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1. 
   Review - Winamp 5 Full

   5.34 Build 1278 (Apr 30, 2007)

   While WinAmp is still an excellent program for what it does best (playing music) there is a serious problem with the program if you attempt to install under Windows Vista 64-bit. Because of the driver/kernel changes, the CD burn utility (which is borrowed from Roxio) will not work, and will cause issues with the system after installation. And while there is a work-around (involving removal of the registry keys for that application) it's still enough of an annoyance to keep the app from getting five stars.

2. 
   Review - CrossOver Linux

   6.0 RC2 (Dec 29, 2006)

   Wine is the core of CodeWeavers. What the company does is take Wine (the OpenSource program) and actually improve upon it so that they can make the statement that X program will run on CodeWeavers. Wine is still hit or miss when it comes to running of some programs. So yeah, Wine may be free, but if you're running a business that needs to run Microsoft Office and guarantee 100% compatability, then paying for CodeWeavers is usually a good investment.

3. Comment - HP Lawsuit Against Acer Cites 1994 Compaq EISA Patent

   6.0 RC2 (Apr 24, 2007 - 6:56 AM)

   ISA slots existed up through the Socket A motherboards for AMD, and a few oddball versions existed early on for the Socket 478 for Intel. Four years ago it would have been fairly easy to still find a motherboard with one ISA slot, but by then the move to PCI was strong.
   
   What really killed ISA (and eventually PCI) wasn't necessarily the next generation slot, but rather the fact that the controller chip makers started integrating the network card, the sound and video into the chipsets. For all intents, you could build a system with no slots at all and it'd be perfectly functional. Or you could build a system with just a PCIe slot for the person who wants a better video card, and it'd still be perfectly good. The days of needing an add-on card have passed except for those with specialized functions (video capture, data logging, mechanical or industrial sensors). Even wireless cards are now being embedded on the system board, removing another need for a card slot.

4. Comment - Interest Group Works to Block XM-Sirius Merger

   6.0 RC2 (Mar 30, 2007 - 1:48 PM)

   Yes, it does go back to the consumer. We vote with both our pocketbooks and our on/off switches, and personally speaking I have been voting 99% of radio (both satellite and terrestrial) with the on/off switch.
   
   Now, I do listen to a lot of music. Some of it comes from cd's and mp3's, but I also listen to a lot of streaming media from outside of the US. Stations such as Klassik Radio (www.klassikradio.de), the BBC, the CBC and others are heavily bookmarked and tuned to on a regular basis. I also do a lot of shortwave listening, something that is very rare in today's listening society. But the point is that domestic stations do not play what interests *me* and that includes the satellite offerings. (And yes, I know that there are some offerings on satellite from foreign sources.)
   
   But I am the exception, not the rule. The majority of listeners could care less if there's one service or two, as long as their programming remains. And the largest reason for subscriptions are sports-oriented programming such as Major League Baseball and NASCAR. And that will be the driving force that may determine if a merger goes through, not competition.

5. Comment - Cablevision Loses Remote DV-R Fight with Studios

   6.0 RC2 (Mar 24, 2007 - 8:25 AM)

   The problem with this ruling is that it essentially doesn't address the real issue, namely the content creators (Hollywood, the MPAA, the RIAA) wanting to restrict even further the ability of the end user (you) on what you can do with content.
   
   Take for instance Cablevision's system. The idea was that instead of having content saved on a local drive, it would be saved by Cablevision and sent down the cable system to you AFTER you've set up the request. In other words, Cablevision wasn't just recording everything, it was recording only the programs the user asked for and wanted. BUT (and this is where life gets nasty) the content creators/MPAA/RIAA view that as copyright theft. They view it the same whether it's a remote storage, your own Tivo/iTV/Slingbox, or your own DVR/VCR/cassette player. Boiled down to the essentials, they don't want you to copy anything.
   
   Fast forward a few years now. You've got a DVR that can fit in your pocket, the size of an iPod with it's own screen, and can hold 80 hours of video on solid-state flash memory. But as long as Hollywood/MPAA/RIAA keep demanding and dictating, you're not going to be able to view anything on it as everything you do is illegal. Timeshifting? Illegal. Backup a copy? Illegal. Format s***? Illegal. (Any bets on when they try to push lock-in of HD-DVD/Blu-ray to the player, so you can't take it to another machine and play that disc? Don't think they won't try...)

6. Comment - Microsoft Brings Help Back to Vista

   6.0 RC2 (Mar 9, 2007 - 8:15 PM)

   I think part of the issue is that Microsoft is trying to shed some of their legacy software and legacy support structure (which the .hlp format is), but they are discovering that the users are resisting those attempts. In this respect Microsoft is trapped between two cliffs... one where they are yelled at for supporting old computing technology, and one where they are yelled at for attempting to get rid of that same technology. By providing a way for users who want to hold on to the old structure is at least commendable, but if you're talking Vista then Microsoft needs to really go beyond that and seriously junk all of the Win9x legacy and make it clear WHY it needs to be junked.

7. Comment - OneCare Deletes Users' Outlook Files

   6.0 RC2 (Mar 9, 2007 - 8:09 PM)

   First off, let me state that this was a major, MAJOR oversight by Microsoft. Between this issue and the recent refusal of two anti-virus testing groups to give OneCare any certification, it's shaping up to be a bad week for Microsoft. (And just wait until Sunday arrives.)
   
   On the other hand, what business would rely on OneCare to be their primary anti-virus software? The most likely folks who were affected were the SOHO users who run a business out of their home, or use their home systems to connect to company computers remotely. In that case, the users should have been using the company-certified anti-virus solution instead of trusting Microsoft to protect their computers. If you're following your company's security guidelines (the one I work for is running over 50 pages long) then you should have the anti-virus software and firewall software from your organization, along with a router that's been configured, and a host of other settings.
   
   I don't totally blame Microsoft, as too often the end user tends to never think about what they are doing. But Microsoft bears a large burden of the blame as it was their software and someone in QA blew it big time.