Chaos Manor User's Column Archive 2007

January 2, 2007 Mailbag -
There is a bit more mail on Delayed Write, Windows keyboard shortcuts are shared, DRM is wrangled over, and Jerry wraps up with a message about setting the location of My Documents from MS programmer Noel Nyman.
Computing at Chaos Manor, January 2, 2007 -
Jerry discusses "gifts" from vendors, shares the good news about Antec, and plunks Vista on another new machine. He also highlights the value of multi-core processors and virtualization, makes a few New Year's predictions, and winds down December a week late.
January 8, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag opens with the laptop giveaway brouhaha, and then delves into the future of Operating Systems. Thereafter Jerry puts up some responses to the My Documents location issue, gives space to Virtual PC on older Macs, and wraps up with mail about mice.
Special Report: Upgrading to Vista -
Alex Pournelle writes on considerations in upgrading to Vista. Eric Pobirs and Rick Hellewell contribute their thoughts.
Computing at Chaos Manor, January 9, 2007 -
Jerry starts working with Office 2007 and Vista. Then he begins the annual presentations with Chaos Manor Orchids, and User's Choice awards.
January 15, 2007 Mailbag -
A slow week for mail, Jerry fields messages on Intel-based Macs, Vista, updating Acrobat, and Dragon Naturally Speaking..
Computing at Chaos Manor, January 16, 2007 -
Jerry muses on Apple and CES, hands out another Orchid, and presents a batch of Special Reports.
Special Report: Predictions about the iPhone -
Dan Spisak gives the iPhone presentation the once over, and makes some educated guesses about the whys and wherefores.
Special Report: CES 2007 -
Alex Pournelle shares his thoughts and pain on the week at CES, new products, crowding, glitz, and all that blaring sound!
Special Report: CES 2007 at Random -
Eric Pobirs jumps on the CES bandwagon, providing spot coverage of cool, great, and ... oily products.
January 22, 2007 Mailbag -
The mail begins and ends with Peter's comments on two Apple products. In the middle is useful hints and links from readers, including a trip to 'Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal'.
Computing at Chaos Manor, January 23, 2007 -
Jerry is GoH at Further Confusion, hands out some Onions, and installs more RAM in the Lenovo laptop.
January 29, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag has an IE7 troubleshooting query, messages on laptop memory and a paperless desktop with OS X, and wraps with a discussion on Gutmann's take on Vista..
IE7 Special Report -
Jerry looks into the reports that IE7 installs without user input, and notes his continued happy use of Firefox with the Tab Mix Plus extension as his primary browsing platform..
Computing at Chaos Manor, January 30, 2007 -
Jerry shares further thoughts and considerations as the consumer introduction of Vista, looks at a couple of powerful gadgets, and winds down for January.
February 5, 2007 Mailbag -
A full bag this week, with missives on the value of laptop documentation, lots of traffic on new Macs, both gripes and software recommendations, and a Vista benchmarks finale.
Special Report: A CPU upgrade for the T41p -
Sean Long takes the CPU upgrade leap to give his three year old T41p a new lease on life in this Special Report.
Computing at Chaos Manor, February 6, 2007 -
After some consideration of the coming Second Literacy Revolution in computing, Jerry does battle with wireless and comes out on top, then makes some adjustments with a new gadget.
February 12, 2007 Mailbag -
The mail opens with feedback from last week, touches on XP wireless tools, then dives into assorted Mac resources and tips. The wrap-up involves mitigating XP memory leaks and Vista icon scaling.
Computing at Chaos Manor, February 13, 2007 -
Jerry continues to use Vista, replaces the hard drive on his Lenovo T42p, ponders changing keyboards, and wraps up with TV on the PC before tax time.
February 19, 2007 Mailbag -
A full week's correspondence includes items on storage media, Apple wireless gear, Turbo Tax online, World of Warcraft, and much more.
Computing at Chaos Manor, February 20, 2007 -
Network Neutrality rears its head again and generates a fair bit of discussion. Microsoft and Apple security items make a cameo appearance, along with IPv6.
February 26, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag opens with items on IPv6 and Teredo, followed by costs and effects of upgrading to Windows Vista. The processor affinity question gets answered two ways, and two more viewpoints on Net Neutrality are seen. 4G memory and WoW wrap up the week's mail.
