I remember back when I was in Grade School, when you have a gameboy -- you are cool! Your classmates will try and borrow your gameboy. After a few years, Nintendo released the gameboy slim, then the gameboy color™, gameboy advanced and finally the nintendo ds. Other companies also released their game consoles such as the psp, playstations, gamecube, xbox etc.
It's like the companies release the same game consoles over and over again, plus, most of the game play is still the same. You kill the boss, and finish the game. These companies earn money by selling their game consoles. After a few years, there were these interactive pc games such as Counterstrike, Starcraft etc. A few months came by, I remember, I was in high school then, Level Up games™ introduced the concept of "Level up".
Level Up! is the first online game publisher for the Philippines. Their mission is to bring online computer gaming and its communities to greater heights, through the introduction of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs).
These games will allow individuals from all over the country, and different walks of life, to interact in dynamic, virtual communities.
Level Up! is proud to be the distributor of the country's first ever localized MMOGs: Oz World from Oz Intermedia, Ragnarok Online by Gravity Corp, Freestyle from JCEntertainment, RF Online from CCR of Korea, Pangya from HanbitSoft, Flyff from Aeonsoft, Khan from Mirinae and Perfect World, created by Beijing Perfect World Technology, China. The Philippine versions of these games hope to give users a uniquely Filipino experience.
These are some of the offers of Level up games. The first few months of "Ragnarok" (the first mmorpg of Level-up) was free. It was for promotional reasons and to attract gamers. The concept of Level up is a great strategy, it simply means to kill monsters, level up, collect awesome items, dominate other players etc. Ragnarok seems to represent human nature which is endless desire for power, fame and domination. So after people became familiar with ragnarok, Level Up™ release game cards in which gamers can purchase if they want to play ragnarok.
Mmorpg then became so famous that other games and online communities started to emerge. Many people became hooked up and are still attracting new gamers. These gamers spend money and take time just to improve their characters. Online gaming is a big I.T. Issue taking the world by storm. The success of MMORPG is not just because of a good game play, awesome graphics but I think it is because the interaction of gamers with other gamers, tt revolutionized the way people play.
References: http://levelupgames.ph/games.php
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Mantech Proj 4 - PSP and NDS
For my 2 Technological Products, I choose PSP and NDS. These 2 products are often compared because it’s a favorite among the gamers and consumers alike.The balance of power in the handheld game market experienced a significant upset two years ago when Sony used their press conference at E3 2003 to announce the development of the Playstation Portable.
At the time, Nintendo held utter dominance of the portable game market with over 90% market share thanks to the Gameboy, and now, the Nintendo DS. Just by the very announcement, though, Sony kicked the gaming media into overdrive. In the hallway outside of Sony’s studios, where the press conference was held, you could hear comments like, “It’s going to be great,” and, “Way better than the DS,” from the gathered journalists. This was before anyone had seen pictures of the unit, product designs, or even a suggested retail price; the game industry was ready to buy it on Sony’s say-so alone.
Now that the Nintendo DS has released in the U.S., the PSP in Japan, and a with a late March 2005 PSP launch date for those of us over here in the States, a lot more is known about both systems than was known then. While it’s still difficult to do a full-blown comparison prior to having an English version of the PSP in hand, there is enough info to make some pretty solid early comparisons between the two. Gone are the days when you could mention Nintendo and assume you’d covered the significant players in the handheld market; now it’s Sony and Nintendo, and you can’t consider buying either system without knowing both.
The PSP (short for PlayStation Portable) is a handheld game console released and currently manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. Its development was first announced during E3 2003, and it was officially unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004. The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, the United States and Canada on March 24, 2005 and in Europe and Australia on September 1, 2005. It is considered the first handheld video game system to use an optical disc format (Universal Media Disc).
