What is Microblogging?

By Scott Nesbitt – Sunday, April 26, 2009

Social networking. That phrase has been all the rage over the last couple of years. With sites like Facebook, MySpace and the like, more and more people are connecting with each other and interacting online. Blogs, too, are a popular way of sharing information and attracting an audience of people with similar interests.

But more and more people are making that kind of interaction quicker and shorter. Instead of writing long posts or email messages, they're tapping out quick missives telling their friends (and the wider world) what they're up to at the moment.

How do they do that? By microblogging.

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What is microblogging?

Microblogging is the act of posting short messages to the Web. And when we say short, we mean short. A microblog post, which is called an update (or, in the case of the most popular service out there, a tweet), can be a maximum of 140 characters, including spaces. In case you're wondering, the 140 character limit comes from microblogging's inspiration: SMS text messages sent from a mobile phone. A microblog update looks like this:

Presenting advice from Garr Reynolds: think naturalness not perfection – http://tinyurl.com/df26mj

Simply posting a 140 character message somewhere on the Web isn't the way it works, though. You have to use one of the many microblogging services that are out there. More on these in a moment. These services collect and publish updates in different ways. The central form of aggregation is called a timeline. That's just a collection of updates. The main page (or thereabouts) of most microblogging sites have a public timeline, which lists all of the latest posts from users. You can have a timeline of your own updates, which is on your own page (for example, http://identi.ca/scottnesbitt).

Microblogging services also allow people to subscribe to (also referred to as following) your updates, or at the very least read them. People can follow you or read your updates at the microblogging site or using software. A future TechTip will look at some popular microblogging clients.

As you've probably guessed, microblogging is very similar to conventional blogging. A microblog can focus on one topic, and can be used for personal or business reasons. The biggest difference is the length of the post and the immediacy. Microblogging is definitely more immediate – updates are instantaneous. In the time it takes for a conventional blogger to write and publish a post, a microblogger can post any number of updates.

Why do it?

Most microbloggers (in the words of a popular microblogging service) do it to “communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”

A lot of people who microblog find it's an easier alternative to conventional blogging, or even using sites like FaceBook and MySpace. All you need to do is sign up and start typing. You don't have to worry about tweaking the look and feel of your microblog, or anything like that.

It's not just folks with time on their hands who do it, either. A lot of businesses and consultants put considerable effort into microblogging.

What's it good for?

Think of a group. Chances are that members of that group are microblogging. Friends microblog to keep up with each other, and to exchange information and gossip. Other people do it to share information or to promote their pet causes. Businesses microblog to get feedback from customers and to announce new products or share news. Consultants microblog to promote their business and to showcase their expertise.  There have even been cases in which writers serialize the stories or poems that they're working on at a microblogging site. Nigerian author Ben Okri, for example, recently published a poem on a popular microblogging site.

On a recent visit to Toronto, actor and Twitter user LeVar Burton posted a message asking for a good place to have a pint. Not only did he get the recommendation, he also met up with a bunch of fans at that venue for what was a meetup of microbloggers in the real world.

Something that's become popular is people microblogging during presentations and conferences. They're sharing their thoughts, and the thoughts and ideas of presenters, with both fellow conference attendees and the wider world. Believe us, it's a lot easier and more immediate than liveblogging.

Where does microblogging fall flat?

One complaint about microblogging is that it can be more than just a bit narcissistic. Remember Web pages, circa 1996 or 1997? Or most personal blogs? Updates can be just as vapid. For many, except maybe someone's followers, the fact that the microblogger just got back from walking the dog and is eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich or that they're trying to read Finnegan's Wake for the sixth time isn't all that captivating.

While microblogging started as way of keeping friends, family, and classmates up to date, for many it's become a race to collect the most followers. They'll post updates about anything that will attract readers. Many purists view this as being insincere, since the person posting the updates really has little interest in what their writing about. They just want to be popular.

What services are out there?

The undisputed king of microblogging services is arguably Twitter. You've probably read about Twitter in a newspaper, a magazine, or a blog post. You might even know someone who regularly uses Twitter. Hundreds of thousands of people use Twitter, and post countless updates (called tweets in the Twitter world).

Make sure to follow Geeks.com on Twitter!

