A Great Blog

Protecting against DNSchanger - time is running out.

2012-05-09T11:40:00.000+10:00

DNSchanger is a common walware that has been affecting mac/pc/linux since 2009.
Whilst it does not directly affect the computer, it does alter DNS records.
It does this by silently changing the DNS server on the computer to malicious one controlled by the the cyber thieves..
The FBI did take control of a lot of the malicious DNS servers, but have left them running.
The reason is, if the servers were turned off, anyone affected would loose internet access as they could no longer resolve internet addresses.
These DNS servers will be taken offline on July 9, 2012.
D Revolution has added DNSchanger detection to our website - http://drevolution.com.au (courtesy of of CDN Cloudflare)
If you are infected, there will be a pop up with details on how to remove the malware.
If you have ANY questions, please contact us.

File Systems - the state of Mac OS X data integrity

2012-02-01T11:08:00.000+11:00

Welcome back to the D Revolution blog after a Christmas hiatus.
Sorry for the nerdy nature of the post - it's often the underlying technology that propels computing forward.

Ten's Compliment have a File System plugin for Mac OS X that allows the use of ZFS instead of the standard HFS+.

After a year of following a startup company full of ex Apple engineers, they have finally released a product.
Why would I care you ask?
Simply put, HFS+ dates back to 1998 (the year I stared D Revolution) and whilst it has served Apple well, it is missing vital features for a modern filesystem.
Namely, file integrity and scalability.
Whilst Apple have cleverly added features like hard links, hot zones, auto-defragmentation, meta-data journaling, compression and other features without breaking compatibility, it is not a particularly stable and recoverable file system.
With todays disks now up to 4TB and the massive explosion in the amount of data stored, there are a few critical things needed in a modern file system.

1. Data Integrity
HFS+ does not scrub disks looking for bad blocks or corrupt data - ZFS does.
That means ZFS can automagically recover files from non-function parts of a disk - which is actually a fairly common occurrence.

2. Snap Shots
HFS+ can not create disk snap shots which are like an on disk backup of data from a point in time - ZFS does.
That means, if you are backing up large amounts of data on OS X the underlying data can change during the course of a single backup if files are re-saved or left open.
With ZFS snapshots, you can simply backup the snapshot (snapshots are virtually instantaneous irrespective of size) with a completely frozen set of data.
A great side effect of this is you can do hourly snap shots (any of which an be restored) and backup the snapshots once a day to the backup device of your choice.

3. Pooling
HFS+ cannot pool drives together.
Pooling drives would allow for instance, Time Machine to backup to more than one destination drive, or creating effective software RAIDs.

I can't recommend the Ten's Compliment ZFS system yet for a few reasons.

1. You cannot share a ZFS volume over AFP - meaning it won't work for your server storage (an obvious place to use it)

2. It is not bootable yet so you cannot protect your startup disk - making it useless for single disk system like the MacMini, iMac, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

I hope to test the system soon by installing an SSD in my MacBook Pro and using the default hard disk for bulk storage.
NOTE: There is a whole raft of products D Revolution will be teasing this year so stay tuned...

FaceBook security - a cautionary tale…

2011-10-25T12:50:00.001+11:00

What to do if your hacked and how do you know

Last Friday started out like any other day - until I received an email from Facebook telling me I had associated my account with a new email address.
Alarm bells rang straight away. I tried to login to FaceBook but my details were not accepted.

If you have set up security questions and mobile numbers (you have - haven't you), you can go to the Facebook Checkpoint - http://facebook.com/checkpoint/
This allowed me to verify I was the rightful account holder and I could reset my password and the associated email address.

What did the miscreant do with his 40 minutes of access to my FaceBook account?

First - He used FaceBook to message my friends that were online saying I was stranded and send money! Luckily I only have 40-ish friends (sad - I know)

Second - He used a copy of my FaceBook address list which he synced with Yahoo to email my contacts direct from the new bogus email address.

Here is a transcript of one of the FaceBook message threads… (names hidden of course)

SCAMMER: Hello
How are you doing?

FRIEND: heyyy david!
im good mate how you doing?

SCAMMER: Am not good at this moment

SCAMMER: Am presently stuck down in Wales UK with my family as we speak

FRIEND: oh wow

SCAMMER: we are in deep mess

FRIEND: haha
how come?

SCAMMER: My family and I came down here to Wales,United Kingdom, for a short vacation and got mugged at the park of the hotel we stayed, all our cash, credit card and Cell Phone were stolen off us at the GUN POINT

FRIEND: oh shit
fark

SCAMMER: but luckily for us we still have our passports with us but don't have enough money to sort the bills so we can get out of here

FRIEND: man...
dont you have travel insurance?
have you gone to the embassy?

