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Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 10 of 20

2009-03-20T17:29:00.000-05:00

Tip 10: Check gmail with a dedicated mail client. If you must.

As you've seen in the previous 9 tips, you certainly don't need any sort of email program to take advantage of all gmail has to offer. Tasks, calendar, contacts, flags, 'folder' organization: all once the domain of a dedicated program like Outlook; all now can be done from within the gmail browser interface.

But there are still a few reasons why one would want a dedicated program like Outlook. It's possible, for example, that you will have a work email managed by an Exchange Server, use Outlook anyway, and now want to have just a single application for both work and personal emails

It is also possible that you are just darn comfortable with Outlook, and aren't ready to cut ties just yet.

Whatever the case, it is very easy to use Outlook (or other email clients) in harmony with a gmail account (and thus all the email accounts it can receive email from. How so? Just think of how you use Outlook in relationship with your Internet Service Provider's email right now. It's pretty much the same thing: you'll point Outlook to gmails servers, and away you go.

And there are actually two options: POP access and IMAP access (IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol). IMAP is a newer, more flexible protocol than IMAP. It lets you syncronize email across multiple devices and email clients without having to transfer these messages back and forth between the client computer and the email server. POP (Post Office Protocol) uses a protocol that actually removes the mail from the server.

So while you can use POP I highly recommend using IMAP when configuring a dedicated client. Once you've made that call, it's time to set up an account for gmail. The steps will vary from program to program, so the best place I can send you for step-by-step instrcutions is here:

Configure your program for IMAP access.

Of course, I won't conclude without providing directions to POP setup as well:

Configure your program for POP access.

That should be it. And it's worth pointing out that there's really no need for a dedicated email client, as I mentioned in the first post called, "Outlook 2009 is here. Meet Gmail."

Speed up xp and vista: number 3 of 50

2009-03-18T12:08:00.000-05:00

Tip One: Tweak the Index Service

Opinions abound about the Vista Indexing Service and whether or not it slows down system performance. Unfortunately, much of the discussion I’ve seen is anecdotal in nature, with some users reporting that Vista is speedier than XP, and others reporting that it is dog slow.

Personally, I like the Indexing Service. It helps quickly locate content on a Vista machine without a folder hierarchy doing the job for me. Just type what you're looking for and go. It's kinda like a desktop Google, and yes, I'm aware that Google has a similar desktop add-in.

But the Indexing Service (which is not mentioned anywhere on Microsoft's Vista website; a search produces results for outside webpages) is not something you add, as was the case with Windows XP and the Windows Desktop Search (whose full name is actually Windows Desktop Search with MSN Search Toolbar).

Instead, the Indexing Service is built into the Vista OS, and runs by default. For those who want to try out life without the Vista’s Indexing Service, here’s how to disable:

Method One:

Open the Control Panel and then choose ‘Uninstall a Program’ from the Programs grouping. Now, select ‘Turn Windows features on or off.’
From this dialog box, you can disable the Indexing Service

Method Two:

Disable the Windows Search service using the Services MMC snap-in. If you type ‘services’ into the Vista Start Menu, it should come up.
Locate the Windows Search service, then choose ‘Disabled’ as the startup type. You should also Stop the service for it to take immediate effect.

Method Three:

If you’d like more selecting control over the Indexing Options, open the Control Panel and locate the Indexing Options application (or you can type ‘index’ from the Start Menu – the Indexing Service should help you locate it in the list of Programs. Ironic, huh? From here, you can remove locations you use rarely, or remove all locations altogether.
It is also possible to disable indexing for a certain drive or enable it only for selected folders. You can do this by changing the Properties of a drive or folder (right click on drive letter in Windows Explorer).

You can always switch back later if you want.

Want to automatically receive updates? Then subscribe to have the latest delivered right to you.

Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 9 of 20

2009-03-13T12:33:00.005-05:00

Tip 9: Check your gmail on the plane.

One of the nice things about a dedicated email client is that you can compose your emails and respond even when you're offline - which is just a jargon-based way to say "not connected to the Internet." (Granted, this inability not to connect is becoming less and less common.) And since gmail is an Internet-based email client, you can't check your email offline.

Until now. Gmail has recently introduced an Offline mode which makes it possible to handle already-downloaded email (and compose new ones) without an Internet connection.

