Midnight ramblings – probly shouldn’t even read this

It’s pretty strange to me that on those rare occasions when I watch TV I see lots of commercials on from Microsoft comparing Bing to Google claiming that Bing is better when really, it’s a matter of personal preference and taste. I mean, people search the Internet for various and different things and sometimes even the same things but that doesn’t mean that they are seeking the same thing, and even if they are seeking the same thing, they may not want the same results. That’s one of the beauties of the ‘net, it’s ALL subjective! Bing is no better than Google, no more than Google is better than Bing. It’s up to the user, not some fake dork looking geek yelling “Bing it ooooooon” through a megaphone. Give me a break.

It’s about like the Internet Explorer commercials saying that they give you the power to do more, or something about family moments or whatever. I mean, Internet Explorer is pre-installed (or included, or built-in, or whatever, take your pick) on EVERY Windows™®© installation everywhere, and it is still a solid third place contender. For a long time it was second place behind Firefox, but then Chrome surfaced from Google, and now IE has slid to third. Currently, and since about March 2012, the list has Chrome in the lead with 53.2%, Firefox holding on to second with 27.8% and Internet Explorer in third with 12.1% – and that’s while still being the default and only browser on new installs of Windows. If someone wants Chrome or Firefox or anything else they have to use Internet Explorer to go get it! I know, I know, you all already know that. I just don’t know how Microsoft can even think that they have the top end product when it STILL won’t render HTML5 properly.

When we shift the subject to operating systems, the subject becomes even more based on the user and their personal preferences. But then, that’s really yes and no, because most users are pretty much held captive by Windows, and that’s nothing bad or nefarious on Microsoft’s part. It’s just that the majority of computer users out there just don’t know enough to use any other operating system. They know enough about Windows to use it, to get along, and so that’s what they choose. In most cases it’s not even a conscious choice, it’s the only choice, most don’t even know there’s an alternative. Although that’s starting to change a bit since Apple and OSX came to town. Apple took a page from Jean-Louis Gassée’s book with OSX. Jean-Louis Gassée is the man who created the best operating system known to mankind, BeOS. He had the idea that it would be easier to make UNIX user friendly rather than make Windows stable, and created a UNIX based operating system with a beautiful and incredible use interface. Ultimately BeOS didn’t make it, but OSX followed in the same foot steps in my opinion, it’s a UNIX based operating system that is beautiful and easy to use and is becoming more and more popular to date. A year or two ago (I don’t know if it’s still true), Apple was the largest seller/distributor of UNIX based computers in the world. Not bad for a company that almost went under a few years prior!

What does all of my useless rambling mean? Not a darn thing! LOL Except that ultimately, despite what big companies might try to tell us, and what we might believe ourselves, it’s the consume that has the power in the end to drive the industry, and we simply have to vote with our dollar bills. Buy the good stuff and ditch the bad, and for free stuff and open source stuff, it’s pretty much the same, support the good and ignore the bad.

It is my opinion that the Internet is the great playground leveler. Whether it is technology, or entertainment, singing or playing an instrument, dancing or whatever on YouTube, if it’s good … people will like it and view it and share it and it will come to the top. Whereas the bad will fall off into obscurity. The Internet gives even the little guy the chance to be a star at whatever it is that he has chose as his arena fight in. Now, go get some sleep!

Good Stuff, What Is It?

Let me talk to you for a moment about a new box of stuff on the right side of this site.  Yep, just like the title says, it’s Good Stuff!  First though, I want to share some information and history if you don’t already know.  I started this site because I wanted to share information.  I felt like (and still feel like) if we all share the knowledge that we have with one another, our collective knowledge base grows by leaps and bounds.  Seems obvious I know, but some folk I have seen and have even worked with want to horde information as if it were gold.  So, hoping that sharing some of my knowledge and information might help others, I started this site.  If someone is having a problem, and I have already run into the same thing and can post an adequate solution, then they get to solve that problem without re-inventing the wheel (so to speak).

I do this because it’s just something I do, a way that I can try to give back and help others.  I don’t charge people for access to anything, I don’t have banner ads or popups (or unders ;]) or anything like that.  At one point I played with Google Ads, but that was more to learn than really try and make any money.  Which is good because I didn’t make any, a few pennies here and there, but nothing really.  This though, is my point and has a direct impact on the Good Stuff I am getting ready to explain.  That point is that I run this site using my time, paying for the server and bandwidth out of my own pocket, and I like it that way.  I don’t want to be beholden to a vendor.  I do have a donation link, so if a reader wants to show some love they can, but that’s different.  I don’t get any kind of payment, kickbacks, reimbursement, dump truck loads of yen, or anything from companies that sell products, especially the ones I talk about or recommend.

What does this mean?  This means that if I post a review about something, I am not blowing smoke just to say there is a fire.  I am telling you, my reader, my own experience with whatever it might be and what my honest opinion is about it as well.  Mainly I do this when I find something really cool that I think more people need to know about.  Some piece of software that other geeks like me might find useful, or a game or whatever that seems to be well worth the duckets.  I want to share that information with anyone who wants to read about it, that might benefit from it, and I want them to know that the information is coming from an unbiased source.

So, back to the Good Stuff box.  This is where I am putting stuff to showcase things that go above and beyond or are extra good or really special, etc.  Kind of like banner ads except I decide what is put there and no one is paying me to do so.  It’s a showcase of things that I use and that I very highly recommend and therefore proclaim to be “Good Stuff”.  This site had over a million hits last year, and the traffic trend is still rising, so my goal is to share Good Stuff with my readers, and hopefully help encourage those people that care about the customer and care about providing good valuable service to keep up the good work.  If any of you have something you want to recommend, or some information you want to share with the world, hit the contact page and share it with me.  If I end up doing something with your submission, I’ll make sure you get credit for it.  Thanks.