Windows 2 Apples Episode 20

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A few random thoughts as the year comes to an end.

When I began my conversion to the Mac I was impressed with the fit and finish of both hardware and software. My first encounter with Apple support was positive, others since have proved Apple’s outsourced support can be and often is as bad as any I have encountered.

I have had the chance to experience excellent support from the Microsoft Apple software division and to waste many hours following the “advice” of Apple tech support. My conclusion: superior Apple support is a myth and that you take ya chances with Apple as you do with any other company using overseas customer support.

There seems to be universal clause in support training manuals that admonishes the tech to simply hang up if they are unable to resolve an issue in their allotted time.
I have finally learned to look in the upper right corner of my Apple screen rather than the lower left when I want to shut it down or switch users. I have not, however, become comfortable with having to always make sure my application is front and center in order to access its menu bar.

I still find myself looking for a preference setting or pop down menu for only to realize the menu bar is attached to another application. The lack of individual menu bars on Apple applications is one of the most frustrating adjustments for Windows switchers.

Early in the game I realize that many Mac users seem to be actually annoyed by the Dashboard and this for some time puzzled me until I realized that because the Mac ships with a one button mouse most old school Mac users had become accustomed to using keyboard commands to control applications. Windows users have had the relative luxury of a two or three button mouse accompanied by extended right mouse button application menus and, I suspect, less frequently use keystroke commands to interact with applications. I found the dashboard familiar and an efficient way to launch applications.

Many Mac users seems so frustrated by the dashboard and limitations of the Apple mouse they are driven to use relatively complicated keyboard extension applications such as Quicksilver to manage applications. I once attempted to use Quicksilver but could not see any advantage in spending so much time learning and setting it up. Quicksilver is one of those applications that seem to fly in the face of Apple advertising copy representing the Mac as intuitive and ready to use straight out of the box.

I have had the chance to meet many bright and creative folks supporting Apple in their blogs and netcasts. Most have been very helpful as I adjusted to the world according to Jobs. I’ve also met Apple fans who refuse to acknowledge Apple can do any wrong and will cut off their access to better solutions to problems rather than admit Microsoft may have done something right. I’ve begun to find this self limiting attitude tiresome and admit it has made me appreciate my willingness to experiment and try to keep my biases in check when looking for the best fit for my needs.
The most distressing example of this attitude is seen in those with special needs such as hands free control of their computer and accurate speech to text software but shun the far better solutions offered by Windows applications because “They just hate Microsoft”.

A case in point is the lack of good speech to text software for Mac users. iListen remains the only native Intel Mac speech to text option for those with special needs and it is clear MacSpeech does not have the resources to compete with Nuance or Microsoft. This is such a niche market that I suspect Apple users will not see competition in this area for many moons.

I have not yet made the transition to Leopard because Tiger works well for me and I have read too many scary upgrade stories reminiscent of my transition from XP to Vista. Again, I wonder aloud what would the reaction to Leopard have been if OS X were the dominate operating system. There is no compelling reason yet to make the switch and I suspect it will take a few encounters of “Leopard required” notices to shift me to Leopard. As my Apple fan friends often say “it just works” and I will keep the Tiger in my tank a bit longer.

I am happy with my Mac. I continue to feel more secure using it to access the net than my Vista PCs, but, I ‘m frequently frustrated when I discover hardware, software and services I find so useful to me in work and play either not available for Apple or less functional in the Mac incarnation. This is still a world dominated by Microsoft and the rich variety of Windows centric services and solutions is enough of a draw to keep me in front of a Windows machine for the foreseeable future.

Apple enthusiasts are betting on steady gains in market share to open the flood gates to developers and manufactures. I suspect as long as Apple uses its control over hardware to lock down its software many will have to make due for much longer than they anticipate.

My Mac is simply a very pretty, well designed computer. It excels in some areas and fails miserably in others. It’s a tool not a shrine and I will continue to rotate between Windows and Apples as needs demand.

Thank you for downloading and listening. Remember change is forever with us and tomorrow a new adventure.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 19

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In this episode a few comments on my continued attempt to merge the worlds of Microsoft and Apple and my struggles with the HP MediaSmart Server.

After a few more weeks of working with both my new HP Pavilion PC and still young Intel iMac the novelty and newness of both systems has worn off and I simply view them as computers. Each operating system and hardware configuration brings something unique to the table. On the flip side, each system comes with unwanted baggage ranging from minor annoyances to extreme frustration.

Because of the relatively quick startup of my Vista Business virtual computer running under VMWare, I had assumed the long delays I’m accustomed to in starting Windows systems could be traced primarily to the many layers of antivirus and security software. By the time the HP Pavilion has booted to the desktop I have had a chance to read and respond to several emails on my Macintosh.

The HP pavilion takes noticeably longer to display the desktop then do either the Sony XP or my Vista Acer laptop. I’ve estimated it takes at least four times as long to display the Vista desktop on my HP than my iMac.The Macintosh is as close to an instant on computer as I have ever laid hands on.

Even in face of the long boot times, I still find the Windows operating system and more importantly the selection of an external hardware options and applications provide more flexibility than can be had using Macintosh computers.

As indicated in a previous podcast, Apple has made backup easy and almost foolproof. Windows on the other hand typically requires an investment in a third party application or service that may or may not adequately backup your system, applications and data. I purchased the HP EX 475 MediaSmart sever, in an effort to solve this problem for my collection of XP and Vista computers as well as create a means to manage shared files on our intranet.

The HP MediaSmart sever uses the recently released Microsoft home server software specifically designed to not only backup and share files with computers connected to your home network but to also allow internet based remote access to stored files and control of selected computers.

With one exception, setting up the MediaSmart Server to backup my existing windows computers and serve files to computers on my internal network was straightforward. The snag occured when I began assigning passwords for connected computers, I was prompted to use strong passwords which should include alphabetic as well as numeric characters. My first attempt used a complex string of lowercase letters and numbers but I was unable to move forward in the install process. I felt that my password was meeting the specified criteria, but after spending several minutes trying to move forward I was greeted with a message indicating the server software had failed to install properly. I called HP support.

After approximately 10 minutes of trouble shooting the HP tech mused it could be a corrupted server software installation and instructed me to reinstall the server operating system. This went smoothly but failed to get me past the road block assigning passwords.

Another call to HP support resulted in the observation that I could not move forward in the install because my password did not include both upper case and lowercase letters. It would have been nice if Microsof had flagged this with an in your face popup so common now in Vista. Once I had created a password with upper case, lower case and numeric characters, I was able to complete the installation. My next hurdle was activating the web server and this proved to be a two day ordeal.

I have to admit I was impressed with the knowledge and patience of the BellSouth technical support team but also discouraged by the conflicting advice how to configure my router and modem so that the HP home server could be used to host my portal website. For many months I had been able to use all of my computers with my Linksys router configured incorrectly according to BellSouth tech support. They all seemed rather confused when told the system had works so well for so long. One assured me it was impossible to have made a connection at all. In my defense, our modem and router had been configured by the BellSouth installer.

After several calls to my ISP provider and HP, each time receiving a different explanation how to configure my Linksys router with my BellSouth modem, I finally discovered the key was to set the DSL modem to bridge mode and the default connection for my Linksys to PPPoE rather than the default Linksys Auto Config DHCP setting. After the modem was set to bridge mode and the router to PPPoE, I was able to activate the local WEB portal and invite clients to log on and use the server as an internet connected external hard drive.

