Rob Pegoraro
Washington Post Personal Technology Columnist
Monday, July 10, 2006
2:00 PM
In the
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Rob Pegoraro: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bid farewell--or just "good riddance"--to Windows 98, Windows 98 SE and Windows Millennium Edition, which officialy die tomorrow when Microsoft ends all support for them.
Tell me how you feel about that, or if you care at all. (I'm working on an obit for those releases for tomorrow's paper.)
Or we can talk about the subject of yesterday's column, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3. It's your call...
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Chantilly, Va: Rob,
Well, glad for Microsoft, getting IE7 out finally. Not that I'll use it or recommend it.
Every time someone puts a bug out there, it's always aimed at IE or Outlook. Never Firefox, Mozilla, Opera.
I've been a happy Opera user for the past seven years and it fulfills all my needs.
Rob Pegoraro: Here's one person who's less-than-bowled-over by the new IE release. I think Microsoft's single biggest problem with this release will be getting back users who have defected to Firefox or Opera--why should they go back to the company that ignored their Web-browsing needs for years and years? It's like Lucy asking Charlie Brown to resume his place-kicking career... good luck!
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Washington, D.C.: My computer is still running Windows 98SE which is fine with me because that's all I need. Now though, I've been given a video IPod and the required OS indicates that only Windows 2000 and XP are supported. What can I do besides buy a new computer? I heard there may be supplementary software that will allow me to run ITunes.
Rob Pegoraro: Unless you're going to ignore most of your iPod's capabilities, you're going to have to buy a new computer.
The third-party software you're thinking of
doesn't support the iTunes Music Store or video transfers at all. Plus, copying plain old MP3 files to the iPod will take forever over your machine's USB 1.1 ports.
You've had the computer for seven years or so--that's a really long time in computing, and it probably doesn't have many more miles left in it anyway.
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Pittsburgh, Pa.: Rob,
I enjoyed your column on the Treo 650, and now wonder if it is powerful enough for what I need to do.
As a business researcher, I would like to build a large new contacts database -- including all the companies, people, and financing relationships I can identify -- for a particular industry sector. What I think I want is something like an annotated Rolodex that a reporter at a trade journal might use, with hyperlinks among the entries of related parties, e.g. V.C. firms to their portfolio companies.
Wonder if Treo is the way to go, using its contacts feature, or should I look into a Handheld PC, Tablet PC, or traditional notebook? I want to input data all the time as I read articles, meet people, etc. Thanks for your thoughts.
Rob Pegoraro: I think with either a Palm or a Pocket PC, you'll need to buy a third-party contacts manager--the built-in address books in either system just can't do what you need.
I, however, haven't tried any of these aftermarket replacements. Can anybody suggest one for Pittsburgh?
(BTW, here's a link to the newsletter with my Treo 650 article:
)
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Washington, D.C.: Hi Rob,
I read your column today about the Treo 650. Like you, I also love my 650. The only thing I don't like are the ring tones. They are very, very boring. And because I am a Cingular customer, they don't make ringtones available for Treo users. Whereby I used to be able to download ringtones from Cingular's website on my old Motorola, that's not available now.
Any advice/suggestions on how I can obtain great ringtones for my Treo?
Rob Pegoraro: Let me try adding that newsletter link again :)
Any new Sprint phone should be fine--the key is that it supports digital service (which they all do) on the same frequency as Verizon (850 MHz, I think). All of the Sprint models that I've tried lately have met both conditions, but to be sure, check on enthusiast sites like phonescoop.com
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Fairfax, Va: Rob,
98SE was very very good to me. Until I found W2K Pro, which I am still in love with.
ME was a joke, a filler until the next OS was ready.
Rob Pegoraro: Sounds like Fairfax has no problem shoveling dirt on the grave of these operating systems...
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Virginia Square, Va.: Have you tried out the Sling Media Slingbox (will you be doing a review of it), or have you heard anything it? It seems like a great concept -- distribute your TV programming to any PC, local or remote.
Rob Pegoraro: Here's my review: Slingbox Video Streaming Not Perfect, but Remarkable
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Fairfax, Va.: I have used Firefox as my main browser since you were good enough to highlight its benefits some time ago. I have been having some recent frustrations with in recently in not displaying web sites properly (often not displaying photos within the sites) and the peculiar situation of it shutting down quite regularly when review e-mail at Yahoo. I have it set for automatic updates and the only add on I use is Ad Block Plus. Can you think of a problem I might be having and how I can correct it?
Rob Pegoraro: I use Firefox to check my Yahoo mail all the time, and I haven't seen any issues with either the old mail interface or the new beta front-end. Maybe your AdBlock extension is causing problems?
