Microsoft Naming Confusion Continues

The naming confusion continue from Microsoft but at least for Windows an end appears in sight.  As you probably already know, the next version of Windows will be called Windows 10.  For whatever reason Redmond has decided to skip Windows 9.  At least they are consistently inconsistent.

That said, Windows 10 will be the last major Windows release.  There won’t be a Windows 11, or 12 or 13 or whatever goofy name is next in their naming convention.  Windows 10 is the last major release.  From this point forward Windows will be updated incrementally on a monthly basis with the typical security patches we are all accustomed to but also with new features and functionality.

For this reason, it was thought the next version of Windows might just be named “Windows”.  My guess is that starting with Windows 10 Microsoft will start using more traditional versioning for Windows.  We start with 10.0 and then work our way up through various 10.something iterations until we eventually hit 11.  That is just a guess, as Microsoft hasn’t indicated whether or not versioning will become more traditional or whether we will all still be talking about Windows 10 in 2027.

I hope they do go with traditional versioning and then when they hit 11 they hit 11.  The product name doesn’t have to change as it has been with version updates.

Speaking of version updates, that process will also change.  It is unknown how home users will update but enterprise users can opt-in to the monthly updates.  I hope that they can determine if they want security patches or feature updates as many corporate IT shops will be hesitant to update Windows functionality monthly.  Sometimes it is all we can do to handle a normal Patch Tuesday.

The future of Windows is still being determined but it seems at least the naming options may have normalized.

4 Birthdays, 1 Day, 90 Years

Today our family celebrates 4 birthdays covering the past 90 years. Try to follow along:

First, my grandmother, Freida Gilliland, (mom’s mom) turns 90 today.

Second, my grandfather, Bob Smith, (dad’s dad) turns 85 today.

Third, my mom, Lana Smith, turns 60 today.

Fourth, my daughter, Becca Smith, turns 7 today.

From my perspective, my daughter, mom, grandpa, and grandma all share the same birthday

From my daughter’s perspective, she shares her birthday with her grandma, great grandma, and great grandpa.

Celebrating all these birthdays usually involves some sort of meal together and at least one of them getting some presents. And yes, we are aware that they are all multiples of 5 apart except for Becca. We did the best we could.

This date is also noteworthy because here in Indiana it is the start of squirrel hunting season.

Keeping up with the Smiths

TV networks are always on the prowl for the next reality series and it would appear that by popular demand my life would qualify. I tend to shy away from the public and distrust people in general so it seems I’d get along fine with the reality TV types.

The past few days have proven to me that there is great demand and tremendous intrigue into my life and where I live. This week alone I’ve had to fight the traffic of gawkers just to get to my own driveway. Earlier this week I followed a car full of old folks from the entrance of our subdivision clear back to my house. I of course pulled into the driveway and then the garage once they finished turning around as I live here and they were just gazing eyes wide open in awe. In awe of what is a bit of a mystery to me.

Today I again followed someone all the way to my driveway where I waited in the street while they turned around in my driveway. What do they see that I’m missing?

Then an hour or so later we left to go to dinner and as I backed out of my driveway, I again had to wait for another vehicle that had driven in front of my house and was also trying to turn around having gotten an eye full. Eye full of what?

Tonight things really heated up though. I was sweeping the sand and dirt out of my garage from last winter. I figured now that July has warmed up to the lower 80’s it was safe to clean out last year’s polar vortex. As I’m carrying a bucket full of sand to the woods, I heard a loud, high-pitched buzz. I looked up and directly overhead was a drone. That’s right, a flying drone with flashing lights and all. It was one of those four blade helicopter types. I’d guess it was at least 100’ up.

It hovered in place directly over the house for about five minutes before flying off to the west. I watched it go for a while and then it stopped again off in the distance for about two minutes before flying due north and out of site. So far, no images of me with my broom and bucket have appeared on Google but I’m going to keep my eye out for them.

So look out Kardashians, beware Real Housewives of Somewhereville, it’s the Smiths of Lafayette the masses crave. I just wish I knew why.

Window 8 – Twenty Fifth Pass: Windows 8.1 Update Naming Convention

Can someone explain to me the Windows 8 naming conventions and how they make any sense?  Perhaps they do to some, as I am admittedly not the smartest person around but here is what I can’t figure out.

Windows 7 was updated to Windows 7 Service Pack 1, which was replaced by Windows 8.  Windows 8 was then updated to Windows 8.1. Not Windows 8.1 Service Pack 1 but Windows 8.1.  Now there is a new update.  It’s not called Windows 8.1 or Windows 8.1 Service Pack 2 but rather Windows 8.1 Update.  What’s next?  Windows 8.1 Update 1?  Windows 8.1 Update New?  Windows 8.1 Update Next?

Seems to me that Windows 8.1 could easily name the updates with Service Pack numbers or utilizing .2, .3, .4, .5, etc.  There are lots of options between Windows 8.1 and Windows 9.

It has been pointed out to me that Microsoft seems to inconsistently name things.  Think about the Xbox.  We had Xbox for the first generation product and then Xbox 360 for the second gen release.  Most thought the third generation version would be named Xbox 720 but no, they named the third gen product Xbox One. A popular TV show featuring smart geeks even recently made fun of this.

