tools

Intel on Tuesday is scheduled to release the source code to a development tool for writing applications to run on multicore chips.

The company released Threading Building Blocks last August, a C++ template designed to simplify the job of writing applications that take advantage of processors with multiple cores, or processing units.

During the last year, Intel found that customers and potential customers wanted greater platform support and assurances that the toolset would be around for a long time, said James Reinders, the director of Intel's software development products.

To address these concerns, Intel has decided to release the tool … Read more

I spent part of this morning having a go with the new Facebook app from the folks at WordPress.com (a Webware 100 winner). Once installed and linked up with your Wordpress.com account, you can post to any of your blogs without leaving Facebook. You can also check traffic stats and add bookmarks to your blogroll. The actual blog authoring tool is very limited in this release. There's no way to add links or pictures to posts. You're also unable to manage some of the subtleties of authoring like bold and italicized fonts, indentations, and the handy … Read more

Answers, the creator of Answers.com, plans to purchase Lexico Publishing Group, the parent of Dictionary.com.

Through the deal, Answers will inherit a collection of Web properties that "generate approximately three times the total page views of Answers.com," according to an Answers statement.

In addition to Dictionary.com, Lexico also owns Thesaurus.com and Reference.com.

Lexico Web sites had a total of 11.5 million unique users in June, Answers Chairman and CEO Robert S. Rosenschein said in a Tuesday Webcast.

"The combined properties (of Answers and Lexico) would have reached a total of … Read more

From time to time I'll highlight interesting or useful websites.

I'll start off with three sites that appeal to my interest in product design. And no, none of them are this one.

Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools blog isn't just about cool tools, although there are lots of those. It's also about books, videos, and websites that tell you how to do things. Anyone may contribute a recommendation; other contributors include Paul Saffo and Stewart Brand.

Dennis Palatov's dpcars.net is the most technically interesting automobile-related site I know of (although Autoblog is the most … Read more

If you like the looks of wooden computers or gadgets but don't want to pay the price, this may be worth the investment for the DIY types out there.

Sears' "Craftsman CompuCarve" can carve complicated patterns in sylvan objects, according to SlashGear, kind of "a printer for wood" that even comes with its own software. (We seem to have a 3D scanner-printer fixation today, for some reason.)

Unfortunately, it's not the cheapest thing in the world, at $1,899. But think of all the money you'll be saving on your next TV alone. … Read more

Power Downloader knows that regular maintenance for his PC is crucial to his continued success as an Internet superhero. If his computer is not in top working condition when on the tail of some infamous spammer, it can mean the difference between life and death. While the stakes might be higher for Power Downloader, he also knows that everyone should perform routine maintenance if they want their computer to continue working properly.

Though there are several programs available to fix specific problems, Power Downloader decided that a one-program solution might be the most convenient way to keep his system in tip-top shape. After some quick research at Download.com, Power found Advanced WindowsCare Personal edition.… Read more

Yesterday Blogger launched a new service called Blogger in Draft. It's essentially the same old Blogger interface with a few new features the team is in the midst of developing. Think of it like an open beta test. The first new feature is a built-in video uploader tool. Users can add AVI, MPEG, Quicktime, Windows Media, and Real video files with sizes up to 100MB. The service will then convert it into a playable Web video with an interface identical to Google's own video player, complete with Blogger branding.

What's interesting about this new feature is that … Read more

SAN MATEO, Calif.--I'm standing on the race track at the Power Tool Drag Races here at Maker Faire, and while I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get killed, I'm not certain.

That's largely because I'm surrounded by little racing machines adorned with what look like very, very sharp saw blades. I assume they will stay on the track as planned, but you never know.

A few years ago, I went to these races when they used to hold them in San Francisco and gasped along with several hundred other racing fans when … Read more

CollabNet said on Tuesday that it has acquired code management software SourceForge Enterprise Edition from VA Software for an undisclosed amount.

VA Software will continue to own and operate the SourceForge.net Web site which hosts thousands of open-source projects. In exchange for selling its source code management software, VA Software will get an equity stake in CollabNet.

CollabNet offers a hosted service for collaborative software development based on software that's similar to SourceForge Enterprise Edition. But the majority companies who use Sourceforge software have an on-site installation, said CollabNet CEO Bill Portelli.

This summer, the combined companies plan … Read more