software
Save Screenshots With Snip & Sketch
The latest update to Windows 10 version 1903 includes Snip & Sketch, an update to the venerable Snipping Tool that has been part of Windows since Vista in 2007. The new app makes me smile because it’s the quintessential Microsoft experience: it has unnecessary extra features that you won’t use; it has a duplicative name that is both longer and more confusing than the old program; and it doesn’t work as well as the original. […] continued
Read moreLastPass Learns The Wrong Lessons About Price Increases From LogMeIn
LastPass has learned some of the wrong lessons from its corporate parent LogMeIn, with price increases for LastPass Premium that land unexpectedly like tiny bombs on the credit card statement.
TL;DRNo action needed. Most people use the free version of LastPass (still free!), and the Premium version is priced reasonably compared to the competitors. […] continued
Read moreOneNote Is Lonely And Confused
Microsoft OneNote isn’t on the Office team these days, at least not like it has been for the last ten years when it was installed alongside Word and Excel as a full-fledged Office program. OneNote has been left to play by itself.
Oh, and if you’re a OneNote user, the version you’re almost certainly using on your PC is on its last legs and someday will be discontinued. […] 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 moreMicrosoft Is Cutting The Ribbon In Word, Excel & Outlook
Microsoft intends to simplify the ribbon in Outlook, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It’s possible that Microsoft will work thoughtfully and carefully and you will be happy with the result.
Oh, stop it. I hear you laughing. I’m serious. Microsoft is saying all the right words. They want to make the ribbons (the tabbed toolbars across the top) simpler and easier to use, but they say there will be an easy way to return to the way they look now for people with strong muscle memory who don’t want to change. […] continued
Read moreCh-Ch-Ch-Changes: Focused Inbox Is Replacing Clutter In Outlook
Microsoft just wants to be helpful. It’s eager to be helpful. It can’t stop itself from trying new things, just in case they’re a little bit better, even if you didn’t ask for any changes and you don’t really want new things.
Imagine that every six months you came home and Microsoft had rearranged your furniture without telling you. […] continued
Read moreQuicken 2018 Is Available – Now With New Annual Subscription Fees!
Quicken 2018 is now available for Windows and Mac computers. The most notable new feature is the price: Quicken has become a subscription product with an annual fee. You might want to buy it but you should know what you’re getting into (and you should wait a few months while Quicken works out the typical new-version bugs). […] continued
Read moreA Possible Fix For The Excel Slow File Opening Bug
Previously: What To Do When Excel Opens . . . Very . . . Slowly . . .
Windows is weird.
A year ago I wrote an article about an Excel bug: occasionally there is a 30-60 second delay after clicking on an .XLSX file before the Excel logo appears and the file opens. […] continued
Read moreGoogle Chrome Gives You That Syncing Feeling
This is a tip that is basic, elementary, beginner level. Unless you don’t know it, in which case this will help you feel centered and peaceful – slightly radiant, really.
Google Chrome syncs open tabs, bookmarks, and browsing history to all your devices.
That’s it. Doesn’t sound like much, does it? […] continued
Read moreStart10 Is Your Friend – Install It And Keep It Up To Date
If your Windows 10 computer displays an update notice for a new version of Start10, go ahead and install it. It’s safe.
This is your Windows 10 Start menu with Start10.
Start10 is a five dollar program from Stardock Software that replaces the Windows 10 Start menu with a start menu that looks exactly like Windows 7. […] continued
Read moreHappy Holidays From Bruceb Consulting!
My goodness. Pause for a deep breath.
By every measure that truly matters – personal, family, friends, relationships, community – 2016 was a glorious year for me. I sincerely hope you are the same – happy, healthy, rooted, and all your dreams coming true for you and loved ones.
Breathe deeply because by almost every other measure, 2016 was quite an unpleasant piece of work and 2017 will be worse. […] continued
Read moreMicrosoft Edge Sinks Into Irrelevance
People spent more time browsing the web on their phones than on their PCs in October, according to StatCounter. Think about that for a second. It’s another remarkable statistic. More than half of the time spent online globally now happens on phones! What an extraordinary shift in a few years. […] continued
Read moreQuickbooks Moves Inexorably To The Cloud
A year ago I wrote about Intuit’s promotion of Quickbooks Online and the bleak long-term prospects for the desktop version of Quickbooks. It’s not really a choice for Intuit; it’s the only way to survive. Intuit’s bet is paying off. It’s good news for Intuit, not good news for traditionalists who hope that this cloud stuff is just a fad. […] continued
Read moreOffice 365 Business Plans Now Include Access
Microsoft Access, an Office program for database management, will be included with the other Office programs in the Office 365 Business and Business Premium plans, starting next month. This is irrelevant for many businesses that have no reason to use Access. For the rest, this is classic Microsoft: it’s good news, but it has some complicated bits. […] continued
Read morePersonal Computers Are Just Too Hard To Use, And It Isn’t Your Fault
That was the first line in the first column that influential tech journalist Walt Mossberg wrote on October 17, 1991 for the Wall Street Journal.
It’s still true. It’s twenty-five years later and it’s still true. That’s profoundly disappointing, and it has big consequences for our world. […] continued
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