Benchmarking Software

I have always joked that I don't play games but that I use benchmarking software.  It always sounds better and more "technical" to say that you are using benchmarking programs that evaluate the performance of the hardware on your computer.  One of the most common questions in computers is, "will this computer that I want to buy be powerful enough?"  One of the advantages of playing computer games is that you become extremely sensitive to the hardware performance of a computer. If you want to know what kind of computer is the fastest one on the block then ask a "Gamer".  A Gamer may be a little too obsessed with hardware for the average user but they will be able to tell you what the best CPU and Video card are the best at the moment.  They also will be able to tell you if you are getting the most bang for your buck.  Gamers read reviews all the time about the latest hardware.  They also read reviews about the latest games and the related hardware requirements.  But they also learn the hard way what works and what doesn't work on their system by playing the games themselves.  This real world experience of playing games is often times more valuable than benchmarking software or reviews.  Games generally are the most intense things that you can run on a home system.  If you know games then you know home PC hardware.  It is kind of like the neighbour that loves driving fast cars on the weekend.  He can tell you a lot about how different cars stack up hardware performance wise. When people turn to you for advice on purchasing a computer you can give them an honest and real world estimate of what is going to be a powerful enough computer for them.  Just leave out that you play games though and just stick to component specifications and keep it general in your descriptions.  A "power user" would be code for a Gamer or Multimedia hobbyist and a "regular" user would be code for someone that just checks e-mail and surfs the web.  Only mention games when you find out they are a Gamer.  This weekend I found out the hard way that my main computer is "out of date" through "real world" benchmarking/playing games.

Linux Mint LXDE and VMware Player

I have tried various types of Linux distributions off and on now for a couple of years.  A lot of distributions claim to be easy to use but I haven't found them easy at all.  At some point you always end up in a terminal typing in some cryptic string of commands.  My first computer was a Window 95 machine so a DOS style command prompt just isn't a friendly environment for me. What has also been difficult for me is loading a Linux distribution on old hardware that I have.  This frustration caused me to stop playing with Linux in the past.

Mac Insecurity Pro

Old habits die hard.  I have always used a PC and the first thing I install on a new system is an anti-virus program of some kind. My friend had an iMac and was having some problems a while back.  I suggested he put an anti-virus program on his iMac and run a scan.  We went to CNET Downloads and installed iAntiVirus Free Edition for Mac.  The scan by iAntiVirus showed that he had a Trojan on his system.  The removal process was easy.  When strange things happen on a PC malware is a prime suspect.  As a PC user I was used to malware on a system.  As a Mac user my friend was surprised he found something like this. I was surprised also because I had been told that a Mac just isn't vulnerable to malware like a PC.  This "invulnerability" is a key selling point whenever I have talked to a Mac fan or someone selling a Mac in a retail setting.  I had my first experience with Mac malware and it was in the back of my mind when I went to the Apple store to buy my first MacBook Pro.

First Post and Introduction

Hello, my name is Frank and this is my first attempt at a blog called TechFrankness.  I intend for this blog to be a combination of a personal engineering log and tech reviews/editorials.  When I was taking classes at a local Cisco Academy we were encouraged to keep a log of our notes and observations.  Like a lot of people in class I had lots of notes but that three ring binder is somewhere gathering dust.  My notes now are  kept in OneNote while I am studying for certifications.  I am hoping a blog might be a better medium than three ring binders or OneNote pages locked in a single notebook computer.  Google has much better servers that can back up these notes than I do and can provide better access to them for me and others.  Hopefully a blog will be a good place to share my little discoveries and frustrations about the technology that I am currently working on.  If I have a question or a dilemma then I am sure others do too.  Maybe this blog could help others and maybe I can get some feedback that will help me.  The choice for the name of this blog as TechFrankness is both a play on my name and part of its mission statement.  That mission is to honestly record my experiences and observations about computers.

I have been volunteering for about seven and a half years as a teacher's aide in a Computer Maintenance and Repair class.  In that class I help students put computers together from individual parts and load operating systems.  These students range from people wanting to get into the computer industry to people that just want to understand how their computer works under the hood and become more independent.  I started taking classes in order to get a job working with computers and volunteered to get some work experience and learn the subject of computer repair more thoroughly.  Having to explain something forces you to really understand what you have learned at a deeper level.  Instead of just doing what you were told you have to know why in order to explain it to someone else.  While volunteering on the weekend and at night after my regular job I pursued several certifications.  I have an A+, Network+, Cisco CCENT, and Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification in Word 2007 and PowerPoint 2007.  Currently I am finishing studying for the  MOS in Excel 2010, learning my new MacBook Pro, playing with Linux, and studying to recertify for my CCENT while trying to keep up on the latest tech news.  During the day I work in a records department of a law firm with 60 attorneys that keeps me busy while I study on my lunch hour and breaks.  The reason for the "mini" resume is to explain where I am coming from as a blogger.  I know some stuff about computers but I don't know everything.  I am in the process of learning more and I am hoping that this blog will be another learning opportunity.