Nathan's Tips n Tricks

It’s one of the questions I get asked the most in my business. You didn’t install anything (you know of), you didn’t visit any new websites… You just used your computer the same way you have every day since you bought it and kabloey! All of a sudden and without warning it quit working! How did this happen to little ol’ you?

Bad Guys Are Clever…

…very clever. Chances are there was nothing obvious about when your computer became infected. Most viruses and malware get installed quietly, without attracting much notice. When they have to draw your attention, they typically disguise themselves as useful programs that you would normally keep on your computer. (This is where the term Trojancomes in. It’s a computer program that looks good on the outside, but is dangerous on the inside)

One of the primary culprits for installing viruses are popups. You visit a…

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Thoughts on Windows 8 – Part One

Thoughts on Windows 8 – Part One

I spend a lot of time trying out new software before it’s officially released. In my business, it pays off to know as much as possible about a new edition of Windows or OSX ahead of time so I can support my customers later when they purchase it. One new major release on the horizon is Windows 8. Updates for windows have typically been minor, and very little time was needed to learn the new technology incorporated into the OS. With Windows 8, Microsoft breaks with their entire paradigm for computing however, and some radical shifts will have to be made in both how people use their computer and how these systems are supported by technicians. I thought I would share some of my perspective on what these changes mean for both groups of people, for good or for bad.

User Interface

One of the first things you will notice when you boot up your Windows 8 computer, (sometime in 2012 apparently) is that the user interface has been completely redesigned. There is no Start Menu any more, no desktop, and no icons. Microsoft has decided to make Windows 8 a “touch first” OS, meaning that the interface was designed to be used with your finger instead of a mouse. If you have seen a Windows powered phone made in the last year, you will already be familiar with Windows 8. Microsoft has decided that instead of a Start Menu, you will have a Start Screen with Metro styled blocks to scroll through for launching your applications.

What this change in design paradigm means for those of us who like using the mouse or track pad instead of our finger on the screen is questionable. During my testing of the Windows 8 Developer Preview, I found it very difficult to perform basic tasks or navigate applications with my mouse. On a more positive note, most of these actions seemed like they would indeed be very easy to perform with a touchscreen. Really, it’s a question of if you are willing to be forced to use a touchscreen all the time. The version I tested was only a developer preview and may be improved a great deal before release, and I honestly hope it is. For users without a touchscreen, Windows 8 in it’s current state will render your computer useless.

I have read concerns of other bloggers online that Microsoft is going to dummy proof Windows at the cost of making it useless to power users. While I don’t see anything quite that extreme happening in Windows 8, it does seem to be the direction hinted at by the new Metro UI. Microsoft, in a desperate measure to stay relevant in a media society where it has fallen terribly behind, seems to be going for the walled garden, simple, dummy proof approach that Apple has been so successful with on it’s iOS devices. Whether or not it’s a wise move for Microsoft is yet to be seen, but I have serious doubts as to whether or not they can stay relevant by alienating the power users and developers that have made Windows great for over 20 years.

Metro Apps

Metro is a new technology for creating applications for Windows 8. Metro apps are built using XML, and have a limited subset of .NET capabilities. These apps run very differently from traditional desktop applications in that they have limited access to the system they run on. From a security standpoint this is a good thing. If malicious code is injected into a Metro app, the malicious code is limited to tampering with files and settings within the app itself and cannot damage the operating system. The downside to this approach is that applications can not interact with other parts of the system or other apps nearly as easily, and every exception to the sandboxing rule simply reduces the security offered by the sandboxing approach. Basically this leaves developers in a bit of a paradox, where more functionality automatically equals less security. Sandboxing also makes adding this functionality more difficult as the developer is required to jump through multiple hoops to add these exceptions to his/her code.

 

From what I have tried on the developer preview, Metro apps seem to be large versions of cell phone apps. They feel restricted, clunky, and less powerful. The Metro version of Internet Explorer does not support plugins, so forget watching a flash video or playing a shockwave game. Personally I don’t see how Metro is any type of improvement in development, unless you use a touchscreen and want highly restricted applications. In short, this seems good for tablets and smaller devices but fails to hold it’s own on a desktop computer.

Summary

That winds up part one of my Thoughts on Windows 8. In short, the changes coming in Windows 8 are not welcomed by me… at least not for the desktop. I’m genuinely afraid that Microsoft is abandoning their rich heritage of allowing people to do whatever they want without restriction or jumping through hoops on their PC. Windows’ ability to run programs without getting in their way is the reason that there are so many great utility applications on the market today. It is easier for a developer to write a program to solve a problem on Windows than almost any other operating system. I’m not sure what Microsoft hopes to achieve by changing that, but I guess we will all have to sit back and hope they know what they’re doing.

