• Just upgraded to WordPress 2.8.5. Reminder: All WordPress upgrades include security updates. UPGRADE NOW!
• Does the thought of upgrading #WordPress scare the bejesus out of you? Then install WordPress Automatic Updater: http://bit.ly/4cWIZV

Not a lot to add to these two tweets. If you use software that accesses the Internet, and there is an upgrade or update, the chances are extremely high it includes one or more security fixes or enhancements. Don’t hesitate to upgrade.

I’ve mentioned WPAU a couple times before. While the built-in updater is fine for a lot of people, I find it more confusing than helpful. WPAU presents a very logical, very easy step-by-step process that has been fail-safe for me. The key is to carefully read the minimal instructions. Can’t get any easier!

• Finding it hard to see a difference between new #Mac Magic Mouse and a touchpad. And, it’s fugly. D/N seem ergonomic at all.

I admit it: I’m a mouse geek. I have a Logitech MX Revolution for non-gaming, and a Razer Naga for WoW. Both have LOTS of buttons. I have also used a trackpad, and I really like the idea of Apple’s new buttonless trackpad on its newest laptops to be a great idea. But combining a trackpad with a mouse (as it seems the Magic Mouse does)? Hmm…not so much.

• 10 months into 2009, the most overused and uninformative noun in tech this year is "netbook." Have yet to see one with netting of any kind.

What, exactly, does "netbook" mean? In Twitter, we’re restricted to 140 characters. In "Real Life" we have no such restriction. How about "small form-factor notebook computer"? And if you don’t like that verbiage (go ahead, click the link!), explain to me why my 14.5" MacBook Pro isn’t a "netbook." And I swear, if I see "green netbook" I’m going to puke.

• Media bias? The # of Win7 stories I’m seeing today is way less than SnowLeopard stories 24 hrs before its release last month. I’m just sayin

It strikes me that 24 hours before the release of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard in September, there was a flood of stories about the new Mac OS. Today, Lifehacker has a few, but most other tech blogs/sites (that aren’t Windows/Microsoft-specific, of course) have very, very few. This strikes me as odd, to say the least, given that Win7 is Amazon UK’s biggest preordered item ever.

• After tomorrow, I will brook no bitching about Vista. Instead, I will say "buy a Mac, b/c you’re not smart enough to upgrade to Win7."

Seriously. Win7 fixes just about every single valid complaint I’ve ever hear or read about Windows Vista, and does so elegantly. Here is a very telling reply I received to this tweet, which just about says it all: @runycatWhat’s hilarious is that Windows 7 really feels like OSX when it first came out. In other words, I like it. 

I’ve upgraded PCs (desktop and laptop) with the Win7 release candidate, and I’ve installed it in a virtual machine under OS X. Piece of cake. Flawless. The new OS looks and feels great. It’s as big a step as the move from Windows 2.x to 3.1 or from 3.1 to WinXP. The best part? The hardware required to effectively run Win7 is almost the same as for WinXP. In other words, you don’t need the huge hardware upgrades you needed to get from XP to Vista!

So if you can’t bring yourself to like Win7, get a Mac. 

• WAY TOO MUCH crap on "Which version of Win7 is best for you?" For 99.9 percent of you, it’s Home Premium. Empahsis on HOME.
  

I can’t count the number of new or re-released articles I’ve seen, with all their confusing or "simplified" charts, on "Which version of Windows 7 is right for you?" While I contend there are still too many versions of Win7 available (gotta love Apple’s single flavor of OS X: It may be vanilla, but it’s rich vanilla!), for home users, gamers, and anyone not in a corporate environment, Windows 7 Home Premium is what you need.

Even if you’re a geek, the chances are Professional or Ultimate offer no additional features you’ll use, because you probably don’t have a server-based network, and BitLocker is overkill, not to mention the fact that you don’t need 128¹ language versions. In addition, most of us don’t have more than 16GB of RAM. Small business? Then yes, Pro or Ultimate may be a better solution. But folks, it’s called "Home Premium" for a reason!

