1. Tinker.
2. Read help files or manual.
3. Call the most knowledgeable person or relative you know.
4. Call Tech Support, if available. Wait on hold a long time then talk to someone who may or may not be able to help you.
5. E-mail Tech Support. Hope that the reply comes soon and actually resolves your issue.

Thankfully, there’s a much faster, more reliable way:  Google it.

Google for help first, and you can save yourself tens of hours per year. In this post, I provide specific examples and helpful tips on how to quickly get tech help using Google.

Examples of Googling for Tech Help

The following examples are all from actual experiences. Note that if you try these searches yourself, the exact results may vary with different search engines or at different times. For each example I’ve created an amusing Google demo using this tool.

Hardware Example

I own a Garmin Nuvi 660 GPS device. Before purchasing a Blackberry Curve 8320, I wanted to know if I could pair these two devices with Bluetooth so I could use my Garmin to have phone conversations in the car. I spent 10-15 minutes searching Garmin’s site, and another 10 minutes on the phone with Garmin tech support, to no avail. I found the answer in less than 1 minute with Google:

1. Google: Garmin nuvi 660 bluetooth blackberry curve
2. Click on the top Google hit, Bluetooth sync problem with Garmin Nuvi 680
3. Done (The clearly explained 11 step procedure explained by ggraves took 10-15 minutes to implement, but it worked.)

For demo, click here.

Web Service Example

My sister Esther Golton is a talented singer–songwriter who wants her music to be listed with Pandora. How? After spending 10-15 minutes looking for the answer on Pandora’s site, she gave up. I found it in less than a minute, as follows:

1. Google: submit pandora music
2. Click on the top Google hit, FAQ (on Pandora’s web site)
3. Use your browser’s find command to find the first instance of the word “submit”
   1. Type control-f
   2. Type “submit”
   3. Enter
4. Done (Esther has the instructions)

For demo, click here.

Software Example

My father-in-law upgraded to Safari 4.0 Beta at my recommendation. He instantly hated the picture slices of web sites on his bookmark page. He spent 20 minutes tinkering with Safari 4.0 to try to completely get rid of it. I was in the next room and couldn’t stand his pain, so I went to a different computer, and found how to get rid of it in less than 5 minutes, as follows:

1. Google: Safari 4 interface
   None of the top hits mentioned these web site picture slices. My query was not specific enough, as I did not know the name for these picture slices. I figure the feature is so prominent it must be mentioned in a review of Safari 4. So . . .
2. Google: Safari 4 review
3. Click on second Google hit, MacWorld’s First Look: Safari 4 Beta
4. Skim article until I find a picture of the feature—it’s called Cover Flow
5. Google: Safari 4 remove cover flow
6. Click on second Google hit, Safari 4: How to Remove Cover Flow from the Bookmarks View
7. Done (I showed my father-in-law the instructions and 2 minutes later the cover flow was gone.)

For demo, click here.

Searching for Tech Help with Google: Tips

The following collection of tips is geared specifically towards finding tech help using major search engines Google, Bing, or Yahoo!

1. Choose keywords carefully, as follows
   • Provide words that you expect to be in the answer
   • Be specific, not general (cover flow versus interface)
   • Use the model name and/or model number
2. If you can’t find a useful search result in the first 20 hits, then
   • Try additional keywords
   • Try different keywords
   • Try visiting a forum specific to your product, and then conduct the search from there
3. If you hardly know anything about the subject, and need additional ideas for key words, then
   • Read a Wikipedia article
   • Read a review of the product
   • Read the product specifications on the vendor’s web site
   • Ask someone who does know the subject for some keywords to use in a Google search
4. If you land on a long page, use your browser’s find command from the menu (or control-f) to find the key word on the page

For more general help with search, the following two links from Google are good starting places.

Basic Search Help (Google)

More Search Help (Google)

Concluding Words

While most people are used to using Google to search for information in general, I have noticed that people still spend many hours getting tech help using the traditional help filters described at the beginning of this post. Traditional tech help methods have failed to keep up with increasingly complex and feature rich technologies.

FilterJoe is all about replacing old filters (that stop working well) with better filters. Googling for tech help is one such filter. More generally, effectively using search engines is an important skill to master in the new millennium.

When in doubt, google it.

Software on a server . . . in the cloud

This post is an attempt to answer these questions from a balanced perspective.

Here is how I describe desktop versus cloud computing for the purposes of this post:

Desktop Computing is the use of desktop software to create, edit, and store data on your hard drive. The operating system is the primary interface through which you access the software that works with your data.

Cloud Computing is the use of web services to create, edit, and store data on servers located elsewhere. The browser is the primary interface through which you access the various software services that work with your data.

Software on a hard drive . . . on your desktop computer

I realize that there are a variety of definitions for cloud computing. The above definition makes sense in the context of typical users getting work done on a computer, which is what this post is all about—both an introduction and a reference for individuals and small businesses considering migrating work from the desktop to the cloud.

A Typical Morning in the Cloud

6:00 Wake up. My Blackberry shows 3 e-mails in my Gmail inbox. I read and archive one message, leaving the others for later.

6:13 Start home computer, then Firefox, which automatically opens my most frequently used web pages into 7 tabs. Enter my Roboform master password, then open Gmail.

6:15 From the Gmail Inbox page:

1. I quickly read and archive my 2 unread messages
2. I glance at the following for today and tomorrow:
   • To Do list (Remember the Milk Firefox add-on)
   • Calendar (Gmail gadget shows my Google Calendar)
   • Weather (part of my Google Calendar)
3. I add an idea to my web security draft article (Click on “web security” document listed under the Gmail Docs gadget, type in idea, close/save it)

6:25 Check financial news on a number of stocks I either own or am tracking, using the finance sites for Yahoo! and Google.

