Technology Explained
Last month we briefly introduced our reader to Microsoft(R) Vista, the operating system that Microsoft would like to see on millions of desktops around the world. That discourse probably raised more questions than answers and if you want to ask Techo a question, use the form here.
On the subject of implications of not having the "ideal" hardware platform for Vista is best illustrated by example. Techo has bought a new Compaq PC for his favourite in-laws and it came with only 512MB of memory and an integrated Intel video graphics card. Vista Home Basic - the smallest and cheapest came pre-installed on an 80GB hard drive. Vista fired up quite quickly but trying to launch Internet Explorer was not an experience that you'd want to endure too often. Memory was then boosted to 2GB and voila! - instant improvement. All the graphic features were available . . but S L O W ! To improve the video performance to suit a power user (not gamers) one would have to add a decent video graphics adapter with at least 512MB and a good GPU (graphics processing unit - definitely NOT an integrated adapter that shares memory with the main prcessor! Even with the extra memory and a 7200 RPM SATA II hard disk this unit would not even come close to catching Windows XP using the same hardware. The best thing going for Vista at this stage is it's speed to bootup, the sleep/suspend facility and the great visuals!
Come back next month and find out more about Vista when Techo hopes to have Vista Ultimate installed on a laptop. Touch wood!
Last month we briefly introduced our reader to Microsoft(R) Vista, the operating system that Microsoft would like to see on millions of desktops around the world. That discourse probably raised more questions than answers and if you want to ask Techo a question, use the form here.
On the subject of implications of not having the "ideal" hardware platform for Vista is best illustrated by example. Techo has bought a new Compaq PC for his favourite in-laws and it came with only 512MB of memory and an integrated Intel video graphics card. Vista Home Basic - the smallest and cheapest came pre-installed on an 80GB hard drive. Vista fired up quite quickly but trying to launch Internet Explorer was not an experience that you'd want to endure too often. Memory was then boosted to 2GB and voila! - instant improvement. All the graphic features were available . . but S L O W ! To improve the video performance to suit a power user (not gamers) one would have to add a decent video graphics adapter with at least 512MB and a good GPU (graphics processing unit - definitely NOT an integrated adapter that shares memory with the main prcessor! Even with the extra memory and a 7200 RPM SATA II hard disk this unit would not even come close to catching Windows XP using the same hardware. The best thing going for Vista at this stage is it's speed to bootup, the sleep/suspend facility and the great visuals!
Come back next month and find out more about Vista when Techo hopes to have Vista Ultimate installed on a laptop. Touch wood!
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The Tattoo. (A short story from TB Jackson to be serialised in this magazine)
As Billy walked up the arcade he could hear the buzz of the tattooist’s needle. His heart began to beat stronger, a slight rush of adrenalin throbbing through his veins. It was a pokey little shop, dark with little lighting except that of the tattooist’s lamp. The walls were covered with dimly lit panels full of all different arrays of tattoos. Blood red drapes reached out from the center of the ceiling to these panels creating an almost cave like effect. Careful placement of lighting in front of and behind the drapes added to the surreal effect. A skeleton dominated the far corner, hand painted flash art adorning his every bone, astride a replica of a Harley Davidson WLA constructed completely from metal waste. Billy often stood for what seemed like hours engrossed in the amazing artwork. It didn’t matter how often he studied this item, he always seemed to find something he hadn’t noticed before. It was a brilliant piece of work. In the opposite corner stood a standard lamp with the most intriguing base he’d ever seen. It consisted of two naked bodies writhing together, entwined as one, standing almost six feet tall and, you guessed it, tattooed from head to toe. In another corner stood an eight-foot tall knight in shining armor, complete with broadsword and a touch of blood seeping from a wound in his side, to add authenticity. This was one amazing tattoo parlor.
The tattooist himself, Fat Bob as he liked to be known, probably more so for his size than his affiliation with the Harley brand of motorcycle, was a genius with the tattoo machine. He could take an idea and almost breathe life into it, somehow being able to capture your thoughts better than you could describe them. He could ink an amazing biker tattoo with such bold detail, fairies and flowers were definitely not beyond his talents and he’d recently begun dabbling in portraits, capturing chilling life-like images. His skills seemed to know no boundary.
As Billy walked up the arcade he could hear the buzz of the tattooist’s needle. His heart began to beat stronger, a slight rush of adrenalin throbbing through his veins. It was a pokey little shop, dark with little lighting except that of the tattooist’s lamp. The walls were covered with dimly lit panels full of all different arrays of tattoos. Blood red drapes reached out from the center of the ceiling to these panels creating an almost cave like effect. Careful placement of lighting in front of and behind the drapes added to the surreal effect. A skeleton dominated the far corner, hand painted flash art adorning his every bone, astride a replica of a Harley Davidson WLA constructed completely from metal waste. Billy often stood for what seemed like hours engrossed in the amazing artwork. It didn’t matter how often he studied this item, he always seemed to find something he hadn’t noticed before. It was a brilliant piece of work. In the opposite corner stood a standard lamp with the most intriguing base he’d ever seen. It consisted of two naked bodies writhing together, entwined as one, standing almost six feet tall and, you guessed it, tattooed from head to toe. In another corner stood an eight-foot tall knight in shining armor, complete with broadsword and a touch of blood seeping from a wound in his side, to add authenticity. This was one amazing tattoo parlor.
The tattooist himself, Fat Bob as he liked to be known, probably more so for his size than his affiliation with the Harley brand of motorcycle, was a genius with the tattoo machine. He could take an idea and almost breathe life into it, somehow being able to capture your thoughts better than you could describe them. He could ink an amazing biker tattoo with such bold detail, fairies and flowers were definitely not beyond his talents and he’d recently begun dabbling in portraits, capturing chilling life-like images. His skills seemed to know no boundary.
Continues next month.