Software

Google Chrome Available Now

So it's here, Google have released their own web browser - Google Chrome (download). I've been playing with it for the last hour and I can say without a doubt that this is the best web browser in the world, but for reasons that won't be immediately apparent.

I've had to restrain myself from writing too much here a couple times now, so I'm going to leave you with it and update this blog when I have a full review ready for you.

Update: Google Chrome Review

Google Chrome Tomorrow

Today Google accidentally released a brief detailing the new browser Google is about to release in beta. So, in response to accidentally releasing this information Google have officially released a 40 page document introducing Google Chrome, a new major-player in the web browser world.

Google Chrome (Wiki, GoogleBlog), aims to focus on both the user and the developer by offering a cleaner, smarter multi-process GUI which locks each tab into it's own process. A new JavaScript Virtual Machine, designed to run fast and hard with precise garbage collection and machine-code translation of JavaScript.

Google Chrome will be featuring WebKit for it's rendering engine, currently used in Safari. The development side is handled by the "Gears" team who aim to keep the browser completely open-source in an effect to help proliferate new browser technologies, which will in-turn help Google better it's presence on the internet.

Expect to see the first public beta of Google Chrome tomorrow.

Firefox 3.0 Release

Today Mozilla have released Firefox 3.0 in their festive "Download Day 2008", an attempt to break (make) the Guiness world record for most downloads in 24 hours. Head on over to the Mozilla website to grab Firefox 3.0, get it before 3am on the Thursday the 19th (Bris/Syd/Melb time) to make your download count in the world record.

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Released

For those finding that wearing in Vista is a little painful, you'll be pleased to know the long awaited Service Pack 1 (SP1) for Windows Vista has arrived.

To get this update you can download the redistributable from Microsoft Downloads (any browser) or the smaller update from Windows Update (IE only).

Update:
The 64 bit redistributable can be found here.

New nVidia Drivers

For those keeping up with the drivers and trying to keep their new games running stable, nVidia have released Forceware 163.49 (September 18 Release). Mostly relivent to people playing big nVidia titles: BioShock, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Hellgate: London, and World in Conflict.

Read on for links.

nVidia Stability, DX10, Vista

A lot of people who have recently upgraded their system to get the latest cutting edge performance and graphics quality will probably have invested in a Geforce 8 series video card and running Vista, enabling them to get the best DirectX 10 quality available.

Unfortunately not only is DirectX 10 level technology new and not well refined, but so it is also with Vista. Many people are burdened by their new high-end technology not running the way it should be and crashing a lot. Most of this HAS been addressed and many users aren't aware of this. Read on for the solution. This applies to anyone with either: A high-end nVidia card AND/OR running Windows Vista.

Web Statistics

I don't think there is a single web developer out there that doesn't wish Internet Explorer would just die.

As such, I closely monitor the ongoing growth of web browsers and wait patiently for Firefox to take over and IE6 to die the miserable death it deserves. If you are a web developer, or just interested, I've gathered a couple statisics on the web browsers that hit NovaTek for all to take a look at.

Update: It seems that there are these "legal issues" regarding instructing people to shoot developers that like Internet Explorer. So for these "legal reasons", I'm going to have to ask you not to shoot anybody. Sorry.

Windows Vista HDD Performance

I've recently been bothered by Windows Vista's excessive HDD access while the computer was idle and decided to do my own investigation as to the cause. Randomly choosing to perform system maintenance is somewhat inconvenient to people who count on their computers performance.

Read on for a list of the biggest random HDD performance culprits.

Multiple Network Connections in Games

For those of those who either have multiple network adapters or use VPN systems like Hamachi, you will often find you may have trouble with games during network setup. Some games, like Supreme Commander will show NIL pings when used with Hamachi others like Empire at War will create unusual connectivity errors. There is an easy way to control this -

Do you want to restart your computer now?

Damn, no! I'm sure I'm not the only person frequently bothered by pop-ups every 15 minutes after I've updated Windows while working. I have 50 applications open all deeply involved in something I'm working on and Windows insists I must restart.

Dreamweaver 8 Lost Password Fix

If you're a developer of any sort, and you work on the Internet then you are probably using Dreamweaver 8, and you also probably recently upgraded to Internet Explorer 7.

If this is the case, then you also probably are being frustrated by Dreamweaver forever forgetting your username and passwords to FTP sites. If this is the case, check out this tech-note that explains how IE7 made Dreamweaver 8 become forgetful and how to fix it.

Thunderbird 2.0 Beta 1

Mozilla has released Thunderbird 2.0 Beta 1 to the development community. Included are new message tags for organising e-mail and a new UI for increased usability (amongst many other things).

Check it out at Mozilla.

OpenOffice 2.1 Released

The fellas at OpenOffice.org have released a new version of OpenOffice, a free, open-source office project aimed as a replacement for Microsoft Office.

OpenOffice.org 2.1 is recommend for all users, as it represents a significant improvement over all previous versions. Among other things:

• Multiple monitor support for Impress
• Improved Calc HTML export
• Enhanced Access support for Base
• Even more languages
• Automatic notification of updates

Windows Vista Release Date Announced

Microsoft have unveiled their release date for the new Windows Vista, the next generation of the Windows operating system.

Microsoft has announced that Windows Vista will be broadly available as a stand-alone product or pre-installed on new PCs on January 30, 2007.

Windows Vista will be made available to Volume License customers later in the month of November 2006.

Firefox 2.0 RC3

Today Mozilla released Firefox 2.0 RC3, the third release candidate for it's coming "Firefox 2.0". RC3 is publicly available for download from Mozilla.

Firefox 2.0 appears to be built with the features of Microsoft's IE7 in mind. Tabbed browsing has been improved, you can scroll through your tabs with arrow buttons or the mouse wheel. A spell check similar to Microsoft's Office spell checker has been implemented, incorrect words are now underlined in red when typing in a text box. Firefox now remembers your tabs and sessions in the event of a system crash and many more additions. Check out the Firefox 2.0 Release Notes page for more details.