[The Restart Page]

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/29/improvements-in-windows-explorer.aspx

For anyone else who has been following the Windows 8 development (probably no one reading this article, sigh forever a geek), it has been interesting seeing the change in their design paradigm toward a more touch driven UI (user interface). This change in design is primarily to unify the OS experience across all hardware platforms (PC, tablet, and phone), and I can’t argue with them, this makes sense. Apple is doing this with iOS and OSX, particularly with the latest version of OSX, where they brought over many UI elements from iOS over to OSX. Windows Phone 7, at least in my opinion, has an extremely successful UI design, and it makes sense for Microsoft to bring over some of that clean, information friendly design over to the desktop OS as well.

In this Windows 8 unveil video you can see Microsoft demo a new dashboard type interface which is very similar to the Metro UI used in Windows Phone 7. This dashboard has live tiles like in Windows Phone 7 providing live information about weather, email, stocks, etc. at a glance, which is nice. And no, the entire OS doesn’t look like this, you can hide this dashboard and see your desktop like normal, so don’t start panicking about how different it is.

The problem I see with all of this is that the way users interact with a touch device is very different then how users interact using a mouse and keyboard. For example, for those of you who have used an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, have you noticed that to scroll down on a screen you push up, but on a desktop or laptop you pull the scroll bar down? In fact, in the latest version of OSX (Lion) Apple changed the default scroll method to a touch-interface like mode. Unsurprisingly this confused the hell out of many people after upgrading to Lion, but fortunately you can switch back to a more traditional desktop like scroll method in the preferences. Also, on a phone or tablet type device there is limited screen real estate, and generally fingers are pudgier and less accurate than a cursor, so on screen buttons need to be bigger, and layouts need to be finger friendly. Whereas most modern desktops and laptops have screen resolution galore, and for the most part we use a mouse or trackpad to interface with the computer which means that big spaced out buttons may not be the best design choice.

What does all of this have to do with the original link that I posted above, not a whole lot really. The article briefly mentions that the ribbon is more touch friendly than dropdown menus, which I agree with. But other than that the changes to Explorer in Windows 8 don’t really have anything to do with the last 3 paragraphs that I just wrote. The point is that this is what happens when your train of thought derails and rerails (rerails?) while writing the same article.

Chances are that you have more favorites that you want quick access to, but they get pushed off the bookmarks bar because the titles are too long.

Good news everyone! There is a way to shorten the titles, or in some cases even remove the titles altogether to compact the favorite link, and thus making more room for favorites on the bookmarks bar.

In Google Chrome, simply right-click on the bookmark and click Edit in the pop-up menu. Here you can either rename the bookmark or eliminate the title entirely. Here is what the Gmail favorite looks like with a shortened title, and without a title.

And here is what my  bookmarks bar looks like with more titles removed. In some cases the icon may be generic, or may not be distinctive enough for you to recognize what it is without the title, in this case the American Express icon is a bit too generic and I might forget what it’s for if I completely remove the title. Or if the website doesn’t have a distinctive favorite icon you might just see the generic browser shortcut icon.

Chrome bookmarks bar

Other browsers have the ability to edit or shorten the bookmark favorites. In Firefox, right-click on the bookmark and select Properties. Here you can edit or delete the name.

Firefox - bookmark properties window

Internet Explorer is somewhat limited in its favorite bar customization. Here you can only select, Long titles, Short titles, or Icons only. Here in this screenshot you can see the long titles. In Internet Explorer, right-click on a bookmark, click Custom title widths, then choose your option.

Internet Explorer 9 favorites bar

And here is the Internet Explorer favorites bar with Short titles, and Icons only.

Ok, in all seriousness, it is not necessary to use the AOL desktop software. If you still have an @aol.com email address, you can access your email by going to webmail.aol.com. In the past the AOL desktop software has been notorious for being heavy, cluttered, and at times conflicted with other software like PDF readers, and anti-virus software. Modern Internet browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer 9 are good, lightweight browsers that will provide a secure browsing experience without all the in-your-face clutter of the AOL desktop.

You can play it here, chrome.angrybirds.com; but don’t click this link if you plan to get anything done today.

I’ve been beta testing this for the past couple of months, and honestly I am pretty impressed. It took a little bit of adjusting to get the motions down, but once I did, creating emails, and manipulating messages was never easier. Watch the videos to get an idea of how Gmail Motion works.

In a word – amazing.

