Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Backup Strategy
The past couple of days have been bad mojo for a couple of friends. Each had PC problems. The common themes were serious hard drive problems, running Windows, and no recent data backups. (Note, as you follow this article note that the exact same problems could happen to Mac users).
This got me to thinking that nobody (or almost nobody) consistently backs up their computer data although we all know that it is the right thing to. Needless to say these friends are much more interested in backing up in the future. They have good intentions but only time will tell if they will follow up.
Personally, my backup strategy has evolved and changed over time. I admit that although I consistently back up, it is not on a regular and set schedule.
Here are my personal tips for an individual backup:
1. As business consultant my clients all follow a rigorous and consistent backup strategy. Failure to have backup data can have a disastrous affect on business. I know of no business that has never had to restore at one time or another from backed up data. This despite hundreds of thousands (and in some case millions of dollars) invested in data redundancy and backup technology. Of course when there is so much money involved it is easy to designate people and resources specifically to backup.
2. First, chouse a couple of backup methods that are reasonable and doable. Backing up a 60+GB hard drive can take a couple of hours even with good hardware and software. This will not encourage you to do a full backup of your personal computer every day.
3. Rotate your backup. The first mistake many people make is to copy (or backup their data) over their current backup. If you only have two hard drives and back up one to another, be assured that a hardware failure (or computer crashing power spike) will occur during your backup, corrupting both copies. Another common problem is a virus of other software problem corrupting the main files which are then copy over to the backup.
A better strategy is to rotate your backups. For example, for backup A copy from your main computer to another hard drive (possibly an external drive or other PC). The next backup (backup B), back up to different hardware. This way if something goes wrong during the backup, you still have the untouched previous backup.
4. CD or DVD backups. Do partial backups to removal non-electronic media (such as CDs or DVDs). CDs are dirt cheap now days. Although now considered small at 700+mb, this used to be considered a large amount of data. If you consider your really important day to day data you will find the majority of it or at least a good chunk will fit on a single CD.
5. Segregate you files/data so that it is in easily written chunks. Most people will find that their “current data” like current letters, e-mails, photos, music will fit onto a single or couple of CDs. I suggest that you design the way you store your data on your computer to not allow folders to exceed one CD in size. This will encourage you to backup the data to an easy to use removable media such as CD.
A common complaint I hear about backing up data is that the user has too much data to fit on a single CD or even DVD. Here is my recommendation. Take advantage that this year is coming to an end. Develop a method to back up your entire computer’s data/programs. Ensure that this is done by year end. Before the start of the new year make a folder filing setup that allows you to put new and only new documents into separate files.
For Windows users: Back up you whole computer. Move all files in your “My Documents” folder to a separate folder. This should leave you with an empty My Document folder. Create new sub-folders underneath your My Documents folder for different types of data. Make sure all new data files you create are saved into a folder underneath My Documents. Now you only have to backup the My Document folder to have the piece of mind that your data is backed up.
Mac users: Do the same underneath you Documents folder.
All users should regularly check that no single folder is getting larger than their preferred removable media size. In my case I like CDs because they are cheap and very easy and fast to burn. I do not let single types of data items (such as my Letters folder) to get bigger than a CD.
6. Have multiple backup methods. I like to use an external hard drive for full backups. This relatively expensive method is the easiest and fastest method to backup. But I believe it is the least reliable in terms of durability and potential theft (of the entire external hard drive). How many of you lock or secure your external drives somewhere different from you computer? My second favorite method is CDs. As I have mentioned these are extremely cheap and durable. It is also efficient to make multiple copies (maybe to store one offsite). Finally, occasionally I burn DVD backups. This is for very large data (like my music library) that would take too many CDs to put on removable media. My only problem with DVD burning is that is still a relatively slow process. I have also found that data that grows past the CD 700mb range somehow easily gets past the 4+GB of a DVD.
7. Do not exclusively rely on backup/synchronization programs. While many of these program are efficient and easy to use, they introduce the potential for software errors. I recommend that you use one of these programs for your full backup (or computer cloning) operation. Then use a simple file copy scheme for a secondary day to day backups. I have found even the most well-know backup program sometimes fail after operating system upgrades/revisions. It offers a lot of piece of mind to have your simple file copy backups when this happens. Also I note that many people after starting to use these automated backup programs get complacent and fail to verify that the backup is indeed good. Later they find that for some reason the program has consistently missed part of the backup or failed in some form.
