Here's an article from David Passell which compares worldwide use of Mac vs PC. He notes, "Also compares different browsers." http://www.zdnet.com/article/which-operating-systems-and-browsers-are-most-popular-in-the-u-s/?tag=nl.e539&s_cid=e539&ttag=e539&ftag=TRE17cfd61
Two shakes later Jim Hamm sends this same link, heading it with "Six surprising facts abut who's winning the operating system and browser wars in the U.S." His comment is, "Not that it will change what you use, but here are some interesting statistics . . . "
A Review of Apple's New Router
"Here is a review of Apple's new router," begins Jim Hamm. "It gets good marks with one exception: it is not friendly with PCs, which I think is a huge mistake by Apple. One initially needs a Mac or iOS device to set it up. Afterwards, a PC can connect and use it easily. But Apple is missing a huge chunk of the router market by not designing it to be PC friendly to set it up.
Jim closes with these comments, "For years I've used use the older Apple Extreme router, and both of them have worked flawlessly. Next time I get a router, it will be this new one from Apple."
Printed Magazines Going Digital
We can picture Jim Hamm with this conversation, "Today I received the August issue of PC World. With magazine in one hand and my libation of the day in the other, I settled comfortably in my easy chair to read the latest tips and tricks on PCs that I should be using. Then, I noticed on the cover, 'This is Your Last Issue.' What? My subscription isn't nearly over yet.
"A Sign of the Times. I read further: printed magazines of PC World are being dropped and going digital. For my 'enhanced enjoyment.' blah, blah. The September issue will be digital only.
"Well, I recognize that digital is certainly more user-interactive — I can click links, watch videos, etc. — but there's something viscerally calming about sitting in my easy chair, and slowly turning the pages of a magazine. That's why I still read book books instead of digital books — I like the feel of paper in my hand.
"That said, the first shoe has dropped. I subscribe to other computer magazines. I'm now waiting for the other shoe to drop." And here we picture Jim's knowledgeable grin.
Web Developers to Meet
Here's an announcement from John Carter: "The Prescott Web Developers has scheduled a meeting on July 13 from 10 AM to noon at the Prescott Library. This is a general membership meeting for web developers. No specific topic has been established. All are welcome.
"The PCS Developer's SIG meeting will be July 6 from 1-3 PM at the Library. The topic of that meeting is HTML and CSS for web developers. All are welcome."
Photography: Apps, Edits, Files
Of special interest to photographers, John Carter describes his up-coming presentations. "My take on presentations that teach people how to use a computer are about apps that are simple and do things that they are interested in.
"How to download images from a camera, make simple edits, and email the photos seems to be high on the list.
"To accomplish that, one needs to fully understand the hierarchy of the computer, where the photos are saved, and how to attach or retrieve a photo using any given email client whether it be Outlook, Thunderbird, or Microsoft Mail, or whether it be Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, or Google Mail on the Internet. They need tips on using photo editors and photo browsers — the kind they have on their computer or that they can get for free.
Here John shares some practical and personal examples, "I recently went on vacation to Texas and Missouri followed by a short trip to Las Vegas. Lots of photos. Getting these organized in albums with keywords and descriptions is critical to finding them quickly out of the more than 7,000 photos I have (it's a small batch, I know). Learning how to do that was easy for me, but is daunting to many others.
"The format of the image as created by the camera and how any given photo browser or photo editor app deals with them is very useful information."
And here's what you've been waiting to hear: John announces, "With that in mind, I'll prepare such a presentation for the September 28 Joint PCS/PMUG meeting. I already do this for my regular Mac Digital Photo SIG that I host on the first Friday morning of every month, and Phil Ball of the PCS club does a lot of this in his monthly Digital Photo SIG (usually the second Saturday from 1-3 PM), which I think any of the PMUG members would also enjoy."
Comparing Computers
This ZDNet article caught David Passell's eye today after seeing Jim Hamm's earlier info. "I think this is an interesting article. Some of the comments are intriguing:)." See it here.
Need Another Reason to Switch from Windows?
Whether you use Windows— or not — there's some helpful info here for all of us! Don't miss the suggestions about thumb drives and external drives. Thanks to John Carter for the following detailed report! He starts with the news article. Feds: Infected USB drive idled power plant 3 weeks
" There are four ways to protect yourself from a virus:
1) Keep an hourly updated anti-virus app running continuously. Since any new virus won't be detected and a cure found for up to 24 hours, this isn't any kind of guarantee that a Windows OS won't get a virus.
2) Switch from Windows to any one of the dozens of Linux distributions. Linux is probably the most secure OS on the market simply because hackers know their return on investment isn't big enough to warrant going after it. There's just not that many Linux computers in use compared to the vast number of Windows computers. Still, installing an anti-virus app on Linux will give added peace of mind.
