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updated November 20, 2009, category: Software & security

Remember that Swiss Omega James Bond's choice commercial? Well, that's the title for today's review. Does that mean openSUSE 11.2 is all uppity and posh and only meant for nobs or that it is tough and slick and charming? Well, read on and discover for yourself.

SUSE was my first distro and as such has a special place in my heart. I've used every single release of SUSE/openSUSE since 9.2 and liked them all quite a lot. There had been issues and problems, but overall, the distribution behaved and delivered a solid, mature and responsible experience that befits a large, international company like Novell.

openSUSE 11.2 is out and it's time for a big review. I have tried and tested the KDE version naturally, since for me, the German chameleon can only be KDE. With the last week's review of Kubuntu Karmic running KDE 4.3.2, you may expect very little to no difference between the two, however you'll be surprised to learn how much different two distributions can be, even if, on the first glance, they might appear quite similar.

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updated November 18, 2009, category: Software & security

rsync is one of the most powerful data synchronization tools for UNIX-like operating systems. It's been around forever, it's robust like diamond and it has so many options that you can practically configure your mother-in-law with it. When someone starts off an article with such high praise, the question begs, how do you up the ante? Is there anything better than rsync? The answer is yes: rsync with a GUI.

rsync with a GUI is called Grsync. It's the perfect choice for your desktop backup utility. Let's take a closer look, shall we.

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updated November 16, 2009, category: Software & security

We have already had two tutorials on VirtualBox disk management. We learned how to clone disks and how to add disks to virtual machines. Today, we will learn how to shrink disks taking too much storage or expand those running dangerously low of free space.

Shrinking disks is our first task. Let's say you've created a 40GB virtual disk and pre-allocated it. Indeed, when you're creating a new virtual storage device, you have the choice between creating a dynamically expanding disk and a fixed-size one.

If you create a fixed-size disk, then you will be able to shrink it. If you create a dynamically expanding disk, the chance you'll be able to shrink it are lower. Now, let's first see what we need to do before changing the disk size.

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updated November 14, 2009, category: Software & security

I do not know who Gwen is or what she looks like, but GwenView looks good and it's a great application. When it comes to working with images, GwenView offers the right balance of functionality, ease of use, speed of use, and accessibility. It's not a fully featured image processing suite like GIMP, but for 99% of common daily tasks that the average user might undertake, from rotating, resizing, cropping, and exporting images to online albums, GwenView is ideal. Let's take a tour of this fine tool.

GwenView is a KDE4 application, but it will run on Gnome desktops as well. I had it installed on my new laptop running Ubuntu without any problems. GwenView opens into a file explorer style main interface, with the hierarchy of the home directory listed. From there, click on any category and dig deeper, with a stylish transition into the sub-directories, similar to what you get on Moblin.

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updated November 13, 2009, category: Software & security

If you have read my Ubuntu 9.10 review last week, you must have noticed my response to the latest Ubuntu release was rather lukewarm. This makes today's Kubuntu review all the more intriguing. First, is there and why is there any difference between Ubuntu and Kubuntu, after all, they are pretty much the same distro? Then, what are these differences and are they any good? The title may blunt off some of the suspense, but you are in for an interesting read. Have I grabbed your attention? Do read on, please.

My first encounter with Kubuntu was three years ago, with the first LTS release, Dapper Drake. I liked it very much, as it was rounded and polished, with lots of cool features that promised new Linux users a pleasant, painless ride.

Kubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala has changed a lot since version 6.06, with a new uplift in the form of KDE 4.3.2, a new set of applications and utilities and significantly reworked internals.

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updated November 11, 2009, category: Life topics

A rather strange title for an article, would you not say? But it is not. Let me elaborate.

Most people like to procreate. For some strange, bestial reason, humans have this dire need to continue their lineage. When you think about it more deeply, it's nothing remarkable. Pigeons and squirrels can do it, even people with an extra chromosome are capable of producing offspring. At the end of the day, the inexplicable desire to have your clones, more or less successful than you would have hoped for, march into the future is just a survival trait that has nothing to do with humanity.

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updated November 9, 2009, category: Software & security

Have a lot of multimedia files in all sorts of formats? Would you like some of the less known ones converted into friendly, popular formats that everyone can play? Do not really know where to start, what programs to look for, what programs to use, or how to use them? Not to worry, you're reading the right article.