6:45 Go to the Google Reader tab. Scan titles of 43 unread items. Read three of them. I don’t want to read the other 40, so I click “Mark all as Read.”

7:00 Eat Breakfast.

7:15 Check news, e-mail, Google Reader, etc. one last time then shut down computer and bike to the office.

7:25 Start office computer, then Firefox.

7:30 Open my incomplete web security article (from Google Docs gadget in Gmail). F11 and Control-Shift-F to completely block out distractions while I’m writing.

9:00 I stop writing, and check Gmail. 2 new messages:

1. Transcript of Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting. I want to read it later. So I “star” the e-mail, which makes it into a (Remember the Milk) To Do item that links back to the e-mail. I set the due date to Friday, then archive the message to keep my inbox clear.
2. Jim’s reply. This is part of a “conversation” that Gmail automatically grouped together, so I choose “expand all” to see the context. We’ve been going back and forth about a FilterJoe site bug. Jim isolated the issue with this last e-mail. So . . .

9:05 I log in to FilterJoe. I make the needed change, do some testing, and find that the problem is resolved.

9:20 Back to Gmail: I thank Jim and tell him the issue is resolved. I then click on the “send and archive” button, which sends the reply, archives it, then returns me to the inbox.

9:25 I spend time researching Internet security. I clip several web posts into Evernote. I also type my own notes directly into Evernote.

10:00 I turn off my office computer and go to a Doctor’s appointment, taking along my Blackberry and EEE PC netbook.

10:05 While riding BART, I read a message on my Blackberry from my father-in-law requesting flight times for a ticket I purchased a few months ago. So I type Southwest into Gmail on the Blackberry. The second e-mail listed is the Southwest itinerary, which I forward to him.

10:45 I arrive on time, but have to wait half an hour. I continue working right where I left off, using my EEE PC netbook. My Internet connection is slow because it uses Bluetooth tethering (the Blackberry acts as a modem, and accesses the Internet through T-mobile’s EDGE network). But it’s good enough for Gmail, Google Reader, and Google News.

Comments about my cloud use

1. I routinely access my data from 2-4 devices per day.  Storing data on the cloud makes this easy. The Dropbox service makes syncing desktop data just as easy.
2. Gmail has replaced MS Outlook as my coordination center: e-mail, contacts, calendar, and tasks. It also links to documents I’m currently working on.
3. I still use desktop software. Quicken and Excel are examples of desktop software I much prefer over competing web services.
4. Evernote is an example of an app that is a combination of both desktop software and a web service. The desktop software is faster and more flexible, but the web service seamlessly syncs data so that I can access and add to my notes from anywhere.
5. With Evernote, I capture, sync, and find notes I take from any of my computers or smartphones. I prefer using its desktop client, for two reasons:
   • I want a separate window open for note taking as I’m reading.
   • I want to access and add to notes while offline.
6. Before Evernote, I used Google Notebook.  Google ended support for this product, but Google and Evernote made it easy to transfer my data from Google Notebook to Evernote.
7. The title “The Desktop or the Cloud?” implies using one or the other. In reality, you can pick and choose which apps you prefer on the desktop, which on the cloud, and which a hybrid of the two.
8. On the other hand, some benefits of cloud computing happen only if most of your work is on the cloud. I personally experienced reduced computer maintenance time and lower hardware requirements after I replaced MS Outlook with Gmail as my starting point for work.
9. Evaluating and managing each individual cloud service can be time consuming. Life in the cloud is simpler if you use either Google or Zoho as your main service provider, as both of these options cover most of the typical productivity apps.  Thinkfree and Zimbra also cover multiple apps, though not as many.
10. I rarely see the desktop interface. I like Windows XP because it is well supported and doesn’t force me to waste time and money on “upgrades.”

The Pros of Cloud Use

1. Data accessible from anywhere
   • Web apps are easily accessible from any computer
   • Web apps are accessible from smart phones (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.)
   • Web apps can run on any operating system that supports a modern browser (platform independent)
   • Regular desktop apps require complex and expensive solutions such as MS Exchange Server to attain a similar level of accessibility
2. Software upgrades are frequent yet effortless
   • Desktop software requires time and sometimes money to upgrade
   • Web apps get frequent updates, upgrades, and feature additions, usually with no money or time spent by users
   • Cloud users still need to keep upgrading and updating the browser (and its add-ons) when prompted to do so
   • Cloud users must also keep updating (but not upgrading) the operating system in order to stay secure
   • But that’s it—web apps get updated on servers, not your computer
3. Maintaining a computer’s operating system requires less time and effort
   • The more work you move to the cloud, the less time and effort you need to maintain your computer system’s well being
   • If you move everything to the cloud, your computer will essentially play the role of a “dumb terminal” (Back in the 1970s, the primary way computers were accessed were through zero-maintenance dumb terminals that accessed remote computers elsewhere)
   • Customizing your interface still requires tinkering, but with browser settings and add-ons
   • It is far faster and easier to reinstall a browser with add-ons (less than 1 hour) than it is to reinstall an operating system and all the software on a computer (3-12 hours)—so messing up your browser impacts you less than messing up your operating system
4. Computer and operating system upgrades are less frequent
   • Upgrading or buying new computers and/or operating systems takes time, money, expertise, and aggravation
   • Cloud users are never forced to upgrade due to speed or compatibility issues, though hardware failure still forces repair or replacement of computers
   • Windows or Linux computers purchased after 1998 or Macs purchased after 2001 can easily run web services on a modern browser
5. Less expensive hardware
   • Standard computer buying advice: buy at least a mid-range system, so that your system doesn’t get obsoleted too soon by upgrades to the operating system or other software
   • Cloud computer buying advice: buy the cheapest computer that meets your current needs—and you’ll notice that using it for web services gets faster after each browser upgrade
     
