Friday 16 May 2008 23:16
For a while, it seemed like Linux was going to claim as its own the budget PC niche, with its adoption in products like the very successful Asus Eee PC. But newer Eee models are going to be offered with Windows as well. More worryingly, Windows is going to be used on the One Laptop Per Child, the so-called "$100 PC." Windows has apparently been demanded by some countries interested in buying the machine, on the grounds that it will enable students to learn marketable technology skills. I think it is a short-sighted move. Read more...
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Friday 29 February 2008 17:50
One month ago I posted on why I'm switching to Linux. One month on, and I'm still using it. In fact, all the Tech-Pro.net computers are now running Linux, which was a surprising development and not part of the original plan. True, I have Windows Vista installed in an emulator under Linux for software testing, and I'll probably set up a similar virtual machine to run XP. That's mainly because the business we're in means we still need Windows. But I haven't found any really compelling reason to use Windows for ordinary day to day work. Read more...
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Wednesday 27 February 2008 17:16
The European Union has fined Microsoft $ 1.4 billion for failing to comply with sanctions imposed on it for alleged anti-competitive behavior. I'm not a big fan of Microsoft, but this strikes even me as unfair. The EU says Microsoft is "guilty" of excluding rival products such as media players and web browsers from its operating system. This is just the kind of crazy ruling you get when you allow bureaucrats who do not understand technology and who have never had to earn a living in a competitive commercial environment to make decisions about what businesses can or cannot do. Read more...
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Friday 08 February 2008 09:59
There are five and a half million different malicious programs in circulating online, according to security test organization AV-Test, and the numbers are increasing with unprecedented speed. Most of these programs target Microsoft Windows, or software that runs on it such as the Internet Explorer web browser. Anti-virus and anti-spyware software vendors generate digital signatures and release updates daily to enable their products to detect this malware, but with so many new threats appearing it's inevitable that some slip through undetected. What are PC users to do? Read more...
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Monday 04 February 2008 10:28
Linux advocates like to boast how their operating system is superior to Microsoft's Windows. This is certainly true of one particular irritation. Linux has addressed the problem of "DLL hell" - the situation where one Windows application won't run because another more recently installed one has replaced shared dynamic link libraries with other, incompatible versions. Linux installers carry out dependency checks to prevent this kind of situation from occurring. But the result can be to make it completely impossible to install a piece of software on a particular distribution because it just won't let you. Read more...
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Thursday 31 January 2008 17:29
Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not a Microsoft hater or a Bill Gates basher. I wouldn't be where I am today without Windows. Our business would not be a success if we did not promote Windows software. And I made a living for many years writing about Windows, reviewing Windows software and helping magazine readers with their Windows computer problems in the PC Advisor magazine Helproom column. But I'm finally making the switch to Linux. Read more...
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