Also, what photo sites are you seeing these issues at? Kodak EasyShare Gallery, Shutterfly, Snapfish, Flickr--they all seem perfectly content in Firefox.
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Burke, Va.: Rob:
Am I the only one who, upon reading the articles about the (allegedly) forthcoming Windows Vista, is having a REAL hard time finding any reason to want it? My God, XP, for all its manifold faults, appears to work reasonably well. Can anyone tell me why, when Vista finally emerges, anyone should bother?
Rob Pegoraro: That's what I'm hoping to find out--I'm trying out the "customer preview" version of Vista that Microsoft briefly offered to the public. Look for my preview to show up in the paper soon
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Maryland: "Plus, copying plain old MP3 files to the iPod will take forever over your machine's USB 1.1 ports."
Not necessarily. I only have USB 1.1 ports on my 7 year old computer, and it didn't take that long to copy over 2G worth to my Nano. I think grand total it was under 5 minutes, and that's with a Pentium 650 powering the computer. Would it be quicker if I had USB 2.0? Yes. But it wasn't "forever," either.
Rob Pegoraro: A video iPod holds a *lot* more than 2 gigabytes of files.
Of course, with a Win 98 SE-vintage computer, the bigger limit is probably the amount of free space on the hard drive...
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Potomac, Md.: I'm considering signing up for an online music service. With so many choices out there, are some better than others. I'm mostly interested in downloading music to burn to CDs. Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: Go with iTunes unless you've already got a Windows Media-based portable music player. Apple's store has the best selection and the best software, and every song sold on it can be burned to CD--which is not the case with songs "rented" at subscription-based stores like Napster To Go or Yahoo Music Unlimited.
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DC: I have a P3-733 running Windows 98SE. Is it worthwhile or possible to upgrade to Windows XP Home, or is it better to wait for Windows Vista to be released and installed on new machines?
Rob Pegoraro: Don't even bother trying to upgrade that computer. Put a copy of Linux on it if you want, but XP will be a horrific sight on a machine of that age.
But waiting for Vista doesn't seem to be strictly necessary either. If you need a new computer, you need a new computer--just buy one that can handle an upgrade to Vista (which boilds down to a gigabyte of memory and a separate graphics card). You can always install Vista later on when it ships.
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Bethesda, MD: Comments like this really upset me for some reason. "My computer is still running Windows 98SE which is fine with me because that's all I need."
It's time that people simply LET GO of Windows 98. It is an out of date OS. If Win 98 is all you need, then why even bother owning a computer?
Rob Pegoraro: Ouch...
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Laptop repair?: My Sony Vaio is missing a couple of keys and seems to have a loose connection somewhere -- the screen goes dark from time to time and sometimes changing the position of the lid brings it back, sometimes not. Where to go for non-warranty service? I don't know whether to trust one of the computer megastores (MicroCenter maybe -- I've had nothing but bad experiences at CompUSA) or go to a mom-and-pop shop. Any suggestions, caveats, etc. would be appreciated. Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: Great question! Who's got suggestions on this one?
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Fairfax, Va.: Cox Cable supplies its customers with the "Cox Security Suite" -- antivirus, antispyware, blah, blah, blah. However -- the suite itself is a massive memory hog, and makes you search for updates almost every time you turn on your computer. I've been unable to find a setting that would let it update automatically in the background. I've seen my computer bog down while doing other tasks, and when I go into Task Manager, there's the security suite, sucking down 200MB or more. You can close it, and it re-starts on its own, but have you heard anything about this piece of garbage that Cox is foisting off on its customers?
Rob Pegoraro: No--your post is the first I've heard about it. I am, in general, not a fan of these massive security suites. They seem much better at inflicting collateral damage on a PC than protecting it from outside threats. Get a good anti-virus program-- perhaps one of the two free options --and stick with the firewall built into Windows, adding the free Windows Defender download to protect against spyware.
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Maryland: Rob, you wrote that "page tailored to IE 6's page-rendering code may look off in IE 7." In your experience, what elements were off in the new browser? How is IE 7's compliance with the W3C standards for Dynamic HTML?
Rob Pegoraro: You're asking questions a little beyond my expertise--I can only tell you what I saw while browsing a wide variety of sites.
For an example of a site that looks off in IE 7 but works in IE 6, visit gmap-pedometer.com and have the site plot the elevation of a running/jogging route; in IE 7, the elevation graph shows up right on top of the map, while in IE 6 and Firefox it appears below it.
