Windows computer servers tie with Unix in revenue.

The worldwide computer server market grew 5.3 per cent to $12.1 billion in the first quarter, with revenue for servers running the Microsoft Corp Windows operating system equalling that of Unix servers for the first time, market research firm IDC said on Friday.

Revenue for Windows servers grew 12.3 per cent to $4.2 billion in the quarter while unit shipments grew 10.7 per cent. Unix servers saw 2.8 per cent revenue growth to $4.2 billion while unit shipments increased 5 per cent.

About a year ago, Microsoft made great strides in legitimizing its technology for broadcasting by getting its Windows Media 9 video codec (now grandly titled Video Codec One, or VC-1) accepted by the industry's standards body SMPTE.

And both the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray groups, representing the two competing High-Definition DVD hardware formats, have agreed to support Microsoft's codec as well as the MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding standard in their new hi-def players.

This presents an interesting question. The Windows VC-1 and MPEG AVC camps are fighting over which is the "best hi-def codec". But with the future media players supporting both codecs, does it matter which one content producers choose? I think the software doesn't matter anymore.

Modern video codecs are also very similar to each other, and use similar mathematical techniques. They all break the picture into a lot of squares, and then use fancy mathematics (like those used in JPEG pictures) to represent these small squares with the smallest amount of bits.

They are all roughly comparable in quality, and the the VC-1 vs. MPEG AVC battle is a technical stalemate; the differentiating features have much more to do with implementations, price, and of course politics.

The R717 feels well-constructed, with a stainless-steel front, subtly sculpted for a comfortable grip. The 1.8-inch LCD is bright and clear, and menus are very easy to read and navigate. Like many of the new HP cameras, the R717 includes a system designed to help beginners along.

The R717 excels at taking panoramic images. In panorama mode, the camera provides a transparent overlay of the left third of your previous image to help you align it with the next shot.

I didn’t have a problem with red-eye, but an in-camera feature is supposed to let you fix red-eye-ridden shots after you take them.

The color in the images I took with the R717 was very good, and the detail was good.

Earlier today, XGP Gaming received word that the price(s) for the XBOX 360 were 'leaked' around the net. As we expected, there will be two 'versions' of the XBOX 360 available for purchase. Start saving now!

The first package consists of the basic console, one controller, cables, etc. and is set to sell for $299.99(US).

The second version contains the 360 controller(s?), remote and the HDD loaded with extra content. There's no word yet on whether or not this package may include the camera. The price for this package is...wait for it...$360(US).

FORTUNE has learned that Apple, Intel, and several PC companies already have the Mac OS X operating system working on Intel chips in their labs.

If it switched to Intel chips or allowed PC makers to build Intel-based Macs, Apple could benefit from the enormous economies of scale Intel achieves with its dominant market share, and from the x86’s constant advances. Apple could also bring its costs—and possibly its products' prices--down substantially. And that could boost its sales.

Even if the Journal report is right, it could simply mean that the wily Jobs is positioning for the upper hand in negotiations with IBM. He isn't saying anything. Then again, if you were Jobs, wouldn’t you want your legacy to be a company with a 20% market share—or more—rather than one with only 2.3%?

I remain an unabashed iTunes junkie. But an alternative model — the "portable" music subscription — is growing on me. Now, with the addition of RealNetworks Rhapsody To Go service — and especially with the debut this month of Yahoo Music Unlimited — I imagine it'll grow on others, too.

Overall, both Yahoo and Real left a melodious impression. Each claims more than 1 million songs in its catalogs — though they're light on classical. (Apple says iTunes exceeds 1.5 million tracks.)

I'm guessing that Apple will eventually introduce a subscription service of its own.

Why? Under a subscription or rent-a-tune model, you can listen to a boatload of music for a lot less loot than on a buy-only download site. And you can carry those tunes in your pocket, via compatible portable digital music players. Buying 2,000 songs on iTunes would cost nearly 2 grand.

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

The WinTel platform represents the greatest violation of the basic tenets of information security and has become a national economic security risk. I do not say this lightly, and I have never been a Microsoft basher, either. I never criticize a company without a fair bit of explanation, justification and supportive evidence.

I want my computer to function every time I turn it on. I want my computer to not corrupt data when it does crash. I use a handful of applications: Microsoft Office, e-mail, browser, FTP client and some multimedia toys. Regardless of format, they should work without crashing.

In the WinTel world I need an assortment of third-party tools to try to keep my PC alive. That's just crazy.

Why does WinTel have these problems? I have heard all sorts of explanations, and I don't subscribe to any of them.

Here's my answer to the WinTel problem: We need an open Simple Operating System (SOS) that meets the needs of the majority of people who buy PCs for everyday home and enterprise tasks. Get rid of the complexity and simplify the interface between SOS, BIOS and hardware. In other words, KISS. You know what it means. KISS SOS.

Because SOS doesn't exist yet, my company has given up on WinTel. We have successfully moved to Mac in less than two days. Think about it: a security-friendly alternative that works and doesn't require gobs of third-party utilities to safely perform the most mundane tasks.

