Although Windows users have given Windows 7 a much warmer reception than its predecessor Windows Vista, users of older application software that doesn’t work under Windows 7 were left in a bit of a lurch. Sure, Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate offers an XP Mode that essentially runs a virtual computer running Windows XP so users can still tap into most older, non-updated software. The problem was that Windows 7’s XP Mode required a PC processor that supported hardware virtualization, and that capability had to be enabled in the machine’s BIOS—and that’s not something an everyday Windows user knows how to do. Now, Microsoft has eased some of that pain, announcing a new version of XP Mode that no longer requires hardware virtualization to run.
“This change simplifies the experience by making virtualization more accessible to many more PCs for small and midsize businesses wanting to migrate to Windows 7 Professional or higher editions, while still running Windows XP-based productivity applications,” Microsoft said in a statement.
Windows 7 users who are already using XP Mode don’t need to download the update; however, folks who don’t have (or can’t enable) hardware virtualization can download a new version from Microsoft’s Web site.
Microsoft did not offer any information on how running XP Mode without hardware virtualization would impact PC performance.
Microsoft is hoping the easing of XP Mode requirements will encourage more businesses to adopt Windows 7 over Windows XP as their mainstream OS.
In 1950, Alan Turing asked whether machines can think. Rather than argue over definitions, he turned the question into a party game, where an interrogator trades typed messages with hidden players and tries to work out who is who. Since then, chatbots have gotten so good that they have already fooled humans in modern versions of the test.
So, four researchers from Paris Cité University asked the obvious follow-up question in a new study published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports: can AI at least catch its own kind?
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.