Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Three New Friends

During my long absence I found a couple of new friends. Some technology. I'd been resisting for a while. Fear and funding my main opponents to change. But I took a series of leaps and found myself bearhugging 2010 computing.

Windows 7 - To a computer junkie like me, changing your OS is akin to changing your soul. We spend years getting everything the way we like it. We get comfortable. Everything is fine tuned. All our widgets are tweaked for optimal performance. Our systems all but purr. Then a newer version of our beloved (or loathed) operating system comes out. Nobody I know seriously dives into the change. We usually make tons of excuses. Drag our feet. Resist. Resist. Resist.

But I finally dipped my toe in the waters of Windows 7. And I liked it. First my netbook. Then a PC at work. And finally my home PC. It wasn't easy or pleasant to make the transition, but I'm really enjoying it. The OS is snappier. Cleaner. More productive. Sure, sure, sure, it probably borrows heavily from Apple. But it is a truly magnificent change. And I'm still finding my way around this new monster.  But I'm a fan. Very big fan. And I'm encouraging everyone to make the switch.

HP Mini Netbook - I've had this thing for a while. But I've only recently started tweaking it. As a hard core computer junkie, I'm usually multitasking for hours. Dual monitors. A horde of applications cascading across all my desktops. Downshifting to a lower gear with this netbook took a few tries before I saw the benefit. It is ultra portable and fairly powerful (for its size) but the screen is quite limited. It forces me to slow down. I have to monotask. And that is a big big change for me. I'm not used to only doing one thing. But I like it. Especially when it comes to cleaning out an Inbox.I'm able to gnaw through my tasks quicker. And I feel less distracted.  Won't give up my desktop, but I do use the netbook more than every.

Wireless networking - But the biggest luxury of the netbook is that it is wireless! I installed (and secured!) a wireless access point. And now I can sit in bed and catch up on email. I can soak in the tub and listen to Pandora. I can get some sunshine and still work on projects or place orders on Amazon. Very very very liberating.

One day soon, I'll get Meg's pink Sony Vaio fixed. (She dropped it and broke the power port.) Maybe upgrade her to Windows 7. And the two of us can roam the house like giddy digital nomads.

Changes. Difficult to commit initially. Yet well worth the effort. No regrets.

2 comments:

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Windows 7 is the best OS after the XP service pack 2. I really like the Windows 7.

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