NaughtySpawn

Not to just be content with having Ubuntu on an older machine I went ahead and installed Virtualbox so I could run Ubuntu side by side with Windows. Again, the install took about 20 minutes and it was up and running. It had no problem installing in the virtual environment and came up with video and network drivers. I was on the web, checking email and looking at sites without having to configure a thing.

This also proves to me that I need to ditch Virtual PC for Windows 7 for Virtualbox. VPC for Win 7 is junk and is just too much of a hassle. Virtualbox was so much easier to configure and actually works like the old VPC used to.

Going back to Ubuntu, there is no denying that installing apps in Windows is a far easier task than installing apps for Unix. There’s still tons of command line scripting going on in the Unix world and that alone is going to be an interesting learning curve. I had no problem getting system updates, but getting something like Thunderbird 3 on there was not just a simple double-click. And even when I did get Thunderbird working and downloading my email, the app is sitting on my desktop not in a "Program Files" type of location, so clearly not ideal.

Windows is usually really good for its ease of use, but as far as getting an OS installed which has a browser, word processing, image editing and network functionality, Ubuntu has proven itself to be just as easy and effective. It does come down to the apps, but if MS keeps pushing cloud computing the OS will lose its relevance since everything will be running out there.

While they aren’t the same, I really like what I see so far.

Wow, that worked out nicely! In about 20 minutes I got Ubuntu fully installed with video and network support. It also has OpenOffice, IM and Email client, a BitTorrent client, and system utilities which look very similar to the ones you get with Windows, and full support for USB. Ok, so far I’m impressed with the Karmic Koala.

The hardware I’m using is my old Dell Dimension 515 with a Pentium 4 Hyperthreaded single core chip and 4GB of ram. The drive is the 640GB one that came with my new system (which I removed and replaced with a 1.5TB drive).

I started the install at 1:52pm and I was looking at my desktop at 2:19pm. This also includes the time it took to completely format the drive since it had Windows 7 64bit on it. I figure that took at least a few minutes so the actual install took about 20 minutes.

I even got it to play AVI, WMV and MP3 files right off the bat. It’s a simple download to get the codecs.

I forgot that I could use Virtualbox to install a virtual copy of Windows or use WINE to try and run some apps for those times when I would need them. I’m not quite ready to make the switch, but if this test bed works out Windows may be off this machine sooner rather than later.

I really hope Windows 7 is the last version of Windows I ever use. It’s an underwhelming, bloated, expensive OS that offers practically nothing in the way of feature upgrades from its predecessor. Win7 is Vista with a slightly different Taskbar. Functionally it’s the same annoying OS Vista was, it just has a better installer and driver support. (At least Microsoft got that part under control before release) But as a powerful OS loaded with new and beneficial features it misses the mark completely. Considering Cloud Computing , handheld devices and Chrome OS, I feel the days of the Windows desktop are numbered.

So, I’ve decided to see more of the Operating System world and install Ubuntu onto the machine I just replaced. I think Ubuntu has been making huge leaps in functionality and usability. I originally used Unix BSD 4.3 on an HP mainframe in college (shell scripting indeed!). Since then, I tried my hand at a previous version of Ubuntu and found the UI to be excellent, but a lack of centralized files and updates kept me from really sinking my teeth into it. A lot of that seems to have changed so I’m ready to see what this new OS has to offer.

I’m keeping Windows 7 on this new machine (at least for now), but there is no "Windows 8" in my future. Quite honestly, if I could get OSX on an Intel machine I would switch today.

Well this is pretty cool, you can now view applications from the App Store within a browser. When you click a link to an app you will now be taken to the details page rather than to the page to download iTunes. You can now read the full game description, see the screenshots and check out the full price without having iTunes installed. You can’t buy anything, but it does make things a whole lot easier. And you don’t need to make any changes to the link. Any previously created links will direct to the preview page automatically.

Pretty cool!

Check out the link below to see NFL 2010 in your browser.

NFL 2010 by Gameloft

It’s a sad tale, if you hear Dick Brass tell it. In a new op-ed for the New York Times, the former Microsoft VP explains how he thinks the Microsoft corporate culture has "never developed a true system for innovation," and that while the company is obviously strong at the moment, he doesn’t see the company retaining its dominance if or when the Office and Windows revenues die down.

Former Microsoft VP Dick Brass weighs in on why Microsoft ‘no longer brings us the future’

And here’s Microsoft snappy retort to the chidings of Dick Brass. Quite honestly, it’s a pretty weak rebuttal. I don’t think OneNote proves they understand Tablets (lest we forget Microsoft tried the Tablet market in 2001 and failed miserably). And yes ClearType is installed on millions of machines, but that wasn’t the point. It could have been out the door several years earlier.

