rant

6 upgrades that are downgrades

I like new tech. That's one of the reasons I do this job. But there are times when newest is not bestest, when in fact we're better off using old products.

It shouldn't be like this. Technology and engineers' capabilities are advancing so fast right now that everything that is good about a current product can, in theory, easily be built into its successors. But sometimes this doesn't happen. Here are a few choice examples of upgrades that are downgrades, and why you're better off with the older tech:

Vista

The obvious number one product for this list. Vista is the new shiny operating system Microsoft released to replace Windows XP. Except it hasn't, because it's a poor upgrade. It's slower, bigger, and buggier. Many people, not just those in the opportunistic Apple ads (and Apple has its own problems), would rather get a new computer with the old XP operating system.

Why it happened: Books will be written about Vista's failures, which, in fairness, probably have as much to do with Microsoft's need to support a vast universe of third-party hardware and software products as with flaws in Microsoft's marketing and software development strategy.

Quicken

Intuit apparently believes that new users won't buy a personal accounting product if it's last year's model, and it also wants to upgrade its current users each year. So it "sunsets" older versions after three years: it turns off online access to bank updates and eliminates support. Sadly, some older versions of Quicken are faster and more stable than the new versions. But if you're a Quicken user, you can't stick with "classic" versions without giving up useful online features.

Why it continues to happen: Intuit has locked itself into a yearly upgrade cycle on a product that clearly takes more than a year to update.

Linksys WRT54G

The old WRT54G wireless router was a reliable and economical product, but a few years ago Linksys released a version 5 of the product that they knew was buggier. Knowledgeable users were able to get the older version by shopping online for the special "WRT54GL" router, which was really the previous version. It cost a few extra bucks, but it was a far better value.

Why it happened: Cost cutting, pure and simple. I covered this in 2006.

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'Roommates' on MySpace.com: A review

Roommates, the new MySpace TV original Web series, has all the plot dexterity, acting ability, and subtlety of a low-budget porno flick, without any of the payoff. Parents, the chances of your child encountering an actual sexual predator or engaging in actual criminal activity on MySpace.com are pretty low, statistically speaking. But if your kids are watching Roommates, you want to put a stop to that pronto. This is some psychologically damaging stuff.

The premise of the "show," which launched yesterday, is that four aspiring model/actresses...er, recent college grads...are living together in a house … Read more

Off topic: In defense of 'irregardless'

In a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago about overpriced Halo USB drives, I used the word "irregardless." And as these TalkBack posts show, it wasn't a very popular decision.

For example, one BoopieJones (awesome screen name notwithstanding) challenged the very existence of the word. Another reader, JustDenny, was noticeably shaken by the use of the word, e-shouting "oh no!!!" before noting that the word is a double-negative.

In response, I would like to say that "irregardless" is a word. It is, at least according to Merriam-Webster and Scrabble.

But I'… Read more

Episode 578: Windows XP: Best OS ever

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Make green tech, not green legislation

This may be a non sequitur for the Train Wreck blog, but this stuff drives me nuts, and I can't resist ranting about it.

Check out Title 24, Part 6, of the California Code of Regulations: California's Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings. On second thought, don't bother. Reading that garbage will fry your brain.

I don't know how many zillions of pages this building code is, but the latest hundred pages or so have strict requirements for new home lighting. Every room in the house, and outdoors as well, has been blessed with specific requirements for high-efficiency lighting and motion sensors.

That's not all, mind you. There are also requirements for HVAC (heating ventilating air conditioning), water heating, insulation, and believe it or not, how much window area a house can have.

And all this stuff adds cost. No big deal, right? It's not as if building a house in California is expensive or anything.

OK, fine, whatever. So legislatures and lawyers have to do something with their time, right? Well, it's not that simple. You know what really happens? Get this. The electrician installs this stuff, the inspector signs off on it, and then the electrician swaps it all out for the stuff the homeowner wanted to begin with.… Read more

When Web 2.0 (Yahoo Maps) attacks

I'll start by confessing my curmudgeon-ness. I can't stand the new "broadband" Yahoo Maps interface. I find it totally clunky, hard to use, and overly graphical--the vast majority of the time I'm using a mapping site, it's to get driving directions that I plan to either print out or send to my phone, and it's usually just to double-check my GPS directions. I'm fine with simple text directions and a nice little map. So it's been fine for me to just click back to the Classic Yahoo Maps interface (since Yahoo … Read more

What annoys you? Tell VentBox.

Okay, here are some things that tick me off: irritating cell phone ringtones, fast food, the Comic Sans font, Paris Hilton, bad grammar, and SpongeBob Squarepants. Generally, they don't get on my nerves nearly enough for me to want to tell everyone about it--but sometimes the annoyance reaches a level where I just want to...vent.

Enter VentBox, which is basically a forum for complaints. Type in something that irritates you, write whatever you want about it; not only will it post your vent on the site, it'll also connect you to other VentBox users who are ranting … Read more