Free Computer Advice tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009-07-27:/41 2010-03-09T04:53:12Z Free Computer Advice! Free resources to fix your computer! Forums | Ask A Question | Tutorials Movable Type 4.25 Google launches visual data tool tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2010://41.971 2010-03-09T04:42:58Z 2010-03-09T04:53:12Z Google has all the worlds information, now they offer a new way to view it. Google's launches visual data tool with data from Census, World Bank, Eurostat, etc. Basically they have all this data from many different sources. They then... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
Bottom line, the population of the US over the last 10 years is more interesting when its in a graph. Here are some example graphs.

  • Mortality rate
  • Population
  • Gross capital formation
  • Energy use
  • Net migration
Take a look and read the frequently asked questions and give it a try.
]]> Apple decides to sue HTC tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2010://41.936 2010-03-03T03:44:10Z 2010-03-03T03:51:34Z Well earlier last month Steve Jobs had a huge problem with Adobe's Flash, now Apple is suing HTC for copyright infringement against patents they own for the iPhone. Did HTC reverse engine then clone the iPhone? No, Apple is saying... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com steve-jobs.jpg
Well earlier last month Steve Jobs had a huge problem with Adobe's Flash, now Apple is suing HTC for copyright infringement against patents they own for the iPhone. Did HTC reverse engine then clone the iPhone? No, Apple is saying patents they hold are too similar on the HTC Android phones.

Totally ridiculous, Steve is suing them for things they have patented like 'Unlocking a device with a hand gesture'. That's like them copyrighting 'Unlocking a door'. This is expensive for both sides and the consumer will loose if Apple wins. Then Apple will be the only phone manufacturer with a software unlock method? Please. 

So they probably won't win this but then what's the point? Attorney fees on both sides. Anyone notice how Apple decided to go over HTC instead of Google. I guess they wanted to start with the smaller company. Back in my day all I ever heard was people bash Microsoft and Bill Gates for being greedy and evil. Steve Jobs is worse, much worse. 

Why Steve Jobs REALLY hates Android Phones 
They are better than his iPhone. 

Why Steve Jobs REALLY hates Adobe Flash 
Why would he allow free Flash games on his iPhone, iTouch & iPad when he makes millions off the app store? 
]]> Early design concepts for Google Tablet tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2010://41.836 2010-02-03T15:00:32Z 2010-02-03T15:13:57Z Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
google-tablet-concept.png

Apple on the other hand charged me $4.95 for a f***ing update on my iTouch. I'm still mad about that. Anyway my main point being the Google tablet looks awesome as an early draft and it'll be exciting to see where it goes. 

The Google tablet much like their Android powered devices I feel will one day be stronger than Apple's iPad and iPhone counterpart. Main reason being their open source infrastructure. I believe open source will win in the long run by attracting more developers and users that simply want a better product without paying Ballmer or Jobs major cash. 

Guess we'll have to wait and see.

]]> My thoughts on the iPad tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2010://41.828 2010-02-01T08:58:34Z 2010-02-01T09:11:52Z Ok I know everyone and their grandmother and her sister and their friends all have an opinion about the iPad. I just wanted to throw my 2 cents out there. I also have a quick thing or two to say... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
Apple-iPad-001.jpg
]]> It looks cool

I was kinda amazed by a lot of the negativity after the iPad was announced. Yes its a dumb name but who cares about the name? Holy hell evidently a lot of people do. I'm going to skip over all the jokes about the name and just say its just a name. You still have to admit it looks cool. I think some or a lot of people are kinda missing the point. I've had people say to me, well couldn't I use a laptop to do those functions? Well yes you could but I still want a iPad and I think it has its place. If you are sitting on the couch and want to browse the web or write a quick email I think the iPad would be much better than using my Mac Book. My Mac Book has great battery life but its always either off or on standby unless I'm actively using it. Which means it also has a good chance to be plugged in. The iPad's long battery life is perfect to leave it on the couch and not need to worry about the power needs too much.

I believe there is a market for such a device. I don't own a kindle because they look too gray and boring. When the iPad hits I'm sure I'll buy books on it, the screen looks awesome. I'm sure I'll also buy some games on it. 

I'm kinda shocked out people want to hate it but thats kinda the cool thing to do. Hate is normally the first thing people do as a way to act cool. The same people probably hated the iPod when it came out and now have one.

