TechPatio » Operating Systems

How Facebook Demonstrates the Power of Windows 8

Guest Author — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:51:07 +0000

Windows 8 is not just another Windows operating system. This might be the reason why they have called it the Re-Creation of Windows. There are many users who have avoided Windows upgrades in the past. There are still many people who are using Windows 2000, for example. The new Windows 8 download, we are going to see many radical changes. You will not be able to stay in the past because of those radical changes that are happening to the way we use personal computers in the future. Many people think it is about cloud computing, when in reality it is not. We are already using cloud computing in many ways without realising this is the case. Here is a look at why you will need to upgrade and cannot stay in the past.

Tablets. Tablets are very practical and fast turning into the personal computer of choice for many people. They are lightweight and they are easy to carry about. The new Windows 8 upgrade was actually released as an operating system for tablets, meaning it works perfectly on tablets. Unlike Apple’s iOS, the operating system for iPads, the Windows 8 download will also work on your desktop and laptop computers. In the case of Apple, you have one operating system for your iPhone and iPad (iOS), and another operating system for laptops and desktops. Windows 8 will work on all devices, including your smartphone.

Multi Device. Multi device computing has never really been available. We have not been using our smartphones to do more than read our emails and rarely use them in conjunction with out personal laptops. We don’t make a presentation on our desktop and then demonstrate it on a tablet. We have been using all these devices independently. That does not make sense at all, and the Windows 8 download is about to change all that.

HTML5. HTML5 is the language that browsers understand. This means that we use application online without even realizing they are applications. For example, Facebook is an online application. In this case, we are using our smartphone, tablet, and laptop at home, as a single device. Our Facebook updates, when we switch devices, and it is where we left off on our laptop when we get home and were using our smartphone on the way home from work. Understand that, and you understand the importance of HTML5, and the new Windows 8 operating system.

Windows 8, or the Re-Creation of Windows will allow HTML5 applications run directly on our operating system. This means a single HTML5 application will run on all of your devices. You will not have to open your browser on your smartphone, or tablet, to use Facebook, or to use it on your laptop. Now we see Facebook applications for our iPhone and our iPad, but we use our browser on our laptop. With Windows 8, it will be the same application on all devices, based on HTML5. This example of Facebook is an excellent way to demonstrate how Windows 8 is a radical change to computing. Read more about this on the Windows 8 forums.

This guest article was written by one of the many external guest authors atTechPatio.com.

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Why Cloud Computing Is Safer Than Anything Else: Welcome Windows 8

Guest Author — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:46:22 +0000

Windows 8 is a huge change in the way we will use our computers compared to the past. We were introduced to personal computing by Windows many years ago. The idea was that we would use our computer and application, and we would save our information on our computers. The internet meant we could now send information to each other.

This has all changed in many ways, and the new operating system is going to take that trend to the next level. Here is a look at why cloud computing is actually safer, and how the Windows 8 install is going to help that.

Mobile Computing. The new Windows 8 upgrade was actually released only a few days ago. It was released as an operating system for tablets. Mobile computing is popular because the devices are light and we can use them anywhere. No one can afford to be stuck behind his or her desk anymore, and even desktops are rarely used by the normal personal computing user.

Multi Device. Tablets were the first real step towards mobile computing, and we started to use a tablet with our other devices. We would make a presentation on our laptop in the office, and we would demonstrate it with out tablet to clients. We used several devices, and we used them together. There are still many people who have smartphones and they don’t really use them together with their laptops. The new Windows 8 operating system is the same operating system for all devices This means all applications and all files will be the same on all devices.

Applications. HTML5 is the language of the internet. It is the computing language that your browser uses when you access your internet banking, for example. You feel safe doing that right? If all of your applications come from an application store, like they will do with Windows 8, just check out the Windows 8 forums discussions, and you will see the benefits, you will see that these applications have gone through screening processes. Many new applications will be based on HTML5, and they will work directly on your Windows 8 operating system. This means those applications will work on all devices, they have been screened, and they will work like internet applications without using a browser.

Viruses and Malware. Viruses and malware are what cause the dangers of our online computing experience. By eliminating them from our applications, and allowing us to use screened applications from an application store, we are already safer.

File Free. Our devices will not need to store our files, because we will keep them stored online. We will want to access those files from any device we are using at the time. This is what Windows 8 is all about. This means if you lose a laptop, smartphone or tablet, you do not lose your files. Your information is safe.

Cloud computing is much safer than what we have been used to. Actually we are already using it. Now with the new Windows 8 operating system, all our applications will be screened and we will not need to store on our own devices. Cloud computing is the safest way forward, and Windows 8 is about to help us in a very big way.

