[H]ardNews 8th Edition

Microsoft Code Names:

Here is a site that lists all the code names for Microsoft products. Cool way to waste a little time checking out code names like “Astroid” for Windows 2000 Service-Pack 1 or “Snowball” for Windows for Workgroups 3.11. Thanks to dondon for the linkage.

Lithography Too Complex?

It seems the chip industry is a little behind the learning curve when it comes to optical lithography. As things get smaller and faster, engineers are having a tougher time than they planned for. Thanks Blair.

Imagine what would happen if Major League Baseball decided to shorten the distance between the pitchers' mound and home plate, then cut the number of spring training days by half. It's safe to say that even the league's best sluggers would be lucky just to connect with the ball when regular season begins. Engineers in the optical lithoghraphy business are going through a similar ordeal as they struggle to keep up with Moore's Law. The rule book keeps changing and there are fewer opportunities to practice their craft in preparation for volume manufacturing.

ABIT Contest:

ABIT has a contest open to all ABIT BH7, IC7 and IC7-G motherboard owners. You can win yourself all the components to give you the fastest retail PC anywhere. There are some pretty big name sponsors on the list like Intel, Kingston, Asetek, ABIT and more. Check it out.

To celebrate having the fastest PC in the world at CeBIT 2003 with our ultra-overclocked GigaSystem™, ABIT is having a GigaContest™ to allow users of IC7/IC7-G and BH7 motherboards to build up their very own GigaSystems™