All-in-browser is not user-friendly

Let’s say for the moment you did want to do everything in the browser. We’ll take four things – your social media, instant messaging, email and web sites. That’s 4 tabs right there, and having them open all the time chokes your browser to a crawl because it eats up so much memory. Furthermore there is nothing in the taskbar/dock/panel to notify you of anything. There are no toaster pop-ups. If a sound event happens, it’s unlikely you know which tab it came from. If whatever tab is loaded has no dynamic title area change, you don’t know what’s going on in that tab if not selected.

Usability-wise, this is a nightmare to deal with. The browser is not the answer to everything, and there has to be things that exist outside of it to get things done more effectively. We like having small icons in the taskbar/dock/panel that let us know what’s going on. We like small toaster pop-ups at the bottom right of the screen when an instant message and/or email is received. We like having the separation of browser from app.

And if the browser was the end-all/be-all of everything internet, why is it that there are still separated apps on smartphones with nice small notification icons to tell you what’s going on? It’s because it’s easier to use and allows you to get things done easier.

Having everything in the browser is just a stupid idea.

Anti-browser backlash

Facebook is a good example of anti-browser backlash. People generally like the Facebook service but hate the web interface with a passion. I am one of those people. It is so much easier just to have an app carry the task of posting status updates and replying to wall posts rather than dealing with slow, buggy and altogether ridiculous web interface that is Facebook.

And let’s not forget that web-based Facebook apps crash and burn half the time because the system they’re being used on is overloaded/choked with no end in sight.

Cross-posting is not evil when it comes to social media

The term cross-posting is deemed a bad thing by most people because it’s usually applied to spamming – but that’s not the case with social media. What people want is something in the form of an app that posts status updates to multiple services at once, such as Facebook and Twitter. And it must do so in a way where you don’t have to use the browser whatsoever.

All-in-one apps to the rescue

Fortunately there are real true-blue apps that do a very good job of combining it all (or most) in a way that works out quite nicely. There aren’t too many of these offerings as of yet, but they’re slowly coming out of the woodwork.

Here’s a few examples:

Digsby

You most likely know this as a multi-protocol instant messenger – BUT – it can also post status updates to Twitter and Facebook AND reply to updates on Facebook and Twitter AND check your email AND do instant messaging.

Digsby is largely underrated as to how great it does all those things.

AIM 7

AOL Instant Messenger? Yes, the same.

AIM 7 can cross-post to three different services at once, that being AIM Lifestream, Twitter and Facebook. It also has the ability to directly reply to other friend’s status updates like Digsby does.

And possibly the best part about the way AIM cross-posts is that it does not double up/overlap. A single status update appears once on AIM, once on Twitter, once on Facebook. No doubling/overlapping – a common problem when people try to sync separate services. AIM got it right the first time here.

The back-end of how the AIM Lifestream service connects to social media is also very slick in the way it works. It does it in a way that doesn’t require you to jump through a bunch of hoops, privacy options are easy to understand and setup takes only a few minutes.

This is some seriously good forward-thinking by the AIM team concerning both the local app and the back-end it uses.

Pidgin (Linux)

You can outfit the Pidgin app to be able to post Twitter and Facebook updates. Unfortunately it’s a huge pain in the neck to get working, but the point is that it at least can be done.

Getting Twitter working in Pidgin can be done with microblog-purple. That code page does include an Ubuntu tutorial. Facebook stuff is done via pidgin-facebookchat.

Sick of doing it all in the browser and would rather use local apps?

Believe me, you’re not alone. Social media has gotten to the point where many would prefer it treated like a local email or IM application, because after all it’s the messages that matter the most. That being the case, I am in complete agreement that social media should act like email and/or an extension of an instant messenger program.

If you like social media but hate the way it’s handled in the browser, use one of the local apps listed above. And if it works for you, tell people about it. Tell them how much better it is to have a nice small program do the job instead of dealing with the ridiculous nature of how the web interface works. Email people about it, post status updates stating what software you’re using (and whether you like or dislike it), and so on. Alert the masses of the communications stuff you use outside the browser. Chances are there are those you know those that appreciate this information because otherwise it would have never been brought to their attention.

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Cross-Posting Social Media Local Apps Will Pave The Way

The Command Prompt in the Windows environment goes all the way back to MS-DOS since Windows was originally an environment that run "on top of" DOS.