This guest article was written by one of the many external guest authors at TechPatio.com.

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5 Leaks on the New Windows 8 Smartphone Operating System Improvements

Guest Author — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:59:21 +0000

The Windows 8 promises some great improvements for those who love to use their smartphone. The new operating system will allow us to have the same operating system on our tablet, laptop and smartphone. This will be the first time we have had this as a reality. The closest thing to this has been Apple’s iPhone (iOS) and the operating system on Apple Macs (OS X). At the same time, Apple has not provided an operating system that is the same on both types of device. According to rumours, there are some significant improvements for Windows 8 and smartphones. Here is a look at those rumours.

1: Language

Windows 8 phones will have support for 22 languages, each with their own input method. Handwriting support is also supposedly included. This is extremely important for Asian users. Keyboard sizes can be adjusted and are easy to use.

2: Connectivity

Connecting to the internet and through WAN networks with personal settings are set to be easier to arrange and organise. Setting a proxy server is becoming more important as users travel around the globe and still need access to their own country’s services and media content. Personalisation of these settings is rumoured to be much easier.

3: Lunar

The lunar calendar is very important to a number of cultures and societies, particularly in Asia. Lunar calendar support will be popular with Asian customers, and it seen as crucial for any device to be considered by the Asian market.

4: Facebook

Facebook is becoming increasingly important. Many internet and data connection providers are even offering unlimited free access for Facebook on their connections to get more customers. The new operating system apparently integrates Facebook in a deeper and more intrinsic level on the phone’s operating system. Facebook functions such as chat, like and other common tools will be built into many elements of the operating system.

5: Xbox Live

Microsoft acquired Xbox and developed Live some time ago. This has still been a part of the world of gaming, rather than something that has been regularly used by normal smartphone users. Rumours are circulating that much more of the Xbox services will be available on the smartphone, and other phone features will be available, such as messaging and text messaging, through the Xbox. It makes sense to integrate these services and products, as many younger users, who were at the core of the Xbox consumer base are growing older and using smartphones.

The Windows 8 upgrade for Windows phones promises a lot. Let’s hope we get the operating system as soon as possible and the upgrade and updates are as good, if not better, than the rumours and what we have seen in demonstrations.
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Flash no longer included on Macs per default

Klaus — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 06:06:20 +0000

The new MacBook Air from Apple comes without Flash pre-installed, something which Mac’s have had for a long time. But as you might know, Steve Jobs is not a big fan of Flash and Flash is not even possible on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Apple is now doing the same as Microsoft by not including Flash with their operating system per default. Basically this means you’ll have to download and install it yourself, if you want to use it.

The reason, according to Apple, is said to be “We’re happy to continue to support Flash on the Mac, and the best way for users to always the most up to date and secure version is to download it directly from Adobe”.

With YouTube already offering a HTML5 alternative for Flash video playback, and many more major sites also switching to HTML5 instead of Flash, HTML5 is slowly catching up to Flash, so the question is, how does the future look for Adobe and their Flash technology?
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Wrapup: Apple’s “Back to the Mac”-event. OS X 10.7 Lion, iLife ’11, FaceTime, Mac App Store, MacBook Air.

Klaus — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:20:19 +0000

Apple and Steve Jobs just wrapped up their October 20th “Back to the Mac” Apple event in San Francisco with a bunch of new stuff. Here are the highlights:

Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” & Mac App Store

The next big cat in the OS X line will be the “Lion” for OS X 10.7. It’s basically “Mac meets iPad”, ie. bringing iOS innovation to Mac OS X on the desktop.

New stuff revealed in OS X 10.7 Lion is the Mac App Store which, as you know from your iDevice(s), is a collection of free and paid apps. Apps will be licensed for all your Macs, not just a single device.

Launchpad is also something new in Lion, it’s like the homescreen from your iOS device, except it’s for the Mac. Instant access to your apps – iPad style!

Mission Control gives you a bird’s-eye view of everything including Exposé, Spaces, Dashboard and full-screen apps.

OS X 10.7 Lion will also have systemwide support for full-screen apps to make them bigger and more immersive, taking away all the distractions so you can concentrate on every detail of your work.

The Mac App Store should “ship” within 90 days and Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will be available Summer 2011.

More “Lion” on Apple.com.