   • Cheap and supposedly underpowered netbooks like my EEE PC 1000H run web services at speeds which are not noticeably different than high powered desktops
   • Buying new computers to support upgraded operating systems and software is no longer necessary
6. Less expensive software
   • Many web apps are free
   • Paid web apps can be accessed by any number of devices for a monthly or annual subscription
   • Desktop software purchases and upgrades can be expensive, especially when installed on multiple computers per user
7. More computing power
   • Can rapidly scale up (or down) computing needs without acquiring (or disposing) hardware
   • Complex calculations can be done on servers instead of your computer, enabling new features such as voice dictation on phones or rapidly searching an e-mail archive
8. Collaboration is simpler, yet more powerful
   • Google Apps, Zimbra, Zoho, and other web providers offer collaborative functionality at a fraction of the cost and complication of MS Exchange-based solutions
   • Some forms of web app collaboration are not even possible on desktops (i.e. wikis, blogs, Ning communties)
9. Data backed up automatically and frequently
   • Personal backup systems are usually less regular, less reliable, and less geographically dispersed than backup systems of large web service providers such as Google and Yahoo!
   • If a fire burns down your home, how much data do you lose? (At most a few minutes’ worth if all your data is in the cloud)
   • Even safer are hybrid cloud/desktop backup strategies such as Dropbox, which synchronize data between web servers and multiple computers

This is an incomplete list of benefits to cloud computing, but I believe these are the key benefits for home or small business users. Here are some additional resources on the benefits of cloud computing:

Laptop Logic’s on why cloud computing is the wave of the future

Security benefits of cloud computing

20 reasons web apps are superior to desktop apps

Google’s view of cloud computing

The Cons of Cloud Use

1. Internet connection required
   • When Internet goes down, you can’t work
   • Internet access when traveling is sometimes slow or unavailable
   • Some web service providers are attempting to address this with offline modes, but most current implementations are incomplete or buggy (will likely be less of an issue a few years from now as offline modes improve and the Internet becomes available almost everywhere)
2. Inferior functionality
   • Some types of web services have far fewer features than their desktop counterparts  (i.e. spreadsheets, personal finance, image editing)
   • Graphics intensive software such as fast-paced games work poorly as a web service
   • Some web services are too slow without a fast Internet connection
3. Vendor lock-in and data portability risk
   • Desktop data is clearly your own, but what about cloud data?
   • When proprietary data formats are used, changing service providers can be difficult
   • Some web services make it easy to export or backup your data, but some don’t (hint: sign up only for services with good data export options)
   • Your data is scattered across multiple services, so it is harder to routinely backup to your own hard drive(s)
4. Security
   • The Internet abounds with security threats
   • Some users have reported automatically losing accounts and data with Google or other web services after hacker break-ins
   • Cross-site scripts which install key logging software are especially problematic because passwords can be recorded and stolen as they are being typed (can happen from merely visiting a web site, with the user totally unaware)
   • Hackers routinely break into accounts with simple passwords (names, personal data, words from the dictionary, or anything less than 10 characters)
   • There are several ways to mitigate security risks, but all require user knowledge and diligence (A particularly easy and convenient step to increasing web security is to use a password manager such as Roboform or 1Password—a future FilterJoe post)
5. Privacy
   • Some web services do not share your data, some do
   • Some web services use your data to serve you targeted ads (usually in return for a free account)
   • Privacy agreements are often so long and tedious that few people read them
   • Web services must share individual data with the government if subpoenaed as part of a criminal investigation
6. Loss of control (and potential data loss)
   • Upgrades happen whether (and when) you like it or not
   • Upgrades sometimes introduce bugs or undesirable interface changes (you usually have no option to revert a prior version)
   • When service interruptions happen, you have no idea how long they will last
   • What happens to deleted data varies by web service, and is sometimes unclear
   • A web service provider can go out of business without giving you an opportunity to recover data, or without securely erasing data
   • Web services with a sync component can propagate errors across all devices before a user realizes what is going on (mitigated if the service has version and/or deletion histories)
7. Complexity
   • Evaluating and managing web services can be time consuming
   • Choosing the wrong web service provider can lead to one of the problems mentioned earlier in this section

This is an incomplete list of drawbacks to cloud computing, but I believe these are the key concerns of home users or small businesses. Here are some additional resources on the drawbacks of cloud computing:

Wikipedia’s list of cloud concerns

Bernard Golden’s case against cloud computing for the enterprise

Microsoft’s critique of Google Apps

PC World on data loss

Richard Stallman’s critique of cloud computing

Who should move to the cloud?

If some or most of the following apply to your situation, you might consider migrating some of your work to the cloud:

• You routinely access data from multiple devices
• You travel frequently
• You use your phone to access e-mail, calendar, and contacts
• You communicate electronically throughout the day
• You frequently collaborate with others on projects or reports
• You are trying to set up e-mail and other services inexpensively for a new business
• You are trying to keep costs for software and hardware low
• You are not routinely backing up your data

Who should stay with the desktop?

If some or most of the following apply, then you probably won’t want to migrate much of your work to the cloud:

• You access data from a single device
• Your privacy is very important to you
• You don’t travel much
• You don’t use a computer much
• You rarely collaborate with others on projects or reports
• You routinely back up your data and store some backups in a different building from your computer
• You are part of a mid-sized or larger organization with an entrenched information technology infrastructure

Last Words

Life was definitely simpler when I had a home office with a single computer.  Once I moved to an outside office, life become more complicated. I tried to keep my work computer as my main data repository to keep things simple. But all too often I found that my data, especially e-mail, was not where I needed it when I needed it. And that was what started my move from the desktop to the cloud. Over the course of the next 12 months, I gradually adopted one web service after another until I ended up with Gmail as a launching point for much of my work.

