More on my move to iOS - The nightmare that is File Management!

In my previous blog post I spoke about my move to iPhone after years of being a very committed Android user.  About another month has since passed, with an iOS update and long days in lockdown to go with it.  That means some more playing around with my "new girlfriend" (see the previous post if that doesn't make sense - Don't judge me if you haven't read it yet!!)

One of the things that still frustrated me quite a lot on my iPhone is the lack of control I have over my file system.  On the iPhone you have your photo gallery (like with any smartphone) and the Files app (again, like any smartphone).  The things that frustrate me, as someone who's used to Android, are the following:

1. There's no link between the Photo Gallery and the Files app.  You can't access your photos from your File Manager - it simply isn't linked.

2. You can only access selected files on your iPhone using the Files app.  The options are:

• iCloud Drive
• On My iPhone
• Recently Deleted

You would think that "On My iPhone" would be the place to go, right?  You would be WRONG!

The only things that "On My iPhone" gives you access to are the apps that allow File Transfer using iTunes.  Anything that you transfer using iTunes File Transfer can be accessed, copied, moved (only between these same folders!), or deleted.  Nothing else.

A notable thing is that Outlook, for example, isn't listed here.  Neither is Microsoft Office.  Two apps that I use CONSTANTLY for work.  If I download an attachment from Outlook and then want to open it in Excel or Word, or anything else, for example...  That file can't be found.  It is MIA.  At least, I couldn't find a way to get to it yet, not even after weeks of working exclusively on iPhone.

Now I know this is for security reasons...  I get it.  But really?  I need my stuff to work!  

A week ago I had to send a scan of my lease agreement by email for FICA purposes.  So as I always did on Android, I scanned the document using the Tiny Scanner app.  If I want to email the resulting PDF I have to buy the premium version.  On Android I would only have to save the PDF somewhere on my phone, then open Outlook and choose "attach".  Now, on iPhone I did the same.  First challenge: Where do I save the file?  TinyScanner is NOT one of the options available in "On My iPhone".  So I thought the logical choice would be the Adobe Reader folder.  It saved, no problem.  I could open the PDF and everything.

Next challenge: Getting that stupid file into Outlook.  It ended up with me connecting to my PC and using iTunes File Transfer to copy the file to Windows so that I could send it via Outlook.

This might be an Outlook issue, but there are many other similar examples NOT involving Outlook so there seems to be a real limitation there (PLEASE HELP, APPLE!).  

However, I have since found a workaround.  Not one that I'm crazy about, though...  I like to use stuff that simply comes with my phone.  I prefer to install the absolute minimum of additional software on any device.  But in this case, the app "Documents by Readdle" was an absolute blessing.  It is really a combination of a few different things:

• The Photo Gallery, but with the option to copy photos to other folders
• The Files App, but with the option to copy files between different folders
• Safari web browser, but with the added ability to download files that you wouldn't normally be able to download, and save them to the file system in an EASILY ACCESSIBLE place
• It is linked with iTunes File Sharing, so there's easy file transfers between different apps and the computer
• There is a Share to Documents option when you want to share files, so you can easily get files into Documents (for further file management) even from apps like Outlook

There are other features but those are the ones that I appreciate the most.  Go and have a look at the link I posted above to see more of what this app is capable of.

As a final thought I just want to mention, for those of you that are wondering or maybe obnoxious enough to be criticizing me right now:  YES, I know that iCould and the iCloud Drive is there specifically for that purpose.  But South Africa's internet sucks at the best of times when compared to the rest of the world, and right now during lockdown more often than not my internet is almost non-existent.  I was stuck with a 24kbps download speed the other day.  Go back and read that again...  It wasn't a typo.  Yes, my "broadband" internet connection was slower than my first dial-up connection that I had in the 90's.  So, no, iCloud (as awesome as it is) is NOT always the solution.

So, now that I have that off my chest, let me close by saying that I still absolutely LOVE my iPhone and I still have no interest to go back to Android.  This is one of those quirks that you discover about the new girlfriend as you get to know her and the "infatuation phase" is over, leaving you with nothing but raw, but true, love.

Moving from Android to iOS

I have been aggressively opposed against iOS (and everything Apple) for a very long time.  I used an iPod back in the day (an iPod Shuffle with 512MB storage, to be exact) but since then I've been opposing Apple products and avoiding them like the plague.  Paying more for a device that does less?  No thanks.

Like most South Africans my Smartphone experience started with BlackBerry and then, when that was no longer a viable option, I moved to Android, where I used quite a number of different phone brands, the last of which was the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.  An awesome phone, I loved it to bits.

Over the last few years I've seen Apple making more and more high-quality phones that were not only pleasing to the eye and overly camera-focused (a nice camera was never one of my primary motivators in a phone) but actually had proper hardware in it as well.  A phone that could truly compete with the other high-spec Android smartphones out there.  So my opinions gradually changed.

A year ago I got the opportunity to get an iPhone 6 to swap for an old Android phone that I had lying around.  So I did it.  For the first 2 weeks I just used the iPhone as a secondary phone, playing around with it a bit and seeing what it could do.  One of the things that impressed me was the fact that, at the time, it was running the latest iOS version on hardware that were more than 5 years old, and it did so with style and elegance.  Try doing that on an Android phone, where software support usually ends within 2 or 3 years.

I was actually so impressed that I then decided to make the iPhone my primary phone and I used that for about two months.  Yes, there was a bit of a learning curve involved, but not as much as I expected.  The phone just worked.  The main things that I struggled with were:

1. The iPhone was a data hungry beast, and with me being a South African (where WiFi hotspots are not to be found everywhere and mobile data costs two kidneys and a testicle) this was a pain, but a few Google searches sorted me out and I got my data use down to a reasonable level.

2. Most of the apps that I had bought on Android over the years could not carry over my purchase to iOS.  After contacting a few developers I eventually just bit the bullet and purchased some of them again.

3. I had to figure out how to sync my movies and TV shows with my phone.  On Android it was generally just a case of plugging it in and using the Windows file explorer after giving permission on my phone; with the iPhone I had to install iTunes and things worked differently - I couldn't just browse all the files on my device as I was used to doing with Android.

4. I like to download videos from video streaming websites (that I won't mention by name in order to avoid potential lawsuits), which iOS blocks by default.  But I found a way around that using Aloha browser on iOS.

5. Installing apps from the Apple App Store, and updating those apps, takes ages when compared to what I could do with my Huawei phones.  This is an issue I am still struggling with.

6. Siri works a bit differently from the Google Assistant (both of which I use constantly - I'm surprised my wife isn't jealous yet, some days Siri and I have more and longer discussions than the two of us).  I eventually found out that the difference is mostly that Siri looks at the important words in a different sequence than Google Assistant.  For example, the words "OK Google, set a reminder for tomorrow morning 6AM" will result in a reminder at 6AM the next morning, where the phrase "Hey Siri, set a reminder for tomorrow morning 6AM" will result in a reminder set at 7AM since Siri stopped listening at "tomorrow morning" (as many women do).  I had to change that to "Hey Siri, set a reminder for 6AM tomorrow morning" to get the desired result.  In other words, no biggie.

