Windows 10 is Coming

Windows 10 is to be released on July 29. Seven ate Nine, that's what they're saying. So, no Microsoft Windows 9, we're going straight to ten. You might think that Windows 10 is so named, in order to finally catch up with OS X, but that "version" has been around for an awfully long time, and Apple's naming conventions are even weirder than Microsoft's. They've gone through a list of big cats, and are now on obscure California towns for their version names. Microsoft has gone from numbers (3.0, 3.1, 3.11), to years (95, 98) to a series of modifiers (me, XP, Vista) back to numbers (7, 8, 8.1, 10). But apparently, due to those nineties years, the "9" is dangerous coding, so 10 it is.



It's a nice round, clean number. It's one they're likely to stick with for a while. And it's free, at least for many users. That's important, when you realize that Apple has had low-cost or free upgrades for a while, and how poorly received Windows 8/8.1 were with consumers. I myself never cared for 8, warmed to 8.1, but never found any need whatsoever for Microsoft's "new"-style apps. I know they were going for cross-platform uniformity, for ease of transition from phone to tablet to laptop to desktop. But these different devices have very different purposes, and the use of Windows on tablets and phones is very low. Windows' installed base on desktops and laptops is so large, and the users are so well versed in the platform (particularly in XP and 7 flavors), all their effort did was alienate people.

Windows 10 purports to revert back to familiar ground, and that will be welcome. What worries me, is that my "early adopter" urge always wins out over my better sense of caution. Undeterred by issues I had as a beta downloader of Windows 7 and 8, I jumped on Microsoft's offer of "release day" candidates for the 10 upgrade. Now I'm a little bit worried. In both of those cases, there was quite simply no going back. It couldn't be undone. But the chief problem then, was that they were limited time offers that forced me into pricey upgrades later. This time it's free. So, my big worry is that a) some hardware I use will no longer function properly due to driver issues, and that b) some software I used--a few of which weren't supposed to function properly with Windows 7, let alone 10--will finally be non-functional.

Add to that, that I use Parallels on my MacBook Pro to run Windows 7, and I'm bound to have a few Computer Woes posts here on the blog! But here it comes folks, ready or not.

Read more about Windows 10 here.

Warning to Computer Users: Windows XP Being Put Out to Pasture

If you have an older computer, it's almost for certain that it's running Windows XP. Am I right? Maybe Vista, if your machine is really ancient, 98 or Me, but most likely, it's XP. And your frugalness is about to come to an end. Microsoft plans to stop releasing updates to the program in a few weeks, which will leave your computer vulnerable to viruses, malware and your basic nuclear annihilation.

People are already starting to stamp their feet about it. How dare they! Don't they know a huge chunk of computer users still have Windows XP? Yeah. But how long were they really supposed to support the thing? It came out in 2001 you guys. Actually, just a couple of weeks before September 11, 2001. The whole Bush administration and five years of the Obama administration have happened in that time. Were we supposed to get hip-deep into the Clinton (or, shudder, Cruze) administration before they pushed it into its grave?

The fact is, Apple stops supporting its products after just a few years. Microsoft's alone in supporting what amounts to ancient software in computer years. But I'm in the same boat. Though our home systems have Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and OSX Mavericks, at work we must have seven or eight XP machines. After the 2008 financial collapse, we didn't upgrade much. To make matters worse, our software upgrades pretty much stopped with our hardware. . .and the old stuff doesn't run well on new machines! So, we're going to (finally) have some decisions to make.

You've been warned!

[Excerpt]

Microsoft to Take Windows XP Off Life Support Despite Its 29% Market Share

Change: It’s inevitable in and of itself, and it’s inevitable that some people don’t like it. Ars Technica cites a report from Net Market Share contending that Microsoft’s almost-13-year-old operating system, Windows XP, can still be found on almost 30% of computers that connect to the Internet. . .

Read more at: Time

Blast from the Past: Microsoft Upgrade Blues!

I've got Microsoft on the brain. Why? Because I'm what they call an "early adopter." I like the newest, best, most up to date everything, as long as I can afford it. That means, I want updates! Upgrades! And I--like Veruca Salt of Willy Wonka--want it now!

But do you know what happens when what you want is too new for general release, and you download the alpha/beta/preview version? Well, it can mean problems. And it can mean that they might not spell out the problems, or that you--in your excitement for the new thing--might just miss
the thing you should've seen. To make this all a little bit worse (and embarrassing), I've done this before.

What happens is you download the new Windows preview version, and mostly you're happy. It's a shiny, happy, clean install, and exploring is fun! Then you find out. . . whoops! This temporary preview will have to expire at some point, and the real version will have to be installed. And it can't just upgrade, no, no. It has to wipe out the old installation. You'll have to reload all of your programs! And your files may or may not stick around (at worst they could disappear, at best they could move to a different location). I made this mistake with Windows 7 (moving from Windows Vista), and now with Windows 8.1.