The video below will work on any NT-based Windows (Windows NT, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Server 2008, Vista, 7).

For you super old-schoolers out there, "cmd" doesn’t exist in Windows 95 or 98 because the command interpreter in those environments was actually MS-DOS 7 based and not NT. If you wanted to run a prompt in those environments, it’s "command" and not "cmd".

Notes on the video below:

At the portion when you see the right-click inside the Command Prompt window, one option I didn’t cover (but should have upon reflection) is "Select All", which selects whatever is in the window. You can choose that, then press Enter to select it. This may be easier for you than the other methods listed.

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Windows Command Line Goodness (Video)

WLMM is something which is a separate download in the Windows Live suite of applications. It does not come bundled with Windows 7 but can be added in easily.

The last time I tried this software it was in beta form. Admittedly, I hated it. But now the software is finished so I gave it a go. It is far better than it was in beta and a truly completed product.

There is a video below this showing a basic tutorial of how to get simple thing done in WLMM, here’s a few questions answered up front.

Is it the same as the older Windows Movie Maker?

No. The way in which is operates is completely different. It has the ribbon interface seen in the updated versions of the Office suite, Paint and Windows Live Mail. This is an attempt by Microsoft to make everything look similar no matter what you’re using.

Is it better than the older Windows Movie Maker?

Yes. It supports the native import of more formats (like MOV, MP4 and M4A for example), has effects that are much more streamlined and useful and also has other useful bits, such as direct-to-DVD, direct-to-YouTube and so on.

Is there a learning curve with WLMM?

Yes. You will not take to it like a fish to water. But as stated in the video, once you start using it you’ll realize the way in which it works does make sense, and over time you will be able to edit videos faster and more efficiently. The only people who would purposely stay with the old Windows Movie Maker are robbing themselves of a truly good and useful video editor.

See video below for more details.

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Windows Live Movie Maker Tutorial (Video)

However, social networking is not a new thing anymore and does have tenure. And of course, any social networking site will claim that they sign up new users left and right on a daily basis and have millions of users.

But how many of those millions of users actually bother using social networking is the question. How many are "bouncers", whereas they signed up then never did anything with their social network stuff afterward?

Even though the numbers are rising as far as social networking usage is concerned, its definitely not the hot topic of conversation anymore. Has the popularity of social networking peaked? I believe it has. And there’s only one direction something can go after it peaks.

I don’t want to indicate that this style of communication is a fad that will go away, because it won’t. This is something that I believe will remain on the internet for a good long time. But it’s obvious there are more than a few that have become, said politely, disenchanted with the way it works.

How social networking works is its biggest downfall. Facebook for example has things in it that crash constantly. Even when you attempt to do something as simple as send a message to somebody else, you may get a server error. Twitter has had the same problem ever since it started. MySpace also has its bugs. None of them have ever been able to operate with 100% efficiency.

On top of that, these sites changes their interfaces continually. What you clicked on one day to get somewhere may get moved next week. And then moved again next month. It’s irritating to deal with.

The final blow that gets people disenchanted with social networking is that it can be nothing but a big ball of boring. Like it or not, all social sites act the exact same way, with the only differences being in what applications are available to you. But then there are those who don’t bother with apps, so what you do on Facebook is more or less the exact same thing you did on MySpace. Eventually it becomes tiresome and you just quit using it.

In the end, what you have is a medium where you add a bunch of people on a contact list, trade messages, photos and funny cat videos.

There should be no wonder as to why some people bounce from this. Some call it like it is: "Isn’t a social networking site just a big forum with some extra added crap in it nobody uses?"

Mainly, yes. People recognize this and move on to other things.

What do you think?

Has social networking passed its peak of popularity? Have you become disenchanted with it? Let people know by posting a comment.

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Has Social Networking Jumped The Shark?

However it may, if you can believe it, exist in the next edition of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) which will be published in May 2012. It is being debated whether or not to be listed there.

One who would suffer from IAD would exhibit the following four symptoms (source):

1. Excessive use usually accompanied by a loss of the sense of time.
2. Feeling withdrawal when not online.
3. Tolerance (as in increased tolerance), feeling the need for better more powerful computer equipment to spend more time online.
4. Negative repercussions, such as being more argumentative, feeling overly fatigued and exhibiting social isolation.