Computing at Chaos Manor, February 27, 2007 -
The 1.5 billion dollar judgement against Microsoft grabs Jerry's attention, and so does ReadyBoost, one of the new features in Vista, along with a CES opinion by Dvorak. The column winds down with books, game, and movie of the month.
March 5, 2007 Mailbag -
The mail this week covers ground with Linux on old hardware, Linux/UNIX and OS (or distribution) security, a bit more on Vista upgrades and on Network Neutrality, as well as assorted other items.
Computing at Chaos Manor, March 6, 2007 -
Vista activaction hacked? Not as such, but thoughts on Activation and DRM lead the column. Jerry continues on into Virtualization, touches on spell-checking in Vista, and wraps up the week with spam.
March 12, 2007 Mailbag -
In the mailbag there's plenty of virtualization, a bit of Windows commandline magic, and more on vulnerabilities and Net neutrality.
Computing at Chaos Manor, March 13, 2007 -
Improper prosecution leads off in this week's installment, along with continued discussion of Vista activation hacks, DRM technicalities, tech support from Earthlink, and a bit about Second Life.
March 19, 2007 Mailbag -
It's not Trash Day at Chaos Manor — there's meat in such topics as partitioning, CD media reliability, ISP service levels, PowerShell, and something called Advanced Toolbar.
Special Report: Maker Fair Auditions at TechShop -
Peter Glaskowsky takes in the sights and gets us a sneak preview of some of the neat stuff we're likely to find at O'Reilly's Maker Faire this Spring.
Special Report: Larry Niven's Computers -
Eric Pobirs reports on his battles with Niven's machine. Is the problem hardware? Bitrot? It's difficult to diagnose. The report opens with an Introduction by Jerry.
Computing at Chaos Manor, March 21, 2007 -
The saga of secure payments at Earthlink is documented this week, as is a discussion on the economics of Job Exports and Free Trade.
March 26, 2007 Mailbag -
The mail rolls in, even while Jerry's at the Space Access Society Conference. There's traffic on Multicore processing, the Debian process, economics, system maintenance, and problems with a Windows update.
Computing at Chaos Manor, March 28, 2007 -
Following the SAS meeting, Jerry muses on the future of NASA. Navigation and computing on the road both get treatment this week as well. In Winding Down, books and movies are offered for your pleasure.
April 2, 2007 Mailbag -
Jerry adds to his Kitchen Cabinet, and handles mail relating to home entertainment, GoDaddy, economics, and a troubled USB 2.0 interface.
Computing at Chaos Manor, April 5, 2007 -
Jerry documents a conversation with the Advisors regarding the hot new Mac Pro from Apple. The Tornado (a gadget) is briefly reviewed.
April 9, 2007 Mailbag -
Reader feedback on the new Apple 8-core machines leads off a full mailbag. Other topics include hybrid hard drives, GoDaddy, streaming servers, and the Kurzweil Reader system.
Computing at Chaos Manor, April 10, 2007 -
Jerry discusses the recently-patched ANI vulnerability, wishes for more (and less) from Vista, looks into the Free Conferencing tempest, and wraps up the week with a couple of gadget mentions.
Special Report: Broadband Experiences -
Rich Heimlich, a recent addition to the Advisors, reports on his experiences with Broadband Cable internet access.
April 16, 2007 Mailbag -
The lead email is for the blind: use human readers, instead of technology. Following, there's plenty of meat on the Optical Character Recognition front, as well as extensive discursion on Flash memory and audio codecs.
Computing at Chaos Manor, April 17, 2007 -
Jerry looks into the announcement by Apple of Leopard delays, and points out good news from NAB. Are you safe? WoW accounts are getting hacked. Then it's time for a peek at some software and a new portable drive.
April 23, 2007 Mailbag -
It's a buffet-style mailbag this week, covering registry cleaning, mythical man-months, flash memory, and OS compiler tools, to name but a few.
Computing at Chaos Manor, April 24, 2007 -
Jerry decides how, and whether, to recommend Vista. A bonus-size Winding Down section this month, with plenty of commentary and perspective. Enjoy!