The same is true of earlier releases of Windows.  We started with Windows 3.1 and then went to naming based on year of release for a while before switching to numbers starting with 7.  Office is also experiencing the same lack of continuity, as Office 13 is actually Office 15.  While the program says Office 2013, the program folder on your hard drive says Office15. 

Anticipating the next goofy turn to the madness……

Window 8 – Twenty Fourth Pass: Windows 8.1 Update Improvements

There is no doubt that Windows 8.1 Update has greatly improved the interface for traditional keyboard and mouse users.  There are tons of posts online about how a mouse user can now do as much as a touch user.  Many if not all of the improvements were already known about thanks to leaks before the release to MSDN and TechNet subscribers on April 2.  Now that the geeks have their hands on it, even more tweaks are popping up.

Some say that Microsoft has recanted and is admitting that they goofed by focusing too much on the touchscreen user and forgetting the legacy desktop users.  Legacy isn’t the right word here, desktop users are treated that way but traditional keyboard and mouse users are still the number one demographic of Windows users.

Microsoft says that isn't true.  They never abandoned the desktop users they just focused on touch first as that is where the hardware is going and they wanted to have that perfected before circling back around and making sure the keyboard and mouse users were satisfied.  I’m not buying it – not for a second.

If that were true then they would not have removed keyboard and mouse functionality only to later add it back in when the public began to fuss.  If that was true then they would have simply added the touch interface as opposed to removing legacy features in favor of new touch features that forced traditional users still using traditional hardware to re-learn how to use their computers.

Microsoft compared working on Windows to making pizza for over a billion people.  I think that’s a good analogy but they don't follow through with it.  If the world likes sausage (or keyboard and mouse functionality in Windows) then why would you remove the sausage only to add it back later when folks fussed that you removed something you knew they liked?

I've already blogged about Microsoft trying to make a single version of Windows fit both needs and it appears that they may be getting the recipe right so that it can work well for both touch and mouse users but it may be too late.  I've found that even though there are improvements to how I use my Surface when I have it docked to my keyboard and mouse that I’m falling back on old “bad habits” I learned as workarounds before the new features were released.  I find myself going for the charms menu a lot when that really isn't necessary anymore and forgetting that there are new right-click menus to make things easier and faster.

It will be interesting to see what the reviews are when the public gets access via Windows Update this week.  I predict a few calls from grandma once the Update installs automatically via Windows Update.

Another juicy tidbit confirmed is that the old Start Menu is coming back.  I've been predicting that for a while but it appears that is now a reality.  Microsoft has not said when it will come back.  It may be in another Windows 8.1 update or it may be in Windows 9.  Either way it is coming back and while it probably won't look like the Windows 7 Start Menu the functionality we are accustomed to will return in another step Microsoft takes not to recant but to improve the sausage they took away they knew we liked.

#MH370 Mystery

I’m a bit of an aviation geek so the disappearance of a Boeing 777 fascinates me.  Having been to the Boeing factory in Everette, WA where they assemble the 777 and gotten to climb through one and see how large it is I’m truly baffled that one has vanished from the planet.

Nothing I say here is revolutionary but as the story evolves here are my thoughts from a lowly AV geek who flies a lot.

Flying is a high tech enterprise.  The planes are high tech, the crews are well trained, and the communications systems are first rate.  That’s my first quandary – how could a plane with 239 people on it completely vanish without a trace in 2014?  The evidence would indicate that they wanted to disappear as they chose the moment of flight ripe for going off grid in terms of the hand-off from one air traffic control center to another.  However, the obvious cockpit communications equipment is only one piece of the puzzle.  The engines and other aircraft systems often have their own communications systems and we know these continued to operate long after the cockpit communications (transponder, radio, etc.) were turned off.

The other part of the communications puzzle is the location in the world where this happened.  The Indian Ocean is the third largest body of water on the planet and the southern half is very remote.  There is also very limited satellite coverage for those systems communications to contact.  Even still, a remote part of the world with people intentional on going away should have still be detectable by other types of spy satellites, military radar, etc. and yet we have nothing.  Just a few pings from the engine systems off a single satellite and a lot of complicated math to even get us in the ballpark for where the plane may have gone down.

That same high tech though has aided investigators in at least getting this far.  Even without knowing the altitude and speed of the plane the evidence from those few pings and knowing how much fuel was on board has at least narrowed things down.  Granted it took a while to figure all of that out but at least we aren’t still searching in the South China Sea.

My next observation is the lack of debris.  One would think that by now if the plane did indeed crash in the water that on some beach somewhere something would have washed ashore.  In previous crashes into oceans debris and even bodies have washed up on coastlines within a few days but here we have nothing.  Nothing.  All we have discovered in searching is that the Indian Ocean is a much-polluted body of water with folks dumping all kinds of stuff in there. 

There can be many reasons for no debris but most of them are far-fetched and would be historical if proven true.  Finding the airplane in tact on the bottom of the ocean and understanding how it got there without any surface evidence will be game changing.

Combining these first two mysteries with the disappearance of 239 people and this does indeed become one of the greatest mysteries of our generation.  The loss of life here is tragic but there doesn’t seem to be a scenario where these folks could still be alive.  If the plane were stolen in the greatest heist ever then who would want to keep 239 people alive for this long without making some sort of ransom demand?  If the plane was stolen for purposes of turning it into a weapon then hiding it this long is a feat in and of itself.  You’d think those determined to use it for evil would want to get their ill will accomplished before they could be discovered.

