Archive for category OS Agnostic
Technoloy without a purpose – Mac Dashboard
Posted by The Disgruntled IT Guy in OS Agnostic, Rants and Raves on May 13, 2011
As a technology geek its my job…no my lifestyle that dictates that I need to keep abreast of current technology as it pertains to the area of business applications. So lets go down my list of Systems.
Micro$oft - Check – been there done that – got the free tee, virus laden tee-shirt
Linux – Check, I have compiled my kernel, fscked my drive and even coaxed winmodems to work on occasion…
Mac -errrr
Ok so My Mac skills suxored until 2010… But its just BSD under the hood..right? A year later and a lot of personal edumacition I know that it doesn’t seem to really matter whats under the hood of a Mac. Because I don’t spend a lot of time under the hood.
I’m spending all of my time in the driver’s seat and I’m often asking my self, “What were they thinking?”
And here is why: I have to admit that Mac does a lot of interesting stuff with their OS. A lot of the magic makes sense for the end user and overall the interface is a pleasant experience(but still lacks when compared to other systems in some areas). But one big hulking toe that I’ve found has got to be the Mac Dashboard. (yea I know this is old news for some people but I just feel the need to rant)
This “application” basically skins over your desktop and runs a collection of widgets. Some of these widgets are nominally useful. But the experience overall is akin to a smartphone. But my Mac Book Pro isn’t a smartphone. It’s something a lot more powerful and I have to say widgets on the Mac….just don’t make sense. IMO they don’t make sense on Windows either. What I’d like to see happen is that the Mac Desktop Developers just “step away from the widgets”.
Lets leave the widgets to APP developers for Smartphones & the occasional ipad.
REF:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashboard_%28software%29
Why do I need to sign this? -OR- the paperless office
Posted by The Disgruntled IT Guy in Office Issues, OS Agnostic, Rants and Raves on July 22, 2010
Lets get this out of the way real quick, Why in 2010 are we still using FAX machines? Lets count the steps.
1.Type up digital document
2. Print digital document
3. Sign paper copy
4. Fax paper copy
document got to far side un-readable…
5. Re-fax paper copy
6. Reprint paper copy because fax machine rollers slipped on paper and mangled the paper document and the 2nd attempt to fax the document failed.
7. Fax Paper copy….
Wasn’t that fun.
Now lets look at the pure digital path to enlightenment.
1. Type up digital document
2. Save document as PDF
3. Send document via e-mail.
I know kung-fu
But there is somebody out there that says. “I need my fax rcpt for time of delivery”. E-mail does that. Both delivery rcpt and a read rcpt option are available with most dedicated e-mail clients and some web based systems.
So they return with, I need my document signed. To which I respond with, digital signatures, Or digital signature watermarks, (a jpg copy of your signature placed in document prior to PDF conversion).
Wake up central Pennsylvania, It’s time to move on. The technology is here, its tested, it works. The only problem left is between your keyboard and your chair.
It's time to move on and let our fax machines go.