Stories by Stan Miastkowski

  • SystemWorks gets a facelift

    Despite competitors such as McAfee Office and Ontrack System Suite nipping hungrily at its heels, Symantec's Norton SystemWorks remains the master utility suite - and with good reason.

  • New Net service unveiled

    An Internet-based applications company is unveiling a service designed to support the consumer and the small business that might be logging on through dial-up, not only the corporate broadband customer.

  • Windows 2000 virus: Stunt or preview?

    The discovery last week of the first computer virus that works specifically with Windows 2000 initially brought questions about the soon-to-be-unveiled operating system's security.

  • Breakthrough: the 15-hour notebook

    It's Murphy's law of notebook batteries: your machine runs out of juice just when you need it most. That is, unless you're carrying a new type of external notebook battery that offers unheard-of stamina.

  • Microsoft, Intel ready thin servers

    Is Microsoft feeling the cold breath of the Linux operating system's penguin mascot on its corporate neck? At the recent Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, Microsoft and Intel demonstrated a prototype of what they call a "server appliance" that is aimed squarely at a growing market dominated by boxes running Linux and (often) non-Intel processors.

  • Artisoft KoJack: A simple home network

    Most starter network kits target the hot small office/home office (SOHO) market. But Artisoft stresses that the i.Share KoJack home network phone line network starter kit is aimed specifically at home users who want to connect a pair of PCs and share peripherals and concurrent Internet access using a single phone line and one Internet service provider account.

  • Seagate rolls out fast, durable drives

    Seagate Technology is announcing two inexpensive PC hard drive lines that support the new UltraATA/66 interface and should offer high durability. The Medalist 17242 series, designed for the mainstream desktop market, comes in capacities of 4.3GB, 8.4GB, 13GB, and 17GB with expected prices ranging from $US128 to $292. The U4 series, designed for the sub-$1000 PC market, comes in capacities of 4GB, 6GB, and 8GB, with prices ranging from $122 to $149. All drives are expected to ship in April.

  • Expert Confirms 'Russian New Year' Danger

    Computer viruses and other security threats hit the headlines so often that it's easy to become blase about them -- but the "Russian New Year" problem is not business as usual. Reported last week by the Israel-based security company Finjan, the "exploitation" is said to let hackers access any machine that has Microsoft Excel 95 or 97 using a combination of HTML from a Web browser and Excel's CALL function.

  • Yamaha releases rewritable CD drives

    CD-RW drives, which can record CD-ROMs on both permanent (CD-R) or rewritable (CD-RW) media, have grabbed the lion's share of the hot market for CD writers. This week Yamaha entered the fray in a big way by announcing a line of ten CD-RW drives