I’m sure that all will eventually be revealed, but it will take time and patience and those traits are hard to come by in a situation like this.  I do think the Malaysians are in over their heads and obviously not used to this sort of international scrutiny and would be wise to turn over the investigation to another nation.

It took 73 years to find the Titanic, granted they had eye witness to tell them what happened but the wreck wasn’t discovered for almost three quarters of a century.  The search areas are massive and even with our sophisticated technology our lack of ocean knowledge combined with the sheer size of the area could still leave us waiting for several years before any of these questions are answered.  

Window 8 – Twenty Third Pass: Windows 8.1 Update

Today Microsoft released to some of us the latest update to Windows 8.1 – simply titled Windows 8.1 Update.  The rest of the world will get this update via Windows Update starting April 8 but I was able to install it today and see how Microsoft has capitulated to their desktop users.  More on that in a future post.

If you have access to Update then you will quickly realize installing it that any gains made in terms of the interface for keyboard and mouse users are soon forgotten due to the cumbersome install method.  Hopefully the release to the masses via Windows Update next week won’t be so difficult. 

Here is how it worked for me updating a Dell desktop, a Microsoft Surface Pro and a Surface Pro 2.  All were running fully updated 64 bit Windows 8.1 installs.  The 32 bit process isn’t that much different.

This process applies to Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows RT 8.1.

I downloaded a zip file that contained 7 files.  6 install files and 1 readme text file.  The readme text file gave the recommended install order for the 6 install files.  Wait, what?!  I have to manually install all 6 files?  Yup.  Progress in Update.

I didn’t find much online about this process except that Microsoft is using the word “recommended” lightly, it should say, “required”. Doing it out of sequence can create some issues depending on your hardware so I don’t recommend varying from their recommendation.

Here is what the readme text file says:

Recommended Install Order
KB2919442
KB2919355
KB2932046
KB2937592
KB2938439
KB2949621

Here is what that really means.

1. KB2919442 – when I went to install this all of my systems said it was already installed.  If you are current with Windows Updates then you should also get prompted that this update is already installed.
2. KB2919355 – this is the big one at 707mb.  This one took the longest to run and requires the first of many reboots when you are done.  This one also has the only quickly visible notice that anything has changed as it pins the Windows Store to the taskbar – change I quickly undid.
3. KB2932046 – this one also requires a reboot when you are finished.
4. KB2937592 – this one also requires a reboot when you are finished.
5. KB2938439 - this one also requires a reboot when you are finished.
6. KB2949621 - this one also requires a reboot when you are finished.

Really?  5 reboots?  You couldn’t somehow have packaged all of that together?  Again, I hope the experience for Windows Update users is far better.  Due to the number of reboots it took 30 minutes for my longest update.

One other note – if you are using a Surface make sure it isn’t docked to anything before installing the second update file – otherwise the second update may hang at 75% forever.

Aside from a goofy name that makes no sense, and a convoluted update method the benefits of Windows 8.1 Update are beneficial for desktop users.

Had I known I probably would have waited until next week.

Another Emergency Landing

Maybe it’s me but as of late I’ve had my share of travel issues. That’s to be expected with the amount of time I spend on the road and statistically I’m due for some travel related issues but do they all have to come at once?

Recently I’ve started to experience of string of emergency related landings. The last one was due to the plane catching on fire in flight. This most recent one was due to a medical emergency. Indianapolis is my home airport so we took off for Minneapolis (incidentally I was flying there for my last emergency landing as well) without issue.

I was looking at the window as we flew over Lafayette, IN – which is where I live when the flight attendance got on the PA and asked if there was a doctor or anyone with medical training on board. A few people got up and started helping a lady who was unconscious. Within a few minutes the plane begin to bank and I wondered if we were going to land somewhere. They had started doing CPR on the passenger and had her laying down in the aisle. They also were giving her oxygen.

Since we were over Lafayette and there is a runway at Purdue I wondered if we were going to stop there or if we would return to Indy. Turns out we returned to Indy. It took 15 minutes from the time we turned around over Lafayette until we landed in Indy. It takes me an hour to drive those same 70 miles.

This emergency landing was different in that it seemed all the normal landing rules were suspended. They didn’t do any safety checks, they didn’t make us put our seatback in the upright and locked position or raise our tray tables. The passenger was still lying on the floor with her husband and many others crouched over her. In this case the flight attendants asked those who were seated around them to buckle into the aisle seats and then lock arms over those on the floor in the aisle to hold them in place as we landed.

Once on the ground we were met by the Indy Airport fire and rescue crews. The plane quickly taxied to a gate and they boarded and got the passenger off the plane on a small stretcher. Her husband followed with other passengers helping him gather their belongings.

As those who were helping her sat down they told us that she and her husband were on their way to Hawaii to renew their wedding vows. Her husband told them that she hadn’t been feeling well the past few days but made herself get out of bed to take this trip. She has passed out and lost all her color.

I’m not aware of how the situation turned out but please pray for this lady and her family.

Now the wait was on to see what would happen to the rest of us as we sat on the plane at the gate. While the Delta flight crew did a great job responding to the situation the Delta ground crew now had to figure out what to do with all of us. With it being Spring Break time there were no other seats available on any other flights and the airline had to solve 2 problems. First, they had to find a departure slot and second, they hand to replace our oxygen tank as it had been used up.