7. No option to move my WhatsApp message history from Android to iOS.  This is not a fault on Apple or Google's side but one that I lay solidly at the feet of Facebook.  Really?  In a world that is this connected and fluid, you are still so archaic??  Take a hint, Facebook.  Upgrade WhatsApp's compatibility.  (And no, I tried some of the options that you get when you Google the problem.  Most of those blog posts and articles are just people trying to sell their software.  I even bought one of the things and it didn't work.)

On the other hand, some of the things I liked:

1. The smooth handling of the phone.  Even an old phone with a brand new OS ran beautifully and felt very responsive.

2. The iPhone gave me more control over app permissions than Android (no more spying on me, Facebook!).  On some Android apps, if you disable even seemingly non-essential permissions, the app will refuse to work.  On iOS it usually still works, but without it doing whatever it wants behind the scenes.

3. Apple Music.  I got a free 3 month subscription and decided to try it.  I was blown away by the recommendations it makes based on my musical preferences.  The playlists it suggests.  The service is so awesome in general that even one of my aggressively anti-Apple friends is using the service now.

4. The smaller screen.  I know there's a lot to be said for bigger screens, and I used a few very big phones.  I find them uncomfortable to use.  You can also get smaller Android phones, but usually at the expense of hardware power.  Not so with iPhone.  Yes, again, you can get an iPhone with a bigger screen, but the ones with smaller screens still pack a punch hardware-wise and the screen still looks and feels high quality.

5. The keyboard clicks.  I know, it's stupid, but I find it incredibly satisfying...

6. This wasn't the case with the iPhone 6 but since I started using the iPhone 11 Pro (more on that soon) I have to say that the way the iPhone implements facial recognition is unbelievably cool.  On Android I could never get away with using only facial recognition.  The moment I put on my glasses or sunglasses, or even frown, it wouldn't recognize me and I had to go back to using my fingerprint or pin like a caveman.  On the iPhone it just works!  The only times I have to use my pin is when it's very dark, like when I want to do something on my phone while my wife is sleeping next to me and I don't want to bother her.

7. Apps are actually tested properly before being placed on the App Store.  There are none of the scam Bitcoin mining apps and malware-infected clickbait pieces of crapware on the Apple App Store.  On the Google Play Store you have to check the reviews.  Then recheck them to see if any of the reviews seems to be bought from some dodgy English-illiterate person sitting in a dark room somewhere.  Only then could you carefully try to install an app and hope for the best.  Not so with iOS.  If you get your app through the App Store you know it's stable, clean, and safe to use and install.

So after using the iPhone 6 for about a month I went back to the Huawei Mate 10 Pro that I'd been using at that time.  It felt strange - I told my wife that the experience with the iPhone felt like playing around with a new girlfriend.  It's exciting, you don't quite know what you're doing yet, you often have to get advice on how to deal with something, and you never quite know what to expect next.  Then, going back to Android was like going back to your wife after playing around with the new girlfriend - it's familiar, warm, comfortable, and you know exactly which buttons to push to get the desired result.  And yet my longing for the excitement of the new girlfriend remained.

I then got an iPad, a mere two weeks before the launch of iPadOS.  I love my iPad and over the course of a few weeks I saw it all but replacing my laptop for most of what I do in the workplace. 

So recently I decided to make the leap permanent and replaced my Huawei Mate 20 Pro with an iPhone 11 Pro (not the Max, I opted for the smaller screen).  It's been 7 weeks and I am still very much in love with it.  Right now I can't see myself going back to Android any time soon.  But watch this space - I will probably post more of my experiences and future decisions here.

Android Gaming... Yes, Seriously

Whew, this post is long overdue.  But since I'm on my way back into the IT industry full-time, I think it's justified to get it nice and active again.

I'm a gamer at heart.  Always have been.  And the PC has always been my platform of choice.  Not that I have anything against consoles, as such (so don't crucify me yet, Playstation and XBOX fanboys).  I've just always had a PC, and never felt the need to live off breadcrusts for a month or two in order to buy a console.

However, over the last three years or so I haven't had much time to play games.  Mostly because, when I get home, I'm tired.  I want to spend time with my family, and then go to bed and relax there.

I recently got myself a tablet.  Those of you who remember my post from March 2011 will understand how huge this is for me.  I've never been a fan of tablets, not really seeing their purpose.  But times have changed, and so have my opinions.  Yes, I can admit that I was wrong.  So anyway, I got a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7".  It runs Android 4.0.4, with a 1GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM.  Humble specs by today's standards, but all I really need.

So as I was playing around with it I started noticing some games.  Now I'm not talking about Candy Crush and Flappy Bird and some of their millions of variants.  I'm not talking about "low budget" games.  I started noticing some really serious, fun games, the kind of games that I like to play on PC, but compact, affordable, and mobile.  I've heard about some Android-based consoles that are currently in development, so I know that Android has potential as a gaming platform; but surely not on a humble tablet like mine?  Well, I started experimenting.  And I was very pleasantly surprised!  I am solidly hooked on Android gaming.  My PC hasn't seen me in a while.  I now spend much of my free time (which I don't have a lot of) in bed playing games on my tablet!

Here are a few of my current favorites:

Archangel

According to the Play Store:  "The forces of evil are mobilizing in defiance of heavenly rule. As an Archangel your task is not merely to halt their rise – you must inflict a justice so brutal and uncompromising that none will ever again defy the will of Heaven. Black Tower Studios and Unity Games conjure visceral action tailored for touch in this epic clash between good and evil."

Price:  R22,49.  And well worth every cent!  This game has been keeping me entertained for more than a week.  Beautiful atmospheric graphics, epic storyline, and excellent gameplay.  I wholeheartedly recommend this!  Despite how it looks, don't expect something similar to Diablo.  I can't really compare Archangel with anything I've played before.  Just enjoy it for what it is!


Dead Effect

You are on board a space ship, in a cryo chamber.  When you wake up your crew are already awake and mostly dead.  Some more dead than others...  This game reminds me of Doom 3, but with zombies instead of demons.  It really has that kind of atmosphere.

Two pieces of criticism so far.  Firstly, the controls are kind of weird, but I believe that's just because I'm still getting used to playing FPS on a touch screen.  It has nothing to do with the game or its developer.  (I want to get myself the new Samsung Gamepad, that should improve things considerably.)  Secondly, it has some corny voice acting... But that's understandable.  And at this price tag, I can't complain about that minor detail.

Price:  FREE.  (My favorite price range. ;-D)  It has optional in-game purchases.  But I've progressed pretty far by now, and I haven't felt a real need to purchase anything yet.

Dungeon Keeper

I used to play this one back in 1998 when I was still working for {insert highly hated but very famous IT retailer here}.  For those of you who don't know it, you are a Dungeon Master, in charge of raiding other dungeons, recruiting and controlling minions, and occasionally slapping your minions just to get them to be more productive. :-D

True to the original, but with a clean modern look and nice touch interface.  Makes the slapping feel more real, somehow...