Measuring Our Work by Its Broad Impact

Ignoring the fact that this guy is an idiot, a zealot and has obviously never worked in a true IT shop and done a deployment, I agree with his statement that IE6 needs to be eradicated.

Five cures for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 ills

Not only is IE6 a horrible browser with more bugs than a Thai bath house, it has problems rendering all but the most simplistic of web pages, hasn’t been updated in years and is perhaps one of the slowest pieces of software out there. But yet, it’s still hanging on. For some reason, people are reluctant to put this creature to bed. Considering the upgrade is free, this level of stupidity boggles the mind.

You will never convince me there is a business reason to keep IE6 around.

However, I have a much simpler and much faster way to get rid of IE6; put a script on Google, Yahoo and Bing that detects IE6, informs the idiot they can no longer run searches in that browser and sends them over to the Microsoft Update site. I guarantee within 2-3 days IE6 will be gone from even the most ardent cave dwellers machine.

For those that might escape that net, put it on YouTube and the American Idol site to snag the rest.

Problem solved.

This is really a cool game, and here’s a way to buy the whole bundle at once, rather than piecemeal like it’s done on the iPhone. I think I’m more inclined to get this complete version.

Cogs is a puzzle game where players build machines from sliding tiles. Players can choose from 50 levels and 3 gameplay modes. New puzzles are unlocked by building contraptions quickly and efficiently.

Download Cogs from Direct2Drive

Cogs Download Features

• Inventor Mode: Starting with simple puzzles, players are introduced to the widgets that are used to build machines — gears, pipes, balloons, chimes, hammers, wheels, props, and more.
• Time Challenge Mode: If you finish a puzzle in Inventor Mode, it will be unlocked here. This time, it will take fewer moves to reach a solution, but you only have 30 seconds to find it.
• Move Challenge Mode: Take your time and plan ahead. Every click counts when you only get ten moves to find a solution.

Cogs Download Minimum System Requirements

• OS: Microsoft Windows XP or Vista
• Processor: 1.5 GHz CPU or better
• Memory: 512 MB RAM
• Graphics: DirectX 9 compatible 64 MB graphics card with hardware transform and lighting (T&L)
• DirectX®: DirectX 9.0c or later
• Hard Drive: 120 MB Free Space
• Sound: DirectX compatible sound card

Cogs Download File Size
73.1 MB

Version
1.00

Publisher
Lazy 8 Studios

Download Cogs from Direct2Drive

If you like your Diablo-styled action/RPGs, but always wished they had a more classical feel, Steam has a deal for you. From now through Thursday, February 4, you can pick up Titan Quest Gold for 75% off the regular price. That includes the original Titan Quest, chock-full of mythological Greek beasts to eviscerate, plus the Immortal Throne expansion that adds more of everything.

Titan Quest Gold – $19.99 — $4.99

I’ve been upgrading and installing software on my new machine this weekend and with that I moved from the now defunct Microsoft Money to Quicken 2010. Personally I think the interface and other features of Quicken are actually quite quirky, but that’s neither here nor there. One’s supported and the other isn’t. Anyway, after importing everything and setting up new accounts Quicken throws up this incredibly annoying screen that says I need to register to actually use their program to download my bank info. Excuse me? WTF? I have to make an account with you to use this program? That doesn’t fly. I have all my bank details and credit card info in here and now you want me to basically send that to you? I think not.

Just I was about to remove it and write a pissed off email I can across the answer: Disable Quicken Registration Prompt

Simply put, hold down the left CTRL + Shift and click the Update button. You’ll immediately get a confirmation that you won’t get prompted to register anymore, but you can still get bank updates like you would expect. Hopefully this little trick will keep working (I just did it in the 2010 version). Registering so I can actually use a program I bought is just plain stupid.

Let me know about your successes.

I think Cogs is a very stylish and clever game, but when I paid $0.99 for it, I didn’t think I would be done 20 minutes later. I breezed through the first 10 levels in mere minutes. The levels look great and were fun to play, but it very quickly became, "Is that it?" I don’t like the idea of having to pay yet more money to get more levels. I had my bit of fun and I’ll end it there. If what I downloaded was the demo and the full game was $1.99 or 2.99, I would be onboard. As it stands I feel like I paid for a demo game. I would hope the extra levels are more complicated and engaging, but someone else will have to tell me. I’m not saying the game isn’t worth the extra $0.99 per level, I’m just saying I’m not going to buy it.

Maybe if they make a full bundle and put it on sale they might capture my interest again.