The offline ability utilizes something called Gears, which is an open-source browser extension. Here's how it all shakes out, from google's offline documentation:

"With offline access enabled, youcan read messages, star and label them, and do all of the things you're used to when reading mail online. If you want to write a message, just click Compose Mail and write away. When you click Send, the message will go to your Outbox and will be sent automatically next time you connect."

In other words, it works pretty much like any other dedicated mail client like Outlook or Thunderbird or Apple Mail.

And enabling it couldn't be easier. Just click the 'offline' link from the top of your gmail page, should be right there next to your account name. You'll get a popup dialog that will take you throught the other click or two.

Next up: how to check gmail using a dedicated mail client (if you must). Be sure to subscribe to ensure the latest is delivered fresh to your doorstep.

Speed up xp and vista: number 2 of 50

2009-03-11T12:29:00.003-05:00

Tweak Two: Disable unnecessary features on your motherboard.

Many modern motherboards come with a host of components built into the circuitry of the board itself - this is possible as chips continue to shrink, and manufacturer can place more horsepower into smaller areas of real estate.

Integrated components can include the sound card, network cards, video cards, and even RAID, allowing date to be written to multiple hard drives at the same time.

These features can place a tax on system resources, even when they are not being utilized by the operating system. Thus, if you're not using one of these, it's good practice to disable these features using your motherboard's BIOS setup program.

A common example: you are using a sound card to facilitate Surround sound, and are not using the built-in sound card that's part of the motherboard. If that's the case, you should disable the integrated sound card for best performance.

You can look for many of these integrated features in a section called Integrated Prephrials in the BIOS.

Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 8 of 20

2009-03-06T12:56:00.001-06:00

Tip 8: Now, sync everything on your phone.

So now you've gotten a look at everything gmail can do: email, calendar, contacts, tasks. In short, everything you used Outlook for in the past.

Now it's time to make all that information available any time, any where you go. Get gmail on your phone. You have two choices for setting up the mobile gmail application on your phone. I think it's a tad easier if you start things from your computer, but either will work just fine.

As detailed on gmail's getting started page, you have two options:

Option A: From your computer

Go to mobile.google.com.
Select your device type to see what products are available for your phone
Enter your phone number in the blue box and select the Send link to my phone button. You'll receive a text message from 466453 that contains a link directly to m.google.com where you can access all the free* Google Mobile products for your phone.

Option B: From your phone:

Go to m.google.com in your phone's mobile web browser to see all the free* Google Mobile products available for your phone.
Select any product to get started using it. In some cases, there will also be a link to a downloadable application version of a product (generally, the app version has more features and is faster).

You'll also end up with google maps, news, and other mobile apps if you choose.

This works like a charm on Blackberrys, iPhones, and from any Windows mobile device. It words on a lot of other phones as well, but most who use these three phone/platforms are mainly concerned with being able to distract themseves with email while in line for coffee, in bed with a loved one, attending a sporting event you've paid good $$ to watch, or while driving.

Why is this so cool? Because you don't need a Blackberry Enterprise service, no Exchange back-end solution necessary. And if you're trying to implement mobile email for a small business, this can save you thousands of dollars in consulting, subscription, and software fees.

Oh, and 466452 spells 'google' on a 10-digit alphanumeric keypad.

More to come, so subscribe now to get the latest.

More with Less: 50 ways to speed up xp and vista

2009-03-04T12:57:00.002-06:00

Face it: your computer isn't as fast as when you first installed Windows. For a host of reasons, PC performance tends to degrade over time. But there are proven methods that will help you regain some of that lost speed.

This is the first in a 50 part series of tips and tweaks to help improve performance of the world's most popular operating system. Most of the tips that follow over the rest of 2009 will apply for both XP and Vista, some will be specific to just a single operating system.

And almost all of the tips will be brief. There's no sense in performing a tweak if it's going to eat up half of your weekend. Computers should help you be more productive, not less.

So stay tuned, and remember to hit the 'subscribe' thingy in the upper right hand corner to have the latest tips delivered right to your Inbox or RSS reader.

Tweak One: Update your BIOS.

OK, so this tip isn't technically a Windows tweak. It is a great place to start nonetheless.

You can usually find improvement in Windows performance by looking not at the operating system, but rather at the software the operating system uses to communicate with your computer's hardware - the BIOS.

So before you spend too much time tweaking the OS, make sure you have the latest and fastest BIOS for your motherboard. On modern computers, updating the BIOS means locating a small executable file from the manufacturer website, running it, then rebooting your computer. If you're using a Dell, go here. If running an HP, go here.