And at the great price of FREE, I wholeheartedly recommend it!




Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Yes, that is indeed the complete game as it is on the PC.  Same graphics, same storyline, same awesome 80's soundtrack.  (By the way, GTA3 is also available.)

It sells for R54,15.  It's huge though; over a GB of data to download, but this really cannot be helped.  My only other criticism of this game is the fact that its controls are awkward and takes a while to get used to, but again, it comes with the territory, I guess.  It's like Console-to-PC ports; some of them have weird controls.  Same here.  Playing it on touch is just... Strange.  But once you get used to it, it's good GTAish fun!



Injustice: Gods Among Us

From the makers of Mortal Kombat, here's the opportunity to have many of DC Comics' heroes and villains kick one another around.  Similar to the PC and Console version, but with controls optimized for touch screens.  Performs surprisingly well, and it has really addictive gameplay!

Again, it's huge, but free of charge.  Offers in-app purchases, though, but not in an intrusive way.  A really, really good game!






Order & Chaos Online

I was really surprised to find this one in the Google Play store.  If you like MMORPG's like World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online, you will love this one!  This is a perfect little MMORPG in the same league as WoW and LOTRO.  Excellent controls, story line, game play... It is truly amazing what they did with it.  It even offers PvP gameplay!

Criticism?  None really.  I guess size is a big thing.  If you don't have a modern version of Android, allowing you to install apps on your external SD card, then you may not be able to install it.  It also requires a pretty good CPU and 512MB of RAM, so it's quite resource intensive, but it runs with zero glitches on my humble tablet so it's not a big problem.  And frankly, at R11,00, it's practically free.  Definitely worth it, if it's your type of thing.

So, to summarize.  Gaming on Android is getting better, and I definitely have hope that it's only going to improve even more from here on.  Soon LANs may not be limited to PC's only.  Who knows?

Anyway.  Until next time,

BE the change.

Activate Dot Net Framework 3.5 in Windows 8

y apologies; this post is long overdue. Unfortunately I can't commit to posting once a day (or even once a week) as my plan was. (As soon as I can get paid a salary to blog, that will change... Any takers? Hint hint... Wink wink... Oh go on! At least click on an ad or two when you visit! ;-))

So anyway, for some reason Microsoft decided to ship Dot Net Framework 3.5 with Windows 8, so you can't install it manually. But they also decided to deactivate it by default so you couldn't use it (despite the huge number of software packages that require it). And then they decided that you had to have an internet connection in order to activate it... *Epic facepalm*

So anyway, in case you are one of those people (and we have quite a few here in South Africa) who are using Windows 8 without a very good internet connection (maybe you only have internet access at work, or on your phone, for example), here's a way to get it activated without an internet connection:

1. Insert the Windows 8 disc into the drive, and take note of the drive letter.
2. Go to Start and start typing "cmd". You will see "Command Prompt" appear on the left hand side of the screen.
3. Right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as Administrator" from the list that appears at the bottom of the screen.
4. Now in the elevated command prompt, type the following: "dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3 /Source:Z:\sources\sxs" (Without the quotation marks, obviously; also, replace the "Z" with the drive letter that contains the Windows 8 disc).
5. Voila! A few minutes and you have successfully installed the Dot Net Framework 3.5 in Windows 8!

How to Activate Windows 8

As I said in my last post, I struggled quite a bit to get Windows 8 activated. I use the VLK edition, and I'm not 100% sure if this problem that I encountered is limited to only this edition; I suspect so. But anyway, here's the story.

Whenever I tried to activate my Windows 8, I got the message "Error 0x8007007B The File name, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect." This irritated me to no end. I assumed (correctly, as it turned out) that it had something to do with the fact that I was never asked to enter a product key, and Microsoft didn't include a "change product key" option as they did in previous Windows versions.

So whenever the Windows GUI fails me, it's time to get down and dirty with the Command Prompt. If you're having the same problem, here's what you should do:

1. Open an elevated command prompt by going to Start, then typing "cmd". The Command Prompt option will appear on screen. Right-click it and then select "Run as Administrator" from the bottom of the screen.

2. In the elevated command prompt, change your product key by typing the following: "slmgr.vbs /ipk XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" (Obviously replace the X's with your product key.) Then press Enter. You will see a message pop up on-screen indicating that your product key has been changed.

3. Next, still in the elevated command prompt, activate Windows by typing the following: "slmgr.vbs /ato". A message should pop up indicating that Windows is activated. Voila!

It's as simple as that. I trust that this will help someone!

My Thoughts on Windows 8

Microsoft released the latest version of their Windows OS on Thursday, and it was met with mixed feelings.  Some people are very excited about it; others think that it’s a disastrous change.  Interestingly enough, as I read blog posts and reviews online, people are generally excited once they’ve actually used Windows 8.

So today I decided to throw my thoughts into the mix and tell you all what I think about it.

Let me first tell you that I’m not writing from only 3 days’ experience.  Since the High School I work for has a license agreement with Microsoft, I already got my hands on it (and started testing it, for the sake of science of course! ) more than a month ago. 

I also want to mention that I am not easily swayed to a new system.  After the release of Windows XP, I kept going back and forth between XP and 98 for more than a year (yes, a whole lot of formatting was involved).  After Vista was released, the same thing happened.  Even with Windows 7, I wasn’t completely sold on the OS until a few months later (although I have to say that the final migration happened much sooner than with any other OS).  I’ve even been trying to switch to Linux as my main OS for years now, and though I love Linux, I’m still too attached to my Microsoft-operated comfort zone.  This isn’t limited to PC’s only; I’m constantly switching between my BlackBerry and a Samsung Galaxy Pocket, unable to decide which one I prefer.  So the point is, I don’t switch to something new easily.  Quick to test, slow to adopt.  That’s me.

With Windows 8 (I’m talking about RTM, not one of the test versions) I adopted it as my main OS right from the start.  And I’m not missing Windows 7 AT ALL.  This last month it’s become a real joy for me to log into my laptop!

As I did with my review of the preview a while ago (in another blog that will be cancelled soon), let me list my likes and dislikes.

Me Likey:

• Bootup time.  This is something that they fixed since the Consumer Preview.  My laptop boots up completely in under 15 seconds!  And no, my laptop is by no means a powerhouse.
• The new Metro interface.  Yes, the Start menu (at least as we used to know it) is gone.  History.  The new interface is much better!  Since I sign in with my Microsoft account (which is linked with my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google accounts), the moment I log into my laptop I am greeted with some Facebook messages that I might have missed, my Gmail inbox, the day’s weather, a slideshow of my photos, my calendar, and a whole bunch of other things, without even clicking on anything.  All of this in my “Start menu”, right next to my apps.  YES, the interface is different.  BUT once you get used to it, it actually works faster and makes a lot of sense.  Sceptics were (or are) afraid that it’s so optimized for touch screens that a mouse won’t make sense anymore.  This is definitely not the case.

