Software

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You are an absolute fool to believe that the future of software is anything but open. Are we there now? Obviously not… but in good time, proprietary software will become a thing of the past. That’s a pretty bold statement, yes. But, watch the trends. Watch what’s happening now. Watch what’s been happening. Some of the more powerful efforts to be spearheaded by like-minded individuals have happened because of the open ethos.

Do you care much whether software is open-source or proprietary? Sometimes it may boil down to a matter of cost for you. Keep in mind that just because something is free, doesn’t mean it’s ‘open’. There’s a huge reason why open is better than just free. If I create a proprietary (closed) piece of software, and refuse to share the code with others, that goes away when I die. When you share code because it’s an open collaboration, there is always room for someone to step in and take over. If one developer knows of a way to make a piece of the software work better, they can add to it when it’s open-source. An open-source program can be enhanced upon until the end of time, basically.

The more you tie yourself into a proprietary system, the more difficult it becomes to remove yourself from it, because of the momentum inside. Closed systems are scary, at least to me. Think about it. Who’s able to check and re-check the software that is running in the world? Yes, you can trust one firm or another. But, what if the software is dealing with extremely sensitive data? Wouldn’t you rather see the community as a whole… those of us who care the most about software… are the ones able to check that the software works the best way it can, instead of some corporation?

I bet you have open-source software on your computer right now, and you may not even know it. Do you run the FireFox browser? There you have open-source. With a proprietary software, once a company decides they no longer want to make it, it’s dead. They don’t care if you still like using it, they will just stop making it.

There are alternatives to traditional ways of thinking… even when it comes to software. So many people still believe that the only good software available is that which is found on a shelf in a store. That is such a lie. The best software doesn’t come in a box! It’s just out there. Everything you do in one way, shape, or form is being influenced by open mechanisms. One day soon, as far as software is concerned, it will be open. Cut. Print. Period.

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I had a chance to breeze through the apps being offered in this MacUpdate Promo, and… it’s well worth the price of admission (if only for Leap alone). Will likely grow to love these others even more over time, too:

Hazel

• Automate File Management Tasks
• Add options to “Trash” folder
• Adds ‘App Sweep’ to clean orphaned support files
• Delete duplicate files
• Define your own rules

Art Text

• Easy way to make Text Graphics
• Comes with tons of pre-set Styles
• Buttonize any font glyph
• Various export options
• Extremely better than “Word Art”

MenuCalendarClock for iCal

• Integrates data from iCal with idea of Menu Bar clock
• Appointment information shows up in tool tips
• Lists ‘to do’ items
• Includes Search bar
• Clean, straightforward interface

Leap

• Amazing, amazing, amazing Finder replacement
• What Vista’s Windows Explorer tries to be
• Eliminates the idea and need for folders
• Bridges the gap between Spotlight and you
• Never lose a file again

StoryMill

• A complete story authoring tool
• Manage characters, scenes easier
• Displays timeline of your “plot”
• Surfaces snippet status
• Tagging

Typinator

• System-wide AutoCorrect
• Text fragment macro tool
• Type characters to insert images
• Unicode symbol translation
• Ad hoc email signatures / common replies

DVDRemaster Pro

• Recompress your DVDs
• Convert DVD video to other formats
• Extract raw data streams from DVDs
• Copy entire DVD or just certain chapters
• Copy audio or video from DVD

Sound Studio

• Audio recorder / editor
• Live input levels
• Much nicer than Audacity ;)
• Great for podcast production
• Multi-track support

BannerZest

• Create simple Flash animations with ease
• Choose a theme, add a graphic, done
• Come across as more skilled than you actually are
• FTP and .Mac transfer support
• Family may get a kick out of your creations

Parallels Desktop

• Run Windows in Mac OS X as a virtual machine (duh)
• Access Boot Camp partition from within OS X
• Just as simple to use as VMware Fusion
• Make the Windows desktop melt into OS X’s
• Can also run Linux VMs, potentially

So, there you go - the latest MacUpdate Promo. As I said before, however… this entire package is worth buying, if only for Leap.

