Tag Archive for 'review'

Working with Windows Vista

Published
by
Rhys
on October 1, 2007
in i-think IT
. 0 Comments

After reading an editorial article suggesting Microsoft should dump Vista I felt sorry for the Operating System. I wasn’t fond of it, but I figured my exposure was minimal. So therefore to get an accurate overview of how well Vista actually worked I grabbed the test machine with Vista installed, stuck it under my desk and use it as my primary workstation (using Remote Desktop) to access the Windows XP version.

So far I have been generally happy with it’s stability, but certain things are bugging me.

  • Today I noticed that whilst switching between multiple windows (Windows Explorer and Firefox) the icons would occasionally stick to the wrong program in the task bar. It wouldn’t stay that way for long. Once the program refreshed it’s icon it was fixed, but was still very odd. It was almost reminiscent of the days when running multiple web browsers resulted in websites melting into each other.
  • When Windows Vista is installing software by group policy it doesn’t tell me what it is doing, it merely says “Please Wait”
  • I don’t want users going to the Windows Update site because all updates are managed internally, but when updates are pulled down to Vista PCs, you can only install them by selecting the “Install Updates and Shutdown” option. An icon still pops up telling you to click here to install, you just can’t do anything with it.
  • Why is the default shutdown option “Sleep”? This should be an option at install. (It can be fixed by Control Panel » System and Maintenance Power Options » Edit Plan Settings under “Power buttons and lid”).
  • What is with the hideous colour on the logon screen? I’ll let that pass as personal preference thing, but the whole thing makes me sick
  • Why can’t we use the old style login screen for domain logins?
  • Sometimes a status bar alone just won’t do. When I’m copying files, I want to know how much of the file has been copied so far. Watching this number tick over helps build my confidence.
  • When playing around in Windows Explorer I sometimes accidentally select the DVD drive. If there is no disk in the drive it comes up with the usual message and ejects the drive to insert a disk. This would be handy if I was intending to insert a disk, but makes it much easier to accidentally eject the drive (but only if it is empty).
  • Why isn’t the status bar on the boot screen centred vertically? It looks like something is missing.

To be fair, I do like a few things about Vista:

  • I usually have two rows of programs in my task bar because I don’t like the “group task bar items” option. Under Windows XP/2000 the start button took up half the height of the task bar with a blank unusable area beneath it. Now Windows Vista centres the new (and spiffy looking) start button in the middle of the task bar, so there is no horrible empty space.
  • Moving around in Windows Explorer using the breadcrumb trail is a thing of beauty. Especially good for navigating complex directory structures (this is probably my biggest gripe with the Mac OS X Finder). I like to know where I am and Windows Explorer is good at telling me that.
  • Start Search is fantastic. It’s a good thing too, because navigating through the start menu (all programs) is next to impossible, particularly if you are used to having it occupy your whole screen (which I admit isn’t an ideal option). However usually I know what I’m looking for, so after pressing the Windows key and a few letters I’m good to go.
  • I’m generally happy with the look of the user interface. I changed the windows to be blue and I’m quite happy with the look.
  • I like to see the extensions of my files. Yet when renaming files it is normally a pain because I have to retype the extension or adjust the selection to not overwrite the extension (which is way too complicated). In Vista, I select the file, hit F2 and start renaming. It leaves the extension as it was, but I could certainly change it if I wanted to. Smart.
  • We are getting closer to having a New Folder button on the toolbar in Windows Explorer. Why has this not been done? In Windows XP I use Alt + F, W, F to make a new folder, but it’s complex. In Vista, Organize > New Folder. Big improvement. (I still want my button though. Seriously, the open/save dialogs have it, why not Explorer?)
  • Volume Shadow Copies on a desktop machine. Very useful, insanely so.
  • The Reliability and Performance monitor is great for giving real feedback as to exactly how Windows performs over time. No more relying on general feel. The numbers are there and well displayed.

So all in all, not a bad experience so far. Software compatibility has been ordinary, but the latest updates tend to fix most problems. Unfortunately the transition to Vista is inevitable (unless some real crazy stuff happens). Better to be ready before it is necessary.

iTunes Plus

Published
by
Rhys
on May 31, 2007
in The Mill
. 0 Comments

Back in April, Apple announced a deal with EMI that would allow higher quality, DRM-free versions of their songs to be made available through the iTunes store. They said it would happen in May.

True to their word, iTunes Plus was launched today, the last day of May[1]. Despite that there was no initial announcement regarding the Australian iTunes store, fortunately it was included.

So what is iTunes Plus? Well, it’s the same music plus an extra 128kbps (adding up to 256kpbs) minus the DRM that makes it more difficult than it should be to move from one computer to another. Oh, and it’s also plus an extra 50 cents (Australian store).Eager to upgrade my library I fired up iTunes this morning and discovered that I needed to update it. iTunes 7.2 is needed, presumably because there is a lot of integration of the store with iTunes the application. After updating I had trouble connecting hopefully because everyone else was upgrading their libraries too. Upgrading my library wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. It didn’t hit me in the face quite as much as the complete my album feature does. But I managed to get through to iTunes plus to be greeted with a new set of terms and conditions.

