The second place gets VP is dangerous. In Mexico's history, most of the 19th century is filled with second place VPs rising armies to depose the president after the election didn't go their way. The executive branch has to be a "winner takes all" or it quickly devolves into anarchy.
IPv6 is very popular in Asia, and you have a large number of Eastern languages sites that are only reachable on IPv6 (some only have IPv4 for western visitors if their content applies).
And on ISPs. Cox and Time Warner (Road Runner) started running consumer IPv6 pilots this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if other ISPs also started.
The limiting factor is going to be the home routers. But as more ISPs begin offering the option (maybe bundled with a "higher performance tier" that will tie in with net neutrality), we'll likely see home routers advertising IPv6 support as if it was a new type of faster wireless. Albeit, it might take years.
Learn where menu and toolbar commands are in Office 2010 and related products And complementing this. MS has a plug-in based interactive tool to map from the office 2003 menu to the Office 2010 ribbon. You can just click on the Office 2003 menu, and it will show breadcrumbs of where to find it in Office 2010 (and display it when you click on it)
IMO Office 2010 is considerable better than 2007. The ribbon was polished more, adding commonly used commands to dropdowns. IMO, it is what the ribbon should have been from the beginning (in 2007, it was little more than a nuisance, with o 2010, it can actually help)
While I might agree that some people do become stupid with tech (and oversimplify the complexity that computers are covering up and compensating), we also can't oversimplify the fact that it's not trivial to go back 20+ years to pre-computer procedures overnight for a temporary problem that will go away in a few days (or minutes or hours, as in the case of the tire shop employee).
Besides employees not getting paid enough to go the extra mile (or that they're supposed to be doing something else), the likely end reason is likely that it isn't affordable or efficient or even possible. As it is, a common complain in the healthcare industry is that they're understaffed, and with automation, the number of employees has been reduced so much they would never be able to deal with the backlog manually (assuming that enough employees had the training to deal with pre-computer issues). Not to mention that in a complex team workflow, exceptions would make it risky (ie, if the patient isn't registered in the system, his/hers tests can't be attached, so the doctors can't access them properly, opening the hospital to liabilities).
Old systems likely broke down and got replaced by digital systems that require much less from their operators. Before they might have been able to print, but maybe that printer isn't there anymore. Going all the way back to pre-computers might mean leaches.
As for your tire experience. Maybe the employee was lazy and wasn't willing to go the extra mile. Or maybe he didn't have a yellow pages or a company directory (which might have been on-line). Or, likely, he is supposed to tend the counter, and isn't allowed to do something else when he is supposed to be servicing people coming in the door (or answering the phone). In the "olden days", we might have been dealing with the store owner, which would be more inclined to GEM, but with franchises and staffs cut to a minimum for the sake of 80%+ normalcy, it's no surprise that the quality of service suffers.
In spirit, I agree that computers have made it too easy for stupidity to thrive. In fact, they have made it so easy that it is endemic at the business level, not just at the employee level. Rather than doing the work, businesses just farm it out to someone else, and then to someone else (ie, the "Cloud philosophy"), and you end up dealing with shells that are so far removed from the data that have no knowledge or interest in providing a reasonable service that falls slightly outside the normal expectation. And even when it's a typical offering, quality is often substandard and it only fulfills the need in the most general sense. But I'm starting to digress to another topic, so I'll stop.
Being devil's advocate (I love my PC with 3 monitors, I can understand why users like the concept of the iPad -ie portabiliy and surface simplicity-, but wouldn't want to have one w/o having a PC nearby to overcome its limitations when you have to do something serious).
A pro-Cloud, pro iPad as a replacement argument would be that you can always connect to a remote system to do your work, and you can have multiple iPads (one for each screen/data that is relevant to your work, each connected to different apps/windows). You could have a stack of iPads on your desk, and just cycle through them as you are looking at the data (think a Star Trek episode with a desk full of pads).
It's a matter of how dumbed down is the interface to the apps you need, how polished is the process to enter data and that would allow you to jump between steps by just tapping a couple times and moving between tablets (or how easy it would be to connect to multiple apps on the same remote control session). IMO, a mouse click away (or Alt+Tab) is far easier than moving around in your chair and picking up another screen, but people that are more tactile (ie, "paper lovers") might prefer this approach.
