NGRhodes http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/ NickR's website <form action="http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/search.php" method="GET"> <input type="text" name="search" size="10" maxlength="128" />» </form> en 2008 NickR unknown_webmaster@acme.heaven unknown_webmaster@acme.heaven 53.8481 -1.829 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:18:48 GMT Yet Another Community System http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 59 Ubuntu 8.10 - Intrepid Ibex Released http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-169-ubuntu-8.10-intrepid-ibex-released http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-169-ubuntu-8.10-intrepid-ibex-released Available from Ubuntu download page, announcement - Ubuntu 8.10 released. From a users viewpoint, this version offers various new improvements including:  Support for 3G wireless devices and improved Wi-Fi support. Nautilus, desktop file manager now has tab support. Encrypted private directories. guest user mode. On a more technical side, there is a newer Kernel - version 2.6.27, Gnome 2.24, Xorg 7.4, Updated Samba for Windows networking, Xen virtual machine. I will be downloading shortly and testing it from the LiveCD, I hope to see improvements with Xorg's auto-configuration ... more Available from Ubuntu download page, announcement - Ubuntu 8.10 released.

From a users viewpoint, this version offers various new improvements including:

 Support for 3G wireless devices and improved Wi-Fi support.
 Nautilus, desktop file manager now has tab support.
 Encrypted private directories.
 guest user mode.

On a more technical side, there is a newer Kernel - version 2.6.27, Gnome 2.24, Xorg 7.4, Updated Samba for Windows networking, Xen virtual machine.

I will be downloading shortly and testing it from the LiveCD, I hope to see improvements with Xorg's auto-configuration (I suffered bugs that required xorg.conf to be manually edited) and that the adobe flash plugin for Firefox behaves better.

Cheers, Nick nickr Blog Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:51:12 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-169-ubuntu-8.10-intrepid-ibex-released#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/169 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/169 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:169 Darth Scarlett http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-168-darth-scarlett http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-168-darth-scarlett The latest menace to crawl the known universe... Darth Scarlett The latest menace to crawl the known universe...

Darth ScarlettDarth Scarlett nickr Blog Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:12:53 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-168-darth-scarlett#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/168 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/168 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:168 Getting power management to work in Ubuntu http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-167-getting-power-management-to-work-in-ubuntu http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-167-getting-power-management-to-work-in-ubuntu After noticing that my Laptop was not Spinning down its HDD, I decided to investigate, a quick google and on the first page I found a useful page: Power Management - Ubuntu Wiki . After going through the guide, I noticed that my Harddrive was spinning down very quickly. After a bit of experimentation with different settings for the spindown time, I realise that the issue was with the APM settings overriding the spindown setting. The solution was use a setting of 128 to 255 and the HDD will spin down according to the spindown setting - anything less than 127 ... more After noticing that my Laptop was not Spinning down its HDD, I decided to investigate, a quick google and on the first page I found a useful page: Power Management - Ubuntu Wiki . After going through the guide, I noticed that my Harddrive was spinning down very quickly. After a bit of experimentation with different settings for the spindown time, I realise that the issue was with the APM settings overriding the spindown setting. The solution was use a setting of 128 to 255 and the HDD will spin down according to the spindown setting - anything less than 127 (lower values = more power saving) and the spindown setting is ignored. I assume this is something specific to my HDD. Another change is that I have enable control of CPU throttling,

The result of these changes is that I am getting 15 to 30 more minutes usage time on battery (was approx 2 hours before). nickr Blog Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:04:53 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-167-getting-power-management-to-work-in-ubuntu#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/167 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/167 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:167 My ongoing Saga of moving to Linux http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-166-my-ongoing-saga-of-moving-to-linux http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-166-my-ongoing-saga-of-moving-to-linux If your wondering where I have been, well, I apart from a summer vacation touring the South of England, I have been migrating slowly to Linux. The distribution I have currently chosen is Linux Mint. I think this is a more polished and stable version of Ubuntu, but not just that, but its default configuration is closer to how I prefer things to be configured. I am still considering using Debian Testing, but am waiting to for Lenny (the current testing) to be released to see how long it takes for the new testing to stabilise. So this ... more If your wondering where I have been, well, I apart from a summer vacation touring the South of England, I have been migrating slowly to Linux. The distribution I have currently chosen is Linux Mint. I think this is a more polished and stable version of Ubuntu, but not just that, but its default configuration is closer to how I prefer things to be configured.

