As is often the case, Microsoft release a new version of software under the guise of an update, and then find themselves in the embarrassing position of having to grant users the ability to roll-back that upgrade because it wasn't perhaps as polished as it should have been on release.
The latest version of Internet Explorer, IE7, is one such upgrade. Is it truly an upgrade? Well, visually, it is quite different from IE6, in that you can now have some of the privacy, security and configuration features that users of Firefox and even Avant have taken for granted for ages.
Tabbed browsing, where you can have different web sites open in one window, isn't a new concept, even to Internet Explorer; Avant has had it from the beginning and, ironically, Avant uses the Internet Explorer engine. In this regard, IE7 is just bringing Internet Explorer back up to the same level as all its competitors.
Security and privacy in Internet Explorer have always been concerns, which is why Firefox so rapidly became the next most popular browser on the market. Is this because Internet Explorer is bad? No, it's probably no more vunerable to attack and exploitation than any other browser but it takes Microsoft longer to acknowledge said vulnerabilities, then patch them.
Firefox made security and privacy much more visible to the end-user, allowing you to see what was going on and configure it to stop some or all of it. Sure, it might hamper your browsing experience when compared to Internet Explorer but, once you knew what you were giving up and why, it became an informed decision, not an imposition as with Internet Explorer, which made sweeping assumptions on your behalf.
This short-sighted approach has also been addressed in IE7 which, as previously cited, only brings it into the same league as its rivals and competitors. That said, in typical Microsoft fashion, it does it seamlessly. There is nothing on the market that integrates with Microsoft's operating systems quite like Microsoft's own products.
You can't uninstall Internet Explorer as it's too deeply embedded in the core operating system; you can only elect not to use it, openly. Using something else will use up additional disc space and memory but will likely be more secure in the short term, until Microsoft completes its next round of catch-up.
So, should I upgrade to IE7? At the time of writing, if you exclusively use Internet Explorer and no other browser, yes - definitely and quickly, without a shadow of doubt or hesitation. If you're one of those people who's already migrated or dabbles with a competing browser, then the choice is entirely yours, because you're sufficiently enlightened already to make up your own mind.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Alternatives to Windows
In a previous post, we opined on Vista or, more correctly, Microsoft's tactics for its wide-spread adoption by the computer-buying public. The parting question was: Is there an alternative? Of course there's an alternative; there are always alternatives. Microsoft do not have a monopoly on the desktop operating system, though they do have a vast majority and a captive audience.
The first alternative is Macintosh by Apple. We've had occasion to use these prior to entering the support arena and they are both easy to use and pretty robust. They're pretty too, for the most part, but aesthetics shouldn't be top of your list when buying a computer. Another plus point is that there are even Microsoft applications available for Macs, including the full Microsoft Office suite.
However, and it's a big one, Macintosh is not Windows. You can't just take your brand-spanking new Mac and install all your old software on it. Until recently, Mac OSX (the Macintosh operating system) would only run on Power PC hardware; Windows runs on Intel hardware. Incompatibility at that level is going to take time to overcome and, for as long as Intel hardware running Windows has the lion's share of the market, there's not really any incentive for it to change.
The second alternative is Linux and, just like Mac, this isn't Windows. Nor is it proprietary. The Linux operating system is not owned by any one corporate entity, indeed some would argue that it isn't owned at all. Sure, there are corporate bodies backing their own version but they're going to find it very hard to be a viable competitor for Apple, much less Microsoft. Advertising and growth of popularity is usually by word of mouth.
Before Linux users across the land spam our mailboxes with death threats and retribution, I'm not against Linux - quite the opposite. However, to overthrow the Microsoft throne is going to take more than a collection of disparate factions ... but we digress. Linux will run on both Intel and Power PC hardware. Unlike its proprietary cousins, the cost is minimal, in some cases free. The reason is its own non-proprietary nature; it's open source, which means that the code is available for your perusal, should you wish to. Try asking Microsoft or Apple for the same privilege!
Support for Linux is usually obtained from fora, often hosted by the provider of the distribution (distro). Not all distros are created equal, many distros are specialised in what they deliver, not all fora are as useful as their cousins/rivals. And rivals they are, for you can only run one operating system at a time. Sure, you can have one than one operating system installed but you can only run them one at a time.
If you're considering Linux on grounds of cost, think again - especially about what you use your computer for. If it's only for internet access, including emails, organising your digital photographs, sorting out your household accounts and writing the occasional letter, the migration will be simply a case of learning something a little different. However, if you're a Windows or Mac power-user, it'll be a whole lot different.
DreamGenius has been, for the last several months, using Linux on its main internet access computers, and with good results but that'll be the subject of future posts. We are not yet however in a position to support either Mac or Linux, it spite of the opinions offered above. These opinions are based on experience but that experience is insufficient to offer support in return for payment. Should you choose to explore either operating system, please do so with caution and not on the machine that contains data that you wish to keep.
The first alternative is Macintosh by Apple. We've had occasion to use these prior to entering the support arena and they are both easy to use and pretty robust. They're pretty too, for the most part, but aesthetics shouldn't be top of your list when buying a computer. Another plus point is that there are even Microsoft applications available for Macs, including the full Microsoft Office suite.
However, and it's a big one, Macintosh is not Windows. You can't just take your brand-spanking new Mac and install all your old software on it. Until recently, Mac OSX (the Macintosh operating system) would only run on Power PC hardware; Windows runs on Intel hardware. Incompatibility at that level is going to take time to overcome and, for as long as Intel hardware running Windows has the lion's share of the market, there's not really any incentive for it to change.
