Here's the scenario, you have a need to purchase a usb cable for one of your computer accessories. You go to the big box store, and see prices ranging from $5 - $35. The more expensive one claims to be "24K gold-plated and corrosion-proof connectors for maximum conductivity and error-free transmission of up to 480 Mbps".
Or perhaps you got one of those new High Definition TV sets, complete with a new HD receiver and DVD player. These new devices have the new high tech HDMI interface. You need to get cables to connect it all up, and the folks in the store have these great HDMI cables with superior quality for $100. Sure, they have a cable for $20, but warn you not want to compromise your video and sound quality with a $20 cable on your $1,500 system!
Well, guess what. There is NO DIFFERENCE between the cheap cable and the expensive cable except for price. It's true. Here's why, HDMI, USB and network cables transmit data in digital format, That means they send data in a signal that is either on or off. There are no wave forms as you have in analog data. So, in digital transmission, the data either gets delivered or it doesn't. Here's a fun read on the practical reality of the matter...
All HDMI, USB and network cables are certified to meet certain standards, and will perform exactly the same, regardless of how much you pay for them.
So, next time you go to the store to buy one of these, look for the inexpensive one. When the sales person tries to persuade you to break the bank on hyped up performance, respectfully suggest that they educate themself on how digital data transmission works.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Windows Recycle Bin Missing
So, the recycle bin is missing from your Windows Desktop. Where did it go? As you probably know, you cannot delete it from the desktop, so a setting must be screwed up in Windows that caused it to disappear. here's how to restore it.
Try right-clicking your desktop and selecting "properties." On the window that comes up, select the "desktop" tab, then click "customize desktop." On the next window, select "recycle bin (full)" and click "restore default," then repeat with "recycle bin (empty)."
if that does not work, download TweakUI (from Microsoft), install it. Run TweakUI from your Start Menu, In Tweak UI, just left-click "desktop" (not the + sign) and you'll see a list of desktop options. Make sure that Recycle Bin is checked.
Try right-clicking your desktop and selecting "properties." On the window that comes up, select the "desktop" tab, then click "customize desktop." On the next window, select "recycle bin (full)" and click "restore default," then repeat with "recycle bin (empty)."
if that does not work, download TweakUI (from Microsoft), install it. Run TweakUI from your Start Menu, In Tweak UI, just left-click "desktop" (not the + sign) and you'll see a list of desktop options. Make sure that Recycle Bin is checked.
Microsoft Extend Availability of XP for Nettops
The comptuter industry is seeing a huger growth in demand for ultra low cost computers, which some folks have dubbed "Nettops", as their primary function is to access Internet applications. These Nettops are generally built around alternative CPU designs that are not as powerful as the new high power processors from Intel and AMD, and they have less RAM than more traditional desktop machines.
But they do not need the horsepower, RAM and disk storage space, because they have a more casual use - browsing the web, listening to media, and using web applications. These devices are not capable of running the new Windows Vista, so their manufacturers have urged Microsoft to extend the availability of XP for these devices.
Microsoft had been resisting these requests, but has finally recognized that this trend towards Nettops is real, and that if they ignore the requests for XP, the vendors will switch to Linux. Many of the vendors already offer Linux versions of these devices,
Supposedly, Microsoft will limit the use of XP to these Nettop devices, and will not allow vendors to install XP on traditional desktops after the mid June 2008 cut-off date for sale of XP. It will be available on the Nettop until late 2010.
But they do not need the horsepower, RAM and disk storage space, because they have a more casual use - browsing the web, listening to media, and using web applications. These devices are not capable of running the new Windows Vista, so their manufacturers have urged Microsoft to extend the availability of XP for these devices.
Microsoft had been resisting these requests, but has finally recognized that this trend towards Nettops is real, and that if they ignore the requests for XP, the vendors will switch to Linux. Many of the vendors already offer Linux versions of these devices,
Supposedly, Microsoft will limit the use of XP to these Nettop devices, and will not allow vendors to install XP on traditional desktops after the mid June 2008 cut-off date for sale of XP. It will be available on the Nettop until late 2010.