I am still considering using Debian Testing, but am waiting to for Lenny (the current testing) to be released to see how long it takes for the new testing to stabilise.

So this is where the problems start. First delay was waiting for my new HDD to arrive for my laptop. After waiting a week for my HDD, I then suffered my next problem it was my Windows machine corrupting the Linx Mint livecd ISO download, not just once, but twice ! This added a few more days delay.
The next delay was that the livecd kept locking my laptop up. After 3 attempts on different nights I managed to get Mint installed. So about 3 weeks in and I have Linux Mint installed, but my laptop is still freezing. I download and run the Ubuntu 8.04 livecd and suffer the same problem, I work out its a display issue as the machine does not lockup when xorg is not running, so I create a new bug report on launchpad: Dell C400 (i830) freezes in Hardy. This take some more time to resolve and whilst this issue is ongoing, I then require a new laptop battery and I aslo decide to add a bit more ram. So eventually I get a stable Laptop and my new HDD decides to fail and make impressions of an angle grinder, so whilst that is being returned, I have reinstalled Mint on my old HDD, about 1 month on and I finally have a stable Linux install ! n1ckr Blog Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:32:20 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-166-my-ongoing-saga-of-moving-to-linux#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/166 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/166 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:166 MST Defrag v3 Public Beta http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-165-mst-defrag-v3-public-beta http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-165-mst-defrag-v3-public-beta http://www.mstsoftware.com/en/Products/mst-Defrag/mst-Defrag-new I've been running this for a few days and so far seems 100% stable, well worth testing, especially with the generous 60 day trial. The main new feature is the command line tool which can be scheduled using the built in windows scheduler. This is great, because it gives you the option of both the proactive and the scheduled defrag, which is a unique feature. The proactive mode is great at defragging actual files, but I found it does not do space consolidate very well, by creating a regular schedules you can over come ... more http://www.mstsoftware.com/en/Products/mst-Defrag/mst-Defrag-new

I've been running this for a few days and so far seems 100% stable, well worth testing, especially with the generous 60 day trial.

The main new feature is the command line tool which can be scheduled using the built in windows scheduler.

This is great, because it gives you the option of both the proactive and the scheduled defrag, which is a unique feature.

The proactive mode is great at defragging actual files, but I found it does not do space consolidate very well, by creating a regular schedules you can over come this weakness as the scheduled manual defrag does.

Hopefully they have worked to fix the issue of defragging difficult to defrag drives as reported by Donn Edwards: http://donnedwards.openaccess.co.za/2007/07/great-defrag-shootout-xix-mst-defrag-20.html , then this could well become a favourite of mine. N1ckR Blog Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:36:24 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-165-mst-defrag-v3-public-beta#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/165 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/165 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:165 XP Pro. The end is nigh (30th June) and support http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-164-xp-pro.-the-end-is-nigh-30th-june-and-support http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-164-xp-pro.-the-end-is-nigh-30th-june-and-support Windows XP reaches its sell-by date in a few days (with the exception of XP Home "either June 30, 2010, or one year after the general availability of the next version of Windows"). default.mspx Mainstream support ends 4/14/2009. That's only 10 months full support left ! Extended support ends 4/8/2014. Which is security fixes only, no new versions of browsers, media players or support for newer products (eg though, doubtful, next version of office might not support XP due to using a Vista only feature that will not get backported to XP). Even with XP SP3 only recently been ... more Windows XP reaches its sell-by date in a few days (with the exception of XP Home "either June 30, 2010, or one year after the general availability of the next version of Windows"). default.mspx

Mainstream support ends 4/14/2009. That's only 10 months full support left ! Extended support ends 4/8/2014. Which is security fixes only, no new versions of browsers, media players or support for newer products (eg though, doubtful, next version of office might not support XP due to using a Vista only feature that will not get backported to XP).

