1. Interactive_Website_Design : Part I
Retro Computer CPU Alphabet Soup
It may seem to some vintage computer newcomers that the plethora of numbers in the
designation of early pc CPU and model types is just too confusing. After all isn't Pentium,
Pentium III and IV self explanatory? After all what do the numbers and terms 8088, 8086,
286, 286 and 486 represent anyway and what is the difference among them all?
To begin with the 8088 is the oldest of the early PC central Processing Unit (CPU) variant
models. which means a rectangular case with two rows of 20 pins. DIP stands for Dual In-
Line Package. Older 80800 CPUs are called 8088-2. As they can only run at lower speeds
(believe it not 5 MHz or slower compared to a now 4000 MHz computer). The faster models
' the 'Turbo' PC/XT clones ran at faster rates of 6.6, 7.16 or even 8.0 MHz. IBM function with
the PC was so shut the market down to protect their lucrative central core of their business-
mainframe computers. You can imagine upper brass at IBM was not too thrilled at the
competitive upkill from 'Clone' manufacturers such as Compaq or later Dell. By the way the
8088 had the equivalent of approximately 27,000 transistors.
Next in line along the route of vintage computer evolution was the 80286 chip. Designed by
Intel in 1981 its package is a square of plastic called a 'PGA' which stood not for
professional golf association but rather 'Pin Grid Array Package'. The 286 Vintage Computer
CPU also came in a cheaper version (the Celeron of its time) called the PLCC or 'Plastic
Leaderless Chip Carrier'. The PGA Package had an inner and outer square of solid pins
whereas the PLCC arranges thin tinfoil- like legs around its perimeter. The 286 packed a
wallop of more power that the 8088 did. The 80286 is the equivalent of about 130,000
transistors in the actual similar volume of the 8088's 29,000 transistors. Not unexpectedly
similar to the heat production problem of todays Pentium type computers extra cooling
requirement is needed. We are left today in our modern computers with the benefits of the
foresight of the electronic engineers of the day with the inventions of various types of heat
sinks. Heat sinks one way or another are in effect radiators to dispel heat in a similar means
and manner to you might have in your car. Small metal caps were first developed or metal
cooling fins were added on top of the CPU chip to better dissipate the heat especially in
both higher end products, CPUs in intensive work situations and CPU operating in severe
hot climates or in hot workplace settings. It must be appreciated that it was always the
higher or leading edge products that were under the most pressure and scrutiny both as for
the heat they produce, their performance work and environmental pressures and for
customer expectations of reliability and performance for these most expensive flagship
products of the computer industry of its day.
Lastly came the 386 chipset which is the direct predecessor of our modern Pentiums.
The chip is properly called the 80386 by the still leading chip manufacture Intel. Introduced
in 1985, the 80386 comes in a PGA package and is the equivalent of about 250,000
transistors. The 386 variants a wealth of programming features including the core vital
ability to multitask DOS programs with the help of 'hyerpervisor' programs like DesqView /
386 or VRM/386. Its 32 bit data path speeds data access. Interestingly it took later

2. hardware in the next 486 era chips to fully take broad scale advantage of these built in
innovations.
Interestingly enough similar to the Intel Celeron marketing example there was also a
downsized less costly and powerful example sporting a similar moniker called the 386SX.
You have to remember this was pre internet when computer purchasers were much more at
the mercy of both computer marketers and high pressure salespeople and were more easily
fooled by similar marketing terms and descriptions. The 386SX was identical except to the
real 386 version ' the 386DX except for the vital fact that it had a 16 bit data path which it
was said allowed it be more easily incorporated into earlier and less costly AT type 286 16
bit computer hardware.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back
a few thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop
simple for mere pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com
for details!
INTERACTIVE_WEBSITE_DESIGN : End of Part I
Interactive_Website_Design : Part II
Review Of HP, Sony, And Compaq Laptops
So do you prefer to call them laptops or do you prefer to call them notebooks. I am partial to
notebooks as I never keep them on top of my lap. Jokes apart, purchasing a new notebook
computer is really tough.
If you were to read the ads then each computer sounds better than the cat's whiskers. But
when you look close, they all look similar. At least the similarly priced ones tend to be
similar. So, is there really a difference between one laptop and another? Or should I say
one notebook and another?
To answer this very question, I am going to look at three popular computers that are
currently on sale and compare them. The read can then take this to be the starting point
and evaluate many other options to find the one that works best for them.
First of all, let us consider the HP Pavilion DV6426US, a machine that I powered by the Intel
Core Duo Processor T2450. This multithreaded architecture based micro processor is well
optimized for multi-tasking based performance. The fact that this notebook comes installed