SCAMMER: We've been to the embassy and the police are not helping issues at all and our flight leaves soon, but we're having problems settling the hotel bills,the hotel manager won't let us leave until we settle the bills

FRIEND: just give them your insurance details

SCAMMER: i need your help

FRIEND: hahahaha ok very funny
are you with (hidden)

Being an IT guy - how was I hacked?

Whilst I will never know the exact cause, website hacks usually happen due to one of the following reasons.

1. Account password hacked (usually due to insecure password) - this was most likely the cause.
NOTE: I had an 8 character password including a single alpha numeric substitution i.e: I swapped a single letter for a number.

2. Account password used elsewhere and the other site was hacked, they tried the same login details.
This is very common. I had used the password on 2 other "low value" sites so this is possible, but unlikely.

3. Malware installed on machine used to access the FaceBook site.
On PC, this is a big concern. I never access FaceBook on any machine except for machines I own.
As it stands, whilst there are one or two easily spotted trojans for OS X, there are NO remote exploits with key logging or ANY viruses for OS X.

4. Poisoned Adverts.
This is becoming quite common, a javascript embedded in an advert on a website. Some of these poisoned adverts don't have to be clicked - simply being displayed in a browser window is enough.

So, what can YOU do to protect yourself.

1. Make sure you have recovery questions and a mobile number on Facebook and document them!

2. Turn on secure browsing (HTTPS like a banking website) in > Account Settings > Security

3. Turn on Login Approvals in > Account Settings > Security
This means any new computer you use to access FaceBook needs a one time passcode which is sent via SMS to your mobile.

4. Turn on App Security if you use the FaceBook app on an iPhone or iPad in > Account Settings > Security
Some FaceBook Apps can't accept security codes - for these you generate a "App Password" to use instead.

5. Use a passphrase (series of separate words) of 12 or more characters with a mix of uppercase, lowercase letters and at least 1 number substitution.

6. Don't use the same password on multiple sites - especially if they contain sensitive information.

7. If you were hacked, make sure you delete ANY unknown or recently updated authorised apps in > Account Settings > Apps
These can be used to download you address book (like in my case) federate access to IM clients like Meebo.

8. Make sure notifications are turned on in > Account Settings > Notifications
The quicker you get control of your account back, the less damage can be done.

9. If you have been hacked, see the changed email address and contact the provider and get the address shutdown.
Most free providers (which scammers use as throw away addresses) have a "report abuse" link - here are the links I used for Yahoo.
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/spam.html
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/abuse.html

iCloud, online sync/backups and a new nuggets from the interwebs

2011-10-13T10:30:00.000+11:00

Firstly - apologies for having been offline the last fortnight. Simply a case of have too much work and nowhere near enough time!

iPad Software Pick of the Week.

Release Me - a simple model release app for photographers.
See a good review here
Whilst the software is expensive, it would match up really well with Phase One Capture Pilot for iPad.
Also if you are shooting people professionally (photography that is - not assassin or mob/yakuza hit man) model releases are a fact of life.

Related Bonus Pick.

Capture Pilot for iPad allows remote viewing of shoots from capture One Pro which is normally tethered to a canon DSLR or a nice expensive digital back from Mimaya/Leaf , Hasselblad or Phase One.
Combine the two iPad apps and in a studio setup, you can be shooting tethered whilst getting releases digitally signed and rating shots all from an iPad.

iCloud and online backups.

This morning, I updated to iOS 5 for my iPhone4. Tonight will do the OS X 10.7.2 and iPad updates.
There are plenty of reviews flooding in, this is just a few initial impressions and thought.

1. Leave plenty of time!
The process of downloading the update from iTunes then the multiple steps of backup, update and restoration of data and apps takes a long time!
For my 32GB iPhone 4 with 3GB free space, the whole process took a little ever 2 hours.

2. If you have an Exchange account for email (like with Google Apps) enable banner notifications for Mail in the new notifications centre.

3. Upgrade Mac OS X 10.7.2 using the combo updater - it's huge, but I have had less issues with combo updates instead of the smaller delta updater listed in software Update.

Stay tunes - will update with a further post after a thorough test…

Crowd sourced design - is it a good thing for the creative industry?

2011-09-26T10:45:00.000+10:00

The largest crowd-sourced design website - 99designs.com is heading back to it's roots in Australia.

Started in Melbourne in 2008, the website hosts "design contests".
Companies create the contests and specify the price and often the concept. Designers then submit designs hoping to win the contest.
If you are young designer starting out, it might be a fast way to gain some exposure and credibility.
For established designers, is it valuable service that you should participate in, or is it another way for the "web" to under value a market.