As for IE 7's compliance with HTML standards, try visiting any of the demo pages on http://meyerweb.com/eric/css/edge/ ; IE 6 mangles most of those layouts, while IE 7 displays all but one or two properly.
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DC: I was the one who asked about the video Ipod's compatibility with Windows 98SE. FYI, I have probably over 60 gigs of free space split between my master and slave drives. Also, I have a USB 2.0 card. Irregardless, are you saying that I'm still SOL with anything regarding ITunes and the IPod?
Rob Pegoraro: No, not SOL in that case. That Xplay software I mentioned should work for you. But be prepared to wait a looonnnggg time the first time you sync a music collection to the iPod--like, start the session before you go to bed.
Also, I want to reiterate the usual advice about backing up data. Computer hard drives will eventually fail, and the odds of that happening increase with age.
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Vienna, Va: Rob,
Too bad to see 98 go. It was the cat's pajamas, that is when SE finally came out. The original had some problems as I remember.
In the end it always served me well. I moved on when I got a computer that would support 1Gb of ram, which 98 would not do.
Rob Pegoraro: Vienna looks back fondly on 98...
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Fairfax, Va.: Windows Me should be buried in the same shallow, unmarked grave that contains the remains of Bob. Remember Bob? Me was the buggiest piece of garbage . . .
Rob Pegoraro: ... but Fairfax evidently wants to blot the memory of Windows Millennium Edition from his mind. (He's not alone in that wish!)
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Detroit, Mich.: Rob,
How soon do you see floppy disc drives going away ? I don't think anyone uses them for programs anymore.
Rob Pegoraro: They went away years ago--laptops, especially the smaller kind, stopped shipping with floppies first, then desktops followed suit over the last year or so. (I'm leaving out Apple's machines; Apple was the first to ditch the floppy, all the way back in 1998. Remember when everybody said the iMac was doomed for leaving out that storage technology?)
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McLean on Laptop Repair: I would just spring for a new computer. By the time they figure out what's wrong with your computer and fix it, the parts and labor will probably amount to a couple hundred dollars. You can get a pretty inexpensive machine for that, or go all out and buy yourself a new/used (eBay, etc.) Vaio, or (what I would do) buy a Mac. There's never any question as to where you can take your Mac for service - just go to the Apple store. And as long as you have AppleCare, you're covered (after the 1st year, which is included).
With so many problems on your Vaio, why keep putting money into it when you could get something better for a few hundred dollars more than the repair costs might (probably will) be?
Rob Pegoraro: Thanks, McLean
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Gaithersburg, Md.: I am looking into purchasing a new laptop sometime soon, and I've heard all the hype about the new Core Duo processors. Will I see a considerable difference with this processor on a Windows machine? With the exception of the occasional ripping of a CD, I'm not planning to do many processor-intensive tasks, though I do tend to run several programs at once (MS Office, iTunes, Firefox, etc.). I've heard that Windows XP Home doesn't properly take advantage of the dual core. Is this true? Is the Core Duo worth the money?
Rob Pegoraro: For your uses, I don't think you'll see much practical benefit from a Core Duo processor.
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Leesburg, Va.: Any comments on Microsoft's release of Private Folders. While I like the idea of being able save files on a password protected folder on my desktop, I have a feeling IT admins across the globe are mighty upset. Did Microsoft stop and think about what kind of affect this program would have with companies that run windows OS.
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+hands+out+private+folders/2100-1012_3-6092153.html?tag=nefd.top
Rob Pegoraro: Just read that story myself. As a person-tech reviewer, I don't really care what IT departments think--that's just not what I cover. I'd be more worried if IT departments don't already have strong file security in place-- especially when it comes to my own personal data.
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Detroit, Mich.: Re: Vaio Display. the issue is probably with the display itself. Often times this is the result of the connection between the display and the sys board. This connection wears down after years (sometimes months) of use. The only experience I have had to repair is by replacing the whole display. And unless you are some sort of partner with Sony, it will most likely be very expensive.
Rob Pegoraro: Yes, having to replace the LCD on a laptop basically means the computer is dead a lot of the time.
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Washington, D.C.: Rob,
Great articles and discussions as always!
Have you tried the new tabbed browsing feature in the Yahoo Toolbar for IE 6? It is pretty nifty particularly since we have to use IE at work.
Rob Pegoraro: No, haven't tried out the Yahoo toolbar (and I'm not motivated to do so when Adobe keeps trying to shove it on my system with every Adobe Reader download). Your office, BTW, should know better than to require people to use IE 6. Do the IT guys *want* to make extra work for themselves, or do they just not care about security?
