Who needs Spaces?

Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) will have this new major feature called Spaces, which provides you with multiple desktops to organise and categorise your programmes into, allowing you to switch between different desktops for different purposes, so as to enhance productivity.

But who ever said that this invention is only a Leopard thing? Even my Tiger does so.

Jeremy just introduced to me Desktop Manager today when he came over to my house to get his Zen working, and it works just like Spaces.

Take a good look:


The four boxes here on the screen top represents my 4 desktops. The one selected is the 'Main Desktop'.

Now I have just switched to the desktop named as 'Others', which does not have any windows opened:


And I can always return to the 'Main Desktop' where I'm currently composing this post:


Cool? This small add-on to Mac OS X is available as a completely free download here. I think Apple is running out of that creative juice. But don't worry, I'm not about to become an 'Apple hater' anytime soon.

So is Microsoft the only copycat?

Singapore may not jump with the big jump

Contrary to popular belief, I’m not biased towards Apple or the Macintosh. Yes, I do love them, but not to the extent that I take a one-sided view of matters. I merely support the corporation which is going in the right direction, and does well. And all these while it has been Apple.

But I’m beginning to favour Microsoft now. So I shall make zero mention about Macs in this post.

We all should know by now that from Windows Vista to XP (for experience), it is a remarkably great jump, in terms of UI, hardware and how the computer functions.

In the previous post I said it was a solid, quality, top-notch OS. This is true, but there are still areas of improvement, such as the limited disk backup utility, the needless Windows Meeting Space and the widely hated anti-piracy methods Microsoft adopts, in which your whole system except for the Internet browser disables if you fail to validate your copy of Vista.

All these minor flaws can be easily read up on the net, so I shall not go into them. Go Google them yourself.

What I want to discuss here today is how Singapore, as a nation and as an economic-driven country, will come to accept this new OS.

Windows Vista requires a shocking amount of hardware to fully experience the Vista experience, including 3D flip and Aero. To start off, you need (minimum) a 1GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, DirectX 9-class GPU, 128 MB of graphics memory, 40 GB hard disk and a DVD-ROM drive.

That’s quite a heavy basic requirement for an operating system. This is not the end. If you want your system to work fast, or if you are a hardcore gamer, or if you use processor-intensive software like video editing and rendering, then you would be a fool if you believe that all those stated above are sufficient to work smoothly.

For example, 1 GB RAM is just about the least you should have. I recommend 1.5 to 2 GB. 40 GB HDD is ridiculously small. Aim for at least a 120 GB. 128 MB of graphics memory is too minimal too. Aim for at least a 256 MB. Of course I’m talking about configuring a quick speedy machine here.

What does this imply? Prices of computers will go up. And it does not help when RAM prices are high now. You pay more for hardware. Families with lesser income can bid farewell to using Vista Ultimate. As a result, people may use the cheaper Vista Home Basic or even Vista Starter editions instead, which does not fully deliver what Vista is capable of.

The average cost of a PC running Vista Home Premium would cost (I estimate) around $2,300. That’s expensive, considering that this price today buys you a high end machine.

But more importantly, moving away from the home user, let us consider the ramifications of high hardware requirements on businesses, companies and educational institutions.

To begin with, schools these days are all equipped with a multitude of PCs. But most of the time, these computers are low-end to mid-range computers for normal document processing usage and web surfing. Most have integrated graphics, a small 40 GB HDD and are commonly powered by either AMD or Intel Pentium 4 chips. RAM seldom goes beyond the 1 GB mark, normally it has only 256 MB to 512 MB.

That means that MOE has to dig deep into their pockets to upgrade these computers with either completely new CPUs, or with a hardware upgrade.

Hence, considering the number of schools and the number of PCs, I don’t expect a sudden all-at-one-shot upgrade to Vista for all institutions. Maybe a selected few good PCs in every school can get the privilege to first upgrade (most likely for the IT club). I would expect a gradual abandoning of XP to a general acceptance of Vista over the course of 1 to 2 years.

This is partly because as with any new release, people will be skeptical about performance and reliability issues and whether there really is a need to upgrade. There will be the initial 6 months to 1 year debugging and patching after public worldwide use, and since this has been the biggest jump in-between two operating systems, Vista demands faith, trust and a whole lot of investment and cash on big companies/organisation to switch from XP. Sadly, this rarely happens.

