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Signal and noise
Have you ever wondered why you can sometimes have a perfectly audible conversation on a mobile phone when you only have one 'bar' of signal, while at other times, with five bars, your conversation keeps breaking up and crackling?
Dan's Data has an excellent post that explains: it's all down to signal-to-noise ratios. That's because the signal bars on your phone only measure signal - how well they can hear the local transmitter. They don't measure the noise, or how well the transmitter can hear your phone.
It turns out a corollary of this pertains to batteries, both for phones and for laptops. Your battery meter ends up having a logarithmic scale, effectively, because it can take a long time to drop from full to one notch down, but can move drastically downwards from there.
Microsoft's Mojave Experiment: Vista haters love Vista
It's fair to say that Microsoft has had a hard time selling Windows Vista. Since launch it's been criticised heavily, particularly for being slow and having lower compatibility with peripheral devices.
Microsoft's latest effort in the PR fight back is the Mojave Experiment.
Essentially, the Mojave Experiment compares people's preconceived ideas of Vista to their impressions of the OS when shown it out of context. A selection of users - none of whom use Vista - were asked to rate Vista from zero to ten - on average, they gave it 4.4. They were then shown the "next" version of Windows, called Mojave, and asked to rate this - they gave it an average rating of 8.5. You will of course be utterly astounded to hear that "Mojave" was just Vista in a different box. Quite a nice red box, for what it's worth.
Microsoft obviously believes - and I think they're correct to do so, to an extent - that this disparity is the result of people judging Vista on received opinion rather than actual experience. This is understandable - most people are only peripherally aware of operating systems, and coverage of the Vista launch in the mainstream press was less than glowing. If I'd never actually used Vista, I'd probably have a generally low opinion of it.
On the other hand, I'd suggest that there are other factors at play here, as asking people whether they like something can be surprisingly unreliable. Fundamentally, many people like to please. As Jakob Nielsen puts it:
In answering questions (particularly in a focus group), people bend the truth to be closer to what they think you want to hear or what's socially acceptable.
Many people also tend towards the dramatic - something that's certainly exhibited in the Mojave Experiment clips. One person gives Vista a big fat zero, drawing the score out slowly with a Sharpie for extra effect. This is then contrasted with Mojave, which of course gets another big zero - but, wait for it, with an equally big one before it! Go Mojave! But is this an accurate reflection, or merely the logical dramatic conclusion of a scoring scale that started at zero? To put it another way, would the same scores have been recorded if they were simply noted down in pencil on a pad, rather than scrawled secretively on an A4 clipboard then turned to show the audience?
I'd suggest that more interesting results might come from repeating the same experiment but using people who already use Vista day to day. If they can really be convinced that "Mojave" is better, that would speak volumes for the influence of poor reviews. If they can point out all the same problems, even in the "new" operating system, then those are surely the issues that Microsoft would need to address.
Criticisms aside, the whole experiment is a slickly produced bit of promotion and well worth a look if you have a minute. I'm not entirely convinced: in my personal experience Windows Vista works fine, but I won't be rushing to upgrade my XP computers. What's more, with the long boot times I'm finding it increasingly simpler to boot Linux unless I actually need access to Photoshop, Word or any of my Windows-only applications. But what do you think - is the Mojave Experiment proof that criticism of Vista is merely ignorance, or simply the latest desperate attempt to spin a poor product?
Sun pushing OpenOffice even harder
I've got used to Java updates asking me to install OpenOffice, the open source office suite produced by Sun. It's preaching to the converted as I already have it but that doesn't stop it.
Installing the latest version of Java this morning revealed that they are going one step further than a simple request. Now it is offering to include the OpenOffice installer and the option is selected by default. I do wish companies would stop doing this, especially given that OpenOffice is not a small download. Offer it as an option but don't expect me to want it.
Having said that, I would still strongly urge you to give OpenOffice a try. Just on your own terms that is.
Congratulations to Notepad++
After looking around for a more capable (and free) text editor to replace Notepad, I've been using Notepad++ for some time now, and it has become indispensable.
So I'm rather pleased to see that it has won a Sourceforge Community Award for 'Best Tool or Utility for Developers', although not being a Developer myself I think the title sells it short a little.