After waiting for 2 hours we were finally cleared to take off. I have no idea if we ever got our oxygen tank or not. I was impressed with how relaxed the rest of the passengers were. Many were traveling for Spring Break and were going to miss connections putting their plans on hold. Context is everything in a situation like that and it is hard to complain about being late when you’re sitting there healthy. I think everyone was also thinking that they would want the same courtesy and attention paid to them if they were the on the floor of the airplane aisle.

I arrived at my destination 4.5 hours late and was thankful. Again, contextually in the grand scheme of things I had no reason to complain.

I fly again tomorrow and pray for the sake of those around me that it is an uneventful flight.

I Really Should Post Something

I don't get to blog as often as I'd like.  While I have no shortage of hot air to turn into pixels on your screen I just don't have and/or make the time to do it as often as I should.

I'll try to do better but I actually think I've said that on here somewhere before.

Just thought you'd like to know.  Oh, and my family is leaving me this weekend so I'm all alone for Valentines Day.

Window 8 – Twenty Second Pass: Windows 8.1 The Start Button Treachery

One of the biggest changes to Windows 8 with Windows 8.1 is the addition of the Start Button back into the operating system.  While some may cheer this as a victory against the man it really isn’t all that big of a deal and is mostly just a trick to make you think Microsoft likes you.

It is very important to point out that while the Start Button has returned to the place where it has live on the desktop since 1995 it does not function the same way in terms of opening a Start Menu.  The Start Menu essentially is still dead. 

The “new” Start Button allows users to click what they have been used to clicking for decades in order to access their apps but instead of opening the Start Menu it simply takes you back to the Start Screen.  The same thing could be accomplished by pressing the Windows button on the keyboard or by tapping or clicking the Start icon on the charms menu. Again, it just allows users to have the familiar icon to click on.

The real value to this new button however is the right click.  Right clicking on the Start Button brings up an improved system menu.  You could access this same menu in Windows 8 by pressing Windows-X.  The new system menu includes the option Shut Down or Sign Out, which expands into the familiar Sign Out, Sleep, Shut Down, and Restart options.  This is an improvement because now with the mouse, I can log out or I can reboot like I used to by clicking on the Start Button without having to get the charms menu up or go back to the Start Screen or lock screen.  I think this will make it easier for desktop users to make the switch to Windows 8 as a familiar routine has returned.

The real treachery though is that the use of the Start Button is not consistent throughout the Windows 8.1 experience.  It only appears when running the desktop or running desktop apps.  It does not appear on the Start Screen or when running any of the Start Screen apps.  In that experience, you have to use the Windows key or the charms menu.  That means the user has to be more aware of what mode they are using the hardware in – for some users that isn’t a big deal but for others it may be very confusing.  Think about your grandma.

A unified operating system experience should be unified, not just between devices but also between operating modes for the same device.

Window 8 – Twenty First Pass: Windows 8.1 Touch Screen Updates

One of the challenges early on with Windows 8 was the heavy emphasis on the touch environment in a world lacking touch devices.  Much has changed over the past year as almost any new device you’d purchase; with the exception of most desktop monitors and some laptops are touch screen devices.  As a result, the touch interface is becoming more and more prevalent.

While that is great for home users and most personal machines the vast majority of business machines still do not have touch screens.  That makes it fun for users who are used to a touch device at home and then get frustrated tapping the screen at work and watching as nothing happens.  This could explain the increase in pen holes in LCD monitors the world over.  This may also create an increase in BYOD as folks get used to and want to maintain their touch environment.

That said the touch features in Windows 8.1 have been improved upon.  I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that some of these features are very similar to operating systems like iOS and Android.

There have been several swiping improvements:

• You can now swipe down to get to the camera from the lock screen.  Very handy if you use your Surface or other device for taking pictures while locked.
• In Windows 8, you could swipe an app in from the left and it would take up half the screen.  In Windows 8.1, you can swipe the app in from the left and then drag it to determine how much of the screen you want each app to have.  Windows 8.1 also allows you to have multiple apps doing this based on your resolution.  A Surface can only split the screen and do 2 apps however, a larger monitor can do up to 5 apps depending on the resolution.  Of course, if you were doing this on a larger monitor you wouldn’t be using the touch interface but rather the mouse to drag each app in.
• Some apps will also automatically launch splitting the screen in side-by-side mode.  This is for things like reading your email and opening a picture.  Instead of your email going away, the screen would split and you’d see the picture in the photo app next to the email app allowing you to automatically view both at once.
• All apps from the start menu can now be accessed by simply swiping up, but not up from the bottom of the screen, you want to swipe up from above the bottom otherwise you get the bottom menu.  This makes it easy to see All Apps and not just those on the Start Menu.
• The PC Configuration settings have also been improved so you can control more with the touch interface and slide switches to turn things off.  This means you don’t have to visit the desktop control pane as often.
• Several of the build in Start Screen apps like Mail and Calendar have also been improve to provide much greater functionality from the touch screen.  I have found both to be very useful when using my Surface without a mouse or keyboard or even the touch pen.

Fortunately you can still do all of this with the mouse.  Granted you have to learn how to do everything 2 different ways but that may help make the transition from touch to non-touch devices either.

The ultimate goal is for Windows 8 and future version to be the all-in-one OS allowing for touch, non-touch, phone, and tablet to all be the same user experience.  Whether Microsoft can pull this off and keep the rest of us going along with it remains to be seen.

Touch or not to touch, that is the question.

