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Getting the Most from Life November 28, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Random Thoughts.
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I was lying in bed last December thinking about how quickly another year had passed.  I thought to myself, time flies when you’re having fun.  But then I pondered if I was really having fun.  For the most part, I am having fun and enjoying life, but I could be getting more from life.

The weeks, months, and years are flying by these days, and as Ferris Bueller said, “life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  I suppose that’s what I’m afraid of now that I’m in my forties.

I don’t typically make New Years resolutions, but last year after reflecting on another year, I decided to make one.  What I did was make a list of things I like and things I like to do.  From that, I began making a list of activities that I wanted to do over the course of this year.  I’m not talking about things that require a big investment of time or money.  My wife and I are always saying we should do this or go there, but we rarely did, until this year.  And I’m talking again about simple things that we can do that don’t require a lot, if any money.  For example, we like beer from microbreweries, and have wanted to tour some of the breweries in our area.  We talked a lot about, but never seemed to get around to it.

But the thing I did differently this year was to take that list of things I like and add some activities to a calendar.  So on this Saturday we’re going to do this, and then we’re going to visit that on this day, etc.  It’s not spontaneous, but we were able to do a lot of things this year.

Time is flying now.  I did a Google search to get some ideas on how to make time slow down.  The best pointer I got was to embrace each moment.  Building upon that, I would add that I’m probably not ever going to keep the days from passing so quickly, so I should enjoy myself as much as possible.  I would pass that along as advice to anyone looking to do the same: live in the moment, and do the things that make you happy.  Life moves pretty fast and we only get one chance at it.

Installed Windows 7 on the Dell Mini 9 October 30, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Reviews, Windows.
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win7Before the official release of Windows 7, there was a lot written about how it was going to be netbook-friendly.  I decided to see first-hand what the folks at Microsoft referred to as “friendly,” by installing Windows 7 Enterprise.

I’m not going to go into a full review of Windows 7 on a netbook (there are plenty of reviews on the web with all the details you would want), but I will throw in my two pennies and say that if you have the means and want a change from dusty, old XP, Windows 7 will not disappoint.  My Dell Mini is spec’d out with 1GB and a 16GB SSD.  After installation, and installing Firefox, I’m left with 5.6GB free on the hard drive.

Windows 7 is zippy, boots quickly, and looks amazing on the Mini 9’s glossy screen.  The Windows Aero themes are even enabled on the Mini.  Streaming video from Hulu works well, too.

Overall, I’m impressed with Windows 7, both on my Dell Latitude D830 and the Mini 9.  I think Microsoft got this version right, or at least as right as Microsoft can get something.  Mac OS X is still my favorite OS, but Windows 7 has “wowed” me.

My Adventures in Installing Windows 7 October 23, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Windows.
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win7Anyone upgraded to Windows 7 yet?  I did mine earlier this week, and what an adventure it was!

I wanted to format my hard drive and do a fresh installation.  I chose the Clean Install option in Win7, thinking this would allow me to format the drive.  But, we got the upgrade disk, so the Clean Install takes the previous Windows folder and renames it to Windows.old, and basically does an upgrade (?).

Any way, so I’m doing the Clean Install from Vista, and the installation hangs.  I shut off my PC thinking the installation would just pick up from where it left off.  That didn’t happen, and that’s when I discovered that the upgrade disk wasn’t bootable.

So I installed XP, formatting the hard drive in the process, because I still wanted to do a clean installation, rather than an upgrade.  I got Windows 7 installed, but I wasn’t able to connect to company’s wireless network.  The network showed up in my list of networks, since it was downloaded from the GPO.  But I could never get it to connect.  A web search yielded similar stories, but no resolutions to the problem.

So my next strategy was to do a fresh installation of Vista, formatting the hard drive in the process, and do an upgrade from Vista.  I got Vista installed and made sure I had everything working, including my wireless connection.  Then I upgraded to Windows 7.  And I’m happy to report, that it worked this time.  It only took a day and half to get Windows 7 on my PC.

Google beats Bing, Even when Searching for Microsoft Stuff October 21, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Internet.
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In a totally non-scientific test of two leading Internet search sites, Google beats Bing, even when it comes to finding stuff on Microsoft’s web page.  I did a search today on Microsoft’s web page, which uses Bing.  I was searching for the admin tools to manage Windows servers that will run on the Windows 7.