In all, it's really not that bad. I've got to put back all my programs, tweak a few settings, move a few files, and the hardest part, get my work files external drive back online where it belongs. Once that is done, everything should be back to normal, and my computer should be better than before, with the kinks all ironed out. But there will be cussing in the meantime. And if you're wondering, yes the Start button is back, it's just a bit different.

 

And, joy of joys, there will be updates to both Apple's OS X (Mavericks) and Android (Jellybean 4.3)very soon too! So, more learning curve on all of my devices. Fortunately, I've never rooted my phone, nor have I tried to get under the hood of my Mac. So those experiences should be a little smoother. Happy Monday, everyone!

PS: Several "glitches" were encountered in my upgrade process: 1) The Windows Store wouldn't load three times in a row; 2) The Windows Store shows no obvious place to get the upgrade, I had to find the link on Microsoft.com; 3) Once I got my download started, there was no obvious place that said it was in the process of downloading; 4) Upon starting for the first time, Windows lost my sound, utterly; 5) Even after going to find the driver for my sound card, Windows lost it again after restarting--I'm still not sure it has permanently "stuck." So, thanks Obama! I guess since Windows 8.1 has glitches on rollout, it should be repealed immediately!!!

UPDATED TO ADD: Windows 8.1 seems to be working just great after initial issues were solved. I put all the apps back, got my settings tweaked to where I want them, and all is (seemingly) well. Even some issues that were cropping up before my upgrade have "healed themselves," and are working just fine. I'm happy to say that except for a bit of the struggle at the beginning, this has actually been a nearly painless upgrade.

Computer Woes Continue

Tired. So very tired of computer issues! I've always been the computer susser-outter, and I can usually suss pretty well. This new set of problems is driving just about to the breaking point. As in breaking my new computer. It would be okay if I knew the source of the problem, and whether or not it is truly fixable. If I found out I had a faulty component, at least I'd know if it was a replace or repair situation.

My problems consist of:

- AOL Mail won't display headers. I can live with this one, but I'm apparently the only one it happens to. In the world.
- PDF reDirect program sluggish and problematic. Again, only me. In the world. But I can live with this too.
- Wireless adapter keeps losing  the ability to "see" networks. ANY networks.
- Portable hard drive loses the ability to BE "seen" when wireless adapter drops out.
- Restoring the computer seems to work until it actually opens, then tells me it failed. With no solutions.

All of these problems have been annoyingly, exasperatingly without answers, and seemingly unique to me. I might be able to save myself some trouble by taking this computer back, and starting over with a replacement. Except that I can't be sure that some or all of these issues evolve out of the software combination I use, along with my quirky hard drive.

So, again, I have little blogging going on, because my brain is fried.

Computer Woes: Everything Back to Normal?

Okay, tip number one: if you have a job deadline, and you need a complete overhaul to your (brand new) computer before you can do it, do not have too much to drink at dinner before you get started. Tip number two: do not continue to drink while you're working!

Yes, there was some revelry at dinner (and cards) with friends we hadn't seen in a month. And yes I really needed to get this work done when I got home. Why cocktails at home too then? Because the work I was doing was so freakin' mind-numbingly frustrating. Still a bad idea, because I can't adequately remember the details of the work I was doing to know if I got it 100% right! What I did manage, even operating at 25% brain capacity:

- Refresh of Windows 8, allegedly without disturbing my files, but wiping out installed applications
- Reinstall of sign software (the most important thing on my computer, for my home office)
- Reinstall of CorelDraw Graphics Suite (the next most important thing)
- Reinstall of AOL 9.7 (because it's just how I work, all right?)

But things still weren't ready to go, because the computer would not recognize my USB dongle for the graphics program. And, the external cloud hard drive was inaccessible. So, since my deadline loomed for a work project, I logged in on The Other Half's computer (my old computer), where I'd wisely kept everything intact under my user identity. It's the very first time I've found the separate computer user accounts even remotely worth the effort. But, I found, the move from one room to the other (literally only one room away) was just too much for the iomega/Lenovo cloud drive, which refused access! OHMYGOD! It's supposed to be accessible from anywhere in the world (so long as you send an evite and download their cumbersome software on the receiving computer). No dice.

SIGN MAKERS: If you're trying to install an older version of Gerber Omega Composer (like my 2.6.1), ignore warnings that it isn't compatible, and when it says it can't find the dongle? Try unplugging it and replugging it, and try again. If that doesn't work, try reinstalling the Sentinel driver, and--same deal--unplug and replug as necessary. I've done this three times now, twice on this computer and once on my mom's to test the program. Once you are successful, it seems to "stick," and remembers where the dongle is. Or, pony up the $1000 for an upgrade to the new version. Though I'm not sure Gerber has certified its compatibility either.

