Archive for the 'Software' category
October 11, 2007 10:32 pm
My friend Brian Chee pointed me at Microsoft LiveWriter a while back, but I had trouble getting the software to work with the blog here. Now, it’s working, and I have to say that it’s pretty slick. It’s even nicer than ScribeFire, the FireFox extension I’ve been using for some time.
I’ll be using LiveWriter to update my student blog, and I’ll be creating some photo pages here in the near future. LiveWriter should make building the blog and those pages much easier — and I’ll just have to live with having to say nice things about another Microsoft product.
Categories: Media, Software
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We’ve got the first assignment in the Journalist’s Toolkit class, and it’s all about audio. We broke up into teams of two or three and recorded interviews with one another using an Olympus recorder . Now, we must edit it down to a 60-90 second recording using Audacity. The hardest part, oddly enough, was getting the files converted from WMA to WAV format. It’s interesting–there are scores of programs out there that will happily move files from one graphics format to another, but a much smaller number that will deal gracefully with audio.
We’re going to be turning our assignments in using web space provided by UF–I’ll put links here so you can watch/listen and let me know what you think.
I’ve found another interesting note-taking tool…more on that next time.
Categories: Software, Grad School
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So I’m a big fan of iGoogle, but ran into an issue with my new job at InfoWorld: there are Google productivity features that the team uses to coordinate activities, but we’re supposed to use an account based on our InfoWorld information, rather than our personal Google accounts. Fair enough, but I like to keep calendars and such open, and Google says that you can only be logged in to one account at a time. What’s a geek to do?
Well this geek started playing around and found that you can log in to two separate accounts as long as you use two separate browsers. Now, I use IE 7 for the work accounts and FireFox for the personal information, and everything seems to be working fine. If I can keep from having a third group that requires a separate account, I should be in good shape.
Technorati Tags: Google, productivity
Categories: Consumer, Software
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One of the things that Windows has never done particularly well is manage the process of getting rid of software. Sometime an application shows up in the “install/uninstall software” dialog, sometimes the software has its own uninstaller, and sometimes neither is true. Sometimes the supplied process gets rid of every trace of the unwanted software, and sometimes stray bits and pieces are left scattered across your system. Now, there’s a bit of freeware that helps get rid of software you don’t want: Revo Uninstaller. It’s a great little piece of software that gives you several options for zapping unwanted applications. There are also features for managing the software that automatically starts when you boot your system.
I tried Revo Uninstaller on a USB camera application that, it turned out, was incompatible with Vista. The app didn’t show up in the Windows dialog, and didn’t include its own uninstaller. Revo Uninstaller found it, got rid of it, and even asked about some stray registry keys when it was finished. I end up loading and unloading a lot of software on my systems, and I can see this being the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
Thanks to the always-useful LifeHacker for the pointer.
Technorati Tags: consumer, enterprise, software, utility
Categories: Enterprise, Consumer, Software
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If you’re into graphics (and if you’re working on the web, you need to be into graphics) then the list of resources Snap2Object has put together in this post will be useful. You’ll find everything from libraries of company logos to tutorials, and most will be helpful, especially if you’re not a professional art director. Highly recommended reading.
Technorati Tags: graphics, resource, art, web
Categories: Media, Software
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One of the things that blogging does well is put together lists of resources. Snap2Objects has done a great job of building a list free design programs and posting it here. Highly recommended reading.
Technorati Tags: design, software, free
Categories: Media, Software
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So MSNBC has an article telling us that some folks are still complaining about Vista. They’re right about the major problems–driver incompatibilities and the utterly ridiculous way in which User Account Control was implemented–but they haven’t really touched on the basis of the bad feelings some of us have toward this product.
I sat down over a year ago with Jim Allchin and other members of the Vista team, and they told me two things: First, Vista was going to be on time; and second, Vista was going to be fabulous. At that point, they had already been tossing features overboard to make the ship date, but by now it’s obvious that either the final feature set or the ship date should have been revised in a big way before the end of last year. Microsoft had become so heavily invested in their self-imposed deadline, and so wrapped up in the hype machine surrounding Vista, that it was beyond their corporate ability to give full value to both. I say this because most of the “Vista will be fabulous” talk we got that day on the Microsoft campus revolved around Vista’s 64-bit capabilities. Guess what? Installations of 64-bit Vista are still rare as hen’s teeth because Microsoft is working very hard not to sell the licenses. They work so hard because the still-growing number of 32-bit drivers dwarfs the number of 64-bit drivers available.