I’ve made mention of the site I’m about to link before, but yet again it rears its ugly head, www.wowdetox.com really drives home the fact that some people are truly addicted and need real help. And like it or not, most people point to gamers as the people who suffer from IAD (which once again I’ll mention is not officially classified as a disorder) the most.

My personal feeling on IAD is that yes, it will be classified as a real disorder at some point in the future. Will it be classified as such by 2012? Probably not, but then again it all depends on how many well-defined instances of serious mental health related issues – or death – are directly caused by excessive internet usage. And yes, there are instances of that unfortunately. And because internet addiction is so widely believed to be a true disorder, there’s even a center dedicated to helping people just for that.

My question to you is this: Do you personally believe IAD exists?

If the answer is yes, have you ever encountered anyone you think has it? Did they have the four symptoms mentioned above?

If the answer is no, do you believe it’s something that’s a result of a disorder or combination of disorders that already exist (a common argument against IAD)?

Before closing this out, I’m not trying to spread FUD. Not in the slightest. IAD is something that could very well be classified as a real disorder in the future.

What I want to know is if you think IAD exists.

Lastly, if it did exist, what would be the treatment? I have no idea other than my own personal recommendation, which would be: "Subject suffering from IAD is hereby ordered to get out of the house and see the sun once in a while. If subject fails to leave the house, administer a cold bucket of ice water over subject’s head, then run. Hopefully he or she will follow so you can get him or her get out of the house that way." It’s tough love, but it works. Or at least I think it would.

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Does Internet Addiction Disorder Exist?

Some UNIX/Linux environments purposely use specific extensions for the sake of convenience because they’re technically not required. For example, the Debian distribution uses files that end with .deb to represent a Debian software package. When you see a file that ends with .deb, you instantly know what it is. You can consider filename extension use in a UNIX/Linux environment to be more of a descriptor (i.e. metadata) than anything else.

The Windows environment requires filename extensions to operate. Traditional extensions do not exceed three characters. For those of you thinking, "Isn’t is true all file types in Windows use three-character filename extensions?" Not necessarily. 7-Zip for example uses the two-character .7z by default, and several programming languages use one or two-character extensions.

Common filename extensions that confuse people as to what they are

Some extensions are really easy to figure out because they’re part of a word.

Examples: TXT (TeXT), DOC (DOCument), BAT (BATch script file), COM (COMmand), WAV (WAVe sound file), SH (SHell)

Then there are those that are abbreviations, like PDF (Portable Document Format).

But then there are those that do nothing but confuse people because they don’t know what they are. Here’s a few should you encounter them:

M3U and PLS

These are both file types that represent a multimedia playlist. Many get confused when they encounter these because they think there’s actual audio within them. Not true. They are small "pointers" to other audio files (such as MP3) either local to your computer and/or on the internet.

The super-long title for M3U is "Moving Picture Experts Group Audio Layer 3 Uniform Resource Locator". Try and say that 5 times fast.

PLS to the best of my knowledge means either PLaylistS or PLay Stream, although I could be mistaken (and if I am, feel free to correct me by posting a comment).

ODT

This is a file type that that is slowly becoming recognized in mainstream use, that being the OpenDocument Format. The T is for text. There is also ODS with S for spreadsheet, ODP with P for presentation, ODG with G for graphics and ODF with F for formulae (mathematical equations).

Most people know ODT files from using the freely available OpenOffice suite. The ODT format by the way is compatible with Google Docs if you don’t have software to read them.

RAR

Most people know what this is but there are still a few that don’t. It’s a Roshal ARchive. This is an archive format like ZIP. If you want to open one, use 7-Zip or WinZIP (paid software). If you want to create one, use WinRAR (also paid software).

FLV

FLash Video. If you want to view an FLV video independently (meaning not in your web browser), use the freely available VLC.

FLAC

Free Lossless Audio Codec; an audio file type that sounds better than MP3 because it is lossless while MP3 isn’t. To play them you can use Windows Media Player or the freely available WinAMP.

3GP and 3G2

Both of these are usually video file formats and part of the 3GPP standard. You will usually only encounter these when someone sends you a video file via a cell phone. Windows Vista and 7 will view these via Windows Media Player. If using XP, use Apple QuickTime.

M4A and MP4

Both are MPEG-4 Part 14.

Both file types can be either audio or video. While it’s true that most files ending in .m4a are audio-only, it doesn’t mean they have to be.

