Shorter is Sweeter: A Look at URL Shorteners

by Scott Nesbitt - February 7, 2010

Once upon a time, URLs (Uniform Resource Locators, which most of us know as “Web addresses” or “links”) were short and simple. Often, they looked something like http://www.geeks.com. If you had a personal Web page, your URL might look something like http://www.facebook.com/ComputerGeeks

Times change, and URLs have expanded. A lot. Just do a search at the Web site of a large corporation or your favorite online retailer. What often comes back is a long and convoluted URL. And that becomes a problem if you’re into microblogging. Services like Twitter limit you to 140 characters. Some long URLs exceed that limit by quite a bit.

So, how can you tame those impossibly long URLs? With a Web-based service called a URL shortener.

How they work

As the name implies, a URL shortener shrinks a link – sometimes as much as 90%. With a couple of URL shorteners I’ve used, 160 character URLs were whittled down to 14 characters.

Obviously, you need to go to the site of a URL shortening service and paste a link in a field. The service checks its database to confirm whether or not that link already exists. If it does, the service gives you the short version that it assigned to the URL.

If the URL is not in the database, the service first adds it to the database. Then, the service runs the URL through a piece of software or a function called either a random alphanumeric generator or a sequential alphanumeric generator.  Those are just fancy names for a process that creates a short string of numbers and characters that the service associates with the URL – for example, http://bit.ly/7xCFKq. As you can see from the example in the last sentence, the URL of the shortening service appears in the smaller link.

Note: If your inner geek wants to know about this process in more depth, check out this article.

Uses and problems

The most obvious usage is with microblogging sites like Twitter. As I mentioned at the beginning of this TechTip, some long URLs exceed the length of a tweet. A good URL shortener not only lets you add a link to a tweet, but also leaves plenty of room for a comment.

Shortened URLs are just more convenient for sharing in emails, blog posts, messages on social media sites like Facebook, or even when sending a text message from your phone. In fact, shortened URLs can appear anywhere – I saw one in an ad on the Toronto subway!

If you’re sharing links with someone who uses screen reading software, a shortened URL makes is easier for the reader to process. And, obviously, it’s easier for the person to type into their browser.

Of course, there can be problems with shortened URLs. Links on the Web are known to change or disappear. A shortened URL will always point to the original location. And not every URL shortening service allows its users to change URLs.

On top of that, it’s not unknown for a shortened URL service to die. When a service dies, the shortened URLs created with it become useless.

Both spammers and malware writers have been known to use shortened URLs to drive traffic to less-than-savory sites. There are ways to avoid the potential problems of following such poisoned URLs. More about this in a few paragraphs.

What’s out there?

There are literally hundreds of URL shortening services out there. URL shorteners come and go, but the ones discussed below are quite stable. If you want a list of all of the URL shorteners available on the Web, go here.

First up, one of the more popular and venerable services: TinyURL. This service has few frills. You enter the URL that you want to shrink into a text box at the site, and click the Make TinyURL! button. TinyURL spits back just that. You can even create your own custom URL – instead of http://www.tinyurl.com/3rE2t you can name the shortened URL http://www.tinyurl.com/mySite.

A service that’s stolen a lot of TinyURL’s thunder is bit.ly. That’s partially because the output from bit.ly is shorter than that of TinyURL and because bit.ly also offers some interesting and useful tools. You can shorten URLs just by visiting the site. But if you get access to some useful tools if you sign up for a free account. What kinds of tools? A full list of the URLs that you’ve shortened. You can check how many people clicked a link in a given day. On top of that, bit.ly is now the default URL shortener for Twitter.

tr.im is a lot like bit.ly. You get the basics just by visiting the site: shrink a URL and optionally create a custom link (just like TinyURL). You can also automatically post the link to Twitter. If you sign up for a free account, you get a list of all the URLs that you’ve trimmed and how many times a trimmed URL has been clicked.

If you like your software a little more open and bare bones, then you might want to give ur1.ca a peek. Made by the folks behind the identi.ca microblogging service, ur1.ca only lets you shorten URLs. Not editing or deleting, or anything else. But if you’re a developer you can download the source code and add the shortener to your own Web site or Web application. And you can download the entire ur1.ca database as a tab-separated file. Careful, though, it’s a big database – a 25 MB archive, and growing.

