Why is it that so many manufacturers show such a lack of respect for their customers that they so incomprehensively name their products using a string of letters and numbers?

Reading your March issue, who is going to go into PC World or anywhere else and request to view an Acer Aspire 6935G-844G32Bn laptop? Or a Philips 42PFL7603D TV?

If some manufacturers such as Dell can use short names, why cannot the others, particularly the Japanese manufacturers, who appear to be the worst offenders?

Surely they have the wit and the ability to tackle this problem? Potential purchasers can remember a name or a short number, but a whole string of them, as with the Acer, is ridiculous.

David Morgan

Posted by dgriffin on February 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

As an occasional home video enthusiast I enjoyed reading the video editing software group test in the March 2009 edition. I've been using Pinnacle Studio 9 with my standard definition camcorder for several years and have had some great results despite my poor camera work! So with all the hubbub about High Definition and the recent purchase of a full HD TV in the lounge I thought now was the time to consider HD home video. I have yet to buy an HD camcorder so I used some HD footage from the BBC HD channel, downloaded the trial version of Adobe Premier Elements 7 as it got your Best Buy and Editor's Choice awards and off I went.

Firstly, the import of a 20 minute HD clip slowed the PC to a crawl, maybe as a result of first time use of the software? I then cut some clips, it was a bit sluggish but not to worry, I made a one minute clip to play about with and then exported it as an AVCHD file, 10 minutes for a one minute clip, crikey! While I stared at the monitor I heard the CPU fan spinning faster and noticed in task manager that both cores of my Core2 duo were at 100% max although memory was 'only' at 1.6GB, lucky I had 3GB in total!

I had finally got my one minute HD file created but QuickTime and other media players said they didn't have the right codec to play it! I then created an AVCHD hybrid DVD that allows up to 20 minutes of HD quality on a Blu-ray player but burnt onto DVD...... the next problem was that Premier Elements 7 can't do that... it can only make real Blu-ray discs on a Blu-ray burner! You need some other software apparently and so it goes on!

My current PC is a 2GHz Core 2 duo, 3GB ram, 2 hard drives (one just for video editing) 256MB ATI 2600XT graphics card which I consider a reasonably well specced PC for all but the latest 3D gaming.

So for HD video editing do I really need a new quad core CPU? Much bigger hard drives? Blu-ray burner? Additional codecs? Additional video editing/conversion software?

Thankfully the free trial from Adobe gave me the chance to try it out before I'd bought it as I clearly need to reconsider the whole thing until I decide to replace my 16 month old PC!

I'll certainly pay more attention to Gordon Laing and Barry Fox's columns from now on!

Dan Wells

Posted by dgriffin on February 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

In its decision to make available a free anti-virus package Microsoft cites the difficulties that users in developing countries face in renewing their subscriptions. Having experienced the virus-infested nightmare of Third World computing, I applaud its move wholeheartedly.

When the rural Melanesian school at which I was working received a donation of twelve new computers from an Australian aid agency, we imagined that a remote island where virtually nobody had Internet access would be a safe place from viruses. However, before long the new computers were flashing up viral messages and switching off at random moments, a problem that the poor students (who are used to half-broken equipment) bore stoically. The viruses had arrived on CDs burned by ignorant Education Ministry officials, or on the cheap MP3 players given to students by their rich uncles in town. No sooner had we eradicated a virus than it re-appeared from somewhere, confused users ignored basic virus-safety advice, and we were left simply to pray that nothing really nasty would turn up.

The aid agency had included a Norton anti-virus package with the computers, but with no online updates the software failed miserably to do its job. I was actually grateful when its subscription finally ran out, since the program's constant moaning about being unable to update itself online had become more of a nuisance and worry to the users than the effects of the viruses themselves. We then installed a free anti-virus program, which moaned a lot less than Norton and coped better with the lack of updates, though it did inconvenience us unnecessarily by demanding online re-registration after a year even though the program was free.

I can only hope that Microsoft will avoid such problems with its new Morro offering, and will do for the diseases of Third World computing what its founder Bill Gates is already doing to combat the diseases of the region's human inhabitants.

Andrew Gray

Posted by dgriffin on February 5, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is this the end of the World as we know it? Forget the Credit Crunch and Global Warming - life has suddenly taken a nosedive into total chaos:

Google has stopped working! Right now, the search engine is listing every website - INCLUDING ITS OWN - as a source of Malware, marking each found link with the phrase: "This site may harm your computer"

If this isn't sorted out real soon, I can envisage one enormous class action lawsuit arising shortly once some of the larger US corporate webmasters realise that Big G is publicly badmouthing their websites!

Curiously, it seems that SPONSORED LINKS are IMMUNE to these warnings!

Is this what Google has finally come to? You have to PAY them in order to get a clean bill of health for your website? I just knew there had to be a catch somewhere ...

So much for SaaS and our growing reliance on on-line services: I think I'll disconnect from the Web and get on with some productive work with some of my lovely shrink-wrap applications, like in the good old days!

Brian D Steel

Posted by dgriffin on February 2, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

I read the article, "Repairing damaged CDs", in the March edition and it set me thinking. I had an XP Home CD that had been damaged by a faulty drive, leaving two scratches along the line of the data track quite close to the outside edge of the CD.  As a result I couldn't use this as an install disc.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained I resolved to try your fix.  Not having any of the suggested chemicals to hand I found a bottle of the old fashioned pink 'Windolene' which has a fine abrasive in it.  Using this I had a working CD, checked and verified by ISOBuster, in under 5 minutes.

A tip for using the Windolene: spread out a thick layer of newspaper and place a sheet of A4 printer paper on top and onto this pour a (small) puddle of Windolene. The paper will quickly absorb most of the liquid, leaving you with a thicker paste that is much easier and quicker to use.

The chemicals did no visible damage to the CD but just to be sure I copied it to a new one, slipstreaming in Service Pack 3 at the same time - now I'm prepared for anything!

Many thanks for your tip.

Bob Fearnley

Posted by dgriffin on February 2, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Roy Frear (vol32 no.3) was looking for a 'modern Basic' that he can use; you seldom seem to cover less mainstream software which is often far better suited for purpose. Can I trumpet a completely unsolicited voluntary for BBC basic for Windows? This has been kept alive and well and totally up to date by Richard Russell at http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/

For a very modest price, good support and easy access to a good user forum, I can't believe that it won't be able to do what your writer wants.

In the same vein you cover mainstream accounting packages, I endorse
VTtransaction+ which can currently be downloaded free from:
www.vtsoftware.co.uk. This is a straight forward accounting package which is entirely adequate for running business accounts and which will integrate seamlessly with a full blown accountants management package.

Also a good solid mail server for a small network called VPOP3 from http://www.pscs.co.uk/ (Paul Smith Computer Services), it works, you can bolt on a spam filter which also works and hierarchically sorts mail for you, similarly you can bolt on anti-virus software to vet incoming mail.

I found these three through trial and error against bigger branded products. I commend them as three British programs worthy of promotion - the do what they say on the box . . .

Thanks

Paul Hooper

Posted by dgriffin on February 2, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)