Even with XP SP3 only recently been released, Microsoft clearly states: "When support for a product ends, support of the service packs for that product will also end." default.aspx?scid=fh%3Ben-us%3Blifecycle&LN=EN-US&x=20&y=10#Service%20Pack%20Support

Will XP's extended support be enough for those who want to continue using XP ?

Will people who intially dismissed Vista, consider upgrading to Vista in the near future ?

Or will people who do not want to or cannot (eg people with ultra portable and sub notebooks) use Vista yet, hold out with XP until the next version of Windows is out in 2010 ?

Or will people start migrating away from Vista to Mac or Linux ?

I have always been a fan of Linux, and if I wanted to move to Linux 100% tomorrow (I am currently happy with XP though). I have 3 personal machines that do not meet the specification to run Vista and have no need to upgrade them to anything faster, so upgrading to Vista is not an option. So I still need to decide to keep XP until Windows 7 comes out or move at-least partially to Linux.

Computerworld has some insight into this topic, http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9070119 N1ckR Blog Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:48:16 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-164-xp-pro.-the-end-is-nigh-30th-june-and-support#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/164 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/164 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:164 Why Windows 7 will be a massive success http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-159-why-windows-7-will-be-a-massive-success http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-159-why-windows-7-will-be-a-massive-success Windows XP was massively popular, Vista is in the Shadows, but IMHO will provide a good stepping stone towards Windows 7, which will be more popular that Vista, which Windows 7 will build upon (and be 100% compatible with). Windows XP has been a very popular OS, it managed to successfully build on the rock solid Windows 2000 and replace the lack-lustre Windows ME in one fell swoop. XP SP2 offered a significant improvements to further improve the reputation and popularity of Windows XP. Read Features_new_to_Windows_XP - Wikipedia, to find out more about about what was new in XP ... more Windows XP was massively popular, Vista is in the Shadows, but IMHO will provide a good stepping stone towards Windows 7, which will be more popular that Vista, which Windows 7 will build upon (and be 100% compatible with).

Windows XP has been a very popular OS, it managed to successfully build on the rock solid Windows 2000 and replace the lack-lustre Windows ME in one fell swoop. XP SP2 offered a significant improvements to further improve the reputation and popularity of Windows XP. Read Features_new_to_Windows_XP - Wikipedia, to find out more about about what was new in XP.

Windows XP managed a reign of approximately 5 years before Vista was finally released.

Vista has not met expectations on many levels, slipped release dates, number of features dropped, poor release reception, manufacturers complaints about lack of support to get drivers ready for launch, then compounded by other bad press Microsoft has had around and since Vista launch. Read Windows Vista - Wikipedia for more information about Vista.

Its not all doom and gloom for Microsoft though, XP is still their old faithful, by the time Windows 7 is launched, Vista will have matured and as Windows 7 will be 100% Vista compatible people will have far less fears about upgrading. They have the foundations laid with Vista already, being able to spend time on optimising, GUI etc should make for the OS Vista should of been.