I note that I do not want to cast negative aspirations on these programs. Many of the developers are some of the most conscientious software developers out there. But each computer installation has the potential to be a unique combination of hardware and software that was not tested.
Finally, an aside. A few years ago at the time I “switched” to the Mac I was speaking with a young Apple store employee in an Apple store. When I inquired about a floppy disk drive his only response was that Apple “does not believe in floppy disks and I would have to get a third party unit”. (Which I did and worked horribly in Mac OS X). I explained that many of my clients have very protected networks and almost every PC had a floppy drive. The floppy disk was the most convenient way to copy a single file (such as a MS Word document) to their computer. I asked him what a “Mac person” did. His answer was they burned a CD. I then had to explain to him how at the time (and even now) many corporate PCs do not have CD drives in them. He was dumbfounded. Fast forward to today. Almost everyone has easy electronic networking, e-mail, and USB capability (for flash drives). I can’t remember the last time I used a floppy. Curiously, many people I know (all PC users) do not take advantage of the ease and low cost of burning CDs.
This got me to thinking that nobody (or almost nobody) consistently backs up their computer data although we all know that it is the right thing to. Needless to say these friends are much more interested in backing up in the future. They have good intentions but only time will tell if they will follow up.
Personally, my backup strategy has evolved and changed over time. I admit that although I consistently back up, it is not on a regular and set schedule.
Here are my personal tips for an individual backup:
1. As business consultant my clients all follow a rigorous and consistent backup strategy. Failure to have backup data can have a disastrous affect on business. I know of no business that has never had to restore at one time or another from backed up data. This despite hundreds of thousands (and in some case millions of dollars) invested in data redundancy and backup technology. Of course when there is so much money involved it is easy to designate people and resources specifically to backup.
2. First, chouse a couple of backup methods that are reasonable and doable. Backing up a 60+GB hard drive can take a couple of hours even with good hardware and software. This will not encourage you to do a full backup of your personal computer every day.
3. Rotate your backup. The first mistake many people make is to copy (or backup their data) over their current backup. If you only have two hard drives and back up one to another, be assured that a hardware failure (or computer crashing power spike) will occur during your backup, corrupting both copies. Another common problem is a virus of other software problem corrupting the main files which are then copy over to the backup.
A better strategy is to rotate your backups. For example, for backup A copy from your main computer to another hard drive (possibly an external drive or other PC). The next backup (backup B), back up to different hardware. This way if something goes wrong during the backup, you still have the untouched previous backup.
4. CD or DVD backups. Do partial backups to removal non-electronic media (such as CDs or DVDs). CDs are dirt cheap now days. Although now considered small at 700+mb, this used to be considered a large amount of data. If you consider your really important day to day data you will find the majority of it or at least a good chunk will fit on a single CD.
5. Segregate you files/data so that it is in easily written chunks. Most people will find that their “current data” like current letters, e-mails, photos, music will fit onto a single or couple of CDs. I suggest that you design the way you store your data on your computer to not allow folders to exceed one CD in size. This will encourage you to backup the data to an easy to use removable media such as CD.
A common complaint I hear about backing up data is that the user has too much data to fit on a single CD or even DVD. Here is my recommendation. Take advantage that this year is coming to an end. Develop a method to back up your entire computer’s data/programs. Ensure that this is done by year end. Before the start of the new year make a folder filing setup that allows you to put new and only new documents into separate files.
For Windows users: Back up you whole computer. Move all files in your “My Documents” folder to a separate folder. This should leave you with an empty My Document folder. Create new sub-folders underneath your My Documents folder for different types of data. Make sure all new data files you create are saved into a folder underneath My Documents. Now you only have to backup the My Document folder to have the piece of mind that your data is backed up.
Mac users: Do the same underneath you Documents folder.
All users should regularly check that no single folder is getting larger than their preferred removable media size. In my case I like CDs because they are cheap and very easy and fast to burn. I do not let single types of data items (such as my Letters folder) to get bigger than a CD.