For the most part the HP MediaSmart home server was relatively easy to configure for use as unattended backup of all our XP and Vista PCs as well as a Ethernet connected storage device. However, I suspect HP needs to brace for an unusually heavy barrage of customer support calls if the Home Server market takes root.

I now have my HP Pavilion Vista PC and Sony XP fully backed up and our clients and consultants can access the server to upload and download files needed to complete projects. All computers in our office, including the Mac or able to access the server using the wired and wireless intranet at as well as log on and access shared folders via the MediaSmart web portal.

The ability to allow others to access your personal server, share files and exchange data using a simple high speed Internet connection and browser has to be experienced to be appreciated. Now my Mac and Windows machines are able to communicate almost as if siblings rather than rivals.

Lessons learned:

Get a second opinion before reinstalling any operating system.

Assign Strong passwords to each account making sure they are at least 7 characters long and include both upper and lower case alphanumeric characters. Example: Gooday2008Yes

If using DSL, your modem should normally be set to bridge mode and your router ro PPPoE.

Plug and play, or as some prefer to call it plug and pray, is expected and I suspect a marginally safer option than manually forwarding router ports. Once the web service is turned off in the home server the open router ports are closed. I highly recommend when the web service is initially activated and deactivated you use the free on line application Shields Up found at grc.com to test for open ports.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 18

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Lately, I have been spending more time at my new Vista PC than my Mac and have discovered several Apple features I dearly miss as well as Vista applications I would love to shift to my Mac.

First and foremost on my wish list for Vista is a clone of Apple universal spell check. I was surprised how dependent I had become on this feature. I had to repeatedly remind myself that Vista has no such option. There are numerous third party applications that promise to provide spell check to “most common” Windows applications but none have promos convincing enough to make me try them.

I miss the iWorks suite, in particular Keynote, which has jumped ahead of Microsoft’s PowerPoint in ease of use and effects. For a while, I had begun to use Pages instead of word on my Mac but have reverted back. Word simply does a better job of error checking than Pages. But, I frequently ended up loading Word 2004 text into Pages to produce the PDF files. Happily, Word 2007 for Windows offers the ability to save in PDF format and now that most of my podcasts are created on the Vista machine I no longer need to play that game.

The Windows Office 2007 suite is impressive, allowing me to create striking graphics without the need for additional expensive and overly complex programs. I simply insert the desired graphic or photo into Word 2007 and use the extensive assortment of filters and special effects to add shadowing, 3D presentation or enhanced framing. I can use other built-in tools to add 3D text, shapes and pointers. Office 2007 is a significant improvement over the Apple Office 2004 offering.


I still winch as I look at my PC knowing there is no simple or painless way to completely backup my OS, applications and files. Nor can I use VMware to launch a backup copy of Vista if it is corrupted or compromised by a nasty Trojan or Virus. Apple has Windows trumped in backup options. The new Microsoft Home Server sounds as if it will be the best backup option yet for Windows users but at the hefty cost of $600 to $800 for a fully configured hardware solution.


So far, I have not seen nor read of an all in one Windows machine I would invest in and although the new HP 9040 tower is relatively quiet, more flexible and certainly more bang for the buck than an equivalent Mac, I do long for a Windows All In One PC competitive with the iMac. As noted in my last podcast one of the issues I had with using the virtual Vista Business on my Mac was the lack of stereo mix. I have discovered a fix using the external Creative Labs USB Sound Blaster interface. Once installed, it offered me the option of using the traditional Sound Blaster stereo mix feature.

I love the tight integration of Apple applications but at the same time feel the interdependency a bit cumbersome when files have to be passed from one app to another before you have the target file format. The iLife Suite was worth the price of admission to the world of Jobs until the advent of MixCraft 3.

As Mentioned in previous podcasts, MixCraft 3 is an intuitive and powerful audio mix and production program similar to GarageBand. Until my discovery of MixCraft I could never envision shifting back to the PC to create multi-media content. Now I find I prefer it to GarageBand for producing audio podcasts but still retreat to GarageBand when I need to create original music tracks and mixed audio / video MP4 files. The folks at Acoustica are beta testing version 4 and they assure me I will no longer need to scamper back to GarageBand when it is released. I wish them well in making that happen.

I have used both iMovie 06 and 08 to produce several promo DVDs and on-line video tutorials but find Windows Movie Maker is easier to use and adequate for many of my projects. Movie Maker does not compete with the rich effects and transitions found in the Mac suites. To fill this gap, I am creating lead and trailer clips on my Mac and splicing them into my Movie Maker applications. My Mac has become a special effects generator for my PC. There are only two third party Apple applications I miss when working at my PC.

Skitch by Plasq is at the top of my list. Skitch is still in beta and free to those lucky enough to have snared a copy. Skitch has to be the most elegant and intuitive application I have ever used. Skitch allows the capture and enhancement of screen images and photos, as do many other applications but what sets it apart from the crowd is the superb and uniquely attractive user interface … a joy to work with. I have yet to see any Windows application so well engineered or as intuitive … a sterling example of the kind of user-friendly design common to the Apple OS.

The second application I would love to see, especially now with the loss of stereo mix on so many Vista machines, is Audio Hijack by Rogue Amoeba. I know of no Windows application that allows audio to be captured and recorded when stereo mix cannot be enabled. Perhaps the diversity of “audio card” options makes this more difficult to implement on Vista machines. Hats off to Rogue Amoeba for a program that in Apple parlance “simply works” and works well.

There are many Windows applications I would love to port to the Mac. Where do I start … perhaps WebCamMax, which allows me to capture static as well as moving screen content or almost any other video source including Webcams, movies and photos. The features are almost too numerous to list (always wanted to be able to say that and mean it). I am able to capture, record, snap and or stream photos, audio and video to all popular Chat programs including Yahoo, Windows Instant Messenger, Skype and PalTalk.


I can choose from over 1,800 special effects to add animations, overlays or picture in picture montages. There is little it cannot do and all for $30. WebCamMax has become an essential tool for creating and broadcasting video content and I have found no similar application for the Apple.


Another application for which I have found no Apple replacement is JetAudio from Cowan. JetAudio is simply one of the best audio and video players available. The full version sells for $30 records, mixes and converts audio and well as playing and converting video. There are many options allowing enhanced Audio playback and recording and JetAudio has saved my “bacon” many times allowing me to convert audio and video files other applications choked on. The video player is able to seamlessly integrate with other applications such as WebCamMax … again too many features to list.


I enjoy and use the Windows Media Center and don’t believe there is an equivalent add-on for Apples. Media Center is TiVo on steroids and the new HP has added an FM radio option that puts my external Shark Radio adapter to shame. I am still using Tiger and not sure what Leopard brings to the table that would make “finding” my stuff any easier. Admittedly, the Windows XP Explorer was not much better than Finder, but the new Vista Explore is a significant improvement making it is much easier to organize and locate my files and more importantly files created but other programs. Perhaps Leopard has surpassed Vista in this crucial area, but I’ll delay installation until the Apple version of service pack one is released.

Given the number of showstopper bugs and issues such as the “Leopard Blue Screen of Death”, I have to wonder what the response to Leopard would have been if the Apple installed base equal that of Windows.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 17

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The last five days, I’ve been evaluating an HP pavilion desktop computer paired with a 24 inch HP monitor as a possible replacement for my aging XP Sony VAIO. I realize this is not the All in One experience I had hoped for, however, after spending time with the new Sony and HP all in one computers, I decided to take the plunge and spend the time testing a component based system.

