http://www.ComputerBob.com/journal_archive/2007/01.php .
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This Journal entry is now a separate article, A New Day. It appears in this site's Abuse Info section.
Are you still thinking of upgrading your PC to Windows Vista? I bet you change your mind after you read Windows Screwup Forces Ubuntu Shift and Windows Vista Is Not An Option.
Has one of the major PC security companies "made a deal with the devil?" According to one frustrated user, McAfee Internet Security Suite installed adware on his PC.
Are you still using Windows? If so, you can get a lot of commercial software for free, from Giveaway of the Day.
If you've ever raised a child, you've experienced it. Here's a funny clip from Family Guy that will bring back some memories.
Wouldn't it be great to be an IT Administrator, and get paid to set up and administer a bunch of servers?
Hal, the IT Admin tells what it's like to deal with hardware failures in Windows servers. It's a hilarious video that also applies to Windows desktop PCs. At least it's hilarious to those of us who don't run Windows any more.
Here's a blog entry by a Microsoft employee, telling his readers about the "great little poster" that he saw hanging on a fellow employee's office door. He even gives a link where the poster can be downloaded. The poster is an ad for Windows Vista, and it brags that "This office is certified XP-Free." Don't be surprised if you start seeing Microsoft advertisements that feature that poster, as Redmond continues to try to increase its Vista sales — this time by cynically using the hubris of existing Vista users to try to make Windows XP users feel inferior and outdated. By the way, my office is XP-Free, too, but it's because I've been using Linux instead of Windows for the past 6 months.
I think it's a perfect response to the "This office is certified XP-Free" poster: Making the Upgrade makes the compelling argument, "Why on earth would I want to switch to Microsoft Vista?" I think it should be required reading for every computer user who's thinking of switching to Windows Vista.
What's Wrong With Microsoft? is not the same kind of anti-Microsoft tirade that we've all seen many times. It's an intelligent essay that faults the company for "the users they create."
It's a simple concept, but it does a good job of removing spam from your email. If you haven't already thought of doing it, here's how and why you could be
Using Google Gmail or Yahoo Mail as a Spam Filter
From what I've read, Windows Vista has so many annoying new "features" that it may feel unfamiliar, even to long-term Windows users. After reading about a user's experiences with Vista, a long-term Linux user wrote Why I can't switch to Windows Vista...ever!
Over the past several years, you've probably seen many commercials for the web site, FreeCreditReport.com, promising to send you a free copy of your current credit report. According to this article and the comments that follow it, that free copy is actually not free at all — in fact, FreeCreditReport.com Is Ripping You Off.
Of course, they don't all apply to everyone all of the time, but I bet you'll find at least a few gems of wisdom that apply to you in 20 Lessons That Will Turn Your Life Around.
What are your chances of beating a speeding ticket that was issued by a speed camera? They're probably pretty good, if the speed camera claims that you were going this fast.
Are you aware that some very famous celebrities are also
U.S. patent holders?
Regular readers of this Journal know very well that I'm a big fan of Linux operating systems, for many good reasons; however, I can see that there's a lot of truth in Top Four Reasons Windows Wins and Linux Loses — at least for now.
Experienced Linux users know that its 2 most popular desktop graphical user interfaces are Gnome and KDE, and that neither has changed much in the past several years. We all hope that will change in the near future, and with that in mind, here's A Sneak Preview of the Expected Features in KDE 4.0.
Of the 2 most popular Linux desktop user interfaces, most users prefer one or the other I've always preferred KDE, for reasons that I described several months ago, and here are some reasons why someone else prefers Gnome.
Those of us who are old enough to remember Blue Oyster Cult's hit song, (Don't Fear) The Reaper will get a kick out of Saturday Night Live's hilarious portrayal of the band recording it. Mike, this is the
More cowbell! skit that I told you about several months ago. And here's
a behind-the-scenes look at it.
Here's an article that states what we all already know: Linux-Loving Men Are Sexier. So why does it say at the end that it's a joke?
