Windows 7 features continue to impress

Besides the fresh new look and fast performance of computers running Windows 7, here are a few more impressive reasons to move up or to add a Windows 7 computer to your life.

Easily partition the large hard drive into two. Why? With Windows on C: and your data all on D: if there is a system crash and you need to reload Windows, it won't disturb your data.

Use Windows Easy Transfer software to copy from old to new. (Cable required). TIP: Clean out all your temp files before copying.

Windows has a Backup utility.

If you have more than one Windows 7 computer at home, you can use a wi-fi signal to share files.

What's missing? So far -- Outlook and Outlook Express. Outlook Express is gone forever, in favor of Windows Live, which encompasses mail and calendar programs. Outlook is still available in certain versions of Office 2003 and 2007.

Browser wars are over!

Netscape always reigned supreme in comparison to the dreadful Microsoft browser Internet Explorer.

When Netscape was devoured and killed by AOL, the Netscape development team at Mozilla created SeaMonkey. Then Firefox from the same team, made browsing a dream, but lacked the integrated email that Netscape and SeaMonkey had. So that required using Thunderbird, a separate email program.

NOW - Seamonkey 2.0 is .. get this: A combination of Firefox and Thunderbird.
Are you dizzy yet?

AND the combo now includes the badly needed online, integrated calendar, so Lightning was embedded in Thunderbird.

So my personal experiences with the new Windows 7 operating system will immediately include launching SeaMonkey 2.0 to give me all three in one program:

A New, New Computer

Today is the launch day for Windows 7, the first new PC operating system in about seven years. I was one of the few to buy a new computer today. You know I did it for you -- so I can work with the new system and hep you with yours.

Windows 7 is available as a DVD to upgrade your Vista operating system. Prices for the DVD start at $119. And, I got a 15" laptop with Windows 7 for only $299. So you can see why it was such a good deal.

I'll report back soon on what hardware and software problems crop up, and explore some of the beneficial features. I'm hoping there are at least a few improvements in file management and intuitive interfaces. But for speed and performance... it rocks!

New Tech Gifts for the Holidays

Just when you think there's nothing new in computers, along comes Quirky. Here are just a few of their clever product innovations on the market or coming soon.

Now this is what I call a useful error message

Okay, I admit I've been working lots of overtime the past few weeks, and not taking much time for the lighter side of life. But then I got this error message today, and finally had a good laugh:

Anti-big-burger Day

World Anti-McDonalds Day is October 16, 2009

World Anti-McDonalds Day is a global day of action against McDonalds, including protests against promotion of junk food, unethical targeting of children, exploitation of workers, animal cruelty, damage to the environment & the global domination of corporations, mass distribution of leaflets by local activists around the world. Coincides with U.N. World Food Day

Visit : www.mcspotlight.org. Contact : info@mwr.org.uk

While this a U.K. based organization, let me know if you're aware of a U.S. counterpart.

The Internet is suddenly middle-aged

The Internet, as we know it, turned 40 - the big 4-0 this week.
Boing Boing celebrates the news and has an interesting video link... something the boys in the lab couldn't have imagined in 1969.

"Forty years ago today, in Leonard Kleinrock's UCLA lab, a group of computer scientists managed to pass bits of data from one computer to another over some some gray cable. In doing so, they created the first node of what we now call (long dramatic pause)... the Internet.

Kleinrock and colleagues were working with the government-backed Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET), without which I would not be blogging these words today.

Now, some folks believe the actual "birthday" was October 29, 1969 - when Kleinrock sent the first message between two nodes, UCLA to Stanford. The message? "LO." As in "LO AND BEHOLD, THE INTERNET." Well, okay, not really. It was supposed to be "LOGIN" but the system crashed after Kleinrock typed "L" and "O."

See the video here.