So--moderately hung over--I had to solve that problem, achieved by going around the Lenovo software, and directly through the network via Windows Explorer. Mapped the cloud drive, and all is right with the world, or at least in The Other Half's office, and I got my work done. Afterwards, I had little interest in working on computers any more, but really kind of had to. I don't need a deadline in front of me again, without being ready. So, back to my office, and. . .

- I re-setup Windows 8.1, because Microsoft didn't offer me a choice. Once you've got it, you've apparently got it for good. This is okay though, because faced with 8 after having 8.1 is weird.
- I got the computer to recognize the sign software (Gerber Composer 2.6.1, and older version that does work with Windows 8 if you futz around with it), with the dongle
- I had the exact same issue with the cloud drive as on my old computer, so once again did an end-run via Windows Explorer, and map the drive that way (screw you, Lenovo!)
- I reimported all of my personal settings for the graphics software, for Internet Explorer, set up my computer to be my computer, something I'd done only two weeks before
- I'm now rebuilding my documents, music and other files, which went away. Though I know I refreshed using the option that allegedly doesn't damage your files, I sure can't find 'em, not even with Windows fancy new search tool

Here's where I'd like to ask a general question of my readers about music stored on a PC. From one PC to the next, I've built my music library, cobbled from here and there, copying the whole thing to the next newer PC. Along the way, I eventually ripped all of my CDs to the computer, and of course downloaded a bunch of music through Amazon, and through the library.

On every computer, at any given time, I'd notice that songs would disappear. She's So Unusual by Cyndi Lauper may be missing track 1 (track 1 always seems the most susceptible), 3, 4 and 9. If I have multiple albums by the same artist, it would always seem that at least some of them would be missing tracks. And the collection seems to get more Swiss-cheesy over time. Does anyone know why this happens? I can't be the only one it happens to.

And that has been my life the last week or so. I've destroyed my brain cells (and I don't mean just with alcohol!), ignored other facets of life, and been fairly unpleasant to be around. All while sticking to my Atkins Diet and exercise program! And I still have some work to do. But I have to say, I'm very nearly to a place where I'm happy with my PC purchase, and closer to actually liking Windows 8.1.

Funny thing, though. The initial thing that lead to all of these problems--trying to fix my AOL mail to properly display headers--still doesn't display headers. And since they briefly worked with the refresh of Windows 8, but not after the refresh of 8.1? I think we've found the culprit.

Nokia Lumia Commercial Mocks iPhone and Android Fans

It's hard out there for a Windows phone. How do you make a splash when you're on a platform that is way, way behind iPhone and Android in the mobile phone race? By making a  brilliant and funny video that skewers Phandroids and iPhans, that's how! It's true, there is a war brewing between fans of Android and Apple's iOS platforms. It's ultimately pretty silly, no different than the PC vs. Mac wars of recent years. [Story continues below]


The whole thing stems from a perceived snobbishness by Apple product users (ie., "The Cult of Mac), who look down their noses at Microsoft and now Google users. I've experienced it first hand, it really is a "thing." I myself am bi-platform on computers (whee, look at me!), And only picked Android due to the timing of my previous phone's unceremonious drowning in the washing machine. The iPhone 4 wasn't out yet, and I needed a phone right away, so I opted for the Samsung Epic 4G, after toying with a lesser phone. That was replaced by the HTC Evo 4G when the Epic got crushed by a car. Now, the Evo is on its last dying breath, and I'm eagerly awaiting a Samsung Galaxy S4 (the enormous phone in the commercial), though I flirted with getting the HTC One. . .still could change my mind, who knows.

But I never pondered a Windows phone (or BlackBerry, or iPhone) as a replacement. It's not brand loyalty or fandom. I want--finally--a top-of-the-line phone at the very beginning of my 2-year contract. I don't want an immediately obsolete one. I'd have to wait several months for an iPhone, and my old one isn't going to last that long, and by now I'm not sure I'd want to switch anyway.

But good on Nokia for giving it their best shot.

Computer Woes: Mac Edition (and the Chaos at the Apple Store)

When people tell you that PCs are trouble, and that Macs are trouble-free, don't believe them. First of all, just check out the used ones on eBay, and see all of the issues some of the older ones have. Second, check out an Apple store some time. The one I visited today at Town Square in Las Vegas was sheer chaos. And they couldn't even help me. But let's back up.

I'm a "PC" from way back to the days of DOS 2.0. I'm self taught, and fairly competent as a computer Mr. Fixit, both with hardware and with software. I don't get down to soldering, but right up to that line. Still, I thought it was important to learn something about Macintosh computers. It was a glaring hole in my resume, and my reputation as a techie was suffering for it. So, when we wanted to replace our underpowered Celeron laptop--always our "extra" computer anyway--I decided it was time to dip a toe into the iUniverse.

I have this one.

