Last Month….
It is nearly a year since we last visited Windows latest operating
system “Vista”. In that time there still seems to
be little enthusiasm to upgrade albeit that the majority of new
machines now come with the operating system pre-installed. Derek
has a new laptop that came with Vista configured on the machine,
so who better to let us into its secrets and foibles.
Derek explained that there
are numerous versions of Vista to reach all pockets, although
the less you pay, the less you get in terms of extras.
Vista Home Basic offers
the minimum specification but does come with improved Windows
security using both Windows Defender and Windows Firewall. It
also comes with Instant Search and Internet Explorer 7. Other
than the higher definition icons you get little more than XP Home
Basic.
Vista Home Premium comes
with much more including the elegant Aero desktop with Windows
Flip 3D Navigation. It also boasts document sharing with \Windows
Meeting Space. Windows Media centre is pretty well identical to
that on XP Home Media edition and dovetails nicely with the Windows
Xbox 360 across a wireless internet connection.
Vista Business has the
addition of Business Backup features and Business Networking.
The Media options above are not available with this version.
Vista Ultimate is Microsoft’s
flagship operating system offering all of the above and much improved
data protection with Windows Bit Locker Drive Encryption.
Derek has the Home Premium
version on his laptop which appears to be a happy medium for the
home user. First up it is important to remember that Vista is
resident memory hungry, unlike XP which could operate in as little
as 64 MB of RAM, Vista Home Premium for example requires 1GB and
Ultimate probably double that to function efficiently. Vista is
certainly resource hungry. Remember, the more memory used by the
operating system leaves less for your other applications. On top
of that, Vista requires plenty of hard disk space; Premium needs
11.5 GB while Ultra calls for a 40GB hard drive with at least
15GB available space for installation. Compare this with XP that
only requires 1.5GB of hard disk space.
There is an awful lot under
the bonnet of Vista and many of its functions will only become
apparent if you ever need them. That said the first thing you
will notice is the improved and more realistic higher definition
icons. On Home Premium you are also introduced to the new Windows
Aero Interface which is neater and more aesthetically cleaner
than previous versions of Windows. We also get to see the 3D Flip
Navigation of pages. You may remember this was the wow factor
function shown on the promotional adverts. A gimmick?
One of the main aspects
of the new desktop is its Windows Sidebar. This facility allows
all sorts of optional features to be added at the user’s
discretion. The sidebar has been developed to host Web-like gadgets
or mini applications which are instantly available from the desktop.
By default there are 10 gadgets available including a clock, calendar,
CPU meter, newsfeed headlines and a currency converter. These
can be removed and others added. Derek has local weather, stock
market analysis and a network usage meter. There are literally
hundreds of these gadgets available on the internet. Another feature
of the desktop is its Live Taskbar where you can run the mouse
pointer over a taskbar thumbnail and see a live preview of the
underlying application window.
The windows search feature
has been significantly improved with a system wide integrated
search called Instant Search which is designed to run faster and
offers a much more comprehensive search capability. It is capable
of searching not only folders and files but can now works with
Help, Control Panel, Networking and much more. For example searching
for Firewall within the control panel will return all the applets
associated with the system Firewall.
Vista is full of new and
updated applications including Windows Mail which replaces Outlook
Express and includes a Phishing Filter and Junk Mail filtering.
Windows Contacts is the new contact and personal information management
application replacing the old Windows address book. Windows NetMeeting
Space is a peer to peer collaboration application where users
can share applications with other users on a local network or
over the internet. Paint, WordPad and Sound Recorder have all
been updated with new features.
Vista now comes with Internet
Explorer 7 as standard. This now includes a whole host of new
features including tab browsing, anti-phishing filter and an anti-spoofing
URL engine. In Vista it operates in a special “Protected
Mode” which runs the browser in a security sandbox that
has no access to the rest of the operating system except the Temporary
Internet Files Folder, hence helping to prevent hackers getting
into your computer system. This greatly reduces the chances of
being hit by spyware and malware.
Also available in XP, Windows
Media Player 11 has a revamped interface under Vista and Windows
Media Centre has also been upgraded significantly giving support
to HD television. Media sharing allows you to interface with other
PCs, Xbox 360 and other networked media devices. This works particularly
well with the Xbox 360 connected on a local network. I actually
use one to port my digital photos in high definition from the
PC in the spare bedroom onto the large TV screen in the lounge.
It is also good for porting any music or video resident on the
PC.
Much has been made about
the extra security features on Vista. These include User Account
Control, Kernel Patch Protection and Bit Locker Drive Encryption.