A new slimmer and lighter version of the PSP, appropriately titled Slim and Lite, was announced on July 11, 2007, during Sony's press conference at E3 2007. It was made available in the US, Europe and Japan in September 2007 with various colours and a very different box packaging to the original PSP. Among these versions three were physically shown at E3 2007: a white version with a Star Wars imprint, a piano black version and an ice silver version.
The Nintendo DS (sometimes abbreviated NDS or DS) is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in 2004 in Canada, U.S., and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside - one of which is a touchscreen. The Nintendo DS also features a built-in microphone and supports wireless IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standards, allowing players to interact with each other within short range (10–30 m, depending on conditions) or online with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. This was the first Nintendo game console to be released in North America prior to Japan.
The system's code name was Nitro.The console's name officially refers to "Dual Screen", the system's most obvious feature, and "Developers' System", in reference to the new game design the system was meant to inspire.
On March 2, 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite, a redesign of the Nintendo DS, in Japan. It was later released in North America, Europe, and Australia in June 2006. The DS Lite is a slimmer and lighter version of the Nintendo DS and has brighter screens. Nintendo of America refers to the older model as the "original style" Nintendo DS
A Brief Overview of the Two Systems:
Nintendo DS: Known as the Nintendo Dual-Screen, the DS is a handheld game device with two screens, a stylus pen, and the ability to play both Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advance games. Equipped with wireless technology, a touch sensitive screen, and a microphone, the DS has many characteristics similar to a specialized PDA, but with awesome gaming ability. It was released in the U.S. in November of 2004.
Sony Playstation Portable (PSP): The Playstation Portable is Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s handheld market dominance. With a large wide-screen display, more powerful innards than the DS, and a media type capable of storing 1.8 gigabytes of data, the PSP is well positioned to change how we think of portable gaming.
Prices:
Nintendo DS: $150.00
Check current Prices
Sony Playstation Portable: $200 – 250
Check current Prices
Detailed breakdown:
Technically, the PSP dominates the DS in terms of horsepower. With far superior hardware under the hood, the PSP is capable of pushing out graphics that fall somewhere between the PS and the PS2. This means that the PSP has about the same graphical advantages over the DS that the Playstation 2 has over the Nintendo 64 (sorta). However, other hardware differences make this a different story than that of the doomed N64. Whereas the PSP is basically a portable version of the current PS2 home console, the Nintendo DS includes a number of features that have never been seen in a handheld gaming unit. The PSP’s strength lies in its graphic ability, and the DS’s strength lies in its additional features and creativity. Let’s compare the two units point by point.
Screens:
PSP: The PSP has a 4.3-inch screen, which is gigantic in terms of handheld systems. The screen uses a letterbox resolution of 480 x 272, and has 24-bit color, meaning that it’s capable of displaying millions of colors with a quality that is unparalleled in terms of portable game units.
DS: The DS has two separate screens that run simultaneously depending on the game you’re playing. While both screens are smaller than the PSP’s single display, they can be used in tandem to provide varying information, such as a map on one and your playable character on the other. Additionally, the bottom screen on the DS is touch-sensitive, so in addition to being a display device, it can be an interface. The included stylus pen allows for a great deal of variety in approach to game design and control.
The screens on the DS and the PSP are equally cool, in my opinion. The PSP is certainly going to have more wow power with its wide-screen gaming, but the DS is going to be capable of more in the long run. This is a good example of the difference between Nintendo and Sony’s approach to the market; Sony offers the current home console experience on the go, while Nintendo offers a different approach all together.
Connectivity:
DS: The Nintendo DS comes wirelessly enabled, meaning that DS games with a multiplayer feature are capable of linking together without cables for some co-operative or competitive fun. Many DS titles allow multiple DS systems to play together with only one physical copy of the game. The disadvantage of the DS wireless is that while it is technically able to connect to an 802.11b network, there isn’t any software available that allows you to do it. While the DS will be able to connect to wireless hotspots somewhere down the road, it doesn’t do it out of the box, making any future over-the-internet style gaming an accessory or game dependent option.