But it's not the only game on the Web. While other microblogging service may not come close to denting Twitter's market share, they do offer alternatives to the service. The services (around 100 of them worldwide) all work in generally the same way. The only things that differ are the terminology they use, some of the features, and the number of users. Here are a few popular services:

First up, Jaiku. Now owned by Google, Jaiku allows you not only to post updates (called jaikus) to the general public, but also to channels which are collections of updates on a single topic.

A service that's gaining in popularity is identi.ca. What sets identi.ca apart from most other microblogging services is that it's built using Open Source software. In the words of the developers: “If you don't like how Identi.ca works, you can take your data and the source code and set up your own server (or move your account to another one).”

An interesting take on microblogging comes in the form of Yammer, which has been termed “Twitter with a business model”. What makes Yammer unique is that it's focused on internal communication in companies. Instead of being based on the question “what are you up to?”, Yammer is based on the question “What are you working on?”. It's like an internal discussion board, but limited to 140 characters.

Finally, there's Plurk. In addition to letting you post short text updates (called plurks), Plurk lets you share images and videos from YouTube with your followers. Being able to share images and video definitely adds a very interesting dimension to microblogging.

Is it right for you?

That depends. Some people will always think that microblogging is a waste of time and bandwidth. Others swear by it. We've met a number of people on both sides of that fence, and even more who inhabit the middle ground between them. The latter group uses microblogging, but isn't consumed by it.

The only way to find out if microblogging is right for you is to give it a try. Take a look at a microblogging service on the Web. Spend a week or two, and see how you like it – both as an updater and a follower. You might find that microblogging is a lot more fun and interesting than you thought it would be.

Must-Have Apps for the Blackberry

By Scott Nesbitt – Sunday, April 19, 2009

While the iPhone is all the rage, no smartphone says business like the BlackBerry. It's a powerful little device that lets you send and receive emails, browse the Web, view documents, keep track of tasks and contacts, and even take photos and videos. Oh, yeah, you can also make phone calls with it.

The first thing that just about every new BlackBerry user does is load the device with as many applications as they can. Finding applications and choosing the ones that fit your needs can be a long, drawn out process. This TechTip looks at some useful BlackBerry software. Some of it will help you be more productive, and some will keep you better informed. Most of them are free to boot.

Before you start installing

Before you put your first application on your shiny new BlackBerry, consider getting a microSD card. Most BlackBerries, especially newer ones, come with a decent amount of internal memory. But you can always use more – whether it's for the applications themselves or for your files and photographs.

A microSD card gives you that extra storage. It's relatively inexpensive, you can get one for under $20. And it's easy to install. For more information, check out this video.

Keeping organized and synchronized

One of the great things about a BlackBerry is that it works well with a number of Web-based applications. Ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you that I do a lot of work in the cloud. But that's not to say that I completely trust Web-based applications. A number of high-profile outages have occured, and it's always good to have an offline copy of certain information.

Google Sync

If you use Google's applications, you can synchronize your calendar and contacts using the free Google Sync. It's not just for the BlackBerry; there are versions of the software for other mobile phones and smartphones, too.

Google Sync pulls the contacts from you GMail account and adds them to the address book on your BlackBerry. That means you can send email to those contacts from your smartphone. If you add a contact on your BlackBerry, that person's information will be added to your GMail contacts. Google Sync also does the same for entries in your Google Calendar. It's quick and it's simple.

MilkSync

One Web-based application that I and whole lot of others rely on is cheap viagra 100mg title=”http://www.rememberthemillk.com/”>Remember the Milk. It's an online task management tool, which not only stores details about what I need to do but also reminds me when I need to finish something. You're probably wondering why I continue to use MilkSync.  The biggest reason is that I can synchronize the task that I enter in Remember the Milk with those on my BlackBerry – you can set it up to do a two-way sync.  It's fast and efficient and it beats trying to maintain two sets of information.

While the MilkSync software is free, it will only work with a Pro account on Remember the Milk. The account costs $25 a year, and is worth every penny.

Reading news

Information. None of us can get enough of it, and it seems to be something that many BlackBerry users are addicted to. That's where a good news reader comes in. I've tried a number of them for the BlackBerry and the only one that I've found to be a keeper is Viigo. Viigo lets you view content from a literally thousands of sources. You can get news, weather, sports, entertainment, airline flight and travel information, stock quotes, blogs and podcasts, and a whole lot more.
The Viigo service has a library from which you can add information sources (called channels). Or, you can add your own channel. That can be just about anything – RSS, a Web page, or the feeds in a feed reader like Google Reader, My Yahoo!, or Bloglines.

