Shared Links | Matt | 
October 30, 2008 8:36 pm | 
Comments Off
Shared Links | Matt | October 29, 2008 1:00 pm | Comments Off
photo credit: Jule_Berlin
I just read an article on Ars Techinca about Microsoft’s announce user interface changes in Windows 7. They claim that these are most significant changes since Windows95. Looking at the screenshots it is evident that Microsoft are taking even more inspiration from Apple’s Finder and Dock. The new Taskbar will look very familar to anyone with a little experience with Mac OS X. The loss of the sidebar, with Gadgets now avaible across the desktop gives functionality almost identical to Dashboard.
I’m not being totally critical of Microsoft here. The closer the Windows experience comes to Mac OS X, the happier I will be to use it. What is interesting is that Microsoft have invested hugely in research with their User Experience program, you know, those annoying popups you see when you first install a piece of Microsoft software. The result of all this is come to the same conclusions that Apple had years ago.
That said, there are a couple of interesting ideas in there. I particularly like the idea of windows resizing and adapting depending on which side of the screen I drag them to. This isn’t totally original though, I had a dabble with Sticky Windows a while ago. The new Start menu functionality sounds useful, I just hope developers can access the new functionality outside of the .Net Framework.
The question is, will these UI changes excite users enough to finnally give up their old Windows XP habit? I think the big M$ might be able to pull it off this time as they clearly plan on improving how their software is used and looks rather than mess with all the hidden internals that most customers can’t appreciate.
Tags: microsoft, operating systems, windows
Shared Links | Matt | October 24, 2008 1:00 pm | Comments Off
Today I made a decision, I’ve decided to retire Google Chrome from my toolset. I’ve been using it since release and generally I’ve been impressed. It is a really nice piece of software, but no matter what the Google marketing machine tells me about how it’s process-per-tab trick will make my life better and how quick its Javascript engine is I can’t seem to give up Firefox.
I’ve found a pattern in my browser usage, particularly since I started blogging. After booting into Windows I always launch Chrome, check my GMail then switch to Google Reader to catchup on some feeds, then the general surfing starts. It’s at this point that Chrome starts to hold me back. I’m a big fan of Firefox extensions and there’s a few that I use all the time and they give me functionality that I can’t currently get in Chrome.
I didn’t realise how much I relied on extensions when I first decided to try experimenting with Chrome so I’m switching back. There are a few things that I would like in Firefox that you don’t get by default, luckily Lifehacker has a couple of post referring to some extensions that will give me those things I need. I’ve cherry picked my favorites:-
Of coarse, there’s all the things that Chrome couldn’t give me:-
I have a few other extensions installed but those are my must-haves. I know Google are planning on introducing extensions in a future version (Link), and you can currently download a build with Greasemonkey support, so I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on it as things develop. For now though, I’m afraid it’s bye-bye Chrome.
So, are you a Chrome lover and have left Firefox behind like a jilted lover? Or are sticking by the Mozilla browser? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Shared Links | Matt | October 17, 2008 4:32 pm | Comments (5)
Apple don’t half know how to build hype around their product launches. For the past few days rumour and hearsay have permeated through the blogosphere about what Apple were goi to announce today in their notebook conference. It turns out that much of what I have read has come true. It all looked so promising this morning, I was hoping for more though…I was disappointed.
The thing is their isn’t much of leap forward in terms of the machine’s specification. They look nice, the new manufacturing process and aluminium cases will hopefully improve some of quality issues I’ve experienced with previous models, cracks in the plastic cased models and bends in the aluminium ones.
The Multitouch trackpad sounds nice, but is it really that useful. Will software developers take advantage of this when you consider the small install base, I don’t think so. Also, it’s made of glass! Why? I guess it will look good but it’s not really a killer feature for me.
Battery life is claimed to be improved, but I hardly ever spend more than a couple of hours away from a power point. When I do I certainly don’t have my laptop with me so that’s another bonus that doesn’t mean anything to me.
The one area that tempts me is the graphics. Dropping the Intel chipset in the MacBook and sticking SLI in the MacBook Pro is almost enough for me. I use my laptop for occasional game and I also mess around with OpenGL programming. The features of the GeForce 9000 range would be quite an improvement over my Inspiron’s 7900 graphics. That said, any serious games playing is done on the XBox or Playstation and I can generally get buy with what I’ve got on the 7900 for OpenGL.
Of coarse the final factor that prevents me from upgrading is the cost. I’m not interested in anything with less than a 17inch display so the MacBook is out, which just leaves the MacBook Pro. Base price of the unit £1949, that’s some serious cash, something like that is going to need insurance, which is extra cost of coarse. Oh yeah, then I need to buy another copy of Windows Vista, which isn’t cheap either. With extras I guess it’s looking at around £2500. Forget it.
Doesn’t look like I’ll be upgrading my laptop this year. The old Dell Inspiron 9400 is an unwieldy beast, but it performance well, especially with top of the range display. Sorry Mr Jobs, the only way you’re going to get any cash out of me is through the iTunes Store.
photo credit: Martini Captures
As a programmer with a very poor memory and a large code base I struggle with the task of finding the source files I need. Visual Studio lacks a decent file searching function, in the past this has led me to scouring through directories that contain hundreds of files to desperately trying find what I need. This isn’t a pleasant task as you can imagine. Windows desktop search is awful as it seems slow and inaccurate even on a powerful machine. I’ve tried Google Desktop search in the past, but it’s a bit of a resource hog and since I’m running 64bit Vista it’s not even supported on my computer.
Cue, Everything from VoidTools. This tiny little program is incredibly powerful, is somehow able to create its index almost instantly after install and works on all versions of Windows, including Vista 64. I’ve been using it for a few weeks and it has fitted in seamlessly with my workflow. Need a file, hit the hot key, type a partial filename, hit enter and it’s there in my editor. No more scratching my head trying to remember where that file I looked at 5 years ago is hiding. Oh and did I mention it’s completely free so competes well with Google on price.
This tool is well recommended for anyone who regularly has to search for files by filename. Download it now from the VoidTools website.
Tags: desktop search, search, tools, windows
Software | Matt | October 13, 2008 7:34 pm | Comments (5)
Shared Links | Matt | October 12, 2008 7:30 pm | Comments Off
“Hello. My name is Matt, and I’m a Microblogger”
photo credit: anomalous4
I’ve been using Twitter for a little while now. Historically I always kind of avoided social networking but after being convinced to join Facebook last year I got the bug. Twitter seems to have the Marmite effect on most people, yes you either love it or hate it. One of my friends, who is something of a web hermit, laughed when I mentioned micro-blogging and questioned why anyone would want to do such a thing. His derision fueled my self-doubt, “Why am I doing it?” I asked myself.
I guess other people might find other reasons to micro-blog but those are mine. Is there anything wrong with it? I don’t think so. It is, what it is, a fun little tool for communication.
Tags: communication, micro-blogging, twitter
Internet | Matt | 3:17 pm | Comments (1)