Mission Control in the new Mac OS X 10.7 Lion on a MacBook Air

iLife ’11

It’s been a while since iLife was last updated and today Apple announced the new iLife ’11. iWeb and iDVD was not mentioned by Steve Jobs on stage, rumors said iDVD would be removed but also that iWeb would have been completely re-written. What we do know, however, is that iPhoto ’11 will have a revamped full screen mode, big Facebook integration and new slideshows.

iMovie ’11 now comes with audio editing style effects, People Finder, more themes and an “auto movie trailer feature”.

GarageBand ’11 also got some new stuff such as FlexTime, groove matching, new effects and lessons.

iLife ’11 is just $49 or $6.99 if you bought a new Mac between October 1st and 19th 2010. Apple Store lists iLife ’11 as “Ships within 24 hours”, so I assume it’s already available.

More iLife ’11 on Apple.com.

FaceTime

FaceTime was, until now, only available on iPhone 4 but when Apple announced iPhone 4 and FaceTime, they also said something like “more FaceTime devices would ship in 2010″, so we kinda knew that something would happen with FaceTime soon – and now it has. It’s not a new device per se, but FaceTime is coming to the Mac as well – already available for download on Apple’s website. It’s a very simple app that integrates with your Address Book and allows for Mac to iOS calls or simply Mac to Mac. Simple as that.

I’m yet to actually try FaceTime on the iPhone 4 but I guess I’ll need to give it a shot soon so I can try out FaceTime on the Mac afterwards – or maybe just call myself, if that’s possible, then I won’t have to worry about looking stupid…

More “FaceTime for Mac” and download on Apple.com.

MacBook Air

Finally, as rumored, a new MacBook Air aired. There’s a 11.6″ model and a 13.3″ model. Both comes with SSD storage, 64GB for the small model and 128GB for the bigger, but can be upgraded as you order. Memory starts out with 2GB but can be upgraded to 4GB – though you’ll have to order it with 4GB, you can’t upgrade it yourself.

Battery life is now even better with 5 hours on the 11″ and 7 hours on the 13″ (using wi-fi), and 30 days standby.

More MacBook Air and watch the new ad on Apple.com.

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Apple to hold “Back to the Mac” event October 20th – new Mac’s? OS X 10.7 ‘Lion’?

Klaus — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:32:40 +0000

Apple will hold a special media event on Wednesday (the 20th) called “Back to the Mac”.

The media seems to believe the event will mainly focus on MacBook Air, iLife and iWork and Mac OS X 10.7.

MacBook Air

According to the rumors, a new MacBook Air will feature a 11.6″ display and being more aggressively priced for students and business travelers. It should also be even lighter and slimmer than the current MacBook Air. Interesting! Few rumors are circulating that it could weigh as little as 2.7 pounds due to a new carbon fiber unibody construction. I doubt it – but it would be cool.

iLife and iWork

The last update for iLife and iWork came in January 2009 so now seems a good time to release new versions of iLife and iWork. It is expected that iLife will be 64 bit and include a completely rewritten version of iWeb and will no longer include iDVD.

Mac OS X 10.7

Personally, I’m looking mostly forward to Mac OS X 10.7. A copy (see picture above) of Apple’s official invitation for the media event has been obtained by Engadget – it shows a lion behind the Apple logo. Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard which we have today – so I guess it’s possible that Lion would be the next big cat to feature in a Mac OS X release.
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5 Tips For Making Your Computer Start Up Faster

Guest Author — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:54:35 +0000

When it comes to owning a computer, the odds of something acting up down the line is highly possible. Perhaps a video will not play properly, or maybe the screen frequently freezes. Yet another issue is a computer that does not boot up as fast as the owner would like. Thankfully, there are things that can be done about it.

Hibernate instead of shutting down: When it comes time to stop using your computer, you can opt to put it under hibernation rather than shut it down completely. This works for both laptops and PCs, although sometimes it may be referred to as the “sleep” function. What does it do? Basically, the computer goes into a sleeping state; it uses little or no energy and can be turned on again simply by pressing a key on the keyboard. This is quite useful for when time is of the essence, or you simply do not feel like going through the old way.
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Clean out your font library: Get rid of any fonts that you are not using. It may not seem like having a large collection of fancy fonts will cause too much trouble, but the computer needs to load every one of them on start up; and that takes time. Go through them and ponder over the ones that you could do without, then either manually remove them or use a special program to do so. Remember, they can always be downloaded again at a later date; you may even be able to save them to a disc or USB drive.
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Do a scan for spyware and viruses: These are notorious for messing with a computer’s networking and causing slowness, freezing screens, and so on. To maintain your computer’s health, make sure to purchase or download an anti-virus scanner. Scans should be performed once a week, if not more. This is very important, and taking this step should be done before expensive repairs, or even complete replacement of the computer, is needed.
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Uninstall software: As with fonts that you have not used in a while, you should also delete and uninstall any software programs that you are not using. This can also slow down the start up process, simply because there is so much to read.
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Reduce Startup Programs: After you uninstall programs you no longer use, it’s time to clean out any programs that start automatically and run in the background. It’s easy to do this. Go to Start, then Run and type msconfig and click OK. Select the Startup tab and then uncheck any programs you don’t want to run when your computer boots. This can massively improve boot speeds.

