I saw an article today discussing compatibility issues with Windows Vista and older software. There haven't been enough real visits here for me to know, but judging from the stats I have from the site and the other blogs, almost no one but me has made the move to the new OS. And there's really no reason (excepting price) that you shouldn't.
Vista is far superior to XP in many ways, but mainly those that probably first come to mind as "what [you] would like to see." In fact, Vista is a little too advanced in many ways, unless you're made of money. Were I to set my monitor to the suggested, or "optimum," performance resolution, I couldn't even read what I'm typing! I would seriously need a 50" monitor just to make it worthwhile, but it would let me see a fly's penis. Well.
And don't get me wrong, I had the same concerns when shopping for a new box and the salespeople were - as usual - less than knowledgeable, however helpful they tried to be. However, I remember that XP had a little-used feature called "Compatibility Mode" which allows you to run any program as though it were running on the preferred OS - theoretically. In actuality, XP would rarely let you install the program in the first place, in order to give the Compatibility Mode a shot. I tried several times to get it to run basically anything - just to see it work - and never managed to do so, but others may have had better luck.
And for you Penguinheads, Vista actually gives Linux a run for its money (so to speak), if for no other reason than compatibility. I love Linux - love it - but let's be practical: Linux just isn't. Practical, that is; almost no programs are compatible and it's 95% certain that the programs you use most often are not supported by Linux. And while Penguinheads love to extol the virtues of customization and how this program and that one are actually so much better than the market standard and/or the one you're most familiar with, the truth is that Linux is made for nerds/geeks (like me), not end-users. Which is a point I've made - and have been making and will continue to make until it is resolved: computers are supposed to make things easier, not harder - especially repetitive tasks. No matter what you do, Linux has a learning curve that is above and beyond what most people have the time or inclination to invest.
But going back to the example of visuals, I don't think Windows will ever stand-up to Linux in that regard. It's been 10+ years since I've been on a Mac (and I don't have the right adapters for the ones I have here, and they're both 10+ years old, so...), but if you're so inclined, drag-out the oldest monitor you have laying around and hook it up to a Linux box: it's like watching HDTV! I don't know what, how, or why Linux is capable of such impressive graphics when it cannot make a modem connect to the Internet without having you jump an unicorn through a flaming hoop, but there it is.
That's one of the things about Linux that's such a turn-off: it goes so far out of the way to be different that it makes itself obsolete. Not to mention the fact that, unless you're a total geek like me, it's simply a hassle; Linux is a hobby, and nothing more and until it lessens that learning curve and offers more dynamic programs and compatibility, that's all it will ever be.
The bottom-line is that Vista is a superior OS to all previous Windows platforms and it stands firmly against Linux for the simple reason that you can actually use it for more than just tinkering. And despite the popular notion to the contrary, I have had surprisingly few troubles.
One major problem occurred during a power outage, which caused my Outlook Express to crash. An expensive and unproductive "tech support" call to my OEM resulted in a free computing lesson for the English-challenged tech who had the misfortune of fielding my call (which ended in an "accidental" hang-up when she "put me on hold to check with her supervisor") and a two-day wait for Microsoft e-mail support (Hell-o? How the fuck can I receive e-mails if my client refuses to load?) resulted in my downloading Windows Live Mail which makes AOL look and feel like a small app and works almost as well.
I managed to troubleshoot the problem on my own, but ti was by no means a task a novice could accomplish. Nor a trained, Bangladeshi phone tech support person. Nor a Microsoft tech, for that matter! In fact, I'll have to find the exact error in the KB and tell you how I fixed it, just in case. But that's a post for another day and - look at the time! It's another day, already...