Browser tools

Of course going to a Web site specifically to shorten URLs can be a bit of a pain. If you use Firefox, Google Chrome, or Opera then you can shrink URLs at the click of a button without having to visit a URL shortening site. This is done with an extension (also called an add-on or widget, depending on the browser).

Firefox has almost 30 URL shortening add-ons. The best of the lot is Shorten URL. It works with dozens of URL shortening services. All you need to do is select the URL in the browser address bar, right click it, and choose Shorten This Page URL. You can also shrink the URLs to images and to links on a Web page.

Google Chrome has over 40 URL shortening extensions that work with a variety of services. Most of them only work with a single service, though. My favorite is  Bit.ly Shorten URL. It’s very simple: go to a Web site, and click the bit.ly icon in Chrome’s address bar (it’s a small blowfish). You’re taken to the bit.ly site, and you have your shortened URL. No muss, no fuss.

Opera only has one URL shortening widget: Simple URL. The widget only works with a service called simurl. But don’t let that hold you back. You enter the URL that you want to shrink in the Simple URL widget and then click Make Link to get a 22-character URL. You can also specify an identifier for the URL, up to 10 characters long, that lets you track the URL later. Just click the My URLs tab on the widget, type the identifier in the field, and click Get My URLs. Of course, you’ll have to remember your identifiers.

Earlier, I mentioned that some shortened URLs may point to unsavory sites or sites containing malware. LongURL helps you get around this by expanding a short URL and giving you information about it.

If you use Firefox, you can download an extension that will expand a short URL without having to go to the LongURL Web site.

Summing up

URL shorteners aren’t for everyone. But for anyone who needs to use one, a URL shortener is an invaluable tool. It makes using microblogging services a lot easier, and makes it more convenient to share interesting links that might get broken when you copy and paste them into an email or anywhere else.

Create Your Own Cloud with Opera Unite

 by Scott Nesbitt - February 14, 2010

Cloud computing. It’s one of the big buzzwords in the tech world. And whether you’re excited by it or turned off by it, cloud computing has the potential to change the way we use our desktop computers, laptop computers, and netbooks.

The idea behind cloud computing is to move applications off your desktop and on to the Web. That opens a very large digital can of worms, though. While you get access to your favorite applications no matter where you are, your information is in someone else’s hands. You don’t get much control.

Why not create your own cloud? Under normal circumstances, this is difficult even if you have experience programming Web applications. You can do the deed on your desktop computer or laptop computer for free using the Opera Web browser and a feature of that browser called Opera Unite.

What is Opera Unite?

A feature of Opera version 10 or later, Opera Unite is a file and application server. Whereas a traditional server can be difficult to set up, you can get up and running with Opera Unite with just a few mouse clicks. More on this in a moment.

Using Opera Unite, you can share files and collaborate with anyone. And, for the most part, they don’t need to be using Opera. The files and applications that you’re serving can be accessed with any Web browser.

With Opera Unite, you get a a unique URL that gives you and your collaborators access to your Opera Unite server. With Opera Unite, you can:

• Share files and photos
• Run a basic Web server
• Have instant messenger chats
• Play music files on your computer
• Share notes
• Back up files
• Use Twitter

And more.Note: If you have more questions about Opera Unite, you might want to check out the very detailed FAQ.

How does it work?

Opera Unite is built into the Opera Web browser. You need to enable and configure it. That’s a surprisingly simple process that only takes a few clicks.

To get going, download and install Opera. Start the browser and then select Tools > Opera Unite Server > Enable Opera Unite. This will start a wizard that will walk you through the process. Two things you’ll have to do are sign up for a My Opera account and create a name for your computer.

Your Opera user name and computer name identify your PC to the DNS server run by the folks at Opera Software. The DNS server directs all traffic  to your Opera Unite server using a specific URL. When you or your friends want to access the Opera Unite server that you’re running, you’ll type http://yourcomputer.yourname.operaunite.com – for example, http://zen.scottnesbitt.operaunite.com.

If you want to stop Opera Unite, click the Unite icon in the bottom left corner of the browser window and select Stop.

It’s all about the applications

You’ve got Opera Unite running. Now what? The best place to start is with the built-in applications. You can access these applications by clicking the panel button in the top left corner of the Opera window, and then clicking the Opera Unite icon (the third one from the top).