This email landed in my inbox last week, but it’s taken me this long to post it…

Dear Resellers,

I’m writing to you today to give you a long overdue update on our Blogware and Web Site Builder services.

Over the past year Tucows has been working to refine its overall reseller strategy, putting greater emphasis on the four core services we see as essential for the success of resellers and Tucows alike. The services we’re focussed on are the “traditional” Tucows Domain and SSL Services, our new Email Service, plus our recently launched Personal Names Service.

Despite our love of Blogware and Web Site Builder, we just haven’t found the interest from Resellers in these services we had hoped and we’ve decided to de-emphasize them going forward.

What does “de-emphasize” mean?

Essentially, these services are no longer part of our growth strategy and as a result we are no longer actively marketing or selling them to new resellers.

What does this mean to you as a Blogware and/or Web Site Builder reseller?

Probably less than you might expect.

We will continue to operate and support the services for the foreseeable future. You and your customers should not see any change in the quality of service or the level of support you receive. Essentially it is “business as usual”.

We are however not planning any updates to Blogware beyond maintenance windows and major bug fixes that might required to maintain the service at its current state. Our Web Site Builder vendor continues to enhance the service and we expect to pass through these updates.

Should you have any questions about this, please contact your Account Manager or, if you prefer, me.

We thank you for your continued support of Tucows.

Ken Schafer
VP Product Management and Marketing
Tucows

I migrated from MovableType (another locked platform) to Blogware a few years ago, and ultimately saw stagnation in product development - which put me in quite a pickle, as I really didn’t want to go back to hosting my own blog. It was around then that I decided to make the leap into WordPress, which is what this blog is running today - and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve not yet upgraded to WP 2.5, but that change is coming as I’m working on a new template for this very domain.

What worries me most about building communities on closed platforms is that as soon as those platforms change direction or stop innovating, you’re locked into a toolset that has nowhere to go but down. A blog is only ONE community tool to use - but not the only one that the community may need at any time.

For anybody still using Blogware on my earlier recommendation, I deeply apologize. Tucows has given absolutely no indication that they’re interested in opening the platform at all - leaving you in more of a no-win situation. My “continued support of Tucows” is completely contingent on what they decide to do with Blogware now… aside from abandoning it.

Don’t let software die, please? If nobody wants to pick up the ball and run with it, at least you would have given them the opportunity to do so. This is what worries me most about spreading more of my data across more of these networks that have little (if any) chance of surviving another digital downturn.

Yes, the coupons site currently looks ghastly - but at least the script works quite well (VERY well). I’ve had an idea about how to improve the Web site itself, but was waiting for the search script developer to make a few necessary changes… which are now in place.

I’m considering outsourcing the design / Web site structure to one of those third-party services. Someone very knowledgeable in building software teams clued me in to oDesk.com. I’m likely going to submit a RFP there tonight, but wanted to see if you: (a) wanted to make a bid, (b) had any feedback about oDesk’s workflow, or (c) had a better outsourcing option in your rolodex.

I want to overhaul the site, independent of the script that is running in /rss/ on the same subdomain. There’s nothing wrong with the form that’s at the top of the site right now, although it could use a bit of touching up style-wise.

Every page would include this form at the top, and below it a list of coupons appropriate for the semantically-structured URL. I’d also like to add an email newsletter form (which is handled, much like the ‘latest’ RSS feed, via FeedBurner). The front page would merely list the latest items from the database (as based on a specific RSS feed), as well as the most recent searches that yielded results.

We can currently output two master OPML files:

• http://coupons.lockergnome.com/opml/categories
• http://coupons.lockergnome.com/opml/stores

And completely dynamic OPML files can be created from any given keyword, with the RSS feeds changing within the OPML as well:

• http://coupons.lockergnome.com/opml/categories/keyword
• http://coupons.lockergnome.com/opml/stores/keyword

I need the Web site to pull these master OPML files and create subdirectories accordingly. Upon the following URLs would be displayed the latest coupons:

• http://coupons.lockergnome.com/stores/storename
• http://coupons.lockergnome.com/categories/categoryname

I would also like new pages created whenever a new keyword is searched (that contains results):

• http://coupons.lockergnome.com/stores/keyword
• http://coupons.lockergnome.com/categories/keyword

There are to be NO other ads on-site. For design inspiration, look at the MovableType Action Streams. Would be preferred to use open source software as a framework, as I’d consider open sourcing the ‘OPML-to-dynamic site’ that I’m looking to build here.

