Gnomie Stefano writes:

Hi, Chris! I saw your video where you reacted to Preston Gralla’s blog post, Five reasons Vista beats OS X, and decided I would share with my somewhat unusual point of view.

1. Windows made the GUI happen: Because Windows was the first GUI OS that would run on the widely spread IBM PC (the original one), a lot more people were running it. They didn’t want to buy new hardware and get the GUI experience. From the beginning on, masses were hooked on Windows.

2. Windows is just there: Windows has been pre-installed on computers for years now. If you were to go to a store a few years ago, chances are there aren’t any Macs around. People who get into computers are selecting their computers almost randomly, and PCs with Windows on them have a huge edge in the statistical equation. Windows is implemented well — on people’s computers, you like to say it’s not the feature, it’s the implementation. You see my point.
3. People don’t have experience with anything else: A lot of computer users come from a professional background, whether they’re secretaries or geologists, they will use computers at work. Chances are, most professions are not using Mac OS X. People just don’t know. If you think about it, a lot of people that deal with creativity in their job use Macs; a lot of people who work on enterprise scale server appliances use Linux at home because they have made the experience. The average user just does not get to use any other operating system.
4. Windows is free: And I don’t mean free of charge — it certainly isn’t. But the price of Windows is well hidden, be it in your Dell bill or in the time you would’ve saved, or in the fun that you haven’t had. Windows is free from all those boundaries people who experiment with the Mac or Linux run into. When I used Linux for the very first time, as Jono Bacon, Ubuntu community manager, said so well: when you installed Linux in the old days, you needed a soldering iron and a very steady hand. I’ve gone through this because I’m a hardcore geek. A normal computer user wouldn’t.
5. Microsoft means power, big time: Microsoft has the best sales people, the best lawyers, the most money, and the most tech-uneducated user base. If Linus Torvalds suddenly decided that the Linux kernel would from now on have a feature that controls the user experience in a way users wouldn’t want while providing a set of cool new features, people would rebel. They are tech-educated enough to know that they don’t have to put up with it. Of course Linus wouldn’t, but you get my point. Vista can come up with UAC and nobody complains. Vista can implement DRM deep in the guts of the operating system, and no one complains (maybe except for the EU, but that’s another story).

Vista clearly beats OS X and Linux by a long shot.

But beating someone doesn’t make you good.

I have to add that I’ve never used a Mac and I probably never will. I don’t like Apple locking the OS down, though I understand and appreciate why the company did it. Every time someone who’s not a geek asks me what kind of a computer they should buy, I recommend a Mac — I haven’t got any complaints yet. It’s not for me, but I’m glad it’s out there.

As for Vista: Just today someone told me about his problems with Vista. He’s running Blender and it keeps crashing, reporting a problem with his graphics drivers. I handed him a copy of Ubuntu. He’ll be fine with dual booting.

I hope you and the community enjoy this list; I had fun writing it!

Favorday is coming on March 12th, and it’s being organized on Facebook. Nothing quite like doing something simple and kind for someone else to make the world a better place. You should be a part — spread the word!

Here’s how you celebrate Favorday — on Favorday, March 12th, 2008, you do planned favors for people, just like you would plan on giving a gift to somebody for the holidays. Any kind of favor can suffice, whether its “I’m going to rub my girlfriend’s feet” or “I’m going to clean my neighbor’s garage.” Favorday is for celebrating each other.

You can help by inviting your friends to celebrate Favorday with you!

By the way, I am on Facebook here.

What abomination will be sliding down your chimney tonight?

Northern European folklore is rich with tales of a bigfoot-type creature whose appearance and habits (a big ol’ beard and using reindeer as beasts of burden, for instance) seem to have been adapted for our more modern-day ideas of jolly Saint Nick. Loren Coleman of Cryptomundo writes:

Old stories of the Wildpeople and Snowmen (Snomannen) are interwoven into those of Santa Claus. The traditional “Wildman of the Middle Ages” was described as a bestial, ape-like creature, with a beard. Its body was covered in thick, matted hair and smelled of a foul odor. The habitat of the wildman was the northern woods, where he lived in a cave or den.…

This may also account for why no one seems to be able to get a clear picture of The Big Red Guy on Christmas Eve, in spite of widespread reports of cookie/egg nog disappearances and unexplained presents left beneath festive displays of indoor foliage across the world…

In March, we’ll discuss the uncanny similarities between The Easter Bunny and The Loch Ness Monster. Happy holidays!

It looks like the end of DRM is near. First, let’s all take the time to congratulate Apple and EMI for being gutsy enough to offer DRM-free music. Talk about kicking the RIAA right in the shins and it’s amusing to see “friends” turning against one another (RIAA vs. Apple/EMI) to fulfill our demands. It’s always pleasant to experience that. Now that Apple offers a DRM-free section on iTunes, I can’t be excited enough.

Moving on, the recent news to hit the wires is Blu-ray and HD DVD’s decision to let users legally copy their discs. Granted this option comes with restrictions, but it’s a step in the right direction. It won’t be long before the MPAA has to give up its less than adequately supported fight against mainstream consumers. Needless to say, we are witnessing history in the making right before our eyes. Welcome back, Napster!

Hopefully, Apple and EMI’s partnership has given a sigh of relief to the rest of the music industry that’s so obsessed with “protecting” its artists. Yeah, right! And now, we should gradually expect others to follow shortly. They will have to.

Similarly, the MPAA is in a similar position as well. Sure, you can limit copying today, but how long will it be before it will go down the RIAA’s path to failure?

However, as much as I enjoy speculating the RIAA and MPAA’s demise, it’s time for us, as users, to wake up as well. We need to make sure we don’t go back to the Napster days. We need to be responsible citizens who are truly using this newfound liberty for the right reasons. If the pirating gets worse, which is very likely, and the aforementioned agencies get back in power, we’ll have no one but ourselves to blame. I especially mean that for the few of you who are heavy uploaders. It’s the few that ruin it for everybody.