One of the major features I need on my primary windows machine is the ability to select stereo mix, wave out or what U hear as the recording device. I noticed with the release of Vista, many computers were being shipped with this option disabled. Much speculation as to why this option has been deleted can be found when you peruse rumor blogs. The consensus appears to be that a number of the audio chip manufacturers have been unable to develop stereo mix drivers that work reliably with Vista.

Both the Sony and HP all in one computers are shipped with no provision for enabling stereo mix. Reviews of the new Gateway One have varied lukewarm to enthusiastic. I have not seen Stereo Mix available on any Gateway Vista PC. Friends who have purchased Gateway computers have been instructed to simply buy a patch cord to route the audio out of the speaker into the line-in or microphone input. There’s no reason to believe the new Gateway One will be shipped with this option enabled.

Fortunately, almost all windows computers shipped with the Realtek Chipset allow the user to activate the stereo mix option. Unfortunately, even the RealTek stereo mix device switch is often hidden by default and requires that you right click on the record or playback panel to show and enable disabled devices. Once a source for playback or record is enabled you may set the selected “device” as the default and modify properties associated with that option. The HP tower ships with RealTek and stereo mix works beautifully.

Apple computers are shipped without this option, as well; however, there are several very elegant and inexpensive fixes for this problem in OS X. I opted to use a program called Hijack Pro which allows me to capture the audio from specified applications as well as system audio. Unfortunately, there are no satisfactory software fixes available for Windows PCs. The primary reason the virtual Vista Business operating system on my Mac cannot replace my aging Sony is the inability to enable stereo mix.

Immediately after activating Windows Vista, I initialized speech recognition and was surprised to find that even though the new desktop is a quad core Intel with 3 GB of ram running Windows Home Vista Premium, I saw no significant difference between accuracy on the HP tower and my virtual installation of Vista Business on the Macintosh. I also noticed a few issues in using Vista speech to text that could be problematic for disabled.

In an effort to make vista more secure, Vista frequently prompts the user to allow the installation of new applications as well as some updates. Unfortunately, when this prompt is displayed the speech engine is disabled and individuals unable to access the keyboard or mouse could not respond to these prompts. This so called User Access Control prompt can be disabled but not a wise thing to do. I believe there are less drastic modifications that would bypass this problem and will try a few recommended modifications to my virtual Vista machine UAC settings and report back.

I also noticed that the dictation mode in the vista speech to text engine does not work when using Microsoft Works applications nor is it available when using the open source word processing programs. It does work extremely well when used with Microsoft office 2007, however, this adds additional expense that could be avoided if Microsoft enabled dictation within the Works suite. WordPad would be a much better choice as a low end editor if Vista supported universal spell check found on Macs.

If you need to export your document using a file format not supported by WordPad, it is possible to cut and paste your dictated text to the Microsoft Works word processor. This seems an unnecessary work around and I hope Microsoft addresses this issue in future releases. I would also encourage Microsoft to follow Apple’s lead and make spell check active in all applications.

So far I’m pleased with the performance of my new HP tower, finding it particularly attractive when contrasted with the cost of an Apple system with similar specifications. The HP W2408 monitor is shipped with a stand that allows you to easily position the monitor, wall mount or rotate it so that you can view your text in landscape as well as portrait mode. This is a very welcome feature given I have found the inability to adjust the height of my iMac to be a major issue. The fixed height of my iMac forces me to look straight into the monitor rather than down at it as recommended by most optometrists and ophthalmologists.

The monitor has a shiny reflective screen much like the new iMacs and my 19 inch Sony SDM high resolution monitor. I did notice some glare on the screen but, because of the swivel base mounting, I was able to adjust the screen height to reduce glare and optimize viewing angle. The additional screen real estate has come in handy when running programs such as the Mixcraft3 from Acoustica but is over kill in most other applications.

As I rotate in my chair from left to right, I can compare the output of my iMac, HP widescreen and my Sony high resolution 19 inch monitors. I continue to find the Sony monitor the best I’ve ever used. The mat display on my 20 inch iMac is beautiful but the inability to adjust the height of the monitor requires I wear a special pair of glasses designed for working at a computer. When viewing the Sony or HP monitor I can adjust monitor height and use my preferred graduated lens glasses. This is a huge plus given I’m prone to leave my office area wearing the wrong glasses.

With the exception of the Windows to Apple’s theme music, this podcast is an Apple free production. The text was dictated using the Vista speech to text technology, the audio was recorded using Mixcraft3 and M-Audio interface and microphone. GarageBand continues to set the bar for easy to use multitrack recording software. Mixcraft3 is more than adequate for creating quality podcasts and is better suited for editing voice sound tracks than GarageBand. Although shipped with fewer loops and instrument samples, Mixcraft3 is an excellent tool for producing podcasts on Windows PCs.

Thank you for downloading and listening. Remember change is always is always with us and tomorrow a new adventure.

Note: HP Pavilion m9040 PC with 3 gigs Ram, Quad Core, 640 gigs HD, TV tuner, remote control, Microsoft Center Updates to TV programming, 24 inch monitor and all in one scanner / printer was purchased for $1,640.00

A 24 inch iMac with 2 gigs of Ram, 500 gig HD and Core 2 Lists for $2,999.00

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Windows 2 Apples Episode 16

Windows 2 Apples Episode 16
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As I look at my beautiful white Mac and dictate using the virtual Vista machine running under VMware, I find myself wondering why I enjoy my Mac so much. There are many things to recommend the Macintosh. Most dear to my heart is that it is a so-called “all in one computer”.

From the very beginning, I’ve been attracted to machines that would qualify as all in one computer. My first computer was a Commodore Pet, one of the first if not the first such personal computers. It shipped with a monochrome display, keyboard and tape drive all enclosed in an attractive metal enclosure.

My favorite all in one computer was the 3020 manufactured by Compaq. I still have the machine in a secure corner of my garage. Unfortunately, it no longer boots. I fondly remember the day I un-boxed it and marveled at the beautiful 12 inch color display and fabulous audio system. I immediately became a Stevie Ray Vaughan fan as I watched and listened to his video of “Couldn’t Stand The Weather”.

I still believe it had the best audio system I’ve ever heard on any computer. When it died I purchased another all in one from Gateway designed with the unfortunate shotgun look to the front panel that was so popular back then. Although not particularly esthetically pleasing, it to had an excellent sound system and was a favored computer until it died.

I have concluded the primary appeal of the Macintosh is the all in one form factor rather than the “Apple Experience”. There are several applications on the Macintosh that haven’t been faithfully replicated on any Windows machine and will ensure I continue using my Mac daily until an equivalent suite of applications is available for the Windows platform.

The primary application that I would find difficult to do without is GarageBand. And as I have recently discovered there is an excellent Windows program with the look, feel and much of the functionality of GarageBand. It is Mixcraft produced by Acoustica and ships with an impressive library of sounds, effects, loops as well as the ability to import and play my favorite import GarageBand AIF files. The user interface and program design make it easy to transition from GarageBand. I am impressed.

Microsoft claims it is on a mission to acquire technologies and companies and if they have not begun development of a competitor for GarageBand perhaps they should take a peek at Mixcraft. Buy and bundle Mixcraft with Vista and throw in a dozen or so impressive effects and transitions to Windows Movie Maker along with an auto upload to YouTube or your Zune podcast and Microsoft has both feet in the Apple only door.

