windows

I pity the fool (Windows XP good, Vista bad)

It saddens me to think of all the ill advised people buying new computers running Windows Vista, when they could have chosen XP. As Mr. T was fond of saying back in the 1980s, I pity the fool.

Let me be clear, my point is only about the choice between XP and Vista and has nothing to do with Macs or Linux, many of whose devotees feel this way about all Windows users. I'm also not here to defend Windows XP, whose faults are many. My point is simply that if you are buying a new computer to run … Read more

There is only one email program

There is only one email program for Windows users. No, I haven't lost my mind, and yes Windows users can chose from many client side email programs. But this is a Defensive Computing blog and speaking defensively, that is, with the hope of avoiding problems in the future, there is only one choice when it comes to email programs (webmail is another topic entirely - if you use webmail exclusively you can stop reading here).

Outlook

Outlook is out because it stores all your email in a single file. You don't need to be a techie/nerd to … Read more

Windows Home Server release issues

When last we left Microsoft's Windows Home Server software, it was off to manufacturing and we expected to see WHS-equipped hardware show up at our doorstep shortly thereafter. After a post on Microsoft's official Home Server blog, we get the company line as to why we haven't seen HP's MediaSmart Server yet. As follows:

"We've identified a number of ways to make the product even better since the initial release. As with most Microsoft products, updates to Windows Home Server will be automatically available throughout the lifecycle of the product, and the WHS team … Read more

Nokia takes on Apple with music store

Yesterday, top cellphone maker Nokia announced Ovi, an umbrella brand for a forthcoming set of online services. Among these services is a new Nokia Music Store, which will offer both over-the-air and PC-based downloads, with two-way sync between device and PC. The service will launch in Europe, featuring a catalog of "millions" of tracks. Individual song downloads will cost 1 Euro and full albums 10 Euros. A subscription, PC-tethered, streaming-only service will also be available for 10 Euros per month. (The whiz-bang Flash site introducing Ovi is here. A press release is here.)

The service leverages Nokia's … Read more

Does Microsoft not trust in its value?

OK, there are lots of good reasons for Microsoft pulling down the AutoPatcher service. AutoPatcher has been running for four years as an alternative to Windows Update:

[AutoPatcher provides] an up-to-date collection of security patches and tweaks in a single file for each supported version of Windows. Sys admins could save time and bandwidth by updating machines from a single file obtained from the service rather than downloading everything for Windows Update.

Microsoft's reason for shutting it down?… Read more

Windows Server 2008 release delayed

Windows Server 2008 is apparently going to live up to its name, with Microsoft acknowledging Wednesday that it won't be able to finish work on the product this year, as scheduled.

"Windows Server 2008, which we have been saying would Release to Manufacturing (RTM) by the end of the calendar year, is now slated to RTM in the first quarter of calendar year 2008," Microsoft said on its Windows Server blog.

As for the reasoning, the company said "while we're very happy with the feedback we're getting and the overall quality of the latest … Read more

Vista SP1: Small things come in big packages

Microsoft's planned Vista Service Pack 1 may not be adding many features, but it sure does take up a lot of space.

Based on current test versions, the operating system update will be a 1GB file when uncompressed. By way of comparison, Windows XP--the whole thing--shipped on a CD, which only holds about three quarters of a gigabyte. On the plus side, systems that already have the latest Vista patches can be brought up to the Service Pack 1 level with only a 50MB compressed file through Microsoft's online Windows Update utility.

Also notable, installing the OS will … Read more

Microsoft's WGA: it's only human(s)

As Mary Jo reports, Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) service outage was caused by human error. How comforting. Now if we could just get rid of those pesky humans, SaaS outages would be nonexistent. :-)

MediaMaster's Facebook app close to perfect for music sharing

MediaMaster is one of many companies worth keeping an eye on, mainly for the potential of having your entire music library available anywhere you go, as long as you've got an Internet connection. Their Facebook app, which went live just a few weeks ago, is a prime example of a great use of the service.

The app lets you set up a huge playlist of music, and serve it up right on your profile in a miniplayer. Anyone who comes by your profile can then get the full quality versions of the tracks streamed in whatever order you set … Read more