Let's get this out of the way--I work on the internet and I consider myself a power user. I make no claims as to the efficiency of my methods, they are just what works for me. A problem that has been plaguing me for some time now is running Firefox with multiple tabs open. Given my workload and the number of ideas floating around in my head this may range anywhere from 20-90 tabs... it's not something I'm proud of but it's just how things turn out.

To me tabs are a staging area for work, a To Do list, a To Read list, and an account of what I'm interested in on a given day. I don't really like bookmarks--I've basically given up on Del.icio.us and while I do still drag bookmarks to my desktop they tend to accumulate into a huge mess, finding their way into folders which are dropped in other folders as the pile grows. This shouldn't be a problem since I am good about taking the time to manage and cull my tabs. It's just that when I get too busy to address them the number grows.

My problem is that Firefox crashes, something that has been occurring more and more lately. I used to think it was my old computer, but about a year ago I upgraded to a quad-core system with 4GB of RAM. It runs Windows Vista, but is otherwise a very capable machine. Quad-core, 4GB, 10K RPM hard drive, P45 chipset... should be able to handle a few webpages right? Not exactly. For me crashes happen every day, multiple times a day, but only in Firefox (3.5.3), my main browser. I also run Google Chrome, which practically never crashes and is also open all the time (though rarely with more than 8 tabs).

The problem with crashing with 80 tabs open, aside from the frustration, is that it takes at least 5 minutes to get everything loaded again, sometimes more, during which all my system's network bandwidth is being consumed by the browser. Sessions are logged out and occasionally work is lost.

The question I have is why? It's not the computer, even if Firefox is eating up 25% of the processor and 1GB of RAM, it's not that bad. It could be my OS, it could be Firefox. Or maybe a combination of the two. It's very hard to say.

I have examined my browser extensions, which can be a major source of instability. The active ones include: FireFTP, MenuEditor, Session Manager, and Tabs Mix Plus, all of which are up-to-date. I've removed a few that I found to impact stability (including Google Gears), but the crashes have continued. And they are rarely violent, surprising crashes, instead Firefox just seems to slow down, blip in and out, and then die. I get the crash manager, and then I can restore my session, and in a few minutes I'm back.

So far I have just figured that Firefox is the issue. The browser has had memory leakage issues in the past and it seems like they continue in one form or another. Running all those pages, include most of which have some sort of Flash and rich media on them, just takes a toll, the performance degrades, then a restart is needed, just like with a Windows computer after a week or two. This isn't exactly scientific but it seems to sums things up.

I need to investigate running my workload on Ubuntu and OS X, so I can see if the OS is the issue. If not, then I'll know it's Firefox. Or maybe today's computer just can't run 80 tabs at once consistently and I need to wait for some sort of future technology, a neural net processor or something like that. Got any fixes or ideas? Post them below.

If you have been reading this site you know that I recently set up a NAS. A lot of NAS devices have built-in iTunes Media Server functionality, which makes sense as a NAS is an obvious place to store your music (most people have at least a few gigabytes these days...). As you probably guessed, I did this with my NAS and I was immediately disappointed with the results. iTunes Server is extremely limited and while it can play music (the most important function) that is about it. You cannot drag songs into playlists or get them to play easily on your iPhone/iPod (this ability is tied to playlists). Also, if you buy songs, you have to store them locally, and then move them to your server, (then the server has to scan them, which can be every 5 minutes, hourly, etc., before iTunes will update). To put it simply, songs on your server don't have the same accessibility or usability as songs in your Library. My problems did not stop there though. Sometimes iTunes would see my NAS' iTunes Server and not let me access it (I gave me a weird error about a firewall issues that did not exist). Just today iTunes did not recognize my NAS, this means you have no way to access the music (even though I could get to my mapped drive through Windows). Even restarting iTunes did not help... restarting the NAS and/or computer would have probably done the trick. Also the music on the server is a bit slow to load initially. It will take a few seconds for iTunes to list all the tracks. This is a minor annoyance, but it's just one more thing between you and you music. What does iTunes Server do well? Well most of the time it's automatically recognized by iTunes, so it's very easy to setup (at least with Windows, I'm guessing it's just as easy on a Mac). Sadly, that's all I can think of. So today, after iTunes could not find my Server, I was done with the experiment. The solution was pretty simple, I just needed to change my iTunes Library folder to the folder where it live on the NAS using a mapped drive. So rather than the Library living on my C: I changed it to my Y:. I have a pretty substantial amount of music so it took a long time for iTunes to rescan the folder and organize it but afterwards I was all set. It begs the question, why did I do an iTunes server in the first place? Well this is a feature on most nicer NAS devices so I wanted to give it a shot. It also lets more than one computer use that music. Finally, because of your limited permissions, it means that your music is blocked from iTunes' tampering (changing folders, converting file types, adding tracks to the library, etc.) Ultimately it just wasn't worth it though and I can't see an iTunes server being something that NAS owner would want to use. To summarize all this: iTunes Server can only play music, that's it. If you want anything more, and you are storing your music on a NAS, you should map a drive and use that as your iTunes Library folder.