On balance, I find that there are far more Windows applications, accessories and online services simply not available for the Macintosh, making the Apple solution incomplete and lacking. Although there are many very clever and impressive little applications designed to fill in the gaps in the Apple operating system, most of these add ons are shipped as part of the Windows operating system or are available in more mature Windows incarnations.

I find that even running in a virtual environment on my Macintosh, Vista is much more responsive than on my low end Vista laptop. So I find myself looking around now for a new Vista PC that has the horsepower, memory and storage I need to get the most from the operating system. Perhaps the most attractive new all in one offering is the “One Gateway” machine scheduled to ship in mid November.

This surprises even me, given, I had begun to assume my next purchase would be either a high end Apple laptop or a second iMac with more hard drive storage, larger display and fresh new aluminum case. But, I find myself drooling a bit looking at the pictures and reading the specifications of the Gateway offering.

Quite frankly, I’m also concerned about reports of condensation on the inside of the screens of the new iMacs. Waiting for droplets of water to evaporate from inside my shiny new Macintosh screen is not something I would easily deal with. I have also discovered Apple Care support and service has nothing special to offer over what I experience when trying to resolve issues with Microsoft based products.

To top things off, I realized one of the reasons my Macintosh shames my Windows machines in starting so promptly is because it’s not loading layer after layer of antivirus software and downloading the daily updates to their databases. I believe I only know two people using antivirus software on their Macintosh computer and have to wonder if this will continue to be the accepted norm as Apple gains market share. If, or more accurately when, the Mac becomes a juicy target for the bad guys the fast boot may become a fond memory.

As it is, I have no idea whether my Macintosh has been compromised. I’m one of the many trusting Macintosh users who has not felt the need to install antivirus software. I do hope I will not live to regret my acceptance of Apples’ claim their OS is essentially immune to the nasty little viruses and Trojans we have grown accustomed to in the Microsoft world.

Until I find a satisfactory new an all in one Windows based computer, I will continue to spend most of my time working at my Macintosh. However, I suspect those days are numbered.

Dictated using Vista speech engine running in VMware on an Intel iMac.

Recorded using XP Windows, Mixcraft and M-Audio interface.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 15

Windows 2 Apples Episode 15
This is the text of our Netcast currently posted on the iNetSynch site blog. If iTunes is installed on your computer use this link to open and locate our podcast feed and subscribe:

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I had originally intended to review a recent unhappy experience with the Apple support team, however, VMware Fusion and Vista Business arrived and I have been happily distracted.

Installation, of VMware Fusion, was painless requiring very little intervention which was impressive given I was fully expecting it to convert my Macintosh to the proverbial magic carpet ride. I had read this was the year of virtual machine software and companies. Now, I can understand the excitement and media buzz.

Before installing Vista Business, I decided to experiment by installing Ubuntu linux. This required I select Linux as the operating system and the linux distribution I was installing. Of course, Ubuntu is listed among those recognized by VMware Fusion. The install simply required that I insert the CD and specify the drive where my virtual machine files would reside and opt into a few recommended setting.

After reading the VMware promotional copy, I was unsure whether I would be forced to initially install virtual machines on my Macintosh hard drive and was very relieved to see that it immediately accepted my external fire wire as the destination for my virtual linux “box”.

Within very short time, I was booting to a virtual Ubuntu machine on my western digital external firewire drive. Ubuntu greeted me with a request to install 120 security updates and I was pleasantly surprised at how snappy the system responded and how quickly the updates were downloaded and installed.

The folks at the VMware highly recommend users install VMware Fusion Tools to enhance performance and the ease with which they are able to shift between virtual machines and the Macintosh desktop. This turned out to be a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated, finally, requiring that I go to the Ubuntu web site where I found an easy to follow list of required Linux command line entries.

Once VMware Tools were installed, I immediately detected improvement in performance and shifting between Desktop and the Macintosh desktop required I only move the mouse to the desired target. I was able to use all of the tested linux applications,however, I unable to get my USB audio adapters to work reliably.

Initially, I was using the VXI audio interface shipped with the iListen software. The audio playback through the headset was distorted with crackling sounds and breaks in the audio stream. I attempted to use several other USB audio interfaces including one manufactured by M-Audio with no improvement in audio playback. I was really never very successful in recording audio from any mike other than the built in mike and volume was extremely low.

At this point, I was getting a bit nervous considering that I had made these purchases and invested this time so that I could install Vista and use the Vista speech engine to dictate while setting at my Mac. As it turns out, my fears were unfounded and I was happy to discover after installing Vista Business it immediately recognize all of my USB audio adapters.

Installing the Vista Business operating system was as easy if not easier than the initial installation of linux. I simply had to enter my name, and optional password and of course the product code number. All other entries were left at the defaults offered by the VMware install wizard. After making these entries I left the machine and took a nice long walk with my Creative Labs MP3 player.

As with the linux install, I had specified my external firewire drive as the target for the new Vista virtual machine. After returning from my walk the new virtual Vista Business installation was sitting on my fire wire drive. Now two machines were listed in my virtual machine library. After selecting the Vista entry, I was greeted with the familiar Vista logon screen and noticed that the VMware tools had been installed without any intervention from me. Bravo!

I was amazed at how responsive Vista was. As Vista was initializing I had used the VMware fusion virtual machine menu to assign my USB Telex audio interface to the virtual Vista machine. I immediately activated Vista speech recognition and was pleased to see the Telex audio interface recognized and respond flawlessly during the speech recognition audio setup.

I spent approximately 20 to 30 minutes going through the Vista speech recognition tutorial, which not only reviews the basics of Vista speech control commands, but also serves as a brief training session allowing Vista to accommodate to your voice.

I was extremely pleased to find that after this very short training period the system responded to my commands without fail and the speech to text conversion was almost as accurate as what I experience using my well trained Naturally Speaking Dragon software installed on my XP computer.

I was unable to use the built in a iSight camera without installing boot camp so I tried using an old Creative Labs WebCam model 4000. Vista dutifully informed me a driver was needed and searched the web until it located the Creative Labs web site and downloaded the required drivers and accessory software. The camera worked, however, the picture update rate was very slow.

I deleted the Creative Labs drivers and inserted my Microsoft VX 6000 install disk. I was immediately informed there was a conflict with the current version of Vista and again Windows reached out through the Internet to download current drivers and application software. After the install, the camera worked beautifully. The quality of the picture seems better running in my virtual Vista machine than it does on my Vista laptop machine.

So far the only application I have not been able to run is Windows Movie Maker. When launched, I am informed that the video card in my machine does not support this application. I believe VMware is developing enhanced video drivers but as of this date none are available for Vista. I was disappointed to discover that my firewire Sony video camcorder is not recognized by Vista running under VMware Fusion. Happily, it works beautifully in OS X and on my other XP and Vista machines.

I’m extremely pleased with Fusion and the amazing performance of the Vista speech engine on my iMac. After dictating, I simply save my text to a shared folder on my Macintosh and load into either Microsoft Word or Pages.

Although the initial rollout of Vista was certainly not the WOW experience promised by Microsoft, the magic of virtualization combined with Vista and it’s marvelous speech engine definitely provides a genuine WOW experience. I will continue experimenting with Vista applications running within the VMware Fusion environment and update in our next podcasts and blog.

Link to video running Vista speech applications on an iMac using VMware Fusion.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 14

Windows 2 Apples Episode 14

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Today more feedback on the Vista speech recognition engine, plans to install VMware Fusion, creating screen casts and of course the Apple iPhone debacle.

