Ask Paul: October 9 ⭐

Happy Friday! This was a curiously busy and action-packed week for our industry, and I'm still trying to figure it all out. That has to happen eventually, but in the meantime, let's kick off this weekend a bit early and maybe take a bit of time to relax.
"Microsoft veteran explains why it's not a good idea to have multiple AV software on Windows"

A real Microsoft veteran will tell you that common sense and what's built into Windows is all you need
🔮 Think globally, AI locally
dkrowe asks:

What are your plans for the RTX Spark models you receive? Will you fold coverage of the AI-focused aspects into your laptop review template or address that topic separately?

I'm still working through this. High-level, I think there are three sides to any evaluation of these things. First, they're literally just Windows laptops, which which driven home seeing them in person at IFA last month. Second, with the 32 GB models aimed at creators, there's some comparison to be made there with creators tools like Adobe Premiere and Photoshop, and whatever else. And third, they're a major advance for local AI, especially with the 128 GB versions, and that opens up a very different set of capabilities, none of which I'd call mainstream at the moment. This is more of a developer, engineer, or data scientist-type product.

The first two of those are straightforward enough. And I've dabbled with local AI using tools like LM Studio and Ollama. But these PCs open up access to much more powerful local models that perhaps rival cloud models from a year ago, so I will need to spend time figuring that out. Brad and Leo have both offered to help with that, and I will probably need that help.

Some of what I'm looking for here is Windows-specific, too. I know there will be some way to configure unified RAM allocation, which is unique to these PCs, for example. These PCs come preconfigured with Project Zenith, I think, which is a farce on some levels, but also different from the stock Windows 11 configuration. And these PCs will offer better gaming experiences than we see on Snapdragon X/X2-based PCs today, so that's of interest.

I can't write about my experiences with any RTX Spark laptops until next Friday, but I should have at least two of them by then and more in the future. Hopefully, the PC makers will have some documentation or advice about how to best take advantage of the new capabilities that are available here. I should find out soon.

Short version, I will review these laptops normally. But there's a lot more to write, and if you remember how I handled Snapdragon X two summers ago, it will likely be similar.

Has Brad Sams been proposed as a guest on Intelligent Machines? Think Leo would enjoy discussing his (and his company’s) experience with AI.

No, but that's a great idea. Will mention this to both of them.
"I'm seriously considering canceling my Microsoft 365 Family subscription"

Awwww, poor baby
💻 The golden ratio
brettscoast...