The first one was a PowerMac G4 15" system. This was in 2010, and it was a 2005 computer, though it had been top-of-the-line when purchased. Even so, it was dreadfully slow, to the point of being useless for the Adobe graphics software it was bought to run, and it couldn't be upgraded at all. So, in 2011, I opted to upgrade the whole computer. I sold off all of our extraneous computer hardware and software (to justify the purchase), and bought a 2008 model MacBook Pro 15. It came with the Adobe CS5.5 Suite, a boatload of other software, and was upgradable to the newest version of OS X.

The newer system had some flaws, notably that the lid wouldn't latch, there was pitting to the aluminum case, and some bright splotches on the screen. Nothing I couldn't live with though, and otherwise I have really liked it. Other than a tenancy to get very warm, I had little complaint with the system. Programs opened with reasonable speed, everything worked fairly well, crashes were few (though they do happen), and "force closes" usually solved any issues. Until this weekend, when the screen flipped out.

Here's the craptastic screen when this happens.

In the middle of routine usage, the screen got scrambled with random noise, and no further work was possible. I had to power down by holding the power button in until it quit. Rebooting didn't solve the problem, though it would work normally while cool, and then freak out again. Online research turned up a video card problem, one that Apple knows about but which they don't fix for free anymore. Which is fine, I didn't expect free anyway. So after trying to sniff out the problem myself didn't yield a way to fix it, I did what apparently all Mac users do in such situations: I made an appointment with the "geniuses" at the Apple Store.

As I said before, the store itself was chaotic. First, it's enormous, and was filled with people, both employees and customers. Even though I had an appointment, there was no obvious place to queue up, no one seemingly in charge, no "take a number," no list of customer names. No one asked me if I had an appointment, or even acknowledged that I was on this physical plane. After sitting frustrated at the "Genius Bar" for a few minutes, I and some other customers made enough noise to suss out the girl with the appointment list. After that, I was waited on right away, and just as quickly told my computer would cost more to fix than it would be worth. Totaled, in other words. They gave me a list of authorized service centers, and I tried one with the same answer.

My self diagnosis of the graphics card was accurate. But it is such a weird problem. The card only fritzes out when the computer gets hot. And sometimes the screen comes back, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it will reboot normally, sometimes it won't. When I had it at Fry's for the second opinion, the screen did something new, acting like it had a short or something. And now that I have it home? Random issues still, though I got it to stay up longer. The situation is far weirder than any graphics card issue I've ever had on a PC.

My suspicion--which I asked the Apple Genius about, but he dismissed--is that I have either bad fans, or bad instructions being sent to the fans. I say this because that fan used to make a crapload of noise sometimes, and now the Mac is utterly silent. I don't think the fans are running. The question then is, can I replace the fans? If I do, is it already too late, has the graphics card been semi-toasted?

Working fine now? What?

I don't know. But I'm finding that used Macs on eBay have gone up in price since I was away, and the new ones? DAMN.

So, again, don't believe them when they tell you Apple products are trouble free.

UPDATE: Guess what? I turned the Mac on to get some stuff off of it (handy that I can do that, of course), and everything's peachy. No kidding, it's been up and running for--at last check--1 hour, 32 minutes. Without error. WTF? Is it having a last hurrah?

UPDATE: And then it gave up, about 2 hours in. Fuzzy again. I closed the lid, opened it later to a black screen, seemingly nothing. Then I noticed the perfectly clear spinning "beach ball." Which I can move around the screen. But I can't do anything else. Apple, this is a freaky, weird issue you've got going. I've had flawed hardware, but nothing that acts like this.

Blast from the Past: The Amazing World of Computers!

As I write this in the late afternoon on Sunday, I'm saddened by the fact that my vacation is almost over. Don't cry for me, though. Though the vacation-at-home was unpaid, it was greatly anticipated, and thoroughly enjoyed. Ten days! It's just amazing how fast they can go by, and how little of what was planned actually got done. At this time tomorrow, I'll have finished my first day back at work, and have just three more days before my usual three-day weekend. So it's not so bad, is it?

Frankly though, I'm a bit out of the blogging habit. I've managed to get a few things up, but largely took a break from my hobby as well as my work. I did manage to use my new(ish) MacBook Pro, but alas, didn't learn much new. In fact, I mostly played Bejeweled 3, and surfed the internets!

Now, I sit in front of my PC, wondering what to make this post about. With the Iowa Caucuses two days away, naturally I'm thinking politics. But that's not very fun. I've watched quite a few movies this weekend, but that doesn't make for a post either. Then, I was thinking about this PC, my Mac, my older Mac, the computers I just got rid of to pay for the Mac. And I realized I've had a lot of computers. Some of them would barely qualify as a doorstop now! So, okay, I wonder if I can find some old computer commercials and videos? Let's see. . .

1. Bill Bixby for the Radio Shack TRS-80! This was a last gasp for that brand.
2. Commodore 64, the first computer I ever had.





