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ComputorEdge™ Online — 04/05/13

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Windows Blue—The Next Windows?

Code name Windows Blue is in the works for Microsoft. Will it help PC sales?

Magazine Summary

List of ComputorEdge Sponsors

Digital Dave

by Digital Dave

Digital Dave answers your tech questions.

Print Favorites List; Single photo from DVD; Looking for a Windows 7 Desktop Computer.

Code Name Windows Blue

by Jack Dunning

Microsoft May Release Its Latest Version of Windows This Year

The truth is that Microsoft does not control the destiny of Windows. It spite of all of Microsoft's flailing around, the Windows Desktop will continue to dominate desktop and laptop computers for many years to come.

Combining AutoHotkey Scripts

by Jack Dunning

The AutoHotkey Command #INCLUDE Makes It Easier to Write Scripts

To make the process of script writing easier without running numerous different apps simultaneously the AutoHotkey #INCLUDE command allows you to combine a number of scripts into one. However, there are a few cautions.

Wally Wang's Apple Farm

by Wally Wang

Time vs. Results

Time vs. Results; More Steps, Less Efficiency; Open Source LiveCode Available; N-Key Rollover; Productivity with Tablets; Role-Playing in Excel; Renaming or Moving Files.

Beyond Personal Computing

by Marilyn K. Martin

Downloadable Apps: Too Many? Too Few? Too Forgettable? Too Weird?

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by ComputorEdge Staff

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Digital Dave

“Digital Dave answers your tech questions.”
by Digital Dave

Print Favorites List; Single photo from DVD; Looking for a Windows 7 Desktop Computer.

Print Favorites List

Dear Digital Dave,

Is there some way or program that would allow me to print out my extensive favorites list in the event of a crash or changing computers? It would be a reference for re-establishing the list.

Thanks

Harry Varnot

El Cajon, CA

Dear Harry,

I assume that you're referring to what's called "Favorites" in Internet Explorer and called "Bookmarks" in Google Chrome and Firefox. This is the listing of those Web sites saved for future reference and quick launch. For many people this list can become quite long and extensive. The idea of printing such a list and later recreating it on a new computer sounds pretty tedious. I think that there is a better way to protect your data.

Rather than print a list of your favorites, you should Export it a new file. All of the common Web browsers have this capability. In Internet Explorer select "Import and Export..." from the File menu. (If you don't see the File menu, push the ALT key and it will appear above the tabs or right-click on an empty area of the tabs bar and check Menu Bar.) Select Export to a File in the new window, then check Favorites. A file with an HTM extension will be saved.

The procedure is similar for other browsers with the Export function found in Bookmarks => Bookmark Manager => Organize (Chrome), Bookmarks (on Menu Bar) => Show All Bookmarks => Import and Backup (Firefox), or another variation. The export function will create an HTML which will look almost identical to that created in Internet Explorer.

HTM or HTML files are the standard Web page file types. If you open the saved Bookmark file in any Web browser, you will see a listing of all your Favorites. If you click on one of the links, your browser will navigate to that Web location. This is much handier than a printed list because you can use the Import function found is most browsers to add your Favorites from this file to the new browser regardless of which one it is.

If you wanted to add select favorites one at a time, you could open the HTM/HTLM file in your browser and click each link, adding it to Favorites/Bookmarks as you go. You would only do this if you didn't want to add all of the Favorites. Otherwise the Import option is your best bet.

If you are concerned about a computer crash (which everyone should be), save the file on a flash drive or another backup medium such as Dropbox, SkyDrive, or another Cloud drive. (If you have a Google account and use Chrome, Google will remember your Bookmarks wherever you are logged in.)

You could print the list from the exported file displayed in the browser, but it would not include the URLs to the specific sites, only the names. You would be much better off with a copy of the file and saving the price of paper and printer ink.

Digital Dave

Single photo from DVD

Dear Digital Dave,

You have been helpful to me for many years. Is there a way to make a photo from one image on a DVD? I'm thinking of playing the DVD on my desktop, pause play and then printing the shot I want. Am I on the right track? I do have "Screen Shot" from IncrediMail. Will this help?

CAS

El Cajon, CA

Dear CAS,

Yes, you are on the right track. In fact it is quite simple to do on a Windows computer. When the screen is paused, press the Print Screen button. (The Print Screen button is generally near or on the top right side of the keyboard. It may have a different label such as "prt sc", "prt scr", or "prt scn.") This will capture the entire screen in the Windows Clipboard. If you only want a screen capture of the active window, hold down the ALT key while hitting Print Screen.

To use or save the image, paste (CTRL+V) the image into a graphics programs such as Paint or the free IrfanView.

You could probably use the Screen Shot program from IncrediMail to capture the image, but I suspect that it will reduce the size to something suitable for e-mail which could lose quality. If you have Windows Vista or above, it comes with Snipping Tool which is specifically designed for capture of screen images. It has more features that just using the Print Screen key, plus there is a technique for capturing pop-up or dropdown menus. Just search for "snip" in the Start Menu search field (+Q for search in Windows 8).

Digital Dave

Windows 7 Desktop Computer

Dear Digital Dave,

Where can I have a computer built for me? I want Windows 7 and a good solid system.

Jan Pflimlin

La Mesa, CA

Dear Jan,

Anyone who sells computers should be able to get you a Windows 7 computer. The only difference between most Windows 7 and Windows 8 computer systems is the installation of the operating systems. (Some Windows 8 machines may have touch capabilities not available in Windows 7.) If you go to a local computer retailer, then they can configure your computer to your specifications. Unfortunately, it's been hard times for local computer stores. (I know that there a still a couple of computer stores in San Diego such as Chips and Memory in Kearney Mesa.) Many have gone out-of-business. You should still be able to get a computer the way you want it even if you go to one of the larger electronics or office stores.