There are six applications bundled with Unite:

• File Sharing – exchange any type of file with your friends and colleagues
• Web Server – host a Web site
• Messenger – exchange text messages with other people in the My Opera community
• Fridge – A collaborative sticky note system
• Media Player – Play the music files on your computer, anywhere you are
• Photo Sharing – Displays a directory of your photos as a gallery

By default, the applications aren’t running. You can start them by double-clicking the application in the panel.

Remember that you can make the applications visible to everyone, or just give selected people access. For the latter, Opera Unite assigns the application a password. You might want to change that password – the default is four or five characters. Not the most secure passwords around.

I usually use the File Sharing and Media Player applications the most. But to create your own cloud with Opera Unite, you can install any of the available ones from the Opera Unite Web site. There were only 42 applications out there at the time this TechTip was written, but there probably will be more coming down the pike in the near future.

Applications: interesting and useful

Not every application will be of use to everyone. Here are a few of my favorites.

My business partner and I have different schedules and work in different parts of the city. A lot of our collaboration and brainstorming takes place online. When we brainstorming ideas, the Whiteboard application comes in handy. It lets us sketch out ideas and add corrections or comments. All without getting marker on our hands or shirts.

While the File Sharing application is good, it’s download only. I often work away from my home office using a netbook. Running Opera Unite on my main computer with the Document Sync and Document Courier applications, I can exchange files between the computers and synchronize any changes. Sort of like the online file sharing services that were covered in a previous TechTip.

Like everyone else, I have a lot to do. Keeping up with all of those tasks requires a lot of work on my part. The Task Manager application makes that a lot easier. I use it as a simple online to-do list, and often share it with my wife so we both know what we’re up to and can fit things into our schedules.

Finally, as someone who co-owns a small business I often have meetings with multiple people: my business partner, people I’m collaborating  with, clients and prospective clients. It’s tough to nail down a date and time where we can all meet. That’s why I find Meet so useful. It’s a meeting calendar, but one which allows invitees to vote on the date and time of a meeting. It sure beats juggling a bunch of emails and phone calls .

If you want to install an application, find it at the Opera Unite Web site, (in Opera, of course) and click the Install Application button.

Final thoughts

Opera Unite is definitely useful. In the short term, it might not replace your favorite desktop or Web applications. The lack of applications available for it could be a turn off. But remember that Opera Unite hasn’t been around for all that long. Its application ecosystem is small but it is growing.

In fact, it might be the start of the next step in using the Web: giving the average computer user a quick and simple way to create their own little clouds.

5 Essential iPod Touch Apps for the Mobile Geek

by Scott Nesbitt - January 31, 2010

The iPod Touch is more than just an MP3/MP4 player. And it’s far more than just a crippled iPhone. It’s a portable entertainment center, and a powerful tool for the mobile worker.

The key to the latter, though, is finding the right apps. Many of the applications for the iPod Touch that are available through Apple’s AppStore are fun. There are some that are … well, they’re interesting. Others are downright useless.

The apps that this TechTip covers are perfect for the geek on the go. They range in price from free to under five dollars. Best of all, they can keep you productive and connected.

 
Echofon

If you use Twitter, you’ve probably noticed that many tweets are sent from mobile devices. I’ve tried several Twitter apps for the iPod Touch and the best by far is Echofon.

Like any other Twitter client out there – whether for smartphones or a desktop computer – you can use Echofon to view tweets from the feeds that you’ve subscribed to. You can also view @mentions, direct messages, and any Twitter lists that you follow.  Obviously, you can also post tweets, reply to tweets, and retweet any interesting posts.

The interface is attractive and clean. It’s easy to scroll though tweets and the Echofon alerts you not only to any new tweets and @mentions but also how many of each. While I’m leery of calling any application intuitive, Echofon comes really close. Everything you want to do is a tap or two away. And you pretty much get  used to the interface after only a couple of minutes.

Unlike a number of for-pay apps, Echofon has a free version. The free version has fewer features than the pay version but gives you a good idea of what Echofon can do. If you like it, the full version will set you back $3.99.

Evernote

One way in which two million (and counting) people keep track of information and manage their lives is with Evernote. Evernote started as a desktop application for Windows or Mac OS X. But Evernote also has a Web-based component that you can access using a mobile device like an iPod Touch.

