Software

In Search of the Best Browser

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I have a love/hate relationship with browsers. And by browser I mean Google Chrome.

There’s not another program on my computer I use more than Chrome. I live in Chrome. But it also frustrates me more than any other program. A few years ago I would have launched a dozen separate programs in order to do my work. Today, every tool I need to do my job for Puget Systems, with the exception of a VOIP program, is rendered through Chrome. So when Chrome gives me problems it affects a lot more than just browsing Facebook or Reddit.

My 4-Month Test Drive of Windows 10

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We are now less than a week away from official arrival of Windows 10: the operating system that’s so extraordinary, Microsoft to give it a higher number.

I’ve been the unofficial guinea pig at Puget Systems running Windows 10 Insider Preview builds for over four months now. In the past, I’ve installed beta builds of Windows in a VM or setup a dual boot system giving me an eject button in case of disaster. But that’s not what I did with Windows 10. Instead, I went five blades. No VM, no dual-boot, no parachute.

Windows 10 – What to Consider Before Upgrading

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Windows 10 is available as a free upgrade for computers running Windows 7 and 8.1 through July of 2016. Many people are going to want to upgrade as soon as possible, but there may be some reasons to hold off from jumping on the bandwagon right away… or at least worth considering before you take the plunge.

7 Things to Do with Your New Computer

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I am sometimes asked by customers what they should make sure to do with a new computer before they start using it heavily for work or play. I put together a list of what I consider the basics that just about everyone would benefit from doing, and will share it here.

5 Time-Saving Apps

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I love apps that save time, even just a few seconds on each use. Most of my day is spent writing so any tool that allows me to keep my focus on that activity earns a spot on my computer.

Over the years, I’ve test dozens of utilities that promised to save time, and I’ve found that very few have lived up to that promise. Many are either too complex, require too much administration or just don’t work the way they should.

But a few apps have withstood the test of time. These are the apps I use multiple times a day. A few of these I use a dozen or more times a day. The attribute each has in common is they save time.

The Perfect Operating System

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The first computer I purchased arrived at my home with two operating systems: DOS and Windows 3.1. Most full-fledged programs ran in DOS, including nearly every game in the early 1990s. Besides pool, the game I played most during my college years was called Links Golf which ran in DOS. Without Links I’m convinced my GPA would be at least a half grade higher. I offset my Links addiction by installing WordPerfect for DOS which allowed me to write reports from home instead of the school’s computer lab

My first few weeks with Linux

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I posted a few weeks ago regarding my move to Linux. I received some great feedback from our readers, and encouragement to continue posting about my experiences. If there is something specific about the Linux experience you would like me to discuss, feel free to email me at [email protected]. Hopefully, you will find these posts helpful.

Two weeks have passed since I walked away from Windows and a couple of things have really struck me in that time.

Windows to Linux

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This weekend I did something I never thought I would do: I moved away from Windows.

I ran Windows 7 on a Traverse laptop since I came to work here almost 18 months ago, and personally since I was a kid, starting with Win 3.1x.

After all that time amd experience I can’t take it anymore. I have jumped ship and I am not coming back. This weekend I wiped my Windows install and loaded Ubuntu 12.04 LTS onto my primary drive. Physically, installing the new OS was easy; only after installing the OS did I realize there was a psychological effect I had not really counted on.