For as long as I have been reading/writing about computers I've always loved articles where people walk through the building of their own computer. Buyer's guides are fun, but that's not what I mean. I'm talking about someone who is building a computer for a reason and then talking about the components that they used, how they went to together, and the result. It doesn't matter if it's the smallest/cheapest/most powerful/etc. what matters is your goals and how you went about building a computer to accomplish them while working our real life limitations, like space and price. If you are interested (or have no idea what I am talking about) you can check out my latest PC build article or Josh Korwin's, which also ran on Geek. Logic Supply just did a great one on their blog using a Chenbro case and a Gigabyte Mini-ITX motherboard. It's very well done and reflects the advanced understanding of the components and how they work together that make these articles so interesting. Being an online retailer they have access to all sorts of great gear as well as a more experience working with the parts than almost anyone else. It's very interesting, and it's got to be the best way I can think of to inform consumers about your products. Tech Report has been doing them for a long time as well, though I can't seem to find my favorite on their site. (I'll keep looking, but I thought it was called the "Danger Box"...) These articles are a lot of work- not just on the writing side, but the research, the building, troubleshooting, testing, etc.- so we don't see them that often. We do see a lot of "Build a $500 gaming computer" type posts, but these are generally just going through Newegg and picking out some parts. They can't be helpful and fun to read, but without a computer being built, you don't get the same insights into the final product. I used to do these posts much more frequently. They were not only loads of fun, but they were generally my most successful articles (see "The Mini-ITX Project"). I don't do them as often largely because of time and space constraints. Additionally interest in articles like this has been waning. I won't get into it too much here, but with so many people moving to laptops and thanks to recent hardware advances outpacing software ones you don't have to build to have a great computer.

I have been looking for these for a few weeks and I finally found one. As it turns out I was just a bit ahead of the game and most retailers had not gotten them yet. Before talking to a specialty retailer (Thanks for the help pcuniverse.com) last week, I was beginning to worry about the lack of availability thank thinking about trying a different board. I just picked up mine from Mwave.com, which is one of the few online retailers that has earned my trust over the past few years. I would have preferred NewEgg, but they don't have them yet. I'll be ordering my peripherals from NewEgg, tax-free of course.

INTEL BOXDP45SG intel p45 chipset ATX form factor 2xPCI-E(x16)/2xPCI-E/3xpci/4xddr3 w/sata2,lan(gb),esata,1394,usb 2.0 & audio (cpu type:intel - socket 775) (*While Supplies Last!)

It was $154.25 which is a very solid deal. The best I have seen so far (from a reputable seller), aside from Dell.com, who was at $148 (including a $30 discount) but did not have any in stock. I should have mine in two days! Excaliberpc.com (who I also trust) has 26 in stock (at $164) so that's an option as well. Thanks to Google Products for the help! Keep an eye out on Geek.com for the final system...

I'm building a new computer and one of my goals is to get my storage off of my computer and onto an external device. This means a NAS (or a DAS), and something that will soon be one of the most important pieces of equipment that I own, possibly the most important. Caveat: this is just a collection of my notes at this point. I hope it helps me decide and it can help someone else down the road. I'll be periodically updating it, as more ideas/notes come to me. I tend to over-analyze decisions like this so let me apologize preemptively. What do I need:

• Redundant storage
• Maximum reliability
• At least two disks
• Easy to use

What do I want:

• Scheduled backups
• BitTorrent client
• Reasonably speedy connection to my PC(s)
• NAS to NAS backup

What are my top choices right now?

1. Drobo 2.0 - $500 Looks to be ridiculously easy to use. It's available in a diskless SKU and can handle different disks.
2. Netgear ReadyNas Duo - $400 (with 500GB disk) Very complete feature set. More affordable than other options. It's a NAS.
3. Synology Disk Station DS207 - $289 Looks good, but I don't know much about it.

Possible Choices, but somewhat problematic

1. HP MediaVault mv2120 - $299 (with 500GB disk) It's affordable. Should have everything I need. I haven't been hearing the best stuff about it, seems very limited.
2. Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo - $279 Very affordable, but reviews are not great. It seems like it failed a simulated drive crash test- that's not good.

Who are some of the other players?

• Buffalo
• D-Link
• Thecus
• Western Digital
• Lacie
• Maxtor
• Iomega

Other recommended products:

• Buffalo LinkStation Mini - GigaOm Size isn't really a factor for me and I am concerned that this is fanless. SmallNetBuilder likes it but seems to recommend the ReadyNas Duo over it.