3) Switch from Windows to a Mac. Because Mac is based on Unix, it has the same low-profile for hackers as Linux. There have been recent viruses found on Macs in the past couple of years — maybe two or three — so an anti-virus app is now recommended for Macs for added peace of mind.
4) Stop using computers. (Now we know John is smiling when he says this! Read on for more of his report.)
"LInux and Mac are no longer safe now that hackers have discovered a way to infect any computer with a Java virus. But if the browser has Java turned off, or if you don't even install Java on your computer (and this does not include Javascript, which is still safe — for the moment), you're pretty secure when it comes to Java viruses that come in through email or a website.
"Still, this doesn't protect a computer when the virus is embedded in a brand new thumb drive or external hard drive that you just bought. So, another step in purchasing any thumb drive or external hard drive is to reformat it before using it.
"Is Linux or the Mac really free from attack? Many companies using Unix as their primary operating system get attacked daily, but mostly by hackers trying to find a way into the computer through some unguarded port. Hackers don't go after personal computers in this way, simply because there's no assurance that their efforts will return as much of a reward, but this doesn't mean they won't try.
"Any computer, regardless of the operating system type, needs to be secured with a firewall for protection against attacks from the Internet, and that firewall needs to be monitored constantly and updated frequently — which almost no personal computer owner knows anything about."
Well, it's time to come to the conclusion — for now — and John winds up with, "If everyone switched from Windows to Linux or Mac, the hackers will start going after them and we'll be back to grabbing at straws to figure out how best to protect our computers. But for now, either one is a better solution than using Windows."
Tablets Outselling Notebooks
"For the first time this year, it is forecast that tablet computers will outsell notebooks — and, if I recall correctly, notebooks have been outselling desktop computers for a few years," comments Jim Hamm. He continues, "Here's the article. It has been interesting to me, who got into computers late in life, to see how computer technology has evolved over, say, the last ten years. What's next?
And Jim closes with this remark with a grin, "I think my first PC was running Windows 98 and had 8 MB of memory — a real 'powerhouse.'"
Comparing PC & Apple
"Here is an interesting article from PC World." states Jim Hamm. He extrapolates, "Apparently this means that Apple might have an opportunity to move into the small business arena, which traditionally has been dominated by Windows. Apple, for whatever reason, has never been a factor in the business arena.
"As a side note, I was in a small business yesterday and the gentleman was accessing his computer. I asked what OS was he running? He said Windows XP, which was released 11 years ago! Our dentist, the VA, and so on, still use Windows XP. Microsoft is going to have a hard time moving these businesses to Windows 8."
A statistic from that article catches our attention: In a survey of 45,000 PC World magazine readers the majority prefer Apple laptops.
Social Networking Explained
John Carter spoke on Social Networking to a combined group of PMUG and the local PC Club yesterday. He’s posted the pdf under Benefits < Tips and Tricks. Go here to the PMUG website. You’ll find an extensive report that would take 133 pages to print out! (John didn’t just do this off the top of his head!)
His report identifies the top social networking sites and discusses Protocol, Problems, Password, Privacy, Photos, and Possibilities.
Joint Meeting Looks at Social Networking
Social networking: is it a fad that’s just fashionable now, or is it becoming an essential part of communication? John Carter will answer all your questions at the Joint PMUG/PC meeting this Saturday, 1:15 to 3 pm. at the Prescott Public Library Founders Suite. Your PC friends might not know about this joint meeting unless they attend PCS meetings; do them a favor by informing them. Read more http://www.pmug.us
Some Free Apps for Your Computer
There's that word FREE that gets our attention. John Carter has found some free apps. Read on.
Are you a PC person besides a PMUG person? You've probably noted that John is a PC officer who also heads a joint PC/PMUG Special Interest Group (SIG). He's also our Webmaster for our PMUG site. John sends this link to a list of 50 alternatives to see if there's a free app that might be helpful for you. When you open this page, do Command + F for Find and enter Mac in the search box. There are 31 places where Mac is mentioned in this article.
John says, "Don't forget to read the user-submitted comments at the end for additional insights." Perhaps you also want to check out the Prescott PC site.
Mac & PC
John Carter is smiling as he says, "Do you own both a Mac and a Windows PC? You're not alone: according to a 2009 survey 85% of Mac owners also own a PC. This means millions of people need to, somehow, make these two systems work together."If you're one of those millions, you should check out 'Computing Harmony: Seamlessly Blend Windows and OS X,' the latest free MakeUseOf manual. This manual outlines everything you need to know to get your Mac and your PC to live in harmony, so you can do the things you wanted to do. DOWNLOAD Computing Harmony: Seamlessly Blend Windows and OS X http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/computing-harmony-seamlessly-blend-windows-and-os-x (download password: makeuseof) Thanks again, John, for keeping our Mac newsletter so full of good info!