New PerfectPC 2.0 Beta – April 2010 Australian PC User magazine
The first beta of my PerfectPC 2.0 software is available on the cover disc of April 2010 issue of Australian PC User magazine. This software allows you to make up your own desktop PC out of more than 1000 different components. You can allow PerfectPC to build a system to a specific budget and application or with new features you can: * choose your own components * lock in specific components * choose which component types you want to include It operates on any Windows 2000, XP, Vista or 7 computer. You can also print out your builds and take the build page to ...
New UserOS column – starting May 2010 issue of Australian PC User
I'll be starting a new column in the May 2010 issue of Australian PC User magazine, looking at Linux from the perspective of Windows users coming new to Linux. We'll be using the current UserOS operating system of the time as the basis for discussion. We'll look at how to set up the operating system as well as explain how you do things in Linux that you'd recognise from Windows. For example, we'll look at Terminal (Linux equivalent of the DOS prompt) and see what it can do. UserOS Ultra 9.10 is available as of today on the April 2010 cover ...
UserOS Ultra 9.10 – out next week in PC User April 2010 issue
We've been busy over the last couple of months putting the finishing touches to our latest Linux operating system, UserOS Ultra 9.10. It's been a long time coming but we're finally happy with the way that this Ubuntu-based operating system has come up. It basically picks up where our original UserOS Ultra 7.10 operating system left off but with new drivers and some extra features. It's also still small enough that it not only fits on a 700MB CD-R but it will fit on a 512MB USB flash drive! You can use it as a full-blown desktop (or notebook) operating system or ...
List of free education software
Posted by Darren Yates in Education, Internet on March 10th, 2010
There’s a report in one of today’s Sydney papers talking about a serious decline in the uptake of mathematics degrees in Australian universities. While it’s reducing the “gene pool” of maths brains in this country, the story suggests, with quite reasonable arguments, that it’s having an effect on students. If teachers don’t like maths, students get the idea that maths is either boring, too hard or both and simply go back to the iPhones.
This fall in maths graduates is likely to be just symptomatic of most of the pure sciences.
I have to admit that I really enjoyed my science study at university and having a good understanding of how things works really puts you in good stead for just about any field of endeavour you take on in life.
Education software isn’t as enthralling as the latest computer games but there is quite a range of free/open-source education software and websites available and they’re well worth perusing for software that might just twig a child’s interest.
Tux4kidsTux4kids aims to deliver open-source education software to Windows, Mac OS X and Linux users. It’s used by schools all over the world. Includes TuxMath, TuxPaint and TuxType.
Australia’s Central Queensland University has put together a terrific resource of software links aimed at everything from maths to music. You can download the DVD of open-source software and burn it to DVD yourself. Or you can follow the links and pick and choose your own options. Some of the software available is pretty “high-end” (anyone for molecular modelling). Definitely well worth losing yourself for an hour or so checking it out.
This industry group set up to promote open-source software has produced a PDF called “Free Software for Schools”. The PDF contains a real grab-bag of software covering everything from multimedia to molecular modelling and back again.
This website has a good list of freeware software (mostly Windows) covering primary and secondary school over a wide array of subjects. The site is Australian and also includes cross-cultural links too.
Okay, this is a little bit of self-promotion (so sue me) but I developed this little app some time ago. It trains kids in times tables by giving them a random selection, timing their run through 30, 50 or 100 problems and allowing them to save their highest scores. It’s freeware and runs on Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Windows 7. Have fun. 
Have any greate education software sites you know of? Share them below!
Why are Blu-ray players in Australia still so damn expensive?
Posted by Darren Yates in Buyers' Guide, What the... ? on March 10th, 2010
Sometimes, you look at retail prices for different products around the world and you just can’t help but think that some of the big-name brands think Australians are complete idiots and will pay top dollar for anything.
At the moment, I can’t help but think that’s what’s happening with regards to Blu-ray players.
A fellow journalist recently pointed out on a newsgroup that while we might think $US139 is a cheap price to pay for a Blu-ray player in Australia, it’s nothing compared to what’s happening in the US.
In fact, $AUD139 is an extremely cheap price to play for a Blu-ray player in Australia. When it comes to name brand players, the price is actually closer to $AUD250.
Now take a look at the price those in the US are paying from the likes of giant retailer Walmart – you’ve got at least three big-name brands – Sony, Philips and Pioneer – selling models for no more than $US128.
With the Australian dollar sitting at around 90 US cents at the moment, you have to wonder why we in Australia are paying so damn much for these things, especially when big-screen TV prices have been hammered in the last six months.
The answer I expect to hear back is that the US (and Walmart in particular) have a much greater buying power than Australia does. Another reason that I don’t expect to hear but I think could be equally plausable is the fact that the US economy isn’t doing anywhere as well as Australia’s and so they can afford to keep prices up here because we’ll keep paying them.
And don’t even get me started on Blu-ray combo drives and burners for PCs…
New PerfectPC 2.0 Beta – April 2010 Australian PC User magazine
Posted by Darren Yates in Darren's software, PC User - what's coming up, PC User software, PC components on March 4th, 2010
The first beta of my PerfectPC 2.0 software is available on the cover disc of April 2010 issue of Australian PC User magazine. This software allows you to make up your own desktop PC out of more than 1000 different components. You can allow PerfectPC to build a system to a specific budget and application or with new features you can:
* choose your own components
* lock in specific components
* choose which component types you want to include
It operates on any Windows 2000, XP, Vista or 7 computer. You can also print out your builds and take the build page to your local PC builder to check and build into a system for you.
The software is free on the cover disc of Australian PC User’s April 2010 issue, in newsagents now.