Ask DACS
July 2012

Moderated and reported by Jim Scheef.

Q – Will there be a Windows 8 SIG?
A - The answer is a definite and resounding maybe. A special interest group (SIG) for Win 8 is a great idea, but the SIG needs someone to volunteer to lead it. This is a good time to discuss what it takes to be a SIG leader. Most SIGs meet monthly in the DACS Resource Center so a willingness to show up each month, is a top quality. Certainly, some knowledge of the subject area is helpful, but being an expert is not mandatory. A good SIG leader can simply be a moderator to lead the discussion on some topic each month. For Windows 8, there will be so much news coverage, that the material will simply present itself each month. If you want to learn about Windows 8, then volunteer to lead the SIG.

Q - How compatible will Windows 8 be with Win 7?
A - Only a few people present had tried either of the Win 8 preview editions, so I gave my opinion based on my limited experience with the Consumer Preview. My expectation is that anything that runs on Win 7 will also run on Win 8 except for older Windows applications. Each new Windows version sheds support for the trailing edge of older applications. A key question to ask: is there still an XP-Mode to support older applications? Win 8 introduces a new programming model for “Metro-style apps”. Where this will lead is anyone’s guess - only the final release version will give the answer.

Q - Windows 8 will be available in two versions: one for the Intel/AMD x86 chips and another for the ARM processor called Windows RT. The latter is aimed at mobile devices. How does this affect compatibility?
A - My understanding is that Win RT will run only special apps available from an online “Windows Store,” much like the Apple model. A quick search online did not find any definitive information about the availability of third-party apps like alternate browsers, etc. Again, only time will tell.

Q - How does the ARM processor differ from Intel/AMD x86?
A - The ARM processor architecture is a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) instruction set architecture developed by ARM Holdings which licenses manufacturers to produce the actual chips. ARM stands for Advanced RISC Machine. It has been targeted for low-power embedded applications and can be found in many automobiles, home appliances, and industrial machinery. The Wikipedia article on ARM (wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_ processor) makes good reading.

Q - Will Windows RT devices running on ARM work on regular Wi-Fi?
A - Yes, many Android phones use ARM processors, and they all work on Wi-Fi, so this will not be a problem.

Q - I’m having trouble using the libraries in Windows 7. How can I turn them off?
A - When I first started using Win7, I wanted it to work like XT; so I, too, fought using the libraries feature. Had I not missed the meeting when Richard Corzo explained how they work, I could have saved myself some angst. Once you understand the libraries, you’ll probably agree that they are a valuable feature. Win7 libraries allow you to group folders (even from networked drives) that contain similar types of files (documents, music, pictures, videos or anything else!) and use them as if they were all in one place. If you are so organized that your files are already in a place you prefer, you can add that location to the default library location and get the library advantages of easier access to your files. In my post-meeting research I found a nice tutorial that explains how to use libraries on HowToGeek (tinyurl.com/ygop2fu). That said, there is a registry hack on the same site (http://tinyurl.com/8y8cdl2). The hack consists of two RegEdit files contained in a Zip file. After extracting the files, double-click on the DisableLibariesFeature.reg file; the RegEdit program will run and change several registry keys. After you log off and back onto your machine, the library icons will no longer show in Windows Explorer. The other file, EnableLibrariesFeature.reg, will turn the libraries back on. [There was some interesting discussion at the meeting, but the noise in the store made it impossible to hear this on the recording; so all I can present here is my post-meeting research.] While not directly tied to the libraries, the search function in Win7 makes it trivial to find files, programs and emails by typing the name of a file (or the content of documents and emails) into the search box on the Win7 start menu. This search feature depends on the indexing process that runs continuously in Win7.

