A.P.P.L.E

If you want to buy a new PC now, everyone will talk about Intel Core Duo processor. But what is it actually? I heard of this Core Duo and Core 2 Duo. But in fact, I know nothing much about this two. So I decided to do a little research and this is my summary.

First of all, let’s see…What is Intel Core?
The Intel Core series is a 32-bit processor that runs on two cores packaged in a single silicon chip. It is more similar to Pentium M rather than Intel Core 2. (Can’t believe it leh?!) But then, what is Pentium M? In short, Pentium M is originally designed for laptop PC (thus “M” for Mobile); lower clock speed compare with Pentium 4 Mobile (or P4-M), but similar performance; and it’s actually a heavily modified P3 Tualatin design processor.

Okay, enough of Intel Core…how about Intel Core 2?
It’s a 64-bit processor. It doesn’t carry an integrated DDR2 memory controller. Whereas, every AMD64 processor has an integrated part of the DDR2 memory controller, thus, increase power consumption. (A brief comparison between Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD64 processors)

Before we look into the difference of this two Intel processor, I would like to mention L2 cache. Just in case you don’t know what on earth is an L2 cache, here is a simple and easy-to-understand explanation from Cyberwalker.com:

Cache is a place where stuff is processed or reserved separately from other processes.Some memory caches are built into the architecture of microprocessor chips. Those internal caches are often called Level 1 or L1 caches. Where you hear people refer to a computer’s cache, it usual means they are referring to Level 2 or L2 cache. It is cache memory that is outside the processor chip.

Data is transmitted from the processor chip into main memory through the L2 cache.

Okay…now, what’s the difference between Intel Core Duo and Intel Core 2 Duo? This is what I’ve learnt:

Intel Core Duo	Intel Core 2 Duo
The first dual-core CPU made by Intel. 2 chips in 1 package.	Having the same 2 chips in 1 package, but faster clock speed.
L2 cache	L2 cache, but the silicon architecture changes, thus more sophisticated processing abilities
32-bit architecture	64-bit architecture, more “future-proof”
Price wise, getting more expensive because it is no longer actively selling in the desktop market	Compare to Core Duo, now it’s cheaper

You will spend at least double the money on a quad core processor versus a dual core, and many applications still don’t benefit from the additional cores. At the same time, having a dual core versus a single core CPU is more important than fighting over a few hundred megahertz. The existing quad core products (Core 2 Quad) will be replaced by next-generation products in the third quarter of 2007.

Reference:
Link 1
Link 2

Joost is a new way of watching TV on the internet. With Joost, you get all the things you love about TV, including a high-quality full-screen picture, hundreds of full-length shows and easy channel-flipping.

I’ve downloaded Joost and tried it. It’s quite fun! You can easily switch from full-screen mode to windows mode, or the other way round. Streaming is fast - faster than YouTube, yet better video quality. There’s a variety of channels or categories to choose from. Ranging from cartoons/animation to sports/games.

It’s not only a video watching tool, you can even chat with your friends and many other features yet to be discovered. Installation is easy as long as you follow the instruction closely. However, you can download Joost only if you receive an invitation. Not to worry, here is how you can get free invitation:
(a) Click here to get free invitation.
(b) Leave a message (with your email of course) at the comment section, so that I can send you an invitation.

Found out more about Joost from their official website.

Here are screenshots of what I watched earlier from Joost, under cartoons & animation channel, in Windows mode.

Recently, playing around with MSN services (including those Windows Live™). What I realize today is, the “My MSN” page actually can be customized following our own taste. Well, I believe this is available since some time ago, but I really neglected MSN services for a very very long time. It’s fun just like you customize your Friendster profile…showing only the contents that you like and taking away those you don’t - for example in my case, I removed sports content (Am not really into sports!!)

This is a snapshot of my MSN page:

So, if you have an MSN account, and you haven’t customize your MSN page, why not try it today? Have fun =)

I thought I was gonna write something about installing Ubuntu earlier. Even the Ubuntu free CD is already received, think I should at least say something about installing Ubuntu. I’ve been searching for tutorial on installing Ubuntu before I started installing it to my desktop computer. Detailed tutorials sometimes just make things more complicated. So, I just follow the instructions available when running the Ubuntu CD (I downloaded the image and burnt it to CD) - and it’s actually very easy, just like how you install an application in Windows.

But before installing Ubuntu, we should know the requirements, although it can be supported by almost every system, even older systems.

Minimum Hardware Requirements
- 700 MHz or better processor
- 256MB of memory
- CD-ROM drive
- Ethernet interface
- VGA graphics interface
- 3GB of available disk space

So, I assume that you are going to install Ubuntu on a Windows system, for dual boot. And just assume that you just need a basic installation of Ubuntu - without worrying the hard disk partition. (if you are an expert, please ignore this entry, this is not for you)You can finish installing Ubuntu Linux in just few steps.
Step 1: Insert your Ubuntu Linux CD and boot it. (assume you know how to boot disc)
Step 2: Choose “Start or Install Ubuntu” when you see the menu screen.
Step 3: Then you will see a Ubuntu GUI desktop, double click on “Install”.
Step 4: Choose your preference language (you probably will want to choose “English”)
Step 5: Choose your geographical location & time zone.
Step 6: Choose your keyboard type (I chose “American English”, you probably do the same too)
Step 7: Fill in your information such as name, login ID, login password and computer name.
Step 8: For beginners (such as me), you would like to choose the first option, and let Ubuntu handle the spaces it need by itself.
Step 9: Last step, proceed to finish your installation.

Basically, if you follow the installation wizard closely, you won’t be lost. Of course, you can install Ubuntu with the “text method”, which I will not discuss it here. You can find more information about installing Ubuntu from many resources available from the Internet.

Earlier end of last month, I mentioned about ordering a free Ubuntu Linux CD. And today I finally received it. ^^ Happy!! This time is a newer and for the mean time the latest version of Ubuntu Linux (version 7.04, unlike the one I downloaded earlier which is version 6.06) Since I already installed Ubuntu Linux 6.06 to my PC, I will make this CD one of my collections.

So this is a photo of my newly received Ubuntu Linux free CD. Nice packing and nice disc cover design. To find out how to get a free Ubuntu Linux CD too, please read my previous post here. It took about 3 weeks time to get my CD. Have fun =)