6. Have multiple backup methods. I like to use an external hard drive for full backups. This relatively expensive method is the easiest and fastest method to backup. But I believe it is the least reliable in terms of durability and potential theft (of the entire external hard drive). How many of you lock or secure your external drives somewhere different from you computer? My second favorite method is CDs. As I have mentioned these are extremely cheap and durable. It is also efficient to make multiple copies (maybe to store one offsite). Finally, occasionally I burn DVD backups. This is for very large data (like my music library) that would take too many CDs to put on removable media. My only problem with DVD burning is that is still a relatively slow process. I have also found that data that grows past the CD 700mb range somehow easily gets past the 4+GB of a DVD.
7. Do not exclusively rely on backup/synchronization programs. While many of these program are efficient and easy to use, they introduce the potential for software errors. I recommend that you use one of these programs for your full backup (or computer cloning) operation. Then use a simple file copy scheme for a secondary day to day backups. I have found even the most well-know backup program sometimes fail after operating system upgrades/revisions. It offers a lot of piece of mind to have your simple file copy backups when this happens. Also I note that many people after starting to use these automated backup programs get complacent and fail to verify that the backup is indeed good. Later they find that for some reason the program has consistently missed part of the backup or failed in some form.
I note that I do not want to cast negative aspirations on these programs. Many of the developers are some of the most conscientious software developers out there. But each computer installation has the potential to be a unique combination of hardware and software that was not tested.
Finally, an aside. A few years ago at the time I “switched” to the Mac I was speaking with a young Apple store employee in an Apple store. When I inquired about a floppy disk drive his only response was that Apple “does not believe in floppy disks and I would have to get a third party unit”. (Which I did and worked horribly in Mac OS X). I explained that many of my clients have very protected networks and almost every PC had a floppy drive. The floppy disk was the most convenient way to copy a single file (such as a MS Word document) to their computer. I asked him what a “Mac person” did. His answer was they burned a CD. I then had to explain to him how at the time (and even now) many corporate PCs do not have CD drives in them. He was dumbfounded. Fast forward to today. Almost everyone has easy electronic networking, e-mail, and USB capability (for flash drives). I can’t remember the last time I used a floppy. Curiously, many people I know (all PC users) do not take advantage of the ease and low cost of burning CDs.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Credit Cards and the Zero Percent Myth
A friend asked my opinion on transferring balances to one of the many 0% interest credit card offers sent to him. My answer was a resounding “hell no”. While I gave a brief analysis on my reasoning, it got me thinking about the subject.
Coincidently, I heard an article on NPR related to that very subject soon afternoon. I recommend listening to it.
I believe that the vast majority of people have great intentions regarding financial management and especially credit cards. But, unlike drug and alcohol abuse, it is easy for good citizens to get sucked into the great trap of financial debt. Unfortunately, those who have the least resources to pull out of this vicious trap are hammered by it. It is my sincere hope that this item does not apply to you.
Resources I recommend:
How They Get You: 'History of the Credit Card'A NPR interview with Frontline reporter Lowell Bergman on his Frontline PBS special on the credit card industry. This short audio article captures some of the ways the insidious 0% rate can trick you.
Secret History of the Credit Card. The Frontline article page for the PBS special on credit card companies. The video of the show will be posted in the future if you did not get a chance to see it. Be warned that the show focuses on the poor practices of the big credit card companies. The specific effects on the individual consumer is only part of the story. The TV show was somewhat less interesting than the NPR article.
Why Middle Class Mothers and Fathers are Going Broke. A excerpt from The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers And Fathers Are Going Broke,” by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi. This is an insightful perspective of how today’s couples are falling into the financial trap. Referenced because the individual story illustrated how an ordinary individual can fall into financial ruin.
Quicken financial software. If you are not already using this, try it. Besides an incredible reduction of effort in managing financial account, the most important benefit is gathering discipline in where you are spending your money. The ease of balancing checkbooks is worth the cost alone.
Coincidently, I heard an article on NPR related to that very subject soon afternoon. I recommend listening to it.
I believe that the vast majority of people have great intentions regarding financial management and especially credit cards. But, unlike drug and alcohol abuse, it is easy for good citizens to get sucked into the great trap of financial debt. Unfortunately, those who have the least resources to pull out of this vicious trap are hammered by it. It is my sincere hope that this item does not apply to you.
Resources I recommend:
Motorcycles – Like a Poor Man’s Flight
| “..there is a solitary delight unique to motorcycles, a kind of poor man’s flight” Matthew Power – from Lost Highway of the Himilaya (National Geographic Adventure |
Why Apple Design is So Seductive
Leander Kahney’s blog “Cult of Mac” has a great quote by author Paul Graham.
