computers
All Things Must Pass: Say Goodbye To Windows 7
Windows 7 was released almost ten years ago. Those are human years; in technology years that is roughly the length of the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs ruled the earth.
There’s no crisis. You’re not required to throw away your Windows 7 computers tomorrow. I understand that you’re comfortable and you don’t want to change anything and you want those kids to stay off your lawn. […] continued
Read moreRules For Computer And Online Safety 2019
These are the rules for computer and online safety in 2019. You can download a copy here.
Only your vigilance will protect you against bad guys. You will be safe if you are cautious. Stop and think before you click on links, before you call unfamiliar phone numbers, before you install programs, and before you fill in passwords. […] continued
Read moreThe End Of New Product Announcements
In the last two months, there have been major announcements of new products by every computer and phone manufacturer on the planet. You don’t know about any of them, do you?
On September 12, Apple put on its annual presentation of new iPhones for hundreds of tech journalists, with the same showmanship that it has relied on since the days when Steve Jobs would take the stage in his black turtleneck and wow the faithful. […] continued
Read moreItsy Bitsy Teensy Weensy PCs
Your next business desktop tower computer might be tiny. At least you should be open to the idea.
Old habits die hard. It has taken me far too long to realize that something fundamental is changing. It’s going to sound obvious when I describe it, but if it’s so obvious, why didn’t you think of it, huh, smart guy? […] continued
Read moreRules For Computer And Online Safety 2018
These are the rules for computer and online safety in 2018. You can download a copy here.
You will be safe if you are cautious. Stop and think before you click on links, before you call unfamiliar phone numbers, before you install programs, and before you fill in passwords. Only your vigilance will protect you against bad guys. […] continued
Read moreLooking Forward: Always Connected Computers
Stretch your imagination.
Imagine that you pull your laptop out and pop the lid open and start using it right away. There’s no delay, no swirling circle – it’s just on, bang, every time. You put your finger on the fingerprint reader and you’re logged in immediately.
Now imagine that the computer is always online with a working internet connection. […] continued
Read moreLooking Forward: Increasing Your Core Strength
Nothing will stand still in 2018. You’ll be bombarded with new technology and more jargon. As always, some of the changes will be useful advances that will make your life better, and some of them will . . . not.
We’re going to start the year with a look at some familiar technology that will be changing in unexpected ways in 2018. […] continued
Read moreWhich Chromebook Should You Buy?
Chromebook series
Why Your Next Laptop Might Be A Chromebook
Which Chromebook Should You Buy?
Although I’ve mentioned Chromebooks that cost $450, you need to know that those are the really expensive ones. Most Chromebooks cost between $200 and $400, and you can find some perfectly worthwhile Chromebooks for less than $200. […] continued
Read moreWho Should Buy A Chromebook?
Chromebook series
Why Your Next Laptop Might Be A Chromebook
Which Chromebook Should You Buy?
If you read the last article about Chromebooks, you know that the virtual store shelves are lined with lovely laptops at prices that start at $450 and go down from there. […] continued
Read moreSurface Laptops And Lessons About Desperation
Next month Microsoft will begin selling Surface Laptops, elegant and sexy, Microsoft’s first Surface devices with a traditional clamshell design. You’ll be tempted to buy one, but in the end you won’t. Almost no one will buy them. Microsoft will sell some Surface Laptops, of course, but sales volume will be insignificant – no shame but no bragging rights. […] continued
Read moreTechnology Is Boring
Technology in 2017 is just a bit . . . dull. There’s not much going on. You hadn’t really thought about it but now that I mention it, you know it’s true, right?
Choose your metaphor. It’s a plateau. It’s the calm before the storm. We’re in a holding pattern. We’re almost – but not quite – at a couple of tipping points. […] continued
Read moreTwenty-Five Years Of Windows
Windows 3.1 was released on April 6, 1992. Happy 25th birthday!
Computers ran MS-DOS 5.0 in 1992. Windows 3.1 was a separate program that ran on MS-DOS by typing WIN at a command line. There was no taskbar or Start button. Real work was still done in DOS based programs like WordPerfect and Lotus 123. […] continued
Read moreApple Has Given Up On Computers
These two things are true.
Apple’s revenues in fiscal 2016 from selling computers were more than twenty billion dollars. That makes Apple’s computer division almost as big as HP or Lenovo, and far more profitable than either of them.
Apple’s revenues in fiscal 2016 from selling phones and tablets were more than two hundred billion dollars. […] continued
Read moreRules For Computer And Online Safety 2017
Email & online security | Computers | Phones & tablets
Passwords | Phone scams | Wire transfers
These are the rules for computer and online safety in 2017. You can download a copy here.
We are required to be paranoid and vigilant. Bad guys are coming up with inventive and sophisticated ways to fool us in email messages, on the phone, and on the web. […] continued
Read moreBeware Of The 5400 RPM Hard Drive!
Computer manufacturers are letting us down. Computers are being sold with specs that appear to be perfectly fine, but buried in the small print is a detail that means they are deliberately hobbled. They will disappoint you from the first day they’re turned on. Beware of the 5400 RPM hard drive! […] continued
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