The store that claims to carry everything tech (they don’t) and to have all the info you need to make an informed decision (they definitely don’t) have realized they need some help on the knowledge front and started a forum. Normally I wouldn’t bother posting something like this – most tech shops have a user forum – but Future Shop is a more mainstream shop where people like your mother would go to get ripped off buy a TV or a computer so the forum might reach a larger audience.

The Future Shop Community Forum is a perfect opportunity for all the tech geeks out there to provide quality information to people who would otherwise get screwed over big time by the tech giant. And since the forum is fairly new you have a good chance of becoming one of the main posters if you jump in right now.

So go on, help your fellow man (or woman) and show Future Shop you know more about their products than all their sales staff combined. Maybe it’ll make them rethink their hiring routines.

Future Shop Community Forum

You have probably heard of the free open source alternative called Linux but few have ever ventured into this realm. This operating system has long been the exclusive domain of programmers and computer geeks but in the last few years focus on the everyday user has lead to great leaps in user friendliness and accessibility making Linux a viable option to Windows and Mac OSX.

Linux is an operating system developed by the users themselves and is therefore defined as “open source”. As such there are a plethora of versions (or “distributions”) tailored to the specific needs of different users available, from large commercial enterprise packages like Linux Red Hat to Live CDs systems that will run on any computer without being installed. The distributions are usually released in versions that allow you to run them on both PCs and Macs.

Ubuntu – Linux for human beings

Rather than go through the whole Linux universe we are going to focus on “entry level” Linux distributions that any person can install by themselves with little or no knowledge of computers. The most well known of these is Ubuntu. Taking it’s name from the African word meaning “humanity to others” Ubuntu is a distribution aimed at being usable out of the box. It comes in numerous versions – from the full size Ubuntu suite to the server package, Xubuntu (a smaller package for laptops and slower systems), Edubuntu (a free software platform for schools and students) and Kubuntu based on the KDE user interface. This brings us to an interesting topic. With any distribution of Linux you have a wide range of choices of what you want your computer to look like. The operating systems themselves can be customized to your needs but more interestingly the desktop environment itself can be changed depending on what system you use. Ubuntu comes standard with the GNOME user interface but you can download and change this desktop at any time. This gives you more control of your own work environment without having to change your operating system.

A curious aside: Programmers released a 3d desktop environment that looks a lot like the new Vista Aero look with 3d folders several years ago.

Everything you need – right out of the box

Ubuntu comes standard with a large package of software that lets you do pretty much whatever you want right out of the box. At the centre of this package is the OpenOffice suite which contains a word editor, spread sheet, calendar and presentation software much like the Microsoft Office suite. A special feature on OpenOffice will be published shortly. Other programs include the Firefox web browser, Thunderbird email and numerous other applications. In addition all Linux distributions come with an ingenious feature that lets you access and install almost anything from the ever growing catalog of free software directly through your Internet connection. This process is surprisingly simple and largely handled by the programs themselves.

But this option also causes some problems: Because of the many programmers working on Linux software there are a lot of overlapping applications and installing several programs that do the same thing can cause unwanted problems in system performance. Likewise it can be hard to find out what application will best suit your needs. To avoid some of the deepest pitfalls it is often necessary to consult some of the numerous message boards and forums. The Linux community is vast and very helpful and you will usually get a response within hours.

Making the switch

To make it easier for people to experience what Linux has to offer many distributions are now published as so called “Live-CDs”. This means that once downloaded and burned to a CD you can run the operating system from your CD drive without actually installing it. In short it means you have the opportunity to test out numerous different versions of the software before actually making the switch. Running the Live-CDs will not compromise your current system in any way and is not dangerous. If you find a distribution you like you get the option of installing it directly from the Live-CD.

Warning: As with any installation of a new operating system there is a high chance you’ll lose some if not all of the contents on your computer. We advise that you purchase an external hard drive and back up all your data before doing any major changes to your operating system. A large external hard drive runs around $150 – $200 and works with most computers without additional software.

Compatibility

One worry that always arises when dealing with operating systems is hardware and software compatibility. Apple’s recent “Mac vs. PC” campaign is almost entirely based around this point and the launch of Windows Vista has brought up numerous complaints about things not working as they should. One would think that a free open source system would have similar issues. But surprisingly this is not the case. Most hardware manufacturers now provide users with Linux drivers and even for the hardware not supported there is usually an “unofficial” driver out there that will work with your hardware. Thus installation usually transpires with less problems than a normal Windows installation.

The only major issue when using Linux is that many large software manufacturers still do not create software for the operating system. Most importantly software from Adobe / Macromedia and other specialized applications do not work. At least not right away. But even here there is a solution and it’s called Wine. With this application you can run Windows based software on a Linux computer with few if any problems.

Why migrate to Open Source?