Congratulations are also in order for OpenOffice, which won three titles: Best Project, Best Project for the Enterprise and Best Project for Educators.
It's interesting to note that Microsoft was a Diamond sponsor of the awards.
What to do with old printer cartridges
I do my best to recycle old printer cartridges. That is to say, I have a big bag full of them that I will get round to giving to a recycle point someday. But I have occasionally wondered what happens to them. Many will no doubt be refilled and end up on a shop shelf again. This seems like a good idea; the intricacies of the modern cartridge seem far to high tech to throw away after just one use.
Well, it seems that there is another use for old cartridges that just can't print any more, making building material.
According to Ecogeek, Lexmark has been turning old cartridges into eLumber, a replacement for wood in buildings. Unfortunately it costs 20% more than ordinary wood, but it's a good idea. And building your house out it is perhaps the ultimate in dedication to technology.
A more effective Desktop
No matter what you do, there will always be some icons on the Desktop. I know mine is particularly cluttered but that's because it offers a good place for jogging my memory.
Rather than try and avoid icons on the desktop, Gabriel Radic has created a wallpaper that helps organise them, and it's available on Flickr under a Creative Commons license.
Link via Lifehacker.com
Looking forward to Internet Explorer 8
The Internet Explorer Weblog has announced that the second test version (beta) of Internet Explorer 8 will be released in August.
Whether you like IE or prefer Firefox or Opera, the release of IE8 will be a significant event and it will be interesting to see how it affects web sites. The various idiosyncrasies of IE have forced web developers to tweak sites so that they are compatible. As IE follows web standards better, some of these tweaks may break web sites. I'd better check all of my web pages soon.
If you want to take a look at Internet Explorer 8, it can be downloaded from the Microsoft web site. Do bear in mind this is a test version, so it's best to run it on a non-critical computer, or maybe in a virtual one.
Trading Standards issues charger warning
Trading Standards has issued a warning that a number of unsafe mains chargers designed for games consoles have "flooded" into the UK.
One type of charger, designed for the Nintendo DS and Gameboy, is marked with the code DE62347066:
Another, for the Nintendo DS Lite, has no part code but has a label marked "travel charger":
Anyone who has purchased one of the products, which retail for around £5-6, should contact their local Trading Standards branch.
Tutorials for the Gimp image editing software
I'm a big fan of the GIMP image editor, it's free and open source and available for all operating systems. Like many opensource projects, it can be a little hard to get started with. Beyond the daily tips there are few wizards or other means to help guide a new user.
So it's worth spending some time with the list of Gimp tutorials listed on Techzilla.
Apple finally sues Psystar, quoting dissatisfied bloggers
Not so long ago we wrote about Psystar, a company manufacturing computers that run Apple's OSX operating system, asking whether you'd buy a "hackintosh". The response in the comments was an emphatic "no".
As it turns out, there may not be this option for much longer. Apple has, after some delay, sued Psystar, filing a 17-page complaint for "copyright infringement, induced copyright infringement, breach of contract, trademark infringement, trade dress infringement and unfair competition".
As well as damages and an injunction, the company is asking the courts for a verdict "requiring Psystar to recall all such products sold to the public as a result of Psystar's infringement of Apple's copyrights", so existing owners of Psystar's OSX-running products could be out of luck.
Another interesting aspect to the case is the appearance of quotes from several notable technology blogs, including Engadget's statement that the Psystar computer it tested was "LOUD, Crazy Loud", in the filing. The case isn't due in court for some time, but we'll keep you updated.
Time to check for Firefox 3 updates
There's a couple of security updates out for Firefox and Thunderbird. The Inquirer has reported that automatic updates are disabled in Firefox 3 so users have to download the new version, Firefox 3.0.1, by hand. This may have been fixed because my installation of Firefox updated itself this morning.
If you're not sure if you are running the latest version, here's how to find out.
Start Firefox. Click on the Help menu and then on About Firefox. A window should appear like the one on the right with the version number underneath the large 'Firefox' text.
If it isn't version 3.0.1, head over to the Firefox website to download the latest version.