April 30, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag contains strong opinions about the suitability of Vista, following last week's column. In addition, there's mail on flash memory, buffer overflows, Microsoft humor, and Windows Update Hell.
Computing at Chaos Manor, May 2, 2007 -
SCOTUS hands down a decision about patents. Dell to ship Ubuntu pre-loaded. AMD running out of money? Finally, Jerry gets a new camera.
May 7, 2007 Mailbag -
Corrected Microsoft KB references, a thread on "Patent Trolls," a query about a Logitech Mouse, and one user's experience with Vista — all that and more in this week's mail.
Computing at Chaos Manor, May 8, 2007 -
Identity theft precautions occupy a bit of Jerry's time, as well as the Microsoft netstat utility, Firefox, energy policies, gadgets, games, and Opera (the singing type).
May 14, 2007 Mailbag -
A very full mailbag, with but two main topics: Security, and the end of Visual Basic.
Computing at Chaos Manor, May 15, 2007 -
Jerry has travel plans, but he takes out some time to write about Microsoft's patent threats, Outlook's recent behavior, and his Lenovo X60 ThinkPad.
May 21, 2007 Mailbag -
Another week, lots more mail. The bulk of the traffic is on VB's retirement, with side trips to Outlook issues, Microsoft patents, and Vista.
Computing at Chaos Manor, May 22, 2007 -
This week's column incorporates more thoughts on the Great Microsoft Patent Scare, impressions from WinHEC, progress with Outlook, and The Future!
May 28, 2007 Mailbag -
This mailbag is filed from the road: A reader comments on Word 2007, there's more on dead and dying programming languages, and just one on the upcoming software patent wars.
Computing at Chaos Manor, May 29, 2007 -
Live from Balticon, it's Winding Down at Chaos Manor! There are plenty of good book recommendations this month, too.
June 11, 2007 Mailbag -
Now on the wire, this CMR Mailbag offers feedback on Microsoft licensing agreements with Linux vendors, identity theft, a plea for hardware help, and a cliffhanger on software licensing and Open Source.
Computing at Chaos Manor, June 12, 2007 -
Jerry fills in the details of events in his recent travels. Two Pournelles have dark visions of Vista. Short shrift time on the dangers of file sharing, Maxtor's new terabyte product, and Adobe Creative Suite 3. The week wraps with musings on the future of publishing.
June 18, 2007 Mailbag -
From the beach house, this mailbag includes a hint about Outlook, Vista vs. the CD install troubles, an item on wartime medical planning, a recommendation on image processing, and a thread on Joost and BitTorrent.
Computing at Chaos Manor, June 19, 2007 -
Jerry heads to the beach house, adapts to a new monitor, keyboard and mouse, laments the apparent demise of Redmond's Human Factors people, and conveys David Em's latest experiences with Vista.
June 25, 2007 Mailbag -
As Jerry's bug returns to plague him, we have mail on Human Factors and Help Files, a pointer to warnings on unsafe browsing, and a long thread on Microsoft Surface.
Computing at Chaos Manor, June 26, 2007 -
As June draws to a close, Jerry notes the imminent arrival of the iPhone, enjoys his Crosley Songwriter, passes on an extensive field report from Alex, and Winds Down the month with the usual excellent recommendations.
July 2, 2007 Mailbag -
Summer brings less mail, but not much less: there are eReaders, and burning salt water, and more Microsoft lawsuits... Oh, my!
Computing at Chaos Manor, July 5, 2007 -
A slightly delayed column celebrates Independence Day, and documents frustrations with images, Word, and Vista.
July 9, 2007 Mailbag -
This week in CMR mail, Jerry fields Pro and Con email concerning the iPhone, a couple of good pocket computer / eBook messages, and complaints about Windows.
Computing at Chaos Manor, July 10, 2007 -
Wherein Jerry declares Microsoft a Bureaucracy, waits on the iPhone, battles with the Windows Registry, and growls at Outlook.
July 16, 2007 Mailbag -
A mailbag with some depth, including traffic on Outlook, some discussion about press releases for an eBook and a Registry Cleaning product, and much ado about the Xbox 360 write-down.
July 23, 2007 Mailbag -
This week the mailbag continues and finishes the Xbox 360 discussion. There are two reader messages in favor of using Exchange. Closing out the week are Franklin planners and wide-aspect Lenovo laptops.