PSP: The PSP uses Wi-Fi 802.11b communication protocol to enable wireless gaming for it as well.
This serves the same function as the wireless in the DS. The PSP is also capable of connecting to existing Wi-Fi hotspots, and may be able to download firmware upgrades over the Internet when they're released sometime in the future. While the Japanese units are not capable of surfing the Internet at the moment, there is a possibility such features will be included with updates or additional software that comes down the road.
Online gaming for the DS and PSP are both equally possible, and just a matter of time. How they are implemented is pure speculation until it happens. What is concrete is that the DS is built to allow at least some wireless gaming with a single cartridge; you don’t need four friends with the same game in order to enjoy the experience, just four friends with one DS each. The DS’s touch pad and stylus also allow users to send text and graphic messages back and forth wirelessly, which the PSP can’t do for lack of an easy way to input messages. Based on what the systems are capable of doing at this moment, the DS is better designed to let the user do more with the system’s capabilities.
Controls:
The only significant difference between the controls, besides the DS’s ability to use the touch screen, which opens all sorts of possibilities, is that the PSP has an analog stick as well as a traditional directional pad. Since most games on the home consoles use analog sticks for control now days, it’s a good bet the PSP’s will see a great deal of use. However, it’s a specially designed analog control that doesn’t extend far from the front of the unit, and it may or may not be really useful. We’ll see when the PSP launches how this feature works.
Game Media:
The PSP and DS utilize different types of media for storing games. Games for the PSP come on what’s called Universal Media Discs, basically miniature DVDs created with a certain type of laser, and can store up to 1.8 gigabytes worth of data. This is substantially more than the Nintendo DS, which clocks in at a maximum of about 128 megabytes per card. In short, the media capacity for the PSP is an order of magnitude greater than the DS. To give you a comparative idea of how much memory 1.8 gigs is, keep in mind that the Xbox version of Morrowind IV: Elder Scrolls, one of the most complex games ever made, is roughly only 900 megabytes (less than one gigabyte), less than the 1.8 gigabytes of the UMD. In fact, so is Beyond Good and Evil, GTAIII, GTA: VC, Soul Calibur 2, Time Splitters 2, The Sims: Bustin’ Out, and The Urbz. At that size, the PSP discs are fully capable of holding pretty much anything the PSP is capable of playing.
Battery Life:
The disadvantages of having a DVD-style media device is that accessing it is more power consuming than the card-based media of the DS. As a consequence, the battery life of the DS is substantially greater than that of the PSP. According to reports on the actual Japanese version of the PSP, the system runs for roughly 3.5 hours per charge, depending on what you’re doing with the system. The DS, on the other hand, lays claim to between 6 to 8 hours worth of gaming life on a single charge.
Games:
The PSP and the Nintendo DS will both have great games, each with their fair share of exclusive titles. The DS will have Zelda, already has Mario, and the PSP will tout Sony exclusives. Though I’m cheering for the touch screen capacity of the DS (see below), only time will tell which system wins out in the software war. There is, however, a huge advantage that goes to the Nintendo DS: backwards compatibility. With the PS2 and the GameCube, the home consoles, Sony’s system has hundreds of more titles than the GameCube when you include both PS and PS2 games. In the handheld market, though, Nintendo has the situation reversed. The Nintendo DS is capable of playing Gameboy Advance games, which are about as good in terms of graphics as the old Super Nintendo game system
At this moment, two months after launch, this gives the DS around 800 announced titles, 63 of them designed from the ground up for the DS, compared to the PSP’s 75. These titles include classic games that are amazingly addictive, with games like Zelda: A Link to the Past, Four Swords, and Minish Cap. Not only is Mario 64 available for the DS, but you can also play versions of Super Mario World, Mario Brothers 2, and Mario Brothers 3. There are tons of good games that can be picked up for cheap, and they’re all available right now, off the shelves, for the Nintendo DS. It’s an advantage that simply can’t be ignored.
