Ramblings, ideas, problems, and solutions

Category: Operating systems

  • Don’t break the chain, part 2

    Back in September, I wrote about a post at one of the blogs I follow, which extolled the virtues of just doing whatever it is you want to get better at, and keep doing. I also recommended an app called “Don’t break the chain!”, which I had been using for a while. This follow-up comes because I have actually stopped using that app, and replaced it with another…
     
    I had been less than happy with two aspects of “Don’t break the chain!”; first, I felt the feedback it offered was not enough, and didn’t really help encourage me at all. Secondly, I felt I lacked a possibility to track more than one task. In comes Lift.do. Coupled with a website of the same name, Lift.do offers a community of users, and allows you to track as many tasks as you wish. The interface is simple and intuitive, and works very well. In addition, there are no ads.
     
    There you have it; a simple way to keep motivated, along with a community to help.

  • Showing 32-bit registry entries on 64-bit versions of Windows

    As 64-bit processors become increasingly prolific, so do 64-bit installations of the operating system. However, most software is still written in 32-bit, which shouldn’t cause any significant problems for most end-users. However, if you need to modify or remove the registry entries for a 32-bit program, you won’t find it where you expect to.
     
    The reason for this is that all registry entries for 32-bit software are placed in a separate folder. In order to view them, you need to locate the node called Wow6432Node:
     

  • Using MSTSC to connect to a console mode session.

    One of the most important tools in any sysadmin’s tool kit is the ability to remote control servers and client computers. Being able to quickly connect to Terminal Services is a great way to do so. If you’re like me, you leave a few windows open whenever you leave a machine, and a neat trick is to be able to see these same windows when you login remotely.
     
    As it turns out, that is fairly easily done. When using the mstsc command line tool, you simply need to use the appropriate switch to activate a console session, and off you go! Simply use the following command, and you’re good to go: mstsc /console

  • Deleting a service using the registry

    In last week’s post, I showed you how to remove a service using the command prompt. However, there is another way, by using the registry. In this case, too, we need to do a little research, to find the name of the service. For simplicity, I’ll repeat it here:
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  • Deleting a service from the command prompt

    Sometimes, as an administrator, you will need to remove a service from Windows. This can be because it is malfunctioning, and reinstalling the software it came with does not solve the issue, or because an uninstall of the software it came with does not solve the actual problem. Whatever the cause, removing a service takes a little bit of legwork before you can get to the actual removal of it.
     
    In order to remove a service, you need to know what name Windows uses to refer to it. This can be found as follows:
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  • Disabling Caps Lock on Mac OS X

    For me, the Caps Lock key constantly comes in the way, and I routinely disable it on all of my machines. Whenever I need to write things in all-caps, I have no problem with holding down either of the Shift-keys with my little finger, and when I don’t need it, I tend to hit it a bit to often for my liking.
     
    I wrote about how to accomplish this on Microsoft Windows way back in 2008, but have yet to do the same for Mac OS X. Here’s how: (more…)

  • Creating your own ringtones on iPhone

    One of the most annoying things to me as a user, is the fact that I’m not able to assign my music files as ringtones. The “offical” way of adding more ringtones, is by buying them from Apple, however, you can generate them yourself, using your iPhone and a computer. To do so, you need an app that will create the ringtones for you, I use RMakerPro, but you may of course choose whichever you want. Here’s how I do it:
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  • What’s in a name

    After Apple CEO Tim Cook announced their newest offering of iPhone, it was immediately clear that fans and commentators alike were disappointed that he did not announce the iPhone 5. My question is simply, “Why?”
     
    First of all, Apple do not conform to usual naming conventions, which is exemplified by the fact that their most recent operating system, Mac OS X Lion, is numbered 10.7, and not 11 (or rather 17, as it’s the seventh Mac OS X to be released), so it strikes me as odd to expect them to do so now.
     
    Secondly, while it might not conform strictly to how they have been naming the previous iterations (iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4), it does make a kind of sense. I also suspect that they were trying to tell their customers that it wasn’t the revolutionary iPhone that would, again, change everything, but rather an upgrade of the existing platform.
     
    My last point is that it’s just a name. If they had not used numbering, but rather an apparently random string of names (I’m looking at you, HTC), I seriously doubt that there would be the same fuss. And the fuss, after all, is what Apple is best at.

  • FotoWeb Desktop for iPhone

    It has been an exciting few months, seeing the development of FotoWare’s app for iPhone. Launched at the Tech Days at Palma de Mallorca, it received many excited murmurs.
     
    The app does a few things that have been asked for. First off, you an search in your FotoWeb archives, and create alerts for these searches, enabling you to quickly see when new images come into the system. In addition, it contains a star rating system, allowing you to rate photos on the go.
     
    However, easily the most exciting feature is the upload feature. You can upload images straight from your iPhone (or iPad) to the archives, editing metadata before upload. The app is straightforward and intuitive to use, and, best of all, it just works!
     
    The app stores the searches so that they are available from the search box, and searches can be updated by pulling down and releasing the search window. In viewing mode you have sideways scrolling between photos. When you reach the end of an archive (or the hits within one that match your search), you can move to the next archive, simply by continuing to scroll sideways.
     
    The iPhone app will be available for free from the app store as soon as it has gone through the approval process, and is supported by FotoWeb 7 SR4. If you’re interested in seeing how it works, ask me, and I will give you a quick demo!
     
    Note: the screenshots in this post are from the beta version of the app, the app will look somewhat different when uploaded to the AppStore. The Album and Pinned options on the front page have not yet been implemented.
     
    Caveat lector: I used to work with support at FotoWare. This blog is my own space, I am not paid to write it. I write about FotoWare and FotoWare products because I believe in them..

  • Another feature I’d love to see on the iPad

    The iPad is great, and iOS is, well, neat. However, there are a few features from Android, that I would love to see on the iPad. Chief among these is widgets.
     
    On my Android phone, I have widgets telling me how much power is left on my phone, the number of days until my wedding, and a photo of my fiancée, to mention a few. Others include widgets to turn on and off various services on the phone, set the sound profile, and turn airplane mode on or off:
     

     
    On my iPad, the only things that could fall under the header of widgets, are the little numbers on apps like Things, Mail and Newsrack, telling me how many outstanding tasks, and unread emails and blog posts I have:
     

     
    So having established that I want widgets, what do I want them to do? For one, I’d love to have a widget for toggling airplane mode, a countdown to my wedding day and one to toggle sound and rotation lock.
     
    I’m sure there are other things you guys would want to see; feel free to use the comment field to share them!