Print brokers essentially did the same thing to printing 15 years ago - got a stable of printers to outbid each other for work. The end results was a headlong rush to the cheapest price!
Similar thing happened to photography with the explosion of stock photo websites.

Post a comment or contact us and let us know your thoughts - good, bad, indifferent.

final holiday notice

2011-09-15T09:30:00.000+10:00

I am now on holidays - a week in (hopefully) sunny Fiji.

Whilst I will be able to schedule some remote support, in my absence, I have 2 trusted colleagues to take care of any emergencies.

If you have Apple related issues in need of urgent attention,
please call Geoff Johnson - 0411 523 166

If you have any Windows or Exchange issues in need of urgent attention,
please call David Mews - 0404 067 111

Anything non-urgent, please either email david@drevolution.com.au or leave a message with my voice receptionist who will email and SMS me.

Netgear updates ReadyNAS for Lion

2011-09-08T10:00:00.000+10:00

After jumping the gun in late June with a Lion compatible firmware (which was later withdrawn) Netgear have a new Lion compatible firmware.
I will be testing it soon - contact us if you have a ReadyNAS and need Lion workstations to connect...
Older ReadyNAS users with NV, NV+ and other Sparc system will have to wait a little longer.

Thecus released an update last week, still waiting on Synology to release a final version.

AppleCare - is it worth it?

2011-09-06T12:49:00.000+10:00

The high cost of out of warranty repairs

Should you buy AppleCare? In years gone by, the answer was a resounding NO!
It was always pushed heavily by resellers as it increased their "attach rate". A higher attach rate meant a cheaper buy price for the reseller.
Previously, I was alway cynical of this approach but I have changed my tune over the last few years.

From when Apple released the Mac MIni Server and AppleCare also covered you for OS X Server support, to the new iMacs and MacBook Pros with sealed components, it now makes sense to take out AppleCare.

Issue with a hard disk in a iMac that is 13 months old?
You need to take it to a service centre to swap the drive - cost - approx $165 plus disk.

Motherboard needs replacing in an i7 iMac due to heat damage?
Another trip to the service centre - cost - approx $750.

Apart from the MacPro (which is due for a refresh any day now) the rest of the Apple range now have sealed components ranging from batteries for MacBook Pros to disks for iMacs and Mac Minis.

Whilst Apple agree to stock parts for every machine released for 7 years, they set the price of the parts when the machine is released.
This means if you have a 6 year G5 PowerMac, a replacement Superdrive is hundreds of dollars!

Considering the lifespan for a production machine in a creative environment is 3 years just like AppleCare - it is a no brainer.
These days, it is too expensive to NOT have AppleCare.

Holiday Notice and a little geekdom

2011-09-01T10:20:00.000+10:00

Bula - D Revolution is taking a short holiday!

After a year of being "overworked and undercaffeinated", "burning the midnight oil", "burning the candle from both ends", insert witty saying here - D Revolution is taking a short holiday.

From Thursday 15 September to Friday 23 September I will be sunning it up at Malolo Island - Fiji.
An 8 day holiday is the longest holiday I have had since September 2000 when I was married in Fiji!

Within reason I will still be answering emails and returning phone calls - but will be unavailable for onsite visits of course.
Being a geek, I will be able to offer remote support via a range of software.

If you have a VPN setup by D Revolution, I will be able to directly take control and fix most problems.
This will be done whilst sipping a piña colada next to the pool using an iPad.

The iPad will be running LogMeIn Ignition. This will let me remote control the D Revolution Server which is connected by VPN to a majority of my clients. Apple machines will be controlled using Apple Remote Desktop, windows machines will be controlled using Remote Desktop Connection.

If you don't have a VPN, you will need to install LogMeIn Free.
NOTE: It does require the creation of a free account first.

If you have any planned IT work - contact us to arrange a time.

Tips to troubleshoot an ADSL connection

2011-08-31T11:00:00.000+10:00

When testing ADSL internet issues there are a few tried and tested options.

1. Call the ISP and find out the line length - that is the length of cabling from the local Telstra exchange to your premises MDF (Main Distribution Frame).
If your distance is 1km or less - you should be getting top speed.

2. Log into your router and confirm the sync speed your modem is reporting is what the ISP is also reporting from the DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer).

3. Get the ISP to run line and loopback tests.
This usually means 2 sets of tests - first with the modem connected, then with the modem disconnected.
If there is a difference in either line length or resistance, the ISP will lodge a fault on your behalf.