Rebooting the blog

I’ve been away from this blog for quite a while, and I feel like I neglected it. I made the choice at the time based on the amount of time I had available to me, and the effort I was willing to put into writing (which wasn’t enough). I feel now as though I made a mistake in abandoning this project. The I/O Port was one of my more popular blogs, where I tried to give unbiased reviews of software, hardware, and tech news. I will be returning to this project soon, and promise to put much more effort into releasing new content on a regular basis.

I apologize to my readers for letting you down so soon into a project, and I appreciate all the views you gave my blog early on. I hope I can regain your trust as readers by producing more quality material on a regular basis from now on.

Appreciatively,

Natrobius

Fedora 14 – Impressions

When I saw that the Fedora Project had released a new version of Linux, I was skeptical to say the least. The last several versions or “cores” from them have not worked well on my hardware and I’ve ended by removing it from my computer and putting something else on. Needless to say, I wasn’t in a hurry to spend 3 hours downloading this release.

When I did finally get around to downloading it and getting it running on my system, I was surprised to find everything (seemingly) working the way it ought to. The installation went on without a hitch and I truly believe that we’ve gotten to a point these days where anyone can install Linux. Once the desktop was up and running I went ahead and customized my setup with the cairo-dock package, which as a dock to your desktop similar to the one packaged with OS-X. That and enabling Compiz was all it took to have an attractive setup running. Further testing revealed that although Compiz functions correctly, ATI video card support is still sketchy and games requiring hardware 3d will not run on my card yet. This is something I am hoping will be fixed soon. (Maybe in Fedora 15?)

So would you like to try Fedora 14? Post your experiences in the comments below!

 

 

Click the image!

Ubuntu 10.10 Release

Coming soon… The new Ubuntu Linux release.

New Tech Being Released Soon

Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless announced that they have incorrectly billed users for internet access, possibly for years. They are going to be sending refund checks to former users, and crediting the account of people still holding a Verizon account. The incorrect charges seem to have been caused by people accidentally accessing their web browsers on their phone, and some software on certain phones accessing the web without the owners consent. The FCC is has launched an investigation.

Microsoft

Microsoft confirmed the release date of Windows Phone 7 as Oct 11th, according to reports. Windows Phone 7 is supposed to contain numerous changes from 6.5, including new interface improvements for touch, to solve the need for a stylus which has plagued Windows based mobile devices for years. The phones will be launched on AT&T initially, and will come to other carriers in the near future.

Toshiba

Toshiba has announced the upcoming release of 3D televisions that will not require the use of glasses. The set top will contain lenses creating 9 “sweet spots” where people can sit to view images in 3D without wearing glasses. The usefulness of this update in technology is likely to be very limited by the fact users will have to sit in specific locations which may not accommodate certain room layouts. The new televisions will also be rather expensive, costing over $2000 USD for a 20 inch model.

That’s what’s new in tech today, some exciting news for mobile users, and some interesting if not practical improvements for home media. I will be very interested in seeing if the 3D technology improves to reduce the need to sit in a “sweet spot.”

Open Source vs. Microsoft

Funny Open Source vs. Microsoft video. Thought I’d share.

Updates in Big Tech

Oracle

Seems like silicon valley just can’t get enough soap opera drama lately. This thing with Oracle has really just been the most disappointing episode in a long string. It seems that the guy behind Sun Microsystems’ ZFS Storage technology (Jeff Bonwick) is just the latest in a long string of people to leave after the acquisition of Sun by Oracle. This has come not long after the main people behind the OpenOffice.org project have all left and created a new, more independent group, The Document Foundation. Concerns are being raised about the future of ZFS and of the Solaris operating system on several community forums, as so many former Sun employees leave the ranks. It is certainly questionable if the original vision for products such as Solaris and Java can be maintained with so many of the founding people gone.

Google

Google, the worlds largest search engine, has made it’s way into more people’s crosshairs than most big computer companies ever have. Under litigation in at least 3 countries and at least 1 state in the US for privacy violations one has to wonder if Google has finally hit the ceiling, and begin to show it’s first signs of growth pains. Google’s quick rise to the top was awe inspiring for me, but that fast climb may cause future problems for the giant, as it learns to play nicely with international markets and laws.

