What? It’s Only an 80 Core CPU.
Note: I wrote this a few years ago. I’ve been neglecting my blog, so I’ll post some reading material new to this place.
Taken from Intel’s website. It’s a short read and you can skim for important facts, but you won’t find much information that isn’t already here. If you’re skimming, of course.
A little over ten years ago, ASCI Red (a collaboration between Intel and Sandia Labs, as part of the U.S. Government’s Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative) was the world’s first TeraOps supercomputer in 1996.
Though, the machine was decommisioned in 2006. Some fun facts in regards to this beast:
· Mesh-based (38x32x2) MIMD (Multiple Instruction stream, Multiple Data stream) massively-parallel processing machine.
· Originally consisted of:
-4,510 compute nodes
-1,212 GB of memory
-12.5 TB disk space
· Originally used nearly 10,000 Pentium Pro CPUs, each clocked at 200 MHz.
· Later upgraded to 9,298 Pentium II OverDrive CPUs, each clocked at 333 MHz.
· Consisted of 104 cabinets, taking up almost 2,500 square feet.
· First computer on Earth to rate above 1 TeraFLOPS.
· After being upgraded with Pentium II Overdrive processors, it benchmarked above 2 TeraFLOPS.
· Consumed 500kW of power and another 500kW to cool the room.
Now, for the Intel TeraFLOPS Research Chip:
· Achieves 1 TeraFLOPS on one wafer.
· One die with 80 simple cores.
· Only consumes a mere 62W of power.
· Tested frequencies of 3.16GHz to 5.7GHz.
· Higher frequency achieves a TeraFLOP rating of 1.81, but still only needed an additional 200W of power.
How awesome is that? I mean “awesome” in the original sense of the word, not the much abused position the word finds itself in many conversations that teens use today regarding the latest popular band or a non-epic movie.
Well, moving forward. That is going from using nearly 10,000 Pentium IIs to only one chip that goes well beyond the performance from today’s higher end quad-core dies in a little over 10 years.
So, those of you who have purchased higher end quad-core processors this year should not frown; you have a very sexy processor that is available to the general public. Also, the fact that this chip will not be used for general purposes such as gaming … obviously. Nonetheless, it’s still nice to think about where technology might be in another five years.
I can’t wait for my Intel® Extreme Edition Octo-Phantom 2.86 GHz. (Note: Not a real processor. New Note: I should have said dodeca-core.)
Flash Media Recovery
When it comes to data recovery, I have had a really high success rate. Unless there is catastrophic physical damage or internal mechanical failures, I can retrieve data.
Last night, my brother came over in a panic with his Rebel XTi in hand. His pictures on his flash media card were no more, no matter what he tried. I’ve never come across flash media that I could not retrieve data from, so we go into my office and throw the card into my media reader. I have a library of recovery software to try.
I tried GetDataBack FAT. I received nothing. I tried Recuva, different options hoping for different results. Nothing. Roadkil’s Unstoppable Copier. Nothing. Pandora Recovery. Nothing. File Recovery 4. Same. Avira UnErase Personal. No surprise. This went on until late in the evening as I tore through the internet looking for recovery software that could show some immediate results.
Well, I thought about giving up when I Googled for another piece of freeware I’ve never had the absolute pleasure of using before.
PC INSPECTOR™ Smart Recovery 4.5
After all I thought was lost, when “all” is about 1,600 images since our dad’s 50th birthday, this software immediately began to show results. I selected which directory to save the pictures into and it went to work. After 20 minutes of scanning 1/4 the 2GB card, I saw many thumbnails of pictures free of corruption in the directory. I could even open them, look at them, save them, and edit them.
This is the first software I’ve ever used that not only was free, but absolutely incredibly thorough, quick, and shows results within five minutes instead of waiting idly by for unpredictable results. Also, this software actually had Canon’s CR2 RAW file format, among other RAW formats, listed in the drop down menu. You can select which format to recover and then click Start. Easy as that.
PC Inspector Smart Recovery 4.5 receives my highest recommendation for recovery software. I have not tried PC Inspector File Recovery, which is also freeware, but I’m already positive that it is legendary.
Windows Live SkyDrive
Late last year, SkyDrive received a big boost in storage capacity. No longer do we have a measly 5GB, but 25GB. Imagine what you can do with 25GB of secure storage. I know I found a few uses. You do not need Windows Live Messenger installed to use the ActiveX IE drag and drop tools.
Here is a little guide on how to upload your entire video, picture, or software collection onto SkyDrive in encrypted, password protected archives. You have both a private and public section for your SkyDrive. This is great for storage, but downloading all those files after losing them could take a while. I am certain in due time there will be features for downloading large amounts of files at once or a decent Firefox addon. The “Download as .zip file” doesn’t seem to work for 4GB of data.
The Browser of Choice: I recommend using Internet Explorer 7.0+ and installing the ActiveX controls for SkyDrive. Using any other browser deprives the user of status updates, which file is done uploading, total upload size, and length estimation. You can also drag and drop all of your files in one huge queue instead of five at a time. Drag, drop, and leave IE be.
Get the Software: You will need 7-Zip. I recommend it over an expired WinZip or WinRAR evaluation copy. Also, we are using 7-zip for the encryption options, not superiority. If you have a Hotmail account, you already have a SkyDrive account. Otherwise, create one. I have an example for 7-zip settings at the end.
