, My SQL, MS Sql server, IBM DB2, Teradata and Sybase together, have about 94% of DB market. Around 80% of the market is due to two products, Oracle's 10g and IBM's Informix alone. Last reliable figures to 2005. There is evidence that since then My SQL might have picked up share equal to about 25% of market, but this is difficult to translate into market share measured in cold hard cash, since components of it are opensource, so revenue does not necessarily mean usage.

But the bottom line that Access and its ilk, are a thin sliver of the DB pie, and by comparison, quite limited in purpose.

I wouldn't be HAPPY with Access represented in an article on DB's alongside the products above.. but I could live with it.

What I have a MAJOR problem with, is an article which purports to be an all encompasing article on DB's, but provides, only this tiny shadow representation of the fullness of what DB's can truly be...

Why? Because somebody in their infinite wisdom has decided this is all that MM readers will need, use or take interest in??

How presumptuous!!

I've had Oracle 9i running on a Sun Ultra 2 at home for about 3-4 years now. A lot has come with 10g which I'd like to make use of, but the migration is not something to be taken lightly!

Every week, without fail, there is an article on standard hardware components of desktops/stand alone PC's. Be it mobo's, graphics cards, hard drives, memory or whatever!

Now what if the 'overclocker efficionados' of the MM readership read 'CUTTING EDGE STONKING MOBOS REVIEWED' on the cover, only to find that all mobos reviewed are ones with onboard sound and graphics - you know the type!

This is what has been done to me by MM!, but luckily for my overclocker friends, their 'pet' topics are regularly re-visited. How long will it be to the next DB article?

In a web authoring tool context, this article is a bit like a test including Frontpage, and things that pretend to be frontpage but are not even as good, but somebody forgot to include products by Macromedia. You get the picture - whole different league!

By the way, If you really want to evaluate Oracle 10g as an article, I've got a copy of it - all 14 cd's [ Database, Application Server, Grid Control Agent, Cluster Ready Services, and Companion CD] and yes it's legal! But if you are interested - I'll want it back though!

As an olive branch, I have to say that this week I really liked the Crazy Talk 4, well done Joe Lavery, and who ever discovered the stuff [ if somebody else]

Thanks John

GA-965P-DS3P review issue 952

One_Box — Wed, 16 May 2007 11:51:11 GMT

Having owned one of these motherboards since 02/04/07 I was interested to see what your reviewer made of it. I have to say I needed to check the model number twice to make sure we were talking about the same thing! Whilst I accept that to a certain degree any review is subjective, it should at least be factually accurate.

Perhaps if the reviewer had spent a little more time evaluating the board rather than worrying about a sticker on the PCI slots he would have noticed the following :-

There are TWO PCIE slots (1X16 and 1X4).
There IS a firewire port (yes it is on the backplane!).
Both the ICH8R and Gigabyte SATA2 controller support RAID.

I have found this board to be an excellent overclocker (using F5 bios), and my C2D E4300 is running at 2988Mhz without Prime 95 or FAH errors.

Hope you will give your reviwer a slap on the wrist

How this works...

TheEditor — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 11:09:58 GMT

We've set up this forum for those of you who want to post letters into the magazine. All we'd ask is that you label what section your letter is for. We can't guarantee that we'll use everything, but we do try and get as broad a range in print as possible.

The mail and e-mail addresses are still working too.

Post your submissions here for:

Opinions
Ask Leo
Ask Jason
Ask JW
Ask Russell
Ask Gordon
Q & A

Thanks

Simon

April 1st

digger — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 23:30:18 GMT

Congrats Sarah[?] on your promo..the last editor was???

The future of UK Broadband

bwallx — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:18:59 GMT

The Future of UK Broadband made interesting reading. However, there was no mention of wifi and hotspots.

More and more towns and businesses are now providing wifi hotspots for free. The cost to a town council is minimal and has many advantages. It can encourage commerce and trade, bring people back into town and boost trade for local cafes.