With that said, let’s enjoy the downfall of DRM-based media, but also get ready to act responsibly when these thresholds come crumbling down.

[Gundeep Hora]

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at CoolTechZone. For more news about the gadgets that make the world go ’round, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to CoolTechZone’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: drm, riaa, itunes, apple, mpaa, mp3, napster

Can someone please tell me why software installers that alter the operating system in backhanded ways are still tolerated by so many people? In the past, it seemed like every application installer known to mankind made some sort of annoying modification to the settings for your operating system and its associated applications, and oftentimes this happened without your consent. Some installers were so vague about what they were doing that they tricked you into doing something hat you didn’t want to do.

You know what I’m talking about. How many times have you installed a program only to find that it ended up hijacking the start page on your Web browser, installing outside applications that cluttered up your desktop with icons, and gave you a bad case of the spyware shivers. Sneaky - real sneaky.

Granted, the situation isn’t nearly as bad as it was previously. Users finally began to put their foot down and demand that this behavior get cleaned up, and it’s amazing to see how much a lack of toleration does wonders for changing things. This was around the time when we realized that free doesn’t always really mean free when it comes to software. You may have only intended to download and install one program, but when you end up with five others and a couple of browser toolbars, then the idea of paying some cash doesn’t sound so bad.

Modern installers have changed their ways quite a bit, but a lot of the bloat is still out there, and they’re still doing some sneaky things, however, most of it isn’t all up in your face. Because of that, I can answer my own question that I posed at the outset by suggesting that people remain oblivious about what sometimes happens when they install software. Some interaction with the operating system may be required to setup certain aspects of the application, but anything beyond this cordial getting to know you stage of the application and operating system relationship can begin to get tricky.

What if the installer fails to fulfill the installation correctly? What if this failure opens the door to potential security risks that you know nothing about? As disturbing as that may sound, that describes exactly what’s been happening with installs of Adobe Version Cue CS3 Server on OS X.

As part of the setup process, the installer disables the firewall to configure the Version Cue Server, but at the end, it fails to re-enable the firewall. Can you say security breach? This may not be an intentional procedure, but it just shows that even a company the size of Adobe needs to work on ensuring that their installers interact with the operating system in a proper way. Most people aren’t even going to be aware that this is taking place, so they’re not going to know that they need to fix it. Ignorance definitely isn’t bliss in this situation.

If installers are going to perform a number of modifications to your operating system, then they should be completely open and honest about what they’re doing because I’m sure many users would be surprised to see what happens during certain software installations. All of this really makes you appreciate the installers that simply copy a number of files to a folder and call it a day.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at OSWeekly.com. For more computer news, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to OSWeekly.com’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: application install, open source

One of the amusing things about people who use operating systems is that even though some of them may confidently claim that the platform they use is better than the competition, there are probably still going to be times when they covet a feature that another OS has. In fact, most of us have probably been in this situation before. Even if it’s not a specific feature, perhaps it’s the look of the platform that we want for ourselves. Windows, OS X, and Linux all have a distinct look and feel, but at the same time, each of these operating systems can be customized, and people go to great lengths to, let’s say, emulate the interface of OS X on Windows.

You might think that this is something hypocritical for an operating system zealot to do, but as long as the underlying platform isn’t affected, they can tweak the appearance all they want and not feel like they’re stepping over the line into enemy territory. Even though you can make your OS resemble another, it’s still not going to actually be the OS that you’re trying to emulate, so these modifications can only go so far.

With that said, OS X seems to be the blueprint, and users of Windows and Linux are always taking on the challenge to see just how close they can come to a perfect visual duplicate of Apple’s operating system, but in my mind, if you want the look of OS X that bad, just go out and buy a Mac. Sure, the challenge of modifying your current OS may be a big part of the appeal, but I have an easier solution that involves your credit card and a wonderful place called The Apple Store.

Aside from other operating systems, users that are running an older version of software from an OS family may wish to “upgrade” to the latest OS without actually upgrading. For example, before Vista was even publicly released, people were developing themes, Windows Sidebar knock-offs, and other elements to help XP look and feel like Vista. We always want the latest, and even if we may not be able to afford or see the benefits of upgrading, we can still have a piece of the action. Companies like Microsoft and Apple sometimes spend years developing certain features throughout their operating systems only to have them imitated by third-party developers in a matter of days or weeks.

I’ve used several of these tools before in my day, and while some of them are good, I’ve found that most of them feel rushed, and I always end up going back to using my normal operating system without any of the added imitation features or skins. For those of you who like to stick with what you have, it’s nice to know that updates continue to be delivered for platforms that might already start to be considered as ancient even though they’re not, and we can see evidence of this with the news that Apple will be releasing the Mac OS X 10.4.10 update despite the fact that Leopard (10.5) is just around the corner.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at OSWeekly.com. For more computer news, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to OSWeekly.com’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: os upgrade, os emulator, os x emulator

As most of you already know, Dell has been off to a rocky start with Microsoft’s Vista and has even gone as far as to offer Windows XP to some customers because of Vista related concerns from certain customers. However, the nagging question remains: will Vista ever truly set right with Dell? The answer to this is yes. Unfortunately, its success may not happen with Dell’s existing offerings. That’s because of its recent Linux dealings; it will have to do something truly unique to get Vista back into the positive spotlight.

It’s a Tablet PC. From the looks of things, Dell is looking to diversify further into the PC market with the promise of Tablet PCs running Windows Vista. I think it will be interesting to see how well Vista actually runs on these machines once they are released. Some questions that I’m sure many potential customers will have include the range of the wireless connectivity and whether or not the Aero effects will be available on the unit.

