Google Chrome

Google has released a new web browser today called Google Chrome.  I've posted a few links to some articles on the subject over on my normal blog here.

A web browser is what you use to get on the internet with.  There are a few variations on the web browser already.  Internet Explorer is what's included with Windows, Safari is the default for the Mac.  Firefox is a common replacement for both due to the popular plug in ability.

You can download this new web browser here if you'd like to experience the web in a new way.

Three OSes in a Tub

Today I'd like to do a brief overview of different Operating Systems, or "OS"es. Which Computer and OS you use can be very important depending on what you want to do with your machine. There are three primary players in this field, though on of these three is kind of like a whole bunch of sort of mostly similar OSes.

Windows

We'll start with the obvious, most prolific, and most generic, Windows. Chances are, if you're reading this, you're running Windows. Windows is made of course by Microsoft and has something like 90% market share. That means that roughly 9 out of every 10 computers you see will be running Windows. It's certainly most dominant in office environments.

For what it's worth, Windows is my primary OS of choice and it's the OS I'll cover the most on this blog. It's not necessarily better than the other OSes in all aspects but it's the most versatile an compatible of the OSes. If you want software from a store, chances are there is a Windows compatible version available. Most games and hardware are also designed with Windows in mind making it the OS of choice for today's "hardcore PC gamer".

With hardware compatibility comes a whole slew of different PCs capable of running Windows. There is no standard design for a Windows machine. There is no way to tell if a PC runs Windows when you see one but chances are it does or can. Even newer Apple systems can run Windows.

Apple OSX

Apple used to be a fairly dominant player in the computer market. They were especially popular in schools during the early 90s. Somewhere along the way they lost market share but they are still the number two player in the OS market.

The main thing to consider about OSX, the current generation Apple operating system is that it will only run on Apple computers. Ok, technically with some hacker style ingenuity you can make it run on other systems but it's only DESIGNED to run on Apple computers, generally refereed to as "Macs". Mac being short for Macintosh.

Apple computers tend to be pretty distinctive and there are only a dozen or so different designs (though color may vary). They generally all have the large Apple logo emblazoned on the side or top and follow Apple's design philosophy of a very clean rounded sleek style. This is most obvious with their recently released ultra thin "Macbook Air" that will fit inside of a Manila envelope. Also in Apple's popular iPhone and iPod devices.

Like it's physical encasement, OSX also follows a very smooth sleek style in it's interface. The default set up is sort of an upside down version of Windows, the equivalent for the Windows "start" menu is on the top side of the desktop. OSX also uses the bottom of the screen for an animated quick launch style bar with a list of programs one can use on the Mac.

Apples' major downfall next to Windows is also it's best feature. It's very inward centric when it comes to compatibility. OSX generally requires special versions of software. It only runs on Apple hardware. This means your selection of software is limited but it also means more stability overall in performance. Unfortunately it also means a higher cost. Apple tends to charge about twice the cost of an equivalent PC running Windows.

What's it good for then with limited software and high cost? Well, it's stable. It's less prone to viruses. It's possibly a bit easier to use than Windows. Macs are also the system of choice for music and video editors. A Mac, especially one of their popular laptops, are great for people who like to blog or surf the net or in general, do things that "aren't gaming". While Mac has "limited software" the only real pitfall in that is the lack of games support, and even that is growing.

Linux

Linux is the smallest of the "big three". Ok, technically that's not "big three" that's "one huge giant, one mostly visible and one pinhead". Linux is excessively niche and last I checked they might have made 1% market share.

Linux is heavily based on Unix which is something like the "grandaddy of all Operating systems". Ok, that's probably not technically correct as I'm sure someone who knows more than me will point out but it paints the proper picture.

Linux is a very odd beast to describe. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, one of these OSes is sort of like a lot of smaller similar OSes. you can't go out and get "Linux", what you can do is go out and get Ubuntu, or Fedora or Debian or Knoppix or any one of hundreds of different "builds". There are flavors of Linux built especially for turning your PC into a fax machine or a media center or an alarm clock for your toaster but there are even more flavors designed to mimic Windows and OSX and create a normal usable PC.

Linux seems t fluctuate a bit on which build is it's current "mascot". Several years ago when I first started using Linux Red Hat seemed to be the version to use. These day's it's Ubuntu. Unlike Windows and OSX, Linux is free. It's build on the idea of "Open Source" which is basically a term for "free to modify and distribute (for free). While you can "buy" some versions of Linux, doing so more or less amounts to buying a support package for a certain build of Linux.

If it's free, why doesn't everyone use it? People love things that are free. The major shortcoming with Linux is that it can be confusing and difficult to use. This isn't helped by a literal split in it's core users.