This is the major underlying problem with the great jump. Businesses are plunged into a state of confusion, unsure if they should be adventurous and take the first step forward to purchase new systems, or if they should just remain status-quo and abide by the older systems, which is the safer alternative. We all find solace in familarity, don't we?

For me, this is my view: if there are enough resources, money, and time to transfer all information to the new platform, do it. Do not hesitate, because Vista will deliver new and important features set to increase productivity. If not, XP will do just fine, as it has been with us for 5 years.

Will Singapore jump with the big OS jump? We shall wait and observe.

Not the dawn of a new age, but something better

The wait is over!

From the initial Windows Code Name Longhorn to Windows Vista Beta 1 and 2 to Windows Vista RCs (release candidates) to the latest (and mostly final) Windows Vista RTM (release to manufacturing), I’m sincerely impressed by the result of years of effort, time, research and feedback on user experience.

I truly want to commend Microsoft for finally getting their operating system business headed in the right direction, no matter how late that change is. Because I am proud to say, now, that Windows Vista is clearly the most advanced Windows ever released, it is the best, the most revolutionary, the most impeccable, the most stunning and the most elaborate of any release.

I am really amazed by what Microsoft has managed to pull off, and Vista really ROCKS!!!! And I will definitely, definitely purchase Vista once it is available off the shelves from 30 Jan 2007. (As for Leopard, I will think twice. )

To some extent, Vista is BETTER THAN THE MACINTOSH.

Well, truthfully, I must admit that Vista is not the dawn of a new age, for a good lot of the features are not new to the IT industry. Things like Movie Maker HD, DVD Maker, Photo Gallery, widgets, sidebar, Windows Calendar, tab browsing, transparent glass-like interface and security were all there in Mac OS X (under a different name) for quite some time.

But I’m impressed by the way Vista has used these technologies and improved and upgraded them dramatically to really shock everyone.

In this day and age, the talk is no longer on which system gets the job done. Say you want to upload pictures from your camera, edit them, make a slideshow and burn them onto a DVD to share.

Both Mac and Windows WILL get that task done. The issue here is about how easy it is to get it done, how available is the software (do you need to download extra stuff?), how good is the UI (user interface), how intuitive is the program and how costly it is (must you pay or is it free?). That is what we are concerned about today.

And in the case of Vista, it has tried to follow the Apple iLife style, and because of this addition, the majority of PC users can now enjoy the benefits of trustworthy software developed by Microsoft Corporation which comes bundled together with this great OS that one buys.

Safely, I can assert that Vista is everything Mac, and MORE. Right from the first boot up, when the desktop loads and the Welcome Centre opens, you will be truly stunned at the GUI and at the way Windows has evolved from something so simple (and for me, hated) in XP to the complicated Vista with powerful search tools (a copy of Spotlight) and better information organization than the Mac.

Yet again, to say that Vista is a direct copy of the Mac interface is quite immature a remark and can only be the result of a lack of first-hand interaction with Windows Aero (a copy of Aqua). Because as much as it looks like the Mac with the transparencies and all, it has nevertheless managed to carve out a unique personality, touch and feel which is rather alienated from OS X.

Although Vista makes the user thoroughly aware that it is not XP, it does retain some design elements that belong originally to XP, so that new users won’t feel that Windows is suddenly totally and radically different such that one is at a lost.

Also, Vista leaves the user with an emotional connection that is akin to the pride when you use a Mac in front of XP users and scorn at them. Finally, we could see more hardcore Windows fan groups spouting up, advertising the new Vista. Apple had Mac fans long time ago, with people like me.

But this is fast changing, as I now support Windows Vista as the perfect computer for the home user. Apple better be worried that Vista is great and OS X does not look as fresh and tempting now. Furthermore, it will not help that 9 in 10 people use Windows.

Apple’s operating system business might just fold and die away, because Vista is here to take the world by storm, and it is truly
awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Birthday Present

Tightly embraced in my arms,
I feel the warmth of your sea of fur,
I thank you for being a brown patch.

Today is a special day,
The day which marks your survival with mankind for a year,
Also the day which marks your presence with me for a year.
All the joy, laughter and fun that you bring,
I thank you for who you are.
You have forged bonds between the living and the dead,
Yet you occasionally sow discord and create dissent amongst siblings.

I wish you many more years of survival,
I wish that you may grow,
Perhaps not in the physical form of the word,
But maybe in the length of your countless brown fur.

May you continue to bring me joy,
May you live a life as long as Mr. Bolster,
Surely our special relationship will always exist.

I love you.
Happy first birthday, Skunky Mo.