It's really that simple. The biggest challenge, in fact can be locating the BIOS update in the first place...it's not something that is searched for when performing a Windows Update (probably because it's not Windows).

If you need help finding this information, drop me an email. Otherwise, you can find the current version of the motherboard (along with the mobo manufacturer) from the Power On Self Test (POST) screen.

Look for new speed tips and tricks about every Wednesday throughout the year, with tweaks on Windows 7 as the product moves closer to launch.

Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 7 of 20

2009-03-03T14:05:00.006-06:00

Tip 7: Add your big huge list of Contacts.

Here's where Gmail continues to take over ground that was once only the purview of a program like Outlook or Lotus Notes.

It's now time to add your list of contacts from one of these programs, and thus create a centralized database of your contacts that will never be far from reach ever again.

You'll need to compete two relatively simple tasks to carry this out:

First, create a Comma Separated Values file from your current list of contacts. From Outlook, you'll follow these steps:

In Outlook choose the File menu, then Import and Export.
Click Export to a file, click Next, and choose Comma Separated Values (Windows), and click Next.
You now see a list of Outlook folders. From here, choose the Contacts folder you want to export and click Next. (Or ,maybe even a folder you've specifically created for this operation - maybe you don't want all your Outlook contacts to be exported, and are using this to purge some old stuff.)
Now choose the location where you want to save the contacts, type a name for the .csv file, and then click OK.
Click Next and then Finish.

That's it for the first stage. For the second stage, you will import that CSV file into the Gmail contacts list. Follow these steps as mentioned on the gmail support pages on this topic:

Sign in to Gmail.
Click Contacts (located below your list of views) on any Gmail page.
Click Import in the top portion of the Contact Manager.
Click the Browse... or Choose File button and locate the CSV file you'd like to upload.
Select the file and click the Import button.

Once you've successfully uploaded the document, Gmail will display the number of contacts imported.

Now you have every you ever contacted in Outlook ready and waiting for an email using your new Gmail account. To locate a contact, just Compose an Email and start typing their name in the To: section. Any matches are shown immediately from your My Contacts list.

And even better, you can sync all these Gmail contacts to your phone. That's covered in the next posting. Be sure to Subscribe to get the update as soon as it posts.

Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 6 of 20

2009-02-15T19:41:00.006-06:00

Tip 6: Add a list of tasks to your gmail interface.

It's just about as simple as it sounds. To add tasks to gmail, follow these steps:

1. From gmail, click on Settings, then choose the Labs tab.
2. Now, just enable the Tasks Lab.

That's it. You should now see a Tasks link at the bottom of your Inbox list, just under the Contacts. This list can be minimized or displayed as you please. To get started adding tasks, just click the Tasks link and start typing.

And it's even better than that. With gmail's Tasks, you can create multiple task lists. This can help organize your tasks into more manageable groupings, and help you focus on the tasks that need to get done now, and those that can be scheduled.

To add another task list, just click on the task menu button in the lower right-hand corner and choose New List... You will also see all available lists from this menu.

For example, I currently roll with three main task lists: Daily, Weekly, and Yearly. The first two are self explanatory, the Yearly is more of a list of goals I'm working towards. They can help me define some of the weekly goals, which in turn help me list out what needs to get done today.

I also keep a separate task list for any projects I'm working on, and use initials for things I've delegated to other people but still need to make sure get done. The 'due by' feature really helps in this regard.

The only possible chink in the armor of gmail's Tasks feature is that it isn't (yet) integrated into gmail's mobile app, so it's a tad unwieldy when accessed from a mobile device. Here's what to do:

From your device's mobile browser, go to gmail.com/tasks. You can then view, add, edit, or mark tasks as completed from there rather than the gmail moble app.

If you're keeping track, that's now three things - email, calendar, tasks - Outlook does very well that Gmail does even better.

Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 5 of 20

2009-02-13T10:38:00.004-06:00

Tip 5: Add the Google Calendar.

The gmail account you've just created (or have had for a while) is a great start, but I just mentioned in my first post in this series that gmail could be considered Outlook 2009. And Outlook manages more than just your Inbox, right?

Of course. It manages tasks, contacts, and your time. In this step, you'll add google calendar functionality to gmail to track appointments, events, birthdays, and so on. It's remarkably easy to get started...

