While Google has become associated with computing and the Internet in general, it attracts more grumbling and raised eyebrows than other heavyweights, such as Microsoft.

Even though Google’s recent pullout from China has highlighted its commitment to user privacy, it did little to assuage the doubt of netizens that the pullout from China was a result of cyber attacks on Google infrastructure. And were it not for them, Google would happily continue to participate in the censorship demands of the Chinese government. A notorious case of such “accommodation” towards the Chinese government was the 2006 “banning” of spacewar.com from its global search engine. Spacewar.com was reporting on China’s geopolitical and military affairs.

The following is a collection of five cases that highlight instances where Google’s commitment to “not being evil” has been questioned by netizens. And answers have generally not been forthcoming on Google’s part. Of course, this is not a general rundown of why you should avoid Google. Its more of a mixed bag of cases that I have come across over the years.

The Privacy International Report

Individual instances of Google’s creep factor are too numerous to enumerate. You can fill your hands by searching at Gawker using the “yourprivacyisanillusion” tag.

The situation can be best summarized by the findings of Privacy International. In June 2007, Privacy International (PI), a privacy advocacy group, released a privacy ranking of Internet service companies. The report compared companies such as Amazon, AOL, Apple, BBC, Bebo, eBay, Facebook, Friendster, Google, Hi5, Last.fm, LinkedIn, LiveJournal, Microsoft, Myspace, Orkut, Reunion.com, Skype, Wikipedia, Windows Live Space, Xanga, Yahoo! and YouTube.

Google was the only company to receive the worst ranking (Black; Hostile to Privacy). In their 2007 consultation report, PI justified their ranking citing the following specifics:

In summary, Google’s specific privacy failures include, but are by no means limited to:

• Google account holders that regularly use even a few of Google’s services must accept that the company retains a large quantity of information about that user, often for an unstated or indefinite length of time, without clear limitation on subsequent use or disclosure, and without an opportunity to delete or withdraw personal data even if the user wishes to terminate the service.

• Google maintains records of all search strings and the associated IP-addresses and time stamps for at least 18 to 24 months and does not provide users with an expungement option. While it is true that many US based companies have not yet established a time frame for retention, there is a prevailing view amongst privacy experts that 18 to 24 months is unacceptable, and possibly unlawful in many parts of the world.
• Google has access to additional personal information, including hobbies, employment, address, and phone number, contained within user profiles in Orkut. Google often maintains these records even after a user has deleted his profile or removed information from Orkut.
• Google collects all search results entered through Google Toolbar and identifies all Google Toolbar users with a unique cookie that allows Google to track the user’s web movement. Google does not indicate how long the information collected through Google Toolbar is retained, nor does it offer users a data expungement option in connection with the service.
• Google fails to follow generally accepted privacy practices such as the OECD Privacy Guidelines and elements of EU data protection law. As detailed in the EPIC complaint, Google also fails to adopted additional privacy provisions with respect to specific Google services.
• Google logs search queries in a manner that makes them personally identifiable but fails to provide users with the ability to edit or otherwise expunge records of their previous searches.

• Google fails to give users access to log information generated through their interaction with Google Maps, Google Video, Google Talk, Google Reader, Blogger and other services.

PI claimed that a Google representative (or representatives) was alleging a conflict of interest between PI and Microsoft (Microsoft scored an orange in the same report). According to PI, the supposed conflict of interest revolved around one member out of the seventy members that make up PI’s Advisory Board being a Microsoft employee. PI stated that the said member had resigned from the Advisory Board immediately after taking a job at Microsoft. In a second letter, PI claimed that Google had briefed the media across the UK about another Microsoft conspiracy! To quote,

In this new allegation you assert that Microsoft pays for Privacy International’s silence about potentially negative aspects of its products by tipping money into 80/20 Thinking Ltd, which has two Privacy International staff as Directors. You allege that Burston Marsteller, which has been retained by Microsoft, in some way facilitates this relationship because it is a strategic partner of 80/20 Thinking. In this bizarre conspiracy you allege that the world’s most prominent privacy advocates, the world’s biggest software developer and the world’s leading PR company have entered into a secret pact to discredit Google.

