The LangaList

W(h)ither The Amiga?

Over the years, very few computer products have achieved truly cult-like status. Only a handful has tapped users' psyches in a way that fosters a loyalty that transcends the products' actual objective merits. Today, Linux and the Mac fall into that category.

In some cases, the fanatical loyalty has clear and rational roots: For example, many fans of Linux and the Mac share vehemently strong anti-Microsoft feelings, and because Linux and the Mac both are Microsoft alternatives, it's easy to see where this kind of loyalty comes from.

But there's a darker side to this too. For example, some Linux fanatics regard the OS as a kind of intelligence test: If you have a problem with Linux, say the extremists, the problem lies with you, not with the OS itself. If only you were smarter---as smart as they are---you'd inevitably see the unalloyed perfection of the software. (Riiiiight.)

The MacMilitants are a bit more diverse: If you criticize a Mac, it's probably because (1) you're a soulless, bland nonentity who can't see the transcendent beauty of carnival-colored thermoplastics; or (2) you're a lemming-like conformist in whose breast no spark of creativity or original thought has ever flickered; or (3) you've been brainwashed by the insidious and all-powerful Wintel alliance. (Riiiiight. Riiiiight. And riiiiight.)

But, curiously, the Amigans explored these far fringes of brand loyalty years ago. In 1985, the Amiga (designed by the legendary team of Miner, Morse, and Mical) emerged with a graphically-rich, multitasking OS that really was light years ahead of the competition. More powerful than a PC, more graphical than a Mac, the Amiga won a devoted band of followers the likes of which the computing world had never before seen.

But the Amiga had the deck stacked against it almost from the start. It went through a long series of ups and down---well, honestly, more downs than ups---and almost became extinct. Then, in 1997, Gateway 2000 bought rights to the Amiga. This summer, the Amiga was showing signs of rebirth. New prototype Amiga hardware was shown at a European trade show and---to great fanfare---Amiga selected Linux as the kernel for a new "Amiga Operating Environment" that would be released "later this year."

But then, just about a week ago, the Amiga company announced that:

"Amiga was never about a box. It was never about an operating system either. Sure those things were part of what made the original Amiga great, but at its heart, Amiga was simply about a better way…." 

It then went on to talk about how this vague "better way" would somehow show up "on every type of device imaginable, on top of every other OS out there..." Huh?

It's confusing, but the bottom line is that I think it's finally over for the Amiga.

My column in Byte this month explores the history of the Amiga in more detail than the brief item above. (For example, did you know the original Amiga company was financed by a group of dentists? <g>) And we'll take a closer look at what made the Amiga great, and what turned its fans into fanatics.

I hope you'll read the column and then join the discussion. Is it finally "lights out" for this fabled machine? If you're a member of the Amiga community, what do you think the new not-hardware/not-software Amigas will be; how will it recapture the greatness of the original machines? What does a "better way" actually mean, in real terms? If you're not an Amigan, what would Amiga have to offer in hardware or software to make you consider it? Read the full column and join in the discussion starting Monday Sept 27th at http://www.byte.com !

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Beware: Snoopware May Be Watching You!

Last week, I told you how snoopware---software that monitors your actions on a PC or LAN---is in use everywhere. In the discussion area at InformationWeek, many readers voiced their distaste for this kind of software--- but some snoopware supporters also expressed their views. The two camps couldn't be further apart!

Other readers have suggested ways to see if there's snoopware running on your PC, and whether employers need to divulge their use of snoopware or not.

For lots more information, join in at http://www.informationweek.com/langaletter !  

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Don’t Make Me Beg! 8-)

If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, just use the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win a Palm III organizer for your trouble (full details also available via this link):

http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1

Or, win a Copy of "Poor Richard's E-Mail Publishing: Creating Newsletters, Bulletins, Discussion Groups and Other Powerful Communications Tools." This book has been described as "An excellent, straightforward manual on email publishing, banner ads, driving traffic and especially ethics." (Full details also available via this link):

http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 

Either way, thank you, and good luck!

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Cleaning Up Temp Files

Reader Steve writes:

Fred,

I have been looking for some help on what files I can safely delete from the windows temp folder. Seems that this folder is getting very large with many sub directories. I am leery about deleting items from this folder since I am unsure which are still needed for safe operation of installed software.

Any advice?

Thanks, Steve

In theory, any TEMP or TMP folders (and the files they contain) should be safe to delete. And the Win98 cleanup wizard can and will remove many files from the temp directory, but not all.

It's easy, but dangerous, to write a little batch file that will wipe out the TEMP and TMP directories each time your systems starts. In my opinion, no essential files should ever be stored in a "temp" directory, but for reasons known only to vendors, some install apps store essential files needed after a reboot (during an upgrade) in the Temp directory. If you wipe out the TEMP/TMP areas during an upgrade reboot, the upgrade may not be able to finish. 

So, once a week, when I know it's safe (no upgrades in progress) I boot to DOS and run a batch file called cleanup.bat. You can create the same file by copying these lines into Notepad, and saving the file as c:\cleanup.bat :

c:\windows\command\deltree /y c:\windows\temp
del c:\windows\tempor~1\*.zip
del c:\windows\tempor~1\*.exe

When you run cleanup.bat (i.e. just type "cleanup" without the quote marks at the DOS command prompt), it will completely wipe out the Temp directory and any exe or zip files that have made their way into the "Temporary Internet Files" folder. Windows will then create a fresh, new and *empty* Temp directory when it runs. 

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