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Bowie, MD: I planning on buying a new computer and do some gaming. I currently have a giant 21" CRT Sony Trinitron/Dell monitor. Is it worth keeping since space is not that big of an issue (although I wouldn't know otherwise), or should I spring for the 30" flat planel? I think on Dell, it's an $1800 upgrade.
Rob Pegoraro: Let's see--keep existing, working hardware or spend $1,800 on a replacement? I think the answer to that question pretty much writes itself.
Seriously, unless you can get a good price for that CRT--not likely, I'm thinking--you'll lose a ton of money on the deal. The LCD should use less electricity, but not $1,800 worth.
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DC: Me again. Windows 98SE is all I need up until I got a free video IPod. I'm trying to figure out if I can make it work. What will upgrading do for me otherwise? There's nothing that XP can offer me that Windows 98SE can't except integrating my free video Ipod.
Rob Pegoraro: Huh? You consider multitasking, crash resistance and built-in USB 2.0 support "nothing"?
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Fairfax, Va.: Love the arrogance from the poster who said that people need to "let go" of Windows 98. Uh, what if that person just wants e-mail, word processing, and the Net? Huh? Maybe their computer actually WORKS. Maybe they don't have to deal with the fact that every "upgrade" in XP seems to come with a nice matched set of bugs. If that person's happy with 98, good for them -- but they can't complain about not have the latest thing, either.
Rob Pegoraro: I see a fight brewing here...
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DC: Speaking of Windows ME, Bob, etc., how about back further in time? I have some large old files in a computer runnning Windows 95 that I would like to move. Is it possible, although probably not practical, to try to install a USB card so that I can hook up my external drive?
Rob Pegoraro: I don't think so. You'd be better off physically removing the hard drive from the Win 95 machine, setting it to run as a secondary (aka, "slave" drive) and plugging it into a new computer.
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Oak Hill, Va.: My wife is thinking about getting an iPod. Currently my son and I have 2 non-iPods and use Napster to buy songs. Would my wife be able to load the songs we already bought through Napster, or ripped from CDs to an iPod?
Rob Pegoraro: You'll only be able to put your Napster purchases on an iPod if you burn them to CD--an impossibility if they're Napster To Go rentals--and then re-rip them to the computer in MP3 or AAC format. Stuff you ripped from CD should be OK; if it's in WMA format, iTunes can convert that automatically, and if it's in MP3 format you're already set.
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Reston, Va.: I am a very pleased owner of an 18 month old Mac Powerbook (after 20 years of increasingly frustrating Windows). I want to implement a consistent backup strategy and have purchased a good Iomega hard drive which came with Retrospect Express. However, how can I easily get together and select all of the files that I should back up. I want primarily photos (iPhoto), documents (Microsoft Office), Palm address/calendar/memos, iTunes music and Preferences. Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: If the hard drive is big enough, just have Retrospect back up your entire home directory. Unlike Windows, OS X puts *all* your files and settings in that one folder--copying that to an external hard drive ensures that every part of "you," in computing terms, is backed up.
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Washington, D.C.: Rob, I am a very happy Firefox user on all my computers (Windoze XP Pro at work, Mac OX X at home), but I'm having a small problem at work. I don't think it is specifically a Firefox problem, but I would love a solution. I use it for Earthlink mail here at work, and when I try to reply to a message I get the error message "Due to a problem with your browser, your message cannot be sent. It has been saved in the Drafts folder. Please contact support if this problem persists." I think it is something to do with our Norton Firewall, but I can't seem to fix the problem.
Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: Try turning off the Norton firewall and using the one built into Windows instead, though the problem could also be the privacy or anti-spyware software included in Norton Internet Security. (See my earlier comment today about security suites.) I've sent e-mail through the EarthLink Web-mail interface in Firefox; works every time.
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Washington D.C.: I just called Verizon about upgrading from the Treo 600 to the 650 and they told me that they don't carry the phone anymore and I'd have to go to the 700 at $499.99 (in December I'll be eligible for their -generous- $100 new every 2 rebate) ... I'm pretty disappointed both at the price and the fact that I have upgrade further than I want.
Rob Pegoraro: It really would help if phone reps actually knew the products they were employed to discuss: Palm Treo 650 Smartphone
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Arlington, Va.: If I buy an iMac, is there an easy way to have it communicate with my PC-based laptop? Can I put them on the same network and share files?
Rob Pegoraro: Absolutely. Turn on Windows file sharing on the Mac--it's easier to set this up on a Mac than in Windows--and your Mac's folders will show up on the Windows PC.