I’m still using Vista on one machine, and the experience has spanned the distance from acceptable to intensely frustrating. Will I go back to XP on the one machine? No. I need to keep Vista for part of my work, and I’ve gotten it to a state in which it doesn’t interfere with most of my projects. Will I recommend anyone else move to Vista? Not right now…at least not if the anyone else is someone I like. If XP no longer meets your needs, look at Linux, try Mac OS, but don’t plan on shifting to Vista unless you feel you just have way too much productive time on your hands. I’m sure that Microsoft will eventually get it right, but I have absolutely no way to predict when that will happen.
It’s a shame, because Vista does show promise. The slow-motion, dribbling release of Vista might go unnoticed at a lot of firms, but Microsoft isn’t a lot of firms. Microsoft will use bluff and bravado to try to convince the world that the Vista roll-out has gone precisely as planned, but if this is how things are supposed to work, God help us if Microsoft ever has a broken release.
Thanks to Instapundit for pointing out the MSNBC article. It’s worth reading.
Technorati Tags: Vista, software, operating, system, Microsoft
Categories: General computing, Enterprise, Consumer, Software
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One of the tools I’m having fun with right now is ScribeFire, a Firefox add-in that makes blogging much easier. I wasn’t initially convinced about the need for a tool beyond the WordPress editor, but I find that ScribeFire makes this sort of quick post much faster and easier. I’m sold.
Technorati Tags: software, mozilla, blog, tool
Categories: Media, Software
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The second article for PCMag.com is on Voice over IP (VoIP) security. Like most technologies, there are risks that go along with the benefits. Head over to the article to check out what some of the experts are saying about what you should do to protect your network if you’re deploying VoIP.
Powered by ScribeFire.
Categories: Security, Threats, Software
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You know, there’s something nice about re-discovering an old friend. Since I moved over to Vista, I’ve been using Internet Explorer as my browser. Microsoft has done a good job of making it better with each major release, but it’s still not as stable as I’d like, and it can be terribly sluggish at times. Last week, I downloaded Apple’s Safari browser and have been, on the whole, underwhelmed. The one good thing Safari did for me was to make me re-think FireFox. The good folks at LifeHacker are big fans, but I’d been away from it for a few months. I have to say it works beautifully under Vista. Fast, stable, and customizable–I think I’ve found software to make me happy.
Categories: Software, Consumer Technology
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Vista is, in many ways, like a new puppy: I enjoy taking it out, but I’m always on the lookout for stray puddles on the carpet. I’m working on a set of tests down at the university, and today was the first trip to the lab with the new Vista machine. On the whole, I was pleased. My laptop recognized the university wireless network, properly complained about a certificate, and asked just how vulnerable I wanted to be while I was there. Good stuff. On the other hand, I needed to download a file and Vista worked hard to keep me from storing it where I wanted.
That really sums up my experience with Vista, so far: Lots of good stuff with a lot of little annoyances thrown in to keep me from being enthusiastic. I’ll agree that it is, on balance, an improvement over Windows XP. I wish the 64-bit version was readily available (and usable) right now, but I’ll limp along with the junior version. With everything I’ve been through on the switch to Vista, though, there is one thing I’m confident of: If Apple released a version of the Macintosh OS that would run on my laptop I’d switch in a heartbeat. I’m confident I’m not alone in this. Apple should be listening.
Categories: General computing, Software, Consumer Technology
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After a week of working with Vista I can say that I’m…still here. I can’t say that I’m thrilled with Vista, because I’m not, really. There’s the sort of “did I just survive that!?!” one often gets after a particularly reckless motorcycle stunt, but it’s not the kind of thrill you generally want in a business setting. There are some interesting things going on, but I should set this up just a bit…
I got my copy of Vista through the Express Upgrade program. My Gateway laptop, ordered in late November, shipped with XP, but I jumped through the hoops necessary to get my disc sent on its way. It arrived in due time, I backed up all my data files, and the Great Upgrade began.
I decided, against Microsoft’s advice, to try the update (rather than the clean install) for my first installation attempt. Big mistake. There’s nothing like a looping Blue Screen of Death in an OS install to get your attention. After an hour or so of trying to get the installation process to fix itself I gave up and did the clean install. Much better.
Vista comes alive, and it’s first impression time: Hmm, they seem to have given me a new toolbar. I’m a fan of the Google sidebar, so I look at the Microsoft version and spend about ten minutes with it before downloading Google.
Getting things set up was relatively straight forward, though it took a while before I got the MTU issue settled. I run a screwy custom MTU on my home network (thanks, BellSouth), and getting the new value established took a while. It was finally done, though, and I could start using the system.
