Thursday, March 27, 2008

It Just Works!

After a week of heavy use, I thought I would report on software performance. My main programs for genealogy work are Apple Safari, Leister Reunion, Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom and Microsoft Office. All have the latest updates to help insure a secure worksite.


So far all have worked flawlessly as expected. Yes, the software is expensive, but all have performed as advertised. Perhaps my MacPro is a bit excessive, but when the programs run as well as they do, the cost is justified for me. I suppose a MacBook Pro would work just as well. I will pass along a bit of advice learned over time. Add all the memory you can afford. I currently run 6GB and that is more than adequate. My last post shows where I purchase memory at the best price.

As you can deduct, I am a happy customer of Apple products. Last week I had the opportunity to use a Dell laptop with Vista installed. It was cumbersome, clunky and seemed like a lot of eye candy. Not for me, but perhaps I carry my bias on my shoulder.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

MacPro Up & Humming

The new MacPro  arrived (65 lbs!) and I wasted no time installing my essential programs. I enhanced the factory 2GB of ram to 6GB using 4GB of memory sticks from OtherWorldComputing. Easy to install and they work flawlessly. I also installed a 500GB internal hard drive to match the one already in residence. Again another easy install and flawless operation. I am amazed at the quietness of this monster. One does not know it is even there. 

Today I spent sorting through many hundred photos using Adobe Lightroom. As I sorted, I deleted some, cataloged others, and spent some time just remembering the places we have been and the people we have met along the way. Life is cool if you live it!
I now use TimeMachine to make hourly backups. I was leery at first, but it works as advertised. I have an external 750GB hard drive solely used to maintain backups.
Well, back to work for now. I will later lift a glass of fine Merlot from Trader Joe's to celebrate the successful installation.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Computer Upgrade

After much musing, I decided to upgrade my G5 to one of the new MacPro Intel computers. Tuesday it will arrive, and then I have the task of installing the software I most often use. I have done this before, so not a daunting task. I will report on the progress next week.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Site Updated

A link to this Blog has been added as well as a few cosmetic changes. To return to the site homepage go to http://www.norvall.com.