It would be expensive having multiple tablets, but probably nor much more expensive as a 3+ multi-LCD setup a few years ago (before LCD prices plummeted), and prices will continue to go down. The real expense is that the cloud/server side is easy enough to use so you it can be used in this manner. It's just a matter of how much is the organization whiling to pay for creativity.
It reminded me of an episode of 7 Days in which a researcher develops a vaccine for cancer that mutates and kills everybody, and a future incarnation of the org makes a long jump (7+ years?) to stop her from developing the vaccine (kind of a Hitler dilemma with an innocent perpetrator). It also reminded me of I Am Legend.
Sounds like either forcing 801.11n only or using 801.11a is the only inter-operable alternative unless you can modify the devices and play with other parameters.
What about getting the convention hall organizers (or you and your nearby booths) to try and build a mesh, so everybody is on the same network (and can somehow tweak parameters to reduce interference)? Maybe coordinate the channels between nearby booths so they don't overlap? Not that there are than many channels to distribute.
While movie player and ad-rotator are common uses for Flash, many site are using it for more than that. They're doing full fledged interactive environments within Flash - I remember seeing Flash based games as early as 1996 (and now they are pretty common). In my office, people don't play Solitaire, they play Wheel of Fortune, Backgammon and other Flash games...
For graphics designers, Flash programming comes as a natural extension (and a way to bypass programmers), and it can offer enhanced functionality that rivals Ajax. For example, to distribute automated updates for monitoring (during elections) - Instead of refreshing the whole HTML page, you just refresh the data within the plug-in automatically.
That aside. A blocky and slow movie playback in Flash might have more to do with the speed of the connection, the cache buffer, and overall computer performance... Flash is being used for movie playback by YouTube, and you know how that has worked out..
Indeed. It is just an extension mechanism. The component themselves have to be marked as "safe for scripting", and newer versions of IE don't enable ActiveX in public zones by default.
A problem is that users have dialog fatigue and don't read nor undestand when they get the prompts. Then again, most would trust Yahoo/MySpace/Facebook anyway if they get the prompt.
ActiveX is a way to extend the browser, to make the web site better for -at least Windows- users (and overcome some of the limitations of good old fashioned HTML/HTTP). Truth is that even standards compliant web sites leave something to be desired when compared with native desktop applications. ActiveX gets the bum rap because it is the entry point (a generic API). The real culprits are third party programmers.
After 15+ years of Internet explosion, you'd expect that we would be doing better in security, and that we wouldn't miss desktop apps. There is a dire need for better web apps that blend better with the local system.
In fact, while many of us might look forward to Web 2.0 using Ajax/JSON et al, there is a bit of a growing movement in non-standards based environments: Flash and Silverlight are emerging as full fledged OS-like environments inside the browser. Instead of re-inventing the OS using the browser with an interpreted (slow) language (like Netscape, and Java -client- tried to do), you have Adobe and MS coming up with a graphics friendly and programming flexible alternatives within their own ActiveX controls (which are blazing fast because the core is in C++, and the content is pre-compiled). As much as Flash is maligned, I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years it takes over the Internet, and the browser is little more than a tool to deliver flash content.
I also feel that 3 monitors is a considerable improvement over 2. Specially when using a card that can span across all the monitors (Matrox). That way, most applications open centered dialogs on the middle monitor w/o having to teach them. And Maxtor's window management allows you to maximize to a single display, or to maximize to all displays (I like Matrox's tools a bit better than nVidia's, but both do a decent job).
As previously noted, it depends on what you're doing. DB/Development/2D works better on multiple monitors, while gaming/viewing/design tend to work better on a single large screen.
I'm currently using 3 20" Samsung LCDs at work, and 1 20" LCD at home. I'd like to get something larger for home, maybe next year (maybe still use the 20" as secondary, for browsing while watching TV). At work, I'm tempted to go for 6 LCDs at some time in the future (the "extra" 3 would be mostly for monitoring systems, running more remote sessions, etc).
Another reason to still have an antenna, aside from "free" TV, is getting HDTV. With the networks finally offering HDTV broadcasts, the content is finally starting to be there. Since Satellite is having major bandwidth problems, and cable doesn't seem to be moving fast enough to add HDTV, OTA HDTV seems to be the best short-term solution if you want to get HDTV on your brand new set.