With the free Evernote app, you can read and edit your notes in the Web edition of Evernote. You can also create new notes and even upload images to your Evernote account.

Best of all, if you’re offline and want to write a note you can do that within the Evernote app. Once you’re back online, just tap the Sync icon to upload the note or notes to the Web

Obviously, you’ll need an account with Evernote. A basic account is free, or you can get a premium account (with more storage space and options) for $45 a year.

 
Stanza

Information. People can’t get enough of it. And for many, that information comes in the form of books. When you’re on the run though, carting one or more dead-tree volumes weighs you down – literally and figuratively.

I’m an enthusiastic user of an ebook reader. But sometimes, even that’s more than I want to carry. Luckily, there’s the Stanza ebook reader for the iPod Touch and iPhone.

A free app, Stanza offers the closest thing to print-quality text on a screen that I’ve seen. Unlike many dedicated ebook readers, it also has a backlight which allows you to read in low light.

Using Stanza is simple. Just choose the book that you want to read from the ones that you have on your iPod Touch. Once it’s loaded, tap the screen to turn the pages. You can change various aspects of the text – including font, color, and the amount of space between lines. You can also bookmark pages that contain interesting information.

On top of that, Stanza supports a variety of ebook formats. (Note: the reader can’t open ebooks that are protected by DRM.)

How to get books onto your iPod Touch? You can try transferring them from your computer to the device, but that process can be more than a little cumbersome. Stanza does include links to several sources of ebooks online – both free books and ones you have to pay for. You can also download ebooks from Web sites as long as they’re in the ePub format.

Dropbox

You’re away from your computer. But you need that file or document. And you need it now. What do you do? If you use DropBox, you can view that file on your iPod Touch with a couple of taps of the screen.

A previous TechTip discussed DropBox. Just to refresh your memory, it’s an online file storage and sharing service. You upload a file or set of files to DropBox, and you can access them from any computer or device on which you have the necessary software to get to your DropBox account.

You can download the free DropBox app for the iPod Touch from the AppStore or directly from the DropBox Web site. Once you’ve entered your account details, you can view files or upload them from your device with a tap or two. How do you think I got the screen captures in this TechTip onto my laptop?

Of course, you need a DropBox account – you get 2 GB of space for free, and can pay for even more storage. On top of that, you’ll need software to view the types of files – for example, word processor documents or spreadsheets – that the iPod Touch’s built-in software doesn’t support.

Boingo Mobile Client

I’d be lost without wireless – whether in my home or when I’m on the road. While there’s a lot of free wifi out there, there isn’t always a free hotspot where I am. Which is why I have a Boingo Mobile account.

For $7.95 a month, I get unlimited access to thousands of wireless hotspots in over 70 countries. Not that I’ll ever visit all of those 70 countries, but for the two that I do frequent, Boingo Mobile is one of the most useful apps on my iPod Touch. And the monthly fee is about the same as the hourly fee charged by many for-pay hotspots.

The first time you that you try to use a Boingo-enabled hotspot, you’ll have to manually connect to it. You do that by tapping Settings > Wi-Fi and then tapping the name of the network. Once you’re connected, go to the iPod Touch home screen. Tap the Boingo Wireless icon, then tap Login.

If you frequent one or more hotspots, make sure that your iPod Touch is set up to automatically connect when it detects a hotspot. To so that, tap Settings > Wi-Fi, then slide the option Ask to Join Networks to ON. Whenever you need to connect,  Tap the Boingo Wireless icon, then tap Login.

Summing up

The five apps discussed in this TechTip really only graze the surface of the body of apps for the iPod Touch that help make mobile geeks more productive and keep them better connected. They are, though, a great point at which to start building your library of mobile apps.

What apps do you recommend for the iPod Touch? Feel free to leave a comment or to share your favorites in the forums.

Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Switching to Windows Vista.

By Kimmy Powell - Sunday, May 27, 2007

After five and half years of non-stop hacking and patching, Microsoft finally got its act together and released the more security conscious Windows Vista in January 2007. According to Redmond Magazine, Vista is off to a running start, logging in 20 million licenses in its first month of availability and outselling Windows XP in its first two months of existence by 3 million licenses. That should propel any Microsoft fan to run out and snatch up his or her own copy of the vaunted program – or should it? Those numbers include new systems that would have come with one OS or another anyway, and, after all, we are talking about Microsoft, king of the vulnerabilities and patch-as-you-go operating systems. Contrary to what Microsoft would have you believe, old habits die hard.