Emergency Landing and a Website Failure

When you travel a lot, the odds are in your favor that something is going to happen at some point at some time that delays you, jams you up, leave you stranded somewhere, and generally adds a bit of excitement to your life.

This morning was my morning to catch up on that.  I boarded a Delta flight headed for San Francisco from Indianapolis with a brief stop in Minneapolis.  Our MD-90 aircraft took off and I promptly dozed off.  I was awakened when a flight attendant rushed passed me bumping my shoulder.  A few seconds later, she said we were making an emergency landing in Chicago.

The announcement woke me up and I looked around trying to figure out why.  The ascent had been pretty bumpy due to some weather in the area but I didn’t notice anything else wrong.  She then came back on and said there was a problem in the galley and we would be landing in Chicago in 10 minutes.  She told us not to be afraid but as the flight crew walked up and down the aisle, you could tell they were nervous.

I tried to jump online to inform my faithful followers of the fun I was about to experience but the internet wasn’t on.  Either we never reached 10,000 feet or they left it off due to the emergency. It was difficult to tell what our altitude was as we were flying through clouds and a lot of rain.

With the nose of the plane pointing down we began one of the fastest descents I’ve ever been through on our way to land at O’Hare.  As we descended and all started feeling lighter I felt a tap on my shoulder from the kid sitting behind me.  He had to be a teenager.  I turned around and he had slipped off his noise cancelling headphones and due to the rapid descent had a pressing question.  He said, "Dude, what's going on." Before I could mess with him and say something like, "Nothing much, the plane is just going down." the guy sitting across the aisle from him told him the true story.

Our pilots declared an emergency so after our quick descent we landed with full emergency vehicle escort at O’Hare.  We landed hard, probably due to the plane being heavy with fuel, and then stopped briefly on the runway while the emergency vehicles on the ground surrounded the plane.  The pilot told us to stay seated. 

After a minute, we taxied off the runway and stopped.  The pilot then told us there was an item overheating in the galley and the fire department was going to inspect the plane.  He then reminded us to stay seated. I figured we were good since it was pouring rain outside.

A few minutes later, we started to taxi towards the gate.  The fire trucks stayed right with us.  The pilot told us when we got to the gate to leave anything in the overhead bins behind and quickly exit the plane into the terminal.  In no time, we were at the gate and quickly filing off as firemen walked around the aircraft.

I typically fly with a carry-on bag but this time all I had was my backpack as I’m going to be gone for over a week and had to check my bag.  I grabbed my backpack and walked off the plane.  The jet bridge was full of fire fighters and fire extinguishers.  Once in the terminal I breathed a small sigh of relief and then started working on my next problem – getting from Chicago to San Francisco.

I quickly jumped on my Delta app but was not able to login.  I tried several times but the app wouldn’t work so I wasn’t able to rebook myself. The lines at the gate were rather long as 120 people were also trying to get rebooked.  Therefore, I went old school.  I took a page from my 1997 playbook and actually called the 800 number for Delta while standing in one of the lines.

I found out later that Delta had a complete site failure and that no one could check in for a flight or do anything.  I’m pretty sure the two incidents aren’t related but trying to rebook old school and not being able to look up any data online was interesting to say the least.  Even the airport kiosks weren’t working and were unable to find my confirmation number. 

A quick side note, as an IT person who deals with system failures all the time it was nice to know that even the big guys have major issues. 

I was hoping to catch a direct flight from Chicago to San Francisco but Delta doesn’t have one.  The best bet for me was to continue on with the broken plane once it got fixed to Minneapolis and then catch a later flight to San Francisco.  That also kept me with my bags that were still on the broken plane.  All told, I would end up getting to SFO 3 hours later than originally scheduled.  Not only that, but she also provided me with guaranteed upgrades to first on both legs of the flight, to MSP and to SFO.  It sounded good to me, so I took the deal.  I had my problem solved long before the majority of the folks standing in the long lines.  The only variable was whether they would get the plane fixed in time for me to get to MSP to catch the later flight to SFO.

The folks at Delta in Chicago did a great job keeping us informed.  They replaced the part but they also had another part coming in on another flight from Atlanta just in case the fix they had already completed didn’t completely solve the problem. 

Two and a half hours later, they boarded the plane again to continue.  There were only 27 people left as most had been rebooked and I heard one guy say he wasn’t getting back on that plane no matter what.

When we arrived in Minneapolis, we were all given a $10 food voucher for our trouble.  As I write this I’m on a different MD-90 making my way west.  My thanks to all the folks at Delta who worked hard to keep us safe and get us to our destinations.  I hope that if you ever hear the words “emergency landing” over the PA on a flight you are on that you are treated as professionally as the Delta folks treated us.

Oh, I guess I should finish the story.  Turns out the module just behind the cockpit that controls the flight attendant intercom went bad and ended up melting a few wires.  We saw several of the wires that had the protecting coating melting off.  This module didn’t affect the PA but my guess is since the intercom is important during flight and since it got so hot do close to the flight deck that they thought it best to land quickly and get it fixed.  A fire in the air would have been a very bad thing.

Update: 10/19/13
Yesterday I received an email from the Delta VP of Customer Relations apologizing for the "report of smoke in the cabin" that caused our troubles.  The email acknowledged that such events can be disturbing and said we would each be getting 10,000 miles added to our accounts.  It would appear that Delta gets it.  Not only did they apologize profusely for something that wasn't their fault but they took responsibility and are compensating their customers.  This is why I fly Delta and will continue to do so.