And OTA HDTV might grow some lasting roots with entusiasts, since it's the only for of HDTV you can still timeshift/record using PC HDTV tuners (unlike satellite HDTV, which you can't timeshift)
After local news, and sports, timeshifting is one of the main reasons why local stations don't want this to happen. In an equal ground (same network content, similar size station), people would still watch their local channels primarily to get local news. If you're going to watch the same content at roughly the same time, most people would still watch it on their local channel (along with their news or local sports).
However, if the content is broadcasted at another (earlier) time by a remote station, it makes the remote more attractive. For example, on the west coast, you could set your VCR or TiVo (or, if DirTV would do the same, DirectTiVo) to record remote east coast locals, and just watch all your favorite prime time shows when you get home, commercial free.
Currently I have both DirectTV and DishNetwork. I have 2 DirecTiVos. I first got Dish, but I got tired of waiting for Echostar to come up with a good digital PVR (I have a DishPlayer, which was good for its time, but buggy as hell, and the 521 (?) doesn't seem to be much better). DirTV's DirecTiVo just blows Dish's PVRs out of the water. The main reason why I still have Dish is because of the SuperStations package (one of which is UPN, not available in my market), which would be equivalent to remote locals. The SuperStations package is why many people choose Dish over DirTV... Another thing I miss from Dish is a simplified international programming (DirTV reps can't figure out how to set my account up to get all english programming plus spanish channels, I have to choose either or).
Why is EchoStar pushing for this? Probably because that way they will be able to claim true 500+ channels when competing against cable (today they can claim 500 channels, but legally, you can only get about 200). Since must carry forced them to carry all this extra channels, overtaxing their bandwidth (to the point that some DBS users have gone back to cable for better picture quality), they mights as well try and overturn the law, and turn must-carry into a competitive advantage against cable. E* will probably charge ~$5 per market, so you won't just get all remote local channels automatically. They're betting that the extra $5 to $10 bucks most DishNetwork subscribers would pay to get NY and LA locals would upset any lost revenue on premium sport channels.
If they get the law overturned, they gain a big competitive advantage over cable. If the E*/D* merger doesn't go through, E* will have a competitive advantage against DirTV (since DirTV current local implementation is based on spot beams, preventing them from offering all locals for all regions). If the merger with DirTV goes through, they'll gain more orbital positions, and will be able to still offer all locals. E* wins either way.
I don't think this comment was meant to be classified as "funny". It's what I want to do: rackmount 3 DirectTivos (some with HD upgrades, others not), capture video there, and extract the video to my 500 GB IDE RAID using the TurboNet card (or taking out the HD and mounting it on the PC using an ext2 partition). Now, I only have to wait for robust video extracting solution to become available, but that is in the works over at DealDatabase, just don't tell anybody:)...
I'd love to avoid all this work, and get the TV programs I want on DVD, but they're mostly old series that will never come out on DVD anyway...
Yep, the Outlook security patch has been out for a while. This virus (and most of the virus out there) have more to do with user education than with Microsoft's competence. If you have the patch installed, this virus doesn't deserve much attention, it's interesting that is is starting to use other APIs (like ICQ and mIRC).
If you have Outlook with Exchange Server, you can disable the warning about a virus when sending bulk mails (or programmatic mails), and you can gain access to those dangerous attachments (like MDBs or EXE), and you can get rid of the warning depending on the user. Just check the documentation for the patch. It is a bit of a pain (you can't specify groups/distribution lists, you have to specify the specific users), but it gets the job done (restricts most users, and allows you to give permissions to responsible users).
Also, if you have applications using CDO, but which to port them to an API that is less attacked, you might want to consider Outlook Redemption. It is code compatible with CDO, and even has additional MAPI functionality.
Indeed, it'd be hard to block existing NAT users, but they can make it harder:
* Discontinue (or make it hard) to use Ethernet on the cable modem. You see more and more USB cable modems, and more and more users blindly going for it. While you could still use NAT (having a PC running Windows or Linux dedicated), you'd need USB drivers, which might be "CAT" aware.
* Provide value added services if you use CAT. For example, digital phones (or other "Internet aware" appliances) using the cable could be connected to the Ethernet network as long as you're using a CAT enabled router. It could also be more insidious: they could actually limit bandwidth, or reduce routing priority if you're not using a CAT enabled USB modem with proprietary drivers.
