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Microsoft says Firefox is not a threat (13th November 2004)Good old Microsoft - it's their complacency around security and features which have helped Firefox to gain popularity, and yet in a CNET News interview Steve Vamos, Microsoft Australia's managing director, claims that he doesn't believe that Firefox is any sort of threat to Internet Explorer's dominance. That's rich, coming from someone who then in the same interview freely admitted that he'd never used Firefox.
A close look at the stats for your favourite web site, dadams.co.uk, also reveals an interesting trend. Okay, I'm prepared to admit that in October there was a lot of traffic generated by visitors from the Spread Firefox site who came here to download the wallpaper. But you can see that the Internet Explorer traffic was already falling by then and the combined Mozilla and Firefox figure was rising. And with many people saying that they will commit to Firefox only after version 1.0 ships (which it has) could this trend continue? We'll have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, with the success of Firefox, and of the open source operating system Linux, Microsoft may just have to think about ditching their complacent attitude. On the subject of poking fun at Microsoft, my thanks to my good mate Andy 'Ports' Porter for drawing my attention to this gem which details how a Microsoft representative got into trouble during a presentation - Powerpoint refused to open his material and he had resort to using OpenOffice to run the slide show. Snigger. Update... on Monday morning I found a vote called 'Sunday Smackdown' on reviews.cnet.com pitching Firefox against Internet Explorer. I voted for Firefox (of course) and 87.2% of voters had also done so. I'll leave you to work out what percentage voted for Internet Explorer. Okay, you probably could successfully argue that people visiting this site are the more technically astute population of web users, and therefore are more in tune with what's going on in the browser war. But don't today's technical leaders pave the way for tomorrow's general public? Whatever, Microsoft aren't worried. Maybe it's because even if Firefox does win this battle, it won't really hurt Microsoft's overstuffed bank balance or their desktop dominance. And the customer service award goes to... (27th October 2004)Actually this is a bit unfair, because the company in question haven't performed anywhere near as badly as Sky did during the Sky Plus affair, or NTL during my recent broadband outage. While these two organisations should hang their heads in shame, this company (who I'm not going to name) should at least be awarded 7 out of 10 for effort.Rewind one week - I was returning from a day of standing in the server room in IBM Warwick (I'm now an expert on Lotus Virtual Classroom, a fine product), doing a steady 68 mph on the M40, when something hit my windscreen causing a 5 inch crack just to the right of my field of vision. When I got home I made some enquiries about how to get it fixed and eventually got through to the company in question (who replace car windscreens). I spoke to a very helpful man and described my current windscreen - it required explanation since I have a special 'climate control' windscreen with a solar filter. The man asked "does that have a rain sensor?" to which I replied "no". Remember that response... "no". No rain sensor. Okay? Friday - I drive to the office to allow the guy who's coming to do the repair to get some shelter from the rain in the underground car park. He gets out of his van, looks at my car and says "this doesn't have a rain sensor". The windscreen he'd brought with him did. So he makes a call and re-books the job for Tuesday. I happened to have a few days off, so we arrange for the repairer to come to my house. Luckily the weather was good so no cover was needed. The guy gets out of his van, looks at my car and says "oh dear, this windscreen has a solar filter". The one he'd brought with him didn't. My schedule didn't allow another crack at the repair (no pun intended) until next Monday, so he phoned the office to give them the details. Today I received a voice mail telling me they'd be turning up tomorrow. They can if they want, but I won't be there. Is it just me, or does everyone have this much trouble getting simple things resolved? Another good reason to use Firefox (23rd September 2004)Microsoft, bless them, take some unpopular actions every now and again. The latest is that from now on updates to the rather leaky Internet Explorer will only be delivered for Windows XP. This move will come as a bit of a blow for the 200 million or so people still using Windows 2000, '98 and '95. Okay, anyone using '95 really has to face up to the fact that they should moved into the 21st century by now, but the 2000 and '98 users may feel a bit aggrieved at having to fork out some money to get an upgrade to XP that they probably don't need. But keeping Internet Explorer at their current level may expose them to the hackers and vermin that now lurk on the Internet.Being pragmatic, I suppose we can't expect Microsoft to go on supporting old operating systems for ever, but a compromise would have been nice... there's enough of an installed base still on Windows 2000, and Microsoft have had a fair bit of money from them over the years. Luckily, there is an alternative that provides secure browsing for all Windows users. There's enough links to Firefox on this page already. Just use one of them, okay. Food packaging instructions (22nd September 2004)This time