As to the quality of the computer, most are fairly comparable. If you are looking at specific brands, then go to a Web site such as Amazon.com and read the reviews. (You don't have to buy there, but you want to see what people are saying about the computers brands.)

You can make a list of those features most important to you. Although to be frank, unless you're a gamer or other power user, most of today's off-the-shelf computers have plenty of everything for just about anyone. As long as you get your Windows 7, you should be in good shape.

Note: I understand you want Windows 7, but I believe that Windows 8 computers are also very good—if not better (more responsive). However, there is just a little more learning with Windows 8. See this book from Amazon.

Digital Dave

Code Name Windows Blue

“Microsoft May Release Its Latest Version of Windows This Year”
by Jack Dunning

The truth is that Microsoft does not control the destiny of Windows. It spite of all of Microsoft's flailing around, the Windows Desktop will continue to dominate desktop and laptop computers for many years to come.

The latest on Microsoft Windows is that despite trying to look upbeat the latest code name assigned for the next version is Blue. It may eventually be called Windows 9, or some other uninspired name, but for now the rumored project is labeled Windows Blue. Microsoft appears to be doubling down on the Modern interface which has thrown the Windows market into total confusion.

According to Michael Muchmore at PC Magazine, "What Is Windows Blue?", the bulk of the rumored changes are to the Modern tablet side of Windows 8 and include more touch, more snapping options, new included apps, smaller start screen tiles, new charm bar capabilities, Internet Explorer 11, touch improvements and SkyDrive syncing. In fact there is so much emphasis on this enormously unpopular side of Windows 8 that some are fearful that this is the beginning of the end for the Windows Desktop, as noted by CNET's Brooke Crothers in "With Windows Blue comes fear of desktop's demise."

The truth is that Microsoft does not control the destiny of Windows. It spite of all of Microsoft's flailing around, the Windows Desktop will continue to dominate desktop and laptop computers for many years to come. Microsoft is in the enviable position of being able to screw up one product after another yet continue to dominate the computer operating system market. They can't help it.

Windows 8 will most likely be considered a success five to ten years from now. It will take that long for people to either accept it or see their Windows XP machine die. In the meantime, Windows 8 is doomed to very slow growth. Unlike the Windows Vista catastrophe, Windows 8 is actually a decent product. (To be fair, Windows Vista is a good-enough product. I still use it regularly—along with Windows 7 and, increasingly, Windows 8.) The introduction of Windows 8 last October appears to be more of a blip in the market than a trend. Microsoft rolled out a product that most people don't care about or need. But that doesn't mean that computer buyers won't eventually grow accustomed to it and use it.

I don't know if there have been any studies on how much Windows 8 users take advantage of the Modern apps. I, for one, tend to bypass the Start Screen and spend 99% of my time in the Desktop. However, in a few forums that have asked the question, "How much do you use Modern?", the replies seemed to be split about half and half between "almost never look at the Modern screen" and "regularly use the apps." The frequent Modern users focused on entertainment and commonly available apps such as Netflix and news outlets. My guess is that Modern Start Screen use will creep into the lives of Windows users—although not nearly as fast as Microsoft would like.

Slow Start for Windows 8

Windows 8 has had the slowest start for any version of Windows since Windows Vista. It even lags behind Vista (see Figure 1). It should catch up with Windows Vista installations by the end of the year, but Windows 8 is certainly not taking the world by storm. Windows Vista had been in a sharp decline since the introduction of Windows 7. Now it appears to have settled at about five percent—mostly hardcore Vista users.

Figure 1. By the end of March 2013, Windows 8 made up 3.17% of computer users. Windows 7 took a drop in January, but has since started to climb.

Windows XP users appear to be almost stable. These are people who see absolutely no reason to get a new computer—or even to upgrade. (It is important to remember that the chart from Net Market Share reflects the actual usage of computers on the Internet. These are not sales numbers, nor are they computers sitting in a closet somewhere.)

As for Windows 7, it experienced a slight drop in January, but appears to be on a rebound. I expect that this will continue as word gets out about the Windows 8 learning curve and people come to realized that Windows 7 computers are still available. Windows 7 computers will be available for many years to come, not because Microsoft wants it that way—they don't—but because people will demand it. (This is proven by the fact that Microsoft has been forced to support Windows XP until 2014.) In the coming months, you will see more and more Windows 7 products on the shelf. This is a fortunate situation for Microsoft because financially it makes no difference whether people buy a new Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer. Both make money for Microsoft, so the lack of interest in Windows 8 doesn't really hurt all that much.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not recommending the purchase of a Windows 7 computer over a Windows 8 machine. I ultimately think that Windows users will come to accept Windows 8. It's not all that bad. I just think that the vast majority of Windows users want plain vanilla Windows and not some odd variation with a funky start screen. That's why they are looking for Windows 7—and they are going to get it.

Finding Windows 7 Computers

People can get Windows 7 computers almost anywhere computers are sold. They may need to ask for it, but based upon those requests more and more stores will be carrying them. I took the time to check out the availability of Windows 7 computers at Best Buy and a number of other locations. While some, such as Costco, made it difficult to find Windows 7 computers, it was easy at most Web retailers. Surprisingly, Best Buy had more Windows 7 models than Windows 8 (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. When searching for computers at Best Buy by operating systems, Best Buy offers more Windows 7 models than Windows 8 models. The number in the parentheses represents the number of available models for each operating system.