1. Windows is complex, trying to be everything to everyone. This complexity comes at a terrible price: downtime, help desks, upgrades, patches and the inevitable failures.

2. When a new operating system or service pack is released, there are tons of changes to the functionality.

3. WinTel machines use different versions of BIOS. They are not all equal, nor do they all have the same level of compatibility.

4. Some Windows software applications are well written; others take shortcuts. Shortcuts may work in some environments, but not all, and ultimately the consumer pays in lost time, availability and productivity.

5. Hardware. There are hundreds of "WinTel-compatible" motherboards, each claiming to be better than the next. Whatever.

6. Memory. Not all RAM is equal. Some works well. Cheap stuff doesn't.

7. Hard disks. Same problem: cheap or reliable. Your call.

One of the top sci-fi shooters, Quake, is getting a new lease of life as a next-generation console game.

It was one of the titles announced for Microsoft's Xbox 360 during last week's E3 games expo in Los Angeles.

The game promises to be an ultra-violent experience, judging by the demonstration shown behind closed doors at the show.

The date has not been set for the release of Quake 4 yet, which is also being made for the PC.

Quake is one of those games that fans speak of with awe. The first one in the series was published for the PC in 1996.

Since then, Quake and its two sequels, Quake 2 and the multi-player Quake 3: Arena, have sold more than four million copies.

The title is being made with the software behind last year's Doom 3 game - and it shows.

The sequences shown at E3 bore a striking resemblance to Doom 3, with parts of the environment seemingly identical.

The winamp ipod plugin (aka ml_ipod) is a plugin for winamp. It allows you to manage your iPod from within the winamp media library. It supports all kinds of iPods, from the classic first generation iPods, to the iPod shuffle and the latest models.

Whats New in version 1.20:

* Autofill for iPod Shuffles
* Advanced naming of files copied to iPod
* Sync now updates modified songs
* Last played and playcount updated when playing songs via mlipod
* Reads play counts from the iPod Shuffle
* Optionally detect "Fake" iPods
* Switched to a better random number generator for playlist shuffling
* Fixed send-to from playlist (and associated length error)
* Fixed hitting Cancel during a transfer
* Fixed ratings sync
* Fixed ipod size statistics

You Can Download the Latest Version of the iPod plugin Here

Apple Computer Inc. has always blazed its own trail, a tack that has helped turn the company into a stock-market darling lately. But a pivotal step toward the mainstream could be in the offing.

The computer maker has been in talks that could lead to a decision soon to use Intel Corp. chips in its Macintosh computer line, industry executives say, a prospect that may shake up the world of computers and software.

Two industry executives with knowledge of recent discussions between the companies said Apple will agree to use Intel chips ... Talks between Apple and Intel could founder, as they have before, or Apple could be engaging in negotiations with Intel to gain leverage over IBM.

One of the two industry executives said Apple isn't likely to market OS X for other PCs. Besides hurting its own hardware business, such a path would put Apple in more direct competition with Microsoft, whose application programs are important to the success of the Macintosh. Instead, the company is likely to package its modified software with its own Intel-based hardware, though it is not clear how the company will prevent users from shifting the software to other machines, the executive said.

Assuming that plan goes forward, consumers would need to get new versions of their application programs for Intel-based Macs. Software companies would have to convert those products, though that procedure should be relatively simple for companies familiar with OS X, former Apple engineers say. The industry executive said Mr. Jobs could announce the new strategy as early as June 6 at its world-wide developers conference in San Francisco, a place the company typically informs software and hardware partners of future directions.

Apple sells only about three million computers a year -- a small portion of the 200 million or so machines sold globally -- so a new relationship with Intel wouldn't increase that company's sales much. But Intel, which has long courted Apple, could benefit by an association with Apple and its hit iPod device, which may be luring more Windows PC users to consider Apple computer products.

In a sign of how small a player Apple remains in the PC market, the strong sales have translated into only minuscule market-share gains. Apple rose to 2.3% of new world-wide PC sales in the first three months of the year from 2% the prior quarter. Windows PCs account for the vast majority of the rest of the market.

"Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" became the year's first movie blockbuster while setting some historic benchmarks, as it rode a record-breaking debut on Thursday to the biggest number ever for a four-day opening.

In the United States, the movie took in an estimated total of $158.5 million in 3,661 theaters, a figure that bested the last four-day record, set for "The Matrix Reloaded" in 2003, of $134.3 million. "Episode III" also opened almost everywhere around the world, and took in and additional $144.7 million overseas. International box-office records are difficult to calculate because of the myriad countries involved, but the figure was certainly a huge success for the film, whose total box office was $303.2 million for the first four days.

"We set records domestically, internationally and intergalactically," said Bruce Snyder, Fox's distribution president. "A big part of the success, and the continuing amazing grosses, is that people are coming out of the auditorium and are getting back on line to buy more tickets for future shows."