Letters to my sons.

Dear Son,

at heart I am a geek, always have been and hopefully I always will be so I have some things geek to report.

First of all at work we got new computers running Microsoft’s Vista operating system. The new OS is terrible. Every time you attempt to run an application the screen dims and a pop-up box asks you if you want to run the program you just clicked on. You can’t do anything with the computer until you either click “Yes I want to run the program” or “No I don’t want to run the program I just clicked on”. Because Windows is so insecure it could be that a worm/trojan/virus has taken over your computer and is running programs and the system has no way of knowing if the program was run from a mouse click or by the afore mentioned worm/trojan/virus. So it tries to make the system secure by constantly asking if you just clicked on anything but this does not add security because eventually you just click “Okay” or “Yes” without reading the box. Pure and utter dog pooh.

Microsoft have tried to secure Vista by switching off everything useful. This is a good idea in theory but if the system were really secure it would still be secure when the deactivated services are switched on. And it isn’t. I tried to look at some files on another computer and was told that I couldn’t and that would need to enable something. I wasn’t told how or where I could enable network browsing so I had to do a Google search to find out.

When I double clicked on a file to read it the operating system told me it didn’t know which application to open the file with and asked me to click a button to see a list of applications. When I clicked on the button I didn’t get a list of applications but I got list of folders with the system expecting ME to find the application.

I have loads of example to share but it would just get even more boring than it is now. I have been spoilt by the elegance and simplicity of my OS X on my various Apple computers. A little but more expensive but worth every penny as I spend my time doing things and not fighting the operating system at every turn.

I’m not sure if I’m getting an iPhone on Friday. I have ordered one but the order is still showing “Processing”. 02 only have a handful of phones so I’m not sure if I will get one or not. I hope I do as I have a long train journey on Saturday to Newcastle. It should only take three hours but due to engineering works it will take nearer 5. I am going to pick up Grandma Audrey’s car from Uncle Phil. He doesn’t need it any more now he is going to Dubai to work so I’m going to see him before he goes and then drive the car back to London. I was thinking of taking you with me but 5 hours traveling up – some of that on a replacement bus – and then 4 to 5 hours in a car on the way back is not really a fun day out. Also we can’t stop on the way back every time you think you might need the toilet.

Hopefully we can go and see Uncle Phil in Dubai in the near future.