Backwards Compatibility - Are You Prepared To Bear The Costs Of All Those Innovations? by Hans Bool
Everyone who has recently bought a new (version of a) operating system may encounter this. After installing your new operating system or buying a new notebook or PC one or more external devices do no longer function properly. In best case you will have to buy new software in the worst; new... This mechanism of backwards (in)compatibility is one of the main drivers for companies be careful with innovations. ... Backward-compatibility is about supporting software and hardware that was design earlier when the new software was not yet available.

Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility by Jason Hobbs
With the Xbox 360 getting more and more popular, more and more new exciting games will be coming out of the market. Gamers will be able to play more exciting as well as more visually remarkable games on their game console. But some gamers may still miss playing some of their favorite games in... With the backwards compatibility of the Xbox 360 will allow it to be easily embraced by more and more gamers. ... Xbox 360 Backward compatibility is achieved through software emulation of the original Xbox game console.

An Introduction to HD-DVD by Chuck Red
High density digital versatile disc is a digital optical media format which is being developed. HD DVD is similar to the competing Blu-ray Disc. It is currently in a format war with the Blu ray disc proposed by the Blu ray disc association. HD DVD has a single layer capacity of 15GB and a double... Another advantage over Blu ray is the common disc structure with DVDs which therefore allows for full backwards compatibility of HD DVD drives which will be able to play both DVDs and CDs. ... However it is now likely that Blu ray drives will be backwards compatible with DVDs.

Motherboard Guide - What You Need to Know When Purchasing a Motherboard by Donny Duncan
The motherboard, or mainboard, is called that because all of the other components plug into it, and it is used as a hub of sorts for all of the components to communicate with each other. When buying a motherboard, the most important things to know is what CPU it is compatible with, what kind of... Most of the newer versions are backwards compatible, meaning that they will accept older versions, but it does not work the other way around, so you usually can not put an AGP 8x card into a motherboard that is labeled as only accepting up to AGP 4x.

A World Without Microsoft by Adam Knife
Exactly how would the computing world feel without Microsoft? What if Microsoft just closed their doors? Gates and Ballmer just got up and left with nothing more than a “This is boring,” how would the computing world be effected. I mean, they just shutdown Microsoft: they didn’t release any of... There’s been some Internet Explorer/Windows XP patches, some bug fixes, some new releases of MS Office that add little but the lack of backwards compatibility, but, I see no innovation. ... Isn’t that what makes a technology company “fun”?

A Highly Technical XBOX360 by Tucker Osbert
Xbox360, the latest version of the video game console that has been manufactured by Microsoft, was a term that was finally arrived at by the computer software company last year. This was after a marketing firm that it hired conducted a survey which asked people whether they thought the Xbox... Keeping such a concept in mind, Microsoft recently announced that it has successfully produced a set of fresh 360 backwards compatibility update of the Xbox which the firm is scheduled to release anytime within the week.

The USB Toll by O G Popa
In 1962, a group of brilliant engineers have postulated the RS232 serial communications protocols, and until 1998 everybody worked with this communications channel very well. It was present on all PCs, until recently. Today, if you will check the newest models of computers on sale, you are going... According to the most basic rule in the digital world, which says “backwards compatibility”, it was logic and natural that RS232 was going to be upgraded to higher speeds, and smaller interface connectors.

Nintendo Wii, a Real Revolution? by John Gibb
After the release of the Xbox and PS2, in the highly competitive world of video gaming consoles it appears like Nintendo was pushed out of the game. Now, with the brand new Xbox 360 and the soon to be released PS3, Nintendo needs to definitely do something cool in order to keep up with the 2... The last thing to add is that Wii features an amazing backwards compatibility feature. ... For example, Titles such as Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Red Steel take advantage of the new controller technology in order to provide the player with an effective way to aim.

A Guide to the Next Generation Consoles by John Gibb
The new, next generation consoles are on their way and even if you have already grabbed your Xbox 360 (which is the only next - generation console available at the time) you still have a lot to learn about them since the Sony Play Station 3 and the Nintendo Wii are on their way. ... Wii will feature extended backwards compatibility for playing older games and it will also provide new game handling methods such as a remote controller. ... Hang on a second; there’s at least one more thing that needs to be mentioned!

5 Big Problems People Face When Choosing A Next Generation Console by Terry Brazil II
Back in the stone age of console gaming most customers biggest worry was purchasing a gaming system who's games you enjoyed. In this day in age things have become much more complicated. Handful's of new technology has been released. The only exception this time around is the fact that they are... Reverse Compatibility If you have owned previous consoles and have collected a lot of games over the years then reverse compatibility may even be the deciding factor in your choice. ... However the ability to play your old console games on your next generation console may be a problem.