Computer | GeekDad

Need Some Help Making That iPad Decision?

By Daniel Donahoo
March 26, 2010 |
7:00 am |
Categories: Everything Else

While in the United States people have been able to start tossing up their options and filling out pre-orders for the latest in Apple droolware, the iPad, here in Australia (and many other countries) we are still no closer than an anticipated late April release.

So, for those geeks downunder, and others still yet to make their decision about to iPad or not to iPad here is a little flowchart that I stumbled across when trying to make my own decision.

Hope it helps.

(via Forever Geek, via BBSpot)

Tags: Computer, cost, iPad, slate, Steve Jobs

What OS Will Your Kids Be Using When They Grow Up? Could it be its me

By Daniel Donahoo
February 19, 2009 |
5:00 am |
Categories: Toys and Technology

Have you thought much about what Operating System your little geeklet will be using in 10 or 20 years?

Are you resigned to the fact they’ll be running Windows v199.1 or have you begun to teach them to modify Linux to meet their computing needs already?

When I watch my children engage with computers and technology, and see how fluid their adaptation is and how comfortable they are switching from different interfaces and games, I feel I get a glimpse of future technology that I may not fully understand my brain, born into the late 1970s won’t be able to comprehend some of the ideas that their brains circa early 2000s will.

With that thought out there, here is a group trying to establish a new OS for release later this year called “Its me”. The “Its me” OS is open source and claims to be focusing of creating a system that better supports the user to GTD. The GTD phenomena is all over tech and productivity driven websites like a rash, so why not try and build an OS around the system.

The system is built on a "stories and venues" concept and then aims to provide a whole new PC to accompany the system.

A beta hasn’t been officially launched yet, but the developers are looking to share. They are looking for anyone interested in supporting the development of the system which they are promoting through their “Come and design Itsme with us” campaign.

If you are interested. You can find out more here.

Tags: Computer, Computers, kids, Linux, OpenSource, Operating system, OS

Going Back In Time: Commodore 64 Emulation

By Daniel Donahoo
February 9, 2009 |
5:30 am |
Categories: Toys and Technology

If you have never felt the need to Google your first computer, you should. It will be out there somewhere, lurking on eBay, or hidden behind some domain owned by people dedicated to keeping the history of computing alive – and still functioning.

There is also a good chance your first computer or game console will exist in the form of an emulator. With a program like this you can recreate your childhood experiences of typing in lines of BASIC programming language that you saved onto your computer’s tape deck and watched as the numbers clicked over so you could reload a screen that repeated line after line “My name is <insert your name here>”.

Anyone who had a Commodore 64 and got past the quick load cartridge games will know what I am talking about. The joy of the two tone blue screen is not lost with an emulator. Indeed, I’ve found it a valuable tool as I’ve been teaching my children about computers.