“If you want things to stay as they are, things will have to change” Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

OK Vista is here and with it comes the 2007 version of Office. To be truthful I am not a happy camper and I am telling some friends to use open source software instead. However the planet uses Microsoft Office products and it will be a while before it migrates to something else. One reason I am not a fan is not because it is an inconvenience to me but rather because I think this does not help new computer users. As an example: I use keyboard shortcuts constantly to speed up my work. If you not familiar with them, an example would be a combination of the CTRL (control key) and the letter B to make something bold. This is fast, easy and I have a handful memorized so I can cruise on quickly through my work. Many new users look at someone who is using these shortcuts as if they have memorized the entire machine when in fact it is written in all of the pull down menus waiting to be learned. The divide between new users and old users is not always too far away when the info is present for both groups. Unfortunately in the 2007 version they took all that away. Below is a quote from Microsoft.

If you're still unconvinced and you just want your old shortcuts back, then rest assured: Most of them will still work. However, you'll need to know the full shortcut from memory. There are no on-screen reminders of what keys you need to press.

This means that a new user must look them up somewhere online or grab a book. This is unlikely. Now in defense of 2007 they do have a way to see something like a keyboard shortcut which is using the ALT key. The new shortcuts involve a series of keys rather than a quick combo. To understand more Microsoft has a site devoted to help you learn some of this stuff. A good portion of it is narrated so have speakers on. Give this a try to learn some of the new shortcuts.

As time goes on and my research continues I hope to show some quick fixes for the new system and highlight some of the good points about Vista.

“I worked with a wild leopard, who bit me. But I kept on working with him, because I have a wild side." Bai Ling

Recently a new operating system came out for Macintosh computers and it is entitled Leopard. I have heard great things about the new features like spaces and time machine and how long it takes to install However I will say what I said when Vista came out. WAIT! Give it several months to a year to let someone with multiple computers work out the bugs. No matter who puts out a new OS there are always glitches that need to be addressed right away. I know the desire is there for a whole new OS because it has new features and abilities but it is not worth losing your data because someone forgot to correct a small bug. This is one I have to say give it a try…um….eventually.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Walt Disney

Recently I was asked why when you click on an icon does it open with a specific application and not another? For instance, let’s say that I use Photoshop Elements for editing my photos but every time I click a photo it opens in Microsoft photo Editor. The way many of us might deal with this is go to Photoshop first and open the file that way. However I want to make this easier. Now there are two ways of doing this, one is permanent (not really) and the other is one time. All you do is right click on the file. Now this file does not have to be a photo. It could be anything giving you trouble. Once you right click a menu pops up and you can choose open with and if you want to just try it this way choose a program from the list. However I would like to make this a bit more permanent so I choose choose program from the open with menu. This brings up a lengthy list of every program you have. Choose the application that fits your needs like Photoshop for a photo. Now the semi permanent part, click the box next to Always use the selected program to open this kind of file. This means that when your computer reads that extension at the end of your file, .jpg, .doc, .xls, .wav, .mp3….,it will open with your chosen program every time. I used this not long ago on a friend’s computer to stop all her documents opening in Microsoft Word. Instead it now opens in NeoOffice. Give it a try.

Note: you may have to experiment a few times with different programs to get a file to open. I got a .swf and tried to open it with everything I had and it turned out Firefox was the only thing I had installed that would work.

“If I look confused it's because I'm thinking” Samuel Goldwyn

As the last post of the Mac week I leave you with an easy one. Understanding computers does not always take years or countless manuals. Many times it is what questions you ask and where you ask them. In the latest version of the Macintosh operating system, Tiger, there is an easy way to get your answers. Click on the system preferences on the dock and then click at the top right in the oval search box. Now ask it any question you like. As an example, I want to know what button to click on to change the brightness setting. Type in something like brightness, as you do it will immediately start to gray out buttons that have nothing to do with your question. A list will pull down that will be more specific to the question. Choose from the list and it will show you which button to choose in the future. It will also bring you to the settings that you want. Read more and worry less. Give it a try.