Windows 8 and an argument FOR the Metro interface

It seems the internet has a problem with Windows 8; when a user installs it, the first thing they are thrown into is the Metro Start screen. And when they click on Desktop, their Start orb is gone. So what does the average “previewer” do once they realize the button is gone, without giving the rest of the operating system a chance? We complain everywhere on every page about Windows 8, without making the attempt to learn to use the new interface effectively or use its useful nooks and crannies.

I have been called stupid, moronic, and intellectually dysfunctional by several people on these Microsoft websites who claim that they are “professionals” who need to use the operating system for “real” work. Well, guess what? Let me list what I use Windows 8 for:

• Virtual Machines. It’s not uncommon for me to be running three or even four virtual machines on my MacBook Pro at once. A lot of these often host development versions of servers of various types depending on the current needs of a client as well as my current hobby project.
• Development: I have several IDEs installed on Windows 8 for my various applications. Visual Studio 2011, 2010, Eclipse, IDLE, Komodo Edit (because I like the Python code completion).
• Schoolwork: As a full time student at Simpson College, it’s necessary that I run various applications in classes, and be able to switch through them quickly in class. OneNote 2010 is the heavy lifter for the most part, but I also use Office heavily, even more so than what I do when I’m at work.
• Fun. Yes, believe it or not, I can still use Windows 8 for entertainment! Who knew?

So, as you can see, I’m pretty heavy on the workload and I need to get things done fast. I spent a few hours scouring documentation and the internet to see what I could find out about the interface and what has changed; and within a few days or so, I was able to use Windows 8 just as effectively as Windows 7.

Here is my list of items for being efficient in Windows in general:

• Learn to start typing at the Start menu if you already know what you want. If you’re a professional, you should be able to type much faster than you will ever be able to click.
• The one quirk I wish they would change would be the All Apps menu, hidden in the right-click menu on the Start screen. It should be brought out as a permanent tab to the Start screen.
• Unclutter your start screen. After you get done installing everything you need, unpin the stuff you don’t use frequently and organize the tiles into groups. Put your heavily-used apps on the left hand side for easy access.
• The mouse actually has a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to start menu operations. Right-click in the lower left hand corner where the start popup would normally appear, and you have instant access to the most frequently used administration/power user tools on the machine. Same with applications; right click and close instead of using task manager.

And now for some comforts for the professionals:

• Despite Microsoft saying they want to get rid of the desktop, I don’t think they will be able to. Your Office apps, including Outlook, will stay desktop apps for some time. I will not be surprised however if we see a special live-tile and integrated notifications for Outlook.
• Take advantage of the start screen to keep abreast of events on your machine. Your start screen offers information at-a-glance now, so you don’t necessarily have to haul Outlook up to check if you have a meeting in 20 minutes, or if your friend pinged you on Lync.

A Status Update: MacBook, Android, and more…

To start off, I really must apologize if there has actually been people checking up on this blog from time to time. It has been well over a year and I haven’t posted a thing. My senior year of high school was fun and I didn’t really think that I had anything to write about, so there you go. Recently, however, things became quite a bit more interesting; here’s a quick synopsis of what’s going on right now.

For starters, I’m currently a freshman at Simpson College in Iowa, majoring in Computer Science (at least for the time being). My trusty Gateway NV53 started having some issues three weeks into college, and it started failing SMART tests among the numerous other things wrong with it that I had broken along the way; I was in the market for a new computer. Having several friends who were heavy Mac users that had used their computers for years on end, I asked around and eventually decided on a 2010 15″ MacBook Pro, refurbished so it was not terribly expensive. The computer has been working great and I have had absolutely no problems with it so far.

Also new (though older than my MacBook) is my Nook Color. This guy got rooted within the first 15 minutes of it being home, and had CM7 nightlies running on it within weeks. Once 7.1.0 came out, the device has been happily running with only one Sleep of Death so far after a couple weeks. This is my go-to when the MacBook isn’t around as I can easily slide this guy into any bag or even my coat pockets.

Android is actually my most current development area, where I want to create a DUN client for CM7 ROMs, or at least the Nook Color. I’ve been reading up on my Java, serial ports, bluetooth and more. With any luck I hope to have it at least pairing and initiating a dial-up sequence with my cell phone within the month. Any help with pppd, hcitool, and the workings of Android in general would be greatly appreciated.

That’s it for now!

The Blog has Moved!

Most tools nowadays post to WordPress, so why not move?

A Few Words on the iPad

Almost every friend that knows me knows what I say about the iPad: it’s a gigantic iPod Touch (maybe with 3G thrown in). I’m not a total Apple-hater as some of you will assume; I have at one point used on a daily basis all three major kinds of operating systems; Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X (particularly Leopard) were all on my PC at one point or another. I love them all. Seriously. I own an iPod Touch but I’m looking to possibly buy an old-model 3GS if I can find one, or maybe settle for an Android phone.

