dreamshark, posts by tag: computers - LiveJournal

Today's Amazon delivery brought more than just little aluminum nose bridges. I bought a Roku! For the past 10 years I have been using a now very obsolete Sony Playstation 3 as the center of my cobbled together home entertainment center. This gallant and sturdy little device shows no sign of wearing out, but it can no longer do everything that needs to be done.

For one thing, it doesn't support the new 5GHz wireless network that my new router is pumping out, so I really am getting absolutely no use out of the extra 250 Mbps bandwidth that I am now forced to purchase from my Internet provider. I'm not sure if the fast wireless network has enough oomph to make it all the way to the far side of the attic, but if it does that should increase my streaming speed. If not, it's fast enough for an old HD TV anyway, so no big deal. 

But mostly, Sony has (understandably) stopped releasing new PS3 apps for new streaming services. I would like the ability to get HBO Max, Disney Plus, and probably more services that I don't even know about because my device can't connect to them. 

However... it was non-trivial to get all these pieces of mismatched equipment to talk to each other (at least back in 2010). I finally got everything to come on at all once when I power up the TV and mostly do the things I want it to do, but the wiring was complex and I'm pretty sure that the PS3 is the center of everything. The idea of taking that out and replacing it with a newer, better box was daunting. And then I wouldn't have my PS3 anymore, just in case I actually wanted to play a game on it.

Then, during the Thanksgiving Kahn Family Zoom I heard about the Roku Streaming Stick. It's not a hub, it's just a device that plugs into the TV's HDMI port and supposedly gives you instant access to the whole world of streaming, all without having to recable your soundbar. I am a little dubious about this, given how old my TV is, but the Roku Stick cost only $30 so it seemed worth trying. I am now about to attempt to deploy it. I am a little afraid that it won't work without some newfangled HDMI protocol that my TV is far too old to support, but I figure there's at least a 50/50 chance. Wish me luck!

ETA. Well. That mostly worked! Easily connected to the 2.4GHz network. With a little more effort I managed to connect to the 5GHz network. But because the connection was only Fair instead of Good, the download speed turned out to be faster over the slow network. Oh well. It's still almost 50 Mbps on the slow network, which is considerably faster than the poor little PS3 ever managed. So it's possible that streaming will run a little smoother than it did before. If not, no loss. It was acceptable as is. What is a massive improvement is the slick little Roku remote, which is hands down the best designed remote I have ever seen. Most of the remotes in this house have dozens of buttons which do nothing useful at all and make it impossible to find the button that you actually need - the mute button. This one has a mute button all by itself on the side of the remote, which I heartily approve of. Setup was easy and fun, except that it involved running up and down the stairs a couple of times to do things on the computer and then back up to the attic. 

I managed to get signed in to my two paid streaming services (Netflix and Amazon Prime) and discovered to my delight that it is far easier to access them through the simple little Roku remote than through the collection of remotes I have to bring into action to get to them the old way. Now I'm waiting for Amber to send me her login to Disney Plus (which is perfectly legal, at least so far). 
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tldr; I now have a USB webcam, so next time we have a virtual meeting where people insist on using the video channel instead of the nice friendly text chat, I can participate. I still prefer text though, unless my grandchildren are involved. 

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Should have done this a long time ago. Webcams aren't very expensive or hard to install. Unless, of course, you are trying to get them to work with Skype (spawn of Hell. At least since Microsoft acquired them. So maybe adopted spawn of Hell)

Our iPad died. The only thing we really used it for was Skyping with Amber or for Richard to look at pictures on Google Photos, either of which could be done more easily on a Windows laptop anyway. So I fired up my 6-year-old Lenovo laptop, which is still running Windows 7 and has a too-small hard disk, and one slightly wonky USB port, but otherwise works pretty well. Only to discover that the built-in camera is totally non-functional. I spent half the day updating drivers and so on, and finally gave up. 

Borrowed Thorin's webcam briefly to see if it would even work with Windows 7, and after some fiddling about it did. Some of the "check your webcam online" sites did not work with Windows 7, but this one did. So I ordered the exact same webcam from Amazon. It arrived the next day. 

Then I set about getting it to work with Skype. Lord in heaven, what a mess! In theory, you just select a new camera from a dropdown list, but doing that caused absolute mayhem. I ended up reinstalling Skype three times and suffering through a hard hang on my Windows 10 computer that could only be resolved by a complete power cycle (Restart didn't even work). After the reboot Skype had disappeared from my computer. But I downloaded and installed it again, and this time it came right up with the webcam. So now we have two choices for Skype (or presumably Zoom or Discord or whatever other conferencing platform): dinky little laptop with the advantage of mobility or my main computer setup with two glorious monitors. AND... I have finally got the backup laptop in condition to use: sensitive files removed, new account for Richard, fingerprint sensor finally working reliably. Yay!

Okay, that wasn't a very interesting entry, was it? But somehow I spent all day on that project, so it's front and center in my mind. That's why we have tldr.

