Floating point provides a convenient, approximate representation of real numbers that can greatly simplify scientific and engineering algorithms. This article gives an overview of two floating point formats used in the z990 architecture and discusses key FPU issues that system architects should consider in new designs.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said that Apple retail stores are having a very hard time keeping up with demand for the new Mac mini and iPod shuffle. Elsewhere, C|NET News.com has a two-page report on the much-anticipated PowerBook G5 and the fact that it will take a while to materialize in the market.

In an effort to further commoditize computing, Sun is now selling computing and storage utilities, modeled after other "grids" like electrical, water, and oil distribution. Instead of paying by the kilowatt-hour or gallon/litre, customers pay by the CPU-hour or the gigabyte-month.In a way, this is a natural extention of other hosting services, such as web hosting, except that general computational workloads are supported on many processors.

"Apple's DVD players are subject to restrictive rules laid out by greedy Hollywood studios that don't really care if they piss off Apple's customers, since that's Apple's lookout. However, I've just discovered, to my amazement, that Apple imposes its very own restrictions on its DVD players over and above those imposed by the studios: that's right, Apple voluntarily treats its customers worse than the studios say it has to" says BoingBoing in their editorial. VLC does not seem to be a stable idea either (v0.8.x doesn't play my VCDs where v0.7.x could, and many times DVD audio and picture are out of sync).

Technology Insider has a skeptical review of the new Mac Mini. It gives a good overview of a Windows user's impression of the Mini and Macs in general. Note: read the whole review before rushing to judgement. If you read it carefully, you might be able to discern the author's hidden adgenda. Also check out the same site's article on setting grandma up with a Linux box.

Apple has unseated Google for the number one spot of major global brands, compiled by Interbrand, a marketing industry analyst. Ikea and Starbucks were numbers three and four, and number five was a surprising newcomer: al-Jazerra. I guess being on the front lines of a major world conflict really gets your name out there.

1.0 versions of Voice over IP application Skype have been released for Linux and OS X. They've been in Beta for several months. These versions seem to have feature parity with the Windows versions, and cross-platform communication is possible.

One of the most talked-about video codecs in the last year, H.264, will make its debut in QuickTime 7 this year when Apple ships Mac OS X Tiger. One feature that makes H.264 particularly noteworthy is its ability to deliver the same quality of video as you see on a DVD, for example, at up to half the data rate. Another is H.264's ability to smoothly scale from very limited bandwidth applications like 3G cell phones all the way up to HD-quality video, and everything in between.

Dell has released a 24 MB ROM upgrade for its x50/x50v range of handhels with fixes in many drivers, including faster 2D/3D performance and read-from-memory-cards performance. The x50v has been greeted as the most full-featured PDA of its class, selling for less than $420 and including a 624 Mhz CPU, 16 MB Intel 3D card (!), gorgeous 640x480 3.7" screen, CF and SD slots, 64 MB RAM, 128 MB ROM, WiFi+Bluetooth and more. My Take: I recently got one of these babies, and it's indeed a tech marvel. Only two peeves: no camera and 3.5 hours battery life (double battery life: available as extra, for $99 - sold with a free 256 MB SD card for a limited time). 128 MBs of RAM would have been nicer too.

This article is a quick roundup of "best picks" for Linux Live CD's.

BSDNexus forums has an interview with DragonFly lead developer Matthew Dillon. They discuss a wide array of topics ranging from recent VFS work to SSI clustering.

Apple has anounced faster Powerbooks. The 12" gets up to 1.5GHz with a 64Meg GeForce 5200 and the 15" and 17" get an upgrade to 1.67 with a Radeon 9700 with 64Meg for the 15" and 128 for the 17". They all now come with 512 MBs of RAM, a laptop-drop sensorand a scrolling trackpad. For almost a year now *Book users used SideTrack's solution for scrolling, read how this new Apple announcement affects their company. Regarding the new Powerbooks, the screen resolutions have remained the same throughout the board. Elsewhere, the WashingtonPost reviews the Mac Mini.

I like Slackware, it's simple, it's robust, it's fast. But I always felt there was some lacking in Slackware when it came to desktop use--I was never able to put my finger on it exactly, but using Slackware for a desktop, although it works just fine, seemed like it (or I) was out of place.

In the survey of almost 2,000 ad executives, brand managers and academics by online magazine Brandchannel, Apple ousted search engine Google from last year's top spot as the fifth most influential brand. However, Apple was not always a success though: MLAgazine have compiled 10 of the most notable products released by Apple or its comrades that failed.