3. with 1 GB RAM should help run many of the contemporary popular applications at a good
speed. It has a 160 GB Hard Drive which is nothing spectacular, but should do the trick in
most cases. And the bundled operating system is the Microsoft Vista Premium. And I really
like notebooks that come with an integrated WebCam. This HP laptop sure has one of
those. In the absence of such a webcam, attempting Video IM becomes a serious pain.
Second let us consider the Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E/B. This laptop too is powered by a Duo
Processor, in this case the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7100. It beats the HP one in terms
of RAM, as it comes with 2 GB RAM. Its hard disk is bigger at 200 GB. So, if Freud was
right and size does matter then, well, this one has the bigger Hard Drive. The duo-core
multithreading micro processor will deliver performance similar to the HP machine. This
laptop comes with Microsoft Vista Home Premium.
Finally let us look at the Compaq Presario F572US. Like both the previous machines, this
one too has a 15.4" screen. Though it has a dual-core micro processor, the Compaq uses
the AMD Athlon 64 Processor TK-53 and not an Intel based processor like the other two I
wrote about. Also it has 1 GB RAM like the HP machine. Where I think it scores lower is in
its hard disk capacity, a mere 80 GB. It also comes with the Microsoft Vista Premium.
All in all, the machines have pros and cons. I have not listed prices here, as they would
change faster than I could type them out. But, make sure to look at the prices too.
Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back
a few thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop
simple for mere pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com
for details!
INTERACTIVE_WEBSITE_DESIGN : End of Part II
Interactive_Website_Design : Part III
Review Of HP, Sony, And Compaq Laptops
So do you prefer to call them laptops or do you prefer to call them notebooks. I am partial to
notebooks as I never keep them on top of my lap. Jokes apart, purchasing a new notebook
computer is really tough.
If you were to read the ads then each computer sounds better than the cat's whiskers. But
when you look close, they all look similar. At least the similarly priced ones tend to be
similar. So, is there really a difference between one laptop and another? Or should I say
one notebook and another?

4. To answer this very question, I am going to look at three popular computers that are
currently on sale and compare them. The read can then take this to be the starting point
and evaluate many other options to find the one that works best for them.
First of all, let us consider the HP Pavilion DV6426US, a machine that I powered by the Intel
Core Duo Processor T2450. This multithreaded architecture based micro processor is well
optimized for multi-tasking based performance. The fact that this notebook comes installed
with 1 GB RAM should help run many of the contemporary popular applications at a good
speed. It has a 160 GB Hard Drive which is nothing spectacular, but should do the trick in
most cases. And the bundled operating system is the Microsoft Vista Premium. And I really
like notebooks that come with an integrated WebCam. This HP laptop sure has one of
those. In the absence of such a webcam, attempting Video IM becomes a serious pain.
Second let us consider the Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E/B. This laptop too is powered by a Duo
Processor, in this case the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7100. It beats the HP one in terms
of RAM, as it comes with 2 GB RAM. Its hard disk is bigger at 200 GB. So, if Freud was
right and size does matter then, well, this one has the bigger Hard Drive. The duo-core
multithreading micro processor will deliver performance similar to the HP machine. This
laptop comes with Microsoft Vista Home Premium.
Finally let us look at the Compaq Presario F572US. Like both the previous machines, this
one too has a 15.4" screen. Though it has a dual-core micro processor, the Compaq uses
the AMD Athlon 64 Processor TK-53 and not an Intel based processor like the other two I
wrote about. Also it has 1 GB RAM like the HP machine. Where I think it scores lower is in
its hard disk capacity, a mere 80 GB. It also comes with the Microsoft Vista Premium.
All in all, the machines have pros and cons. I have not listed prices here, as they would
change faster than I could type them out. But, make sure to look at the prices too.
Hiring a web designer to come up with the custom solution that you need can set you back
a few thousand bucks. But you can do the whole thing yourself and make it drag and drop
simple for mere pennies with a tool like Breezy Websites. See http://breezywebsites.com
for details!
INTERACTIVE_WEBSITE_DESIGN : End of Part III