Family Guy

Makes me want to punch babies… Jus’ sayin’…

Guys, XP is dead. It’s time to move on.

One of my biggest annoyances when it comes to the world of computing today is Windows XP. The operating system that is finally going away, but people are still kicking and screaming about it. C’mon guys, this is 2010, not 2005 anymore. We live in a world of high speed internet, multi-core processors, 4+ gigabytes of RAM, GPU acceleration, etc. Clinging onto Windows XP without a good excuse is just plain unacceptable. What is even worse is when people think it is in Microsoft’s duty to continue to support it, simply because they still run it. Looking at that from a business standpoint, it is impractical. Looking at that from a technological standpoint, it is impossible.

 

Impractical in the sense that Windows XP isn’t going to turn anymore profits for Microsoft, so to continue to pour resources into supporting XP, would hurt them financially. They are a tech company, they can’t live in the past too longer or they will be left behind! The operating system is also 9 years old. In the tech world, this would make it a Trilobite, which leads me to my next thought….

 

The API’s embedded in XP also make it impossible to support newer technologies. This is why newer operating systems are released, they take the previous generation and build up from that. So to continue to argue “Microsoft should update the code base, blah, blah, blah…” is just a waste of air. They HAVE updated the code base. Twice, in fact! One update was called Windows Vista, the second, Windows 7. There you have it. Microsoft HAS updated the code base, but alas, that still isn’t enough because now you have to pay for it. Well guess what?
Do you have to pay for a new car when you turn in your old one?

Do you have to pay for a new appliance when the old one becomes unusable or broken?

Do you have to pay for home upgrades/repairs?

Yade, yada…

Simple, right?

XP simply cannot handle newer technologies. Those new multi-core CPUs, those multiple gigabytes of memory, those new hard drive killers, AKA, solid state drives. While XP may seem fast running on those, all that money you just put into buying those, has just gone to waste. Why? Because XP simply doesn’t have the capability to properly address that shiny new hardware you just bought.

 

I could go on, but I think I will stop here. Hopefully, you understand why XP is dead, and why Microsoft will no longer bend over backwards trying to support it.

Internet Explorer

Is there a reason why IE won’t support Adblock Plus? If I could use Adblock with IE, that would be the single most greatest event in the history of computing. Seeing how the web is 99.9% adspace anymore, and .1% actual content, I could enjoy using IE again. But alas, that’ll never happen despite the fact that Firefox and Chrome both support the addon.

Hope you enjoy losing market share IE.

24/7 Sports Channels

Is there a point in having 24/7 sports channels? Is there a reason why we need 365 days of NFL, NBA, NHL, etc? What would be the point in paying for that crap, especially when the season is over? I fial to see why we need to be clogging the airwaves with this crap.

Windows XP Needs To Die

There I said it. The faster the better. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First off, this operating system was developed circa 1999-2000. Back then we had a completely different computing landscape that we have today. Dial up was still the most used method of accessing the Internet, computer viruses and other forms of malware were still spread via e-mails, and our computing needs were lesser than what they are today.


Today, high speed internet is everywhere, and only getting faster, and malware can come from any direction at any time. And Windows XP has shown time and time again how vulnerable it is to various forms of malware.
By default, the default user profile has full rights to the underlying system, meaning anything can go wrong if something comes in off the Internet on to your system without you knowing. We call them drive by downloads. The newer Windows Vista, and Windows 7, however by default, do not receive those same rights, further securing the system.

Secondly, as I had said before, XP was designed and released over 9 years ago, by tech standards, XP is a Trilobite compared with Vista and 7. Microsoft has been very generous in extending the life of XP, long term support ends in April 2014. But today, that seems to have changed. Despite the sixty some percent market share XP still holds was still not enough for Microsoft to support it with their upcoming release of IE9. Yet, that still seems to have upset quite a few folks who just won't let go. Why? This is 2010, not 2001 anymore. You should be, as an CIO or IT worker, be planning to upgrade withing the next year or two. DON'T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE! If you are still seriously running XP in the workplace, then you get no sympathy from me at all.

Lastly, newer advancements in technology just won't work anymore with it. Don't like that? Tough. UPGRADE. XP isn't going to be around much longer, and it's share drops considerably month to month. It won't be long til 3rd party drops support, now that Microsoft has. It's about damn time.

There are many more reasons I could go on with as to why XP is obsolete in today's landscape, but I won't. The bottom line is that you need to start upgrade plans, if you haven't already done so or already upgraded. Today's hardware and operating systems are quite capable of carrying the weight that you need them to. Businesses need to quit living in the past.

The Most Anticipated Piece of Tech For 2010

By now, most of you know what the iPad is and what it'll do once it is released to consumers in the next month or so. What you may not realize is that other companies are planning on releasing their own similar tablet devices as well, like the one I am waiting for - The HP Slate.

With the HP Slate, unlike the iPad, it'll be running Windows 7 - A full desktop OS, which means any program or "app" that you can run on your desktop PC, such as Microsoft/ Open Office, iTunes, etc, can run on here as well. HP still has its lips sealed on the hardware specs, but I can safely say, that the processing power of this baby won't be too impressive compared with a full featured laptop or desktop, but it seems it'll make a nice companion to lay in bed with or take notes in class.

Below is a newly released video showing off some of the flash capabilities users can look forward to with the Slate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeTQ-L9iI5I


Unfortunately, HP has also sealed its lips as to a specific release date, only saying Q4 2010, which means by the Fall (UGH!), but hopefully, they'll be comparative in price to the iPad, since most feel as if this is the iPad's only real contender for the time being.

In other news, it seems Apple has already 'sold' at least 150,000 iPads in the first 72 hours of going on pre-sale (Source). I'm honestly stunned to see that. 150,000? For an iPad? Something that doesn't even offer any new functionality over the iPod Touch!? Well, I guess I should have expected that, but personally if I owned an ipod Touch or an iPhone, there just is no way that I could justify spending another $600 on a device that offers nothing new over its older brothers. That is why I feel the HP Slate could take off... It might not add any 'new' functionality over a standard PC, but at least I'm still getting a full computing and web experience. Apple, on the other hand, has at least proven there is a market for such a device.

Welcome

Welcome to my Blog. Since Facebook doesn't quite have a blogging feature like Myspace did, I created one here. It's my little space where I'll ramble on about my hobbies, interests, what's on my mind, and everything else in between.

Feel free to ask me questions or leave comments.