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One of our community members writes: “Hey Chris, jthermane24 from the chat room. Here are my top tips for helping those who are “technically challenged” to learn.”

• Be calm and talk slow. Seniors and the technological illiterate will NOT know all the shortcuts that we geeks know and live by. Most likely, it will take them three times as long to do the simple tasks that we can do in five seconds. Talking slow and loudly (for seniors) will make this process much easer for them and less stressful for you. Be prepared to explain the same thing multiple times. This will mostly apply to seniors because they often have problems hearing. So always talk VERY slow.
• Having a preprepared list of steps to read from will make the process of teaching easier. Just type them or even write them up. It will make the speed of the session go so much faster, because you won’t have to sit there and stare at the screen with that blank stare that we get when we forget stuff.
• When you are done showing the “student” what they asked you to teach them, ask them to use their computer to make a step-by-step instruction manual. Use the print screen button to take a screen capture of each page as you show them again how to do whatever they asked. Keep a text document running in the background, and then just copy each screen capture into the document. After you have finished the task, use the simple drawing tools to circle the icons, drop down lists, or whatever they have to click on for that step. Put each picture on its own page and include text (use at least 20 size font).
• Now with new technology, there is the ability to screen record. Simply install a simple screen recording software (such as CamStuido) and record the steps to a video file… then embed your voice over it.

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Hey Chris, I wanted to tell people in your videos and chat my favorite use of Portable Applications. I am now dual-booting Vista and XP, just for the programs that run on XP and barely work on Vista. Instead of installing the programs on both Vista and XP, I’m running the programs off of my 2 gigabyte Cruzer micro usb flash drive. I’ve found some awesome programs that I’ve run smoothly right off the drive. The increasing sizes of these drives makes them more convenient and easy to use. Here are my top 10 recommended portable app’s, in no particular order.

• Firefox Easily the most powerful open source browser is also available in portable form. You can even save your bookmarks, addons, and history right to the usb.
• NVU Portable Easy Html coding on the road with NVU. Whenever I need to code something in HTML (well hey its better than Frontpage) really quickly.
• GIMP Portable Open Source Photoshop-like program. Portable edition helps so you don’t have to install all the stuff on your computer.
• Filezilla My FTP client of choice. (And I know Chris recommends WinSCP, but I think they’re all the same.) Runs fast and allows you to upload on the fly.
• VLC Great program for watching a lot of Video and Audio formats.
• Open Office Similar to Microsoft Office, this document editor has much of the functionality of the expensive Microsoft Office.
• 7-Zip Unzips many file formats, such as RAR and ZIP
• Foxit Reader Instead of using Adobe’s slow and junky PDF reader, use this free (for basic features) one thats fast.
• Miranda IM Instant Messaging Program that works with AIM, Jabber, ICQ, IRC, MSN, Yahoo, Gadu-Gadu (I have no idea ask someone else) and more.
• Double Killer A simple program that scans your hard drive for duplicates. You can save so much disk space by clearing up those double MP3s.

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Software can be expensive these days. Thankfully, most types of software have excellent alternatives that are either free, or Open-Source. Here are some tips sent in by Chris G to help you find these alternatives.