Let’s be honest here, this is basically Dell giving Vista a second chance. Even though the apparent market for the Tablet appears to remain something of a myth, Vista could actually prove to be a real fighter this time around and may provide Dell with the Vista push that it needs.

A Gamble Worth Taking
If there is one thing that the Tablet PC and Vista OS have in common, it’s their nature of coming out of the gate as underdogs. The Tablet and the OS have yet to truly prove their need to most consumers, and it will be interesting to see if Dell becomes the company to change this.

Dell now has to meet this challenge by making the hardware and the troubled OS seen as valuable upgrades to their chosen markets. And unlike so many other vendors out there, it does feel like Dell has a fair idea of who this market is. Now we have to ask: will these targeted groups see the expense of an upgrade justified?

Personally, I simply find myself feeling skeptical, as the Tablet’s original market was pretty much hit with the previous release of Windows. So trying to convince the previously skeptical XP Tablet users the need to upgrade to Vista is a silly reason to justify the purchase.

Defining the Market: Dell Needs a Better Approach
I do not believe there is really any question that Dell will need to get itself into a better position to attract new customers with its wares. My question to Dell is - are you willing to do this the smart way or the way most companies your size do things?

My suggestion to Dell would be to see it locate three key individuals: one from the corporate world, another from the scholastic realm, and one from the medical field. Give clear instructions about the Tablet’s use, then have a video blogger document their experiences. Because much of life is raw and unscripted, I suspect that what we will see should prove to be authentic and provide a glimpse into the world of that particular person, in addition to discovering potential functionality for the Tablet PC and Vista simultaneously.

Will Dell heed this advice? It’s possible, as some Dell reps read my articles from time to time. Regardless, at the end of the day, Dell will need to implement some level of grassroots movement to make its Tablet PC + Vista combination successful. To me, it just makes sense: Show me why I care rather than talking “at me” about it, and I may just become a customer.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at OSWeekly.com. For more computer news, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to OSWeekly.com’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: tablet pc, dell

With software, there’s room for competition, and the barriers to entry are rather small in a lot of cases. If a developer has a radical idea on how to improve a certain process and solve a problem that’s not met by other software titles, he can spend some time developing a solution, release it to the public, and if it’s good, acceptance will soon follow. This is part of what makes the software business so exciting. The principle of an open market may apply for applications, but does it also apply to operating systems? Not so much.

Not only are operating systems unbelievably large projects to develop and maintain, but the majority of us are set in our ways when it comes to how we operate our desktop lifestyle, and this makes acceptance of new operating system ideas a steep uphill battle for the developers. There may be a bunch of different Linux distributions, but they’re popularized and adopted because they’re all based on Linux, which is what brings them together. Sure, they may be different, but they’re one in the same at the foundation, and this is why they don’t have to fight many of the same adoption issues that a more unique OS such as SkyOS or Syllable would face.

Even though all of the popular operating systems can do most of the same things, they’re defined in terms of how we view them. For example, Windows is for business users and productivity, OS X is for designers and media creators, and Linux is for the technical crowd and server usage. Those may be stereotypes, but you can’t deny that they do apply in many ways, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

One of the advantages that alternative operating systems have is that they’re usually composed of small development teams, so changes and new ideas can be implemented, tested, and released quickly without having to be coordinated by numerous different groups within a major corporation. In addition, whereas an operating system like Windows relies on abundance of what can be considered as legacy code, these smaller operating systems have a chance to start fresh and build a great product from the ground up.

Since the main niches have already been filled with solid solutions, what are the developers behind a unique operating system to do? In my mind, the answer is to keep on improving their product. They may never make it big on their own and attain the success of Windows or OS X, but they can certainly make a difference and help to influence what future operating systems are like. You never know who’s watching your work, and if you view it as a public service, then maybe your enthusiasm for the project will stay heightened.

As users, it’s our responsibility to support these new operating systems and give them a home on our desktops if at all possible. Not only will this be encouraging to the developers, but you may also find that you actually prefer the way an alternative operating system performs in some respects.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at OSWeekly.com. For more computer news, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to OSWeekly.com’s RSS Feed!

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I have been noticing this horrendous trend for years - brand new PCs bundled with more shareware applications than you can shake a stick at. Even though some companies do, indeed, offer straightforward Windows CDs without the extra trialware included, others still insist on giving you the Recovery CD-only option. This whole practice is outdated, annoying, and sickening.

Will OEMs Ever Get it?
Linspire, offering its own brand of Linux to the masses, has done well by not implanting tons of crap on PCs that the end user will have to later pay for. I see little reason why we cannot have the same level of common sense within the Windows OEM world as well.

Now I have heard through the grapevine that some PC makers are considering the logic in making sure that all options are fully being explored. When translated into non-marketing speak, this means that they are looking to offer custom installations for recovery and foregoing trialware completely, among other similar options.

Why Not Buy a Separate Copy of Windows?
Assuming you are running XP, chances are fairly solid that some of the components offered on your PC have drivers that XP (or Vista, for that matter) will not be able to offer out of the box. This generally translates into a trip to Driverguide.com for the age old tradition of driver hunting.

In reality, it almost makes sense to tolerate the nonsense of extra trialware installed by default. After all, with products like Norton and McAfee antivirus, this may be the only way a user can protect his PC. On the surface, this seems really unfortunate, but perhaps on some odd level, this is a good thing overall.

It’s About Choices, People.
In the end, I really do not see that there is a problem here. If we dislike the trialware being offered by a particular vendor, then might I point out the painfully obvious logic of not buying from them any longer? Consider purchasing a PC at the local level, or better yet, learn to build your own. The hassle that you will save will be your own. Best of all, you will have full control over the quality of hardware you have to work with.

Of course, this could prove a bit challenging on the notebook front, however, it is very easy to do with desktop PCs.