Box O’ Memories: Find a juicy folder full of memories, like My Pictures. You can right click this folder, find 7-Zip in the list, highlight it to expand, and select “Add to Archive”. When the Add to Archive window appears, you will see several options. I recommend, for JPEG and PNG formats, the Normal compression method. JPEG files are already compressed. Select higher compression methods for BMP and TIFF. Leave the other options as their default, such as the LZMA method. You can choose whatever archive format you wish, but I recommend .7z. because it offers better encryption.
Splitting the Archive: The box below, titled Split to Volumes, will be the crucial factor on how you will go about uploading your files onto SkyDrive. The upload limit is 50MB per file, so you can easily type in 45M per part to be safe. Let’s say you have over 5,000 files of pictures and video totaling over 6GB of data. You will end up with a hundred or so file parts. Dragging and dropping these into the proper window for SkyDrive will take care of everything. I uploaded 87 46MB files without fail or error.
Select a Strong Password: Type in a password. The longer and more complex, the better. Alternating upper and lower case with numbers and symbols is always a great idea, as long as you can remember the password, of course. I usually have passwords 20+ characters long that go along with a certain pattern my fingers will always remember. Fingers have their own memory and will remember patterns. Whatever password you choose should be good enough, though. As long as it’s a bit complex. Do not use complete words in the dictionary.
Encryption: The .zip format uses AES-256 encryption as well, but does not offer to encrypt file names. Encrypting significantly increases the time it takes to create the archive, but please have patience. Check the box “Encrypt file names”. This will hide unique file names. The encryption will use the AES algorithm with a 256-bit key. This will increase the difficulty of brute force attacks to prying eyes or if someone gains access to your Live account. Now for the final step: naming your archive. This should be at the top as Archive and typically will default the name to what folder or file you have selected to throw into the archive first.
Take a Nap: When you click okay, go find something else to do because it will a while. You may notice if you have Windows Explorer open with the target folder viewable that it will start populating with files with the scheme “FileName.7z.001″. This is normal. Depending on how you split the archive, you may have under 100, or you may have a thousand. No matter the file size, as long as they under 50MB, use the drag and drop option. It works great.
More Info: SkyDrive will tell you the filename in detail so that you will be able to check exactly which part you have uploaded so far. On the webpage for SkyDrive folder view, select View and click Details. You will see the file format on the right side with the numbering scheme (.001, .002. etc). It might take a while to upload everything, but to me, this is worth it considering this is 25GB of online storage for free with a rather generous upload limit. Not only that, but SkyDrive is easy to use.
Future Reference: When GDrive is available, that may give us an additional ridiculous amount of space to abuse. Between DVDs, external hard drives, and free online storage; losing data will be a thing of the past with good habits. A great feature for SkyDrive is the ability to upload files onto your SkyDrive and embed the file on a webpage for quick public downloading. It’s as easy as embedding a YouTube video.
Windows 7 MP3 Bug Patch Crashes Explorer – Solution
For those that have been experiencing pain when it comes to updating for Windows 7 after applying the MP3 bug fix, here is the proposed solution. I’ve tested this and so have others I know. It works.
Go into the registry. Navigate to the following key:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\SQMClient\Windows\DisabledSessions
Rename the value “MachineThrottling” to “_MachineThrottling”.
This is the only solution I have found.
Governing Windows into Submission: Part Three
System Optimization
Browser Temporary Files: First thing is first, clearing out temporary files and other browsing data will irritate other users. Also, there is little reason to worry about temporary information unless it’s a real security issue. There is little benefit to clearing out temporary files more than once a month. It does not speed up your browsing experience or your computer, but you may actually benefit from a personal temporary retention policy. Keep the history unless it is absolutely necessary to clear.
Registry Cleaners and Optimizers: The system slowdown from your computer is not coming from a bulky registry. On Windows XP and above, you do not have a registry limit. There is no max size. Now true “registry optimizers”, such as TweakUI, truly do their job. Your system is not slowing down from the size of the hives or the amount of keys, but what they are actually telling your machine. Turning a value of 1 to a zero to disable the mouse cursor shadow will boost system performance. Do not bother using registry cleaners as they will do more harm than good.
For more proof that register cleaners do not work, perform a sweep (Note: Don’t.) after a clean Windows installation. What do you get? Now try it with another program, it doesn’t matter if it is shareware or freeware. You will get dramatically different results every time with each program. The only registry cleaner I can recommend is RevoUninstaller. It removes a program from your system completely, including all registry entries, folders, and files. Extremely helpful. Registry cleaners are proven to work as well as colon detoxification.
Fine Tuning Visual Settings: This is a quick tweak native in Windows to increase system performance by a great deal depending on your hardware. If you don’t care for the mouse to have a shadow that sucks up more resources than most people think, then follow these simple steps. First: Start Menu – Control Panel – open the “System” applet. Go to the Advanced tab and now we’re in the Visual Effects tab. Note: Make sure to save your current theme if you want to go back by – Control Panel – Display Properties – Themes tab – Save As…! The best custom selections I can recommend without losing a few features, such as the rectangular selection box, are:
- Uncheck any window animation effects, such as when minimizing and maximizing.
- Uncheck any Fade effects, examples would be how the ToolTips fade in and out.
