| This week's gainers |
| 1. |
Winamp: |
Users are scrambling to download the latest version of Winamp, after the digital music player's maker confirmed a gaping security hole that allows hackers to infect MP3s using earlier versions of the software. Who'd have thought hackers would be helping the RIAA? |
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| 2. |
Dreamweaver MX: |
The killer Web editor gets serious with its new release. Hobbyists may stick with FrontPage, but this Macromedia upgrade is a professional's dream. |
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| 3. |
Mac
OS9: |
How do you push an operating system on an unresponsive public and reluctant software developers? Stage the death of the old--but still beloved--OS 9. Apple CEO Steve Jobs pronounced the aging operating system dead, complete with a funeral service, while hinting at OS X enhancements due later this year. Methinks the reports of the demise have been greatly exaggerated. |
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| 4. |
Spider-Man: |
The webbed wonder is the new box-office champ, nabbing a record-breaking $114 million during its opening weekend and setting a record in online ticket sales. Harry Potter, eat your heart out. |
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| 5. |
HP: |
After a very public eight-month battle that pitted HP CEO Carly Fiorina against family scion Walter Hewlett, the largest technology merger ever is a done deal. I can't wait for the upcoming video game release: Mortal Kompaq: Carly vs. Walter. |
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| 6. |
Klez: |
Another wrench in the worm: last month's most insidious virus is spawning. Now we have Klez.g and Klez.h infiltrating Microsoft Outlook. Redmond, incidentally, has a patch, but few have bothered to use it. |
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| 7. |
Morrowwind: |
The next installment of the Elder Scrolls saga finally hit stores last week. An ambitious role-playing game set in a medieval fantasy world, Morrowind is a feast for the digital Dungeons and Dragons set. |
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| 8. |
OpenOffice: |
Why pay $400 when you can get an office suite free? Sun released version 1.0 of its open-source desktop software package last week, sans a database product and tech support. Somehow, I suspect Redmond isn't panicking just yet. |
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| 9. |
eMac: |
Call it the Mac you can't buy unless you pay tuition. Only schools, teachers, and college students can purchase the new flat-panel computer, which is reminiscent of the original iMac. |
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| 10. |
Hubble
camera: |
The new camera aboard the Hubble Space Telescope is sending back spectacular celestial snapshots of a galactic tadpole, a pair of monster mice, and a giant pillar of dust. Either that, or the camera has found its way underneath my living-room couch. |
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