Newsletter Archives

• Setting up the Mac mini

  Posted on February 17, 2025 at 02:42 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Apple has an excellent reputation for helping iPhone users migrate from Android, a process that is smooth, precise, and friendly.

  It’s been over a decade since I set up a Mac, a 2009 model. My memory of that is vague, but I recall it as straightforward and easy to understand. I wondered whether today’s experience would live up to Apple’s past or to its excellent iPhone experience.

  I do not expect any oddities in my setup. However, there are a few things I should explain.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.07.0, 2025-02-17).

  Apple Adapters, HDMI, Mac mini, Mac setup, macOS, macOS Sequoia, Newsletters, PC setup, Thunderbolt

• The mustache question

  Posted on February 7, 2025 at 15:49 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  We’ve been having something of a debate around here regarding the use of AI. Susan, as you well know from her numerous posts and columns about it, warns about jumping into Microsoft’s Copilot service. I agree that caution is warranted, and one of the first things I reported here was the abusive threat Bing’s chat feature made to a reporter. I have a slightly different take, based on the premise that these AI services and features are here whether we like them or not, and whether we fear them or not.

  I conducted a very simple and brief experiment based on questioning two assistants. I asked Bing search, “Who was the last US president to have a mustache?” Bing did more or less what I expected — it gave me a list of results, with the first being a link to a Wikipedia article about facial hair on all presidents. I saw nothing on the first page with the answer. Further research would have been necessary.

  Then I asked Copilot. It’s response? “William Howard Taft.” It provided several citations in support. Of course, that’s the correct answer, and Copilot did the research for me. Annoyingly, Copilot’s response included a question to me: “Is there a particular reason you’re interested in presidential facial hair?” I was tempted to tell it “None of your business.”

  So, I ask you: Which assistant do you think did a better job?

  AI Bing, ChatGPT, Copilot

• Epson EcoTank update

  Posted on February 3, 2025 at 02:42 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Will Fastie

  My article about Epson EcoTank printers was well received but contained some errors.

  This week, I provide some updates and attempt to correct my mistakes.

  I also present some questions and comments that came from our readers.

  The biggest goof was my commentary about the so-called “maintenance box.”

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.05.0, 2025-02-03).

  Hardware EcoTank, Epson, Newsletters

• Intel reports fourth-quarter financial results

  Posted on January 31, 2025 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) released its fourth-quarter and annual financial results yesterday. Details are available at Intel’s financial site.

  The year-to-year comparison looks bleak, but the real question is whether the results for the most recent quarter improved over preceding quarters. For Q3, the loss was $16.6 billion. For Q4, the loss is $0.1 billion. That is obviously a dramatic improvement, which may mean that the drastic cost-cutting measures that began in Q3 had an effect. (Free coffee was restored in November.)

  Given the sporadic results last year, it’s too soon to suggest that a positive trend has emerged. However, stemming the blood flow is essential so that the company has the resources to fund much-needed innovation.

  Intel Financial Performance, INTC, Quarterly results

• What are we doing, and why?

  Posted on January 27, 2025 at 02:44 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  Now you know what I alluded to a few weeks ago: Windows fanboy Brian Livingston is writing a comprehensive series about Macintosh — specifically, the Mac mini.

  No, we’re not changing course. This newsletter covers all things Microsoft and Windows and will continue to do so.

  But as I have noted in my news coverage of Apple over the last few years, there has been a seismic shift in personal computing as Apple transitioned into its own silicon. This cannot be ignored, especially because Microsoft has made strong efforts to make its software solutions available beyond Windows’ borders and into the Apple folds.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.04.0, 2025-01-27).

  Apple Apple, Apple M4, Apple Mac, Mac mini, Newsletters, Windows 11

• Forum Top Ten lists!

  Posted on January 13, 2025 at 02:44 CST by Will Fastie

  FROM THE FORUMS

  

  The forums are a centerpiece of AskWoody, allowing our community to engage with one another to solve problems, share insights, offer feedback, and add to our collective knowledge. (Not to mention keeping us in line.)

  We appreciate both the questions and the ongoing willingness of forum members to participate.

  Here’s a quick summary of posts from the second half of 2024. We look forward to seeing what happens in 2025.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.02.0, 2025-01-13).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  From the Forums Forums, Newsletters

• Happy New Year!

  Posted on January 6, 2025 at 00:16 CST by Will Fastie

  

  ISSUE 22.01 • 2025-01-06

  EDITORIAL

  

  By Will Fastie

  To begin 2025, we bring you our best advice about keeping your PC spit-polished and ready for another year of hard work.

  The article “Let your PC start the new year right!” has been a staple around here for years. The tradition is now in the capable hands of our resident hardware expert, Ben Myers, after a long run from Fred Langa.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.01.0, 2025-01-06).

  Editorial Happy New Year!, Newsletter Archives, Newsletters, Search

• Incase, redux

  Posted on January 3, 2025 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  A few weeks ago, I noted that Incase had not seemed to make much progress towards its stated goal of having “Designed by Microsoft” products available in 2024. Beating that goal by mere days, the company added a Designed by Microsoft section to its website listing 17 products, with 11 “coming soon” and the rest available for shipping.

