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Exciting collection of wallpapers
Some very attractive wallpapers can be found over at www.webdesignerdepot.com. There are no calendars on them so they will be added to my ever growing Wallpaper pot.
Easy programming with Small Basic
One of the problems as operating systems get more complicated is that it becomes harder to learn to program. Well perhaps the basics of programming stay the same but our expectations of what we want to achieve are much higher. The days of being able to start typing a BASIC program as soon as the computer turns on are sadly over (what fun it was to play with Commodore 64s in high street shops). Things have taken a turn for the better now that Microsoft has launched a new programming language called Small Basic.
This download includes the software for writing Small Basic code and a document introducing the programming language. There's a couple of gaps in the document but it is enough to get you started.
As a beginners language, don't expect to be making your own version of Word but it will give a good grounding in how programs are made. The 15 basic commands are enough for a surprising number of tasks, and it is possible to import other, more advanced, commands later on.
I like Small Basic and think I will recommend it to anyone who asks about learning to program.
Other languages:
One of the problems when recommending a starting language is the sheer number of options, and that some are limited to particular operating systems. C is a very important language but quickly become rather complicated, as does C++. C# on the other hand is much more welcoming to the beginner, but is restricted to Windows computers. It's the first language I ever did anything meaningful with.
Visual Basic is also a good starting point and Microsoft provides the software for writing in these languages free for personal use.
Java is available for just about everything, which makes it attractive, but don't confuse it with Javascript, which is used in web browsers.
Speaking of which, you might decide that programming for the web is a good place to start in which case Javascript is very good place to start, maybe with a look at php as well.
The true cost of boot times?
Having blogged last week that boot times were meaningless (or at least the metrics that were being used were), it appears that they have suddenly become very important.
Slashdot reported that there is a new kind of lawsuit appearing in America. Employees who are paid by the hour are complaining that they are not paid for the time it takes to boot up their computers in the morning and log off in the evening. The report claims that this can take as much as 30-40 minutes a day.
Accusing Vista of being to blame misses the point I think given that Microsoft is quite clear that Hibernate (or Sleep) are the preferred options when ending a session on the computer. My experience seems to bear this out as I haven't felt the need to reboot in the way XP can start to slow down.
My solution when this has been a problem is to change when I restart the computer. Rather than shutdown at the end of a day, I hibernate my Windows XP computer, and then restart it during lunch.
Family Historian 4 announced. Free upgrade offer
Calico Pie, the people behind Family Historian, has announced that version 4 will be released in February next year. There's an upgrade deal so that if you buy version 3 now, you can upgrade for 3.
I rather liked Family Historian the last time I looked at it. It is possible to label people in a photo and link it to their record. It seemed a much better solution as opposed to just linking the whole photo.
The other reason is that it saves family trees in the GEDCOM format, the standard genealogy format. You might not share my fondness for file format standards but it does have the big benefit of being able to get the information out more easily with another program should the need arise.
More information from www.family-historian.co.uk/products
More storage added to Windows Live Skydrive
The storage limit for Windows Live Skydrive is to be increased to a very respectable 25GB.
As of just now my account is still showing 5GB. The SkyDrive team blog says it will announce the change as soon as it happens.
I'm a PC gifts
Looking for a Christmas present for a Windows enthusiast? Well, Zazzle.co.uk has quite a selection of I'm a PC hats, T-shirts and even ties.
Don't think I'll be getting one of the skateboards though...
Geek gender studies
We received a press release today advertising a new book: How to Be a Geek Goddess, by Christina Tynan-Wood, published by well-known computing press O'Reilly. Here's the blurb:
"Men and women rarely think alike, and when it comes to technology, their differing wants and needs are often glaringly apparent. If we are to believe the stereotypes, men are obsessed with acronyms and the size of their hard drives. On the other hand, women use technology to get things done as they struggle to work, shop, email, raise children, and host perfect dinner parties, all at the same time."
It's not entirely clear from the rest of the release whether the book is designed to break apart these stereotypes or simply reinforce them. It does say that "Women are working, raising kids, taking care of parents, and running businesses as well as homes." But then, well, aren't at least some men doing all that stuff too?
A quote on the website says that the book
"proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christina Tynan-Wood totally 'gets' where men and women divide in terms of technology"
But where, if at all, do men and women divide when it comes to technology? Here at Computeractive all the staff, gender regardless, do their best to avoid acroynms at all times and I honestly cannot remember the last time I heard anybody, whether encumbered with a Y chromosone or not, compare the size of their hard disk. The quote above seems to suggest that while women need computers "to get things done", men don't - maybe we're supposed to sit around playing Windows Solitaire all day rather than doing anything remotely productive. After all, according to that other well-worn stereotype, men can't multitask (says the guy with eight browser tabs, two IM windows, two email clients and a desktop publishing package running).