Such denial, “blame Microsoft/Russians/Terrorists” attitude and hostility towards scrutiny is more characteristic of Intelligence Agencies rather than publicly traded companies.

Allegations of links to the CIA

Robert David Steele, a former CIA operative claimed that CIA seed money helped launch Google. He further identified by name, Google’s “liaison” at the CIA. To quote,

“I think Google took money from the CIA when it was poor and it was starting up and unfortunately our system right now floods money into spying and other illegal and largely unethical activities, and it doesn’t fund what I call the open source world,” said Steele, citing “trusted individuals” as his sources for the claim.

“They’ve been together for quite a while,” added Steele.

Asked to impart to what level Google is “in bed” with the CIA, Steele described the bond as a “small but significant relationship,” adding, “it is by no means dominating Google in fact Google has been embarrassed because everything the CIA asked it to do they couldn’t do.”

Allegations of censorship of media related to the 9-11 Truth Movement

Allegations have been made by infowars.com that Google Video reset the viewership count of Terror Storm from around 500,000 to 0 to prevent the video from continuing to be on the first page and going viral. Google later admitted that the numbers had been reset by mistake. Although its not that easy to convince members of the 9-11 Truth Movement.

The Matthew Tanin Case

Prosecutors in the trial of Matthew Tanin, one of the two former Bear Stearns managers indicted for fraud in the collapse of hedge funds in 2007, managed to obtain a CD-ROM from Google, containing Tanin’s  email messages from November 20th 2006 to August 12th 2007.

Mr. Tanin had closed his Gmail account, and he thought it was closed. Although Mr. Tanin may get little sympathy, what is troubling is that Google has a very perplexing definition of “closed.”

Do emails that you delete, accounts that you close and pictures that you remove using Google services really get deleted? Or do they continue to reside on Google’s servers? What if Google operated a funeral home? Would they secretly remove bodies after burial and store them in cryogenic freezers?

The temporary suspension of Sibel Edmonds Blogger account

Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator and a major 9-11 cover-up whistleblower was preparing to provide deposition before an American court on the involvement of American Intelligence with Al Qaeda in Central Asia. Around the first week of August 2009 (when the sensitivity of her claims intensified), Google suspended her blogger account, preventing her from posting updates about the deposition. Google claimed that their automatic spam detection technology had labelled her blog as a “potential spam blog.” Her blogging privileges were restated a few days later. But she has chosen to create her own blog than stay with Google.

Being a whistleblower, Edmonds claims that

A few weeks ago I started receiving ‘Google & Blogger warnings’ from my technologically savvy friends and well-wishers, who encouraged me to have a mirror site as a back up and or cease using Google’s Blogger all together. I did take these warnings seriously and started looking at alternatives and other options.

The purpose of the Copyright Act is to protect the intellectual property of the Copyright holder. The Copyright Act also has a “Fair Dealing” clause that allows limited reproduction of copyrighted work, provided that the reproduction does not border on infringement. This “Fair Dealing” provision is situation-specific and technically difficult to enforce.

With the rise of digital media and the Internet, reproducing copyrighted material has become stupendously easy. A photo posted on Facebook can find its way all across the Internet. A video posted on YouTube may spur several remixes when it gets popular. A well written blog post may be extensively quoted by other bloggers, sometimes in its entirety.

The creators of such digital content generally frown on any kind of reproduction whatsoever as it can open the possibility of copyright abuse. On the other side, those that seek to reproduce copyrighted digital content clamour around the Fair Dealing clause, sometimes stretching it into a wormhole when their purposes go beyond “Fair Dealing.” 

If you create digital content, and if you acknowledge (and maybe appreciate) the easily reproducible nature of digital media, you can modify your traditional copyright to be less adversarial towards those who will share your content by using a Creative Commons License. There are several reasons why you may want to use this tool.

