My many rantings...

Escape Codes

2009-04-27T06:08:00Z

Special escape characters which if entered literally will break you app.config or web.config

Escape Code	Text	Value
<	<	less than
>	>	greater than
&	&	ampersand
'	'	apostrophe
"	"	quotation mark

I will add more as I find more

Microsoft Bridge

2009-04-13T14:38:00Z

Found this on CNN. It surprises me how many people are criticizing this. It also makes me wonder, if this was Apple or Google, would anyone bat an eye?

Apple's New iPod

2009-04-06T17:02:00Z

OK,

I was just about to email Paul Thurrott when I decided this rant was too long for an email and would be better suited to a blog post.

I just read his review of the iPod 3G and I have to agree with him. It seems like Apple is running into a road block of, the iPod is a mature product, there really isn't much more you can do to the device...

The best example I can think of is cars. Besides offering better fuel efficiency or more integrating luxury options, there really isn't much else you can do to make four tires with four doors more appealing. Considering cars depreciate instantly when you drive them off the lot (the same can be said about technology), it seems to me that it's a true money pit. Don't get me wrong, I own an iPod, but after I played music, explored the menu's, and acted like a teenager buying their first Starbucks Coffee, the novelty wore off and it went back into the box when the new ones came out. Much less exciting is iTunes (and obviously bloated), which I use because I'm stubborn and have become spoiled by Bonjour. Not to say iTunes is safe, there are many ways it can be improved.

I digress...

I'm sure that Apple would debate both of us on this, but truth be told, this new iPod it reminds me of Project Looking Glass. It was an attempt by Sun to create an imersive 3Dish desktop. I think it's innovation for the sake of innovation. Much like the Speech capabilities in the new iPod. I get why, but do we really need it? Does it make the product better? No, I think it makes it harder to use. I can see someone being injured because they broke their concentration and they went flying off the tread mill trying to figure out the correct press sequence to access a feature.

To drive this point home, I was watching a presentation from Mix09, called, "Ten Ways to ensure RIA Failure" by Anthony Franco, the link is here http://videos.visitmix.com/MIX09/C06F. The part of the video I love is where Anthony highlights the "iPhone Curse" at 15:20. He talks about how he gave his iPhone to his Mom and asked her to make a call and she didn't know how. In all of the iPhone ads, it shows someone using the device, so that when we pick one up, we instantly start swiping, but she'd never seen an ad, so she had no idea what to do.

In a way, Apple's design estetic, is their biggest curse. They make things so easy to use, they are hard to use. I refuse to buy an iPhone for this reason. I bought a Mac with the intention of trying it out. I found it harder to use than a PC. Some things like copy/pasting files are complicated, and don't make sense to me. Other things like, when you move a folder and one already exists, Windows asks you to "merge' the two, Apple asks you if you want to "replace", instinctively I clicked "Replaced" and OSX wipped out half my music. So I installed boot camp and went back. I had a friend argue that I need to "re-learn" how to do all this stuff on a Mac. I said, No, why? When you decide to buy a different car, do you need to relean how to drive, no, you use the skills you already know and drive away.

I hope this post didn't loose focus or direction. I get really upset when people think that everything Apple does is genius. They are a great company and have transformed the telecom industry, which is as backwards as 1890, but before we add features because we can, we need to take a look and ask our selves should we.

Chris

Microsoft Gets Advertising Right!

2009-02-22T00:05:00Z

Well,

I stumbled upon both of the following ads by mistake. I must say, finally! Microsoft understands and gets advertising. We didn't need Jerry to get it right, we needed real people and zen like music.

1. 4 1/2-year old Kylie sends a picture of her fish to her family. How cute is that? The only thing cutter is probably if a kitten did it.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href='http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=533e05d2-9f12-4a86-bdda-efd0455fcd36' target='_new' title='Kylie'&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Video: Kylie&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

2. Live Mesh commercial. All I can say is wow. I think we've all dreamed of this day, when we can just share our content on our computers without thinking about it. And the best part!

Windows 7 FAKE Pricing Released

2009-02-13T03:42:00Z

Well,

Anyone searching for Windows 7 pricing online will find themselves with lots of impersonators claiming Microsoft released pricing. Just do a google search and you're bound to find someone claiming the have the inside details only to they are deliberately lying to get hits.

I can't tell you how much this angers me. I would use profanity, but I promised not to when i clicked "I Agree" to this blogs terms and conditions. I think the only reason people are doing this is an attempt to undercut Microsoft and force their hand to release pricing that is below what's suggested.

I agree that a product should be priced fairly, but most of these sites are just rehashing the Vista product prices and providing no factual evidence. I really hope Windows 7 pricing stuns all of us, and in a good way. I want Microsoft to show all of us they are listening, but I will wait like everyone must to find out the details.

This is my 2 cents.

Windows 7 Editions

2009-02-04T16:05:00Z

Well,

According to many blogs, like this one, and this one, and finally this press release, Microsoft is releasing Windows in multiple flavors again. I'm not rehashing the editions here, but I'm going to offer a different opinion.

Many of us are angry or annoyed that we once again have to choose, but another industry does the same thing, it's called the auto industry. They release cars in multiple editions that offer larger engines, more interior room, or safety features not available on base model. That's fine, but if you're going to offer those additions, then offer features people want.

Keeping with that argument, if Microsoft really wants to call it "Windows 7 Ultimate" then make it Ultimate. Give us something with Ultimate that if purchased separately would be rather expensive. Examples include, a free Zune (or one at a seriously discounted price, say 75% off), or even Office Professional, or Windows Home Server, or even the Expression Suite. I would spend extra money for those options, not some game or a desktop slide show feature I could care less about. Bundle it with something that people want.

In terms of pricing, here is my opinion. We all know the "Vista Capable" of last year, and how it really wasn't that capable at all. Why not offer consumers the choice to upgrade for nominal cost, say shipping and handling? I know Windows costs money to research and develop, but it can't be unobtainable, or consumers won't buy it.

Those are my 2 cents.

Windows 7 Installer Crashes

2009-01-20T23:22:18Z

Maybe you’ve had the same problem I've had. You double-click an MSI only to be greeted by the a crash dialog, asking you to send information to Microsoft. Well a solution was posted today, here is the info if you missed it:

Solve a problem with Windows 7 beta

An issue with the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) client in Windows 7 beta is causing Explorer and some MSI-based installers to stop working properly.

To solve this problem, follow these steps:

Click the Start button , click All Programs, and then click Accessories.
Right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. In the User Account Control window, verify that Program name is Windows Command Processor, and then click Yes.
In the Administrator: Command Prompt window, type or paste the following text at the prompt:

reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SQMClient\Windows\DisabledSessions /va /f
Press Enter to install the solution.
If The operation completed successfully displays, close the Administrator: Command Prompt window to complete this procedure. If "ERROR: Access is denied" displays, repeat this procedure from the top, making sure you clicked Run as administrator in step two.

Update, Paul Thurrott’s site has more information. This will teach me for publishing an article without Googling first.

http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2009/01/19/sqm-bug-in-windows-7-something-is-wrong.aspx

Cheers!

Chris

First Post

2008-09-26T03:36:56Z

Ok, I was given this blog back in January, and I figured I should probably user it before they figure out it’s inactive and take it away. So here goes….

My many rantings...

Escape Codes

Microsoft Bridge

Apple's New iPod

Microsoft Gets Advertising Right!

Windows 7 *FAKE* Pricing Released

Windows 7 Editions

Windows 7 Installer Crashes

First Post

Windows 7 FAKE Pricing Released