As buyers start realizing that Windows 7 is still available, many will opt for it. The computer manufacturers and retailers don't care which version of Windows is bought. They just can't afford the market slowdown which has occurred since the introduction of Windows 8.

The current levels of Windows XP and Vista users will slowly ebb as the machines breakdown and fail to return from the dead. Their owners' only decision will be whether to they will move to Windows 7 or Windows 8. If you think that these people will switch to Apple, then think again. These people will most likely pick Windows 7 since it is the most like Windows XP and Vista. They certainly don't want to learn OS X. They will get Windows 8 before settling for a Mac. At least they are familiar with the Windows 8 Desktop. Windows is their operating system for better or worse, regardless of what Microsoft does.

As for the drop in PC sales while tablets computers continue to grow, that's only to be expected. There were many people using desktop and laptop computers when all they really needed was a tablet. It took Steve Jobs to point it out. Without that Apple vision, I'm not convinced there would be a tablet market today. It certainly wouldn't be so huge. But tablets are not killing PCs anymore than forks are making spoons obsolete. The two options, while doing similar tasks, serve distinctly different life functions. Certainly tablets are here to stay, but desktop and laptops are not going away. While I have a couple of tablet computers, I can't imagine using one for all my daily work. It would be like playing a piano with one hand tied behind your back.

Windows Blue might be out this year. Some people speculate that Microsoft plans to introduce a new version of Windows every year just as Apple does for the Mac. If so they should put a little more effort into naming the versions of Windows. (It least Apple gives OS X personality by naming new versions after different—and bigger—cats.) Maybe the improvement will be appreciated by Windows users, but it's hard to get excited. Does it really matter?

Microsoft needs to keep working toward an improved operating system—even if those efforts often seem misguided. Not to do so would spell out their ultimate death. In the meantime, Windows has such a dominant position in the desktop computer market and in the minds of its users that it would take something truly revolutionary to unseat it as top dog. Microsoft will tinker with Windows, often (if not usually) ticking off its user base, but it will continue as the default lord of the computer operating system. In the final analysis, Microsoft will continue to support Windows as we know it because that's what Windows users want.

Jack is the publisher of ComputorEdge Magazine. He's been with the magazine since first issue on May 16, 1983. Back then, it was called The Byte Buyer. His Web site is www.computoredge.com. He can be reached at ceeditor@computoredge.com. Jack is now in the process of updating and compiling his hundreds of articles and columns into e-books. Currently available:

Just Released! Hidden Windows Tools for Protecting, Problem Solving and Troubleshooting Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Computers.

Now at Amazon! Jack's A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey, Absolutely the Best Free Windows Utility Software Ever!: Create Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Our second compilation of stupid ComputorEdge cartoons from 2011 and 2012 is now available at Amazon! That Does Not Compute, Too! ComputorEdge Cartoons, Volume II: "Do You Like Windows 8 or Would You Prefer an Apple?"

Currently only at Amazon.com, Jack's Favorite Free Windows Programs: What They Are, What They Do, and How to Get Started!.

Available from Amazon, Misunderstanding Windows 8: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Windows 8! Also available at Barnes and Noble and ComputorEdge E-Books.

Available exclusively from Amazon, Windows 7 Secrets Four-in-One E-Book Bundle,

Getting Started with Windows 7: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Using Windows 7,

Sticking with Windows XP—or Not? Why You Should or Why You Should Not Upgrade to Windows 7,

and That Does Not Compute!, brilliantly drawn cartoons by Jim Whiting for really stupid gags by Jack about computers and the people who use them.

Combining AutoHotkey Scripts

“The AutoHotkey Command #INCLUDE Makes It Easier to Write Scripts”
by Jack Dunning

To make the process of script writing easier without running numerous different apps simultaneously the AutoHotkey #INCLUDE command allows you to combine a number of scripts into one. However, there are a few cautions.

Over the past number of months we have introduced numerous AutoHotkey scripts—many of them one or two lines. These apps may be running in separate files or in one big AutoHotkey script. Eventually, there are either too many apps loaded—each with a little green icon in the System Tray—or the combined file is getting too long and confusing. To make the process of script writing easier without running numerous different apps simultaneously the AutoHotkey #INCLUDE command allows you to combine a number of scripts into one. However, there are a few cautions.

The #INCLUDE command simply acts as a conduit for bringing code from another file into the main script. It inserts the code from the source file into the main file at the point where the #INCLUDE command is found. For example, to add the AutoCorrection app to fix common misspellings anywhere, anytime it can be added to any other script with the line:

#include C:\Users\Jack\AutoHotkey\autocorrect.ahk

If you want a little more universal path, you can use:

#include %A_ScriptDir%\autocorrect.ahk

(There are a limited number of variables allowed with the #INCLUDE command. See the above link for details.)

Or, since the command looks in the same folder as the main script, the following will also work::

#include autocorrect.ahk

The #INCLUDE command is designed primarily to bring in libraries of function and subroutines. It often will not be effective in combining apps which are more involved—especially if there is any conflict between the scripts. It was easy to add the AutoCorrect app because it only consists of a series of hot text replacements. There are no involved conditionals (IF-ELSE), creation of GUIs (Graphic Controls), or menus. The file is added to the main script without a problem except as noted. (Note: I did find that I needed to place the AutoCorrect include at the end of the script. It was causing some of my other special ComputorEdge character replacements to be enclosed in curly brackets as if using the raw mode for the SEND command. You may find that an #INCLUDE command works better at either the beginning or end of the main script depending upon what's in the include file and what else is in the main script.)

