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The Inquirer is running an article titled “XP Mode in Windows 7 is a scam“. The article describes how running in XP Mode won’t do what you think it will do. The major gripe is that perhipherals will need to be virtualized. Those virtualized perhipherals will be a subset of virtual hardware devices that look like those in an older, generic PC – basically a lowest common denominator version of a NIC, SATA controller, sound card and GPU. It then goes on to say how you won’t be able to “play games”, etc.

Let me first say, “no shit Sherlock”. The intentional behind XP Mode is NOT to run a full blown computer in a computer. The author entirely misses the point of virtualization. The virtualization provided by XP Mode isn’t the same as a high end enterprise version VMWare product on data center grade hardware. The entire intention of XP Mode is to allow business that have legacy applications that may or may not run on Windows 7 (or Vista for that matter) to have an environment that their applications can safely run in… a Windows XP virtual machine.

The author goes on to rail on how applications won’t run at a “tolerable speed” and generally dismisses it as useless. XP Mode is not intended to run 3D gaming applications; it isn’t meant for software that needs hardware acceleration. This is meant for ease the upgrade path of businesses, most importantly for those that will enjoy the migration to a 64-bit OS, which incidentally has absolutely no support for 16-bit applications. Even if you still HAVE a 16 bit application laying around (and seriously, if you do… upgrade or find a replacement)  none of those programs will have any need for blistering fast 3d performance!

Searching through several menus to find commonly used applications and utilities can be quite annoying.  Today we will look at a program that adds extra functionality for faster computing and increased productivity.

Extensoft helps you avoid the annoyances by offering an unofficial Windows upgrade.  Extensions for Windows includes Enhanced Windows Explorer, Desktop Recorder, Keyboard Shortcut Manager, and Disk Analyzer utilities just to name a few.   This is a handy package of very useful, easy to access upgrades that can increase your productivity.  Lets look at some of the extensions and some of their stand-alone utilities which are available for free.

After installing the Extension For Windows package you decide which components you want to include and update them.

Much like the way Shell Menu Tools works, Extensions also integrates into Explorer so we can easily access their functions from context menus.

In this example we are easily able to access the Disk Analyzer utility to find what is taking up hard drive space.  This extension is also available as a free stand alone utility.

Another very cool feature to point out is the Explorer Extension which really enhances the Windows Explorer experience and allows for configuration for easier navigation.

We can easily go in and change various options for each extension from the Extension pack interface.  You can also tweak options while individual utilities are running.

Conclusion

Extensions For Windows is definitely a nice addition for the Windows power user who would like most of the features available easily rather than spending time downloading separate applications for each feature.  Extensoft offers a free 90 day trial for their package which contains 12 extensions and is only $19.95 after that.  They also offer these free stand alone utilities.

• Free Screen Capturer
• Free Disk Usage Analyzer
• Free Extended Task Manager
• Free Video Converter

Download Extensions For Windows Work On Vista & XP (32 & 64 bit)

Source: How-To Geek

“Everything that happens in business in the United States shows up in one way or another in the 500,” said Carol Loomis, Fortune’s senior editor-at-large. “It’s a mirror to the economy.” Since 1955, more than 2,000 companies have earned a spot on the list, but in 55 years only three have achieved the number one slot: General Motors, ExxonMobil and Wal-Mart.

2008 was the worst year in the history of the Fortune 500 for America’s largest companies. How bad was the profit decrease? From $645 billion in profits in 2007, profits dropped this year to just $98.9 billion – an 84.7 percent decline!

Records were broken: Eleven of the top 25 largest corporate losses in list history took place last year.

The biggest loser of them all was of course insurance giant AIG. The company posted a $99.3 billion loss. But it’s still on the list (I guess it really is “too big to fail”!). AIG is still at the half way point for the Fortune 500. It’s ranked at number 245, thought it’s down from number 13 last year. Thirty-eight companies disappeared from the list altogether. Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers of course, but it was also “last call” for Saint Louis based brewer Anheuser Busch.

Who was the big winner in 2008? Oil of course! ExxonMobil which was boosted by higher gas prices, trucked past Wal-Mart to arrive at the coveted number one spot.

In what can only be considered an “it’s about f’ing time” momement leading automotive and energy companies have reached an agreement for a standardized plug for electric cars. Some of the automakers include in that agreement are Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota and Mitsubishi.

The three-point, 400-volt plug, which will allow electric cars to be recharged anywhere in a matter of minutes, will be unveiled Monday at the world’s biggest industrial technology fair in Hanover, northern Germany.

No time frame for the introduction of the plug was mentioned, saying that talks between the companies were ongoing.

Energy firms signed up to the accord include Eon, Vattenfall, EDF, Npower, Endesa and Enel.

Berlin hopes that one million electric cars will be on the road by 2020. RWE and Daimler launched a pilot project in Berlin in September.