These were my search terms:  “administrative tools windows 7″

At Google, the top result was what I was looking for.  At Microsoft’s web site, I found a hit for the admin pack for XP, but no listing for the admin pack for Windows 7 on the first page.  At Bing.com the results were even worse: nothing on the first page was even relevant to what I was looking for.

So there you have it: Google continues to rule in web search.

Human Nature Trumps Linux April 9, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Operating Systems.
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With Microsoft reporting that Windows now runs on 96% of netbooks, the time of the Linux OS may have come and gone.

Various flavors of Linux OS’s dominated the netbook market when the form factor was first introduced.  But Windows has caught up quickly, and this is largely a shame.

I dual boot my Dell Mini 9 between Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux.  I much prefer booting to Linux, because the interface is cleaner and better suited to the smaller screen.  But I’m tech-savvy and like playing with different technologies.  The average users wants to stick with what’s familiar.

And I think it’s that familiarity with Windows that will keep it the dominate OS, regardless of the PC form factor on which it’s installed.

Despite the fact that Linux is more stable and more secure, the vast majority of users are comfortable with Windows.  They are familiar with Windows’ quirks; they know what to do when Windows freezes; they know how to end an app that has hung.  They know where everything is in Windows.

This familiarity factor may be one of the reasons that Windows Vista has been met with so much disdain.  Show users what Vista can do – as with the Mojave Experiment – and users think it’s cool.  Have them work with it hands-on and suddenly those cool differences become cumbersome.

If Linux doesn’t make it on netbooks, I don’t think it will ever become mainstream: Linux is a perfect OS for netbooks.  But not only is Linux locked in a battle with Windows, it has to fight human nature, too.  It’s human nature to stick with what’s familiar, and it’s human nature to fear the unknown.

See Also:

Linux Expected To Thrive As Economy Recovers

Ubuntu UNR will Stay on my Dell Mini March 13, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Operating Systems.
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Earlier this week I posted about installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) on my Dell 9. I said it runs great, and the apps, such as Firefox, open and run very well on Ubuntu. However, I also said that I thought it wasn’t ready for mainstream yet.

During my lunch hour today, I browsed over to ABC.com to catch up on Scrubs. Didn’t realize ABC is still playing re-runs of episodes 1-10 of Season 8, so no new episodes today. Anyhoo, my Dell Mini was booted to UNR, so when I clicked on one of the episodes, I was greeted by a message that essentially said ABC.com only supports Mac OS X and Windows. Bummer.

My frustration level with Linux began to rise again, as I booted back to Windows. I thought a lot today about running Windows exclusively on the Mini, since I can’t run everything under Ubuntu, and just uninstalling Ubuntu. However, every time I thought about how much more quickly Firefox, for example, launches in Ubuntu than it does in Windows, I just can’t stand the thought of moving back to an inferior OS after experiencing Ubuntu, even with its own set of flaws.

Ok, Scrubs is the only thing I watch at ABC.com, and this is its last season. I should probably watch streaming movies from Netflix on my larger screen MacBook. And I don’t use mobile broadband all that often.

So Ubuntu stays.

Must-have Apps March 11, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Mobility, Operating Systems.
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I recently upgraded my Moto Q from WinMo 6 to 6.1.  The upgrade process wiped out all my installed apps – no big deal, as I was warned of this prior to the installation, and I can easily reinstall my apps.

The first app I reinstalled was USB Modem by Mobile-Stream that lets me use my Q as a high-speed-ish modem for Internet access when wi-fi is not available (or not available for free).  Unfortunately, that app doesn’t seem to work WinMo 6.1, and there doesn’t seem to be an upgrade available.

I am currently testing PdaNet from June Fabrics as a replacement for USB Modem.  It’s working great on my Windows Vista notebook and my Windows XP Dell Mini.  I haven’t tried to make it work on my MacBook, yet.

The next app I installed was Evernote.  I was out shopping the day other before I had a chance to reinstall Evernote, and you just don’t realize how important your key apps and your data are until you really need them.

What about you?  What’s the first app that gets reinstalled when you do a reinstall or new install of an OS?

My Dell Mini 9: Remixed March 10, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Operating Systems.
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Well after six calls to tech support and four trips to the repair shop in Texas, my Dell Mini 9 is finally fully operational.  So what do I do with it now that it’s working like new?  I install the alpha version of Ubuntu 9.04, code name Jaunty Jackalope.  I installed their netbook remix, called, Ubuntu Netbook Remix, or UNR.