That’s not to say Vista doesn’t have its positives. Vista is an exciting system to play with and is pretty to look at. However, forget about running Vista on any old machine. You need relatively fresh hardware to get the maximum return on investment out of new products in the Microsoft universe – running the new OS on “minimum” spec systems just won’t do. With our brief introduction over, let’s consider why you would or wouldn’t upgrade to Vista.

What’s In Your Machine?

If you’re running a system or OS more than a couple of years old, you’re a prime candidate for an upgrade. You’re working on, in Vista terms, a prehistoric beast and it’s time to go shopping. The good news is that computers are even more affordable now than they were just a couple of years ago, and you can get a very decent system pre-packaged with Vista for under $500. In fact, the very best way to get started with Vista is probably to buy it pre-installed on new hardware – because manufacturers have huge volume licensing deals with Microsoft, this makes the OS virtually free compared to buying a “shrink-wrapped” version of the OS, which can run upwards of $400 all by itself. Vista may present a bit of a learning curve, but don’t let that discourage you. Overall, Vista is a very intuitive and user-friendly operating system.

Meanwhile, those running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 have a choice. The fact that Microsoft plans to support the XP series for years to come means you technically don’t have to touch anything. If you purchased a new system that promised the Vista upgrade, you could take advantage of that and save yourself a couple of hundred dollars. If on the other hand, as a geek, you feel compelled to venture into new territory, at least run the Upgrade Advisor on Microsoft’s website to determine whether or not your hardware and software meet the compatibility requirements of Vista. Finally, you can adopt the attitude of most businesses – wait until Vista’s Service Pack 1 is released later this year (to address post-release bugs) and then jump.

The bottom line: if your applications run decently and perform satisfactorily, consider waiting. If your hardware rattles and hums incessantly and your applications slow to an unbearable crawl, it may be time to consider an upgrade that might include Vista.

How Much Will It Cost Me?

Microsoft’s ubiquitous operating systems make them the default consumer OS, but Microsoft complicated things beginning with Windows XP. XP was available as a Home Edition, Professional Edition (tighter on security and supports Windows Server domains and dual processors), and Media Center Edition (the multimedia lovers’ dream). These products varied in price from $199 (a verifiable upgrade is $99) for the Home Edition to $299 for XP Professional, and both editions consisted of essentially the same features. If you’re a power user, you probably opted for XP Pro. If you were satisfied with basic word processing and surfing the net, you kept the XP Home Edition pre-installed on your computer.

Fast forward to today and you’ll find that Vista now ships in no fewer than six editions. The barebones packages are Vista Starter and Home Basic, which lack many of the features that make Vista the OS you’d really want to experience. Most notable is the absence of the Aero interface. You’d have to purchase the Vista Home Premium Edition at $235.95 ($159 as an upgrade) to get the maximum bang for your buck. To get each and every feature lauded by Microsoft, you’ll need to purchase the Ultimate edition, which will set you back just over $400. Factor in the potential costs of hardware upgrades recommended by the Vista Upgrade Advisor and a new computer with Vista pre-installed becomes the more obvious money-saving solution!

Features = Upgrade?

By now you’ve read about the many new features offered by the Vista operating system: the animated and more photorealistic graphical interface, 3D task-switching with live content preview, the integrated search capabilities, built-in parental controls and RSS support, the ability to burn your own movies, and enhancements in overall security and performance. Microsoft has even gone the extra mile to make installation as seamless as possible (adopting an image based installation versus the traditional copying of temporary files to the hard disk drive). Porting over to Vista should be a no-brainer, but there are always issues that counteract the positive.

The flip side to getting better tools that will make you more productive is the time and energy you must invest in learning to use them, and dealing with the potential hassles of hardware and/or software compatibility issues. Reaping performance gains require that you invest in the technology (e.g., purchase new hardware or software that Vista supports). And all the security promises? That definitely has improved, but much to the point of annoyance. Vista requests your permission and approval to access underlying hardware resources and to make system changes. It’s possible to turn these notifications off, but first impressions are important, and requiring user intervention as a way to address security does not a happy user make.