If It Sells, Keep On Running.
I believe that the single biggest reason why we continue to see so many PC manufacturers and OEMs selling PCs with all of the trialware included is because, apparently, it is making them money. And with profit margins being so thin, the turmoil of Dell looking at getting into the desktop Linux market, amongst other happenings, PC manufacturers are really looking at bringing profits anyway they can. Personally, I can certainly understand this dilemma. As a counterpoint, though, a big reason why Dell has had such a change of heart is that it is hurting in the customer satisfaction department. From where I stand, this is a beginning in how companies like Dell work to keep their customers happy.

After all, if we can see Dell selling Linux PCs (not that “no OS” nonsense), offering XP as an alternative to Vista, then I see no reason at all as to why we can’t see the end of trialware when many of us are just plain sick of removing it.

This article has been republished with the kind permission of our friends at OSWeekly.com. For more computer news, go give ‘em a look or Subscribe to OSWeekly.com’s RSS Feed!

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Tags: crapware, trialware, oem, linux, windows, dell, consumer choice

Today, no matter how much computer memory your PC has, it never seems to be quite enough. Not a very long time ago, it was unheard of for a PC (Personal Computer), to have more than 1 or 2 MB (Megabytes) of memory.

Today, most basic systems require 256MB to run basic applications. If you want decent performance though, up to 512MB or more is needed when using graphical and multimedia programs. If you want to have an indication of how much things have changed over the past two decades, consider this: in 1981, referring to computer memory, Bill Gates said, “640K (roughly 1/2 of a megabyte) ought to be enough for anybody.”

For many people, the memory equation is simple: more is good; less is bad. However, for those who want to know more, this article contains answers to the most basic questions regarding memory.

People in the computer industry commonly use the term “memory” to refer to RAM (Random Access Memory). A computer uses RAM to hold temporary instructions and data needed to complete tasks. This enables the computer’s CPU (Central Processing Unit), to access instructions and data stored in memory very quickly.

A good example of this is when the CPU loads an application program such as a word processing or page layout program into memory, thereby allowing the application program to work as quickly and efficiently as possible. In practical terms, having the program loaded into memory means you can complete work faster with less time spent waiting for the computer to perform tasks.

People often confuse the terms memory and storage, especially when describing the amount they have of each. The term memory refers to the amount of RAM installed in the computer, whereas the term storage refers to the capacity of the computer’s hard disk. To clarify this common mix-up, it helps to compare your computer to an office that contains a desk and a file cabinet.

Consider the desk-and-file-cabinet metaphor for a moment. Imagine what it would be like if every time you wanted to look at a document or folder you had to retrieve it from the file drawer. It would slow you down tremendously, not to mention drive you crazy. With adequate desk space - our metaphor for memory - you can lay out the documents in use and retrieve information from them immediately, often with just a glance.

Here’s another important difference between memory and storage: the information stored on a hard disk remains intact even when the computer is turned off. However, any data held in memory is lost when the computer is turned off. In our desk space metaphor, it’s as though any files left on the desk at closing time will be thrown away.

I hope I have cleared at least some of your misunderstandings regarding this subject. The truth is that the figures that I gave you are probably going to change very soon. So, yes, when it comes to computer memory, more is better.

[Ray La Foy]

Tags: ram, memory, data, hard disk, hard drive

There haven’t been any reports in a while, put out by anybody, about what kind of sites get blocked by blocking software. Probably this is due to the Supreme Court ruling in 2003 which said, basically, that schools and libraries could be required to use blocking software regardless of how many mistakes it made, so complaining about errors would therefore be moot. However, just because there are fewer reports these days, should not be taken to mean that the software is getting better.

Slashdot just ran an article I wrote about sites that were currently blocked by Bess, one of the most popular school blocking programs, still used to filter Internet access for millions of students and now supported by a company called Secure Computing (which also makes the blocking program SmartFilter). The article included screen captures showing that the sites were listed on the Secure Computing site as being categorized under “pornography” (I also verified that the sites were in fact blocked by Bess, and it wasn’t just a fluke of the site lookup form). Some of the sites were:

• The Austin chapter of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
• The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence
• The Boys & Girls Club of Metropolitan Phoenix

The rest of the example sites are in the article here.

A long-standing point of contention while earlier reports about Bess were coming out was whether every site on its blacklist had been reviewed by a human before being blocked. In 1998, the CEO testified before Congress that “All sites that are blocked are reviewed by N2H2 staff before being added to the block lists.”

However, in its 2002 annual report, the company finally admitted that not all sites were reviewed before being blocked: “Through automated categorization or human review, Web sites are identified as fitting into one or more of our categories.” At one point, an N2H2 employee also told me that when one site is blocked, they will often block all sites hosted on that machine or at that IP - which of course means that those sites are also not reviewed before being blocked.

[Bennett Haselton of peacefire.org]

Tags: bess, censor, peacefire, bennett haselton, block

Gnomie Don Crowder writes:

Chris,

Lisa and I have discovered a wonderful, geeky senior citizen. He’s a YouTube junky and we’re watching his 60+ videos in order, one or two a day. Check him out, this link takes you to his first effort, created six months ago.

Cynthia Lanius is one of my Internet heroes. None of my three daughters is quite as much of a technogeek as I am but neither are they intimidated by computers and/or technology. I really wish I could have exposed them to someone like Cynthia while they were in grade school. She’s worked hard to help young women find an interest in math, computers and technology but she’s not big on self promotion and doesn’t seem to have a Web site so I can’t give you a specific link but check out one or two of these.

Lisa found this link.

It might be cool to do a feature in Lockergnome on women in computing (or technology in general).

