Tip of the day: Get the ultimate list of Microsoft keyboard shortcuts

You say you hate to take your hands off the keyboard to click the mouse? Then you’ll love this master list of keyboard shortcuts covering a long, long list of Microsoft products, including Internet Explorer 6 and nearly every program in the Office 2000, Office XP, and Office 2003 families. If you use Windows XP Media Center Edition, be sure to get this one.

Today’s clinic in bad journalism

Here’s why I don’t trust or recommend BetaNews. Nate Mook of BetaNews writes an outrageously bad lede to a story on the Google toolbar this morning:

In a marketing tactic used primarily by spyware and adware companies, Google has begun bundling its Google Toolbar and Desktop Search software with the popular WinZip archive utility. The move comes as Google begins to expand its bundling effort with a number of leading software applications. [emphasis added]

WinZip quietly updated its download executable last week, which now weighs in at close to 4MB with the added Google tools. Users are given the opportunity to opt out of installing the Google software on the first WinZip setup screen; by default the tools are installed.

Good lord, I can’t even begin to count how many unwarranted innuendos are in this story. For starters, when you kick off the story by comparing the two companies involved to spyware and adware companies, you create an impression in the reader’s mind that is difficult to overcome. Mike at Techdirt calls bullshit on this story:

[T]he details don’t support the charge. It’s clearly displayed in the setup screen and it lets people choose not to install the bundled apps. Also, the purpose of the apps aren’t obfuscated by misleading language. It’s not a spyware tactic by any means — but the fact that so many spyware offerings use similar, if more underhanded, tactics means that such bundling is always going to be looked at suspiciously.

Here’s the screen that pops up during the installation of the evaluation version of WinZip 9.0:

Google__winzip_setup

Now, it’s true that you might see a similar-looking dialog box when you install a program that bundles spyware or adware. Except in those cases the intent is typically to mislead, and the bundled software often performs functions (such as displaying pop-up ads) that are not disclosed or are hidden in a license agreement deliberately written to confuse. For that matter, many bundled spyware and adware programs are downloaded without the user’s consent. But none of that is true here. This isn’t spyware. It does a good job of providing disclosure and asking consent (although I’d prefer that the default be off with the user being required to click yes or no to the installation of these two items). The bundled software doesn’t do anything that is remotely like spyware or adware. But none of those details are in the BetaNews story.

It gets worse. Here are a few more examples of loaded phrases, later in the story:

Google did not respond by press time to inquires about whether such a distribution approach could be seen as questionable from a company that boasts its ability to “make money without doing evil.” …

Unlike its rivals, Google does not have the ability to push its search tools via established software products…

But Google isn’t the only company resorting to bundling. Yahoo recently inked a deal to offer its Yahoo! Toolbar with Macromedia Flash and Adobe’s Acrobat Reader – both essential downloads for most computer users.

Let’s review: According to BetaNews, Google is “pushing” its software through “a marketing tactic used primarily by spyware and adware companies.” And to compete with Microsoft and Yahoo it has had to “resort” to this desperate bundling strategy, despite its “boasts” of not being evil. Can you blame Google for not responding when BetaNews asked them an obviously loaded question?

This is a great opportunity to discuss the nature of software bundling. As Techdirt notes, there’s a lot of room for confusion when bundling is involved. Users who have been trained to be suspicious of every unsolicited offer (for good reason) should be suspicious here. But a good journalist provides information that can help the reader figure out the real story, not throw more suspicion into the mix through sloppy reporting and inflammatory language.

And if a journalist is going to accuse a company of using unsavory tactics, it helps if they review their own standards and practices first. BetaNews uses Google AdSense ads (full disclosure: so do I). Ironically, this story is accompanied by a Google AdSense ad that links to Hotbar.com, which is identified in the Computer Associates Spyware Information Center as adware that includes a downloader and a search hijacker. (If that ad happens to appear on this page, I apologize. Please don’t click it.) Here’s a screen capture from the BetaNews story.