“I just got an iPod, and it's not just nice. It's surprisingly nice. For it to surprise me, it must be satisfying expectations I didn't know I had. No focus group is going to discover those. Only a great designer can.”
See the orginal article at Cult of Mac – Great Designers”
“I just got an iPod, and it's not just nice. It's surprisingly nice. For it to surprise me, it must be satisfying expectations I didn't know I had. No focus group is going to discover those. Only a great designer can.”
See the orginal article at Cult of Mac – Great Designers”
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Viewing DVDs on Your Laptop
Today, Walt Mossberg, the Wall Street Journal writer I respect posted an article about two new Windows-based computer that allow you to watch DVDs and listen to CDs without starting up Windows. Walt’s main premise is that you might want to do this to prevent the viewer from having access to your computer files and/or applications. See Walt’s article at Laptops Get More Entertaining
Well, I believe that Apple Mac laptops (and indeed all Macs) have a better and more elegant solution. First create a new user on your computer. This takes less than 30 seconds. Mac OS X’s fast-user switching allows you to switch from your own user to the new user very fast (and even has a cool screen effect to go with it). Now, after slipping in a DVD, the free Apple DVD Player program will start and play your DVD. The user you have set up can easily be prevented from running other applications or accessing or altering your files.
My 3 ½ year old daughter has been using her own user on my Mac for a while now without any computer problems. You still need to be aware (especially when the user is a child) of hardware issues like dropping your computer (my rule is that she is not allowed carry the computer) or liquids (my rule is no eating near the computer).
BTW. The PowerBook display is wonderful for viewing DVDs.
Well, I believe that Apple Mac laptops (and indeed all Macs) have a better and more elegant solution. First create a new user on your computer. This takes less than 30 seconds. Mac OS X’s fast-user switching allows you to switch from your own user to the new user very fast (and even has a cool screen effect to go with it). Now, after slipping in a DVD, the free Apple DVD Player program will start and play your DVD. The user you have set up can easily be prevented from running other applications or accessing or altering your files.
My 3 ½ year old daughter has been using her own user on my Mac for a while now without any computer problems. You still need to be aware (especially when the user is a child) of hardware issues like dropping your computer (my rule is that she is not allowed carry the computer) or liquids (my rule is no eating near the computer).
BTW. The PowerBook display is wonderful for viewing DVDs.
Story of Audion – Panic, Inc.
Recently I read the article about Panic software and the history of their software product, Audion. For those of us involved in software development it shares a story similar to others I have heard (usually involving Microsoft rather than Apple). The true story of audion is good read. Take a look.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Apple PowerBook (a Cultural Icon)
Have you noticed that the Apple PowerBook (generally the no longer available G4 Ti version) pops up in marketing ads for almost everything. This last week I have seen the PowerBook in print ads for carpeting, automobiles, plumbing. I have seen the PowerBook in television ads for automobile, banking, credit cards, etc. This would not be as interesting if it were not for the fact that if an ad calls for a computer it almost always will be an Apple and not a PC. In all but one case I have noticed that the Apple logo on the back of the screen is visible. In the one exception, some form of silver tape poorly covered the logo.
Interestingly, rarely is the advertisement for computer software or equipment. The most unrelated had to be the carpet. I guess the implications is that the cool people (who have Apples) will buy the carpet.
Interestingly, rarely is the advertisement for computer software or equipment. The most unrelated had to be the carpet. I guess the implications is that the cool people (who have Apples) will buy the carpet.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Ass Knockin – Heard on the podcast
As I was listening to Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code podcast today (11/11/03), one song he played brought a huge smile to my face.
To start with if you have not heard about or tried listening to this new format of podcasting, please do. I hope like me, you find a new community to learn about new ideas and especially find some great “undiscovered” or at least well known music.
Okay, so getting to the point. Why did this song generate a smile on my face. Well first the song is a real, live, rocker. WARNING: EXPLICIT LYRICS But of specific interest is that Adam Curry’s podcast which orignates out of the Netherlands was playing a song performed live by Bob Schneider right up the street in Lawrence, Kansas. Lawerence was also recently my town of residence. So finally here is the song, Ass Knockin
One great thing about podcast is finding great, original, music. Please visit Bob Schneider’s site
To start with if you have not heard about or tried listening to this new format of podcasting, please do. I hope like me, you find a new community to learn about new ideas and especially find some great “undiscovered” or at least well known music.
