Why are computer manufacturers forcing Vista??

Today I purchased a shiny new Dell Inspiron 531. Unfortunately, Dell shipped it with Windows Vista installed and no option to switch to XP. So I did what anyone else would do in my situation: promptly format the drive and install XP!

Installation finished, on to the Dell Support website and UGH, network card is not recognized. What a pain! So now I have to go to another computer and download the damn drivers and then somehow transfer them to the new computer. To me this is unbelievable that even in 2007 Microsoft still hasn't learned to use a network card instantly.

With that frustration aside, there I was browsing Dell support website. I found my Dell Inspiron 531S and went to the drivers download page. Clicked over to the Windows XP drivers, and .... where is the network driver? Apparently they have none, is this a joke?!

DELL - WHY ARE YOU SHIPPING WITH VISTA ONLY???? Give your customers the option to get XP instead. I do notice that they allow certain 'special' systems to come preloaded with XP, but why not just allow any of them to come with XP. Even better, why not supply more computers with Ubuntu?

Microsoft - WHY DO YOU SUCK SO BAD? Why is it that even after having cornered the market for so many years and BILLIONS in revenue, you still can't get it right? Your company represents just about every thing people HATE about computers. No wonder Apple and Linux are growing so quickly and have so many loyal followers. Your software is so terrible, even those who use pirated versions are disappointed!

I really don't understand why computer manufacturers are selling Vista. It seems most everyone I know is starting to hate it more and more. The little stupid effects that play all over the screen lose their novelty after 5 minutes and then you're just left with a crappy operating system. Could it possibly be cheaper for them to sell Vista vs XP? Does Microsoft just give away licenses for their new software and then charge more for old software?

Virtuemart Shopping Cart {form_addtocart}

it is my understanding that the different elements of the product details and browse pages all reference the shop.browse.php file with their smarty template references

for example, if you edit the file:
/administrator/components/com_virtuemart/html/templates/browse/browse_5.php

you will see the code {form_addtocart}

this is the code that inserts the add to cart button along with a quantity selector. but suppose you want to change the look, or remove the quantity attribute, or another change... where do you go?

it is all in
/administrator/components/com_virtuemart/html/shop.browse.php

the {form_addtocart} code starts around line 400

quick tip: search for $form_addtocart and you will find info for {form_addtocart} quickly. this is the same for other variables

Unexpectedly Great Movies

Have you ever watched a random movie that turned out to be one of the best movies you've seen. To me, that is what truly makes a movie great. What is surprising is how many times I am disappointed at the highly promoted movies (Spiderman for example).

The purpose of this list is not to describe my list of favorite movies (the cliche Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Forrest Gump, James Bond, Shrek, etc.). It is to list movies that were amazingly and unexpectedly good. I believe some call these kind of movies, cult classics... not meaning that they are dark, but simply that those that like them, REALLY like them.

So here is my growing list of movies, in no specific order, that I love... and didn't see it coming:

1. Batman Begins
2. Memento
3. Fight Club
4. Matrix
5. Ace Ventura
6. Battle Royale
7. Departed
8. Casino Royale
9. The Big Lebowski
10. Xchange
    

Slow Internet Browsing Connection with utorrent

The issue: utorrent is slowing down your web browsing to a crawl

Common WRONG Solutions:
1) Buy a faster connection
- No, my 6MBit connection is plenty for me
2) Buy a better router
- No, my $100 Buffalo router is top of the line
3) Check all your advanced settings in utorrent
- ARGH one by one, thats alot of work!
4) Your computer is too slow
- No, it isnt

Let me quickly elaborate on the problem.

1. I have a fast connection
2. I have a fast router
3. I have a fast computer
4. When utorrent is running, my internet slows to a dismal 10kb/s

I have seen quite a few posts on utorrent regarding the connection speed. It is frustrating to read these as many mis-diagnose the issue and place blame in the wrong areas.

THE SOLUTION

Slow your upload speed. Simple as that. If you are on cable, then you are probably capped at around 50kb/s. Try limiting to 20kb/s... or in my case, even 5kb/s for unhindered browsing speed.

This small change should have a dramatic impact on your connection speed. Hope it helps!