 

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 One of my neighbors is going through some hard times and needs a functioning computer to try to sell some household items and collectibles and use for some other projects. She prefers Apple computers, but can also work with WIndows. She would be happy with a laptop, but could also use a monitor and keyboard for a little more desktop-like environment. This entry was originally posted at https://dreamshark.dreamwidth.org/…. Please comment there using OpenID.

 It's a perfectly lovely router with dual band wireless, a main and guest network, easy to use browser based administrative interface, and 4 Ethernet ports. It works great, even penetrating the walls in my rambling old house full of plaster and brick and chicken wire. This entry was originally posted at https://dreamshark.dreamwidth.org/…. Please comment there using OpenID.

 The ToDo list is top notch. Easy entry, check off, removal. You can drag items around within the list or drag them to a different list. Best of all, you can have hierarchical sub-lists (and a little note on the main list tells you how many of the sub-items you've already checked off). If that doesn't sound like list heaven to you, then I guess you are just Not a List Maker.

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 Yep, still dinking around with Windows 10, which I am liking better and better the more I get to know it.

I am still unreasonably tickled to have access to Linux and bash, and am starting to remember some of the things I used to do with it. Really, Linux is all about files. Linux essentially sees the world as a bunch of files, including all forms of I/O. And who can't use some low level tools for file management? 

I was chatting with someone at the Minnstf meeting who maintained that LInux over Windows did not have direct access to Windows files. Maybe it didn't with Cygwin, but Ubuntu over Win10 definitely does. Your C Drive is at /mnt/c.  Can't get much simpler than that, right?

I found a trove of my old work scripts and aliases and used them to customize my bash login. I was crazy for aliases, starting with quick ways of positioning and viewing the file system. I'm still relearning the syntax and can't quite remember why some of these are so complicated, but I'm sure there is a reason. Anyway, here are a few of my favorites, revised to reflect my local filesystem.

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As I continue exploring the nooks and crannies of my new Windows 10 PC, I was amazed to learn that you can somehow install Linux on top of Windows 10, in the flavor of your choice. And if you choose Ubuntu, you can run the bash shell on top of that! I am delighted to learn this, and promptly set it up on my computer, although I haven't quite figured out why anyone who isn't running a computer networking lab or administering a file server needs a CLI for anything. I'm pleased to know that it's there, though. 

I wonder if all those scripts I wrote for interrogating and managing file systems would work on Windows file systems? I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of one OS running on top of another. What does that even mean? 

If nothing else, everybody who used to make a point putting a shortcut to CMD.EXE on their desktop may as well replace that right now with Powershell, which seems to be a Linux-like shell with its own scripting language. All the old DOS commands still execute in Powershell, so there's nothing to lose. And if you want to, you can launch bash right from Powershell and go off into a scripting language you might already know.

Now I'm just trying to invent some reason that I need a scripting language on my home computer. You folks who insist on running Linux at home  - why do you do that? Do you write shell scripts, and if so, what do they do? Whatever it is that you are doing, presumably I could now do it too without going to all the trouble of setting up dual boot. 

 

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 I wasn't going to touch this thing, but was seduced by the ease of transitioning my dynamically changing files from the old PC to the new. It sounded like a knock-off of Apple's dreadful iCloud, but it's actually a whole lot better. The settings for what gets synced and what doesn't are pretty clear and the syncing activity is extremely transparent. Best of all, you can login to your Microsoft account and manage the master filesystem at its source. And if you accidentally delete something you didn't mean to, you can get it back again for 30 days. 

But I'm still confused and annoyed by being forced to sync my desktops in addition to specific folders of files. What does that even mean? I'm in the habit of putting lots of shortcuts on my desktop, and I don't want them propagated from one computer to the other. Usually they aren't, but every now and then I do things in the wrong order and BLAM! Garbage shortcuts with broken links all over the highway.

And the constant subtle pressure to delete all my files from local media and just trust Microsoft to take care of everything makes me very uneasy. I have no intention of doing that, but there are so many settings to be aware of. 

Is anybody else using OneDrive, and what do you think of it?  Any tips? 

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 Actually, Windows 10 isn't that bad. Certainly better than Windows 8, which I skipped over completely after being forced to deal with it briefly at work. There is one huge step backwards (philosophically speaking), a few improvements, and mostly it's not that different. 

