Coleman Web - Anthony Coleman’s Personal Website

I decided to purchase a copy of Windows Vista through Microsofts Express Upgrade programme which I qualified for after purchasing a new laptop at the start of this year. After a 3 to 4 month wait for the disks to arrive I decided to take the plunge and try out Vista on my new laptop. I had previously run the beta’s and release candidates and I knew what to expect: a more highly polished version of XP. I had no problems with drivers or any of my current hardware running in Vista. Software was a different story. I have many old games written in DOS and for Windows 95 which now utterly refuse to work. I have not yet got around to using Dosbox in XP but what about all those old classics I have in my collection that were designed for windows but no longer work; even in compatibility mode. I also have Office 2000 which seems to be OK with the exception of Outlook which seems to dislike Vista. Yes I know that the software is old and I should upgrade but I don’t like the fact that the only solution seems to be to upgrade to the latest version. I have applied some fixes suggested by others on the net and have got Outlook 2000 to stabilise, but it’s very slow. I was also surprised to find that Macromedia Studio 8 is buggy as well and that the official line from the company (now adobe) is to upgrade. This software was not cheap and I think it is just a cunning way to get everybody to spend more money on things they should be fixing. As Adobe aren’t going to patch their software I’m just not going to upgrade.

Yes, yes I’m ranting again. But I have not ranted for ages so lets continue. Slowly but surely Vista is getting a little more of my appreciation everyday. I love how it backups to my USB hard drive every night. Yes, you could do this before Vista but I do like the way this is run by Vista.

I’ve suddenly run out of steam for this rant which is a shame because I was enjoying myself. I’ll come back later and finish off my rant. Maybe I should rename my website to Coleman Rant - The Rant’s of APC.

Came across this by accident over at http://www.wiiweightlossplan.com/.

Unlike the Windows XP launch, I will not be on the bandwagon for the launch of Windows Vista. Mainly because I have managed to get Windows XP just as I like it and Vista will have plenty of bugs and problems until the first service pack comes out. Additionally, I am not overally impressed with the differences between XP and Vista in the terms of fulfiling my needs. Sure, Vista will probably turn out to be a great operating system, but I cannot see how it will improve my current experience. I use a computer for surfing, music, video, photos, image software, website software and office programmes and I cannot see how Vista will improve upon this as XP does the job fine. No, I will be sticking with Windows XP for at least the next year. At the moment the only reason for me to upgrade is for 64 bit suport, but as all my software is 32 bit anyway, there is no rush. My reasoning probably explains why I’m still using Office 2000: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

PETITION TO U.S.A. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

Your administration’s proposal to cut the budget for NASA’s Space Science and exploration programs will inflict long-term, possibly irreparable, harm to the future of space exploration.

Your own Vision for Space Exploration is being distorted. This budget, if passed, threatens to cancel decades of vital exploration, the very thing that gains the United States international respect and admiration. What’s more, in allowing NASA to alter its own mission statement to eliminate the phrase “to understand and protect the Earth,” your administration has discarded an absolutely essential component of the space program.

As a Member of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest and most respected space interest group, I urge you to take the lead in restoring vitality and innovation to space exploration and all of NASA’s crucial program areas. I urge you to fully fund space science and exploration at NASA and salvage its proud history of innovation and exploration in space — before it’s too late.

Anthony P. Coleman