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1 Jan 2021 - Podcast #724 - (20:56)
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Although some applications update themselves, that's not true for every application. Those who work for organizations with IT departments may have both their hardware and all applications updated automatically, but that's not an option for the rest of us. Or is it?
In mid-November, I described Ninite's advantages: "It doesn't manage updates for all applications, and if you want it to monitor your applications in real time, you'll need to pay for the pro version. The free version keeps track of more than 100 applications, and all you need to do is remember to run it occasionally." I heard from John Kennedy a few days later: "Ninite does a nice job, but PatchMYPC does even more in my opinion. It checks a lot more because it scans your computer to see what's installed, then checks for updates. And it has a master list bigger than Ninite that can be used to install programs. Finally, it's an exe program that only runs when you want it to."
So I had to take a look, and I was impressed. But I was also occasionally confused and annoyed, but only once and fixing the annoyance was easy.
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PatchMyPC does offer to install and update more applications than Ninite, but initially I thought that the application had to be run manually. The process can be automated, and in a way that's better than the Ninite process. Setting up the automated process, however, was one of my annoyances. I'll get to that in a moment, but first let's look at how the application works.
The first time you open PatchMyPC, you'll see a list of all applications it knows about in the left column and all of the applications it knows about that are installed on your computer in the right column. It found that most of my installed applications were up to date. These are shown in green in both columns. Calibre and Vivaldi were outdated, so they're shown in red on both lists. The left column also has a lot of entries shown in black; this means the applications are not installed. Those who are red-green colorblind can change the display colors.
During the installation process, each procedure displays status information in the right panel. Each application that's installed will generate a new icon on the Desktop. This was another minor annoyance because I keep few icons on the Desktop. It was easy enough to delete them, but later I found a setting in the Options panel that forces PatchMyPC to delete all of the newly created Desktop icons at the end of the process.
Some applications automatically open after being installed. This seems to be application-specific, not something that's the fault of PatchMyPC and, as such, there's nothing PatchMyPC can do about it.
To install an application that PatchMyPC knows about, select it by checking the selector in the list on the left. Then click the Perform Update button in the lower right corner of the user interface. It's possible to select multiple installations to run on a single pass.
PatchMyPC is a portable application that requires no installation. When run, it creates a log file in the directory where the executable file is. The executable file may be run from any location on the computer or from a USB thumb drive. Running from a thumb drive will generally preclude automatic operation unless the thumb drive is attached at all times. It's better to create a folder on the desktop or on any disk drive that's permanently attached to the computer if you want to automate the process.
Setting PatchMyPC to run automatically is done from the Scheduler panel, and the process is quite easy. Start by selecting whether you want the updater to run daily; every 2, 3, 5, 10, or 20 days; once every week or two weeks; or every month. Another option will force the process to run if you turn the computer on after the scheduled run time. For example, say that you schedule the process to run daily at 7am, but you oversleep one day and turn the computer on at 9:30. Setting "Run ASAP when Missed" will force the job to run immediately. The other options are Task Enabled, which must be set to true if you want the job to run, whether PatchMyPC is visible when it runs, and whether you want the job to run even if you're not logged in. Then click the Save Suggested Schedule button.
Here is the most serious annoyance: Even though I set the run time to be 7am, it was recorded in the Windows Task Scheduler as 7pm. The observant user will also notice that PatchMyPC changes AM to PM after saving the job. This requires opening the Task Scheduler, locating the PatchMyPC job, and changing the run time from 7pm to 7am. If you're familiar with the operation of the Task Scheduler, you can also modify additional job parameters.
Once the job is set up properly, the Task Scheduler will display the PatchMyPC job as scheduled at the proper time.
In addition to installing applications, PatchMyPC can also uninstall applications. Open the Uninstaller tab, select one application or several, right-click, and choose the uninstall option.
PatchMyPC runs on any version of Windows from XP and above. It requires Microsoft .Net Framework 4.5, so if you're still running Windows XP you'll need to download an older version of the utility that supports Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5. Once installed, PatchMyPC automatically updates itself when new versions are released.
