Tuesday, January 30, 2007
My first Mid-Shore User’s Group meeting
I had the pleasure of attending the Mid-Shore Users Group meeting last Thursday night. It was the first time I had been able to join the group. I have been mentioning the meeting in this column since the group was formed. I thought it was time to check the group out myself.
There were about a dozen computer enthusiasts gathered in the upstairs meeting room of the Tourism office in Easton when I got there. Mike Young, president of the Chesapeake PC Users Group, had come over from Annapolis and presented a PowerPoint presentation on Vista, the new Windows operating system being released to the public this month.
It was an informal affair with Mike’s presentation weaving through different aspects of the new system as he responded to various questions from the group. I found the information useful from both a home enthusiast and a work point of view. Much of what he relayed involved how a person would use the new version on their own computer. A number of the points were also useful in a work environment.
Basically, the system is best left to your next computer purchase. Most existing computers would need a RAM upgrade to 2 GB and some older machines can’t handle that amount. Their systems only allow them to go to one GB. As I mentioned in a previous column there are several levels of the Vista operating system from basic to Aero. Aero is the premiere version with all the features. Mike recommended that computer users go for the Aero version, otherwise stay with your existing system.
My first home computer and my first work computer was a Mac. You need to know that to know where I’m coming from. I now have PCs as my main computer at work and at home. I like both systems. Both systems have their advantages.
Vista, to me, is a sign of further convergence of the Apple and Microsoft approaches to personal computing. Vista looks a lot like OSX on the Mac. Both have beautiful graphic user interfaces. If I were given either one as a gift, I would accept and fully enjoy. Ideally, I would like to always have both systems. I feel the Mac still has the edge in working with video.
The Mid-Shore Users Group is affiliated with the Chesapeake PC Users Group. You are encouraged to join the Chesapeake group when you attend the Mid-Shore meeting. You get a newsletter with information on various tips for computer users. A main article in the most recent newsletter outlines wireless home network security.
I think I’ll join.
As always, you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com or check out the blog accessible from the home page of stardem.com.
There were about a dozen computer enthusiasts gathered in the upstairs meeting room of the Tourism office in Easton when I got there. Mike Young, president of the Chesapeake PC Users Group, had come over from Annapolis and presented a PowerPoint presentation on Vista, the new Windows operating system being released to the public this month.
It was an informal affair with Mike’s presentation weaving through different aspects of the new system as he responded to various questions from the group. I found the information useful from both a home enthusiast and a work point of view. Much of what he relayed involved how a person would use the new version on their own computer. A number of the points were also useful in a work environment.
Basically, the system is best left to your next computer purchase. Most existing computers would need a RAM upgrade to 2 GB and some older machines can’t handle that amount. Their systems only allow them to go to one GB. As I mentioned in a previous column there are several levels of the Vista operating system from basic to Aero. Aero is the premiere version with all the features. Mike recommended that computer users go for the Aero version, otherwise stay with your existing system.
My first home computer and my first work computer was a Mac. You need to know that to know where I’m coming from. I now have PCs as my main computer at work and at home. I like both systems. Both systems have their advantages.
Vista, to me, is a sign of further convergence of the Apple and Microsoft approaches to personal computing. Vista looks a lot like OSX on the Mac. Both have beautiful graphic user interfaces. If I were given either one as a gift, I would accept and fully enjoy. Ideally, I would like to always have both systems. I feel the Mac still has the edge in working with video.
The Mid-Shore Users Group is affiliated with the Chesapeake PC Users Group. You are encouraged to join the Chesapeake group when you attend the Mid-Shore meeting. You get a newsletter with information on various tips for computer users. A main article in the most recent newsletter outlines wireless home network security.
I think I’ll join.
As always, you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com or check out the blog accessible from the home page of stardem.com.
# posted by Richard Polk @ 8:45 AM 