So why are people moving to the cloud? In my case, the need to access data from multiple devices was the most important reason. But you’ll hear different answers depending on who you ask, explaining different benefits and drawbacks. Changing anything you do in life takes time and attention, and moving to the cloud is no exception.

For many people used to desktop computing, there is not yet a compelling reason to migrate to the cloud. For those who have questions about the cloud, this post may be a good starting point. And for those who have already started the move from the desktop to the cloud and would like to hear more about Roboform, Gmail, Evernote, Dropbox . . . stay tuned.

Most individuals access the web using the browser initially bundled with their computer, and typically don’t update it. Accessing the information superhighway with an outdated browser is like driving today’s roads with a Model T—slow, unsafe, unreliable, and in many places not usable at all.

In this post, I explain why it’s so important to use the latest version of Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, Chrome, or Safari—speed, security, reliability, and compatibility. I describe each of these browsers, to help you decide which is best for you. And I lay the groundwork for the next post on cloud computing.

The Browser Upgrade

In general, I’m not very keen on upgrades. Upgrading software and especially operating systems can lead to reduced speed, more bugs, compatibility issues, or the need to purchase a new computer altogether. There may be some enticing new features, but far too often the costs and learning required outweigh the benefits, which is why many people postpone upgrades as long as possible.

Fortunately, with modern browsers, the benefits of upgrading are numerous, while the costs and hassles are few. Major browser upgrades can cause some add-ons to stop working and there may be some learning required to get used to a changed interface. But the learning required is usually modest and the most popular add-ons are typically upgraded in time for a new browser release.

At the time of this writing, there are 5 well maintained browsers with over 0.5% market share. The latest versions of these browsers are:

• Firefox 3.0.x
• Opera 9.6x
• Internet Explorer 8 (IE8)
• Google Chrome 1.0.x
• Safari 3.2.x

Upgrading your browser provides increased speed, security, stability, and compatibility, as follows:

Speed

You can see the speed tests for yourself, here. Or you can subjectively experience how upgrading from Internet Explorer 6 or 7 to a recent browser release feels like getting a newer, faster computer. You can even give a second life to an older computer. I did this recently by installing Opera 9.64 on a 10-year old Dell running Windows 98. It’s fast again!

Security

According to Wikipedia, Web-based vulnerabilities now outnumber traditional computer security concerns, and about one in ten Web pages may contain malicious code. Most Web-based attacks take place on legitimate websites.

Browsers are updated frequently to patch discovered vulnerabilities. Keeping your browser (and operating system) updated is the first and most important step to keeping your system and data secure.

Stability

Older browsers crash more frequently than modern browsers. The multi-process architecture in Google Chrome and IE8 means that a single tab freezing up or crashing has no impact on other tabs—making these two browsers more reliable than the others. Though Firefox is theoretically less reliable, my extensive use of Firefox results in two to four crashes per month, usually when opening a large, in-line PDF file. Older versions of Firefox crash more frequently.

Compatibility

Web standards have evolved over time to support greater speed, more sophisticated capabilities, and easier maintenance for web sites. On older browsers, if a web site looks strange or doesn’t work at all, it is usually because the web site is using techniques that were not possible using older standards. None of the 5 major browsers fully comply with the stringent acid3 standards test. However, the Safari and Opera versions expected later this year will comply with acid3, and the current versions of all 5 browsers display the vast majority of modern web sites properly.

Browser Market Share

According to Net Applications, world wide market share for browsers in March, 2009, was:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 66.8%
• Mozilla Firefox 22.1%
• Apple Safari 8.2%
• Google Chrome 1.2%
• Opera 0.7%

The more popular browsers benefit from greater web site compatibility testing and a well developed ecosystem of add-ons and plug-ins.  For example:  Chrome or Opera users are currently not able to use the 1Password and Roboform password managers (which I’ll be highlighting in a future post).

However, obscurity confers a security benefit to Opera and Chrome.  According to this report, “they are targeted by attackers far less frequently due to market share.”

Differences among the 5 Major Browsers

In this section, I highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each browser. If you need more than this brief overview to decide which browser is best for you, the following links provide more information:

Maximum PC Browser Battle: Nine Browsers of Today and Tomorrow Compared

Hardware Zone: Browser Wars Showdown

Lifehacker:  Browser Speed Tests

Wikipedia:  Comparison of Browsers

The browsers are presented in order of my personal preference, but all 5 are excellent when kept up-to-date and are likely to be supported and upgraded for years to come.

1. Firefox 3.0.9

A library of thousands of high quality add-ons makes Firefox the most customizable browser. When first installed, Firefox is not as fast, as secure, nor as feature-packed as its competition. But it is fast enough.  With just a few extensions, Firefox becomes more secure, innovative, and customizable than all other browsers by a long shot. Firefox’s availability on Windows, Mac, and Linux allows you to have a similar browsing experience on any machine, regardless of operating system.

Note:  FilterJoe posts will occasionally feature Firefox extensions which provide capabilities that are not possible with other browsers.

Major Upgrade: Firefox version 3.5 is expected by July 2009. It will be much faster at running complex web applications.

2. Opera 9.64

Feature-packed, compliant, secure, extensible, yet fast and small—Opera is a better choice than Firefox for the person who will never install an extension. Opera supports the widest variety of operating systems, including many cell phones with an Opera Mini version. It’s the only major browser still supported for Windows 95 and 98. Opera’s interface makes customization easy yet gets out of your way when you need it to. Opera’s small market share means far fewer add-ons, but also fewer security threats (See Market Share, above).

Major Upgrade: Opera 10 is expected by the end of 2009. It will be much faster at running complex web applications.