- Uncheck shadows under menus and shadows under mouse pointer, but leave on “drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop”.
- Uncheck any sliding effects.
- Leave checked “translucent selection rectangle” and “show window contents while dragging”.
Feel free to play with the settings. Save your current theme. You cannot break your system from this tab.
Crucial Maintenance: Many know about Disk Defrag. Well, if you have Vista or soon Windows 7, you don’t have to worry about defragging all that much anymore unless the Task Scheduler service is disabled. By default, Defrag will do it’s job at the default scheduled time for Vista. With XP, you must defrag at least once every two months. If you’re a huge data rat with gigabytes of photos and videos, defrag at least once a month. System instability and data loss can occur in Windows from a heavily fragmented disk and excessive disk trashing! It’s in your Start Menu – Accessories – System Tools – Disk Defragmenter. Do not defrag under Linux.
Startup Queue: The number one biggest complaint I’ve heard always involves a slow booting computer. While it’s not the actual system booting, but the incredible amount of software that steps into the Thunderdome to fight to the death over precious system resources. It can be chaotic, definitely, but there are three ways to take control over what starts up and what is hurled out the window. Many know the MSCONFIG utility, but I do not recommend this because there may be dozens of entries that are not labeled properly. Some Spyware and legitimate software do not give hints to the process, which is why it can be overwhelming to guess which is which.
MSCONFIG: If you do decide to take the MSCONFIG route, I highly recommended checking every entry with the process library database. When you bring up the task manager by right clicking the taskbar and selecting Task Manager, or pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc, or even going through Ctrl+Alt+Del and selecting TM, you can type in the process names from the Process tab to check to see what they belong to as well. A rogue process needs to be brought back into the herd. This can be time consuming and a user may accidentally disable a necessary program.
Startup Delayer: One of my favorite freeware programs that has served me well for a long time. For those that need a lot starting up at once during boot need this software. It’s a lot friendlier than MSCONFIG and allows you to delay any software by what time you specify. Those with bulky anti-virus protection suites like Norton would benefit the most. Anti-virus software needs to start all required services, check for updates, and if configured, might begin to perform a system scan immediately. Startup Delayed can push back a program to startup a full minute before everything else. This will allow it to do what it needs without struggling for space in a crowded pond. Beautiful.
AutoRuns: The third suggestion is the most advanced. It may look like an advanced version of MSCONFIG, but it handles far more than startup programs. A closer look will reveal to seasoned users that AutoRuns can “show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more.” A very powerful program. Imagine if HijackThis and MSCONFIG produced a baby. Then the baby grew up to become Zeus.
Adding Windows 7 to Linux Multiboot
Update: I appreciate the comments! Thank you for adding more technical information to this attempt at a simple guide to simplifying the process. A big thanks to LifeHacker.com and Tuxmachines.org for adding this article to their front page!
Word of Caution: Thanks to the anon for mentioning you might lose the ability to use BitLocker. I have not tested any of this yet, but I recommend using TrueCrypt over BitLocker. Also note a Dynamic Disk setup would probably be slaughtered. Again, I have not tested any of this, just a word of caution.
I received a question regarding my last post about Windows 7 being in my multiboot setup.
Read This Before Starting: To begin, you must have a basic understanding of GRUB and naming conventions in the GNU/Linux world. If (hd0,1) speaks your language, this will be a very easy to follow guide. If you do not know GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader), then you are missing out on the best boot loader around. I should mention that LILO requires a bit more work and maintenance, but both possess the same functionality.
Extremely Important Notes: I recommend a novice editing the mapped devices in GRUB with the distro installation disc. It is the easiest way. If you do not have a distro disc handy, then I recommend trying to use the Super Grub Disc. With the SGD, you can restore GRUB to the MBR, but you will still have to edit mapped devices. The distro CD or DVD allows both jobs done in one step. I do not recommend editing the Windows boot.ini file.
What Happened to the GRUB: Installing Windows 7 will wipe add itself to the master boot record (casualprogrammer is right, it does not “wipe”, bad choice of words) over your custom GRUB configuration. Do not panic when Windows begins booting without GRUB appearing first, this is normal. Since Windows Vista, the NTLDR has been replaced with several other components which are bootmgr.exe, Boot Manager, and winload.exe, the Operating System Loader. This might make people think that Vista or 7 are incapable of functioning under GRUB, but there are unnoticeable changes regarding the multiboot functions and performance with GRUB and bootmgr/winload.
What Happened to Windows XP: If you had Windows XP installed as your primary before, then XP will still be present. If you did not upgrade from Windows XP or format your hard drive, XP will still be present. Also if you did not install over the same partition that held XP. Windows 7 will take care of booting XP. When Windows boots, you are given a prompt and 30 seconds, by default, to choose to boot to Windows 7 or an Earlier Operating System. Choose Earlier Operating System to boot back into Windows XP.
Installing Windows 7: You can install Windows 7 on any other NTFS partition on your hard drive without worry. Seven will always be displayed and function like it is on the C: drive when running, even though it is actually installed on drive R:. This means that headaches will not result from installing it elsewhere. The installation is very straight forward, much easier than Vista, which says something because the Vista installation was a huge improvement from Windows 2000 and XP.
