Tag: macbook

That’s what matters to me …

No, Apple II was not my first personal computer, it was the Commodore 64.

No, iPod was not my first portable music player, it was a Aiwa portable tape player.

No, Macbook Pro was not my first laptop computer, it was a Toshiba Portégé.

No, iPhone was not my first smartphone, it was Dopod C730.

No, iPad was not my first tablet, it was Amazon Kindle.

And no, Steve Jobs was not my first idol, my dad is.

But just imagine the modern days without Jobs, Apple II, iPod, MacBook, iPhone and iPad. And imagine the days without mouse, GUI, touch screen gesture …

Remembering the man who behind all these, and who made “IT” stands for “Innovation, Transformation”.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” – Steve Jobs

Installing Windows 7 beta in Macbook

One of the beauty of using virtual machine software (like VMware) is you can install a new system without affecting the existing ones. So in my Macbook with an XP VM installed, the followings are the steps for installing a Windows 7 beta in the Macbook:

  1. Download the Windows 7 beta ISO file from Microsoft website, the version I downloaded was Windows 7 beta 64 bit.
  2. The ISO file is quite big (3.15 GB) … somehow I failed the download with Firefox in my Macbook. I therefore upgraded the Firefox to version 3.0.5 first, and then the download was ok (it took an hour or two).
  3. Start the VMware, create a new VM, and select “Windows Server 2008 64 bit” as the version. I also did not choose the “Use Easy Install” option as I am not sure VMware can cope with the new Windows 7 or not.
  4. The software will then install the new OS from the ISO file. When asked for Upgrade or Install a new system, I picked the latter one.
  5. The install was smooth and completed in around 30 minutes. I then wrap up the task with installation of VMware tools.
  6. That’s it !! And what others said were true – Windows 7 beta is better than Vista and as fast as the XP.
  7. Following is the picture of running XP, Windows 7 and OSX at the same time … Cool !!

Yes we can

There are non-stop news on TV about the historic U.S. presidential win by Barack Obama. And I am still figuring out how to make my Sony Vaio and the new MacBook work hand-in-hand. After days of evaluation, I decided to buy the VMware Fusion, installed the aged XP, and start all over.

So, while the election offices in U.S.A were counting votes, I was checking the outdated VMware installation guide (even though it was downloaded fresh from their web site), installing, testing, failing, reinstalling, twisting etc. etc. I finally made it work … it feels good … Yes we can. Following is a screen shot of the Windows XP running within the MacBook OSX, via VMware.

From Commodore 64 to Apple MacBook

I think most, if not all, computer geeks’ dream personal computer is one with an apple logo stamps on it … they may use a Windows PC at work, on the road or at home but in their dream they want to buy an Apple computer. Windows PCs are good machines actually, but they just don’t have the style, personality and cult. 

I am the same as any other geeks except the fact that I bought mine 26 years late. Because somehow, 26 years ago, I bought myself the Commodore 64 insteal of the Apple II / III. Anyway, no matter it’s a Windows PC or Apple MacBook, I still have the same question – why is it so difficult to make these all work together ?