3. Internet Explorer 8 (IE8)

IE has always been bundled with the Windows operating system, and that is the primary reason it has been the most popular browser over the past 15 years. Prior to 2009, nearly all versions of IE were slower, much less secure, less web-standards-compliant, less extensible, and less innovative than the competition—which is why Firefox was able to gain over 20% market share. However, IE8 (which Microsoft released in March 2009) catches up to, and in some ways surpasses the competition. It is secure, stable, compliant, fast enough, and innovative. Slices, accelerators, and site suggestions are new features which access information like maps or definitions with fewer clicks and keystrokes. Microsoft only supports IE8 for Windows desktop versions XP, Vista and 7, and for Windows Server versions 2003 and 2008.

Major Upgrade: Users of any IE version prior to IE8 should immediately upgrade to IE8 or switch to another browser in order to experience greatly increased speed, reduced security risks, and numerous other benefits. Microsoft has not yet announced plans for a major new release beyond IE8, which was released March 2009.

4. Google Chrome

Only 8 months old, this browser is very fast, secure, reliable, and has little interface clutter—which makes it ideal for running web applications heavy in JavaScript (such as Google’s sites). Speed is not a compelling enough reason for users of Firefox 3.0.x, Opera 9.6.4, or IE8 to switch to Chrome, which currently only works on Windows (XP and Vista), lacks a number of common browser features (including full screen mode), and has a very small library of extensions. Given Google’s strong commitment to Chrome, an underlying design optimized for web applications, and a number of new features and add-ons coming soon, Chrome may rapidly gain market share after version 2.0 is released.

Major Upgrade: Version 2.0 (available for beta testing, release date unknown) will be faster and will adopt many features users miss from other browsers (included F11 for full screen mode). Macintosh and Linux versions are under development.

5. Safari 3.2.x

Safari is bundled with Macintosh computers running OS X, and has been gaining market share in proportion to the market share gains of Macintosh computers. It is fast, has an attractive, Mac-like interface, and now runs on Windows (XP and Vista) as well. However, Safari 3.2.x is less flexible, less extensible, and less secure than the other two major browsers available for Macs (Firefox and Opera). It also offers less control over appearance. Though Apple does not actively promote add-ons for Safari, there are actually a number of plug-ins available that provide additional features. For example, full screen mode and many other features are added with Saft and Glims.

Note: The multi-touch version of Safari that runs on the iPhone and iPod Touch is by far the best browser for a handheld device, but is beyond the scope of this post. The Apple Tablet rumored to be released at the end of 2009 will almost surely run a similarly impressive multi-touch version of Safari—and may well become the browser/hardware combination of choice for reading.

Major Upgrade: Safari 4.0 is expected by the end of 2009. It is more secure, 100% compliant with new web standards, and runs complex web applications extremely fast. Apple is currently pushing the seemingly stable 4.0 beta version on its web site. If you intend to stick with Safari, I suggest you upgrade soon to the Safari 4.0 beta (here). The two plug-ins I mentioned above (Saft and Glims) are compatible with Safari 4.0.

The 6th browser:  iCab 3.0.5 for Mac OS 8 or 9

None of the major browsers are maintained for Mac OS 8 or 9, as virtually all Mac users have migrated to newer computers running Max OS X.  iCab 3.0.5 ($25) is the only option.  You can learn more by visiting iCab’s web site. I learned of iCab from a comprehensive listing of all Mac web browsers, here.

Last Words

My next two posts will be on the topics of cloud computing and web security. To safely use the web for any purpose, an up-to-date browser is required.

IBM reported that 637 million users surf the web with an insecure, out-of-date browser (July 2008). Net Applications reported worldwide market share of 46.5% for IE7 and 18.4% for IE6 (March 2009). IE7 and IE6 are less secure and less functional than any of the 5 browsers featured in this post. So spread the word to anyone you know who uses an older browser: Upgrade!

Is the pen mightier than the computer?

Distraction-free reading is not a fully solved problem–which is why the last article was so long. Distraction-free writing is a solved problem, which is why this article is short.

As mentioned previously (here), FilterJoe aims to be a starting point for anyone wanting to enhance their ability to effectively focus, process information, and get work done. Some content will be original, while other content (like this post) will summarize and reference the great work others have already done.

The Key

For many people, the key to being able to write something lengthy or complex is to eliminate distractions, just as with reading. For some people, using pen and paper in a room without a computer or telephone may be the best answer. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

For those who can type faster than they write, or just plain prefer word processors over paper, read on.

Get Rid of the Interface with Full Screen Mode

Full screen mode is the answer to many computer distraction issues, and so it is with writing on a computer. Most major word processors have a full screen mode which gets rid of all toolbars and menus. Use it. Avoid formatting, spelling correction, researching fine points, etc. until the first draft is done. Just keep your word processor in full screen mode and keep writing.

To elaborate, here’s a simple checklist:

1. Research until ready to write a first draft
2. Invoke full screen mode of your word processor
3. Write, and then . . .
   • Don’t style your text: stay in full screen mode
   • Do not research: stay in full screen mode
   • Write zzz to mark places that need further research
4. When done first draft, revise (replace each zzz)

Word Processors that Support Full Screen Mode

Following is a link to a post with many different products that support full screen mode:

Full Screen Text Editors from techmalaya

Note that Microsoft Word is on the list – choose “full screen” from the view menu to blank out everything except the text area.

I personally use Google Docs’ word processor (with fixed-width page view selected from the view menu), so I can access the document from home, work, or elsewhere. Control-Shift-F, F11, and I’m ready to write.

Get Rid of External Distractions

Getting rid of external distractions can be the hardest part to implement, as it may involve habit change for some – such as not answering the phone.  Here are two articles with a number of good suggestions:

Lifehack Tips and Tricks for Distraction-Free Writing

Writetodone on How to Write Without Distraction

The Lure of Research

A common reason for writers to take so long to write (myself included) is the need for research when writing. The research is necessary, but even a simple look-up can lead to endless surfing once you’re on the web. Here’s a way to keep working, while noting the need for research:

One more thing to look up before getting back to writing . . .

