A brief history of Windows 7
Ever wondered why Microsoft named the latest Windows release as Windows 7? Microsoft considers Windows 7 as the seventh generation Windows OS. Following are the 6 previous generations of Windows Operating System,
1. Windows 1.0 – Microsoft released the first version of Windows in 1985 and it featured tiled windows. From the beginning Windows was designed as a multitasking system. It was more of a GUI for the underlying MS-DOS operating system. It is interesting to note that Microsoft supported this operating system for 16 years (till 2001)!
2. Windows 3.11 – The next major release of Windows was in 1993 named Windows for Workgroups 3.11. It included networking and truetype fonts. Within months of release it sold millions of copies and Microsoft was named as the “Most of innovative company in US” by Forbes.
3. Windows 95 – Released in 1995, Windows 95 cemented Microsoft’s position as the solid leader in operating systems business. Microsoft integrated MS-DOS into Windows effectively putting all other MS-DOS competitors out of business. Windows 95 also introduced Internet Explorer 1.0. For optimal use Windows 95 required 8MB of RAM. The basic UI elements introduced in Windows 95 remains even today in Windows 7.
4. Windows 2000 – Windows 2000 was released in 2000 and the primary market was business laptops and server machines. Windows 2000 includes NTFS 3.0 and introduced encrypted file system. Windows 2000 was marketed as the most secure operating system, but continues to receive security patches in short intervals. Windows 2000 is supported till July 2010.
5. Windows XP – Released in 2001, Windows XP is the most used operating system even as of 2009 with more than 60% of market share. It offered a fresh user interface and a number of performance and stability improvements. Windows XP is supported till 2014.
6. Windows Vista – Windows Vista was released in 2007 and was not adopted quickly due to its high system requirements. To get a decent performance it required 1GB of RAM (Windows XP required 128MB) probably due to the fact that its engine core components were rewritten (audio, display, networking etc.). However it does have over 20% of the OS market share as of 2009. Vista is also notorious for its high prices (Ultimate edition costs over $300 almost matching hardware price).
There are a number of other Windows releases which are not considered in the above 6 generations. These include Windows 2 and Windows 3, Windows 98, Windows NT and Windows Me.
And then in 2009, Microsoft launches Windows 7 as the seventh generation Windows operating system.
How to fix Apple iPod Touch 3.1.2 firmware upgrade issue
Apple has recently released iPod Touch firmware upgrade 3.1.2. This upgrade is essential to test your iPhone/iPod apps. It may seem funny that 3.1.2 is a bug fix release. There seems to be a bug in the iTunes download progam or Apple servers which prevents this firmware upgrade. What is more irritating is the fact that Apple charges $4+ for this upgrade, yet you can’t install it!
The error is not uniform. Sometimes you get no error at all, but still the 3.1.2 is neither downloaded nor installed. Sometimes it gives a message “Unknown error 2020″. I tried upgrading iTunes and it turned out that it is the latest. I also tried resetting the iPod firmware. Interestingly the original firmware was downloaded without any issue which indicated that this may not be a download server issue. Finally I found a workaround quite accidentally.
There is a simple workaround to get 3.1.2 firmware installed on your iPod touch. Just download a free app from the Apple iTunes Store. This download somehow triggers the iPod touch upgrade download! Initially a 0.4KB file is downloaded which triggers the download of 240MB iPod touch software upgrade.
Problems like these remind me of the good old days when you can do upgrade to a device simply by downloading a file manually. If the file is available for download, it is guaranteed to work. For upgrade etc. iTunes should be made optional. They should give a alternate download location from where the upgrade can be dowloaded and directly moved to the iPod/iPhone.
What is new in iPod Touch 3.1.2 firmware?
3.1.2 firmware upgrade is a minor bug fix release. It contains fixes related to video streaming and sleep issues.
How to deal with a telemarketer
For many of us unsolicited marketing calls is a big nuisance. There is really not much you can do to prevent these calls. However as the following video shows sometimes it is the telemarketer who is at the receiving end. Highly recommended for anyone planning to join call centre work! It is the funniest prank call I have heard 
Tom Mabe is telemarketer’s nightmare
It is hard to stop laughing ‚