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Fairlington, Va.: Quick question: I'm buying a new computer soon for my home office. But I already own a copy of Microsoft Office. Do I really need to buy another? I'm not trying to do anything illegal, but I'm confused why I can't share software between my own network, and it doesn't appear I can. Or maybe I'm confused.
Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: You should be OK putting your copy on a second machine. From the license agreement for Office 2003:
"1.1 Installation and use. You may:
(a) install and use a copy of the Software on one personal computer or other device; and
(b) install an additional copy of the Software on a second, portable device for the exclusive use of the primary user of the first copy of the Software."
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Washington, D.C.: Here at the National Institutes of Health, we are required to take an online computer security course every year. The course requires Internet Explorer.
Rob Pegoraro: Heh. You just can't make this stuff up, people!
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Arlington, Va.: Hey Rob, I have an off-topic question for you. After the April 2009 cutoff of analog TV transmission, would a basic cable tv customer (no box, just the analog channels) need to get a digital cable box? Doesn't the April 2009 cutoff apply only to OTA TV transmission? I saw something on the web today that Comcast is giving out digital boxes to customers in WV/OH saying that they will need to have boxes after the cutoff. This didn't sound right to me.
Rob Pegoraro: You'd probably need that, but it's not clear yet--I think cable companies are still looking at how they'll handle this.
At some point, though, you *will* need some sort of converter. I can't see cable operators sending out analog signals (which need far more bandwidth than digital signals) when they become necessary only to a declining minority of viewers. We're not close to that point yet, but it's not impossibly far off either.
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Arlington, Va.: "but XP will be a horrific sight on a machine of that age"
Um, why? I have XP Pro on a machine that old and it works fine. Never crashes, runs quickly - which may be due to the fact that XP is the only MS product on it. I found Office to be a bigger drag on older machines. Thank goodness for OpenOffice.
Rob Pegoraro: How much memory do you have on your computer? How much hard drive space? I think it's pretty safe to bet that the average machine still running Win 98/98 SE/ME in 2006 has *not* seen a meaningful hardware upgrade that would render it XP-ready.
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D.C.: I just bought a Seagate external drive with 200Gig, firewire, and USB 2.0 for only $109. I've backed up most of my personal files. Is it worth it to back up startup files too, since if the computer crashes, I'll probably just reformat the entire hard drive.
Rob Pegoraro: I don't think so. Focus on the stuff that you can't just reinstall from the original CDs or fresh downloads--your own files and settings.
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Tampa, Fla.: Speaking of browsers, I'm running Firefox 1.5.0.4 on Mac OS 10.4.7, and the first 4 ads on the right-hand side of the screen of your chat obstruct the text. Same thing happens with Safari 2.0.4. Any idea what's causing this?
Rob Pegoraro: No idea, but I'll post this so the folks at our site can read it.
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College Park, Maryland: What is your opinion on the reliability of running Windows on a MacBook using boot camp in its current beta form? Have you run into any problems with the system crashing, or anything like that? Also, is it possible to run any program that is made for Windows, or would there still be some compatability issues?
Thank you!
Rob Pegoraro: I've yet to see *any* issues with running XP on an Intel-based Mac via Boot Camp. Nor have I found any programs that won't run in that environment... as beta software goes, Boot Camp seems one of the most reliable releases ever, *especially* considering the magnitude of the changes it makes on a Mac (dynamic partition of the hard drive, altering bootup routines).
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D.C.: Mozilla has what Firefox doesn't. An easy button that you can push (besides the home button) that will take you straight to a search page. Instead, Firefox makes you enter whatever you're searching in a little bitty box in the upper right hand corner. Also, there used to be a "tab" button to add more tabs such as in Mozilla. Now, if you have any intuition, you'll double click on the tab space to get another tab bar. Why did Firefox make things more complicated?
Rob Pegoraro: You are the first person I have EVER seen call Firefox "more complicated" than Mozilla. I think a simple look at each browser's default interface will show otherwise. (BTW, just typing a search query in Firefox's address bar and hitting Enter sends an "I'm feeling lucky" query to Google.)
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Jefferson City, Mo.: In looking at buying a plasma television, how important is a CableCard slot. Is it just a matter of always having a cable/satellite receiver if it doesn't have the CableCard slot or are there other advantages of the technology? Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: A CableCard slot can free you from having to add a cable box to get digital cable broadcasts (saving that rental fee in the bargain), but it don't do anything for satellite. It also means you can't use your cable provider's electronic program guide or other interactive features like video on demand.
Partially becaues of that--but also because cable operators have done nothing to promote this option--CableCards have pretty much been a market failure so far. I'm now seeing manufacturers remove CableCard slots from models that had them before.