1. Outlining the rules for reproducing your content can give your content more exposure. This can be critical to if your profession depends upon exposure of your content, such as the profession of photography and blogging. Google® Image Search and Flickr® have the ability to restrict searches to content that is licensed under Creative Commons. This gives people immediate access to content that they can readily incorporate into their work.
2. Being vague about the rules for reproducing your content can scare people from making “Fair Use” of it. People may assume that you intend to bring down the hammer of the Copyright Law on any kind of use, and may avoid your content altogether. It is not prudent to assume that most people have the time to email you for clarification.
3. Setting out the rules for reproducing your content under a Creative Commons License can inhibit misuse of your content in some situations. While a Creative Commons License does not override the Fair Dealing provision of the Copyright Act, it makes your specifics clear for those intending to use your content. For example, if you use a Creative Commons license that prohibits commercial reproduction and reproduction without attribution to your name, those that intend to use your content will have clear guidelines to go by.

A Creative Commons License can be applied to almost all kinds of digital content, and even software code! But for the sake of example, we will assume that we intend to use a Creative Commons License on a digital image that accompanies a blog post.

The Creative Commons website gives us a tool that allows us to generate a snippet of code that can be placed in the blog post. You get to choose a number of variables that make up the license. Specifically, you get to choose

1. Whether or not you allow commercial reproduction
2. Whether or not you allow others to make derivative works
3. Whether or not you demand an identical Creative Commons License for work created through reproducing or modifying your work (if you chose to allow so)

You can choose from a combination of these factors to create a license that fits your needs. And you can always create a new one for new situations. Regardless of which Creative Commons License you create, use of a Creative Commons license implies that you wholeheartedly allow reproduction for non-commercial purposes. All Creative Commons Licenses insist on attribution to the original author though. Though there is a special Creative Commons License called CC0 that allows you to waive all your rights, should the rare need arise.

A Creative Commons license reduces the anxiety associated with sharing, allowing you to share your digital content online while protecting your rights.

Many students and employees also use their email client software as a personal information management tool on their computers. Such smart phone customers want their smart phone to wholeheartedly synchronise with the personal information management software on their computer. But here’s where the limitations of the smart phone OS, the computer OS and the computer email client come into play.

This table is meant to compare the PIM synching capabilities of different smart phone OS’s across different platforms and different email clients. Please note that PIM synching is different from a backup. A backup produces a single fat file that is meant to restore data back to the phone or another phone, in case the original is stolen. Also note that it is possible to carry out PIM synching using third party software not supported by the phone manufacturer, in addition to various hacks and tweaks. But this table is limited to computer software provided by the phone manufacturer. Because the aforementioned alternatives are generally beyond the means and capability of the average user.

Online PIM synching that uses the cloud computing model is included in the table for reference purposes. In some cases, online PIM synching can in turn be synched with a local computer application. For example, An email message on a Windows Mobile smart phone can be synched with a Microsoft Exchange server via ActiveSync. And an email client on a Linux computer can download the message. Or, a calendar entry on a Blackberry can be synched with a Lotus Domino server and a Windows computer with Lotus Notes can download the calendar entry. Or, a contact entered into an iPhone can be stored online through the MobileMe service. And an Address Book on a Mac computer can connect to the Internet and download it. But unless the smart phone OS manufacturer specifies that this can be done with a particular program for a particular operating system, it will be considered unsupported and will not be given a check mark. Our focus is on one step PIM synching with a local computer (docking), which I consider true PIM synching.

Some smart phone OS’s allow direct synching of files stored in the phones internal or external memory every time the phone is connected to the computer. But in most smart phones, these files are meant to be manually copied to the computer.

Please note that the specifications listed in the table are based on a cursory review of information on the manufacturer’s website. Errors and Omissions are very likely (And I would appreciate if you bring them to my attention). In order to verify for accuracy, we did try to contact the manufacturers before publishing this post. This table is no substitute for an exhaustive analysis involving actual lab tests. And the specifications listed below tend to change by the month. Please consult the manufacturer before making any critical decisions.