• Google is a geek’s best friend. We use Google to find everything in our geektastic lives, so it makes sense to use it to find our free software. However, this must be used with extreme caution. Googling “Free Photoshop” may not lead to Open-Source/Freeware… but to torrents. With torrets, you may certainly get a free version of Photoshop… just not legally. Refining your search to something like “Free Photoshop Alternatives” will help a great deal.
• Indexing sites are also a good option, allowing you to search inside of all the applications available as Open Source/Freeware. This, again, should be used with extreme caution. Only download from trusted and reputable sites, as not doing so may lead to malware installed on your PC. This is bad.
• There are also many websites whose sole purpose is to find good software to recommend to their readers, as well as tips and other bits of content. Such sites are Lifehacker and 43Folders are particularly good for offering productivity tools. They also recommend other software. Whilst not everything is free on here, I have found many good pieces of freeware here.
• New/Social Media/Podcasting or whatever in the world you want to call it. Whilst these may not be the best option if your specifically looking for a bit of software, they are great for just picking up bits of advice and tips along the way…. and most importantly: providing entertainment.
• Communities. Real people are your best option. Having had real experience with the application, they will know which they think is best. This will allow you to bypass the downloading, installing, using, not liking and uninstalling of the countless apps you need to try in order to find the best one. Communities like Chris’ do amazingly well for this kind of thing. With the extremely friendly and well-educated people there, you’re to get hooked up with a few sites for the software you need.

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Matt is a YouTube community member who watches us regularly. He recently sent me a very interesting email, asking about my thoughts on piracy, and how to put a stop to it. Piracy of music, software and movies is rampant these days, and there is just no one sure-fire way to put an end to it.

I had some questions about piracy issues on the Internet today. I watch your videos everyday on Youtube and find them very informative. I noticed that you haven’t done a video on anti-piracy. I was wondering about your thoughts on how software piracy or piracy in general should be stopped on the Internet. Is it the software developer’s responsibility to stop users from cracking their program? Or… is it the users’ responsibility to resist using the program without paying? How can piracy best be slowed down?

My personal thought on this is that piracy will never completely go away. Piracy can be slowed down, but not completely stopped. A lot of software piracy happens because users want to use a program but are unaware of the program’s ability. This motivates them to crack the software to try it for themselves. I think a demo of all commercial software today would help decrease software piracy. I’m sure there are many more motives as to why people crack commercial software. I’m not sure of what they are exactly, but I was wondering about your thoughts on this. Thanks.

Piracy is nothing to joke about. I’ve seen too many people admit that they pirate, and that they’re proud of it. That’s not fair… at all. It is SO much easier to approach a vendor and ask if they have a review or NFR (not for resale) copy. You can write up a review after receiving it. Bang! You have free software… legally. It’s simple. DON’T. PIRATE.
If you don’t want to pay for it, find freeware. Find Open-Source alternatives. Develop your own! In many cases, Open-Source or free software is better than the paid alternative. You’d be better serving the developers and yourself by taking a moral approach to this situation. If you can’t find a legal, free alternative or don’t want to spend the money, then the answer is simple. Don’t use the software!

POST UPDATE After this was posted, I received some excellent thoughts from “Terminator” in our chat room.

I watch your videos on YouTube a lot these days, and I just saw your video about piracy. I am against it in general, but its not the same as stealing a car (or a cup of coffe). Well it is the same, but not through the eyes of the consumers. The problem is that you get a choice. Will you buy this car… or will you take the other one, thats the same, for free. What would you do? I think this is the major problem of software piracy. If you would go to jail or have to pay a lot of money for stealing the software, then everything would be different. I think, or rather, I’m sure we dont need all that pirated software and free movies and all that. People download movies they dont even watch, just because they can. Before downloading was possible, you could still see all the movies on tv when they came out. When I go and buy a movie, people look at me and ask me why I didnt just downloaded it. We got pretty spoiled. We were all fine before that trend began. Of all the people I know in my neighborhood, maybe 95 % dont have even one original piece of software. As you said, there are tons of free programs that are very good and you can use them without spending a buck. If people started facing consequences, then everything would change overnight. Consequences are the key, but not an easy thing to make possible. If we would face them, we would suddenly realize, that we can survive without all that pirated stuff that we “really” needed the other day, and just get freeware versions.

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I’ve done my best to defend Microsoft in the past (and will continue to do so in the future when their actions warrant community support). However, it’s practices like these which make my blood boil.