Because you already have a google account (created when you signed up for gmail), all you have to do is visit Google's Calendar homepage. From there, enter your Google Account email and password, and sign in. Easy cheesy.

You can probably take it from there. Among the really great features of the Google Calendar app is that it lets you create multiple calendars, and display each independent of the others if you wish. Have a project with several milestone dates? Make a calendar and share it with project stakeholders. Want to track all kids activities and share them with family? Again, create a seperate calendar.

And naturally, you can get easy access to all of those appointments and events from within the gmail browser interface. Here's how:

1. From gmail, click Settings in the upper right-hand corner, then click the Labs tab.
2. Now, look for the Calendar gadget (will be about 2/3 the way down the page or so) and enable it.
3. Click 'Save Changes' and you're done.

You can then make tweaks to the gmail calendar interface by accessing the gadget's Options, which you'll find in the lower right-had corner of the gadget.

Next up: adding your to-do lists without leaving gmail. Make sure and subscribe to get the latest content delivered each week without having to hunt it down.

Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 4 of 20

2009-02-11T12:55:00.001-06:00

Tip 4: Quit using folders to stay organized. Use labels instead.

If you've followed along in the first couple of gmail tips, you now have a new, centralized Inbox that you can access from just about anywhere. (And in a future tip, I'll show you how to access that gmail Inbox from just about any mobile device as well.

Here's how you're going to keep all that email organized: you're going to use labels.

You can manage gmail's labels by accessing the Labels tab in the Settings or, even easier, by clicking on the Labels button at the top of the Inbox and choosing 'Manage labels.'

Now, when an email comes in that needs to be filed for possible retrieval at a later date, use the Labels button to tag the email. Now, whenever you need to browse through your 'folder' of related emails, just click the desired label link on gmail's left-hand side.

(If you want to shortcut the application of labels even further, enable gmail's keyboard shortcuts by going to the General tab of gmail's Settings. Then, hit 'L' from any email and apply the label.)

And after you apply a label? Archive the email. Another of gmail's simplest, yet most powerful features is the ability to Archive that I discuss again in a future post or two. Gmail's golden rule: When in doubt, Archive.

And leave folders behind. They're soooo 2005.

Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 3 of 20

2009-02-06T09:44:00.004-06:00

Tip 3: Consolidate. Make gmail the one Inbox to rule them all.

The problem: you're a modern, tech savvy man or woman, and have therefore accumulated numerous email accounts over the years like a cellar full of fine wine. You've got a home email, a work email, an internet-based email like Hotmail or Yahoo! mail, and a second home email from switching your cable provider from Time Warner to Comcast.

Oh, and you've now gotten that gmail account I just told you would simplify your life. How's this supposed to work, exactly?

It will. The third step will have you creating a single, master Inbox. One place where all your email goes, one place for you to go and check all your accounts.

This step will also take more time to set up than previous tips and most others that will follow. Believe me, it's well worth the investment. Here's what to do:

Go to gmail's Accounts tab from the Settings page (again, the Settings link is in the upper right corner.) Then look at the second section down, 'Get mail from other accounts.' You're about to configure gmail's Mail Fetcher feature. Follow these steps, which you can also access by clicking 'learn more:

Chose Add another mail account.
Enter the full email address of the account you'd like to access, then click Next Step.
Gmail will populate sample settings, but we recommend checking with your other provider to learn the correct server name and port. Enter your Password.

Now, decide whether to:

leave a copy of the message on the server
retrieve using Secure Sockets Layer
label incomig messages
archive incoming messages

When you've made your selections, choose Add Account.

And here's even more good news: wnce the account has been added, you' can use it as the 'From' address in any email. You can even set it as the default 'From' email address. This allows you to compose messages in Gmail, but have them appear to be sent from your other email account.

My recommendations about the selections above for those setting up their first account: do leave a copy on the server, don't use SSL, don't archive the messages - you want them in your Inbox typically. Use a label if you want, but I typically don't - I don't care where the email came from, I just want to see it and respond when it hits my Inbox.

Another bonus: gmail is smart enough to use the 'Sent-To' address as the default 'Reply-From' address. In other words, if you respond through gmail to an email sent to a non-gmail address, gmail will use the non-gmail address in the 'From' field by default.

Have fun setting up those accounts; your email life will feel less cluttered the second you do.

And subscribe to this thread - more tips on the way shortly.