After considerable testing of the Vista speech engine, I am more convinced than ever that it is the least expensive tool of choice for those unable to their keyboard or mouse. It’s unfortunate the botched Microsoft demonstrations of this technology have sullied its reputation. We are producing video podcast reviews of iListen, Vista and Naturally Speaking Dragon. The video podcasts will be available on the Windows 2 Apples site, YouTube and Viddler.

In order to produce the video reviews we need to be able to capture activity on our computer screens as we are using the various programs. In the Windows world, I have a number of different programs to choose from but will be using my favorite screen capture program, WebcamMax. Not only does WebcamMax allow me to capture live motion on the screen and take snapshots but it has a very impressive set of special effects and overlays that may be used to enhance your snapshots or videos.

Alison Sheridan of the NosillaCast and Tim Verpoorten of the Mac Review Cast recommended that I try iShowU to record the iListen demo. So far I am impressed with iShowU. Although the program ships without the special effects I’ve grown to love in WebcamMax, it seems to be well suited for creating quality screen captures. Both programs are inexpensive with WebcamMax costing $29 and iShowU $20.

I have ordered VMware’s Fusion and Vista Business edition. Once installed on our Intel iMac we will test the speech recognition and control technology bundled with Vista. Fusion was selected because VMware claims Vista will appear as a file that can be exported to and run from an external FireWire hard drive. I'm not interested in using valuable iMac hard drive real estate to host Vista. Fingers crossed that this slight of hand will work. Hopefully, we will be able to share our experience in the next podcast and blog.

The Macintosh has made computing fun again. This alone is a recommendation to purchase and use the machine, however, as enamored as I may be with my Mac I realize it has its share of Windows like issues supplemented by a few unique to Apple.

Yesterday was an eye opener. In the middle of sending an e-mail, I received a notice from Apple indicating iLife needed to be updated and, as a compliant user, I Okayed the request and watched as apparently every iLife program in the suite was updated with impressively large files. Once the update was completed, Apple surprised me with a prompt to reboot my Macintosh. The reboot was needed to re-flash or update the BIOS. In all the many years I've been using Microsoft-based computers I can’t remember ever having the BIOS re-flashed by Microsoft. I believe once or twice we replaced the BIOS in older machines to allow a larger drives to be added but recall no downloaded changes issued by Microsoft.

I sat back and looked at my shiny white iMac; sucked in a deep breath, crossed my fingers and hoped that once it reawakened all of those little third-party apps I've been adding, would still be on my machine and that my Mac would not turn into an expensive doorstop. Of course, I knew that these were largely unfounded fears but ones that I would never have entertained without the recent publicity over the bricking of hacked iPhones. As my Macintosh reawakened from its brain surgery it squealed sending a chill down my spine. To my great relief all appeared normal on my desktop.

In an earlier podcast, I contrasted Apples method of protecting software to that of Microsoft. Apple’s software is secured by limiting installation of its OS to machines manufactured by Apple, while Microsoft conjures up Machiavellian schemes to lock its software running on systems assembled by everyone and his brother.

I hope the current furor over Apple's very aggressive approach to locking down the iPhone opens the eyes of Apple enthusiasts to the reality that Apple is in fact a business focused on making a healthy profit. The Apple fan base has certainly contributed to its ability to survive and thrive but it seems clear Apple is looking well beyond its base of Apple fanboy and fangirls to grow.

For many years Microsoft has defended itself against claims of operating as a monopoly and I suspect if Apple continues to capture a larger share of the computer market and essentially define the portable media market, it will become the new poster boy for technology monopolies. It seems clear, Apple intends to use its dominant presence in the handheld technology sector to forge ahead with sales showing little remorse for early adopters and fans hurt in the process.

Perhaps we are passing though an age of innocence when companies such as Apple were seen as benevolent benefactors rather than stellar examples of American capitalism. The gloves are off and Apple is now clearly a very aggressive competitor with a penchant for excellence in design as well as dogmatic control over the way its consumers are allowed to use their products.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 13

Windows 2 Apples Episode 13

Good morning, good afternoon or evening as the case may be. This is Sam Caldwell with the Windows 2 Apples podcasts episode 13.

Today, I’ll revisit iListen speech to text software and reveal a compelling reason to install Vista on your Mac.

In episode 11, I offered my impressions of the Mac based iListen and compared it to DragonDictate from Nuance. Dragon sets the bar for consumer speech recognition software but unfortunately it’s not available for OS X. Chuck Rogers, the "Chief Evangelist" for MacSpeech, Inc. responded with a comment now posted in my blog. Rogers claimed that iListen "can be every bit as accurate” as Dragon but "it takes more effort to get there.”

He graciously offered to replace the defective handset shipped with my iListen software and recommended I contact MacSpeech support for tips on training iListen. In the pursuing e-mails I offered to continue training iListen. Training speech to text software requires the user read a series decidedly boring “stories” back to the program.

Nuance claims version 9 of DragonDictate requires very little training for it to be useful. This is very significant advancement given the real investment in speech recognition software is the time spent training and learning to use the product. I had invested well over a week training iListen without any noticeable improvement.

After completing all but the last training session, I reported to Rogers I saw no improvement. His e-mail reply was "believe it or not, the lack of accuracy is probably at least partially due to having read most of the training stories". My blood boiled as I read his words. I had spent a great deal of time training iListen only to discover that it was waste of time and possibly counter productive!

I expressed my anger and frustration to Rogers who replied "there is no need to get angry - it is just software." This added fuel to the fire. The major cost was not in the software but my time. To Rogers' credit he offered the services of his support team with the assurance iListen could in fact become a useful tool.

Shortly after contacting MacSpeech a new headset and USB interface arrived along with detailed instructions on how to record data to be analyzed by the Mac speech support team. The USB interface is the same device shipped with the original package. The headset appears to be higher-quality than the original.


When the replacement headset arrived, I was snowed under with work and had returned to using DragonDictate on my XP computer. Quite frankly, I was not anxious to read any more stories to my Mac but decided to give it one more chance to prove its worth. After forwarding the test data to the MacSpeech support team I was congratulated on achieving 92% accuracy and assured accuracy would be enhanced by reading the last and longest story.

Another hour spent reading to my Mac and MacSpeech support said the second test sample showed I was now achieving accuracies of 95%. I did notice some improvement and was encouraged; unfortunately, this new found hope evaporated quickly when I discovered whatever gains I made disappeared the next time I picked up the headset. Granted, DragonDictate is not 100% accurate however it is consistent in the kinds of mistakes it makes. I have not seen this kind of consistency in iListen.

I am far too spoiled by DragonDictate to continue investing more time in “training” iListen. After all, the purpose of speech to text software is to enhance productivity and I feel an additional investment of time would be wasted. I wish MacSpeech well in refining their software but after experimenting with the speech to text engine bundled with Vista I now realize I have new options.

Let me explain:

On a lark I decided to tinker with the voice recognition software shipped with Vista and to my surprise I was extremely impressed! Did I say extremely …no, let me make that profoundly impressed as in blown away. Not only is it intuitive and easy to use but it is almost as accurate as my well trained DragonDictate. I had heard this was a hidden gem in Vista and I agree.

Training Vista to type as you speak is extremely simple and for a Microsoft program the interface is uncharacteristically intuitive, beautifully designed and user-friendly. Imagine that, an intuitive Microsoft application that just plain works. I'm sure Apple users would feel very comfortable with it. One can only fantasize how the world would change if the Vista speech recognition development team were allowed to reengineer the operating system.