Microsoft

Everyone’s favorite behemoth, Microsoft has enjoyed a rather good year after being everyone’s favorite beating post for nearly 5 years. The release of Windows 7 has been very good for the software giant, and has been received well by both home and business users. Windows 7 has set world records for being the fastest sold, and most sold operating system in computer history. At last check there was over 170 million licenses of Windows 7 sold to date. Microsoft is also getting ready to redeem itself in the web browser market, recently announcing the Beta version of Internet Explorer 9. IE9 features a slimmed down interface with fewer buttons to get in the way of your internet experience, speed improvements that include the ability to disable an add-on that slows Internet Explorer from loading, and new GPU enhancements to ensure that you are getting the best experience that your computer is capable of. After using IE9 Beta for a week or so, I have to say that the changes made are significant and will most likely be very well received and very refreshing to people that use IE on a regular basis.

Apple

Apple, after recovering from some very stupid mistakes during the release of the iPhone 4 seems to be doing nicely. The media seems to have forgotten all about signal attenuation and the free cases are being used and everyone is happy. Along with that, Apple has released several updates for it’s other core products, including the iMac, iPod Touch, Nano, and Shuffle. All the products got a facelift and some new features that will please consumers and increase sales during the holiday season. Jobs also announced an update for Apple TV, a product he says Apple does as a “hobby.” While purchasing a “hobby” product may not seem appealing to many customers, the feature list and the price may. Apple TV comes supporting HD standard, built in Wi-Fi N, Netflix streaming support, and cheaper movie and TV show rentals. Jobs promises all this for a price tag of $99. I expect that for homes with HDTV’s, this may be a rather appealing product. I’m expecting a good year for Apple, and if you’re looking at buying an Apple product, the time is right. All the new products and features are out for the year, so you’ll be running the latest greatest from Apple for a while.

Summary

Today’s market appears to be like water in a bowl, sloshing back and forth in an endless cycle. It’s hard to determine the best place to throw your money, or who is even going to survive the next decade. One thing has made itself apparent, slow steady progress fairs better than rapid change.

OpenOffice sticks it to the man

The news is spreading like wildfire that the developers largely responsible for the development of OpenOffice do not like the way Oracle has back-shelved the project and have defected to govern themselves. Their new group, dubbed The Document Foundation has released a beta version of their new, rebranded version of OpenOffice named LibreOffice. The change apparently seems to have been started by the acquisition of Sun Microsystems, the company that first sponsored OpenOffice, by Oracle. Policy changes have been coming in a steady stream from Oracle since taking over Sun’s assets. The first change to hit the media was the lawsuits currently being leveled at Google for use of the Java Virtual Machine in it’s Android operating system, something that the people at Sun never seemed to care about.

With the recent changes by Oracle one is left wondering how long the Sun assets, such as Java, will survive as viable platforms for innovation. Oracle seems to be taking a hostile approach towards Open Source projects, which is quite the opposite direction from that which Sun was taking. Sun had started a great deal of open source work and was contributing a large number of intellectual properties back to the open source movement. One must be left to wonder how long it will be before Java, Virtual Box, and Solaris, will cease to exist under Oracle.

Welcome to My Blog

My name is Nathan Davies, and I’m a computer/media specialist. I spend a lot of my time learning the latest and greatest about everything digital, from computers to TV’s to iPod’s…. so you don’t have to. On my blog you’ll hear about the latest new toys, and how well they work. You’ll also find tips on keeping your computer up to date, secure, and how to have fun with it as well. I may occasionally  pop in and tell you about a software project that I’m working on myself, or share it with you to try.

A Wee Bit About Me

So who am I and what am I doing on your screen? Like I said above my name is Nathan, and in simple terms I’m a gadget geek. I like shiny stuff with lots of buttons and lights. I started out in the computer science field  in Ft. Myers, FL when I was 12 years old. My first project was reinstalling Windows 95 after crashing dad’s computer! I made a habit of crashing my poor dad’s computer as I tinkered with advanced settings, installed new software, and took a dive into the hardware from time to time.

During this time I also learned about something great! Programming! Back in those days I was learning BASIC programming in old MS-QBasic. That was a long time ago, but I’m glad I did it! Around the time I was 15, the guy who is now my boss stopped by the place I lived and I showed him what I was doing with QBasic. He was a real professional programmer, and showed a lot of interest. Shortly after that he started working me part time to assemble electronic components and learn how to program in C.

Seven years later I’m working the same job, doing a wide variety of things. Right now I’m researching Embedded Linux, I’m the primary Draftsman, and I still find time to build those electronic components. I also fill several customer based roles from time to time, but those are boring. 🙂

One of the most exciting things to happen to me in a long time has been my marriage to my lovely wife Alex. We got married in April of 2009, and have been making our path together ever since.

 

Well, I feel like the introductions are made. I look forward to posting as much relevant information as I can find, and hopefully enhancing your life just a bit with a deeper understanding of something geeky in your life.