What Happens Next: After the installation, the computer can only boot into Windows because the newly added bootloaders are now priority after POST. No problem, but you will have to change this to get back into the capabilities of GRUB and boot back into your existing Linux installations. Pop in your tool of choice to edit the GRUB. The easiest way to do this involves your distro installation disc. Boot to the distro disc. Proceed through the language and other prompts to the Bootloader Configuration options. You may only have the choice to create a new bootloader. Select that and proceed.
Creating a New GRUB: If you only have one operating system using the Linux kernel and Windows 7 currently installed, this might be easier. Windows XP will not be in the device list and you should not be able to add Windows XP again while Seven is present. You can spot which partition holds what by the boot flags, such as “/boot”. Linux should be the one with the output “/dev/hda3″ or another consisting only of a forward slash (/). Add this and give it a relevant name. Windows may be installed under /dev/hda1, or (hd0,0). The title “Windows” should do, since it may be for both XP and 7.
Consummation: Apply the changes, wait for the BL update to finish, and you should be all set after the system reboots. You will be given the GRUB screen to choose between which O/S to boot. You’re all done. It’s been a couple of weeks, but I have experienced no issues and I am always bouncing from each operating system. I’ve been GRUBing it up with Windows XP Pro and Fedora for a long time without any hassles. Please respect my hard work. Pass this guide along if you’ve found it helpful, and feel free to leave a comment with any criticism. Enjoy.
Here are links with further information:
Arc Language Blog – Notes on dual-booting Windows 7 and Linux
APC – The definitive dual-booting guide: Windows 7, Linux, Vista and XP step-by-step
Windows 7: The Long Awaited XP Replacement
Balmer’s keynote is finished and the reports are everywhere. Ballmer said that the next Windows O/S is the best version yet. The world may agree with him soon because Windows 7 Beta will go public as of today, Friday, January 9th. I find this an excellent time for everyone who has an unused computer to break it out and install the beta. I’ve been testing it out for a while with multiple combinations of software, my favorite suite of system protection, and a lot of non-Vista friendly productivity software. As a friend of mine said, my thoughts exactly, Windows 7 beta build 7000 seems RTM already.
Once again, flocks everywhere are comparing Windows 7 to Mac OS X and their taskbar. I have to admit that I was not only skeptical of Windows 7 as a whole, but the new taskbar dubbed Super Taskbar. I am not only impressed, but it forks off from any taskbar I’ve seen in all the dozens of operating systems I’ve used. You are able to pin an application on the taskbar, as promised, but you gain a wealth of easily accessible Recent History and other options by one lonely click. No longer will mousers worry about the keyboard enthusiasts preach about wasting time navigating with the cursor. The new taskbar is fantastic.
Another jab at Windows 7 is the dreaded resolution to DLL hell called the SXS folder. Windows 7 possesses virtualization for backwards compatibility. The problem has been that this folder can climb to enormous levels quickly, especially so soon after installing Windows 7. After I was done with my first sweep of applications, the SXS folder was between six to seven gigabytes. After another week of testing, the folder did not increase. 7GB is a worthy trade off. This beta actually ran smoother than Windows XP on my current desktop, especially after I combed through services.
Next up I should mention multiboot capabilities. I have a GRUB controlled boot load that has Windows on default next to several Linux operating systems. After installing Windows 7 in a separate NTFS partition, it did take over as expected, but I was able to update the GRUB with no issues. After the boot configuration update, Windows 7 will boot up as the primary by default, but you have 30 seconds to choose either an Earlier Windows Operating System or boot into Win7. After which, you can choose to boot into any other Windows operating system. Simply put, I have had no problems with WinSeven in a large multiboot environment after installation. That might mean something to someone other than me.
Aside from most of the eye candy, Windows 7 is stable and impressive. It runs well enough on the old Dell I have laying around without turning off any visual effects. Not to mention I had a fleet of software running at full capacity. I may only have 2GB of RAM in this system, but multitasking not only became a lot more manageable, but customizing how you want to multitask is a huge perk. You can now easily edit the taskbar button grouping options in Taskbar Properties among other choices.
Microsoft will finally release an operating system that not only seems secure and stable on release, but one that doesn’t irritate us with user control prompts for every action. This brings up the mention that UAC can be configured to be relaxed for the most part without shutting the entire service off. Helpful options like this are sprinkled throughout Seven nicely and are not difficult to find. If you have a very basic idea of what you want to do, you will probably stumble into the necessary radio button or check box. While Vista was geared towards gamers and PC enthusiasts, Windows 7 looks to be geared for everyone else.
We will mark Vista down as the second black eye from Microsoft following Windows ME. While not nearly as terrible as ME, the constant annoyances, lack of backwards compatibility, and heavy hardware requirements deserve to be placed near the mantle of failure ME currently resides. I don’t know why Microsoft decided to follow up an operating system that has been around for seven years with a possible successor that could not run any software or drivers dated before 2006. At least they managed to release a proper beta before people began to lose hope. Windows XP was resurrected with SP2, Windows 98SE had SP 2.1a, and a lot of software and updates cannot install without SP4 in Windows 2000.
Microsoft also discontinued Live OneCare and will be releasing their own free antivirus program for Windows. I see this as another great move by Microsoft considering the wealth of garbage antivirus protection that can cost an annual subscription of $80. I trust this is an action taken to push Symantec to try to push out quality software for once, along with Trend Micro, AVG, and others. Too many consumers are being duped into buying protection suites that do little for protection and more in terms of setting up, registering, dealing with spam as a result, false positives, and lengthy, resource sucking scans.
