Media Center Machines Abound!

I was reading an article about a Linux-based operating system coded for the upcoming Playstation 3 game console (already?!) and found mentioned in the comments of the article a PVR/Media Center package called MythTV. At version 0.20 they've come a long way at developing a wonderful mix of form and functionality in this grassroots project. This is not meant for your typical novice Windows Media Center newbie but rather for those who seek to take more control over what digital convergence has to offer in the realm of entertainment and function.



Yellow Dog Linux for the PS3, mentioned above, will prove to be a power house taking advantage of the core components of the PS3 architecture and blending them with the functionality and customization of the Linux OS. Looking at the these two solutions I'm starting to see the lines blur among game systems, media center machines, and the typical personal computer. It won't be long 'till we rely on just one machine to centralize all of our tasks and leisures at home.

IE7: Internet Explorer's Latest Edition

I have been using the beta for quite some time now, but have primarily used Firefox due to faster loading times on the browser itself and webpages. I work for a local WISP in an environment that's fast paced. I get a hundred or more calls on my cell every day from contractors to CEO's asking for information but not willing to wait a long time for it. That means I have to pull up numerous web pages containing a variety of information about our network and the company behind it w/in milliseconds.

I've always enjoyed using Firefox since it's inception, but let's face it there's still a number of websites out there (including many of Microsoft's own) that aren't formatted correctly for Firefox and don't display or work correctly with it. A lot of our company's own development projects and systems base their compatibility on Internet Explorer not Firefox (unless I make a fuss about it).

So, now that IE has made it's debut into Final Release I will attempt again to go "all-IE". In the coming days or weeks I'll report on how successful (or unsuccessful) I am at leaving the Firefox bandwagon. Please feel free to share your comments on IE7, good or bad, all are welcome.