I wake up to this IM from my father:

• @9:09: Chris are you there??? POP
• @9:10: When I started the pc there was a message to update MESSENGER.
• @9:11: I did and it changed a lot of the settings on the pc including the home page
• @9:11: Most importantly it changed my email from outlook to MSN which I did not want to do and answered question to that and it still changed.
• @9:11: I want every thing back as it was
• @9:11: Please call me on our home phone

Who at Microsoft do I bill for the time I’m about to spend on the phone with my father over this particular issue? My father believes he checked the right boxes, but… obviously, he didn’t. Is that his fault… or the fault of the software installer that did things it didn’t really need to do?

I’m looking at EVERY software vendor out there, not just Microsoft. Leave our defaults alone, or run the risk of losing your community support.

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Knowing what software to buy… and when… can be tricky. Here are some tips sent in by a community member to help you with your choices.

• Decide whether you really need the software. Software can be expensive and the last thing you want to do is to go out on a whim and waste your money on something that you’re probably only going to use once.
• Check compatibility. This is more for less advanced users, I’ve never done it myself but family members have contacted me asking how to get the software to work when there trying to install software for a Mac on a windows machine.
• Read reviews etc. Websites claiming their software does something does not necessarily means it does it well, if at all. Third party reviews offer an impartial view and can always help you too understand whether the product is going to work for you or not. (I have found this is a great tip for almost all products I think about buying, not just software)
• Make sure your going to be able to use it. By this I mean, it would be no good giving my dad (who is not computer literate) a copy of Photoshop and expecting him to be able to get his money’s worth out of it, make sure the software you buy is within your computer knowledge range.
• Search for free alternatives. BY THIS, I DO NOT MEAN ILLEGAL DOWNLOADS! More often than not, the features of an expensive software package can be equalled by freeware. If you search around a little bit you can probably find many or at least 1 package that can match even the greatest and most expensive software.

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runjorel from our live community sent me a very thought-provoking email. He is currently attending Grad school, studying Business Information Technology. Unfortunately, however, he’s finding himself not as satisfied as he thought he would, and asked my opinion on a very good question. Here is his email:

Here’s the situation. I am a 27 year old student in grad school studying Business Information Technology. I was really excited about going to grad school because I thought I would be surrounded by intelligent people trying to solve problems through innovation. Unfortunately, what I am realizing is that the classes just teach you how to be a better corporate employee and all of my classmates are concerned about retiring rich at the age of 35 through easy money. That’s just not my cup of tea. I want to DO SOMETHING!!!

Despite my passion for technology and writing code, I have always felt that I don’t have anything that I can contribute back to society. I mean some people have the skills to build houses for victims of natural disasters all the way to people who have the science know-how to engineer innovative products that help people in Africa prevent starvation, etc. And then, here I am…a software developer for a 10 person company that’s going to school at night. The last thing I want to do when I graduate is get some ‘cush’ job at a big corporation.

I was starting to feel hopeless with that same old nagging question, “What the heck am I going to do with my life?!” until I saw Hans Rosling’s presentation at TED. I know this sounds weird, but the software he used in that presentation kind of uplifted me/inspired me.
So having said all that, (whew), a friend of mine and I were shooting ideas back and forth about how software can help people. And I dont just mean some iPhone app that helps someone find which Peet’s Coffee shop is closest to them ;), but something that really benefits society. I wont get into any of ideas here because that’s a completely different email, but I was wondering if you had any ideas. OR I was wondering if you knew of any organizations that need help?

I know its a pretty ‘far-out-there’ question, but if you have any perspective in that matter I would love to know what you think.

First of all, yes it was a long email. But, you caught my attention. My degree is in English Education. The only reason I’m doing what I do today is because the Internet and the way it works fits me, and my personality. I’m able to help people and teach, so to speak, without a blackboard and reaching a much larger “classroom”. That’s where you want to be. If you create something that you’re proud of. If you create something that other people appreciate… that’s where you want to be.

You have to connect within yourself. I think it’s absolutely admirable, what you’re trying to do. I think you’re going down the right path. I’m not saying that people who choose the corporate path are wrong, but I think that largely… they won’t be happy in the long run.