• The desktop is still there.  You don’t have to use all of your apps in Metro.  The Desktop, with its familiar taskbar, is still there.  Just better than it used to be.
• When you move your cursor to one of the right-hand corners of your screen, there’s a pop-up menu with quick access to Start, Search, Devices, Share, and Settings.  This menu is context-sensitive; especially Share and Settings will display a set of functions that’s determined according to what you have open on-screen at the time.

• Windows Explorer now has the Ribbon interface that we got to know in Office 2007.  And it works.  It makes things much simpler and easier.  Again, the items in the ribbon is context-sensitive; it is determined by whatever you have selected in Windows Explorer.

• Windows Live integration.  You now have the choice between local user accounts, and integrating your Windows Live account (or Microsoft account).  If you choose the latter, it means that your profile picture and details are automatically integrated into Windows (especially Metro).  But it also means that your apps, info, documents, settings, etc, can be synced between your different Windows 8 devices, as well as with SkyDrive.  Similar to what Google did on Android devices with their Google account synchronization.  Really cool!
• Compatibility.  As when Windows 7 was just released, I had no need to install any drivers.  All my devices were automatically detected and installed.
• No hardware upgrades needed.  This is really a very cool feature, and I think kind of a first in PC history.  If your system runs Windows 7, it will run Windows 8.
• Stability.  It just works.  I’ve encountered very few problems, and those that I have encountered were easily dealt with.
• The new and improved Task Manager is heaven for computer technicians.  It’s highly detailed, showing graphical displays of CPU, RAM, HDD and Network performance in real-time.  It also shows which programs or processes are running and how much of your system resources they hog.  You can cancel and stop any of them straight from the Task Manager (most of these things you could even do in the old Task Manager, I know, but the new Task Manager gives you more information, making your job that much easier).  The Startup option, previously included in msconfig, is now also a part of the Task Manager, and it even monitors how long each item takes to load.

• Software support is quite good.  Thanks to the Metro interface and its apps, there’s even a PDF reader built into Windows.  No more Adobe Reader installations needed! This also goes for antivirus software.  Microsoft’s Windows Defender has been updated to literally be Microsoft Security Essentials, so you have excellent anti-malware software installed by default!

Me No Likey:

1. Administrative rights.  In Windows 7, once you disable User Account Control (which I do on my PC immediately after installation since I’m clued up enough to know what I want to do and how to do it), you’re hardly ever bugged with administrative rights again.  It assumes that you are running most things as Administrator.  Not so with Windows 8.  I have to manually elevate every app that I run to administrator, or configure it to automatically do so in Compatibility settings.  I’m sure there has to be a way around this problem, but I couldn’t figure it out yet.
2. Metro apps don’t close.  You can’t click a little red “X” or something to make it go away; you have to Alt-Tab to switch to another app, or Alt-F4 to make it disappear, but when you look at your Metro Start, you will see that it’s actually still running in the background.  They say that this is because Microsoft developed a new dynamic resource control system.  Literally, Windows 8 allows the apps to remain open in the background, but limits the amount of CPU and RAM it uses to a bare minimum, making it scale very well.  It seems to be working well; I’m just a control freak.
3. Windows Activation was a bit of a drag for me.  I think this might be a problem only with VLK editions (not 100% sure though), but I couldn’t just activate.  I had to use an elevated command prompt and run a script to first change my product key, and then to activate.  (I will post more about this later.)
4. Windows 8 is very internet-reliant.  For example, to install .Net 3.5 you have to be connected to the internet (or use a workaround that I will tell you about in the next few days), and that’s a bit of a problem for many people.  For example, a friend of mine has a Vodafone 3G dongle, using Vodafone Mobile Connect software, as his only internet connection.  The VMC software needs .Net 3.5 installed.  And .Net 3.5 needs the internet to install.  I manually downloaded the .Net installer, but it still wouldn’t install in Windows 8 without either an internet connection or the workaround that I found.  This is a little bit stupid, in my opinion.
5. I have experienced some slight problems with the 64-bit edition.  I suspect this is more of a driver issue than anything else, but I installed the 64-bit edition on a PC, and the display was distorted and full of lines.  After installation it wouldn’t even boot up.  So I tried the 32-bit edition and it worked perfectly.  So I’m not sure if I can lay the blame for this one at Microsoft’s feet, but it’s a problem either way.

So, to summarize: despite a few problems and issues, I am a very happy Windows 8 user.  I won’t go back to 7; I see no reason to.  Windows 8 provides me with a very pleasant computing experience, and I’m looking forward to more!

How To Keep Your Passwords Secure

My Facebook account was hacked this week.  Again.  That’s the third time now.  This time someone posted some rather rude comments about the size of certain female body parts.  Which isn’t like me.  Though I do appreciate the female body, and all its parts, I specifically like them on MY WIFE, and find it very rude when people talk about them in public.  So my password was definitely hacked.  And trust me, I use very secure passwords.

So I decided that, in all probability, this post is justified.  Here are a few ways to make (and keep) all of your online accounts secure.

1. Don’t “Keep me logged in”.  EVER.  Most sites have the ability to do that these days, which could be very convenient.  It uses cookies on your system that “remembers” your username and password and the fact that you’re logged in, so the next time you connect it automatically takes you into your account.  The problem is, many people tick that box out of habit, and then they tick it at work, at school, at a friend’s house, etc.  Quite a few people have found their Facebook statuses changed to “I’m gay” because of this…
2. Always log out.  This is just an extension of the first tip.  If you are no longer logged in, people can’t gain access to your account to manually reset your password or change anything.
3. Don’t use the “Log in using Facebook / Twitter / Google / Whatever” feature.  Many websites allow you to log into their own sites using your social networks’ login details, saving you the trouble of creating yet another account (9gag.com, for example, does this).  But this is a big security risk.  Do you really know who the people at the other end are?  Or how secure their server is?  You can never be too safe.
4. Create a secure password.  Make your password as long as you can, with a combination of letters, numbers, and other characters.  This doesn’t have to be as complicated as it sounds.  You can take a word or phrase and make some subtle changes to it.  For example, let’s say you use the phrase “Lourens is an awesome guy” (yes, I know, I’m incredibly humble).  Change that slightly and make it “l0ur3n5!5@n@w3s0m3guy”.  There’s a 21-character password that won’t be too difficult to remember, but a nightmare to hack!
5. Remember that no password is ever 100% secure, so change it regularly.  How regularly?  That depends.  My previous Facebook password was 16 characters long and very strong, a combination of letters, numbers and characters.  It was hacked after about 12 months.  So don’t EVER think that you’re safe!  The hackers are always working, so to quote Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody: “Constant Vigilance!!”

There you go.  Five very simple steps to keep your online accounts and profiles safe and private.  A secure password is the first step to a secure online presence.  Make sure that you’re safe!

Until next time, BE the miracle.

Ridiculous Apple Lawsuits?