How INCLUDE Works

When the AHK script is loaded the entire file is read with all the #INCLUDE statements added in before any execution occurs. Next the hotkey combinations are set up—again before any of the code is executed. Only then does the script start executing any code. This is why some scripts may seem to display strange behavior. It doesn't matter where the code designed for immediate execution is located in the script, it will always run after all the #INCLUDE statements are added and all of the hotkeys are set up.

I also added the GrandKids app and the Reminder app with:

#include grandkids.ahk

#include Reminder.ahk

These were a little more problematic.

Since the original GrandKids script did not create a hotkey combination for running it, I needed to add one. Otherwise the app would run upon loading, but would not be available later. In the file to be included I added #g:: (+G) as the hotkey combination and a RETURN at the end of the routine to contain the code. This took care of the situation.

For the Reminder script, I needed to add the original hotkey combination (^#R) back in rather than depending solely on the HOTKEY command. Then to set up the initial Reminder settings, in the main script I executed the hotkey combination by adding:

SendInput, ^#r

.This resolved the problem of the Set Reminder menu item not being added to the System Tray right-click menu on startup.

The point is that if you're including files which are complete scripts, you may need to make modification to ensure that there are not conflicts between the scripts and that they initialize properly. If you only use the #INCLUDE command to add functions and subroutines, then you most likely won't have problems. There is another program mentioned in the linked section which is designed to join different AutoHotkey apps. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet.

Jack is the publisher of ComputorEdge Magazine. He's been with the magazine since first issue on May 16, 1983. Back then, it was called The Byte Buyer. His Web site is www.computoredge.com. He can be reached at ceeditor@computoredge.com. Jack is now in the process of updating and compiling his hundreds of articles and columns into e-books. Currently available:

Just Released! Hidden Windows Tools for Protecting, Problem Solving and Troubleshooting Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Computers.

Now at Amazon! Jack's A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey, Absolutely the Best Free Windows Utility Software Ever!: Create Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Our second compilation of stupid ComputorEdge cartoons from 2011 and 2012 is now available at Amazon! That Does Not Compute, Too! ComputorEdge Cartoons, Volume II: "Do You Like Windows 8 or Would You Prefer an Apple?"

Currently only at Amazon.com, Jack's Favorite Free Windows Programs: What They Are, What They Do, and How to Get Started!.

Available from Amazon, Misunderstanding Windows 8: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Windows 8! Also available at Barnes and Noble and ComputorEdge E-Books.

Available exclusively from Amazon, Windows 7 Secrets Four-in-One E-Book Bundle,

Getting Started with Windows 7: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Using Windows 7,

Sticking with Windows XP—or Not? Why You Should or Why You Should Not Upgrade to Windows 7,

and That Does Not Compute!, brilliantly drawn cartoons by Jim Whiting for really stupid gags by Jack about computers and the people who use them.

Wally Wang's Apple Farm

“Time vs. Results”
by Wally Wang

Time vs. Results; More Steps, Less Efficiency; Open Source LiveCode Available; N-Key Rollover; Productivity with Tablets; Role-Playing in Excel; Renaming or Moving Files.

Here's an obsolete way of thinking that needs to be wiped out as soon as possible. A friend of mine hired a computer technician to fix his computer. After two hours, the technician left, claiming he had fixed the problem. The next day, the exact same computer problem appeared again.

When my friend complained that he had paid to have the problem fixed and it wasn't fixed, the technician simply said that he got paid for his time, not necessarily for fixing problems. It's this type of thinking that explains the inefficiency and lousy customer service that infects so many businesses and workers.

When you insist on getting paid for your time rather than for any results you can produce, it's in your best interest to take as long as possible whether you produce the desired result or not. Rather than insist on getting paid for your time, look how different working can be when you focus on getting paid for results.

When you focus on producing results, it's in your best interest to work as quickly as possible and achieve that result. When you achieve that result, the customer will be happy whether it took you two minutes or two days.

Now look at who will make customers happy: someone who insists on getting paid for their time (and may never get the results you want) or someone who insists on getting paid only when they deliver the results you want.

The reason why most people insist on being paid for their time is because they're not confident they can produce the results that someone pays them to do. When you focus only on getting paid without necessarily producing results, then you'll almost always have lousy customer service because your focus is always on what's best for you and not what's best for the customer, which is getting results.

Customers don't want to pay and not get the results they want. That's like ordering a hamburger at McDonald's and after paying, having the cashier tell you, "Our cook is taking longer than normal to get the burgers ready so you'll have to pay more for his time." Customers will pay whatever you ask if you give them the results that they want, but customers won't be happy if they don't get the results they want and still have to pay more to get what they originally thought they were getting the first time they paid.

In the computer world, people complain about the high cost of Apple products, but ignoring ordinary technical problems that can occur with any product, Apple products work and make it easy for you to achieve whatever result you want.

In the Windows PC world, you can pay less and get a PC that doesn't work as well as an Apple Macintosh. If you get a laptop, the PC laptop trackpad likely won't feel as smooth and responsive as the trackpad on a MacBook laptop. More recently, buying a Windows PC means you also have the additional hassle of learning Windows 8.

To further keep costs down, PC manufacturers load up their PCs with bloatware, which are third-party programs like trial versions of antivirus programs. Such bloatware gobbles up disk space and often tricks people into buying the software when they can find free alternatives if they only knew where to look.

Like computer technicians who focus on themselves first, PC manufacturers also think of themselves first and their customers last, if at all. Apple products may cost more than PC products, but in many cases, the extra cost is worth the price of having a product designed from the start to meet your needs rather than meet the needs of the seller first.

The next time you need any work done, would you rather pay someone for their time with no guarantee of getting the results you paid for? Or would you rather pay someone who can deliver the results you want even if it costs more?

