I read an interesting post on ZDNet today about the best OS between Mac OS X, SuSe Linux and Windows Vista. It’s pretty common to see OS X and Vista in the lineup, but adding SuSe Linux was an approach I hadn’t seen recently. Needless to say, Mac OS X came out on top as far as the poster was concerned. Surprise surprise. I liked this summary:

For those who put a premium on user productivity, MacOS X is the no brainer option: it’s more matter of fact than Novell’s new GUI skin and packaging, and mostly just stays out of the way of knowledgeable users. In fact, for many it meets the IT ideal: it works so well, they don’t know it’s there or doing anything to help them - they just click and expect it to work; because, well, it just does.

I also found it interesting that it was suggested that all 3 OSes be run on Apple hardware for the test. An obvious choice to give OS X a fair shake, but an approach I hadn’t thought of.

Anyone performed a similar test or given a Linux flavor a true day-to-day productivity test?

Click here to view ZDNet’s original post.

I’ve had a nagging problem since installing Microsoft Word 2008 for the Mac. For some reason the default template adds an additional 10pt space after each line making it look like double spacing is turned on. I have to change it every time I type a doc, not a big deal. The bigger deal is having to change it EVERY TIME one of my kids or wife wants to type something. I finally sat down to change it today once and for all. Here’s what you need to do to make a change to the default template for Word 2008:

1. Make a backup copy of Normal.dotm (Default Word Document Template) found in /Users/~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Office/User Templates/.
2. Open the Normal.dotm.
3. Make whatever changes you’d like to make to set it up the way you’d like to start each new document in Word.
4. Save the template.

That’s it. Keep in mind that whatever changes you make to the template will change the starting point/default template for all future Word documents.  This process should also work for other default templates for Microsoft Office for the Mac applications.

I picked up a LaCie Little Disk 320GB hard drive to store some files I’d previously had on my iPod Classic.  I have several large data files that are upwards of 8GB.  When I went to transfer one of these over, the transfer failed at about 4GB with the following error message:

I’m always looking for tools that can make me life easier…one-click even. I know ripping DVDs to a portable device is hardly something new, but I’ve been using an application from Xilisoft called DVD to iPod Converter that makes it one click.

Anyone who’s tried hacking together your own DVD ripping solution knows that it’s not easy or simple. There are always lots of steps using a number of applications to get something down to carry on your iPod or other portable media device. I was pleasantly surprised to see that after loading up DVD to iPod Converter, I was able to insert a DVD, click the Convert button, and let the software do it’s thing.

There are lots of options for different devices, file quality, screen size, etc. Check out the software here.

PLEASE READ: This is not intended to encourage the stealing of DVD content you don’t own. Use the software at your own risk.

If you’re a blogger, or even an aspiring blogger, you should check out Red Sweater Software’s MarsEdit 2 blog publishing software. I’ve been using MarsEdit 2 for a while now and love being able to edit blogs from a local desktop application. The interface is clean, you have access to both a WYSIWIG as well as an HTML editor, and you can manage media files (pictures, audio, video) right from the application. Also added to the latest version is expanded access to post preferences such as comments and pings.

Aside from the great features, there are two things I love about MarsEdit. First is the ability to create and edit blog posts offline. It’s rare that I don’t have an Internet connection, but it seems like when I don’t have access is oftentimes when I’d like to be working on a blog post. Second, you can have access to multiple blogs without logging in to each control panel separately. If you post to more than one blog on a regular basis, this feature alone is worth picking up the software for.

Check out the trial version of MarsEdit 2 and see what you think.

I ran across the site PimpMyNews.com today. Pretty interesting. Not only is it a great name (”PimpMy” in front of just about anything spells cool), but it’s a great little service that turns text from news sites and blogs into .mp3 files you can listen to on your computer or more importantly on the go. You can easily create a free account and subscribe to up to 10 feeds you want “read” to you. Sure the voice is a little computer sounding devoid of emotion, but it still feels very futuristic.

The feeds are great for downloading onto your iPhone or iPod to listen to while you work out, drive or anywhere you have some down time.

You would think Santa had just brought the household a new puppy on Christmas morning. My family is enamored with Facebook. One good thing about this love affair is I don’t have to clean up doggie “accidents” or deal with chewed up furniture. It’s also highly likely Facebook isn’t going to get hit by a car or develop bad hips.

Needless to say, I’ve been dabbling a bit with the site in an effort to remain the king of my house when it comes to the number of friends each of us has. To help me, I downloaded the Facebook Application onto my iPhone and I’m pretty impressed. It has the most used base communication features of the web version. I’ve found that adding new friends is actually faster than it is with the web version.

If you’re into Facebook and have an iPhone, give the Facebook Application a try.

I read this morning that Apple is now the No. 3 PC maker in the U.S. with it’s sites set on Dell and HP.  This seems pretty impressive to me given how huge Dell has been historically.  Reminds me of the days when Apple had only a fraction of 1% of the market in terms of users as well as PC sales.

It’s been a long time coming…and I know this isn’t exactly breaking news for anyone following Mac/Apple related news topics, but I had to comment.  I can’t believe how long it’s taken for Psystar to get slapped by Apple for stepping on Apple’s hardware toes.  The interesting thing is, based on what I’m reading, this doesn’t appear to be as much about the EULA (End User Licensing Agreement) breach, as about trademark and copyright infringement.  Here’s a link to the initial source we found the news at:

The Gray Blog - “Apple Goes After Clone Maker Psystar”

Personally, I like the idea of Mac clones.  Although I wasn’t a big fan of the clones in the late 80’s, now that we’re on Intel processors, the hardware options become a lot more interesting.  This could end up being a huge boost for the Apple OS and it’s market penetration if they open up licensing at some point.  I’m certainly not saying I don’t like Apple hardware, it rocks.  But I always cringe a bit at the cost of their more robust systems.  Course “cringe a bit” doesn’t prevent me from actually ponying up the bucks to buy a high end system.

Microsoft Office for the Mac is a necessary evil for a lot users.  The AutoUpdate feature Microsoft built into Office works pretty well, but if things don’t go as planned with the download and/or install of an update, it can be a little frustrating.  Here are a couple of handy tips in case you need to find the update on your local machine or want to download it manually from Microsoft’s site:

• The AutoUpdate application is stored in the following folder:  Yourstartupdrive/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/MAU2.0.  The easiest way to launch it is from Help-Check for Updates in any of the Microsoft Office applications.
• Downloaded updates are stored in the following folder: Youruserfolder/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/16807Office 2008 12.1.1 Update.  Updates are temporary though and are cleaned out along with other temporary items regularly.
• By default, a log of Microsoft AutoUpdate’s activities is kept in the following location: Yourstartupdrive/.  This can come in handy when troubleshooting.