For me, PSP is still better than NDS because its much flexible in terms that it can do more than just regular gaming.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Portable, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS
At the time, Nintendo held utter dominance of the portable game market with over 90% market share thanks to the Gameboy, and now, the Nintendo DS. Just by the very announcement, though, Sony kicked the gaming media into overdrive. In the hallway outside of Sony’s studios, where the press conference was held, you could hear comments like, “It’s going to be great,” and, “Way better than the DS,” from the gathered journalists. This was before anyone had seen pictures of the unit, product designs, or even a suggested retail price; the game industry was ready to buy it on Sony’s say-so alone.
Now that the Nintendo DS has released in the U.S., the PSP in Japan, and a with a late March 2005 PSP launch date for those of us over here in the States, a lot more is known about both systems than was known then. While it’s still difficult to do a full-blown comparison prior to having an English version of the PSP in hand, there is enough info to make some pretty solid early comparisons between the two. Gone are the days when you could mention Nintendo and assume you’d covered the significant players in the handheld market; now it’s Sony and Nintendo, and you can’t consider buying either system without knowing both.
The PSP (short for PlayStation Portable) is a handheld game console released and currently manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment. Its development was first announced during E3 2003, and it was officially unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004. The system was released in Japan on December 12, 2004, the United States and Canada on March 24, 2005 and in Europe and Australia on September 1, 2005. It is considered the first handheld video game system to use an optical disc format (Universal Media Disc).
A new slimmer and lighter version of the PSP, appropriately titled Slim and Lite, was announced on July 11, 2007, during Sony's press conference at E3 2007. It was made available in the US, Europe and Japan in September 2007 with various colours and a very different box packaging to the original PSP. Among these versions three were physically shown at E3 2007: a white version with a Star Wars imprint, a piano black version and an ice silver version.
The Nintendo DS (sometimes abbreviated NDS or DS) is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in 2004 in Canada, U.S., and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside - one of which is a touchscreen. The Nintendo DS also features a built-in microphone and supports wireless IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) standards, allowing players to interact with each other within short range (10–30 m, depending on conditions) or online with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. This was the first Nintendo game console to be released in North America prior to Japan.
The system's code name was Nitro.The console's name officially refers to "Dual Screen", the system's most obvious feature, and "Developers' System", in reference to the new game design the system was meant to inspire.
On March 2, 2006, Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Lite, a redesign of the Nintendo DS, in Japan. It was later released in North America, Europe, and Australia in June 2006. The DS Lite is a slimmer and lighter version of the Nintendo DS and has brighter screens. Nintendo of America refers to the older model as the "original style" Nintendo DS
A Brief Overview of the Two Systems:
Nintendo DS: Known as the Nintendo Dual-Screen, the DS is a handheld game device with two screens, a stylus pen, and the ability to play both Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advance games. Equipped with wireless technology, a touch sensitive screen, and a microphone, the DS has many characteristics similar to a specialized PDA, but with awesome gaming ability. It was released in the U.S. in November of 2004.
Sony Playstation Portable (PSP): The Playstation Portable is Sony’s answer to Nintendo’s handheld market dominance. With a large wide-screen display, more powerful innards than the DS, and a media type capable of storing 1.8 gigabytes of data, the PSP is well positioned to change how we think of portable gaming.
Prices:
Nintendo DS: $150.00
Check current Prices
Sony Playstation Portable: $200 – 250
Check current Prices
Detailed breakdown:
Technically, the PSP dominates the DS in terms of horsepower. With far superior hardware under the hood, the PSP is capable of pushing out graphics that fall somewhere between the PS and the PS2. This means that the PSP has about the same graphical advantages over the DS that the Playstation 2 has over the Nintendo 64 (sorta). However, other hardware differences make this a different story than that of the doomed N64. Whereas the PSP is basically a portable version of the current PS2 home console, the Nintendo DS includes a number of features that have never been seen in a handheld gaming unit. The PSP’s strength lies in its graphic ability, and the DS’s strength lies in its additional features and creativity. Let’s compare the two units point by point.