3. Atari 400 computer, an attempt to grow the brand from a video console.
4. Bill Cosby for Texas Instruments, a contender for a brief time.



5. Dick Cavett for the Apple II.
6. IBM "PC Jr." Yes, that was a real thing.



7. Commodore Amiga, a computer ahead of its time.
8. Microsoft Windows 3.1. It's not a computer, but it was the birth of Windows as the software we all use on our PCs.



And with that, I'll close for now. Partly because these Blast from the Past posts are extremely difficult to format. The Blogger software EATS the videos while I'm editing, I'm not kidding! Anyway, have a great new week, new month and new year!

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 Beta: An Early Review

Screenshot of what I see as I type this post in IE9 Beta. Exciting, right?

I've been a beta tester for various products going way back to the early nineties. I like being an "early adopter," but not so much if I have to pay for it. Beta testing software is usually free, and only involves the frustrations of dealing with bugs in the product. I've beta tested AOL since version 4 or so. I've beta tested some sign software. Also Windows XP and Windows 7.  Most of the time, it's pretty cool. Sometimes, you're itching to "undo."

I use software in ways others do not, which is obvious by the number of times I've been able to crash software and hardware, beta or not. When perusing (I hate the term surfing) the internet, I most often use AOL, even after all these years. I like the container aspect of it, with all my windows arranged as I want them. Doing the same thing with other browsers involves too much shifting windows to the front. AOL just works for me.  But when it comes to blogging, checking my page hits, using Facebook, TDAmeritrade, Twitter and such, I mostly use Microsoft Internet Explorer. And so far, I'm making no fans among PC geeks (or the Cult of Mac either).  I do use Safari on my Mac PowerBook, and both Firefox and Google Chrome on the PC on occasion, so simmer down.

But I tend to mostly toggle between AOL and IE8. But the other day, Internet Explorer was having fits with Blogger, the Google application on which I write this blog. It just wouldn't behave. But I remembered that I'd seen a "try IE9 Beta!" ad recently, and thought I'd give it a try. What the hey, right? So I went to Microsoft's web site, and there it was. Downloading and installation was a breeze, and very quick. It asked me to reboot, as expected, so I did.

After the quick reboot (something I truly dig about Windows 7), I noticed that the blue "e" logo on the IE button was slightly (but not very) different. I clicked it, and greeted my new browser. There is no "title bar" as there is in most Windows programs. Nothing is up there to indicate what program you're using. The "Back" button is the largest thing in the top area of the screen for some reason, but its bottom is lopped off (which looks like an error). The address bar is right up there next to "back" and "forward", and the page tabs line up right beside that, higher than they used to be. And that's it. There's no menu bar, no shortcut buttons, no "home" no "print" no nothing. It's very disconcerting.

After a Google search, I found that you can bring the menu bar back by pressing an "ALT" key. But so far, I have to do that every time I want the menus. It won't stay put. The shortcut buttons can be accessed from the "View" menu after you press "ALT." Same with the Command Bar, Status Bar and other things. Curious that there is no obvious place to do this if you don't know about pressing "ALT."  But you know the worst part? Everything seems to work fine in Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 Beta. . .except Blogger. Every Blogger blog is herky jerky, and scrolls like you've got a bad connection. Grrrr. Maybe the next release will be better.

Is Microsoft an Underdog?

This past week, while I was back in Ohio, I ended up--as I often do--doing a lot of computer repairs for my family. I recreated Mom's defunct home wireless network, I resucitated Mom's year-old but dead as a doorstop HP TouchSmart computer, I refreshed Mom's slightly older notebook computer, and helped salvage a hard drive from my sister's and brother-in-law's ancient business computer (destroying the rest of the computer in the process).

Image from source, Huffington Post

These procedures were performed on machines running various iterations of Microsoft Windows (Millenium Edition, XP, Vista and 7), all with their attendant ideosyncracies. Along the way, I got to thinking, what's the future of Microsoft anyway? While the overwhelming majority of computers still run on one of those operating systems, the era of boxed software on a specific platform is clearly waning. Even a long-time Mac-O-Phobe like me now owns a Mac. We've got smart telephones with their own software (only a minority of which are run by Microsoft software). We've got PS3s and Blu-ray players that wirelessly connect to the internet. There are countless other devices, new ones all the time, and many of them are neither Microsoft Windows, nor Mac OSX related. And even when they are, there are tons of ways to get your work done without laying out $300 to upgrade to the latest Office suite.

For years, it has been obvious that we're headed to some sort of convergance of all of this technology. The real winner is going to be whatever company becomes dominant in tying together our entertainment systems, computing systems, gaming systems, cable, and telephone into one cohesive, interconnected thing. That's my opinion anyway. And who knows, it could be Microsoft. Or it could be CyberDyne Systems, and we could be headed for the dystopian future of The Terminator.

