Mac OS X slowdown and repair

Our 2.0ghz Aluminum Macbook has ben going slow for months, spinning beachball, lag and generally enough frustration that even my 9 year old son was complaining. If you are experiencing a similar poorly performing Mac, try this tip;

http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/durepairfns.html#Anchor-The-47857

Start up from your OS install disk and run a Disk Repair on the Startup disk, not a Repair Permissions, a Repair disk that is only available when starting from another disk.

In our case the disk repair found only a couple of errors but the difference in performance is amazing, we have a new Macbook on our hands as I couldn't believe the difference such a simple function provided.

Microsoft RIP KIN, you never really lived

On techcrunch today you may see that the Microsoft KIN is to die shortly, 'She' never really lived, was a Smart phone without apps on an expensive data contract. Microsoft, your competitors are eating your lunch.
http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/06/30/microsoft-puts-down-the-kin/

FIM 2010 and TEC2010

After reading Gil Kirkpatricks analysis of FIM 2010 and what the TEC2010 community what the community want Microsoft to do with the platform, (http://www.theexpertscommunity.com/item/view/id/4410) really interesting to see that customers really just want Microsoft to finish the basics of the platform.
Many customers and partners I talk to now are contemplating FIM 2010 or have it installed in their organisation but like SharePoint it is a blank canvas. My experience with blank canvas products is they don’t go far without significant investment and effort (money and development skills), in addition non-IT buy in can be difficult without a ‘hook’ to the non IT core of a business. This may come from the benefits realised by automating a provisioning process and removing potential for errors occurring in user creation.
If the chosen AD management product is not easy to configure and manage then the advantages are moot, spending money on MCS is not a return on an Identity and Access Management project.
Take a look at Quest Active Roles Server as an Active Directory management tool with real codeless configuration, http://www.quest.com/identity-management/provisioning.aspx

'The nightmare that was'... configuring a Dell Latitude E6500 as a Wifi Access point

Recently as my previous post mentioned, I purchased a non 3G Apple iPad, the WiFi part is sufficient for almost all events I am involved with. This time though I was to be staying in a Marriot Hotel in KL, Malaysia where the Wifi access did not cover all the rooms and all I had was my Laptop (E6500). Now this Dell laptop with Windows 7 installed is no longer the most reliable due to my constant requirements to install and remove apps that I feel may have some use for me. But I do not think that this is the reason I had so much trouble setting it up as a Access point for my iPad to connect through.

Anyone who had been doing their research will be aware that the iPad does not support tethering over Bluetooth to a 3G phone, a couple of sites claim that this is possible, its not! At least not yet. The two remaining paths I had to choose was either a Mifi device (portable access point and 3G device) or using my laptop as an access point, the latter option being cheaper and what I finally went for.

Setting up my laptop to work as an access point is where my problems started. Firstly my laptop had been locked down to prevent ad-hoc networks being configured, this site helped me override the settings dictated to me by my corporate overseers even if it was temporary: http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/operating-system-optimization/114261-wireless-settings-need-help-circumventing-my-stupid-group-policy.html

There is a good thread along with the respective registry entries that need to be removed so an ad-hoc network can be configured on a Windows 7 PC.

Open regedit and delete the key HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Wireless

This worked for me but could not get my beloved iPad to connect and obtain an IP address, iPad would connect and fail to talk to the Windows machine, regardless if a Manual IP address was entered for both the PC and iPad, first attempt, Fail!

I kept reading as there must be a better way to manage Windows 7 Wireless networking than the dire built in functionality (the more I use Windows 7, the less I like it and I really did like it to start with).

Secondly I found another utility called Connectify and this little app seemed to solve my prayers: http://www.connectify.me/index.html

Installed Connectify and whammo, Wireless network is up and running but iPad still wont connect, reading a little further into the Connectify UI and its apparent that my Wifi Card Intel Wifi link 5300 ABG was only working as an Ad Hoc network and for some reason the iPad doesn’t want to connect to that either. Looking at the support list for Connectify, it appeared that the card I had should run in Access Point mode so a quick search and download from Intel got me around this next hump: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&ProductFamily=Wireless+Networking&ProductLine=Intel%C2%AE+WiFi+Products&ProductProduct=Intel%C2%AE+WiFi+Link+5300+and+Intel%C2%AE+WiFi+Link+5100+products

Installed the driver here and restarted the Laptop, Access point is running perfectly and iPad now connects to the internet via the Wifi on the Dell Laptop.

Now if only Apple would start to support tethering, even if it was via a cable then i life would be a lot easier, how else do I install those shiny applications and use Twitterific.

I'm sitting here at 31,000 feet above Australia writing this blog entry on my new Apple iPad and realising what an evolutionary device it is. The iPod touch was a half way point, not suitable for serious use but great for testing the waters of what can be done with the touch screen format with a solid operating system.

While in Los Angeles this past week I decided to either purchase a MacBook Pro or an iPad, the iPad won out for several reasons for which I'll explain in further detail. My initial feeling after purchasing a new 64 gb iPad was a little muted due to the requirement to upgrade iTunes, a huge download over a slow connection and then the difficulties of getting software for it without a US account which I was able to sort with some friendly help from my friend and colleague Dmitry Kagansky.

