An anonymous Microsoft developer spilled some juicy opinions about why Windows kernel performance isn’t all it could be. Although he has recanted much of what he said, some of his insights make a ton of sense.
All posts tagged windows xp
The explanation about Windows vs. Linux kernel performance makes sense
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 13, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/05/the-explanation-about-windows-vs-linux-kernel-performance-makes-sense/
Notes on the Compaq Presario SR2011WM
I’ve been working on a Presario SR2011WM. It’s a basic, low-end, single-core Celeron D system from 2006 or so. It can take up to 2 GB of RAM, runs Windows XP adequately, and has SATA ports, so you can put an SSD in it if you want. But don’t be fooled by the name–the Celeron [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 12, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/05/notes-on-the-compaq-presario-sr2011wm/
Don’t read too much into the PC sales drop just yet
If you’ve been paying any attention at all, you probably know that new PC sales are in the toilet–out of the five biggest vendors, the only one whose sales managed to hold steady in Q1 2013 was Lenovo, while the other four saw a sales decline. So now Slashdot linked to a ZDNet piece stating [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on April 17, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/04/dont-read-too-much-into-the-pc-sales-drop-just-yet/
The best free antivirus
I’ve been re-evaluating free antivirus programs. I think Microsoft Security Essentials is adequate if you don’t engage in risky behavior, and it doesn’t nag and doesn’t expire, both of which are good things. The best detection in the world is no good to you the day after it expires. If you want something better, the [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on March 16, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/03/the-best-free-antivirus/
Apply this fix if you aren’t running IE9
Windows XP users, and those running something older than IE9 on newer versions of Windows need to apply this fix immediately.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on January 3, 2013
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2013/01/apply-this-fix-if-you-arent-running-ie9/
A fast way to turn a pile of images into an Adobe Acrobat PDF file
I have a collection of magazine scans that, inconveniently, came as a series of JPG images rather than as PDFs that are more conducive to reading. To make the files readable on a tablet or e-reader, I needed a way to make them into PDFs. There are any number of ways to do it, but [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on December 3, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/12/a-fast-way-to-turn-a-pile-of-images-into-an-adobe-acrobat-pdf-file/
Windows 8 won’t fail just because nobody likes Windows upgrades
John C Dvorak wrote today about the great upgrade upheaval, and argued that Windows 8 is doomed to fail because it’s just going to be too hard to upgrade, and nobody likes Windows upgrades anyway. I agree on the first point but not the second.
Posted by Dave Farquhar on October 4, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/10/windows-8-wont-fail-just-because-nobody-likes-windows-upgrades/
Office 2010, early impressions
I’ve mentioned several times that I hadn’t seen Office 2010 yet, so I couldn’t comment on it, and would reserve judgment until I’ve seen it. I’ve been working for companies that were a bit behind the times on that. I’ve been working with it for a week now. I won’t be buying it for my [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on September 3, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/09/office-2010-early-impressions/
Windows 8 comes out later this year, but I won’t be moving just yet
So Windows 8 was released today. I won’t be moving to it anytime soon. There are some people who make a habit of waiting for Service Pack 1 to be released before upgrading to a new version of Windows. The trouble is, I can think of one instance, Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 1, that [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on August 1, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/08/windows-8-comes-out-later-this-year-but-i-wont-be-moving-just-yet/
Why the Windows firewall is OK
I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard an unsubstantiated statement like “Windows firewall is junk.” I went looking, and the best I could find was this, an editorial that said it doesn’t do enough to address outbound connections, particularly on a program-by-program basis. OK, point taken. But “enough” is a moving [...]
Posted by Dave Farquhar on May 17, 2012
http://dfarq.homeip.net/2012/05/why-the-windows-firewall-is-ok/