Archive for January, 2007
A tale of two operating systems
Thers’s a very interesting article at InformationWeek comparing Windows Vista and Mac OS X operating systems. The author, John C. Welch, comes down firmly on the side of OS X. He says:
While Vista is indeed a major update to Windows, there’s a lot of it that is, quite frankly, just Microsoft making up for lost [...]
Missing from Internet Explorer 7
Microsoft added some new things to Internet Explorer 7, tabs being one new feature. (Other browsers already had tabs.) Microsoft also took some things away. If you used the Image Toolbar in IE6, don’t waste time looking for it in IE7. It isn’t there. Another thing that is missing is the Menu Bar but that [...]
Bugs in Vista
Over at ZDNet, George Ou, who is normally far from being anti-Windows, reports having a lot of trouble with Vista. In his article, “Long list of Vista bugs that will keep me off Vista”, he says:
After a grueling week of intense Vista RTM testing, I still can’t get Vista stable on my primary computer yet [...]
Recover files from a damaged CD/DVD
Many PC owners use CDs or DVDs to back up data or for graphics or audio files. Sometimes the media can get scratched or otherwise damaged so that normal playback does not work. Fortunately, there is software designed to extract files from damaged media. I have not had a lot of personal experience with it [...]
Windows Vista Ultimate extras
One of the remaining mysteries about Windows Vista has been what would be included in the “extras” that Microsoft promised would be part of the most expensive version, called Vista Ultimate. Until now there haven’t been any extras but Microsoft has announced at the Consumer Electronics Show what some will be. Mary Jo Foley gives [...]
Guide to Windows Vista
PC Magazine has an extensive site on the subject of Vista. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction:
As a whole, Vista feels more evolutionary than revolutionary. That’s not all bad; one of MicroÂsoft’s strengths has been its commitment to backward compatibility, which continues with Vista.
Vista’s real competitor, though, is Windows XP. For many users, XP is [...]
How to get computer help on the Internet
I have revised an article that I wrote a few years ago about how to find help for computer problems on the Internet. The new article can be read here.
Review of Microsoft Office 2007
Microsoft Office is a very big subject and I am not an expert on it so I normally don’t post about Office. However, the new version of Office that is going to be released on January 30 is a big revamp so the subject is of more than usual interest. Walter Mossberg has an instructive [...]
Wireless Internet security
David Pogue is a technology professional who has written computing books and has a regular NY Times column. Even he has been surprised to find out how easily someone can spy on you when you are surfing the Web at an Internet cafe. He writes about it here.
Attack of the zombie computers
I have posted a number of times about the dangers from zombie computers and botnets. The problem has reached such proportions that the NY Times has an article about the severity of the situation. The article states:
Security researchers have been concerned about botnets for some time because they automate and amplify the effects of [...]
The demise of the menu bar
For whatever reason, there seems to have been a corporate decision at Microsoft to begin killing off the menu bar. Such old friends as the file and edit menus are disappearing or are being hidden in various Microsoft applications. For example, the new Office 2007 has something called a ribbon instead of menus. Internet Explorer [...]