
 |
|
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Oct. 23, 2009
/ 5 Mar-Cheshvan 5770
The world has changed?
By
Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Just how important are computer operating systems, anyway?
We're going to get an indication. Yesterday, Microsoft Corp. launched Windows 7, the successor to the much-maligned
Windows Vista, and what many critics believe is the replacement for Windows XP that
Vista should have been. Oh, and XP is exactly eight years "old," as of next
Sunday, that is, and that's kind of old.
In late August, Apple Inc. launched Snow Leopard, which has had a good reception
among users and critics. I've reviewed Snow Leopard and shall review Windows 7 in
due course. My early impressions of Win7 are positive, however.
That said, I again ask the question: Just how important is the operating system?
For many of us, it's not that important: as long as one's computer boots up and
functions, and work can be done, we're happy. Adding new applications, or new
versions of older applications, can require an OS upgrade, but then again, many of
us find ourselves quite happy with one level of software and can stay there. (I
can't imagine that the late William F. Buckley, Jr., however much he enjoyed
computing, was hanging around Costco store waiting for the next release of either an
OS or a productivity suite.)
But just as Moore's Law notes that "the number of transistors that can be placed
inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years,"
as Wikipedia records it, operating systems and applications grow more capable every
year or so. And if you can do more with a computer, why wouldn't you want to?
All this bumps up against practical matters of cost, however. Windows 7 upgrades are
being advertised for as much as $199 a pop, depending on the version you buy. Snow
Leopard was a comparative bargain at $29.99 a copy, but it also runs only on Macs
that have Intel processors: if you have a somewhat older Mac, you were either out of
luck or off to buy a new machine.
Is there an alternative to all this? Quite possibly, and its name is Linux.
Specifically, Ubuntu Linux, of which a new release, version 9.10, is expected on
Oct. 29. The nice thing about Ubuntu is that it's really free: just download a
disc image at www.ubuntu.com, burn a CD or DVD, and you're ready to install it on
a computer near you. (Ubuntu will work on Intel-based computers; PowerPC-based
machines can find some new life with a Linux distribution called Debian, available
at debian.org.)
I've not played with 9.10 yet, but I have used the most recent "stable"
release, Ubuntu 9.04. It's a very nice operating system: graphical, easy to learn,
and equipped, out of the gate, with a Web browser, e-mail client, productivity
suite, and similar items. It loaded - in a virtualization mode - on my system
without crashing the main OS, and it ran well. I could connect to the Internet
without hassle, and thus had a world of options open to me.
The "rub" here is whether and how something such as Ubuntu and its related
applications will coexist in a Windows world. My sense is they would work quite
well: the productivity suite is OpenOffice.org's "clone" of Microsoft Office,
and OpenOffice lets you "write" files in Microsoft formats. On the net, you
might not have every bell and whistle, but Linux advocate Shannon VanWagner of
ubuntuguide.com and similar Web sites, notes that a Ubuntu player for Hulu's video
streaming service is now available, which is a nice plus.
Those who are devoted to Apple's iTunes, however, will face a more daunting
challenge: to use iTunes under Linux, you need to install a "virtual" Windows XP
system on your computer, or operate in a dual-boot mode where you have both Windows
and Ubuntu running separately. For many, that could be a drawback.
But for straight business applications, Ubuntu as an operating environment is more
than adequate. You can't beat the price, especially in these cost-conscious days!
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
Archives
© 2009, News World Communications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of The Washington Times. Visit the paper at http://www.washingtontimes.com
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
A. Barton Hinkle
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Walt Handelsman
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
David Horsey
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Chan Lowe
Jimmy Margulies
Jack Ohman
Michael Ramirez
Drew Sheneman
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Scott Stantis
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters
Dan Wasserman

Mr. Know-It-All
Ask Doctor K
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|