Microsoft has learnt from its past mistakes about releasing information about planned features and is being far more tight lipped, which should help to minimise the negative publicity that occurred during the development and release of Vista. Windows 7 the story so far and Windows 7 - Wikipedia both have more details about Windows 7. N1ckR Blog Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:12:20 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-159-why-windows-7-will-be-a-massive-success#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/159 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/159 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:159 I am back http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-158-i-am-back http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-158-i-am-back My arm is feeling a lot better and am back to blogging. I have been working on an updated version of my gallery code for YACS, I had hoped to get it complete in time for integration for the next big release - YACS 8.6 Macnana, but progress was slow and I missed the deadline. For now I will be concentrating on supporting the website, I shall be moderating the next English chat session on the 19th June and spend some time with documentation. Next week I shall be spending some time testing and helping to bug fix ... more My arm is feeling a lot better and am back to blogging.

I have been working on an updated version of my gallery code for YACS, I had hoped to get it complete in time for integration for the next big release - YACS 8.6 Macnana, but progress was slow and I missed the deadline. For now I will be concentrating on supporting the website, I shall be moderating the next English chat session on the 19th June and spend some time with documentation. Next week I shall be spending some time testing and helping to bug fix YACS 8.6 Macnana. One test will be to setup a dedicated blog on www.moneytrafficblog.net and serve as a great way to kickstart the www.moneytrafficblog.net project.

This week I will finish putting together my Windows defragmentation tool review and also posting some comments on why I think Windows 7 will be a massive success. N1ckR Blog Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:25:42 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-158-i-am-back#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/158 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/158 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:158 On the Mend http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-157-on-the-mend http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-157-on-the-mend I thought I would share a photo of myself with my broken arm and my little daughter Scarlett, 5 months old. In a week my pot is coming off and I am hoping for some better sleep and be able to type more comfortably. Me and Scarlett I thought I would share a photo of myself with my broken arm and my little daughter Scarlett, 5 months old. In a week my pot is coming off and I am hoping for some better sleep and be able to type more comfortably.

Me and ScarlettMe and Scarlett N1ckR Blog Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:22:24 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-157-on-the-mend#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/157 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/157 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:157 Emule 0.49a released http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-155-emule-0.49a-released http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-155-emule-0.49a-released Emule 0.49a was released on the May 11th 2008. The new features of eMule 0.49a include Kad improvements ( obfuscation, better NAT, flood protection), changes to the messaging system (Captchas), GUI improvements (ability to save searches, search filtering of shared files) and the usual bug fixes and tweaks. You can download Emule from the official Emule site. Download Emule 0.49a Emule 0.49a was released on the May 11th 2008.

The new features of eMule 0.49a include Kad improvements ( obfuscation, better NAT, flood protection), changes to the messaging system (Captchas), GUI improvements (ability to save searches, search filtering of shared files) and the usual bug fixes and tweaks.

You can download Emule from the official Emule site. Download Emule 0.49a N1ckR Blog Thu, 15 May 2008 10:28:18 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-155-emule-0.49a-released#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/155 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/155 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:155 Broken Arm http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-154-broken-arm http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-154-broken-arm I managed to fall off my motorbike and break my arm, a week ago. I have broken my inner radius on my left arm right at the end near my wrist (top part broken off) and also a fracture underneath. Luckily my pot is holding the bone together so I wont need pins. I hope to get back to posting in my blog soon I managed to fall off my motorbike and break my arm, a week ago.

I have broken my inner radius on my left arm right at the end near my wrist (top part broken off) and also a fracture underneath. Luckily my pot is holding the bone together so I wont need pins.

I hope to get back to posting in my blog soon. N1ckR Blog Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:16:32 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-154-broken-arm#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/154 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/154 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:154 NGRhodes.co.uk htaccess domain redirects the easy way http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-153-ngrhodes.co.uk-htaccess-domain-redirects-the-easy-way http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-153-ngrhodes.co.uk-htaccess-domain-redirects-the-easy-way I have decided to update my domain to www.NGRhodes.co.uk . My motivation for doing this was simply picking something that is more memorable, rolls off the tongue easier, but at the same time not too dissimilar to my previous domain name. I had a quick look for .htaccess rules and found one simple easy way to redirect any domain and redirect the canonical non-www to www. RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www.domain.com$ RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.domain.com/$1 (from redirect www and no www) This rule simply redirects anything that is NOT my desired domain ... more I have decided to update my domain to www.NGRhodes.co.uk . My motivation for doing this was simply picking something that is more memorable, rolls off the tongue easier, but at the same time not too dissimilar to my previous domain name.

