Some comments on need, use and installation.
Although this is not a normal theme for these lists, the issue is important for
most of us and has not been as important since the upgrade to XP in 2001, six
years ago.
Some small threads of clues may therefore be helpful in the labyrinth.
Although Office 2007 definitely is better, it is far from a must - for most us.
VISTA: The few new tools (poor in many cases) are not worth the slower speed, less flexible interface, and lack of interoperability with software and hardware. Nice looks is not everything. Better wait for Windows Vienna in 2009, or jump to Apple.
Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................... 2
VISTA........................................................................................................... 2
Going for XP................................................................................................... 3
Office 2007..................................................................................................... 4
Advocating programs........................................................................................ 4
Peripherals.................................................................................................... 5
Final comments:.............................................................................................. 6
Addendum : Office 2007 - versus Open Office............................................................ 6
Perhaps some of you are interested in my experience, which cost me MANY hours
!!! and indeed many weeks - of intense work and very little sleep � however
silly it may seem to waste time on sharpening my secondary tool�.
(- second to my brain that is)
;-)
I have
been off-line for a week due to work with setting up a new PC for work and
setting up the old PC for video recording.
Hardware
My 5 year old machine has an AMD Athlon XP 2400+ processor, 1 GB memory
(PC2700) and 128 Mb graphic memory. I set it up with XP and then stripped XP
with XP lite in order to free space and unload services I did not need.
The clean XP install was 720 mb and the cleaned version (with XPlite)
400 mb. It now records TV programs VERY well. Idle it uses 1% processor
capacity and 135 mb memory. (If you install Microsoft .Net it will take another
100 mb memory)
The new machine for office use has a modest AMD x64 3200+ processor and
the same memory as above - although faster (PC3200). A far better performance.
Upgrading memory with an additional 2 Gb proved to work as additional
high-grade VIAGRA. A splendid result.
I first
tried installing Vista several times.
The clean install was 7100 mb.
Idle it used 11% processor capacity and 350 mb memory.
Furthermore,
- The Vista Windows Explorer interface was not as flexible as in
XP and the "Apply to all folders" did not work.
But on the other hand normally I use a far better file manager: PowerDesk 6 (by www.v-com.com ). It is "utterly superb".
- Some hardware and software did not work with Vista. .- and not all will get a Vista driver, like my C-pen hand scanner.
- The security services is a hassle, and for the first time ever, a "ghosted" image backup of the partition refused to start, several times. Vista insisted I had changed the hardware and the solutions to fix it did not work. Norton Ghost will soon come in a version that fixes the problem, but I prefer the old Ghost 2003 which was the last DOS version, which is twice as fast as the windows version and rock stable. And I am paranoid about doing regular and fast backups ... An alternative is to use a NAS - a external net based RAID backup at the cost of another PC, and without the fireproof security of a separate "ghosted" harddisk in my fireproof garage basement
�- There are also security problems with DVDs.
�- We do get some new services and tools with Vista, but most can be had for free from other sources (like Copernic desktop search, Yahoo widgets). One such tool enables you to see the transfer speed, when you move a file from one disk to another. But I surely can live without that and other such tiny improvements.
Windows Mail is pretty much the same old Outlook Express, although with a new file system. For me the old version works great. The included DVD burner is a joke. Use e.g. Nero. The partition manager is a joke too. Use e.g. Partition Magic.
�In
VISTA, I turned off the graphic stuff to improve speed. VISTA then
looked like "classic windows" (Win95) but speed still lagged behind
XP.
See: Vista UI Is a 'Step Back' for Microsoft (more friction):
www.pcworld.com/article/129410-1/article.html?tk=nl_dnxnws
�- Under the hood VISTA is pretty much the old win95, although with the far more stable ntfs file system (like NT4, win2000 and XP) and with the old device manager and the horrible registry, which soon gets very messy even when you use the best third party registry cleaners.
As you understand I am not so enthusiastic about Vista, and prefer to use XP until eventually Windows Vienna arrives (scheduled for 2009), with the remodelled file system etc. that was planned for Vista. It seems like Microsoft was not able to deliver and had to sell Vista as "a new" OS in order to save face....
Good OS alternatives are of course Windows 2000 (more stable than win98), or Apple OSX and Linux to some degree, like Ubuntu. Linux has it own problems though, like horrible problems as when you try to add a new harddisk.
Perhaps I will consider Vista after two or three years when I upgrade my PC, next time. The described XP setup works better than ever.
�So I concluded that the few new tools are not worth the slower speed, less flexible interface and lack of interoperability with software and hardware, and with all the office programs I use, the PC slows down considerably!!! after a clean install.