I don’t know about you guys, but I am starting to find Apple’s lawsuits ridiculous.
No, I’m not dissing the iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac, or iAnything.  They are all good products, if possibly a bit overpriced (and in some cases slightly impractical in South Africa).
For those who don’t know, let me share a bit of background.  Apple as a company are notorious for their lawsuits.  And I mean they’re notorious even by American standards (and that’s saying something).  Back in the days of the big PC boom (almost 30 years ago) this all started when Apple sued Microsoft for “stealing their design” (the graphic user interface and mouse), but in fact both Apple and Microsoft got those ideas from Xerox, who designed it.  Later Apple changed their approach and sued Microsoft for stealing their GUI design and violating their working agreement (because Microsoft had secretly been developing Windows).
This just carried on and on and on.  Some of the companies in Apple’s list of targets over the years include AT&T, Apple Corps (a record label founded by the Beatles), Cisco, New York City (“The Big Apple” – yes I’m serious!!), Woolworths, Amazon, Hewlett-Packard, eMachines, HTC, and most recently Samsung.
Over the last few months some people have even been saying that Apple can’t come up with any original ideas anymore, so they decided to rather start making money through lawsuits.  Though it’s usually said as a joke, I’m afraid that there is an undertone of “it’s not impossible” in there somewhere.  Let’s face it, they haven’t really come up with anything exciting since Steve Jobs’ death.
Yes, I understand that Apple Inc. is known as an aggressive protector of its intellectual property rights.  But could there be a fine line between intellectual property and craziness?  The internet is full of jokes about the subject these days.  This just proves how ridiculous it has become.
I will end off today’s post with some of my favourite “Apple Lawsuit Memes”.  Enjoy!


And one of the bests, that’s a bit to big to post here: http://9gag.com/gag/5250310

Anti-Social Networking?

No, my post title doesn’t mean being against social networking, though I may indeed be turning against it more and more.
The title refers to the possibility that social networks are actually making us less and less social.  Hence, “Anti-Social Networking”.
Let me go back to what got me to this point.  You see, recently my wife and I had the privilege of going out to a restaurant with some dear friends of ours.  As we were enjoying our meal, I started to notice how many times one of our friends took out her phone to type something on it.  It eventually got to the point where we would be in the middle of a conversation, and she would take her phone and go into an almost comatose state, responding with “hmmm” and “uhu” where appropriate, but with no other form of response.  Not laughing at jokes, not responding to questions… Nothing.  Just staring at her screen and typing.
It turned out that she was chatting to another friend of hers over an instant messaging service that’s very popular in South Africa but won’t be mentioned here.
As I noticed this, I looked around and started noticing other people at other tables with similar problems.  The only difference is that most of them didn’t notice that there was a problem, because at most of those tables, all of the people were doing exactly the same thing.
This reminded me of some wise words I once heard (I can’t remember who said them so I don’t know who to credit): “Wherever you are, BE THERE.”  My friend was with us in a restaurant, but at the same time she was really with another friend of hers somewhere else.  Which begs the question, why not rather go out with THAT friend then?  With this in mind, is it any wonder that some restaurants are starting to offer substantial discounts to people who are willing to leave their mobile phones at reception?
My theory is that social networks (especially those that have, or primarily are, instant messaging services) may actually be making us LESS social.  So what can we do about that?
Well, first of all, I recently switched to another phone.  Still a smartphone, which makes life much easier for me.  But not the smartphone that I used to use.  The old one made addictive instant messaging way to simple.  I’m done with that.  It was a conscious decision that I plan to follow through with.  Secondly, I have decided to always be where I am.  Unless I’m expecting something important, I won’t even answer a call when I’m socializing.  Yes, my phone will be on and I will see who it is, and if it could be important I will ask if I may be excused for one moment.  But if it isn’t important, then I will just let it go to voicemail and phone back later.  It’s just common decency.
I think we can all do well to remember the basic manners that we learned about communication, and apply those same rules to phones and social media.  When you are busy with a conversation, don’t let someone else cut in.  Focus on the person you are with and nobody else.  They deserve your attention since they are taking the time to be with you.
So what are your thoughts?  Am I right, or am I way out of line here?  Speak to me.

How to Solve 90% of BlackBerry Problems

As I’ve stated many times before, I’m a high school computer technology teacher.  In South Africa, BlackBerry is currently the most awesome thing among most teenagers.  Having been a BlackBerry user since before it was mainstream (yes, I could be a hipster if I wanted to!) I know quite a bit about the phone and its inner workings.  So when the kids come to me with BlackBerry issues, I can almost always get it sorted out one way or another.  This often makes me seem more awesome than I actually am (though I truly am awesome, I don’t deny it!)

I have found that most BlackBerry issues (including the cases where the phone is stuck in a reboot cycle and won’t finish, or sometimes won’t even come on at all) can be solved simply by updating the firmware.  This sounds extremely difficult, and many technicians will have you believe that it is, since they will charge you around R300 or more to do it, and then you will have to “send in your phone” for around 2 weeks.  But in reality I regularly do it for the kids at school, it takes me no more than an hour, and I usually don’t even charge them a cent.  No specialist equipment required.  And this is how I do it:

First, here’s what you need:

1. A PC.  I have a quad core gamer’s PC running Windows 7 Ultimate, but it works just as well on my laptop running a Celeron CPU and Windows 7 Home Basic.  So you don’t need a powerhouse.
2. Your BlackBerry phone’s USB cable.  You get this with your phone, but it’s pretty standard these days.
3. An internet connection.  I have an uncapped connection at home, but you should make sure that you have at least about 250MB of data available (you will probably need less, though).
4. The BlackBerry Desktop Software (can be downloaded here; at present it’s around 120MB).  If you have an older BlackBerry you may have the software on your phone’s SD Card or a CD that you got with it, but newer versions don’t come with the software included, and I would recommend rather getting the latest software anyway.

Before we begin, let me just state that if you choose to follow these instructions, you do so at your own risk, and I take no responsibility for any damages or losses incurred, blah blah blah.  You know the story.

FIX NUMBER ONE:

So once you have everything that you need, it’s time to get going.  First, connect your phone to the PC using the USB cable, and make sure that you are connected to the internet.  Then you can fire up the BlackBerry Desktop Software.

Now you have to give your PC some time.  Though the software opens fairly quickly, it’s going to take a while to detect and properly install and configure your phone.  I suggest that you go and make a cup of coffee or something. 

You will know that it’s ready when you click on the “Device” menu at the top and the “Update” option is available:

Go ahead and click on “Update”.  The software will go online and search for updates to the operating system itself.  If it finds an update, it will give you the opportunity to install it (it will backup all of your data first and restore it after the update is complete; the entire process should take around 1 hour).  If there are no updates available, you will see the following screen:

At this point it’s your choice if you want to enter your email address.  I’ve done it before, but I’ve never been informed of any updates, so it’s probably a waste of time.  I might be wrong.  The important thing, though, is to click on “View other versions”.  That will open a screen similar to this:

If you keep the “currently installed” version selected, and click on “Install”, it won’t update anything, but it will still backup all of your data and reinstall your current operating system, effectively solving many software-related issues, including the “not booting up” problem.

