If you've ever used an operating system other than Windows for an extended period of time, you probably return Windows feeling it lacks key features that make OS's like Mac OS and Linux very intuitive. This has come to the attention of an increasing number of people, especially since Apple has been selling more and more computers, and Linux has become more and more common-place.
Of the features that make many other Operating Systems great, the one I feel needs to be most addressed by Microsoft is the Virtual Desktop (for a quick explanation of Virtual Desktops, see here). While I'm sure Microsoft will eventually integrate it into their Windows line, I feel they really missed the boat by not putting it into Vista. Their loss, I guess.
That doesn't mean it isn't possible, though, as there are plenty of applications that exist to allow us to add Virtual Desktops to a Windows environment. Here are a few I tried out, along with my impressions on each (Quick reference chart is at the end):
VirtuaWin - When I was downloading several of the applications for Virtual Desktops, this one seemed the most promising. It listed some nice features and looked to be very non-intrusive to the standard Windows environment. It felt really light as it ran, and only took up about 3 - 4 megs of memory. I was able to start dragging a window and, while dragging that window, change my desktop, and the window would follow. There were some cool options, too, which allowed for a single window to be shown on all desktops. The hotkeys are very customizable, and the tray indicator is very clean and clear and can be customized as well. The only problem I had with it was that it doesn't allow for a "switch" effect that helps make it clear when you switch between Desktops. Certainly not a deal killer, as most don't anyways.
Pros: Good integration, low memory usage, nice basic features. Very low memory usage.
Cons: Lack of full-screen disappointing.
Dexpot - This one was actually nice to use, though it had a few quirks that bothered me at first. To begin, it had a neat option to show all of your current desktops, called full-screen preview, which was nice. It has a flaw, though, because it is just an on-screen image, which you can drag, making it seem flimsy. It also had no on screen effect or animation to really show that you are switching between desktops. One thing I found odd about it was that its default tray logo, the main way a program like this would show which desktop you are using, is just a picture of a monitor... Useless little icon, which I was able to change to a number indicator which worked well. Another thing that bothered me is that the desktops are switched between only using the right and left arrows.
Pros: Works like it should to cover most basics.
Cons: Feels like every good feature is ruined by some flaw. Full-screen view, for example, exists but isn't very good.
Codeplex Vista/XP Virtual Desktop Manager -
Not to be confused with Microsoft's XP add-on with the same name, this app is actually pretty impressive, though some bugs did rear their ugly heads. On a rare occasion the hotkeys would not work for me, but for the most part the program was actually quite smooth and delivered in a lot of areas that I thought many of the free programs lacked in. One thing I liked the most about it is the Full Screen preview was very well made, allowing for windows to be dragged between screens. The preview also fades in and out very well, and has an awesome transparent effect. Another thing is the on-screen effect that showed which direction you were moving and which desktop you would end up in. It reminded me a lot of the effect Apple uses in Spaces. The program felt surprisingly seamless.
Pros: Surprising list of features. Full-screen view is VERY impressive, and navigation is smooth and leaves no room for confusion.
Cons: No normal inter-desktop dragging, and memory usage a bit on the high side.
MS Power Toys: Virtual Desktop Manager - This one came as a suggestion from a friend, and I was surprised at how well it did. Once again, this really makes me wonder why Vista doesn't have Virtual Desktops, especially because they developed an unsupported version for XP. Anyways, this app is simple and straightforward. It feels much more integrated than any of the other programs, and it does have a few customization options. No previous or next buttons are used, just an assigned hotkey combo for each specific Desktop. No dragging is available in the full-screen viewer on this one, but the full-screen viewer was nicer than the one on Dexpot, once I disabled its hokey animation that is.
Pros: Integrates well in XP.
Cons: Very basic, odd default settings, and too few options.
CubeDesktop - Cube Desktop comes with tons of neat features. As far as effects for visualizing all of your current desktops, they provide the cube(hence the name), as well as full-screen, a "cover-flow" like effect, and carousel. It has two different versions, Basic and Pro, and both of them are well equipped in the effects department. It goes to show that the emphasis for this app is the effects, and it pulls them off very well. The cube is especially impressive, and very customizable. On the other hand, I was disappointed that they consider Desktop Rules a Pro feature, and don't include it with Basic.
Pros: Really cool effects, especially the cube. Tons of features are available, making it a very good option.
Cons: Price, especially because effects only go so far. Also, you can't rearrange and drag windows in the full-screen view.
SphereXP - Not quite a Virtual Desktop add-on, but certainly neat. Problem is that neat is about all it is, as its ability to improve productivity is very minor compared to actual Virtual Desktops. The Sphere is kinda cool, though, and is good for wowing your friends whenever you open it up. It didn't feel seamless at all with my actual desktop, but was rather like a program running full-screen and pushing whatever window you wanted to open to the foreground, avoiding doing any actual window management in the real windows environment.