In this populistic article, I will show you a selection of useful websites that you can use to manipulate your media files, without having any programs installed on your machine, without any dependency on the operating system or the browser you use, without any great knowledge in media manipulation.

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updated November 7, 2009, category: Software & security

In the last article on VirtualBox management, we learned how to clone virtual disks using the VBoxManage utility, which allowed us to easily and reliably replicate our setup for mass deployment in a large environment.

Today, we will learn how to extend the flexibility of individual setups by adding hard disks into existing and running virtual machines. This is identical to adding hard disks to a physical machine and can be used for a variety of reasons: more data storage, better performance or increased reliability via RAID setup and others.

Let's see how this is done.

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updated November 6, 2009, category: Software & security

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala is meant to be the most important Ubuntu release yet. Not because it brings in a new plethora or breakthrough technology innovations or saves the world hunger; but because it comes head to head with the flawless Snow Leopard and the much anticipated Windows 7.

Ubuntu is undoubtedly the most popular Linux distribution. It's considered stable and user-friendly and has recently been making big steps toward becoming a serious competitor against Mac-OSX and Windows. Karmic Koala was supposed to prove that it could be the player in the big league, with Snow Leopard and Windows 7 as its main antagonists. Karmic Koala was going to show everyone that Linux is ready for the masses. Did it?

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updated November 4, 2009, category: Software & security

Most people tend to forget that there are still hundreds of millions of computer users worldwide still connected to the Web using 56K modems, having to dial up every time they want to enjoy the Internet experience.

In this regard, Linux distributions are no saints by all means, most having forwent the inclusion of drivers for most common modems from their editions, making the life all the more difficult for the dialup users.

In this article, I will try - emphasis on try - to help the dialup users running Linux overcome their basic problems. I must admit I have not used a modem in the last eight years or so, which makes it a bit difficult to relate to the problem and write about it with any great experience and accuracy. Still, I would like to give it a shot, even if the results may not be perfect, or even guaranteed.

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updated November 2, 2009, category: Software & security

If you think I'm going to talk about the moral, legal, financial, and political implications of using software not according to various license agreements set by money-loving companies, you're wrong. This article is not about the subtle use of the word piracy, which is all about plunder, robbery and violence, with the somewhat foggy misuse of software in the free world of Internet. This article is not about big corporations and their draconian use of capital to squash competition and choke technological advancements. This article has nothing to do with digital piracy.

This article is all about software, designed, run and used by pirates! Dr. Pun, all the way!

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updated November 1, 2009, category: Software & security

The distinction that once existed between the computer and TV is long gone. Computers were used for work, TV was used for entertainment. Today, computers are more than just sophisticated typewriters and TVs are more than just 40kg electron cannon.

The one creation that epitomizes the blurring of boundaries are media centers. These are entertainment hubs running on top of standard computer hardware, based on one of the operating systems you would normally use to check your email or maybe play some games.

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updated October 28, 2009, category: Software & security

If you're using virtualization, either for business or pleasure, you may have come across VirtualBox, a very powerful, highly versatile free solution that allows desktop users enormous flexibility when it comes to deploying operating systems, any which way.

And if you're more than just a hobbyist enjoying virtualization for the sake of geekiness, or an aspiring software enthusiast learning his/her way around new operating systems by the virtue of virtualization, you are going to encounter the following scenario: you need to deploy a large number of virtual machines.

You don't have time to fiddle with individual installations. Indeed, manually configuring machines one by one is the worst thing you can do when massively deploying an install base. It smacks of bad habits, it's slow, it's inefficient, and you will most likely end up with a number of different setups, leaving your environment in an inconsistent state.

To overcome this issue, you require a bit-by-bit solution that will replicate your basic installation image to a desired number of copies. This is called cloning. VirtualBox provides this solution. Let's see how it's done.

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updated October 23, 2009, category: Hillbilly physics

A few days ago, I was sitting, thinking about a reality show that I'd like to produce. It would be called Inane or Futile or Sisyphic or something along those lines and the whole point would be to make the participants try to do the impossible, sort of a humiliation without success. Then I had the epiphany. Forcing people to do things they perceive as impossible is one thing, forcing them to do something they think they can achieve when it's utterly hopeless is another. It's called PhD in sadism.

The result: swimming in honey.

This was the masterpiece I was talking about. A reality show where contestants would be immersed in honey and made to swim from one end of a pool to another. They would be wearing swimming suits and breathing apparati and all, but the whole point is, they would be submerged entirely. Can it be done?

