Windows Vista's stupid, tiny, little, hard-to-use, but transparent(!) windows.

According to my "System Information", Windows Vista is the 6th major version of Windows. According to Wikipedia, Windows is about 23 years old. And based on my own personal experience, I know that both environment variables and printers predate Windows.

So, can someone explain to me how 23 years and 6 versions later, this is the best Microsoft can do for an environment variable editor?



Neither the environment variable list window, nor the editor are resizable. The maximum size of the value of an environment variable is somewhere between 2048, 8192 or possibly unlimited in certain cases under Vista. But at most we're able to see maybe 40 characters at a time.

Command line junkies may be wondering why I don't just set it with setx. Well, first of all, setx is no marvel of good command design. Second, for most people it isn't even an option without downloading an extra support kit from Microsoft. Luckily(?) with Vista, it's now included. But where a GUI exists, should it at least not be AS useful as the command line? Or preferably better? It's not impossible (see TortoiseSVN). At the very least, it should be resizable. But I know, these windows were probably built with MFC or possibly something even older. The source is probably one of those pieces of code that new developers are afraid to touch and for which the original author has long retired (or quit and moved to Google).

It's clear this window is old. It looks older than Keith Richards would if cast in the role of Neo in the Matrix movies. "Red pill or blue pill? F@ck it, I'll take both. Get that Tank guy to load me up a Vicodin and Jack program while you're at it."

Come on guys. If this was the only example I encountered tonight (errr...at 1:00 in the morning), I may not have bothered taking the time to whinge here at you all. But no, twice in one night it hit me. This time while adding a new printer...



To give you an idea of how incredibly stupid this Window is, let me just say: Why the hell isn't there a free text search box on this screen? Perhaps so I can just type "LaserJet 1012" and have it find the printer (or in this case NOT find it). But no, in order to NOT find my printer in the list, I have to scroll through 14 pages of manufacturers and 100 PAGES of printer models in the HP printer list alone.

Take note Microsoft: This is where Google is beating you -- no, not in printer dialog boxes. In the details that matter!

My screen has over 1.7 million pixels. Please allow me to use them all, in every possible case.

My favourite Penryn MBP feature ...

A Letter to XBox Live

Dear XBox Live...

This is more of a comment than a request. No response is necessary, unless you intend to actually sell anything on XBox Live. Although I'm sure the world is teeming with masses of morons who will still make you a healthy profit. However, I recall basic math from elementary school and therefore know how to divide.

The prices of XBox Originals on XBox live are completely whacked. Fable for example, is 1200 points, which equals $18.60 CAD. I can buy this game (even the Lost Chapters extended version) for $12.00 -- regular price -- from local retailers. And I even get a disc, so I don't have to worry about filling up my dinky little 20GB hard drive. BTW: Where the hell do you even find these 20GB hard drives? Refurbs from 1995?

If you plan on actually selling these games, they have to be CHEAPER than their retail counterparts.

That is unless you're solely targeting the ultra-gamer who is now beyond any hope of actually leaving the couch and whose ability to divide is limited only to how many handfuls of Doritos they can get out of a bag to determine how many bags they'll need to make it through Fable in a single sitting!

I also find it totally ridiculous that you sell point packs in multiples of 500, but sell games in multiples of 400, making it a mathematical chore to figure out how I can actually spend them all. Again, preying on the brain mashed couch potatoes. They have rights too!

I recommend you lower the price of the game or, even better, the points; and sell the packs in multiples that match how I spend them. Or here's a novel concept.... LET ME USE REAL MONEY!!! Oh wait, then you would lose control of the value of your fantasy currency...I get it.

I'm off to buy the $12.00 version this time.

Thanks for listening.

Clinton

No Mac for Me

Apple doesn't make a Mac for me. Seriously, there are aspects of each that I love, but also some that I hate. Here's what I want:

Screen Size

MBP is too big, yes, I enjoy compact. MB is actually not bad, I'll take a good 13.3 over a 15.4, but the problem with the MB is the screen actually sucks bad. We tried watching a movie on my sister's MB and only the person sitting directly in front of it could see it correctly.

I want: 14.1" WSXGA 1440 x 900 LED backlit screen. Quality of the MBP/MBA, not the crap MB screen.

Hard Drive

Is it impossible to put a 7200RPM drive in the MB? No, I could do it myself. But I'd rather not rip open my Mac the day I get it.

I want: 200GB+ 7200RPM drive.

CPU

I want: 2.6GHz Penryn. There's no reason Apple couldn't put it in the MB. Dell puts it in the M1330, which is similar in size.

Video

Honestly, I don't really care, as long as it runs OSX and related iLife/iWork stuff well, and Windows Vista Aero for the odd dual-boot .NET development. Whoops, I guess I suddenly care. :-) But I think even Vista Aero runs fine on a X3100, so that should be fine. It's not like I can play GAMES on a Mac or anything....

I want: X3100 will do if it means it can meet my price point

Memory

I WANT TO NOT BE RIPPED OFF!!!! WTF... seriously, there's a $400 difference between what Apple charges for a 4GB upgrade and what Dell charges. Both claim 667 MHz. Apple isn't the only one playing this game, Sony charges about $200 more than Dell. Seriously...these companies are on glue.

I want: 0GB. That's right. Send me the laptop I'll put my own memory in. I don't trust that these companies are capable of being fair about it. So much for not ripping it apart on day one!

Audio

I'm not sure it matters anymore. But I want hardware. Not software emulated crap. Just because I have a multicore CPU doesn't mean you get to use one to process audio. We're talking about $12 worth of chips. Come on.

I want: Hardware Audio, stereo speakers that don't suck.

Features

I want everything the MBP has. It's about time companies stop making me choose if I want wi-fi, bluetooth, USB ports, Firewire, multi-card readers, DVD+/-RW...etc. If the laptop doesn't have these things, why bother making it?

I want: It all.

Warranty

I want: A warranty that covers everything for 3 years other than my own negligence and all that act of god stuff. If you want to exclude the hard drive and the optical drive due to moving parts, fine (1 year). But if you're telling me I shouldn't expect more than a year out of the general circuitry and build quality of the chassis, then I don't want your product. How is it that my car - that has far more moving parts that are more likely to go wrong - has a longer warranty at no extra cost? Maybe they're lying to me and including it in the price. But fine, it makes me feel better. Include it in your price as long as it meets my next requirement...

Price

I want it for: $2000. If you're going to make it in China and pay workers $2 / hour. I want some of your savings forwarded on. Otherwise, pay them more or build it in the country you live in and I'd be happy to foot the bill for a $3000 laptop. But not to buy Jobs another Mercedes. The MB is actually pretty fairly priced. But the MBP is outrageous.

Summary

14.1" WSXGA 1440 x 900
200GB 7200RPM drive
Intel 2.6GHz Penryn
Intel X3100+
0GB (BYORAM) -- unless they can give me 4GB fairly
DVD+/-RW
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, Firewire, multi-card reader
Hardware audio, stereo speakers
$2000

My credit card is waiting.

Quickbooks: Here is your reminder to....

Thank you QuickBooks. I have no idea how I would have gotten through the day without this reminder. Some validation would have been nice here, either upon creating a reminder with no action, or at the point of deciding whether it was worth bothering me with a popup with nothing in it. It would have been nice to have some heuristic like

• "What is the liklihood that this alert will be unhelpful and only serve to stress our customer out?", or
  
• "Is there a possibility the customer would be better off without this reminder?"

Remind me again in one week? Definitely.