Practical Technology

for practical people.

October 8, 2010
by sjvn01
1 Comment

Google TV, Apple TV, & Roku’s Biggest Enemy: A lack of Internet Bandwidth

I’m sure the future of TV is on the Internet. It used to be that you needed to be an audio/visual pro to set up an Internet/TV connection . Now, Google TV, mark two of the Apple TV, and the Roku XDS make it easy for anyone to do it. Better still, on many new HDTVs and high-end DVD players, like my own Sony BDP-S570 Blu-Ray Disc Player, come with Internet video built-in.

So, which is the best? That’s a question for another day. My concern today is that for any of these to work they need a serious Internet broadband connection. You may have one today–I currently have a 20Mbps cable connection–but what happens when everyone needs one and when ISPs start placing bandwidth caps on home accounts?

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October 7, 2010
by sjvn01
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The new Ubuntu is netbook and Windows friendly

When you think of Canonical’s Ubuntu Linux, what do you think of? Well, you probably think of a smooth, easy to use desktop Linux. You also wouldn’t be surprised to know that it came designed to work and play well with netbooks. I bet you would be surprised to know though that part of it, Ubuntu One, the personal cloud service for Ubuntu users, will soon work with Android, iPhone, and Windows.

That’s exactly what Canonical is planning through for Ubuntu 10.10, which will be available for download on Sunday, October 10. I’ve already reviewed Ubuntu 10.10 and I like it a lot. Give it a try. I think you’ll like it.

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October 7, 2010
by sjvn01
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You must be at least this Secure to ride on the Internet

My friend Richi Jennings is fond of the idea that users with malware-infected PCs should be cut off from the Internet. To this, I say not just “Yes,” but “Hell yes.” And, as he pointed out, other people are getting behind this idea of helping to clean up the litter of spam, malware, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that junks up the Internet highway.

Comcast, as Jennings pointed out, will be letting imalware-nfected users know that they’ve got garbage on their hard disk, but not keeping them off the net. Darn it.

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October 6, 2010
by sjvn01
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Microsoft’s coming heart-attack moment

I’ve been saying for a while now, ever since it became clear just how dreadful Vista was going to be, that Microsoft was starting its long, slow decline. Now, others are jumping on the dump-on-Microsoft bandwagon.

Most damning of all, Goldman Sachs has downgraded Microsoft from “buy” to “neutral,” spit on the company’s feeble mobile computing efforts and suggested that Microsoft divide itself into consumer and enterprise divisions .

It couldn’t happen to a nicer company — well except for Oracle. Microsoft got to the top not by delivering great products — ever — but by Bill Gates’ white-shark approach to business competition. Even after the Department of Justice slammed it with an antitrust suit, weak enforcement left Microsoft to continue on its way. It was only after Gates left on July 1, 2008, that the company started to lose its mojo.

The first mistake was picking Steve Ballmer as CEO. Ballmer was then, is now and always will be a fine business-to-business salesman. That’s it. As I write this story, in early October, Microsoft has a market cap of $206.91 billion. That’s well behind Apple’s $ 254.56 billion. If you had asked anyone in the summer of 2008 whether Apple would be worth almost $50 billion more than Microsoft, they would have laughed themselves silly. No one, least of all in Redmond, is laughing now.

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October 6, 2010
by sjvn01
4 Comments

ITworld Review: Dropbox on Linux

Dropbox is one of the most popular cloud services that lets you store, sync, and share files over the Internet. And, with some work, you can use it on your favorite Linux desktop as well.

iles on your desktop PC, your laptop, your iPhone, your … you get the idea. That’s where programs such as Dropbox come in. With these programs, you can back up your files, share them with friends, and keep all your devices in sync. Of this software class, Dropbox is especially popular.

It’s easy to understand why. Dropbox may be simple, but even your aunt Agatha who has trouble understanding the difference between what’s on her PC and what’s on the Internet can use it. Indeed, that’s part of Dropbox’s charm. From a user’s viewpoint, it just looks like another folder. It just happens to be a folder that almost any computer or device you use can access.

Unlike many such programs, Dropbox can be used with Windows, Macs, iPhones, Android-based devices, and, oh yes, Linux.

Since I use all those platforms, but mostly Linux, I really liked this idea. I’m always needing access to one file or another. Google Docs is fine for sharing the gist of word processor files and the like, but if I want to reference a PDF, I’m out of luck. Enter Dropbox.

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October 6, 2010
by sjvn01
0 comments

Take that Microsoft: IE drops below 50%

For everyone who ever thought that once Microsoft had a market by the throat that it would never lose significant market-share, I present the news that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer’s share of the world Web browser market has dropped to 49.8%. Finally!

While the Department of Justice couldn’t bust Microsoft’s Web browser monopoly even though it had won its anti-trust suit against Microsoft, open-source software is finally cracking Microsoft’s once iron-grip on Web browsers. First, Firefox, and more recently Google with its Chrome Web browser have managed to pry Microsoft’s fingers from around the users’ throat.

They did it the old-fashioned way. They delivered better products.

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