Zen computing: simplify with gmail. part 2 of 20

2009-02-03T09:03:00.002-06:00

Step Two: Use a theme.

You’ve just set up your new gmail account. Great - the journey begins with a single step as the saying goes, and you’ve just taken yours.
 
Next up? Configure the interface. From the gmail interface:

1. Click the Settings link in the upper right-had corner.
2. From the Gmail Settings, click Themes on the right hand side. As you can see, I prefer New Blue.
3. That’s it! The theme is now automatically applied.

Small steps so far, but necessary.

To review: you’ve now gotten a Gmail account and have configured the interface the way you like it. Now, it’s on to the more important tasks, such as managing your email from multiple accounts, managing tasks, contacts, and your calendar, and managing all of these from mobile devices.

In other words, everything you used Outlook for in the past. Now free. Now stored in a single location. And now available across any computer and from almost any device.

 Stay tuned.

Zen computing: simplify life with gmail. part 1 of 20

2009-02-03T08:57:00.003-06:00

Tip 1: Sign up for gmail.

This will be the first in 20-part series of posts about transferring your digital life to gmail. The idea is not to use gmail in order to have the latest, greatest, best, or You can argue over better email programs. There is but one goal in mind: to use this particular technology to simplify and enhance your life - to use gmail to stop the ever dangerous “tech-creep.”

(Tech-creep is the place where a new gadget or piece of software makes life more difficult and/or unnecessarily complex rather than easier. Gmail can help combat tech-creep. Facebook can alleviate or cause tech-creep. Twitter right now is sitting right on that boundary. You get the idea.)

What gmail does, it does very, very well.

So in keeping with the theme, the first tip is a simple one: get a gmail account. How? Go to gmail.com, of course.

Once there, click on the ‘sign up for gmail link, pick a user name, password, security question, and you’re on your way.

If you’re just starting out, that’s all you need to do for today. Should take you 5 minutes, including the time needed to read this post.

Make IE7 more Firefox-ish

2008-10-21T01:46:00.005-05:00

I’ve gone on in a previous post about the usefulness of Firefox over IE7. If you have a choice, I reiterate my recommendation of Firefox.

That’s not to say IE7 is a terrible browser; far from it. It does what it’s supposed to do and does it well. Further, there are many environments where Firefox won’t be an option. If that’s the case, here’s something I think you’ll like:

It’s called IE7Pro, and it’s a free add-on Internet Explorer 7. IE7Pro adds many features that make IE7 more Firefox-like. It includes advanced tabbed browsing management, a download manager, spell check for web form entries, quick searching, and more.

Here’s where to get it: http://www.ie7pro.com/

The best feature? In my estimation, it’s the ability to restore a browser crash to the tabs you had open at the time of the crash. This feature alone is reason to switch to Firefox, but if you have Ie7Pro, it levels the playing field somewhat.

Also available is the ability to automatically refresh a tab at a specified interval. If you visit a site that you need to refresh frequently, you might try selecting the tab, right-clicking the IE7Pro icon in the status bar, choosing Refresh Current Tab, and then selecting a refresh interval.

And, like with Firefox, IE7Pro includes a tool that allows you to capture an entire web page to a .jpeg, .gif, or.png file.

In short, give IE7Pro a try, If you’re using IE7 as your primary (or only) browser, you’ll be glad you did.

Save time when browsing with Firefox

2008-10-10T16:23:00.005-05:00

Firefox is the best browser available. Period.

Don't take my word for it...feel free to check out any of these reviews from CNET, PCWorld, or InfoWorld.

I've used it on two platforms now (Windows and OSX), and it beats IE and Safari hands-down in terms of features, convenience, and speed.

One of the best things about Firefox is that it's Open Source-based. This means that developers are able to provide free browser extensions, themes, plugins, add-ons, etc. No, you won't use all of them, but some are a godsend.

A couple of examples:

• FireFTP – an FREE, integrated FTP client within Firefox with a great interface. No need for a seperate FTP application.
• IE Tab – a great little status bar icon that can immediately render the current browser page using the IE engine WITHIN Firefox. Great for when you stumble on a page that requires use of IE7 to render properly (I can't think of any, but that's what it's for).
• Screen grab – this is a great one when you're doing research...it allows you to either copy or save a webpage as an image, including an option to save the entire page or just the section currently visible on the screen.