Pros: Fun to see once or twice.
Cons: Doesn't hold up to commercial product expectations. At all.
360Desktop - A neat idea, but not really very practical yet in my mind. Similar idea to the SphereXP project, but it is actually your desktop from what I can tell, instead of a program that deals with open windows. The Desktop is just one huge one instead of multiple different ones, and you navigate through it using rotation. Biggest down-side to me? You've gotta pull down a menu every time you want to navigate to another part of your large desktop. It has potential, though, and is only in beta, so we'll see what happens. Oh, and I also don't like the idea of having advertisements be integrated into my background...(Just watch the video at their web page)
Virtual Desktops are very powerful, and help productivity and organization to come more easily. So, if you find yourself using Windows most of the time, it might be cool to check a Virtual Desktop app and see how it changes your experience.
KEY:
Custom Hot Keys: Basically, can you set the buttons that control your virtual desktops to whatever you'd like.
Current Desktop Indication: This one is very important, as it is whether or not the program will show you which Virtual Desktop you are currently working with. There are several ways of doing this, and most programs put icons in your tray.
Full-Screen: Does the program allow you to open up a view of all your current Virtual Desktops?
Full-Screen Move: If the program allows for all the virtual desktops to be seen at once, then does it allow you to move a window from one of the desktops to another by dragging them in the full screen view?
Desktop Rules: Desktop Rules are rules that decide, principally, which applications open in which desktop. Perhaps I want all of my art apps in desktop 2, all my web browsers in desktop 1, and all of my movies and media in desktop 3. With rules you can setup default desktops for specific applications.
Inter-Desktop Drag: When you select a window and drag it and then change your desktop, if the window follows then you are able to drag it between the desktops. One of my personal must-haves for virtual desktops.
Hidden Apps: This just means that the program is able to hide any applications in the task bar that aren't active on the current desktop.
Separate Backgrounds: Can a background be setup for each desktop?
Switch Animation: If you've ever used Spaces on a Mac, for example, there is a slide animation that moves in the direction of the desktop you are switching to. This helps the user know where they are going and if a desktop was switched to right when they hit a hotkey.
Memory Usage: This is how much RAM the program uses on average.
Max Desktops: Number of possible Desktops that can be configured.
Cost: how much it costs
Windows: Which versions of Windows the program runs on.
Let me know if I missed anything, and also let me know if you have any insights to add! Thanks!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Adding Virtual Desktops to Windows
Monday, April 28, 2008
GhostBusters!
Alright, as a little kid I was a huge Ghostbusters fan. I loved the TV cartoon, even though it pissed off the minds behind the movies (how was I to know?), I loved the movies, and I especially loved the toys (like that incredibly awesome proton pack and the ghost trap).
Anyways, I've been following some of the details on the upcoming game, which is really being created as though it were the third movie in the series. In fact, all of the original actors from the movie are coming back to do the voice acting (even Jenine!), and Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis have been working together on the script. Talk about awesomeness. The screenshots look amazing, and from what I've heard it is actually really well-made. Check out Joystiq's preview here.
I can't even say how excited I am to get to play this. Makes me want to buy both the wii and PS3 versions when they come out, as there will probably be some major differences in game-play. So, keep your eyes open for this one, folks, as it will certainly bring back tons of awesome memories and really do a good job in expanding the series.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Blu-Ray Woes
From the beginning I was a blu-ray supporter. I don't say this to brag, mainly because I chose blu-ray because of the companies who were behind it (and you could say one of the companies who supported HD-DVD was one of my main reasons as well). Now, I'm starting to see little things about blu-ray that is causing me to wish I hadn't rushed into it so quickly.
First off, I almost never care about extra features. Only on a few movies I absolutely love do I care to have them. So, most of the blu-ray 2.0 stuff isn't a huge bonus for me. I now that for some people features are part of the experience, but I often times get fidgety to dig through what ended up on the cutting floor or was thrown together by the media teams for the various studios.
Second, I often will get a movie and will want it to watch it with friends but a majority of the time that means my friends will have to always come over to my house. Literally nobody I know has a blu-ray player of any sort. That, to me, is a huge problem, because I can't just take movies to a party or some such a thing because I have a format that nobody else really cares about.
My last major issue has to do with Netflix. Most everyone has heard about raising prices on blu-ray rentals, as they claim that HD clients are used to paying more money for HD, which is a pile of steaming crap. This feels more to me like Netflix is trying to stop the small group of blu-ray users they currently have so they don't have to worry about updating their library so quickly. There have been a few petitions due to Netflix's threats, and I think an outcry is very much needed, otherwise other companies will feel they can squeeze more money and avoid blu-ray updates as well.