Lastly, thanks for giving me a blog at Lockergnome. I was awfully intimidated by it, still am a little, but I’ve just done what writers are supposed to do and written what I know. I started with eBay because I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit about it but I’ll be getting into Linux soon. I certainly don’t know as much about it but I’m having a lot of fun learning and there are so many amazing facets to the gem that is Linux.

Tags: don crowder, cynthia lanius, youtube, geriatric1927

With the new release of Microsoft’s Vista operating system, many are considering their upgrade path. Is it time for a new PC? Should I wait for Vista? What’s this Mac stuff all about? In this article I’m going to put forth a very simple argument, which essentially boils down to this: For anyone wanting to perform basic computer tasks such as browsing the Internet, checking mail, writing papers, and working with photos and movies, you should strongly consider what Apple’s OS X has to offer before making a move toward Vista. When someone talks about how much they enjoy their “computer,” they’re mostly talking about how well their operating system handles these core activities. It’s also important not just be able to perform these functions, but to be able to do them in a consistent, worry-free fashion. In this article I’m going to give a few reasons why I believe OS X accomplishes this better than Vista.

By the way, I am an MCSE and happen to respect and enjoy a number of Microsoft’s products.

Interface
While the Vista interface has definitely seen some improvements over XP, they are mostly in the realm of visual enhancements. They didn’t seem to focus on making things more intuitive - but rather more on making the same basic workflow in XP look better.

Apple’s approach to designing a desktop is very different. They take user interface quite seriously, and the focus with OS X is to create an experience that people instantly feel comfortable with. Have you noticed how passionate people are about OS X? They often can’t resist telling others about how much they love their computers, and this is in large part due to the intangible connection you develop with the OS itself. Fewer Security Issues
Debates have raged on for years over why OS X hasn’t been attacked as successfully as Windows. The arguments basically break down into two categories: design, and marketshare. Those in the design camp feel that OS X is designed better, which provides a smaller attack surface to hackers. The marketshare group thinks it’s just because there are fewer Macs, which makes it a less desireable target.

Since I’m an information security consultant who uses both OS X and various flavors of Windows on a daily basis, I’ve dedicated a bit of thought to the matter. The answer in a nutshell is that both views are correct. I believe OS X to be more secure overall for a number of design-oriented reasons (not the least of which is being based on FreeBSD), but an ever larger percentage of its excellent record comes from not being much of a target compared to Windows.

The bottom line, however, is that it doesn’t matter what the reason is. As it stands now, if you use a Mac you’re simply not going to have to worry about being plagued by viruses and spyware like in Windows. This means you spend more time doing what you want to do and less time fixing your computer.

Stability
Stability is one of OS X’s absolute strengths. If you use Windows regularly, how often do you have to restart your computer? Quite often, I know. On a Mac you will hardly ever have to compared to on your Windows system, and this isn’t likely to change much with Vista (now with ~50 Million lines of code).

OS X is designed beautifully, with much of the system being protected from tampering by both malicious software and well-meaning but ill-informed users. Mac owners can go for months without needing to restart their systems. And this is with hundreds of applications being opened and closed, being put to sleep and awaken repeatedly, etc. Again, the credit here goes to the Unix core of OS X.

Conclusion
The time of the Mac and OS X is upon us. Vista took five years to make and ended up being little more than a collection of graphical enhancements to XP that require most to buy a whole new PC. In fact, many of Vista’s features were obvious copies of Apple’s ideas. Even the current version of OS X is arguably more advanced than Vista, but the next version is going to be absolutely amazing. Here’s a short list of features coming soon in Leopard.

• Time Machine
• Mail 3
• iChat
• Spaces
• Dashboard
• Spotlight

I also think Apple is about to reveal a number of secret features now that Vista has been released.

Seriously. I made the change to OS X two years ago, and I’ve never been happier with a computer. Plus, if you go buy one as a result of this article, I’ll give you some free email help to get you on your way.

[Daniel Miessler]

There are many fancy add-ons for computers, but the basic components of the computer are simple and universal. If one of these main components is missing, it’s not a computer.

The four essentials of every computer system are: a motherboard, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, and a hard drive. These components are installed in a case, which is attached to a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. That’s your basic computer.

Mother WHAT?
The motherboard (”mobo” for short) is the foundation. Everything attaches to the mobo - the CPU, memory, hard drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard, add-on cards, even additional peripherals like printers, scanners, and speakers. The motherboard is like the nervous system and skeleton of the human body - it provides support for the internal components and also passes information between the computer parts.

CPU
If the motherboard is the nervous system, then the CPU is the brain. Most of the mathematical manipulations that make computers operate are done by the CPU. Other components may also have their own processors, but their results still have to be passed through the CPU.

The speed of the computer is usually measured by the speed of the CPU. Even though other factors also affect overall speed, the CPU rating is generally seen as the single most important measure of performance.

Modern CPUs are usually rated between 2.0 GHz and 3.0 GHz, although each passing month will see increasing performance. This measurement refers to the number of calculations the processor can make in one second. The higher the number, the faster (better) the computer.

CPUs generate a lot of heat doing this work, so they need a heat sink and fan to keep them from overheating. Heat is a major enemy of the computer and directly affects its life span.

Computer Memory
RAM (Random Access Memory) is the part of the computer that stores information the computer needs while it is operating. It is Random Access because the computer can get the data in any order, not necessarily the order in which it is stored. Generally speaking, the more RAM, the better. 512 to 1024 megabytes is common for memory.

The most common type of RAM these days is DDR-SDRAM, which stands for double-data-rate synchronous dynamic random access memory. We already know what the RAM part means. DDR means that the data is accessed twice as fast as ordinary RAM.

The latest type of RAM is DDR2. It offers even faster access rates and is quickly becoming the standard for computer memory.

Hard Drive
All the data contained in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off, so there has to be a place to store it permanently. This is what the hard disk is for.

