Category: Windows

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BitTorrent Sync

If you’re looking to sync files between computers, BitTorrent Sync is a great free solution. Previously, I always recommended Dropbox, which is still a great service, especially because it is simple and it keeps a copy on the Dropbox servers, providing extra redundancy. But if you just want computer-to-computer sharing for a couple or many computers, BitTorrent Sync takes out the middleman. It’s fast, encrypted, private, and secure. It’s a great way to move very large files or to create a backup of your files on another computer. Dropbox is sometimes slow and has had security breaches.

BitTorrent Sync is still listed as experimental, but already is quite usable.

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Windows RT Preview

The Verge has a preview of the final version of Windows RT which will run on the ARM-based tablets that will be priced to compete with the iPad.

Microsoft is betting big on this, but you can still see the rough edges.  Small touch targets and traditional mouse-optimized apps on a touch tablet are terrible when everyone is familiar with the easy-to-use iPad.  Microsoft is trying to have it both ways, leveraging existing apps while building new apps at the same time.  But if users need to spend any time in desktop mode, they’ll be disappointed. And it’s not powerful enough to please traditional desktop users. Hopefully this is just a short-term transition phase which will be remedied soon by lots of native touch-optimized apps.

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Revive Old Computers with Linux

Reuse

Instead of trashing an old computer that runs Windows way too slowly, consider installing a flavor of Linux that will work well on an old machine. This will get you a good web browser, word processor, graphics editor, simple games, and much more. Because it’s an up-to-date Linux, there will be fewer viruses to worry about. It won’t run Microsoft Word, but it will run something similar that can load .doc files.

How much would you pay for all that functionality? Well, it’s free. And it’s super fast, especially if you install a version like Lubuntu which is designed for an old computer.

Lubuntu, a lighter Ubuntu

Which Version (Distro) To Choose?

If your computer is somewhat modern and has more than 512MB of RAM, these distros will work well:

If your computer has 128 to 512MB of RAM, these distros can work better in that low memory environment:

  • Lubuntu – a “lighter” Ubuntu build specifically for older computers, also has builds for old Macs
  • Puppy Linux – longtime favorite for old systems

If your computer has less than than 128MB of RAM, try:

Windows 8 Preview

If you 1) must have Microsoft Windows, 2) have a computer with at least 1GB of RAM, and 3) are willing to be adventurous, you can install the free preview of Windows 8. The new Metro interface will be infuriating for many users, but it does work for free at least until the final version of Windows 8 arrives in October 2012.