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CRT and LCD Displays . . . Apples or Oranges?

Floppies Still Have Their Fans

Windows XP Needs Good Hardware

CD Burning Software

Other Articles in PDF Format


CRT and LCD Displays . . . Apples or Oranges?

So you are think of changing your current display on your computer, and heard of all this noise that everyone is taking about everywhere you are going to, even over food so should I get a CRT or LCD display hummm?.  Well, I will explained to you in simply terms below which is which, should I eat the apple or the orange? To begin basically,

What are the top three reasons to choose a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)

  • Excellent value CRT's have become very inexpensive for entry level models and high end full featured displays are now more affordable than ever.

  • Precise images, CRT's provide exceptional detail for everything from CAD applications to word processing, spreadsheets and family photos.

  • Vibrant, realistic images, even in motion.  A full spectrum of rich, saturated colors with incredible depth and superior video response make CRT's perfect for gaming, graphic design or even watching TV

How does a CRT work?

The CRT uses an electron gun to shoot electron beams through a metal mask or grille on the inside of a glass monitor screen that is coated with colored phosphor dots usually red, green and blue producing the images you see on your monitor.  Shooting the gun at the appropriate colors in differing intensities produces the full color effect

What are the top three reasons to choose a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

  • Sleek, space saving design leave more room on your desk and can be wall mounted too

  • Reduced eye strain from brighter flicker free screen with virtually no glare

  • Safer to use with no electromagnetic radiation

How does a LCD work?

The liquid crystal acts like a shutter that either blocks the backlight or lets it pass through to light up a particular color filter.  The alignment mode of the liquid crystal twists the incoming light with differing results.

In summary the difference is quit remarkable between the two displays but the final choice will have to be made by you.


Floppies Still Have Their Fans

Once again we hear the "Die Floppy" line again.  Please don't advocate the demise of floppies until everyone can use CD'S in the same way, that is write and delete in the same way the floppy can.  Sure CD's hold a lot more, but when I visited my friends and just want take with me a few JPEGS or TEXT files and to bring just a a few megs back with me, I don't want to waste several hundreds megs of space on a CD just for a meg or two of data.  Okay, I know I can format a CD with Roxio or Nero and use it to copy a few files to it.  But, wouldn't you know when I went to my friends place they did not have a CD writer, and I could not copy files from their drive onto my fancy formatted CD.  What a bummer.

Until we can use a CD the same way we can use floppies, I will hang onto my floppy drive and please don't say I am just old fashioned.  When the 3.5 inch floppies came out, I was quick to drop the 5.25 inch drives and I will be just as quick to drop floppies when CD's are equivalent and better.

Long live floppies,


Windows XP Needs Good Hardware

Most reviews of Windows XP claim it is the most stable Microsoft operating system yet.  By all accounts the choice between running Windows 98 or XP is up to you, but if your system meets the necessary hardware requirements, then you will benefit from an upgrade to XP.  Microsoft says you can run XP on a computer with 128 Mega Byte (MB) of Random Access Memory (RAM) and a 300 MHZ Central Processing Unit (CPU), but the reality is you are better off with at least 256 Mega Bytes (MB) and a 500 MHZ Central Processing Unit (CPU).  The operating system also takes a lot of space on your hard drive, so make sure you can set aside 1.5 Gigabytes (GB) of hard drive space.

You should also keep in mind that some older hardware won't work with XP.  Check with Microsoft's Windows XP hardware compatibility list at www.microsoft.com/hcl  There is very little difference between the home edition and the professional edition.  The latter is necessary if you are using your computer in a network type environment where you are connect to a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN)  and you need to access remote functions connect to your company network.

After you install Windows XP, Microsoft gives you 30 days to active it or it will stop working.  You no longer type in a serial number that comes with your installation CD.  Instead, Windows XP takes an inventory of 10 of your system's components and uses that information to generate a unique ID number.  That number is transmitted to Microsoft, which then generates  a serial number that you type in to activate your software.  You cannot use that number to install the disk on any other computer.

The activation process checks your computer every 120 days and allows for a certain amount of hardware changes, but if you make too many changes, the ID number and your serial number don't match then the Windows XP will stop working.


CD Burning Software

Whatever CD burner you buy, the most important factor in your burning success will likely be the software you use.  I have known many people who have used many different programs and have had  frustrating sessions with every one of them, throwing out ruined disc after ruined disc.  Unlike working with floppies or zip disks, once a mistake is made with a Compact Disc Read Only Once Disc (CD-R), you cannot just erase it and start over.  The disc is toast. or becomes a high tech coaster.

I've also had a great times turning out piles of CD's for my own enjoyment without a glitch but I've also had major problems with my burning process.

I've reached the conclusion that no single CD program is perfect for all uses.  You'll have to experiment to find the one that works most consistently for your purpose.  Fortunately most of them either come free with the drives or they can be downloaded from the internet without charge for a trail period.  Here are a few of the leading applications to look for.

Easy Media Center: Roxio became the worlds leading CD burning program by being bundled with many new CD R/RW and DVD R/RW drives.

Music Match Jukebox:  Music Match provides a complete package for burning playing, converting musical formats.

Nero Burning ROM: Nero offers a different type of environment to do all your media creation with a simply user friendly interface.  This program is usually buddle with most DVD R/RW and CD/RW burners.  It also provides a complete audio editing and CD burning package.  Gives you lots of control over every aspect of the process, which makes it complicated for beginners but great for fussy veterans.


Other Articles In PDF Format

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