Screens:
PSP: The PSP has a 4.3-inch screen, which is gigantic in terms of handheld systems. The screen uses a letterbox resolution of 480 x 272, and has 24-bit color, meaning that it’s capable of displaying millions of colors with a quality that is unparalleled in terms of portable game units.
DS: The DS has two separate screens that run simultaneously depending on the game you’re playing. While both screens are smaller than the PSP’s single display, they can be used in tandem to provide varying information, such as a map on one and your playable character on the other. Additionally, the bottom screen on the DS is touch-sensitive, so in addition to being a display device, it can be an interface. The included stylus pen allows for a great deal of variety in approach to game design and control.
The screens on the DS and the PSP are equally cool, in my opinion. The PSP is certainly going to have more wow power with its wide-screen gaming, but the DS is going to be capable of more in the long run. This is a good example of the difference between Nintendo and Sony’s approach to the market; Sony offers the current home console experience on the go, while Nintendo offers a different approach all together.
Connectivity:
DS: The Nintendo DS comes wirelessly enabled, meaning that DS games with a multiplayer feature are capable of linking together without cables for some co-operative or competitive fun. Many DS titles allow multiple DS systems to play together with only one physical copy of the game. The disadvantage of the DS wireless is that while it is technically able to connect to an 802.11b network, there isn’t any software available that allows you to do it. While the DS will be able to connect to wireless hotspots somewhere down the road, it doesn’t do it out of the box, making any future over-the-internet style gaming an accessory or game dependent option.
PSP: The PSP uses Wi-Fi 802.11b communication protocol to enable wireless gaming for it as well.
This serves the same function as the wireless in the DS. The PSP is also capable of connecting to existing Wi-Fi hotspots, and may be able to download firmware upgrades over the Internet when they're released sometime in the future. While the Japanese units are not capable of surfing the Internet at the moment, there is a possibility such features will be included with updates or additional software that comes down the road.
Online gaming for the DS and PSP are both equally possible, and just a matter of time. How they are implemented is pure speculation until it happens. What is concrete is that the DS is built to allow at least some wireless gaming with a single cartridge; you don’t need four friends with the same game in order to enjoy the experience, just four friends with one DS each. The DS’s touch pad and stylus also allow users to send text and graphic messages back and forth wirelessly, which the PSP can’t do for lack of an easy way to input messages. Based on what the systems are capable of doing at this moment, the DS is better designed to let the user do more with the system’s capabilities.
Controls:
The only significant difference between the controls, besides the DS’s ability to use the touch screen, which opens all sorts of possibilities, is that the PSP has an analog stick as well as a traditional directional pad. Since most games on the home consoles use analog sticks for control now days, it’s a good bet the PSP’s will see a great deal of use. However, it’s a specially designed analog control that doesn’t extend far from the front of the unit, and it may or may not be really useful. We’ll see when the PSP launches how this feature works.
Game Media:
The PSP and DS utilize different types of media for storing games. Games for the PSP come on what’s called Universal Media Discs, basically miniature DVDs created with a certain type of laser, and can store up to 1.8 gigabytes worth of data. This is substantially more than the Nintendo DS, which clocks in at a maximum of about 128 megabytes per card. In short, the media capacity for the PSP is an order of magnitude greater than the DS. To give you a comparative idea of how much memory 1.8 gigs is, keep in mind that the Xbox version of Morrowind IV: Elder Scrolls, one of the most complex games ever made, is roughly only 900 megabytes (less than one gigabyte), less than the 1.8 gigabytes of the UMD. In fact, so is Beyond Good and Evil, GTAIII, GTA: VC, Soul Calibur 2, Time Splitters 2, The Sims: Bustin’ Out, and The Urbz. At that size, the PSP discs are fully capable of holding pretty much anything the PSP is capable of playing.