The issues I see come with people saying this will revolutionize the computing industry. To that, I must say that the iPad will almost certainly function as a netbook replacement for those that don’t already have one, and it does a bit more (we’ll have to see what the next models bring us.) than your netbook will likely handle. So, to put this bluntly, if you currently own a netbook and like it, keep it. It’s just as good, just missing the touch screen and DRM.

My issue comes with the theory that it will take out laptops, which is certainly not the case. Since I already own an ultra-portable (the iPod Touch) and the laptop, why would I need a tablet? You don’t. It’s probably a waste of money to spend the roughly $400 or more for the cheap model. Looking for an e-book reader? You should probably stick with the device you have now, or go buy one of those e-Ink devices, especially if you’re going to read for any given amount of time. I’m personally in the market for an e-reader at this point; but it’s not going to be the iPad.

Now, if you’re reasonably new to computers, or like something simple, or like the iPod Touch/iPhone interface and its limitations, then by all means go out and get one! Chances are it’ll suit your mobile computing needs; I doubt you’ll need to even have another internet-enabled computer except for office work, your favorite first person shooter, and moving files around.

The Verdict: if it works for you, buy it. But don’t come crying to me if it doesn’t replace your laptop.

A Hackbook!

Well, it’s been almost a year since I’ve posted anything. To say the least, I’ve been busy. But I have been cooking up a lot to talk about, so here we go.

Ever since Apple put Intel processors into their computers, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before someone got the OS X operating system to run on almost any modern PC. I’ve successfully done this myself now; my new Gateway NV53 now dual-boots OS X and Windows via Chameleon.

I won’t explain a lot here, other than to say that I used iDeneb 10.6; take a look at my website/wiki or visit http://www.osx86.org/

Google Voice- the replacement for GrandCentral

As of about 5 days ago, I received an invite to Google Voice. Having heard about GrandCentral many months earlier in Popular Science magazine, I had almost forgotten that I had applied for an invite. As I went through Google’s set-up of my numbers, I couldn’t help but to be intrigued as to how they were going to offer this for free. Then again, most providers don’t give you ever-growing storage for email for free, so maybe I’m wrong. But if this Google service really takes off, like Gmail has, I would almost expect it to become a cheap, paid service. Anyway, I go to set up my number, pick a fairly local one (I live in Des Moines, but I used to live near Stuart, so I picked one from their interchange since none were available for most of the Metro area), and set up my phones. The first thing I see: free calls and SMS for the contiguous US! Transcription of voicemail! Listen online to voicemail! And a free phone number to go with it knocked it out of the park.

My personal opinion with Google Voice is that it is a pretty great service; others find certain features somewhat lacking. For example, sometimes the transcription engine isn’t perfect. I wouldn’t expect that; the Google transcription engine works better than Dragon NaturallySpeaking 5, so I’m pretty happy with it. And it doesn’t require voice training!

I do have a few things I would like to see, however:

• Speed dial for contacts when dialing from a phone
• Expanded dialer capabilities on Palm devices and maybe non-Smartphones (I know the Pre could desperately use one at the time of writing)
• Send texts (to start a conversation to someone without an assigned 406 number) to people, even if they’re shortened a bit because you had to put the phone number first
• Advanced features such as recording on outgoing calls

I know several people have wanted to get the Google Voice service; I don’t think it will be in private beta very much longer, so hold on to your britches. The Google Voice team has made great strides in very little time—they added three new features two weeks ago and one today—I have to commend them on making such a wonderful service.

MLA-style in LyX

A little while ago I had to write a Modern Language Association-style research paper, and I had this great word processor to do it: LyX. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with any MLA templates installed. This was an easy fix, however, as I scavenged and came up with a patchwork of things to use on my paper.

(Pardon the linking. If you want me to mirror your files in order to save bandwidth, just add a comment and I’ll arrange something. I just don’t want to violate anyone’s licensing rights.)

Steps to an MLA Paper in LyX:

1. Have a fully-functional LyX installation. Make sure you have MikTex fully installed if you are on Windows. (If you used the net installer, use the downloader, and then navigate to the directory where you told it to download and run the setup file there. I used the option to have it download packages automatically; it’ll save you time if you have internet access. Then open LyX, if already installed, and hit Reconfigure in the Prefs menu.)
2. Download the MLA templates from here. I suggest then opening the full one in a text file and then adding your last name as specified in the header. I saved them in [Program Area]\LyX16\resources\templates\ to save me time.
3. If you want bibliography information, use the JabRef Reference Manager, which creates BibTex files. Use the stable version unless you’re feeling lucky.
4. This part I haven’t tried, but if you want specific MLA-style bibliographies with underlining, use the bst file from here. In order to use it, when you go to put it in your paper, click on the bibliography section and it will pop up a box. Press the browse button next to the style combobox and find the bst file. Load your database and you should be good to go.

This should save you a ton of effort! No more messing around with formatting– it’s ready to go whenever you click the button. Make sure to read up on how to use LyX if you’re a newcomer; It’ll help you a lot.