Computing at Chaos Manor, July 24, 2007 -
Jerry girds for battle with The Phone Company, and deals with dust and dog fur bedevilling his comms system.
July 30, 2007 Mailbag -
Jerry asked for feedback on cell phones and service. Ask and ye shall receive. There are small bits at the bottom of the bag not about cell phones at all, though.
Computing at Chaos Manor, July 31, 2007 -
The end of the month brings a bit about Surface, some HD vs. Blu-ray, and a high-level followup on the AT&T story. Winding Down brings us movies and books to occupy what little time is left.
August 6, 2007 Mailbag -
This week's mail covers texting in an emergency, digital conversion of 35mm slides, digital conversion of CD collections, and more about mobile plans.
Computing at Chaos Manor, August 7, 2007 -
Jerry's in Hell at the Beach House, thinking Amazon's new announcement that is reminiscent of Millicent, and about the Death Spiral of publishing. He's also experimenting with new travel bags, and battling Vista.
August 13, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag contains a mixed group of cell phone and cell service items, plus items on other solutions to the CD collection problem, and short takes on eBook readers and print-on-demand systems.
Computing at Chaos Manor, August 14, 2007 -
In this segment, Jerry muses on Regulation vs. Freedom in the arena of options backdating. He also comments on laptop desks, and the latest in options for multiple core CPUs.
August 20, 2007 Mailbag -
Although he's been afflicted with neighborhood power problems, Jerry engages the advisors in discussions about laptop desks, iMac hardware, and portable music players.
Computing at Chaos Manor, August 22, 2007 -
Taking a breather from working in Hell, Jerry ponders Blu-ray Disc vs. HD DVD. Windows updates, virus checking, and power outages trouble his life; and he wonders about Eric's thoughts on what Vista got wrong.
August 27, 2007 Mailbag -
Between Hell and WotF, Jerry still manages a mailbag full of items on such topics as Vista, email and antivirus software, Mac computers, and Chinese vitamins.
Computing at Chaos Manor, August 28, 2007 -
As summer cools off, Jerry is still in Hell, but manages to surface for some WGA validation issues and Vista playback vs. networking banter. A movie and lots of books fill the Winding Down section, as usual.
September 3, 2007 Mailbag -
Fighting through high temperatures in the LA area, Jerry fields mail on such topics as Wireless configuration tools, much on the overly-protective Vista, a bit about Zonbu's Linux box, and more on Chinese vitamins.
Computing at Chaos Manor, September 4, 2007 -
Jerry waxes eloquent on the tribulations of the SFWA, scribd.com, and assorted other actors, as he ponders the future that authors face protecting their copyrights.
September 10, 2007 Mailbag -
Much of the mailbag is occupied this week with thoughts on digital rights and their defense. Other topics include Windows passwords, Vista, and backups.
Computing at Chaos Manor, September 11, 2007 -
Death on the beach: a fan stops in Orlando, the IBM T42p, there are consequences and tales to tell as a result.
September 18, 2007 Mailbag -
A mixed mailbag this week, with topics from author's rights to light pollution and wireheads to Acrobat lockups and credit reports.
Computing at Chaos Manor, September 18, 2007 -
The iPhone international scandal leads off, then Jerry tunes up Titan, discusses the Monk's Cell, battles monitor resolution problems, and finishes reviving Orlando.
September 24, 2007 Mailbag -
The week's mail includes problems with inexpensive large LCD monitors, a Vista rant from a reader, and nicely juxtaposed: a press release and a discussion on advertising.
Computing at Chaos Manor, September 25, 2007 -
As September winds down, Jerry notes that there's real money in video games, and that there's less real money in speculative investments than you might think. Movie, books, and game of the month cap this segment.
October 1, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag leads with the latest Excel bug, then segues into the Windows Update quagmire. In the middle bit, there's Linux in the mainstream, and fun with Vista and Firefox. This edition closes with more on Author's rights.
October 8, 2007 Mailbag -
The week's mail incorporates exchanges on MacBooks, alleged iPhone brickage, allegedly draconian AT&T terms, an Apple Safari oddessy, and modifying PDF's under OS X.
