Entries from December 2007 ↓

I really, really wanted to to keep using Windows Vista but I tell you, I’ve had nothing but problems it’s just getting worse with each incremental update from Microsoft. Crash after crash, slow to switch to different users, takes FOREVER to login into my Domain and what a memory hog. It seem like it’s slower now then ever and file explorer keeps crashing and locking up. I actually had a blue screen of death the other day! To be honest I’ve not had one of these since Windows ME and Windows 2000.

Windows Vista on my notebook in the last month or so has stopped Visual Studio 2005 from debugging code! I’ve made no changes to VS2005, but the debugger is broken. It’s made it completely useless and has resorted me to using a Virtual PC version of Windows XP to get any work done!!   I’ll be moving back to XP when the latest Service Pack  comes. The new XP Service Pack is said to make XP just as secure as Windows Vista. Don’t even get me started on how horrible Windows Explorer 7 is! I really hope that IE 8 will fix performance and CSS compliance issues.

I’ve finally had it with Time Warner Cable.  I’ve been using Cable for the last 3 years but ever since Adelphia cable was acquired by Time Warner it’s become unbearable.  
The problems really started around Oct when I could feel that they were beginning to throttle my bandwidth. I used to easily get over 10 Mbps downloading and 1mbits uploading but lately its been close to 1 Mbps download and 200 Kbps upload.   
Today was the last straw. I’ve been trying to upload a 3.5 gigabyte Virtual Image to our company servers and its been dog slow! It seems when I start uploading or downloading large files my bandwidth seems to throttle down to a point that its not worth using. So today I ordered FIOS and got the 15 Mbps download and upload! Yes, you heard that right, 15 Mbps upload!

 Now that is what I’m talking about. I’m also replacing the TV with the FIOS Cable. It actually works out to be about the same price so why not give it a shot. I could have gotten it a little cheaper if I signed a 2 year contract, but to me the last thing I need to do is get stuck in another contract!
I’ll have FIOS Jan 2nd, 2008 and I can’t wait to return my cable modem and cable boxes to Time Warner!

Ruby on Rails has a released version 2.0 and I think based on some of the new and improved changes that it maybe the time to finally jump ship on ASP.NET and move over to Ruby on Rails.  
The one problem that I’ve had with RoR in the past is that it just does not scale.   I’m hoping that this gets resolved and makes my decision easier. My other choice is to continue using ASP.NET and see how their new MVC model is going to be like?
Is it better to use a framework like Ruby on Rails where MVC was designed from the beginning or as an afterthought to ASP.NET. ASP.NET is really started to feel bloated.
It’s reminding me of the days back in VB 6 and web development.  Visual Basic (before .net days) was not designed for the web but as an afterthought.  VB 6  you could develop web applications several ways.  You could just use ASP with vbscript, ASP with VB COM dlls, VB with COM Control running in MTS or VB 6 web classes. They all have their plus and minuses but again they were an after thought.   
 This is what I feel ASP.NET is becoming. You can do it the old way (Web Forms), AJAX way (which is bloated and I’d prefer to use jQuery or Protoype), and now MVC. I don’t know enough of it yet to make an educated decision but at this point should I just jump and move over to RoR instead? Decisions, decisions…. 

 Leo Laporte,

 Please I beg you for the love of God and the sanity of all the listeners to TWIT (This week in Tech), please do not bring back Jason Calacanis (pictured here).

 He manages to horde the entire podcast and no one can even get a word in.. I love listening to John, Patrick, and the others but when this guy comes on I find that I’m constantly screaming at my computer because he can’t stop talking about himself. 

 I don’t know the guy, I just just don’t think he brings anything valuable to the show.  He has his own media to tell what he thinks, we don’t need to hear it on TWIT.  Everyone else brings something interesting and enteraining to the show.  What’s horrible is that he can’t stand to be stood up and was constantly taking potshots at John C. Dvorak!

 Please, please he’s does nothing for the show!