Anyhow, go ahead and make the leap; don't believe the hype; Vista is a stable and viable OS, superior to XP and all other flavors of Windows since 98. Just avoid the whole Live package; my computer's literally slowed to a crawl since installing it and I haven't used it but for a moment.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Some Quick Technical Notes
I have a folder that is literally overflowing with stories for The Cyberculturalist since I established it, but I haven't been very active. Part of the reason is that I've lacked the time and also been under an inordinate amount of stress lately; the other part is that most of these articles are very closely-related and while this is going to be part-blog, The Cyberculturalist is also going to be more formal than most blogs; alongside the basic blogposts will be dissertations and formal articles - largely because many of the bookmarks I have for inclusion are parts of larger themes/topics that require me to read them all at once and draw points from the breadth that support and illuminate the subject(s).
This happens often over to The OddBlog, as well, because these are very in-depth and important affairs and I want to bring you authoritative entries on them. Also, these authoritative articles are "keystone" or "pillar" articles which are then cited in other discussions and seemingly minute mistakes can damage the overall credibility - not just of the posts, but myself and the entire blog, as the original posts are the "pillar entries" often referred to by the other posts here and elsewhere.
And Blogger has been intermittent for the entire two weeks. There is a scheduled maintenance outage in another hour or so and, depending on how I feel then, I may get something else out to you tonight.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
This happens often over to The OddBlog, as well, because these are very in-depth and important affairs and I want to bring you authoritative entries on them. Also, these authoritative articles are "keystone" or "pillar" articles which are then cited in other discussions and seemingly minute mistakes can damage the overall credibility - not just of the posts, but myself and the entire blog, as the original posts are the "pillar entries" often referred to by the other posts here and elsewhere.
And Blogger has been intermittent for the entire two weeks. There is a scheduled maintenance outage in another hour or so and, depending on how I feel then, I may get something else out to you tonight.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
eBay Suing Craigslist
Auction powerhouse, eBay, which is a minority shareholder in Craigslist, has filed a sealed suit against the free classifieds site.
Craigslist spokespeople noted the suit "came out of the blue." eBay apparently claimed that Craigslist executives "unfairly took actions that diluted eBay's economic interest by more than 10%." The statement was issued in January. In their blog, Craigslist said the allegations were "unfounded" and insisted they "have always treated eBay fairly as a minority shareholder."
No real details concerning the allegations are available at this time.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Craigslist spokespeople noted the suit "came out of the blue." eBay apparently claimed that Craigslist executives "unfairly took actions that diluted eBay's economic interest by more than 10%." The statement was issued in January. In their blog, Craigslist said the allegations were "unfounded" and insisted they "have always treated eBay fairly as a minority shareholder."
No real details concerning the allegations are available at this time.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
PayPal to Block Unsafe Browsers
PayPal is going to start blocking unsafe browsers.
According to their analytics, "a significant set of users" are still using older browsers, including IE3! Internet Explorer v3.0 is over 10 years old. Users will be warned that their browser is outdated before being blocked from the site.
If you are using Firefox 2.x, you can download the Verisign EV Greenbar Extension, suggested by PayPal. The add-on shows a green bar at the end of your address bar when you are visiting a secure site. Support for Extended Validation SSL Certificates is built-in to the latest version of IE, but the Safari browser does not support them on the Mac or PC platform (I do not have Linux installed on this box, so I cannot comment on that).
IE6 will function on Win98 platforms, though it is slow and clunky. Older versions of Firefox work just fine, but I do not know about the latest version(s), as I have not played with either 98 box in a while. Regardless, there is simply no excuse for using any IE version under 5.0; unless you are working on a 3.11 platform, you should have no problems upgrading, though you may have to dig-out an old AOL CD to get the IE4 package. And those shouldn't be too hard to find - I have a stack of about 10 of them!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
According to their analytics, "a significant set of users" are still using older browsers, including IE3! Internet Explorer v3.0 is over 10 years old. Users will be warned that their browser is outdated before being blocked from the site.
If you are using Firefox 2.x, you can download the Verisign EV Greenbar Extension, suggested by PayPal. The add-on shows a green bar at the end of your address bar when you are visiting a secure site. Support for Extended Validation SSL Certificates is built-in to the latest version of IE, but the Safari browser does not support them on the Mac or PC platform (I do not have Linux installed on this box, so I cannot comment on that).