To grab some of these add-ons, use Firefox's Tools | Add-Ons menu. Then just look for the Get Add-ons button and you're on your way.

5 reasons why Windows Vista is a dud

2008-10-06T23:11:00.009-05:00

Someone sent me an interesting op/ed piece by techrepublic's Jason Hiner about the fall of Windows Vista. I'm going to cut out all the boring parts and give you the digest version here, include my reaction, and then ask for your comments/experience by clicking on the 'comments link below.

I want to add from the outset here that it gives me no joy to post this - I make, and have made, my living over the past 10 years largely because of the Windows operating system. I just happen to share Hiner's conclusion, though, that Windows Vista has been largely a failure.

And if you really want to click over to the the full techrepublic article click here.

5. Apple successfully demonized Vista

Apple’s clever I’m a Mac ads have successfully driven home the perception that Windows Vista is buggy, boring, and difficult to use.

Not really. Apple just makes good ads, period, and the I'm a Mac ads have more than jumped the shark in my opinion. I don't really think that corporate CIO's are swayed much by Justin Long. In fairness, Justin did make his screen debut in Galaxy Quest as plucky nerd Brandon (the one who was being nagged my his folks about taking out the trash before saving the crew of the NSEA Protector), so I could be wrong on that one.

4. Windows XP is too entrenched

In 2001, when Windows XP was released, there were about 600 million computers in use worldwide. Over 80% of them were running Windows but it was split between two code bases: Windows 95/98 (65%) and Windows NT/2000 (26%), according to IDC.

In 2008, there are now over 1.1 billion PCs in use worldwide and over 70% of them are running Windows XP... which makes (XP) the most widely installed operating system of all time. That’s a lot of inertia to overcome.

Yes... I would also argue that for users of Windows 95/98 (and he forgot to mention Me), the move to Windows XP represented a huge leap forward in terms of reliability - XP just didn't crash like its predecessors did. For Windows NT/2000 users, it represented a leap forward in terms of compatibility and deployment.

3. Vista is too slow

With Windows Vista, software bloat appears to have finally caught up with Microsoft.

This software bloat has had the effect of slowing down Windows Vista, especially when it’s running on anything but the latest and fastest hardware. Even then, the latest version of Windows XP soundly outperforms the latest version of Microsoft Vista. No one wants to use a new computer that is slower than their old one.

Yes, yes, triple yes. Let me state this as clearly as I can: Vista is dog slow. Your new computer - the one with two processors, 2GB of RAM, a SATA hard drive, and a 128 mb RAM graphics card - shouldn't be your slowest comptuer. Yet with Windows Vista installed, somehow it is.

This is what I want feedback most about. I've used 6 machines with Windows Vista, and in all 6 cases, have been shocked at how poor performance was for the most routine of tasks. Share your anecdotal evidence with me by clicking on the link below this entry.

Microsoft needs to make an OS with less code, not more.

2. There wasn’t supposed to be a Vista

It’s easy to forget that when Microsoft launched Windows XP it was actually trying to change its OS business model to move away from shrink-wrapped software and convert customers to software subscribers.

The master plan was to get users and businesses to pay a yearly subscription fee for the Windows experience — XP would essentially be the on-going product name but would include all software upgrades and updates, as long as you paid for your subscription. That’s why product activation was coupled with Windows XP.

The idea of doing incremental releases and upgrades of its software — rather than a major shrink-wrapped release every 3-5 years — was a good concept. Microsoft just couldn’t figure out how to make the business model work, but instead of figuring out how to get it right, it took the easy route and went back to an old model that was simply not very well suited to the economic and technical realities of today’s IT world.

I don't think this is right, and I wish Mr. Hiner would have cited a source here.

First, is he saying that Microsoft never planned a next version of Windows after XP? I doubt that.

Second, I worked at Microsoft for two years, and never heard a word about moving to a subscription model. I'm not saying that what Mr Hiner reports isn't fact, I'm just saying that I was pretty close to the actuall sales of software to partners and the public, and never heard it mentioned.

Even if accurate, I don't see how this would have much of an effect on Vista sales either way.

1. It broke too much stuff

One of the big reasons that Windows XP caught on was because it had the hardware, software, and driver compatibility of the Windows 9x line plus the stability and industrial strength of the Windows NT line. The compatibility issue was huge. Having a single, highly-compatible Windows platform simplified the computing experience for users, IT departments, and software and hardware vendors.

