16 May 08 Microsoft Does It Again
Now, I make no secret that I’m not a Microsoft fan. Not any kind of anti-corporate stance particularly, just that by and large I think their software sucks.
I had to smile a few days ago though. I know it’s a beta version, but I installed a copy of IE8 on a winbox here. I NEVER use IE out of choice, but you have to have a copy of IE on a Windows machine, so I thought OK, I’ll see if it’s any better at W3C compliancy than the previous dismal attempts at such.
By and large, at first glance most pages were displaying ok, but the truth will come when I code a few without the IE hacks in CSS to see what happens.
While I was in there, I thought I’d run MS update, which complains if you try to use a decent browser, such as Firefox.
This was what made me laugh. I got a message telling me that I needed to be using a copy of Internet Explorer IE6 or newer.
Again, I reiterate, I know it’s a beta, but even so I found it somewhat amusing that Microsoft’s own browser wasn’t recognized correctly on it’s own operating system.
Of course, with the advent of more and more online apps, perhaps Microsoft is slowly losing its relevance in the marketplace anyway?
After all, a Linux install isn’t particularly geeky these days. Simply insert a CD, and follow the prompts. If you can install Windows, you can install Ubuntu for example.
I can do everything I need to do on a linux box – email, read/write documents, spreadsheets, manipulate images, listen to music, watch video. It’s all free, and more to the point, no stupid activation nonsense, and I can install Linux on most anything I have here. No OEM nonsense either, when a copy of Windows that came with a Dell, won’t install on another machine I’ve built after the old Dell died.
No, personally, I’m not getting excited about Windows 7; Vista was a fiasco; and I wouldn’t miss Microsoft if it disappeared tomorrow.
Tags: advent, beta version, compliancy, decent browser, dell, few days, fiasco, first glance, hacks, ie8, internet explorer, linux box, microsoft fan, music watch, nonsense, own operating system, relevance, spreadsheets, Ubuntu, winbox, windows machine
03 Apr 08 Get The Picture?
I didn’t. Well WordPress didn’t. The new image uploader wouldn’t work when I tried to upload images from my hard drive.
Don’t worry, I posted a fix over at the Tech blog.
It works now for me. At least it does in Firefox. I try to avoid Internet Explorer where possible, but I’ll check it out next time I am on a Windows machine.
Tags: blog, hard drive, image uploader, images, internet explorer, new image, windows machine, wordpress 2.5 errors, worry
07 Feb 08 Other Blogs Of Mine
OK, so I’m a geeky type. I don’t care. I like technology, and what its advances can offer us all. I often find new ideas, applications, or gadgets interesting, fascinating, or inspiring. I’m very much a “value-for-money” type of person though, so I like to cut through the inevitable hype surrounding new products (especially those from the giant corporates), and weigh up all the pros and cons for myself.
To that end, I have another blog, where I post all the geeky stuff. I don’t write in it every day, but when I try something out, or find out about something new that I think I might find a use for, I put it in there. You can find it at http://ian.may.name
I have a flickr account. I’ve had one for quite some time now. I think it’s a great way to share photographs, and also a place to store some away from my computer (a kind of emergency backup). Right now, I’m a little concerned, now that Microsoft has reared it’s ugly head towards Yahoo. Microsoft have a tendency, in fact a reputation, of doing things their own way, often to the detriment of the rest of the IT world at large. It’s a good job Microsoft don’t own the majority of the net, or we’d all have to used that darn awful, bug ridden, security-holed, w3c non-compliant, web designers nightmare called Internet Explorer.
Anyway, sometimes, I’m chatting to friends online. I’m a long-time user of IRC, which pre-dates IM, and the Web too. I find an interesting photo in my collection and I want to share it. There is a way to do this in IRC, using DCC (direct Client to Client). However, many IRC users don’t have the correct ports open on their firewalls, and it often fails. So, I set up another blog. In here I’ll post images that I want to share on the spur of the moment with my online friends. They’re all family-friendly, nothing to shock, or revolt, but as it’s unplanned, they’re just a random mix. It’s called Eyebee’s Pics. Eyebee, in case you’re wondering is my online nickname, and is derived from my first and middle name initials which are I and B. You can find Eyebee’s Pics right here
Finally, those of you who like music may like to check out the NAB Radio blog that I maintain at http://nabradio.us/blog
Tags: compliant web, corporates, correct ports, detriment, emergency backup, fir, firewalls, good job, hype, internet explorer, irc users, nightmare, pros and cons, random mix, revolt, share photographs, spur of the moment, time user, ugly head, web designers