The sophistication and exquisite implementation of the Vista speech recognition software is only superseded by Microsoft's negligence in not taking advantage of it to promote Vista. A demonstration of the software illustrating how easy it is to take control of your PC, using a simple headset, would make one very impressive commercial. I'm sure, even if the potential customers had no intention of using speech recognition technology they would be impressed. It definitely has the cool factor so characteristic of Apple products.

If Microsoft ever decides to really market this technology, they could become the company setting the bar for speech recognition. The folks at Nuance should be sweating blood but I suspect they are relieved most Vista users don't know they no longer need DragonDictate.

I am reconsidering my options. Perhaps, I will simply purchase Parallels or Fusion and install Vista on the Macintosh. This is a particularly attractive option now that I no longer feel the need to install Dragon as well.


On a related topic:

I’ve recently discovered the New York Times technology columnist, David Pogue, felt DragonDictate was such an exceptional product that he highlighted it at the Technology Entertainment and Design conference (TED) in 2006. I highly recommend you visit the TED site at http://ted.com and watch his informative and entertaining presentation.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/7

Windows 2 Apples Episode 12

Windows 2 Apples Episode 12

Since my 1st few episodes, I’ve been complaining Apple took the only external WebCam for the Mac off the market, leaving many of its customers shackled to the built-in cam or no cam at all. No more iSights to be found … except on eBay - at eye-popping prices.

A few days after un-boxing my Mac, I began my search for an external webcam. I wanted the flexibility I’ve had with all of my PCs. I can almost guarantee when you walk into your favorite technology store and read the labeling on the 10 or 15 different WebCams crowding their shelves, you’ll not find that Mac friendly logo anywhere. A quick web search proves I am not alone in this quest.

Microsoft to the rescue! For several weeks forum postings suggested that the $40 WebCam designed for the Xbox 360 was compatible with Macs running OS 10.4. I didn’t run out and buy because I was still mystified why this device would work when none of the other three or four USB WebCams laying around me have never been recognized by my iMac. But …the testimonials proved very persuasive. I knew I could lay my hands on an XBox WebCam at my local Circuit City and in 30 minutes was back home staring at their packaging … wondering if I would be shedding blood over this one.

I’m not really violent by nature. But I do think I could get close to being driven to murder each and every time I try to open one of those hermetically sealed, heavy plastic packages that almost invariably put me at risk of stabbing myself as try to cut, hack or saw my way in to retrieve what’s rightfully mine. If you are able to hack your way into one of these packages from hell you have to be able see the sense humor of final coup de grace when you read the fine print on on the warranty “return in original packaging”!

Once into the package and camera retrieved, I simply plug it in to my external powered USB hub, click on iChat, and then the camera icon and presto I have two options … built-in iSight or video camera. My iMac has eyes! Of course the Microsoft XBox webcam follows the design convention of the day with a circular green LED light at the base of the lens which glows when active. I’m pleasantly surprised at the quality of the video, even though it has that familiar ocean wave distortion of the picture is you move the camera.

When testing the manual focus of the XBox Live Vision, I noticed I was seeing a mirrored image of the keys on my keyboard. I rub my eyes surely this can’t be true. Now I’m swamped with fear I’ve screwed up some mysterious iMac setting. To my great relief I realize I have my trusty external FireWire backup. I boot from my relatively pristine disk image and still find iChat and Skype images are mirrored! To make sure I’m not losing it, I turn on my trusty XP focus the Logitech cam on text and keyboard … no mirrored image here. By now I’m breaking out in a sweat. How could you use a camera when the image is mirrored? What a mess it would be trying to show or capture a PC board layout or heaven forbid part number!

Luckily, I have a long time Mac user only a few houses away. I put on my shoes and tramp down to his house where he quickly demonstrates when using his external iSight cam the text is also mirrored. He assures me this is so the person on the other end viewing your cam will see the picture correctly. He even made an iChat call to demonstrate his friend could read his business card. The work around for this problem is found on the ecamm website and comes to you as a little application called iGlasses.

This has never been an issue in the PCs I’ve used. The image was always correctly presented on my end as well as the receiving end. Back home now, I go immediately to the ecamm website and download the trial version of iGlasses. Just as advertised, it not only allows me to flip my mirrored image so that it’s correctly displayed on my screen but also to adjust color, white balance, hue and even zoom in and out. I recommend the $9 iGlasses utility to all Mac owners frustrated with the lack of control over internal camera settings. It is a must have, if you are using an external USB cam.

Of course, Apple assumes you are quite happy with the internal iSight camera and don’t give you the option to choose from multiple sources of webcam video in many of their apps. You have to trick the iMac by first running a program like Photo Booth to tie up your iSight cam before using your external cam in iMovie 08 or 6 …. annoying, but at least a simple workaround.

iSight forums postings claim the current crop of WebCams specified as UVC compliant are plug and play compatible with most of 10.4 Macintosh video capture programs. I’ve not tried this with the UVC cams from Logitech but may check one out and report back on my adventure. So thank you Microsoft for filling in the gaping hole left by Apple when it pulled the iSight.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 11

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Before commenting on a few of the new iLife applications, I want to take a few moments to express a frustration I'm sure I share with many other Windows users who are shifting to Mac.

As I look at the options available to me in the Mac world I’m constantly confronted with the reality that many of the applications and programs I have become dependent upon are simply not available or are in very early stages of development. Hopefully, the new-found popularity of the Apple brand in computers will help reduce this divide.

Case in point ... Over the years I have experimented with voice recognition software and until the last year or so have always been frustrated by the very poor performance of speech to text products. Finally, when version 8 of Dragon Dictate was released for the Windows platform I felt I had finally found a product that was reliable enough to use on a daily basis. Version 9 is has proven to be in exceptional improvement over the previous versions and I have become dependent upon it it. Dragon not only saves me and others from my poor typing but also allows me to proof read using the built-in text to speech synthesizer.

When I purchased the iMac one of the first programs I looked for was an equivalent to Dragon Dictate. The only application that seemed to offer similar functionality was iListen marketed by MacSpeech. I have been spoiled by Dragon and find using iListen reminiscent of the early days struggling with Dragon Dictate as it evolved into a useful and reliable product. iListen is so inaccurate and poorly implemented it is almost useless. On top of that the headset is poorly constructed with the microphone constantly falling off the headset. For those of you considering iListen, I would recommend postponing your purchase until a product at least as good as Dragon Dictate becomes available for the Mac platform.

Webcams Revisited :

Some of you may remember my early rants about the lack of external webcams available for Macintosh. My concern was in locating one that would enable me to record scenes not directly in front of the built-in iSight Webcam. While listening to a recent Leo Laporte tech podcast, a caller complained that his niece had broken his only external iSight webcam and he could not find a replacement webcam that was guaranteed to work with the iMac. Laporte suggested a creative labs model that was known to work with some Macs and in the same breath suggesting there could be issues in using it with Macs already equipped with built-in webcams.

I still don’t understand why Apple removed the iSight from the market given the limitations of the built-in webcam and the need to support users who’s external iSight cameras die. This continues to be the major issue for me and I live in hope that Apple will offer a replacement for the now prematurely extinct external iSight cam.

Too much of furry and rattling of chains for me not to make a few comments on last weeks unveiling of new iPods and the infamous iPhone devaluation!

