Windows 7 Kills Dumbledore
That's right, Windows 7 is already smashing pre-order records on Amazon. It's definitely a good sign that I will be supporting Windows 7 in the near future professional instead of Windows XP for the rest of my life.
I, for one, am excited about Windows 7. I have been using it since January, wrote a handy little tutorial about adding Windows 7 into the GRUB, which I've done since every beta release and RC. It's still relevant. Now that it is retail, try it out yourself. You don't have to let Windows take over your PC.
The Windows 7 to GRUB it up is located here.
In Apple We Antitrust
An apparent leak has been revealed that Microsoft will be shipping Windows 7 without Internet Explorer already bundled. While it is not the first time we've seen Microsoft hit with anti-trust lawsuits recently, many can only imagine why no one complains about Apple bundling all of their applications by default without alternatives out of the box.
One announcement from WWDC 2009 is that Snow Leopard is only $29 to upgrade from Leopard. That's good news, but remember that the initial Mac OS X public beta was $29.95 and only lasted a little over half a year. As for Microsoft, we can download Windows Server 2008 R2 Release Candidate, based on the NT 7.0 kernel, and the Windows Server 2008 trial is good for 60 days. Also, Windows 7 has been out for several months now, with official and unofficial releases, for a long haul beta.
The $30 beta for Mac OS X did apply a discount for Cheetah, but was lacking in almost all features, and was rather unstable. Things did not improve for some time after the initial launch of OS X. Not only did the community pay for a beta, but they also paid for a very unfinished, featureless, and buggy operating system for the first retail release of OS X 10.0. They paid to stare at the Aqua UI. The Apple community can say what they want about Windows not being the best out of the box, but it took a couple of years for OS X to achieve usability.
Plenty of people would have became rabid if they could have only used the new Windows 7 toolbar with Jump Lists for 6 months without any real applications, DVD support, or much of any productivity software available, let alone that they received the beta for free. What would happen to Windows 7s sales if it took two years to become useful? Also, people were upset about backwards compatibility with Vista, but what of OS X Leopard/Snow Leopard and Classic? No more native OS 9 support.
I remember when Windows XP first came out. I remember the criticism about exploits, revolving door infections, and shoddy performance. After Service Pack 2 was released, everything then seemed stable enough. The same goes for Vista SP1, but what about Windows 7? There are several reports about glitches and other problems, but this is a public beta from Microsoft for a brand new operating system. No one will see a public beta, or free if "available" in beta, for Snow Leopard because everyone is already using Snow Leopard as Leopard or Tiger. It's still OS X.
I have and still do give OS X a chance. I have had Mac OS X Tiger for the longest time and doubt I will ever upgrade to further service packs released by Apple. I cannot justify paying for a service pack for an operating system older then Windows XP that has had 5 retail service packs and a sixth on the way! WinXP had 3 SPs and was pretty solid by the second. While Microsoft didn't focus heavily on themes, the end user can tweak their Windows desktop environment to make it unique.
It bothers me when I see blind iSheep flocking to the next "big" announcement in hopes it matches the rumors, but no keynote ever does. What is really bothersome is how the slightly positive announcements are given the most attention instead of the elephant in the room, such as a new line of expensive MacBook Pros without a removable battery. Apple can be just as greedy, if not more, as Microsoft and guilty of using guerrilla tactics equal to those committed by Microsoft.
I'd rather not wake up in the morning to see Safari secretly installed and automatically assigned as my default browser again. I uninstalled Apple software on my Windows PC, especially the disappointing Safari 4 release for Windows missing the delightful tab-process feature to kill tabs, which is featured in Chrome. Also, Chrome 2 appears has already "stolen the crown" that Apple gave itself, but was more of a pat on the back.
Mac OS X is a decent proprietary operating system with limited hardware configuration and software support, but Apple is the real culprit here with the misdirection, exaggerations, unnecessary mudslinging, and leaving loyal fans wondering if they are ever thought of in think tanks. I would imagine only true Apple fans can wait out the storm of bad ideas and implementations, but what would be considered the limit? Vista drew a great deal of fire, but when Snow Leopard drops, few will complain that they are paying for only a feature-lite service pack for OS X.
