Latest blog posts

Windows Update is a great technology. It ensures that most Windows users are automatically kept up to date with the latest security patches for their OS. Especially now that is no longer tied to Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, I'm a big fan (with one exception). Unfortunately, on rare occasions, the Windows Update client gets in a corrupted state and things get messed up in a big way. This can be difficult to diagnose or troubleshoot.
Read more

If, like roughly 90% of computer users, you run Microsoft Windows, you hopefully have Automatic Updates enabled. In that case, I predict the chances are virtually 100% that you've been annoyed more than once by the restart reminders pictured below.
Read more

I quite enjoy a good movie, so I frequently visit the cinema. Very often, I also buy the DVD for the movies that I liked in the movie theater, as well as season boxed sets of episodes of TV-series. Even though downloading such material is technically legal in this country (as long as you don't upload or otherwise share it), I prefer to own the real thing. With more than a thousand DVDs bought, you'd think the studios would love me. Unfortunately, they don't. They treat their loyal customers like thieves. I'm talking about DRM, of course, and how it makes life difficult only for the honest users without impeding pirates in any significant way.
Read more

Tomasz Szynalski wrote a blog post about using the English language versions of the software. His primary argument for doing this is one that I agree with wholeheartedly... it makes searching for answers or solutions to problems on the internet a lot easier. Far more people use the English versions than the localised versions. The English versions are often the originals, too. This means that you're more likely to get more results when you search for any error messages received in English.
Read more

The EU currently does not recognise software patents. They are being granted, but (as of yet) not legally enforceable. There is really no need for them either, as software is already protected through copyright laws. There is a petition designed to let our European legislators know we do not want to make the mistakes the USA have made in adopting software patents. I have signed the petition and would encourage you to do the same. Here's why.
Read more