The second alternative is Linux and, just like Mac, this isn't Windows. Nor is it proprietary. The Linux operating system is not owned by any one corporate entity, indeed some would argue that it isn't owned at all. Sure, there are corporate bodies backing their own version but they're going to find it very hard to be a viable competitor for Apple, much less Microsoft. Advertising and growth of popularity is usually by word of mouth.
Before Linux users across the land spam our mailboxes with death threats and retribution, I'm not against Linux - quite the opposite. However, to overthrow the Microsoft throne is going to take more than a collection of disparate factions ... but we digress. Linux will run on both Intel and Power PC hardware. Unlike its proprietary cousins, the cost is minimal, in some cases free. The reason is its own non-proprietary nature; it's open source, which means that the code is available for your perusal, should you wish to. Try asking Microsoft or Apple for the same privilege!
Support for Linux is usually obtained from fora, often hosted by the provider of the distribution (distro). Not all distros are created equal, many distros are specialised in what they deliver, not all fora are as useful as their cousins/rivals. And rivals they are, for you can only run one operating system at a time. Sure, you can have one than one operating system installed but you can only run them one at a time.
If you're considering Linux on grounds of cost, think again - especially about what you use your computer for. If it's only for internet access, including emails, organising your digital photographs, sorting out your household accounts and writing the occasional letter, the migration will be simply a case of learning something a little different. However, if you're a Windows or Mac power-user, it'll be a whole lot different.
DreamGenius has been, for the last several months, using Linux on its main internet access computers, and with good results but that'll be the subject of future posts. We are not yet however in a position to support either Mac or Linux, it spite of the opinions offered above. These opinions are based on experience but that experience is insufficient to offer support in return for payment. Should you choose to explore either operating system, please do so with caution and not on the machine that contains data that you wish to keep.
Microsoft Vista - Support & Opinion
We have been asked our opinion on Microsoft Vista more than once now and that's a leading question, which we'll attempt to answer here and now. Why attempt? Well ... oh, just read on, please.
Firstly and most importantly, we haven't tested Vista - We don't yet own a copy. Why not? For that, read the second point as it applies equally to this company as any other. That said, it is an inevitability that we will have to but not before our customers have either saddled themselves with it or been forced into buying it. At that point, we'll be able to post our opinions and advice on its set-up, ease of use, functionality, security et al.
What follows is simply an opinion; it's based on personal experience, sound reasoning and market intelligence but it's still only an opinion. Vista is Microsoft's first new desktop operating system in five years, since XP - fact. Microsoft have a habit of beta-testing their products on their paying users - widely held opinion. Vista is significantly more resource-hungry than XP or any of it's predecessors - substantiated opinion. Microsoft are retiring Vista's predecessors by declaring them end-of-life and withdrawing support - fact.
Your point you ask? In our opinion, this adds up to Microsoft forcefully creating a market, not only for its operating system but also for the companies that have signed up to sell it and hardware capable of running it. So, to upgrade your computer to Vista, unless you're comfortably running XP with Service Pack 2 applied, and therefore still supported and not required to upgrade in the first place, you'll simply have to replace the computer too. That's a minimum outlay of about £350, on top of the cost of the operating system.
So what's your advice? Is there an alternative? We can't tell you not to buy Vista but you have to be aware that there will almost certainly be teething problems if you do. There are alternatives but they're the subject of another post ...
Firstly and most importantly, we haven't tested Vista - We don't yet own a copy. Why not? For that, read the second point as it applies equally to this company as any other. That said, it is an inevitability that we will have to but not before our customers have either saddled themselves with it or been forced into buying it. At that point, we'll be able to post our opinions and advice on its set-up, ease of use, functionality, security et al.
What follows is simply an opinion; it's based on personal experience, sound reasoning and market intelligence but it's still only an opinion. Vista is Microsoft's first new desktop operating system in five years, since XP - fact. Microsoft have a habit of beta-testing their products on their paying users - widely held opinion. Vista is significantly more resource-hungry than XP or any of it's predecessors - substantiated opinion. Microsoft are retiring Vista's predecessors by declaring them end-of-life and withdrawing support - fact.
Your point you ask? In our opinion, this adds up to Microsoft forcefully creating a market, not only for its operating system but also for the companies that have signed up to sell it and hardware capable of running it. So, to upgrade your computer to Vista, unless you're comfortably running XP with Service Pack 2 applied, and therefore still supported and not required to upgrade in the first place, you'll simply have to replace the computer too. That's a minimum outlay of about £350, on top of the cost of the operating system.
So what's your advice? Is there an alternative? We can't tell you not to buy Vista but you have to be aware that there will almost certainly be teething problems if you do. There are alternatives but they're the subject of another post ...
This blog is now in it's second edition
We created this blog some time back and didn't do anything with it. We also had a newsletter, which reached the dizzy heights of one edition, and then ran out of steam. It wasn't for lack of material, just lack of time to do a good job.
So we thought we'd try this for a while - a place where random snippets of news, advice, opinions, etc could be posted and you, the reading public, visit at your leisure. Obviously, we'd like you to visit often but that's down to us to change the content on a regular basis.
Your opinions are definitely sought. An email to blog@dreamgenius.com will suffice and almost certainly illicit a reply.
So we thought we'd try this for a while - a place where random snippets of news, advice, opinions, etc could be posted and you, the reading public, visit at your leisure. Obviously, we'd like you to visit often but that's down to us to change the content on a regular basis.
Your opinions are definitely sought. An email to blog@dreamgenius.com will suffice and almost certainly illicit a reply.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