One of the advantages of a cable modem is sharing the connection. SOmetimes I'm using the computer in my living room, sometimes one in my bedroom. It is unacceptable that they charge me for a computer that might or not be in use...
I'm using RoadRunner. THey used to require that you run an authentication app to let you get on the network. That went on for a couple years, and it was flaky as hell (need to authenticate once for the lease, afterwards, the lease remains active even if the app wasn't running, and the installation made a mess of itself), and they eventually decided to discontinue it and use straight DHCP, limiting the number of connections on the cable modem (and I think they've saved quite a bit in support calls). Trying to lock down the number of IPs will only cause headaches, and customer discomfort...
Re:Not a replacement for a desktop...
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Pocket PC 2002
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Just a couple quick notes
* You can set ActiveSync to backup the device every time you sync (similar to HotSync), just check the configuration options. Full backups take forever over USB, it's better to do a full once and then do incremental backups.
* If you're going to travel (away from your laptop), it's a good idea to do backups to a Storage Card, so you can restore your apps and configuration on the road w/o needing a computer. It's also a good idea to do a few backups to CF while on the road (YMMV)
* The existing PPC do not support mounting network drives. However, the new PPC 2202 do support access to Windows network shares (don't know about Samba shares, probably).
Indeed, the implications for the PDA market can be huge.
One thing to consider is that PDAs and "wireless intenet access" is how PC manufacturers hope to reactivate their sales. PDAs are an important part of this effort.
It'd be dumb for HP to discard the iPAQ, even to rename it. With the new Merlin devices just a month or so away, they are better off making them into 2 lines. The HP Jornada line that appeals to traditional business users, and the HP iPAQ line, which appeals to high performance users. There are rumors of a new Jornada that will have a StrongArm CPU, but it might not be enough to replace the iPAQ. One factor that they should have in mind is that the iPAQ expansion sleeve is starting to gain support, so HP would retain a large user base if they keep the iPAQ line...
The only alternative to the iPAQ is the Toshiba Genio. The Genio might be coming out just in time, maybe at a time when current iPAQ users will be looking for alternatives...
Re:The *real* problem with handheld devices...
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Palm In Trouble?
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The PocketPCs can use the IBM MicroDrive (that come in sizes from 170 MB to 1 GB). You can use them to store video (full DVDs downscaled using WMV or MPEG-1) or a lot of music, or photos, or documentation...
I also feel that color is optional. However, it does make the display nicer and easier to look at. And applications are starting to take advantage of it (place high priority overdue taks in red, or have different colors for your appointments in your calendar, depending on categories). Color is also very helpful when you're looking at a map (not to mention video)...
Current generation iPAQ can do some voice recognition, but not much. Next generation might be able to do it much more, and maybe with a little AI in there (MS demo'd something like that a few months ago, but the voice recognition and AI was on a PC connected to the iPAQ using 802.11b, the iPAQ was an intelligent interactive remote).
If you give a PPC a chance, you might want to try Transcriber. I've always read good things about it, and recently gave it a chance. It works pretty good, you can write anywhere on the screen, and It recognizes my handwritting (when the Newton couldn't get a single letter right), and works ok. I don't think I'll be using it as my primary input method (a bit slow to recognize sometimes, and it could get in the way if you don't type text frequently), but it is a nice option to have (and I'd use it more if I had to write a lot of text)...
I've been trying to get used to Fitaly as an input method, but I keep going back to the built-in character recognizer and the keyboard. I guess I'll keep training with Fitaly, to see if I get over the transition phase....
Re:Maybe your pockets are larger...
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Palm In Trouble?
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How big is your HandSpring? The naked iPAQ is about the same size as the Palm III (a bit taller, same depth, if I remember correctly).
I personally carry my iPAQ on a belt clip or using an eHolster (along with my phone). I do this because I like having the PCMCIA sleeve with me along with 340 MB of storage (music, video, photos, documents, etc.). I just got my unit upgraded to 64 MB, and I could see me using the naked iPAQ more (and just carrying in my pocket)...
Re:better *hardware* not better wince
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Palm In Trouble?
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The iPAQ can handle full speed video. So far, it doesn't support DivX AVI files, but you can play MPEG-1 or WMV files. And it can hold a full downscaled DVD using a expansion sleeve with CF or a MicroDrive (1 GB) or a 2 GB PCMCIA HardDrive. There are people also using external laptop HDs (with a PCMCIA interface) as a video or MP3 jukebox (usually as a car player, for external power for the HD).