Windows Media Player 12 – which is bundled with Windows 7 – will play this format. For older versions of Windows you can use Apple QuickTime or the freely available VLC.

OGG

A newer multimedia file format. It can be audio or video. This format can be opened and played on many different programs, including the freely available VLC.

Older file types you may encounter

What’s listed below isn’t in mainstream use any longer, but should you encounter them you’ll at least know what they are and how to deal with them.

ARJ

An archive file type like ZIP and RAR.

ARJ is Archived by Robert Jung. This file type was actually quite popular during the 1990s and at one point gave ZIP some really good competition. 7-Zip is able to open these.

WPS

This is a proprietary document format used by the Microsoft Works when you save a document with it. It is the file extension everybody hates because nobody can open them that doesn’t have Works.

Fortunately you can do a Save as in Works and save in DOC format, but most people who use Works do not do that. And if you use Works, I strongly urge that you always save in DOC and not WPS – especially if you’re sending documents to other people.

Got a bunch of WPSes and need to convert them? Use Zamzar to do it. (WPS conversion, thankfully, is supported.)

TIF or TIFF

This is an image file type. It stands for Tagged Image File Format. Most image editors can easily open TIFF files, including the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer which is included with the Windows OS.

If for whatever reason you have a problem (which you shouldn’t) opening a TIFF, use the freely available GIMP software.

RTF

This is Rich Text Format, a document type developed by Microsoft way back in 1987. It is still, even in Windows 7, used as the default file type when saving from it’s bundled word processing application WordPad.

For older generation computer users, RTF sticks out like a sore thumb due to the fact so many people used Windows Write (the predecessor to WordPad). But many newer generation users have never seen RTF files.

Shades of the past: Using the Start/Run dialog in Windows 7, if you type write and click OK, WordPad will load up.

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Demystifying Modern Filename Extensions

1. They’re usually significantly smaller compared to a DOC (especially if there are images within).
2. They look exactly the same no matter what OS you use.
3. It is true WYSIWYG concerning printers. What you see on screen is precisely what will print out on paper.
4. The likelihood of a PDF containing a virus and/or malicious scripting is slim to none. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.

Before getting into SumatraPDF and why I think it’s the best PDF viewer ever, here’s an explanation of why we hate PDF.

What we hate about PDFs aren’t the files themselves, but the reader applications.

I wholly believe that Adobe Reader is evil. Very evil. Why? Well, first of all it’s a 26MB installer file. For a document reader? Yes. What’s in that 26MB? A whole lot of crap you don’t need.

The crapola starts even before you download the file. You specifically have to uncheck a box so you don’t download the "Free McAfee Security Scan."

The Adobe Reader installer as far as I’m concerned tries every way to hijack your web browser by installing a ton of useless garbage. You have to go through the installation procedure very s-l-o-w-l-y, else it will put install a plugin in all your browsers. What happens after that is that on any attempt to load a PDF from a web page, all this CRAP loads up from Adobe Reader asking you a whole bunch of questions on first run, and worst of all loads the PDF directly in the browser. This absolutely scares the daylights out of people because they think the browser is crashing due to the fact Reader is so bloated, huge and takes forever even to get started. And in some instances the browser does crash because of Adobe Reader.

Adobe Reader is evil. Period.

The significantly smaller FoxIt Reader was a good alternative. But now it has promotional banner graphics inside the reader. Evil. And it tries to do the same browser hijack crap Adobe Reader does. Eeeevil. And you now have to very s-l-o-w-l-y go through the installation process just like with Adobe to make sure a bunch of crap (like, oh, I dunno, a useless toolbar) doesn’t get installed. Eeeeeeeeeevil.

FoxIt Reader is now also evil. Sad but true.

Going PDF reader-less

I hated PDF readers so much that I simply uninstalled them and used Google Docs to read my PDF files. That system reads them easily – but with one huge drawback: It’s not the easiest thing in the world to print a PDF out of Google Docs. You’re better off printing direct from a PDF document reader.

Enter SumatraPDF

SumatraPDF has an installer that is only 1.4MB in size. It is free and open source. It does not have any stupid toolbar installers in it. It does not try to hijack your web browsers. The only thing it will ask you is if you want it to be the default reader for PDF files – that’s it.