4. Perform an isolation test.
Unplug everything but the modem and retest - that will determine if another device is interfering.

5. If the ADSL line is shared with another phone/fax, there should be a ADSL filter - swap it and get the line retested.
A bad filter can destabilise your connection half your speed!
If the line is dedicated to ADSL - don't use a filter at all.

6. Swap the modem/router.
These days I recommend Draytek routers as I have found them to hold a stable connection and reliably reconnect after a drop-out.
Older routers can have a range of issues from not being ADLS2+ compatible to simply not performing as well as other models.
I have found the Netgear DGFV338 to be very unreliable these days. It used to be my preferred router, but after a few years, with ISP upgrades it can no lover hold a stable connection and has issues reconnecting.

If you get the ISP to lodge a fault and send out a technician, if the issue is between the DSLAM and the MDF - the ISP will cover the cost.
If the issue is from the MDF to wherever your modem/router sits - you will generally be charged and will then need to get an electrician or cabling specialist to rectify the issue.

D Revolution sorts these issues for companies on a regular basis.
Having problems - give us a call.

FontExplorer updated - better late than never

2011-08-25T08:25:00.000+10:00

Linotype updates FontExplorer. It is now compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 and CS5.5

It is good to see some competition is the font management market.
Whilst I personally prefer and recommend FontExplorer, this time round, Extensis were much quicker releasing an update for Creative 5.5 as well as Lion.
The FontExplorer update will fix the issue with hollow boxed "A" characters in Safari and other "webkit" based software.
If you are a print designer using Apple's FontBook - call us. Font management setup correctly can greatly improve workstations speed and application load times.

I tripled the speed of my website in 10 minutes

2011-08-17T10:09:00.000+10:00

Using a CDN to increase website speed

D Revolution has hosted it's own website with CMS, DAM, GTD and HelpDesk for 2 years now off a single ADSL connection - first with TPG and now with iiNet.
Advantages are total control and really fast website updates.
Downside are the speed of ADSL uploads and limited threat control - you don't have team of people looking at routers, firewalls, logs etc…

As a test, I signed up for Cloudflare on Friday night.
They are a CDN (Content Delivery Network) which also has threat control built in.
The process was easy (much easier than utilising either Google or Amazon as a CDN on the cheap) - sign up, let Cloudflare copy my DNS setting then change my NS records to point to CloudFlare.

Now when you visit drevolution.com.au, the static content has already been cached and minified (redundant data from javascript/CSS and HTML removed).
The website loads off one of the closest Cloudflare web servers by using GeoIP information.
A downside of this approach is the closest CloudFlare point of presence in in Singapore.

Whilst it messes with the logs on my web server as most of the access requests are from Cloudflare - web surfers, it does not affect my Google Analytics or GoSquared LiveStats reporting.

So far, website speeds have at least increased 300% and I started block threats from China and Russia easily from the control panel.
If your website is hosted with an ISP or hosting company - you WILL NOT get the same speed increase.
Reason is simple, bandwidth to my site was 1600Kb upstream (ADSL2 using to Annex M) - way lower than the cheapest hosting plan.

Being only 4 days in, it is too early to call this a total success or to even recommend the service, but it is off to a good start.
Add a comment and let us know what you think of the speeds...

Colour Management redux

2011-08-15T09:55:00.000+10:00

Our most visited and searched for blog post of all time is the one from November 2009 on Print Standards and Colour Management.

Since that time, new software has come out and standards have progressed. It's time for a revisit.

Below is a basic guide to implementing colour management for offset printing.
If you need help with colour management - contact us.

NOTE: Colour management and production standards is a large and complicate field.
Currently, there are standards for offset printing (ISO 12647-2) and digital proofing (ISO 12647-7)
A standard is being drafted for digital production (ISO 15311) but it is not ready.
In leu of this, some printers are applying the offset printing standard to digital work.
For print nerds - this has stirred up quite a debate!

Screen Calibrating

If you are evaluating colour on screen (who isn't these days) - it is essential the screen is calibrated.
There are a lot of tools on the market ranging from quite cheap, to "sell your car to pay for it".
For calibrating a single workstation - I recommend getting hold of the DataColor Spyder3 Pro.
If you are calibrating a range of machines and need to be able to keep them in sync, get hold of the DataColor Spyder3 Elite.
There is a good review of the Spyder3 Elite at Northlight-images.

Adobe Creative Suite Setup

Adobe CS5 and CS5.5 both now include the latest ISO colour profiles.
Abobe Bridge is used to set colour management across the Creative Suite. Personally I don't use it for anything else unless you are tagging metadata for a D.A.M (digital Asset Management system) a topic for another day…
In Adobe Brigge, go to > Edit > Creative Suite Color Settings..
Select "Europe PrePress 3" and hit Apply.