All cell phone OS names, symbols and logos are registered and copyrighted trademarks of their respective owners. They are reproduced here under the Fair Dealing provision of the Canadian Copyright Act.

	iPhone OS	Windows Mobile	RIM OS	Android	WebOS	SymbianOS
Local Computer Synching Platform	iTunes	Windows Mobile Device Center	Blackberry Desktop Manager	Some smart phone makers provide custom software but there is no consistency.	Palm suggests purchasing  third party applications for Windows and Mac.	Some smart phone makers provide custom software but there is no consist -ency.
Windows
Mac
Linux
What Gets Synched & which Desktop application it gets synched to?
Emails		Outlook	Outlook Lotus Notes Mail Entourage
SMS
Contacts		Outlook	Address Book Outlook Lotus Notes
Calendar Entries		Outlook	iCal Outlook Lotus Notes
Tasks /To-Do		Outlook	Outlook
Stickies/ Notes	Mail Outlook	Outlook	Outlook
Bookmarks
Music & Video	iTunes iTunes		iTunes iTunes Windows Media Player
Files

The table below indicates online PIM synching that in turn can be synched with Desktop applications (where officially supported by the manufacturer). Please note that with the exception of the Blackberry Enterprise server, online PIM synching is done through unencrypted transfers via the Internet. Cloud computing has its dangers.

	iPhone OS	Windows Mobile	RIM OS	Android	WebOS	Sym-bian
Online Synching Platform	MobileMe(sub-scription based service)	My Phone (free and premium)Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (requires an exchange server)	Blackberry Enterprise Service (Paid service geared for a corporate IT department)	Android provides built-in synching functio-nality to several online Google services. But there is no emph -asis on desktop clients.	Palm allows users to export PIM information from their desktop applications using its Synergy feature. This information, along with information from several other major online services can then be accessed on the phone. The focus is on keeping information in the cloud, not getting it synched back to the computer.	Some smart phone mak-ers provide special servi-ces but there is no consis -tency.
What Gets Synched & Which local application it can  be down-loaded to?
Emails	Mail Outlook	My Phone offers online access & backup only. Exchange ActiveSync allows emails to be  synchronized to: Outlook Outlook.	Outlook Lotus Notes Mail Entourage	NA	NA	NA
SMS		My Phone offers online access & backup only.		NA	NA	NA
Contacts	Address Book Outlook	My Phone offers online access & backup only.Exchange ActiveSync allows contacts to be synchronized to: Outlook Outlook.	Address Book Outlook Lotus Notes	NA	NA	NA
Calendar Entries	iCal Outlook	My Phone offers online access & backup only.	iCal Outlook Lotus Notes	NA	NA	NA
Tasks /To-Do		My Phone offers online access & backup only.	Outlook	NA	NA	NA
Stickies/ Notes			Outlook	NA	NA	NA
Bookmarks	Safari	My Phone offers online access & backup only.		NA	NA	NA
Music & Video		My Phone offers online access & backup. Files may be individually downloaded to computer.		NA	NA	NA
Files	iDisk iDisk (all files)iPhoto(photos)Aperture(photos)iMovie(personal videos)	My Phone offers online access & backup. Files may be individually downloaded to computer.		NA	NA	NA

Conclusion

The iPhone OS gets commendation for its versatility. Apple has done an uncharacteristically good job at reaching out for the needs of non-Apple users.

Windows Mobile is still trying to stick to Windows, and is truncating its user base in the process. And in typical Microsoft boorishness, Windows Mobile will only synch PIM information to Microsoft Office Outlook (NOT Windows Live Mail or Outlook Express). Mind you, Office Outlook is not included in the economical student edition of Microsoft Office.

RIM OS is emerging as a force to reckon with, considering the fast developmental response of the people at Blackberry. Let us not forget that this is a relatively new company. I would not be surprised to see RIM OS to be the first smart phone OS to offer PIM synching compatibility with Linux, in the near future.

Other small players have tried to sidestep local PIM synching by wholeheartedly adopting the cloud computing model. Cloud computing has its risks.

Windows 7 versus Windows Vista

A high quality version of the above graphic can be found here. Feel free to download and use it.