Okay, so getting to the point. Why did this song generate a smile on my face. Well first the song is a real, live, rocker. WARNING: EXPLICIT LYRICS But of specific interest is that Adam Curry’s podcast which orignates out of the Netherlands was playing a song performed live by Bob Schneider right up the street in Lawrence, Kansas. Lawerence was also recently my town of residence. So finally here is the song, Ass Knockin
One great thing about podcast is finding great, original, music. Please visit Bob Schneider’s site
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Bose Store – Awesome Customer Service
I visited the local Bose store today to inquire about a small problem I was having with my Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones. The salesperson replaced the headphones, no questions asked. I have been suitably impressed with the store employees and management in the past. This experience, while not unique for the Bose store, exemplifies impeccable customer care. I only wish other retailers and companies would follow suit.
Note that the replacement was "no questions asked". While the employee recognized me from previous shopping conversations, I was not asked for any information or asked to sign any exchange documentation. I also note that I have received this great level of service from several different employees in the store.
Way to go Bose Store. Highly recommended.
Note that the replacement was "no questions asked". While the employee recognized me from previous shopping conversations, I was not asked for any information or asked to sign any exchange documentation. I also note that I have received this great level of service from several different employees in the store.
Way to go Bose Store. Highly recommended.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Tip – View PDF file attachments directly in MS Exchange 2004
Well, with so many user-unfriendly items in Microsoft software I am extra pleased when I find good things to write about. Here is one.
I have standardized in sending correspondence (letter attachments) in .PDF formatted attachments to my e-mail. This ensures that the e-mail recipient can view/print my document regardless of their word processing program. More importantly, it ensures that the document will appear exactly as I intended it and cannot be modified by the recipient.
In the old Exchange program, when you received a .PDF attachment in a message, you would click on the attachment and view the .PDF with your default viewer. A new feature in Exchange 2004 displays the .PDF file along with your mail message. Multiple attachments may be viewed at one time. This new feature is useful to me as I have hundreds of saved mail messages with .PDF attachments.
Kudos to the Exchange developers for this enhancement.
Small note: This feature does not work with Word document (.doc files) that are attached to e-mails. Another reason to send via .PDF format.
I have standardized in sending correspondence (letter attachments) in .PDF formatted attachments to my e-mail. This ensures that the e-mail recipient can view/print my document regardless of their word processing program. More importantly, it ensures that the document will appear exactly as I intended it and cannot be modified by the recipient.
In the old Exchange program, when you received a .PDF attachment in a message, you would click on the attachment and view the .PDF with your default viewer. A new feature in Exchange 2004 displays the .PDF file along with your mail message. Multiple attachments may be viewed at one time. This new feature is useful to me as I have hundreds of saved mail messages with .PDF attachments.
Kudos to the Exchange developers for this enhancement.
Small note: This feature does not work with Word document (.doc files) that are attached to e-mails. Another reason to send via .PDF format.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Virtual PC Update/Windows 2000 odyssey
Well, I wanted to load the latest PC version of Palm Desktop today on my Mac to check some PC functionality. What an odyssey!
First, I started Virtual PC (VPC) and used Internet Explorer to download the latest version for Palm Desktop form Palm.com. This went well. But, when I tried to install it, first unzipping with WinZip, the installer crashed. A second try resulted in the same result.
Well, I was using version 6.0 of the VPC. This was the last version produced by Connecctix prior to Microsoft purchasing them. A long time ago Microsoft recommended that VPC 6.0 user upgrade to VPC 6.1. I resisted because I assumed that the new version was mainly an attempt for MS to re-brand the product. Well, I downloaded VPC 6.1 (on the Mac side) and installed. Although there were several steps the install went pretty much like all Mac installs, that is smoothly.
Upon restarting VPC, I was confronted with several message indicating that the current add-in (for important functionality such as drag-and-drop) where out of date, and requesting whether I wanted to reload them. Yes, and a couple of VPC restarts and I was fine. Second attempt to install Palm Desktop resulted in the installer crashing once more.