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Josh sent in an excellent list of his top ten recommended Windows programs… all of which are absolutely free! Here they are, for your use if you wish.

• Audacity is a free program that allows you to edit your music and sound files. It is open source and it is very to use. For someone looking to start podcasts, this program is for you. You will get used to the features it has in a matter of minutes. This is perfect for starting off in editing music and sound files.
• Winamp is a great music player for those looking for a alternative to the common “iTunes” software. It comes with many features and plug ins as well. You can play all your music files and save play lists as well. It also plays many music files that other music software cannot normally play.
• Trillian is an all-in-one messenger that uses very little resources. It includes, MSN, AIM, ICQ, JABBER(G-Mail Chat), YAHOO, and even IRC. This is for you if you are a person that always has at least 4 messengers running at a time. There is a Pro edition to this, which is sightly better, but the basic one is just as good because it is free.
• CPU-Z is a small program that displays your current computer specs. For example, it can show you your Motherboard name and even how much RAM you have. This is good to know when you are looking for those drivers and you forgot the name of your motherboard.
• WinRAR is a great program that allows you to compress your files to a smaller file size. I suggest using this as a default compression program. There are others such as Win7, but this does the same job.
• UltraVNC is a client to server based program that allows you to access another computer. Just start the server on the computer you want to gain access to, and then use the viewer on another computer to view that computer. I suggest getting UltraVNC and not RealVNC. It seems to be faster and overall more robust.
• TrueCrypt This software allows you to encrypt any drive you want to and as you move files to that drive, the files encrypt automatically. I suggest using this if you need to keep important information away from people that want to know things.
• Skype is a voice over IP program that allows you to communicate for free for pc to pc calls. The only downside to this of course is that you need credit in order to call to land line phones. However, the price is cheap to do so.
• HiJack This will search your registry for errors and possibly anything that could be wrong with it. Not only that, it logs all of the information it changed or found.

EDITOR’S NOTE: be VERY careful when using HiJackThis. It can be a very powerful tool, and do serious damage to your computer if you don’t know what you’re doing. NEVER fix “everything” that HiJackThis finds… most of it is harmless, and even essential system files.

• SuperAntiSpyware scans your computer for known Spyware, Adware, Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Worms, KeyLoggers, HiJackers and many other types of threats, and allows you to remove or quarantine them. It offers daily (manual) definition updates, as well as home page hijack protection and customizable scan options. Furthermore, the program includes a Repair feature that allows you to restore various settings which are often changed by malware programs, but usually not corrected by simply removing the parasite. The free version lacks real-time blocking and protection as well as several other advanced options.

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Minutes after I sliced my finger on the Wii box, I decided to download an Open Source program for Mac OS X. The DarwiinRemote is an application for Mac OS X v10.4 which allows Wii Remote to fully control applications on a personal computer. Essentially, you connect your WiiMote via Bluetooth to any Mac running OS X. The software includes a desktop application and a developers’ framework, allowing for additional functionality. To use the software, the computer must have Bluetooth enabled.

DarwiinRemote employs most of the features of the Wii Remote. All three accelerometers feed information to the computer. All of the buttons on the Wii Remote, including the Nunchuk attachment, can be used, but the control stick is not supported. The rumble features and LEDs are fully programmable. In addition, DarwiinRemote can accept the infrared signals from the Wii Sensor Bar. However, to use this feature, the bar must be plugged into a powered socket on Wii.

If you know of other cool free things for the Wii, please let me know! You can leave me a follow-up comment to this video, or shoot an email to me at chris@pirillo.com.

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Fruitbat Zenboy writes:

Firstly, Lockergnome rocks! Been getting it for 7+ years now and it still whips the llama’s ass! As a professional developer, it really helps keep me that step ahead…

Well, Lockergnome’s undergoing a radical transformation right now… but thanks for the vote of confidence, nevertheless.

To the point: I read a lot of glowing reviews of Hotkey programs and would like to tell you of another one. For years, I have been working on hotkey-based program which has become much more. Not only can you do almost anything with a keypress (launch, restore apps, move/alter windows, open drives, dim the screen etc etc), but it has several features that I feel are rather unique.