Windows 7 Versus Windows Vista by www.techtangerine.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.
Based on a work at www.techtangerine.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.techtangerine.com/2009/11/03/happy-windows-7/.

Before buying a standalone GPS, ask yourself whether you really need one. Are you looking for turn-by-turn directions or do you just need general directions? If you just need general directions and you already have an Iphone, Blackberry or a Windows Mobile Smartphone, you can download and install Google maps to the device. Even without an inbuilt GPS or a separate “navigation plan” from your wireless service provider, Google maps can give you a rough approximation of your location using “My Location,” a technology that uses cell phone towers to determine your approximate location. This can be done without your phone being “GPS capable” or a separate “navigation plan” from your wireless provider. You still need a data plan. Though the amount of data transmitted using “My Location” amounts to miniscule Kilobytes per use.

“My Location” may not be feasible for turn by turn directions while driving, which requires the use of GPS for more accurate positioning. Should you choose to use the phone’s GPS, remember that you are not restricted to the “navigation add-on plan” provided by your wireless service provider. Your phone’s GPS will still require the data plan of your wireless service provider. But it can operate on GPS services independent of your wireless provider. For example, you could install Wayfinder Navigator to your phone and pay a subscription fee for their service. Wayfinder offers near global coverage (which most standalone GPS units don’t). The best part is that you get to update the maps for free.

Obviously, a smart phone can never substitute for a standalone GPS unit. But a good dashboard mount and a car charger can get you going. Nevertheless, 98 per cent of smart phones use A-GPS (short for Assisted GPS) rather than standalone GPS. A-GPS utilizes data connections to location servers over the wireless network. These servers are in turn, connected with satellites, that use information transmitted from the cell phone to inform you of your position. The entire operation is dependent on the wireless network, and therefore, A-GPS is also dependent on wireless network coverage (read: urban areas). The very term A-GPS  is somewhat of a misnomer, as there is usually no GPS receiver on the cell phone. Just some technology capable of better handling cell tower telemetry.

If you really need a standalone GPS unit, make sure you get your homework done.

Check out ConsumerReports.org for results of lab tests conducted on popular GPS units (requires subscription).

Should you ever choose to use the unit abroad, make sure the unit is capable of being used as such, and that the manufacturer provides maps for the country where you intend to use it (without charging the price for another unit).

Compare additional bells and whistles provided by different manufacturers (real-time traffic info, number of points of interest, ability to share and update points of interest etc.).

Make sure your GPS unit allows you to upload additional data to it through the computer. For example, many parks are now providing files that can be uploaded onto GPS units to better feature these areas on the device.

Lastly but not the least, check what it takes to get the maps on your GPS device to be updated. If updates are available at half the cost of the device, try another manufacturer. The manufacturer’s website can give you a good idea of how seriously they consider updating their maps. For example, Nextar, a little known brand sold by the Canadian retailer Canadian Tire is as pricey as its major league competitors. But as of this date, its website displays map updates only for a few select models. Where are the map updates for the remaining products? Here’s what Nextar had to say in response to an email inquiry regarding a GPS device purchased a few years ago:

We are sorry, but there are no updates or upgrades for this product at this  moment.  We are currently working on updates but do not have a scheduled release date.  When available, the update/upgrades will be posted on our website (listed below) . For now, please do not use any upgrades other than Nextar upgrades, or the product will malfunction and your warranty will be voided.

Such DO NOT WANT moments can be easily avoided with diligence on behalf of the buyer.

When I first started considering Linux, I could not obtain answers to some very basic questions. Neither Wikipedia nor the Linux documentation were of much help. This article intends to fill those gaps. It is intended for Windows users who are considering Linux for the first time. This article is non-technical and fairly opinionated as opposed to those consensus driven Wiki articles.

Why you may need Linux

You may consider Linux as an alternative for Windows for several reasons, such as,

You want to use a computer just for email and browsing.

Most Linux distributions come bundled with Mozilla Firefox and Mozilla Thunderbird. Anything that you can do with these applications on Windows, you can do in Linux. The pioneering ASUS EEE netbooks dramatically cut costs by offering a Linux alternative, considering the fact that most netbook customers just wanted to browse and check email.

