Bytes and Bites of Internet
Babbling
Upgrading to Windows 10 Pro
Feb 6th
Finally I gave up and upgraded my Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 Pro. I resisted upgrade to 8 and 8.1 mostly because when I tried them in my new laptop I was not impressed at all. Worse, I lost my faith in MSFT. It was mostly because user experience for me was just terrible. I am more in favor of OS with less clutter and less GUI heavy… and Windows 8 was opposite of it.
What I like: After playing with Windows 10 preview, I was genuinely impressed. I liked that MSFT has replaced metro desktop with good ol’ start menu, even if it is not same as old one but to me it is still more functionally useful than metro. More control over update and more option for privacy settings. Most good feature for me was inclusion of Hyper-V server in Professional edition. This relives me from using 3rd part hypervisors (read Virtual Box Smile). And another useful feature for me was PS 5 with WMF 5.
Antivirus for XP
Jun 5th
So it has been ages since MSFT has ceased support for once great operating system Windows XP. But some lucky few still have no choice to use it because of some legacy app they just can’t get rid of Or people like me who are still using Windows 7 and use XP in …err… XP Mode. In my case, I use it purely for support purpose. Being software engineering sometimes we get to work in level 2 – 3 support requests and I really hate to install 3rd party vpn or remoting applications in my workstation. In this situation, this XP Mode is life saver 😀 …
Recently I had to connect to some customer over vpn and one of the requirement for that network is that client needs to have antivirus installed in it. This being my VM for support, I never thought that I would want to install AV in it. So I was Googleing for AV software that can be installed on XP and natually I thought that I would want to use MSFT Security Essentials because it’s very light weight (how good it is at protecting things is totally different story). But to my surprise, I found that XP is not supported by MSFT, instead it suggested that I upgrade to newer OS !!
Traveling to customers …
Aug 24th
Past few weeks have been super busy for me, and I have not got enough time to do any “experiment” or prepare better post. So think of this as a “filler” post 
…
Due to change in my role in our company, I had to do traveling on different customer locations for installation projects and it is usually a week long stay. But I kind of like travelling because it gives me a chance to meet new people and gives me chance to interact with them.
But it could be difficult sometimes because you never know what customer is going to ask you and you have to be ready to answer that thing. Now I know that you don’t necessarily have to have an answer for all questions but then again you don’t want them to feel that you don’t know your product enough (or just say … look dumb ? 
) !! …
Overall I would think traveling to customers as a good learning experience and in time it improves your people and professional skills 
.
No Google Store update for my Nexus 7
Apr 14th
Apparently there is update for Google store. And now it has very sleek ‘n sexy UI. I have got this update few days back in my Galaxy Nexus … but it looks like that for some odd reasons my Nexus 7 haven’t received this update till now 
!! Actually there are APKs available for download for store but I am bit of hesitant of install anything from not known resource. I guess I will wait (while someone replies to my question at XDA) and see what happens …
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Or may be I will finally decide to install Cyanogenmod on my Nexus 7 just like my Galaxy Nexus 
How to ruin a very good site reputation !
Feb 19th
I know that in recent times, I am kind of feeling more sensitive towards users experience in general, weather it is @ customer support for any item or @ email system … or this time @ one of my favorite download site (at least it used to be but not anymore).
For years I have used Download.com as my download site for windows application. Time to time I have used even reviews from CNET to lean about new/existing software .. but my recent experience has left a bad test in mouth to say, and I think I will not download from them ever 
. Till now, when ever you want to download from this site all you had to do was to just search for that software, download it using link provided by the site and install the software.
But today when I tried this site to download “Revo Uninstaller” (an uninstaller application) instead of getting simple EXE, I got a custom installer designed by CBS Interactive (owner of CNET), it even has digital certificate from MSFT too so it “feels” more genuine. But I think it is wolf in disguise of sheep 
(I am not sure about analogy but I guess you got the point).
So, this is how it begun … I downloaded an installer for “Revo Uninstaller” from www.Download.com and it gave me some 620Kb installer. As I begun installation using this installer, I have following screens …
First step is to indicate that I will be downloading and installing Revo Uninstaller.
The wiser we get ….. an IT example ?
Jan 13th
Few days back I changed password of one of my email accounts in Gmail and I got this notification in email. Now funny thing is this email is in same account of which I had changed password !! I can understand the good intensions (!!) of great G but consider a scenario where this account got hacked by someone and that person has setup new password and G is sending notification of password changed to same account to notify original owner that password has been changed !! And how will this help me ?
Of course, Great G has other means to notify as well. You will get notification at your recovery account (if you have not ignored G’s requests to setup one 
or that hacker has not changed it before modifying password !!). G even can prevent access to account if connection request originates from totally different location then it’s usual geographical location (which can be easily fooled by proxy or vpn or things like that).
No Windows Installer Projects in Visual Studio 2012 !!
Sep 15th
Recently I had chance to look at Visual Studio 2012 RTM and this came to me as a bit of surprise that newer version of Visual Studio 2012 doesn’t have Windows Installer Project templates ! I mean you can still use Install Shield project templates but no more Windows Installer Project.
I am really upset about this exclusion and since I can’t force MSFT to do anything I will do just like any other blogger does when s/he gets pissed off … that is writing about it on blog 
…
First I must say that I really like MSFT’s products and they have produced some of very unique tools like Visual Studio which nobody else have matched , and since I work on technologies build around MSFT’s framework they are my bread ‘n butter … but sometimes even good people pisses you off right ?? MSFT has really nasty habit of removing perfectly fine item and introducing something total junk as its replacement.