All of the Windows Vista Criticism uses a collection of quotations from other sources to summarize all of the things that pundits have found to be wrong with that new operating system. I just wish that the quotations were sourced.
Is Windows Vista ready for prime time? Apparently not. Even a guy who admittedly likes Windows Vista, says that Vista is really a work in progress, and that "it feels unfinished because some stuff simply doesn't work or work well with it."
Looking back — looking forward. To help you with those tasks, here are PCMag's list of The Worst Products of 2006, John C. Dvorak's Top 10 Stories and Trends of 2006, and Robert X. Cringely's Predictions For 2007.
If you know a new or clueless email user, show them 9 Essential Things Everyone Should Know About Email.
What do people do when the network goes down? They
blame the tech support guy.
Apparently, some Linux users are so insecure that they consider any criticism of Linux-based operating systems to be a form of treason. Here's a thoughtful article that defends those who constructively criticize Linux.
If you use Windows XP, you might want to consider trying free WinSetter software, to change some of its hidden configuration settings.
I noticed that non-idiotic users are conspicuously missing from Tech Support: Different Types of Users. I also noticed that the author shows great disdain for every type of user that he describes. Those 2 clues tell me that he should probably find a new line of work; preferably not dealing with customers. Would you want anyone with those attitudes working in a customer service position at your company?
Here's another example of my theory that, the more totally useless something is, the more likely that it will be called "modern art." An "artist" has "digitally generated four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence for cellphone. His silent ringtone, freely distributed through Start Mobile, is expected to bring quiet to the lives of millions of cellphone users, as well as those close to them." So, how will you know when you're receiving a cell phone call? Easy — when it's not ringing. I bet that for an extra fee, naive people can order a CD of the "artist's" Greatest Silent Hits, including silent classical, rock, and reggae tunes.
In the past few years, it's been a topic of conversation in our house and with our friends several times — how David Caruso strikes a macho pose and spouts a corny one-liner at the beginning of every episode of CSI Miami. Maybe that would change if the show's producers watched
Seven Minutes of Corny David Caruso One-Liners.
Over the weekend, my wife and I made a fun trip to Solomon's Castle with our next-door neighbors and good friends, Mike and Annamarie. Our extremely pun-filled 35-minute tour was led by Mrs. Solomon, who told stories about all of the weird artwork and contraptions that fill the castle. Apparently, her husband Howard, the guy who built the castle and created all of the weird stuff, never throws anything away, has a really corny sense of humor, and every time he has a funny thought, he builds something to commemorate it. For a fee, you can even stay overnight in the castle's guest room. Mrs. Solomon says that, for an extra $50, Howard will come and clean your room, wearing a french maid's outfit. And for $75, he won't.
This Journal entry is now a separate article, Review: A Prairie Home Companion, and appears in this site's Reviews section.
If you were a young person, and your father surprised you with a brand new, convertible sports car for your birthday, would you be grateful? Even if it was the wrong color?
Long-time readers of this Journal saw my past complaints about RegisterFly, the domain registrar whose services I stopped using a few years ago. Now there are so many complaints that someone created RegisterFlies, to organize the complaints and to offer help to those who are still dealing with, or trying to leave RegisterFly.
I've mentioned my dissatisfaction with Bank of America before, but if you're still a BOA customer, here's another good reason to move your money to a different bank.
With the threat of identity theft looming over all of us, you just can't do enough to protect yourself. Here's a device that will print your most important documents and protect them from prying eyes at the same time: The Shrinter.
I have to be in a certain type of mood to fully enjoy the crazy humor of
The Marx Brothers.
According to one author, there are 3 types of Linux users, with different goals and agendas, and they're all struggling to control Linux's future. Will one or more of those groups end up "winning," or will their divisiveness cause them all to "lose?"
It might surprise you that it comes from PC Magazine, but here's a series of short articles entitled Why Not to Buy Vista.
Microsoft utilized the services of the NSA "to validate and test the security measures built in to the new Vista operating system." That's a good thing.
Microsoft utilized the services of the NSA "to validate and test the security measures built in to the new Vista operating system." That's a bad thing.