Microsoft either forgot or disregarded that fact when it released Windows Vista, because, despite a long beta period, a lot of existing software and hardware were not compatible with Vista when it was released in January 2007. Since many important programs and peripherals were unusable in Vista, that made it impossible for a lot of IT departments to adopt it.

Many of the incompatibilities were the result of tighter security... (Vista) was definitely the most secure OS that Microsoft had ever released but the price was user-hostile features such as UAC, a far more complicated set of security prompts that accompanied many basic tasks, and a host of software incompatibility issues. In order words, Vista broke a lot of the things that users were used to doing in XP.

Agree with this sentiment as well; it's a corollary of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" maxim, something along the lines of, "if it makes things worse, it's not an upgrade, is it?"

Exhibit A: my laptop computer that I use for writing, listening to music, and Internet.

Something crashes or locks up almost daily. The only way to improve the System Stability Chart is to turn off the machine for days at a time - then is doesn't crash.

The deal is simply this: too much stuff doesn't work with Windows Vista, or at least it didn't long enough into its release to make IT departments stay away in droves. I haven't taught a single Vista class where I'm not asked about how to disable User Account Control, which is a well-intentioned, yet unmitigated disaster, especially for home users, who don't' want to be asked to either 'Continue' or 'Cancel' every time they do anything to their machine.

And some additional food for thought: Apple's OSX also has a version of User Account Control. Ever heard about it? Of course not, because it's implemented so much more unobtrusively than User Account Control.

Configure Vista Power Options with Group Policy

2008-10-06T22:46:00.004-05:00

You probably know about the new Vista Power Options settings. If not, they are accessed easily enough by opening the Control Panel and then choosing Hardware and Sound | Power Options. And even easier way is to simply type 'power' from Vista's search box.

And speaking of, here's a question that came up in class when discussing Vista's new power options and the Vista Mobility Center:

Can I use Group Policy to configure Power Options?

Yes. Vista ships with 800 new Group Policy settings, and several of these can govern Power Behavior for your entire network.

Here's where to set the Power Options:

Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | System | Power Management

You can figure it out from there. All of the button settings, hard disk settings, sleep settings, and so on that can be configured for an individual system using the Control Panel can be set for groups of computers1 using these Administrative settings.

If you're curious as to why this all works under Vista (and there's no particular reason you should be; trust me, it won't won't convey any social status in mixed company), it's because previous Windows versions stored power configurations as binary values, which Group Policy doesn't affect. Now, Power Options can be set using the .xml-based .admx files that define the Administrative Template settings under Windows Vista.

1- given that you're working in a domain and using either Vista Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate.

Controlling Windows Vista Startup Items

2008-09-25T11:53:00.005-05:00

Controlling Startup items - whether on a Windows Vista or Windows XP machine - can have a big impact on system performance. The goal is to reduce those Startup items to just those you really, really need. Otherwise, they just take up resources that can/should be directed towards other computing tasks.

There are actually a couple of ways to do this.

1) You can view the Vista Startup folder using Windows Explorer - although it's a pain in the ass.

Here's what you need to do to manually edit the startup items for an individual user with the Windows Explorer interface.

1. First, enable viewing of Hidden folders and files.
2. From a Windows Explorer window, choose Organize | Folder and Search Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Choose the 'Show hidden folders and files' option.
5. Now, use Windows Explorer to navigate to this directory:

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

A long way to go, but once there, you can see what programs are included in the users Startup directory, and make deletions/additions as you see fit.

You won't see the AppData folder unless you're displaying hidden folders and files.

A simpler method, however, is to choose Start | All Programs | Startup. You can then right-click on the Startup folder and choose Explore. You will then open a Windows Explorer window on the user's startup folder.

2) Use Windows Defender's Software Explorer. To get to the Software Explorer, open Defender and choose the Tools. You'll now see the Software Explorer link.

From here, you can choose Startup Items in the dropdown list. Select a program, and then choose either Remove or Disable. Note, however, that some programs won't allow you to do either one from within Software Explorer.

Control behavior of Vista's Indexing Service

2008-09-24T11:34:00.003-05:00

Opinions abound about the Vista Indexing Service and whether or not it slows down system performance. Unfortunately, much of the discussion I’ve seen is anecdotal in nature, with some users reporting that Vista is speedier than XP, and others reporting that it is dog slow.

Personally, I like the Indexing Service. It helps me quickly locate content on a Vista machine without a folder hierarchy doing the job for me.