From now, all the Creative Suite programs have a common colour management setup.

This sets the RGB profile to Adobe RGB and the CMYK profile to Coated Fogra 39
Whilst you could go to the ECI website, download ISO Coated v2, install it, create your own Colour Setting File in InDesign then sync with Bridge, there is not a lot to be gained!

QuarkXpress Setup

Since I have only 1 client left actively using QuarkXpress...

NOTE: Whilst there has been an ISO colour standard for offset printing for a number of years (12647-2) not everyone can achieve the standard.

If you are a designer, advertiser or anyone ordering commercial offset printing, using a print company that is ISO, PSO or (even) GrayCol compliant / certified will produce the least number of surprises - and also allow for jobs to be printed (and matched) worldwide.
The Australian Colour Standards website maintains a list of compliant or certified offset printers.
For digital printing, On Demand in Melbourne has achieved PSO certification for digital output.
If you are a digital printer that is PSO or ISO compliant - let us know

If you are a commercial printer - get certified, get compliant, and get on the list!

Lastly, we appreciate any comments. Let us know if want more details...

End of an era - Quark sold

2011-08-10T09:00:00.000+10:00

Quark obituary and a personal perspective/retrospective

If you have background in publishing that spans more than a few years, you would have used or seen QuarkXpress.
Quark - the maker of QuarkXpress has been around since the early 80's.
I started using QuarkXpress at version 3 in 1993 whilst working for a PrePress house in Leichardt.
At the time, there was QuarkXpress, PageMaker (which was greeted with distain in Graphic Reproduction) and proprietary systems like Scitex.
After working in the "trade, followed running the TAFE School of Graphic Arts computer labs and teaching, I landed a job at Mitsui Computers as the lead QuarkXpress tech support for Apple systems. Funny thing was, for a distributor involved heavily in graphic arts, I was the only person with a trade background!
I manned the phones during the transition to version 4 which coincided with changing the codebase from Mac Development and porting to Windows to dual development using common code base.
Boy was It was BUGGY!!
Quark did eventually fix most of the bugs then went to release the disaster that was QuarkXpress 5 in 1992 with no OS X support (which had been released the previous year)
Quark died that year (although it took a decade to realise it).
I think the several things killed QuarkXpress.
Dealing with Quark as a company had always been difficult as an end user and working with the company was incredibly frustrating.
Site licensing, education sales in groups of 10 with dongles, bizarre support and proof of ownership requirements led to a LOT of user hostility.
The head of Quark - Fred Ebrahimi exclaimed that "the Macintosh platform is shrinking," and suggested that anyone dissatisfied with Quark's Mac commitment should "switch to something else." That did not win a lot of friends!
Adobe (who had offices in Australia - not just a distributor) were sending technicians into publishing houses like ACP, Fairfax and Pacific Publications to help them migrate away from QuarkXpress with huge discounts was the final straw.

Incidentally, when Mitsui Computer closed down, myself and another technician Nick Stathis made a play to become the distributor for in Australia.
We even had a conference call with Fred Ebrahimi and taking on the distribution.
It looked like we would get it and at the last minute, Cyrosh Ebrahimi - nephew of the CEO, decided he needed some sun and took on the distribution via Elite Software.

I started Desktop Revolution Consulting in 1998 and at the time had 2 users on InDesign.
Fast forward 13 years and I have only 2 clients using QuarkXpress!

Comment and let us know what you liked or hated about Quark - their software or the company (or even dealing with support people like me!)

Update on Lion compatibility from AdStream and Linotype

2011-08-08T10:24:00.000+10:00

Here are the official responses from AdStream regarding QuickCut and Linotype regarding FontExplorer X Pro.

AdStream Support - Jamie Davidson (Head of Print and Online)

I’m happy to advise that at this stage adstream have had no reports from our customers of compatibility issues with OSX10.7 and our Quickcut product suite.

Linotype Support - Dejan Grbic

Unfortunately we have no official statement about this issues. We will release FontExplorer X Pro 3.1 very soon, which will contains new Plug-Ins for CS5.5 and some bug fixes for Lion.

Lion - one week on...

2011-08-05T10:00:00.000+10:00

If you design for a living, here what works and what breaks.

Adobe Creative Suite - range of issues, some cosmetic, some workflow breaking.
QuarkXpress 9 - update due late August. Looks it will be the first layout tool to go full screen!
Extensis Suitcase Fusion - Lion update released August 1. Still debating if it fixes the font issue in Safari.
Linotype FontExplorer - Waiting for Lion and CS5.5 compatibility.
QuickPrint/PageStore - Waiting answer from AdStream.

