Observing Technology – November
I know that more than one of you is already tired of and ready to be done with any technology. I have just a few additional short technological observations and I will move on to different some other more varied subjects for a few days after that – I promise. Besides, there are just so many things going on and coming up in so many different aspects of my normal everyday life, who can really blame me for having a focus on technology from time to time? After all, I am a computer scientist at heart – well at least under old definitions of computer science. Anyway, on with the observations in my typical list fashion for these shorter length observations…
- Microsoft Security Essentials – It is not often that I have positive comments about Microsoft products, but this is the second one this week. This package of security essentials is primarily a virus and other malware scanner. It will scan both on a schedule for files contained on the system and if active in real-time for files that become active on the system. The really great thing is it is FREE from Microsoft for home consumer usage. An even better bonus, in at least two cases that were publicized somewhat the past couple of weeks this free scanner beat the paid version of the competition from other well-known virus/security software. It is built off a core that is available to businesses that is a cost to use, so it is not surprising really.
- Facebook Email – If you have been living under a rock somewhere without any contact to the news world you may not have already heard this, but expect to know about it big time next Monday, November 22nd. That is the date that it is supposed to live. I am not sure exactly what it is going to include and/or do beyond regular email or even Gmail. Some suggestions are that it will be a more comprehensive all-inclusive messaging system. Of course there is also the thought that it is just to compete with Google – and the number of users already on Facebook – I would be a bit concerned if I were Google. Then again, you must have a different email to sign up for or into Facebook currently, will that change?
- Google Previews – Google is getting ready to launch of a preview of the sites that show up in the searches you enter. The thought is most users will get an idea based on the preview if the site really has information they are specifically interested in or not. Hot water is already starting though, as questions are raised by site owners in regards to copyright infringement. My guess (and that of some lawyers I have read) is that it is not in the same way a thumbnail of an image is not protected because of its lower resolution and limited usage.
- 1.0 – Okay, this obscure to be sure, but comes from a post that Matt Mullenweg (the guy largely responsible for WordPress)did on his blog a few days back. I agree with Matt 100% about Apple getting things out the day and often the first version (1.0) of things not being perfect. I think the ‘perfect’ example of that is the I-Pad, released with limited ports (such as no USB) and some features that were probably desirable. On the other hand, by getting it out there, they have built a (and expanded on an already existing) loyal following and a full generation ahead of everyone else just now starting to come to the market with their ‘pad’ type of device. On the other hand are companies that keep releasing things and do so to the general public, that is still labeled beta. In some instances I really do not understand the thought process – as it is clearly good to go software that is well past any beta type testing phase. Of course the flip-side is the numerous beta products, especially software, that should have been tested for one more round (at least) before being released, but because they had some magic date set in stone it was released anyway to met the marketing expectations and flopped because of that. Companies need to find the balance and truly understand terms like beta, version 1.0, and release candidate – or stop using them.
- Computer Science – If you see the image up above you might start to think that if you can work in Office just a little bit and maintain an awesome, well updated Facebook page that you are ready to become a comp sci guy and make the big geeky bucks. I am not sure who put this selection of titles under this heading, but please be sure that unless comp sci has changed a lot lately this is not close to what it is about. Apparently from recent comments though, there are a lot of folks that think that they can surf the web, have a Facebook page, and maybe on occasion dabble with a blog so they are ready to major in comp sci at the university. Truth is, comp sci is the logic and especially the theory that goes behind making those things work. If you do not find logic puzzles fun, higher mathematical principles a joy, and the figuring out of a proof for a geometry theory the stuff of dreams, then maybe, just maybe, you should stick to gaming and find something else to support your.
** – Image from i.imgur.com.