last year I was half a stone lighter than I am now. Mind you, I had just had my gall bladder removed and I spent most of the two weeks after without much of an appetite. I think that I'm probably half a stone heavier than I should be, and my love of Ben & Jerry's ice cream doesn't help. My low calorie (okay, lower calorie) alternative dessert is low-fat yogurt with banana chips. Last night I got a new packet of banana chips out of the larder and noticed that on the top of the packet it said "open here". "That's handy" I thought, as I didn't want to have to go anywhere else. However, try as I might, I couldn't rip open the top of the packet. Then something strange happened... distracted by the television, I walked into the family room and only then was I successful in tearing the top off the packet. So the instructions were wrong - rather than "open here" it should have said "open over there".I'm amused by food packaging that displays the words "serving suggestion". Okay, I know why it's there... it's so that people can't claim to be mislead by a picture of a chicken pie nestled between some peas and mashed potato and then find there's no peas or mashed potato in the packet. But every time I see "serving suggestion" I hear a pedantic / sarcastic voice inside my head - "look at that, what a great suggestion... peas and potatoes with the chicken pies... I was going to pour custard over them and stick a cherry on the top". Speaking of bad gags - and we undoubtedly are - I was on a plane to Edinburgh this morning when one of the passengers asked for a glass of water. "Is that still water?" the stewardess asked. You can make up your own retort. The one I thought of amused me but I'm glad I kept it to myself. The 'Spread Firefox' community exceeds it's target (21st September 2004)
dadams.co.uk - now available via RSS (19th September 2004)If you're using Mozilla Firefox 1.0 pre-release, you might notice an orange RSS indicator at the bottom right-hand corner of the browser. Anyone who understands the workings of RSS will probably not be that impressed by the addition of an RSS feed to dadams.co.uk - anyone who doesn't know what RSS is probably won't be interested anyway. No matter, read on...
So, a bit more work to be done. I also have the slight disadvantage that dadams.co.uk is mostly hand-crafted, unlike Ed's blog which runs on Lotus Domino (the world's greatest server for messaging and collaboration). The Domino blog application can automatically take info from his blog entries and create the RSS feed. For me it's a bit of extra cut and paste, but the RSS XML is fairly simple so it only takes a couple of minutes. Firefox 1.0 pre-release (14th September 2004)Please forgive the recent lack of updates - I've been very busy at work, and over the weekend we lost our broadband connection. I was intending to add a huge rant about this, but my anger has been quelled. It wasn't losing the service that annoyed me (the first problem in a year, so not bad going), it was the support provided by my broadband provider (name withheld, although they deserved to be named and shamed). Or should I say "lack of support"? They did everything possible to shift the problem from themselves to me. They were convinced that the problem was with my Thinkpad, despite the fact that the problem suddenly affected two computers. Let me ask you this, would two separate computers, each with different operating systems, suddenly decide to malfunction? The support "help-line", which had an average waiting time of 35 minutes, suggested the problem was with my router (no, the first thing I did was took that out of the equation), the firewalls (no, disabled them and rebooted), my DHCP client (yeah, right), spyware, viruses, a fluctuation in the Earth's magnetic field, and Hurricane Ivan.The strange thing was, at times during the weekend I could connect to a couple of web sites that I had the IP addresses for (rather than using the host names). So, wouldn't that point to DNS problems? The last guy I spoke to suggested that spyware had "blocked a number of ports on the computer", so I replied that if this was the case I could expect disappointment when I tried to connect to the network in the office on Monday morning. Guess what...? No problem. So, to my huge surprise, he was wrong. Well, the suggestion was only as plausible as his colleague's statement that "computers often do funny things". Do me a favour. Do these people take us for cretins? Clearly they do... I then composed a long e-mail detailing all the things I'd tried, all the things I'd discovered and all the things they'd suggested, and they replied with a list of suggestions - all of which I'd already tried and I'd told them I'd tried. No thanks to them, everything suddenly started working again on the Monday evening. So clearly the two computers which were to blame had decided to start behaving again. One of the things that really irritated me during the conversations with the broadband help-line was their automatic assumption that I used Microsoft products. The first lady I spoke to asked me if I could browse sites using Internet Explorer or receive mail via Outlook Express. I gritted my teeth - telling her that I use Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird wasn't actually going to be constructive in terms of solving the problem. But I'm glad I do use these products. I love Thunderbird as a mail client - the look-and-feel and usability is excellent, it deals with SPAM with 100% accuracy, and unlike Outlook Express and it's highly over-rated corporate sibling it doesn't act as a virus delivery system.
