Friday, November 20, 2009

Google rides Chrome OS onto Microsoft turf

In case you haven't heard, Google is planning an operating system, in diect competition with Microsoft. Some of you have tried Google's Chrome web browser, but this takes it further into a full-blown operating system, browser-based. So while we all struggle with having to learn Windows 7, or how to keep our good old Windows XP machines running, or with the Apple vs. PC makers, Google is plodding along with development of their own operating system. It is expected that general availability of the new Chrome OS will be a year from now (in time for Christmas 2010?). In the meantime, we will all be reading about early versions of the Chrome OS. Here is one, for those of you who may be interested, from Computerworld.com.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Microsoft Answers

Microsoft maintains many, many forums (we used to say fora, but now forums is acceptable?) on Windows 7, Vista, and XP. The categories are listed here on this one page. If you have a Windows Live id (Hotmail, for example) you can even login and post your own questions. But, even without that you'll find discussions on most any topic within the operating system of your choice. It's definitely worth a look and even an add to your Bookmarks (I assume by now that everyone is using Firefox as your default browser, and thus the Firefox terminology). Okay, Favorites, if you still insist on using Internet Explorer!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Spam

These are actual subjects of e-mails in my Junk mail folder at my pcdoc address:

payment request from "Publix"
payment request from "Electric Boat" 
payment request from "Avnet"
payment request from "Nike" 

Unbelievable, but easy to see how one might get in trouble and wind up with a virus if you happened to get just one of these and from a company you do business with. These spammers are actually making money sending this junk out, and stealing from anyone who is gullible enough to open one of these e-mails. And if they don't steal from the gullible, who knows what virus they  may install on your system?

A word to the wise: check your spam settings, and if you get an e-mail such as one of these, be sure to mark it as spam - AND DON'T OPEN IT!