But the Indexing Service is not something you add, as was the case with Windows XP and the Windows Desktop Search. Rather, it’s built into the Vista OS, and runs by default. For those who want to try out life without the Vista’s Indexing Service, here’s how to disable:

Method One:

Open the Control Panel and then choose ‘Uninstall a Program’ from the Programs grouping
Now, select ‘Turn Windows features on or off.’
From this dialog box, you can disable the Indexing Service

Method Two:

Disable the Windows Search service using the Services MMC snap-in. If you type ‘services’ into the Vista Start Menu, it should come up.
Locate the Windows Search service, then choose ‘Disabled’ as the startup type. You should also Stop the service for it to take immediate effect.

Method Three:

If you’d like more selecting control over the Indexing Options, open the Control Panel and locate the Indexing Options application (or you can type ‘index’ from the Start Menu – the Indexing Service should help you locate it in the list of Programs. Ironic, huh? From here, you can remove locations you use rarely, or remove all locations altogether.
It is also possible to disable indexing for a certain drive or enable it only for selected folders. You can do this by changing the Properties of a drive or folder (right click on drive letter in Windows Explorer).

You can always switch back later if you want.

Don't just Gmail - Better Gmail instead.

2008-09-23T23:51:00.006-05:00

A new post every week. That's how it works from now on. And an extra bonus with this one: two posts.

The first - passing along a valuable tip/tool for users of Gmail. It's called Better Gmail, and you can get the download from LifeHacker. I've tried it out on both a Mac and PC, and it will work across platforms.

The catch is that you have to be using Firefox, which you probably should be using anyway. Downloads for the Firefox browser are here.

Once Better Gmail is installed, you'll configure it by using Tools | Add-ons, selecting the Better Gmail 2 extension, and then clicking 'Preferences.'

I won't go over each feature; you can read the whole thing at the LifeHacker link I included. The most useful feature is not enabled by default, however: it's the 'Show Agenda' button on the General tab, which will place your Google Calendar agenda right next to your Gmail inbox.

I'll have lots more about gmail v. outlook v. google calendar v. windows live etc. in the weeks that follow. Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like answered.

tribute to dfw

2008-09-15T23:50:00.001-05:00

This post doesn't have anything to do with computers, but it's a good way to break the inertia of this blog and get the thing officially off the ground, where it has sat for far too long...

It's with great sadness that I pass along the news of the death of one of my favorite authors, David Foster Wallace. For those curious, there's a good obit on the NPR site.

And, if you are familiar with the work of dfw, you likely already know why I have called the blog section of theanswerhub 'Notes and errata.' It's a feeble homage to the author who has influenced my writing more than any other. 'Notes and errata' is the title of the 100-pg-or-so endnotes section of dfw's signature work, Infinite Jest.

If this blog post inspres you to check out IJ, - use two bookmarks. If, on the other hand, you want to introduce yourself to Wallace's writing in a bit more digestable manner, let me highly suggest one of these two items:

1. The title essay of "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never do Again," which covers a vacation week spent aboard a cruise ship. It's quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever read.
2. The title essay to "Consider the Lobster," which I read aloud to my (then) 7-year old son, who loved it as much as I did. Consider the Lobster does just that: it ponders the fate of lobsters during the annual Maine Lobster Festival.

I've had the good fortune to have publishers glue together and print about 2500 pages of my writing over the last ten years. And even though I write mostly books about computers, Wallace's work has influenced every one of those 2500 pages. When writing, I often make conscious effort not to just directly ape dfw style of writing,1 but I suppose there are worse sins that a writer can commit than slipping into rote emulation of his favorite author.2

He's also done some great work about John McCain, about talk radio, about Bryan Garner's Dictionary of Modern American Usage, and - although writing about tennis and the 100th-ranked player in the world - about the grind of all professional sports for those not at the very top of the pile.

Thanks, David. Your obervations about the sublime and the banal will be missed.

1 - As further proof of how a) postmodern, b) self-aware, and c) heavily influenced I am by dfw's work, I submit the following: I can even recall with some clarity one of IJ's endnotes on the whole originality subject by memory. It goes something like this: "Has Hal Incandenza ever written a single original thought his entire life?"
2- like I'm doing now, badly.

The first post

2008-02-06T22:45:00.000-06:00

This is the first post...just making sure things are working.
More later...