Window 8 - Twentith Pass: Windows 8.1 Upgrade Gotcha's

Since Microsoft relented and finally agreed to give IT Pros access to Windows 8.1 RTM, I was able to install it on my Surface Pro. The install was easy enough. I installed it from a USB stick that contained the ISO files. Why the download is only in an ISO format when the Surface line and most tablets don’t have optical drive is a bit beyond me but it is easy enough to convert to a USB stick.

The install went pretty quick but there are a few gotchas after the upgrade that I don’t fully understand. Here is what to look out for:

1. The drivers for my Toshiba DynaDock disappeared. They were totally gone. I’m not sure why but I had to reinstall them as there is an August update that includes support for Windows 8.1. I’m not sure if the install removes drivers not compatible with 8.1 or not but I had to reinstall the Toshiba drivers for 8.1 and then the dock started working again.


2. SkyDrive is majorly updated in 8.1. With Windows 8, I ran the desktop app to keep my SkyDrive folder up-to-date. When I logged in after upgrading, I noticed SkyDrive was no longer an app. Again, the entire app was gone. All that was left in the SkyDrive folder in Programs and Drivers was an install file. The reason for the change is the Start Screen version of SkyDrive included in Windows 8.1 now does all the stuff the desktop app used to have to do. To enable the app to keep your files available offline in the SkyDrive folder on This PC (it is no longer called My Computer) launch SkyDrive from the Start Screen, go to settings from the Charms Menu and then enable Offline Files. Now there is no longer a need for the desktop version, although you can install it and duplicate the effort if you want to.


3. The Start Button is back but it just opens the Start Screen. What is nice though is the Windows-X command now has a Shutdown and Restart option on it like the old Start menu had. You can also get this by right clicking on the Start Button.


4. A few other options that are nice:

• You can now make your Windows Desktop wallpaper your Start Screen image. 

• You can now boot directly to your desktop and make the desktop your default go-to as opposed to the Start Screen. 

These options are available by right clicking the taskbar and selecting Properties. Then go to the Navigation Tab and look under Start Screen. 

More to come I’m sure as Windows 8.1 gets closer to the public release on October 18. Although most corporate environments are still running Windows XP and 7 it remains to be seen if Microsoft will continue upgrading on an annual basis and if the gap between the real world and the latest releases continues to grow wider.

Window 8 - Nineteenth Pass: Windows 8.1 Fiasco

Why is it that Microsoft can’t seem to get even the simplest of things right with Windows 8?  First, as I’ve mentioned a few times, they really goofed up Windows 8.  Second, they decide to release Windows 8.1 and capitulate a few things by bringing back the Start Button and allowing you to boot directly to the desktop.  Third, they announce Windows 8.1 is done but won’t let the usual folks have it early, you know, developers and folks like me – you know, like they’ve done with every other OS release in their history.  Fourth, they decide to capitulate on that too and now are going to release all flavors of Windows 8.1 (except RT) to developers and IT Pros before the end of the month.

It remains to be seen if Windows 8.1 will solve any of the issues Windows 8 created.  This whole RTM fiasco certainly isn’t going to help adoption rates and get folks moving away from XP and 7.  It seems as though Microsoft is determined to take the hard road each and every time.  You’d think they’d get tired of going to the school of hard knocks on oh so many issues but each time they announce something they later change and do what everyone hoped they would do in the first place.

Rumor is that later this month they are going to announce the Surface 2.  I wonder how much of that announcement will have to be re-announced once they alienate yet another section of their customer base.  I love my Surface Pro, if the Surface Pro 2 has more power then I may upgrade but with their recent record of accomplishment I’m guessing the Surface Pro 2 will be bigger, heavier, slower, come loaded with Windows 3.1, be on back order for 8-10 weeks, have a 1 hour battery life, and be totally text based with the GUI replaced by a batch file menu system.

Apparently I Fall Now

Yesterday I had to work at our west campus and since my wife and kids were out of town I thought I’d get some Panda Express from their location on the west side near Purdue.  I love Panda Express and we eat there often – after this experience I hope they build a drive thru location on the east side of town close to where we live soon.

Things went well enough as I found a close parking spot on the street and went inside.  I always get the same thing at Panda, a 3-entre platter with brown fried rice, orange chicken, beef with broccoli and a third entre that is different each time – in other words, my usual. This time I sampled the potato chicken and it was rather tasty so I added it as my third entre.

She packed the order to go with the brown fried rice, potato chicken, and beef with broccoli in the white Styrofoam to go container and then put the orange chicken in a smaller take out box.  I paid my $8.75 and headed for the car.  This is where things turned ugly and for the life of me, I can’t figure out what happened.

As I crossed the street towards the sidewalk, I noticed a low hanging branch on a tree and thought to myself, “duck your head a little”.  The next thing I knew I was flying forward with my legs desperate to keep up with the top half of my body as I flew across the sidewalk towards a building.  In the split second this happened I realized I wasn’t going to gain control and I needed to stop fighting it and just roll into the fall.  Just like when your car is sliding on the ice, you don’t fight it, you steer into it.  Otherwise, I was going to plow into a building and I was pretty sure the building would win.