I do see blu-ray as having potential, but it will be snuffed if companies like netflix get away with their outrageous price hikes.
Monday, April 21, 2008
ZFS and Linux
So, a little while ago I posted about ZFS and how there is a way to implement it on Leopard. Well, it seems that there is a way to implement it on Linux as well via the ZFS on FUSE project. You can check their wiki or check the Google Summer of Code project ZFS filesystem for FUSE/Linux blog. While there haven't been many recent updates to the project, it seems that there is still some activity. Again, I haven't had a chance to really get into details on implementation, and if I ever get a chance to try ZFS on fuse (which is not as likely as the leopard version) I'll let you know what I find.
So, great day on finding out more about ZFS.
Storage Options & ZFS
So, I keep hearing about ZFS these days, and from the benefits is supposedly provides I'm surprised that it has been kept as quiet as it has been. If you don't know much about ZFS, check out Sun's article outlining its features here.
I'm starting to get pretty excited about it as I would love to have it implemented in some of my storage solutions. I know people who have spent money on drobo, and while I do think the drobo is really sweet, I really feel like a filesystem like ZFS would be much more practical. Now, if only there were a way to implement it in some of the Operating Systems I actually use...
Technically, there is a way using OS X (10.5 on an intel mac only, I believe), though this method is not fully integrated with the OS yet, so a lot of the neat features (like actually being able to boot from your ZFS partition) aren't supported yet. Check it out here. From what I've seen and read about ZFS on mac, it does add a few really awesome improvements. I haven't tried it myself yet, though I probably will eventually and I'll be sure to post a review and some of my findings once I get around to it.
EDIT: Fun little side-note. Check Wikipedia's article on ZFS for fun theoretical limits of the ZFS filesystem.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Some Computers Getting Overkill?
So, as I have stated before, I recently bought a EEE PC, and I was happy with how much I was able to do with it, especially compared to how much it cost and how small it was. During my time with my EEE PC I have spent many an hour at eeeUser.com, and I have learned a lot about my new little computer, and a lot about the people who use it.
Before I talk about that, though, I'd like to just establish one thing. You see, the standard computer user does three main tasks: Browse the internet, check email, and use standard productivity apps (As in word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software). Now, while there are plenty of people out there (myself included) who use their computers for infinitely more, most people just deal with those three. What's really funny about all of this is that computers have been doing just that for almost two decades now, and yet people still buy computers that are better than the ones they used to use. Don't get me wrong, though, a lot of the improvements that have occurred over the years were very necessary, but certainly not for everyone.
Now, back to the EEE PC user community. A lot of people who were sharing their experiences with the EEE were saying that they had all but ditched their desktops and just started plugging their ultra-portable into a monitor, keyboard, and mouse while at home. In other words, the things they normally needed to do could be handled with an underclocked 800 mHz cpu and 512 megs of RAM.
So, why is it that so many people get technology that is much greater than they technically need? The main reason is because that's what the main players in the Personal Computer market tell them they need. For example, my wife's grandma needed a new computer a while back. Her old one had too many failing components and she needed a new computer to do taxes and check her email on. What did she end up getting? A Intel Core 2 Duo 2.6 GHz, 4 gigs of RAM, a 300 gig hard drive, along with a nifty new dedicated graphics card by ATI that would allow the pictures of her family be all the more vivid. In the end, that computer was incredibly overkill, and most people's computers are, as most people don't use their computers for anything other than surfing the web, checking their email, and running office apps.
I'm sure that you're probably wondering what my point with all of this is. I mean, doesn't the mass production and distribution of better hardware benefit everyone, especially those who will actually fully utilize that hardware? Yes, it does. And yes, hardware does become cheaper when it is bought up by a larger client base. But, my point is that with the rise of cheaper, smaller computers, both desktop and laptops, we find that people are finally starting to realize that, no matter how exponential the technology gets in its growth, the average user will probably never need to keep up with it. We have taken a long step into a world where computers are more affordable and disposable, especially because your average user will never want to upgrade components in their machine, they will just want to get rid of it.
In conclusion, don't start thinking the cheap computer craze right now is just a phase in the tech rush. With the economy how it is now, people will continue to want smaller, more portable, and more affordable stuff. Because in the end, most people just care about checking their email and surfing youtube.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Find New Bands and Free Music: Volume Vote
It seems like a lot is changing with music and the internet these days. With the success (at least in the publicity department) of Radiohead's In Rainbows and Nine Inch Nail's Ghosts I - IV, it seems the way music is distributed and publicized is changing.
