Technology In Check

Many people have slagged Windows Vista for a variety of reasons. New PC’s that normally would have Vista installed can be bought with a Windows XP “downgrade”. And now that Vista Service Pack 1 is out the playing field will once again be covered in a foggy glow, and we can expect a rash of fresh calls to continue buying XP in favour of Vista (more about the Vista service pack next week).

However Vista has been available for over a year, and XP sales are due to stop soon. So what happens when you simply can’t buy XP any more? What are you supposed to to do then? Here’s the breakdown, and why business managers should care. Continue Reading »

Got an iPod? Now you’re getting Safari too.

Apple is joining the ranks of malware installers everywhere by installing software on your computer whether you want it or not. In this case, it’s their Safari web browser.

The installer is piggy-backing along with an iTunes/ Quicktime update. It shows up in the list of available updates even if you don’t have it installed already. If you let the Apple Software Update run without looking at what’s going on… BAM! You have new software on your computer. If you de-select the Safari instal, it comes back after you install your iTunes update.

I haven’t yet found a way to disable the installer other than just not running the Apple Software Updater. There are reports on Slashdot that you can kill the installer by hitting ‘Cancel’ at some point during the Safari installation. Me? I’m not trying it. I just won’t let it run in the first place.

Apple should know better.

Much has been said over the years about the pros and cons of telecommuting, and yet for some reason many business managers still feel a great deal of resistance toward the notion. As a professional geek this is something quite baffling to me. Especially in light of a recent article that reported on findings of several studies on the subject.

Managers know how to do the cost analysis, so I won’t go into that here. Instead, I’m going to spend a few minutes discussing some of the variables affecting remote users from a technology perspective, so that business managers can make a decision from a more informed position.

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In our last article, we looked at some of the points on both sides of the debate regarding whether or not to upgrade to Vista. Today, we’re going to work with the idea that you’ve already adopted Vista for one reason or another, and you want to make the best out of the situation you’re in. What do you do? How can you make Vista more stable?

Let’s take a look under the hood, shall we?

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As a computer professional, I often get asked about what kind of computer people should buy for their home use. And usually following that question will come some sort of enquiry along the lines of “Should I get an AMD processor or an Intel? And what’s the difference?”.

Here’s the short answer

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