There are many advantages to using Open Source software and although appealing the fact that it’s free is not the biggest one. Open Source means that anyone can develop and distribute program updates and new applications without having to go through a lengthy legal process. As a result the software is ever-evolving and ever changing. If you encounter a problem and post it on a message board someone will probably have it fixed within a short period of time. This is in stark contrast to commercial applications that often don’t have bug fixes for years. Another major advantage is that the information flow is truly free: Content created on open source software can be accessed by anyone with open source software. That is why many European governments are now migrating to Open Source only: Not only is it much cheaper than purchasing software but you no longer have the problem of incompatible software and unreadable files. It is also fair and impartial. And as an added bonus it is fairly safe. There are very few viruses created for Linux (since Linux is not owned by a corporation there is no protagonist like Microsoft to attack) and security issues are quickly uncovered and fixed by the community.

Should you switch?

In the end it boils down to what you want. At present there are several solid easy to use distributions of Linux available and they provide the necessary tools for the everyday user. At the speed of development we are seeing today and the introduction of commercial applications like design software programmed for Linux we can expect the Open Source alternative to be a viable competitor within a few years. Until then we recommend you give it a try: If you have one computer set up a dual boot so you can switch between Windows and Linux to see if you like it. If you have two computers install Linux on one of them to get used to it.

The Bottom Line: You can perform 90% of your computing using only free Open Source software. The only reason you don’t right now is because you don’t know about it.

ieXbeta.com have been keeping a running tab on compatibility issues with Windows Vista since it’s first Beta release and have a comprehensive list of what programs work, what programs have problems and what programs don’t work under the new operating system.

More on their findings and a few surprises inside.

Not surprisingly most (if not all) major software applications that work with Windows XP work equally well with Windows Vista. The programs that do have problems are mostly lesser known applications and specialized systems that the everyday user would not use anyway. There are also issues with a number of lesser known games.

Anti-Virus and firewalls

Vista touts a stronger firewall and security system than Windows XP and synchronous with the launch of the operating system came the launch of Microsoft’s new security suite OneCare which contains spyware, anti-virus and enhanced firewall protection. As a result many firewalls and anti-virus programs do not work under Vista – most notably F-Secure 2007, AVG Anti-Virus Suite and Zone Labs Zone Alarm suites. One can argue that the malfunctioning firewalls are a minor problem as the built in firewall in Vista is said to be as solid as they get but there should still be the option of installing a 3^rd party firewall if the user so wishes. The “loss” of AVG’s Anti-Virus suite is more alarming as it is one of the only free high-quality anti-virus packages available today. Norton Anti-Virus and Norton Internet Security along with most other well known virus software have no problems.

Ahead’s Nero Burning ROM software already had problems with XP Service Pack 2 and these problems seem to have compounded with Vista. The site states that Nero “causes Explorer crashes when viewing directories that have video files in them, as well as file copy/move operations” and recommends using Nero only if you use a Virtual Machine version of XP within Vista – in other words don’t bother.

Other incompatibilities

Most worrisome is the incompatibility with a number of established software suites – mostly due to hardware driver issues. Steinberg’s Cubase and Nuendo suites, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X and XI and Adobe Encore DVD 2.0 don’t work at all. Neither does Pinnacle Studio 9.4 and 10 but Vista upgrades for these will be available in March.

Even with the problems mentioned above the overall list shows that software incompatibility is a relatively minor problem with Windows Vista and should not be much of a factor when deciding whether to upgrade. And as Vista takes over as the new standard we can expect that most if not all of these problems (maybe with the exception of Nero which still has problems with XP!) will be fixed. If you are still worried take a look at the ever growing list of tested programs and see if your software is on the “working” or “not working” list.

Windows Vista RTM Software Compatibility List (ieXbeta.com)

Why do I need a HTPC you ask?  In the not-too-distant future the HTPC in some form will take over for many if not all of the current components in your home theatre setup.  If you have a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) at home you already have what ammounts to a HTPC hooked up to your television.  A full scale HTPC is a complete media centre in one compact(ish) package serving your digital music and movie library as well as recording and playing back your TV shows, family photos and whatever else you decide to load on your hard drives.

The people over at ExtremeMhz.com have created a comprehensive guide on how to build the Perfect HTPC. The guide goes through everything from cases to cooling, graphics cards to peripherals and has a breakdown of what software is available and what each package provides you with.

Just a warning: Still at the toddler stage HTPCs have a long way to go before being completely bug free and easy to set up so expect to spend a lot of time and money when following this guide.

The devil is in the details. As with the introduction of most new technology the electronics retailers are making a killing on the sale of HDMI cables for your newly aquired PS3, HD-DVD / Blue Ray player and / or HDTV flatscreen. The people over at ArsTechnica.com recently published an excellent article on the topic of overpriced cables. But there is an even more important factor that needs to be addressed here:

When it comes to HDMI all cables are equal (or at least almost equal).  The old claim of superior (and more expensive) cables just doesn’t hold up in the new digital reality. Read on and learn why price does not equal quality.

