Farewell! This blog will be history in a few weeks

This is how it all started, back in 2008...

Back in the spring of 2008, when the "failure" of Windows Vista was all the rage I jumped into my first blog experience by creating this blog. This new pastime, which also helped me somehow survive the days of hardship of the Great Recession started in 2008, became the saga of I Love Windows 7 and then I Love Windows 8, other two blogs that I will keep till new order. By then I had been already a Windows XP user for 6 years and decided to give Window Vista a try. What I saw and experienced with this revolutionary OS was quite the opposite of what I was hearing and reading.
Thank you for being my readers. I really enjoyed and keep enjoying sharing my impressions about what I love.
Be good. Tell your loved ones how much you love them. So long!

Windows 8 surpasses Windows Vista: no worries

I am sure you are reading this blog because you are (still) using Windows Vista, the most misunderstood Microsoft operating system. Hopefully you are running it with SP2 installed, which marked the maturity of Windows Vista. The latest news is that the market share of Windows 8 surpassed Windows Vista, but you shouldn't be worried. If your system runs flawlessly as it is the case in a well maintained Vista set up, you need not rush to upgrade to another Windows version, but if you do, the natural path would be Windows 7 first, I you like the Aero interface with the transparent window borders, and other niceties as much as I do. One of the best kept secrets is that Windows 7 is practically Windows Vista (I would say, about 90% of it!). I know you are running Vista only because you may have a trusted and proven—old—computer. Otherwise, jump to Windows 8. You could try the Windows 8.1 Preview for free. Make no mistake, Vista was, is and has always been superior to Windows XP.

So there, 5 more years of support for Windows Vista

Apparently Microsoft has reconsidered their support policy for consumers so they added another 5 years... This is a fact, as confirmed by what a Microsoft spokesperson told tech blogger Ed Bott: "customers who remain on the most current supported service pack will be eligible to receive both Mainstream and Extended Support, for a total of 10 years." Among the ramifications of that decision is that the lifetime of this blog will be extended as well.

Approaching the end of mainstream support

I ran a search about the future of Windows Vista and came across this page about Microsoft products lifecycle. Basically, Windows Vista's mainstream support end date is getting closer: 10 April 2012, and the suggestion included in that page is basically "Buy Windows 7 now!".  "Support ends 24 months after the next service pack releases or at the end of the product's support lifecycle, whichever comes first." Not to worry, the solution center will continue to be there, I presume, for a long while. I would also say that, in general, a number of solutions and tips apply across the board for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and most likely the forthcoming Windows 8, to be launched at the Mobile World Congress on 29 February 2012.

Windows Vista usage itself surpasses Mac OS usage

Windows Vista, the most vilified and misunderstood operating system in the history of the PC, mostly because of misinformation and misperceptions spread mostly by non-users, based on anecdotal situations, has an usage share of about 65% compared to the number of users of Mac OS X. This, according to Gartner, an information technology research firm, and to a Wikipedia usage share of operating systems article, which reproduces the findings. The combined Windows operating system usage (XP, Vista and Windows 7) amounts to 77.69% against a 7.31% for Mac OS and a 1.11% for Linux. These figures are estimates as at August 2011.

I will continue to publish this blog for another year

Dear Readers,

While waiting, as anybody else, somehow anxiously, for hurricane Irene to pass by New York this weekend, I have renewed this domain name for another year and I will continue to cover, though more frequently, about Windows Vista. I have noticed that  there is a considerable number of users everywhere of this undeservedly underestimated PC operating system. Everybody, everywhere, have a safe weekend!

That's all folks!

It's been a pleasure to share my "advocacy" for a great operating system such as Vista with all of you in cyberspace. This blog will cease to exist this summer and, since I'm busy with other endeavors, this may be my last post. I really enjoyed the ride. I will continue to blog about Windows 7, though. THANKS SO MUCH!

Service Pack 2 and that is it for Vista?