�I therefore (like the video recorder) set it up with XP and then stripped XP with XPlite www.litepc.com �in order to free space and unload services I did not need. One should, however, be very careful in removing services since everything will not work afterwards (like the fax service, if you remove the phone dialer). They can however be reinstalled quickly , but it is often not so obvious precisely what should be reinstalled. Better do this after a backup of a full install.
Although I started with a XP sp2 January 2007 version, I also tried Autopatcher www.autopatcher.com with complete update packages, similar to Microsoft�s Service packs, but released monthly. Loading all the updates made XP perform as bad (slow) as Vista. The updates were e.g. Messenger Live, Internet Explorer 7 (but 6 was more flexible and Opera and Firefox are better than IE7) and security (which I get elsewhere). So I dumped the Autopatcher upgrade to XP, since I can do al I need + speed with the leaner version. Better do this after a backup of a full install.
�With
loads of programs and Office 2007 the (normal) full XP install is 6500
mb (my old was 17 Gb when doing the same). Idle it used below 1% processor
capacity and 250 Mb memory. (Far less than a clean Vista install).
�Imagine the speed difference.
I then tried a full Autopatcher update once again (Feb. 2007 version) and this time, for some odd reason, it now� was satisfied with using 0-1% processor capacity and 233 mb memory. Doing this a third time gave me the first bad results, probably due to some program changes that I did not include the second time.
I then updated
the memory to 3 Gb and experienced a true boost in speed. Updating the processor
from AMD 3200 to dual core to 4800 will probably repeat this boost in
performance (43 % boost according to specifications). However, upgrading should
not be done this way: There is more to be had for the money by upgrading the
full package: Processor, memory AND motherboard.
�
This is quite another story, although some programs cannot communicate
with Office 2007, like Acrobat Writer, but there will soon be a patch.
The interface and user friendliness with the new flexible "top of the screen" bars are a big improvement.
Outlook in particular has had a much needed face lift and is better, but it still uses the old file system from Exchange which makes it VERY slow if you use it for email.
The program does not occupy more space than the old.
�However, I can do practically everything just as well with my old Office 2003 and Office XP and Office 1997. Creative work is more important that these upgrades.
However, OneNote 2003 is a truly great program. OneNote 2007 has removed a few bugs, but like Publisher, Infopath and Picture Manager it has the old 2003 interface.
�So, although Office 2007 definitely is better, it is far from a must - unless your are in a business environment that can make use of its far greater opportunities for a communication and a common web-based workspace, with Outlook and Groove (which Microsoft just bought, as usual).
I strongly advocate these:
Spamfilter
Mailwasher Pro: www.firetrust.com
(Deletes spam on the mail server before they are downloaded to your computer.)
Maintenance
and configuration
System Mechanic: www.iolo.com
WinXPmanager: http://yamicsoft.com/
X-setup: www.x-setup.net
Order
Powerdesk: www.v-com.com (file administration, synchronisation,
compression etc.)
Quickrun : www.partridgesoft.com/
(administer shortcuts from your taskbar)
Bookcat: www.fnprg.com/bookcat/
(organise books)
Search
Copernic Desktopsearcher: www.copernic.com (gives you full control)
Locate32: http://locate32.webhop.org
Word
translator
Clue : www.clue-international.com/�
OCR �
text scanning:
ABBYY Finereader� www.abbyy.com��
Backup:
WinRar : www.winrar.com
(more options & better compression than Winzip)
Handy Backup: www.handybackup.com/
(backup to harddisk, DVD or FTP)
Symantec Ghost (imaging program): I prefer the older Ghost 2003 version that
has to be run from DOS, since it is twice as fast as the Windows version and
rock stable - you can download the tiny ghost.exe file here: www.arno.daastol.com/files/
(- along with the viewer program Ghostex.exe� )
Hand scanning of quotes : C-pen 20 www.cpen.com�
A 4x6
inches small pen tablet for Mouse operations that are very repetitive
(like highlighting text in documents), or require high precision, like:
Wacom : www.wacom.com/productinfo/index.cfm
or: Acecat Flair www.acecat.co.kr
Keyboard:
Logitech Comfort keyboard (split keyboard to provide better ergonomics)
www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/NO/EN,CRID=2162,CONTENTID=11986
Mouse : Logitech Trackball mouse. www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/NO/EN,CRID=2150,CONTENTID=5006
The keyboard and mouse are a little expensive ($ 80 each ?) but rescued me from "mouse disease". It takes you 2 days to get used to the mouse. I carved out an oval small area of the middle of the keyboard in order to make room for the mouse just in front of me. Then I don't have to move my arm much repetitiously. A financial problem is that the keyboard comes with an obligatory standard mouse, (which I use for the old computer. (- I use a switch that enables me to use the same keyboard and screen for both PCs, but this technology doesn�t work as well for cordless mice).