He lists the following points:

• Multiple desktops? Hah! ZenKEY has an Infinite desktop (okay, it is limited, but only by the Windows co-ordinate system itself).
• Optional “Automatic windows transparency” that sets window transparency/opacity automatically as you switch between windows ie. Windows blend into the desktop when inactive.
• Live icons. Save Desktop space and by replacing app windows with a ‘Live’ icon showing the app’s CPU and memory usage. Click on it (or press a hotkey) to restore the app.
• A Desktop map that allows you to move and set advanced properties of windows without remembering the keystrokes. Also used to view your ‘Infinite desktop’ space.

ZenKEY is open source, and he works on it constantly - welcoming any suggestions for additions and improvements. It’s small, fast, and ad-free. ZenKEY is not about money - it is about love!

ZenKEY also has another (possibly pretentious) goal: To make people realize a computer is more profound that just a machine. It is a machine that executes the thoughts of thousands of brilliant minds, creating an entirely abstract an unlimited universe - cyberspace! I look forward to the time when we will no longer need the multitude of objects we do today and can replace them with digital equivalents. Away with materialism, in with intellectual wealth for everyone. ;-)

Not bad. I’m actually finding the keyboard shortcut array in OS X to be quite configurable, although some of my tweaks haven’t stuck in Mail (very odd).

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What do we need in order to have “perfect” software? What can companies do to achieve this lofty goal? Here are some excellent tips sent in by a community member. Software manufacturers… pay attention!

• Software should never crash. I don’t care if I try loading a 10 GB file into Photoshop on a computer with 256 MB of RAM. Checks should be performed and resources balanced so that a run-away program doesn’t bring down the entire system. User input should also never crash a program. This isn’t unique to just Windows. I’ve had hard crashes on both Mac and Linux where hitting the power bottom on the tower was the only way to restart it.
• Security should be built in and seamless. Grandma shouldn’t need a degree in Computer Science to keep from getting her identity stolen or her computer infected with malware. Virus-like behavior shouldn’t be possible. One reason Mac and Linux have such fewer viruses isn’t just because of their lower market share, but also because they are built securely and self-propagating programs are rare and are difficult to hide from the system. Firefox is another good example of software that integrates security by alerting the user if they are on a suspected phishing site.
• Protect data at all costs. One horror story comes to mind where a user told me that they had downloaded a document from their webmail but selected “open” instead of “save” at the dialog. After confirming it was the correct document they went to work and subconsciously hit ctrl-s to save their work every so often but didn’t even think about where it was being saved to since they had only “opened” the document. They had kept this window open throughout the day and adding changes and then did a final ctrl-s and closed the window for the night. The next day they looked at their recent documents to see “file not found”. Opening the document put it in a temporary folder which was cleaned out when they rebooted their computer. This kind of thing shouldn’t happen. Operating systems should also keep backups and revisions of documents in case the user needs to go back to a previous draft. Leopard’s Time Machine is an example that comes to mind.
• Online integration. There is a lot of buzz about this “Web 2.0″ (which doesn’t exist) and people thinking that all applications will be run inside a browser. I personally think that is silly. Google Docs & Spreadsheets will never replace Microsoft Office or any other full blown application that is installed to the system. Installed applications have the advantage of performance and being integrated into the OS more than a web application could ever hope to. However, I believe that client-side applications should become more integrated with online services (though not web applications themselves). Imagine OpenOffice, for example, integrated with Google Docs and being able to save data both to disk and online without needing to open up a web browser. My media player can download lyrics for music or provide a link to IMDB when watching a DVD.
• Maintain a “just works” philosophy. I plug in my printer and it works. The user should never even have to hear the word “driver” or “install”. YouTube is an example that we now almost take for granted. Ten years ago I remember having to mess with Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, and Quicktime plugins with all the installing and rebooting just to play a video in my browser. Dozens of different formats and codecs. YouTube has simplified this process. I visit the site, hit “play” and it plays. If flash isn’t installed a quick “click here to install flash” and boom! It works.

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