Observations:

Instant start up, the device is always ready to go, admittedly my MacBook at home sleeps and wakes easily within a few seconds and gives me a solid experience of what an appliance is (my terminology for devices that simply work as they should and don't impose kludge and restriction; toaster, kettle, MacBook).

iTunes appstore applications available cover every imaginable idea / requirement I have of a mobile device in this form factor, many are free too which is even better, including some very good note taking applications which are ideal with a larger screen 'iPod Touch'.

A single device for flights etc, I read tech PDF data sheets now wherever. There are many books available to read while flying or travelling.

Its small, the size of a Net book, but has more application for a traveller than a Net book due to the design and typical 'use case' of these types of devices.

iTunes ecosystem managing the Apple family of portable devices( I want to come back to an area of the iTunes ecosystem that I'm not happy about too!), makes purchasing and installing music, movies, TV shows, iBooks, audiobooks and applications easy and the choice is vast.

Games, games that are being released for the iPad are becoming very professional, with visual appeal well above the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DSi. It's my view that those platforms are going to disappear over the next few years; Development costs are high for what is arguably an inferior experience to what I can get on Apple devices now. Games on iTunes are priced accordingly to the likely usage on a portable device which tends to be jump in and jump out, as opposed to home consoles, whereas Sony and Nintendo and third parties still have to price their software and take account of marketing, packagings and the studio development costs.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Apple don't rerelease an Apple TV based on the Arm A4 used in the iPad within 12 months, Apple are a very smart company with a series of successful launches now (some failures too; Apple TV, MacBook air etc) and will design a UI and control scheme that fits the market. At this stage in the 'game' Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo should be very worried! They are all companies with a lot to lose in the casual gaming market and living room and minds of consumers.

Onto iTunes, I have some reservations on what iTunes is becoming; it's too big and tries to do too much. Apple are controlling the experience and the revenue opportunity through the devices that use iTunes; I think there is a place for an independent mechanism for applications to be supported, or at the very least allowing access to the shared data locations on the iX devices (iPod, iPhone, iPad) as each application I have installed has it's own data area for Pages docs, PDF files, photos etc - not the best way to address user data by maintaining independent silos of information.

On top of this iTunes seems to be becoming too much! If I want to sync data to my iPad then why do I need to have the device connected and work through the iTunes menus to get to a dialog that allows me to copy data across unless I use iWork online! I should be able to configure a folder and share data through that folders or series of folders just as I do with my folders on my Mac.

Disclaimer; I am a long time Mac user but this doesn't get in the way of my understanding of where I am being taken my continuing to support the Apple ecosystem of DRM and micro transactions restricting my freedom to choose devices on what is best rather than who makes it

Systems administrators and Solutions Architechs

How many people have inflated their role within a company? I'm sure many of you have. I have called myself different titles with 'Senior' being the most common, Why? Nowdays I don't know - what was the impact of the title change? no one came to me with enhanced expectations because now I was a 'Senior Janitor' and no longer a mere 'Janitor'?
In IT there is a tide of self fluffing through role enhancement, from Senior Systems Adminstrators to Assistant IT Director through to the current favorite 'Solutions Architect' which may be the most mis-representative title to date for many self appointed 'Solutions Architects'.

Lets break out what an IT Architect is? someone who develops, designs, plans and understands the broader picture, an IT Architect can relate technology to anyone within a business; this role is not typically a detail person, rather a high level thinker that understands concepts and plans and relates them to technology.

The Architect fragments into various titles from Technical Architect (shouldn't an architect be technical anyway?) to an enterprise architect (high level person who recommends centralising systems and minimising application stacks?) to my favorite, the Solutions Architect.

What is a Solutions Architect? does a Solutions Architect look after one solution or many? what is the solution that an SA manages? for all I know this role works with Water and Aspirin and creates a solution by dropping aspirin into water?
Curently a Solutions Architect is the favorite title for an IT administrator to take and what does it mean? above you clearly see no customer is going to take you any more seriously than they would as a Systems administrator? its the proof of experience that makes a person suitable for a title not the title.

Personally I've given up, no longer will I be Senior (no grey hair), or will I be a Solution Architect, I am a Consultant (talk to customers and relate my experience to their requirements) and proud of it.

Microsoft Web platform Installer

I happened upon the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta today: http://www.microsoft.com/web/downloads/platform.aspx and am very impressed by what I found. Recently I started looking into Ubuntu as a web server for delivering a website I wish to develop, the website would contain forums and wikis etc and Linux seems the ideal platform for web dev due to its native open source support from database engines to application platforms.

Wow is all I can say about the effort from Microsoft on the Web Platform installer, it’s very integrated, I installed Wiki’s and blog sites with a click ‘next’ ‘next’ and ‘finish’, my first surprise was seeing a MySQL installer for a product being promoted with the Microsoft Platform installer. All of my requirements were met by products recommended by the installer and couldn’t be easier to install.

On the linux side I have installed Alfresco and a php based forum site but its just not as integrated.

Over the next several weeks I plan to work out what platform I use to provide a web server for my new business project. Linux or Windows, only one can prevail, licensing costs are only a small part of the price to pay so a server license is almost negligible in the greater scheme of things.

Just as a clarification - Alfresco by itself is a great product and a viable competitor to SharePoint server for many tasks, I tested it to determine whether it could deliver what I require and have the look and feel I desire.