jitdistributors.com Blog

Issue

Adobe Flash Player is not supported for playback in a 64-bit browser. However, you can run Flash Player in a 32-bit browser running on a 64-bit operating system.

Reason

Adobe is working on Flash Player support for 64-bit platforms as part of our ongoing commitment to the cross-platform compatibility of Flash Player. We expect to provide native support for 64-bit platforms in an upcoming release of Flash Player following Flash Player 10.

The above is a quotation from Adobe\’s Website about Flash Player playback in a 64-bit browser. The impact of this is that Microsoft\’s fastest version of Internet Explorer still does not have Flash Player support. There is a work around but it is like we are being forced to work with the second best. This problem is not unique to Internet Explorer but that is the browser that I use and I am sorry that after such a long time Adobe has not rectified the situation. The so called \’Tech Journalists\’ have been relatively quiet on this subject and I wonder if the positions were reversed and we were waiting on Microsoft and not Adobe whether the reactions would be the same.

If it is true that the 64-bit platform is more secure then it behooves all software developers to make their products compatible to the 64-bit platform thus facilitating an easy transition to that platform.

Finally, there was a customer feedback form on the page for this \’Tech Note\’ but Adobe has removed it without explanation. Were the responses significant? Should we still expect Flash Player in 64-bit browsers?

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/000/6b3af6c9.html

Microsoft did something different with Windows Vista; they tried to ensure that users would get the ‘Wow’ experience from the operating system. They pretty much did what was necessary to guarantee that experience but users are upset. The criticisms that I have heard re the problems with drivers, software etc. results from the fact that users are not following the instructions given on the Microsoft Website. Unlike previous operating systems (XP) included, users will not experience the Wow factor if users load Vista unto ‘any ole PC’. Microsoft had began preparing users for this by making available an evaluation tool (The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor) so that users can test their PC’s compatibility before investing in Windows Vista. I suspect that anyone who purchased a PC prior to the launch of Vista will be faced with the possibility of investing in additional hardware unless like I did, you bought a PC that was pre-configured to run Vista.

If you went ahead and purchased Vista without ensuring that the PC is compatible, then you should get the computer ‘rated’ by running the ‘Windows Experience Index’ in the Control Panel. A rating of 3 and above should guarantee you the ‘Wow’ experience.

What am I saying? A Windows Vista computer is not a ‘cheap’ computer and this is where the problem lies. Buy a new box or be prepared to spend some money on additional hardware if you plan to upgrade to Vista.

What about compatible software and drivers for Vista? First of all you cannot blame Microsoft for that. They gave software and hardware manufacturers ample time to prepare for Vista. For example, I bought a new HP printer and had to wait over a month before the Vista drivers were published.

I purchased Vista early and I have no regrets. I am running a 2006 Dell Dimension 5150 with dual Core 2.8 GHz Processors, 80 GB Hard Drive and 4 GB of RAM. I actually upgraded the Graphics Card and the RAM and my current Windows Experience Index base score is 4.4 out of 5.9. This means that out of the five (5) components that contributes to the base score i.e. processor, memory (RAM), Graphics, Gaming Graphics and Primary Hard Disk my lowest score is 4.4 and the base score is determined by the lowest score. The original Dell configuration gave me a base score of 2.9 with 1GB of memory and this was sufficient to give the ‘Wow’ experience but I wanted more. The Windows Experience Index showed that my lowest scores had to do with the Graphics and RAM and so I upgraded them. Now the sky is the limit. Vista is great and no way will I go back to XP.

I should point out that my experience with Windows Vista Basic (the scaled down version of Vista) was not good so bypass it and use either Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate and you will find out that there is no reason to cry about Windows XP. I think Microsoft should keep Windows XP going as long as possible however, as subject to the configuration, this will allow them to have a low cost alternative to Vista. Loyal Microsoft’s customers should not be forced to upgrade to the more expensive Vista. We know that a Windows PC can be an expensive PC but for most people they were able to use a configuration that made it an affordable PC.

The reason why the Vista party crashed is that people love choices, take that away and they will rebel. XP will have to go someday, but this is not the right time.

As PC users, we all have something in common. We have all experienced a system crash resulting from installing unstable or incompatible software on our Windows PC. The offending software sometimes relates to games, sometimes to drivers for new hardware or sometimes to application software not suited to our version of Windows. Recovering from these mistakes is usually costly as it involves a visit to the technician. Now there is a solution to the problem. This fix can be used by system builders, PC technicians, IT professionals or simply a home PC owner. Imagine LAN Inc. has created ConfigSafe for your protection.

This is a utility that will allow you to take snapshots of your system that will allow you to recover from these crashes in minutes. You can now install new untested software (trials, Beta versions etc.) and hardware without fear.

This software can be used on all Windows platform. Imagine LAN Inc. is best at describing their products so you should follow this link and visit their website at www.imaginelan.com/configsafe/index.html where you can get more information and buy the product.

A chronicle of my experience with Ubuntu 7.04 -Feisty Fawn – released in April 2007. This is a very popular Linux based platform. It is currently being installed on a number of ‘Dell’ computers. This decision followed a customer survey done by Dell where customers indicated that they would like open source software on their PC’s instead of the Microsoft products. In my case, I used a Dell PC that had previously been used for installations of Windows 98 SE to Windows XP for test purposes.