This year is beginning to look up for Microsoft, but consumers may feel cynical after purchasing Vista. These may be the same people that felt cheated from investing in an ME machine. They are undoubtedly a lost cause, but Windows 7 definitely picks up the slack after losing a portion to Mac and Linux. Those that have found love in Linux may vow to never return again, but we have not hit that pivotal point in history where we no longer need to run Windows. Many will have to return, but at least it could be a delightful reunion with what appears to be an actual replacement for Windows XP.
Digital Depression
The Digital Age technology has been increasing at a very rapid rate. From the debut of the internet in the palm of our hands to the quarter inch thick LCD television set. The internet and other technologies such as carbon nanotubes and metal free transistors will allow a computer to be just about anywhere, even sewn onto clothing. There will be very few spots in this country where we will not be able to check our e-mail. With entire towns giving free wireless internet to the citizens tax free, there will be no reason why we cannot simply log on to check our mail at any given time of the day, regardless of the location. Technology will destroy all of our best excuses.
Even with the current and proposed technological breakthroughs, I still feel a little sad when I go through old photos, letters, and books. Everything has been digitized and in twenty years, no one will have any evidence that certain people existed because an email server in Texas went down taking all their precious memories with them. In snail mail, at least only fire or theft could truly destroy the memories, but with technology, we have many different factors that could wipe our memories including fire. It is sad that we will no longer have the amazing letters at our disposal to reminisce about when we are old and gray, only one worded or abbreviated responses in an old cell phone.
Perhaps it was the creation of e-shorthand that doomed our language for many years to come. When we receive a text message, the contents are usually rather brief and mangled. With letters replacing full words for speed, eventually, this quick-to-type language may replace our language in other mediums as well. Imagine that the 11 o’clock news no longer prattles on longer than twenty seconds per story because the amount of data and information they are being received is coming in faster than they can report. When an event happens, the world can know about it immediately. One man on a laptop in the middle of a war zone can perform podcasts telling the world of his or her thoughts and sights.
Digital transmission has become the absolute bane of our culture, yet, too convenient to not abuse. Eventually, it will be common for our digital picture frames to display incoming post cards and pictures on the fly by friends and family by them simply emailing them to a certain address. Imagine a digital camera that has the power to email without any additional software, it has an integrated wireless network card. With an entire town wireless, we will be able to send high resolution images by the gross within minutes the pictures were snapped. Future generations will be spoiled by not having to wait on the film to develop, but waiting on their current uploads because their ISP capped the bandwidth on their digital camera to a quarter of what it was for going over their monthly limit.
These are dark times and in the second Digital Age, it seems our hands are truly growing out of touch with reality and manual labor, which now includes hand writing messages instead of typing on a keyboard. I have to admit, writing more than a paragraph without it being homework related feels rather odd. Even then, majority of everything in college and late in high school was typed on a computer, unless, of course, detention is involved. Isn’t it funny how in the future, detention will be truly a grueling punishment because the punishment will not have changed? Children will groan at the idea they may have to hand write disciplinary statements with a pen and paper repeatedly until the end of the day.
There are many reasons why it is necessary to move quickly to the next Digital Age for the technology being withheld and developed to be released over the next ten years will make our lives even easier. Nanotechnology is our future and the applications are limitless. Imagine an entire country creating enough weapons to arm every citizen twice over in record time. Perhaps the day will come when nanotechnology is in the home, albeit limited, but will allow us to ask the computer to create articles of clothing, food, and other objects of desire in minutes or even seconds. Not only will we be able to receive merchandise from a machine, but we could customize it to our liking. Computer, I would like a pair of maroon tinted turtle sunglasses with a built in digital camera with zooming capabilities.
Speaking of such advanced features for a machine, Artificial Intelligence will be the first action taken by a foreign entity to the human race that is not extraterrestrial. As of now, we only know natural disasters, the occasional animal attack, and another human being with an agenda. It may be cynical to confess that by the year 2030, computers will definitely be able to not only think on their, but plot as well. Our children may have to enter into intense diplomatic discussions with a man made of steel with a brain created meticulously by human hands. With these ideas in mind, the future may not prove to be a scary place, but it will be depressing.
2009 Predictions: Apple
Hi, my name is Dan. I use a combination of systems including OS X 10.4 Tiger, Fedora, SabayonLinux, Debian, and Ubuntu. I also have FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and OpenSolaris installed. I do not see it as a hobby. It has been necessary that I learn multiple operating systems a year. The knowledge and experience gained in my field has been absolutely invaluable.
I have no side, but I am against the critically negative views that Apple has been spending millions of dollars on that only infuriate the world. These are reasons why Apple’s share in the market will go back into a muddy hole while they rely on their MP3 track and player sales once again. Unless, of course, Amazon doesn’t become anymore of a threat.
- Guerrilla Tactics: Apple will begin to slowly decline in sales thanks to actions bordering malware practices thanks to Apple update software opening the gates for other services without user confirmation. We installed Safari as your default browser while you were asleep, I hope you don’t mind!
- Snobbish Public View: Apple has suffered greatly from annoying TV advertisements and Steve Jobs’ biased bashing of Windows Vista. How would you feel if you went to Best Buy to purchase a new desktop or laptop and the salesperson tells you why Windows is a terrible idea, you should buy a Mac. This is no different than what Jobs and Apple have done. If you make a trend seem elitist, the consumer will assume elitism and pass.