Digitus Medius to Consumerist Masochist
It's official: Apple and AT&T gave the middle finger to their loyal existing customers this week. There isn't much to say in regards to the reason why it's a big middle finger, but it's more of a question as to why should everyone care so much. No one really expects AT&T and Apple to give loyal customers deep discounts over new customers, that's the way of the business world.
So, the new iPhone hardware will be hundreds of dollars more for existing customers to upgrade their phone. That's fine. There are dozens of examples where this kind of new-customer-first policy takes place. One that comes to mind is a video store. Everyone has seen the big bold letters advertising 50% off rentals for 30 days to all new customers, but what about the veteran who has rented over 2,000 titles at New Release wall 5-day rental prices?
I could give more examples, but I'm sure everyone will immediately relate this behavior to many other companies. It's nothing new, it's just business. Big Tabacco doesn't care about the black lunged, existing smokers, they want the new and healthy. The difference between other companies and AT&T/Apple is that there is a fine contract between the consumer and a fancy new gadget that will be a quarter of the price after ten weeks.
The biggest insult is that AT&T could give their iPhone customers MMS, and should have before 3.0, but they refused all this time and will possibly push it out over the summer. They'll charge for tethering, possibly adding it onto the unlimited data plan, causing the already pricey data plan to become quite a monthly monster.
The WWDC 2009 keynote announcements have stuffed my RSS feeds with enough rehashed news of rabid fanboyism and upset elitists in regards to the same three announcements for me to care. I noticed Apple fans are different. Apparently, no one can be a true Apple fan without appreciating the fact that they will get shat on often.
At least with Microsoft, there is no mystery. We knew Vista wasn't great, but people bought it anyway. There went all our "ancient" 2005 software and printers that have been in the family for generations. We knew all of this before upgrading to Vista and many have regretted it ever since, but the fact remains that consumers did not have to buy into Vista and even the techie novice knew about many flaws beforehand.
While it may not be quality on release, what operating system is without a few updates to harden? Windows XP wasn't quite ready until Service Pack 2, but Microsoft didn't charge each end user to apply the update. Should Microsoft follow Apple in their footsteps and put a price on Windows 7 Service Pack 1? Chaos would erupt. Satan himself would rise from the depths of hell to congratulate Ballmer on a job well done.
Speaking of which, Apple loves to take cheap shots stating that Windows 7 is nothing but a polished Windows Vista, but how can a company that charges for service packs for the same exact operating system over a period of eight years have any room to talk about a rival company charging for a completely new operating system? What a double standard!
Windows 7 is not Vista 2.0. I've been using Windows 7 since January and I've been thoroughly impressed by it. Microsoft giving Windows 7 Home Premium upgrades for $49.99 for Vista owners is also a great incentive. While Snow Leopard upgrades are to be sold for only $29.99, I still cannot justify a service pack update going retail for just a few system enhancements.
Should we really have to pay any money to be able to give our desktop more of a brushed metal theme or to take it away in a future update with something more unified? What about a smaller footprint for the operating system? Ridiculous.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to blast Mac OS X. Sure, OS X has come a long way, but I'd rather use another open source Unix-like environment that allows Wine, which is fantastic software. Wine is rather experimental with OS X currently, but Apple could really help out the community, and possibly themselves, by embracing the Windows emulation software.
Why buy a completely different Office version specifically for the Mac when everyone already has pirated Office 2003 for Windows? Imagine the Switch commercials!
Speaking of switching, Apple is beginning to look like a pack of goons without some puppet CEO to hold up shiny new products. How will Apple be without Jobs? That's easy, look at what they were before Jobs. A history of messy hardware choices and poor customer support. Without Jobs on the job, they have already made some potential costly mistakes at WWDC 2009.
The new MacBook line will be cheaper, powerful, but without a removable battery. That's pretty bad, so much for executive professionals. Just keep it charging the entire time the MacBook Pro is in use! It's healthy for the battery.* Also, the little bit about ExpressCard being removed seems a mystery to some, but not to me. Apple has always tried to adopt different technologies, switch it up, and, at times, tackle completely new connections that become unique to their systems.