Windows Update news
The Microsoft Update Product Team Blog has reminded us that Windows Search 4.0 will be included with Windows Update soon.
Windows Search will be an Optional Update for Windows XP so it won't be installed unless you go to Windows Update. It will be a Recommended update for Windows Vista so it will be installed automatically if the computer is set to install updates in this way.
Personalised emoticons for Windows Live Messenger
Can't find the right image to use for your Live Messenger character? Help is at hand from the new minimise me website. This has an online designer for creating a new avatar for Live Messenger software. Once installed they will appear as the character picture in conversations and also as four different emoticons to use in conversations.
It is simple to use although it is sometimes a little slow to respond when clicking on some of the icons, but this is common complaint with web based editors and it is a limitation with the technology as a whole.
Once the emoticon has been finished, minimise me creates a custom installer program to add the emoticon to Live Messenger. It would be nice to have the image itself but the installer is at least easy to use. Do run through the website in Internet Explorer. I tried Firefox first and it didn't work. Internet Explorer worked with no problems.
However, there is my regular complaint with downloads like this. They insist on trying to change the browser homepage and default search engine. I wish people would stop doing this, I know what the stakes are, but I'm happy with my home page options (SpeedDial in Opera) and don't want them changed.
Frankly I don't think the world needs an emoticon of me; it seems to reflect my need for more sleep just a little bit to much for my liking. I'm going to stick with my favourite, and often justified, rant icon.
Disable Blinking Text in Firefox
Blinking text is an HTML formatting type that should never have happened. There's nothing that is so important that it should flash on and off, and luckily few people use it online.
Still, it doesn't hurt to be sure, and so it is possible to disable blinking text altogether in Firefox.
Type about:config into the address bar and press enter. Firefox 3 now displays a warning about changing these settings so click on the 'I'll be careful, I promise' button. Click in the text box labelled filter and start typing browser.blink_allowed so that the option appears. Double-click on the option to change it to false. Close the tab and never worry about blinking text again.
Thanks to Lifehacker for the tip
The grass is always greener?
One of the things that has surprised me with some criticisms of Windows Vista is that there are very similar features in other operating systems and yet no one complains.
For example let's take User Account Control (UAC). This is a warning that appears when you attempt to do certain things on a computer that will affect important settings. If you are logged in as an administrator a simple click on the Continue button is all that is required. Limited Users must get an administrator to enter a password.
Now many distributions of Linux (Ubuntu and openSuse being the two uppermost in my mind) do exactly the same thing. In fact, they both make it slightly harder because you always have to enter a password, regardless of the status of the user.
Regular updates are also found on all operating systems. I'm actually happier knowing that someone is giving some care and attention to an operating, even if it results in the odd restart. A more detailed analysis can be found on Ed Bott's Microsoft Report. As ever in these debates, the comments make just as interesting reading.
One enormous gripe with Vista (and XP) remains, automatic restarts. I rarely leave a computer with unsaved files, though it's hard to remember to press Ctrl+S when a child starts crying in the night. But getting back to a computer that proudly tells you of the forced reboot is very annoying. Even if the computer is then safer.
Update on ZoneAlarm
Many thanks to James Grant from Checkpoint who sent a link with more information about the Windows Update problem. More information can also be found on the Computeractive news site.
Firefox 3 warns about changing settings
Attempt to access the settings page in Firefox 3 and you will probably be confronted by the following warning message:
This is probably due to the increasing number of 'hacks' written for Firefox, small changes to this configuration page. It's often simpler than navigating through several levels of menus but it is changes in this way tend to be applied immediately, much like the registry editor in Windows.
Still it's nice to see some human sounding language in the warning.
Fix promised for Windows Update / ZoneAlarm problem
If you've been avoiding the now infamous Microsoft security patch that broke internet connections on Windows XP computers with the popular ZoneAlarm firewall, there are updates from Checkpoint to fix the problem.
The official word from Microsoft can be found on this KnowledgeBase article.
It's a worry with Windows Updates, Windows would have us install them as soon as they become available but this recent incident does not make this seem like a good idea. Although I'm running full Automatic Updates these days, I used to select the option to download the updates and then prompt me to install. Frankly, I rarely had the time or inclination to check up on the updates first so there didn't seem much point.