Bobby McFerrin may be best known for his 1988 hit song, "Don't Worry, Be Happy," and for his a capella version of The Cosby Show's theme song. Here he amazes the audience in
a live concert.
Here's a guy who argues that Linux will never be a threat to Windows.
Do you feel like your online privacy is constantly under assault by governmental "big brother" tactics? You may be able to protect your privacy with some FOSS (free and open-source software) solutions.
It's funny that, no matter how many times police try this trick, and no matter how many times it is televised for everyone to see,
criminals just keep falling for it.
Linux-based operating systems are very powerful, very stable, very secure, very versatile, and pretty user-friendly. Still, they may not be the best choice for everyone. Why Switch to Linux? may help you decide if Linux is right for you.
In its search results, Google recently began flagging sites that contain malware, by posting an alert that says, "Warning — visiting this website may harm your computer!" While many Google users appreciate that extra layer of protection against malicious sites, some web site owners are frustrated, claiming that Google has incorrectly flagged their sites. Apparently, in many of those cases, Google turns out to be right..
The acronym SEO stands for "search engine optimization." It involves getting your web site to rank as highly as possible in the major search engines by making it as "search-engine-friendly" as possible. A big part of SEO is avoiding these Common SEO blunders.
When they need to find information, most people just go to an online search engine and do a simple search. If that doesn't work for you, you might want to try some of these excellent
Top 10 Web Search Tricks.
Some people believe that Windows Vista's lukewarm reception, combined with a small window of opportunity created by the introduction of 64-bit hardware, will give Linux the opportunity to accelerate past its tipping point of popularity in the near future — if Linux users take action now. OK, Heads Up Linux, You're on in 5..4..3..2 (cue music)... discusses that possibility, and has plenty of thoughtful reader comments.
Some people are always looking for ways to get away with stealing and distributing others' copyrighted works. Some violators are even willing to go to ridiculous extremes to accomplish that goal.
It would take many days worth of repetitive work, but I'm still considering converting this entire Journal to WordPress, especially after WordPress 2.1 is released.
This site contains tons of information and advice on a variety of subjects, but it's always been a labor of love, so the one thing you've never seen on this site is advertising. In stark contrast, Google is always looking for
new ways to advertise.
My wife and I don't rent videos very often, but last weekend, we rented 5 videos from Blockbuster Video. At the time, BV gave me a long receipt, showing that I had rented the 5 videos, and stating that they were all due back by noon today. Last night, I returned all 5 videos and asked for a receipt, showing that I had returned them. I was told, "Oh, we don't give out receipts for that." I don't like the fact that Blockbuster has proof that I rented some videos, but it refuses to give me proof that I returned them. In other words, if an inept, disgruntled, or dishonest Blockbuster employee ever fails to "check-in" one or more of the videos that I return, Blockbuster's totally self-serving policies guarantee that I won't have any proof that I returned them. Does that seem fair to you? No one would be willing to rent a car from a rental agency if it refused to give them a receipt for returning it, so how does BV get away with doing that with videos? I guess it'll be a long, long time before I rent any more videos from Blockbuster.
I've always said that, to me, the greatest video game is getting my computer to work exactly the way I want it to work. I remember when kids used to go to video arcades and pay 25 cents to play a video game, but I probably only played about $3 worth of games during that entire craze. Now I find it both ridiculous and sad that some people are willing to stand in line for days at a time, pay hundreds of dollars, and even do really stupid, dangerous things, just to get the latest video game systems — which will, of course, be outdated in a few months.
Speaking of ridiculously expensive technology, how can anyone justify spending hundreds of dollars and signing expensive, long-term contracts, just to get a glorified cell phone?
This is the tourist season here in the Sunshine State; a time when our warm sandy shores play host to hordes of snowbirds from all over the world. If you're thinking of coming here, make sure you know how to avoid travel scams.
People in the Philippines know
how to have fun without expensive electronic devices. At least until Apple introduces its new $599 iEgg.
If you aren't convinced by its technical superiority, here's another reason why you should switch to Linux: Dilbert's mom uses it.