Steve is kinda a dick

Quick mini rant slightly off topic. Why in the name of holy hell do I have to PAY for a iTouch update? $4.95? What a rip off. Anti-Microsoft people & Mac fan boys should thank god Steve is going up against Bill Gates. Why? Because that competition drives a lot of prices. We should also be greatfull Google exists and is fighting against the two companies. Some people say Bill Gates is greedy, well what about Steve-o charging for updates? Thats low. I'll stop ranting about Apple's $$$ for now but you get my point. Oh and what the hell is Steve Job's problem with Adobe Flash? No Flash? Stop being stupid. In a recent interview he said that the world is 'moving to HTML5'. Yes I agree but not fast enough. Its stupid not to have Flash, he even said when a Mac crashes more often than not its due to Flash. That's a bold statement. Kind of a dick move to not include Flash but whatever.

Bottom line - I'll buy one. Just for the record I'm not a Mac fan boy. I do use a Mac book along with a Windows 7 laptop and a Linux Mint desktop. 

]]> Gmail goes HTTPS by default tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2010://41.786 2010-01-16T05:15:28Z 2010-01-16T05:20:54Z This is what I love about Google, pushing us into the future securely. Google is doing a lot to try and move technology and the Internet in a fast and safe direction. Now Google's Gmail will automatically be transmitted securely... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
I'm looking forward to see Google's other methods to make us more secure and faster. I'm referring to Google Chrome operating system. The Chrome OS is supposed to be secure and extremely fast. Basically its an operating system that is just a web browser. It's not going to replace your main pc but it'll let you do more than you may think.

What else? Google's SPDY protocol has me very excited. Basically the HTTP protocol we use today was designed a long time ago. The original design was during a time when the web was a new born and nothing more than teeny text files. SPDY is designed for todays web in mind. In test environments SPDY is 50% faster than HTTP and its secure like HTTPS. It allows multiple connections at once, a way to tell the viewer when more information is available instead of the client continuously checking.

It'll be interesting to see where these new things take us.
]]> Make your Mac speak tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.670 2009-12-29T19:59:42Z 2009-12-29T20:00:55Z Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
say 'Tom is awesome' 

Amazing huh? That should keep you busy for a while. 
]]> Find files on Linux tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.669 2009-12-29T19:33:43Z 2009-12-29T19:39:25Z Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
I needed to find a PDF but I forgot the name. I opened a terminal and I'm in my home directory. 

find .  -name '*.pdf' -print

Will return a list of PDF's in my home directory. Easy!

Looking for a installed program location?

whereis httpd

Will return Apache's http server
]]> Google's SPDY tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.503 2009-11-16T21:09:42Z 2009-11-16T21:14:39Z Wow Google is really on a roll. With their mobile operating system Android doing great, Chrome OS to be launched soon, their programming language - what's next? Well now they are working on a replacement to the http protocol. SPDY... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
The new protocol is an application layer protocol meaning the world doesn't need to change to use this. The TCP protocol is still used to move the data around but SPDY makes the data much more smarter. For starters it uses compression. SPDY also allows for more communication between the client and server. Currently only the client can make download requests, with SPDY the server can 'tell you' more information about what to get and not get. Currently headers are redundant and over used. SPDY aims to simplify headers and ultimately make the data smaller and faster to move to the client. 

I encourage readers to view the white paper. It's interesting to see how this will move the web forward. 

]]> HTC Droid Review tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.493 2009-11-09T16:44:53Z 2009-11-09T16:56:28Z Ok I'm a little late in updating this. I just got the HTC Droid on Verizon Wireless on Friday. Why am I late in reviewing this? Because I spent literally all weekend playing with this awesome device. So here is... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
  1. Android operating system
    To start off I will say that this will take over everything. Android will kill the iPhone not the Droid phone. The HTC Droid will come and go but the operating system will continue to improve. Unlike the iPhone, Google's Android operating system is open source. Just for fun I decided to download the SDK for iPhone development. Immediately it asked me to register as a developer and pay a hefty fee, I think it was $100. After I designed my application it costs money to post on Apple's site, and be included in the app store. 

    With Android's open source setup anyone can write apps and put it on the device. Perfect example; I downloaded a cool app called ChompSMS. This app completely replaces the default text message application. Imagine that for a second, imagine you don't like how your phone handles text messages. You can replace it. Don't like the dialer in the phone or found one thats better? With Android you can download a better one. This open source awesomeness is something that Apple just can't compete with. In this case, Apple is a lot like Microsoft. Trying to keep everything behind closed doors and make money on everything is not the future. 

  2. Interface
    I love how the Android operating system gives you a 'main screen' desktop, you can also scroll to the left or the right for 2 additional screens in each direction. Giving you a total of 5 screens. Why all the space? Widgets of course. Widgets are applications that can be posted on your desktop. Scroll to the right and I have my favorite speed dial contacts. Scroll again to the right and I can see my latest Twitter updates. All without actually starting the application. 