It is wonderful. All I ever wanted was to just view the PDFs I download, and that’s exactly what SumatraPDF does with no fuss whatsoever.

Can SumatraPDF read all PDF files? Mostly. The only ones it would have a problem with are the super-advanced type with intricate fill-in forms and whatnot. But other than that it will happily read just about any PDF file you load into it.

Example: Let’s say you downloaded Form W-4 from the IRS, which happens to be a PDF:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf

In SumatraPDF:

Loads perfectly. Prints perfectly. And that’s all you ever want out of a PDF document reader.

The only thing you ever hated about PDF files were the readers needed to view them. But after using SumatraPDF, you’ll happily dump FoxIt and Adobe to the curb.

SumatraPDF is the best PDF viewer ever because it opens PDF files with zero hassle and does so lightning quick; that’s why it’s the best (on Windows).

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SumatraPDF, Best PDF Viewer Ever?

This review is not going to concentrate on how much stuff MSE can detect but rather boiled down to a simple question:

Does it get in your way?

I’ll explain that further.

Applications specifically designed to protect your computer will at times will annoy you. These annoyances come in the form of slowing the OS down, overzealous protection where it prompts for every single thing you could possibly think of (even worse than the UAC for Vista,) interrupting the normal operation of other programs that use the internet and so on.

It reasons like this that some people don’t even bother running protection software because it literally gets in the way of normal computer use.

Here’s the stuff that matters concerning MSE. I used my main desktop, which runs Windows 7 Home Premium, to test with.

Installation

Quick. Very quick. No long drawn-out installation procedures of any kind.

Virus/Spyware/Malware definitions first download

No faster than any other suite of this type would provide.

First scan of PC for viruses

This took a while. Once again it’s on par for the course with other protection suites.

Interface

You know it’s running by a green castle icon in the taskbar:

I do appreciate its obvious nature. Green means good and the checkmark further drives home that point.

Double-clicking the castle icon brings up the interface:

This is a very clean, very easy-to-use app. Big tabs show very clearly where you are at any time. Scan options on the right are also very easy.

One thing I particularly appreciate is how easy it is to tell MSE to avoid stuff. This is located on the Settings tab.

I can easily define what I don’t want MSE to scan. On my PC I specifically have it avoid the mail profile directory for Mozilla Thunderbird because the real-time protection was slowing it down a bit. I’ll speak more on that in a moment.

In the Advanced part of settings you also have a few very convenient options:

Telling MSE to not scan removable drives is a huge plus. For example, if you have a USB stick full of photos, there obviously aren’t going to be viruses present on that storage medium, so there’s no need to scan it when connected to your PC.

Real-time protection

This is something many people avoid using in a protection suite due to the fact it can slow down Windows to a crawl.

The way in which MSE uses real-time fortunately does not do this. When real-time is enabled, Windows for the most part will still operate as it did without it – and that’s a big plus.

What does "for the most part" mean? It means that in certain instances you will notice little pauses here and there. This is something all protection suites with real-time protection do. Those pauses are the little scans the suite is performing.

For example, I noticed it in Mozilla Thunderbird when I would move an email from one folder to another. It wasn’t a huge pause by any means, but I did notice it.

My way around this was to instruct MSE (as seen above) to not scan the Thunderbird mail profile directory. At that point the pausing went away instantly. Yes, it’s true, my email is not being scanned but I can easily manually scan attachments and other mails that would appear from not-so noble senders (read: spammers.)

Easy right-click access

Right-click any file anywhere and you can scan it, like this:

The castle icon you see here is blue instead of green, but it’s still very obvious what the menu choice does and the visual cue makes it easy to find at any time.

When you scan, the app pops up and tells you if it found anything:

Once again, green means good.

Other protection suites have similar functionality with the right-click context menu, but the difference here is speed. MSE is fast. No grinding of the hard drive waiting for the app to pop up. You right click, you scan, and ta-da, it’s right there.

The scan works on individual files or entire folders along with its subfolders.

Does it get in the way?

I can say with confidence that MSE does in fact stay out of your way while still providing excellent protection against viruses, malware and spyware – and in addition keeps the user in mind in the way it operates.

I like it enough that I intend to keep it installed – and that’s saying a lot because I’m a very anti-antivirus type of computer user due to the fact I normally can’t stand protection software suites. MSE does not slow down my PC, nor does it get in my way. And that’s good enough for me.