[Excerpt]

Microsoft's Cracked Windows: How The World's Technology Juggernaut Lost Its Buzz And Became The 'Underdog'



. . .Microsoft as underdog. At the beginning of this decade, this description would have been ridiculous, like referring to the Yankees as an unsung, longshot baseball club. From the spread of personal computing through the dawn of the World Wide Web, its software governed the desktops of more than nine in ten desktop computers. Microsoft was so dominant that it became a symbol of monopoly power run amok, supposedly snuffing out innovation. Its rivals affixed pejorative labels like "Death Star" and "Evil Empire. . ."
 
Read more at: Huffington Post

Greenlee Gazette Goes Mac

Okay, as a Mac-O-Phobe, I have to state right out in front that I'm not officially "switching" from PC to Mac.  But I am broadening my horizons, and I am retiring my old (very, very slow Dell Celeron PC) computer to the guest room.  I got the idea one night a couple of weeks ago when the Windows 7 "whited out" repeatedly, and that--originally gorgeous, now merely annoying--blue circle would just spin for no reason.

When this happens, the computer is obviously doing something, I just have no idea what.  My first thought was to drop the computer from an extreme height, enjoy the destruction, and then buy a new Dell or HP to replace it.  Then a bell went off in my head.  Maybe I should consider a Mac.  Not because I hate Microsoft, but because I have zero experience using a Mac, and almost none using Adobe graphics products.

Now, I have no intention of quitting my job, especially in this climate. But I realized that I'm wasting away my (mandatory) Fridays off, and that I should probably find a project. What better way to exercise my brains, gain some knowledge and experience, and boost my resume than to learn how to do graphics on a Mac?  It could even help me with my current job, should we receive a file in this format.

But I didn't want to just run out and buy a new MacBook. That's an expensive experiment.  So, I put up an inquiry on Facebook, and very, very quickly got a response from my friend Tracy. She knew a guy (my new friend Ron) who had a PowerBook G4 for sale. After some back-and-forth messaging, and some advice from friends, I decided to go for it. Especially when I found out it was affordable, and included all the Adobe and Microsoft software I'd need to really complete my experiment! Woo-hoo!

Ron did a great job packaging the Mac up, and it was no problem to set up. There was a slight worry when I ran a software update, which took way longer than I thought it would.  But after that, it was easy-breezy. I'm using it now!

I know that beyond upgrading the memory, this machine is maxed out. Apple no longer updates their MacOS X for this model.  And yes, my friends Travis and Stupid Monkey Planet warned me about that. But this is just to get my feet wet, and my brain acclimated.  Once I'm fluent in MacIntoshese, maybe I'll jump in with both feet. But if anyone ever sees this blog become an affiliate of The Cult of Mac, send in the anti-cult brain-unwashers for me, okay?  I don't want to become a shill for any corporation!

I'll probably get some more RAM for it, just to max it out to its limit. And I'll have to learn (and unlearn) tricks and shortcuts (such as a keyboard shortcut for italics and bolds, etc.), and learn about the file structure and differences from Windows. But I thank Ron and Tracy for this chance to embiggen my brain!

Blue Screen of Death NOT Vanquished in Windows 7

Image from Photobuok

Sigh. I like Windows 7, I really do. It's pretty. It's sleek. It's faster than earlier versions of Windows. And I'm a Mac-o-Phobe, so I have plenty of motivation for playing up Microsoft's newest operating system. But moments ago, I was stopped in my tracks by the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. While doing. . .well, basically nothing that ought to cause such a thing.

The Blue Screen of Death (BSoD), for the uninitiated, is a fatal error on a Windows computer. The screen turns blue, with white or light blue text on it (a less common varient is the Black Screen of Death). The text is meaningless--like it is on any Windows error box--to anyone but someone who speaks machine language, or your mythical, all-knowing "system administrator." Unlike other errors, however, there is no coming back from a BSoD. Whatever you were working on is goneski. You might easily be able to reboot your machine, or you might have to physically unplug the thing. On rare occasions, even your friendly neighborhood computer guru (like me) can't help you, and you're either off to the Geek Squad, or to buy a new computer.

This morning, on my laptop computer (an admittedly entry-level machine), I had open AOL 9.5, Internet Explorer 8 and Spider Solitaire. Unable to endure the Sunday morning chat-fests with undivided attention, I was mid-move in the solitaire game, actually hitting the "M" key to get a hint on my next move, when DINK! Blue Screen of Death. Instantly, no segue, no warning. Now, the computer did almost immediately restart, Windows loaded quickly, and I was informed that I'd recovered from an error, and that the computer would report the problem to Microsoft. A little creepy, but all right.

But isn't this BSoD issue supposed to be vanquished? Couldn't Microsoft have at least changed the colors or appearance of it, just out of shame? Go ahead and laugh, Cult of Mac. Sometimes we deserve it. Just remember, your "perfect" system has its issues too. . .