Battery Life:
The disadvantages of having a DVD-style media device is that accessing it is more power consuming than the card-based media of the DS. As a consequence, the battery life of the DS is substantially greater than that of the PSP. According to reports on the actual Japanese version of the PSP, the system runs for roughly 3.5 hours per charge, depending on what you’re doing with the system. The DS, on the other hand, lays claim to between 6 to 8 hours worth of gaming life on a single charge.
Games:
The PSP and the Nintendo DS will both have great games, each with their fair share of exclusive titles. The DS will have Zelda, already has Mario, and the PSP will tout Sony exclusives. Though I’m cheering for the touch screen capacity of the DS (see below), only time will tell which system wins out in the software war. There is, however, a huge advantage that goes to the Nintendo DS: backwards compatibility. With the PS2 and the GameCube, the home consoles, Sony’s system has hundreds of more titles than the GameCube when you include both PS and PS2 games. In the handheld market, though, Nintendo has the situation reversed. The Nintendo DS is capable of playing Gameboy Advance games, which are about as good in terms of graphics as the old Super Nintendo game system
At this moment, two months after launch, this gives the DS around 800 announced titles, 63 of them designed from the ground up for the DS, compared to the PSP’s 75. These titles include classic games that are amazingly addictive, with games like Zelda: A Link to the Past, Four Swords, and Minish Cap. Not only is Mario 64 available for the DS, but you can also play versions of Super Mario World, Mario Brothers 2, and Mario Brothers 3. There are tons of good games that can be picked up for cheap, and they’re all available right now, off the shelves, for the Nintendo DS. It’s an advantage that simply can’t be ignored.
For me, PSP is still better than NDS because its much flexible in terms that it can do more than just regular gaming.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Portable, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_DS
Mantech Proj 02 - SOFTWARE PIRACY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Nowadays, Software Piracy is a common problem in the Philippines.
The original software costs a bundle than the pirated one, that's why the "masa" prefers pirated software even though it's illegal. For me: "Why would I buy an original software that will cost me Php15,000 when I can buy a pirated version of that for P100?! in 'tiangges' ". There's not much difference in terms of quality.
There are times that the pirated software contains malicious programs that may cause damage on your computer i.e. Virus, spyware, malware, adware, trojans, worms etc,or, the cd itself is corrupted.
I did a mini interview of random people, asking them what would they prefer to buy:
A.) An original software or B.) Pirated Version. 90% chose A. Our government has a law on software piracy. Here's the law:
Republic of the Philippines
MALACAÑANG
MANILA
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 60
CREATING THE INTER - AGENCY COMMITTEE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
I think, there are some conspiracies on catching people who sell pirated software. I
also notice that these authorities get into action when they are being televised on such
shows like XxX in ABS-CBN or Imbestigador in GMA-7. I dont know what they are doing when the camera isn't on them because software piracy is still a widespread problem. I think, the government needs to do something like ask the companies to lower their software prices or give suitable bonuses when purchasing original softwares.
References: http://www.pctc.gov.ph/laws/s93EO060.htm
The original software costs a bundle than the pirated one, that's why the "masa" prefers pirated software even though it's illegal. For me: "Why would I buy an original software that will cost me Php15,000 when I can buy a pirated version of that for P100?! in 'tiangges' ". There's not much difference in terms of quality.
There are times that the pirated software contains malicious programs that may cause damage on your computer i.e. Virus, spyware, malware, adware, trojans, worms etc,or, the cd itself is corrupted.
