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Thursday, December 9, 2004
Outlook - Overcast
Last post for tonight - I have a really early flight to Chicago in the morning. But I've been fighting Outlook again. My blogging platform has a nice e-mail interface. Pretty sophisticated, actually - lets me do almost everything I can do via the web interface in a text-based e-mail. And it worked just dandy with my old e-mail program.But it doesn't work with Outlook. Or, rather, Outlook doesn't work with it. I don't know why. Probably some asinine tag or header or M$ Exchange crap that gets put into every e-mail whether you want it to or not. Microsoft is really bad about that -- putting junk in your documents that no one in their right mind would want. I'll figure it out, or Seth will. But for now I can't blog via e-mail using the ubiquitous "corporate standard." Wonder what else it won't do?
Posted by: 
Terry Frazier at 9:15 PM
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Categories: Productivity, Technology
Terry Frazier at 9:15 PM
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Monday, December 6, 2004
Is This My Last Thinkpad?
IBM is in talks to sell its Personal Computer (desktop, notebook, and laptop computer divisions) company. The rumored acquirer is Chinese company Lenovo Group, Ltd. although Samsung and Acer are also mentioned. Analysts praise the sale as the right move, noting that the only thing IBM about an IBM computer is the name.I beg to differ. If you've never carried an IBM ThinkPad you won't understand this, but ThinkPads are the cream of the laptop and notebook genre. Yes Virginia -- they're even nicer than the luscious Apple PowerBooks. The ergonomics are simply the best in the industy (even if the OS is wonkier).
Over the years I've used laptops by IBM, Sony, Toshiba, Dell, and Apple (four different PowerBook models). In all of that I never once considered giving up my desktop computer as my main workstation. I carried small laptops, desktop-replacement laptops, and mid-range laptops, but none was ever good enough to get me off the desktop.
But my current IBM ThinkPad T41 has pretty much done just that. I think it has a lot to do with the keyboard -- hands down the best laptop keyboard I've ever used. I have a bunch of parts for a new PeeCee I've been meaning to build since August, but the TPad has made that seem somehow less important. The intelligent, automatic, self-configuring, networking lets me walk into almost anywhere, anytime, and simply fire up with a net connection. The battery life is phenomenal. I use a spare battery in the CD-ROM slot, but with that I can get 10 hours of work time -- with WiFi enabled.
None of this cool stuff came from an Asian design team. It came from IBM. Sure, all the manufacturing came from Asia and that means all the cool stuff is affordable. But IBM provided the creativity and innovation that drives it.
If IBM sells off their PC division I, for one, will be sorry. In a world of commoditized, generic, indistinguishable computers only two companies have any personality left -- Apple and IBM. Their personalities differ, as do their approaches. But both add something important to our computing experience. If either leaves the game our personal computing world will be much poorer.
Posted by: Terry Frazier at 9:09 AM
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Categories: Productivity, Technology, UnWired
Terry Frazier at 9:09 AM
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Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Digital Condoms
One thing I know for sure, switching to Outlook (and thereby the Windoze Address Book) means I need to make sure my digital condoms are fresh, tight, and impermeable. To that end, I've installed trial copies of AVG 7.0 Professional (AVG) anti-virus software and Kerio Personal Firewall (KFP).My Thinkpad had a trial copy of Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 2003 (Norton) loaded by IBM, but no personal firewall. I have used Norton for the past several years, and have previously used McAfee. I also used ZoneAlarm Pro (ZAPro) for several years. But ZAPro and Norton got a bit crossways and I got a little slack on the firewall stuff.
So a respected friend sent me a plug for AVG and encouraged me to try it. When I saw they had a bundle package with KFP I figured I'd give that a try, as well. So far, AVG seems every bit the equal of Norton AV. And the purchase/install/upgrade process seems to be functional -- unlike the idiots at Symantec who can never seem to actually sell you their software. Updates are far more frequent, and the package doesn't load a dozen different applications to manage its own upgrades.
KFP is not quite as easy to use as ZAPro. Firewalls are, by nature, complex things -- blocking out all sorts of stuff that may be useful. And lots of the stuff they block is not immediately apparent. So I'm working my way through the learning curve with KFP, letting it warn me about all sorts of innocuous things, and creating rule sets.
One area that seems a bit problematic, is the allowed sites list doesn't seem to work. For instance, KFP blocks the scripts that run in-browser editing windows (like those used by EditMe and like the one I use on my weblog). Even after adding my own domains to the allowed sites list the editing windows still didn't work. I had to disable all web filtering to get it functional. Since Mozilla manages the pop-ups anyway that's not a big deal, but still seems like a bug.
Posted by: Terry Frazier at 12:29 PM
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Categories: Privacy, Technology
Terry Frazier at 12:29 PM
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You're Kidding, Right?
No I'm not, but I guess I should be a little clearer about my tongue-in-cheek acquiesence to Outlook. It should be obvious I am not a big Microsoft fan, nor did I toss my friendly, flexible, e-mail program lightly. And I am not walking naively into some perceived Outlook nirvana. Over the years I have dabbled with both Outlook and Outlook Express as mail clients for myself and others -- always dumping them in some screaming fit of frustration after an hour or so.No, I have merely succumbed to the lesser of two evils. I have held out against the tide as long as I can. I have searched hi and low for solutions that will sync with my Treo, exchange calendars with my corporate colleagues, let me publish calendar data in a free/busy format. I have given up on finding a suitable alternative, and I am willing (though not pleased) to suffer the consequences of my choice.
So bear with me. Offer support and condolences where you can. Overlook my ignominious rants. Forgive the vitriol and invective I will no doubt spew. I walk into this with my teeth clinched and my eyes wide open. And please, please, please won't someone - anyone - write a complete and effective PIM tool suite to replace (and interoperate with) Outlook.
Posted by: Terry Frazier at 11:04 AM
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Categories: Productivity, Technology
Terry Frazier at 11:04 AM
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