So I rolled into it and ended up sitting on the sidewalk with torn pants, a torn shirt, Chinese food everywhere, and a very sore right leg.  A group of students from India came up and before they laughed, asked me if I was ok and helped me up.  Stunned I looked around and tried to figure out what went wrong.  I didn’t find a hole in the ground or anything I could have tripped over and I’m pretty sure no one shoved me.  I was even sober at the time so how did I end up covered in Chinese food sitting on the sidewalk?

The only thing I can figure is that I ducked my head at the same time I stepped up onto the curb.  The shoes I was wearing don’t have much traction and my foot must have slipped off the curb and propelled my top half forward faster than my bottom half could keep up.  I’ve inquired as to if there is any surveillance camera footage of the area around 1pm yesterday and haven’t heard back yet.

I headed home with what food I had left to find that the only thing that survived was the orange chicken since it had been packed in its own box.  The white Styrofoam had opened and thrown the beef with broccoli and the potato chicken all over the sidewalk.  All that stayed in the bag was some brown fried rice, 1 floret of broccoli and 1 piece of chicken.  I dumped that out of the plastic bag onto a plate and had lunch, along with a dose of Ibuprofen.

Today, feeling bad for me, my wife went and got us Panda Express for dinner tonight however, to add insult to my stiff right leg’s injury, the potato chicken is only available at the west side location.  If someone wants to bring me some that’d be great.

Oh, and I tossed the shoes.  Not sure why, just seemed prudent.

An Unlucky Day

Yesterday started out to be a lucky day and then went south fast. I started by having a bowl of Lucky Charms and a cup of coffee. Before heading to the office, and out of respect for my co-workers, I stopped to brush my teeth before leaving the house.

Whilst brushing my cell phone started going crazy getting text messages. I tried ignoring it but my phone kept going off. Thinking it might be important, texts rarely are, I turned to silence the menace. As I turned, I caught the corner of a hand mirror and quickly sent it to the floor. Gravity doing its thing the mirror hit the floor and shattered into the obligatory million pieces.

My 7 years of bad luck began instantly. First, the incoming text messages weren’t from anyone important. Second, while I was clearing out the massive text message thread someone even less important called my cell phone adding to the annoying menace. Third, I wasn’t going to be home until well after the family got home so I needed to stop and clean up the shattered glass and silver flakes. Fourth, when my wife went to get me a replacement mirror the only color Meijer had was bright purple.

Why do I need a hand mirror? I use it to watch the hair thinning on the back of my head.

The moral of the story? Don’t brush your teeth.

Windows 8 - Eighteenth Pass: Is the @Surface Really Built for Business?

One of the most baffling things about the Microsoft Surface Pro is that while the commercials portray the device as a business machine designed for synchronized dancing young professionals who like sound of the keyboard “click” as it attaches to the device the Surface Pro itself is not running a version of Windows 8 designed for the enterprise.

What version of Windows 8 is designed for enterprise users, you ask? Great question. It’s called Microsoft Windows 8 Enterprise. Why it doesn’t come on the Surface Pro…well…baffles me. It is probably a marketing ploy to run the same OS flavor as the device is titled. The Surface Pro runs Windows 8 Pro and while that may be cool and all it isn’t functional and all.

Microsoft probably also didn’t want to have yet another flavor of the Surface. We have the RT version and the Pro version. They may not have wanted and Enterprise version because they wanted to stick with shorter version names. I’d suggest they have a Surface ENT version.

Why all the fuss? Another great question. In our enterprise, we use a Microsoft product called Direct Access. Many enterprises the world over use this feature as it allows you to connect your device to your network for file access and management is if the device was actually on your domain without the need for a VPN client or a physical connection to your network. This is great for remote workers and road warrior as their machine is always on the network and always able to phone home without the need for the user to run VPN or authenticate with any other methods.

Windows 8 Pro, as with Windows 7 Pro, doesn’t include Direct Access nor is there any way to add it to the Pro version. Direct Access is only available in Windows 8/7 Enterprise. This brings us back to our question, why is Microsoft marketing a device for business and enterprise users that lacks this key business and enterprise feature.

The news is not all bad though if your company wants to deploy the Surface and use Direct Access. For a small investment of around 2 hours per device you can manually wipe the device, install Windows 8 Enterprise (there is no upgrade from Windows 8 Pro), and then manually reinstall all of the device drivers. In other words, do all those things that Microsoft should have done for you in the first place.

This means the TCO of the Surface just went up IT shops are going to hate when folks bring them in – otherwise it seems the Surface Pro is a perfect fit for business.

That said, I like mine and use it all the time. I work around the lack of Direct Access by using a VPN client however that is slow and requires me to maintain another piece of software and our network to maintain another service. I’m putting up with it because the form factor and touch screen on the Surface work very well for me. That may not be the case for you.

I hope that Microsoft will see the error of their ways and either release the Surface with Windows 8 Enterprise or release an install option to add Direct Access into Windows 8 Pro, thus avoiding the need to start over again with your new hardware. Did I mention the drivers for the Surface are not all located in one place and you have to download them from other users online who have gone to the effort of consolidating them for you?

After all, they have reversed course on the Start Button so maybe this will change to with the next version of the Surface. This just seems like such a simple thing to get right from the beginning. Then again, I don’t work in an office where we dance around clicking our Surface keyboards on in a synchronized dance with multi-colored touch covers.

