Internet & Websites - Page 4

All the latest Internet & Websites news, with everything related to new net developements, ISPs, streaming services, and plenty more - Page 4.

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This website is powered by a 39-year-old IBM PCjr DOS Web Server with a 4.77 MHz CPU

Kosta Andreadis | Jul 17, 2023 12:58 AM CDT

It's not every day that you stumble on a website powered by hardware that pre-dates the dial-up modem era of the internet, but that's exactly what's happening over at Brutmans Lab. It's a site dedicated to early 1980s computing and projects, so it's fitting that it's running on a 39-year-old IBM PCjr - a low-cost PC from 1984 designed to compete with the likes of the Apple II and Commodore 64.

This website is powered by a 39-year-old IBM PCjr DOS Web Server with a 4.77 MHz CPU

Hardware-wise, this custom PCjr features an NEC V20 CPU running at 4.77MHz and a paltry 736KB of RAM. Storage-wise, it's more 2023 than 184, with a jrIDE sidecar (IDE adapter and memory) and a 240GB SATA SSD on a SATA/IDE bridge. This is then paired with IBM PC DOS 5.02 (IBM's version of MS-DOS) and the mTCP HTTPServ web server for DOS. The result is BrutmanLabs.org, a fully functional site that is admittedly a little slow to load up from Australia.

But, as per the main page, the server has been up for over 2,500 hours without any restarts or reboots - an impressive feat. Per the status page, it went live on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Continue reading: This website is powered by a 39-year-old IBM PCjr DOS Web Server with a 4.77 MHz CPU (full post)

SpaceX reminds everyone Starlink is the future with stunning 600 Mbps download speeds

Jak Connor | Jun 26, 2023 12:36 PM CDT

Germany is witnessing the impressive download speeds delivered by SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet constellation.

SpaceX reminds everyone Starlink is the future with stunning 600 Mbps download speeds

With a vast array of satellites, this network quickly gained renown for its exceptional performance upon its public launch, with download speeds now reaching a staggering 600 Mbps, according to some tests. The fast-growing popularity of Starlink resulted in the mass adoption of the new internet service, and while some users living in populated areas across the United States experienced average internet speeds, other users located in rural areas have been blasted with high-speed internet.

Starlink users located in Germany's rural regions are an example of that, and serve as a reminder that satellite internet connections will truly be part of the future when it comes to high-speed internet. During the recent test, Starlink achieved download speeds exceeding 500 Mbps, and in other tests even reached about 600 Mbps. These tests highlight the achievement that Starlink has made at bringing high-speed internet to rural regions around the globe, further enabling more humans to be connected to the internet.

Continue reading: SpaceX reminds everyone Starlink is the future with stunning 600 Mbps download speeds (full post)

Valve updates Steam store pages to reduce the number of trailers you see

Kosta Andreadis | May 4, 2023 12:26 AM CDT

Have you noticed a recent trend regarding the Steam store page for games that the media section would be full of videos and trailers, and you'd have to scroll to see screenshots?

Valve updates Steam store pages to reduce the number of trailers you see

Well, the good news is that Valve has, too, with a new update to Steam for developers now limiting the presentation to a maximum of two trailers before screenshots.

"Starting today, a maximum of two trailers can appear in the row of thumbnails to the left of screenshots," Valve writes in the update. "Any remaining trailers will be displayed after the screenshots, resulting in a default view for players that always has a mix of screenshots and trailers in view."

Continue reading: Valve updates Steam store pages to reduce the number of trailers you see (full post)

Google Translate can now convert text in images from one language to another

Oliver Haslam | Mar 8, 2023 6:03 PM CST

For the first time ever, Google Translate can now be used with images. That means that you can throw an image at the Google Translate website on your Mac or PC and have it translate any text it finds into the language of your choice.

Google Translate can now convert text in images from one language to another

While Google Lens already allows image translation, the key difference here is that Google Translate supports offline images, allowing you to provide your own file. Google Lens only works online, which leaves it in a bit of a pickle sometimes.

The confirmation of Google Translate's new powers came in an unassuming community post. There, users were informed that they could head to translate.Google.com and then click the new images option. After doing so they can then select the image that they want to have translated.

Continue reading: Google Translate can now convert text in images from one language to another (full post)

YouTube is ditching some of its most infuriating ads

Oliver Haslam | Mar 7, 2023 3:08 PM CST

YouTube has confirmed that it is going to do away with what it calls Overlay ads, a format of ad that was particularly irritating for those who have to see them.

YouTube is ditching some of its most infuriating ads

Overlay ads are ads that appear on top of video content on the YouTube desktop website, and they require user interaction to make them go away. Now, YouTube has confirmed that it's making them go away itself, and for good.

