Windows Tip: Five quick Windows speedup tips

From Dennis O'Reilly's post Five quick Windows speedup tips comes this excellent info:

There's one thing all Windows users have in common: They all want the OS to run faster. Here are five ways to turn your tortoise PC into a hare.

1. Go the one-click route with the "best performance" option in the Visual Effects settings. In Windows XP, right-click My Computer, choose Properties > Advanced, click the Settings button under Performance, and then select the Visual Effects tab. In Vista, press the Windows key, type performance information, press Enter, and click Adjust Visual Effects in the left pane. In both OSes, you can choose Custom and deselect the options in the window below as you prefer, or simply select Adjust for best performance. When you're done, click OK twice.
2. Tell Internet Explorer not to save encrypted pages. Open Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options > Advanced, scroll down the Settings window to the Security section, check "Do not save encrypted pages to disk," and click OK.
3. Disconnect network drives you no longer use. Double-click My Computer (Computer in Vista, or simply press the Windows key, type "computer", and press Enter). Click Tools > Disconnect Network Drive, choose the drive you no longer use, and click OK. (If you use Vista and don't see the Tools menu in Computer, press Alt.)

For screenshots and the rest of the post go here: http://www.cnet.com/8301-13880_1-9868480-68.html? Good stuff!

Tech Trends: More 2008 Technology Predictions

Predictions for this new year abound, especially lists of 2008 technology trends (see 2008 IT Management Trends - Seven Hot Acronyms In IT) and so it's no surprise that folks are already distilling these lists with their own thoughts. In 2008 Technology Predictions Ken Sipe posts his own list:

So after a month of reading a number of articles making there 2008 predictions, I feel compelled to share my predictions. I have the added advantage which comes to those who procrastinate... however there isn't much new over the last month.

1. Larger portion of the Java community will move towards Java 5 /6, taking advantage of more of the language changes.
2. Increased adoption of groovy users
3. Spring framework increases in use... leaving in their dust SEAM and Guice.
4. Spring MVC and Webflow becomes the new Struts (from a popularity standpoint) 1. It will come down to WebFlow and JSF 2. It will be interesting to see what grails does to this prediction
5. Late 2008 will have a number of negative news feeds on SOA. 1. This will be geared around failure of large initiatives. 2. It may be 2009... depends on the economy
6. Flex use increases 1. MSFT will start the get the RIA facts in an effort to take over this space.
7. Vista will continue to have trouble 1. It will be interesting to see what MSFT does when the XP isn't available for purchase any more. ** With the OEM ending in June 2008, I expect that MSFT will extend it... after a period of pain :)
8. JBoss and OSS in general will increase in use. 1. The economy will be the driver for this.

Read more here: http://www.nofluffjuststuff.com/tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7461275049781191261.post-5684393914108418725 This list is slanted towards software development and technical folks, but it's a solid one nonetheless. Here are additional 2008 business and technology lists:

• Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2008
• 5 Hot Technology Trends in 2008
• Software development trends in 2008: Outsourcing, agile development
• Eight business technology trends to watch
• Sanity check: Eight trends that will rock technology in 2008
• Software development trends in 2008
• Business Trends 2008
• The top developments in business technology from CES 2008
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Free App: Software Tool Strips Windows Vista To Bare Bones

Tired of dealing with Microsoft Vista's bloatware, junk apps, poor performance and the like? Check out this post from slashdot: Software Tool Strips Windows Vista To Bare Bones. I have yet to try it out, but the brief clip certainly has me interested:

A free download that can cut Windows Vista's gargantuan footprint by half or more is developing a big following on the Internet. vLite is a configuration tool that lets users automatically delete a lot of unnecessary Vista components — such as Windows Media Player and MSN installer — to pare the OS down to a reasonable size. The software is catching on. An InformationWeek story notes that a forum that asks users to suggest new features has drawn nearly 50,000 page views.

Read more here: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/01/28/1514212&from=rss

If anyone has any info on this tool, especially users!!, please leave a comment and let us know what you think. Is the free tool worth it? Once you use the tool, does the bare bones version operate as expected? Any hiccups ? Is there a better tool, free or not? let us know!

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Windows Vista labeled the #1 most disappointing product of 2007

From a post over at Slashdot:

No surprise here, but to complete its humiliation, PC Magazine has declared that Windows Vista is the most disappointing product of 2007. Quoting: ‘Five years in the making and this is the best Microsoft could do?… No wonder so many users are clinging to XP like shipwrecked sailors to a life raft, while others who made the upgrade are switching back. And when the fastest Vista notebook PC World has ever tested is an Apple MacBook Pro, there’s something deeply wrong with the universe.’” Read more of the post here: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/12/18/0125207

Read more from the PC World article, quoted in the above clip - The 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140583-page,5-c,techindustrytrends/article.html

It’s not that Vista is awful. The integrated security and parental controls are nice, and the Aero interface is as whizzy as it gets. Searching and wireless networking are much faster and easier than under XP.

It’s just that Vista isn’t all that good. Many of the innovations the operating system was supposed to bring–like more efficient file and communications systems–got tossed overboard as Microsoft struggled to get the OS out the door, some three years after it was first promised. Despite its hefty hardware requirements, Vista is slower than XP.

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Original post from The Whole Enchilada LINK: http://wholeenchilada.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/windows-vista-labeled-the-1-most-disappointing-product-of-2007/ Subscribe in a reader Subscribe by Email