The idea for World Backup Day was conceived by a reddit user, and soon the idea spread with other redditors joining in and creating an official World Backup Day website, an official twitter account @worldbackupday, and #worldbackupday hashtag. Several tech blogs (Lifehacker, GigaOM, ReadWriteWeb, Engadget) have featured World Backup Day to help spread the word.

The WBD website provides information about why you should backup, how to backup, and also has partnered with several online backup providers for a chance to win free storage, yay!

So, seriously, no more excuses, do it, do it now.

[reddit]

I am not sure exactly when Microsoft made the change, but here is what the Microsoft Security Essentials website looked like in February 2011.

MSE website Feb 2011

And here is what their website looks like now, at least as of March 30, 2011.

MSE website Mar 2011

In fact, Brandon called me to verify that the MSE website was legit, and that the computer he was working on wasn’t still infected and redirecting the browser to a phishing site.

I suppose in the grand scheme of things, this change really isn’t a big deal. The problem I see is that Microsoft so far has done an excellent job with Microsoft Security Essentials. It is a fast, lightweight, accurate and free anti-virus software, which is, or at least was well on its way to building a strong identity and reputation of trust. Part of building that user trust is an easily recognizable brand, which can be easily identifiable as genuine. Understandably we visit this website significantly more than the average user, so while the change was drastic to us, it may not be to the average user.

This is not to say that other anti-virus software companies don’t ever update their websites. Symantec, McAfee, ESET, AVG, etc, have all gone through their various website refreshes. The difference is that those websites kept some sort of theme constant to their core brand, whether it be the color scheme, typeface, or logo. In the case of the MSE rebrand, there is nothing similar to the old site, save for the typical Microsoft pictures of people looking like their are enjoying the Microsoft product.

This rant of a post shouldn’t take away from the fact that MSE really is a good anti-virus software. We use it on a regular basis, and so far has served us well. And again, despite my strong feelings about this redesign, in the grand scheme of things, this brand refresh is just a small hiccup for an otherwise successful Microsoft product.

First turn off your computer. Chances are that if you are still using a ball mouse, it has a PS/2 connector (round plug with pins), which requires that the computer be shut off when plugging/unplugging the mouse.

Next assemble your cleaning tools. Here I have a bent paper clip, a pen, and a craft knife. You pretty much only need one, so you can use whatever pointy object you happen to have lying around.

To take out the ball, you need to twist the cover plate, then turn the mouse over, and the cover plate and ball should drop right out.

Inside you will see 2 long rollers and 1 small white roller. You probably see some gunk built up on the rollers, this is what needs to be cleaned off.

Very, very carefully run your pointy object along the roller to remove the gunk. Do not try to pry out the rollers, as this will surely break your mouse.

After you scrubbed the gunk off you can blow it out with compressed air, or just turn the mouse over and tap on the mouse to let the dirt fall out.

Reassemble your mouse by placing the ball in, put the cover on and twist to lock it. Plug your mouse back into the computer (while powered off) and turn the computer on.

Enjoy your clean mouse with nice smooth tracking action.

Before we go any further, please DO NOT stick your keyboard in the dishwasher, or submerge it in any other way, shape, form or fashion. A keyboard may seem resilient, but let me assure you that spilling enough water on a keyboard will break it.

First assemble some basic cleaning supplies: Paper towel (or microfiber cloth), compressed air, and a mild household cleaner (I like Simplegreen).

Next, remove the batteries from the keyboard if it’s wireless, or unplug it from the computer if it’s USB. If you have an old style PS/2 (round plug with pins) keyboard, you need to turn your computer off first before unplugging it.

Then turn the keyboard upside down (keys facing the ground) or tilt it on end (shown below) and use short bursts of compressed air to blow out any dirt, dust, crumbs, hair, and other nasties. You probably want to do this outside or over a trashcan. If you have never cleaned your keyboard, it might be pretty bad. Don’t use a vacuum to do this, there generally isn’t enough precise sucking power to get the grime out, and you might inadvertently suck up a key.

Finally, use a paper towel or microfiber cloth, spray some cleaner on the towel and gently, GENTLY, wipe down the keys. Be very careful not to rub too hard and snag the corner of a key, or you may pop off the key and end up having to purchase a new keyboard anyway. Also, do not spray the cleaner directly on the keyboard, always apply cleaner to the towel.

That’s pretty much it. Put the batteries back in, or plug the USB cable back into the computer and enjoy your freshly cleaned keyboard. This can also be applied to your mouse, which probably hasn’t ever been cleaned either.