Do you have a 64-bit CPU? Then install the 64-bit version. Just do it! I can also give you 80 or 100 more reasons to stick with Home Premium. They’re called "dollars."

So those are my thoughts today, the day after Apple announces major new lineup changes, the day WordPress announces an upgrade, and the day before Windows 7 takes over the (PC) world. What are your thoughts? Am I a clueless n00b or a tech savant? Or somewhere in between? Let me know in the comments!

What I’m Tweeting: Win7 and Other Topics is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie

First, let’s get this out there right now: Microsoft Windows is the most robust computer operating system in the world today. That’s been the case since the introduction of Windows 3.1. As a Mac user, I can tell you that OS X is a beautiful OS, but doesn’t have nearly the capability of Windows. And no single version of Unix even comes close to OS X, out of the box.

Windows is the most robust operating system in the world today

Now that I have the fightin’ words out there, let’s get to the point of this article. No doubt you’ve seen proclamations in reviews of Windows 7 betas and release candidates over the past 10 months that "Win 7 is what Vista should have been." I’m certainly not going to argue that point. But let’s look at what Vista is, and what it isn’t: Vista is an outstanding OS, and the best current version of Windows, in every respect, if you have the hardware to run it properly. Unfortunately, that’s where Microsoft dropped the ball with Vista: The so-called "minimum" hardware requirements were, in actual practice, well below minimum.

When I installed Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit, I also upgraded my computer: Core 2 Quad Intel CPU, 4GB of fast RAM, fast SATA hard drives, on a motherboard built for speed. I also had a pricey nVidia GeForce GTX 285 video card. Unsurprisingly, I had zero operating system problems. That does not mean that the OS didn’t feel sluggish: It did. Performance in WoW was good, but hardly great. On the other hand, I never had to turn down video settings, no matter what boss fight I might be in, and how many particle effects were in play.

So what did Microsoft do to finally garner real praise for a new Windows version?

1. Code optimization, much like what Apple did with OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard. I don’t know if the disk footprint of Win7 is smaller, but the code is tighter. Even running the release candidate in a virtual machine on the iMac, I can tell Win7 is peppier than Vista. I also had the RC installed on my PC before frying the motherboard, and believe me, the speed increase was more than marginal.
2. Improved Start menu: Pop it open, start typing, and immediately see relevant search results (often applications) show up almost immediately. You almost don’t need a launch bar!
3. Aero. As long as you have a video card to support it, the slick transparent video effects are more than eye candy: Peek allows you to hover over a taskbar region, and see the outline of every open window on your desktop, a huge boon to multitaskers. Shake seems like a gimmick at first, but consider: Grab a window’s titlebar with your mouse, give it a shake, and magically minimize all other desktop windows.
4. Speaking of the Taskbar, it has borrowed a bit from OS X’s Dock, and expanded on that (literally): Hover over a taskbar icon, and see all open windows for that application. Then simply click the one you want to work with.
5. Libraries. Okay, it’s not an object-oriented file system; maybe Win12 or OS XV will finally achieve that Nirvana. But Libraries allow you to structure your file system to your preferences, rather than Windows’ arbitrary setup. Sure, you still have Documents, Music, Videos, etc., but now you can create file libraries to incorporate or exclude those folders, or subdivide those main folders in any manner you like. I love Libraries!

I’ve only touched the surface of all the new goodness coming in Windows 7, but I have yet to talk to anyone who has installed the release candidate who hasn’t gushed about how much better Win7 is than any predecessor. While WinXP still has the largest installed userbase of any flavor of any OS in the world today, I fully expect Win7 to kick it to the curb in the next 12 to 18 months. That’s how good this new OS is.

Windows 7 will be available to the general public on October 20. I’ll be installing it on my wife’s computer as well as both Macs. Will you be making the switch?

Friday Five: Top Windows 7 Features is a post from: Kestrel's Aerie