The situation was much the same when I was running Ubuntu Linux. It would alert me to updates and I would install them, often without reading the list of fixes. I'd be interested to hear from any Mac users as to their ways for dealing with updates.
Give CheckPoint due credit though, it hasn't taken them long to come up with a patch.
It may not put anyone at their ease, but yesterday was the day when Windows XP Service Pack 3 became part of Automatic Updates. It's been three months since the Pack was released and I personally have had no problems with it. But it's always a good idea to take the time for a full backup when big updates are in the pipeline, whatever the operating system.
Virgin's poptastic purgatory jukebox
Customers who tried to contact Virgin Media last night to discover why their internet connection wasn't working following Microsoft's exploding XP update found themselves in a lengthy call centre queue.
Thoughtfully, Virgin now gives those trapped in the purgatory of customer relationship management the option to choose the genre of the music they listen to while their life force slowly ebbs away.
I was offered the choice of five genres, including pop, jazz and easy listening; I opted for 'Just feeling the blues', which seemed more appropriate.
Stay safe when downloading
There's some helpful advice from Microsoft on how to make an informed decision when downloading files.
Internet Explorer provides information about downloads, including the server it is coming from, which is one way to avoid downloading a malicious file if the link has been changed by a hacker.
Sometimes though websites use 'mirrors' to ease the load on their servers. A mirror is another computer with a copy of the download. Often mirrors are located in another country as distance still makes a difference on the internet.
This can often mean that the From address in the File Download is different to the web address used to access the page in the first place. For example the screen shot is for the Filezilla software, the homepage is http://filezilla-project.org, completely different to that in the Download window. In this case the difference is not a problem. Filezilla is a project hosted on the SourceForge website.
As ever the best advice is to stay alert when on the internet and read every dialogue window before clicking on OK.
Help on web standards
Opera (the browser company) has just launched a section on their website called the Opera Web Standards Curriculum dedicated to teaching people about web standards and how to design web sites.
There's articles covering a wide range of skill levels from some introductions to the ideas of web standards and the best fonts to use on web sites.
More advanced readers can read up on Javascript, XML and writing widgets for Opera.
Microsoft tries software as a service for home users
An intriguing hint of what might be to come here. Microsoft has launched a bundle of Office Home and Student 2007 and Live OneCare for $70 a year. Like the normal version of Home and Student the license is good for three computers, ideal for the home.
It doesn't sound like it's available in the UK yet so it'll be very interesting to see how it's received.
My gut feeling is that I'm less prepared to pay for a time limited version of a program than the full version. Then again, this subscription works out as £35 a year for both programs.
£17.50 a year for Office is very competitive, a one off cost version would be the same as nearly 7 years (assuming paying the full price of £120). The subscription would also offer the chance to stop paying if something better appears. Or cheaper <cough>OpenOffice</cough>.
Vista, XP, Mac OS and Linux - The Statistics
Market Share has published their statistics for the past year of who is using what operating system.
No real surprises on the individual operating systems. Windows XP and 2000 are down. Vista, Mac OS and Linux are up.
The what is surprising is that the total Windows share of the market is down from 93.81% to 89.45% (see below for breakdown). That's still the vast majority of computers but it shows that things may be changing.
Breakdown of Windows market share
Aug 07
XP 80.84% + Vista 6.29% + Win2k 3.68 %= 93.81%
June 08
XP 71.2% + Vista 16.14% + Win2k 2.11% = 89.45%
Performance - it's not just about CPUs and GPUs
It's easy to be seduced by the every larger, and more complicated, speeds and model numbers of processors and graphics cards, but they don't tell the whole story about performance, especially when it comes to notebooks.
The hard disk also has a very important role to play, even more so these days, given the constant indexing and virus checking that goes on.
This was brought home rather firmly when moving from a high end gaming desktop computer to a notebook. The notebook is still very powerful with dual SLI Geforce 7000 series graphics card and a very big screen. The official name is the Emperor, but it's been dubbed the Beast instead in the office, and I would have thought it was ideal for gaming.