You want to use a computer just for basic word processing.

Most Linux distributions come loaded with OpenOffice. While not as feature-rich as Microsoft Office, OpenOffice does the job quite well. And its documents, spreadsheets and presentation files are compatible with Windows as well as Microsoft Office.

You have no access to Windows

Lets suppose you cannot afford a legitimate copy of Windows. Linux is as free as water Linux is more free than water. Or lets suppose you do not have the technical means of installing an illegitimate copy of Windows.

You want to try something new.

You have “special needs.”

You may want to run special software that can only be run on Linux.

You should not consider Linux for the following reasons,

You want a perfect substitute for Windows.

If you are looking for a substitute for Windows, you will be disappointed. Linux was never meant to be a Windows substitute and originated as a tool for developers. Linux obviously cannot run or install programs that are meant for Windows (and vice versa). It is technically possible but requires tinkering. And since Windows has a much bigger market proliferation, most of the programs available are for Windows. Add to that, downloading and installing a program in Linux is more complex than it is in Windows. The range of programs available for Linux  can pretty much cover all your computing needs, in addition to some seriously advanced programs that are Linux-only. But limited market proliferation takes its toll. Programs for Linux can be rudimentary and lacking GUI features. Most of the programs available for Linux are open source. But as Linux grows more popular, commercial programs are being offered for Linux as well. For example, Skype is now available for Linux. Linux also comes preloaded with drivers for most computer hardware that is available. I have installed Linux on three different computers and in all cases, Linux was able to load all the required drivers. Its even better than Windows at this!

You want to save costs in a networked environment

Lets say you want to cut corners in a school or office by installing Linux on several networked computers. There are several reasons to avoid this. Users may insist on a Windows environment. In addition, troubleshooting any issues that may arise will require extensive Linux-specific know-how.

What else you should know

Whatever you learnt from Windows will be good for Linux only on a basic level, such as navigation. Linux has its own learning curve, philosophy and jargon. The following are some Linux terms you are expected to be familiar with, even when you start considering Linux.

Distro

Short for distribution. The Linux operating system is open to modification. Therefore different groups have created different distributions of Linux, based on their needs. There are dozens of them. For example, BackTrack is a Linux distro packed with security tools. And within these distributions, you will find different versions, analogous to Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP and Vista. Choosing a distro is a touchy subject and depends upon your needs. You can find a list of available distros here. If you are new to Linux, I suggest the Ubuntu distro. It is highly evolved, and comes bundled with everything a beginner would expect.

LiveUSB

Linux is very versatile. It can be installed on a hard drive as expected. It can also be installed on a Windows hard drive while creating the option to boot as Windows or Linux upon start-up (dual boot). It can be installed on Windows in a non-intrusive way, just like another Windows program functioning within Windows (Wubi). It can also be run from a CD (LiveCD). But the most non-intrusive way to use Linux is to install it on a USB thumb/flash/key drive (LiveUSB). This can be done in a Windows environment, provided you download and install UNetbootin and you also downloaded the Linux installation file (.iso) to your Windows Desktop.

Repository

When you want to install a program in Windows, you go to the program website, download and install it. While this is possible in Linux too, it requires some mastery of command line (Referred to in Linux as terminal). Most popular programs for Linux are available through “repositories” instead of isolated websites. A repository is a website that hosts updated and malware-free versions of software provided by the software developer. To search several genuine repositories and to install programs from them in Ubuntu, you go into the “Synaptic Package Manager.”

root

A distinguishing feature of Linux is a strongly enforced user account control. Only one account, the root (aka superuser) has the ability to modify the system outside the limited scope granted to other user accounts. This account will be created when you install Linux and you will be asked to set a password for it. For example, when you install new software or make configuration changes, Linux may prompt you for the root password. This contributes to more safer computing, as malware and spyware cannot surreptitiously install itself as it does in Windows.