IE6 will function on Win98 platforms, though it is slow and clunky. Older versions of Firefox work just fine, but I do not know about the latest version(s), as I have not played with either 98 box in a while. Regardless, there is simply no excuse for using any IE version under 5.0; unless you are working on a 3.11 platform, you should have no problems upgrading, though you may have to dig-out an old AOL CD to get the IE4 package. And those shouldn't be too hard to find - I have a stack of about 10 of them!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Nix the Net, Get on the Grid
Scientists at the CERN are developing a new form of lightning-fast information transfer that could render the Internet obsolete.
Called "the Grid," it is being built to handle the large output of data from the particle accelerator they are building (called the Large Hadron Collider). Built from dedicated fiber optic cables and routing centers, it eliminates bottlenecks and drag points which slow transfer across the Net. The Grid runs on more than 20k servers located worldwide. It will be capable of transferring data approximately 10,000 times faster than your average broadband connection.
This means you could transfer holographic images. To wrap your brain around it, one scientist estimated you could send everything the Rolling Stones ever recorded from London to Tokyo in just under two seconds!
If everything goes according to plan, both the Grid and the Large Hadron Collider will go live later this year.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Called "the Grid," it is being built to handle the large output of data from the particle accelerator they are building (called the Large Hadron Collider). Built from dedicated fiber optic cables and routing centers, it eliminates bottlenecks and drag points which slow transfer across the Net. The Grid runs on more than 20k servers located worldwide. It will be capable of transferring data approximately 10,000 times faster than your average broadband connection.
This means you could transfer holographic images. To wrap your brain around it, one scientist estimated you could send everything the Rolling Stones ever recorded from London to Tokyo in just under two seconds!
If everything goes according to plan, both the Grid and the Large Hadron Collider will go live later this year.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The Cybernomad's Portable Desktop
Luxembourg-based start-up, Jooce, has introduced an application aimed at cybernomads - people who use several computers - which is basically a "roaming desktop."
Cybernomads often do not have their own computers, and so use those in libraries, Internet cafes, and other public places which offer computer access. Of course, these machines cannot be customized to their preferences and even if they could be, their preferences cannot be saved; public computers have to be accessible to all users and are generally crippled to block access to illegal sites, porn sites, and social networks/chatrooms.
Jooce's application is web-based and allows cybernomads - or anyone else who is not at their personal computer - to access their own, private "desktop." This includes saved files, bookmarks, and e-mail. They also offer a collaborative/shared version, called Joocetop, which allows friends and relatives to access one another's files and information.
While many are hailing this as a breakthrough idea and application, the truth is that it's nothing of the sort. Joocetop is, very basically, a portal - a portal with a fancy name comprised of buzzwords ("A Mobile Desktop for the Cybernomad") - and offers nothing new. The difference is that it makes it all incredibly easy for the HTML-challenged.
By opening a Yahoo! account, you can get the very same thing. Customize your My Yahoo! page to include whatever "modules" you generally use; keep your files in a briefcase; make your Yahoo! account your primary e-mail and organize it through your filters and spam settings, then redirect any other e-mail accounts you have through Yahoo!'s POP services, and Bookmark any external ones (that do not offer POP access); open your GeoCities account and create a customized page with links and pictures, using their "SiteBuilder." Better yet, simply set My Yahoo! to show your Bookmarks and e-mail on your page. Voila! - your very own, "roaming desktop," or WebOS, as they are wont to call them now.
That's what a portal is: your own desktop, with links to all your content and so forth, modified according to your preferences! And portals like Yahoo! are about as dumbed-down as you can get; you don't need to know HTML or any other coding, you just need to spend some time learning the interface (where everything is located, what does what and how, etc.).