I love the choice of themes (I now prefer Qute to iCandy Junior), and the tabbed interface is an excellent way of providing an uncluttered browsing experience. The new search-within-a-page facility, which provides a persistent search bar and highlights words as you type, is a great innovation, and the adaptable search bar is very useful (Firefox installs a Google version, but an internal IBM genius created a search extension to allow us to search our corporate BluePages directory). And of course there's load of extensions from the open source community, the best being the "Web Developer". The other compelling and very important factor about Firefox is that it isn't Internet Explorer and therefore doesn't suffer from the security holes. I wouldn't trust my web banking to anything else. So, I'm very glad to see the campaign to spread the word about Firefox is ramping up. Visit the Spread Firefox site and see why this browser should take over from Internet Explorer as the world's #1. They've set a target of 1 million downloads in 10 days, and they're off to a flying start. Download Firefox (it's free) and tell your friends. The sign of a mispent adulthood / the British summer continues (7th September 2004)Recently I commented on my desire to have a go with a racing game that allowed me to hurtle along uneven surfaces at break-neck speed and smash the car to pieces. I bought a second-hand copy of Rally Championship for the Gamecube. My attempts to master the game have been sporadic, and until last week I'd been slow to win any rally stages and unlock new stages. Then I suddenly made some progress, completing the Scottish, African and Welsh rallies. My next challenge is to win the first stage of the Lapland rally, which won't be easy because it occurs at night on snow.If I was briefly under any misapprehension that I was actually good at this game, it was shattered when Choddo joined me for a rally session. I was averaging about twenty attempts to win any stages (although a couple I did win after three or four goes). Choddo had a go at a few and scored wins after just two goes. An indication of how he spends his spare time methinks. Meanwhile the British summer refuses to go away. This is quite amazing considering it never really arrived. But September already seems to have delivered more sunny days than the whole of August did. Blessed with some lovely weather at the weekend, we decided to head for Wittering on the South coast. The journey from hell ensued. The first downer was when, half-way there, I realised I'd left Molly's lead in the garage. Visions of our dopey greedy dog running around the beach raiding people's picnics made me very tense. We then discovered that we weren't the only ones on the way to Wittering. Indeed, several million other people had decided to go. The sixty mile journey took nearly three hours. Molly wasn't pleased either - well, how would you feel having to sit on a beach with a green and orange striped skipping rope tied round your neck (hey, it was all we could find)? The rest of the day however was great. I'd never seen so many people on an English beach, and I've never known the sea to be so warm (most attempts to enter the English Channel usually leave me with the feeling that my feet will freeze and shatter like glass within seconds - but not this time). The journey home wasn't fun - another three hours. We now also know that certain parts of the beach at Wittering allow dogs, and certain parts don't. The beach warden moved us along for this reason. I ask you, how come three w*nkers throwing a rugby ball around and hitting people with it every five seconds aren't a problem, but a sleeping dog who isn't bothering anyone has to be moved on? A word or two about modern art - part 2 (27th August 2004)It was nearly three years ago that I commented on the pretentiousness of modern art (see here) and now it is time to do it again. And for a second time, the world of art has been exposed by a humble, hard-working, honest member of the Tate Britain's cleaning staff. Three years ago, a cleaner threw away a pile of rubbish because he mistook it for a, errr, pile of rubbish. But of course the pile of rubbish was actually constructed by Damien Hirst, and was therefore of great artistic value, illustrating the chaotic world of a genius' studio. Yeah, right - pass me that shovel, there's some bull-shit that needs shifting. I took a quick look in our kitchen bin tonight, and came to the conclusion that it illustrated the slightly chaotic world of a suburban family that receives too much junk mail and has a daughter who's a bit too fond of frankfurters and spaghetti hoops.
