The storage continues...

Having ditched Dropbox (see earlier posts), I have tried Mediafire (also in an earlier post) and now, also, Gspace and Humyo.

Mediafire seems to me a bit tricky to use. You have to go through a sequence of steps to upload anything.

Humyo has a drag-and-drop method that seems like a good idea, except how do you drag something from your desktop (or another folder) on to an area of a web page that fills your screen? You'd have to resize the browser window each time you wanted to upload anything. Not very handy.

The easiest of all is Gspace. This presupposes that you have an account with Gmail, and it simply exploits the large amount of space that Gmail provides for its users. Gspace is a Firefox add-on (or add-in, or whatever they are called). You just select the file or folder you want to upload from a list on the left of your screen and click an arrow to move it to a panel on the right of the screen. Then it does its stuff. Simple.

With all of these services, though, there is waiting involved. Folders of media files can take a long time, all depending, of course, on your broadband speed.

The cloud is still a bit misty, but the fog is slowly clearing.

Open with... WHAT?

When I download any kind of text file (via Gmail, in Firefox) this is what happens on my system:

1) If it is a .doc file, an Open Office 3.0 start-up window appears and makes a failed attempt to open it. This is despite the fact that I long ago uninstalled Open Office in the approved manner. I want the document to open in Textmaker, which is the word processor I use, and which has no problem opening .doc files when I double click on them. However, in the case of a newly arrived attachment, I have to right click the file and choose 'Open containing folder'. Only then can I double click on the file and have it open correctly in Textmaker.

2) If it is an .rtf file, Jaunty erroneously states that this is an executable file and makes a fuss about it, but eventually agrees to open it.

3) If it is a PDF file, the document automatically opens without further ado, which is great, UNLESS I am silly enough to close the document and go back to it again later (back in the list of Firefox downloads). Then, double clicking on it confuses Jaunty horribly, and it claims not to know how to open it. This leads to an 'Open with...' routine, as you often get in Windows, except that Jaunty does not present a list of programs to choose from. Instead, it shows you all your folders and leaves you to get on with it! This is not helpful. I have no idea where to find any program whatever from this point (since I've never known where Ubuntu stores programs, and never cared about it anyway). I would like to know (a) why Jaunty suddenly forgets how to open PDFs and (b) fails to present a list of programs to choose from. My only way round this has been to download the PDF for a second time.

There must be a better way.

Ubuntu as good as Windows or Mac?

What does Ubuntu need (if anything) to be 'as good' as the big name OSes? By 'as good', I mean as easy or pleasant to use for the normal (non-geek) user.

Well, Ubuntu is already well on the way. I think it is just as easy, or easier, to handle than Windows. For me, it installed more easily than Windows XP, which basically failed - that's what persuaded me to switch to Ubuntu the laptop I'm typing on now.

I can't speak for MacOS, since it is a long time since I used a Mac, but I know from others' comments that it leads the way in user-friendliness. It should, of course, since Apple has the luxury of exactly matching the hardware and software.

What does Ubuntu still lack?

(a) You still have to deal with a command line. It's only just below the pretty, friendly surface. I had to do so on my very first day with Ubuntu, when my printer wouldn't work. I found the solution, via Google, but it wasn't pretty. I know many Linuxites think that the command line is one of the best features you could wish for, but I don't. And the world agrees with me. Would you expect to delve into the code that underlies the programming of your washing machine? I thought not.

(b) Windows programs don't work. Well, I can't make Word 2002 work. Don't mention Wine or Crossover. They do not hack it. And don't tell me of the wonders of Open Office. I've written about that in previous blogs. I need Word, both for compatibility and for ease of use - simply because I have years of experience with it and a whole host of settings, etc., that make it do what I want.

That's about it. So, Canonical, fix it, please.

Google Chrome OS

Did Bill Gates choke on his caviar when he heard the news? As a billionaire he needn't worry too much personally, but it will be a big blow nonetheless if Google manages to deal his company a punch that hurts more than any that Steve Jobs has landed so far.

Google Chrome OS might be the Big Thing that shows up Windows for the bloated dinosaur that it is.

Remember how everyone thought (only 25 years ago) that the Berlin Wall was there for ever and the Soviet Union was too powerful ever to fall? In 1989 the Wall and all the rest of it crumbled and tumbled almost overnight.

We'll look back at Microsoft in a similar way.

The cry will be: the King is dead. Er, long live... the new dictator.

Can Mediafire pick up Dropbox's dropped mantle?

I'm trying out Mediafire. This is a web-based file storage site, which allows unlimited space for files up to 100 MB. Of course, you can pay if you want more.

Signing up is the quickest you could ask for (email + password + password confirm) and it seems to work.

I wonder if there'll be any snags?

Firefox 3.5 rules OK? Not

All the reviews are great: Firefox 3.5 is the best thing for browsers since they opened the British Library.

I installed it using the standard Synaptic installer provided by Ubuntu. Nothing happened, and it was 3.0.11 that continued to load. Dave Walker on Ubuntu-UK kindly provided a string of blurb for me to enter in Terminal to make 3.5 start in place of the earlier version.

Well, 3.5 may have tried to start, but it didn't get far. One error message succeeded the other. Yoono (a social networking add-in that I use) seemed to be the first thing it couldn't cope with. I forget its next complaint.

Fortunately, Dave also gave me a command to undo the first one, so I was easily able to revert the old version. Phew.

I think I'll wait a while.