I had a quick look for .htaccess rules and found one simple easy way to redirect any domain and redirect the canonical non-www to www.

RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www.domain.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.domain.com/$1 [L,R=301]

(from redirect www and no www)

This rule simply redirects anything that is NOT my desired domain name to my domain name. N1ckR Blog Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:47:47 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-153-ngrhodes.co.uk-htaccess-domain-redirects-the-easy-way#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/153 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/153 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:153 Claim for Technorati http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-156-claim-for-technorati http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-156-claim-for-technorati Technorati Profile Technorati Profile N1ckR Blog Thu, 15 May 2008 09:52:43 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-156-claim-for-technorati#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/156 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/156 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:156 Phorm must be opt-in only ! http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-152-phorm-must-be-opt-in-only http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-152-phorm-must-be-opt-in-only Good news at last. " The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a major revision to its statement on Phorm, insisting that the ad tracking system must be deployed on an opt-in basis to comply with the law. " From http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/09/ico_phorm_tougher/ Statement by the IOC: " Even if Phorm is not processing personal data, the ISP undertaking the profiling may be to the extent that it uses IP addresses in that profiling and is able to link its customers to an IP address although this may not be its intention. To the extent that personal data is processed that processing must be fair and lawful in order to comply with the First Principle of the DPA. Regulation 7 of PECR will require the ISP to get the consent of users to the use of their traffic data for any value added services. This strongly supports the view that Phorm products will have to operate on an opt in basis to use traffic data as part of the process of returning relevant targeted marketing to internet users. " ... more Good news at last.

" The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued a major revision to its statement on Phorm, insisting that the ad tracking system must be deployed on an opt-in basis to comply with the law. "


From http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/09/ico_phorm_tougher/

Statement by the IOC:

" Even if Phorm is not processing personal data, the ISP undertaking the profiling may be to the extent that it uses IP addresses in that profiling and is able to link its customers to an IP address although this may not be its intention.

To the extent that personal data is processed that processing must be fair and lawful in order to comply with the First Principle of the DPA.

Regulation 7 of PECR will require the ISP to get the consent of users to the use of their traffic data for any value added services. This strongly supports the view that Phorm products will have to operate on an opt in basis to use traffic data as part of the process of returning relevant targeted marketing to internet users. "
N1ckR Blog Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:55:04 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-152-phorm-must-be-opt-in-only#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/152 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/152 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:152 Suspend NERC Petition ! http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-150-suspend-nerc-petition http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-150-suspend-nerc-petition A petition the Prime Minister to suspend Section 6 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to allow "byways open to all traffic" to be established where motor vehicle rights of way existed prior to 2006
A petition the Prime Minister to suspend Section 6 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to allow "byways open to all traffic" to be established where motor vehicle rights of way existed prior to 2006
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Suspend-NERC/

" This section of the act extinguished motor vehicle rights from "restricted byways". The effect has been to close half the rights of way previously open to motor vehicles.

Motor vehicles may now only use "byways open to all traffic", only 2% of all rights of way. Many of these are effectively closed to motor vehicles as they are classed as restricted byways for part their length. Motor vehicles, therefore, can use substantially less than the 4,500km of rights of way quoted by the government.

Rather than reduce the potential for conflict of use, noise nuisance or damage, the act may have the opposite effect as it concentrates recreational vehicle use on a smaller number of rights of way.