As if to prove that we live in a world gone mad, the Tate Britain has offered compensation to Metzger. The artist, who was dismayed at the destruction of his work, had to create another bag of rubbish to replace the lost piece and make his work complete again. We really do live in different worlds. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and work on an "installation" - I have an old rag in the garage that I used to rub furniture wax onto a pine shelf. I thought that if I draped it over an old piece of skirting board and balanced that on top of a half-empty tin of Dulux Soft Linen paint, I could sell it to the Tate Britain as a work depicting the fact that I hoard too much crap in my garage. And as a final word on rubbish, I've long suspected cats for being responsible for ripping open our bin bags in the garden. Last week I caught the real culprit in the act... a rather large hedgehog. A cat could have expected a kick up the arse, but I can't help but like hedgehogs. A quick word with the prickly scamp sufficed and he hasn't offended since. Challenge Lawro (21st August 2004)"Who's Lawro?" I hear you ask. And what is 'Challenge Lawro'? Allow me to explain. My big brother Steve persuaded me to sign up for this Internet-based football competition in which you have to predict the results of Premiership matches. Three points for predicting the exact score correctly, and one point for just getting the result right. You also have five jokers to play during the season, and your points will be doubled for the match upon which you play the joker. And who is Lawro? That's Mark Lawrenson, BBC football pundit and former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland player.As well as myself and Steve, the head of the Adams clan (Jim, also known as Grandpa Soapy for reasons too uninteresting to discuss) and the young man upon whom the continuation of the family name rests (Tom, Steve's son, my nephew) are also signed up and in the league. I've also let in a few special guests - Rob 'Choddo' Hayden (well, he's family too I suppose), Pete 'Windsor Saint' Hampton, and Kevin Farrant (who's called himself 'Nug' for reasons best known to himself). I've also added Lawro himself, so we can see how we stack up against a supposed expert.
How is the table looking at this early stage of the season? Steve has taken an early lead, and Nug is trailing but I believe he's had trouble logging in. Choddo did too for the first week, but this worked in his favour (if you don't enter predictions, they default to 0-0 - there were a lot of draws in the first weekend). I'm third, but I've played a joker (you can never trust bloody Man Utd to get the right result). To put this into perspective, the overall table of several thousand players is topped by Jerry Attrell with 36 points. He's followed by three people with 31 points and two with 30 points. You currently need 26 points to get into the top thirty. So as a community we're a bit behind the leading pack. Mind you, Lawro, the so-called-expert, isn't doing so great either. Speaking of the wife and Internet-shopping (as I was earlier), she's bought an iPod Mini. It arrived a couple of days ago, after being shipped from somewhere in the Far East and being escorted by TNT on a journey that Phileas Fogg would have been proud of. I have to say that it's a neat and stylish device, although the controls are a bit strange (especially the piece you stroke your finger over to move the selector or change volume). The sound quality however is excellent.