Google_ad_betanews

By the way, BetaNews uses a technology called IntelliTXT from Vibrant Media, which places ads directly in editorial content. This story contains a reference to Google’s rival MSN Messenger, which in turn links to an IntelliTXT ad that offers (I could have said “pushes”) Microsoft’s LiveMeeting software. I found this story through a link at The Office Weblog. I think Jason Calacanis, who owns the network that includes that blog, had the best description of this advertising technique: “The only publishers that will use this software are a) desperate ones, b) ones without ethics or c) people who make a mistake.” Ouch!

Media Center Extender bargains

Tim Coyle posted a review of his HP x5400 Media Center Extender. His conclusions are generally positive, with the exception of some networking issues. (And Microsoft’s Matt Goyer explains that those might have been avoided if Tim had chosen hardware from the compatibility list.)

I’ve been using a Linksys Media Center Extender since last December. It works great and has really changed the way we listen to music and watch TV. I was able to justify the high price tag (SRP $299, discounted to $259) because I write about this technology, but most people can’t use that excuse.

In passing, Tim notes that Hewlett-Packard has discontinued making the extenders. He speculates that this decision was because they aren’t selling well, although Matt says that’s not so. I suspect the real reason is that HP is reorganizing its PC division and wants to concentrate on business machines and notebooks instead of low-margin consumer devices. And as Thomas Hawk points out, the imminent arrival of the xBox 360, which will include Media Center Extender features, has probably dried up the market as well.

Anyway, HP’s loss could be your gain. Try searching Froogle for x5400 extender and you’ll see some nice close-out deals on new units and demo models ($200 and $180, respectively). If the price has put you off, this might be a buying opportunity. (Disclaimer: I’ve never purchased anything from TechExcess, so I can’t recommend them. Their profile at Reseller Ratings is acceptable, but it’s based on very limited data. Caveat emptor.)

Sometimes it’s best to just start over

Brian Krebs writes about his experience trying to clean up a PC that was infested with malware:

I just spent nearly seven hours doing emergency surgery on a Windows PC that belongs to a dear, longtime friend. The experience was so harrowing that I decided to blog it.

Been there, done that. And never again. Here’s a partial list of what Brian found:

The user had not installed any Windows updates since mid-2003 (so, obviously, no Service Pack 2).
Antivirus software was installed but hadn’t been updated for months.
An Ad-Aware scan found three pages of “scary-looking toolbars, start-page hijackers and pop-up generators.”
Spybot S&D refused to download updates.
The machine was infected with CoolWebSearch.
EZ Anti-Virus found 38 threats, “including several very serious computer worms and viruses.”
And so on and on and on…

Brian could have spent seven days trying to clean up this computer and not been successful. I can practically guarantee that despite his well-intentioned efforts, this computer is still compromised. If you ever encounter a PC with even a fraction of the symptoms displayed in this case, the solution is simple:

Back up as much data as you can.
Reformat the hard drive.
Reinstall Windows with all current security patches.
Reinstall all software.

It would have taken much less than seven hours, and he would have been certain that the effort was worth it. Trying to clean up a machine that is “owned” by someone else – in this case, by many others – is an exercise in futility. Don’t bother.

Tip of the day: Restore a lost window

Every so often, I discover that a window has decided it doesn’t want to appear on my desktop anymore. Its taskbar button is still there, but clicking it doesn’t bring the window to the foreground, and the right-click menu doesn’t do any good either. In my case, this happens most often when I’ve changed desktop resolutions or switched from multiple-monitors to a single-monitor setup.

If you know how to work the keyboard, you can bring back the lost window. Here’s how:

Click the lost window’s taskbar button to give it the focus.
Press Alt_Spacebar. This keyboard shortcut opens the Control menu, which normally drops down from the top left corner of any window.
Press M – the keyboard shortcut for the Move option on this menu.
Tap any arrow key to begin moving the lost window around. (Don’t skip this step.)
Continue using the arrow keys or use the mouse to move the window back onto the main desktop. The mouse will not work until you’ve used at least one arrow key.)
When the window is in the correct position, press Escape or click the left mouse button to stop moving it.
If the window appears ultra-small, with none of its contents visible, click and drag the right and bottom borders to make the window the correct size.