�
Make sure to get the harddisk partitioned so that you documents are not on the same partition as the programs, in case you have to install the operation system again) �And do remember to backup your documents often.... with DVDs, external harddisks or more expensive alternatives like RAID-based NAS.
�
Addendum : Office 2007 - versus Open Office�
Peter Spengler advised me to have a look at www.OpenOffice.org�
which is a free and �open source� program. I have �tried
and scrapped Open Office on earlier occasions but will give it a new
try.
Since Open Office and Microsoft Office are perhaps the two most important
programs for most academics, I will �waste� some hours on it.
Conclusion
�
Since Peter mentioned it, I downloaded the new version (2.1) and was pleasantly surprised, but since several special functions that are important to me in Word and Excel are missing in OpenOffice, I will stick with Microsoft Office. Microsoft is in fact just as fast as OpenOffice, but does demand 5 times more space.
The functions available reflect a focus on the academic community with Open Office, rather than a focus on the business community with Microsoft.
Besides there is the very experienced and reliable WordPerfect option.
More comprehensive reviews are available on the web
Corel WordPerfect Office X3 Standard Edition: www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1912412,00.asp
� although some of the BELOW articles deal with Office 2003 - and OpenOffice 2.0 and not 2.1, they are nevertheless valid in the large. They do NOT deal with the issues I experienced and which made me choose Microsoft:
Open Office 2.0 Kicks
MS Office Around the Block (December 7th, 2005:)
www.realtechnews.com/posts/1705
Microsoft Office (2003) vs. OpenOffice.org (March 28, 2006):
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/software/page4765.cfm
Debrief And Defend: Open Office 2.0 Vs Office 2007 (Jan 2007):
http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?&compid=26018&docid=278463
Details
Writer versus Word
The option of free dictionaries in a WIDE variety is a sharp contrast to the costly and therefore limited availability of these in Microsoft Office.
�
The speed of launch was at first 5 times faster than Microsoft programs, but not quite as you will see below.
Writer launches in seven seconds, and in less than one second when it is continually present in the task bar as Quickstarter, without being a break on the general performance. Quickstarter only uses a meagre 20 mb memory and no visible processor resources. Opening Writer does not increase this.
�
Opening a large 200 page document with Word goes slowly as it drains processor resources , but thereafter Word uses less memory resources than Writer (ca. 40 against 60).
�
However, if you remove the 'add-ons' that other companies add to e.g. Word (like Acrobat, PDF-Converter, Paperport or FineReader) then Word launches faster than Writer, four seconds initially and one second thereafter.
�
The included export function for pdf (or LaTex, BinTax, Xhtml)� is great and give you many more export options than Office (which you need to install manually and it is only available for Office 2007). OpenOffice can import and export from many more files types than MS Office. (Note that WordPerfect X3 can even import PDF files for editing).
The �Highlight� function is more awkward than in Words. In Writer you have to click the icon every time you want to use it. In Word you omit this repetition by double clicking the icon once.
In Writer, I miss the important option of "Document Map" (in Word, but we get Navigator by pushing F5 (or go to File / Navigator) then click Headings, and double click the chapters. This is awkward than Word ('Document Map'), but similarly Writer will from then on open instantly with the Navigator window on the side.
�
Unfortunately, even this function does not work well with Writer (it works only in a few documents), nor does it work to double click a chapter in the index table.� Perhaps the Headings I have made over the years are not recognized as easily as in Word. For me this is a considerable drawback.
�
Besides, the Navigator window then keeps popping up in other OpenOffice programs as well, like Spreadsheet. - And, if you close it in the Spreadsheet, Navigator won't show automatically in Writer.
Calc versus Excel
�
Both the spreadsheet program Calc and the presentation program Impress look nice and have the same functions as far as I can see at a glance!
After trying Calc for simple matters, I noticed one function in Calc that does not work well: When linking cells in different workbooks and you change one (independent) �master� cell, the (dependent) slave cell will not be upgraded. In fact my links were deleted and had to be set up again (linking VAT tax payment with monthly expenses). This is a serious flaw. But perhaps this programming is done in a different way in Calc than in Excel? Until I find out, I cannot use Calc.
Other parts of Office
The functions available reflect a focus on the academic community rather than the business community which is focused by Microsoft.
There is no Contacts/Calendar option, nor Publisher or OneNote, but in �exchange you get Draw and Math.
To compensate for the lack of Outlook, you can use e.g. Mozilla-Sunbird (Calendar) which lacks many functions, like repetitive events. And instead of Windows Mail (Outlook Express) or Office Outlook you can use e.g. Eudora or Mozilla Thunderbird, which are slightly better than the free Microsoft products, but simpler than Office Outlook (which happens to use a very ancient and therefore slow file system). Unfortunately these alternatives lack some backup options (e.g. for mail filter!) available with third party products like WinXPmanager or HandyBackup.
Good luck !
Arno