While it is nice to attempt to be revolutionary and take a different road at certain forks in difficult technological decisions, I think Apple, right now, said silently, "I've made a huge mistake."
Another slap in the face is, of course, the "new" iPhones looking exactly like the "classic" 3G model. I can see the fanboys getting frustrated now! "It's not iPhone3G! It's iPhone3GS! Gawd!" Everyone else can imagine that, I'm sure. Though, the only real difference is video recording and that's too little, too late for the cost of the 3GS.
As for the mud slinging, it won't end. Without Microsoft and Apple feuding over marketshare, I shudder to think about an alternate universe where we would be right now in terms of home computers. Would they would even be as affordable or easily obtainable as they are now? To think that only certain organizations could afford, or donated, computers, such as libraries and schools. This is a terrible thought, but enough of future-speak and what-if scenarios.
Gadgetry like the iPhone3GS is not special, nothing to clamor over or freak out globally on every tech blog on the internet. There are few apps to truly want and the hardware upgrades just don't seem worth the cash to upgrade. Too expensive, but still want it? Wait a few weeks and buy three for the price it cost for one during the release weekend.
* - It's not.
Windows 7, Antitrust Lawsuits, and Linux
No one can ignore the fact that Microsoft is losing market share. Not to their Apple rival, but to a completely different beast. Microsoft may have a lot to fear now that Linux has become quite a force in a variety of different areas.
While Microsoft will not go under as a company, the prestige and respect that was associated with Windows over the last several years may have been tainted by negative media reports, Steve Ballmer, antitrust issues, and rising alternatives.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Windows: Command.com The Parameter is Incorrect Error
Not a common problem, but irritating. Know this: your system is fine. There is no need to perform an entire System File Check or repair your system using the Windows installation disc. Your command line interpreter is fine, you can still access cmd.exe. Here is the solution for the "command.com the parameter is incorrect" seemingly endless prompt.
First, the person who encounters this error probably has Spybot - Search & Destroy. What happens is that Spybot cannot delete a certain file(s) while it is resident in memory and asks to run at the next startup. The file is deleted anyway and when the user reboots, they are blasted with endless windows.
This is only because the files have already been removed. This is your system simply telling you that it cannot locate the file(s) ... for every single file that Spybot flagged to delete at startup.
The good news is that you can easily get into Windows without clicking Okay 500 times. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up the Task Manager. End the Explorer process. In the Task Manager, go to File - New Task (Run...) - type explorer. Your desktop will come up bypassing that enormous system startup queue.
Now that you're back in the shell, download the following software because doing this through Spybot would take the rest of your life and it's not possible through msconfig. There is a program called Autoruns, it's very useful. Though, it's a very advanced version of msconfig. Mind your clicks.
Download and run that software. Wait for everything to load after scanning. It will say Ready at the bottom left on the status bar and Options will no longer be grayed out. Go to Options and click Hide Microsoft Entries. Scroll down to a huge pile of Spybot entries.
Do you see the parent of all the files? It should be a registry key, RunOnce. Right click it and select "Jump to..." This will automatically throw you into the proper registry key. You can export and backup the registry key just in case you delete something by right clicking the RunOnce key and selecting Export.
Now this is the easy part. Select all of the Spybot entries and delete them. Every single one of them. After deletion, go back into AutoRuns and refresh. You will see all of the entries gone. Go back into Spybot. Go into Advanced Mode, go into Tools, and then System Startup. If there are any entries left that are Spybot, delete them.
Now you will not be faced with a seemingly infinite gauntlet of prompts.
Governing Windows into Submission: Part Two
Services
Windows services can be a long discussion given the variety of Windows users out there with an endless amount of hardware and software configurations. Trial and error is the key here. Although, I will explicitly describe which services cannot be disabled or risk the stability of the entire system.
The services in this article are mainly discussed for Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3. This will allow coverage for all the services featured in both Windows XP Home and Professional. I use Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 and I only have 24 services set to automatic. Most of those are not Windows related. Several are LogMeIn, HP printer, FileZilla server, and security software.
Please keep in mind that every PC has different needs. I claim no responsibility in the consequences of this article to readers.
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