Doug Klippert published a similar tip the other day. By coincidence, this same topic has been on my list for some time.

Josh Marshall loves his Tablet PC

Last year, political reporter Joshua Micah Marshall asked for advice on whether he should buy a Tablet PC or not. A lot of people (including me) e-mailed him with advice, encouragement, and specific recommendations. Based on that feedback, Josh bought a Motion Computing 1400. Yesterday, with a brief apology to his readers for the off-topic post, he reported on the results:

So how did it go?

Well, in so many words, the technology more than exceeded my expectations. And that’s probably both a comment on the particular hardware I bought and the state of the technology in general. Over the last four or fives months mine has become completely integrated into almost all the work I do. And I can’t imagine not using one.

Having used one for more almost half a year now, I’m actually quite surprised that the technology hasn’t been more widely adopted — a factor, I suspect, of computer economics which I’ll try to touch on in another post.

I don’t think I’d ever want to have a Tablet PC as my only computer. When I write at length I almost always use a keyboard. I’m writing on a desktop with a keyboard right now, for instance. The simple fact is that I can write a lot faster on a keyboard than I can with pen and paper. So when I’m writing a post or working on an article I usually use the keyboard. But for taking notes on a phone conversation or while I’m reading a book or an article or for editing my own writing, I now invariably use the Tablet.

One question I had before I got one is just how well it would be able to read my handwriting. If I had to stylize my handwriting in a particular way or write super-neatly, then that would defeat the purpose. In practice, though, the handwriting recognition is almost amazingly good. I don’t have the worst hand-writing in the world. But my script is certainly not neat. And it can accurately interpret pretty much everything I write — without my making any particular effort to write slowly or legibly.

And the key thing is the computer can quite easily search through your hand-written text for a particular word or combination of words. That for me was really the key, reams of handwritten notes that my computer can search through in a split second.

Here, for instance, is an example from the notes I took for the review I wrote of David McCullough’s new book 1776 in The New Yorker. This is probably neater than my normal note-taking handwriting. But stuff that’s far more of a scrawl the thing can easily get through.

The other thing I find the Tablet most useful for is editing my own posts or columns. In the past I would always have to print them out and then work over them with a pen. Now I just do it all on the Tablet.

“The technology more than exceeded my expectations.”

“I can’t imagine not using one.”

“The handwriting recognition is almost amazingly good.”

Those are the kinds of reactions people have when they actually get a chance to use a Tablet PC for any length of time, especially when their work involves lots of note-taking. I probably use the tablet features on my Tablet PC about 10% of the time. But when I do, those features are indispensable. Josh doesn’t mention what software he uses, but I suspect it’s Microsoft OneNote 2003. And if you haven’t tried it yet, Josh, then be prepared for another very pleasant experience. Using OneNote (with the Service Pack 1 Update, which fixed many bugs and performance glitches) is just a pleasure. It works pretty well on a conventional desktop computer, but it really shines on a Tablet PC.

Oh, and Josh’s new group blog, TPM Cafe, is filled with smart ideas and great writing. Highly recommended.

Comments and conversations

Mark Cuban talks with CNN:

One of the great things, and the key, really, I think, to a successful blog is that you have to be brutally honest. You can’t do CEO speak, you can’t do annual reports speak, because people in the blogosphere and your readers are just going to see right through it. … And particularly if you have a blog that allows comments. Because if you allow comments, and you’re just talking nonsense or just talking around a subject, you’re just going to get ripped to pieces in the comments. And it will act as a magnet for people who aren’t going to help your product or aren’t going to help your cause at all. So you have to be very careful. …

I’ll tell you one other thing that’s really critical in a blog that I have really learned from in my blog, the user comments. If you — when you come out and say something in a regular media, there’s not really an interactive discussion about what you have just discussed or talked about. On a blog, if I write something, whether it’s about business, whether it’s about the Mavericks, whether it’s about technology, one of the cool things is I know out of all of those hundreds of thousands of readers someone might disagree with me and really might have a better perspective on the topic than I do.