=== Notes === 8.28.08 9.35p - Added Buffalo Linkstation Pro Duo to Possible, downgrade HP MediaVault to possible.

This week Lian Li announced a very cool replacement case for the Xbox 360. It's called the PC-XB01. Since the Xbox 360 is basically a computer and it has all the problems of a small form-factor system (overheating, cramped layout, etc) this is actually a pretty cool move. Plus the case is just as great looking as all over Lian Li's gear. Improved thermals, quiet operation, better looking, nicer design... so what's the problem? Why not put your 360 in a cool aluminum case?

1. You have to completely take apart your Xbox 360. Not just remove the case either, but completely dismantle it. Here is page one of the five pages of instructions. You better have a Torx 6 handy, as well as an hour or two.
2. In case there was any question about it, this will void your warranty. In fact, this is the warranty-voidingest thing I can think of that does not involve purposefully destroying the console.
3. The case looks pretty big, so forget about putting the Xbox next to your TV or on a tight shelf.
4. Like many of Lian Li's more open cases, this looks like it's a dust magnet. You will definitely have to open it and do some cleaning every few months, especially if you use your Xbox a lot.
5. The case is $150, so that about half the cost of a new 360.

So who, aside from hardcore modding fans, is going to buy into this? I'm not really sure, but the only people I could see going for it, is someone with an older Xbox 360 that has not died or RRoD'd yet. The improved cooling could save your Xbox and if the warranty is already up than that is not a factor. The 360 has been out long enough that there is a significant number of people that fall under this category, but the number of them that will want to roll the dice and piece apart their console is probably not very large. So it's a cool move for Lian Li, and it's great too see some carry-over from the PC world into consoles (which are becoming much more PC-like every generation), but I'm not sold on the idea. If it came with a warranty (would require a factory installation) and was, say, $100 over the price of a standard Xbox 360 Pro, I could see myself going for it, but considering that the new units are running cooler and quieter I probably won't be making the upgrade to the PC-XB01 any time soon.

Anyone out there- Any thoughts on Intel's DP45SG motherboard? Looks like a solid product, but I can't find any coverage on it. It's not even on NewEgg...

The mobile community as a whole has done a bad job of managing the names of all the tiny notebook categories that having been arriving over the past few years. It's no one's fault as the names are poorly defined and companies just introduce new ones as they feel like, plus there is no central body to determine things. Gizmodo's Matt Buchanan weighed in on this recently and so did Warner from Gottabemobile, who (probably only half-jokingly) said Gizmodo was confused. Obviously we are all confused... Here is my stab at it: UMPC - This is the ultramobile PC, the offspring of the Origami project. This category is not nearly as important as it was a year or two ago, but look for a touchscreen and a full operating system. Example: Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium Ultraportable - This is an older category distinction. It's a small, but full-fledged notebook computer, generally with a 10-12 inch display, usually a low-voltage or ultra low-voltage CPU. Example: ThinkPad X61s Subnotebook - This is a loose catch-all, just like ultraportable. It is poorly defined, but you can generally expect a full notebook feature set, but in a smaller package. Example: HP 2133 Mini-Note Netbook - This is an Intel-manufactured term for a low-cost, internet-centric computer. It should have a low-power CPU but past that it's not very clear, except that they are small. Example: Intel claims the Asus Eee PC is one MID - Intel's coined term, "mobile internet device". These are smaller than UMPCs and are not full-featured computers. Expect an very low-power CPU (like Intel's Menlow or Moorsetown) and embedded Linux. These should be affordable and small, basically what the UMPC should have been. We'll see how cheap they actually are though... Example: Aigo MID Mini-Notebook / Mini-note - Basically the same thing as a subnotebook except some manufacturers like HP and VIA (with the OpenBook) have opted to used these terms. I would probably suggest avoiding them except when you just want to describe small notebooks in general. ULCPC / ULPC - These stand for ultra low-cost PC. Some people use the latter, but the former (and technically incorrect) term has taken hold. These are the cheap, small notebook that have been so hot lately, like the Asus Eee PC and Nanobook/Cloudbook. These ideally should be in the $200-$500 range, but we see prices increasing as screen sizes get larger and they get features like integrated mobile broadband. Note: some people have used this to mean "ultra light PC", which is incorrect. Example: Asus Eee PC, OLPC XO End Note I had hoped that some loose definitions would help clear things, up, but they don't really fix much. For example, HP calls its 2133 a Mini-Note, and it is in many ways an ULCPC, but given the full-sized keyboard and Vista I think it probably fits best under the subnotebook category. Also I feel very comfortable calling the Eee PC 701 an ULCPC, but what about when the 10-inch model comes out and it (in all likelyhood) tops the $600 mark. That's not really ultra low-cost is it? Plus two years ago, I would have definitely called a 10-inch notebook (like the Fujitsu P7230) an ultraportable. I think in the end the best we can do is stop telling other people that they are incorrect and try to stick with using as little jargon as possible when covering these device. Companies are always going to be messing things up with marketing (Fujitsu calls the U810 a UMD [ultramobile device]) but sticking with more general terms and not trying to fit everything into a neat framework is probably the best way to avoid confusion.

