This isn’t what I want to be writing about. But a recent discovery compels me to do so. So, I’ve decided to make this an experiment, and beg your apologies that this will not have much technical merit despite the title.

After the last post, Set the Priority of a Process By Name Automatically, in Vista (which probably could have been named a lot better), I discovered that the post had made its way to some other sites. These sites appear to pull content from all over the web, package it up as their own, and toss ads all over it. One is lucky if the site even references the original author or links back to the original location of the post. It’s frustrating, to say the least. I’m all for distribution of knowledge and the like, but that’s taking it too far. Maybe I shouldn’t feel this way, but I (like others) put brain sweat and time into the work I do, and it would be nice if the source of the information would at least be cited if they’re going to republish it without the author’s consent.

So I visited two of these sites (which I have not yet decided if I will mention or not, for what I hope are obvious reasons) and attempted to leave comments. Of course the comments are moderated - don’t want any upset victims coming in and raising he. The comments were along the line of:

As the author of the original article referenced here, I kindly request that those interested in it please read it at MY blog, <a href=”http://mygreenpaste.blogspot.com”>My Green Paste, Inc.</a>

My site does not currently have ads, and I am NOT even considering ads at this time.

–«/\/\Øö±ò\/»®© (molotov)

Can you guess what happened? Yep - the comments were not approved, and were never published on the sites in question. I then attempted to leave another comment at each copy of my posting. This time, one site saw fit to allow the comment, and the other one did not. I suspected NO comments would have been allowed through either site, so I was a bit surprised. The comment was a bit ridiculous given the content of the posting, and rather generic; perhaps that’s why it was allowed. The comment was simply:

does this work for other os like XP or server 2003? 

Amazing. It was posted at 2008-01-31 2:37 GMT. The comment, like this post, is a part of the experiment. See, if I mention things that I mentioned in the previous post, like CpuPriorityClass, image file execution options, IoPriority, PagePriority, PerfOptions, powershell, priority, Process Monitor, setpriorityclass, Sysinternals, Vista, WorkingSetLimitInKB, Vista, Windows Vista, Windows Vista Ultimate, etc. (sorry to get carried away there), will this post make it to these sites as well? If so, wouldn’t that be somewhat funny? The comment falls in there, too - if the now published comment magically disappears from the copy of my previous post, won’t that be a bit odd?

I think I’ll have to start embedding a “this content originally from http://mygreenpaste.blogspot.com/” statement into the middle of each of my posts from now on. I’m sure I’ll forget, and I’ve probably only got one shot. That’ll make for some nice, flowing reading. We’ll see.

I do have some more thoughts about the Set the Priority of a Process By Name Automatically, in Vista topic that I expect to get out in my next post. I apologize for this distraction, and hope you’ll stay tuned…

BTW - I may also have a follow up to this fork in the saga as well.

My first reaction to Microsoft’s announcement of Windows Vista (RED) edition was “cool” and my second reaction was “where can I get those special (RED)-branded wallpapers?”. Unfortunately for me and many others who also shared the same ideas to promote and show support for the (RED) campaign on our computers, we couldn’t, or at least not without purchasing a computer we don’t really need. The reason I’ve been told they are so protected is because of special licensing deals between Microsoft, Dell and (RED). That to me is fairly reasonable and I didn’t look into it any further.

However thanks to a reader who shared a link to a collection of fan-created (RED)-inspired wallpapers, my enthusiasm has been restored. Just as a clarification, these are not copies of the exclusive wallpapers in the special (RED) PCs. In fact, these were created in 2007 - long before this deal was announced.

There are 12 variations of this wallpaper available - all sharing the same theme of positive words which has the term “red” in them. These include: admired, adored, discovered, empowered, endeavored, hammered, honored, incredible, scored, shared, treasured and uncensored. These words are featured quite boldly in the center of a grungy red surface.

Simple, yet powerful with lots of empty spaces around the sides for all your icons. The shade of red is surprisingly easy on the eyes, unlike Microsoft’s own website. Go get them here and share the (RED) love.

