windows

Linux desktop: Starting with the right set of expectations

What would we think of Windows if our only experience was with Linux? That's the question that EasyGeek seeks to answer...and to interesting effect.

EasyGeek assumes a market in which Linux is dominant and then reviews the Windows upstart desktop. This is a fair way of going about reviewing Windows, given that, as the writer suggests, the market's predisposition for Windows has very little to do with technical superiority, and instead is simply a function of Windows being around for a long time.

Here's a sample:

Due to the size of the install DVD, I was expecting a full-featured OS complete with good burning software, an office suite, etc. What I got was entirely sub-par. No decent cd-burning software was provided, and I found that to get one, (Nero) I would have to pay extra. Wow. With Ubuntu, I could get K3b for free, with the benefit of it being open-source too.… Read more

No restore point for you

Once upon a time I sat down to write a blog posting. While waiting for Windows XP to boot up, the System Restore icon on the desktop caught my eye.

I suggested making a desktop icon for System Restore back in July when I offered Four tips to using System Restore on Windows XP. In this case, the icon served as a visual reminder that I hadn't checked up on System Restore in a while.

System Restore is a feature of Windows XP* that periodically backs up the registry and other system files that Microsoft considers critical. Each backup … Read more

Windows Home Server bug corrupts files

Given that the point of Windows Home Server is to allow you to store your media files, a bug in the storage process that could result in corrupted files is bound to get attention.

Microsoft has issued a support document for the 13 or so (just kidding) people using Windows Home Server, the company's latest product for those attempting to build the digital home of the future. Apparently there's a flaw in the way Windows Home Server works with certain Microsoft applications, such as Windows Vista Photo Gallery, that could result in corrupted files if you use those … Read more

The Economist: Ubuntu is the source of Linux's rise

The Economist makes three technology predictions for 2008, two of which concern web surfing and the third of which concerns everyone, whether they surf the web or not. The Economist's third prediction is that the technology world will open up:

The embrace of "openness" by firms that have grown fat on closed, proprietary technology is something we'll see more of in 2008....

Pundits agree: neither Microsoft nor Apple can compete at the new price points being plumbed by companies looking to cut costs. With open-source software maturing fast, Linux, OpenOffice, Firefox, MySQL, Evolution, Pidgin and some 23,000 other Linux applications available for free seem more than ready to fill that gap. By some reckonings, Linux fans will soon outnumber Macintosh addicts. Linus Torvalds should be rightly proud.

What's most interesting about its analysis, however, is where it sees the biggest impact for open source (Linux) and why (Ubuntu):… Read more

MacBook tops Amazon's best-selling computer list this Xmas

The MacBook has been Amazon's bestselling computer this Xmas and is locked in a battle with some HP Pavilions offered at whopping discounts.

The ultra-hip Linux-based Asus EEE I wrote about earlier this month holds a number of spots in the top 25 list. It's nice to see that consumers have wizened to the fact that Macs are better computers than anything running Windows.

Windows Starter Kit

So whichever gift-giving deity you believe in has smiled on you this season and you're the recipient of a brand-new machine. Or maybe the computer gods have decided that December was the time for your PC to join that great server farm in the sky.

Either way, you're in need of some new programs. Free programs. You're in luck: CNET Download.com has compiled a brand-new Windows Starter Kit, complete with all that your freeware-coveting heart could ever desire. This year we bring you a Web Browser, an E-mail Client, Office and Productivity tools, Image Editors, Music and Video Jukeboxes, … Read more

Windows Vista gripes from Lenovo

On December 14th, I wrote that IBM recommends Windows XP. Unbeknownst to me, on the very same day a Lenovo blogger was griping about Windows Vista.

I don't have any Vista gripes. That's because, as I blogged about in September* I think XP is a better choice for Windows users. Personally, I've been avoiding Vista.

Matt Kohut has instead been fighting with Vista. Mr. Kohut works for Lenovo, which to some measure, makes their living selling Vista.

To me, his gripes are particularly significant. For one thing, he is not talking about a test drive or a … Read more

IE6 crashes in Windows XP: fixing the fix

Yet again, a bug fix created a new problem. This time it occurred with Internet Explorer 6 and 7 on Windows XP and Vista.

The problem is that Internet Explorer crashes after viewing a web page. Not all web pages though, I was able to successfully view about half of those I tested with IE6. One site that crashes it pretty quickly is Microsoft's own msn.com (they offered it as an example).

It wasn't hard to find information online about this problem which was introduced in the December 11th round of bug fixes to Windows.

According to Computerworld, … Read more

The 10 best downloads of 2007

The editors here at CNET Download.com have bashed our heads together trying to sort through the bloody mess that was the past 12 months in software. The rise of webware sure changed the playing field, but we think we've found 10 Windows applications that are either new to the world or had such a major upgrade that they might as well be. We present these in no particular order, but please feel free to add your favorites in the comments below.

US Army goes with Macs for security

Seems that the US government is finally taking security seriously and choosing Macs. Regardless of the alternative (non-Windows) platform there is an inherent lack of security in a homogenous Windows environment.

The Army's push to use Macs to help protect its computing corps got its start in August 2005, when General Steve Boutelle, the Army's chief information officer, gave a speech calling for more diversity in the Army's computer vendors. He argued the approach would both increase competition among military contractors and strengthen its IT defenses.

I would still ask why the government wouldn't just create … Read more