T-Mobile Sidekick on a billboard in Need For Speed Undercover

This is a screenshot from the popular PC Racing game, Need For Speed Undercover. The billboard for the T-Mobile Sidekick is not the only instance you encounter this device in the game. During the game, the player is informed of his next assignment through phone calls. Whenever these calls come in, a small T-Mobile logo flashes on the screen. The villian, Chau Wu, also flips out a Sidekick in one cut scene, and starts typing an email.

Mughal paintings are associated with the Indo-Islamic civilization of the 15th-17th century. Since they were patronized by Mughal Emperors, many of those that survived depict the activities of Mughal royalty.  There is a rare elegance and originality about them.

I have taken three original Mughal paintings and used image editing software to combine various aesthetic elements.

The tree, which is the center-stage of the wallpaper, is considered to be one of the most beautiful pieces of Mughal Art. It was painted by one of Emperor Jahangir’s official painters. The painting is currently owned by the India Office Library. The painting was originally titled “The Chenar Tree.”

The floral design on the right comes from another painting from the reign of Emperor Jahangir. The painting is now owned by Mr. Chester Beatty.

A background is used in some of the wallpapers. It depicts Emperor Aurangzeb’s participation in a tiger hunt. This painting is currently owned by the Louis V. Bell Fund.

They are meant for 1024 x 768 pixel monitors, but can work for other monitors as well. Usage is covered by a Creative Commons License (see below).

Mughal wallpaper by Hamad Subani is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.
Based on a work at www.techtangerine.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.techtangerine.com/2009/07/26/wallpapers-themed-on-original-mughal-paintings/.

This is an essential part of computer maintenance. Because when you install programs to your computer, many programs surreptitiously add themselves to the Start-up folder, even if it is not necessary for these programs to always start up when Windows does.  And of course, there is no law against a program unnecessarily slowing your computer’s boot.

Among the most notorious of such programs are those that come bundled with printer/scanner software. While it is necessary for some components of such programs to always be active, you may notice that other components, such as those that check for new updates for the software also start running when Windows starts up.

While msconfig has been a classic when it comes to managing the Start-up folder, the purpose of this post is to suggest a more interactive alternative, Windows Defender.

In case you haven’t heard, Windows Defender is a free anti-spyware program offered by Microsoft. It comes bundled with Windows Vista. XP users can download it here.

A little known feature of Windows Defender is is its ability to manage the start-up folder. To reach this interface, go to Tools, then Software Explorer and select “Start-up Programs” from the drop down list next to Category. Then click the “Show for all users” button at the bottom.

You will see all of your Windows start-up programs neatly listed, grouped under their respective publishers. You have the option of disabling them, or removing them from the start-up list. You can also re-enable those that you disabled.

Note that many programs in the start-up list are critical for your computer to start-up and perform as expected. Disabling them or removing them from the start-up list can adversely affect your computer and/or its components. Your computer may not start up. Or it may not perform as expected. In my case, I found more than 50 per cent of the programs in the start-up list to be legitimately there. Before you disable a program or remove it from the list, check what ProcessLibrary.com has to say about the program. You can do this by entering the File name of the program in question (see picture below) into the search field at ProcessLibrary.com.

I have found that the only wallpapers that generally match such criteria are the wallpapers that come bundled with Sony VAIO laptops. As well as the abstract wallpapers bundled with Windows 7 RC1.

Wallpaper that is specifically designed and optimised for your Desktop interface will bear the following criteria:

1. It will not be too detailed so as the distract from the desktop icons.
2. It will not be too bright so as to make the Desktop icons less noticeable.
3. Its design elements will be clustered towards the right, since Desktop icons are usually clustered towards the left.
4. The background for the Desktop icons will be dark, so as to make the icons more easily noticeable.

Armed with these criteria, I have designed a 1024×768 wallpaper for my readers. Feel free to download and use it.

Update: Please also see wallpapers themed on Mughal Art here.



Autumn Wallpaper by Techtangerine.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.
Based on a work at www.techtangerine.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.techtangerine.com/2009/06/04/optimised-wallpaper-for-your-desktop/.