Yes, believe or not, Windows Vista will be around for many years to come and it will receive mainstream support until April 10, 2012, and extended support until April 12, 2017, the latter only for commercial customers. Notice also that support for Windows Vista SP1 was already retired on July 12, 2011. To receive mainstream and extended support you need the new Service Pack 2 (SP2), which includes compatibility fixes for new types of hardware and emerging hardware standards and, as usual, it will include  all of the updates that have been released since the previous service pack (SP1).

WPF and extreme user interfaces like StreetSmart edge™

Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), introduced with Windows Vista, is an state-of-the-art presentation system for building Windows client and web-hosted applications with visually stunning user experiences. Curiously enough, the encyclopedic books about Vista and Windows 7, like the traditional Resource Kits, mention this technology in passing, mainly because it is part of the .Net Framework and intended mostly for developers, as its cousin Silverlight. One of these developers, Projekt202, an Austin, Texas, company, which without a doubt knows a great deal of usability and UI design, used WPF controls in the design of Charles Schwab's StreetSmart edge™, a very intuitive online trading application that has received good reviews since its release at the end of 2010. It runs in Windows 2000 and up and also in Mac 10.3 or higher.

Translations on the fly with Internet Explorer 9

Among the many features that make IE 9 once again my default browser, after a Firefox hiatus, is the "built-in" translation service that can be easily accessed by right-clicking on a word or expression and then selecting "Translate with Bing" in the menu. Sure enough, the service easily detects the source language, no need to select it from a list of languages, and then provides a translation in the target language, which usually is English (or any default language you may choose). See the example above, while on a jobs Website in German. This free service for online automatic translation is Microsoft translator, also known as Bing Translator, which allows real-time, in-place translations of the Websites you are reading or your own Website for a global audience. Explore the Translator V2 API & Widget, mobile tools, the ESL (English as a Second Language) Assistant and even an English Language Search for Chinese Speakers. Developers and linguists will be delighted.

Linksys AE1000 wireless adapter: just forget it

The Cisco Linksys AE1000 "High Performance Wireless-N USB Adapter" does not even install neither in Windows 7 nor Windows Vista. The setup program, no matter what you do trying to follow the "instructions" on the screen, does not go beyond the screenshot shown here. The "wireless connection manager", mentioned here, does not exist in Windows 7, it's a thing of the past, so at this point of installing this adapter the situation turns hopeless. Trust me, I've tried everything conceivable. Long story short: product returned for a full refund.
There are three more reasons for disappointment: 1) the package has the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo, acting as a bait, 2) the only "help" available in the user guide is "Double-click your CD-ROM drive" (in my computer) and then, on page 4, "After you have installed the Adapter" (!) ... and 3) other unsuspecting customers were equally disappointed. Whatever happened to quality assurance?!

The promise of T-Mobile 4G. Just about that: a promise

This post should have been written two months ago when, of necessity, not having other choice and simply because I like T-Mobile, I decided to purchase the services of T-Mobile broadband. The customer service representative in the store was very helpful and knew her lines, but she did not give me straight answers to whether this wireless broadband service was in fact 4G-capable, that is, fourth generation wireless. Not at the moment of signing a 2-year contract and not a month later when I brought up, once again, the issue of slowness and not being able to watch YouTube videos and video news clips without a hiccup. Even with the best broadband modem or "laptop stick", in their parlance, the T-Mobile® Rocket 2.0 4G Laptop Stick, I get ridiculous download speeds, how about 6 kilobytes or maximum 30 kilobytes per second? (!), and that's in Manhattan, not in the middle of nowhere,  not to mention that watching an online video is frankly frustrating because the signal keeps reloading (20%...30%...). This post was motivated by reading an article at ZDNet where the authors state that "T-Mobile is actually fourth among the big four in the US when it comes to maximum network speeds, and explain how T-Mobile and AT & T "conjured 4G networks out of thin air." There, they have an explanation for what I perceived from the very beginning. Oh, and if you go to a store of T-Mobile or AT&T and even Verizon, they invariably, and by coincidence (?) don't have a live demo of the 4G capabilities, go figure. The answer, however, is pretty simple: they don't have much to show for it. Period. Not in my experience.