Early commencement of the legislation has left many rights of way incorrectly recorded and led to the loss of motor vehicle rights over many historic routes. Suspending Section 6 would allow highways authorities, user groups and individuals to apply to reclassify these as "byways open to all traffic", ensuring that their status is correctly recorded. "
NickR Blog Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:01:25 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-150-suspend-nerc-petition#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/150 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/150 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:150 Sumo. Software Update Monitor for windows. http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-149-sumo.-software-update-monitor-for-windows. http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-149-sumo.-software-update-monitor-for-windows. I have just been looking at update monitors for windows. I am not interested in auto-update features (that is tools that can download and automatically install), just in the functionality to notify. Appget installed fine, but when I ran the first scan, I found it listed lots of pre-release software which I was not prepared to download/install. There was also a few false positives and missed a few apps. The gui was not easy to use and lots of missing download links for updates. UpdateStar did not install correctly, it installed in my profile/appdata folder, which is ... more I have just been looking at update monitors for windows.

I am not interested in auto-update features (that is tools that can download and automatically install), just in the functionality to notify.

Appget installed fine, but when I ran the first scan, I found it listed lots of pre-release software which I was not prepared to download/install. There was also a few false positives and missed a few apps. The gui was not easy to use and lots of missing download links for updates.

UpdateStar did not install correctly, it installed in my profile/appdata folder, which is not acceptable. It also detected the least programs installed AND created the most false positives, making it by far the worst performer on my machine.

Sumo performed the best, only a few missing apps (but no false positives like with Appget and Updatestar) and a clean simple easy to use GUI. Ability to choose to use or ignore beta software and also ignore Microsoft software (great if you use windows built in update tools) are great options. Unlike the other tools it was not uninstalled in 10 minutes of using it and this one will stay. The only thing missing is some kind of scheduling, but I currently have a weekly reminder set to do this task manually.

Of course a long way to go before we get the maturity of using a Linux distro with a tool like Synaptic NickR Blog Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:17:00 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-149-sumo.-software-update-monitor-for-windows.#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/149 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/149 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:149 The Guardian ditches Phorm http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-147-the-guardian-ditches-phorm http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-147-the-guardian-ditches-phorm " UK liberal's newspaper of choice has now decided it does not want to be associated with Phorm. " From http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/26/guardian_phorm_uturn/ " The withdrawl of the UK's most popular newspaper website* from its publisher network is a massive blow for Phorm and its investors, already bloodied by ferocious public opposition to involvement by BT, Virgin Media and Carphone Warehouse. " Well that is good news. Just need Virgin (my ISP) and the others to follow
" UK liberal's newspaper of choice has now decided it does not want to be associated with Phorm. "


From http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/26/guardian_phorm_uturn/

" The withdrawl of the UK's most popular newspaper website* from its publisher network is a massive blow for Phorm and its investors, already bloodied by ferocious public opposition to involvement by BT, Virgin Media and Carphone Warehouse. "


Well that is good news. Just need Virgin (my ISP) and the others to follow. NickR Blog Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:36:00 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-147-the-guardian-ditches-phorm#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/147 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/147 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:147 Linux Gnome Clearlooks - XP Theme How To http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-146-linux-gnome-clearlooks-xp-theme-how-to http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-146-linux-gnome-clearlooks-xp-theme-how-to As much as I enjoy using both Windows XP and Linux desktops, I have always preferred Clearlooks, the default Gnome theme on Linux. After a quick Google, I found an outdated article (Linux-looking Themes on Windows XP). So here is my quick updated guide, using the latest tools and I managed to find an even better Clearlooks port. Clearlooks XP Theme. 1. Theme PatchingThe first thing that needs to be done is patch the themes service to allow unsigned themes. I used Uxtheme Multi-patcher 5.5. Simply download and install. You may need to reboot ... more As much as I enjoy using both Windows XP and Linux desktops, I have always preferred Clearlooks, the default Gnome theme on Linux.

After a quick Google, I found an outdated article (Linux-looking Themes on Windows XP).

So here is my quick updated guide, using the latest tools and I managed to find an even better Clearlooks port.