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updated October 21, 2009, category: Computer games

Nexuiz is a free, open-source First Person Shooter running on top of a heavily modified Quake engine. It's a fast-paced game, where players combat online in large-scale battles or pit against witty-tongued bots in a progressive singleplayer mode. I have tried Nexuiz last year and liked it quite a bit. Well, I liked it so much that I featured it in my first article on Linux games, alongside Sauerbraten and OpenArena.

The latest version 2.5.1 was released in May this year, bringing in a load of improvements, including much refined graphics effects, more realistic textures, shaders, and whatnot. Having just recently bought a new laptop with a powerful modern card and running an instance of Ubuntu specially dedicated for games on it, I though this was a great idea to show my new rig plus test the game.

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updated October 19, 2009, category: Software & security

This article is about the new bout of silent, unasked-for installs of browser plugins by Microsoft, specifically .NET components, into Firefox, again, and the way Mozilla proactively handle the security vulnerabilities present in these plugins. Furthermore, I'm going to explain what each plugin does and what you can do about it.

Call me a fanboy, but it's always refreshing when you see a software company taking the issue of security related to its products seriously. Online security is one of the hot topics today, the anvil of reputation where heroes and villains of the Internet are forged.

The Mozilla people definitely stand out in the crowd, with their aggressive, proactive approach to security. In the recent weeks, Mozilla has launched new services, which help make your Firefox a better, safer product.

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updated October 17, 2009, category: Software & security

Welcome back to another must-have article. Today, I'm going to present a long list of superb Windows programs that should be an inseparable part of your arsenal. This article is a must for any Windows user. In this mega compilation, you will find over X applications for Windows, all free, all robust, useful, many cross-platform, many portable, a software heaven for any person running this or that instance of Windows on their machine.

This article is a must!

This article continues the legacy of its two-year old predecessor, the more recently published A-Z guide, which lists 26 best Windows programs for 2009, one application per letter, and the new Linux cool list, which, although oriented for the Linux operating system, contains a large number of cross-platform solutions also available for Windows.

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updated October 16, 2009, category: Software & security

This is a rather common need for many users - grab several PDF documents and merge them into a single file. The question is, how do you do that? In Linux? In today's tutorial, I will show you the tools you need for the job, as well as the few very simple commands required for the task.

Name of the game: pdftk.

pdftk is much more than just a tool for merging documents. pdftk is a self-proclaimed electronic stapler-remover, hole-punch, binder, secret-decoder-ring, and X-Ray-glasses. It is capable of merging and splitting PDF documents, decrypting and encrypting files, filling PDF forms, adding background watermarks, edit PDF document metadata, and more.

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updated October 14, 2009, category: Software & security

A few days ago, I've received a lengthy email from a reader, explaining why using Noscript extension in Firefox is not only not recommended, but also unnecessary and even hazardous to the Internet experience.

While I personally disagree with the binary definition of Noscript usage, as I do think it has a strategic importance in the long run, some tactical adjustments are needed in the short run to make it a useful addition to one's arsenal. In other words, using the tool blindly reduces its effectiveness - that of the whitelisting approach.

The email was a good reminder of that - and an opportunity to elaborate on the subject and provide the right formula for proper Noscript usage. While it may sound trivial to many a geek among us, it is not so for the average computer user.

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updated October 12, 2009, category: Software & security

Supposedly, this should have been a trivial task. But it is not.

On one hand, Ubuntu is a very modern, non-conventional Linux distributions that breaks quite a few classic conventions. On the other hand, VMware aims at the business segment where stability and backward support are more important than the latest innovations and, as such, makes its products compatible with older, more traditional kernels. When you try to install VMware Server on Ubuntu, you hit a few snags.

In this tutorial, I would like to show you how you can overcome the hail of problems that will arise when you try to install VMware Server on Ubuntu (64-bit).

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updated October 10, 2009, category: Computer games

What do you get when you mix James Bond and Austin Powers? You get Evil Genius, of course!

Evil Genius is a crazy game unlike any you've ever seen. It's a world domination simulation, with classic real-time strategy elements spiced with unique offshoots of pure sweet madness.

