I saw a question on a vintage computing forum this week: How did the IBM PC become the de facto standard for PCs, and the only desktop computer architecture from the 1980s to survive until today? It’s a very good question, and I think there were several reasons for it. I also think without all [...]
All posts tagged microsoft
How the IBM PC became the de facto standard for desktop computers
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 4, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/05/how-the-ibm-pc-became-the-de-facto-standard-for-desktop-computers/
The trouble with bringing your own software
PC Magazine is advocating a bring your own laptop, with your own software approach to business. It likens it to mechanics who bring their own tools. The trouble is that while mechanical tools in a toolbox operate autonomously and don’t interfere with one another, software residing on a computer does.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 3, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/05/the-trouble-with-bringing-your-own-software/
Don’t read too much into the PC sales drop just yet
If you’ve been paying any attention at all, you probably know that new PC sales are in the toilet–out of the five biggest vendors, the only one whose sales managed to hold steady in Q1 2013 was Lenovo, while the other four saw a sales decline. So now Slashdot linked to a ZDNet piece stating [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 17, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/04/dont-read-too-much-into-the-pc-sales-drop-just-yet/
Take a peek at Bill Gates’ pre-Microsoft resume
Bill Gates and Paul Allen posed for a re-creation of a famous early Microsoft photograph this week; at the same event, Gates’ pre-Microsoft resume surfaced.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 5, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/04/take-a-peek-at-bill-gates-pre-microsoft-resume/
The ethics of writing nefarious security instructions
This week I posted a link to a video showing how to crack a WPS-enabled wifi network, and this week, Ars Technica wrote a firsthand account of cracking a password list. I’m sure this raises questions of ethics in some people’s minds. To be honest, spreading this kind of information makes me a little uncomfortable [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 28, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/03/the-ethics-of-writing-nefarious-security-instructions/
The best free antivirus
I’ve been re-evaluating free antivirus programs. I think Microsoft Security Essentials is adequate if you don’t engage in risky behavior, and it doesn’t nag and doesn’t expire, both of which are good things. The best detection in the world is no good to you the day after it expires. If you want something better, the [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 16, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/03/the-best-free-antivirus/
The men (boys) who spy on women through webcams
Ars Technica made a bit of a splash this week with this provocative headline. This is real. The article gives the usual advice, like not opening e-mail from strangers, not clicking attachments from strangers, and not visiting dodgy websites. That’s all good advice, as is staying off torrent and other file sharing sites, but even [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 13, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/03/the-men-boys-who-spy-on-women-through-webcams/
How to save money on tech
CNN offered up some good tips on saving money on tech. But of course I want to analyze and comment on it myself. Anything else would be out of character.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 29, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/01/how-to-save-money-on-tech/
How the previous week’s headlines flow together
Here are some headlines I read this past week: Dell is trying to take itself private. Microsoft is investing in Dell. Intel is pulling out of the motherboard market. AMD is considering ARM CPUs. And the PC is dead. It’s all related.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 27, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/01/how-the-previous-weeks-headlines-flow-together/
The lines between white hat/gray hat/black hat hacking and moral laws
Longtime reader/commenter Joseph asked two questions yesterday: What’s the boundary between gray and black-hat hacking, and is it moral to pick and choose between moral and immoral laws? The first question is easier than the second. So I’ll tackle that one first.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 26, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/01/the-lines-between-white-hatgray-hatblack-hat-hacking-and-moral-laws/