http://valleywag.com/... As usual, Valleywag is sarcastic and snide, but once again there is some truth there. I live in NYC and visit coffee shops and book stores as much as the next guy, and I ride the subway a few times a week. All this and I've never seen a Kindle user. So where are all these people? Maybe they are just on the west coast? Maybe they all live uptown? I'm keeping an eye out, starting now...

Feeling pretty stupid that I did not get out to Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress. Tonight Sony dropped their first Winmo phone as well as a lot more. Here's the Sony live blog, courtesy of Mr. John Biggs.

http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/21/141244 Read this thread- there are 700+ comments, most of which are great. This will put all the ideas in front of you and let you get some idea of the options available. Threads like this are why Slashdot is so great. No matter if you prefer Digg or reddit etc, you can't get discussions like this anywhere else...

I picked up an Asus Eee PC, finally. It's already time to upgrade the RAM on my Eee PC. I "upgraded my Nokia N800 today because a new update tool was available- it actually rolled by my hacked OS2008 update to a newer version of the old N800 OS. Bor-ing. Can't wait for OS2008 to go official on the N800. Samsung's 64GB SSD is awesome. Coolest toy I have played with in a long time. Vaja iPod Nano (second gen) holster is here. The iPhone's performance in NYC is insanely better than it was in NJ. It's like a different phone- the battery life is easily 3-4 days (instead of 1, maybe 2) and the call quality is crystal clear. I have not had one dropped call or any static (on my end) since moving. The battery life on my 1-year old iPod Nano is nothing like it once was. I'm talking like maybe 4 hours instead of three times that. It also does a hard reset whenever it is bounced the wrong way- it's clearly about time to upgrade. Samsung's P2 is a pretty solid device. It works well, the navigation is not as good as the iPod, but is more than acceptable. It could be a bit smaller, but the screen is very good. All told, I'm a fan

  No FIOS in lower Manhattan? Are you serious? I'm stuck with Time Warner 10/1 service for now.

http://www.logicsupply.com/blog/... Looks like the people over at Logic Supply already have in a Serener GS-L08 (the most highly anticipated Pico-ITX case) and that they have another- secret- one on the way they they are not talking about. This Serener looks pretty solid and while $140 is not super cheap, it is actually a reasonable price for a fanless case considering how well most of these are made. Unlike like the SilverStone Pico-ITX case I have been using (more on that in an upcoming article) the Serener has a full assortment of exterior I/O and there is no optical drive. We'll see what ultimately happens with SilverStone, but it's great to know that there will be at least one solid Pico case available, and possibly a second one worth considering as well. Hey Logic Supply, how about a hint? I'd love to see a version of the reference design hit the market (I doubt that is going to happen though).

http://www.geek.com/lessons-to-learn-from-the-olpc/ Comment #5

Cheap to produce. Simple to use. Shipped to the poor and needy in foreign markets. Hummm now what export does that remind me of. Oh yah, the AK-47. We all know how good that worked out for us. Except the cheap laptop is infinantly more dangerous than the battle implement that has killed more people than any other weapon in the history of war. See, an AK-47 cant follow you home. A pissed off anti-american hacker can.

Interesting comment that I forgot to mention at the time. Seems a little alarmist...

http://geektechnique.org/... I am incredibly jealous. One of my favorite mods of all time, phone or otherwise...

A really interesting bug that was brought to the attention of a lot of people recently... "default value in power.sh potentially kills laptop disks"

http://eeepc.asus.com/en/product.htm

Four models- the cheaper two don't have the camera and the entry level one only has 256MB of RAM. They all have a four cell battery, though the cheaper two have 4400 mAh (2.8hrs) while the more expensive models bump it up to 5200 mAh (3.5hrs).

No word on the pricing yet.

Edit: It looks like the pricing is confirmed. Prices will go from $245-$425.

Finally, VIA has added a VESA-mounted PC to their lineup. This is something that has been used in digital signage and by hobbyists, but VIA has something official now. Hopefully it will be affordable... If that's the case these will be perfect for home uses- sort of a DIY iMac but with no drilling required. I covered it over at Geek.

1. Photo gallery of the Fujitsu U1010. The US version, the U810, is almost here!
2. The Asus Eee is starting to get official. These look like the final US prices, $259 for the 2GB.
3. Adsense for mobile is finally here.
4. An extended look at the Eee!