Windows Vista: Upgrading Seems Like a Really Bad Idea

I’ve come to the conclusion that upgrading to Windows Vista would be a horrible decision; allow me to explain why. Cost: The main reason behind doing or not doing most things with PCs is cost. An upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate will set you back $200 or more dollars. But that’s just the start! Chances are the hardware that runs at speed or soars with Windows XP will run dreadfully slow with Windows Vista. So not only are you looking at the cost of the operating system but you need cutting edge technology to run that operating system. Why in the world would you want to buy new hardware for your operating system? I could understand an application or series of applications (for video editing as an example) pushing you to buy new hardware but not the operating system. The only reason I see in upgrading now would be to learn the new OS and be on the cutting edge. ...

February 1, 2007 · Chris Short

Google Building New Datacenter in Lenoir, NC

Good news for the Unifour area of North Carolina (where I lived three years of my early adult life), Google is building a 210 job, $600 million dollar datacenter to help bolster its online offerings. Google Taps North Carolina for New Datacenter Site (E-Commerce Times): Google plans to build a new, US$600 million datacenter in North Carolina designed to help support its online operations, the company announced Friday. The site, to be located in the city of Lenoir, is expected to create about 210 jobs over time. North Carolina awarded Google a 12-year job development investment grant with incentives of about $4.8 million. The North Carolina Department of Commerce estimates the project will bring the state a cumulative gross value of about $1 billion and a cumulative net revenue increase of $37 million. ...

January 20, 2007 · Chris Short

IE Unsecure for Over 9 Months in 2006, Firefox, Nine Days

Most of us probably knew this already but Internet Explorer (IE) is one of the most unsecured browsers on the planet. Last year alone, it was unsecure for 284 according to a Washington Post article by Brian Krebs. Washington Post: “Internet Explorer unsafe for 284 days in 2006” (Ars Technica) Security Fix spent the past several weeks compiling statistics on how long it took some of the major software vendors to issue patches for security flaws in their products. Since Windows is the most-used operating system in the world, it makes sense to lead off with data on Microsoft’s security updates in 2006. ...

January 18, 2007 · Chris Short

Font Size Comparison

Font Size Comparison (this page) was designed to assist web designers in making the switch from absolute to relative font sizes. Below is a listing of font sizes and how they appear in pixels, points, percentages, and ems. If you have customized the way your browser displays text there is a strong possibility that this page will display inaccurately. If this isn’t what you were looking for please click your back button or go to chrisshort.net ...

October 12, 2006 · Chris Short

Link Popularity

The Hardest Part of Search Engine Optimization Link popularity is a key to improving search engine rankings of any web site. One of the hardest parts of search engine optimization (SEO) is improving the visibility of a web site by increasing link popularity. But, link popularity is the most effective way of SEO. Every search engine’s algorithm factors link popularity into its placement of web sites in its search engine results pages (SERPs). This document will detail a very effective way to improve a web site’s link popularity thus helping that web site’s rankings in search engines. ...

January 5, 2005 · Chris Short