HERE'S WHAT I LIKE

• Surprisingly, the new Start Menu. I particularly like that the Search/Run window that used to be hidden under the Start button is now prominently displayed on the desktop. My Lenovo even provides a configurable 3-finger tap that instantly positions the cursor to the Search Box. This turns out to be the fastest way to start up a program. At first I reflexively hated the rest of what you find under the Start Button until I figured out how to customize it. I removed most of the default tile icons that Microsoft felt were important (e.g., The Microsoft Store) and replaced them with icons for the programs I actually use. Then I shrank the tiles to small and neatly arranged them in custom groupings. The customization task was a lot harder than it needed to be, but now I like it. 
• Faster shortcut sequence for creating new folders. I still have a tendency to type ALT-FWF because I'm used to it, but CTL-SHIFT-N is better.
• New Photos app with a little bit of built in editing. I THINK I'll like it. But I'm confused about where it is keeping the photos and annoyed that there doesn't seem to be any way to directly save the modified photo - there's only the option to "Save a Copy." Then, presumably, I could go delete the old ugly version of the photo if I knew where it was. Which brings me around to everything I hate about Windows 10: the obfuscation of the file system.
  

HERE'S WHAT I HATE  

• The COMPUTER icon that is at the heart of managing the computer has disappeared. It turns out that is actually still there, but hidden under so many layers of subterfuge as to be inaccessible to all but the most dedicated searcher. First, it has been renamed "This PC," so even if you search for it under its old name (My PC) you won't find it. There is no option under the Start Menu to add it to the desktop. The actual control for that is buried under Personalize->Themes, at the bottom of the screen so you have to scroll down to see the link. 
• The File Explorer has been gutted.That nice tree structure in the left pane that let you see how your files are organized is gone, as is the status pane at the bottom. Navigating through my file system suddenly feels like trying to sew while wearing mittens. Again, if this was the experience I wanted from using a computer I would buy a Mac. I think hierarchically and I need to see my my file structure. Fortunately, I waited so long to do this upgrade that workarounds have emerged. I installed a lovely piece of Freeware called OldNewExplorer that restored the missing features to File Explorer, and now I am happy again.  
• Although I like the Search Window and don't actually mind the Internet Explorer replacement (especially the name, which sounds like it came from a Brand Consultant), I dislike the way it munges together searches on the local computer and web searches. It's a brilliant strategy for coercing users into using Bing instead of their preferred search engine, but I don't particularly like being manipulated that way. 
• Everything is now an "App."  This seems to be a leftover from the misguided impulse behind Windows 8, which was to make the PC look as much as possible like an iPhone. It's needlessly confusing, since there actually is a difference between downloading a "mobile app" and downloading a program that is intended to run on the PC itself. Now it's hard to tell which you are doing.

AND HERE'S WHAT I EITHER LOVE OR HATE BUT HAVEN'T MADE UP MY MIND YET
OneDrive. Theoretically, I hate everything about it. But OMG, is it every handy for transitioning files from old computer to new! More later This entry was originally posted at https://dreamshark.dreamwidth.org/…. Please comment there using OpenID.

 Yes, this will be boring for people who don't over-focus on their computer tools. I was perfectly happy with Windows 7, but since I am being forced to make the switch I now feel compelled to spend the next week learning everything I possibly can about this new thing and customizing it in every way possible. I gather that most people just take the default configuration and learn to live with it, but what can I say? I'm the type that actually reads User Manuals. Not that modern computers even come with a User Manual. Some poor fool still has to write one, but the result no longer gets printed on paper and shipped with the product. Am I the only person on the planet that heaves a sigh of frustration when I see the tiny bit of folded paper labeled "Setup Instructions" and immediately goes to the manufacturer's website to download the User Manual?  Yeah, probably.

In brief, my new computer is a Lenovo X1 Carbon Thinkpad. It's a lot like my current Lenovo but thinner, faster, with more RAM and a larger hard drive. Beth, it's very much like your Yoga Thinkpad but without the 360-degree hinge. It's sleek and fast and the fingerprint reader actually WORKS on this one, which is an improvement over the old one. But the biggest improvement is the touchpad, which is FANTASTIC.  I have been trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable with a touchpad for 20 years, and this is the first one I've actually been able to use without having the urge to pick up the laptop and sling it across the room. It's sensitive and precise and actually has 3 buttons you can see without having to find pretend buttons hidden somewhere under the touchpad. But it turns out that I don't need them after all because the gesture shortcuts work so well. One-finger tap for left-click, two-finger tap for right-click, and two-finger drag for scrolling. Those were perfect right out of the box. I configured three-finger tap to take me directly to the all-purpose search box (probably the best new feature in Windows 10). None of that will matter much once I get set up with a docking station, but it's making the transition phase a lot more pleasurable than I expected.

This computer has a touch screen, something I didn't particularly care about and probably won't use much. However, I have been using it a lot during computer setup to move icons around on the desktop and drag files from one folder to another. Drag and drop is easy with a mouse, but I still find it awkward with even an excellent touchpad. 

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In other news, I managed to start the day by dropping a raw egg on the floor after I had it in the pan and starting to cook, a marvel of klutziness that I don't think I have ever achieved before. Somehow I bumped the handle of the frying pan in such a way that it flipped the egg into the air and back down onto the front of the stove where it slid all the way down to the floor, leaving a mess behind it like a suicidal giant snail. To make matters worse, it was the last egg in the house. Not the most auspicious start to the day.



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