Ports Thoughts

I have always liked the idea of Apple . I like the way that when IBM's motto was "Think" they made their motto "Think Different". I like the fact that when Microsoft stole all their ideas (e.g. Windows) they didn't just complain like so many of their long gone competition, they came up with some better ideas. I like that they always seem to be a step ahead of the rest. But more than anything else, I like it that Apple don't just make beige boxes that do accounts they make beautiful objects of desire. Having said all that, I have never owned anything by Apple. Since I have started going to the gym I thought that perhaps this was the time to take my first faltering steps into mobile music. I had been tempted by an iPhone until I discovered how draconian the restrictions were (O2 only, 18 Month Contact, No 3G etc.) so the obvious candidate was the iPod Touch . All that is good about the iPhone, except without the phone. I have to say that my first impressi...

A build number can be a quite interesting things in software. It represents the number of times that a computer program/suite has been assembled and compiled up to that point. Lotus stopped bothering with build number for Notes and Domino years ago because we normally have several versions that are being built at any one time (currently 6.5.x, 7.0.x, 8.0.x and "Next") and they are often built more than once per day. So we tend to go with build names that are version and dates - so I am currently running Notes V801_11152007. However, Microsoft has continued using build numbers for Windows and they have a sort of iconic status for Softie geeks. Windows NT 3.1 was build 528, NT 4.0 was build 1381, Windows 2000 was build 2195,Windows XP was build 2600 and Windows 2003 was build 3790. You can probably see why geeks make such delightful conversationalists at dinner parties. Anyway, my mate Marcus is a royal expert on all things Windows and has set up the definitive resource for...

Several of my friends have derided me for not having Sky+ or some such 600 channel televisual extravaganza. Fortunately I have a "life" and so don't require such frivolous rubbish. Or more accurately Mrs Ports has forbidden it. Whilst this did make me feel like a second class citizen in this multi media age, I was able to mitigate it by purchasing a splendid Humax 9200T PVR . Whilst I don't get 600 channels, I do get 40ish and they are all for free. However, what's been missing is a channel for the gentleman. I don't mean Playboy . I mean a channel about comedy and hovercrafts, cars and survival. But that was before the arrival of the excellent new channel called Dave . It is unbelievably genius. A typical night may involve a couple of classic episodes of Top Gear , then maybe a couple of Clarkson's Extreme Machines followed by QI and Have I got News for You . Perhaps this might be rounded up with Ray Mears explaining how to survive in a Jungle. Quality...