Practical Technology

for practical people.

September 17, 2009
by sjvn01
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Should you upgrade from Vista to Windows 7?

After recently writing about the ‘joys’ of upgrading from XP to Windows 7, I was mildly surprised to here from Vista users who wanted to know if they should upgrade to Windows 7. The answer is: “Probably.” Here’s are the issues you need to consider as I see them.

First, let’s get this out of the way while I’m not saying whether Vista is good or bad, “Vista was a less good product for Microsoft.” Oh, and by the way, that’s not my opinion, as someone who’s known for preferring Linux, that’s the opinion of Charles Songhurst, Microsoft’s general manager of corporate strategy. So, I don’t want to hear any whining from Microsoft fan boys about how misunderstand Vista was and how, by Vista SP2, it was actually a good operating system. It wasn’t, it still isn’t, and Microsoft knows that as well as I do.

That said, if Vista is working for you, good for you. You don’t have a reason to move to Windows 7.

But, if you’re unhappy with your Vista’s computer’s performance or you find Vista’s worst five features ticking you off, then you should switch. Personally, I find Vista’s UAC (User Account Control) as enjoyable and useful as those speed-bumps on some streets that make you slow down to five MPH or take a chance on leaving your exhaust system lying on the road behind you.

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September 17, 2009
by sjvn01
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Protecting Mom’s PC

I have a dad, who thinks he knows computers, and he does know electronics, but software, well, that’s another story. I also have a mother-in-law, who’s both totally non-technical and she’s a native Spanish-speaker with little English and my Spanish is awful. They’re both bright people, but when it comes to computer security, they’re babes in the woods.

I’ve tried, just like I know many of you have with your computer naïve friends and relatives, to get them up to speed on PC security 101. I’ve installed anti-virus software, I’ve set their firewalls to keep out everything except e-mail and the Web; and told them that they must always update their computers. You know the drill.

And, of course, they still click on fake Web pages; and they click on the links in e-mails that purport to be from Hallmark and… Well, I don’t need to tell you the rest. You’ve been there, you’ve done that.

There is however an answer to this problem. A lot of you aren’t going to like it, but if you really are sick and tired of rescuing uncle Joe or Aunt Maude from their latest misadventure on the Internet, it’s time to switch them from Windows to Linux or a Mac.

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September 16, 2009
by sjvn01
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Shh!!! HP sneaks Linux in on new laptops

Except for Dell, the major PC vendors are reluctant to admit they actually sell and support Linux. For instance, HP supports Linux quite well on its servers but is very reluctant to support it on its desktops. They have trouble even admitting that they’re now shipping DeviceVM‘s instant-on Splashtop Linux on their new notebook lines.

HP had started quietly shipping Splashtop on its new business laptop, the HP ProBook 5310m. Curiously, HP is continuing to ship its Windows/Outlook-based QuickLook on the ProBook as well. Why would you bother with that, since Splashtop could support the full-featured Evolution e-mail client? You can also use Gmail or any other Web-based mail system with QuickWeb. Perhaps HP wants to stay on Microsoft good side. After all, that also would explain why HP has been so hesitant to make it easy for would-be buyers to get Novell’s SLED (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop) 11 on HP desktops.

Nonetheless, QuickWeb is also going to be available on HP’s high-end consumer notebooks: the MacBook-like ENVY 13 and the ENVY 15, and the not-yet-shipping Windows 7 HP Mini 110 netbook model.

Buyers who want the Mini 110 should make sure they’re buying exactly what they want with this model. HP currently sells a version of the Mini 110 with Ubuntu Linux, which I recommend, and another version with XP. The 5310m, which isn’t available yet, will come with Windows 7 Starter Edition. While Windows 7 Starter Edition is no longer crippled by a three-application limit, it’s still easily the weakest member of the Windows 7 family.

QuickWeb is really just a subset of Splashtop. While HP could have offered a full Splashtop Linux desktop, they’ve elected to only offer the Web interface. Still, it’s a good Web browser. Not only does it boot up in 20 seconds or less, it can view and play multimedia files in such common formats as Adobe Flash, Adobe PDF documents, and MP3 music files.

While HP isn’t going to let you get the full Splashtop Linux experience, the Web version is quite impressive. I can see many users never actually using their laptops’ installed operating system. After all, with just some Linux and most of the Web, what else do you need?

A version of this story first appeared in ComputerWorld.

September 16, 2009
by sjvn01
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Your XP-to-Windows 7 upgrade path: Buy a new PC

Microsoft’s leaders really, really want you to forget about Vista and move right on to Windows 7. And who can blame them? Vista was a train wreck. No one who knows what they’re doing runs Vista, not even the Microsoft faithful. Windows 7, on the other hand, is a worthwhile desktop operating system. There’s only one little problem. There’s no good way to get from XP to 7.

Actually, that’s not a small problem at all. According to Net Applications’ Market Share report, in August 2009, 71.7% of all desktops were running XP, compared to a mere 18.8% running Vista. So, that means the great majority of Windows users will have to try to migrate from XP to 7.

I use the word “migrate” deliberately instead of “update” or “upgrade” because this will be a migration. If you are among the small minority using Vista, you can upgrade to 7 without any fuss or muss, so long as the move is between equivalent versions, like Vista Home Premium and Windows 7 Home Premium, or you’re jumping up, to Windows 7 Ultimate, for example.

I only wish that were the case for XP. The only way you can get from XP to Windows 7 is to do a clean install. Period. End of statement.

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September 15, 2009
by sjvn01
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Archos 5: The Linux Internet tablet for everyone

I honestly didn’t expect much from the Archos 5 Internet tablet. I was wrong. This Android Linux powered device is more than just another would-be iPod Touch competitor; it’s a powerful touch computer in its own right.

The Archos 5 is a do it all hand-held device. While it’s no iPhone, it does everything else. Personally, as a long time iPod Touch fan, I’m just fine with devices that don’t include telephony.

What really impressed me though about the Archos 5 is its 4.8-inch 800×400-pixel display. You might not think that it being a bit bigger than Touch’s 3.5-inch display or the Microsoft Zune HD’s 3.3-inch display, would make that much of a difference, but it does. It’s simply much more pleasurable to watch TV episodes or, even a movie, on the Archos 5.

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September 15, 2009
by sjvn01
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Open-source software may unify the medical-records realm

Open-source medical software has been around for over 30 years. Unless you are in healthcare IT, however, chances are you’ve never even heard of it. But that’s poised to change.

With the passage of ARRA (the American Recovery And Reinvestment Act of 2009, also called the federal stimulus package), some $19 billion dollars have been earmarked for Medicare and Medicaid technology incentives over the next five years. This program is known as HITECH (PDF), short for Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health.

The program will use carrots, in the form of several million dollars per hospital and up to $44,000 for individual doctors, and sticks, in the form of Medicare reimbursement cuts, to get hospitals and doctors to move to EHRs (electronic health records), also called EMRs (electronic medical records).

This may be the start of a sea change in medical IT. In the past, the field has been a patchwork of feudal states: Dozens of companies produced an endless parade of programs using incompatible data formats that covered different parts of the healthcare world. Now, if EHRs become widespread, hospitals and other medical providers will be finally able to tap into each other’s work.

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