Tag Archives: software

Adobe’s unsurprising Creative Cloud move

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Adobe Creative CloudAdobe is dropping the Creative Suite and boxed software. Instead the company will now offer users a A$50 a month subscription service to what it calls the Creative Cloud. New Zealand prices are in Australian dollars.

This doesn’t come as a surprise. The company’s boss hinted at the strategy during a recent visit to Australia. And Microsoft is heading down a similar path with its subscription-based Office 365.

Still, Adobe’s switch to Creative Cloud is a big step. And it changes the way those of use working in the media will use software.

For the monthly fee users will give PhotoShop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Premier Pro and Illustrator.

Adobe has structured prices so that it doesn’t make economic sense to pick and choose. According to this price guide, individual apps cost A$20 a month and you don’t get full access to the services. That’s clever because it means you’ll get to use apps like Acrobat effectively for free – a move which puts pressure on Adobe’s competitors.

On the other hand, you have to commit to a full year to get Creative Cloud – that’s A$600 – a big commitment by today’s standards.

Strictly speaking Creative Cloud isn’t cloud computing in the sense that the grunt work is all done on giant remote servers – the apps download to your computer. Given that Adobe’s apps are some of the most demanding software tools most users will meet, that means you can’t realistically run these on lightweight machines or tablets.

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Twit Cleaner closes: we lose

TwitcleanerNew Zealand-developed Twit Cleaner has closed its doors. The online service made weeding Twitter contacts simple and quick.

When I reviewed it last year I described Twit Cleaner as seriously useful. That’s because it sorts potentially bad Twitter accounts into categories making decisions easier.

Developer Si Dawson explains why he closed Twit Cleaner in a goodbye blog post. It boils down to running out of the number of API calls his service can make to Twitter at any moment.

Sadly Dawson also blogs about the upgrades he would have made if the project continued. They sound great.

I first learnt about Twit Cleaner’s demise from Making Hay.

The Twit Cleaner – Twitter? It’s Not Fun Anymore.

 

Windows 7 returns fast thanks to cloud

Nothing illustrates the value of personal cloud computing better than my move from Windows 8 to Windows 7.

While there are benefits from Microsoft’s new operating system, I suspect my productivity is lower. Update: I checked this. It turns out Windows 8 is more productive.

Third-party tools can make Windows 8 look like Windows 7. I’ve used overlays before and found them not practical over the long-term. Sooner or later something comes along that breaks them.

However, memory of past Windows installations made me wary of jumping back to Windows 7 until I realised the job would be easier: cloud computing removes much pain.

In the past a fresh Windows install could take a day. That was when software and operating systems came on discs. Restoring my desktop PC to its pre Windows 8 state took around an hour. It could have been less with better planning.

Recovery involved:

  • Formatting the system drive – a SSD,
  • Installing Windows 7,
  • Downloading and installing the latest updates,
  • Fixing the links between the default libraries and the data drive – a conventional hard drive
  • Reinstalling applications

There are a dozen or so must-have applications on my work machine. Of these nine are essentially cloud apps. Some, like Xero, need no installation. Others like Office 365 and Google Talk take a few clicks. What would have been an afternoon of swapping discs, entering product codes and continual reboots took 15 minutes.

The hardest part was finding overlooked drivers. If I planned ahead in that department the entire job would have been well under an hour.

Two other advances speed the reinstall. SSD means reboot take seconds. This saved 15 minutes.

I’ve installed Windows from a USB disc image since XP days, today the process is made easier thanks to Microsoft’s Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool. 

Moving back to Windows 7 took an hour.

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Windows 8: What would you do next?

My last post called it: Windows 8 is a flop. What is the best way forward from here for someone who installed Windows 8 and is struggling to make it work?

I’m looking for your advice on this. Moving to another operating system, Linux or Mac OSX, isn’t an option at the moment – although that may come at my next technology refresh.

It comes down to three choices:

Stick with Windows 8. Grit your teeth through the annoyances and hold out for Windows 9 or whatever comes along next. This presupposes Microsoft will see the light and either kill or hide the awful Metro user interface.