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Massillon, Ohio:
I am going to install a wireless network in my townhouse and would like to have your suggestion on my choice between
1. wireless g speed bosster vs. MIMO or N
2. linksys vs belkins or other products.
3. What sort of cordless phone would be less interference to that choice? To my knowledge 2.4 ghz cordless would interfere to speedbosster. Would 5.4 ghz less interfere to speedbooster?
Rob Pegoraro: 1. Plain old 802.11g should be fine--the other standards aren't standards at all. And you're unlikely to see much practical advantage from the higher speeds and range they offer in most home-networking scenarios.
2. Good question. What do you all think?
3. 5.4 GHz occupies a completely different band--but make sure the cordless phone both transmits and receives to/from its handset on the 5.4 band. Some use 2.4 GHz (although in fairness, the cordless-phone folks say they have interference issues solved--their hardware now uses slightly different frequences from WiFi.
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Boston, Mass.: I'm about to start law school and I'm wondering what would be the best way to back up my files. Should I get one of those small portable hard drives? Or a jumpdrive? Do you recommend any specific models? If it makes a difference, I'm going to be using a MacBook.
Rob Pegoraro: Get a hard drive--a USB keychain/thumb drive won't be nearly big enough. (CD-RW or DVD-RW will also work, but those backup sessions will take longer... and if you accumulate enough stuff, you'll find that even a single DVD can't hold all your data.)
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Arlington, Va.: I installed the IE7 beta a couple of weeks ago and so far i'm kind of impressed. I installed out of frustration with another MS Beta that i'm trying out; the MS Live Suite. That MS Live Suite seems to prefer IE over Firefox and it has some feature I think i'll enjoy. So I figured i'd go ahead and download IE7.
The one thing that is REALLY BUGGING ME in IE7 is a tabbed browsing setting that doesn't seem to be changeable. I'm pleased that MS finally decided to include tabbed browsing, but the settings will not allow me to force all clicked links to open up in a tab instead of a new window. I have a serious disdain for new windows popping up when I click on a web link. I prefer my links to open in a new tab. Firefox has this setting, any clue as to why MS & IE7 overlooked this little detail? Seems kind of silly to have to right click a link, then select "open in new tab" in order to perform this action. The whole point of tabs is to eliminate links opening in a new window right?
Rob Pegoraro: Well, Microsoft isn't done with this project. They might add that feature (just as they added the ability to drag tabs left and right between Beta 2 and Beta 3) if you and others complain loudly enough.
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Washington, D.C.: Hi Rob,
What is your opinion about the sprint PPC 6700? I'm trying to compare that with the Treo 650/700. I've read all about the Treos, but there aren't as many reviews on the 6700. Thoughts? Thanks so much.
Rob Pegoraro: I wrote about that model as part of my review of Windows Mobile 5.0: Microsoft Mobile Software Still Behind, but Closing
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Washington, DC : Hi,Rob,
Your columns helped convince me to switch to Apple and 99 percent I'm glad I did, it's so superior to my PCs.
Except for two things, that may not be real problems but only symptoms of my difficulty with all things technical.
Worst, I cannot figure out how to download photos or files in a way that allows me to see them off-line. This was really easy to do on a PC. But in Mac (Tiger 10.4), using Firefox or Safari, I get fewer "save as" options -- no .jpg, .gif, etc. What am I doing wrong, or not doing?
The other problem is, I keep getting messages saying I need to install Flash or RealPlayer or some other (MS) program in order to watch or hear on-line or downloaded files. Will those programs even work if I download them? And aren't the Apple programs like Quicktime supposed to handle all sorts of media files?
Thanks, Rob, you're the best at helping me through these stutters.
Rob Pegoraro: First, just dragging the picture from the Web page to your desktop (or any folder open in the Finder) should be enough to save it in its original format--which will almost always be JPEG, PNG or GIF, all formats that Preview will open. To get a "save as" prompt, Ctrl-clicking on the image should suffice.
Flash comes preinstalled on new Macs, but if you need a new copy you can get it at www.adobe.com/flashplayer. There are also OS X versions of RealPlayer and Windows Media Player, all free. (But
neither of two Windows Media options
can play copy-restricted videos offered at sites like AOL's In2TV.)
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Camcorder: Rob,
Do you have any recommendations for a $400 camcorder that will be used to take family movies? We're new parents and we don't have time to edit movies on a computer...I just want a decent camcorder that will record to a permanent medium (dvd I suppose).