The positive news came via a post on the YouTube Help Forum in which it was confirmed that starting April 6, 2023, Overlay ads will no longer appear on YouTube. The streamer said that it's all about helping to improve viewer experiences, but it then went on to ruin that somewhat by suggesting that engagement and higher-performing ad formats are going to be the order of the day.

Continue reading: YouTube is ditching some of its most infuriating ads (full post)

The Twitter Blue subscription rolls out to more than 20 new countries

Oliver Haslam | Mar 3, 2023 3:28 AM CST

Beleaguered social network Twitter has rolled its subscription Twitter Blue service out to more countries. Now, more than 20 more countries have access to the subscription offering than was the case yesterday and they're all across Europe.

The Twitter Blue subscription rolls out to more than 20 new countries

The new countries in which people can now subscribe to Twitter Blue include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.

Twitter Blue gives subscribers access to a handful of perks for at least $8 per month. How much you pay depends on which platform you subscribe via, with those paying via Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store paying more to make up for the companies' 30% cut.

Continue reading: The Twitter Blue subscription rolls out to more than 20 new countries (full post)

Twitter users might have to live with Elon Musk until the end of the year

Oliver Haslam | Feb 15, 2023 2:01 PM CST

Twitter CEO Elon Musk says that he might hang around at Twitter for the rest of the year rather than choosing his replacement today.

Twitter users might have to live with Elon Musk until the end of the year

Musk's tenure as Twitter CEO since his $44 billion buyout in late 2022 has proven problematic to say the least. He fired thousands of Twitter employees to try and save money and has made no secret of the fact that the social network is losing cash at an unsustainable rate. That, he suggests, is one of the reasons he isn't ready to hand over the Twitter top job just yet.

Musk was speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai when he said that he won't move on from the CEO role until he's been able to stabilize Twitter. He says that he wants to make sure that Twitter is "in a healthy place," something that will be no mean feat.

Continue reading: Twitter users might have to live with Elon Musk until the end of the year (full post)

Microsoft killed Internet Explorer on Valentine's Day moving users onto Edge

Kosta Andreadis | Feb 14, 2023 10:57 PM CST

Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser has been on the way out for years, as the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge became the company's focus. Even though Internet Explorer hasn't been officially supported since June 2022, its death date has now arrived for Windows 10 users - on Valentine's Day.

Microsoft killed Internet Explorer on Valentine's Day moving users onto Edge

Microsoft Edge was announced in 2015 as the successor to Internet Explorer. With the transition complete, we can only assume Edge is putting on its best Darth Vader to say, "Internet Explorer was weak, and I destroyed him." Officially though, Microsoft has said the following.

"All remaining devices that have not already been redirected from IE11 to Microsoft Edge are scheduled to be redirected with the Microsoft Edge update scheduled for February 14, 2023," writes Microsoft. "The change to using Microsoft Edge update to disable IE is intended to provide a better user experience and help organizations transition their last remaining IE11 users to Microsoft Edge."

Continue reading: Microsoft killed Internet Explorer on Valentine's Day moving users onto Edge (full post)

LOL Verifier is a device to make sure you're actually laughing out loud

Kosta Andreadis | Jan 31, 2023 7:01 PM CST

Since the dawn of the internet and digital social interaction, typing "lol" has meant that you found something so funny - you're laughing out loud. At least, that's the idea. In 2023 it's become shorthand for amusement on any level, and "lol" has become a part of everyday conversation.

LOL Verifier is a device to make sure you're actually laughing out loud

You've probably said or typed "lol" when you thought something was slightly amusing without actually laughing. We've all done it. The same sentiment applies to the rise of laughing emojis and social media platforms. There's nowhere near as much laughing as we all imply.

This raises the question - who's out there laughing out loud?

Continue reading: LOL Verifier is a device to make sure you're actually laughing out loud (full post)

Chess.com servers struggle to keep up with demand as chess popularity surges

Kosta Andreadis | Jan 24, 2023 10:04 PM CST

Chess has been popular for hundreds of years, long before the first home computer arrived. And if we look back to the early days of PC gaming, there have always been chess games. In the age of the smartphone and always-online social interaction, chess.com is proving to be one of the most popular gaming destinations on the planet.

Chess.com servers struggle to keep up with demand as chess popularity surges

Thanks in part to lockdowns and shows like The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, and fun things like soccer stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo playing chess on social media, chess, and Chess.com is seeing a massive surge in interest and players. We're talking over one million games per hour and a record-breaking 31,700,000 games played on January 20 alone. These are incredible numbers, but it has also led to issues keeping servers up and running.

Traffic on Chess.com has nearly doubled since the beginning of December, and our servers are struggling, especially during peak hours, typically around noon to 4 p.m. ET. We are very sorry for the issues; we know it's super frustrating. We are all hands-on deck to address these challenges, but sadly there isn't (yet) a simple button we can press to resolve these issues.

Continue reading: Chess.com servers struggle to keep up with demand as chess popularity surges (full post)

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