The $64,000 question is: Do people really need that much power on their PC? Hardcore gamers and graphics designers will naturally response with a loud YES. But what about the majority of PC users who use their machines for light word processing and web browsing? For this group of users, a Pentium 233MHz (doesn't even have to be Pentium II!) with 32MB of memory is more than enough power.

That's why Intel's profit is declining for the past year. The market for cheap sub $1,000 PC is growing at an alarming rate. Consumers are realizing they do not have to play Intel's buy-our-fastest-processor game every quarter. A Pentium 233MHz system is more than enough to run your typical Windows 95 applications.

So what does all this have to do with Microsoft? First, realize that Microsoft's Windows operating system and Intel is nicknamed Wintel for a very good reason. Wintel knows that in order to push the latest and fastest processor, there must be a "killer" application to drive demand. Lotus 1-2-3 drove the demand for PC in its early days. Windows 95 was the main motivator for upgrading to faster and better Intel-based systems.

To drive the demand for Intel's Pentium II/400 and upcoming Xeon processors, Microsoft will be releasing their Chrome technology in Q1/1999. Chrome will bring true 3D graphics to the broswer and office applications. Microsoft's minimum requirements to run Chrome are: Pentium II/350 or faster and an AGP video subsystem. Chrome will integrate DirectX directly into the browser window. The bandwidth required to download 3D images will be minimum, since all the work is being done on the local machine, hence the need for a more powerful processor. Microsoft first demoed Chrome a few months ago in their WinHEC 1998 gathering in Orlando, FL. And it was very impressive. Imagine your Excel spreadsheets displayed as a free form rotating 3D cube. Or multiple active web pages floating around as 3D pictures.

Moore's Law, which states processing power will double every 18 months, is still in effect today. Even more so thanks to smaller micron manufacturing technologies. The top of the line PII/400 system today will be an entry-level system sixteen months from now.

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Because NT 4.0 is not fully plug and play yet, sometimes it's difficult to determine where the hardware or device conflict is. But by running EV you will be able to see a log of all the bootup events and errors. The messages in EV are divided into three types: errors (red stop sign), warnings (yellow icon), and information (blue icon).

Error messages are critical to the function of a device or service. Warning messages aren't fatal or critical to system operation, but it is always a good idea to see why the warning was generated in the first place. Information messages are merely feedback messages from the system. For example, when the EV starts it will generate an information message for itself.

Everytime NT starts up, the log will be automatically generated. The log will tell you which device(s) have failed to start and why, and which service(s) failed to initialized. A properly configured NT 4.0 system should have no red stop icons in the EV log. When starting the system, if you see a popup window informing you a device or service has failed to start, then it's time to check the EV log. Sometimes the EV log is so long that it's difficult to see what's happening. If this is the case, clear the entire EV log first and then restart the system.

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My Dear Husband,

I am sending you this letter via this email communication thingie, so that you will be sure to read it. Please forgive the deception, but I thought you should know what has been going on at home since your computer entered our lives TWO YEARS AGO.

The children are doing well. Tommy is seven years old now and is a bright, handsome boy. He has developed quite an interest in the arts. He drew a family portrait for a school project, all the figures were good, and the back of your head is very realistic. You should be very proud of him.

Little Kimberly turned three in September. She looks a lot like you did at that age. She is an attractive child and quite smart. She still remembers that you spent the whole afternoon with us on her birthday. What a grand day for Jenny, despite the fact that it was stormy and the electricity was out.

I am doing well. I went blonde about a year ago, and discovered that it really is more fun! George, I mean, Mr. Wilson the department head, has, uh, taken an interest in my career and has become a good friend to us all.

I discovered that the household chores are much easier since I realized that you didn't mind being vacuumed but that feather dusting made you sneeze. The house is in good shape. I had the living room painted last spring; I'm sure you noticed it. I made sure that the painters cut holes in the drop sheet so you wouldn't be disturbed.

Well, my dear, I must be going. Uncle George, uh, Mr. Wilson, I mean, is taking us all on a ski trip and there is packing to do. I have hired a housekeeper to take care of things while we are away, she'll keep things in order, fill your coffee cup and bring your meals to your desk, just the way you like it. I hope you and the computer will have a lovely time.

Love,

Your Wife

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