FIX NUMBER TWO:

There’s another less drastic thing that could be done to solve some (less major) issues: an application update.  Usually you will be notified by BlackBerry App World when updates to your normal apps are available.  But sometimes you have non-App World apps installed, or your Core Applications may need an update.  If that is the case, again fire up Desktop Software with your phone connected to the PC and with an active internet connection.  Then go to the top left of the screen and click on “Applications”.  After a few minutes you will see a screen that looks something like this:

In this screen you can see that the BlackBerry 6.0.0 Core Applications component had an update available (indicated by the red star, and also in “Application Summary” at the bottom of the screen).  So when you click “Apply” it will download the update from the internet and install it on your phone.  This solves many issues, including the “Your phone is in need of a BlackBerry Identity update” message.  After you run this, you shouldn’t have that problem anymore!

Well, boys and girls, I hope I helped someone here today.  Now that I made this information available for free, I will be charging to provide this service, and it will take 2 weeks, so learners of Primrose High, be warned!

Anyway, until next time, be blessed!

Awesome Windows 7 Password Hack

First of all, my disclaimer: THIS IS SPECIFICALLY MEANT TO GIVE YOU ACCESS TO A PC THAT YOU LEGALLY HAVE A RIGHT TO ACCESS BUT SOMEHOW GOT LOCKED OUT OF, AND NOT INTENDED TO BE USED FOR ANY ILLEGAL PURPOSES WHATSOEVER.

Right, now that's out of the way.  I am currently a full-time high school computer technology teacher.  And as I'm sure all the other computer technology teachers around the world would agree, you always have a few learners who just want to see the world burn.  They will do whatever they can to hack the administrator password, and occasionally, they will manage to do it and you as the teacher will be locked out.

Maybe you are one of us.  Or maybe you just lost access to your PC through some other means.  But either way, if you are reading this, chances are that you managed to get locked out of your Windows system and you need to "hack the password".  So here's a nice little trick that I discovered recently:

1. Get Linux.  Yes, I know this could take some time, but even a very small version of Linux will work.  You get some that are smaller than 100MB, a rather fast download, but then you will need to know Linux' command prompt in order to do what you have to do.  But even the regular CD-ROM version of Ubuntu will be perfect, and it will at least have a graphical interface to help you get around.  So go and download any Linux ISO.  Here are links to some of them:  Ubuntu     Linux Mint     Damn Small Linux
2. Make your ISO usable.  You do this by either burning it to a CD / DVD, or by making a bootable installation flash drive using UNetbootin.
3. Now make sure that the disc is in the drive, or your USB flash drive is connected to a USB port, and reboot.  Enter your BIOS (usually using "DEL" or "F2") and set your PC to boot FIRST from the appropriate device (CD / DVD or USB).  Then save your settings and exit.
4. As soon as the system boots up, you should see a menu with a few options, including something similar to "Install" and "Run from CD".  Choose the option that allows you to run Linux without installing it first.
5. When you are presented with a Linux desktop, open the file manager (in Linux Mint, there's an icon called "Computer" on the desktop).  Then open the PC's main hard drive, and navigate to the Windows\System32 folder.
6. Now copy the cmd.exe file to your desktop.
7. Find the file called "sethc.exe" and rename it to anything else (just to make a backup).
8. Now go to the "cmd.exe" on your desktop and rename it to "sethc.exe", and COPY (NOT CUT) the renamed file to the System32 folder.
9. Now (still in System32) find the file called "Utilman.exe" and rename it to anything else (again, to create a backup).
10. Now go back to the renamed cmd.exe on your desktop and rename it again, this time to "Utilman.exe" and copy it to System32.
11. Now reboot your computer and remove the disc, making sure that you boot to the Windows 7 drive.
12. As soon as you are presented with the Login screen, press Windows Key + U.  Normally this would open up the Accessibility Options screen, but that has now been replaced with an Administrator-level command prompt!
13. In the command prompt window, type the following: net user accountname * (obviously replacing "accountname" with whatever the account's name is).
14. You will be asked for a password.  Type the password (no nothing will appear on the screen) and press enter.  Re-enter the password and press enter again.
15. Close the command prompt and login with the new password, and voila!  You are back in Windows.  You can now go back into Linux and delete the changed sethc.exe and Utilman.exe, if you want to, but if you never use accessibility options, why bother?

To see a video of how it's done, feel free to check my YouTube channel.

Happy hacking! ;-)

Windows Essentials 2012 Released

Mere months before the release of Windows 8, Microsoft recently released Windows Essentials 2012 (previously known as "Windows Live Essentials").

All in all it's more of the same; no big changes that I noticed, except for Live Mail loading a bit faster (which is a good thing!).

The full package includes Mail, Messenger, Writer, Family Safety, Photo Gallery and Movie Maker, as well as new addition, Microsoft SkyDrive.

All in all a fairly useful download and not a total waste of time.  If you use any of the Essentials applications, you will probably be glad you downloaded it.  But if you aren't currently a user of any Live Essentials applications, then maybe you should skip this download.  In all likelihood you won't miss it.

For more details, click here.

Or if you want to download it directly, click here for the web based installer, or alternatively click here for the offline installer (full installation package).

ZorinOS Revealed…

In a previous post I promised that I would review ZorinOS.  For those who missed it and are to lazy to go back and read it, or for those who forgot about it, let me explain it again quickly.  ZorinOS is a Linux operating system, which is distributed free of charge.  It’s built on Ubuntu, which is probably the most popular Linux distribution out there.  The Core Edition is distributed free of charge, but there are also Multimedia, Gaming, and Ultimate Editions available to purchase.  ZorinOS claims to have Windows-like interfaces and good Windows compatibility, as well as being faster than Ubuntu.  Well, thanks to one of my students I finally got my hands on ZorinOS 4 Core Edition, and as promised, here are my thoughts.

My overall first impression was good.  I installed it in a dual-boot configuration with Windows 7.  The installation itself was virtually painless; my only complaint is that the partitioning section could be a bit complicated for new users (even the Wizard interface can easily overwrite your other OS accidentally if you’re not careful).

I was very impressed when Zorin booted up and, after logging in, I saw what could easily be mistaken for Windows 7:

The desktop, the “Start Menu”, even the Control Panel, were all so similar to Windows 7 that someone who’s used to working in Windows 7 will be able to work with ZorinOS very easily.

ZorinOS also comes with the “Look Changer”, which is used to change the interface.  The Core Edition comes with interfaces that makes ZorinOS look like Windows 7, Windows XP, or the more “Linuxey” GNOME interface that Ubuntu uses by default.  The other editions also have other interfaces to choose from, such as a MacOSX Interface.

Even the Windows XP interface looks very realistic:

I was also very impressed with the software included with ZorinOS.  It includes most of what Ubuntu offers – OpenOffice.org, the JukeBox Music Player, etc.  But it comes with the Google Chrome browser by default instead of Mozilla Firefox, which would be a good thing for most people, but I personally prefer Firefox over Chrome.  Luckily there’s the built-in Browser Changer which can easily install another browser if you aren’t satisfied.  ZorinOS also comes with all of the codecs and software needed to play MP3’s, DVD’s and other media files, which is one thing that I always felt was missing from Ubuntu.  (And before my Ubuntu-fan friends complain about that statement, yes, I know why support for those things were left out, but in a world where PC’s are used more and more to watch DVD’s and listen to MP3’s, I find it very absurd that an OS should ship without support for it.)  In other words, just like Windows 7, ZorinOS just works straight out of the box.  With Ubuntu I always had to download about 500MB’s software just to do the things I wanted to do; not so with ZorinOS.