Do enough research to get a decent amount of background. Then write your first draft. Do not look up anything while doing this draft. If you’re unsure of a fact, mark “tk” or “zzz” or some other nonsense letters where you need to do further research or revision to a certain part of your text. After the draft is finished, you can look up every instance of “zzz” and research or revise as necessary.

That’s It

I didn’t mention how to block out every possible source of distraction. I didn’t tell you about a piece of software that automatically writes for you. But for those who haven’t yet worked out their own system for staying focused while writing, perhaps some ideas in this post and in the above-mentioned articles will help reduce distraction.

If you have any further thoughts, questions, or links to other great articles, please leave a comment – that will help make this post an even better starting point for people just learning to write without distraction.

Will reading on the web ever be as good as reading a book?

Will reading lengthy text on the web ever be as comfortable as curling up in your favorite chair with a paperback? In theory, computers offer some reading advantages such as fast look-up and infinite storage. In practice, conflicting priorities of site design and current display technology get in the way.

For people like me who read hours per day, there has to be a better way. Luckily, there is.

Why Reading on the Web is so Difficult

The paperback novel is the easiest of all formats for me to read and the benchmark against which I compare all forms of reading. Currently, reading text on the web is not even close. Here is how I classify the various reading issues on the web that make it so much more difficult to read than a paperback:

1. Typography choices
   • fonts
   • type size and line spacing
   • colors (too bright, over-contrast, under-contrast)
   • page layout
2. Distracting web page elements
   • ads (blinking text, pictures, animations)
   • branding
   • links
   • site navigation
3. Distracting interface (browser and operating system)
   • tabs, icons and buttons
   • menus and search boxes
   • windows, title bars, and scroll bars
   • status and tool bars
   • pop-up messages
4. Hardware
   • light emitting monitors unnatural for human eyes
   • monitor resolution lower than print resolution
   • reading at a desk for long periods is uncomfortable

Some people address these problems by reformatting and printing most long articles. This is fairly easy to implement and comes close to addressing all four reading issues, though the 8.5 x 11 format is not as good for sustained reading as the paperback book. More of a problem is the act of printing, which uses up paper, ink, time, money, and storage space. This is not for me.

How to Vastly Improve Reading on the Web: Three Filters

If you suffer from distraction, eyestrain, or reduced concentration while reading on the web, the following three filters should help. If you spend a lot of time reading on the web, the combination of all three is best:

1. Readability button from arc90
2. F11 key on your browser (Windows and Linux only)
3. Small device or small screen size

Continue reading for more detail on each filter and additional help for wide screen monitors.

Reformat with the Readability button

Before installing the Readability button, your bookmarks toolbar must be enabled. On Firefox Menu: View > Toolbars > Bookmarks Toolbar. Then you can follow the instructions here to install the Readability button. Before installing the Readability button, choose the style, size, and margins you think will be most readable for you. On a vertically aligned, 19 inch monitor, I like Style: Novel, Size: Large, Margin: Medium.

After installing, click on the Readability button in the Bookmarks Toolbar. It will extract the main body text from the current web page, formatted beautifully. There are no drawbacks (except that it doesn’t work on all web sites). If you don’t like the formatting style, delete the button and reinstall with different style, size and margin choices.

I love the Readability button approach and use it extensively – with one click, the issues of typography and distracting page elements go away.

Eliminate distractions with F11

There’s a very simple and effective method for Windows and Linux users to eliminate all interface distractions:

Press the F11 key to put Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Opera into full screen mode. Read.

F11 works terrifically on small screens, especially on a narrow display. F11 completely gets rid of all interface clutter from the browser and the operating system. If used in combination with the Readability button, it cleanly and easily takes care of the first three web reading issues. Just click Readability then press F11.

F11 used alone does not always work so well for reading on large and/or wide screen monitors. It does work well for sites like FilterJoe where the main page width is fixed and there is a dull colored background color outside the main page. But most web sites are not designed this way. Pressing F11 may cause text to stretch wide, may expand a distracting background, or may cause the menu or other elements to slide far to the left.

For F11 to improve reading on a wide screen monitor, you’ll want to create a second Readability button designed to work in combination with F11. Here’s how:

1. Right click on the Readability button you installed
2. Choose properties
3. Rename to something else, perhaps “read” in small letters
4. Go to arc90’s Readability site again, here
5. Choose Style: Novel, Size: Large, and Margin: Extra Large
6. Drag this Readability button to your toolbar
7. Rename it to something else, perhaps “READ”, that will help you remember that this version of the Readability button will produce very large type with very wide margins.

Now click the new button you created followed by F11. The browser will fill the screen and you’ll see very large text with a very wide margin.

While the above procedure works, a preferable solution would not require jumbo fonts. Effectively using large monitors is a topic in and of itself with benefits far beyond reading. A forthcoming post on effective large monitor use will describe useful techniques to help reading, distraction elimination, and other issues. The techniques described will also help Mac users who are unable to benefit from the F11 key.

Use a small screen or better yet a small device

Many people now use large, wide monitors with their desktop computers. As described in the prior section, such monitors are not very well suited for reading lengthy text. A 19 inch or smaller monitor in the vertical orientation is a big improvement, and is what I recommend for online reading at a desk. Those of you with a large or wide screen monitor can hook up a second, smaller monitor to your computer for reading. Alternatively, a second computer with small monitor can be used.

The first two filters work well with any device whose width is 1024 or fewer pixels. Unfortunately, this still doesn’t take care of the fourth reading issue, “Hardware.” I’m not yet aware of a hardware solution as simple and effective as the filters I’ve mentioned so far.