Clearlooks XP Theme.Clearlooks XP Theme.

1. Theme Patching

The first thing that needs to be done is patch the themes service to allow unsigned themes.

I used Uxtheme Multi-patcher 5.5. Simply download and install. You may need to reboot and you do want to enable the theme service if prompted by the installer.

2. Installing the Theme

After hours of searching I found Clearlooks Gummy - Colors by WinGNOME-XP. This theme provides many colour alternatives AND taskbar options (more later).

Go to the link above and download the theme and extract the contents into the following folder: C:\WINDOWS\Resources\Themes

3. Configuring the Theme

You simply need to go to the "Display Properties" dialog, I do this by right clicking anywhere on my desktop and selecting (usually) the last option "Properties".

Once in this dialog go to the "Appearance" tab and click on the drop down under "Windows and buttons" and select one of the Clearlooks themes (various names like SkyCG and AncientCG).

Below this is the "Color scheme" drop down. From here you can select different variants which change the appearance of the taskbar.

4. Bonus - Icons

The author of the theme recommends using the Tango Icons, using Tango Patcher by vertigosity.

I have not tried these icons yet, if you do, let me know how you get on.

Cheers, Nick NickR Blog Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:06:35 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-146-linux-gnome-clearlooks-xp-theme-how-to#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/146 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/146 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:146 Phorm is Illegal http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-145-phorm-is-illegal http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-145-phorm-is-illegal It has come to my attention that my ISP Virgin media will be participating in the phorm spying (IMHO) service. Not only has BT admitted to illegally trialling phorm, but government advisers has announced "Phorm is illegal", which in my expert opinion (as a Web Developer) I whole heartedly agree with. Badphorm is a good little site with info about the issue. There is some good commentary on slashdot: Some notes from the Phorm sales pitch and also a huge thread on the cable forum (best to skip to last page as over 90 pages long): Virgin ... more It has come to my attention that my ISP Virgin media will be participating in the phorm spying (IMHO) service.

Not only has BT admitted to illegally trialling phorm, but government advisers has announced "Phorm is illegal", which in my expert opinion (as a Web Developer) I whole heartedly agree with.

Badphorm is a good little site with info about the issue.

There is some good commentary on slashdot: Some notes from the Phorm sales pitch and also a huge thread on the cable forum (best to skip to last page as over 90 pages long): Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts

I also would like you to sign up for the petition to Stop ISP's from breaching customers privacy via advertising technologies NickR Blog Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:28:32 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-145-phorm-is-illegal#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/145 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/145 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:145 Windows defragmentation tools review in progress http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-144-windows-defragmentation-tools-review-in-progress http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-144-windows-defragmentation-tools-review-in-progress I have been working on a complex set of tests for a review I am putting together of 4 defragmentation tools. The aim of my tests are to benchmark defragmentation performance, refragmentation (both in terms of number of fragments AND performance). The tests are complex enough (and repeatable) to show how significant the differences between defragmentation tools AND I have also included a test without defragmentation as a baseline to highlight the significance of defragmentation in general. The results are rather clear, with the results clearly split down the middle. I am just finishing off a few ... more I have been working on a complex set of tests for a review I am putting together of 4 defragmentation tools.

The aim of my tests are to benchmark defragmentation performance, refragmentation (both in terms of number of fragments AND performance).

The tests are complex enough (and repeatable) to show how significant the differences between defragmentation tools AND I have also included a test without defragmentation as a baseline to highlight the significance of defragmentation in general.

The results are rather clear, with the results clearly split down the middle. I am just finishing off a few further tests and then I will start writing up my findings.

The full article should be completed over the weekend. NickR Blog Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:09:13 GMT http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/article-144-windows-defragmentation-tools-review-in-progress#comments 0 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/post.php/article/144 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/comments/feed.php/article/144 http://www.ngrhodes.co.uk/links/trackback.php?anchor=article:144