Low Cost Computer for Web Browsing
Looking for a simple device for browsing the Internet? Want one that consumes very little power? Check out the new trend in devices made just for web surfing and email. There are a few categories of products here:
Many thin client devices have enough of an operating system to work with printers, USB devices, and they can also load a web browser. I have a Compac EVO T30 that has Windows XP Embedded (a light version of Windows XP) running on it. If I connect it to my network via its built in network interface, it boots up, gets an IP address, and displays a Windows XP desktop. From there I can open up Internet Explorer and browse the web.
New thin clients run about $200-300 dollars (sans a monitor), but you can pick them up used for a fraction of the price. For example, there are several Wyse thin clients with (Windows CE embedded) on eBay for less than $100. Here is a spec sheet on the Wyse device.
The thin clients do not have other software installed, so you can't use it for word processing, spreadsheets, etc. I take that back--you can do all of those online using Google Docs, and save them in your Google file storage.
Ultra Low Cost PCs Manufacturers will be debuting low cost / low profile computers that resemble thin clients, but offer full blown operating systems that act like a regular PC. One such unit is the Eee Box. This little bugger is expected to cost about $300. It has a regular (albeit small) hard drive in it, so it will not be as quiet or power efficient as a thin client, but i will still have a pretty small load on the coal driven power plant.
Low Cost Laptops While Ultra Low Cost PCs are just beginning to be developed, the low cost notebook market is exploding. Asus started it out with the Eee PC, a small laptop with a 7" screen, running either Linux or XP, and has no moving parts. This little guy is available for $400 -$600. A version with a 9" display is also available. HP has a competitor to the Asus Eee PC called the HP MiniNote. It costs in the neighborhood of $750, but again, offers a small, power efficient design. Dell is getting into the ball game with its new Mini Inspiron. MSI (a prominent PC motherboard and component maker) is also releasing a small laptop called the MSI Wind.
Compare these low cost notebooks to the Mac Air which costs nearly $2,000. They all do the same basic functions, but the ones listed above cost from 1/4 to 1/3 the price of the Air.
- thin client devices attached to your network
- Net-top devices (ultra low-cost desktops)
- low cost laptops
Many thin client devices have enough of an operating system to work with printers, USB devices, and they can also load a web browser. I have a Compac EVO T30 that has Windows XP Embedded (a light version of Windows XP) running on it. If I connect it to my network via its built in network interface, it boots up, gets an IP address, and displays a Windows XP desktop. From there I can open up Internet Explorer and browse the web.
New thin clients run about $200-300 dollars (sans a monitor), but you can pick them up used for a fraction of the price. For example, there are several Wyse thin clients with (Windows CE embedded) on eBay for less than $100. Here is a spec sheet on the Wyse device.
The thin clients do not have other software installed, so you can't use it for word processing, spreadsheets, etc. I take that back--you can do all of those online using Google Docs, and save them in your Google file storage.
Ultra Low Cost PCs Manufacturers will be debuting low cost / low profile computers that resemble thin clients, but offer full blown operating systems that act like a regular PC. One such unit is the Eee Box. This little bugger is expected to cost about $300. It has a regular (albeit small) hard drive in it, so it will not be as quiet or power efficient as a thin client, but i will still have a pretty small load on the coal driven power plant.
Low Cost Laptops While Ultra Low Cost PCs are just beginning to be developed, the low cost notebook market is exploding. Asus started it out with the Eee PC, a small laptop with a 7" screen, running either Linux or XP, and has no moving parts. This little guy is available for $400 -$600. A version with a 9" display is also available. HP has a competitor to the Asus Eee PC called the HP MiniNote. It costs in the neighborhood of $750, but again, offers a small, power efficient design. Dell is getting into the ball game with its new Mini Inspiron. MSI (a prominent PC motherboard and component maker) is also releasing a small laptop called the MSI Wind.
Compare these low cost notebooks to the Mac Air which costs nearly $2,000. They all do the same basic functions, but the ones listed above cost from 1/4 to 1/3 the price of the Air.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Microsoft Chooses ODF Format
The sun shines this week on the OpenSource community. The huge corporate behemoth Micro$oft has finally recognized that truly free products like OpenOffice are legitimate contenders in the office productivity tools environment.
Okay, Steve Balmer (CEO Micro$oft) did not exactly come out and say it, but their recent announcement that they will bake into Office2007 full support for the ODF file format is good enough endorsement for me.
Time for a brief, but important history lesson...
