Despite the fact that it feels like Windows 7 came out only yesterday, details about Microsoft’s plans for Windows 8 were recently leaked. The details not only seem legitimate with Microsoft branding across the images but are set to logically progress the operating system in a natural and relevant direction.
Microsoft seem to have taken a page out of Apple’s book, with a slide devoted to precisely what appeals to consumers about them. Apple’s products look good, work well, and encourage brand loyalty through those two factors. They’ve also included an Apple-esque design for a new PC, with all the hardware behind the screen.
They also have a few plans for the new features included. One of the most exciting is the ability to recognise users based on their appearance; Microsoft assumes that most Windows 8 users will have webcams by 2012, otherwise they would not be able to access the functionality. When you’re at your computer, it will automatically recognise your presence and log you in. Their goal is to make it easier to switch between user accounts; the accounts may also carry the ability to be attached to the cloud and seamlessly transfer information from the PC to the internet. You’ll also have the ability to carry your user account with you as you go, so you’ll be able to save your settings and take them with you to public or friends’ computers.
The company also plans to focus on security and speed, goals that Microsoft has been aiming towards for a number of years. They’re aiming to keep the speedy start up and shut down that Windows 7 boasts and make it even faster if possible. They’re going to assume every computer is connected to the internet and thus provide a robust combined solution of online services and software to protect users and give them access to all the programs they might need in a variety of different ways. This provides the potential for a Windows app store, which also seems to be part of their plans.
Microsoft similarly has specific goals to target both computing enthusiasts and ordinary users; at the moment it seems that evangelists (their term) target alternating operating systems, like Linux or Mac, to recommend to all of their friends. They’d like to catapult Windows 8 into that sphere of must-have programs.
We think that Microsoft will have some trouble with this goal; too many users have very good long term memory, and Windows is moreover the default, less-than-cool choice simply because of its market dominance. Regardless, their improvements look reasonably cool, and we can hardly doubt that we’ll still be using Windows 8 when it comes out, as will most London IT support.
What do you think about the proposed improvements to Microsoft Windows?
When you start up your brand new computer, you’ll have a choice of browsers warring for your use when you browse the internet. If you’ve gone with Windows 7, you’ll automatically have Internet Explorer 8 installed and it will be your default temporarily. If you have a Mac, you’ll have Safari pre-installed. If you’ve gone with Linux, you’ll have to choose and download your browser before you can start using the internet. Unfortunately, if you’re at work, you may not have a choice; your IT support might have determined the browser safest for use or the one which has programs written for it. For those of us with a choice, however, we’ll talk about the biggest four: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
Internet Explorer is most frequently regarded as a bloated dinosaur that few people who have any knowledge about computers would use. It has widely publicised security holes, loads far slower than any other browser, and seems to always be the last to offer the latest feature. Its worst instalment, IE 6, well known for bugs and hacks, is finally fading from mainstream use. IE8 offers a bevy of new features, including enhanced security, but it still lags behind other browsers on extendable functionality, speed, and site appearance. Many websites that work just fine in Firefox or Chrome will break in IE8 for no particular reason. At present, we don’t recommend that you stick with this browser, unless you don’t mind missing out on functionality or speed.
Firefox has been the most popular browser with geeks and the well-informed internet users for years now. They were the first to offer tabbed browsing, which compared to IE6 was absolutely revolutionary; you could for the first time see everything you had open easily and quickly. This is standard now, but Firefox still represents advanced features for many users. The vast number of extensions available for the browser mean that it’s suitable for almost any task, whether you just want your music player in your browser or if you need to tweak source code to see how a website would look if you took away a margin. Many have begun to complain that Firefox has slowed down and it has lately been hit by a few bugs, but by and large it’s a solid choice for functionality and design.
Chrome, Google’s first outing into the browser wars, is the up and coming choice for tech geeks and developers. Chrome has been proven to be the fastest of all the choices and also natively has crash protection; if one tab crashes, the rest of the open tabs remain as they were. Since it’s fairly new, some websites don’t yet work properly, but on the whole sites are less likely to break than they are in IE8. Chrome also offers a Google search from the address bar and a smaller but growing library of extensions and themes for developers and ordinary people alike.
Safari is Apple’s standard browser on Macs. Most people who own Macs do tend to choose Firefox instead because it typically functions much better and, as previously mentioned, has a huge library of extensions and themes for easy customisation. Apple has done their part to change this perception with their latest offering, Safari 5. Safari now has extensions, the highest level of compliance with websites (which means they’re unlikely to break or lose functionality) and increased security. Safari currently has the smallest marketshare of all browsers listed, so if you don’t choose this browser, you’re not alone.
Which browser are you using?
If you’ve been hearing a lot about alternate operating systems, you may be thinking about switching when you buy your next PC. Everyone can use each operating system for most things that they’d like to do. But which one will do the job for you?