I did a mini interview of random people, asking them what would they prefer to buy:
A.) An original software or B.) Pirated Version. 90% chose A. Our government has a law on software piracy. Here's the law:
Republic of the Philippines
MALACAÑANG
MANILA
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 60
CREATING THE INTER - AGENCY COMMITTEE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
I think, there are some conspiracies on catching people who sell pirated software. I
also notice that these authorities get into action when they are being televised on such
shows like XxX in ABS-CBN or Imbestigador in GMA-7. I dont know what they are doing when the camera isn't on them because software piracy is still a widespread problem. I think, the government needs to do something like ask the companies to lower their software prices or give suitable bonuses when purchasing original softwares.
References: http://www.pctc.gov.ph/laws/s93EO060.htm
ManTech Proj 01 - How were PC's Mass Marketed?
GUIDE QUESTION: What did IBM do so that the pc became a common household appliance?
"August 12, 1981 marks the birth of the IBM PC, the computer that single-handedly turned personal computing to the business market. IBM's success forced Apple and others to change their focus, and most personal computer companies from the pre-IBM era have become historical footnotes. By 2006, even Apple Computer had followed IBM's lead and adopted Intel CPUs and built Macs that can boot Microsoft Windows."
Back then, a Personal Computer commonly known as the PC was much expensive to be a common household but was in demand for businesses. William Lowe of IBM, wrote a detailed market analysis outlining the possibility of an IBM microcomputer aimed towards small businesses and even consumers. He has two proposals: The first was to buy a microcomputer company outright (he mentioned Atari by name); the other was to create a brand new microcomputer.
Microsoft, the market leader in programming languages, suppported IBM. In order to hide its true intentions from the outside world, a code name was adopted for the IBU, Project Chess, and the computer was named Acorn. Unlike any other IBM project, Chess adopted outside software. Besides the BIOS chips, almost every other component and piece of software was from an outside company.
Project Chess worked with Personal Software to bundle VisiCalc and John Draper and to include EasyWriter with Acorn. VisiCalc would be ready in the summer of 1981, though EasyWriter was not.
The version of EasyWriter that shipped with the IBM PC was still very buggy. IBM eventually distributed a free upgrade for the software.The final IBM PC was released on August 12, 1981, and it changed the world. Computers with the power of mainframes of the 1960s were now available to small businesses and consumers.
The marketers predicted they would sell 250,000 units over five years, a huge success by IBM standards. By the end of 1983, IBM had sold 750,000 units, and by 1984 Chess had swollen to over 9,000 employees. After that, the incident with Bill Gates and the other guy made Microsoft and many applications such as games, mp3s etc are born and the demand for PC's grew exponentially up to now.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PC
"August 12, 1981 marks the birth of the IBM PC, the computer that single-handedly turned personal computing to the business market. IBM's success forced Apple and others to change their focus, and most personal computer companies from the pre-IBM era have become historical footnotes. By 2006, even Apple Computer had followed IBM's lead and adopted Intel CPUs and built Macs that can boot Microsoft Windows."
Back then, a Personal Computer commonly known as the PC was much expensive to be a common household but was in demand for businesses. William Lowe of IBM, wrote a detailed market analysis outlining the possibility of an IBM microcomputer aimed towards small businesses and even consumers. He has two proposals: The first was to buy a microcomputer company outright (he mentioned Atari by name); the other was to create a brand new microcomputer.
Microsoft, the market leader in programming languages, suppported IBM. In order to hide its true intentions from the outside world, a code name was adopted for the IBU, Project Chess, and the computer was named Acorn. Unlike any other IBM project, Chess adopted outside software. Besides the BIOS chips, almost every other component and piece of software was from an outside company.
Project Chess worked with Personal Software to bundle VisiCalc and John Draper and to include EasyWriter with Acorn. VisiCalc would be ready in the summer of 1981, though EasyWriter was not.
The version of EasyWriter that shipped with the IBM PC was still very buggy. IBM eventually distributed a free upgrade for the software.The final IBM PC was released on August 12, 1981, and it changed the world. Computers with the power of mainframes of the 1960s were now available to small businesses and consumers.
