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Recent Posts

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1201
General Software Discussion / Re: Which Linux For Non-Techie Windows Users?
« Last post by Josh on February 25, 2010, 10:13 AM »
On that note, opensuse just failed hardcore after sitting for 12 hours during a network install on my netbook :-/
1202
Living Room / Re: The Olympics run on WinXP!
« Last post by Josh on February 25, 2010, 10:12 AM »
Exactly. There is a time and place to use a new OS and on something that is broadcast in realtime and does not forgive mistakes (ALA Janet Jackson super bowl incident), running the cutting edge can cause more problems and embarrassment than need be.
1203
Living Room / Re: The Olympics run on WinXP!
« Last post by Josh on February 25, 2010, 09:35 AM »
As you said in your last sentence, "Its mandate to suppliers was to "deliver a flawless Games" not try out the latest in new technology" sums it up. Why run something bleeding edge in an arena that does not forgive mistakes due to its realtime nature?
1204
General Software Discussion / Re: Vista blocking some Internet access
« Last post by Josh on February 23, 2010, 05:51 PM »
Hmmm, Very odd. Let me check out my vista box tomorrow and I will see if I can find any possible cause for that. We just migrated to Vista so I have plenty of machines to test :)
1205
General Software Discussion / Re: Vista blocking some Internet access
« Last post by Josh on February 23, 2010, 05:36 PM »
In the actual firewall.

Start - Control Panel - Windows Firewall

Click "allow a program or port through the firewall"

Make sure both programs are A. In the list and B. checked (enabled)
1206
General Software Discussion / Re: Vista blocking some Internet access
« Last post by Josh on February 23, 2010, 05:06 PM »
Did you enable them in the windows firewall for public networks? That can sometimes cause an issue. It has to be set on an admin level account
1207
VLC is what I use as well. It supports everything I need it to, is lightweight, portable and can be configured (although the hotkey configuration system leaves a bit to be desired).

VLC gets my vote.
1208
Everyone, please do not get roped into this debate.

1209
Exactly. For the organization I operate with, most of the users see a producitivity jump as we are doing quite a bit in office every day of the week, especially deployed. As you said, if all you are doing is basic document editing, office and openoffice are both overkill for your needs. Wordpad or a slighly more advanced editor is more desirable and recommended.

And yes, I agree that ODF and OOXML are both poor formats.
1210
For the record, I have both OOo and O2K7 running on a netbook with a 1.6GHz Atom, far from the fastest thing on earth.

I have used and still continue to use both suites depending on the need. I leave OOo installed for those few sites where I find the authors relying on ODF, a poor choice in formats IMHO. But that said, I have put OOo through its paces and I still cannot make it function as fluidly and smooth as O2K7. OOo is slow, unnatural, and appears to just be attempting to copy O2K3.

Tried it for about 10 minutes, laughed and closed it.

That is not trying it. That is a waste of 10 minutes. The fact that you claim it "shrinks your screen" shows you really have not given it a fair chance either. If you choose to Hide the ribbon, enabled by default on all NON-ENTERPRISE copies, it disappears until you need it.

I have watched as many users quickly gain in productivity in a unit where most of the personnel are former infantry and thus against anything computer related. I have watched them go from taking 2 minutes to find a feature buried in menus to being able to work very quickly on developing the many reports they use and create. The ribbon puts everything out in the open and makes everything accessible via hotkey combo so you can develop that muscle memory in a very easy fashion.

Again, OOo is a decent product and I do recommend it when appropriate. But for business level productivity, nothing beats MS Office.

PS. I am not a fan boy of any particular product. I recommend products as appropriate based on the situation. I also do not blindly jump onto any bandwagon which is extreme in one nature or the other. I do not base my opinions off of what I read online or hear from some "expert" on a blog, I base them off personal experience and actual testing.
1211
Living Room / Re: Right, time to work on...o_0 a shiny penny, I WANT IT!
« Last post by Josh on February 21, 2010, 11:45 AM »
Sorry, saw this post and immediately thought of our fearless leader mouser
1212
Living Room / Re: People are really (really, really) stupid
« Last post by Josh on February 20, 2010, 03:45 PM »
I was thinking gasoline and a lit match, but chlorine will do
1213
General Software Discussion / Re: Installing Linux over ME, is it possible?
« Last post by Josh on February 20, 2010, 07:51 AM »
Also, a LiveCD might not give you the full experience but it is good to get a taste of what Linux can offer you on the system. Only doing a full install will let you experience everything. Running it for a week to a month will give you a good picture of how your system will handle.
1214
General Software Discussion / Re: Installing Linux over ME, is it possible?
« Last post by Josh on February 20, 2010, 07:39 AM »
Please do not take my comments as attempts to be purely negative towards Linux. I just do not like people going into Linux thinking "Oh, this will be so much more stable and secure, it's Linux!". As said above, Linux shares its own series of vulnerabilities, problems and issues. It's a matter of trade offs.

As said above, if the user is knowledgeable and willing to work with the OS and learn it, then yes they will likely enjoy it. The problem is that they have to realize this IS NOT Windows and as such will require some work to get running the way you like it. And like Windows, you will have to ensure it is patched and updated regularly as Linux provides updates for thousands of different libraries and modules used by other programs.