- The Latest Trend: There is nothing wrong with OS X, but many users will grow tired of expensive upgrades. Microsoft releases service packs and organizations release the latest one thousand man hour Linux distros for free. It seems we are already hearing about the next Mac 10 version the day after the last one hit retail. This could make a lot of consumers feel that they are luxury items and will never keep up with the trends. The prime example being the iPhone. When iPhone 3.0 is announced, there may be a larger backlash than the $200 price cut.
- Native Applications: To suggest that many Windows users are still using Windows out of ignorance is a terrible marketing ploy. People need Windows to run Windows applications, not just Microsoft Office. Boot Camp is not an option as the majority will never buy a Mac for the sole person to run Windows side-by-side. Why bother when they need Windows more than OS X? Note that almost all Windows software can be installed on Linux and BSD, which are Unix-like operating systems, just like Mac OS X.
- Pushing Geek Stereotypes: The assumption that only gamers and non-professionals in the media field use Windows is more misdirection from Apple. To plant a seed in the back of everyone’s mind that unless they are playing World of Warcraft, they have no business buying a $300-500 machine that they need for school or work. No, instead, they can buy a $2,800 17″ laptop that plays no games, but they will have more fun editing video and images.
- False Security Blanket: Apple needs to stop preaching that OS 10 is far more secure than Windows. Everyone knows the saying that has become a cliche, but if the market share turned around, obviously it would be more valuable to write harmful software for a Mac instead of Windows. By a simple Google search, many can see how this has already changed dramatically over the last five years. There are no safe operating systems, only safe user practices.
- Obsessed Fan Base: The hardcore Mac fanbase frightens people. Who would want to be in a scene with those kids? You will not see these types of people with Linux. Well, unless Ubuntu is mentioned somewhere. Are there hardcore Windows junkies? I have never really met any in my time.
- Learning Curve: People who have switched over know first hand that learning OS X is not an easy. The calming and soothing words of “ease” and “simple” may bring a few dozen people to switch, but they soon realize that it is just another operating system. Nothing more. A new library of software to learn, menus to navigate, and the fear of what they could break. To dispel a common misconception, a Mac can break.
- Free and Retail Support: The lack of knowledgeable persons in the office, family, or IT department pushes potential switchers away from purchasing a new operating system. Not only that, but a local PC tech bench is usually less than a few miles away in a city while a Genius Bar is a 48 hour wait after the one hour drive. Dropping off the Mac with the Genius Bar is best done on a Friday to allow pick up by at least Sunday. My old team in Fire Dog could turn around a baker’s dozen systems in one day. Why the two day waiting period if they are easier to work with than Windows Vista?
- Fear of the Unknown: People are afraid of the unknown, it is our nature. What’s even more of a scare is spending $1,800 on a new system that they do not know how to use. This boils down to a stagnant investment. Especially for a student. Don’t blame Gates for pushing Microsoft technologies on schools, blame the school budget.
- Alternatives to the Mac: Linux is free. This year, everyone will be able to buy a desktop at hardware cost with an operating system preset for no extra cost. Imagine buying a brand new, top of the line PC for under $300 with a fully functional operating system that can run both Linux and Windows applications.
- Perpetual State: You only have to buy Windows once. Your license is perpetual. If you take time to understand the Windows Product Activation and what repairs constitute a simple five minute phone to an automated system, then no one will panic as much when the motherboard catches on fire. We have ten flags to set off and a motherboard is more than 4. Windows on boot needs seven to pass. I have never seen anyone turned down for activation with a legitimate product key.
- Charitable Nature: Bill Gates is one of the most giving philanthropist of our generation. At least, the biggest public philanthropist figure. Steve Jobs swindled over $20 million in stock from his own company and chooses to give nothing back to society, only lottery-type winnings when one person purchased the billionth song on iTunes.
Instantaneously Platinum Turkeynized
A young boy has begun to wait outside to be the first in line for Macworld Expo ’09. Why? Steve Jobs will not be there, apparently, and this kid is going to wait almost 27 hours for Apple’s table scraps regardless if Jobs made an appearance. It makes little sense. People should be used to the Apple game. The idea is that first Apple files a bunch of random patents, then they deny any new technology, the rumors begin to sizzle, forums become infected with guesswork, and their stock orbits.
After the expo, of course, their stock goes back to normal, or even lower than normal. Why? Because Apple rarely shows any new technology. Better yet, they rarely show any useful technology. I’ve known one person with Apple TV and the iPhone was a major Mongolian cluster gang bang. Apple is too busy failing in a one sided battle with hackers to truly come up with the next best idea.
If it weren’t for the ability to install iPodLinux on my 5th Generation iPod, I would not own one. Aside from that, the only reason I would want an iPod Touch or iPhone is for Field Runners. Definitely not for the very odd, and pricey, ringer creation software or the process in uploading files. Aside from that, they have Mac OS X and their costly Service Packs released every so often when they should be free like everyone else.
I feel sorry for everyone paying big money for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. You want speed? Google some freeware and shareware to cut the fat on a Mac. There is nothing wrong with any previous version of OS X, but if Apple says it’s 12% faster, everyone will flock. So, the desktop environment looks a tad bit better to make everyone forget about multiple ancient exploits Apple has yet to fix. So what? As long as it looks marginally better, we don’t have to worry all that much.