Going one step further, when you buy any product, do you want a product designed to work right away to help you achieve your tasks? Or would you rather buy a product designed to maximize the profit of the manufacturer and inconvenience you in the process?

More Steps, Less Efficiency

The more steps it takes to accomplish a task, the slower and less efficient you'll be doing it. That's why it's puzzling that Microsoft continues to make their software harder and less intuitive to use. First there was the shut down problem. On Windows 7, click the Start button and click Shut Down. Two steps.

On Windows 8, you have to move the mouse pointer to the bottom right corner of the screen to display the Charm bar. Then click on the Settings icon to display a menu. Then click on the Power icon to display another menu. Then click Shut Down. Four steps to accomplish the same task, and you have to know how to open the Charm bar because there's no visual clue for how to open it. Hiding elements of the user interface and requiring more steps to accomplish the same task is simply poor software design no matter how you look at the problem.

Microsoft repeated this problem with Word 2013. In Word 2010, you could click on the File tab and then click Open to display the Open dialog box to choose a document to edit. Two steps.

In Word 2013, you have to click the File tab, then click Open. Then click Computer and then click Browse before the Open dialog box appears. Four steps to accomplish the exact same task that you could achieve in two steps with Word 2010. Anyone want to argue that doubling the number of steps to accomplish the same task is an improvement in any way?

Is it any wonder why so many people get frustrated when using Microsoft software? Rather than simplify their products, Microsoft seems to relish complicating them. If Microsoft continues to complicate their products, the real question is why do so many people not only stay with their software, but fanatically defend it?

If you really want to save money, a free copy of Linux can beat the fixed cost of Windows every time. If saving money is your true goal, then switching from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice (a more popular variant of OpenOffice) can also help. To help you migrate from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice, read the Document Foundation's white paper explaining how organizations can migrate from proprietary software like Microsoft Office to open source software like LibreOffice.

The city of Freiburg in Germany tried to switch from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice, but users resisted when they couldn't reliably open Microsoft Office files. Their solution was to switch back to Microsoft Office at a cost of at least $500,000.

The problem wasn't that OpenOffice couldn't meet their needs, but that the city insisted on using Microsoft Office proprietary file formats. In the meantime, the city of Munich switched from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice and claimed they saved over $13 million as a result.

As Microsoft continues to make their software harder to use, free alternatives like Linux and LibreOffice should look more attractive to people who actually care about saving money while also having the freedom to customize their software without restriction. If you think a Macintosh is too expensive and too restrictive, then choosing Microsoft software is also too expensive and too restrictive compared to Linux and LibreOffice. Even if you don't want to switch to Linux, you can always switch to LibreOffice since it runs on Windows, Linux, and OS X.

For true freedom, you can't go wrong with Linux and LibreOffice. For power users, LibreOffice may not offer all the features in Microsoft Office, but for the majority of users, LibreOffice offers just enough features to get work done. However, if you enjoy being frustrated and taking more steps to accomplish the same tasks, then feel free to use anything made by Microsoft instead. Just don't ignore verifiable facts about problems that you can't dismiss except by pretending they don't exist or aren't important in the first place.

Open Source LiveCode Available

In 1987, Apple started giving away free copies of HyperCard with every Macintosh. Back then, ordinary corporate executives ran Apple and couldn't understand that many people were buying Macintosh computers just to run HyperCard. These short-sighted corporate executives couldn't see the value in giving HyperCard away for free, even if it did spur sales of Macintosh computers, so Apple gradually lost interest in HyperCard and let it fade away.

Although HyperCard is long gone, on April 9th you can download a free, open source HyperCard clone called LiveCode. On the off chance that you still have HyperCard stack files lying around, you can import them into LiveCode and recompile them to run on Windows, Linux, or Macintosh computers.

Unlike HyperCard, LiveCode runs on Windows, Linux, or OS X so you can get the benefits of HyperCard on any computer you use. Since LiveCode is now open source and free, you can experiment with creating your own programs using HyperCard's simplified programming language and its programming metaphor of designing a program based on a stack of index cards.

For English speakers, LiveCode's English-like programming language makes programming simple to understand. For non-English speakers, learning any programming language often means learning English first and then learning programming, which makes programming twice as difficult.

To overcome this limitation, computer scientist Ramsey Nasser has created (pronounced "Alb," which means "heart"), a fully-functional programming language based on Arabic script. By examining this programming language, you can better understand the difficulties facing non-English speakers when they want to learn computer programming.

Whether you use LiveCode or another programming language, computer programming can be a skill that teaches basic problem solving. When you learn to program, you also learn to understand the limitations of a computer and perhaps gain greater (or less) appreciation for the way existing programs work.

N-Key Rollover

Most computer keyboards are cheap. After prolonged use, the letters often wipe away under constant use. Even worse for professional typists, the keys often feel flimsy with poor tactile feedback, which makes typing difficult.

If you want a keyboard that provides tactile feedback, there are two popular choices: the Matias Tactile Pro and the German Das Keyboard. Both keyboards work with either Windows PCs or Macintosh computers and cost around $130.

For casual computer typists, paying $130 for a keyboard might sound outrageous, but to typists who spend much of their time using a keyboard, $130 keyboards are simply a necessary tool. Such keyboards often have a more solid feel while providing tactile feedback that so many typists enjoy.

More importantly, higher-end keyboards offer something called n-key rollover. With a cheap keyboard, you can often type too fast. Before you can release one key, you may press another key, which causes the cheap keyboard to ignore the second pressed key. Type too fast and the keyboard often skips multiple letters.