It holds the computer’s operating system. An operating system like Windows uses around four gigabytes of hard drive space. The extra space is used to install computer programs and to store your personal data.

80 gigabyte hard drives are common, but much larger are available. Furthermore, you can install more than one in a computer case for added security and convenience.

Peripherals
All you need to complete the basic computer system is a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Accessories like a printer or scanner are useful for office work, and gamers will probably want to add speakers and joystick controls.

So there you have it. The basic computer needs just seven major components. For the best performance, these components must integrate well. The motherboard is the most important component for determining the type and specification of the other parts. Choosing an appropriate mobo for your computer needs is the first step and may require a quick call to your local geek.

Soon, YOU will be considered the local geek!

John Pawlett runs My Own Data, an informative data site that looks into all aspects of data from recovery to acquiring.

Article Source: Ezine Articles

Tags: myowndata.com, my own data, computer component, ram, hard drive, peripheral, cpu, memory, motherboard, ezine articles

Almost anyone can learn to program. There are only a few requirements (like having access to a computer), and you don’t have to be a genius. (Well… it helps if you are a genius, I suppose, but you don’t HAVE to be one).

This article addresses some of the motivations you might have for wanting to learn to program computers, looks at some things to consider, and discusses a few different ways to start learning now!

What is it you want to do?
There are a lot of reasons for wanting to learn computer programming, and what you want to do with it can help guide you in choosing your path in learning. Perhaps you are interested in programming as a career. In that case you will want to make sure you are learning things that will make you attractive to those who hire programmers. On the other hand, you might just be looking for a fascinating hobby, and in that case you can let be a bit more casual about what you learn and focus only on things that interest you.

Maybe you need to automate various applications you use at work. For example, perhaps you want to automate a word processor to do mailing labels or a spreadsheet to do customized financial forecasting, or maybe you want to write computer games, or have a cool Web site, or… the reasons are endless, just as the things you can do with a computer are.

The languages you learn will be influenced by these things, as well as the approach you will want to take as you begin to learn to do computer programming.

What resources do you have available?
Time, money, people who can help guide you, computers, books, programming clubs, classes, programming forums… these are all resources that will be handy as you are learning to program.

If you have a lot of time and money, a computer, and access to learning opportunities like college classes and developer group meetings, you will probably be able to learn at a rapid pace. If you can only spend an hour or so each day, and you don’t have your own computer, and you can only buy one or two books, you will have to adjust your expectations a bit. However, either way, or somewhere in-between, you will be able to learn to program.

What is the level of your motivation?
This is a very important consideration. This isn’t going to be easy. You are going to need to keep going even when things seem impossible and you can’t find the answers you need. It takes a fair amount of brain power, will power, and the ability to work things out. You will be well served if you can muster a “stick-it-out” kind of attitude.

One of the attractions of computer programming is that there is a lot of problem solving, and you will have to solve a lot of them both while you are learning as well as when you are using your skills to do useful things. It takes a lot of interest and dedication to stick with it long enough to get somewhere - if this still sounds good to you, you will probably do okay.

So, how to get started?
There are a lot of ways to go about getting started. You can get started today, regardless of how you are going to approach this over the long run. Here are a few tips on getting started quickly:

• Learn in baby steps - Start with something very easy, and add to it. There is no advantage to jumping in with both feet unless you have unlimited time and resources.
• The quickest way to start might be to use a language that comes with software you already have. For example, you can do a great deal of programming in Microsoft Word using Visual Basic for Applications. There are numerous commercial software applications that include a way to enhance them using programming or scripting languages.
• Here is another idea for getting started quickly: There are simple languages available with almost every operating system (Windows, Linux, Mac) for automating your repetitive tasks. For example, in Windows you can use VBScript. Again - a simple Internet search will get you lots of information.
• Pick a more full featured language that is available free - To get started with the least expense and as quickly as possible, one approach is to download a programming environment for free on the Internet. For example, you can download the Ruby language and everything you need to work with it for free. Another example is the Microsoft .NET Express languages (VB.NET or C# are good choices) - again, you can download everything you need for free from Microsoft. A little Internet search on either “Ruby Language” or “Microsoft .NET Express” will get you all the info you need.
• Use the Internet - You already know this or you wouldn’t be reading this article, but the Internet is full of resources to help you learn to program. That makes sense, since the Internet has been created and programmed by programmers. A lot of programmers are willing to share their knowledge through free tutorials, forums, tips sites, and articles. You will find links to a lot of good resources just by doing a simple search. One thing is certain, there is no shortage of information.
• Work with what you have, or what you can easily get - To get started quickly, my advice is to do something right away and keep doing something every day. Soon you will be better able to judge what areas are most interesting to you and best fit your needs, as well as where to get the information you need to keep progressing.
• Buy used books - Many of the book sellers on the Internet now offer used books through a network of thousands of book re-sellers and private individuals. You can save a lot of money this way.
• Once you get started, write simple programs that help you automate something that is wasting your time. For example, if at the end of every day you make a backup of the files you worked on during the day by copying the files “by hand” to a CD, you could write a program that automatically searches your working folders and copies the files for you - without you having to do anything. The extra time you get from each little helper program you write is time you can use to learn more about programming.
• Find a computer programmers “user group” somewhere near you. Almost all larger cities have such groups that meet on a regular basis - usually monthly. Many of these meetings are free, and usually they provide presentations on “how-to” do various programming tasks. They often also have study groups and beginners sessions. Not all languages are represented in all cites - but anything is better than nothing, so it can be worthwhile to attend any meeting of this sort that you can find that is within a reasonable distance.
• Take a beginners course at a local community college or extended studies program. These classes are usually offered at a very reasonable cost, and will help you get started. I have found a number of these classes available on line - and if you are eligible for entry, it can be very convenient to take a course this way.