When the iPhone was released I was more impressed by the iPod than cell phone features. I rarely need or use my cell phone. I have never sent or received text messages , never used it to bore my friends the latest photos of my beloved cat nor used it to play games. Perhaps you can understand why I found it hard to imagine paying $600 for a phone and many hundreds more over a two year contract with AT&T. However, I suspect I am not your typical cell phone customer.

The decision to drop the price makes excellent business sense but $200 did seem a bit much given it had only been in folks pockets two months and the unique historically rock solid price stability of other Apple products. iPods have traditionally maintained their introductory price much longer than products from competitors. I have never seen significant vendor to vendor discounts on iPods. In deed, the almost total lack of price differences between retailers has the look, smell and feel of good old fashion price fixing but I assume there is simply no incentive to discount iPods while they dominate and to a large extent define that market.

The day the new iPod Touch was introduced, I immediately placed an order assuming I could use it to test our video podcasts and get a feel for how they would play on iPhones as well as the new iPod. However, after the impressive and precipitous price drop in the iPhone I pulled my order ... preferring to wait and see. In the mean time I will survey friends with iPhones and Touch iPods to get feedback on our video netcasts.

Now to iLife 08 ... I continue to be an enthusiastic fan of GarageBand. The Magic GarageBand feature is to me more educational than truly useful. I have created several projects just to examine the final mix and to experiment with a few tweaks. Perhaps, one day I will plug in my Yamaha Electric cello and have a go at creating music with a more personal touch. The ability to easily save files in MP3 as well as the Apple ACC formats is worth the price of admission. GarageBand continues to set the standard for an easy to use, yet “well endowed” audio recorder and mixer. Excellent for producing netcasts ... both audio and video.

Seems Apple can produce boos as loud and frenetic as the wows. The new iMovie has heated up more than a few blogs, product reviews and podcasts. I had waited to edit videos on my Mac until the release of the 08 version assuming it would be an enhanced iMovie 06. Of course it is no such thing but rather an effort to create a simple, user friendly tool for quickly assembling compilations of home video clips.

My first attempt at using it were frustrating and I was almost ready to delete it. After listening to a few podcast reviews and watching the on-line tutorials, I gave it another shot and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to splice together a video. I exported it to GarageBand to gain greater control over audio. Within 40 minutes I had uploaded to Viddler a few quickies spliced together using clips from tapes of my last trip to New Zealand.

True, it is not a full featured video editor and has all the failings, such as no time line, documented by countless others but in my opinion meets its goal of making home movies a reality for the great unwashed movie producers among us. I rather like it and know of no competitive product in the Windows world. However, I have taken the wrappers off of iMovie 06 and I am evaluating it as a tool for producing video podcasts. Will update on that when I have had enough time to experiment.

I truly don’t understand or appreciate iPhoto. I would rate it as a un-remarkable photo viewer with some impressive photo editing capabilities. It still does not seem to support the very simple and often used overlay of text. I really don’t understand this ... seems so obvious and so simple to implement an option to label photos or add graphic overlays. I will give it another chance to impress me ... perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised given more time with it but I am not the kind of photographer it seems to be targeting. I rarely touch up my photos but do add overlays of text and graphics. So far it simply takes up hard drive real-estate.

I am getting used to the quirky and lame project management limitations of iWEB and have been experimenting with using it to develop web sites on hosts other than my .mac account. The ability to splice in my own html is a welcomed enhancement. I have also experimented with RapidWeaver, often touted as a better way to get a WEB on line without hand coding your site, and find I prefer iWEB. Both RapidWeaver and iWEB suffer from the same major limitation of requiring all development and changes to be made on your Apple computer. Unlike FrontPage, there is no synching between changes made on the external web host and the domain on your Mac.

I also must admit I find most of the canned RapidWeaver web templates ugly. This is of course strictly personal opinion, but, the RapidWeaver site is a example of one I find difficult to spend much time at because it is so esthetically unappealing. I tried to create a RapidWeaver site I could feel good about but gave up. The iWeb templates are far more appealing to me and the program more intuitive. A product like RapidWeaver would make much more sense than iWEB for commercial sites but I am afraid they would look a bit dated and less finished than iWEB sites. I do like the almost seamless integration of the other iLife applications with iWEB ... an excellent and unique way to get your personal web on line replete with slick photo and video presentations. And, you have the added comfort of expecting the site to look good as well. Apple does have a knack of helping folks make things look good.

A few passing comments on iWork ... I am writing this using Pages 08 and I am beginning to make the psychological shift away from Microsoft Word on my Mac. The interface is intuitive, the templates nice and I don’t feel as if I need to spend the next year learning to use features I may never need.

I have also experimented with Keynote 08 and am very impressed. It to is intuitive and the special effects exceptional. I was able to quickly put together a short, professional looking presentation, convert it to a Quick Time movie and up load to Viddler and a audio/video blog. Definitely a winner and as expected integrates well with other Apple applications. In one of my 1st podcasts I mentioned the lack of a word processor and spreadsheet shipped with new iMacs. True there was a trial version of iWork o6 on my machine but no equivalent of Microsoft’s Work suite. Now most can, for a paltry $79, purchase iWork 08 and forget the $400 Microsoft Office. Bravo Apple!

Although the Mac and Mac applications are not crash or bug proof as Apple’s adverts might want you to believe, they are generally easy to use and do allow you to become productive with less hair pulling than similar Windows based products. I am convinced that Windows apps could be just as intuitive and as easy to use if it were not for the long tradition of adding features for the sake of sounding as if your product will meet every possible need ... especially those you never knew you had nor will ever see the light of day.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 10

Windows 2 Apples Episode 10

I know I had scheduled a review of the new iWork and iLife 08 suites but the recent debacle with the Microsoft Genuine Advantage or as most seem to prefer calling it Genuine Disadvantage gives me a chance to speculate on why Apple and Microsoft view and deal with piracy in radically different ways.

First let me state, I am not defending Microsoft or others with similar copy protection schemes but I would like to add my two cents (and with the fall of our currency this colloquialism should appropriately qualify my comments).

As a hardware designer and software developer I have been on both sides of the fence. I have two small companies that have, for the last 25 plus years, been developing hardware and software for the physiological monitoring markets.

Our markets have traditionally been small and our products priced accordingly. We were never in the $29.95 a copy market place and had to generate enough income to support our customers and fund the R&D needed to remain competitive in a niche market. Any lost sale to piracy would have been a substantial loss in revenue.

In some cases our software supported devices developed by other companies as well as our own and we were in competition with their software and other third party software developers. We have always prided ourselves on supporting our customers and distributors. This commitment to support and a superior software solution allowed us to thrive in a very competitive niche market.

From the beginning I realized we could only survive if we protected our assets and I developed several copy protections schemes most of which were dependent on hardware dongles spliced between the device and the RS-232 port of the PC. There was no need for software protection when shipped with devices we developed because that hardware was always bundled with our software. This of course is the case with Apple.

Unlike Windows, which can be installed on any Windows compliant computer, OS X is only available on computers manufactured by Apple. The Apple hardware is in fact their software protection. I have to wonder how Apple would handle things if it ever released its OS to third party hardware manufactures. I believe they tried this once and pulled the license from the manufacturer early in the game.

Would Apple continue to ship unprotected copies of their Operating System and applications if some enterprising entrepreneur developed a virtual machine product similar to bootcamp allowing OS X to be run inside existing Windows PCs?