Next generation iPAQ will be fast enough to handle speech recognition. This generation can do it, but it isn't good enough for mainstream applications.
Viewing web pages is important. AvantGo is a pain when you view it with a Palm (barely of any use), but it is great when you view it with an iPAQ. And if/when there is short range BlueTooth communication, it'd be a lot easier to have HTML device interfaces that your PDA can handle (and not clipping).
The level of integration is great. A single device that can be my newspaper, PDA, dictionary, music player, and portable video player. It isn't as small as a Palm V, but it saves me from carrying quite a few extra items (especially on trips).
It isn't for everybody, but it is a solution for some of us...
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The second place gets VP is dangerous. In Mexico's history, most of the 19th century is filled with second place VPs rising armies to depose the president after the election didn't go their way. The executive branch has to be a "winner takes all" or it quickly devolves into anarchy.
IPv6 is very popular in Asia, and you have a large number of Eastern languages sites that are only reachable on IPv6 (some only have IPv4 for western visitors if their content applies).
And on ISPs. Cox and Time Warner (Road Runner) started running consumer IPv6 pilots this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if other ISPs also started.
The limiting factor is going to be the home routers. But as more ISPs begin offering the option (maybe bundled with a "higher performance tier" that will tie in with net neutrality), we'll likely see home routers advertising IPv6 support as if it was a new type of faster wireless. Albeit, it might take years.
Learn where menu and toolbar commands are in Office 2010 and related products
And complementing this. MS has a plug-in based interactive tool to map from the office 2003 menu to the Office 2010 ribbon. You can just click on the Office 2003 menu, and it will show breadcrumbs of where to find it in Office 2010 (and display it when you click on it)
Indeed, the hidden extra functionality is infuriating. A way around it is to use Addintools Classic Menu for Office
IMO Office 2010 is considerable better than 2007. The ribbon was polished more, adding commonly used commands to dropdowns. IMO, it is what the ribbon should have been from the beginning (in 2007, it was little more than a nuisance, with o 2010, it can actually help)
While I might agree that some people do become stupid with tech (and oversimplify the complexity that computers are covering up and compensating), we also can't oversimplify the fact that it's not trivial to go back 20+ years to pre-computer procedures overnight for a temporary problem that will go away in a few days (or minutes or hours, as in the case of the tire shop employee).
Besides employees not getting paid enough to go the extra mile (or that they're supposed to be doing something else), the likely end reason is likely that it isn't affordable or efficient or even possible. As it is, a common complain in the healthcare industry is that they're understaffed, and with automation, the number of employees has been reduced so much they would never be able to deal with the backlog manually (assuming that enough employees had the training to deal with pre-computer issues). Not to mention that in a complex team workflow, exceptions would make it risky (ie, if the patient isn't registered in the system, his/hers tests can't be attached, so the doctors can't access them properly, opening the hospital to liabilities).
Old systems likely broke down and got replaced by digital systems that require much less from their operators. Before they might have been able to print, but maybe that printer isn't there anymore. Going all the way back to pre-computers might mean leaches.
As for your tire experience. Maybe the employee was lazy and wasn't willing to go the extra mile. Or maybe he didn't have a yellow pages or a company directory (which might have been on-line). Or, likely, he is supposed to tend the counter, and isn't allowed to do something else when he is supposed to be servicing people coming in the door (or answering the phone). In the "olden days", we might have been dealing with the store owner, which would be more inclined to GEM, but with franchises and staffs cut to a minimum for the sake of 80%+ normalcy, it's no surprise that the quality of service suffers.
In spirit, I agree that computers have made it too easy for stupidity to thrive. In fact, they have made it so easy that it is endemic at the business level, not just at the employee level. Rather than doing the work, businesses just farm it out to someone else, and then to someone else (ie, the "Cloud philosophy"), and you end up dealing with shells that are so far removed from the data that have no knowledge or interest in providing a reasonable service that falls slightly outside the normal expectation. And even when it's a typical offering, quality is often substandard and it only fulfills the need in the most general sense. But I'm starting to digress to another topic, so I'll stop.
Being devil's advocate (I love my PC with 3 monitors, I can understand why users like the concept of the iPad -ie portabiliy and surface simplicity-, but wouldn't want to have one w/o having a PC nearby to overcome its limitations when you have to do something serious).