It’s time to get started
Programming can be fun, challenging, useful, and profitable. Not everyone has the nature or interest to become a full-time programmer, but almost anyone who can use a computer can learn to do something useful or fun with computer programming. If you think it is something you might enjoy, then I encourage you to give it a try and see what it’s all about. It is going to take time and dedication to become proficient, but it all starts with a single step. So now is the time.

Roy “Woody” Zuill is a Senior Software Engineer who has been programming computers for over 25 years. He currently works for an international software company that provides customized customer care and billing software for businesses all over the world, and has previously taught computer programming at a state university. His site is full of information, articles, book reviews, useful links, and helpful tips about learning to program computers.

Article Source: Ezine Articles

Tags: computer programming, roy zuill, woody zuill, learntoprogramnow.com, ezine articles

When it comes to camera batteries, I feel jinxed. I have a really nice digital camera, and I have to have special batteries for it. They don’t recommend AA for it, and even if they did, that would never work. AA batteries always seem to die in about an hour in a digital camera anyway, so that would be a huge waste of money. My camera recommended two different types of batteries so I went with the first one that I could find. It was a good brand, and it seemed to be a common battery. I saw that this type was made by a variety of companies, so I thought they wouldn’t be that hard to find in the future.

My wife actually found the camera batteries that I needed. She found a rechargeable version that came with an adaptor so I could charge the battery in my car. The price was really good too, and I took it home and charged it over night. The camera batteries worked great, and they charged in about two hours after the initial charge, and they lasted a lot longer than the AA ever would.

When it came time to go on vacation this year, I thought it might be a good idea to get some extra rechargeable camera batteries so I wasn’t left without a camera while waiting for a charge. I went back to the store where I bought the rechargeable and found that they didn’t have any more. I didn’t get worried until I went into five different stores looking for my specific camera batteries and came home empty handed.

As it turned out, they had discontinued the camera batteries that I need. You can buy them in the disposable variety, but I wasn’t going to find another of this type that I can recharge. This means that I either spend a lot of money buying disposable camera batteries or I switch to the other type my camera will take. I have to invest in a new charger all over again in order to have a spare rechargeable. Too top it all off, my daughter has hidden the charger I have for my current battery, so I can’t even use that now. Wouldn’t you know I’ve seen a rainbow, my daughter colored herself with marker, and we had Thanksgiving dinner with family all within the last twenty-four hours. So much for saving the memories.

Writer Idan Lavi recommends: For Best Digital Camera information and accessories, visit DigitalCameraWiz.com

Article Source: Ezine Articles

Tags: digital camera, camera battery, batteries, vacation, idan lavi, digitalcamerawiz.com

An article from the latest email newsletter from Writer’s Digest shares a bad experience a writer ran into with blogging. The writer, I believe, didn’t do anything wrong. Successful blogging requires authenticity, but the writer got burned instead.

Sandra Scoppettone, the blogger mentioned in the article, regularly blogged about the writing life. Then trouble came with this blog entry. The article summarizes what happened as a result of the entry:

Two Novembers ago, she blogged about her editor’s departure from publishing and laid bare her anxieties about her future as a published writer. By day’s end, Scoppettone had been pilloried in the comments section of her site — as well as on others’ sites — for her ‘ageist’ attitude and for complaining about the lack of follow-through on promised marketing plans. What she believed was an honest, thoughtful post brought her nothing but scorn.

Was it wrong of her to write about her feelings? Her blog was about the writing life and she was honest about how the changing of editors affected her. Perhaps, it would’ve been better not to discuss the age issue, but look at it from an “experienced” standpoint.

That’s one nice thing about working virtually with my clients. I have no idea what they look like, how old they are, or anything else that would be given away if they should walk into my office. Some judge me as soon as I open my mouth and make a sound. If it weren’t for email and the Internet, I would most likely not be the writer I am today. People get to know ME without letting my speech or trouble understanding their speech interfere.

While blogging, I try to remember to ask this question, “If I were interviewing for a job or freelance work, would I want the potential employer or client to read this?” Of course, you want to remain honest and real. It’s about balance.

My oldest is big on MySpace. I had a conversation with her where I warned her about how she represents herself on MySpace. College admissions personnel and future employees could read that stuff one day. It was a challenging conversation and I hope she understood.

Seriously (Thank you, Grey’s Anatomy). Short of not talking about themselves online, how can teens avoid anything that might not go over well with a future employer? Kids will be kids. They’ll pull pranks, do things they regret. That’s growing up. They learn from experience. Some grow up maturely and others don’t mature till later.

Heck, Steve Wozniak of Apple fame pulled a prank during Apple’s big and first event where the company introduced the Apple II. In reading this story in his autobiography, I expected a fallout because a prank would affect the company’s reputation. It worked out in the end, but this is an analogy of what you could “write” online that would be considered “politically incorrect.”

Now I’m wondering if this discussion about teens is ‘ageist’ and will get me in trouble. Unwritten rules for what to write on the Internet continue to get more complicated.

Vous commentez?

Tags: blogging, writing

A Saskatchewan man is hoping to trade away his Christmas present, a tin of beef bandages, for a farm. Ernie Pearce of Moose Jaw chuckled after he opened the weird Christmas gift that he had received from his wife Trina and stated, after a few minutes, recalling what Kyle MacDonald had done with one red paper clip in trading it up for a house with the town of Kipling, Saskatchewan, he would use his new gift to trade up for something much bigger; he would trade up his tin of beef bandages to a farm. Joking with Trina what he was now going to do, all she said was, “it had better be livable.” It’s not clear if she fully understood what would soon transpire, but as Ernie points out, “Her only stipulation was that it be livable. Before or after we move in, I didn’t bother to ask. I figure, why push the issue?” Only a week now after Christmas and a new blog, Beef Bandage, has been set up and Ernie is on his way to making his first trade towards a farm.