Windows Vista Resource Kit, the best reference

 Since the times of the Windows 3.1 Resource Kit (1993?) I always get my copy of this essential guide to everything Windows. This Windows Vista® Resource Kit is the best education you can get on this great operating system in a language you can understand, but also with a great technical level. In addition, you'll have good and documented information not only when it comes to fixing a rogue computer but also when you want to have an intelligent and meaningful chat with IT people or other PC enthusiasts.

Windows 7 is an improved Vista, but it is, in essence, Vista

Windows 7, for unsuspecting users, is an improved Windows Vista with some additional features thrown in. For example, among the improvements, multitasking is easier, finding files and programs is faster, connecting to company networks is more secure with a built-in defense against spyware and other malware, and you can keep your data in a more private and secure way. The additional features include faster start-up, sleep and resume, faster navigation in a busy desktop with lots of open windows, easier setup and connection to wireless services, better management of printers, cameras and other devices, including the ability to connect to your home PC media library remotely, etc. Go to this Microsoft page, "which one is right for you", to learn more...

The only problem with the naysayers is and will be when...

...they are part of an IT department, the guys to whom (usually IT-clueless) management listens to. Let the rest of folks keep their sacred preconceptions about Windows Vista. Yesterday, while starting a casual conversation with someone in an office environment, out of the blue this person starts bashing Microsoft with the usual rants and how Google is more this and more that, yadda, yadda, yadda, and interspersed it came out a "Vista was cr**"...BUT he "really liked" Windows 7. I have to say to this, once again, what I said back in 2008: Windows 7 = The Mojave Experiment II. The whole issue is really amusing. And I also say it again: to each his own. Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc., all of them create good stuff. Luckily creativity and innovation will never be anybody's or any company's monopoly. Windows Vista will be around for many years to come. Check the official Microsoft Vista website.

Is Vista more stable than Windows 7?

Consider this: Vista, except for a spell of crashes in its early days, does not crash ever in my old machine, and I think it seldom does in other machines, but Windows 7 Ultimate, in a brand new laptop (a Latitude E6510) has crashed more times in 2 months than all my Windows Vista and Windows XP experience combined! Simply unacceptable. So the questions is: Is Vista more stable that windows 7? But I'm probably ahead of myself, and, of course, let's give that OS the benefit of the doubt and wait till the release of SP1. Read more about how I finally stopped getting blue screens in Windows 7!