When looking for a keyboard for heavy typing, you need to look for n-key rollover, which basically means that the keyboard is smart enough to detect when you press multiple keys simultaneously without losing any of them. Type too fast on a cheap keyboard and you'll often miss letters. Type too fast on a keyboard with n-key rollover and the keyboard can keep up with your typing.

Figure 1. The better keyboards offer n-key rollover.

If you're serious about typing, don't settle for cheap keyboards that will hamper your ability to type for prolonged periods of time. You often get what you pay for, so paying for a better keyboard can actually be an investment in productivity. If you're currently using a cheap keyboard, you may never know how much better your typing experience could be until you try a better keyboard for the first time. After using a better keyboard, you may wonder how you ever tolerated the cheap keyboard for so long.

Productivity with Tablets

To the surprise of no one except the most short-sighted critics, Forrester ran a survey and concluded that tablets boost worker productivity by letting them get work done quickly and easily wherever they happen to be.

The most important factor was the tablet's "hyper-portability" which allowed workers to carry and use them easily anywhere. Toss in 4G connectivity and tablets let you connect to the Internet while working almost anywhere you might be.

Of course, you can duplicate a tablet's features by lugging around a netbook or ultrabook laptop that may be almost as light. Toss in a cellular modem and you'll also have Internet connectivity wherever you go. Now try using a tablet while standing in line and you can use it easily. Flip open a netbook or ultrabook while standing in line and you're suddenly hampered by the clamshell design that forces you to clumsily hold the device while trying to type with one hand.

By their design alone, tablets are far simpler than any type of a laptop computer. While laptops offer physical keyboards that some people insist on using, tablets give you the option of using a virtual keyboard or an optional physical keyboard.

Tablets can't do everything a laptop can do, but neither can a laptop do everything a tablet can do. To deny the usefulness of tablets because they can't fully duplicate every feature of a laptop makes as much sense as denying the usefulness of a laptop because they can't fully duplicate every feature of a tablet.

Tablets are just another tool to use in the right circumstances. As more people understand this basic idea, you'll continue seeing more people using tablets along with laptops and desktop computers. Just notice how less people will rely on their desktop and laptop computers over time when they have a tablet to use instead.

Role-Playing in Excel

If you happen to have the Windows version of Excel 2007 or 2010 running on your computer, you might want to download a unique role-playing game called Arena. This game is created entirely as an Excel workbook and lets you play and study how a role-playing game works.

Although this game won't run on the Macintosh version of Excel, you can still study how to create a turn-based role-playing game entirely out of Excel macros. For those aspiring game developers, you can use this Arena game as inspiration to prove that creativity is far more important than the programming platform you want to use.

Figure 2. The Arena user interface made out of Excel.

*                    *                    *

If you're using Mountain Lion OS X 10.8, you can click on the title bar of a document to display a menu that lets you either rename your document or move it to another location. By using this feature, you won't have to use the Finder to do the same task.

Figure 3. Clicking on the title bar of a file lets you rename or move it.

In the early days, before Wally became an Internationally renowned comedian, computer book writer, and generally cool guy, Wally Wang used to hang around The Byte Buyer dangling participles with Jack Dunning and go to the gym to pump iron with Dan Gookin.

Wally is responsible for the following books:

My New Mac, Lion Edition

My New iPad 2

Steal This Computer Book

Microsoft Office 2010 For Dummies

Beginning Programming for Dummies

Beginning Programming All-in-One Reference for Dummies

Breaking Into Acting for Dummies with Larry Garrison

Strategic Entrepreneurism with Jon and Gerald Fisher

How to Live with a Cat (When You Really Don't Want To)

The Secrets of the Wall Street Stock Traders

Mac Programming For Absolute Beginners

Republican Fairy Tales (Children's Stories the 1% Tell About the Rest of Us)

The Zen of Effortless Selling with Moe Abdou

The 15-Minute Movie Method

Erotophobia (A novel)

In his spare time, Wally likes blogging about movies and writing screenplays at his site "The 15 Minute Movie Method." Wally can be reached at wally@computoredge.com.

Beyond Personal Computing

“Downloadable Apps: Too Many? Too Few? Too Forgettable? Too Weird?”
by Marilyn K. Martin

Free apps, zombie apps, face-morphing apps and more.

Without delving into the soap opera of struggling developers trying to come up with the next must-have app at their kitchen table, most people agree that "mobile applications" have plateaued. After all, you work on your tablet now at your kid's soccer game, instead of surfing for bargains on "Badly Used But Super-Cheap" through your smartphone. Basically, the app market is now saturated—and your tablet and smartphone may be too, since tons of apps are frequently blamed for system slow-downs.

With recent polls showing that most people download apps on almost a weekly basis, and still only use the same half-dozen repeatedly, maybe it's time to sift through your voluminous apps, and see which ones you can live without. Or even if you can remember why you downloaded an app for a donut shop in Manitoba, or yet another game facsimile for "Disturbed Birds." As the current joke goes, "Do we really need another fart app?"

'Cause it was Free, of Course...

These few words probably trigger more app downloads than anything else. There are more online searches with the word "Free" than any other search phrase. My husband still picks up the phone when he sees "Call Now For Free...!" on television. So we are regularly bombarded with catalogs for roll-up patio covers (despite the fact that we have no patio), and Gerber Baby Insurance solicitation (we are both over 50).

So—show of hands—how many have downloaded "free apps" that you never used? And what does your Interests Profile with all these free apps really say about you? Buried deep in Big Data somewhere, algorithms are spinning themselves silly trying to find a "consumer pattern." I mean, you've downloaded a free calorie counter app, free menus for Heart Failure Burgers and Dripping Mountains of Cheese, a free reminder app for that gym membership you let lapse, free map locations for diesel gas stations, and free emergency contacts for nationwide "Dead As A Duck" recharging sites for your electric car.