I'm often asked how it is possible to provide a service that ISPs commonly charge £15-20 a month for. Well, as I said, a deal between a town council and an ISP could cost just under £100 a month. On top of that is the cost of the wifi equipment and aerials. Not a lot is it?

The downside is that users won't be accessing the internet via a familiar ISP with their portals and support. Nor with their free POP email accounts. Instead, you connect direct to whichever site you point your browser at. I have been enjoying free wifi access for nearly a year and my speeds are in excess of 4Gb downstream. It is also very reliable and there is no cap.

Many businesses, especially hotels and cafes, at least in my area, also allow their wifi to be used for free if you are within range. It costs a business very little to connect to the net in the first place so it makes commercial sense for them to allow potential customers to piggy-back on it.

An entire town close by is next month launching a free wifi service covering the entire commercial area and I can see that ISPs will soon become providers to businesses only, not to home users. Those living out of reach of towns and cities will still need an ISP of course, together with the attendant expense, but basically, for many of us, the future of broadband is free!

Brian Wall
Bournemouth

New Years Resolution - Try Linux

TRS80 — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 10:27:02 GMT

I decided, this year, to try linux to see if it could compete with Windows. My first distro was Ubuntu Dapper Drake (on a disc so didn't need to download). This installed with no problem except no wireless connection. I tried various suggestions from the MM Forum to no avail. I then worked my way through Kubuntu (liked desktop), Mint, SUSE (crashed every time I tried to install it) and finally Mandriva (2007 version). The latter was probably the friendliest and I eventually got my wireless network to connect but it wasn't easy. So, what do I think of linux? Will it replace Windows? Not until it sorts out hardware/driver problems and games software is written for it. But if you don't play games and don't have to use MS software then linux could be a cheap alternative. For beginners I'd suggest either Kubuntu (XP like desktop) or Mint if you either have no network or ethernet and Mandriva if you have a wireless network. But make sure you have the latest drivers and be prepared to 'fiddle' if it doesn't work straight out of the box.

wit

trike — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 12:11:36 GMT

(i can't find my glasses-which is why my u/name was trite to begin with)
A hot air balloonist had drifted off course.Seeing a man on the ground he shouted"excuse me,can you tell me where I am?"
"Yes" the man says"You're in a balloon"
"You must work in IT" the balloonist said.
"How did you know?" asked the man on the ground.
"what you told me is technically correct,but of no use whatsoever"said the balloonist.
"And you must work in management" the IT guy retorted.
"Yes,how did you know? "said the balloonist.
"The guy on the ground replies"You don't know where you are,or where you're going but you expect complete strangers to help,you are in the same mess as you where before we met, but now its my fault"

snigger*** :D:D

Bleeding Text

rickonnye — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 23:35:20 GMT

Hi,

Just like to say that I really enjoyed/am enjoying this weeks Micromart. And it was my first on subscription...thanks.

Anyway my only little moan is about some of the small text in panels, i.e. white on black, white on red........the small text this week seems to have bled into the background making it quite unreadable. Is it a different paper this week. If you could just make the text size slightly bigger and dont use those two combinations all will be brilliant.

Thanks for listening

Rickon

BF2142, Review!

Tom Morton — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:11:33 GMT

Ok so I respect, if disagree, with Mark Pickavance's opinion of BF2142 (reviewed issue 929) but I cant let his spyware etc. comment go. There has been much discussion of this her and on other forums / news outlets and unfortunately many people still don't understand what this 'spyware' is. Unfortunately it seems Mark doesn't either!

For a start EA has published numerous statements about the advertising technology, all of which have been ignored. Instead people are believing so called EA bashers. In actual fact the software does not run when the game isn't running and it certainly does not record sites you visit in your browser. The system instead simply allows a 3rd party advertising provider record your IP address WHILST you are laying the game for the purpose of targeting ad's predefined for your location.