  3. Applications
    The amount of applications is be, and it will be bigger. Unlike the iPhone, applications written for Android will work on any Android phone. See why this is a big deal? Developers will get more bang for their buck. Writing a single application for Android will allow it to be used on many, many phones spanning multiple carriers. iPhone is just for AT&T which sucks where I live. 

  4. Service 
    Verizon Wireless's 3G service is great and pretty much everywhere. 

]]> Windows 7 is here! tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.467 2009-10-22T11:54:03Z 2009-10-22T12:11:36Z Whew finally! Today is the big day. Everyone go out and buy some Windows 7 today. Better yet buy a new computer with Windows 7 already on it. It's worth it. I've been using Windows 7 since the beta and... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
windows 7.jpg

  1. It's fast
    I really have to start with this one. As I type this I'm on my laptop running Windows 7, I also have a Vista desktop next to me running. On the Vista machine I have cleared off literally everything. Stopped all the annoying search services even automatic updates (yeah I know). I even cleared out msconfig. The damn thing still constantly runs the hard drive occasionally. I even ran ProcessExplorer and I can't seem to track it down. Anyway, my point is Vista is slow, Windows 7 is not. Worth the price alone right there. 


  2. It's not super annoying
    Ok here's a scene you know if you have Vista. 'Are you sure you want to do XXX?', 'Do you want to allow XXX to do YYY?'. Ugh, yes, yes a thousand times YES. Yes I'm aware you can turn off User Access Control (UAC) in Vista but it's still annoying. Plus in my line of work I touch many different computers all throughout the day so the defaults is something I always fight with. Windows 7 has much MUCH less of that. I couldn't even tell you if my Windows 7 UAC is on or not because it's not annoying me. Also Windows 7 has much less of the ballon spam next to the system time. God I hate that. 


  3. Has some neat little features
    I like how I can click and drag a window to the upper left or right hand corner to have it take over that side of the screen. I love the new redesigned start menu. Having the icons both serve as short cuts and the program itself when its running is just amazing. I love how the taskbar is just slightly bigger so the date is on there. I can't tell you how many times a day I used to double click on the time just so I can see the full date. 
Ok three reasons is enough for now. Read the reviews, they're mostly good. Check it out.

]]> Join us on Facebook tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.454 2009-10-20T03:19:59Z 2009-10-20T03:30:52Z We would like to welcome everyone to become a fan of us on Facebook. Trying to post more helpful things in more places so more people see them.Become a fan :)... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
]]> Answer some questions tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.399 2009-09-11T22:28:36Z 2009-09-11T22:29:38Z Hey everyone want to lend a hand? Check out our Ask a question section. If you have an answer, post it! Everyone (including me) will love you forever for contributing!... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com Ask a question section. If you have an answer, post it! Everyone (including me) will love you forever for contributing!]]> WordPerfect X3 Freezes tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.355 2009-08-21T00:37:38Z 2009-09-11T22:31:53Z I'm currently in North Carolina on vacation. I just recently installed a server at a clients office before I left. Everything was fine for two days but then I get a phone call, they are unable to start Wordperfect X3.... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
What I had to do was  Click the Start button and then click Run. When the Run window appears, type REGEDIT and then click OK. This opens your Registry Editor (see warning above). Double-click the HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder and then double-click SOFTWARE. Right-click the COREL folder and then select Rename from the pop-up menu. Rename the folder CorelOld. Close the Registry Editor window.

I want to thank Smartcomputing.com for showing me the way. Luckily thats all I had to do! Hope this helps someone else out and saves some vacation time!
]]> Questions Round Up - August 12th tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.344 2009-08-13T03:45:15Z 2009-08-12T05:12:33Z Every now and then I like to link to some recently asked questions from our Ask A Question section. I tried to keep the page very simple where people could ask questions fast - no registration necessary. Of course we... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com Ask A Question section. I tried to keep the page very simple where people could ask questions fast - no registration necessary. Of course we also have our tech support forums if you have a more in depth question.

Have a question of your own? Ask it.
]]> Make your computer faster - Video tag:www.freecomputeradvice.net,2009://41.334 2009-08-10T03:19:17Z 2009-09-11T22:30:55Z YouTube video I made on how to clean up your computer. This will:Make your computer fasterRemove Virus / Spyware programsCan't see anything? Here is the direct link http://www.youtube.com/v/Z0TDku0Bjyw.... Tom Fitzgerald http://www.optilaw.com
  • Make your computer faster
  • Remove Virus / Spyware programs

Can't see anything? Here is the direct link http://www.youtube.com/v/Z0TDku0Bjyw.
]]>