Crucial rolls out PC2700 DDR memory

And we roll out the deals. PC2700 DDR memory, currently the fastest JEDEC-approved DDR SDRAM around, is now available at the Crucial site in 128Mb and 256Mb flavours. It runs at 167Mhz, but being DDR (Double Data Rate), that's 333MT/s (mega transfers, or 1 million bytes, per second). ...more

Power Mac 'is no supercomputer'

An independent computer performance tester has concluded that Apple's Power Mac 'is no supercomputer', contrary to claims that Apple has consistently made. Using a series of tests - designed to be as platform independent as possible - the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation (SPEC) concluded that compared to a 1GHz Pentium processor, the Motorola Power PC 1GHz processsor currently employed in Apple's top Power Mac, 'is far less suited for scientific applications', despite the fact that the Power PC FPU, 'with its 32 registers ought to have been superior to the x86 [Intel Pentium] FPU with its antiquated stack structure and eight registers only.' On the bright side for Apple, the test did show that 1GHz PowerPC gives a greater performance increase over the 867MHz version than mere clock speed would indicate, suggesting that Motorola is able to squeeze extra performance out of its processors beyond simply adding megahertz. ...more

Open Source not running short of developers

Open-source has gained so much momentum of late that one might ask where all the developers needed for these new projects are coming from. Microsoft's Nick McGrath, head of platform strategy for Microsoft in the UK recently told us that despite many big commercial companies now professing their commitment to Linux and open-source in general, the likes of IBM have just 'handfuls' of developers working in the arena. Adam Jollans is IBM's Worldwide Linux Software Marketing Strategy Manager, and begged to differ. ...more

Netflix founder joins Microsoft board

Microsoft has yet to declare an interest in the nascent video downloads market, but the appointment of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings to its board may signal that it is preparing to begin selling movie and TV content. Hastings founded Netflix in 1998, since when it has grown to be the world's largest online DVD rental service. At the start of this year it began limited trials of Watch Now, allowing some users to stream 'near-DVD quality' movies and TV shows from most of the major Hollywood studios. ...more

IOC stands firm on online sports coverage

Any hopes that some sort of strategy for licensing out Internet broadcasting rights of the Olympics would emerge from the IOC World Conference on Sport and New Media in Lausanne, Switzerland, were dashed today as the body confirmed it would keep a tight hold on rights for the foreseeable future. Dick Pound, IOC Internet Committee Chairman, said that the IOC's policy on audio and video rights would remain unchanged for Olympic events until after 2008, meaning that live Web casting is unlikely. The problem is that the IOC distributes rights country by country, and a solution needs to be found how to prevent companies with broadcast rights in other countries from feeding coverage to their overseas audiences and coming into conflict with other media firms holding exclusive coverage rights to the same countries. ...more