I have been using 10.4 Tiger for a while and it runs great on piss poor hardware. How? By turning off the resource sucking eye candy. 10.5 Leopard contained “300 changes and enhancements”. What do you think Apple considers a change or enhancement? You still receive critical updates regardless if you update, so what is the big deal in updating? Why do we need to buy the next service pack from Apple when all it does is make the menu bar semitransparent .
The Expo will undoubtedly feature a little demo of Snow Leopard, but will probably feature a possible iPhone firmware upgrade, new screens for last year’s models, and maybe a slight update for Apple TV. If anything “new” is revealed during this years expo, it will be exciting for a minute, but when the product is released, no one will buy it. Platinum Turkeynized. Like always, keep those think tanks working around the clock, Apple. You’ve been brilliant with stock scandals, forced retail updates, an obnoxious, monopolistic, unhealthy competitive spirit, and an absolute lack of philanthropic activities.
Steve Jobs thinks that Apple products and educational discounts are enough of a contribution to the world. What a poor way to look down at everyone while they raise the stakes for Christmas and let down millions of kids because a cheap 8GB iPod nano costs almost as much as my 30GB 5th Gen iPod Classic. Way to pork Christmas for good. Though, the fault does not lie entirely on Apple for porking Christmas, it’s these materialistic kids who think that they need a scene MP3 player when everything else aside from a Zune would make a respectable purchase. Zunes will never be respectable.
Speaking of MP3s, the big news that dropped earlier is that iTunes is going legit. I mean, DRM free music. You can convert your entire library of music into a non-DRM library for $.30 per song. That would be over $150 for someone with a measly catalog of at least 500 songs. Apple tried to make it right, but had to charge people for product that they’ve already purchased before. The songs are all the same, of course, as in the actual content. Nothing is being upgraded. Not to mention that this is all digital, so why do we have to pay to remove DRM from our tracks when we have already purchased the same songs for $.99?
With bad business practices all around, it’s amazing that such a snobby company can attract such a horde of snobby sheep. Who knew sheep could be cultured and classy? This message goes to the mass of meat that swear they cannot perform on any other system, not to the typical run of the mill Mac users like myself. To the elitist group that swear nothing can hold a candle to their choice of operating system. Enjoy your close minded, self-righteous train of thought while I use several other Unix based operating systems with Wine creating an almost limitless choice of software, customization, and design.
Comparing the Big Three
Note: The following is only a comparison. I see this a guide to many in the main areas of Linux, Windows, and Mac operating systems. This in no way rates them. I have over 13 operating systems installed on systems ranging from OS X, Linux, BSD, and Windows. I may have an addiction, but I hope you enjoy.
Customization:
GNU/Linux: Well over 500 distributions. When it comes to customization, you have an endless amount of options. You can choose that one distro that makes you feel as if it is truly made for you. I’ve been through over 45 distros myself and have always came back to my first love known as Fedora. The preferences for theme and desktop effects are extended even further with the addition of compiz and other free utilities. There is also multiple free desktop environments for Linux such as Gnome and KDE that are completely different.
Windows O/S: The shell is your playground. If you want visual effects disabled, you can do it without adding third party software. Almost all tweaking options are native and you can make your desktop rather personal. You can make your desktop look like other operating systems, including installing software enabling Windows XP to look like Vista. Users can extend customization further with Windows Power Toys (XP Only). A novice can control their startup queue rather easily along with a preference on services. With the ease of customizing a system in Windows Vista and 7, a beginner can easily control their system environment simply by clicking through the aptly named applet titles.
Mac OS X: Typically when faced with changing to another theme or customizing certain aspects of OS X, you have to use third-party tools such as Quicksilver or ShapeShift. Many people think there isn’t a lot of freeware when it comes to OS X, but that’s not true. Most of the highly recommend programs I’ve seen cost under $20, but the fact that they cost any money pushes potential users away. A notable freeware site for great customization is the respectable software from Unsanity. Several programs are listed as freeware that eliminate several annoying quirks and an exploit or two. While a lot of options are not straight out of the box, OS X can be tweaked into that unique snowflake worthy of a screen shot on Digg.
Installation:
GNU/Linux: Here is where it gets a little complicated as most distros has different bootloaders and entirely different setup processes. Many of the more popular ones have a GUI setup process, but there are several that can only be done through a CLI. Though, a lot has changed and with the likes of Ubuntu, SabayonLinux, and Fedora; many new releases will have every step explained thoroughly. The only real difficult choice is which distribution to use and what packages to install. Note that different Linux distros use different package formats and package management.
Windows O/S: Windows has come a long way when it comes to installing the operating system. Windows XP made the process a bit more tolerable, until you had to reinstall XP on several computers without the option of it being unattended. Though, Windows really shines when it comes to unattended or other methods, such as slipstreaming. You can slip in some hot fixes, applications, latest drivers, and Service Packs. When it comes to Vista and Windows 7, installation is a breeze. Though, I have had terrible experiences upgrading a Vista machine. Since Vista, you can upgrade and leave a previously installed operating system in a folder, a feature present in all versions of OS X, but I will always prefer clean slate in Windows.