Computer ownership is not necessary an easy process; many things can happen to it, even when you believe you have cared for it to the best of your ability. From accidentally dropping it, to somehow acquiring a virus, the list is seemingly endless. When it comes to wanting your computer to start up faster, there are many things that you can do, and all of them should be considered. Take care of what you own, and it has to potential to last a long time.

Guest post by: James is an in-house technology writer and analyst working for a supplier of HP cartridges based in the UK where he reviews hardware such as the HP 351XL. He also posts on their blog when time permits.

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Charlie Miller: Snow Leopard Easier To Hack Than Windows 7

Klaus — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:47:08 +0000

Apple fanbois, you better buckle up, cause when the anti-Apple crew gets a hold of this little titbit from Charlie Miller, they might mock your choice of being a Mac user just a little bit.

Italian IT Security site, oneITsecurity, published an interview with Charlie Miller, two-year contest champion at Pwn2Own where the deal is to find exploitable bugs in browsers, mobile devices etc. Charlie is one of the most famous bug hunters and security experts in the world.

When asked which operating system he finds it harder to hack, Windows 7 or Snow Leopard, he says:

Windows 7 is slightly more difficult because it has full ASLR (address space layout randomization) and a smaller attack surface (for example, no Java or Flash by default). Windows used to be much harder because it had full ASLR and DEP (data execution prevention). But recently, a talk at Black Hat DC showed how to get around these protections in a browser in Windows.

So what does Charlie believe is the safest combination of operating systems and browsers? He says:

That’s a good question. Chrome or IE8 on Windows 7 with no Flash installed. There probably isn’t enough difference between the browsers to get worked up about. The main thing is not to install Flash!

I see a pattern here. It seems Charlie doesn’t think Flash is very secure… he doesn’t say anything about Flash being old technology though, that’s Steve Jobs’ job, I guess.

Take a trip over to oneITsecurity and read the complete interview.

The next Pwn2Own contest/conference is held in Vancouver on March 24st and last for three days.
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Windows 7 Resulted In More Satisfied Users Than Snow Leopard

Klaus — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:23:21 +0000

Both Microsoft and Apple released their newest operating systems in 2009 and according to a British opinion survey by YouGov, Microsoft’s operating system was the software users were most satisfied with.

YouGov followed the “satisfaction rating” for Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard for the past 6 months. A group of users were asked to give their opinion on a regular basis.

The rating system used by YouGov goes from 0 to 100 percent and when Windows 7 was released in October 2009 the satisfaction rating went up to 67%. In the last day of 2009 it was at 73%, the highest rating YouGove has recorded since they started in 2007.

When Apple released Snow Leopard, ratings were at 64% and after that the rating just slowly decreased and never reached the same level as Windows 7:

Some things to consider regarding the YouGov results:

It’s no secret that Microsoft worked hard on releasing a better operating system than Vista which got a lot of heat. Many users didn’t upgrade or buy a new computer to avoid Vista, thus they waited for Windows 7.
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Microsoft now has an improved search engine, Bing, which is bound to increase the user experience and satisfaction within Windows 7 (remember, many users don’t change their default browser search engine).
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It’s also no secret that Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard wasn’t released with a ton of new features, instead they optimized on what they had to make it faster, leaner and more stable. Could by why many users were “disappointed” by Snow Leopard.
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It’s unknown exactly how many users participated in this study.

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Windows 3.1 In Your Browser? Try It Out!

Klaus — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:52:21 +0000

Nostalgia? Why not take good ol’ Windows 3.1 for a spin in your browser. Michaelv.org has a decent version of Windows 3.1 running and it requires nothing else than your modern-day web browser to use it.

Windows 3.1 was first released in October 1992 and later replaced with Windows 3.11 in 1993. A few years later, Windows 95 arrived (in 1995). Despite being as old as it is, it wasn’t until 2008 Microsoft completely shut down the distribution of Windows 3.11 for Workgroups. Windows 3.1 was also used for some of the onboard entertainment systems until 2008 on long-distance flights by Virgin Atlantic and Qantas.

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