system

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has come up with an idea to help rural Americans gain access to broadband. It involves an overhaul of the system that currently guarantees telephone service to virtually all of the population. The current ... system, the Universal Service Fund (USF), relies on a 15 per cent levy on telecommunications services revenue. This money is then used to subsidize telephone line provision in areas where suppliers say it isn't commercially viable to install lines and still make a profit. The fund also covers the costs of making sure schools, healthcare facilities ... (view more)

Microsoft is planning to introduce a rule by which most Windows 8 computers will be unable to run any other system. It should improve security, but could be bad news for users that prefer to have more than one operating system installed on their ... PCs. The new rules will apply to computer manufacturers who want to use the official Windows 8 logo on the machine and in marketing. It's perfectly possible to sell legitimate Windows 8 computers without the logo, but the chances are most major manufacturers will follow the rules. (Source: dreamwidth.org ) Operating System Guarded by Identification ... (view more)

It's likely to be months, if not more than a year, before Windows 8 goes on sale to the general public. But according to Microsoft, a preview copy of the system has already had more than 500,000 downloads. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has been making ... several public appearances this week to coincide with the formal public unveiling of the new system at BUILD, Microsoft's conference for hardware and software developers. Ballmer said that although there's a lot of work to do, the core of the system is finished. He said one of the main goals was to make sure that Microsoft's other services -- such ... (view more)

A video game hardware modifier ("modder") has successfully blended a Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) with a Microsoft Xbox 360, this gaming generation's most powerful consoles. For gamers, it's a momentous event that was also a long time coming. In the ... realm of sports, there are some very notable rivalries: Celtics and Bulls, Yankees and Red Sox, Canadiens and Bruins. In the gaming world, the most hateful of all rivalries is between fans (or "fanboys," as they're called) of Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Both will point to exclusive titles (like Uncharted for PS3 or Gears ... (view more)

SIV (System Information Viewer) 4.22 'System Information Viewer' is a general Windows utility for displaying lots of useful Windows, network and hardware info, including CPU info, PCI info, PCMCIA info, and USB info. System Information Viewer is ... designed for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and most earlier versions of the Microsoft OS. http://rh-software.com Microsoft Small Basic 0.95 Microsoft Small Basic puts the fun back into computer programming. With a friendly development environment that is very easy to master, it eases students of all ages into the world of programming. Small ... (view more)

Microsoft has reminded Windows XP users that the system will lose security support from the company in under 1,000 days' time. However, some wonder if that will prove practical. Stephen Rose, who is the community and social media manager for ... Microsoft, wrote a blog post to mark the system's imposing deadline. He said that "Windows XP had an amazing run and millions of PC users are grateful for it. But it's time to move on. Two reasons: 1) Extended support for Windows XP is running out in less than 1000 days, and 2) there's an OS out there that's much better than Windows XP." (Source: ... (view more)

It's not exactly been a well-kept secret, but Microsoft appears to have confirmed the next edition of its operating system (OS) will indeed be called Windows 8. The news comes as a date emerges for the first public beta of the system, as well as a ... way for users to take a look at its design right now. To date, Microsoft has not given an official name to the new system, often taking great care to avoid doing so. However, in a newly published promotional website for a hardware and software developer conference this September, the company specifically uses the term 'Windows 8', specifically in ... (view more)

Some of America's leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have reached an agreement with movie and music companies to punish customers who breach copyright laws. But while the sanctions are lighter than rights owners would like, the move could ... still spark a legal debate. The deal involves AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon, along with industry bodies for Hollywood studios, record labels and TV producers. It's being organized under the newly-formed Center for Copyright Information. Although it's an industry program and isn't governed by legal regulations, there are reports that White ... (view more)

Microsoft has released a software development kit (SDK) for its hands-free Xbox 360 peripheral, Kinect, on Windows. It means software developers of all kinds will be able to use the Xbox 360 motion control system on PC applications. Kinect was ... originally designed as Microsoft's answer to the Nintendo Wii games console, which became popular with family audiences by letting them use simple hand gestures rather than complex button combinations. Microsoft Kinect Uses Motion without Controller Unlike the Nintendo Wii, and a similar system developed by Sony called 'Move', Kinect did away with ... (view more)

A Microsoft executive has hinted that Windows 8 could be released next fall. But it's not clear if the comments are based on genuine insider information or if they merely represent speculation. The comments came from Dan'l Lewin, a corporate vice ... president responsible for Microsoft's relationships with other businesses, both major firms and start-up companies. Regarding the Windows timescale he said, " ... if you look at the crystal ball and just say what happened in the past is a reasonable indicator of what our forward looking timelines will be .... we've made the point about having a ... (view more)