There are other WebOS available, such as Global Hosted Operating System (g.ho.st) and desktoptwo, but it's important to understand that these are not actual desktops and are most certainly not functional OS; these are merely portals, just like Yahoo! and others, which aggregate functions from several other sites into one, convenient place. The issues people are having with these "apps" is that they hog memory and run poorly on older and inferior machines. These are not issues when you use actual portals, because actual portals are actual websites which require nothing more than surfing to the site and logging in.
So all you cybernomads should note that you do not need a WebOS or roving desktop; just set-up a Yahoo! account and customize your My Yahoo! page - all for free!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Cybernomads often do not have their own computers, and so use those in libraries, Internet cafes, and other public places which offer computer access. Of course, these machines cannot be customized to their preferences and even if they could be, their preferences cannot be saved; public computers have to be accessible to all users and are generally crippled to block access to illegal sites, porn sites, and social networks/chatrooms.
Jooce's application is web-based and allows cybernomads - or anyone else who is not at their personal computer - to access their own, private "desktop." This includes saved files, bookmarks, and e-mail. They also offer a collaborative/shared version, called Joocetop, which allows friends and relatives to access one another's files and information.
While many are hailing this as a breakthrough idea and application, the truth is that it's nothing of the sort. Joocetop is, very basically, a portal - a portal with a fancy name comprised of buzzwords ("A Mobile Desktop for the Cybernomad") - and offers nothing new. The difference is that it makes it all incredibly easy for the HTML-challenged.
By opening a Yahoo! account, you can get the very same thing. Customize your My Yahoo! page to include whatever "modules" you generally use; keep your files in a briefcase; make your Yahoo! account your primary e-mail and organize it through your filters and spam settings, then redirect any other e-mail accounts you have through Yahoo!'s POP services, and Bookmark any external ones (that do not offer POP access); open your GeoCities account and create a customized page with links and pictures, using their "SiteBuilder." Better yet, simply set My Yahoo! to show your Bookmarks and e-mail on your page. Voila! - your very own, "roaming desktop," or WebOS, as they are wont to call them now.
That's what a portal is: your own desktop, with links to all your content and so forth, modified according to your preferences! And portals like Yahoo! are about as dumbed-down as you can get; you don't need to know HTML or any other coding, you just need to spend some time learning the interface (where everything is located, what does what and how, etc.).
There are other WebOS available, such as Global Hosted Operating System (g.ho.st) and desktoptwo, but it's important to understand that these are not actual desktops and are most certainly not functional OS; these are merely portals, just like Yahoo! and others, which aggregate functions from several other sites into one, convenient place. The issues people are having with these "apps" is that they hog memory and run poorly on older and inferior machines. These are not issues when you use actual portals, because actual portals are actual websites which require nothing more than surfing to the site and logging in.
So all you cybernomads should note that you do not need a WebOS or roving desktop; just set-up a Yahoo! account and customize your My Yahoo! page - all for free!
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Intro
The World Wide Web has created something no other advancement of any kind has before: a worldwide community. And a community, it is.
While there are millions of sub-sects across the Web, those of us who login regularly are part of what's come to be called "The Online Community." The younger amongst us are known as "The Internet Generation," even though cellphones are their preferred method of communication. And though almost none of us can agree on anything, the fact of the matter is that a very distinct community and culture has evolved rapidly since the Web's establishment in its current form (commercialized and for use by the private-sector).
Though cyberculture has invaded every facet of our lives - from television to movies, literature and music, the world's workforce and economy, fashion, our everyday speech and vernacular, ad infinitum - the real cyberculture exists within the screen at which you are looking and the real Netizens are those of us who actively and regularly participate in the smaller communities, develop websites and memberships, contribute to wikis, write and maintain blogs, and otherwise live virtual lives. We shape and create the information you receive and entertainment you see online. While it is reckless to say that we control the Web, it is accurate to note that, without us, there wouldn't be one; while larger corporations and companies provide access to, and forums for, the Web, as well as other Internet functions (e-mail, FTP, more), we Netizens - the regular and most active users online - create, edit, and maintain the content; without us, there would still be a Yahoo!, there just wouldn't be anything on it.