After getting through all that (as far as I recall, the main difference was that iTunes plus purchases exclude some of the restrictions listed in the terms and conditions) I finally saw that I had 8 tracks that could be upgraded. Hopefully more will be available over time.

Unfortunately connectivity issues with the iTunes store prevented me from downloading the files straight away. Fortunately iTunes is fairly fault-tolerant and they are sitting in my download queue.

I haven’t yet run into any roadblocks with the iTunes store DRM yet, but I haven’t had to re-install OS X. You are able to burn tracks to CD, place them on up to five computers and as many iPods as you like. This is obviously a big restriction if you don’t have an iPod. These restrictions are all lifted with iTunes plus.

You may however be interested to know that your full name and email address is apparently embedded into the file[2]. So don’t go putting them up on your favourite P2P network. I wouldn’t be too concerned about this, although some have pointed out that it makes it more difficult to resell. I see it as being somewhat similar to having my name and phone number in a book I bought. The other issue is that people are concerned about people stealing iPods. Personally I think you’ve got bigger problems if someone is stealing your iPod (they can likely steal other things too).

Of course, you aren’t allowed to use tracks from iTunes as a ringer on a mobile phone (even with iTunes Plus, although there is no technical restriction). Personally I hope this condition is just about good taste. It will be interesting to see if this changes when the iPhone is released.


  1. Apple Launches iTunes Plus [back ↩]
  2. Apple hides account info in DRM-free music too [back ↩]

Don’t cry over spilt milk

Published
by
Rhys
on March 22, 2007
in The Mill
. 2 Comments

They say that you shouldn’t cry over spilt milk, but I think there might be cause to cry when it is from a poorly designed bottle.

Pauls Milk has a 3 litre bottle which maintains their design of keeping the spout in the centre (in fact, it might be just off centre in the wrong direction. Unfortunately this results in the milk spilling down the side of the container, especially when the bottle is full.

Recently we purchased Coles Milk and I noticed that their 3 litre bottle had a different design. The spout is noticeable further forward and is longer to promote a more even flow. It didn’t spill a drop, even when full. It was simply better designed. It even had a more comfortable handle.

I’ll be putting up diagrams explaining the problem more fully soon.

Critique of Sydney

Published
by
Rhys
on January 15, 2007
in The Mill
. 0 Comments

Recently I had the pleasure to visit Paul in Sydney. My experience of Sydney prior to this was many years ago on a boat, and two years ago when my brother and I drove down the East Coast (where Sydney was a short stop-over for lunch).

The Plane Ride
First up was an exciting plane ride with Virgin Blue. I say exciting because that seemed like the thing to say. It was too early in the morning and I felt sick (before getting on the plane) so it wasn’t exactly fun. Everything was all very serious too which was a touch disappointing.Nevertheless when I landed I was feeling a whole lot better. After a short wait at the carousel for my luggage (and a quick tour of the Sydney Airport ammenities[1]) I was heading towards the train station at Sydney Aiport.

I should point out at this point that my experience with finding “ammenities” in Sydney has been very poor. During my previous visit we were unable to locate any. I concluded on my last visit that people in Sydney simply hold it. Perhaps airport was equipped with ammenites to assist traveller’s not as accustomed to “holding it in”. (More on this later)

I then took my bag to the train station, which was where I discovered it was incredibly easy for the bag to go up on one wheel[2]. Unlike David Hasselhoff I was unable to control it very well and it ended up going from side to side. I soon discovered that a solid kick would set it straight on two wheels again.

The Train Ride
Waiting for the train was dull. Really dull. I phoned Paul from the train station to say I had arrived in Sydney, but after that, pure dullness. Eventually a train came and then went and the screen saying when the next train was coming didn’t know what it was doing.When the train did come (and stop), Paul’s description of the double decker train materialized before me. I had trouble locating the Voyeur booth, but that wasn’t a huge problem because I was in no position to make use of it anyway with my bag.

Arriving at the train station where I arranged to meet Paul I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I gave him a call but he was going through a tunnel (an actual tunnel, not the metaphorical kind). Despite this we managed to meet up and headed to Paul’s place of employment to drop off my bag in preparation for a real trip through Sydney.

Paul’s Place of Employment
At Paul’s place of employment I had the opportunity to inspect the ammenities, which received my seal of approval, particularly for the stainless steel soap dispensers fitted into the vanity top. Urinals were placed at the proper height and mirrors were used to make it (the room you sick bastard) look bigger without making it feel like someone was watching. I also got to see Paul’s spiffy dual monitor set-up to which I thought “I’ve got to get me one of those”.

Holy Crepe Batman!
At this stage we went and had crepes for breakfast. I only mention this because I was able to take advantage of the fact that I didn’t adjust my watch for daylight savings time throughout the entire trip. Paul and I were able to score a free juice as per their morning special (which ended about 30 minutes prior).