There are in addition, a whole range of parental controls including
account limitations. The improved Windows Firewall now supports
both inbound and outbound packet filtering.
The new operating system
is packed with lots of new and upgraded features over previous
Windows operating systems. There are still issues around drivers
for older peripherals and of course older machines that are still
functioning admirably. Is it a success story? I guess the jury
is still out. In the meantime most new machines will carry a version
of Vista so to upgrade or not to upgrade may not be an option
in the future. Microsoft stopped supplying new licences for XP
in June 2008. On top of all this Microsoft have already announced
Windows 7 will be appearing around 2010. Interesting times ahead!
Our thanks to Derek for
giving us another informative and interesting look at Vista and
sharing his experiences of its extensive features.
Dave Robb
Does A Dongle Deliver
This was the headline of a recent article in SAGA magazine. “So
what is a dongle?” You may well ask. Many years ago in the
world of the Atari, dongles were small pieces of hardware usually
containing some electronics that was connected to one of the interface
ports to allow a certain piece of software to run. It was an early
and fairly effective form of copy protection.
Lately a dongle has come
to be a gadget that plugs into a USB port. The latest gadget or
dongle is a device not much bigger than a packet of chewing gum
which connects a laptop computer to broadband speed internet wirelessly
via the mobile phone network.
For some time now we have
had internet hotspots that allow people on the move access to
the internet. These are extremely popular with business people
and can be found at airports, restaurants and other large establishments
that travellers are likely to frequent. This is fine and works
well, but what if you are on the road and need to get onto the
internet in some obscure corner of the country and no hotspots
for miles?
This is where the dongle
comes into its own. By connecting one of these units to your mobile
you can access the internet anywhere your mobile service provider
operates and that is pretty well all over the UK. You may have
a bit of an access problem in Outer Mongolia or the middle of
the Atlantic. However, if you are a business person constantly
on the move and in need of regular internet access this could
be for you. Further more this is not limited to the business community.
How about in your holiday cottage or caravan where a phone lines
may not exist. You get the need for an internet fix and there
is nowhere to plug in!
Using an internet connection
in a hotel is horrendously expensive and unless you have an understanding
company, pretty well off limits. In the past mobile phone internet
use has been very expensive but these dongles are now being pushed
by the high street chains precisely because they offer truly affordable
web access by the phone networks. There are now some impressive
offers available but as with buying a mobile phone contract, make
sure it is right for you and your access requirements.
An example of current costs
(and these will be changing all the time), a 3 network dongle
offers 1GB of data for £10 – which they calculate
as 700 hours of web surfing a month, or sending and receiving
1000 emails and surfing for a reduced 650 hours a month. If you
require more air time, for £15 a month you get 3GB of data,
or 2100 hours of internet access per month. Other providers will
offer similar packages.
Can I use it abroad? Foreign
usage can be a problem and very expensive. Cost will vary from
network to network. For example if network provider 3 operates
in that particular country and this includes areas such as Australia,
Austria, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Sweden and Norway
it will cost you the same as UK. If you are outside its zone expect
to pay £3 - £6 per MB (not GB) which is outrageously
expensive. Before you buy and intend to use the device outside
of UK, check the provider’s coverage and costing of foreign
usage.
How fast are they? There
are some differences between networks. Orange offers a supposed
7.2 Mbps, whereas Vodaphone comes in at 3.6 Mbps and 3 at 2.8Mbps.
No doubt there is a cost implication with the faster access speeds.
My daughter has been using
one for some time now, so I asked her for her thoughts. She is
currently with T-Mobile and is extremely pleased with the results.
Her tariff is about £15 a month and she gets very good coverage
throughout the UK. As she spends a lot of time in hotels, she
feels that she is saving her company something like £10
per week in hotel internet access charges. The company is more
than happy to fund the dongle. She has also found that the dongle
is not computer or person restricted, so anybody can use it. She
has found it invaluable at team meetings etc where her colleagues
are also able to access the internet and their emails.
Currently there is talk
about the merging of providers, Orange with Vodaphone and T-Mobile
with 3. This should offer about 99% coverage of the UK. If you
are regularly on the move and have to access the internet be it
to keep abreast of your emails or know the latest position with
the stock market perhaps the dongle is worth a closer look.
I understand that Derek
Kerr is in possession of one of these devices, so in the near
future expect to see a practical demonstration from our tame gadget
man.
Dave Robb
Christmas Meal
We are currently looking
at having the Christmas meal at the Club House Restaurant on Wednesday
17th December.
As soon as we have more
details we will let you know, so pencil the date in your diary.
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