The game begins with a short introduction movie played in the corniest British accent ever, of a bunch of secret agents discussing what an evil genius operation would look like. A self-respecting world-domination-obsessed megalomanic could not just run a corporation that leeches the world dry. No, certain standards must be met. It has to be an underground lair, set on a volcano island. The underground base must have it all, barracks for troops, a research facility where evil plans are concocted and lots of traps to ensnare the secret agents trying to undermine the noble effort.

And so the game begins. Only you happen to play the Evil Genius and not the law. Aha!

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updated October 9, 2009, category: Software & security

Some people say that securing a Windows installation is a complicated task, involving a large number of security programs running in real-time and numerous other tweaks, all intended at keeping the "bad guys" away. I do not share this opinion. Personally, I think securing ANY operating system for home use is a rather simple affair and it revolves mainly around the user - and not the specific subset of programs.

Windows 7 is going to be released, soon. Some people will use it, others won't. If you're one of the people mulling a transition over to Windows 7, whether because you desire better 64-bit support, you want to forget you ever used Vista, or you're a diehard Windows XP fan feeling the end coming near, the security concerns of a new, unfamiliar operating system may interest you.

In this tutorial, I will show you a few basic tips to configuring security in Windows 7. Call it staying safe without going overboard. Of course, you may not agree with my approach to security, but if you want a cool-headed opinion rather than a doomsday foretelling, you might want to read this article.

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updated October 7, 2009, category: Software & security

Ubuntu comes in many flavors, the namesake running Gnome desktop, Kubuntu running KDE, Xubuntu running Xfce, Lubuntu running LXDE, and a few more. All of these editions are aimed at the average desktop user and his/her average computer. But what about netbook users? They get Ubuntu Netbook Remix edition.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix joins Moblin as a lightweight, optimized solution for the Atom-based netbooks, while offering the usual stability and friendliness of the Ubuntu family. In this short review, we'll see what Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) has to offer.

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updated October 5, 2009, category: Software & security

SUSE Studio is a Novell-sponsored service that allows everyone, I repeat everyone, to create their own custom flavors of openSUSE and variants using nothing more than some patience and their Web browser. Sounds incredible? It is.

Novell already let their customers enjoy OS customization, using Kiwi and friendly front-end appliances like Image Creator and Product Creator, allowing newbies and power users go wild with their ideas and desires, customizing the operating system like a Lego toy. The only caveat is that you have to have SUSE installed and Kiwi running on your machine.

No more. SUSE Studio lets you play with SUSE even if you don't have it installed. You don't even need Linux. You can work on your Windows machine, with a single tab open at SUSE Studio URL, while you check the stock market in a second tab or maybe check the latest Twitter updates in a third. It's that simple and powerful!

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updated October 3, 2009, category: 3D art

I am pleased to announce the opening of the Interior Design category in the 3D art section, written and maintained by my lady wife. She designs the models and writes the articles. Hopefully, this section will expose this website to yet another segment of readers, mainly the less geeky ones - and women, too, as they are greatly under-represented at Dedoimedo.

The Interior Design is all about creating beautiful, stylish and practical homes using 3D software and a decent share of spatial imagination skills, which is something that runs in our family. To get you started, you have a pair of lovely articles to begin with, a house shaped like a coiled snail shell and a weekend getaway house. If you have so much as an inkling of artistic creativity in your soul, you will like this new addition. Enjoy!

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updated October 2, 2009, category: Software & security

Do you think your browser is slow and sluggish? You've come to the right place. I will show you how you can make your browser run nimbly and fast.

I am very active online. Very often, I come across all sorts of articles and forum threads where users complain about their browser being slow. As someone who has never experienced any browser slowness, I am really intrigued by this phenomenon. So, I've decided to do some research and see what might cause a perfectly ordinary browser that runs well on one machine to crawl like a snail on another.

Luckily for you, I have the answers.

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updated September 30, 2009, category: Software & security

Linux has had a bad reputation for being difficult for many years. This myth is slowly being shattered, especially in the last few years, mainly thanks to the great popularity of Ubuntu, which really transformed Linux from a geek toy into something normal people can use.

One of the simple, common tasks that may be worrying Windows users mulling a switch to Linux is: how difficult is it to manipulate media in Linux?

Well, we saw that working with media in Linux is quite simple. Hey, it is even easier than doing that on Windows. In fact, I have a whole section dedicated to multimedia, where you can learn how to do all sorts of things with video, audio and Flash files, how to rip DVDs, record your desktop, install Flash Player, install MP3 codecs, convert MP3 files, and many other items.