Is MSE better or worse than other protection suites?

MSE’s single largest advantage is that it’s a Microsoft product and therefore runs very happily with the Windows operating system. I don’t believe it will add in any additional level of protection that other suites don’t already cover – but it’s a pretty safe bet that it will probably run faster.

On a final note, no, this is not Windows Defender 2.0, and I can prove it:

Defender comes provided with Windows Vista and 7. MSE supersedes that software and is a very notable improvement all around. It is far superior and "smart" enough to turn Defender off on install so MSE can do the job it’s supposed to.

Does this mean you stop using Defender when using MSE? Yes.

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Review, Microsoft Security Essentials

Here’s how to use an alternative skin for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera.

Internet Explorer

IE has never been easy to alter per its appearance. It’s tough to move around buttons, and any attempt to skin it usually results in it not working correctly due to the fact a DLL or two has to be altered (and that’s not smart.)

The way around this is to simply use another browser that uses the IE Trident engine. A good choice for this is Avant Browser. It is fully "skinnable" and just about everything you can think of can be changed in it. It also has something very desirable: A built-in flash animation filter to cut out unwanted Flash content when browsing. In addition to that it’s compatible with many exiting IE add-ons such as Google Toolbar.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox has several ways in which you can skin it. The traditional way is to browse the themes available, and add in the one you want right from that web site. The second way is to use Personas, which you may find more attractive due to the fact you have more options. For example, you can use any background image you want with Personas and save your own custom themes easily.

The last way to skin Firefox is, if you’re daring, to directly edit the CSS files it uses in the chrome directory. This is not to be confused with Google Chrome. Chrome has two files that you can edit and enable for hand-coded customizations.

Opera

Like Firefox, Opera has its own dedicated directory for skins. An advantage over IE and FF is on that page you can simply pick the color type you want:

..and go from there.

Other apps you can skin to your liking

Windows Media Player 11

This takes some effort but it’s do-able.

First, launch Windows Media Player.

Press CTRL+1 to go to "Library Mode" (CTRL+2 is "Skin Mode", CTRL+3 is "Now Playing Mode", which is the default most people use).

Press CTRL+M to show the Menu Bar.

Click View and then Skin chooser, like this:

Click the More skins button:

You’ll then be taken to a web site where you can download compatible skins.

Skins are single files with a .wmz extension. You can simply run them and they’ll install themselves.

This is what WMP 11 looks like with the Batman Begins skin:

Note: Some of you may get an error on install of certain skins. If you do, try them anyway. Most of the time they’ll work fine. If not, just switch back to Library Mode with a CTRL+1, go back to the skin chooser and try something different or just remove the skin.

Trillian Astra

This instant messaging program has long had the ability to use custom skins. Astra, the latest version of Trillian also has full skin support.

Below is one of the built-in choices, "Cobalt."

You can find many more skins for Trillian here.

VLC

It is, for whatever reason, widely unknown that VLC can be skinned easily. VideoLAN themselves has a whole section of their web site dedicated to it.

One of the most popular skins, oddly enough, is to make VLC look like Windows Media Player 11:

Looks pretty darned convincing if you asked me. The only thing that tips it off that it’s VLC is the orange cone VLC icon at the top left of the app window, and of course the title bar.

Some notes about skinning applications

Customizing the look of apps can be fun, but how it will work is largely dependent on how well a skin or theme is programmed, as there are some crappy ones out there. The general rule of thumb is to choose one that has been downloaded many times, has good ratings and in best case scenario has comments on what work and what doesn’t when using it.

It’s also good to know how to remove skins if you download one, install it but then decide you don’t want it later. Most skins are self-contained, but some put hooks into applications that if left installed may adversely affect functionality of the program. This doesn’t happen often but it’s good to be aware of it.

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Web Browser Skinning How-To

If you want a really good example of where a box like this would be needed, look no further than your local church. Traditional churches by nature are all non-profit organizations that operate on a very tight shoestring budget. Whatever technology is brought into the church must have good longevity to it because there’s simply no other purchase options. They can’t lease computer boxes. Whatever they get, they own, and it has to last a long time.

You could, if so desired, opt not to build but rather go with a brand name like Dell as they have new desktop PCs starting at $269. But maybe you’re in the situation where you have to deal with existing PCs because the budget simply won’t allow for the purchase of new computers. In this instance you have to refit them with new parts that will stand the test of time. That’s what this how-to covers.