According to the U.S. FBI, there's a new type of email scam that involves email messages that try to get you to give the scammer money. Isn't that the same as previous email scams? Nope, because these new scammers threaten to kill you if you don't pay them.
In yesterday's Journal entry, I mentioned the incredibly expensive Apple iPhone. If you're thinking of buying one, be sure to read Thirteen Reasons to Doubt the iPhone Hype.
Here's a funny way to secure your PC.
If you're the adventurous type, and you're looking for a new snack that reportedly "tastes like popcorn or crunchy nuts," you might want to try cooking up a plateful of delicious, nutritious
fried ant butts.
This Journal entry is now a separate article, Review: 2007 Golden Globes, which appears in this site's Reviews section.
Windows Vista contains more DRM restrictions than any previous version of Windows. Why do you think that is? Here's an article that explains that DRM isn't really about preventing piracy. "DRM's sole purpose is to maximize revenues by minimizing your rights so that they can sell them back to you." No surprises there.
Working in IT isn't for everyone. It's too bad that many IT workers are unhappy, but instead of finding other jobs, they make everyone around them miserable. Here's one guy who doesn't have that problem.
Friends sometimes send me email messages that contain digital photos. A few of them know how to reduce the size of the photos before they send them, but others send me huge photos that don't fit onto my screen and take a long time to download. If you use Windows XP and you don't know how to shrink photos to a manageable size before sending them to other people, take a look at
How To Email Optimized Pictures From Windows XP.
As I've written before, online Linux support forums are much more friendly and useful to new users than they were a few years ago. Still, some people prefer to get Live Linux Help.
For 8 years, until just a few months ago, this site had its own online forums. Over the years, I got a lot of experience running different forum software since I first used several different hosted forum services and then used several different forum software packages that I downloaded and installed onto my own server. Knowing what I know now, and knowing what the forum choices are now, if I had the need to add forums back into this site right now, I would download and install SMF forum software. Here's a short review of SMF.
We all know that the internet is filled with email scams. That makes it hard to find someone you can trust to provide you with email alerts "about terrorist threats, missing kids, wanted fugitives, emerging scams, major cases, and more." Maybe that's why The FBI now offers that service, free of charge.
If you remember being a child and being given sips of ginger ale when you were sick, this Chinese home remedy will probably make sense to you. It also sounds like it might be delicious. That's why I might try it myself, the next time I have a cold or the flu:
hot Coke with ginger. Except that I'd use Pepsi.
In 2003, the U.S. CAN-SPAM ACT went into effect. Its purpose was to make spam illegal. A few days ago, a California man became the first spammer convicted under that law, and he could face a sentence of up to 101 years in prison. If spammer convictions continue at that rate, the U.S. spam problem will be solved in... in... let's face it — at that rate, the U.S. spam problem will never be solved.
If you use the Firefox web browser, then you're already familiar with its useful and convenient, built-in search feature. Here are 12 Firefox Search Engines that you may also want to use.
It's getting close to tax time in the U.S. again. To help lower your tax burden as much as possible, here are 10 Big Deductions Too Many People Miss.
I've always said that a PC is a tool. Sometimes it's the right tool for the job. Sometimes
it's not.
Do you remember those TV commercials for Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn that starred the man himself years ago? Well, tonight, my wife and I saw a brand new commercial, starring a stiff-faced, grinning Orville Redenbacher — which was really, really weird, because Orville Redenbacher died back in 1995. We both thought that the new commercial was really creepy.
If you want to be popular with your young kids (or grandkids), buy them some ABC Gum.
My wife and I watch the TV game show Jeopardy almost every weeknight. It's always educational and always a challenge, but it's nowhere near as funny as Celebrity Jeopardy.
Here's another funny-yet-sadly-true-to-life episode of
Nick Burns — Your Company's Computer Guy.
What's it like to deal with tech support people when you're a Linux user? It's better than it used to be.
Despite "getting into bed" with Microsoft recently, Novell isn't planning to take a back seat to the monolith; in fact, Novell's new web site touts its SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 as "the compelling alternative to Windows Vista."