At this point I decided that I needed to check if my Windows 2000 OS needed update. A trip to the Microsoft site and execution of the Windows update check indicated that I needed 37 critical updates. Going for broke I decided to download all of them. No go, I first needed to upgrade to Window 2000 SP4 before getting the other updates (I was at SP3). Several restarts (always painfully slow with Windows) and my OS was somewhat updated. At this point I tried to install the Palm Desktop software again. Finally, success.
First, I started Virtual PC (VPC) and used Internet Explorer to download the latest version for Palm Desktop form Palm.com. This went well. But, when I tried to install it, first unzipping with WinZip, the installer crashed. A second try resulted in the same result.
Well, I was using version 6.0 of the VPC. This was the last version produced by Connecctix prior to Microsoft purchasing them. A long time ago Microsoft recommended that VPC 6.0 user upgrade to VPC 6.1. I resisted because I assumed that the new version was mainly an attempt for MS to re-brand the product. Well, I downloaded VPC 6.1 (on the Mac side) and installed. Although there were several steps the install went pretty much like all Mac installs, that is smoothly.
Upon restarting VPC, I was confronted with several message indicating that the current add-in (for important functionality such as drag-and-drop) where out of date, and requesting whether I wanted to reload them. Yes, and a couple of VPC restarts and I was fine. Second attempt to install Palm Desktop resulted in the installer crashing once more.
At this point I decided that I needed to check if my Windows 2000 OS needed update. A trip to the Microsoft site and execution of the Windows update check indicated that I needed 37 critical updates. Going for broke I decided to download all of them. No go, I first needed to upgrade to Window 2000 SP4 before getting the other updates (I was at SP3). Several restarts (always painfully slow with Windows) and my OS was somewhat updated. At this point I tried to install the Palm Desktop software again. Finally, success.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Audio Hijack
One of my must-have Mac OS X programs is Audio Hijack by Rogue Amoeba. This program allows you to record any program that plays sound on your Mac. With this program you can record Windows Media player, Quicktime, Real Player, web pages that have sound (via your selected browser), etc. This is way cool.
Note that unlike a general recording program that records anything the microphone hears or hijacks all audio output, Audio Hijack just records the sound from the application that you selected. This prevents keyboard, fans, or system sounds from being inserted into to your recording. As an aside, an interesting (and initially mind-blowing) thing about Macs is the ability to play multiple sound sources at a single time. Thus, I can be having a internet phone conversation (using Skype), listening to iTunes, and recording a Quicktime broadcast at a single time. It is seemless and satisfying in a weird way.
There are two versions of Audio Hijack (Audio Hijack and Audio Hijack Pro). The main difference is that the Pro version lets you initially save the recording in MP3 format (the regular version saves the recording in the much larger AIFF format). It is easy to convert from AIFF to MP3 using iTunes if you don’t want to pony up for the Pro version.
Like the majority of Mac software there is a trial version available.
Note that unlike a general recording program that records anything the microphone hears or hijacks all audio output, Audio Hijack just records the sound from the application that you selected. This prevents keyboard, fans, or system sounds from being inserted into to your recording. As an aside, an interesting (and initially mind-blowing) thing about Macs is the ability to play multiple sound sources at a single time. Thus, I can be having a internet phone conversation (using Skype), listening to iTunes, and recording a Quicktime broadcast at a single time. It is seemless and satisfying in a weird way.
There are two versions of Audio Hijack (Audio Hijack and Audio Hijack Pro). The main difference is that the Pro version lets you initially save the recording in MP3 format (the regular version saves the recording in the much larger AIFF format). It is easy to convert from AIFF to MP3 using iTunes if you don’t want to pony up for the Pro version.
Like the majority of Mac software there is a trial version available.
Apple Software Update Utility
Yesterday, I loaded the latest Mac OS X update from Apple. This made me think about how well this works. With Mac OS X you have the Software Update utility. This program periodically checks if updates exist for your operating system and applications. Apple uses this to inform you about available updates. Updates are regularly posted.
I have updated regularly and NEVER had a problem. This allows me to keep my software updated.
So, what is so special about this? Well, like I said, it just flat-out works! The program lets you know what the update is, allows you review what the update effects, and importantly lets you know if a restart is required. Unlike my experience with my Windows, the updates download, install, and set everything without problems. The updates are not unknowingly installed (like Windows). This allows you to delay an update if you are in the middle of a big project and do not want any of your environment to change (in case of problems). You can also manually run a software update to check for updates.