Is that such an awful thing. Thousands of websites and other programs record your IP address (many of the websites I write record vistors info for stats tracking etc). EA record it then pass it temporarily to the Ad agencies servers! It is perfectly legal for anyone to record the IP of anyone using their service. Although EU law does not allow this information to be used for advert purposes (hence the whole servers outside the EU loophole EA have used).

If Mark takes offence to this kind of data collection then he should (if he plays them) remove all his STEAM games too as Valve record (and always have done) your IP address in the same way as EA. And in fact they determine the types of updates / news / Steam adverts you get depending on your location. They even use the data to form user / gamer statistics! And they have been doing this from the start but no-one took offence to it.

So in future can we have facts please instead of wild assertion. Anyway.. 2142 is an ace game bringing everything that was good in BF2 and adding the awesome Titan mode!

As to graphics quality I very much doubt that maps as large and complex (in terms of physics and weaponry) in the battlefield series could ever look as good as COD2 and the like.. It would require a super fast net connection to get it that good!!!

Rant over :D

Copyright Law Amendment Petition

Mathusalah — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 23:02:51 GMT

Anyone feel like signing here: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/privatecopy/ ?

Worth mentioning in the news section Simon?

Phishing

max37 — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 20:47:50 GMT

Readers should be warned of a new scam aimed at eBay members who use Paypal. You get an email purporting to come from Paypal card members support saying that your account has been limited because of irregularities. When you click on the link in the email you come to a login page which asks for email address and password. (There is no https in the URL box, padlock icon and firefox does not indicate a secure site.)I t seems to accept any email and password combination.

I logged in and was asked for all my financial details, card numbers, and PINs. I thought about leaving obscenities but decided against it! I was impressed by the realism of the site. It even had links to actual Paypal.com pages.

I promptly emailed paypal.com with a copy of the email and the site URL seems to have been closed down.

Windows Crashing

selincopf — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 21:25:03 GMT

I took this whilst walking around Cadbury Wold in Birmingham. The monitor flickered a few times before resetting itself. It then loaded up and just after i took this photo, reset itself again.

Survey

Docarooney — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:48:55 GMT

Opinions:
How about a poll to show the percentages of readers regarding the level (pricewise) that they can afford to buy at? Even though MM caters for all, it does tend to veer towards the "money no object" reader at times. Until I had to give up my job a few years ago to care for an aged parent, I had no problem paying £200 for a graphics card. Now I have to scrabble around the bargain bin (Ebay) in order to afford even a minor upgrade for my system. I am sure there are others who can't afford the latest or greatest components now available so it would be interesting to know if I/we are in the minority. This could also give the brilliant :cool: people in the MM office idea's for future articles/reviews. Sometimes your reviews (of budget items) are slightly negative. I know MM is at the forefront of technology but please keep us poor users in mind.
I haven't put this very well but hope you can see where I am coming from and even if you ignore this I still think MM is the best magazine ever :D

HP Printer article review

M2 — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:11:23 GMT

Hi, I am a newish reader, great magazine. I agree with the review on the HP printer reviewed in issue 890, but do you know it might be a product not built from all new components? I have several and many HP printers going back as far as the laser LP4. In October 2006 I bought a Photosmart 2570 and as they brought out a wifi model Photosmart 3300 All-in-One I ordered one a couple of weeks after buying the 2570. The 2570 needed repair after four weeks light use and for the first time in ten years came in contact with their support service which is another story! This is what HP website says about warrenty: Unless otherwise stated, and to the extent permitted by local law, new HP Hardware Products may be manufactured using new materials or new and used materials equivalent to new in performance and reliability. HP may repair or replace HP Hardware Products (a) with new or previously used products or parts equivalent to new in performance and reliability, or (b) with equivalent products to an original product that has been discontinued. Replacement parts are warranted to be free from defects in material or workmanship for ninety (90) days or, for the remainder of the Limited Warranty Period of the HP Hardware Product they are replacing or in which they are installed, whichever is longer. Their customer service manager would not guarantee the replacement part for longer than the three months on the 2570 even though there was 10 months left on the warrenty. I still don't have a CD or manual for the 2570 (yes, I can though purchase a CD on line). S Gill HP CEO in the UK does not answer letters asking if I have bought two, sold to me as 'new' printers with used materials or about their support service.