1. Microsoft Windows. Windows is the default choice for almost anyone purchasing a new computer. Quite simply, it’s easier to use and generally more intuitive than the other two, if only because it’s likely you’ve had a Windows PC before and thus have a basic knowledge of how they work. While Windows is a big target for spyware and viruses, any PC owner who is moderately vigilant about their security and unsafe downloads shouldn’t have much to worry about, and Windows 7 makes this easier than ever.
Plus, using widespread generally international standards for documents is vital if you’re using your PC for any business use. Free software programs like OpenOffice are available and can generally read Microsoft Office documents, but they don’t achieve the level of professionalism that the latest incarnation of Office has. There is also a level of freedom about using software that you won’t get elsewhere, simply because most of the world is using a Microsoft PC and thus most developers focus on programs and games for it.
2. Apple Macintosh. Apple is the buzzword on the street these days, but mostly for their mobile products. Many people have had such a fantastic experience on their iPhones or iPods that they decide they want to buy a Mac as their next computer. A few factors generally put buyers off; namely, Macs are typically more expensive for similar specs than Windows PCs and they’re a new experience, which may turn buyers off at the purchasing stage.
Macs are historically known for being better with design, so artists and musicians should by all means investigate the programs available for use on OSX, especially given that industries like graphic design virtually require employees to have familiarity with it. For normal users, though, it seems like a selling point that you can dual boot Windows and have the best of both worlds; surely if it’s that important to run Windows you should just choose it in the first place. Macs, however, will have less useless software pre-installed on their machines and are typically less likely to fall prey to viruses simply because they have yet to be targeted. They have free customer support from the moment you buy to the moment the computer dies.
But if you know you need Windows software, is it worth paying more for an equally qualified system?
3. Linux. For the computer user that wants complete control over everything on their computer, Linux is clearly the option to choose, with Ubuntu as the most popular beginner installation. It suffers from some of the same faults as the Mac does; mainly, it doesn’t run Windows programs and generally has poorer quality, if free, versions. It is, however, very speedy, and if you install it yourself, comes with virtually nothing preloaded. It is completely your decision to install various different kinds of software. If you don’t use something, you don’t have it cluttering up your OS. Generally, it’s easier to detect viruses and malware when they exist because you have easy access to all of your files, but if you aren’t an IT support expert it can be hard to tell the difference between a legitimate file and spyware. You’ll rarely have to worry about it with Linux, though, because few spammers or hackers focus on it.
Linux, however, is only for those who feel comfortable with extensive amounts of modification and are willing to play with their computer. The system will let you know every time there are updates and you can choose whether to install them or not. For ordinary users, though, the unfamiliar programs, requisite customisation and upgrades, and different interface is probably enough of a turn-off that they will return immediately to the comfort and relative convenience of Windows.
Which operating system would you go for?
Anyone with a Windows PC knows that the operating system tends to slow down over time. Windows isn’t optimised for speed; most computers will continue working just fine until replaced with an upgrade, but they will gradually slow down to a snail’s pace that is almost unbelievably different from their initial behaviour. This has many Windows users wondering how to speed up their PCs beyond deleting useless programs and occasionally defragmenting their hard drive. These are both very important tasks, but there are a few more things you can do to rescue your PC from eternal sleep.
First of all, it’s entirely likely that some processes are starting up with your computer, slowing it down from the minute you turn it on to the minute you turn it off, without producing any real benefit to you. For example, if you have an iPod or iPhone, using iTunes will add to startup a little program called “iTunesHelper.exe”. If you ditch the hardware or software, this file will still exist and run on startup, slowing your computer down significantly.
To find superfluous programs, open up Windows Task Manager and select Processes. This will show you all the programs that are currently running on your PC. If you click on memory, you’ll be able to see which programs are hogging up your physical memory and CPU usage. If you don’t recognise a program (and you won’t recognise most of them) but the description doesn’t help, simply do a Google search on it. You will almost always find a definition and that will help you decide whether or not you need it.
To stop a process from running, simply right click on its name and choose end process. Be careful not to stop programs that are essential to your system, like taskmgr.exe. You may discover an unpleasant surprise when your taskbar disappears or your graphics card stops working. The good thing is that if you stop a process in the task manager, it will be restored if you restart your computer, but it’s best to avoid that circumstance.
You can also improve startup speed by preventing some of those unnecessary, bloating programs from starting in the first place. To find your list of startup programs, type “msconfig” into your search bar on Vista and 7 and into the “run” box on XP. Then choose the startup tab, where you’ll see all the programs that start with your PC. Be a little more selective with this list as a restart won’t cure any problems you create for yourself. For example, don’t uncheck the Windows operating system, or you may cause more problems than you solve! But if you don’t need any instant messengers starting with your computer, for example, uncheck them and don’t look back.
Let us know if these tips help you speed up your computer!