Computer Woes: Windows 7 Arrives

This isn't so much "computer woes" as it is just a headache. It isn't exactly Microsoft's fault (or maybe it is). I downloaded the "release candidate" of Windows 7 for free this summer. That was my first mistake. Or Microsoft's. I'm still not sure.

See, the freebie download was for a limited time, meaning it eventually expires. It was also the "Ultimate" edition, which I either missed, or was not indicated. Anyway, I arranged to pre-order my "Home Premium" version, two copies, at a reduced price at the same time I did the download. It was after that purchase was final that I noticed, "Hey, this is Windows 7 Ultimate!" Oh, crap!

So, I waited for the upgrades to come. When they did, I quickly ascertained, yes I could upgrade, but only to a clean installation. Which means basically, a new operating system on a functionally new computer. But you have to reinstall all of your old programs, and backup then restore all of your files.

Mostly, it's working out fine. I'd forgotten about a program or two that I now have to sort out. I can't seem to load my old emails into AOL, but I've found a workaround for that. My biggest issue is with my two printers. Both Canon and HP offer Windows 7 drivers, but so far, they are being quite uncooperative. Sigh.

Anyway, by and large I would recommend Windows 7. It makes the computer run faster, and it's pretty snazzy. And most of you will not have gone the route that I did. Serves me right for having to be a first-adopter! Good luck with yours.

Microsoft to Offer Free Security Software

Microsoft has had egg on its face for quite a while with Windows Vista, and Apple has been happy to rub it in. I myself haven't had any problem with Vista, but I only have it on my notebook computer, which I don't use very often, so I'm not a good gauge.

Still, almost everybody uses Windows anyway, in one form or another. And most of us are stuck with several different security programs, some that cost money, others that are free. And almost all of them bog you down when they are running. So the idea of a free, Microsoft-branded security program that isn't a memory hog is fantastic, as far as I'm concerned.

Microsoft has had to fight many lawsuits over the programs it includes in Windows, but I've rolled my eyes at most of them. Apple doesn't get busted for including the kitchen sink in their operating software, so why should Microsoft? Security software is a natural inclusion. And if I may make a suggestion, a Print2Email type feature would be a natural too.

[Excerpt]

Microsoft Plans Free Software To Shield PCs

The Redmond, Wash., company said it plans to introduce its security software, code-named Morro, during the second half of next year in an effort to persuade more users to secure their PCs against spyware, viruses and other forms of "malware." Use of antimalware software is far from universal, especially in emerging markets. . .

Read more at: Wall Street Journal

Blogger Alert! SiteMeter Fixed

UPDATE 08/02/08: SiteMeter is working again. Too bad it was out too. At the time I removed the meter, I was on the road to my best day ever for visitors. Rats!

ORIGINAL POST:

Apparently, the cause of my Blogger woes was a problem for many of you too. If you're using Internet Explorer and the site you're visiting contains a SiteMeter. So, this is a public service announcement:

BLOGGER ALERT, BLOGGER ALERT!

The SiteMeter service--which I love, and a complete addict of--is apparently being upgraded right now. But something is causing Internet Explorer (and AOL) to crash, if the site contains the SiteMeter script. Use FireFox to open your blog (FireFox seems unaffected), remove the widget for SiteMeter, and your blog will work again.

It breaks my heart to do this. I love and probably obsess too much over my "hits" for the day. I'm pretty sure removing the script will halt them completely. I'm definitely going to be going through withdrawal! I'm not sure if SiteMeter itself knows about this glitchy little problem yet. I'll be sending them a letter forthwith.

The error message that appears when hitting a blog with a SiteMeter is: "Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet Site"

Computer Woes: Internet Explorer 7 Issues

I may not have much up on the blog tonight, due to computer issues. For some reason, every time I try to load my blog, I get an error halfway through loading. I read that installing Internet Explorer 8 (Beta) might solve the issue, but that keeps hitting a glitch as well.

I'm using FireFox, but unlike many, I'm not as fond of that program. Once I get this all sorted out, I'll be back. Thanks for visiting anyway!

Apple's New iPhone Debuts: Still, iDon'tCare

Every few months, Apple's Steve Jobs releases a new and improved product. Sometimes it's an iMac, sometimes it's an iPod, this time it's a new version of the iPhone. Wait, didn't the first one just come out? I mean, the last one was heralded as perfection, wasn't it? What can it do now, Julienne french fries?

It would seem that this time, Apple had a few Microsoft-like glitches with the debut. Good. The Cult of Mac needs to be reminded that Apple is just a corporation, not a religion.

[Excerpt]

Apple iPhone v2.0 software on Saturday: Still M.I.A.

Approximately 36 hours after the release of the iPhone 2.0 firmware, existing iPhone customers still can't download it. iTunes says it's unavailable. Apple should have done better.