I suspect it was Apples historic reliance on using proprietary hardware to copy protect their software that lead them to surprise and even anger some pundits and Apple fans when they released the locked iPhone. The controversy continues eat up hours of tech podcast time as the attempts of hackers to open the iPhone to cell service provider other than AT&T and to develop third party applications not sanctioned by Apple remain the focus of the geek tribes. The way Apple and AT&T react to the iPhone hacks may offer a glimpse of how Apple would treat customers if its OS were not locked down by the Apple hardware.

As I said, I am not supporting or advocating the draconian schemes of Microsoft or the recording industry but have some appreciation of the costs of piracy. Our copy protection dongle rarely caused any of our customers any grief. And over the years I received many reports from our distributors as well as calls to our own office from people wanting to know why our software, “ so kindly given to them by a friend”, could not be used with their devices supported by our software but not developed by us. The revenue generated by legitimate sales allowed us to continue to support our software long after the manufactures of the other devices dropped them like hot potatoes.

Both Apple and Linux distributions are in a unique position. With Apple, the hardware is the software “dongle” and with Linux most developers profess a non-commercial philanthropic intent.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 9

Windows 2 Apples Episode 9

Today I realized I spend close to 80% of my time at the iMac! It is an adventure and as the the “Macites” like to say tis even fun. I have usually enjoyed working at my PCs in the past but that was because I enjoyed my work wether it be developing software, hardware or web content. The PC was a means to an end and became the ultimate erector set for me.

“Work” on my iMac differs in that I am simply enjoying the ease with witch I can implement my ideas. The user interface and physical design are all esthetically very pleasing and, in a new way to me, seem to encourage my creative side. I feel I have have less to fear from hitting another sharp learning curve so give myself the freedom to dream a bit bigger.

I suspect you can detect I am becoming an Apple convert. I have given up on seeking the perfection portrayed in the Apple Advertisements and reconciled myself to the reality that my dream of a perfect computing experience may never happen in my professional life time. Yet, I still hope to see that day and to revel in it.

My shift to the iMac is largely the result of a recent contrast I saw in backing up my Mac and office Windows based machines as well as the new iWorks 08 and iLife tools which make creating media rich content much easier. I still find many of the seemly unnecessary limitations in Apple software and hardware frustrating but not as frustrating as the unnecessarily complex design of equivalent Windows tools.

I have not abandoned Windows altogether and if I were still actively designing hardware and coding I would have no choice but to use my PCs. The applications I require are simply not available for the Mac. I still find the Windows implementation of MSN Messenger the best all round tool for one on one collaborative work with skype a close second. Unfortunately, the Apple implementation of both products are not as evolved for the Mac, but skype has become my de-facto Mac messenger.

I did finally make my PC disk images using both Ghost and Acronis True Image. I had prepared a long rehash of my nightmare but have decided to simply say that I can not recommend Ghost to anyone wanting to maintain a healthy blood pressure. After almost three hours of trying to do a full Ghost back up and then having to resort to a Spin Rite ten hour level four refresh of my hard drive, I was able to finely get a disk image or so Ghost reported.

By the time I got to that point I had lost confidence in the Norton product. My mistrust of Ghost is heightened by the fact that I was unable to get any support from Norton. When it repeatedly failed to complete the backup because of a bad sector on my drive I was lead to the Norton Web where their own active x based tool failed to diagnose my problem. This is truly the preverbal dog chasing its tail plot in that their on-line diagnosis is a pre-requisite to connecting me with support!



I ended up using the free trial Acronis True Image workstation backup product and it worked as advertised. They offer accessible on-line support and even followed up the next day with a phone call to offer assistance and to get feedback. I will purchase the Workstation program and recommend to all Windows users needing a reliable full image back up of their systems. Bravo Acronis! And, a thumbs down for Norton.

In my next episode I will give my feedback on the new iWork 08 applications and the enhanced 08 GarageBand.

Windows 2 Apples Episode 8

Windows 2 Apples Episode 8

This is the text of our Netcast currently posted on the iNetSynch site blog. If iTunes is installed on your computer use this link to open and locate our podcast feed and subscribe:

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I come to you today somewhat humbled and more appreciative of my iMac and Apple applications. This changing heart is a result of my recent experiences with a Windows music creation and audio production program and the ease with with I have been able to backup up my iMac.

I purchased Music Creator 3 to use in place of GarageBand on my Windows XP tower. Although it came with easy install instructions, manual and separate video tutorial disk it is suffers from the feature over load and poor human interface design issues that plague many Windows applications. I soon realized that my time would be better spent using GarageBand on my Mac than taking the many hours if not days to become equally productive with Music Creator 3.

My second glimpse of the iMac halo effect was the discovery of how easy it is to make a complete boot-able image of the OS, applications and data using disk utility and a external firewire drive. In less than two hours I was able to install, reformat and copy a complete image of my iMac to a Western Digital 1 Terabyte My Book drive. I am very impressed given the dismal history I have had using products like Ghost to attempt a full system back up of my PCs.

I now feel a warm glow when using my Mac ... could I be a new convert in the making?

Windows 2 Apples Episode 7

Windows 2 Apples Episode 7

To prevent confusion and the spread of misinformation, I need to add this quickie update to my last post … episode 6 of Windows 2 Apples.

I was almost ready to throw in the towel today and stop trying to use the iMac as my primary tool for creating media rich web content. I seriously began searching for a Windows replacement for GarageBand and to refocus my time on using the many excellent media development programs that came bundled with my Sony Tower or that I have added over time.

iWeb has been a huge waste of time and I have had to redo my simple .Mac Web 3 times so far. Contrary to my initial impressions of the 08 version there is no simple way to manage multiple Web sites. You still have to move the domain file before booting iWeb in order to force it to ask for a site different from the one you worked on last. I must have assumed the prompt for domain was always present at launch because I had to reinstall iLife 08.

This inability to select the desired project without manually moving files around is so very limiting, prone to error and lame I am hoping that I have missed something and that I am wrong. As it is iWeb seems to be primarily intended for setting up and maintaining one .Mac site. Apple says it is possible to manage other domains but you have to remove the last used domain file to insure iWeb boots with a prompt for the domain you want to work with! This is a huge step backwards! I don’t understand this kind of short-circuited software development.

I do long for FrontPage even though Microsoft sometimes seemed to insist on generating some very peculiar and Explorer dependent html code. I remember the exhilaration I felt the 1st time I used it to complete a relatively complex WEB within a few hours of installing it. I was able to create, upload and maintain several sites with ease. I still use FrontPage for two brochure type sites, leaving the commercial sites to hand coded html. Microsoft has discontinued FrontPage and I am reluctant to use it to create new sites. But iWeb seems to suffer from a lack of flexibility and function that makes it almost unusable as a tool to efficiently create and maintain multiple webs.

I truly hope I am wrong but the iWeb 08 online help suggests that since iWeb 1.1 this is the way users switch between WEB projects. I still can’t believe this is the kind of software design that has gained Apple so many fans and accolades. I will hang in a bit longer and see if I can really begin to get things done as efficiently and as quickly on a Mac as I can in Windows.

I did find one very nasty “I got ya” worth passing on. First save, save, save your work as you create or alter a site using iWeb. I had painfully re-built the 1st two pages on my .Mac account and accidentally dropped my html code on the grey html widget placeholder window instead of the black snippet window and iWeb locked up tighter than a lid on a jar of home made preserves. I finally was able to force quit iWeb but lost all my work prior to the lockup.