Volume Vote takes advantage of the changing music scene and puts up a new MP3 each day, available for free download. As the name implies, there is also a voting system that allows people to vote on the song, establishing how much people enjoy what is being made available for download.
Sites like Volume Vote are important, because they allow for people to get free music and for bands to also get the publicity they need. So, check it out, and enjoy the free MP3s!
http://www.volumevote.com
Dropbox
Dropbox is a pretty awesome site. A friend of mine sent me an invite the other day, which was awesome, because we've been trying to get into the beta for a few weeks now.You are given server space to store files, but the interface is all within a normal file browsing window on your computer. So, in other words, their server associates with a folder on your computer and mirrors it live. So, if you make a change to a file the server is updated accordingly. It is very efficient at doing this, making the process very seamless.
If you have ever used SVN before it is very similar to that, only that in this case you don't have to commit changes every time you make them. Committing changes to the server is all automatic now, and the little "updated" and "updating" and "not updated" icons are very similar to what most SVN systems use.
This would be great to use for a lot of coding projects, but the site talks about using it for other common things like sharing common photos and documents with other Dropbox users. Right now I've started using it to have a common folder between a few of my commonly used computers, like my computer at home and my computer at work. And, the sweet thing about this is that I use both Macs and PCs, and Dropbox currently supports both OS's. No more hassle with folder sharing! Plus, my files are all saved remotely, providing a nice little backup bonus to the process. So, this will be a sweet app for those who use Mac and Windows.
Check out a video of Dropbox in action:
Sign up for the beta at http://www.getdropbox.com/.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Modding G4 Case
Not too long ago I gutted an old Mac G4 so I could put PC hardware into it, and then re-mac'd it (see more details on how this works here). I know that this has been done before, which was great for me, because I was able to use other people's guides to help on what I was working on (here, here, and here).
Anyways, I found a good solution to a common problem lots of people were having. Now, I do admit that the laptop drive in the third guide was a pretty smart solution, but I was able to find a solution using the standard sata DVD drive I used.
First off, I took out the bay that comes in the G4 for the DVD drive. Then, I basically decided to mount the DVD drive to the far end of the case, but that would not allow the drive to line up with the opening for it on the front bezel. So, what I did what find a piece of plastic, which is the green thing in the picture below, and I bolted it to the G4 case (which is nice, because the outer shell of the case hides those bolts). Then I screwed the drive into the plastic mount I put in and we were in business.
Now the full size drive is in place, it doesn't hit the RAM modules, or the CPU, and it pops out of the place it is supposed to, only at an angle.
I actually like how it comes out. It makes the drive a bit more interesting and easier to drop a disk into from where I sit. And it certainly is a better solution than cutting a huge hole in the back of my case and having to pull my computer out every time I want to swap a DVD.
Another quick note: When adding a generic CD/DVD drive to your modded mac cases, remove the little bezel on the front of them. Usually it is pretty easy and straight-forward.
Happy modding, and leave a comment if you would like more details.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Early Sub-Notebook and UMPC Adopters
This last January I bought an ASUS EEEPC (how are you supposed to say that, anyways). It has been a great device for me, allowing me to accomplish work in a lot more places than I have normally done. Plus, it fits in my gadget bag, which is always a plus.
The only problem for me is that sometimes I feel I adopted too early. Of course, this isn't to say that I haven't gotten great use out of my 4GB EEE PC, it's just that it drives me crazy sometimes how limited I am with my current model. One of the biggest problems I have is the underclocked processor which the current model has, and the fact that a significant portion of my laptop's lid is occupied by speakers, as opposed to a larger lcd screen.
The price of the generation of sub-notebook that I bought was a good one. So, in the long run, I am very satisfied with what I have, but I would suggest that people wait and see what is on the way if they are looking to buy something small to carry with them most anywhere they go. With intel's new atom processor the newer generation of sub-notebooks and UMPCs will heavily out-perform the mini-sized laptops that have existed until now.
But, I don't think that CPUs will be the only area where UMPCs and sub-notebooks are going to get a boost. As more and more people start buying these devices, the demand for them to do more and more will also increase. Handheld gaming has proven to be a huge market with devices like the Nintendo DS and Sony's PSP, and with a larger group of users who would like some gaming on the go for their new small laptops, we may find more and more technology like the one here going into sub notebooks.
Don't get me wrong, though, as I don't ever see sub-notebooks replacing their larger relatives, especially not the desktop. But, as the market for sub-notebooks and UMPCs increases, their capabilities will certainly grow, and after some of the more standardized tech specs are established the buyer will benefit from great selection and more versatile devices than are currently available.
