Archive for August, 2006
Flaws in the Windows update process
Ed Bott has been keeping a close eye on Microsoft’s monthly update process and reports on his conclusions so far.
The more I look, the more I’m convinced that there’s a substantial problem with Microsoft’s update process. But they’re not willing to talk about it.
I’ve put together an image gallery that documents problems I experienced, and [...]
Survey of consumer satisfaction
Every year PC Magazine sends out a questionnaire to its subscribers to gather information about how the readers feel about various products. The 19th annual survey is out and it is well worth reading.
Whose PCs and printers are the most reliable? Who offers the best support when things go wrongâ€â€and the best ÂÂrepairs when [...]
The greatest PCs of all time
Here’s yet another list, this time from PC World. This one is The 25 Greatest PCs of All Time.
PC World’s list of the top 25 PCs of all time was assembled after we polled our editors for nominations. We then rated the nominated gadgets for innovation, impact, industrial design, and intangibles.
Here’s the list (see [...]
PC Magazine list of best Web sites
PC Magazine is out with its annual list of the best Web sites. This is a selection of the 101 best “classics”
Consistency is often the name of the game, even when it comes to the ever-evolving Internet. We’ve scoured the Web to bring you our choices for the top Classicsâ€â€established destinations that set the standards [...]
Search Tools for Air Travelers
Flying is a real hassle these days and anything that can help a little is welcome. SearchEngineWatch has an article describing a number of online resources for travelers who fly. Managing frequent flyer programs, seating charts, flight statistics, and flight status are among the topics mentioned.
Windows patch problems
Not for the first time, problems with Microsoft’s monthly patches have developed. The last batch is still causing trouble. Microsoft Watch says
The fallout from last week’s Patch Tuesday continues. Among the myriad patches Microsoft released last week were, unbeknownst to many, a couple of the first Windows Vista patches. (Update: Not the first, however.) Meanwhile, [...]
MacWindows? WinMac?
As I have noted before, the time has come when Windows users can be serious about considering a Mac as the hardware platform. The writer on consumer electonics, Walter Mossberg, certainly thinks so. He has an article in Smart Money where he says you can now have the best of both Worlds, Windows and Mac.
IT [...]
More on managing “My Recent Documents”
In a previous post, I showed how to clear the “My Recent Documents” folder. I don’t think that it is generally recognized how many shortcut files this folder can accumulate over time. It can actually affect the performance of your machine, especially at logon. The ones that are visible on the Start menu are only [...]
Watch out Symantec, here comes Microsoft
There may be arguments against using Microsoft for your security software (previous post) but a lot of people are not swayed by them. Internet Week reports booming sales for Microsoft’s OneCare security suite.
Microsoft parlayed the low price of its OneCare security suite into a 15 percent share of the consumer retail market during its [...]
The real reason we shouldn’t depend on Microsoft for security
Microsoft is getting more and more into the security software business and is beginning to breathe down the neck of security firms like Symantec. Should we rely on Microsoft? ZDNet says no. Basically, their argument is that Microsoft may compromise with security when it comes to the conflicting interests of its third-party partners.