One of the great things about Viigo is that it's easy to use. The interface is really designed for a mobile device, and it's one of the few interfaces (on any platform) that I've found to be anything close to being intuitive.

On top of that, Viigo is free, although you do have to sign up for an account. Vigo is supported by ads, which appear in the top left corner of the application. The ads are small, and easy to ignore.

Using the Web

Out of the box, every BlackBerry comes with a Web browser and (depending on your wireless provider) applications that connect you to such popular social networking sites as Facebook and MySpace. The browser isn't the greatest, although it is useful for installing applications over the air. While they have a lot of user, not everyone is interested in Facebook or MySpace.

The next couple of applications fill in a few gaps.

Opera Mini

Two weaknesses of the BlackBerry browser is that it doesn't handle Javascript, and it's kind of slow. The free Opera Mini browser, on the other hand, doesn't have those problems. It's leaner and meaner than the BlackBerry browser and a lot more flexible.

Besides the Javascript support (which is essential for Web applications), Opera Mini also compresses Web pages by up to 90% and lets you choose the quality of images. Lower quality images on a page mean faster loading times, and you burn less of your monthly data limit.

For me, though, the biggest advantage of Opera Mini is that you can use it over a wireless connection. The default BlackBerry browser balks at that.

Twitter

Say what you will about Twitter but it's become a popular way for people to connect and express themselves on the Web. All you need to do is type 140 characters or less – sort of like a text message.

Of course, to use Twitter you need a free account. Many people post to Twitter by logging in – with a BlackBerry, you can use the mobile version of the site. But why do that when you can view and post messages at your convenience? That's where a good mobile Twitter client comes in.

An easy-to-use Twitter client is TwitterBerry. You can view the latest from the posters that you follow on Twitter, and can quickly send your own posts to the service. TwitterBerry even gives you a character count, so you stay within the 140 character limit of a tweet.

The only drawback is that TwitterBerry doesn't work on a wireless-only connection. If you have a newer BlackBerry, and need to tweet over wireless, check out Yatca, which is a Twitter client and a lot more.

A Pair of Others

What other software is useful? That's definitely a loaded question. But here are a couple good choices:

Moving files around your BlackBerry can be a bit of a chore. The built-in Media application does a good job of managing audio, video, image, and music files. But it's not the best. File Manager Pro does a fantastic job of managing every kind of file on your handheld. You can move, copy, rename, and delete files; compress them; and send files by email. It also enables you to create a new folder in both your BlackBerry's memory and on an microSD card. The drawback? File Manager Pro costs $11.95. But after the seven day trial period, you'll probably find it so useful that it's worth the cost.

One of the strengths of the iPhone is that it's backed by Apple's AppStore. You can literally download and/or buy hundreds of pieces of software for the iPhone. That's convenience. Until recently, to do something like that with the BlackBerry you needed to visit a handful (or more) of Web sites. In April, 2009, though, Research in Motion (the company behind the BlackBerry) launched BlackBerry AppWorld. It's both an online marketplace and an application for the phone. You can browser various types of software, and download free or trial versions. If you like the application, you can buy it right from within AppWorld using a PayPal account. AppWorld is kind of slow, but it does have a good search function and makes finding useful software a lot easier.

Do you have a BlackBerry application that you can't live without? Feel free to share it with everyone by leaving a comment.

"Computers In The Air" –
What Is Cloud Computing?

By Bryan Lambert – Sunday, April 12, 2009

It's supposed to be the next big thing in computing. It’s supposed to revolutionize the way we work at home and at the office. It’s supposed to slice bread, iron your clothes and make breakfast for you. Yes, its "cloud computing". OK, maybe it won't do household chores but with the way people speak about it, you'd think it would.

Life On A Cloud.

Well then what exactly is cloud computing? I'm sure you've heard the phrase often enough the last couple of years and may be wondering what the hoopla is all about. What exactly is this life on a cloud? This is actually a point that the proponents can't seem to agree on.  So is it renting more computing power for your business?  Is it coordinating a potluck with a bunch of your friends over the Internet using Google Apps? Is it small and inexpensive enough for the average Joe at home, but scalable enough and powerful enough for a Fortune 500 company? Yes, it’s all this and so much more.

