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Is Windows 8 Operating System Coming Too Soon?

February 22, 2011 by
Windows 7, the latest client version in the Mi...

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Microsoft seems to be moving fast on a new operating system. The big commerical blitz for Windows 7 assured the consumer that this would be the most user friendly system the company had ever produced. It is easy to navigate, but whether the average user notices is questionable. There is a certain segment of society who knows very little about their computers. They just want to turn them on and have them work. Windows 7 does that. Therefore, is Windows 8 operating system coming too soon? Is it really necessary?

If Microsoft is starting leak rumors about it, then it must be on its way. To computer geeks, this is exciting. It hints at new technologies to come that will be beyond the hardware and systems people are operating today. One bit of internet gossip claims that Windows 8 and its cornerstone Microsoft Office softeware will be something people can just dive right in to. If it’s that user friendly, then it will be great. If it leaves the older computer user in a state of confusion, it could be a customer service problem. For instance, older computer users are confused by the newest Microsoft Office software. The tabbed tool bar is set up under some kind of youth logic that leaves the older user in the dust. To shift something more simple, like Works or Wordpad, will only create more confusion since they aren’t always compatible with other software.

None of the technology is perfect, but it all needs to be as simple and learnable as possible to satisfy the masses. Hopefully, Windows 8 will be a smooth transition that is inclusive of all generations of users. The other scary part is wondering when some of the older operating systems will become obsolete. When does 2000 become unsupported? Should people be replacing computers as fast as Microsoft replaces operating systems? Technology is a great thing, but sometimes it gets a little self gratuitous and forgets to make itself accessible to the people who buy it.

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User Friendly Free Software

February 15, 2011 by

One of the greatest things about technology is that developers are willing to share their products and ideas for free. For the budget conscious computer user, this is a great blessing. That doesn’t mean all of the programs are easy to use, though. Where common computing tasks are concerned, it’s good to know where to find user friendly free software.

Office Tasks
An office software program is essential to all people’s lives. Whether you’re a small business, corporation or private individual, you write documents, keep records and create presentations. Microsoft Office is the most common product available for office type duties, but is can be expensive for someone on a tight budget. Open Office is a free software that is very easy to use if you’re familiar with Microsoft. The product has a very similar look and feel to it, and it allows the user to save documents in a word format so that everything will be compatible when sent to Microsoft users. This is an open source software, so a community of developers is always looking for ways to improve the product at no charge to the users.

Photo Editor
Photoshop is not something the everyday person can’t afford, and it can be confusing to use. Open source developers have created a free and user friendly software called Gimp. With this free program, you can upload your photos to your computer and then re-size, edit, reduce red eye, add special effects and even add text. It does require a deeper level of understanding to use in any complex way, but for the average person doing basic things, it’s a great free software product.

Video Editor and Player
For the movie buff, it’s very frustrating to look at a shelf full of old VHS tapes that can’t be watched. VirtualDub is a free video conversion software that doesn’t require any skill or even different hardware to make the conversion. Even if several movies are on one tape, this program will separate them for you.  Then when you are done editing you can always use Windows Media Player or opt for the XviD codec installation to watch the newly edited movies.  There are many free programs, that are easy to use, so do your search and save your money.

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Medical Record Software Must Integrate

February 8, 2011 by

As Medicare pushes all medical entities to make their 2014 deadline to go electronic with medical records, there is still one glaring problem. There are too many software programs, and no real way for different offices computers to talk to one another. Therefore, medical software must integrate to be truly efficient. Although computers and operating systems may very some from office to office, most software will work on any Windows based machine. In fact, software developers want their programs to look and feel like Windows, so it will be easy for office staffs to learn.

The government’s idea is that electronic medical records will reduce communication errors. However, there’s no communication at all if the a hospital can’t access a doctor’s office information. Of course, this type of integration would require major security updates, but with proper password clearance and plenty of firewalls and good anti-viruses to protect operating systems, the process should be as safe as the old paper method of storing information.

Even in print form, the various medical record softwares create a different looking document. There’s a little bit of time wasted as medical personnel train their eyes to look at each software’s paper document and find the critical information they need. Of course, one over arching program that satisfies all medical entities is pretty far fetched, but there must be some solution that allows different software programs to share critical information. Many of these computer programs have the ability to create email, so that could be the solution. However, it would be nice if office staff didn’t have to re-enter the information into their software templates.

As medical costs continue to rise, administrative expenses could be lowered with an integrated system. Hopefully, technology will advance in an affordable way, and this need for integration will be met. It will be interesting to see if and when this kind of update will happen.

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