Future is hard to Look At

Die hard XP users please don’t go any further… your future is hard to look at.

It all started with Vista and SP1. Vista SP1 came out in March 2008 and it had….issues. In all fairness, the service pack wasn’t entirely to blame. Vista sucked (it still does), but over the past couple years I have had multiple cases where Vista simply would not take a service pack installation, and what is worse is that in rejecting the service pack for some obscure reason or another (code 1800313 or some other obscure code that led to obscure results on Microsoft’s web site (which in every case of mine never worked).  This left both me and my customer with a dislike of Vista in general.

The Triad of Desktops

This is the part where the plot thickens….I am OS agnostic which for means  I love/hate all 3 members of the triad of desktops equally.  I use them all more or less on a regular basis as I deal with a lot of aspects of computing, from user management and training to building servers out of spare parts to keep a file store in operation until a proper replacement can be purchased.  So for Me, there is an expectation that this far into the game all three major operating systems should “just work” under most circumstances.

Failure Configuring

So I am at a customer’s location where, I’m expected to get the customer’s computer to quit acting funny.  This generally involves a chkdsk run,  install CCleaner & run, run the AV software, install Defraggler and run (and schedule), install Spybot S&D+immunize plus a run and a second or 3rd possible run in safe mode and then after all of this is done an update of the OS, drivers and critical software.  This is all routine stuff in any PC repair shop with similar software and routines.  In this particular case all of the sweeps led me to find the usual suspects.  Regardless at the end of the sweep comes the OS updates… and yes  its time for the service pack…which does in fact fail and kick back a generic error code.

I investigate this code with all due diligence on both the Microsoft sites and the web at large and my searches lead me down quite a few rabbit holes…all from this one error code.  I’m turning off the AV,   running in safe mode, patting my head and rubbing my belly all at the same time…nothing.  I spent a day working on getting this service pack to install and in the end I was left with a system that not only would not take the service pack, it would also not install new printers and some new software.  At the end of the day I explained the customer’s options to him:

#1  He could consult with a specialist which he has dealt with before.  However, the specialist will more than likely tell him the same answer as my #2 option.

Micorosoft Certified

#2 We can wipe out the machine and reinstall it back to factory specs and then update it with the service pack and have the system completely updated before we install any of his additional software.

#3 We can do nothing (for now).  His system is still functional for most of what he needs to do.   He can’t run updates and sooner or later this will become a problem he can not overcome and we will have to return to option #2 or option #1.

In the end the customer opted to do nothing (for now).  His hopes are that the system will somehow fix itself over time and that he won’t have to reinstall.  Now I am fairly certain that his machine will not “fix itself” but this is what the customer decided to do.  And at the end of the day, it’s my job do do what the customer wants.

3 Months roll around and there I am again at the same location at another desk with computer acting strange.  The scenario is slightly different. This is a Win7 machine. Auto-update was enabled and a SP1 install attempt has happened with “less than favorable results”. Not only did the SP1 not install, it appears to have changed some system files and not reverted the changes when it backed out.  Now I’m not sure what files have been altered…but the print spooler for this user keeps dying, something the user tells me didn’t start happening until after the machine attempted to install SP1.  I attempt to install SP1 and get the desired error codes and google them, and follow the results down the various rabbit holes that they lead me.  Doesn’t this sound a bit familiar to you? Good, because I was not imagining this was all happening again.  And again, at the end of a full day of diagnostic hell, I give the end user the options available to them at this point (see options 1, 2, and 3 above). The customer opts to do nothing and again I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth and an ulcer the size of a pancake in my gut.

Linux v.s. Microsoft?

I know I’m not a Microsoft System Engineer.  There are tons of things I don’t know simply because I’ve  not been to a MSCE class and I have no current desire to become a MSCE or even a MSCT for that matter.  My skill-set is in having the ability to be a “first responder” with the ability to fix the majority of the  problems and send the really bad stuff to the specialists.  But its starting to become apparent to me that Microsoft is really over complicating things under the hood.  I have to wonder where they are trying to go and at what point will they really start to loose customers in earnest. Both Mac and Linux are doing great things with their desktops and more and more companies are looking in their direction for systems that “just work”.  I’m not saying the other two members of the big Triad of desktop systems are without faults…but the scales are starting to lean in other directions.

It’s something to ponder and keep a watchful eye on for sure.

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

Today I wanted to take a moment to revisit this particular topic because today I’m annoyed.  And here is why I’m annoyed.

1. Far too many technology vendors seem to be trying to sell me everything under the sun simply because its the newest thing out there.
2. I’m not told “why” I should have this new shiny…  It falls on to my shoulders to determine why I need the new shiny…
3. The attitude of many vendors is that I should buy from them right now and they get offended / angry when I don’t buy the item.
4. In once case I have had a vendor tell me “this isn’t a free ride”  Like I somehow owe them something because they gave me a discount on some previous item and now I need to buy other items on their schedule…not on mine.

