Tag Archives: Computerworld

Sun Global Desktop, Sun Ray and client/server computing

Sun have released a new version of their Sun Global Desktop product, a tool which lets you run applications on a server and use them locally. This is of course nothing particularly new, the original X Windows System allowed remote viewing of a local application, and through the years there have been a range of different solutions, such as VNC and Microsoft's Terminal Services.

Global Desktop has a few tricks up its sleeve, including the ability to run and support all of these technologies, and even a Java Applet driven web interface which you can try out online (along with X11 and Windows) through this link.

Sun Global Desktop, Sun Ray and client/server computing

Sun have released a new version of their Sun Global Desktop product, a tool which lets you run applications on a server and use them locally. This is of course nothing particularly new, the original X Windows System allowed remote viewing of a local application, and through the years there have been a range of different solutions, such as VNC and Microsoft's Terminal Services.

Global Desktop has a few tricks up its sleeve, including the ability to run and support all of these technologies, and even a Java Applet driven web interface which you can try out online (along with X11 and Windows) through this link.

Boot Camp is apparently far more complex than we realized

Through The Unofficial Apple Weblog and this post I was introduced to a new review/comment piece on Boot Camp.

On the whole the real article is wrong on a number of counts. I won't link to it yet, but I think one of the key paragraphs from the article is this one:

Macs operate at a lower CPU temperature than PCs. When a Mac starts to emulate a Windows platform completely, the computer must provide additional voltage to provide the computing power. The heat generated from over-clocking the hardware results in faster hardware degradation. If you get enough excess heat, you can start cooking your computer and maybe even dinner while you're at it.
To pick out the specific points that are plain and simply wrong from this paragraph:

Boot Camp is apparently far more complex than we realized

Through The Unofficial Apple Weblog and this post I was introduced to a new review/comment piece on Boot Camp.

On the whole the real article is wrong on a number of counts. I won't link to it yet, but I think one of the key paragraphs from the article is this one:

Macs operate at a lower CPU temperature than PCs. When a Mac starts to emulate a Windows platform completely, the computer must provide additional voltage to provide the computing power. The heat generated from over-clocking the hardware results in faster hardware degradation. If you get enough excess heat, you can start cooking your computer and maybe even dinner while you're at it.
To pick out the specific points that are plain and simply wrong from this paragraph:

Sexism in the Geek World

Annalee Newitz is a journalist. Unfortunately, Annalee is also a woman, and that unfortunately makes her a target for sexist and misogynistic comments from a number of the Slashdot (and other) readers.

The summary of the story is with a more detailed piece responding to the offending article that started it all available where Annalee talks about the issues and the idiots. Because of the way Slashdot works, even the opening description and summary of the article was sexist. The comments that followed were significantly worse.

Microsoft Office UI 2007 – UI space

I commented at MCslp Coalface recently about the issues and approaches used for developing office suites, and by coincidence I was talking to a client and friend about the issues over the weekend.

The crux of the matter is that, for whatever reason, the UI and approach of the cornerstone of company software, the Office suite, doesn't seem to have changed very much over the years. Suites - from whatever source - still follow the basic principles of a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, presentation software, database etc. Today, that may not necessarily be the right approach considering the business and work that many individuals do.

Microsoft Office UI 2007 – UI space

I commented at MCslp Coalface recently about the issues and approaches used for developing office suites, and by coincidence I was talking to a client and friend about the issues over the weekend.

The crux of the matter is that, for whatever reason, the UI and approach of the cornerstone of company software, the Office suite, doesn't seem to have changed very much over the years. Suites - from whatever source - still follow the basic principles of a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, presentation software, database etc. Today, that may not necessarily be the right approach considering the business and work that many individuals do.

Check your definition of free

There's a lot of fuss in the UK at the moment about the launch by TalkTalk of Free Broadband Forever.

The salient point here is the use of the word Free, especially when you consider that it actually costs £20.99 each month.

I don't want to be cynical, and yes, I appreciate that you also get your line rental and a very good calling plan bundled in for that price, but at the end of the day, what you are paying for is all three items (line rental, calling plan, broadband) for the £20.99. It is mere marketing to suggest that what you are actually paying for is the first two items and the third is the free one.