Paying for Apps

A 2011 article in ITworld revealed that 79% of tablet users paid for the apps they downloaded, versus free-apps. Not only that, but they paid an average of $53 apiece for their downloaded apps. The real head-scratcher was that 93% of surveyed tablet users downloaded apps—but only 90% actually used their apps.

So what was that other 3% thinking? Is it a status thing? Yanking out your tablet crammed with apps and titles like "Iridium Finders Club" or "Endless Platinum Credit Access" on the subway? Maybe those unopened apps are being held back for just the right moment. Like pulling your tablet out of a leather holster or huge purse in a bar to inform a cute but baffled bartender, "Just a sec! I must have a recipe for that. Ah, here we are: a Frosty Gin Geronimo Over Pears, Hold The Olive."

When Does Being an App-Explorer Cross Over into Being an App-Addict?

Even back in 2010, ShinyShinyTV advised that downloading too many apps to your smartphone can get out of hand. 30-60 apps seemed to be a happy medium, they suggest. While having over 150 apps means you may be an app-addict, and drastic measures should be considered. Such as blocking your connection to iTunes, or promising to not download anymore free apps for the rest of the year.

Users frequently admit that they have too many apps, but don't know which ones to delete. Thinning out your 20 chocolate dessert location maps in a three state area might be the place to start. A good next step would be to lose the apps you haven't opened in the past year, like "Choosing the Perfect Gift For A 6 Year Old"—when your child is now in Middle School. And if you sit staring at an app like"Blimps Over Boston," when you moved to Miami ten years ago—lose it.

Too Much Digital Distraction? There's an App for That

For users with trouble concentrating on a job task at hand, or who procrastinate by playing games or posting on Facebook instead of working, there are now apps to shut down certain software for a specified period of time. These apps are designed to act like digital blinders, as presented in an iVillage article.

These apps have distraction blockers and/or time-management functions, which users can set for up to around 8 hours. MacFreedom locks the Internet away for up to 8 hours, for only $10. While SelfControl is a free app which blocks access to social media and e-mail for whatever length of time you set it for.

For more sophisticated or customized task management, Concentrate is a $30 app to specify which sites and apps are to be left open or blocked, with spoken messages, sounds or growls to remind you to stay focused on your job task. Other media-blocking or time-management apps are RescueTime and Think.

Face-Morphing Apps

Beyond social media, one broad category of apps that endlessly fascinates people—and keeps growing and mutating—are face-morphing apps. I'm not sure why they are so appealing. Maybe we have an endless fascination with seeing our or someone else's face morphed into something silly, scary, unreal or someday—possible. Maybe it's subtle jealousy to morph a celebrity's face, or longingly combine their face with ours for a never-gonna-happen Love Child. Maybe we just want to prepare ourselves for what the neighbors will look like after the always-impending Zombie Apocalypse or Alien Invasion.

TV shows like SyFy's FaceOff lure eager young makeup-artists more into Mummy Mayhem then lipstick and powder. And there are even companies, like India's KCH that make quirky but functional products with India-centric faces.

The earliest trend of moving a face to another body was born in carnivals with propped-up, painted plywood bodies and a hole-for-your-face. This was great for tourists to later yuck it up, while totally boring relatives with 3-hour slideshows. Those different body apps are still around, but now the trend is to take a face-photo and add a different hairstyle and/or frame around it, like OldBooth.

For the merely curious, there are maybe-never apps like AgingBooth, FatBooth and BaldBooth. Plus plenty of apps that will combine several photos into one face like MorphThing. Momentary fun for an expecting couple, or a love-struck female fan. Not so fun in a few years when a divorcing celebrity wife wants to "prove" all the love-children her hubby has out there. Or when the morphed photo reappears in 30 years as Junior tries to run a serious political campaign. ("Switched At Birth! What Do We Really Know About Mickey Pinger Running for the Senate?")

If you are looking for freaky-faces, whether Halloween is approaching or not, there is a plethora of apps to morph a head-shot into nightmarish creatures, like FaceSwitch. Or try MakeMeZombie, HauntedBoothPro, or the creepiest of all, iMut8r.

Face and Background Morphing: The Museum Edition

For those wanting a more intellectual photo-morph to accompany a poem or dead fish, take a look at MEanderthal.

Or put your photo into a famous painting with Impressionist Painting Effect or Oil Painting Effect.

And the Point of All This Face-Morphing?

There is none. Most of the above apps are one-trick-ponies, meaning once you've mastered the app and had fun at a party (or in the cafeteria/library/locker room), you'll quickly get bored and move on to other AMAs (Apps Momentarily Amusing) like The Airhorn Symphony.

Or, if you are over ten, have a creative spark and lots of time, you can buy some top quality face-morphing software, like FantaMorph5, and put together a video of morphed-faces. Then you can upload it to that great Brain Burp Blackboard site, YouTube, like this one. Who knows, maybe someone will hire you to design trendy new Eye Charts or Psychological Tests, in the "What's Wrong With..." genre.

Brainiac Apps: Spoofing

This idea is to trick or hoax someone—or an entire computer system—by making up or borrowing someone else's identity. Spammers spoof by sending out e-mails that don't correctly identify the sender. Hackers spoof by masking the IP address of a certain computer system, so other systems can't determine where the transmitting data is coming from. For the garden-variety rest of us, spoofing usually involves mobile apps to disguise our voice or caller ID, using an app like SpoofCard, to make prank calls.

iStalking—From Russia with Love

Leave it to some very strange designers to come up with some creepy iStalk apps that are borderline legal—but definitely in the icky category. The latest ruckus got going last April 2012 with an app called Girls Around Me through a Russian developer, i-Free Innovations. Girls Around Me was a geo-location app that let a user identify young women who had checked into venues near their location, like clubs and bars, based on publicly available data from Facebook and Foursquare.