While some of the concepts and ideas behind cloud computing have actually been around for awhile, the term cloud computing seems to be the term that has really captured imaginations and gained traction recently. Basically, the idea is the use of the Internet (the cloud, so to speak) as a central area for use of computer technology. Whether it be what is called Software as a Service (SaaS, apps on the web), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS, previously known as Hardware as a Service – this is where IT geeks can buy more virtual computer power and online storage) or Platform as a Service (PaaS, where developers go and play, think Google Apps Engine) cloud computing encompasses this and more. While the IT geek and the coding geek may be interested in the IaaS and the PaaS side of things, for the real world application of cloud computing most users (that reads: “the rest of us”) will be interested in the SaaS side of things.

Apps Drizzled Down On a Cloudy Day

Software as a Service is one of the most exciting features of cloud computing. Software as a Service is basically applications (think programs) “served” through the Internet via your web browser.  These programs never (or rarely) actually reside on the computer that they are run from – they all stay on the providers' server.  Because of this, you are able to access these applications anywhere you have a PC and an Internet connection.  These applications for the most part also offer online storage, so you can save your work online as well.  This may seem to describe such services such as webmail, which have been around a long time, and yes, are very useful, but it also describes some of the newest crops of very sophisticated, robust programs available on the Internet today. While some may be for rent (that is, you pay either a subscription fee or a use fee), many others are absolutely free for use of basic services.

Some of the more popular cloud computing SaaS applications are Google Apps (which offers popular office suite utilities (Google Docs) as well as e-mail (Gmail) and calendars (Google Calendar). The Google Docs is particularly popular for its no-cost basic service, its collaboration features, its strong compatibility and terrific flexibility. Also online is Microsoft’s cloud computing office suites, Microsoft Office Live. Like Google Apps, they offer a free basic service called Office Live Workspace that offers a place to store and share documents online, however this service does need Microsoft Office installed on the PC for a document to be edited (which does make the free service that much more robust). Apple is also starting to jump into the fray with iWork, which while in beta is offered as a free online extension of its popular iWork suite (they plan to make it a subscription service on its full release). Not to be overlooked are the excellent online suites offered by OpenOffice and Zoho as well.

Some other examples of SaaS offerings online are: photo editing; video editing; tax preparation; many games, and much, much more! There’s cheap generic viagra online even talk of a streaming video game console content delivered right to your PC via the internet with quality on par with the Sony PlayStation 3.

Really, with the SaaS aspect of cloud computing, the horizon seems limitless as to what can be done.

Sunshine of a Cloudy Day

Whatever the future brings to the Internet, whether the popular Software as a Service discussed in this Tech Tip today, the IT geeks Infrastructure as a Service, or the coding geeks Platform as a Service, you can be sure that cloud computing will be a major part of it.

So, what are you thoughts on Cloud Computing?

“Chipping” Away at Computer Jargon

By Bryan Lambert – Sunday, April 5, 2009

To know the computer, you need to be the computer; or at least know the jargon of the computer. If you’ve ever been looking for a computer or computer parts such as monitors or speakers, then it is certain that you've run across certain terms that can be collectively referred to as “computer jargon.” Many often wonder if some of these terms and phrases are meant to confuse rather than clarify your buying decision. We here at Tech Tips can assure that this is precisely the case; but knowing that an informed buyer is an empowered buyer we’ll endeavor to try to clear up some of the mystery of computer jargon.

In this Tech Tip, we’ll be specifically looking briefly at some of the jargon placed directly on a computer, computer monitor and computer speaker sets.

A Plethora of Stickers

One thing that you may notice is that there seems to be no end to the stickers affixed to a computer. Whether it is a run down of features that you’ll use, or simply a statement that a computer has “Intel inside”, there seems to be a sticker for everything. Well, one sticker may inform you that the computer contains a “Radeon HD” or “ATi” while another touts “nVidia PureVideo HD”. These pretty little stickers are simply trying to inform you that the computer (more than likely) has a discreet graphics chip rather than “integrated graphics” one built into the general chipset. 