While anyone who "Googles" something or uses e-mail is generally considered part of "The Online Community," the actual Online Community is comprised of us Netizens who literally live online: we work online, shop online, network socially and communicate online, meet friends and collaborators online, meet dates and significant others online and have "virtual" sex with people we never physically meet, our entertainment venues exist online - our lives are online; we live online.
And we wouldn't have it any other way; we enjoy our virtual lives and constantly seek to maintain and improve them.
Our MySpace profiles tell friends and potential friends who we are as individuals; our LinkedIn profiles tell potential co-workers and employers about our careers, professional accomplishments, and work experience; our eBay and Amazon accounts allow us to purchase whatever we want or need whenever we want or need it - regardless of whether or not the local shops carry it or are open when we want or need to buy it; our e-mail accounts keep us in touch with our friends and family and our spam-e-mail accounts collect ads we never asked to receive; we game online, watch TV and movies online, listen to music online; we socialize online - to the extent that we meet sex partners and significant others and move them in or marry them; we research where we want to move, what we want to purchase, where we want go, people we've just met or known for a lifetime, actors from movies we're watching while we're watching them - along with the movies themselves; we memorialize our thoughts and feelings in online journals - almost everything we are and everything we do exists online.
We are the ones who develop and dictate the real cyberculture and it is my job, as The Cyberculturalist, to document and discuss it all - or at least as much as I care to.
But I'm no mere historian. I am a guide: an armchair sociologist, a trend-watcher, a trendsetter, a journalist, a reviewer, an editor, an advisor, an observer. I am an expert on neither the Web nor the Internet, so I am not here to give you an "expert" opinion or "expert" advice on anything; I am simply a guy whose every waking moment is spent online. And I have been online for over 15 years, I ran a BBS before that, I run The Weirding website now, and I am a member of most every, major website across the Web - as well as a host of those less well-known; I have been around just about every site, function, and application worth finding online for a very long time.
I listen to the radio online; I watch TV and movies online; I order the books I cannot read online and movies I cannot watch online through online stores; I order my groceries online; I play games online; I met most of the friends I talk to on a regular basis, as well as the last few people I went out with, online; and I pay for all of it with money I make online. I will share tips, tricks, advice, and sites that I find or discover on my own, as well as discuss all aspects of cyberculture and, along the way, create a living historical document of the Web's development and direction for posterity and reference.
But more than that, The Cyberculturalist will be an actual Internet and cyberculture resource - not exactly a portal (since you can't create your own spaces or profiles or access your online information from here), but a singular resource which will point you to other great online resources, portals, sites, and functions that will enhance and improve your online experience and efficiency. And if this sounds like a sales-pitch, it really isn't; my firm belief is that computers and the Internet should make things easier to accomplish, and that this is not presently the case, nor has it ever been.
As a Webmaster, Problogger, and former Sysop, I suppose I am amongst the haut monde of the online set, but only when compared to your average user; as a struggling online worker (I certainly don't make millions a year - nor even hundreds of thousands!), I am no "Web-Made Millionaire" or anything like that. I am, in fact, just as much a Netizen as are you - though probably more active and regular. In fact, you could say I "have no life," but that would be a total lie; I have a very rich, very vibrant, very active - and extremely busy - life.
Online.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
While there are millions of sub-sects across the Web, those of us who login regularly are part of what's come to be called "The Online Community." The younger amongst us are known as "The Internet Generation," even though cellphones are their preferred method of communication. And though almost none of us can agree on anything, the fact of the matter is that a very distinct community and culture has evolved rapidly since the Web's establishment in its current form (commercialized and for use by the private-sector).