The icons seen below are from Icon Archive. Be sure to check that place out for some truly good looking icons for Windows, Mac or Linux.

  Motherboard and CPU

It used to be that AMD was cheaper than Intel, but this is no longer the case. Were you to compare AMD vs. Intel in both motherboard and CPU prices, you’ll find they’re almost identical on the lower end of the cost spectrum.

When it comes to long-haul computing, the prevention of heat is a major consideration. Fortunately this is easy to take care of, because all you have to do is employ the use of a low-watt CPU. AMD has 45-watt offerings and Intel has 35-watt. Either is a good choice.

  RAM

With desktop memory the goal is to use the "slowest" possible sticks you can buy. Once again this is done to avoid heat. Use the bare minimum clock speed that the RAM banks will support, and put the maximum amount of RAM in the box it can support.

Also try, if possible, to use same-brand RAM. This will avoid any unforeseen issues with old RAM, as in some instances old sticks do not "play nice" with new ones. It is rare when this happens, but not out of the realm of possibility and you probably don’t have a RAM tester. (If you do have one however, use it.)

  Hard Drive

This step is simple, stick with 7200rpm hard disk drives. Were it a few years ago I would have recommended to use a 5400rpm (again, for less heat), but those offerings are now all but gone for standard 3.5-inch drives, and you’ll spend too much on a 5400rpm due to its rarity. The tried-and-true 7200rpm SATA of any media storage size works fine.

  Sound Card

Any. Doesn’t matter what you use as long as it works. You’ll most likely use the on-board sound from the motherboard anyway.

  Video Card

If the motherboard has a built-in video port, use it. Heat is avoided by doing this. If there isn’t any on-board video, what to use for a video card depends on the operating system. I’ll cover that in a moment.

  Optical drive

As long as the customer reviews for the optical drive you’re shopping for are favorable and it can play, read and burn CDs and DVDs, that’s all that matters.

  Case fans

This is the only part of the build where you absolutely cannot go low-cost. The case fans you use must be of premium grade, have good bearings and be as quiet as possible. Their only job in life is to cool, so don’t go cheap with these.

Here’s an example of a premium case fan. Yes, it’s almost $25 per fan. But it’s one of the best you can buy and totally worth the money.

I’m not saying you have to buy $25 case fans, but don’t go with the two-dollar cheap stuff. Do so and the PC’s life will end earlier.

  Operating System

If the box has a legal licensed copy of Windows XP or Vista, you’re all set. Continue to use it, continue to automatically download auto-updates as they are provided.

XP runs happily with 1GB of RAM and a 64MB video card. You can’t game on it, but you can do just about everything else.

The system requirements for Vista state it can get by on 1GB RAM, but as everybody knows it needs at least 2GB. The minimums also state that 128MB video is needed, but in reality 512MB suits it much better.

If the box has an illegal copy of XP or Vista, you need to either purchase a license of Windows 7 or switch to Linux – especially if the box you’re building is going to be used by somebody else. Why? Because somewhere along the line Windows will break without its needed updates eventually. And if you’re the one building a box for someone else, guess who gets the first phone call when somehow the end user magically turns on auto-updates and WGA disables Windows? That’s right, you do. Do you honestly want to deal with that?

The purchase of 7 is out of the question for most people because it blows the budget. You’d have to buy a full license of Windows 7 Home Premium, which costs just under $110. The "Starter" Edition of Windows 7 is only available to OEMs and not the general public unfortunately.

Linux’s strongest point is that it’s free. The flavor that’s the most suitable choice is the very recently released Ubuntu 9.10.

If you happen to be building/refitting a box for someone else, and that person only requires the basics of computing, you may want to consider Ubuntu Netbook Remix instead. It’s designed for netbooks, but has superior performance on low-end computer boxes. It also helps that the 9.10 UNR interface is super-friendly to use.

One of the few things that may prove to be a roadblock with UNR is printing. This is not Ubuntu’s fault, but rather the fact that most printers only come provided with proprietary Windows and Mac control software.

Check printer compatibility here for Ubuntu. It’s well worth the time to take a few minutes to read that over for your specific printer. Yours should be there as the lists are extensive. You know you’re in good shape if your printer is listed as both supported and working.