It is easy to keep you Mac current with Software Update. Another job well done by Apple.
I have updated regularly and NEVER had a problem. This allows me to keep my software updated.
So, what is so special about this? Well, like I said, it just flat-out works! The program lets you know what the update is, allows you review what the update effects, and importantly lets you know if a restart is required. Unlike my experience with my Windows, the updates download, install, and set everything without problems. The updates are not unknowingly installed (like Windows). This allows you to delay an update if you are in the middle of a big project and do not want any of your environment to change (in case of problems). You can also manually run a software update to check for updates.
It is easy to keep you Mac current with Software Update. Another job well done by Apple.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Palm Voice Memo
I am an avid user of the Palm handheld computer. My particular model is the Palm T3. One of the features of this unit is a built in voice recorder with free Palm Voice Memo application. While the quality of the recording is not very good, this is a very useful application. Basically, with the help of a built-in record button (on the left hand side of the unit) and built-in microphone you can record voice messages and other ambient sounds such as lectures.
Now, I note that several years ago dedicated digital voice recorders were all the rage. I know many people who found them useful. The limitation of most of those devices was no integration to a personal computer or any text way of tagging messages.
Rather than simple reminders, my voice notes tend to be for an archival purpose. An example is the documenting the date/time/subject of a particular phone call. The palm application is very helpful in this regard in that it automatically stores the date and time of the message recording. You are then allowed one line to add a title to the message.
Palm provides a Voice Memo app for the desktop (at least in Mac version). The desktop app is very limited in that it only allows you to edit text or delete a message. The application stores each actual memo as a .wav file. Thus, you can use other applications such as QuickTime to listen to them.
If you are like me and you carry your Palm handheld around religiously, try the Voice Mail app. I think you will find it useful too.
Now, I note that several years ago dedicated digital voice recorders were all the rage. I know many people who found them useful. The limitation of most of those devices was no integration to a personal computer or any text way of tagging messages.
Rather than simple reminders, my voice notes tend to be for an archival purpose. An example is the documenting the date/time/subject of a particular phone call. The palm application is very helpful in this regard in that it automatically stores the date and time of the message recording. You are then allowed one line to add a title to the message.
Palm provides a Voice Memo app for the desktop (at least in Mac version). The desktop app is very limited in that it only allows you to edit text or delete a message. The application stores each actual memo as a .wav file. Thus, you can use other applications such as QuickTime to listen to them.
If you are like me and you carry your Palm handheld around religiously, try the Voice Mail app. I think you will find it useful too.
Monday, November 01, 2004
Microsoft Entourage – clueless?
Well another rant on MS, this time regarding MS Entourage 2004.
I have been using Entourage, quite happily, for a long time. With the newly installed Office:Mac 2004 software I got the newest version of Entourage. Well quickly I experience the following problem (well described by a forum posting by anonther user with accompaning answer from a MS technician).
** forum clip **
> I keep getting the message, "Some pictures not shown to protect your
> privacy", with the command "Download Pictures". I have checked the box
> under Entourage Preferences to "Show attached pictures in messages" but
> they still don't show until I send the command to Download Pictures. What's
> happening?
A new security feature in Entourage 2004 blocks the display of pictures (and
other linked mail content) hosted on remote sites. Images can be loaded for
individual messages by clicking on the “Download Pictures¹ link in the
yellow message status bar. This was a huge feature request from users that
found the all embracing “All Pictures¹ or “No Pictures¹ too limiting.
There is a setting in the security section of the preferences to
automatically download pictures from recipients who are in your address
book. That should suffice for most users. If you really want to download all
images from all sources, you can put ".com", ".net", ".org" etc to your list
of safe domains in the Junk Mail Protection dialog. Then, images from all
untrustworthy sources will be downloaded.
** end forum clip **
Well this is a brain-dead solution. Yes, I want to use junk-mail protection. Yes, I want e-mail I specically open to automatically show linked images. No, I can’t do this with Entourage 2004. The solution proposed by the MS tech would result in all junk-mail being passed as good e-mail.
Does Microsoft user-test this stuff or not? Man , I can’t believe it. I am hoping for steps forward and they take steps back.
I have been using Entourage, quite happily, for a long time. With the newly installed Office:Mac 2004 software I got the newest version of Entourage. Well quickly I experience the following problem (well described by a forum posting by anonther user with accompaning answer from a MS technician).