The Monorail Ride
Following the tracks to the station and singing the Monorail song from the Simpsons we ventured aboard the monorail, which was surprisingly busy (surprising to me and my limited monorail experience[3]). Fortunately after the first lap we had a seat and continued to sit for several more laps until we started to get hungry. Our hunger was soon to be satisfied in the David Jones Food Hall.

The David Jones Food Hall
In all the David Jones I have ever been in, they tyically have pretty nice restaurants. It seemed that this Food Hall was taking it to the absolute extreme. It can be best described as a fruit shop/deli where they have set-up “bars” to sit and eat. But no samples here, full food. My nose sought out the “Grill Bar”, but I decided to have the Fish and Chips instead of a steak, because over the next three days I was going to eat steak on each one. Other bars included The Oyster Bar and the Cheese and Wine Bar.

The quality of the food was exceptional, but the wait for a seat was frustrating even though we didn’t have to wait that long. The fact that there isn’t really a system, but rather a case of fighting it out when a seat becomes available. Despite the dis-order of the seating arrangements I was able to maintain my composure and enjoyed my meal while watching the chef cook up some yummy looking meals.

Won’t Somebody Please Think Of The Children!
After our meal, we proceeded on foot to a local cinema to catch a flick. Along the way I was accosted by a girl who I can only assume was in the child slave labor market.

“Hi, How was your Christmas?” she asked in a bright, cheery and confident voice. I was so taken aback by her bravado and confidence that I had to answer. “Good” I replied. This was obviously a mistake as she gauged this to mean that I have spare money lying around. She then started to talk about how a male stripper was trying to get people to buy children in Africa. “All you have to do today is choose between a girl or a boy” she said as she attempted to lure Paul and I over to look at some photos. She also commented that she was involved in this scheme and she only wished she could afford more than one child.

We then headed off saying that this was a big decision to make and we’d have to sleep on it.

The Outback Steakhouse
Where better to take me on my first night in a strange city than a restaurant with the name of my favourite meal right there in bright neon lights above the restaurant. Despite a big lunch I was feeling quite hungry when we got to the Steak House (indeed, writing this is now making me hungry despite having just finished my lunch). Service was pretty poor, but the quality of the steak was tops, although a bit too peppered for my taste (making it harder to truly taste the meat). The pumpkin soup though was superb, but had a bread roll that was about twice the size of the soup. Fortunately it was a very light bread roll.

Prelude to the Ferry Ride (the next day)
Wow. The number of people amassing to get on the ferry was tremendous. It was also a pretty hot day so the Sydney Ferries company was handing out free Spring Water. At first I was a little suspcious, but haven’t noticed any side effects effects. Standing and waiting surrounded by hundreds of people was hardly pleasant, but at the end of the unpleasantness would be a ferry ride followed by the much talked about Ribs and Rumps.

The Ferry Ride
We managed to get a seat up on the deck and could look out at the sites along the way. It was on this seat that a question of etiquette came to my attention. I didn’t mention it at the time, but now seems as good a place as any. The girl opposite me who was with her male companion was having trouble with the strap on her dress not being straight. In this scenario is it acceptable to get up and help? What length of time should you wait before offering assistance. A similar issue was noted when another girl (also with a male companion) was having difficulties tying a knot behind her neck that was supporting her swimming suit.

Oh yes, and the views across the water were good too.

Ribs and Rumps
After a big steak dinner the previous evening I was looking forward to another and Ribs and Rumps were up to the challenge. This time, both the meals and the service was exceptional. The only regret I have is not getting a bigger steak. Curiously the steaks were served on a wooden cutting board, which was a bit different from what I’m used to. The steaks weren’t heavily seasoned so the full flavours of the meat where able to come through (and now I’m hungry again). We even managed to fit in a dessert which I feel suggests we didn’t order enough steak.

The Taxi Ride
Because Paul needs his beauty sleep I caught a taxi to the bus terminal where I was to depart for the next leg of my journey. Normally I wouldn’t mention this, but this was the first time I’ve had a taxi driver whose English was very poor. Thankfully my destination was clear enough (Central Station) that we didn’t run into too many problems and managed to find the right spot the second time past.

Ammenities at Sydney Central Station
It was when using the ammenities at Sydney Central Station that I discovered why Sydney-siders hold it in. Toilet paper and faecal matter was everywhere. It was quite sickening to think that people would actually do that, but the evidence was in front of me in plain site. It still haunts my dreams.

Closing Remarks
Sydney was an interesting place to visit for a few days, but I wouldn’t want to live there. It has a nice harbour, but really that seemed about it. I enjoyed my steak while in Sydney and enjoyed and appreciated the accommodation provided by Paul and Trish. Will I return? Probably.


  1. I find it hard to say toilet [back ↩]
  2. Think Ski Mode in Knight Rider [back ↩]
  3. The only recent monorails I have ridden pior to this was the monorail betwen Conrad Jupiters and the Oasis shopping Centre on the Gold Coast [back ↩]