Compatibility

Features, security, and super-slick new interface aside, compatibility with your existing hardware and applications should be a key factor in your decision to upgrade or continue to stick with the tried and true XP for a while longer. Reports from computer stores and service depots of people reverting from their Vista upgrades (or new installations) back to solid, working XP installations are commonplace, if not rampant, due to compatibility issues with some previously-working application or peripheral.

The Verdict

While Vista does improve upon previous versions of the Windows operating system, most notably in terms of User Interface (”UI”) enhancements, unless you have a compelling reason to upgrade to Windows Vista, you’re probably better off sticking with Windows XP, at least until Microsoft releases Vista Service Pack 1 later this year. If you’re a technophile or avid gamer, Vista can be a digital dream come true, but you may want to think twice before “fixing something that ain’t broke.”

In the final analysis, it sure is pretty on top, but it appears as if Microsoft may have taken Vista out of the oven a little early – it’s not quite done cooking on the inside yet.

The Bells and Whistles of Microsoft’s Latest Operating System.By Kimmy Powell

Are you ready for a brand new day? You may have heard it, seen it fleetingly in neighborhood electronic shops, and it didn’t make big headlines like the debut of the Macintosh during Super Bowl Sunday or become the “End of the World as We Know It.” The “it” here is Microsoft’s successor to its hugely popular Windows XP operating system, Windows Vista.

Vista was finally released to the public on January 30, 2007, five and a half years in the making. The positives: Vista drastically improves upon security (sometimes to the point of annoyance) and sports a more intuitive look and feel. The negatives: As in any release of the Windows OS, you need to have relatively new hardware to run it, and running it on the “minimum” specification won’t get you anywhere but frustrated.

Of course, as was common in their XP software, there are multiple versions of Vista and not all versions come with the same features. All in all, it’s a worthy successor to its siblings, moving Windows closer to “Mac-like” proportions.

We present a rundown of Vista’s features below.

Vista takes a drastic detour from its predecessors by taking advantage of recent improvements in graphical technology and rendering crisp, smooth graphics – the Aero glass interface. Aero, available in all Vista releases except for Home Basic, is an acronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open. The “glass” in glass windows (after all, isn’t glass what windows are made of?) intends to be simple, reflective, and transparent. Thumbnails provide visual details about a minimized application on the Task Bar and when switching between Windows applications using Alt + Tab and Windows + Tab (renamed Flip and Flip 3D). Essentially, you can now preview each application’s contents before switching tasks.

Other desktop improvements include a smaller Start button and the removal of most desktop icons so you can maximize screen real estate. The Start menu adapts to your needs depending on what you’ve opened recently. Commonly used programs appear on the Start Menu’s left column and any programs that don’t appear in the recent list are accessible by clicking on the “All Programs” option above the search box.
Integrated Search Capabilities

Users now have the ability to conduct complete searches of all applications, documents, links, and emails for matching terms from the Start menu and incremental searches from within specific applications like Media Player, Windows Explorer, Windows Mail, Control Panel, and the Network Center. You can further tag and add meta-data (like author and file descriptors) to search results, and save these results in Virtual Folders that are accessible in Windows Explorer. You also have the ability to launch programs by typing the name of the program in the Search box, eliminating the need to go to Start and then Run. Remote searches are now possible across shared computers and networks.

Interactive Windows Explorer

Unless you’re a Windows geek dead set on running programs from the command line, anything that simplifies opening and viewing files has to be infinitely better. Adding to this is the concept of “breadcrumbs” so you can trace your way back through the operating system’s organizational hierarchy in the address bar (eliminating the need to click on the Back button) and the addition of live icons that allow you to preview the contents before opening the application (much like previewing emails in Outlook). Plus, you can navigate to websites using the address bar.

Other changes include improved filtering, sorting, grouping and stacking of items and tweaks to menu items we’ve become accustomed to. Common types of programs are now clustered in program “Centers”, and the traditional File, Edit, and View menus have been reduced to Organize, Views, Save Search and Search Tools, and the list of folders on the left side of Explorer has become the Favorite Links (Documents, Pictures, Music, Recently Changed, and more folders). To restore the old views, simply go to the Organize menu button, select on the Layout option, and make sure the Menu Bar option is checked.