A pro-Cloud, pro iPad as a replacement argument would be that you can always connect to a remote system to do your work, and you can have multiple iPads (one for each screen/data that is relevant to your work, each connected to different apps/windows). You could have a stack of iPads on your desk, and just cycle through them as you are looking at the data (think a Star Trek episode with a desk full of pads).
It's a matter of how dumbed down is the interface to the apps you need, how polished is the process to enter data and that would allow you to jump between steps by just tapping a couple times and moving between tablets (or how easy it would be to connect to multiple apps on the same remote control session). IMO, a mouse click away (or Alt+Tab) is far easier than moving around in your chair and picking up another screen, but people that are more tactile (ie, "paper lovers") might prefer this approach.
It would be expensive having multiple tablets, but probably nor much more expensive as a 3+ multi-LCD setup a few years ago (before LCD prices plummeted), and prices will continue to go down. The real expense is that the cloud/server side is easy enough to use so you it can be used in this manner. It's just a matter of how much is the organization whiling to pay for creativity.
It reminded me of an episode of 7 Days in which a researcher develops a vaccine for cancer that mutates and kills everybody, and a future incarnation of the org makes a long jump (7+ years?) to stop her from developing the vaccine (kind of a Hitler dilemma with an innocent perpetrator). It also reminded me of I Am Legend.
Sounds like either forcing 801.11n only or using 801.11a is the only inter-operable alternative unless you can modify the devices and play with other parameters.
What about getting the convention hall organizers (or you and your nearby booths) to try and build a mesh, so everybody is on the same network (and can somehow tweak parameters to reduce interference)? Maybe coordinate the channels between nearby booths so they don't overlap? Not that there are than many channels to distribute.
While movie player and ad-rotator are common uses for Flash, many site are using it for more than that. They're doing full fledged interactive environments within Flash - I remember seeing Flash based games as early as 1996 (and now they are pretty common). In my office, people don't play Solitaire, they play Wheel of Fortune, Backgammon and other Flash games...
For graphics designers, Flash programming comes as a natural extension (and a way to bypass programmers), and it can offer enhanced functionality that rivals Ajax. For example, to distribute automated updates for monitoring (during elections) - Instead of refreshing the whole HTML page, you just refresh the data within the plug-in automatically.
That aside. A blocky and slow movie playback in Flash might have more to do with the speed of the connection, the cache buffer, and overall computer performance... Flash is being used for movie playback by YouTube, and you know how that has worked out..
And Flash is an ActiveX control...
Indeed. It is just an extension mechanism. The component themselves have to be marked as "safe for scripting", and newer versions of IE don't enable ActiveX in public zones by default.
A problem is that users have dialog fatigue and don't read nor undestand when they get the prompts. Then again, most would trust Yahoo/MySpace/Facebook anyway if they get the prompt.
ActiveX is a way to extend the browser, to make the web site better for -at least Windows- users (and overcome some of the limitations of good old fashioned HTML/HTTP). Truth is that even standards compliant web sites leave something to be desired when compared with native desktop applications. ActiveX gets the bum rap because it is the entry point (a generic API). The real culprits are third party programmers.
After 15+ years of Internet explosion, you'd expect that we would be doing better in security, and that we wouldn't miss desktop apps. There is a dire need for better web apps that blend better with the local system.
In fact, while many of us might look forward to Web 2.0 using Ajax/JSON et al, there is a bit of a growing movement in non-standards based environments: Flash and Silverlight are emerging as full fledged OS-like environments inside the browser. Instead of re-inventing the OS using the browser with an interpreted (slow) language (like Netscape, and Java -client- tried to do), you have Adobe and MS coming up with a graphics friendly and programming flexible alternatives within their own ActiveX controls (which are blazing fast because the core is in C++, and the content is pre-compiled). As much as Flash is maligned, I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years it takes over the Internet, and the browser is little more than a tool to deliver flash content.
I also feel that 3 monitors is a considerable improvement over 2. Specially when using a card that can span across all the monitors (Matrox). That way, most applications open centered dialogs on the middle monitor w/o having to teach them. And Maxtor's window management allows you to maximize to a single display, or to maximize to all displays (I like Matrox's tools a bit better than nVidia's, but both do a decent job).