What about burning disks? What about images, y'know, those ISO files?

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updated September 28, 2009, category: Software & security

Windows 7 is going to be released soon, on October 22nd, to be precise. It's the next big Microsoft operating system, bringing much hope after the Vista lackluster performance. While many local Windows XP users have refused to think of switching to Vista, they might be inclined to try Windows 7.

I thought this was an excellent opportunity to write a number of tutorials introducing Windows 7, starting with the installation guide. In the second article, we will focus on security. In the third article, we will talk about desktop customization.

Today, I'm going to show you how to install Windows 7 on your machine.

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updated September 27, 2009, category: Hillbilly physics

One of the miracles that Gospels attribute to Jesus is that of him walking on the surface of the Galilee Sea. As a man of science, I do not buy easily into religion, especially not the stories that border on supernatural or miraculous.

However, this time, I am tempted to say that there might be more than a shred of truth in this story, because it can in fact be backed by scientific facts. Walking on water is indeed possible - provided it is thixotropic.

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updated September 26, 2009, category: Software & security

Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala is going to be released soon. This is a great opportunity to refresh the stock of Linux installation guides available on my site and offer a new, up to date installation guide for the most popular Linux distribution today - Ubuntu.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to install Ubuntu. While the procedure is a fairly simple deal, it may not be so trivial to new users or recent Windows converts. Hopefully, this article will help sort things out. Let us begin.

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updated September 25, 2009, category: Software & security

It started off as a few passing remarks between men and women, the first pointing out how Linux is not meant for women, the latter defending their right to be proud members of the open community. Then, a notable, prominent figure, no other than Mark Shuttleworth himself hit the spotlight with his own share of thoughts. And thus started the First War of Linux nerds.

Seriously, I do not really know what Mark said. I have not read his speech anywhere. But I've come across a number of angry posts, written mainly by women, accusing Mark of sexism and calling for a boycott on Ubuntu.

As the most rational personal on this planet, I've taken upon myself to explain things and restore peace and balance to the world.

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updated September 23, 2009, category: Software & security

If you've followed my Linux articles, you may have noticed that very few Linux distributions have managed to have Wireless connectivity out of the box, in live CD session, on my T61. I did try a few tricks, like restarting the network interfaces, manually configuring the Wireless network adapter and even removing and inserting the Wireless driver, all without success. Most people would have left it that way. But not me.

I like to get problems solved - and solve them I do. A good example is the multiplayer mode via serial in old DOS games. It took me, what, nigh 20 years to get it done. But eventually, I had the problem solved. And so I also had the Wireless mystery on T61 unraveled.

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updated September 21, 2009, category: Software & security

Once again, like with the rather corny yet astutely shrewd article Bourne Identity on Linux published on Dedoimedo some time ago, I cannot tell you exactly what this piece of literary work is all about, as it would spoil the immense surprise hidden behind the cunning chosen title.

I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to click and discover for yourself. So take a moment or two and read. I think you will enjoy it. I know I did, the moment the the brilliant idea struck me.

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updated September 20, 2009, category: Computer games

Quake Live is a First Person Shooter game, very similar to many other Quake-based variants, an extremely popular and successful franchise of games developed by id Software. In fact, most Linux First Person Shooters are based on a variety of game engines released as open-source by id Software.

Quake Live is no different; it, too, uses the modified id Tech 3 engine to render graphics. Well, it is different. There's one big difference that makes Quake Live unique. This game will run inside your browser! Yes, you read it right. Quake Live will run inside any modern browser on any operating system! Login to Quake Live website and play.

No need to manually download and install anything. The game is entirely handled by a simple browser plugin. You can play your game anywhere, at home, at work, at the airport, on Windows, Linux and Mac machines, using Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari.

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updated September 19, 2009, category: Software & security

Just as using your car's trunk as storage space is plain wrong, there are circumstances when using Linux, no matter how benevolent the effort may be or the users seemingly pleased with their evangelistic experiences, is misguided.

In this article, I would like to address the few common reasons that lead Windows users to ditch their operating system and switch to Linux. This may sound quite surprising coming from a Linux crusader like myself, as you would expect someone like me to gloat every successful conversion into the Borg, but the truth is far from it. My goal is to see computer users happy. That's all. And if and when they're ready, they will make a switch - or not at all.

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updated September 18, 2009

I am glad to announce the launching of the Dedoimedo Advertisement Subscription Service. If you are interesting in promoting your product/website, you may consider doing so on Dedoimedo. The service is simple and inexpensive.