Some random observations.

Since OS X programs like TextEdit now auto-save, I am finding I am using textedit almost like "Stickies"
That is, I am keeping random bits of information in multiple unsaved files - a bit like Evernote.

I am finding I am using gestures all the time. From swiping left to see Dashboard, to swiping up to see Mission Control, to pinch to zoom to increase text size in Safari.
Looks like there is finally a decent use for Magic Trackpad.
NOTE: If you use a trackpad, buy a PogoStylus and Inket to turn it into a Wacom tablet replacement - will be trying that in the coming weeks.

Testing Mac OS X Lion. Breaking my equipment - so you don't have to...

2011-07-25T11:00:00.000+10:00

Lion was released late last week, and whilst this is NOT a review, it is some observations on the upgrade so far.

The Good

The upgrade was smooth and quick - a download from the "App Store".

The new overall interface is more subdued. Personally, it makes the task or content stand out..

Full screen view. Different from the Windows Maximise button. In full screen mode, there is no menu system.

Safari has a new feature "Reading List" which saves websites for later reading.

Add events to iCal using natural language - i.e.; See Craig this Friday at 1pm.

Recovery - Lion creates an invisible volume to help with recovery, restores and re-installs. It is also the basis of the new whole disk encryption.
Windows of course has had a recovery service for years "Last Know Good State" as well as whole disk encryption "BitLocker" - it's good to see it arrive on a mac - in a more usable form.

Lion Server is now only $49.99USD - this is down from $499USD in Snow Leopard and $999USD in Leopard!
If only Apple had a real Server hardware platform…

You can now merge the contents of two folders by dragging one folder onto on another - an old time Windows feature that is welcome addition.

Lion now has a Windows Migration Assistant as well as the standard Migration Assistant - should make setup of new users defecting from Windows much easier.

The Bad

If you have a NAS (Network attached storage) make sure you check for a firmware update or you might not be able to connect via AFP (Apple File Sharing).
Netgear have released an update for the Intel based ReadyNAS with a update soon to follow for the older Spark based models.
For other brands, your NAS needs to be running an AFP 3.3 compliant firmware - which means netatalk 2.2beta2 or later.

As per standard, a few applications always break.
Adobe has a laundry list of issues - if your running anything before CS4, you won't be happy.
Extensis Suitcase Fusion 3 will receive an update in a few weeks
Microsoft has a list of issues, mots of which are superficial.
The main issue is cannot import Apple Mail to Outlook 2011 (which is a good thing as I migrate people away for Entourage/Outlook weekly to Apple Mail!)
EverNote has a Safari extension to send copies of websites to EverNote. It's currently broken - should be fixed soon.
My copy of Parallels is currently PURPLE. There was a Lion update that did not resolve the situation.

Whilst the above list looks scary, it is quite short for a large update like this.
We are less than a week into the new version - hold off for a few weeks if you use any of the above software.

Plenty more coming - contact us if you have Lion questions, or hit us up on FaceBook or LinkedIn.

Software as a Service and the Rise of Freemium

2011-07-19T12:58:00.000+10:00

Saas and Freemium - great options, beware of the pitfalls.

It's all the rage at the moment to sign up to all the free services on offer.
FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Apps, EverNote, etc...
Like everything in this world - there is ALWAYS a cost. These days, it usually involves handing over personal information used to target ads.
Whilst these services are great - especially if you are just starting out in business and trying to keep your costs down, there are downsides.

1. Virtually all these services are ad supported and the model is if they cannot reach a critical mass, they cannot attract advertisers to pay for the service.

2. How easy is it to get your data out of their "silo"? - as an example, try to export your friends out of FaceBook (they won't let you)

3. Support - if there are issues and you have made the service central to your business, how do you get it fixed.

4. Granting ownership of data. Did you know uploading a photo to FaceBook grants them a worldwide, irrevocable right to use the image in any way they see fit.

5. Data Laws - Most countries state that the country your data is housed in under the under the laws of that country.
NOTE: The US-PATRIOT act means ANY US service is under the laws of the USA no matter where in the world the data is held.

Add a comment to the blog article if you have answers to the following questions.
What Freemium products are you using - have you upgraded the the paid version?
What paid Saas products are you using - are they value for money?

Site Specific Browsers (SSB) - handy if you keep dozens of website tabs open!