Now in all fairness not everybody is doing this.  There are some good vendors and advertisers that do a wonderful job of explaining to me why this new shiny is better than the old shiny.  I can even honestly say I’ve had a couple vendors tell me that I don’t need the new shiny…  The new shiny doesn’t seem to fit with my other  widgets.   And to those guys my hat is off.  I applaud vendors and advertisers that do not sensationalize or hype their product.   I pay attention to those guys when they do step up and say  “hey you need this” because I know that they aren’t just looking for a fast buck.

The real lesson to be learned here is that technology without a purpose (for me) is technology I’m NOT likely to buy on behalf of the company I work for.  Oh and by the way, I’m not going to buy it for my home use either.

As for the good guys doing the right thing… Keep doing it!

Screens on a Bus!

So I’m actually quite excited. Our pilot bus for the Harrisburg PA CAT Bus Advertising Project was finished yesterday. The project is real simple.  Fit 50 buses from the fleet with 2 ea 22″ LCD screens and the appropriate equipment to feed, news, weather and advertising to CAT’s customers.  The pilot involves fitting and testing one initial bus for testing and observations of the systems in action.

On the 15th of September, 15 days ahead of schedule the Pilot bus was fitted to an initial operational state and is now undergoing a shakedown of both hardware and software systems.   This pilot has been successful so far due to the efforts of the entire team at Aim,  The oversight and support of the entire CAT team and the technical skills of Triangle Communications.  The testing will continue for an undetermined amount of time so that we can deal with any issues that come along and will probably start live full time deployment of this bus with the systems in operation later this week or possibly early next week.

Isn’t technology great when it serves a purpose!!

Mark Fleisher, aimadvertising.com.

Have you ever felt this way?

Kantar Media, which tracks political advertising, says about $2.6 billion was spent on the 2008 general election—up from $1.7 billion four years earlier In January. Remember how obnoxious it got? This year the ad spending will likely increase again especially since the Supreme Court removed almost all limits on corporate political giving. One wonders what we are in for in the coming months.  For one thing there will be no bargains for media buyers.  I predict so much ad spending for political ads that candidates will be forced to spread their money around from radio, cable television, direct mail, newspaper and TV.  This is one segment of private business that is in for a windfall.

My next prediction is candidates will remember the Obama social media campaign and dive in headfirst. The only thing is Obama had celebrity appeal that made people excited to actually be his friend and network online with him. A candidate flub-up in social marketing may end up being worse than goofing up a question at a press conference, or performing poorly at a debate. We did just witness the backfire when Palin tweeted “no mosque at ground zero”. I like the fact that you could join in or opt out of online campaigns. It will be interesting come September when the barrage starts.

My advice is to get your buys in now if you’re planning a fall campaign, but be prepared. The audience has many ways of tuning you out. While media will get some well deserved advertising revenue, our poor retailers trying to make a last ditch effort to end the year in the black, will get buried in the clutter or end up on the cutting floor. My only hope is that after the election the retail climate might have more optimism about the future of doing business in this country.

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.

1. What does the customer want?
2. How much content will the site hold?
3. How often will updates be made to the site?
4. Who is making the updates?

As a professional web designer, I have tried the majority of popular tools available, and one has found its place as my tool of choice… Joomla!

Joomla is an open source content management system (CMS) with an active development community, extreme extensibility, and a plethora of third party plugins, modules, and components.  Here are some of the main reasons why I make it my first choice as a development platform:

Template based –  Joomla styles the generated pages based upon css template design.  You can create your own templates, or use pre-designed versions available for free or at a modest cost.  These templates make it trivial to “try on” a new design with your site’s content.  Tweaking them to gain the exact look you desire is easy as well.

Rapid development – The core framework is in place when you install Joomla itself.  Your web server does need to support PHP and MySQL, which most Linux hosting packages do.  All you have to do at this point is add content, and create the graphic look and feel that you want.

Easy to migrate – The migration from development server to live server is a piece of cake.  Tools such as Akeeba Backup make the job so simple that virtually anyone can do it with the expected results.

Easy to update and maintain – This is perhaps the most important of the reason for using Joomla.  Anybody can update or add content to a Joomla site, even the customer.  While many design houses might not like this idea, we do.  It is a value-added feature when the client knows that they are not necessarily tied to you for small maintenance tasks.  With just two hours of training, we find that our customers are comfortable with creating in the backend.

Extensive selection of third party modules – Plugins, Modules, and Components, oh my!  There are so many out there.  Whatever functionality you are looking for in your site, chances are you’ll find a pre-built module that fits the bill.  Many of these are free (as in beer), and some are commercial.  The installation and uninstallation of these software components is so simple that it makes it a pleasure to give new ones a try.

If you haven’t given Joomla a shot, you really should.  It is a solid foundation on which to build a great looking website with modern functionality — in record time.