Advertisement slots are available on the main (index) page and the Software & security page. Buying a monthly subscription entitles you to a unique advertisement slot that is not shared with other customers.

For more details, please consult the Advertisement page.

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updated September 18, 2009, category: Software & security

Or maybe you have. Today, I'm going to present a selection of useful, unique websites that should grab your attention for more than just a fleeting moment.

Why not place them in the Greatest sites section? you might ask. Well, while they have their merits and usefulness, they are still tad shy of the Hall of Fame. Personal taste, after all. Nevertheless, I think these websites are worthy of visit, regardless of where and how they get listed.

So let's get started. Naturally, do exercise discretion and caution when prowling about the Internet. I cannot guarantee that the sites listed below will satisfy your needs. In this article, I will focus only on pure functionality and leave all legal, para-legal and para-medic issues aside.

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updated September 16, 2009, category: Software & security

You may have already figured this out - Puppy Linux is one of my favorite small size players in the distro field. It comes in many flavors, called puplets, as varied as the canine population. While they all have the same common ancestors, puplets are as different from one another as Chihuahua and Great Dane.

Indeed, while Puppy itself is around 90MB, some of its puplets are much bigger. For example, Macpup is twice as big. And today's candidate, a remastered Puppy called TEENpup is a whole 700MB, eight times the original Puppy and the same size as any other standard distro. It's like what Volkswagen Touareg is unto Polo, even though they both have four wheels.

So, the big question is, is TEENpup as good as any standard distro?

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updated September 14, 2009, category: Software & security

Dear readers, I've bought myself a new laptop. I'm so very pleased with it that I decided to write an article and show off my latest toy. It's also a great lesson in Linux, since the machine runs four operating systems, with the fifth on the way. So if you're in a mood for some ego-centric eye candy, do take a look.

The machine itself is LG RD510 model, with black-red-gradient monitor panel and a white keyboard panel with its own numpad. It has a Core 2 Duo P7450 processors, clocked at 2.13GHz, with 3MB L2 cache, seated on a 1066MHz mobo. I've rigged it with 2x2GB Kingston DDR2 800MHz sticks, to take full advantage of the dual memory channel. It's also equipped with a handsome Nvidia 9600M GS card with 512MB RAM, plus a decent Toshiba 320GB SATA II 5400rpm hard disk.

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updated September 12, 2009, category: Computer games

Max Payne is definitely one of the more original games ever made. While it cannot steal away the coveted accolade of being the best First Person Shooter ever made from the fantastic and legendary Operation Flashpoint, it comes quite close in that regard.

Max Payne is a police detective who has lost faith in the system. One day, after returning home from work, he finds his family murdered. Three years later, he is in pursuit after the killers of his wife and child, a downtwisting spiral of violence and despair that takes him into the dark world of drug cartels.

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updated September 11, 2009, category: Software & security

OpenOffice is a wonderful, useful, free office suite for Windows, Linux and Mac users worldwide. It is rich in features, quite secure, extensible, and can even run from external storage devices, offering you portability and flexibility. It is definitely a viable alternative to Microsoft Office, if you don't mind doing things a little differently from what you're used to.

But you should mind. All your friends and business partners run Microsoft Office and you cannot afford to have any blunders when reading their documents. Likewise, you don't want to have your presentations all garbled up when you import them from Impress to PowerPoint. What about Office 2007? What about macros in your Excel sheets?

Legitimate questions all. And they all have an answer - Go-oo.

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updated September 09, 2009, category: Software & security

Linux is hard, there's no doubt about it. But habit is even harder. Have no idea what I'm babbling about? Well, read this article and you'll understand.

The vast majority of computer users run the Windows operating system, one flavor or another, at their home. It's the one and only operating system they've ever known and used. It's been there from moment one they powered on the machine and stayed there. For all practical purposes, for most people, Windows is the same like walking. It does not take much effort, right?

Well, ask someone undergoing rehabilitation therapy after a stroke how easy it is to walk. After all, it takes human babies approx. a year or so to start wobbling and many more years before they can maintain some sort of grace standing on their two feet.

Running operating systems is very much like walking. Once you get used to them, it becomes natural. And switching to a whole new one is a big trauma. Which brings me to playing media files on Windows ... our topic.

How difficult is this? Watching a great little movie on your PC?

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