Grrrrrrrrrr

Network wise a frustrating time. I ordered a new usb storage unit from CCL Computers and then got an email to tell me it won't be available till the 7th May. Trust me to pick something that has supply problems. This meant that I haven't been able to do any more work on the hardware side of the network upgrade.

As everyone was away and I hadn't any work in at the moment I took the opportunity to start a long overdue upgrade of my website http://www.omega-cottage.co.uk/ . This time round I have dropped using tables altogether and have written the pages using the XHTML Transitional DOM. It has given me a few head scratching times as there are some significant differences in the XHTML code over HTML 4.1 and CSS 2.1 is by no means perfect. However searching the various forums when I got stuck has usually produced examples of code I could use as is or adapt to solve the problem.

The way I have done it is to build two templates - a three column fluid one for the home page, articles page and contacts page and a two column fluid one for the article pages. On the old pages I had problems with the page fitting on smaller monitors but this time I have aimed at 1024 x 768 but allowed for the page to shrink to 800 x 600 without significant deformation. I haven't yet built a mobile version and new pages don't fit very well on PDAs and smart phones so that is something to think about for the future. I have also updated the PDFs of each article so they too should be up to date.

While I am working my way through the site moving the articles to an updated page I am taking the opportunity to update many of the articles to reflect the move to Vista and also the upcoming Windows 7. Hardware and software too has changed a lot since some of the articles were written so I have tried to rewrite the articles that were based on Windows 98 or XP and I will add ones as time goes by (and/or you ask for them) to reflect the new hardware we now think we can't do without and the software we now rely on to keep us safe and productive.

I sent a frustrating day at the weekend trying to get my workstation to dual boot with Linux and Vista. I seem to be able to load Linux OK but I can't get Lilo to find the new Linux installation and Grub just won't even load itself! What makes it more difficult is that Vista can't see the Linux partitions so I can't confirm that I am telling Lilo to look in the right place for the installation. I would like to be able to use both on this machine as I want to explore the claims the Linux fraternity make about how good, fast, safe it is to use. However I must admit I find it difficult to recognise the various applications due to the non descriptive names they give everything i.e. Grub and Lilo and what the heck is Konqueror? I used to think Mac was bad with applications like Toast and Stuffit but the quirky spelling of some of the application names just gives me a headache - I think I am getting old.

Here is a list of New articles added to he site over the past few weeks :-

1. Safe and Secure Downloads
2. WebPage Design - Hosting your Web Site
3. Introducing Windows 7
4. Make do and mend
5. Windows Startup and Shutdown Problems
6. Synchronising Files
7. Vista Service Pack 1
8. Poor Man's Vista
9. Creating transparent images with Paint Shop Pro

There are a few more articles in the pipeline but I will add them when I get to the relevant section as I update the site.