Jason Brooks

In a recent online column about microsofts decision not to ship its Java Virtual Machine with Windows XP, I wondered whether we might be moving toward a more modular Windows—a Windows in which Microsoft omits components such as an MP3 encoder or a JVM but permits users and OEMs to fill those gaps to best […]

One of my favorite uses of the Web is finding maps and driving directions. Unfortunately, this seems to be one of everyone elses favorite uses as well, and I find that sites such as Yahoo Maps and Mapquest are generally pretty hard-hit by my fellow map-browsing brethren, which tends to slow page load times as […]

Driven on by an open-source development community that refuses to rest until it has coaxed the Linux operating system onto everything from the largest supercomputers to the little remote-car-door-opener devices we carry on our key chains, Linux has landed in a new location. The latest chapter in the Linux manifest destiny saga stars Empower Technologies, […]

In a move to extend its reach over enterprise data to the mobile sphere, Microsoft Corp. last month released Mobile Information 2001 Server, which provides a promising framework for delivering networked resources and services to wireless devices. However, in its first release, Mobile Information Server breaks little new ground—the product works only with WAP (Wireless […]

When Im on the road, I effortlessly tote a thin, light notebook computer along with me. Unfortunately, I also generally end up lugging the ungainly multimedia slice that carries the Ethernet adapter and the assortment of ports Im sure I wont need until Im caught somewhere without them. For a much more svelte peripheral expansion […]

Windows XP Release Candidate 1, the next-to-last preshipping version of Microsoft Corp.s next-generation Windows client, boasts various bug fixes, speed enhancements and updates to the Windows Messenger client and Windows Media Player. Although XP represents a much more significant upgrade for home users and sites still running Windows 9x, eWeek Labs found that the latest […]

With the release last month of the Athlon MP processor and accompanying 760 MP chip set, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has positioned itself to challenge Intel Corp. in the X86-based server and workstation market. However, although eWeek Labs tests indicate that the Athlon MP is a technologically able rival to Intels newest Pentium 4-based Xeon […]

Last month saw the release of XFree86 4.1.0, the open-source X Window System that drives the GUIs for operating systems such as Linux and the various versions of Unix. This latest release includes improved support for many graphics cards, including ATI Technologies Radeon and NVidias GeForce 3, as well as improvements to the X Server […]

Just like their full-size desktop and laptop brethren, PDAs and other mobile devices must run useful applications to earn their keep. However, handheld application development presents different and often tougher challenges than standard PC development. A new mobile operating system option from Savaje Technologies (its pronounced “savage”), called Savaje XE, enables mobile application developers to […]

Ive given Palm a hard time for dragging its feet about folding new hardware advances into its devices—the latest handhelds from Palm closely resemble its very first devices, and I seldom buy its defense that “the market isnt ready for [insert cool feature here] until were ready to give it to them.” However, the most […]