Microsoft has forgotten it makes software for a living
I don’t despise Microsoft. I still use XP (alongside OS X on my Mac). Xbox 360 can be a fun time. And Word is still a must for professional document design (GoogleDocs is too limited in some cases)....
View ArticleCaffeine for Mac is awesome; potentially addictive
Like Click To Flash or Flash Block, Caffeine is a must for portable Mac users. With this tiny program installed, your monitor won’t dim unless you say so by clicking an icon on the menu bar. First...
View ArticleWouldn’t it be cool if you could rate your music with volume increases...
Mark Milian describes the best enhancement to iTunes one could ever hope for: Music software has no way of knowing whether you like one song more than the previous, unless the user chooses to actively...
View ArticleIn software terms, nothing says, “We didn’t think this through” more than...
Geeks only: Whenever you stumble upon the use of “Super Admin,” you can be sure of one thing: the software designer didn’t properly plan for multi-user access. I saw this most recently today when...
View ArticleMicrosoft and Apple beware: Google on to something with new OS
I watched the Google Chrome OS demo today and came away impressed. The product won’t meet the need of power-users, producers, and mult-media creators. But for everyone else, including power-users when...
View ArticleI finally switched from Firefox to Chrome and I’m loving it
After five loyal years using Firefox as my browser of choice, I finally switched to Google Chrome. Here’s why It’s noticeably faster than Safari, Firefox, and IE. It doesn’t crash like Firefox....
View ArticleWindows 8 looks promising
A lot of good ideas here—dare I say more than OSX Lion. Would like to see how it behaves with a mouse and keyboard, however.
View ArticleTo all my readers: Let’s play chess
Hey, you there. Yeah, you. Let’s play chess. It’s my new favorite pastime. Here’s how we can play each other: Locals only: Ask me. I’ve got a nice wooden board we can play on with big pieces. OR…...
View ArticleBusiness Week: Video game usability 101
Steve Krug argues in his book Don’t Make Me Think! that a good program or product should let users accomplish their intended tasks as easily and directly as possible. The less time it takes a person to...
View ArticleMicrosoft brand in sharp decline
IDG News (whom I freelance for) reports: “Microsoft’s brand power has been in sharp decline over the past four years, an indication the company is losing credibility and mindshare with U.S. business...
View ArticleIt’s time to drop “beta,” Gmail
Gmail launched in March 2004. But after more than four years, the site still uses “beta” on its logo. For the uninitiated, “beta” is a fancy way of saying, “this software or website is a work in...
View ArticleWhat’s the best small business accounting, bookkeeping software for Mac?
I want to completely transition to Mac next month, having preferred my PowerBook to my Windows desktop for three years now. Only problem: after hours (and I do mean hours) of research, I can’t seem to...
View ArticleWhen success turns stale: This is what old guard feels like
After failing to reverse the declining fortunes of the fourth largest company in the world, outgoing Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer teared up this week in his exit interview with WSJ. “Maybe I’m an...
View ArticleEveryone who works with computers should read this (i.e. everyone should read...
I recently read Paul Ford’s special report on software—all 36,000 words and three hours of it. If you work in computers, you should read it. If you work in business, you should read it. If you’re an...
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