The claims about being very Windows compatible… Well, yes and no.  The Windows compatibility relies on two things – WINE (the Windows compatibility layer for Linux – it’s “NOT an emulator”), and the PlayOnLinux system (which also uses WINE).  So in theory there’s nothing that you can run in Zorin that you can’t run in Ubuntu if you manually install WINE and PlayOnLinux (it’s installed by default in ZorinOS); however, I find that WINE is configured better in ZorinOS.  I managed to install and run Microsoft Office 2007, for example, without changing any settings:

But having said that, it isn’t perfect.  I had some problems installing Office 2010, Paint Shop Pro, E-Sword, and a few games.  But that’s where PlayOnLinux comes in – I was able to get Far Cry 2 running perfectly, but only after PlayOnLinux downloaded about 300MB of extra files from the internet.  After that I had a 13fps improvement over Windows 7, which is awesome.  But still, if I have to download 300MB of data from the internet every time I try to install Windows software, my internet cap simply won’t last.

Concerning the claims about being faster than Ubuntu – It booted almost 5 seconds faster than Ubuntu 10.10 on my PC, and most software also loads faster.

So in conclusion: For Windows users who want to move to Linux for whatever reason, whether it’s because Linux is free, or because they want more stability or power, or just want to try something new, ZorinOS 4 is the perfect Linux distro to go for.  For die-hard Linux fans, ZorinOS is still as good as any other version of Linux.  It’s 100% pure Ubuntu under the hood, and the good old Terminal is just a mouse-click away.  But it’s still lacking in the compatibility department, and in a world where PC games are overwhelmingly Windows-based, that’s a bit of a problem.  But even in that area, I’ve had fewer problems installing Windows games in ZorinOS than in any other distribution of Linux.  In my opinion, and for my purposes, ZorinOS 4 is the most perfect Linux ever; and that’s not just because it looks like Windows.  I’ll be watching this one with interest!

Lourens, out.

Over-Rated Technology Rant

I apologize for my intermittent posts the last few months; I've been really busy trying to find my feet in my new job.

Today I want to rant a bit about what I feel is the most over-rated and overpriced piece of technology ever. I am talking, of course, about the Tablet PC.

I mean, honestly. What makes a Tablet so awesome? I don't think a tablet can do anything that can't be done on another device just as well, or even better, and usually with more style.

For example, what can you do on an iPad that I can't do on my BlackBerry? My Berry can send and receive e-mails, browse the web, play music, take photos, show movies, and open and edit Office documents, just like a tablet. But even more, my Berry can also make and receive calls, send messages, and fit in my pocket, all of it at a fraction of the price of a Tablet.

So my question is this: Why are tablets so popular then? Could someone please explain it to me? The discussion is open. Feel free to comment.

Lourens, out.

My Frequent Web Stops

I know, I know. I'm really not living up to my early blogging promises, am I? My sincerest apologies. But, here I am.

Now, unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on a working copy of ZorinOS yet, and due to my new teaching career I really didn't focus as much on migrating to Ubuntu as I planned. So don't expect a discussion on any of those subjects yet. Rather, in this post, I would like to share some of my favorite on-line places with you.

Firstly, there's Facebook. Obviously I don't really need to say much about it. I know, their privacy and security features are notoriously pathetic. But hey, none of that has ever affected me before. I find that Facebook is a great place to find old friends, and an even greater place to maintain some form of communication with people that are far away or that I just can't reach regularly in any other way in these rushed times. Yes, I'm addicted to Facebook. So sue me.

Secondly, there's Weather24. A very informative, though sometimes completely inaccurate, weather service. And I can access it from my BlackBerry, which definitely gives it Brownie Points.

Thirdly, theres PCMech. In their own words, "Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On". An awesome resource of IT and computer-related news and tips. They even inspire some of my own blog posts. I'm subscribed to their weekly newsletter, so I can get all the PCMech goodness in my inbox.

There are also quite a few blogs that I love to visit, some of them purely for entertainment purposes, and others for their intellectual or spiritual content:

• Blog of Ice: This blog belongs to my oldest friend and his wife (oldest not by age, but simply because we've been friends the longest, since 1st grade). They emigrated from South Africa to Sweden a few years ago, and this blog lists their interesting (and often humorous) experiences.
• Me, Myself and I: A blog by a very sweet person. She's sharing her struggles with Dissociative Identity Disorder (previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder), and the healing process that she has to go through to deal with all of the abuse she went through in her childhood. A very thought-provoking (and often tear-inducing) read.
• Purple Black and Blue: Another blog by an old High School friend of mine. It's about abuse, all kinds of abuse, and ways to fight it. Very interesting thoughts and facts, and a good read for anyone, especially those of us with children.
• 4 Seisoene: Mostly an Afrikaans blog, but with some very creative and inspiring thoughts by another old school friend of mine. Highly recommended as a light but uplifting read.
• Life and Times of Jaco the Wizard: He describes me as being "...the proverbial band-camp IT geek". Very appropriate, since we really got to know each other in our High School Marching Band. Jaco (a.k.a. The Wizard) is very passionate about photography, and he shows off some of his work on this site, as well as sharing some humorous and thought-provoking insights.

I hope you will get as much out of these pages as I do. If you have any recommendations, please leave a comment...

Lourens, out.

The Return of the Penguin

I apologize for my absence of almost 3 months. The truth is that very little has been happening IT-wise that I felt worth discussing. But today is different...

According to several rumors (some of them from very reliable sources, but please don't quote me on any of this since I'm not to be held responsible for any false information, I'm just telling it as I hear it), Microsoft isn't doing as well as expected. Some of these rumors state that there is a lack of confidence in Microsoft's current CEO, Steve Ballmer, even from within Microsoft's own staff. Even worse, some rumors say that Windows 7 isn't selling as well as Microsoft estimated, and even that they went so far as to lie about these sales figures to the public. Not exactly painting a pretty picture, is it?

But a cold hard fact is that Windows XP will officially be showing its age this year (it is, after all, 10 years old). You see, several new technologies will be emerging this year, including USB 3.0 and the ability to access hard drives over 3TB in capacity. These are major advances. And none of these technologies will be supported in Windows XP. Despite this fact, web statistics show that at November 2010, a whopping 47% of computer users were still running XP (compared to the second highest number, 28.5% of people running Windows 7).

People have two options - Either they have to upgrade to Windows 7, or they have to migrate to another OS. I personally support both options.

Firstly, let me make plain once again that I am a big fan of Windows 7. If you look at some of my previous posts you will see that I am quite impressed with many of the changes that Microsoft made to their software and business approaches in the last year and a half. And I stick by that - really, I'm all for buying a Windows 7 license.