Q - Which is better among cloud storage-synchronization services: Box or Drop Box, or Microsoft SkyDrive?
A - First off, this is an impossible to answer question. There was healthy discussion at the meeting as various members defended their favorite service or offered suggestions. The bottom line is that each service has a niche where it excels. Some are best on one particular platform, Microsoft has a handy comparison chart (tinyurl.com/78wgx3o) showing several such services that (surprise) shows how superior SkyDrive is to the other services. The SlashGear blog has a comparison that includes some additional services like SugarSync. Some services support more mobile platforms (Android phones and tablets, iPhone, iPad, Macintosh, Windows). Regular desktop Linux is the only platform where cloud support seems hard to find. Even Google Drive lacks direct Linux support. Ubuntu Linux has a cloud service called Ubuntu One that supports Windows, Android and iPhone. Security and encryption was another discussion. The only consensus here was to read the fine print in the various user agreements.
Personally, I use SkyDrive to synchronize files amongst my various desktop and notebook computers. I also want to sync part of this to an Android Tablet which Microsoft does not support. Fortunately there are other options. Searching on Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market) I found many third-party apps that support all of the various cloud options - even your network attached storage device at home! The moral is that there may be support for your mobile device even if it is not officially supported by the cloud service provider. For file sharing with other people, I use Box (box.com) and DropBox (dropbox.com). Box has a nice feature where you can make a folder open to the public as in www.box.com/jimstuff where I publish information about hikes and bike rides. These files may remain available for months, so synchronization is not needed - when something changes, I just upload a new file or version.

Q - Do any of the cloud storage services support file versions? Another way of saying this: do any services allow you to recover a previous version of a file after you have saved an update?
A - According to the Microsoft comparison chart (noted above), SkyDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox all support “track versions”. Reading the fine print and some testing might be a good way to resolve this question if the feature is critical to your needs.

Q - How secure are these services?
A - This is something each person must reckon to their own satisfaction. Every service claims to be secure. Who would use one that said it is insecure? Every service that I have tried uses an SSL (https) connection to encrypt the data stream while it traverses the Internet. Some questions to ask - What kind of security do you want? Secure from loss? Secure from peeks by the FBI? These are two very different types of security. One is data backup and recovery; the other is privacy (or secrecy). Both are legitimate needs. Without privacy there is no freedom. So, some more questions: Is the data encrypted when stored on the cloud servers? When is the encryption applied - before it leaves your computer or when it arrives in the cloud? One member suggested that sensitive data should be manually encrypted on your own computer before it is placed where it will be synchronized to the cloud. That way, you and you alone control the encryption keys. A cloud backup and storage service that claims “zero knowledge” of your data and its encryption is SpiderOak (spideroak. com). A free account allows 2GB of totally secret data while you can keep 100GB of secrets for $10/month. This service also has impressive mobile features and looks to be a very interesting alternative, even if you don’t wear a foil helmet.

Q - I heard about an email service called Reagan.com that promises not to scan, analyze, categorize or sell anything in your emails. Is this true?
A - It is true that Reagan.com does promise to not “copy, scan or sell one word of your email content.” As always, the devil is in the details. An email address @reagan.com costs $40 per year. The use of the Reagan name appears legitimate as “Reagan.com was founded through the efforts of The Reagan Group and a private venture management firm. Michael Reagan is the founder and Chairman of the Reagan Group, and the son of former President Ronald Reagan and actress Jane Wyman.”

Q - Is a PATA hard drive the same as older ATA drives?
A - Yes, PATA or “parallel AT attachment” came into use when the SATA or “serial AT attachment” standard became popular. PATA, ATA and IDE (integrated drive electronics) and EIDE (enhanced IDE) are all equivalent when comparing drives produced at the same point in time. Over the years, the original IDE standard was updated several times becoming ATA-1, 2, 3, and 4. The “AT” initials refer to the IBM AT computer that introduced the standard. The Wikipedia article is wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_ATA.

Questions for the upcoming meeting can be emailed to askdacs@dacs.org.

Disclaimer: Ask DACS questions come from members by email or from the audience attending the general meeting. Answers are suggestions offered by meeting attendees and represent a consensus of those responding. DACS offers no warranty as to the correctness of the answers and anyone following these suggestions or answers does so at their own risk. In other words, we could be totally wrong!

 


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