What I would really like to see is all four reading issues go away with one click. Can someone please make the following a reality?

Go to web page. Click. The text appears on a piece of E-paper (Electronic Paper), well formatted for reading. You can carry it with you and therefore read it anywhere.

There are a number of small, portable devices that are superior to reading at a desk, but they all have shortcomings. Briefly expressed, here is my opinion regarding current portable choices for reading:

• E-book readers by Sony and Amazon–easy to read but slow, restricted web access
• Nokia tablet–too small, no rotation
• iPhone and iPod Touch–great interface but even smaller
• Netbooks–currently best–see below

Until a better device is released (like my E-paper idea or the oft-rumored Apple tablet), the best full computing experience for reading is a 9 or 10 inch netbook, in my opinion. For example, owners of an Asus EEE PC netbook with EEErotate and the Readability button installed, can read a web site as follows:

1. Click on Readability button
2. F11
3. Control-Alt-RightArrow

The last step rotates the screen 90 degrees, which means the text display is similar to a book. To return to the original state:

1. Control-Alt-UpArrow
2. F11
3. F5 (refresh)

The following screenshots show a New York Times article. The first image shows the article on a 24 inch monitor before any filtering. The next image shows two screen shots from an EEE PC 1000h netbook, after all three filters are applied.

Before: 24 inch monitor (no reading filters applied)

After: 10" EEE PC after all 3 filters applied, pages 1-2

This combination is not as good as a paperback book. The netbook is far heavier, emits light, and takes three actions to get into a highly readable format, and another three actions to return to the regular browser window. But I’ve found it to be the simplest and most effective method for using a computer to read lengthy text off the web at this point in time.

The Future

Thanks to rapid innovation on several fronts, reading on the web could soon approach the experience of reading a book. E-paper displays are as easy to read as regular paper and are perhaps a year or two away from mass adoption.

While devices like the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader already use E-paper, they will likely remain a niche product if data access and connectivity continues to be purposefully restricting.

Safari on an iPod Touch combines unlimited web access with a great interface for reading on the web. If Apple comes out with a moderately larger model, I think it would do for reading what the iPod did for music. If my print-to-E-paper idea becomes reality, that would be even better.

I know there are many other tricks out there to increase readability and reduce distraction. I’ve found most to be excessively complicated or not effective enough for the average person. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you’ve found anything as simple and effective as Readability, F11, and using a small screen.

Typical Priorities for Site Design

To be fair, there are many conflicting priorities behind site design. Priorities usually include most of the following:

• Look great
• Draw attention to the brand
• Draw attention to online ads to generate revenue
• Draw attention to other page elements, as needed
• Be sure to include links to affiliates or other parts of the site
• Take care of necessary chores like navigation, RSS, credits, contact information, etc.
• Make it readable

While readability is usually a part of the mix, I suspect it is not usually the top priority for site design. The overall design philosophy which permeates the web seems to encourage skimming and rapid movement through many pages, not lengthy reading and contemplation. The end result of all these competing priorities reminds me of the following hilarious video about packaging design.

Microsoft Design Philosophy Applied to iPod Packaging

The Goal

The site design for FilterJoe is driven by one overriding goal: make it easy to read content. Make reading so easy, that a user with a default browser setting has no temptation to print it out, copy/reformat text, or use some other trick to make it more readable, even if it’s a long article. Make the medium on which the words are written so unnoticeable, that the only thing a reader notices is the content, which he or she can stay with and contemplate. Just like a book. Or at least a lot closer to a book than the typical blog. And it should remain readable on any size screen, any type of device, with any amount of scaling.

The Realization

With thousands of themes in existence, I thought it would be a simple matter to pick an existing theme that had been designed with reading as the top priority.

How wrong I was. I rejected first dozens, then hundreds of potential WordPress themes. With surprise, shock, and dismay, I realized I’d have to design my own theme!

What? Say again?

I Must be Missing Something . . .

The idea of me designing my own theme is crazy. Here’s why:

• Everything I know about design was learned during the past two weeks. Prior to that I knew nothing.
• Surely some blogs are easy to read? Yes, I found some. But all were proprietary, custom designs.
• Starting a free blog using WordPress.com as host is really easy. Going with an independent host and designing your own theme is not so easy if you’re new to this.  Couldn’t any of the 74 themes available on WordPress.com suffice? No.
• Were there any other themes, anywhere, that were close? Yes, I gave serious consideration to a few, especially a number of themes that described themselves as minimalist. However, virtually all of them had white backgrounds for the main content area (including Contemp and Day Dream from wordpress.com which I seriously considered using in order to save myself 10-20 hours of research and 30-50 hours to build a theme). My eyes tire quickly from maximum contrast (black print on bright white background). There were a number of other shortcomings, but the black on white in and of itself was a deal killer.

In the end, I discovered the fantastic Thematic framework, which is the parent theme to my custom designed child theme, FilterJoe.