So here's the question: is there really a gender divide in terms of technology, and if so, where? Does your gender really have any effect whatsoever on the way you use a PC, or is the idea that having no Y chromosone makes you a different type of computer user simply, well, patronising? Let us know in the comments.
Fujitsu's netbook, plus green desktop PCs
I'm currently in Augsberg, Germany, at Fujitsu-Siemens' annual showcase event. So far the emphasis has been very much on the environment, with the launch of a new green rating system that you can read about on the main Computeractive site. Look a bit further, though, and there are plenty of new products on show.
Much attention is being grabbed by Fujitsu's netbook, the Amilo Mini Ui 3520. At first glance it looks rather similar to the models being produced by Dell, Toshiba and, well, just about every other PC manufacturer out there: it has an 8.9 inch display, an Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM and a rather small keyboard:
On the other hand, it has a few features that could make it stand out. For one, unlike many netbooks the 3520 has a matte-finish anti-reflective display - these don't look as vibrant, but they're far easier on the eye if you have to work in a bright environment. Secondly, on the right side you'll find this:
.. an ExpressCard 34 slot, which makes adding extra peripherals such as a broadband modem far neater and easier. Inside there's a 60GB, 4200RPM hard disk, and Windows XP Home SP3 is installed as standard. The 3520 should cost around £280 including VAT.
Another interesting model in Fujitsu's consumer range is the Amilo Desktop Li 3410 Green Edition. Fujitsu claims that this PC uses up to 55% less energy than a "standard value PC", and it's also quiet:
It uses a Pentium Dual Core E5200 processor and runs Vista Home Premium. We're currently checking for information on UK prices and availability.
Windows performance tips
Audio and video recording and editing are still jobs that can bring a well specified computer to its knees. Music Tools has a useful collection of tips for getting the best possible performance. Most good performance tips apply to any kind of demanding jobs, so gamers may find some helpful ideas here too.
One important audio performance indicator is latency, this is how long you have to wait for audio recorded by the computer to be played on the speakers. It is normally measured in microseconds. There is a small utility for measuring this called DPC Latency Checker. There's no installation required, just run the program.
Happy birthday delicious
I might have come to it a little late, but it's five years since the bookmark sharing site delicious.com launched. My own delicious moment was a couple of days ago when I posted my 1000th bookmark. One day I might have read a small fraction! If you want a go you can find them at www.delicious.com/timsmith714.
ReadWriteWeb has got a useful video of five ways to make the most of delicious.
Where does all the lithium come from?
A small note of concern I have had about some of the greener electric cars is the environmental impact of their batteries, both construction and disposal. And if I'm to be even handed, that concern has to extend to my notebook, mobile phone, PDA, in fact just about anything with batteries.
This hasn't really been eased by a story on EcoGeek about where the lithium used in most modern batteries actually come from.
South America is the answer, and it would appear at some considerable environmental cost. Oh, and the supplies are limited. I'm suggesting a panic buy of batteries but demand could far outstrip supply if electric cars really take off.
I don't really know what I can do about this but I think I will start taking better care of my batteries and make sure they go in the proper recycling bins (at the local tip) when I'm done with them.
Meaningless statistics - Start up times
One of the big claims that always seem to be made with a new version of Windows is that it will be faster starting up than ever before. I've never been sure why this is such a good thing as I normally only go through a startup twice a day when I get into the office and when I turn on the computer at home. And in any case the time normally refers to a clean install and all computers end up with plenty of software running at startup.
My disenchantment with this measure of performance was just increased by reading a story about startup times on Lifehacker that this only refers to the length of time to get to the log in screen.
When I first moved to Vista this didn't take that much longer than Windows XP. It was what happened next as it tried to cache files and programs to improve performance making the computer very sluggish. If there were updates to install it wasn't even worth trying to use it at all as it had all the symptoms of hanging completely.
An upgrade to 2GB of memory helped dramatically* but didn't remove the problem of sluggish performance on startup.
This delay is mitigated in Vista with better sleep and hibernate options, I don't feel the need to restart as often as I do with Windows XP. But even then it can struggle against Ubuntu in terms of how quickly I can start work after pressing the power button.
*What was I thinking running with the minimum recommended amount of 512MB?
Vista gets rough time from programmers
Different opinions about operating systems normally centre around what people have to do with them. Gamers have different demands than programmers or the poor souls who have to go round fixing computers.
The Codeproject has just finished a poll of programmers asking them whether they defend Vista when the all too common 'Vista is rubbish' opinion is voiced.
A wise 18% avoid these arguments altogether, I don't have that self control. 20% think Vista is the best option, 27% explain both sides but the largest response with 34% who agree that Vista is rubbish. Oh dear.
