* Gearhead: Managing multiple monitors * Backspin: Why Skype and Vonage must die * Gibbsblog: The past 7 days
Gearhead: Managing multiple monitors
You may remember that last week I considered the possibility that Microsoft was trying to drive me insane because my PC had suddenly and for no accountable reason shown an unusually high processor load (about 40%) from deferred procedure calls (DPC) which, a week later, just as mysteriously dropped back to the expected level (about 2%).
To read this week’s Gearhead, click here.
Backspin: Why Skype and Vonage must die
Skype and Vonage illustrate what is wrong with user communications: They are “closed” and not standards based. These strategies support business models that are not in line with 21st century wants and needs. They have to go!
To read this week’s Backspin, click here.
Gibbsblog: The past 7 days
Two New Linux Distros
Linspire and Mandriva have released new versions of their Linux distros to the world. You can download each from their web site. Linspire wants you to pony up $50 for their full version, or get their stripped down roll-your-own Freespire version. Mandriva has released Mandriva Linux One 2008 — formerly Mandrake — providing a full Linux OS on a single CD. They offer a PowerPack version for $50 that includes SQL and web development tools as well as a more complete set of proprietary drivers. In my quest for The Perfect Linux Desktop I’m drawn to Mandriva.
Computer insecurity and marketing
The first great marketing lie was “Go and eat the apple; it’ll be okay”. The second was: “Computers are easy and will make your life easier”. But the fact is, it will not ever be easy to setup a computer system or network due to its inherent complex nature. For example, you want to make a simple change to your system and research it. Your Google search returns a paper that tells you how to do it. You begin to read it and it starts talking about registries and DLLs, and the killer: “For God’s sake don’t mess with the registry because if you do, it will be the end of civilization” sentence.
I’ve used Spybot since version 1.2 and was pleased to see 1.5 come out 9/3/07. I grabbed a copy last week, removed version 1.4 and installed 1.5 on my Windows 2000 box. That’s when the fun began.