Rob Pegoraro: Plenty of options for you, Camcorder--models that record on miniature DVDs are easy to come by at that price range.
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Washington, D.C.: For some of you this will be easy but for me it's not. I want to get rid of my personal home computer (with dialup) and upgrade to a notebook/laptop with wireless. I need it for internet information, some Word documents and Excel. Where do I "junk" my old computer (and make sure there is no personal information on it)? Where should I start? How much will a "decent" notebook cost and I've heard that MAC's are installed with Windows so will that work for me? Am I the only one who doesn't know this stuff by heart? Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: I'm getting that first question a lot lately--I guess I should republish this old Help File item: Scrubbing Your Hard Drive; Going Online to Complain (washingtonpost.com)
Decent notebooks can go for just $700 or even less, but that usually comes at the cost of portability. Mac laptops--FYI, "Mac" is not and never has been any sort of acronym--can run Windows in a couple of different ways, but they don't come with a copy of Windows included.
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McLean, Va.: With the release of IE Beta 3 (hey, that rhymes), are we looking at a reasonable release date for Office 2006 (or is it 2007?) or Vista? I know that the dates for these products have been pushed back many times, but with this close-to-final release of IE, is Microsoft showing some hope? I think Microsoft would benefit well from having a pre-holiday 2006 release of its OS.
By the way, I am using IE7 now and aside from being a little sluggish compared to Firefox, it is fine. The layout takes a little getting used to, but once the kinks are worked out, it'll have a fighting chance.
Rob Pegoraro: Microsoft still says it will ship Vista in January 2007, but Office 2007 recently slipped from "January 2007" to "early in 2007." What's "early" mean? It's all relative, I guess.
FWIW, I wouldn't call IE 7 Beta 3 "close" to final. It won't hit the release-candidate stage until September, according to what Microsoft told me last week, while a final release is only pegged for "by the end of the year"--at which point Firefox 2.0 will probably be 2-3 months old.
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Lincoln, R.I.: Hi Rob,
I have a 2-year old iMac at home. I use it fairly lightly (email, browsing, word processing). I've been holding off on upgrading to Tiger because .. . well, I'm cheap.
At what point does it make sense to upgrade? I don't want to fall so far behind that I start having problems, but I'm not anxious to pony up $100 or more for every release either. What guidelines would you suggest?
Thanks.
Rob Pegoraro: If you've got Jaguar on your machine now, then upgrading to Tiger would make sense. OTOH, in a few weeks Apple is supposed to unveil its plans for Mac OS X 10.5--the successor to Tiger. (That's happening at the company's annual developers' conference, the first week of August.) If Apple says 10.5 is shipping in time for the holidays, you might as well hold off and then upgrade to that. But if it says it won't arrive until the spring, then you'll probably get a lot of use out of Tiger in the meantime.
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Rockville, Md.: Rob, the Symantec anti-virus update function has expired on my new laptop. By not ponying up for renewal, as a practical matter, how much risk am I really facing?
Rob Pegoraro: Quite a lot. Do you have complete confidence that you--and anybody else who uses the laptop--will never open a virus-infected attachment that arrives in your e-mail or IM? (Scroll up for a link to my review of two free anti-virus apps that could take the place of your Norton software.)
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Mt. Pleasant, Washington, D.C.: Hiya, Rob,
Have you upgraded to Tiger 10.4.7 yet or heard from anyone who has? There's a lot of chatter about it on Apple's discussion forums--lots of compatability issues. I installed the update and it disabled my USB hub. I was wondering if anyone else is having problems with it.
Thanks!
Rob Pegoraro: I've put it on three different machines with no ill effects.
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Anonymous: Is there a reason to buy an expensive surge protector (like the kind that Monster sells for $100 or so) for a TV and home theater instead of a normal surge protector that you can find for under $20 at most stores?
Rob Pegoraro: $100 is a *lot* for a surge protector--you can get a UPS (uninterruptible power system) for under half that amount.
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Rockville, Md.: I am a Windows user who upgrades his computer only once every five years, wants to future-proof as much as possible, and is tempted to buy the Intel-based iMac. I have 3 questions: First, when will Apple be able to introduce a true 64-bit dual-core processor in its Intel-based iMac? Does the upcoming "Core 2 Duo" chip fit the bill? Second, since Microsoft recently announced that its 32-bit version of Windows Vista will not support the Extensible Firmware Interface that the Intel-based iMacs use in place of the old BIOS, does this mean that Windows Vista might not be able to boot on the iMac? Third, can graphics memory be integrated (like the iMac's) yet not be "shared" (with the associated shortcomings)? Thank you.
