Archive for March, 2009
Quickly open System Restore
Speaking of System Restore, sometimes you want to make a restore point in addition to the regularly scheduled ones. Opening System Restore through Control Panel can require several steps but there are quicker ways. In an old post, I showed how to create a shortcut for quickly opening System Restore in Windows XP. In Vista, [...]
What does Windows System Restore do?
Microsoft’s opaqueness about many aspects of Windows is sometimes puzzling. I suppose the near-secrecy about technical things like the details of the Registry is because Microsoft doesn’t want anybody to mess with it. But I can’t figure out why the descriptions of useful functions like System Restore are so vague. Without more information, far [...]
Netbook buying guide
The PC manufacturers are coming out with many new versions of netbooks. If you are interested in getting one of these inexpensive and useful little laptops, PC World has its pick of The Top Ten Netbooks .
Is advertising failing on the Internet?
Writing at TechCrunch, Eric Clemons, Professor of Operations and Information Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, puts forth the thesis “that the internet is not replacing advertising but shattering it”. It is a provocative article and attracting some attention. For example, Clemons says:
It is frequently argued that the advertising industry will [...]
Is the WIMP interface obsolete?
WIMP stands for windows, icons, menus, pointing device. It is the way computer interfaces have been constructed since the Alto system was first packaged at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. First Apple and then Microsoft adopted WIMP and it is the way we are still doing things nearly four decades later. It is a [...]
Google’s top designer gets fed up with data
Google’s design leader, Douglas Bowman, has decided that his artistic efforts are too cramped by Google’s emphasis on data and performance so he is going to Twitter. He blogs:
When a company is filled with engineers, it turns to engineering to solve problems. Reduce each decision to a simple logic problem. Remove all subjectivity and just [...]
Conficker worm may strike again
Although the initial storm of PC infections from the Conficker/Downadup worm has subsided, the problem is far from over. Another attack is expected on April 1. John Markoff reports at the New York Times:
An extraordinary behind-the-scenes struggle is taking place between computer security groups around the world and the brazen author of a malicious software [...]
What’s next for Microsoft
All too often, interviews with company executives are nothing but cliche-ridden happy talk. Or in the case of Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, bluster and bad-mouthing of the competition. So I was surprised that I actually found a recent Computerworld interview of Microsoft chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie to be interesting reading. He talks about [...]
Adobe reader update
Yes, another one. And important, too. Download version 9.1 here. Note that it is a bloated 41 MB.
Internet Explorer 8
The latest version of Microsoft’s browser is out. You can get Internet Explorer 8 at this link. For a review, see Walter Mossberg’s assessment. Generally, he likes the new browser but still prefers Firefox. He concludes:
Internet Explorer 8 is a well-done advance on an important product used by most people to surf the Web. If [...]
Secure passwords are a must
It happens all too often- a list of Web passwords gets hacked or inadvertently revealed. If you use the same password for all your Web accounts, that puts all your accounts at risk. Also, simple passwords are too easily cracked. At ZDNet, Adam O’Donnell makes a strong case for having different passwords for each of [...]
