[FARC] Vista's Other Shoe

Sun Oct 19 09:57:16 EDT 2008

Well, MS-DOS ran fine but then users complained about it not being user friendly and Linux is labware.  Like all big corporations and our political leaders Microsoft made the decision for all us "Joe Six-Packs" and "Joe the Plumbers," sorry NE3R, that what we really needed was Windows.  "Make it pretty and they will come," had to have been the corporate motto at Microsoft in those years.  Actually Windows was stolen not "created" by Microsoft, as I believe Xerox pioneered it first and then Apple after that. 

Our cars don't really need and will run more efficiently without air-conditioners and heaters but I certainly don't want a Ford Model "T" hand crank to start mine, and like the Ford Model "T" Ham digital applications' time has passed.   

73
KB3ONM
Kirk, and I approved this message   

From: Ernest Hansen 
Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2008 5:58 PM
To: Frederick, Maryland ARC 
Subject: Re: [FARC] Vista's Other Shoe

      Dan,

      I have not followed all that is going on with Vista. I have Vista on my new computer that I use to surf the web and am very pleased with the package. It has been my experience that the faster the computers cpu runs the slower the software runs and the more memory it uses. After all the consumer can afford a new computer every 3 years. One of the big complaints with Windows when it first hit the market was that DOS applications were holding back the progress of Windows. Well, It came to pass that MicroSoft in it's infinite wisdom has given up being backward compatible with anything. Everytime you upgrade one application, you almost have to buy an entire new system rendering your older applications obsolete. What is the answer? I do not know, but I get a feeling part of the sollution is not to buy MicroSoft anymore. I am looking into buying a laptop computer and have noticed that some of them are running Linux. I have noticed Linux has a small following of Hams using it. I ran an old version of Linux on a 486 PC and the Graphical User Interface was deathfully slow. Then I regenerated the system without the GUI and it ran like greased lightning without the GUI which leads me to believe the GUI with warm fuzzys and wiz-bang eye defying graphics is driving the system madness. I have not done any experimenting like this in several years but for those inclined, it might be wise to investigate running Linux for their Ham applications. It might be time to break the imbilical cord with mother MicroSoft! Might I recommend RedHat Software Linux, I used It a couple of years ago and was please. I hope to get more involved with digital radio myself and may dedicate one of my old spare PC's to Linux. I was dual booting Linux with Widows when I was experimenting. I have been busy with other projects, that is why you have not heard from me. I am now trying to finish a travel trailer I have been working on and also have a one watt qrp rig that I should put the final touches on soon. Also have plans for a Software Defined Radio in the works. Besides the radio, trailer, work, house chores, and being a grandfather ( I have two grandchildren and one on the way) I have been off the streets. 

      Ernie, K3VVV

      --- On Sat, 10/18/08, K3SKE Dan Szymanski <k3ske at edurostream.com> wrote:

        From: K3SKE Dan Szymanski <k3ske at edurostream.com>
        Subject: Re: [FARC] Vista's Other Shoe
        To: "FARC" <FARC at mailman.qth.net>
        Date: Saturday, October 18, 2008, 3:11 PM

        It will be a lot more than just the other shoe dropping.

        For those of you that may not follow the what Microsoft announces, XP will be supported for at least six more months (do to large corporate and Federal Government users demands). Vista as you now know it will quietly die and be replaced with Windows 7!
        Have any of you had a mouse die under the kitchen sink in the area between the sub flooring and the lowest shelf where you store your kitchen cleaning gear? Well assume the mouse is Vista dying quietly and the rest is reality...

        And here all the time you thought that it could not possibly get any worse between the economy, health care, jobs and what is left of your 201K (formally 401K) retirement.

        Dan
        K3SKE
        Frederick Cty

          ----- Original Message ----- 
          From: Kirk Talbott 
          To: FARC 
          Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2008 16:56
          Subject: [FARC] Vista's Other Shoe

          While the initial results of installing a new Rigblaster driver for Windows Vista to run PSK31 were positive, the "other shoe" of Windows Vista did drop and squirrelly activity did ensue.  

          Number 1;  the WinPSK software I use has configuration settings for adjusting the computer soundcard receive and transmit volume levels.  When selecting these settings nothing happens, I had no control of these settings.  I did have control when using WinPSK on Windows XP.  

          Number 2; when starting the WinPSK program after a computer shutdown I did not have receive audio and had to exit and restart the WinPSK program in order to get it back.  I had to do this after every reboot of the computer, having to start WinPSK twice in order to get it to work. 

          Number 3; my soundcard, Realtek Audio, has a feature whereby every time I connect or disconnect a cable or device to the soundcard you get a message "a device has been connected" or "a device has been disconnected."  Ordinarily this isn't a problem and is normal for the Realtek Audio soundcard manager software but after every transmission in WinPSK I would get this message, lose receive audio in WinPSK, and have to restart WinPSK again. 

          Number 4; the Realtek Audio soundcard controls for controlling recording and playback audio volume levels had no effect on receive audio in WinPSK.  I had to control receive audio in WinPSK with the radio's volume control.  

          Number 5; Rigblaster instructions for connecting the receive and transmit audio to a computer suggest using the LINE IN and LINE OUT jacks of the soundcard for a desktop computer and using the MIC IN and HEADPHONE jacks for a laptop computer.  I have no LINE OUT jack on my soundcard so I used the SPEAKERS jack. This did not work.  Next, I used the MIC IN and HEADPHONE jacks on my desktop computer as if I were a laptop and this worked but resulted in problems 1,2,3, and 4.  

          It is clear that while the Rigblaster's new driver for Windows Vista probably works, the WinPSK software and other programs on the Rigblaster's software library CD will not.  So, that's enough problems for me to disconnect the Rigblaster and put it away.  I tried.  Additionally the WinPSK program that I used does not have an uninstaller.  If I want to get this program off of my machine I have to go in and set a restore point in the operating system, backup the system registry, then go into the registry and edit out the entry for WinPSK, and then manually delete all the program folders.  What a kluge and especially since I knew better than to try and experiment with it on Windows Vista in the first place.   The Rigblaster and software library CD are headed for the sledgehammer.  

          73
          KB3ONM
          Kirk  

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