  On Thursday, Incase announced a new addition to the lineup, the Ergonomic Compact Keyboard (left). The keyboard will be displayed at the 2025 Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas starting next Tuesday. A notable feature is the inclusion of a Copilot key next to the righthand Alt key, replacing the longstanding, righthand Windows key.

  Incase also announced that its products would be available through Amazon and BestBuy.com. Incase already has an Amazon page, but the Designed by Microsoft products are not yet displayed there. Some of them can be found by searching.

  I’m glad to see some of these products on the market again. It remains to be seen whether they match the quality of their Microsoft predecessors.

  Hardware Designed by Microsoft, Incase, Keyboards, Mice, Peripherals

• Something we forgot to mention

  Posted on January 2, 2025 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums
  

  Intel 8080

  2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Intel 8080 processor. It is an important event in the history of IBM-compatible personal computers because it is the immediate predecessor of the Intel 8086 and its brother with the 8-bit bus, the 8088. For many of us, personal computing began with the IBM PC and the x86 architecture, but the true birth of the PC industry was powered seven years earlier by the 8080 in iconic and important products such as the Altair 8800.

  If you’re near Silicon Valley, you can visit the Intel Museum through March to see its exhibit about the 8080. Those not close can visit the virtual museum.

  Intel took a risk with the 8080 because it was not 100% compatible with the previous 8008. It was close enough that code could be quickly ported (Intel supplied source code converters for the purpose), and the 8080 flourished. It’s safe to say that without the success of the 8080, Intel might have had problems making what would become the big step to x86.

  Intel History, Intel, Personal Computers, Technology

• Intel ARC graphics gains traction

  Posted on December 27, 2024 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  Against the odds, Intel is gaining ground with its ARC graphics chips. Its new “Battlemage” chips are selling out.

  Intel’s A-series chips, codenamed “Alchemist,” piqued interest in ARC last year. I have been in the market for a dedicated graphics card for some time and was impressed enough that I bought a Sparkle ORC OC with the A580 chip, primarily because it cost a mere $165. My budget was set at a max of $200; no other product delivered comparable performance at that price.

  The Alchemist series struggled with games, initially showing competitive performance with a limited number of titles but steadily improving. I’m not a gamer, but I am interested in video rendering performance – the A580 boosted that by an order of magnitude (translation: cut my rendering time by 90%), more than enough to make me happy.

  With the B-series chips, performance has skyrocketed, so much so that Battlemage-based graphics cards are perpetually out of stock. The struggle with games is over; Intel has left its own Alchemist line in the dust.

  NVIDIA dominates with its graphics cards, with AMD trailing behind. Intel is a blip on the radar. But that blip is making a difference – Intel’s price and performance are buyer-friendly, making the market more competitive.

  Intel Graphics Cards, Intel, Intel ARC, News

• The Millers at the museum

  Posted on December 19, 2024 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  My recent article How the IBM PC changed my life generated many responses, most relating experiences with early personal computing. One Plus member, Jack Miller, got in touch because he realized we had a similar background, including Army service at about the same time. At some point during our exchange, I mentioned the Maryland Computer Museum and Jack mentioned that he had some things that the museum might want. I put him in touch with Bob Roswell, the museum’s founder and curator.

  Jack and his wife Jeanine then decided to take a road trip from Ohio to deliver some old computer magazines that the museum lacked. I appreciated the visit because AskWoody is not only spread over the US but also around the world. It’s not often that I get to meet a Plus member in the flesh. In fact, it’s never happened before!

  Jack and Jeanine enjoyed their museum tour, especially the moment Jack sat down in front of an IBM System 3, the computer that got him into computing for life.

  I thank the Millers for coming so far and for an enjoyable visit.

  

  Will Fastie, Jack Miller, and Bob Roswell, with Univac 490 in background. Photo courtesy Jeanine Miller. Used with permission.

  History Computers, History, Museums

• Mouse quest – Incase edition

  Posted on December 17, 2024 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  In my article Mouse quest (AskWoody, 2024-04-22), I opined about Microsoft getting out of the hardware business, at least with respect to its long-running line of mice, keyboards, and webcams. It announced that Incase would carry the devices forward under the banner “Designed by Microsoft.”

  At the time of the announcement, Incase said it would introduce this line in 2024, without providing any specifics. The company also added a section to its website describing its planned products.

  Two weeks ago, noticing that absolutely nothing had happened, I initiated queries with both Microsoft and Incase. A Microsoft spokesperson replied that Microsoft had nothing to add. Incase replied that it would meet the 2024 goal, even though there was nothing on the site at that moment. Late last week, there was still nothing on the site.

  That just changed. Two products, the Wireless Mobile Mouse 1850 (above) and the Modern Mobile Mouse, are now available for purchase at the Incase site. If you examine those two links carefully, you’ll notice that they are “new arrivals.” The Designed by Microsoft section shows these products among all the anticipated products in the line, but you can’t click anything there to find the product details.

  Twenty products in the line are shown at the site but just two have become available. Worse, both mice are slated to come in five colors, but only black is available. It’s a weak showing.

  But I guess Incase made its deadline.

  Hardware Incase, Mice, News
• « Older Entries

  Newer Entries »