An SSB, like what can be created with Fluid is a browser that only shows one site - iTunes is a perfect example of this .
The iTunes store is a website created using WebObjects that is ONLY viewable via iTunes.
If there are several websites you alway have open, Like Google Apps, Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, you have probably experienced the dreaded browser crash that takes out ALL your current websites. With a SSB, each website is a separate program, so a crash on one website does not affect any other.
Contact us if you would like to see a demo...

Talk of Clouds and other services

2011-07-12T11:37:00.000+10:00

Cloud Based services - what are they good for?

What is a cloud?
Simply put, a cloud is a service delivered over the internet using an often vast grid of computers.
Pure clouds are often though of as only accessible through a browser.
Often though, you use locally installed software that simply stores it's data (or a copy) on the cloud.

What are clouds good for?
If you need access to information or web based software from multiple locations, a cloud might be the right solution.
For small companies it is easier and far cheaper to use a cloud service for email than to have your own mail server and all work that entails.
Whilst there are concerns about security - there is no way a small company can secure something like a email server as well as the teams companies like Google Apps employ.
Also, things like accounting software, workflow/job management tools and CRM are all good candidates for the cloud.

What are clouds no so good at?
Accessing large chunks of data quickly is something a cloud can not do!
If you currently access files off a file server - accessing them from an cloud solution is simply too slow.
Solutions like DropBox and Egnyte get around this with a hybrid approach - they use the cloud the sync data to local machines.
That way, in the office, you access data at local network speeds, remotely you access the cloud at the speed of your internet connection.

D Revolution has been quietly testing and deploying various cloud based services for the last two years.
We can now supply, configure and support Google Postini - one of the best cloud hosted anti-spam/message archive product available.
This adds to Google Apps as well as Egnyte Private Cloud for ReadyNAS.
We are currently evaluating CrashPlan and are awaiting their local data centre in Sydney.
Contact us if there any any solutions you would interested in...

Design on a budget

2011-07-07T13:30:00.000+10:00

The right tool for the right job

What is the best tool for layout? - InDesign.
What is the best tool for photo manipulation? - Photoshop.
If you are a professional designer who needs to work with other companies and commercial printers the above answers are true.
Today there are many groups of people that need to do some basic design that is commercially printed.
The best tool, I would contend, is the tool that gets the job done!

Spending $1800+ on professional publishing tools is beyond the budget of most amateurs.
Without design or prepress training, you wont make the best of of the tools!

If you need to some basic layout, Pages will create acceptable results that CAN be commercially printed.
If you need some basic photo editing (above and beyond what iPhoto can do) Pixelmator is a very competent image editor.

As an added bonus, if you are running a business with a few workstations using OS X 10.6, you can purchase the software through the “Apple App Store” which allows for unlimited number of installations for computers you own!

Contrast 3 workstations with CS5 Design Standard for over $5400 or 3 workstations with Apple Apps Store purchased apps for $23.99 + $36.99 = 60.98!

With the above 2 tools, you can easily produce PFX/X3 compliant PDF’s (that is - PDF suitable for print that are RGB colour managed)
Since the PDF’s are RGB, it is essential you get a proof from the printer as the colours on the print WILL BE muted compared to your onscreen original file.

Next week I will publish will continue with a layman's guide to CMYK conversion (preparing images for print.

News from the interwebs and other useful facts

2011-07-05T11:07:00.000+10:00

OS X Lion, the Apple Mac App Store, virtualisation and terminal services

Mac OS X 10.7 A.K.A Lion will ship later this month and there are few interesting things.

Lion will only be available as a download from the Apple Mac App Store.
That brings up a few interesting points.
1. You will need OS X 10.6.6 running in order to download OS X Lion.
2. The download is 4GB per machine. So if you have 19 machines, that is 76+GB of downloads!
NOTE: Site licences allowing a single download a distribution of software start at 20 users.
3. In the USA, Apple is allowing people to bring their machines into an Apple Retail Store to download and install the update. No word on if that offer will be extended to Australia.

Lion will allow you to run several virtual instances of OS X side by side at the same time.
This will be a boon for It people or anyone involved in testing/support.
You could replace a small army of machines with a single one running every operating system in use!
Virtualisation on OS X revolves around 3 programs - Parallels, VMWare Fusion And Oracle VirtualBox.
I currently run Windows XP on my server (a Mac Mini) using Virtual Box and Windows Vista on the laptop using Parallels.

Lion will finally include terminal services - the ability for multiple users to log into a server at the same time and each show their own Account/profile.
I was first introduced to terminal services with Windows NT4 Server and Citrix in 1997.
With a fast network and a beefy enough server, you could buy the cheapest Mac Minis, all log into the server and harness the server's power to do all the work.
This is actually less important now as macs are so much cheaper and more powerful.
It will be interesting to see if the rumoured re-design of the MacPro takes place allowing it to slide into a server rack and take on the roll of a proper server.
NOTE: A proper server generally means redundant everything, ease of access and management.