Linux is a great OS, I just do not like people instantly touting it as "More secure and stable" out of the box. Like Windows, it is what you make of it. So yes, if you are willing to work with it, dive right in but expect to get your feet wet at times when issues creep up.
1215
Living Room / Re: People are really (really, really) stupid
« Last post by Josh on February 20, 2010, 03:06 AM »
You know, I've said it before and I will say it again. We need to remove all safety warnings from every product and this stupidity problem will solve itself. People will LEARN to survive and do what needs to be done. Darwinism FTW!
1216
OOo has never felt quite right to me. Be it the way I try and work with existing documents, just create new documents in general or just interacting with the UI. It feels tacky. It's an OK product that I will recommend to a ma/pa household that needs nothing more than to send a weekly newsletter to the family, but for real productivity I am sold on MS Office or, as mentioned above, SoftMaker Office depending on the situation. I want a product that just feels natural to interact and function with as opposed to one which kinda feels like features were tacked on or just incomplete.
1217
General Software Discussion / Re: Why upgrade to MS Office 2010?
« Last post by Josh on February 19, 2010, 11:24 AM »
I would also like to hear this as well. I am deployed and cannot download this on the machines I work on. Would be nice to hear some of the new things. I know with each new version of office thus far my productivity goes up quite a bit due to the addition of features many of the users I support, including myself, are asking for. The ribbon was a huge jump, in my opinion, to opening up many features that most users forgot or never knew existed. I have shown users how to be quicker by using the shortcut keys which appear when hitting ALT inside of an office application. Yes, this was do-able before via the menu system, but most things were hidden. And now, you can easily access your most common commands via shortcut keys you learn as you go. The less a user has to take their hands from the keyboard to use the mouse, the quicker they are from my experience.

I can't wait to see what o2k10 offers.
1218
General Software Discussion / Re: Installing Linux over ME, is it possible?
« Last post by Josh on February 18, 2010, 11:02 AM »
I would really recommend sticking with Windows if you have absolutely no exposure to Linux. Linux, as I said, does not mean instant security and stability. There is a lot of things that you trade off from windows, and gain from linux on the flip side, when you switch. I would really recommend running a trial of it in a virtual machine or using a livecd before making the plunge. If you have time, you can go full in right off the start but remember to expect issues as you figure out how the system operates differently than Windows.
1219
General Software Discussion / Re: Installing Linux over ME, is it possible?
« Last post by Josh on February 18, 2010, 08:53 AM »
Be advised, installing Linux does not instantly make a computer more stable or secure. You have to configure it as such and make sure it is properly updated/patched (Just like Windows). Without proper patching a Linux system can actually be MORE insecure than a similar Windows system because of what you can do from the Linux command line.

Also be sure the user knows what they are doing after you install it otherwise you will be supporting them with any issue they have. Linux should recognize the CD-RW Drive and USB ports fine, but then again each distro is different depending on what support is built into the kernel.

Just some food for thought.
1220
General Software Discussion / Why the aversion to .NET Frameworks?
« Last post by Josh on February 17, 2010, 01:34 PM »
I have been wondering this for some time and I figured DC the appropriate place to ask.

This topic brought this out into the open and now I have to ask. Why are so many people hating on the .NET framework? Is there something about it I am missing that makes it pure evil?

For example, reading the reviews of Paint.net at betanews, one can see many comments about the fact that this program uses .NET. Some people even go out of their way to come in, rate the program poorly, and the only comment is "It uses .NET, no thanks". Really? Is it that horribly terribly bad that you would rather sacrifice your first born than use a .net app?

Thoughts?
1221
General Software Discussion / Re: Media Center Software
« Last post by Josh on February 16, 2010, 06:47 PM »
Looking for more of a media center front end that allows for addition of libraries or folders and playback of media in those folders such as what XBMC does.
1222
General Software Discussion / Media Center Software
« Last post by Josh on February 16, 2010, 04:11 PM »
All,

I am looking at finding a software solution that is both easy to configure, has a decent front end and allow for easy addition of new media. This is for a media center machine. I know about XBMC and WMC on Win7. My issue with XBMC is the time it takes to get it running and configured properly. My issue with Windows Media Center on Win7 is that the delete option is presented at the end of playback which causes a problem when my daughter randomly hits delete. This is for a machine that is capable of running most media including HD MKV files.

Does anyone know of a good easy to use solution that is just for running a front end to a media server?

Thanks!

Josh
1223
General Software Discussion / Re: Bartels Media paranoia
« Last post by Josh on February 13, 2010, 06:19 PM »
I feel this forum serves its purpose and I feel that it should be allowed to remain.
1224
General Software Discussion / Re: Bartels Media paranoia
« Last post by Josh on February 13, 2010, 01:30 PM »
That is all I asked him to do in the private messages sent and public posting I did asking him to stop. I understand that he is upset and rightfully so if he is in fact being copied, but DC is not the place or forum to hijack every thread about a text expander. I welcome him back with open arms if he will stop doing this but if not I say we leave the ban in place or remove future violating posts.
1225
General Software Discussion / Re: Bartels Media paranoia
« Last post by Josh on February 13, 2010, 09:59 AM »
Sympathy and understanding for a user is one thing. Allowing them to attack and insult our users is another. If the crowds would like, I can restore the last two posts that were removed prior to my banning Bartels in which a couple of our users were directly attacked and I can link to others where several more were attacked.

DC is a site about learning about software. Who's to say that some of the other programs advertised here are not blatant forgeries of other works? I understand the frustration of having this happen but taking over every thread where one of these products is mentioned is a bit absurd and attacking our users who might prefer the other versions is even worse.

It seemed that users were being diverted away from the topics every time that Bartels would post in said threads. This is a detractor not only to the quality of responses we would normally expect at DC, but it removes from possible discussions which could be had because most of the replies from BM were those of retaliation and attack. I simply do not agree with that.
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