Another thing a laptop computer sticker will proudly proclaim is the processor contained within the computer. It may say “Intel Core 2 Duo inside” or “AMD Turion X2 Ultra 64” or something similar. While it may look nice, really you need to get past this generality to dig into the specs to see precisely what processor the computer has in it (in a previous Tech Tip we covered some specific things to look for when choosing a processor). Some Intel based computers may also have a Centrino sticker of some sort, but the Centrino is not a processor, it is a marketing gimmick that Intel came up with to sell more parts. Centrino simply means that the computer has the parts needed to get the sticker (usually a type of Intel processor, an Intel motherboard chipset and an Intel wireless chipset – different versions of the Centrino have different requirements that they need to meet to get the Centrino sticker).

You may also see cheap female viagra a sticker listing the type of operating system the computer was “designed for” such as “Windows Vista” or “Windows XP”.  Note that some systems that have been downgraded from Windows Vista to Windows XP at the factory may still have a Windows Vista sticker on it.  Another sticker you can run across is on touting “lightScribe” which is simply letting you know that the computers optical drive can write a disc label directly to a lightscribe compatible disc.  Others may state that the computer is “Energy Star” compliant and maybe even an ergonomic warning about using the keyboard and mouse.  Sometimes manufacturers get carried away with these stickers but not to fret – they are easily removed.

When a “Watt” is not a Watt

Some other phrases you may run across are ones such as “High Def” and “Full HD.”  You may be familiar with what they kind of mean when speaking flat panel televisions, but what about computers?  High Def usually means that a screen can meet a minimum resolution of “1280 x 720” (many computer screens will exceed this) and Full HD means that it exceeds the 1080p specs (1920 x 1080).  While many computers screen will exceed the 720p spec and be called “Hi Def”, not too many will meet or exceed the 1080p spec.  If the screen is 1080p compatible, you may hear that (if it has a DVI or HDMI input) it is HDCP compliant.  If it does, it means that the screen can play protected content (think Blu-Ray discs) at their full resolution. Also when a monitor that touts it is “widescreen” is simply stating that it can display a picture in a widescreen format ratio (the most popular on computers being a 16:9 or a 16:10 ratio).

Also bandied about are some fantastic claims about the amount of power put out by a set of speakers.  You may see a tiny set of speakers boasting that it has “1000 Watts (PMPO) of Power!”  That PMPO moniker means that this is a “Peak Music Power Output” Wattage rating.  Really though, this type of rating always has to be taking with a grain of salt; a truer measure of the power output of a speaker set is the RMS Wattage rating.   You also may see “2.0”, “2.1” “4.1” etc on a speaker box as well.  This is simply telling you how many speakers that the set has (for example, a 2.1 speaker set has two satellite speakers and one sub-woofer).

Be Aware and Informed

It is our hope that this Tech Tip helped to clean up some of the marketing hype and confusion surrounding the various computer jargon tossed around that you may encounter when looking for a computer or computer component. By being “aware and informed” of the jargon used you can make a better, more informed buying decision.

Motherboard Basics,"The Remix"

By Bryan Lambert – Sunday, March 29, 2009

It’s been awhile since the last Tech Tip on motherboards, canadian generic viagra hence some readers have requested a refresh (as it were) on the topic of motherboards. In this Tech Tip, we’ll be looking at different aspects of that all important main circuit board in your computer known as the motherboard. Whether you are just looking for more information on motherboards in general, or perhaps looking into purchasing one, it is always better to get to know some things about the current generation of motherboards.

Track 1 – "Who Are You?"

The motherboard, as just mentioned, is the main circuit board of your computer. Much of how your computer works, how it runs, and its characteristics are determined by the motherboard. Just as CPUs can be classified as value, mainstream and performance, so too can motherboards. If you open up your computer, your motherboard (sometimes called a mainboard or simply “the board”) is the main circuit board that all other components (such as processors, memory, add-on cards, etc) are plugged into. A few popular branded motherboards are Intel, ASUS, MSI, Tyan, ECS, Gigabyte, etc. Often, you can visit a manufacturer’s website to get the lowdown on their latest motherboard offering.

One of the primary things that will determine the capabilities of what a motherboard will support is the chipset. Many persons when contemplating buying a motherboard will first look at that particular component. Popular chipset manufacturers are Intel, nVidia, VIA and SiS (the later two usually seen on more value oriented boards). Chipsets as well as CPUs are constantly changing, and thus they are hard to future-proof against – that is, the latest greatest chipset today, while it works with today’s processors, may have trouble supporting the processors of tomorrow.