There are huge sections of Linux advocates that will tell you that the Graphical User Interface is overrated and everything should be done with a command line. Suggesting to them that remembering hundreds of cryptic and archaic terms is an extremely stupid and inefficient way to run a computer will get you yelled at.

Still, there seem to be a large section of people coming around which is really helping Linux to gain momentum. Ubuntu helps this a lot. Ubuntu is extremely easy to use.

Another problem however with Linux gaining a foothold is that most computers come with some sort of operating system pre-installed. Setting up Linux can be more difficult than actually using it. The first time I installed Linux I ended up getting a stream of 1s across my screen when I rebooted it. I was locked out of my own PC. Still, this is becoming easier as well.

The final shortcoming is the software. If Mac has a shortage o software and game compatibility, Linux has already died of famine. While there is a massive amount of free open source software available for Linux, many of the programs are far disparaged from their primary market equivalents. Open Office isn't nearly as good as Microsoft Office. The Gimp has a clunky user interface next to Photoshop. The inconsistency in design philosophy of interface hurts things as well.

Linux advocates will tell you that you can run any Windows program using WINE or some other Windows Emulator but the set up process for WINE can be tricky and emulation tends to reduce performance.

Linux is really good at one thing however, servers. A server is a specialized type of computer that I'll cover in more detail in another post but Linux is definitely king of servers. Many websites run on Linux based servers. Linux servers are extremely stable and secure from outside attacks or software failure.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is there is no bottom line. I'm not going to recommend an operating system to you, that's not the purpose of this post, this is an informative post so that you the reader can have a better idea of potential unfamiliar concepts and terms I'll get into later.

The Binary Number System

Binary numbers are extremely important to computers and technology. You see, a computer only understands electrical impulses. There either is a charge, or there isn't. It's either "on" or "off", 1 or 0 in mathematical terms.

This is called "Binary". Here's a short video on Binary.



He does a good job of explaining this. The computer uses these binary numbers to translate everything into something it can understand. You might occasionally hear the phrase "It's just ones and zeros" in reference to a computer file. Binary is where this comes from.

A "Gig"? That's like a band get together right?

I noticed in my last post I was throwing around terms like "2.5 gigs". I realize that what this means may not exactly be clear. A "Gig" is a "gigabyte", a way to measure space on your computer's hard drive.

You might also see it called a "hard disk". The hard disk is where the computer stores all of the data it's not currently using (and a bit that it is using but mostly not). Think of the Hard Drive as the file cabinet where you keep all of your papers. Better yet, think of it as your entire room, or even your whole house. Part of your house has some basic files and paperwork (emails and Word documents), part of it has the tools needed to play games perhaps, a basketball or a set of golf clubs, part of it stores utilities that help the house go, your plumbing or even just your yard rake.

The point is, the Hard Drive is where the computer stores information. This is different than Memory, the subject of a future post. Memory is what the computer is actively doing, the Hard Drive is more like a storage bin for things the computer might use.

Most basic modern computers include a hard drive with around 80 gigs or gigabytes of space. A higher end computer might go up to 120 or 150 gigs of space. Chances are if you have more than that amount of space you've specifically opted to either by adding Hard Drives or upgrading your initial purchase. Either way, you probably know about bytes and gigabytes.

Back to Gigabytes, a gigabyte is 1 billion bytes (more or less). There's an extra complicated step involving kilobytes not actually being 1000 bytes and such but for this explanation we'll neglect that small detail.

So, like I said, a gigabyte is 1 billion bytes. A Megabyte is 1 million bytes. a Kilobyte is 1000 bytes, a Terrabyte is 1 Trillion bytes, a Pita byte is 1 Quadrillion bytes.

That's good enough for now. For the most part, people stick with Giga, Mega and Kilo. Anything smaller doesn't really matter, anything larger is for servers and specialized equipment.

Gigabytes really only come up for measuring hard drives as a whole or while installing large pieces of software or games.

Megabytes are really the most common form of measurement. Music files are generally 4-6 megabytes depending on the quality, digital camera photos tend to be about 1-2 megabytes unless you've got some sort of beefy SLR camera shooting in RAW format.

Kilobytes are pretty common too though with today's space and bandwidth their size is pretty negligible. Documents and emails run 50-100 kilobytes. For what it's worth though you could fit 10,000 100 kilobyte documents in 1 gigabyte. Even the most dedicated writer would have trouble filling an 80 gig drive with documents.

These measurements are generally abbreviated in a few standard ways. Gigs, Megs, Kilos (less common) are longer abbreviations. If you have a 5 meg download you're talking about 5 megabytes. Also you might see GB, MB, or KB floating around. Those stand for Gigabyte, Megabyte, and Kilobyte respectively.

Occasionally you'll see those without the "b" on the end but not often.