  Mouse

At least mid-grade quality, not wireless and manufactured by Microsoft or Logitech.

  Keyboard

Same requirements as the mouse.

  Monitor

You’ll most likely be using the existing monitor. If buying another, don’t buy used. Buy new.

The price for a new low-cost LCD monitor off the shelf will be between $125 and $175.

If you opt to buy online, specifically seek out the ones with free shipping, else you’ll pay the same price as you would off the shelf for the same thing.

As for the size, don’t buy anything under 18 inches. It’s simply not worth it.

  Software

In a basic sense, your computer must be able to:

• Browse the web
• Have the ability to use instant messaging easily
• Compose documents and spreadsheets and be able to share those documents easily
• Be able to import images from a digital camera easily
• Be able to edit images on a basic level easily
• Print
• Be able to burn CDs and DVDs
• Play DVD video
• Have sufficient protection against spyware, malware and viruses

Here’s each point covered one by one. I’m listing very specific choices that don’t require any additional software unless absolutely necessary. The less software installed, the better off the overall installation is.

Browse the web

Windows: Internet Explorer
Ubuntu: Firefox

Instant messaging

Windows: Windows Live Messenger
Ubuntu: Pidgin

Documents and Spreadsheets

Windows: OpenOffice
Ubuntu: OpenOffice

Digital Camera image import / Basic photo editing

Windows: Windows Live Photo Gallery
Ubuntu: F-Spot

Printing

Windows: Use provided printer control software CD or download from printer OEM’s web site
Ubuntu: Depends if the printer is supported or not by the OS (see above)

Burning CDs and DVDs

Windows, Data/Backup: Built-in to the OS natively, drag/drop
Windows, Music: Windows Media Player

Ubuntu, Data/Backup: Built-in to the OS natively, drag/drop
Ubuntu, Music: Brasero (included with OS)

Play DVD Video

Windows XP: Not included with DVD video codecs on fresh XP install. Codec must be provided by purchased player software such as WinDVD or CyberDVD.

Windows Vista/7: Codecs included, uses Windows Media Player to play DVDs.

Ubuntu: Codecs included, uses Totem to play DVDs.

Virus, spyware and malware protection

Windows: Microsoft Security Essentials or any other number of free protection suites.

Ubuntu: Generally speaking, not required because of the way Linux is designed. But if you feel you need it, there’s documentation aplenty on it.

  Placement

If you have the option, place the PC on the desk and not on the floor. As you know, computers are dirt magnets. This not only makes the computer box easier to clean but also keeps it away from dust and dirt that collects on the floor that the case fans would otherwise suck inside the box.

  Performance notes and other tips

The only time you’ll experience true slowdowns is on web pages with heavy Flash use. Then again, Flash will bring any web browser to its knees if you throw enough of that content at it even on the fastest of computers.

It is better if the PC has wired instead of wireless networking as it will speed things up quite a bit concerning internet usage. It’s not that wireless won’t work, but you want to give any speed advantage you can, so if you have the option, use wired internet connectivity.

Automate everything you possibly can. For example, if using a Windows OS you could use Defraggler to schedule drive defragmenting easily.

If you can, clone the drive once everything is installed, so if something busts on a major level, you’ve got a "vanilla" copy ready to be imaged back if the need arises.

Try (or instruct whoever is getting the PC) to get in the habit of "living in the browser." Keep installed apps to a minimum. The less apps there are, the less likely something will break on the software side and in many cases the speedier the OS will run, regardless of what OS it is. The best way to do this is to stay in the browser as much as possible.

For every app you download and install, save that to USB stick or CD/DVD. It’s also smart to perform a software inventory periodically just in case you have to reinstall the OS for whatever reason.

For any hardware you installed that has a warranty, put all the paperwork in an envelope and physically tape it to the side or top of the case. It’s not pretty, but you’ll never lose the info, should you need it.

Final notes

The best way to treat an older computer is to configure it like a kiosk would be. A kiosk by nature is set up to be simple and efficient. If you use Ubuntu Netbook Remix, this is very much how your computer will act, and that’s not a bad thing. You can do the same with Windows by hiding the taskbar, avoiding the Start menu when possible and placing the icons for the apps you regularly use on the desktop.

If you approach computing this way with an older refitted PC box and build it as outlined above, it should easily last 5 or more years.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Long Haul Low-Cost PC "Refit" How-To