The psychology of operating systems

Traditionally, among the taboo subjects you should not bring into a social event or a simple conversation between friends, colleagues or even strangers are religion, politics and sex. But nowadays, there's another subject, which can easily bring the worst of people or simply have people start acting on the defensive and that is operating systems. I am talking about Linux, Windows and also Apple Mac.
••• Fanaticism at its best
Each one one has its own horde of followers and fanatics, known as "fanboys" with its own "fanbase", thus "Linux fanboys" (check), "Apple fanboys" (check), "Microsoft fanboys" (?). To the latter, I'm not sure that there are actual fanatics of Microsoft in the same way there are 'religious' followers of Linux and Apple. This is, in addition, a male thing. I have yet to see a woman, and for that matter, a pretty and feminine one, who is an operating system fanatic. Nope. Hard to find. They may know the stuff but never, ever boast about it. It is usually guys, who without a doubt, think they are smart for the fact of having picked either Linux or Mac. •••Oh, glorious command line
A sign of a true geek, a tired notion, something that some guys never were able to overcome, is that, he doesn't care about grooming. Look at his desk, home, car, at his persona (a lot of incongruent "stuff" all over the place) and that's, perhaps, why they love the console, that little screen, usually with a black background, to type "commands". The console is the altar of, specially, Linux geeks. Typing commands, like in the prehistory of computers, is a "macho thing", the thing to do, to know, to practice, to live by, to google about, to chat about, to text about, to talk over the phone, most of the time with another Linux guy(s), who is geekier than thou. GUIs are for "sissies", then. Apparently, real Linux geeks don't care about "appearances", just about "the power", "the speed"... and that bring us to...
•••The beauty of software is a non-issue?
Have you noticed the elegance, the usefulness, the creativity of the new, or rather revamped, search engine Bing, compared to the traditional minimalist Google home page? Well, I believe this disdain for design, good visual design, is typical of open source guys, mostly hard-core Linux guys, and some software companies (IBM?). Like old fashioned engineers all they care about is that "the thing" works, the rest is fancy schmancy. Don't you find for example ugly and unfriendly Lotus Notes? Lately, in the Linux world they have improved considerably with nice GUIs like Ubuntu and OpenSuse, particularly KDE. I personally have installed, last year, and seldom used, Ubuntu, but I definitely prefer OpenSuse, in its new incarnation. After all, my first contact ever with Linux was back in 2002 with Suse Linux, and then in 2004 with Fedora and Red Hat, and finally in 2009. It's basically a copycat of Windows functionality, including the keyboard shortcuts. What innovation, computerwise, digitalwise, have Linux accomplished? I always wonder. They just reproduce commercial software: OpenOffice as a copy of Microsoft Office, GIMP as a copy of Photoshop, etc. The list goes on. I will keep an eye on that, too, anyway. And speaking of look and feel, that brings us to usability...
•••The line between looking nice and being secure has been blurred
For traditional Microsoft users, Linux is a cryptic operating system, not easy to use, etc. and that's because they have not seen the latest "distributions" like the ones I just mentioned. For traditional Linux users, yes, Linux fanboys, Windows is not secure, is not as sophisticated and don't give you complete access under the hood, and that's because they have not seen Windows 7 and much less Windows Vista. But I believe the distinction between these two operating systems is now blurry, and the war of operating systems is over. Who won? Apparently nobody, the status quo is the same and Linux continues to be an also-ran operating system after more than a decade of comebacks... Apple, on the other hand, has all not only the beauty but also the power of a modern OS and its based on Unix (!). If Windows and Apple were free, no money needed to get them, who would care about Linux? I ask.
•••Do you actually need the source code of your operating system and/or your favorite applications?
Really. Linux followers claim that if they get their hands into the source code to tweak your operating system or any application to do what you want to do... I mean, what else in the world you want to do? All the functionality you can think of is already there, the designers of the software thought of it all, trust me. Software is what it is, like geometry and algebra, there is only so much room for improvement, this science is already there, new "ideas" on how to open and close a door are redundant. It's like the automobile. The paradigm of and engine, a steering wheel, the front wheels, turning right or left, stopping and accelerating, that is already done, thought out. You can improve how the fuel is burned and processed to make it greener, etc. but THAT is about it. How many times do you you need to disassemble your radio, TV, cell phone, iPod to make it do exactly "what you frigging want it to do"?!!! Everything is already there, you don't need to go under the hood. You don't need to do anything else. Why? Almost nobody buys or downloads or acquires software because they have the ability to get the source code. There are other more important motives. That selling point for open source software is, in my view, moot, a non-issue. Of course some high priests in the temples of Linux, the 'initiated' actually compile their own kernel and distributions... and, sure enough, boast about it, and some even take it further and compile their own operating system and that's why you see some many "flavors" of Linux around. But don't get me wrong, developing, creating and 'debugging' software is and will continue to be a source of joy, pride, and yes, jobs. I love software, myself, creating it and using it, but it is not a religion for me, just a tool.
•••You get your money's worth
If you get something for free and something fails where do you go to complain? To the Internet social networks, to the blogs...? And having the source code will make your problem any easier to solve? How many users have that ability to read and interpret source code? Perhaps less than the 0.000001 %... If you pay for something, you have more rights, as simple as that. I make a living with computers, which are my tools. Shouldn't you pay for the tools of your trade? I always do. You, Mr. Electrician, do you expect not to pay for your tools?
Finally. No, Linux did not invent the GUI
An IT guy told me with a straight face that Apple and even the Xerox Alto machine were based on Unix, and that they "copied everything", when in fact that first modern computer visual interface was programmed using BCPL (Basic Combined Programming Language), a language created in 1966, a few years before Unix was born... The rest is history: Apple took the GUI ideas and concepts from the Alto computer, etc. Linux is basically a spin-off of Unix (the kernel) and a knockoff of both Windows and Apple look and feel (KDE and GNOME). Now it looks nicer, and it may be user-friendlier, but operating systems based on text files are so 20th century! Yes, the power of the command line... 30 years ago. I know, Linux is used intensely to run the Internet.Yes, because it is brute force, a good workhorse, like a BIOS software, you set it and forget it. But that is the subject of another post, which I'm not going to write and don't care about... this subject is everywhere in the blogosphere.