Anchoring Sidebar

New to Vista is a pane that docks on the right side of the screen and displays gadgets, or miniature applications that are supposed to make life easier. The gadgets include a Calculator, Clock, Calendar, Notepad, Slideshow, and the ability to display RSS headlines (Vista is now natively “RSS aware”). You can also drag and drop these applets directly onto your desktop if you choose forego the Sidebar

Improved Security

With Vista, Microsoft has added improvements that close some security loopholes (like blocking access to the kernel and running applications in “protected mode”). Windows Firewall now provides outbound as well as inbound protection, and Internet Explorer 7 runs in a protected mode to guard against potential attacks during browsing. Also included are an improved User Account Control (even administrators must confirm changes to the OS with a password!) and native parental control software (restricting children’s access to certain applications, web sites, games and files, hours of activity, and activity logs). Windows Defender scans for spyware in the background so it doesn’t interfere with existing processes. Additionally, Vista Ultimate and Enterprise versions include a new program called BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Improved Backup and Restore Functionality

Complete PC Backup, the new program that comes bundled with Vista Enterprise and Ultimate versions, resembles Norton Ghost by using disk imaging during the backup process. Also included are version control indexing of files so you can roll back to previous versions and the ability to handle a variety of backup devices and media.
Better Hardware Support and Improved System Performance

Among the highlighted improvements in Vista are power management and self-tuning diagnostics, like the automatic scheduling to de-fragment your hard drive (this, however, is not available in Home Basic). Changes in the OS kernel now improve low-level functions like scheduling and processor synchronization. Vista also introduced a new product called SideShow, which supports auxiliary devices like secondary screens on mobile PCs).

Exclusive to Vista is DirectX 10. Utilizing advances in graphics architecture, DX10 runs more efficiently and much faster. DX10 is a major plus for all you PC gaming fans out there.

New tools in Vista now manage your PC’s memory to boost speed and performance. SuperFetch tracks and preloads frequently used programs on a user-by-user basis. If you’ve got a USB drive or hybrid hard disk, you could dedicate available space towards the swap file using ReadyBoost. Additionally, ReadyDrive provides added support for hybrid drives by allowing you to use the hybrid’s built-in flash memory towards re-booting or resuming your PC session.
New Applications

Microsoft wouldn’t be Microsoft without making Third Party Vendors’ lives miserable by including new applications that take advantage of capabilities in the new operating system. However, this can be a boon for consumers on a tight budget, especially given Vista’s price tag. Among the new applications and technology support entering the Vista family are:

• Media Player 11 in Vista Home Premium and Ultimate versions support HD-DVD, MMC-5 (Fifth-Generation SCSI Multi-Media Command Set) and UDF (Universal Disk Format) formats.
• Media Center (Home Premium and Ultimate) supports dual tuner cards, DVD’s, MPEG2, and high definition content.
• DVD Maker – now, you can create and burn your own DVD’s without resorting to third party software.
• Photo Gallery provides management and basic editing of digital photo archives.

New games, like Chess Titans, that feed off improvements on graphics capabilities.

Revamped Applications

And the existing applications? Here are the changes – some good, some bad:

• Meeting Space replaces the old NetMeeting and is a peer-to-peer, collaborative application permitting you to share applications with users across networks. It’s much like another Microsoft product, Groove, albeit limited in scope.
• Windows Mail replaces Outlook Express and now includes anti-phishing and anti-spam solutions.
• Internet Explorer 7, with tabbed browsing, enhanced security and incremental page searches. A version for Windows XP is available, though it does not run in protected mode under that OS.
• Microsoft Fax and Scan – now available in only the Enterprise and Ultimate editions.

Finally, don’t let the minimum specs of Vista fool you. Meeting the minimum hardware specifications lets Vista run at a crawl, if it runs at all. Remember this as you think about upgrading your existing machine. If you have a Vista-approved machine, installing the software is easy. Vista now uses image-based setups instead of the time-draining chore of first copying temporary files down to your hard drive and then running the setup.

Windows Vista is a major reworking of previous Windows releases. It promises to make life easier by simplifying computing. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen. One thing is sure, however; Microsoft does pay attention to consumer demands, and that has to count for something.