Friday, November 11, 2005
Windows Vista so far...
...SUCKS!! I don't know what it is about organization, but it seems that Vista has none of it. What's up with those crappy virtual folders? When I open the "Documents" link on the Start Menu, instead of taking me to where I think my documents are, it takes me to some virtual folder where nothing is. So, in essence, it shows me nothing. The Start Menu itself is even more screwed up. It's way hard to get something from the administrator's Start Menu to the All Users Start Menu where it belongs. In XP, I could count on the Start Menu being located in \Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu, but in Vista, I can't find it at all. And it doesn't help that the windows don't show you the actual path. They show a stupid breadcrumb list to help you find your way. Why can't they just make it easy like Unix and make a /home/ home directory and base everything out of there. Then they could have a /pub directory for all that shared stuff, like Start Menu icons. Gee, what a concept! I will give them a small benefit of doubt because I'm currently running Beta 1 of Vista, but if this is any indicator of what the future holds for Windows, I'm going to be making a complete shift to *NIX and leaving Microsoft in the dust. I guess I'm old-school and just have to have my path data visible and have to know where everything is stored to be happy. But, y'know what? When I lose my way browsing the hard disk, that's a very disconcerting feeling.
Now, on to other pressing issues in the world of computing. I recently have been reading in the media about Sony's new copy protection software. This is another argument to switch to Linux or Mac as a primary computing platform. You see, when you purchase some new Sony CDs, you get a free rootkit to install on your Windows box the first time you stick it in the CD-ROM tray. The rootkit installs a player that you can only use to play your Sony CDs. The CDs will not play in anything but this specific player. What's bad about this is that this rootkit installs itself without any user interaction. It also leaves an open door for malicious users to compromise Windows-based systems. That's basically the purpose of a rootkit. Sony's using it to help protect their property, but in the process, they're breaking people's computers. So, if you're out buying Sony CDs, don't play them in your Wintel box. Get a Linux or Mac computer to do that. Note: These CDs don't affect regular CD players and will play as expected. I just read this morning about the first viruses being reported as a result of the new Sony strategy.
Well, the price of gas just came down again. $2.39 for the 88 octane fuel that I put in my Saturn. It'll make me really happy when it gets back down to, oh, around a buck a gallon.
Now, on to other pressing issues in the world of computing. I recently have been reading in the media about Sony's new copy protection software. This is another argument to switch to Linux or Mac as a primary computing platform. You see, when you purchase some new Sony CDs, you get a free rootkit to install on your Windows box the first time you stick it in the CD-ROM tray. The rootkit installs a player that you can only use to play your Sony CDs. The CDs will not play in anything but this specific player. What's bad about this is that this rootkit installs itself without any user interaction. It also leaves an open door for malicious users to compromise Windows-based systems. That's basically the purpose of a rootkit. Sony's using it to help protect their property, but in the process, they're breaking people's computers. So, if you're out buying Sony CDs, don't play them in your Wintel box. Get a Linux or Mac computer to do that. Note: These CDs don't affect regular CD players and will play as expected. I just read this morning about the first viruses being reported as a result of the new Sony strategy.
Well, the price of gas just came down again. $2.39 for the 88 octane fuel that I put in my Saturn. It'll make me really happy when it gets back down to, oh, around a buck a gallon.