Internet Explorer 8 (and below), security, Trojan horses...

There's definitely something wrong with Internet Explorer (Weird things that I don't see happen in Firefox or Opera with exactly the same Websites). These are the facts: 1) Pages with Flash player ask for an "update" even if the latest version is installed; 2) When going to msn.com (from New York City) it always asks me if my location is Canada or the US and no matter how many times I say I am in the United States (!), it will revert to asking the same question; 3) Trojan horses have a way to get into your system through Internet Explorer AND Firefox (that's my assumption) and spread to other applications (see MS Access screenshot on the right). For this last occurrence take for example the Trojan horse iolo System Shield caught the other day (IFrame.gen). I looked it up, but, curiously enough, the iolo System Shield that caught it did not provide information about it, so I googled it, and one of the search results "happened to be" (?!) a Website for a Chinese "antivirus company", which surely enough after having visited it my menus changed to Chinese language (!!!). To Microsoft credit I have to say that once I downloaded and installed the security updates and fixes, this menu option in Chinese disappeared. PLEASE NOTE: the Trojan Horse was however in the Firefox cache (!) so now I'm not sure if I should try Opera or Chrome instead.
And all of these is happening when I reinstalled Vista in a new hard drive. Other that these Internet Explorer annoyances my system is working perfectly well, thanks. So, I would ask the Microsoft techies (and yes the Firefox techies, too!) to please fix these annoyances and security lapses asap! For the time being I'm avoiding Internet Explorer as much as I can but I'm becoming uneasy with Firefox as well. In addition, let me say here that Microsoft Security Essentials, the free antivirus, antimalware and antispyware (also installed in my computer) never was aware of this Trojan horse. On the other hand, do not trust Google or any other search engine to find information about viruses, the search results links provided are loaded and will most likely get you directly into the hands of the virus, malware and spyware bad guys, go directly to the trusted Internet security companies Websites, instead.

Merry Xmas and get ready for 2010!

Well, another year, another Christmas time, another victory on the road to living a good life. Let's celebrate with friends and family while enjoying a delicious fruit salad of glorious pomegranate and smooth Granny Smith apples. For all you who read this blog I want to send my best wishes for this holiday season and for a great New Year! Hang on! The best is yet to come ahead for those of us who have persisted and endured through difficult times. Life's many rewards await us.

Microsoft Security Essentials does the trick, does it not?

After one several years of using System Mechanic from iolo Technologies, and coinciding with the fact that my subscription was up for renewal this past Halloween, I decided to drop the entire security suite and go for the free Microsoft Security Essentials proposition, with antimalware, antivirus and antispyware included. However, something funny happened on my way to getting back my system to its usual stable state and that included a blue screen (the first one in more than a year!) but not before having my system frozen three times... I have to add here that I had also installed ZoneAlarm free firewall, another good product that I used for many years in Windows XP and previous versions. ZoneAlarm shuts down the Windows Vista firewall and everytime I turned it back on, my machine froze or got the blue screen, as mentioned. I gave Microsoft Security Essentials the benefit of the doubt and uninstalled ZoneAlarm. Now I'm back to normal.