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Does the Operating System matter any more?

Bowl of clouds
photo credit: kevindooley

I tweeted the question yesterday on whether the computer operating system (OS) really matters any more. The response from the Twitter community was less than overwhelming so I want to pose the same question to you, the HelpMeRick.com community.

My contention is that more and more computer functions get done in a web browser. I rarely use any other computer program other than my browser these days. I don’t print much, I share my photos online, I compose spreadsheets and word processing documents online, I edit photos online, I manage my web site online, I store my important files online,  and much more. And more applications are born every day that make the speed of my Internet connection more important than the speed of computer.

And the wonderful thing, to me, about performing all these functions online, is I can literally sit at anyRead More »Does the Operating System matter any more?

For Beginners: 3 Getting Started Guides for Google Docs

You know that I write about Web 2.0 (cloud computing) often. To me, working in your browser is easier, safer (for backup), and more consistent than using desktop applications. And since most of us use only the bare minimum of features for document creation, why spend $100s of dollars for name brand applications. Online applications offer full Microsoft Office compatibility… Read More »For Beginners: 3 Getting Started Guides for Google Docs

Is Google the next big target in technology?

The duckies invade Google
photo credit: Yodel Anecdotal

Like Microsoft in the 90’s, it appears that this decade and into next Google has the biggest target on their back. They are big, successful and seemingly everywhere. The article below reports that a Washington DC group concerned with privacy wants the FTC to investigate Google’s privacy practices. The incident I talked about last week regarding the small and very specific situation where a Google Document users saved files might be viewed by another user also under very specific circumstances spurred the  Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) to as the FTC to investigate Google.

Common sense tells me thatRead More »Is Google the next big target in technology?

My first year with Gmail

MailboxI closed Outlook and started using Gmail exclusively one year ago. At first, I thought it would be a good experiment to see what Gmail was really all about, but I was also fed up with Outlook and its limitations. It took me two or three weeks to wean myself of thinking of my email in the same way that I used to with Outlook. For the experiment to work, Gmail had to satisfactorily accomplish 3 key functions of email that I handled pretty well with Outlook:

  1. Spam filtering (I used Cloudmark Desktop with Outlook for years and am convinced that for Outlook/Outlook Express or Thunderbird users there is no equal).
  2. Aggregate all of my email addresses (5) in one system.
  3. Organize my email with categories (folders) and automated filtering for shifting email to their appropriate category/folder.

If Gmail could equal or exceed what I could do with Outlook, then I would consider it a success. Gmail’s spam filtering quickly impressed me. In fact, one year later, I can say confidently that Gmail’s spam filtering is superior to that of the Cloudmark system that kept me sane for years with Outlook. Feature #1, check!

I learned to use the Accounts feature in Gmail to successfully and seamlessly pull all my email addresses (and sort them) into my Gmail account. Beautiful; Feature #2, check!

Organizing my email, without the use of folders, proved to be the

Gmail convertee

Three weeks ago, I switched from using Microsoft Outlook (which I had used since 1998) to Gmail.

What is Gmail?

Gmail is the fast, free web based email from search giant Google. Gmail offers free POP3 access (if you want to download your email into Outlook Express, Thunderbird, etc), 6.5 GB of storage (and the number continually grows), and the best web based spam filter I’ve seen so far.

AVG Antivirus 8.0 Upgrade Advice

The past few days calls and emails started filtering in about the new AVG 8.0 version folks have seen appear on their free versions of AVG Antivirus. The common query is, “Should I upgrade?” No, home users of AVG Antvirus do not need to upgrade at all. The current free version of AVG will continue to be updated and as… Read More »AVG Antivirus 8.0 Upgrade Advice

Cloudmark, Zonbu, Hostgator OH MY!!

You may have noticed that HelpMeRick.com has something new. We have added ads, but not just any ads.

The ads you see on HelpMeRick.com are only for companies that we recommend strongly.

So far, we have ads for Hostgator – our favorite web hosting service.

Zonbu, an excellent laptop for those who want a laptop in a standard size package but alternative operating system. If you can’t afford Mac and the Eee PC is too big, take a serious look at the Zonbu.

I use a Mac, therefore I am

Ya, don’t ask me to elaborate too much on the title of this post, I didn’t mean anything too deep by it.

I picked up my new/old Mac that a reader gave me. It is an older system, but It does a great job. It’s a dual 867mhz G4 with a gig of RAM, 10GB hard drive and Leopard OS. While it may seem a little dated by Mac standards, it is every bit as fast as my dual core Pentium that I typically run XP on.

I haven’t used it for any digital photography stuff, but I didn’t want it for that. I wanted a mac so I could use it exclusively for a few weeks and learn how to help my Mac clients adapt to “the switch” from Windows.

Zoho at CES

We were pleased to run into my favorite Web 2.0 app representatives in the hall at CES, Zoho! Zoho offers a complete online office experience for no cost. Zoho applications can be accessed any time, any where with any computer and a web browser. How can they offer such a great product for no cost? I asked them that very question… Read More »Zoho at CES

Any Gmail users out there?

As I move more and more of my computing away from my desktop computer to the Internet and Ubuntu, my computing life becomes less complicated and quite mobile. I can access documents, calendar information, contact information, and more from my phone (Treo 755p at the moment) and any Internet connected computer any where I happen to be.