I wasn't even aware of it until now, but it's just one more reason why I'm very happy to be using Linux instead of Windows. In yet another example of Redmond taking away PC users' rights to use their PCs as they see fit, "Windows Vista is going to have a built in 'feature' that will allow third parties (meaning the movie studios) to revoke your PC’s right to play DVD’s and HDDVD’s." Is anyone surprised?
In the past few days, I've seen a lot of stories about the new "Storm Worm" that's been making its way around the Internet. A few examples are New 'Storm Worm' Pummels PCs and Storm Worm Hits Computers Around the World and 'Storm Worm' Rages Across the Globe. If you're up to the challenge, read those 3 stories and see if you can figure out what important piece of information is missing from all three. Go ahead. I'll wait...
You are correct if you noticed that none of those stories bothers to mention the fact that the Storm Worm only affects Windows PCs.
I'm always happy to read stories about criminals getting caught as the result of their own stupidity. Here's
a really good one. But officer, how did you find us so quickly?
Regular readers of this Journal know that, in the past several months, I've posted many reasons to not use Windows Vista. For anyone who hasn't seen those earlier postings, here are 10 Reasons Not To Get Vista.
Joining the ranks of experts who predict that Microsoft's power will wane in the future, The Economist says "The primacy of Windows and Office is waning, even if Microsoft's immediate power is not. 'Icebergs melt,' as one Silicon Valley veteran notes. 'But they melt extremely slowly.'"
If you're tired of jumping through paperwork hoops and then waiting several months, just to get mail-in rebate checks for products that you've bought, here's some good news: New Jersey is poised to become the third U.S. state "to force retailers to offer 'after-rebate' prices to shoppers at the time of sale."
How many of The Most Popular Myths in Science do you believe? That's OK — some of them are actually true.
If you're looking for a Sales Coordinator position in Des Moines, Iowa, I know of
one company that may have an opening.
If you're curious about trying Linux, Penguin Pete has a good overview and summary of what you can expect from it.
If Linux starts making serious headway into the U.S. desktop PC market, it may happen after it makes serious headway in China.
If you work in IT, here are Ten Ways to Increase Your IT Value.
You may find it very useful, or you may end up wishing that you had never read it: How To Detect Lies.
See how many of your favorite comedians are on the list of
100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
Should you switch to Windows Vista or should you forget about Windows and switch to some type of Linux? According to Novell, its commercial SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop "provides 90% of Vista's functionality and 10% of the price." In fact, many Linux advocates claim that even some of the totally free Linux distros provide similar functionality compared to Vista.
In what I think could turn out to be a great development for the entire open source software movement, it looks like desktop Linux may start to see some competition from Sun's Solaris Unix operating system. Here are Seven Ways Solaris Can Beat Linux.
You know that sponge that you keep in your kitchen sink — the one that sits there, breeding billions of germs? Here's a fast, simple way to "kill or inactivate more than 99 percent of bacteria, viruses or parasites, as well as spores, on a kitchen sponge."
Last week, NBC announced that it is expanding its daily Today show from 3 hours to 4 hours per day. What would it be like
if they didn't stop at 4 hours?
Regular readers of this Journal know that I've often stated that I will probably eventually convert this entire Journal into a series of WordPress posts, to increase searchability and to add interactivity. The good news on that front is that WordPress 2.1 has just been released. That's the version that I've been waiting for. The bad news is that the WordPress support forums currently contain many reports of problems and issues with the new version. I guess it won't hurt me to wait until after it's had one or two bug-fix releases.
Two different groups that each work for the adoption of Linux have announced that they are going to merge. "The Open Source Development Labs will combine with the Free Standards Group to form The Linux Foundation. With both groups united, the Linux community hopes it can consolidate its resources and compete with rival Microsoft in the operating system space more effectively."
Nearly every PC manufacturer forces buyers to pay for a preinstalled copy of Windows on every new computer. Going against that tide, Dell is offering a series of PCs that come without any preinstalled operating system.