We already know that on Friday, there were severe activation problems with the iPhone 3G. This isn't exactly a surprise, perhaps, after the new in-store activation procedures and AT&T's dismal performance last year. . .

Read more at: CNet

Bill Gates Leaves Microsoft

Image from source, Breitbart

I started using computers around 1989 (unless you count the Commodore 64, which puts the date at about 1982). I started on an AMSTRAD IBM-clone, with no hard drive, two 5.25" floppy slots, and a CGA screen, which means very limited color. All of this was run on a version of Microsoft's MS-DOS. As computers advanced, and the company I worked for grew, we were soon using a 386-DX with a VGA screen, 20 Megabyte hard drive, Microsoft Windows 3.0, CorelDRAW 2 and PageMaker 3! Woo-hoo, the big leagues!

I give you this brief history only to illustrate that my computer experience has always been based on my knowledge of Microsoft operating systems. I've never understood the hostility some people hold for Microsoft, and have usually enjoyed rolling up my sleeves and tinkering with the software (as well as the hardware). And even as a graphic artist, I have zero affinity for Apple Macintoshes--largely due to the condescending attitudes of Mac users I've had to deal with.

So, Bill Gates has always been--what--not an idol or hero, exactly, but an inspirational figure to me. I mean, say what you will about him, he truly embodies the American dream. Starting a multi-billion dollar business in your garage? Sure, Steve Jobs did that too, but big deal (kidding, Mac cult, don't put a hit on me).

Some of Gates' tactics are a bit troubling. I mean, he basically stole MS-DOS, and sold people on Windows before the thing was even invented. It's a little like selling a war by bending the facts to fit your story. . . OK, that is too harsh. Nobody is that awful, right?

[Excerpt]

Bill Gates surrendering Microsoft helm

A Harvard University dropout who ushered in the home computer age and made billions of dollars along the way will have his last official day of work at Microsoft on June 27.

Three people will essentially fill the void left behind when Bill Gates retires from the company he and friend Paul Allen co-founded in 1975. . .

Read more at: Breitbart

Windows XP: Not Dead Yet!

Microsoft's popular Windows XP operating system has been out for years and years, and would ordinarily be considered obsolete. Remember how stale Windows 95, Windows 98 and especially Windows Me looked after the new versions came out? That is what should have happened to Windows XP when Microsoft introduced Windows Vista.

Vista is a glossy, slick, attractive operating system, though I suppose it isn't as awe- (and cult-) inspiring as the Mac's. But Vista has been plagued with problems. I haven't experienced them, so I can't write from personal knowledge. We still have XP on our home computers, on all of our work computers. . .excepting two laptops, one at work and one at home. Those systems are secondary. . .only used on occasion. So no problems yet.

Microsoft is putting Windows XP out to pasture in June, probably in the hope that more people (like me) will make the switch. But it looks like some of the computer manufacturers have found a loophole that will let them keep selling XP machines to their customers who want them.

[Excerpt]

PC makers find ways to extend XP's life

Facing a June 30 deadline to stop selling PCs with Windows XP, the world's largest computer makers are getting creative.

Taking advantage of the "downgrade rights" offered as part of the Windows Vista license agreement, Hewlett-Packard and Dell both plan to offer machines loaded with XP well beyond June. . .

Read more at: CNet

Microsoft Windows in Danger of Collapse?

Say it ain't so! I've been--if not a fan--a constant user of Microsoft Windows since shortly before it went mainstream. I started with Windows 3.0, which was needed to run the Aldus PageMaker and CorelDRAW! programs. It still had to be loaded in tandem with Microsoft DOS in those days. Windows didn't really get wind in its sails until version 3.1.

All the while, I learned how it worked, what to tweak, and how to customize it and live with its limitations (and work around them). Shiny, sparkly Mac products came and went, and yet I was never tempted. Then Windows Vista appeared, and for some reason, I never adopted it. At work, we depend upon our proprietary sign-making hardware, and with 12 computers, upgrading is expensive and a pain in the butt.

The boss got a new notebook computer which came with Vista, and we also got one at home. It isn't all that different, but I haven't sussed it out like earlier versions. I've even split the difference on my desktop computers at home and work by applying Vista "lookalike" software. So everything looks pretty much the same.

Anyway, lots like me didn't make the switch--or worse, made the switch and hated it, even sometimes reverting to XP. Is it too late for Microsoft to fix their mistakes?

[Excerpt]

Gartner Warns Of Windows Collapse, Says Change Needed

A controversial analysis by Gartner looks into Microsoft's Vista woesIts no secret that Windows Vista wasn't the resounding success that Microsoft hoped for. While Microsoft managed to push decent sales, it failed to surpass Windows XP's success and received a largely critical reception from the press. Microsoft is taking the situation seriously, and is pushing aggressively to replace Vista, with Windows 7 in 2010, hoping for better luck.

Read more at: Daily Tech