The Mini 9 works even better now.  I installed Ubuntu using the Wubi install within Windows.  If you’re not familiar, Wubi allows you to install Ubuntu as if it were any other application.  It’s a great way to try out Linux without leaving the comfort of Windows, and it’s an easy way to maintain a dual-boot computer.  If you don’t like it, simply to Add/Remove programs in the Windows Control Panel and uninstall it – just like any other app.

The only two things I can’t do with Ubuntu that I can do with Windows is watch the on-demand stuff from Netflix, and tether the computer to my cell phone for Internet access.  On the other hand, I can play streaming audio through Songbird within Ubuntu, while I was unable to do so in Windows.

The 9.04 alpha version of Ubuntu is quite stable and seems complete based on other versions of Ubuntu that I’ve played with.  And I really like the application chooser that Ubuntu built into the remix.

I still think Ubuntu isn’t quite ready for the mainstream, but this is a huge step forward.

These two links will give you excellent help on installing UNR:

  1. Zimbio.com – This article talks about installing UNR on the MSI Wind netbook, but I found it works for the Dell Mini, too.
  2. Ubuntu on the Dell Mini 9

AlisterCompteron vs. the Evil Dell Tech Support January 30, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Mobility, Reviews, Technology.
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imagesLast fall, I bought the new Dell Inspiron Mini 9. Shortly thereafter, I began having problems with it. First I had an issue with the screen. There was an inch-wide column down the center of the screen that caused some green pixelation on pictures and windows. I sent the computer back and got that repaired.

Next, the computer began going into standby for no reason, even if I was using it. That was a hard one to explain to tech support. The techs I spoke with simply didn’t understand, and their fix was to turn off all the power save settings. I sent the netbook back again, only to have it return without anything done to it. One of the techs at the depot emailed to say he wasn’t able to reproduce the behavior I was seeing. I replied with detailed instructions on exactly how to make the computer to its automatic standby dance. Either he didn’t get my message, or still wasn’t able to reproduce the problem.

I called tech support again, and this time I decided to the let computer run for a few days without power saving settings. I even disabled the standby when I closed the lid. The Dell Mini stopped going to standby with all the power save settings off, but the screen would flicker instead.

So I called tech support again one evening, and after being transferred twice, giving my Service Tag number three times, and briefly explaining the problem three times, a tech realized that the computer was having a power issue, and probably needed to have the system board replace. THANK YOU! And duh. That’s what I suspected all along, but had to get them to realize it. Yes, I was partly at fault for not following through on the original instructions to keep the power save settings turned off, so mea culpa on that one.

I sent the Dell Mini in for a third time, and got it back today. I was eager to get it up and running so I could test for the issue. When I booted it up, I noticed that I no longer had a wireless adapter listed in Device Manager. I downloaded drivers from Dell, but each time I tried installing them, I got a message that the device wasn’t present. So another call to tech support.

The tech tried the driver installation again with the same result, and had me open the computer to re-seat the WLAN card (does re-seating a card ever work?). She said she would send out another WLAN card for me to swap, and she is also sending another box. So the Mini may be making a fourth trip to Texas.

If I didn’t love this little computer so much, I would have thrown in the towel long ago. But I just love the small size and portability of my netbook. I wasn’t sure what I’d actually use a netbook for when I got it; I mainly got it to see what all the buzz was about. I am having second thoughts, though, on buying a Dell over another brand. And quite honestly, I may be done with Dells after this experience.

I’ll post again after I get my replacement wireless adapter.

Apple may get Touchy with Palm after Patent Award January 27, 2009

Posted by AlisterComputeron in Mobility, News, Operating Systems.
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Palm just can’t catch break.  Earlier this month, Palm released WebOS, which will be the new OS on its devices and the Pre, what was supposed to be a game-changer device and perhaps the salvation for Palm’s survival.

But Apple had to go and spoil Palm’s comeback tour.  During Apple’s earnings call last week, Steve Jobs stand-in and Apple COO Tim Cook reasserted Apple’s supremacy in product designed, by saying, “Apple won’t let its intellectual property get ripped off; Palm, I’m looking at you.”

Apple was recently awarded a patent for “touch screen device, method, and graphical user interface for determining commands by applying heuristics,” features that sound simliar to those found in the Palm Pre.

Oh Apple, just let Palm have this one.  You can still crush them, and the victory will be sweeter when Palm’s a little bigger.  Besides, Palm is no Microsft; it’s not like they’re taking little bits of Mac OS X and putting it their OS.