The developer retooled GAM so that no woman could be traced or tracked, but Foursquare and later i-Free Innovation still dropped the app. Not to worry, i-Free Innovation's other mobile apps include Mushroom Wars, Pocket Blonde and Everfriends (which features a "cute extraterrestrial Spoony, a beautiful blonde Brainy, and a mysterious brunette Marry.") Not to suggest that this developer may be another front-company for yet more Russian sexual mind-games looking for personal-vulnerabilities, but...consider yourself warned.

Other questionable iStalk apps, according to NBC News (from Laptop), include the bizarre Situationist app for users to upload a photo of themselves with a "list of things you want a stranger to do to you in public." If that's not creepy enough, Recognizr lets someone point their smartphone camera at another's face, which then pulls up their contact info and social network updates. Even Facebook has some status-change apps, like Breakup Notifier and Crush Notifier, that may be more status-stalking than healthy observation.

Marilyn is a freelance writer and humorist, with a special interest (besides computers and technology) in Science Fiction. She has had short stories appear in the following 2011-2012 publications: Deadman's Tome online magazine; Strange Valentines anthology; Cosmic Crime anthology; PerihelionSF online magazine; and The Fifth Dimension online magazine. She has also sold a short story to appear in the March 2013 anthology, Universe Horribilis. She is also writing a Young Adult SF series, Chronicles of Mathias, and contributes weekly articles or humor columns to ComputorEdge.ComputorEdge E-Books has converted many of Marilyn's computer humor columns into four e-books. Now available in a four-book Kindle bundle from Amazon.com The Best Computer and Internet Humor, Anecdotes, and Jokes Found on the Web. Marilyn's collection of the funniest stories about our computing machines and how we use them at home, the office, and in cyber space. Save 25% off the individual book price!

Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers

“Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the articles and columns.”
by ComputorEdge Staff

"Age Calc Problem," "Google Tricks," "Synchronization"

Age Calc Problem

[Regarding the March 8 Always-on-top for Beginners and a GrandKids App column:]

Thanks for the Kindle book. I'm reading it now.

There is a problem with finding the month length when in month 12.

; Set ThisMonthLength equal to next month

ThisMonthLength := % SubStr(ToDay,5,2) = "12" ? SubStr(ToDay-1,1,4)-1 . "01"

: SubStr(ToDay,1,4) . Substr(100+SubStr(ToDay,5,2)+1,2,2)

SubStr(ToDay-1,1,4)-1 decrements the year instead of incrementing it.

Use SubStr(ToDay-1,1,4)+1 instead.

Also, on this line:

LastMonthDay := SubStr(ToDay,1,4) . Substr(100+SubStr(ToDay,5,2)-1,2,2) . MonthLength

MonthLength is not set to anything. Try this:

LastMonthDay := SubStr(ToDay,1,4) . Substr(100+SubStr(ToDay,5,2)-1,2,2) . LastMonthLength

[Thanks, Charles,

You've found a couple of the problems, but there were more. First of all, why the heck was I subtracting 1 from Today (SubStr(ToDay-1,1,4)) in the first line. It didn't affect the outcome, but it wasn't necessary. I will address more of these issues in the March 22 issue.

—Jack]

-Charles Clarkson, Stephenville, TX

Google Tricks

[Regarding Jack Dunning's March 8 article, "Radon Gas and the Internet":]

From your article on radon gas:

"I've learned a few Google tricks to get past the chaff of Spam sites, scams, and the repetition of misinformation."

This would make an excellent article. When I Google "integrity in government" I get results like, "Buy integrity in government", and "Integrity in government on eBay."

-Dennis, San Diego, CA

Synchronization

[Regarding the March 15 Digital Dave column:]

I sync files from my computer to an external HD via Microsoft's own SyncToy. It's a great program to backup my 20k digitized photos (yeah, really), home movies and a zillion mp3's. Just be sure to properly identify which drive ("folder") you're backing up to/from. I use the "echo" option.

-RCO, Escondido, CA

Regarding your response to my question on synchronization, my Vista is the Ultimate edition and my Win 7 is Home Premium, so I should be able to use my Vista computer to set up synchronization between the computers—so thank you for your quick response. Now, I'll dig through my Vista information to see if I can find out how to "map a drive to the target folder on the other computer."

Thanks again!!

-Rowland Byerly, Mesa, Arizona

According to your answer to my synchronization question, which followed your response to Chris Romel, I should be able to use my Vista Ultimate computer to set up folder synchronization with my Windows 7 Home Premium computer. However, I was unable to find instructions on how to "use Windows Explorer to map a drive to the target folder on the other computer," as you instructed. In my search, I found that Windows Live Mesh and Live Sync are now obsolete and have been replaced by cloud-based SkyDrive. Perhaps the built-in SyncCenter in my Vista Ultimate system also has been made obsolete by SkyDrive; but, if not, I would appreciate your direction in how to "use Windows Explorer to map a drive to the target folder on the other computer"—because I would prefer to use a built-in direct computer-to-computer capability rather than either the cloud-based SkyDrive or a third-party application.

-Rowland Byerly, Mesa, Arizona

Apparently, it's not necessary to map a drive for syncing to work. I checked Jack Dunning's book Hidden Windows Tools and he has a pretty clear description of how syncing works in Vista. I should have checked it out before responding.

-Dave

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