265w ago - When it comes to technology debacles, every major company has a few (remember the Newton?), but right now one of the top spots has to go to Windows Vista, Microsoft's clunky operating system that has IT shops and consumers desperately clutching at XP for as long as they can.

Jason Hiner over at Tech Republic thinks there may be a light at the end of the Vista tunnel; he predicts IT shops and consumers will have a chance within the next year to upgrade to a cleaner, more modular version of Windows Vista under the Windows 7 moniker.

It won't be a completely new OS but rather a more streamlined version of Vista. He also suggests the pricing for consumers will be lower in an effort to win back those who are turning to Macs.

This could be another step by Microsoft toward shedding cumbersome release cycles and creating software that can be updated every year or so via a subscription model. Hiner lays out a nice case, and as a consumer who once was stuck with a laptop running Windows ME, I have to hope that before the third strike (Vista being the second), Microsoft can score a hit.

266w ago - Appro said it has started with the installation of a new AMD Barcelona B3-based supercomputer at the Renault F1 HQ in Enstone. Appro won the contract in early March, just before the new racing season started: The system not only highlights the increasing investments in computer design and simulation in Formula 1, but also stresses the rivalry between AMD and Intel in this small but very prestigious market segment.

Formula 1 is a serious and very cash-heavy business. Sports car manufacturers such as Ferrari as well as mainstream companies such as BMW, Renault or Toyota leverage their successes in this racing series to transfer technology and enthusiasm into their commercial lineup.

The top teams invest several hundred millions of dollars per season to be able to stay on top. Lots of that money goes into the design and development of racecars that are being fine-tuned for each racetrack. Supercomputers are increasingly important for teams as racecars are fine tuned for each racetrack and more simulations are likely to result in a better setup of a car.

The ING Renault F1 Team recently decided to buy a 36 TFlops system consisting of 1024 sockets (Socket 1207+) for AMD quad-core Opteron processors, resulting in 4096 K10 cores being deployed. Overall, Renault acquired eight Racks, each with 128...

266w ago - Mobiles are getting more powerful and sophisticated, and so are the games you can play on them.

No more Tetris or Space Invaders. Soon even old shooters Doom will seem outdated, as phones are able to handle better graphics and bigger levels.

Here are some games we reckon are worth a look. You can download them from your mobile provider if available.

Pro Bike Racing

If you've ever felt the need to hurtle round a track at speeds around 200km/h while on your mobile phone, then Pro Bike Racing could be the title for you.

While the controls seem too awkward to begin with, they eventually become easier to use, and are kept at a very user-friendly level. Combine this with the racing line provided on the two lower levels and in no time you'll be speeding around the track in both single-player and championship mode, with both modes allowing you to unlock more tracks, bikes and riders.

The graphics and overall package are a little basic for the mobile gaming genre, especially for a Gameloft title. This isn't a true 3D game and the tracks may have plenty of bends but they are all flat. That being said, all the animations are rather clean and it keeps in line with the tone of the game by keeping it simple and fun to play.

Brothers in Arms: Art of War

266w ago - Linux usage has grown fast over the past several years as the operating system moved from perimeter Web servers to workloads much closer to the heart of the business, while gaining a broad following of contributors and commercial users. But the days of these easy advances may be past.

That's the message IDC analyst Al Gillen delivered to about 300 attendees at the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit in Austin, Texas, last week. Linux has made many gains at the expense of legacy Unix systems. However, server virtualization combined with head-to-head competition with revitalized competitors, both Unix and Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) Windows Server, will likely slow things down.

Meanwhile, other problems plague Linux, including issues with driver development stemming from an unwillingness of some peripheral device manufacturers to reveal where they've deviated from specifications, said Chris Wright, a Linux kernel developer and conference attendee.

Moreover, many Linux users fail to report bugs, whether out of laziness or ignorance of the process. Bug reporting is a priority of kernel developers, who depend on the larger community to help detect and correct problems.

BILLIONS OF REASONS
Nevertheless, Gillen stressed that Linux is still a force to be reckoned with. It's more and...

266w ago - Nvidia CEO and co-founder Jen-Hsun Huang's jeremiad against Intel heralds future melees with the chip giant over computer graphics technology. Behind the sound and fury lurks Moore's Law.

Most observers agree that the graphics processing unit (GPU) is gaining on the central processing unit (CPU) as the single most important piece of silicon inside the PC. "When you start looking at a PC today, the (central) processor means less and less," according to Jim McGregor, an analyst at In-Stat. The GPU is simply becoming a better way for PC makers to differentiate in a landscape dominated by Intel CPUs, he said.

The question is, who is going to be the largest provider of that differentiation and what form will it take? The pressure on Nvidia--expressed by Huang on Thursday at an analyst meeting--is understandable, as the company seeks to fend off both Intel and AMD, who are increasingly focused on graphics, said McGregor. "Nvidia faces serious challenges. One of their big customers (AMD) went out and acquired a competitor (ATI) and then (you have) Intel saying we're going into your territory." That has put Nvidia on edge. Intel, not surprisingly, is the biggest threat.

"Intel is going to be as competitive as they can possibly be," said Dean McCarron, founder and principal of Mercury Research. "There...