** forum clip **
> I keep getting the message, "Some pictures not shown to protect your
> privacy", with the command "Download Pictures". I have checked the box
> under Entourage Preferences to "Show attached pictures in messages" but
> they still don't show until I send the command to Download Pictures. What's
> happening?
A new security feature in Entourage 2004 blocks the display of pictures (and
other linked mail content) hosted on remote sites. Images can be loaded for
individual messages by clicking on the “Download Pictures¹ link in the
yellow message status bar. This was a huge feature request from users that
found the all embracing “All Pictures¹ or “No Pictures¹ too limiting.
There is a setting in the security section of the preferences to
automatically download pictures from recipients who are in your address
book. That should suffice for most users. If you really want to download all
images from all sources, you can put ".com", ".net", ".org" etc to your list
of safe domains in the Junk Mail Protection dialog. Then, images from all
untrustworthy sources will be downloaded.
** end forum clip **
Well this is a brain-dead solution. Yes, I want to use junk-mail protection. Yes, I want e-mail I specically open to automatically show linked images. No, I can’t do this with Entourage 2004. The solution proposed by the MS tech would result in all junk-mail being passed as good e-mail.
Does Microsoft user-test this stuff or not? Man , I can’t believe it. I am hoping for steps forward and they take steps back.
MS Messenger Rant part 2 – Microsoft s@#K*!
I loaded my new MS Office:Mac 2004 software today. This software package includes MS Messenger. Despite my earlier travails with MS Messenger, I decided to give it one more go. I reasoned: 1. I have a registered, purchased copy of Office:Mac 2004 (as well as the previous Office:MacVx) 2: I have a working .Net passport. Given that I had just installed the full package I expected to be able to use MS Messenger. No go.
I received the same error message as I described in an earlier article: “Please verify your .Net passport account”. Well I won’t go through the whole spiel. See my earlier posting for the details. This time I searched the MS knowledgebase for help. After some wrong turns I found a knowledge base article that applied. The article contained 5 specific steps. The suggestion per article was to post MS an e-mail message. Well in trying to follow the steps I received this message:
“Microsoft .NET Passport was temporally unable to compete your request. Please try again later”.
As you can imagine, by this time, I was fed up.
The next day I tried again. I was able to send MS the requested e-mail. Now I only have to wait for a response. Some time later (and by no means timely) I received a responding message from MS. This message started with:
“First of all, please allow me to inform you that MSN online services, such as MSN Messenger, MSN Web Communities, MSN Chat etc., requires a valid e-mail address. In order for you to continue using your .NET Passport account, you will need to verify it.”
Well, duh, I believe that my mail message to MS was actually sent with my working .NET. Passport. While I changed the password in an attempt to trigger validation, the e-mail on my account never changed. And finally, the responding e-mail message was sent to the same e-mail address.
While I respect Microsoft’s engineering prowess, their customer service and user experience ranks a zero. Fortunately in the case of MS Messenger I do not need to use the software. I will use other IM software.
I received the same error message as I described in an earlier article: “Please verify your .Net passport account”. Well I won’t go through the whole spiel. See my earlier posting for the details. This time I searched the MS knowledgebase for help. After some wrong turns I found a knowledge base article that applied. The article contained 5 specific steps. The suggestion per article was to post MS an e-mail message. Well in trying to follow the steps I received this message:
“Microsoft .NET Passport was temporally unable to compete your request. Please try again later”.
As you can imagine, by this time, I was fed up.
The next day I tried again. I was able to send MS the requested e-mail. Now I only have to wait for a response. Some time later (and by no means timely) I received a responding message from MS. This message started with:
“First of all, please allow me to inform you that MSN online services, such as MSN Messenger, MSN Web Communities, MSN Chat etc., requires a valid e-mail address. In order for you to continue using your .NET Passport account, you will need to verify it.”
Well, duh, I believe that my mail message to MS was actually sent with my working .NET. Passport. While I changed the password in an attempt to trigger validation, the e-mail on my account never changed. And finally, the responding e-mail message was sent to the same e-mail address.
While I respect Microsoft’s engineering prowess, their customer service and user experience ranks a zero. Fortunately in the case of MS Messenger I do not need to use the software. I will use other IM software.