As previously noted, it depends on what you're doing. DB/Development/2D works better on multiple monitors, while gaming/viewing/design tend to work better on a single large screen.
I'm currently using 3 20" Samsung LCDs at work, and 1 20" LCD at home. I'd like to get something larger for home, maybe next year (maybe still use the 20" as secondary, for browsing while watching TV). At work, I'm tempted to go for 6 LCDs at some time in the future (the "extra" 3 would be mostly for monitoring systems, running more remote sessions, etc).
And OTA HDTV might grow some lasting roots with entusiasts, since it's the only for of HDTV you can still timeshift/record using PC HDTV tuners (unlike satellite HDTV, which you can't timeshift)
However, if the content is broadcasted at another (earlier) time by a remote station, it makes the remote more attractive. For example, on the west coast, you could set your VCR or TiVo (or, if DirTV would do the same, DirectTiVo) to record remote east coast locals, and just watch all your favorite prime time shows when you get home, commercial free.
Currently I have both DirectTV and DishNetwork. I have 2 DirecTiVos. I first got Dish, but I got tired of waiting for Echostar to come up with a good digital PVR (I have a DishPlayer, which was good for its time, but buggy as hell, and the 521 (?) doesn't seem to be much better). DirTV's DirecTiVo just blows Dish's PVRs out of the water. The main reason why I still have Dish is because of the SuperStations package (one of which is UPN, not available in my market), which would be equivalent to remote locals. The SuperStations package is why many people choose Dish over DirTV... Another thing I miss from Dish is a simplified international programming (DirTV reps can't figure out how to set my account up to get all english programming plus spanish channels, I have to choose either or).
Why is EchoStar pushing for this? Probably because that way they will be able to claim true 500+ channels when competing against cable (today they can claim 500 channels, but legally, you can only get about 200). Since must carry forced them to carry all this extra channels, overtaxing their bandwidth (to the point that some DBS users have gone back to cable for better picture quality), they mights as well try and overturn the law, and turn must-carry into a competitive advantage against cable. E* will probably charge ~$5 per market, so you won't just get all remote local channels automatically. They're betting that the extra $5 to $10 bucks most DishNetwork subscribers would pay to get NY and LA locals would upset any lost revenue on premium sport channels.
If they get the law overturned, they gain a big competitive advantage over cable. If the E*/D* merger doesn't go through, E* will have a competitive advantage against DirTV (since DirTV current local implementation is based on spot beams, preventing them from offering all locals for all regions). If the merger with DirTV goes through, they'll gain more orbital positions, and will be able to still offer all locals. E* wins either way.
I'd love to avoid all this work, and get the TV programs I want on DVD, but they're mostly old series that will never come out on DVD anyway...
If you have Outlook with Exchange Server, you can disable the warning about a virus when sending bulk mails (or programmatic mails), and you can gain access to those dangerous attachments (like MDBs or EXE), and you can get rid of the warning depending on the user. Just check the documentation for the patch. It is a bit of a pain (you can't specify groups/distribution lists, you have to specify the specific users), but it gets the job done (restricts most users, and allows you to give permissions to responsible users).
Also, if you have applications using CDO, but which to port them to an API that is less attacked, you might want to consider Outlook Redemption. It is code compatible with CDO, and even has additional MAPI functionality.
* Discontinue (or make it hard) to use Ethernet on the cable modem. You see more and more USB cable modems, and more and more users blindly going for it. While you could still use NAT (having a PC running Windows or Linux dedicated), you'd need USB drivers, which might be "CAT" aware.
* Provide value added services if you use CAT. For example, digital phones (or other "Internet aware" appliances) using the cable could be connected to the Ethernet network as long as you're using a CAT enabled router. It could also be more insidious: they could actually limit bandwidth, or reduce routing priority if you're not using a CAT enabled USB modem with proprietary drivers.
One of the advantages of a cable modem is sharing the connection. SOmetimes I'm using the computer in my living room, sometimes one in my bedroom. It is unacceptable that they charge me for a computer that might or not be in use...
I'm using RoadRunner. THey used to require that you run an authentication app to let you get on the network. That went on for a couple years, and it was flaky as hell (need to authenticate once for the lease, afterwards, the lease remains active even if the app wasn't running, and the installation made a mess of itself), and they eventually decided to discontinue it and use straight DHCP, limiting the number of connections on the cable modem (and I think they've saved quite a bit in support calls). Trying to lock down the number of IPs will only cause headaches, and customer discomfort...