The wife offered to let me borrow the iPod Mini, but I honestly don't know when I'd use it. Perhaps on a train journey to London. However, the colour puts me off doing that. Roll your mouse over the picture above to see the colour of her choice that wouldn't have been my first (or second or third). The secret of goal scoring success (3rd August 2004)It's nearly that time of year again. No, I don't mean Christmas... most shops won't start stocking Christmas cards until the middle of September. I'm talking about the football season (that's proper football, played by kicking a ball with your foot, not carrying an odd-shaped ball while weighed down by several tons of body armour). "What, already?" said the wife, who was most irritated by Euro 2004's effect on the television schedule. Quite why she was upset I don't know... they didn't cancel anything on QVC to show a football match.As usual, the Summer has been a hive of activity in the transfer market. Chelski, to no-one's surprise, have spent the most money, and have sold off / given away enough players to create a team capable of securing a mid-Premiership table position (just a few places above Tottenham). Man Utd used some of the cash they gained from selling branded duvet covers to children who've never been anywhere near Manchester, and Arsenal have spent a bit, but nowhere near as much as the teams that trailed them last year. Once again, club captain Patrick Vieira became the subject of a "will he, won't he" saga as Real Madrid aimed to spend some of the money that they've gained by selling branded duvet covers to children who've never been to Madrid. The admirable Monsieur Wenger says that Vieira is staying, and we'll find out for sure when the Champions' League deadline arrives on Thursday. I hope he stays, as does everyone else who swears allegiance to the Gunners. One other thing that happens this time of year is new shirts going on sale. Naturally Man Utd have a new home strip, and they've been selling like hot cakes from Penzance to Oslo. Before long there'll probably be a new away shirt, plus a different one for the Champions' League, and a different one for the second half of the third round of the F A Cup, and... etc etc.
Another visit to the cinema? (3rd August 2004)Yep. What is that now, four times this year? Up until now there was a battle raging in my mind about what's been the best movie I've seen in 2004. 'The Day After Tomorrow' didn't fall into contention (Zzzzzz), but 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Albania' and 'Shrek 2' most certainly did. However, the debate has now been put to rest (for now) for last night I saw 'Spider-Man 2'.
Maguire is excellent as the troubled hero, and Alfred Molina is superbly creepy as Dr Octopus, but Kirsten Dunst does look half-asleep at times. Of course, things were left very nicely set up for the next installment, with (plot spoiler coming) Harry Osborne becoming increasingly unhinged and finding his father's old lair full of Green Goblin equipment, and (please note, I'm not a comic book plank) the inclusion of Dr Curt Connors who we all know (ahem) will eventually become The Lizard. No visit to the cinema is complete without reporting on the trailers. Last night's "let's not bother" selection consisted of 'Catwoman' and 'The Chronicles of Riddick'. However, there's plenty to look forward to... we're likely to be seeing 'I, Robot' next week, the boys all agreed that 'Dodgeball' looks very funny, and seeing as the reviews of 'Hellboy' have been pretty good that's one to mark down for an October visit. But if there's one movie I will make sure I see later this year, it's 'Team America: World Police'. Check out the trailer, it's fantastic. Back from holiday (1st August 2004)If you're thinking that I've been neglecting the web site for a while, there's two very good reasons. The first is that we've been away, on the annual trip to sunny Menorca (and there's a photo album to prove it). Two weeks without a laptop, slapping on the factor 25 (damn my fair skin) and reading 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'. Do you think Sirius Black is really dead? Hmmm, I reckon he'll be back. Anyway, a great book, and it'll be a long movie.
However, the Gamecube is a better platform for driving games, as a joystick is a better steering mechanism than a keyboard. So I found myself in the game shop in Staines, and bought a pre-owned copy of 'Rally Championship' for £12. It's not a great game, but it's easily worth £12. You can damage the cars, but I've actually that found competing and trying to win is the best factor of the game. So far I've only managed 9th place over two stages, not enough to win any money and progress to a better car. But I am improving. Shame though about the second stage of the African rally... it's a night-time course, and the first thing I did was crash into a tree and smash my headlights, thus throwing the whole course into total darkness. |
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| © Darren Adams, 2004 ... not that anyone would take any notice |