After 5 years and billions of dollars worth of development, Windows Vista will finally go on sale to end users next week. In the meantime, in a move that should make intelligent PC users think, Microsoft is already planning Vista Service Pack 1. Insert your own Microsoft joke here.
If it turns out to be true, it will probably be one of the most offensive stories of the century, and could turn out to be one of the biggest blunders ever made by an organized cult/religion: Scientology leaders have reportedly declared that
Tom Cruise is the new "Christ" of Scientology. "And leader David Miscavige believes that in future, Cruise, 44, will be worshipped like Jesus for his work to raise awareness of the religion."
Some experts predict that, within 2 years, China will have more Internet users than the United States. In anticipation of that milestone, I added a Chinese link to the row of translation links at the top of this site's home page a few years ago, and this site has gotten an increased number of Chinese visitors ever since.
CNet's review of Windows Vista Ultimate concludes "Windows Vista is essentially warmed-over Windows XP. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use." I'm guessing that Microsoft was hoping for better praise than, "stable enough for everyday use."
If you're a Windows power user who's been thinking of switching to Windows Vista, you should read Why Power Users Will Hate Vista.
Apparently, it's the newest cool way to escape from prison:
Climb into a package and mail yourself somewhere else.
Those of you up north will probably cringe when you read this: Last night, I turned on the heat in our house for the first time this winter. Up until last night, the "pumping" technique that I described a year ago had kept the house warm enough at night, but yesterday, it was cold and cloudy all day, so the house hadn't warmed up sufficiently to withstand last night's really low temperatures without some help from our heat pump. Oh, well, I guess I can live with that.
Windows Vista will be released to the general public in 3 days. Do you really need Windows Vista? That's what I thought — I don't either.
They have a vested interest in seeing it fail, and they only tested 25 samples, but antispyware vendor Webroot reports that the Windows Defender antispyware software that is included in Windows Vista only stopped 16% of the spyware and malicious code samples with which it was tested. Microsoft challenged the results, reminding everyone that Vista is "the most secure version of Windows to date." Unfortunately, that's probably true.
It appears to be a horrible miscarriage of justice, and I hope it will be overturned on appeal really soon: A computerphobic substitute teacher in Connecticut is facing up to 40 years in prison because students in her class that were visiting a hair-styles web site saw numerous pop-up pornographic images on the class's unprotected, spyware-and-trojan-riddled, Windows 98 computer. For some reason, the judge did not allow her defense team to tell the jury the fact that the prosecution hadn't bothered to check the computer for spyware and trojans, and that subsequent tests showed that the pornographic spyware and trojans had been installed on the computer for several weeks before the incident took place. In related news, your local schools are always looking for good substitute teachers.
Scientists in California have developed
the world's densest memory circuit. The new memory cell can hold about 2000 pages of information in an area the size of a white blood cell, or about 100 gigabits per square centimeter. Does that mean that someday, we'll be able to upgrade our computers' memories by giving them a booster shot?
If you use Linux, or if you're thinking of using Linux, you might be interested in Desktop Linux 2006: The Year in Review.
How does Windows Vista compare to SimplyMepis Linux? Find out by reading A Vista vs. Linux Matchup: Part 1 and Part 2. By the way, the comparison used SimplyMepis Linux, the same Linux distro that I've been using exclusively for the past several months.
If you like to follow rock stars, you'll probably enjoy their
15 Most Embarrassing Onstage Moments.
Yesterday, I linked you to 2 articles that favorably compared SimplyMepis Linux to Windows Vista. Today, I call your attention to an article that describes how Ubuntu and OpenSUSE Linux could also replace Vista on your computer. And here's another vote for OpenSUSE.
Starting this coming Tuesday, you'll be able to buy a new type of fuel for your car. The oil company that produces and sells the new fuel say that it is exciting and will change your life, because it will make your car look a lot flashier. What they don't tell you is that:
Does the new fuel sound like something you're going to want to buy? Of course not. By now, I hope you've figured out that my little analogy is actually about Windows Vista.
If you buy items on eBay, you should be aware that many eBay sellers illegally drive up the prices of the items that they sell.