Rob Pegoraro: 1). No idea, but I wouldn't wait on that anyway. It's just not that big of a deal to home computing--and even most business computing.
2) Vista works on a Mac--people have already gotten it to install via Boot Camp.
3) The integrated memory on a MacBook or Mac mini will probably slow down the machine's performance on Windows games, but otherwise it seems fine. (Microsoft's Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor pronounced that chipset ready to run Vista's Aero interface.)
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Ding, Dong, the ME is dead!: The worst part about my 2-year marriage and my ex-wife? Trying to fix her parents' ME machines when we went to visit... Screaming, fights, sulking off - those were childs play compared to ME.
Rob Pegoraro: Best comment so far today!
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Silver Spring, Md.: Will updates for IE6 still apply to IE6 under W98?
Rob Pegoraro: No. That's why you have to switch from IE to Firefox or Opera on any system older than XP SP2--you're using a browser that's missing a lot of important security updates.
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Framingham, Mass.: Thanks Rob for sticking with the policy of not sharing your views before publication. Too many in journalism do so and it just waters down the coverage. I wonder if you plan to review the htc 8125 (cingular 8125) or the treo 700p or the windows mobile version? i can't stand the 8125, slide open, woo-ee! but some of my friends think it's the cat's pajamas.
Rob Pegoraro: Already reviewed the 700p; haven't tried out that Cingular model yet. Smartphone Challengers Fail to Displace the Treo 650
Just a few more questions... I've got a column to write yet today!
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Fairfax, Va. follow up: In answer to you question, the photos are not appearing in many site including washingtonpost.com causing me to refresh and still not getting everything. I've used the help click broken site report to Firefox in many instances and I haven't noticed any change. From your response, it sounds like it might be on my PC some way.
Rob Pegoraro: I'm afraid so.
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DC: I need to buy MS Office Student Edition for Mac. Any chance that MS will be coming out with a new version soon?
Rob Pegoraro: Nope, not anytime this year.
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Bethesda, Md.: I switched to Firefox some time ago, and use it now on both my PC at work and my Mac at home. It's nice to be able to use the 'same' program in both places, and I'm pretty happy with it. Is there -any- reason why I'd be interested in IE7?
Rob Pegoraro: Not now, that's for sure. It's beta software of a riskier sort than most. When the final version ships, you'll want it--just so you can browse more securely at those sites that continue to be so dimwitted as to require you to use IE at all. But until then, you're safer keeping IE 6 as a rarely used backup to Firefox.
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Washington, D.C.: Hiya Rob
Another death in the computer family: my 6-year old Dell laptop took the dirt nap over the weekend. It no longer recognizes my hard drive. I am taking this opportunity (after a suitable period of mourning) to buy a new iMac. I understand that Apple often waits until their winter trade show to announce new products, but is there any other time of the year that you would hold off on buying a new iMac? What say you, oh wise one? Also, do you know if my company will let me take three days bereavement leave for the death of my PC?
Rob Pegoraro: If you're shopping for a high-end Mac, you definitely want to wait until this developers' conference--everybody expects Apple to introduce the Power Mac's Intel-based replacement then. Otherwise, there isn't any big time to avoid outside of the runup to Macworld Expo. (Why the company keeps holding this right after Christmas escapes me.)
In general, if a computer has been around for six months or so it's probably a candidate for replacement, but with Apple you never know--the iMac G5 didn't last nearly that long, while some laptops have stayed on the market with few changes for a year or so.
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Rockville, Md.: How would you rank the effectiveness of the following anti-spyware options: Windows Defender, Ad-Aware, Spy Sweeper, Spybot? Or would a particular combination of these work better?
Rob Pegoraro: I like Windows Defender, but I keep Ad-Aware and Spybot handy for supplemental cleanup. But I haven't had to use them on my regular laptop or desktop--you can't get spyware if you browse securely and don't install random junk off the Internet.
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WDC: We Mac users haven't had a new IE for years, although regretfully there remain some web sites that are accessible only with Mac IE ( IE 5.2.3 is the last Mac version).
To bend away from today's subject momentarily, would you have any advice on glossy vs. matte screen options for users of the new MacBook Pro?
Rob Pegoraro: If you can find any Web sites that still require IE for *Mac*, please point them out so we can all laugh at them.
The glossy screen looked fine to me when I tried out the MacBook. Didn't check out the matte-screen option in a direct comparison, so I can't speak to that.
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Rob Pegoraro: Alright, you all have worn me out here! Time to turn my attention to my Windows 98/ME obituary... thanks for all your questions. I'll be back here in a couple of weeks for more.
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