Windows 8 - BREAKING: The Start Button is Back

At long last the rumors have been confirmed and the Start Button, among other things, is coming back to Windows.  The next version of Window, called Windows 8.1, will include a Start Button on the desktop as well as the option to boot directly to the desktop bypassing the entire Start Screen.

While this is a huge step towards making Windows 8 work on both touch and non-touch devices they seem to be only going about it half heartedly.  For instance, the Start Button is back but can't be turned off, at least as it stands now.  I'd encourage my friends in Redmond to make the Start Button a user configurable option as to whether it is on or off - further helping Windows 8 serve all types of devices.

Lest you get too excited here, while the Start Button is back Microsoft has said it doesn't work the same as the Start Button and Start Menu do in Windows 7.  It remains to be seen how that specifically will play out.

At least we know it is coming back.  I wonder if any business will also now return to Windows 8 or if Microsoft waiting too long and already burned those bridges by not listening to us in the first place?

Windows 8 - Seventeenth Pass: The @Surface in the Real World

Where I think the Surface shines is in travel. It is great on a plane and fits very well on a tray table even if the person in front of you reclines. It is light and can be used typing on the screen or with the touch cover. The only challenge is using it if your tray table is in the armrest and not on the seat in front of you – for instance sitting at a bulkhead. I found the tray tables there didn’t move out far enough so I was a bit scrunched trying to type and since the Surface is support by the kick stand and not by a hinge to the keyboard like a laptop you can’t really push it any further away. When in this situation I typically just type on the screen.

The brightness of the Surface screen can’t complete with bright sunlight on a beach or in the desert. Even all the way up it is hard to see and at full power really drains your battery. Of course using the Surface in an office environment I turn the brightness down to 25% to save battery and keep my co-workers from seeing what I’m saying about them on Twitter – they can find out with everyone else. In fairness, the iPad also doesn’t do very well in bright sunlight.

I’ve found the battery life to be acceptable although with an active cooling system it isn’t near what it could be or what my iPad is. It lasts on most flights and if it doesn’t last on a long flight, I always have my iDevices to fall back on.

As a result of having an active cooling system the back of the case does get very warm. It is important not to store it in a case unless it is in standby or sleep mode, or just plain off. Otherwise, it can get very hot. I’m hoping in the next release of the device they are able to go to a passive cooling system, which will increase battery life and keep the unit much cooler.

The more I use my Surface the more Windows 8 makes sense. The touch screen is what really sells it however, the majority of folks running Windows 8, or that will be running Windows 8, are not using a touch screen. Even the ribbon in Office makes sense because they are large and easy to tap without having to use the pen or mouse.

Despite that, and I’m sure due to my previous posts on this subject, the rumor mill is very strong that SP1 for Windows is going to bring back the Start Button and allow you to boot directly to the desktop and bypass the Start Screen. This change will make Windows 8 much more capable of fulfilling its dual role as a tablet OS and a desktop OS. It remains to be seen if these rumors come true.

Windows 8 - Sixteenth Pass: Getting used to Using the @Surface

Using the Surface seemed easy enough but there are a few things that take a little getting used to. Like the keyboard.

I purchased the Touch Pro keyboard, the one that has actual keys you can type on as opposed to the soft touch one where the keys are just slightly raised on the cover. I really like it but it did take some getting used to.

First, the layout is different. The Home, End, and Del keys are not where you’d expect them to be and even now, I have to think about where they are. Second, the backspace key isn’t in the top right corner; I’m constantly hitting Del when I am going for Backspace. Third, the touchpad, while nice, isn’t nice and I prefer to use my Bluetooth mouse whenever possible.

The touchpad requires two hands to click and drag and isn’t as tap sensitive as I’d like. It also suffers from the problem that is universal to all touchpads in that if your wrist bumps it your mouse goes places you’d rather it not. I had an old HP laptop many years ago that had a button on the keyboard itself that allowed you to disable the touchpad to avoid wrist bumps. I haven’t seen that on a laptop since.

The other interface feature to get used to is the pen. While the pen is nice, I find that I don’t use it very much at all. Even when using the Surface as a tablet without the keyboard and using the touch screen interface for things I don’t find myself hunting for the pen. Perhaps it’s because I’m used to an iPad, which doesn’t have a pen, but in the case of the Surface, I don’t find it critical to have. Those that draw a lot may want one but for me it isn’t a big deal and the buttons and touch screen apps are large enough that my finger works fine.

The other challenge is where do you store the pen? If you aren’t charging the Surface the pen fits nicely and holds using magnets in the charging port but if you want to charge the Surface and use the pen there is no on board storage and the pen has to be carried, and then probably lost, separately.

A little tip on the pen: to right click press the button on the side and then tap the screen. The button on the side of the pen is the same part that sticks in the charging slot to hold the pen to the side of the Surface.

There is one big drawback to the touch covers, whether the hard one or the soft one – they tend to drop out a lot while in use. Several firmware updates have been released but I’ve noticed the problem continue on mine especially when I’m working on a soft surface, like typing on my lap or in bed. Randomly the touchpad and the keyboard will stop responding. In order to fix it I have to press the Windows key and go back to the start screen. Opening the desktop again usually fixes this. Sometime it happens when I’m working on a hard surface but that’s not as frequent, hopefully due to the firmware updates.

Another fix is to press the keys harder, which makes me wonder about the longevity of their sensitivity. Sometimes that works and sometimes my wife thinks I’m mad at my keyboard.