If you want to run the application on multiple home PCs and use the same settings on each, you can export the settings to a file and then place that file in the program's directory on the other computers.
Sometimes it's essential to run an older version of an application because some other installed application depends on that older version. To ensure that an application is never updated, find it in the left column list, right-click it, and choose "Disable auto updating of this app."
The free service is funded by corporate payments for the commercial service, which ranges from a starting price of $1000 per year for a basic plan to $2500 for the Enterprise Plus plan. Apparently there is also an additional per-seat cost. That may appear to be excessive, but it automates activities that would require effort by system administrators. The logic works for more than 2100 organizations with nearly seven million computers.
Those who use the free home version can contribute and, if you feel that PatchMyPC saves time and keeps your computer up to date, consider playing fair and providing a contribution.
PatchMyPC keeps some 300 applications up to dateI have to agree with John Kennedy that, while Ninite is a most capable application, PatchMyPC does even more. New users will find two videos on the organization's website. One explains basic operations and the other reviews a variety of advanced concepts. The added abilities to schedule updates and to uninstall applications you no longer want are added benefits.
Additional details are available on the PatchMyPC website.
The cat rating scale ranges from 0 cats (worst) to
5 cats (best).
Pantone, the company that helps designers and manufacturers maintain color standards names a color of the year, and this year the color of the year is actually two colors: PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating Yellow.
The company says Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow are two independent colors that highlight how different elements come together to support one another and this, they say, best expresses the mood for Pantone Color of the Year 2021. Developers and manufacturers usually follow Pantone's lead and create products using the color of the year. There's an old joke about everyone having a pink car, so we'd be a pink car nation. I recycled that old joke to get a yellow car nation.
Well, anyway, Pantone says the combo is practical and rock solid, but at the same time warming and optimistic. It's a story, they say, of color that encapsulates deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the promise of something sunny and friendly. The Pantone Color Institute is the division that highlights the top seasonal runway colors, selects the Pantone Color of the Year, forecasts global color trends, and advises companies on color for product and brand visual identity.
Adobe Stock created a curated collection* of imagery with visual assets that include still photography, design templates, 3D, and motion graphics to inspire creators. Adobe says the colors depict warm and cheerful thoughts in the “Illuminating” yellow hue to boost morale, while the “Ultimate Gray” hue represents natural elements provoking feelings of resilience and composure. We could use that in 2021!
Writing on Adobe's blog, Brenda Mills takes an in-depth look at the colors and how they can be used independently or together. Even non-designers may find the discussion worthwhile.
* Why is every grouping "curated" these days?
Although I don't spend a lot of time writing about the MacOS, I do have an aging MacBook Pro. It was just updated to Big Sur, so I wanted to see what's new. Let's check it out.
Before updating, it's important to know what model of Mac you have. You can do that by selecting the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen when the computer is running and selecting About This Mac. You'll find the model name (MacBook Pro [Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015]), the processor type (2.9GHz Dual-Core Intel Core I5), how much memory is installed (16GB), the kind of graphics installed (Intel Iris Graphics 6100), the serial number, and the current version of the operating system (Catalina, MacOS 10.15).
Big Sur will run on any MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac Pro 2013 and later, on any Mac Mini or IMac 2014 and later, on any MacBook 2015 and later, and any IMac Pro 2017 and later. My Mac is in that group, but it probably won't be capable of handling many more updates.
I live so far in the past that I miss having the operating systems named after cats (Cheetah, Snow Leopard, and Panther, for example). But then they ran out of big cats and started using mountains (Yosemite and El Capitan). Now they've expanded to other locations in California (Catalina and Big Sur). I wonder if Apple would consider using Ohio place names (Indian Lake, for example) or a city in Maine like Bangor. Or would Stephen King have to sign off on something like that?