Exactly. Which is why I really, really welcome comments here. Even when a commenter disagrees with what I’ve written. Especially when they disagree.

Grass roots versus astroturf

According to ActiveWin, Microsoft has launched a new Windows community site called The Hive:

On June 9th, Microsoft, together with key community leaders, announced the beta launch of “The Hive,” an online site dedicated to helping online group leaders, bloggers and other community website owners who focus on consumer information regarding Windows, Windows applications, and technical issues.

In an accompanying interview, Josh Levine, Group Product Manager for the Windows Client Community Group, says:

The Hive is designed to be a resource where online group leaders, bloggers and site owners can connect with one another and find the latest information on Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft consumer products critical to their readers or group members. The site is sponsored by 15 of the leading Windows community websites in conjunction with Microsoft Windows. …

Individuals who own or lead a consumer group, blog, or community focused website can participate in The Hive. Right now, The Hive is limited to online community leaders with at least 50 members in their community. This ensures that participants are seen as authorities on Windows who deliver valuable insight to consumers and the Windows ecosystem as a whole.

Hmmm. This site should qualify, but apparently we’re not worthy, because the link to http://www.hive.net just leads to a logon dialog box followed by a “not authorized” error message. Guess it’s one of those beta bugs.

For what it’s worth, I don’t have a lot of trust in any “community” that’s built from the top down like this, where the company that benefits most is in control of the server space, the technology platform, and the appointment of moderators. I prefer communities that grow organically.

Grass roots, not astroturf, if you catch my drift.

Update: So the hive.net site is working now, and I sent in my request for membership. The site’s designers went way overboard with puns and cutesy phrases that work in the bee metaphor. Like Member Guidelines under the “No Stinging” heading, with rules like “Don’t be a buzzkill” and “No killer bees.” Groan.

Also, the site says I’ll be told whether my applicatin is approved in 1 to 3 days, but the e-mail I got after submitting my application says 5 to 7 days. I guess this falls into the “underpromise and overdeliver” category, because I just got my approval about 15 minutes after submitting the application.

I’ll keep you posted.

What do you use to read RSS feeds?

I thought the latest statistics from FeedBurner on who’s subscribed to my feed were interesting. Over the weekend I mentioned in passing that NewsGator had nearly caught up with Bloglines. As of this morning, NewsGator has a big lead, at least in visitors here. Add up the number of subscribers who read this feed in the three NewsGator products and you get 364, which is about a third more than the total for Bloglines.

Reader/Aggregator	Circulation
Bloglines	274
NewsGator Online	225
NewsGator Outlook Edition	95
Firefox Live Bookmarks	76
Onfolio 2.0	48
FeedDemon (NewsGator)	44
My Yahoo	44
RSS Bandit	39
SharpReader	37
Sage	26
Thunderbird	13

There are at least 50 additional named user agents in this list, but none had a share of more than 1%.

Tip of the day: Use the Clipboard for quick, temporary backups

One of the most frustrating experiences any Windows user can have is to compose a lengthy comment in a Web-based form, only to click Send, have the server reject the submission, and lose all that effort. Here’s a tip that can save at least some of the pain. Before you click Send, click in the window containing your composed text. Press Ctrl+A to select your entire submission (if this keyboard shortcut doesn’t work, use the mouse to select all the text first) and then press Ctrl+C to copy the selection to the Clipboard. Now click Send.

If your submission fails, you can go back to the page and try again, pasting in the saved Clipboard contents instead of re-creating the post from scratch. Remember not to use the Clipboard for anything else or you’ll wipe out your saved work!

If you use Web-based forms regularly, you can avoid the risk of losing your work by composing entries in a text editor such as Notepad. After your entry is complete, use the Clipboard to copy and paste it to the form for sending.