HD DVD is dead, long live Blu-Ray.

    The war is over. Yesterday Toshiba announced it would stop producing HD DVD equipment. And thus Blu-Ray has won. Although not as expensive as the war in Iraq, Toshiba, Microsoft, Paramount and Universal are still going to have to cope with hundreds of millions of dollars in losses due to their support of the losing side.

    A war that has been waged for several years has seen many battles. But after HD DVD lost the battle of Warner Bros to victorious Blu-Ray, an unconditional surrender was all but inevitable. And Friday’s announcement that Wal-Mart was going to support Blu-Ray was merely the death-knell.

    The true winners in this conflict are you, me, and all the other consumers. Acceptance of the new DVD technologies has been delayed by an estimated 2 years because of this war. So, let us rejoice as we won war.

 

You have a Wireless Router? Then you will want DD-WRT.

    I used to buy a wireless networking router, install it and didn’t stop to think much about it. Then again I rarely stop to think much about anything. But when I finally did, I found that a wireless router is much like a little computer; it contains a CPU, memory, firmware, I/O ports and colorful blinking lights good for hours of mindless entertainment.

    Wireless routers come with manufacturer supplied firmware pre-installed. And it can be configured using a website, build into the firmware, that you can access using a browser on your computer. And just in case there is a bug in the firmware, there is an option to update it with a newer version. And here lies the key; that option can be abused to install firmware that is not sanctioned or created by the manufacturer.

    DD-WRT is such a firmware package. It is open source software, developed by a group of very smart people from Germany, based on a tiny version of the Linux operating system. It is compatible with a wide range of wireless routers commonly used at home and small businesses. It has loads of features no ordinary manufacturer would ever consider putting in their own firmware because it is not profitable and those whiny ingrate customers wouldn’t know what to do with it. 

    So, it is free and better then the original? What is the catch?

    There is no catch. Well, a few minor catchettes perhaps.

    First, DD-WRT doesn’t work on all wireless routers. See, the list here. Second, some manufacturers give their products a lobotomy, reducing the amount of memory available, and so only a stripped down version of DD-WRT can be used. Perhaps most important is that replacing the preinstalled firmware with DD-WRT is tricky business. This is not for the faint of heart, or those less then experienced computer techknows. A slight mistake can easily brick the router, resulting in a trip to the nearest techy store for a new one.

    (Bricking: [transitive verb]: to brick, turning a working piece of equipment into something more or less squarish and very dead.)

    Fortunately, there are excellent step-by-step instructions available for most supported routers. The result is a wireless router with faster, better, more stable firmware with many more features then you originally paid for. I installed it in my own Linksys WRT54G router a while ago. Mostly because the original firmware was having problems with port forwarding and the manufacturer did not have a fix available. I have not regretted it. 

    Oh, but don’t for a moment think that the manufacturer’s warranty will still apply. They will have a hearty laugh at your expense if you try this and screw it up. And don’t come knocking on my door either. I warned you!