Nick Francesco Recent Posts

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It’s no longer enough for us to be able to write something that the entire world can (notice I didn’t say “will”) read. So…

See what I mean?

A lot of “legacy” Windows software won’t run on Vista. And it likely never will. Companies that have been putting out the same old code base for the last umpteen years are not going to want to rewrite their code to work under Vista. People who have been complacently (and often illegally) copying the same old software from machine to machine will now have to buy a new version. But is that Microsoft’s fault?

Now, please - don’t get me wrong. I am not a Microsoft apologist. Far from it! My desktops at work and home are Ubuntu. My laptop at work is a Mac. The only Vista box I have is a second system at work so that I can test products (which mostly don’t work) and play with the OS to learn it. But I’ll never use it for production work!

Even so, it both amuses and bemuses me that Mac people in particular are so childishly - and nastily - triumphant because so many programs don’t work under Vista. Have they forgotten OS X? Have they forgotten the brouhaha that resulted in all of their beloved Mac OS programs suddenly becoming so many bits of rust on a platter? Yes, there was some compatibility, but that’s where Vista stands now, isn’t it?

Frankly, I’ve always said that I applaud the guts it takes to say to your happy, contented user base that everything they know is about to become wrong. To say “We’ve taken this OS as far as it can go; time for a new generation, new programmers, and new code. And if the old stuff breaks, well, that’s sad, but it won’t hold us back.” That’s what Apple did with OS X, and that’s what Microsoft did with Vista.

Of course, there were two major differences. First, Apple’s sheep love them. Second, Apple announced they were doing this. Microsoft’s users, by and large, barely tolerate the company. And I can’t recall a single announcement that said most applications would be broken.

So, once again, Microsoft shot itself in the foot publicity-wise. The programs that are designed for Vista work fine. Some older programs work, too, but that’s serendipity. Had Microsoft come out and said they were creating a new operating system with only limited support for older software, there would have been grumbling, but nothing like the way people are now holding Vista up to ridicule.

Again, please don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot to dislike about Vista. And once again, Microsoft has outpaced hardware, so that it’ll take another generation of computers to truly catch up to Vista and make all the eye candy work, and take away the excruciating wait for something - anything! - to happen.

But you oh-so-smug Mac people need to lay off the hypocrisy. You applauded when Apple did it; at least don’t vilify Microsoft for doing the same thing. You’re not that superior; you have nothing to be smug about.

Now, you Linux people, you go ahead and be smug. Who better?

RIT is instituting something new - secure wireless! Well.. that’s not new to the world; only to RIT. It’s only necessary for wireless, so I set about configuring a few laptops.

The Mac was insanely simple to set up. Click, click… type a couple of parameters.. click… done!

Windows XP was almost as easy.

Vista I had to pound into the ground with a club.

Linux… ah, Linux…

Read more

Blogging is easy. It’s not like I have nothing to say. Trust me. And it’s not like I can’t think of a million things to say that are actually acceptable on the Saunders Web site. The problem is… what form should my blog take?

Written blogs are fine. Easy to do, and I type almost as fast as I talk. But audio blogs (”podblogs”) are more 21st century. But video blogs (”vlogs” if you insist - I don’t) are even more more 21 century.

So, the hope is that you’ll see all three here, as I mumble about various aspects of life, the universe, and everything.

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