1. THE PC USED

I used an old Dell OptiPlex GX1 PC to run Ubuntu. It has a Pentium III 500 GHz processor,10GB Hard Drive and 128MB memory. This met the ‘minimum’ requirement’ for running Ubuntu. The system however kept ‘timing out’ when I attempted to boot from the Ubuntu CD. After a significant number of attempts, I decided to bump the memory up to 256MB and eureka, it worked.

2. THE TEST RUN/GETTING STARTED

The instructions were simple enough, you either run a scaled down Ubuntu demo from the CD (in which case no changes were to your current system) or you installed Ubuntu on your PC . Installing Ubuntu on the PC gives you the option of replacing you current system or alternatively , installing Ubuntu in  a separate partition thus facilitating the two operating systems. As I am a conservative person, I chose to run the demo from the CD first.

3. THE EXPERIENCE

Customizing:The Ubuntu desktop is arranged in a fairly organized way. The equivalent of the ‘Quick Launch’ bar in Windows (called panel in Ubuntu) is located at the top of the desktop. This gives easy access to ‘Applications’ the Windows equivalent of the ‘programs menu, ;places, the equivalent of the Windows directory and ‘System’, the equivalent of the Windows control panel. There is also a panel at the bottom of the screen. These panels can be easily customized by either ‘right clicking’ the panel and adding the icon for the applications from the various groups available or by dragging the icon and dropping it on the respective panel.

Login on to Ubuntu

On a number of occasions the login screen process was corrupted as my user name and password was not recognized. After several rebooting of the system, the problem was solved.

Pictures and Graphics

The software was able to recognize my digital camera and imported my pictures without the use of the manufacturer’s software CD. I thought that it handled this well but a number of the pictures needed to be edited before they were ‘picture perfect’. I had already viewed them on my Windows Vista PC so I was able to make an easy comparison of the two.

Networking

The original installation of Ubuntu did not include the files for ‘file sharing’. This required the installation of Samba or NFS. This just adds a little complication to someone who is not comfortable with setting up networks. This leaves a lot to be desired as you know with Windows there is a wizard that makes setting up a network a breeze.

Internet Browser

It is noteworthy that the Firefox Web Browser is the choice here. This is the most popular Web Browser after Internet Explorer. It is probably more popular in Europe where recent surveys have suggests that it enjoys support in the range of 30%. If you follow the literature, you will notice that there is a wave of anti-Microsoft sentiments in Europe in recent days.

Games

The games menu includes the usual card games (Solitaire, Free cell) but it also includes some exciting games such as Mahjongg and Sudoku among others.

4. THE VERDICT

After a reasonable exposure to Ubuntu I decided to install the program and replace my current operating system. This was done with the full realization that I could lose the functions of some of my hardware. I am please to inform you that after the installation I only lost the use of the sound card. The PC on which I installed Ubuntu was a PC that was used for test purposes. This problem was fixed by cannibalizing a recent computer and removing and installing the sound card in my ‘Ubuntu PC’. This made it possible for me to explore Ubuntu while enjoying music in the background.

Not being able to send faxes is a major shortfall as potential small business clients from developing countries are seeking solutions that will enable them to save costs. If they adopt Ubuntu, they would have to consider investing in a conventional fax machine.

It was pretty easy for the ‘Ubuntu PC’ to recognize other PC’s on the Windows network, but in the absence of a ‘Network Wizard’ that we are accustomed with in Windows, configuring the network required more detailed knowledge when compared to the process for setting up a strictly Windows network.

The system ‘help’ needs to be more elaborate. People from the developed countries often forget that access to Internet is not as pervasive as it is in ‘first world’ countries. If Ubuntu is to be adopted universally, then the help screens have to be comprehensive enough as most users in the developing world does not have access to the other means of obtaining help which are largely Web based.

It is going to take a long time for people in the developing world to gain easy access to the Internet as the main players that control the infrastructure are multinational companies and it would appear that they are all on a ‘get rich quick’ mission as despite using the same Internet technology that they deploy at home, they are charging the developing countries several times more for Internet access than they do at home. The consequence of this is that although the technology is present in the developing world the vast majority of the population cannot access it. These companies are being myopic as there are numerous Internet based products even some developed by some of these same companies, that will not take off as people are not able to afford the access to the Internet in the first place an so cannot take advantage of the products. I am referring to products such as all VOIP based products, bill payment systems offered by a few Jamaica based companies, Western Union money transfer system (the Internet side), e-commerce generally, all WEB 2.0 products etc.

Apple may soon have another legal battle on its hands when its newest product {itv}, a box that you can connect to your TV in order to play their movies and TV shows comes to Europe, as there is already an “itv” brand TV station operating in England. Generally, I hate these situations as the only persons who are guaranteed winners are the lawyers representing both companies as regardless of the outcome; they must be paid for their work.  What do you think?  

Google has introduced another ‘web based’ application …. a spreadsheet. It is not currently being billed as a ‘threat’ to Microsoft Excel (probably because of its lack of comparable features), but some see it as a frontal attack on what could be regarded as ‘Holy’ ground for Microsoft. I personally think that Google is feeling the pinch from the threat that they may lose some market share in the net advertising arena to Microsoft who have decided that they want a bigger share of that market and is simply reacting too quickly. There is room for web based applications but the release of these semi- ready applications have only tipped their hands thus allowing Microsoft to plan how to combat that threat in the future.

I personally can see no major shift towards the use of web based applications offered by Google (particularly Word Processors and Spreadsheets) until the issues relating to security, privacy, cost to access the Internet and generally the features of these application have been addressed. What do you think?