2005 September | Webby's World

Internet — Joe Anderson @ 9:08 pm Wednesday 21 September 2005

I was bored today, so I decided to make a nice little meme. Feel free to re-use, I waive the sharealike thing from the copyright. I hope this meme teaches you a little more about me; enjoy!

What is your favourite search engine?

Well, I do like search engines such as Answers.com, but it is too heavy, though Google is Just too Creepy I have to use Google. It’s is simple, has a large database and some nice tools.

What is your homepage?

Well, my homepage is Google X (slightly modified, had Gmail and extra features)! It’s a bit like Google, just prettier and Macier! I downloaded the script and host it myself.

Who is your email provider?

God, I do love Google. There’s only one email provider worth it, Gmail, 2 and a half gigabytes of storage, it can be used as a HD and it’s nice and light. What I like the most though is the fact I have POP access so I can use my favourite email client; Thunderbird.

What is favourite traffic exchange?

You know something, I used to like BlogExplosion but I have to follow the current anti-BE feeling by people like Dr Fil. BE is still coolunity, but I’m beginning to prefer BlogAdvance better. This Jeff guy from BE can be nice but he isn’t always:

If you don´t like BE policies then don´t use the site.

Quoted from Jeff’s comment on Meet the Real Dr Fil

He clearly doesn’t wish to listen to the members. BA is fresh and new, and though doesn’t have nearly as many features I do like it.

What is your favourite podcast?

I really like Slacker Astronomy. Don’t know why, quite cheesy humour, but heh… I’m allowed to like it. Pop and give them a shot.

Favourite news site (any type of news)?

I love Digg. It’s a community driven news site, and it provides both mainstream tech news and things like links to really cool sites. I like Digg, anyone can help!

Why did you make such a bad meme?

Because I had nothing better to do!

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Software — Joe Anderson @ 7:01 pm Tuesday 20 September 2005

Opera Opera is now freeware. Opera is a web browser, which is far older than Mozilla, and has a decent sized user-base. It has similar features to Firefox: tabs, RSS, securer than IE (okay, technically Firefox has 13 flaws than IE, but how cares?). Opera is probably more like Seamonkey though, as it’s an internet suite with email, USENET, IRC and web-browsing.

Opera has lost popularity since Firefox was released, partly as it served adverts and partly as it was too heavy. However Opera seem to be wanting to regain a market and are hence releasing their software entirely free. Of course Opera will still be offering paid services such as premium support and various Opera services for mobile phones (cells for all you Americans).

Opera released it’s software for free a while back, to celebrate it’s tenth birthday. We all thought it was a one off, but we were wrong.

It’s a shame that the product is still staying slightly commercial, but every step to freedom is a good one. What worries me though are the effects it will have on Mozilla. Some people like Ben, only switched to Firefox as Opera had ads.

Is Firefox going to fail? Bad press, a new browser (Flock).

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Computers, Misc., Software — Joe Anderson @ 7:26 pm Monday 19 September 2005

No, this is not a post nagging you to switch for Microsoft products, though that would be good! No Microsoft is getting old, yesterday it turned 30! This provides Bill Gates (and the 16,000 M$ employees) an extremely rare chance to celebrate.

Bill and his team are very busy, with perhaps the most products ever scheduled for release at about the same time. These products include Vista, IE7, Office 12, Xbox 360 and a new version of MSSQL (a SQL database product).

Gates is still clinging to the belief that software is central to everything, I have to agree with him; a computer without software is no computer at all. However even as M$ employees listen to Gate?s optimism on the future of Microsoft, many have doubts.

Those doubts are understandable due to the fact that Microsoft?s price on the NASDAQ is pretty much the same as what it was 7 years ago! Is Microsoft still growing? I think yes and no. Microsoft no longer has an of the best products on the market. Firefox is better than IE, Mac is better than Windows, PS2 is better than Xbox, OpenOffice beats MS Office? see my point? Microsoft needs to make products not only for novices and advanced developers, but for people in between like expert such as me (not been cocky?).

I mean some features in Vista really cheese me off. For example I can?t use the Classic start menu, which I far prefer. I think Vista is too packed. I liked Windows 98 for not been patronising, yet simple. Microsoft need to remember people like me or you can manipulate Windows, but we are not posh network admins for multi-national corporations.

Another thing is M$ is planning six versions of Vista, which is too many, two versions of XP was hard enough. What happened to the good old days? With a nice simple Windows 98 not Windows Vista Extra Jam Packed with MS Branding? I miss those days, I still keep my old 98 .

Microsoft?s weakness is it?s own greed. Microsoft should free up, be nicer, and be simpler. Simpler doesn?t mean a new uglier desktop, but more power to power users and no fancy versions!

Sorry, just my 2 pence. BTW, yesterday?s ad was found while digging.

Also, the winner of the Caption Contest is (drumroll) yellojkt. His caption was:

“So it’s got a few security holes in it, is that a crime?”

That is your link, but also I shall give you 5 visitors to your blog (through BlogShares Ad Network). It was a close decision between Bernie, Dan and yellojkt.

I shall start a new contest after a find an image!

Tags: microsoft, ms, m$, windows, windows sucks

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Comparing ‘89 to ‘05

Computers — Joe Anderson @ 9:16 pm Sunday 18 September 2005

Now My Machine!

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (2.2 GHz)
ATI Radeon 9700 128MB
1.5GB RAM
250GB Hard Drive
10/100 Ethernet (don?t worry I have WiFi too)
Windows XP Home Edition SP2

Purchase cost of my machine was ?1007, but I paid another ?10 or ?20 for an extra 512MB RAM.

This is about $1850 in total ? over $6000 difference. Computers have changed a lot?

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EULAs are un-readable by humans, so get a machine to do it for you!

Software — Joe Anderson @ 4:15 pm Friday 16 September 2005

A useful bit of software I’ve discovered today; EULAylzer points out the key points in EULAs, and finds out if yuo are about to become a slave or even worse, if you are going to install some spyware.

When installing software, you are often made to sign a End User License Agreement (EULA) which is sort of a contract. This often has copyright information in, as well as warrenty information, but occasionly has things extremely well hidden in; like giving the software the right to serve adware (pop-ups) to you.

This software simply scans EULAs, so for example a scan of eXeems EULA brings up that it comes with web-based ads. It also gives them interest levels, for example those were 4/10; though I think that is low.

This is quite good software, though I doubt that it will always work.

Sorry for making this post so brief, just I’m going away for the weekend.

Tags: eula, spyware, adware, malware, security

More?

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