Mac OS X: Usually everyone buys their Mac from an Apple store. This means that it is already setup for you. There is no further configuration on your part, except the installation of any programs you have on hand and maybe a few tweaks. You can get the same service for Windows from the likes of Geek Squad or Firedog. I’m not sure on the price differences, but considering it is Apple, it might not be any cheaper. I touched on it a bit above, but upgrading OS X is a breeze. It’s quick and you have the choice to Archive your last operating system into a Previous System folder. It works well enough and has been present in all OS X versions. There isn’t much else to say besides installation for OS X is simple and straight forward.
Directory Services:
GNU/Linux: There are several open source options for directory services, but most of them would work under any combination of technology used. Most are custom OpenLDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) or proprietary subscription based, such as the Red Hat Directory Service, which includes a great deal of support. Samba 4.0 is currently in beta, but it is targeting Active Directory to potentially knock the giant down. We can only wait until then, but do not let current software dissuade you from open source, as there are many benefits in choosing a non-MSAD setup. Under certain circumstances, the overall cost and freedom could be the reason, but the complexity might be too much for some.
Windows O/S: The king of the directory service: The Active Directory. I also do not mean solely the directory service, I mean the whole Exchange, file, printer bundle. This is the reason why I see IT return to a Windows based server. While other services have tried to create similar software, nothing seems to compete with scalability, management, and administrative tools. The light weight MSAD known as ADAM can be installed on XP Professional making the Active Directory possible everywhere. No other alternatives seem to be in the position to dethrone Microsoft yet.
Mac OS X: Apple has their own custom OpenLDAP called Open Directory. I have not actually used OD, but from research, I can see that it is quite good. One day, I want to invest time learning more about OD, but for now, I have to base my experience from comparisons and the setup process. I do see that since OS X 10.5 Leopard Server has a boasting simplified setup and many other features. While only being around seven years (OS X 10.2), OD seems to have blossomed into potential competition for AD.
Corporate Standing:
GNU/Linux: Thanks to Wine, a Windows emulation package, there is little that you cannot install under Linux. Linux is also far more secure than Windows, especially as a server. With KDE, most users can cross over from Windows at a medium pace. Depending on choices made, a common distro can be configured to don the role of a server. Enterprise level Linux does exist, of course, such as SUSE. Regretfully, the amount of choices small businesses may be faced with can be overwhelming. Simply saying, “Windows XP and Server 2003,” can prove to be much easier, but definitely harder on the wallet.
Windows O/S: Windows based machines can be cheap, bought on a lease, or purchased in bulk. Windows is typically everywhere. Microsoft has a powerful grip on the corporate scene. Though, when it comes to Windows Server, I have mixed feelings. Not only can it be a nightmare to install and configure properly, there are many security flaws present within each version that go without a patch or quick fix for a while. Windows Server does not come cheap either as 5-per CALs can rack up some monster costs. Companies have two options: Device and user CAL. I do not see Windows share of the corporate market decreasing substantially anytime soon.
Mac OS X: Unless a company hires a capable tech or lives next door to a Genius Bar, Macs do not seem to be capable of most environments. Many say that companies are ignorant or hostile to Macs in a corporate setting, but this is definitely not the case. Most companies have enough employees to know that forcing them to learn a new operating system might be quite a bother, especially if training is involved. This means all new errors, software, and guidelines for everyone to follow. The OS X server can be pretty expensive with the hardware, but can, of course, be purchased separately. You receive 10 CAL out of the box. Costs for more depend on the server, but Apple offers an unlimited CAL option.
Home Use:
GNU/Linux: This was always seen as more of a hobby to the masses, but thanks to recent developments (Vista), more and more people have given Ubuntu and others a chance. 2008 was a great year for Linux and 2009 is looking even better. Windows market share is decreasingly like no one has seen before to OS X and Ubuntu. The casual home user may benefit even more from using Linux as it does not have Internet Explorer as the default browser, which has always been insanely insecure. With package management managing software elegantly and streaming updates, it’s amazing that it took this long for Linux to explode. Linux is not for hobbyist and programmers only; you can be a computer novice and still enjoy Linux.
Windows O/S: 2008 was a bad year for Windows. Many long time Windows users have split between a Mac and a Linux based machine when faced with Vista. If Microsoft relied on Vista for another year, anyone could have predicted where the market share would have gone, but Windows 7 is looking better and better. I have actually used Windows 7 beta long enough to gather an honest opinion and I think it’s about time Microsoft pushes out a new operating system that has the potential to replace Windows XP. Windows Vista is okay, but I can’t imagine why anyone would truly benefit from the system when Windows 7 offers backwards compatibility and other great features, such as the improved SuperTaskbar, which is not similar to the taskbar in OS X. I should know, I’ve used them both extensively.
Mac OS X: While not predominately used in corporate settings, it is all the rage for home users. Browsing is more secure as Safari was unhinged from OS X sooner than Internet Explorer from Windows. Albeit, that is not to be said that OS X is malware/virus free. With enough time, devastating code can be written for OS X as it gets increasingly popular. For those that flock to OS X expecting a unique and secure experience, they may receive that, but for a computer to truly be secure, users must develop safe browsing habits. Many say OS X is just for graphics and music are being misled by a common misconception as OS X offers more than the credit it receives. A fine operating system, but definitely the least used of the three for me.
English