* You can set ActiveSync to backup the device every time you sync (similar to HotSync), just check the configuration options. Full backups take forever over USB, it's better to do a full once and then do incremental backups.
* If you're going to travel (away from your laptop), it's a good idea to do backups to a Storage Card, so you can restore your apps and configuration on the road w/o needing a computer. It's also a good idea to do a few backups to CF while on the road (YMMV)
* The existing PPC do not support mounting network drives. However, the new PPC 2202 do support access to Windows network shares (don't know about Samba shares, probably).
Indeed, the implications for the PDA market can be huge.
One thing to consider is that PDAs and "wireless intenet access" is how PC manufacturers hope to reactivate their sales. PDAs are an important part of this effort.
It'd be dumb for HP to discard the iPAQ, even to rename it. With the new Merlin devices just a month or so away, they are better off making them into 2 lines. The HP Jornada line that appeals to traditional business users, and the HP iPAQ line, which appeals to high performance users. There are rumors of a new Jornada that will have a StrongArm CPU, but it might not be enough to replace the iPAQ. One factor that they should have in mind is that the iPAQ expansion sleeve is starting to gain support, so HP would retain a large user base if they keep the iPAQ line...
The only alternative to the iPAQ is the Toshiba Genio. The Genio might be coming out just in time, maybe at a time when current iPAQ users will be looking for alternatives...
The PocketPCs can use the IBM MicroDrive (that come in sizes from 170 MB to 1 GB). You can use them to store video (full DVDs downscaled using WMV or MPEG-1) or a lot of music, or photos, or documentation...
I also feel that color is optional. However, it does make the display nicer and easier to look at. And applications are starting to take advantage of it (place high priority overdue taks in red, or have different colors for your appointments in your calendar, depending on categories). Color is also very helpful when you're looking at a map (not to mention video)...
Current generation iPAQ can do some voice recognition, but not much. Next generation might be able to do it much more, and maybe with a little AI in there (MS demo'd something like that a few months ago, but the voice recognition and AI was on a PC connected to the iPAQ using 802.11b, the iPAQ was an intelligent interactive remote).
I think it was in OPM (Other People's Money)
If you give a PPC a chance, you might want to try Transcriber. I've always read good things about it, and recently gave it a chance. It works pretty good, you can write anywhere on the screen, and It recognizes my handwritting (when the Newton couldn't get a single letter right), and works ok. I don't think I'll be using it as my primary input method (a bit slow to recognize sometimes, and it could get in the way if you don't type text frequently), but it is a nice option to have (and I'd use it more if I had to write a lot of text)...
I've been trying to get used to Fitaly as an input method, but I keep going back to the built-in character recognizer and the keyboard. I guess I'll keep training with Fitaly, to see if I get over the transition phase....
How big is your HandSpring? The naked iPAQ is about the same size as the Palm III (a bit taller, same depth, if I remember correctly).
I personally carry my iPAQ on a belt clip or using an eHolster (along with my phone). I do this because I like having the PCMCIA sleeve with me along with 340 MB of storage (music, video, photos, documents, etc.). I just got my unit upgraded to 64 MB, and I could see me using the naked iPAQ more (and just carrying in my pocket)...
The iPAQ can handle full speed video. So far, it doesn't support DivX AVI files, but you can play MPEG-1 or WMV files. And it can hold a full downscaled DVD using a expansion sleeve with CF or a MicroDrive (1 GB) or a 2 GB PCMCIA HardDrive. There are people also using external laptop HDs (with a PCMCIA interface) as a video or MP3 jukebox (usually as a car player, for external power for the HD).
Next generation iPAQ will be fast enough to handle speech recognition. This generation can do it, but it isn't good enough for mainstream applications.
Viewing web pages is important. AvantGo is a pain when you view it with a Palm (barely of any use), but it is great when you view it with an iPAQ. And if/when there is short range BlueTooth communication, it'd be a lot easier to have HTML device interfaces that your PDA can handle (and not clipping).
The level of integration is great. A single device that can be my newspaper, PDA, dictionary, music player, and portable video player. It isn't as small as a Palm V, but it saves me from carrying quite a few extra items (especially on trips).
It isn't for everybody, but it is a solution for some of us...