If you live in Ringwood, New Jersey, please
don't eat squirrels from the toxic waste dump more than twice a week.
You don't need Microsoft Vista. In fact, you may want to ask yourself: Is Windows Vista Irrelevant?
If you bought a PC in the past couple of months, thinking that your Vista Upgrade Voucher would make it easy to switch to the new operating system, or if you're thinking of saving some money on Vista by buying a Vista Upgrade CD, I have some very bad news for you: You will never be able to do a "clean install" of Vista. Unlike every previous Windows upgrade, that only required you to insert a CD of your older operating system to prove that you owned it before it allowed you to install the upgrade onto a blank hard drive, Vista upgrades require you to already have Windows XP up and running on your computer at the time that you do the upgrade. That means that every time your Vista computer gets borked with viruses, trojans, and other malware, and you're forced to erase your hard drive and reinstall Vista, you'll have to reinstall Windows XP on it all over again before you'll be allowed to upgrade it to Vista again. For more details, see Have a Vista Upgrade Voucher? No Clean Install for You! and Upgrading to Vista? Don't delete XP.
As long as you didn't invest in any of them, you'll probably enjoy reading about these 14 Top Tech Flops.
Their prices are low, and their meat and produce are really fresh, but you'll have to carry your groceries around in your arms.
Tomorrow, Microsoft will start selling Windows Vista directly to consumers. For the past several months, the company has used its tried-and-true FUD techniques to try to convince computer users that they need Vista, and now it is desperately trying to drum up excitement for the new operating system. As a result, tomorrow's hyperbole-laden official launch will undoubtedly result in a frenzy of millions of dollars worth of free advertising for Vista, in the form of thousands of televised news stories and sycophantic reviews that will totally ignore all of its significant shortcomings and disadvantages, or even worse, try to justify them.
But you'll know better. I've spent the past several months showing you that if you switch to Vista, Microsoft will make a lot of money, but you will gain very little in terms of features, and you will lose a lot of your rights to use your computer as you see fit. As part of that effort, I've given you several reasons and ways to avoid Vista, by either continuing using Windows XP, or by switching to one of the many user-friendly Linux distros. And I've shown you that it's possible, by switching to Linux myself last July, and by using Linux exclusively since then.
At this point, I've achieved my goal of providing you with information and choices. What you decide to do with that information and those choices is up to you. Knowing what I know, I have no interest in jumping on the raucous Windows Vista bandwagon that will begin tomorrow. If you want to join it, hundreds of other web sites will be happy to help you, but this one won't. While continuing to cover other topics, this Journal will be a Vista-free Zone for the remainder of this week.
You're probably not a reseller, but you can still learn a lot about which popular Linux distro might be best for you by reading What's the Best Linux For Resellers?
If you do a search for "RegisterFly" on this site, you'll see that I've mentioned that domain registrar's poor service several times in the past. I even linked to a web site that serves as a repository for complaints and advice about RegisterFly. Now NoDaddy is posting similar complaints and advice about the very popular domain registrar, GoDaddy. By the way, I'm still very happy with my chosen domain registrar, NameCheap.
If you live in the U.S., have a telephone, and have paid for any long-distance calls in the past 41 months, then you're eligible to receive a telephone tax refund from the IRS, even if you don't pay income taxes.
IBM researchers are reportedly working on five innovations that will change your life over the next five years.
In 1936, researchers discovered
how Fred Flintstone powered the portable radio that he used to listen to while lying in his back-yard hammock.
Over the years, how many hours have you spent installing and reinstalling various versions of Windows and their software applications? Did you know that there are versions of Linux that come with hundreds of applications but can be completely installed in just a few minutes? It reportedly takes only 5 minutes to completely install the latest beta version of SimplyMepis Linux, the distro that I've been using instead of Windows since this past summer. Here's a discussion about a few fast-installing Linux distros.
According to a national survey of 6,344 software development managers, Linux is more secure than Windows.
If you like non-partisan political humor, check out
Late-Night Political Jokes.