Blog Design Elements for Easier Reading

After straining my eyes looking at hundreds of themes and websites (and reading about site design), I identified the following elements that contribute to easier reading for me:

General

• Page navigation menus should be just words in a title bar
• Ample white space helps readers focus on content
• Needs to remain readable when scaled up or down using browser commands like control+
• Two column (main text left, sidebar right) makes scaling work better than 3 column (One column design also possible, if navigation can be gracefully handled)
• Outside of the content area, there should be very little clutter (This means no ads, graphics, bright color, boxes, etc. -- only the absolute minimum needed by the user)
• In general, use of color should be restrained (This means no bright colors anywhere, not even traditional uses like the bright orange RSS icon)
• Link color cannot be in high contrast to the background color (Make it easy to continue reading and contemplating without distraction, as opposed to getting lost in an exploratory journey)
• Outside the web page, there should be an unnoticeable bordering color such as gray (This makes it easier to stay focused on reading, especially after hitting the f11 key which causes most browsers to fill up the screen)
• If ads are present, they need to be very unobtrusive

Main Text

• Font: veranda at <=10pt, Ariel or Veranda at >10pt (Among widely installed fonts, these are the most readable)
• Black or very dark text
• Ample line spacing
• Background color a light, neutral color, but not bright white
• No more than 66 characters wide for content, because:
  • Paperback width is 45-65 characters
  • This is conventional typographic wisdom
  • Works well on rotated netbook screens (600px)
  • Works well on cell phones

Sidebar

• Insure sidebar is less noticeable than content
  • dimmer is better
  • perhaps background a different color
  • perhaps no color unless mouse hovers over sidebar
• Bullets or dots or arrows to help see where items start
• Keep as little as possible in this area

Banner

• Banner should both recede from and set off content.
  • Dark color (Blue? Green? Dark Grey?)
  • Slim
  • Site name and tag line in light color
  • No pictures
• Menu needs to be part of the banner.

None of this should be taken as gospel.  It’s just a list of what makes various sites more readable for me, based on careful observation.  I fully expect to stumble across a site that does it far better than FilterJoe, motivating me to overhaul the site interface.

The End Result

Stanza e-book reader on iPhone

Interestingly, the end result is similar to the Stanza e-book reader’s iPhone interface. I didn’t consciously start with that in mind -- but I now see why reading with a dedicated e-book reader on the iPhone is easier than reading on a computer, despite the much smaller screen. The site design of FilterJoe is easy for me to read (though I’m not yet satisfied with the right sidebar interface -- I’d prefer that to be less noticeable). However, it may not be so easy to read for others. So please comment below with both praise and constructive criticism -- the more specific you can be, the better.

What About Other Sites?

While there are quite a few blogs out there that are easy to read -- and I hope this is one of them -- what about the vast majority of sites out there that aren’t? Thankfully, there are 3 very simple steps which make nearly any text heavy web site easy to read. That will be the subject of the next article.

email, facebook, RSS, IM, SMS, twitter . . .

To this point, many articles on the subjects of information overload, Internet distractions, and declines in reading and focusing abilities have appeared during the past year. Some of the more interesting ones are here, here and here.

Where is the Information Overload Blog?

Despite all the attention the topic of information overload has been getting lately, I was unable to find any forum, blog, or other resource dedicated to addressing the issue. Sure, there are a few blogs one can point to for getting tips on improving the situation. My favorite is zenhabits, devoted to simplifying your life so that you can focus on the relevant. And there are a number of quality blogs with productivity tips, such as lifehacker and mashable. But no blog or forum specializes in the specific issues I have in mind, so far as I know.

It’s Here!

So I hereby launch FilterJoe. The aim of this blog is to be a starting point for anyone wanting to enhance their ability to effectively focus, process information, and get work done: Joe’s filters for the average Joe. Initially, content will relate to the following subjects:

• reducing Internet/computer distractions
• wise gadget use
• improving online reading, writing, email, etc.
• staying focused
• finding/filtering information

Rapidly Changing Technologies

The passion I’ve developed for this topic brings together ideas I’ve had for years, and especially the last year, about how rapid technological progress can lead to unintended, undesirable consequences. Case in point: the car alarm. An extra theft deterrent is a great idea, but unfortunately most car alarms are so easy to set off that they are now routinely ignored. Thanks to insurance company incentives, most cars now have them, so the net effect of this new technology is to cause much more noise pollution in return for a slight decrease in auto theft. Probably not what was initially envisioned.

The technology with the largest impact that is changing the most rapidly is the proliferation of ways to get information on the Internet. There are many ways this is obviously good, such as instantly accessing encyclopedic reference information or the solution to an obscure technical issue. But the ease of accessing and generating information has also led to an explosion of new content and methods of access. It is much easier to waste time and lose focus than it is to harness all this information efficiently and productively. Better filters are needed.

So Why does the World Need FilterJoe?

The inspiration for both the title of this blog, and the motivation to start it, comes from a thought provoking interview with Clay Shirky (Part 1, Part 2). There is much of interest in this lengthy transcript, but the key piece for me was the relationship between information overload and how people filter information.

Library of Alexandria Reconstruction

Shirky correctly points out that there has been more information than any single human being could possibly know since the creation of the library of Alexandria. But over the ages, filtering mechanisms have developed which allow people to get relevant information, without getting overloaded by details. Examples of useful information filters are:

• card catalogs
• news publishers
• social networks

Shirky argues that the best way to view the difficulties arising from recent rapid technological change is not “information overload,” but rather “filter failure.” Filtering mechanisms have not yet caught up with the last decades’ worth of innovations in generating and delivering information.  Card catalogs and traditional news publishing now only cover a fraction of available information.

So what we need is not less information, but better filters. This blog is an effort to provide one such set of filters, “Joe’s filters,” that will hopefully be of use to a broad audience of anyone who is hoping to make better use of today’s technology without getting overwhelmed or overloaded.

How Can FilterJoe Help?

To help be part of the solution, rather than the problem, I will attempt to:

• Present filters that are both effective and simple to set up and use
• Avoid complex solutions such as greasemonkey scripts
• Avoid solutions that require big habit change
• Keep this blog easy to read and free of distraction
• Emphasize content quality over quantity
• Harness group wisdom from comments and emails I receive to drive improvements to the site and ideas for future content

How Can You Help?

Initially, I will be the sole editor and moderator, generating the most content. But I welcome on-topic guest posts and ideally this will turn into a group with many active discussions and contributions from others. Social networks have always been one of the most effective information filters, and are likely to continue to be so for the foreseeable future.