Lastly, a big thank you to all the clients that took up the special end of year bulk billing offer.
We booked 3 months worth of pre-paid work last week.
Simply put, we can focus less on chasing invoices etc... and more on finding practical solutions to your problems that you all face day to day.

PS: If you are happy with the support provided by D Revolution, let people know - we love referrals...

Happy EOYFS - curse the Advertising Agency that came up with that one!

2011-06-21T08:25:00.000+10:00

DRevolution is having an End of Financial Year Sale.

Sign up for bulk billing and get over 37% off the standard support rate!
Simply pay for 20 or more hours of pre-paid support before June 30 and pay only $120 per hour.
Bulk Billing credits never expire and can be used when you wish.
Also, claim your IT expenses for the upcoming year NOW.

Contact us if you want to take advantage of this sale.

NOTE: EOYFS stands for "End Of Financial Year Sale"
Anyone know who came up with the term first? - let us know…

Backup - A cautionary tale…

2011-06-17T10:15:00.000+10:00

What would happen if you lost all your data?

Recently, a client called me in because their computer was running slow.
Ended up that their hard disk was failing with bad blocks - parts of the disk that become unreadable.
The disk was becoming more unusable by the minute, so we sent the disk of for data recovery.
Recovery was handled by Payam Data Recovery - they have been - BY FAR - the best data recovery firm I have dealt with in 15 years.
I have had clients spend from a few hundred dollars to a over $2000 to recover data from dead and deleted disks.
Add to that, being offline for a few days followed by more fees for someone like me to re-setup the machine and put back all the recovered data in the correct spots - it can be quite an experience.

Ask yourself;
Do you have current backup and is it readable?
Are there offsite copies in case of fire/theft?
If any of the above answers are NO - contact us…

When is the best time to buy a new computer? hint: I do NOT sell computers.

2011-06-14T10:30:00.000+10:00

Every week I get asked - "When do I get a new machine"

Much to the dismay of the resellers I use, I recommend holding off this year till July 1.
As of July 1, small businesses will be able to instant write-off any computer purchases under $5000.
That means instead of depreciating the purchase down over 3 years as is the norm, you claim the full amount that tax year.
NOTE: A small business has less than 2 million dollars turnover.

On the other hand, buying services like pre-paid support before July 30 means you can claim the full amount in this tax year.
If you would like to purchase pre-paid support that you can use whenever you need, Contact us.

D Revolution is NOT a bookkeeping or accounting firm - if in doubt, ask someone who knows…

iCloud - cloudy goodness and reducing the time and cost of music backups

2011-06-08T09:00:00.000+10:00

Apple Introduced the latest version of OS X 10.7, iOS 5 and a mobileme replacement - iCloud.

Whilst a lot has been said on the blogosphere that does not need repeating, there a few interesting nuggets to take away from the Apple announcement.

New version of the operating system that powers iDevices - can't complain, looks nice, move along.

Latest version of OS X 10.7 - interesting meld of iPhone/iPad features - system wide auto saving and versioning all documents.
It will be interesting to see how it interacts with application auto-save features existing software.
Will it back the temp files created by Indesign or MYOB?
Also, purchase is via the App Store built into OS X 10.6.6 or later. There is no mention of how to upgrade from previous versions of OS X.
Also being an online download of approximately 4 GB , if you upgrade a new few machines, that will be a massive amount of internet usage.

iCloud - Hopefully the roll-out will be smooth compared to when Mobile Me was released.
Looking from a brand perspective, I still can't recommend it for email etc… as it is not under your domain name and most likely never will be.
For sharing documents, calendars, emails etc... Google Apps is still a better choice.
Better support, attached to your domain name, aggressive roll-out of new features and more.

The 2 best features are cost - free, and the iTunes Match paid addition.
Alot of my clients, being creative, have huge libraries of acquired music.
The service will scan them and if they are part of the iTunes catalogue of 18 million songs, they do not need to be uploaded. If they are not on the catalogue, they are uploaded and synced across up to 10 devices.
The limit is 25000 songs (purchases from iTunes are excluded) which equates to around 75GB of songs.
If you had to backup an iTunes library of this size to disk it would take around an hour, if you had to upload to the cloud with Amazon's or Google's service, it would take weeks!!
Since with iTunes Match does not need to upload anything already on the iTunes catalogue, the online backup could take literally minutes.