Google Maps says Big Sur is a rugged stretch of California’s central coast between Carmel and San Simeon. Bordered to the east by the Santa Lucia Mountains and the west by the Pacific Ocean, it’s traversed by narrow, 2-lane State Route 1, known for winding turns, seaside cliffs and views of the often-misty coastline. I have driven California 1 and can attest that the scenery is magnificent. It should take about 6 hours to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles on I-5, but many years ago I made the trip on California 1. Google says the expected time using the Pacific Coast Highway should be about eight and a half hours. It took me more like twelve hours. Every time there was an area marked "scenic view", and frequently whenever there was a relatively wide spot between the highway and the cliffs, I stopped. The views were simply magestic. But, as usual, I digress.
So what's new in Big Sur and how's the scenery?
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My first impression was that the computer still looked like a Mac running MacOS, but then I noticed that Thunderbird didn't work. I had to uninstall and reinstall it. But most applications seemed to work. The new version of the MacOS also isn't compatible with earlier versions of SnagIt or with some other applications.
Apple says that everything will look different, but apparenlty I spend so little time on the Mac (which I'm using to write this report) that "everything" looked a lot like "nothing". So I concentrated. Some of the changes make the computer look more like an IPad and I use the IPad every day, so maybe that's why I didn't think much had changed.
I did notice that the Control Center from the IPad is now on the computer. There's an icon made of two toggle switch icons in the upper right corner. Tap it and you'll have quick access to some standard settings for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, screen brightness, volume control, and such. Although it's not possible to move items around in the Control Center, visiting Dock & Menu Bar in System Preferences does make it possible to add features to the Control Center.
Apple says that Big Sur brings the "biggest update to Safari since its original launch in 2003." Perhaps, but I don't use or like Safari on a Mac and it's no longer available on Windows computers. My preference is Firefox on Windows, MacOS, Android, and IOS devices. But, OK, let's take a look.
Although it's late to the party, Safari how can display 4K video. Siri can translate pages that aren't in English. There is one noteworthy addition: Instead of just showing your favorite or frequently visited websites when you open a new tab, you'll also see a privacy report for how many trackers Safari has blocked. Safari also displays a shield icon left of the address bar. Clicking it will display how many trackers it has blocked on the current page. This is nothing that's not already available in Firefox.
The Apple Maps application has been improved, but does it match Google Maps? The answer is no. There's still no street view, although the "Look Around" feature is an attempt to replicate the Google feature, but it's available for only a few cities, and many of the satellite views are fuzzy at best.
If I used Apple's Messages app, I would probably enjoy its enhanced capabilities for the Apple Watch (if I had one). Big Sur adds several new features from IOS 14 on mobile devices. Now it's possible to pin conversations to the top of the Threads section, and users can add message effects like balloons or confetti. These are new features for the MacOS, but not really new features.
So for me the bottom line is this: If you use a Mac and your Mac is capable of running the Big Sur update, download it and install it.
Although Microsoft extended Windows Version 1809's expiration date because of the pandemic, that extension ended on 20 November for Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, and IoT Core editions.
The original end-of-life for version 1809 was scheduled to be 12 May 2020. This version of Windows has received its final security update. Enterprise users have until 11 May 2021 to make the switch, but Microsoft recommends updating systems running the outdated version sooner if possible. Most Windows users who have allowed updates to install on the normal schedule either have version 20H2 or will have it soon.
The gigantic Consumer Electronics Show that begins on 11 January will be a virtual event for the first time in its more than 50-year history.
In advance of the virtual program, the Consumer Technology Association has announced the 2021 Innovation Awards honorees. The CES Innovation Awards is an annual competition that honors outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products across 28 product categories:
The full list of Best of Innovation and all honorees will be revealed during CES 2021.
At CES 2021, audiences will hear from the world's leading tech innovators from the comfort of their own home or office; exhibitors will launch their latest products and host live demonstrations; and attendees can connect with global brands, startups, and each other.
The primary browser battle in 2001 was between Internet Explorer and Netscape. Netscape version 6 was released late in 2000, but I had so many problems with it that I contacted Netscape support, which promised a response within 24 hours. The response came 1176 hours later and seemed to indicate that the company was aware of severe problems with its implementation of Javascript, a language that Netscape developers wrote. That may be one of the reasons that finally gave up in 2008 after releasing version 7 in 2007.