You may remember Ernie Pearce from a few of his weird eBay auctions, The Mystery Envelope, which he sold to Golden Palace Casino for $7,600.00. What was in the mysterious 19 cent envelope still hasn’t been revealed by either Ernie or Golden Palace. His second weird auction, which was also purchased by Golden Palace - advertising on a giant pumpkin - was shown world wide via the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the entire 2005 growing season of this monster vegetable. So as his wife will attest, Ernie is no stranger when it comes to not only coming up with some weird ideas, but also succeeding in carrying out his idea and reaching the end goal. While the idea of trading up one item for another is not new, his quest to reach his goal has already started off on a different foot. Yep, that’s right, he is seeking an official sponsor for this weird adventure. He wants publicity and exposure a sponsor can bring and in exchange will offer the sponsor name mentions both verbal and visual in all forms including media and use of anything associated with his trades. What’s the cost of this sponsorship? Well as Ernie puts it, “I don’t know, what have you got to trade? After all, that’s the name of the game. Go ahead: email me an offer I can’t refuse.”

Let the trading begin. I can’t wait to see who will be the first to make a reality television show out of this.

Tags: beef bandage, beefbandage.com, ernie pearce, ebay, trade, trading, paper clip

We live in a great day and age. Information is readily available at all times. We have cable TV, radio, computer applications, and the Internet. We’re experiencing information overload most of the time.

Unfortunately, some people are not able to take advantage of the benefits of the information age. The reasons may range from lack of access to an inability to use information literacy tools. And some people are not interested in the benefits of technology and information.

However, there is only one real barrier to taking advantage of the information age. The irony is most people impose the barrier on themselves. Yes, it is true.

There is one fundamental skill needed to take advantage of all the information around us. Everyone has the skill in varying degrees. The skill is reading. Yes, reading is the only mandatory skill needed to take advantage of the information age. How else can one assimilate all the knowledge available to us?

Now, let’s consider why people don’t realize reading is their barrier to the information age. The simple answer would be the reason why they are reading. There are two main reasons why people read. The reasons are for pleasure and work.

People read for pleasure and leisure. There are thousands of books published every year on a multitude of topics. The bookstores are full of books and magazines. You can read fiction and or non-fiction. The thing about doing anything for pleasure and leisure is you get to it when you can. And there is nothing wrong with that.

People read work related material. There is email, reports, and paperwork of all kinds to be read. And much of this reading can be tedious and boring. Work related reading can cause fatigue and negatively impact reading for any other reason. Outside of the regular reading material for work there are trade journals and magazines to be read. Truly, this kind of reading is enjoyable but your employer may not allot time for it on the clock.

You need to be aware of another kind of reading. This kind of reading will allow you to take advantage of the information age. You should be reading for expert knowledge. Now reading for expert knowledge is not quite the same as reading for leisure or for the job. Reading for expert knowledge has a different end result. The end result of reading for knowledge is to become an authority on a topic. When you read this way, you are reading to gain insights, skills, tips, hints, tricks of the trade, and an insider’s working knowledge of a topic. When you read this way, you systematically read trade journals and magazines, articles, and books for a specific period of time. You may read about one topic for a year and then move on to a related topic. Or you may read several books on one topic over a long weekend. Read several authors with opposing views to get a sound overview of any subject or topic. Find other media and opportunities to supplement your quest for expert knowledge. In no time, you will discover that you know more about your topic than the average Joe.

So, how else can you benefit from reading? Reading will give you ideals. Reading will challenge your views, and expose your biases and prejudices. Reading will introduce you to new people and places. Reading will inspire you. Reading will tickle you. Reading will make you change your ways. Reading will tug on your heartstrings. Reading will give you many hours of enjoyment. And by the way, reading will make you smart.

Sean Caruthers works with computers and teaches others to do the same at a local community college. His company, Computer Smart, helps people get the most out of technology. You can sign up for his free ezine here or email him at sean@caruthers.biz.

Article Source: Ezine Articles

Tags: read, book, library, information age, sean caruthers, tech

Anyone who uses a computer on a regular basis has been faced with a 404 error message. This irritating little obstacle to our research or fun-search activities can be a bit of an irritation for most of us. The 404 error message commonly appears when we request a URL that the server does not have. For some reason, the server chooses to simply flash a 404 error message rather than providing us with the information that we need. All we know from the information provided is that the page has not been found. This is usually a default message that most Web servers return when someone requests a URL that the server does not have. This is not to suggest that the URL does not exist.

The 404 error message is in violation to basic rules for error messages in general, according to some of its critics. The critics suggest that the 404 error message needs to be written in layman’s terms so anyone who reads it understands exactly what has happened. Every time I have gotten one, I immediately thought that I made a mistake. Of course, the first thing we do when we make a mistake is re-enter the information just to be faced with another 404 error message. We may try again and again until we reach the number of entering the same information over and over again that makes us realize that it may not be entirely our fault.

Unfortunately, we usually check one more time just to be sure. The next step is to blame our source of information. We double check our source to make sure that we were given the right URL only to see that we were right. Filled with self-doubt, we go right back on to the server and enter the same URL again just to find a 404 error message staring right back at us.

We do all of this simply because the server broke a very important rule They need to make the error message clear as day for anyone using the server, not just the technically-savvy individuals who know not to waste time entering and re-entering the same URL over and over again. Sometimes it is the user’s fault but there is no way of knowing this through the 404 error message. The second rule the servers break is not specifying what the user has done wrong. The vague information usually leaves the server confused and irritated. It is annoying when you know that there is something wrong but you don’t know what it is.

About the Author
Paul I. Etkin provides readers with up-to-date commentaries, articles, and reviews for the Internet, technology, and other related information at techguidezone.com.

Tags: 404, 404 error, error message, paul i etkin, techguidezone.com