Motherboards these days will usually havea ton of built-in features, such as integrated graphics, integrated sound, integrated Ethernet, etc. Believe it or not, at one time all these functions were handled by add-on cards. Motherboards will also offer expandability, usually by means of a number of internal slots (such as PCI, PCI-express (both 4x and 16x varieties) slots), as well as many external ports (such as USB, eSATA, FireWire, etc.) for adding cool gadgets to your computer. Some higher end boards will also offer capabilities such as RAID or the ability to use two linked PCI-express video cards (such as SLI enabled boards).

You can also expand your computer’s memory on the motherboard as well, (the most popular type of memory used today is known as DDR2 – other memory types are DDR and DDR3). The age and design of your motherboard (as well as the chipset used) will determine the type and how much system memory your motherboard will support.

Of course, one main aspect of the motherboard is what kind of CPU it will support. That brings up the question of CPU Sockets.

Track 2 – "Sockets of all Sorts"

The term CPU socket is almost a misnomer these days. For example, the very popular Socket 775 Motherboard used on many boards that support a wide array of Intel processors is not really a socket at all (since it has no socket holes), but instead has bent pins that touch contact points on the bottom of the processor. A CPU socket is simply the place where a CPU connects with the motherboard and most motherboards offer modest CPU upgrades via the CPU socket. As far as what CPUs will actually work, this is often determined by the chipset as well as the type of socket your computer has.

By far, the most popular socket these days (as it was when the last Tech Tip on this subject was written) is the Socket 775 used by Intel’s line of Celeron, Pentium, Pentium D, Pentium Dual Core, Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors. Socket 775 is actually named LGA775 (and sometimes also called Socket T), so if you see these terms bantered around, you'll know that they refer to the same thing. Before buying or upgrading your motherboard, you’d want to know what socket that board has and what type and speed processor it can handle (information that is also readily available on many motherboard manufacturers websites). With the advent of Intel’s new Core i7 line comes a new Socket: the Socket 1366. The Socket 1366 is also called LGA 1366 and Socket B. Older Intel sockets include Socket 370, Socket 423 and Socket 478 (also Socket 604 and Socket 771 which are used on server and work station computers).

For the AMD crowd, the most prevalent processor socket used by them is the Socket AM2+. Note that plus sign at the end of the name, which is used to distinguish it from the older Socket AM2. The AM2+ socket is backwards compatible with AM2 processors, but AM2+ processors will not necessarily work on Socket AM2 boards (technically, some may work but only in a more limited way). Examples of processors supported in the AM2+ socket are the Sempron, Athlon 64 , Opteron and the Phenom series. The newest processor socket for AMD-based boards is the socket AM3 used for the new Phenom II processors. Older AMD sockets include Socket A, Socket 754 and Socket 939 (also Socket 940 and Socket F (1366) which are used on server and workstation computers).

Track 3 – "Will it Fit?"

Another thing to consider with motherboards is whether it will fit in your current computer case. Computer cases come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but the shape of the motherboard that they will support has not varied much for awhile now. By far the most popular motherboard shape (also called a form factor) is microATX (also written mATX and uATX). Lesser used form factors are ATX (a bigger board than microATX, usually with more expansion slots), BTX, microBTX and micro-ITX. Before embarking on any kind of motherboard adventure (buying one to upgrade a computer you have, or building one from scratch), be sure you know what form factor motherboard your case will support.

Track 4 – "What About the Board I have?"

OK, all this info may be fine and dandy for someone buying a board, but what about the board in your computer RIGHT NOW? How can you find out what you have, what it supports (can you add more RAM or a faster CPU), or replace the board outright. One very simple way is to open up the case and find out the model number of the board you have and look it up on the Internet. An even simplier way to find the model without cracking the case is to use a utility to “sniff out” your board and give you all that info on a silver platter. It may still take looking up your board on the Internet for specifics, but this gives you a great place to start. One terrific utility I have been using for a long time is SiSandra. The Lite version of this program is free and it will give you loads of data about your motherboard.

Bonus Track – "In Conclusion"

While all the “thinking” on a computer may be done by the central processor, much of how a computer works and what its capabilities are tied up in the motherboard. It is our hope that this refresher Tech Tip on motherboards will help you not only learn a little more about motherboards, but also arm you with the knowledge to make motherboard buying decisions.