Revert to Windows 7. after all nothing was broken, what problem was solved by moving to Windows 8? This option will require a few hours work backing up key data, doing the reinstall and then reinstalling the apps. Mind you all that is trivial these days compared with a decade ago. Update: I tested this, it is not worth the effort.

Dual boot Windows 8 and 7. This would be quicker and easier than reverting to 7. It has the added advantage of keeping Windows 8 in place should Microsoft see the light and fix the user interface.

There is another option: keep Windows 8 and install third party fixes that workaround the annoyances. I’m not keen to go there, my past experience with this type of software isn’t good. Or am I being unfair here?

So over to you, what’s your suggested way of dealing with Windows 8 disappointment?

Windows 8 is a flop

Windows 8 StartThinking of upgrading your computers to Windows 8? Read this first. It may save time, money and heartache.

The numbers don’t lie. Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system is officially a bigger flop than Windows Vista. And everyone knows Vista was a dog.

Things looked dire in January. They got worse in February. Windows has never looked this bad. If Windows was a horse Microsoft would be walking to the gun cupboard.

Hurting PC sales

Windows 8 launched at the end of October 2012. Usually when a new version of Windows hits, PC sales get a boost. That didn’t happen.

It more than didn’t happen. Some commentators says Windows 8 harms PC sales. IDC expected a post-Windows 8 launch bump in PC sales. It now forecasts a downturn.

While the PC buyer response to Windows 8 is lacklustre from PC buyers, it also isn’t a hit with upgraders.

Microsoft’s cunning plan

Microsoft’s idea of a single user interface for smartphones, tablets and PCs is far from stupid. It just doesn’t work in practice. Users don’t like it and that’s what matters.

Windows Phone 8 is at least as good as Android and iOS on Nokia’s Lumia hardware and other smartphones. The market hasn’t jumped. Microsoft’s overall share of smartphone sales dropped after Windows Phone 8 appeared.

While tablets using Microsoft’s Windows RT are impressive, there’s little evidence of surging sales. Some brands, like Toshiba, shelved Windows tablet plans. Others, including Samsung retreated from key markets admitting there’s a lack of interest in Windows tablets.

Windows simply doesn’t register when researchers ask customers which tablet brands they plan to buy.

My experience seems typical

I picked up the Pro version of the software online for NZ$50 on the launch day – it seemed a bargain.

At first I thought I’d get used to the clumsy dual user interface and learn to love Windows 8′s wacky ways. I don’t. As soon as I can spare the time I’m going back to Windows 7.

It says something terrible about Windows 8 that I’ll be more productive moving back to the older OS. Update: It turns out that was a dumb idea. See downgrading from Window 8 to 7 is no answer.

What’s sad about this is I like Windows Phone 8. I still think Nokia’s Lumia 920 is one of the best smartphones on sale - although that may change when I see the new Samsung Galaxy. The Windows tablets I’ve seen, particularly when working with Paul Spain on the NZ Tech Podcast, look great.

So has Microsoft failed?

Whatever else happens, however Microsoft spins it, Windows 8 is not a success. Flop is not too strong a word.

Microsoft gets another chance later this year – the company promises a new version of Windows. Will the company admit defeat and fix the awful user interface then? Maybe it will fix Windows 8 with a service pack. There’s no question it needs fixing.

Sales may be improving for Windows Phone 8 – lord knows Microsoft deserves to be rewarded for building a decent smartphone OS. It is still too early to call the company’s tablet strategy. Maybe corporate sales will kick in, maybe a lower price will fix things. But yes, I think we can say it out loud: Windows 8 is a flop.

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Windows Phone Store has 130K apps

windows-phone-8-logoMicrosoft Says Windows Phone Store Now Features More Than 130K Apps, 40K New Developers Registered Since WP8 Launch | TechCrunch.

Getting developers and apps on board is an important step for Microsoft. Reaching 130,000 apps is good.

Now Microsoft needs to focus on getting the right apps. It doesn’t matter how many there are if the essential ones are missing.

I look at the Windows Phone app store and still can’t see certain basic functions that would make life easier. And there still isn’t a native WP8 app for my bank while there are apps for iOS and Android.