Which it is, so long as games don't require lots of disk access. Playing F.E.A.R has become an exercise in patience as there are slight pauses when the disk is accessed. And this is on Windows XP rather than Vista.
This does highlight one of the biggest handicaps notebooks face against desktops, the relative performance of their smaller hard disks. Just to make the comparison worse, the desktop computer I had been using had two hard disks working together with RAID, improving the performance even further.
Worth considering when buying a new computer if gaming is important .
Starting out with Vista Home Basic
It's seems to be generally accepted that Vista Home Premium is the 'sweet spot' for home users. I've used Ultimate but neither of the other home versions, so perhaps it's time to try out Basic and see how I get on.
The table of the back of the box is obviously intended to make me put it back on the shelf in favour of Home Premium. There are just two ticks out of a possible ten. They are better security and the new Instant Search, both features that I look for in any operating system (or at least when looking at alternatives in the form of Linux). So what am I missing?
Windows Aero. No 3D interface with transparent title bars for me. It looks pretty but never made me work any better when I had it. And I had no hesitation to turn it off when I though it was harming battery life (erroneously as it turned out - the graphics card was fine, it was the 512MB of RAM that was the problem)
Windows Mobility Center and Tablet PC support. Now this might prompt some fond nostalgia to Ultimate. I like using a graphics tablet and the handwriting recognition in Premium/Ultimate is very good.
Windows Meeting Space. Never used it so I can't comment
Windows Media Center. Not an issue for me on a notebook.
Windows Media Center on TVs with XBox 360. Again nothing I've ever used/needed.
Backup features. I do spend a lot of time trying to get people to backup so this is potentially a serious omission. I'll be checking to see how the excellent DriveImageXML works in Home Basic.
Business Networking and Remote Desktop. I do occasionally use remote desktop but then there are free alternatives such as VNC.
Bitlocker. I never got around to enabling Bitlocker when I had Ultimate, although as I use my notebook on the move I ought to do something to protect my files. Then again there are plenty of free ways of doing this.
So I don't think I really headed for any major disappointments. But I'll keep you posted.
Windows Update to be updated
Be prepared for an update for Windows Update.
It's a worthwhile warning as otherwise I'd likely be a little suspicious of a change to something so important.
Acer Aspire One now £219 inc VAT
Acer has confirmed to Computeractive that the price of its tiny Aspire One notebook will start from £219 inc VAT, not £199 as previously announced.
Five versions of the notebook will be available, at the following prices (inc VAT):
- Linux, 8GB SSD, 512MB RAM, £219.99
- Linux, 120GB HDD, 512MB RAM, £229.99
- Linux, 120GB HDD, 1GB RAM, £249.99
- XP Home, 120GB HDD, 512MB RAM, £279.99
- XP Home, 120GB HDD, 1GB RAM, £299.99
Improving the Vista Instant Search
Assuming I actually remember to use it (rather than Launchy), the Vista Instant Search is a very handy feature. It would be even better if there was a way to widen its reach to search for things outside of the computer.
There are some instructions for doing this over at Online Tech Tips to include Google or Wikipedia in the Instant Search.
Colour spaces and why they matter
While playing around with Adobe Lightroom, we came up against the problem of colour spaces. Like many small annoyances in modern computing, colour spaces go right back to the early days of colour on computer screens.
It's all very well having images in colour, but you need some way of telling the computer at the other end how to display them - in other words, to tell it which colour is which. The answer is to include what's called a colour space profile within each image, so that the computer can read this and choose the right colours. The problem is that different computers, programs and operating systems use different profiles, with the result that if you're not careful the people in your carefully constructed family photos might end up with purple faces.
It turns out there's an excellent primer on the subject of colour spaces by none other than Jeffrey Friedl, who came up with the also-excellent Flickr plugin for Lightroom.
Probably the most widely used class of application in the world today (on home computers, at least) is the browser, and until now most browsers haven't taken the trouble to read colour profiles properly. Which brings us to an excellent opportunity to plug the recently released free browser Firefox 3, which does deal correctly with colour profiles - just one more reason to use it.
