VOID Station

Microsoft Windows 8 64bit update fail process

By owning a Dell XPS-1330 laptop from 2008 I am bound to be using a version of Windows.
This is fine because I am a long time fan and happy user of Microsoft software.
I also use Linux and OSX so it is all fine with me.

I am writing here to describe my frustration with Microsoft and the in ability to understand and cater to there consumers like me.
If I was the Product owner of Windows 8 I would be deeply ashamed with the upgrade path for existing users.

Here is the history before we start with the upgrade:
The machine has been upgraded from Windows XP 32bit to Windows 7 32bit (with 64bit on DVD family license).
The upgrade could have been done to 64bit without a clean install and I needed to have my apps then so I upgraded and excepted the lack of 64bit.

My curiosity for Windows 8 has been risen because of all the Surface thing etc, so i decided to do a clean install with hopefully a 64bit install of Windows 8.

When I started with the upgrade assistend it checked my system and found out that it could upgrade etc.
I decided it couldn’t because I want 64bit. I therefore downloaded it to an ISO and burned a DVD booted and installed the Windows 8.
It all went fine, until I found out that it had installed 32bit version of the OS.
You can imagine I was very unhappy with this. I had spend money and did not get what I wanted and payed for.

The next morning (after a cool down) I decided to call Microsoft Netherlands for advice and a download location of a 64bit ISO file for installation.
The guy picking up the phone was Mark Boots, he started to ask me about my PC and I explained the situation.
His answer was that I should buy a full version Windows 8 license for around € 150,-.
I was outraged and told him about upgrade paths on OSX and the costs involved.
I also told him that I would involve the “Consumentenbond” in this customer decide, he made me clear that he wanted to have his name included so again, Mark Boots.
https://twitter.com/markboots/status/243429663135911938
And may I suggest you train a little more because I have found a legal solution.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj203353.aspx

Solutions:

  1. Buy the upgrade and order the DVD’s to your home with an extra charge of € 14,-
  2. Go and find and Windows XP or Windows 7 64Bits machine with your language version installed.
    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only
    Use the upgrade assistend and your own license to download the the ISO file (be careful not to upgrade that machine).
  3. Go to a Arrrbeach.se (Pirate something) site and download an unaltered retail version of the 64bit version of the install DVD for Windows 8.
  4. Download a trail version and install that and insert the license later. (untested, just theory)

All the above solutions will result in an ISO file download which you can burn to a DVD and boot from to make a clean-install on your target PC.

To Microsoft:

  1. Why isn’t there an ISO download place with all versions?
  2. Why don’t I get 64bit ISO and 32bit ISO downloads?
  3. Why is the Language thing still so hard for you and not for OSX/Linux?
  4. Why are your trained “Professionals” so bad and not service oriented?
  5. Where can I send the bill for this consulting job?
  6. Why have you let me down as a long lasting customer for a very long time? I even do VBScript and own Windows Servers.

Sources:
http://www.ghacks.net/2012/10/27/windows-8-upgrade-from-32-bit-to-64-bit-system/
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-windows_install/i-im-not-getting-any-option-to-create-an-iso/0f53f497-c44d-4e87-beba-1549d6668a70

Yeah, my first Myspace follower!

Yeah my first Myspace connection has been made.
https://new.myspace.com/kjeld

If I where you I would get mine with the vanity-URL of your liking.

Google+ vs Facebook

Google+, you might have heared about it by now. It is a new socail network made by Google.
Orkut, Buzz are networks that already are run by Google.
The Google Profiles pages have been changed to Google Plus profiles and all the information is used in the network.

My first thoughts about Google+ are that it looks sleak and that the circles feature is a very good user expierence.
The circle expierence is also possible on Facebook with Circle Hack.
The biggest USP of G+ is the following priciple.
On Facebook you need to confirm your friendship to have anykind of communication/interaction.
On Google+ you can “follow” someone simmiler to Twitter. This means that the user is played the same way to become an influencial person with 5 friends and 500 followers.
On Facebook this can only be done with having 500 “friends”.

I think Facebook will be implementing something like the follower feature in the short future.
Facebook also has a very large addoption in the developer user base and features on other websites.
Google has the advantage on having a very large number (500.000) Android activations a day.
This means that it could be possible for them to have 100.000.000 users within a year via the Android phones only. This is a very large number and could be achieved within a year.

I can’t wait to see where we are in a year on this epic battle.

Which iPad 2 apps to get for your tablet

When the Apple iPad 2 will be launched at the end of march in the Netherlands then I am going to buy one.
I have already reserved mine with my local Apple Premium Reseller Amac Utrecht, do the same if you want to secure one.

QR code scanning is going to be a feature that is on the list. Also Skype video calling is going to be a key feature for me.

I was thinking about which apps I would be going to install on day one.
Here is my list:
Echofon
Tweetdeck
Real Racing HD 2
Bright Magazine
Nalden.app
Wired
NRC
NU.nl
GMail
Flipboard
Zite
Google Reader iPad
Garageband
Amazon Kindle
Skype
Reeder
Feeddler
CNN
BBC
VLC
Rebirth
Popular science
Bloomberg
Wikipanion
Imdb
Flickr
Desktop connect
iDisplay
Cut The Rope HD
Angry Birds HD
Fruit Ninja HD
The Pinball HD
10 Pin Shuffle Bowling
Air Hockey Gold
Crazy Snowboard HD
GameRoom
Metro Ski Challenge 2011
GT Racing: Motor Academy
Bubbles HD

Hope this helps. Please leave additions in the comments.

Cloud based services and Platform as a service (PaaS)

Sinds the start of the Wikileaks, Tumblr and Mobypicture drama, I have been thinking about dependencies to the cloud.
I personally feel that some people “assimilate to the borg” to quickly. You should at least have an exit strategy that could be handled in 24 hours.
For instance run your services over two different cloud hosting services. This will force you to adept to your one intermediar load handling layer and API’s.
I have always tried to architect new services in this maner.

If you have an exit strategy (business wise) you should also think about this. Big companies run there one architecture and require that your to be bought service is able to adept to there platform. Lock-ins to Amazon specific building blocks is not something an other giant would like to buy.
Think about it.