Though cyberculture has invaded every facet of our lives - from television to movies, literature and music, the world's workforce and economy, fashion, our everyday speech and vernacular, ad infinitum - the real cyberculture exists within the screen at which you are looking and the real Netizens are those of us who actively and regularly participate in the smaller communities, develop websites and memberships, contribute to wikis, write and maintain blogs, and otherwise live virtual lives. We shape and create the information you receive and entertainment you see online. While it is reckless to say that we control the Web, it is accurate to note that, without us, there wouldn't be one; while larger corporations and companies provide access to, and forums for, the Web, as well as other Internet functions (e-mail, FTP, more), we Netizens - the regular and most active users online - create, edit, and maintain the content; without us, there would still be a Yahoo!, there just wouldn't be anything on it.
While anyone who "Googles" something or uses e-mail is generally considered part of "The Online Community," the actual Online Community is comprised of us Netizens who literally live online: we work online, shop online, network socially and communicate online, meet friends and collaborators online, meet dates and significant others online and have "virtual" sex with people we never physically meet, our entertainment venues exist online - our lives are online; we live online.
And we wouldn't have it any other way; we enjoy our virtual lives and constantly seek to maintain and improve them.
Our MySpace profiles tell friends and potential friends who we are as individuals; our LinkedIn profiles tell potential co-workers and employers about our careers, professional accomplishments, and work experience; our eBay and Amazon accounts allow us to purchase whatever we want or need whenever we want or need it - regardless of whether or not the local shops carry it or are open when we want or need to buy it; our e-mail accounts keep us in touch with our friends and family and our spam-e-mail accounts collect ads we never asked to receive; we game online, watch TV and movies online, listen to music online; we socialize online - to the extent that we meet sex partners and significant others and move them in or marry them; we research where we want to move, what we want to purchase, where we want go, people we've just met or known for a lifetime, actors from movies we're watching while we're watching them - along with the movies themselves; we memorialize our thoughts and feelings in online journals - almost everything we are and everything we do exists online.
We are the ones who develop and dictate the real cyberculture and it is my job, as The Cyberculturalist, to document and discuss it all - or at least as much as I care to.
But I'm no mere historian. I am a guide: an armchair sociologist, a trend-watcher, a trendsetter, a journalist, a reviewer, an editor, an advisor, an observer. I am an expert on neither the Web nor the Internet, so I am not here to give you an "expert" opinion or "expert" advice on anything; I am simply a guy whose every waking moment is spent online. And I have been online for over 15 years, I ran a BBS before that, I run The Weirding website now, and I am a member of most every, major website across the Web - as well as a host of those less well-known; I have been around just about every site, function, and application worth finding online for a very long time.
I listen to the radio online; I watch TV and movies online; I order the books I cannot read online and movies I cannot watch online through online stores; I order my groceries online; I play games online; I met most of the friends I talk to on a regular basis, as well as the last few people I went out with, online; and I pay for all of it with money I make online. I will share tips, tricks, advice, and sites that I find or discover on my own, as well as discuss all aspects of cyberculture and, along the way, create a living historical document of the Web's development and direction for posterity and reference.
But more than that, The Cyberculturalist will be an actual Internet and cyberculture resource - not exactly a portal (since you can't create your own spaces or profiles or access your online information from here), but a singular resource which will point you to other great online resources, portals, sites, and functions that will enhance and improve your online experience and efficiency. And if this sounds like a sales-pitch, it really isn't; my firm belief is that computers and the Internet should make things easier to accomplish, and that this is not presently the case, nor has it ever been.
As a Webmaster, Problogger, and former Sysop, I suppose I am amongst the haut monde of the online set, but only when compared to your average user; as a struggling online worker (I certainly don't make millions a year - nor even hundreds of thousands!), I am no "Web-Made Millionaire" or anything like that. I am, in fact, just as much a Netizen as are you - though probably more active and regular. In fact, you could say I "have no life," but that would be a total lie; I have a very rich, very vibrant, very active - and extremely busy - life.
Online.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
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