Password Security

Tom Morton — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 15:06:34 GMT

I feel I should comment on what was a pretty good article on password security in MM 912. It dealt quite well with an important issue, however there are a few points that, whilst not wrong, I think weren't dealt with as well as they could be. The first really is important, Linda says "forgetting to check the site address in your browser has the telltale 'https' indicating the page is secure", this is not at all an indication of a safe site. Many phishers are using getting security certificates (it's not hard) for their sites so a secure connection is no indication of legitimacy anymore. Instead you should NEVER click on a link in your email - rather surf to the site in question manually.

Secondly I want to comment on her suggestion that locking out of a hack attempt after several wrong password attempts doesn't actually deterr the hacker. In the case of websites I agree it used to be the case however sites like LIVE! and Google now employ a much more secure method that refuses to let you login after 3 wrong password attempts unless you enter a verification code - that is displayed as a picture. This carries over in the database so you can change browsers or even use a different computer and it will still ask you for a code.

Slowly companies are recognising that password security is important and are trying to help people choose good passwords. It is not hard to develop a PHP / Javascript based parsing script to exhaustively check how good a password is and let the user know - even perhaps to make a suggestion of a more secure version.

Finally a good tip that I use to create passwords. First choose a 'keyword', this is a word that can be in the dirctionary or can be a name but choose something memorable and not widely used. Then capatilize one letter and substitute a number for a second letter in the word. This is the key word you can use in every password as a common, memorable bulk to it.

Next write down the current day of the month, then your keyword, then the current month (in number form). This is now a fairly random password but still guessable. Finally choose a random nonsense word (such aas snoodle or wafkingle etc.) and reverse it, adding this to the end of your password.

So you end up with a password that contains 3 distinct and individualy memorable components. The above example is my method but you could develop your own order of the components. All you have to do is remember the 3 parts and the method of creating the password and you get an easy to remember and secure password.

Cheers,
Thomas

EULA's

Docarooney — Sun, 09 Jul 2006 21:11:31 GMT

This was a brilliant article both in the writing and content. It set out and explained much more than most of us could have imagined. My opinion is that the EULA's are in fact illegal in that they infringe the Human Rights Act. I feel that when I, as a customer or consumer, pay a premium price for goods then those goods become my property and I have the right to use or abuse same in any way I wish. Also the fact is that Pirates or criminals have been involved in counterfeiting for hubdreds of years without making a dent in company profits or indeed putting them out of business. After all Bill Gates has made billions despite the piracy which shows his software is vastly overpriced anyway. Not only that but most large companies can claim tax relief for any so called losses so considering all the four main music distributers are in profit I rest my case! Is it not ironic that EMI were able to give Robbie Williams £80m before he even made an album? It shows that both American and European Governments are in league with big business - corruption on a global stage. The majority of people who avail of illegal goods are in fact those on low incomes who are the victims of high price rip-off Britain.

forum signatures

logicman — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 19:56:12 GMT

When I enter a signature and submit it, the preview panel shows my previous signature, but the main forum shows my newly entered signature. There is no true preview facility.

Also, exactly how do I link the http:// etc folding widget?
It may be a no-brainer for script-kiddies, but I do all of my forums, e-mails etc in ASCII, with perhaps some HTM here and there as required.

Okay, I admit to scripting, but installers: Fdisk to rolling green XP SP2 hills in 20 Mins, is this a record?

What is the text-mode or IFCode syntax for embedding this F@H widget?

And to animate my Gif?

(You animate my Gif. ... Sounds Raunchy!)

I'd be tearing my hair out if it wasn't for this very strange jacket ...:hehe:

Patrick

One for the impromptu windows crashes...

Unicross — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 23:54:25 GMT

This was the chatroom at about 11.45 today...

[url]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/unicross/chatroomcrash.jpg[/url]

Uni and Spike! ;)