Computing at Chaos Manor, October 11, 2007 -
In this first October column, Jerry reflects on an RIAA victory, one early prediction, the iBrick story, plus XP extended life support, and Office 2003 SP3.
October 15, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag presents this week: fun with Parallels, items on photo scanning and voice recognition, and wraps with Windows Update issues, Linux distribution thoughts, and DRM.
October 22, 2007 Mailbag -
A big mailbag that leads off with iPhone and iPod correspondence. There's "fun" with Vista, a plea to Microsoft, and issues with Windows updates. There's also DRM, and movie critiques, and more.
Computing at Chaos Manor, October 23, 2007 -
This week starts with discussion of Comcastic versions of network neutrality and customer service, then tools for TWIT, followed by quick takes on an assortment of equipment and gadgets spotted at Marty Winston's recent exhibition in LA.
October 29, 2007 Mailbag -
The mail this week covers ground on a variety of topics, from corrections to Comcast to Vista and software patents.
Computing at Chaos Manor, October 30, 2007 -
Jerry delves deeper into software patents, R&D budgets, grantsmanship, and the nature of bureaucracies. There's a touch on the Comcast tempest, and the monthly Winding Down section.
November 5, 2007 Mailbag -
In the mailbag you'll find more pro and con regarding Vista, a significant exchange on ebook readers, and more on the issue of copyright.
Computing at Chaos Manor, November 6, 2007 -
Daylight Savings Time ends. The Writer's Guild goes on strike. Electronic books are coming. Tabula Rasa is now online. These stories and more on Chaos Manor Reviews with Jerry Pournelle.
November 12, 2007 Mailbag -
The mail opens with Firefox, ThinkPads, and Leopard firewalls. Conversations about Comcast, eBooks, and the WGA strike wrap it up for the week.
Computing at Chaos Manor, November 13, 2007 -
Jerry recounts Orlando's second homecoming, then offers short reviews (one preview) of half a dozen useful electronic gadgets and software.
November 19, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag contains several of the usual suspects: Good keyboards, Leopard, ThinkPads, eBooks, Comcast Watch, and a long discussion on digital media.
Computing at Chaos Manor, November 20, 2007 -
Jerry issues his annual call for Christmas Shopping Recommendations. Thereafter he looks at what the new Amazon Kindle might do for eBooks, and contrasts it with a Sony Reader. The wrap this week is more travails with Vista and Outlook.
November 27, 2007 Mailbag -
The CMR mail opens with a counterpoint to Lenovo, follows with items on Kindle and Cybook, trouble with a MacBook Pro, more thoughts on Outlook, and wraps up with the prospect of change at Chaos Manor.
Computing at Chaos Manor, November 27, 2007 -
Jerry looks at gadgets and software pursuant to Podcasting. The month winds down with three books and a game. There wasn't time for movies...
December 3, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag starts with a malware warning and a couple of reader questions, then dives into an eBook frenzy. There's also some follow-up to the Leopard problems previously reported.
December 10, 2007 Mailbag -
A cautionary tale opens the mail this week, followed by more on the Kindle and other handhelds. That's followed by items on recovery tools and the value of Linux.
Computing at Chaos Manor, December 11, 2007 -
Jerry's first column segment for December is a bag full of goodies and gadgets to give as gifts this holiday season, or get for yourself after all the socks and ties are put in the back closet...
December 17, 2007 Mailbag -
There are a few more gift recommendations in the mailbag. Additionally, there are items on USB connections, the Vista SP1 Beta, and OS X ... something for everyone!
Computing at Chaos Manor, December 18, 2007 -
Jerry calls for Orchids and Onions. Then he spends some of a busy week fixing up Outlook to behave the way he wants, so he can take some time to help relatives with new computers.
December 31, 2007 Mailbag -
The mailbag is a three-trick pony this last week of the year: A bit on Vista vs. XP, a slightly longer bit on Knol vs. Wikipedia, and a big chunk of discussion on digital and copying rights (and the lack thereof).
Computing at Chaos Manor, December 31, 2007 -
At year's end, the call for Orchids and Onions continues. Jerry reviews selected events of the year past, from leaded toys to cyber war to OS Wars. The winding down section including three good books wraps the column and the year.

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Chaos Manor User's Column Archive 2007