musings from here to there
Computers
"New World" Computing is a Lie
0I clicked a link earlier today which led me to a blog (which, for now, will remain unnamed) in which the author began talking about personal computing, tech people, “regular” end-users, and the ultimate future of computing. I really don’t want to rehash everything he said, because it was a rather lengthy post full of logical fallacies, so I’ll just explain the basic premise.
The days of multi-purpose computing are over.
What that means according to this particular author is this: computers which can do “everything” and run full fledged operating systems like Windows or Linux are going to slowly fade from our lives only to be replaced with “computing devices” that perform one or two specific tasks extremely well. The iPad and iPhone are cited as examples of devices that will move us into the “New World.” The author (who clearly thinks Apple is going to be the vehicle by which world hunger is solved) surmises that end-users don’t care about things like multitasking, file systems or formats, or understanding how computing works (and on and on). While the last of those statements may be partially true, I’ve met more than my fair share of “average end-users” who care very much about those things. They care about being able to organize their lives into files and folders (because honestly, that system makes sense).
Take a paper-based system for instance. We don’t throw all of our important documents into a big box and hope that we can find them later because that’s stupid and doesn’t make any sense. Instead, we categorize everything, file things away in file folders, cabinets, drawers, safe deposit boxes, and so on. What about that system doesn’t make sense? Hmm…I’m not sure. But I can see how someone long ago thought–”Hey, this paper filing system works pretty well. Why don’t we apply that to computers?” And boom–you have a system of files and folders on modern PC’s that the world just understands. You don’t need more than 5 minutes to figure out that the files and folders on computers are remarkably similar to the ones in your filing cabinet. Except you can search through the digital kind–which is a huge reason as to why they’re better.
Okay, honestly…how can you think that multitasking is completely unnecessary to regular people? How many people type emails, converse via IM, and listen to music all at the same time. Umm…maybe like everyone? (Okay, okay–almost everyone). To do that, you have to have the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously. Plus, if suddenly you decide that nobody needs multitasking abilities, you begin to throw away billions of CPU cycles along with processors having multiple cores. What waste.
Should I go on? Or have I made my point? Task-specific computing is Old World Computing–cause it’s certainly not the new enlightened way. Don’t get me wrong–there are cases in which computers meant for a specific purpose are necessary–perhaps in medical or government situations this would be the case. Perhaps in automobiles, although I would argue that as “traditional” computers continue to decrease in size and increase in power, the more generically applicable these systems become.
To believe in task-centric computing for everyday people is to place yourself in the unique position of spending $25,000 on various “computing devices.” One to do simple things like email, web browsing, and editing documents. Another for banking. Another for developers. Yet another for doing X and another one for doing Y. It’s total lunacy.
You don’t need multiple cars for everyday life. One for the grocery store, one for the gym, and yet another for taking the kids to Grandma’s??
Or do you?
I'm a PC (and a human being)
0Microsoft is throwing it right back at Apple, who has attempted to stereotype the Personal Computer (PC) as a bloated, disfunctional, and not-very-hip machine. I won’t delve into the many arguments about how Macs are really just PCs with an Apple logo and an alternative OS, or how Linux (which Apple ignores in it’s commercials) runs on many PCs.
So to counter this so-called “stereotype,” Microsoft has released the “I’m a PC” ad campaign. See for yourself why that stereotype is so wrong…
Virtual Memory: What is it?
01409 days
It’s happened to all of us. You’re sitting at your computer happily surfing the web, checking email, or downloading the latest single on iTunes when suddenly an alert pops up on the screen: “Your system is low on virtual memory. Windows is increasing the size of your virtual memory paging file.” The first thoughts that run through your mind might be akin to confusion or concern that something is horribly wrong with your PC. Don’t worry though, this is somewhat normal. However, don’t stop reading, because it could indicate that a setting in Windows is configured incorrectly, and while this won’t bring your computer to a screeching halt, it could drastically affect the machine’s performance. Read on–I’m going to tell you exactly what virtual memory is and then how to check to make sure that Windows isn’t hiding untapped performance!
What in the world is Virtual Memory?
So, what exactly is this stuff? I’ll start off by telling you this: it really isn’t ‘memory’ at all. Nearly everyone has heard of RAM and how you can’t really ever have too much in your computer, and to a certain extent this is absolutely true. RAM is the real ‘memory’ of the computer. In fact, without RAM the computer couldn’t run a single application! An operating system such as Windows must load and keep a part of itself in RAM while the computer is running, but on top of that each program you launch must be stored and run in RAM while it’s being used. The icons in your system tray next to the clock are also partially running in RAM. Unfortunately, this memory is quite limited when it comes to storage capacity. Most machines include 1GB standard, although many machines are shipping with 2GB or more of RAM.
Here’s our dilemma: as multiple applications and windows are opened, the computer’s main RAM begins to fill and not every part of every running application can fit in the limited space. So, the computer has to have another location to send the ‘overflow’ of data that doesn’t make it into RAM; therefore, it reserves a certain amount of space on the hard-drive (usually 1-2GB) to hold data until other information is cleared out of memory to make space for new stuff. It’s a bit like a wedding wherein more individuals have been invited than will fit into the church. Once the venue has reached capacity, the ushers will then escort others to a room where they may watch on closed-circuit TV. They’re still able to participate in the event, but they aren’t directly involved in the main service. Of course, this example breaks down, but you get the idea. In a nutshell, Virtual Memory looks and acts just like real memory to most applications…except for the fact that it’s a whole lot slower. Other names for this reserved disk space include ‘swap file’ and ‘paging file.’
Do I have enough?
Even though we don’t necessarily like using virtual memory, it’s a fact of life. Ensuring that your computer has set aside enough space for virtual memory is crucial to keep things running smoothly. If you’re using Apple’s OS X Leopard or Windows Vista, you probably don’t need to adjust anything. These modern operating systems come preconfigured to manage their own swap space and generally do a pretty good job of it. If you’re using Windows XP on the other hand, things may be a different story. Follow these steps to check the virtual memory settings on your XP Home or Pro equipped computer.
Step 1:
Open your Start Menu, right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.
Step 2:
Select the Advanced tab, then click Settings in the Performance section of that window.
Step 3:
Click this window’s Advanced tab, then the Change button under the virtual memory section. Now set your virtual memory to “System managed size” and click Set. If you know what you’re doing, you may want to choose a Custom size, but this is probably not necessary.
Complete the process by clicking ‘OK’ until all the windows are closed, then restart your computer.
If anything was set differently or possibly amiss, you may notice a performance increase at the expense of a little disk space. Either way, your virtual memory should now be optimized for maximum effectiveness.
Happy computing!