ODF stands for OpenDocument Format. It is a free and open file format for electronic office documents, such as spreadsheets, charts, presentations and word processing documents. It is an ISO/IEC International Standard, which means that its specifications are freely available and free to use. Most of the opensource office tools have implemented the ODF means for saving file data.
Up unitl Micro$oft Office 2007, Micro$oft's files were stored in a propriety format, that made it difficult for other software packages to read. Micro$oft started to get pressure from large customers (especially governments) about the fact that documents created by M$ Office 2000 or 2003 may be difficult to use years after those suites were no longer available. So, not to be outdone, Micro$oft developed its own "standard". Their standard, known as Office Open XML. M$ was able to bully its way into getting ISO certification so it could say it now had an open format.
Here and Now
More and more people are discovering the power and ease of use of OpenOffice.org, though corporate IT and governments in the United States have been reluctant to switch to it. Much of the reluctance has been due to "concerns" about compatibility with the M$ product. With the release of Service Pack 2 for Office 2007, that should no longer be a concern.
Back to the Future
The OpenOffice.org suite has developed to a very mature offering of word processor, spreadsheet, drawing and presentation tools. I would venture to say that it would meet virtually ALL the needs of 95 percent of people who currently use Microsoft Office. Only an extreme power user (most Access) would find a few features missing. So now that Microsoft will soon be offering full support for OpenOffice.org documents, we shoud start insisting that our government entities stop spending millions of dollars on commercial software when they could get just as effective tools for absolutely free.
They'll come back with the argument that support is lacking, and that the training costs of switching will be high. I don't buy it, and they hope you won't think with an open mind. They jump like lemmings at each new version of Microsoft Office that comes out, even though most of their users don't take advantage of even 5 percent of the features of the old one they abandoned. Users switching from any version of Microsoft Office to Office 2007 are in for a big surprise, and will require a lot of training.
have you ever called Microsoft for support on an MS Office product? It does not happen even in big IT environments. There is tons of free online support for OpenOffice.org, and it's much easier to learn.
Give it a whirl. Or at least take a look.
Okay, Steve Balmer (CEO Micro$oft) did not exactly come out and say it, but their recent announcement that they will bake into Office2007 full support for the ODF file format is good enough endorsement for me.
Time for a brief, but important history lesson...
ODF stands for OpenDocument Format. It is a free and open file format for electronic office documents, such as spreadsheets, charts, presentations and word processing documents. It is an ISO/IEC International Standard, which means that its specifications are freely available and free to use. Most of the opensource office tools have implemented the ODF means for saving file data.
Up unitl Micro$oft Office 2007, Micro$oft's files were stored in a propriety format, that made it difficult for other software packages to read. Micro$oft started to get pressure from large customers (especially governments) about the fact that documents created by M$ Office 2000 or 2003 may be difficult to use years after those suites were no longer available. So, not to be outdone, Micro$oft developed its own "standard". Their standard, known as Office Open XML. M$ was able to bully its way into getting ISO certification so it could say it now had an open format.
Here and Now
More and more people are discovering the power and ease of use of OpenOffice.org, though corporate IT and governments in the United States have been reluctant to switch to it. Much of the reluctance has been due to "concerns" about compatibility with the M$ product. With the release of Service Pack 2 for Office 2007, that should no longer be a concern.
Back to the Future
The OpenOffice.org suite has developed to a very mature offering of word processor, spreadsheet, drawing and presentation tools. I would venture to say that it would meet virtually ALL the needs of 95 percent of people who currently use Microsoft Office. Only an extreme power user (most Access) would find a few features missing. So now that Microsoft will soon be offering full support for OpenOffice.org documents, we shoud start insisting that our government entities stop spending millions of dollars on commercial software when they could get just as effective tools for absolutely free.
They'll come back with the argument that support is lacking, and that the training costs of switching will be high. I don't buy it, and they hope you won't think with an open mind. They jump like lemmings at each new version of Microsoft Office that comes out, even though most of their users don't take advantage of even 5 percent of the features of the old one they abandoned. Users switching from any version of Microsoft Office to Office 2007 are in for a big surprise, and will require a lot of training.
have you ever called Microsoft for support on an MS Office product? It does not happen even in big IT environments. There is tons of free online support for OpenOffice.org, and it's much easier to learn.
Give it a whirl. Or at least take a look.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