First note: I’d been told that Office 2007 ran faster under Vista than under XP. My impression is that this is true, tbough the difference in performance isn’t nearly as great as I’d like. Perhaps if I work up the courage to upgrade to Vista 64…
More later, but it’s late. I’ll be back soon.
Categories: General computing, Software, Consumer Technology
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I had been meaning to write a post on some very inconvenient corporate behavior on the part of CheckPoint. Instead, I’ve been spending time switching my main computer over to Vista. Yeah, I know, I can hear you laughing from here. So far, it’s been an adventure, and not one that’s made me very happy, but I hope to have a usable system by the end of the weekend. Some things are working well (Office 2007 seems slightly snappier), some not so well (it’s going to be a while before I have the security settings figured out), but I think it’s going to be an educational process (if not a productive one) when it’s over.
More soon…
Categories: General computing, Software
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I’ve received word via e-mail that my express upgrade to Vista Office Premium has shipped. I’m a touch confused, because the note says that it’s shipped, and warns that it could be three weeks before it appears. I’ve tried to think of a modern shipping method that could take three weeks to travers any distance within the continental United States. The only thing I can come up with is that they’re shipping it on its own barge. When it arrives at a Florida port, it will transfer to a rail car, and then to a truck for final shipping to my office. I’m looking forward to the shipping label.
You’d think they could spring for UPS…
Anyway, three weeks gives me plenty of time to get my files backed up before it arrives. I’ll be blogging on the process, which I hope will be smoother than I dare expect. This should be an adventure–sort of like operating system BASE jumping. Let the climbing begin.
Categories: General computing, Software
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I’ve written about copy-protected software before. In general, I think it’s a bad idea. I’ve yet to meet a scheme that can’t be defeated (albeit some require a bit of knowledge and some uncommon tools), and virtually all impose at least some burden on legitimate customers. Recently, my dear wife had a run-in with software protections that had to be the most intrusive, “you paid us and we still don’t care about you” copy protection I’ve seen this side of Sony.
Now, before I get too far into this, let me say that the system she ran into is several years old: it’s entirely possible that the company has come to its senses in subsequent releases. If so, and if the company contacts me to tell me about it, I’ll post information here. Until then, on with a cautionary tale…
You need to know that Carol is superb with all things having to do with fiber, fabric, and sewing. A friend purchased a sewing machine with embroidry attachments many years ago, but had never really used the attachments. She asked Carol to see if it could be figured out and put to use. The sewing machine and attachments were made by Husqvarna — a top brand. When Carol began installing the software, she found that it required a printer-port dongle as part of its copy-protection scheme. Fortunately, her laptop has a printer port, so she installed the dongle and proceeded with the install. She next found that the application she was installing (one of three separate applications required in order to do the sort of embroidery she wanted to try) also required a special key for the dongle–a key shaped roughly like a large watch battery. She installed the key and moved on. Each of the applications, in turn, required its own key to be placed in the dongle during the software installation process. Now, things get really fun.
Once the programs are installed, they each must be used if you want to make custom designs. Each time a program is invoked, its key must be inserted into the dongle. Since creating and saving a custom design isn’t a straight-through-the-applications sequence, there are more than three key changes required for the creation of each design. Get this image in your head: The process of creating an embroidered design isn’t just an excercise in graphical design–it’s now part of your aerobic excercise program as you get up and down, twist around to the back of the computer, stretch your arms to the dongle, reverse and repeat.
I don’t know whether the Husqvarna folks had “irritate the living daylights out of legitimate users” as an item on their design criteria list, but they nailed this feature. It’s hard to imagine a more annoying system that doesn’t involve physical mutilation.
Now, as I said at the top, it’s possible I’m ranting about a system that’s no longer sold. Lordy, I hope so. Whether it’s been relegated to the waste-bin of history or not, this is a product of the thinking that’s typical of copy-protection schemes. The thinking? Our customers don’t matter at all. The appropriate response? A decision to buy someone else’s product. I absolutely believe that developers (and all those who work in creative endeavours) should be compensated for their work. I’m not advocating intellectual property theft or a system in which no one is allowed to profit from their work. I am saying that these creative folks should respect their customers enough to figure out how to profit by making their legitimate products desirable–not by abusing the people who keep them in business by actually buying their wares.
OK, the lecture is over, and a tough week is done. More regular posting next week and news from a regional SPJ conference over the weekend…
Categories: Security, Software
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