The marketers predicted they would sell 250,000 units over five years, a huge success by IBM standards. By the end of 1983, IBM had sold 750,000 units, and by 1984 Chess had swollen to over 9,000 employees. After that, the incident with Bill Gates and the other guy made Microsoft and many applications such as games, mp3s etc are born and the demand for PC's grew exponentially up to now.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PC
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
MANTECH 12 - Blogging, and the Competition on Web Traffic
People blog to reflect on their thoughts and feelings and share them with other people. Blogger and Multiply are some of the popular blog websites. Blogger for me is an excellent choice when all you really want to do is blog because it is more flexible than multiply. Multiply is more like a social networking site for rather than blogging . Just recently, popular websites like Friendster and MySpace offer the option of blogging so they can capitalize their web features and will not transfer to other said websites.
Then, when the online community are growing exponentially, some website developers offer people to advertise on their blogs. People are now being paid to blog when many people visit their blog site. Blogger has this option -- "Adsense". In Adsense, Web developers study a person's blog to see if many people really visit their site and if it's interesting and comply to their expectations. Another gig is the online survey. Some websites offer people to do an online survey and they get paid after doing it. The procedure is, you register, configure your paypal account and start the survey. While exploring in MySpace, I found this person's profile which is a "proof" that people really make money on the web such as blogging and doing an online survey.
Her profile was deleted by Myspace though.. I dont know why. This person lives in the U.S. so I dont know if we can really make money by doing what they do. I guess this can be a gig to attract more people on visiting the "websites that offer money by blogging or online survey", thus, generating more web traffic, more clicks and more ads and most certainly more money.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
MANTECH 11 - A RESPONSE TO PIRACY
I was watching the news in ABS-CBN when I saw this interesting report about piracy. This report is about a girl who was arrested in an airport for an attempt to bring pirated materials abroad. It so happen that there are laws now in airports against the bringing of pirated materials such as dvd's, vcd's, xeroxed copyrighted materials (Yes, its considered piracy), fake gadgets such as polystations(from playstation) etc abroad. These airports are very strict in implementing these rules and whoever caught in this crime will be fined, jailed and even stripped off their visa.
I think that the government are taking small steps in fighting piracy here in the Philippines but who knows, people will still find ways to push thru. This is a good response to promote the government's anti piracy campaign. If they can be successful, I.T. proffesionals, Filmakers and our industry will have the rightful revenue that deserves their work.
I think that the government are taking small steps in fighting piracy here in the Philippines but who knows, people will still find ways to push thru. This is a good response to promote the government's anti piracy campaign. If they can be successful, I.T. proffesionals, Filmakers and our industry will have the rightful revenue that deserves their work.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
ManTech 10 - Business and Piracy
Piracy, what is it all about? Some would say "plagiarizing software" or stealing content from an original product and others would term it as "fake". Sir Alain is right because pirated products isn't fake. According to thefreedictionary.com, to pirate is someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own so pirated is that product of stealing content or idea. In other words, it is acquiring copy of published materials.
Piracy is clearly another case of abusing technology for one's own good but he/she doesn't consider the impact of this action towards others. Legal businesses are slowly going down because of this illegal actions. For me, the problem lies in the government. Our country is still a poor country and it just keeps getting poorer because of graft and corruption. People dont have money to purchase original items so they consider these pirated materials.
The government should work hand in hand with these businesses if they still want more businesses to invest in our country and improve I.T. and fight piracy.
Piracy is clearly another case of abusing technology for one's own good but he/she doesn't consider the impact of this action towards others. Legal businesses are slowly going down because of this illegal actions. For me, the problem lies in the government. Our country is still a poor country and it just keeps getting poorer because of graft and corruption. People dont have money to purchase original items so they consider these pirated materials.
The government should work hand in hand with these businesses if they still want more businesses to invest in our country and improve I.T. and fight piracy.
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