But I also have to admit that the other option is starting to look better and better each day. When it comes to migrating to another OS, I wholeheartedly recommend going for Ubuntu.

I won't be going into detail now, since I already did a review of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS in a previous post. However, let me just mention that I'm running the above-mentioned version of Ubuntu alongside my Windows 7 installation, and I find myself booting into Ubuntu more and more often, and less and less into Windows. I'm basically only using Windows for gaming right now.

The reason why I recommend Ubuntu over other distributions of Linux? Thank you for asking. Well, there are various reasons, among others:

1. Ubuntu is probably the most popular Linux distribution.
2. Ubuntu is very user-friendly.
3. The learning curve for someone migrating from Windows isn't that complicated.
4. It's a very stable, fast, and well-supported operating system.

However, another Linux distribution has recently come to my attention. It's called Zorin OS.

Zorin OS is based on Ubuntu, so it has the same support and stability levels. But it is optimized for people migrating from other operating systems. It claims to have better Windows compatibility, even claiming to play many Windows games faster and better than Windows itself. And it includes a way to change its user interface so that it can look and function exactly like Windows XP, Windows 7, MacOS, and others. Sounds impressive indeed...

I will be looking into Zorin OS in the next few weeks, and I will post my findings as soon as I have them. I am also planning to explain the process of migrating from Windows to Linux in more detail soon, so for those of you who are interested, check back soon. But for those of you who are sticking with Windows, don't worry, I'm not planning on abandoning the system completely. This blog is, after all, not dedicated to Linux but to IT in general.

So until next time, be blessed.

Lourens, out.

The Net Stole My Identity

Please forgive me; today I’m going to be a bit more philosophical, rather than looking at technical stuff.  It happens to me once in a while; I start thinking too deeply, fall into a few hours of intense pensiveness, and come up with some strange theories.  Then I take two aspirin and lie down, and a few hours later I’m fine and geeky again.  So please excuse me, this won’t last long…

In the book that I used to teach students the A+ Computer Technician’s course, the author at some point made the statement that “If you’re not on the net, you don’t exist.”  With that statement he implied that you had to have some form of online identity in order to “truly be someone”.

That reminded me of the Sandra Bullock movie, “The Net”, about a woman whose entire life was deleted from the “system”.  Suddenly nobody knew her, everyone thought she was someone else, because that’s what the computer said.  Her total identity was caught up in the bits and bytes floating around Cyberspace.  So I started wondering how true this is these days.

I know identity theft to the extent of “The Net” is still a bit extreme; in lovely South Africa, at least, a problem like that would be sorted out with an affidavit, a few Rands, and about 72 hours spent in line at Home Affairs.  But, I wondered, what about the statement that you’re a nobody if you don’t have some form of online identity?

Well, in all honesty, I think it’s nonsense.  I recently started searching the internet for one specific guy.  He is one of South Africa’s most successful businessmen.  He is also a committed family man and very actively involved in charity.  And yet very few people even know who he is.  He is brilliant enough at business to stay in the background, benefiting from the business financially, but not even being seen by most people.  The point is, apart from a few isolated interviews, Google couldn’t help me at all.  He doesn’t have a Facebook profile, he’s not on MySpace (and even if he was, I would doubt that it was actually him), not on Twitter, he doesn’t have a blog (though I would read it if he did), a web site, or anything.  He is on LinkedIn, though, but apparently not very active (he doesn’t have any contacts and doesn’t answer messages).  And yet this guy is one of THE jet-setters in South Africa.  He is known to have contact with guys like Allan Knott-Craig (former CEO of Vodacom) and Ruben September (former CEO of Telkom).  He is notorious as a family man.  And yet, online, NOTHING.  Obviously he isn’t too dependent on his “online identity”…

Which leads to the next question – do we really need technology, and specifically information technology, as much as we think we do?  I’d like to hear your thoughts.  And I may post a full article about it sometime.  But for now, the aspirin are starting to kick in and I’m starting to feel the urge to take up my Lightsaber again.  Must be getting back to normal.  So, until later then.

Lourens, out.

Browser Wars–Episode 2: The IE Strikes Back

Look, I know that, when it comes to browsers, I’m dealing with a lot of very passionate people.  Most of us have one browser that we support very passionately.  I seem to be the exception, moving from one browser to the other as I get irritated with some feature of my previous one.  However, for the most part, I use Firefox.

But that might be changing soon.  Last week I downloaded and installed the beta of Internet Explorer 9 on my Windows 7 x64 system.  (Just so you know, the IE9 that I tested in one of my previous posts was just a limited demo, not a fully-fledged Beta.)

All I can say is “wow”.  It really seems like the Empire (aka Microsoft) are trying to win this war with a perfect score.  And with IE9, I think it’s completely possible that they will.

After installing and firing it up, my first thought was “Wow, it’s here already?”  Loading in a mere 3 seconds (compared to Firefox’s 5 seconds) is quite the achievement for IE.  My second thought was “These guys are definitely taking a few hints from Google chrome”.  It has a very clean, Chrome-like interface, though in my opinion, IE9 is prettier, sporting the Apple-like polish and sparkle.

But looks aren’t everything.  So I decided to test one of the greatest things that plagued previous tabbed versions of IE: the painfully long wait while tabs are opened.  Well, I clicked the “new tab” option and, voila!  The tab opened instantly.  And not only did it open, it had an automatically-generated list of the sites that I visit most often (just like Speed Dial, but automatic)!

Security was another thing that plagued IE6 and, to a lesser extent, 7.  But most people agree that, since IE8, the security issues are more or less sorted out (as much as security can ever be “sorted out”, anyway).  If you keep your Windows up-to-date (you DO own a legal copy of Windows, don’t you?) you shouldn’t have any problems.

In all honesty, there are only two negative statements that I can make about IE9 at this point.  The first is that I had some slight display problems (specifically some characters overlapping one another, especially in Facebook).  But since this IS still a Beta, that is excusable, and will probably be sorted out in the final release.  The second problem is not Microsoft’s fault or IE-related at all – it’s the problem with Adobe Flash Player’s x64-support.  Getting any Flash-based content to work in Internet Explorer x64 is a royal pain.  But I finally managed to get it working using the beta of Adobe’s Flash Player code-named “Square”.

So why exactly do I think IE might win the browser wars?  Well, Internet Explorer is already the browser that most people use (granted, often simply because they don’t know that there are others out there, and IE is included in Windows in most countries).  Those that don’t use IE use other browsers for the following reasons:

1. There is some aspect of IE that they hate (that was my reason).
2. They use an operating system other than Windows.

Well, as far as reason 1 is concerned, with so many of the problems ironed out, I just don’t think I’ll ever go through the trouble of installing another browser again, when I already have an excellent one included in Windows.

The users of Apple, Linux, and other non-MS operating systems – well, IE9 probably won’t have much of an impact on your browsing experience.

But don’t take my word for any of this – go ahead and try IE9 for yourself.  You can download it here: x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit).  After using it for a few days, please feel free to comment.  I’d love to hear your opinions (as long as you agree with me!  Nah, just kidding…)

So, for now, happy browsing!

Lourens, out.