Most newer HDTVs and HD-DVD and Blue-Ray players come with HDMI in/outputs and while the PS3 is currently the only gaming console to support the standard rumours say a new version of the XBOX 360 will soon join the club. With the transition to HDTV as the new  television standard the industry is moving away from component and other cables and toward a new type of cable called HDMI or High-Definition Multimedia Interface . Unlike older cable standards this one carries both high-definition video and audio in one neat package. Therefore it is an excellent way to reduce the cable clutter in your home entertainment centre. But you have to be careful when buying the cables or you will get ripped off.
In the past the claim that better cables meant better quality held through. This was because the signals transferred through the cables were analog – meaning that the signal itself is is the image or audio being transferred. This meant that if the signal deteriorated due to inferior cables the end result – the sound or picture – would deteriorate as well. But in the digital world everything is different. The signal sent between digital devices is a series of 0s and 1s that are interpreted by the devices. Therefore signal degradation has very little impact on the end result. A weak 0 or 1 is still a 0 or 1.

The best way to see the difference between an analog and a digital signal is to think of the difference between an old record and a CD. When you play the record a needle picks up minute vibrations in the record and amplifies these vibrations before reproducing them in the speaker. That is why when a speck of dust or a small scratch appears on the record you can hear it loudly through the speaker. A CD on the other hand does not contain the sounds themselves but a digital interpretation of the sounds. The information on a CD is actually just a series of holes that the player interprets as a 0 or a 1. The sound is produced when a computer interprets this information into sound. That is why even a scratched CD can play without fail and also why deep scratches make the CD unplayable because too many 0s and 1s are obscured.

Now back to the cables. As I said before, in the analog world the quality of your cables is very important. But in the digital world it is of little importance as long as the signal reaches it’s destination. Therefore the claims of “premium digital cables” and “better sound and picture” is little more than an advertising gimmic. For regular length cables the end result is the same whether they cost $20 or $200. The only difference is how hard the salespeople laugh at you when you leave the store.

Cable quality does start to matter if you are sending the signal over a longer distance (more than 3 meters) but even then the more expensive cables are not necessarily better.

A good rule of thumb is to buy the cheapest cable available from a store that allows you to return in within a set time and test it to see if the signal does infact deteriorate. Digital signal deterioration will appear as either popping audio or weird squares or “twinkles” in the image. If you don’t experience these things your cable is fine. If you do experience interference upgrade to a slightly more expensive cable. But no matter what the sales people say there is no reason to buy the most expensive cable unless you want to throw your money away.

One final note: Monster cables have long been hailed as the best on the market. This company is now touting their HDMI cables as supperior to any others on the market. The reality is that there is no difference between their cables and ones that are half the price or less. Unfortunately people still believe the advertising gimmics. But don’t be fooled. There really is nothing to gain from a more expensive cable.

This guide wil tell you how to format any large drive to FAT32 – the file format supported by both Windows, MAC and Linux as well as the XBOX 360. Previously it has been very complicated to acheive this without purchasing expensive software but now there is a fast and easy way to do it thanks to a piece of software created by Ridgecorp Consultants Ltd.

Over the Christmas holidays we came across a sale at a major retailer and ended up getting a massively discounted XBOX360 for our living room. The machine was purchased as much out of curiosity for it’s extended multimedia features as for it’s gaming capabilities. The 360 can work as a media extension that can display images and video and play music from our extensive archive right out of the box.

As part of the setup we also decided to attach an old IDE hard drive that’s been lying around unused for a while. We purchased a $20 external cabinet for it and hooked it up to the 360 through the USB 2.0 connection only to discover that it wasn’t recognized. A few hours of research later told me that for some unknown reason the XBOX 360 does not recognize drives formatted for NTFS. To be able to use an external drive on the 360 it has to be formatted for FAT32.

Wikipedia has some good background info on NTFS and FAT32 .

The fact that the 120GB drive had to be formatted for FAT32 was a major headache because the native formatting option in Windows XB only allows you to format volumes up to 32GB which again meant I’d have to split my drive into 4 partitions to be able to utilize the entire space. Although this is an option it is not an optimal one. The only other option (or at least so I thought) was to purchase some partitioning software like Partition Magic but these are both slow and unreliable.

Then I came across a site that claimed to have the perfect solution: A small DOS-based program that would format “any size drive” to FAT32 in a matter of seconds. The program was aptly named “fat32format” and provided by Ridgecorp Consultants Ltd. .

I was not immediately convinced that the claims of lightning fast formatting were accurate but decided to try anyway. To my surprise formatting my 120GB drive with this program tool less than 1.4 seconds and left 112GB of usable space. Not believing my own eyes I then tried to format another external drive I have – this time a 500GB drive. This process took about 2 seconds and left about 470GB of usable space. In short this program is the real deal.

So, for anyone who wants to format large drives external or internal to FAT32 I have found the solution for you. Fat32Format .