P.S. Windows Vista actually comes with a red clock gadget for those who’s looking for matching sets.

I have been using Office 2007 for some time now, and I just ran across a free download from MS:

2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS

I like to save many of my documents as PDF, since they readable/printable across many platforms. I have been using FinePrint’s PDF Factory - but I don’t have a license for every system I use.

It turns out to be a great alternative. Simply download the plugin, and within any Office 2007 application you will see a new “Save As..” option:

I have tried it out on a few documents and it works great.

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to save to PDF in Office 2007 I highly recommend it.

A Croatian college student has created a utility that installs a seriously stripped-down Windows Vista, saying the heft of Microsoft’s biggest desktop OS was just too big to believe. “Who can justify a 15GB operating system?” asked Dino Nuhagic, a fifth-year student from Split, a Croatian city on the Adriatic. Not Nuhagic, or the uncounted users who have turned to his creation, vLite. vLite is a free program that lets users pick and choose which Vista components, hotfixes, drivers and even language packs are installed, then builds a disk image that can be burned to a DVD for unattended installation of the operating system.

“Why did I do it? Well, it’s performance and work environment,” said Nuhagic when asked why he came up with vLite. “Performance, that’s easy to explain. The less things running, the more responsive the OS. But the environment part is where it gets down to personal preference.” Those preferences include options for leaving out virtually every component of Windows Vista, from the minor — such as the bundled screensavers — to the major, such as the firewall or Universal Plug and Play. Some vLite users, in fact, have made it a contest of sorts to come up with the puniest-possible installation package for the OS. While Microsoft recommends that users set aside 15GB of hard disk space to install its pride and joy, Nuhagic’s fans boast of squeezing it into an image file as small as 515MB that takes up just 1.4GB on the hard drive. More details and download available at vlite.net.

Windows Vista is growing up so quick and making so many (100 million) friends. It was a little hard fitting at first - everyone still favored her older and more mature sister Ex-Pee, but now everyone’s getting along much better. In fact, it won’t be long until she gets her new pajamas! Maybe then she’ll be the new popular kid on the block. Although rumor has it her parents are already looking to have another one, but doctors don’t know when that one will arrive just yet. Here’s to another year.

Moist and delicious cake kindly provided by the Windows Vista Magazine.

One of the reasons I came to work in the Windows team was because I wanted to work on something with meaning; something that could have a positive impact on people’s lives. Because of Windows, millions of people get to enjoy opportunities to do more with their lives - either as a direct result of using a PC, or through the jobs created in our partner ecosystem. Love it or hate it, Windows enables people and businesses, and that means impact.

The impact I prefer, though, is on an even more personal level - for example, as a product manager for Windows Vista, I had the privilege of working with the teams who built important consumer features like Parental Controls. As a result, I’ve been able to help touch people’s lives in a positive way. That’s why I work in Windows and why I’m passionate about what Windows can offer.

Now we have another way to touch lives - Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED on Dell (PRODUCT) RED PCs. This appeals to me on a number of levels, not just because I’m passionate about Windows - this is where things get personal!

As I’ve stated previously on this blog, I’m a total consumer. I also want to have a positive impact. So my personal consumer philosophy is to make choices that align with my values. If I’m going to buy a bottle of water, I get the stuff that will help someone get clean drinking water. I even prefer vacation activities with a bit more meaning - on my recent trip to Thailand I got my (awesome) massages through a prison rehabilitation program and instead of riding elephants, got to hang out with them at an elephant conservation foundation. So being able to bring people a choice of PC and operating system that results in a contribution to The Global Fund that could literally save someone’s life definitely makes me want to come to work every day - I love that people who want to buy a new PC can now make a profound difference to another human being simply by making an easy choice!

And finally, there’s an even more personal reason I’m excited about working on the team that is making (PRODUCT) RED possible. I’m an African. I was born and raised in Zimbabwe, a country with an average life expectancy of 43 years and an adult prevalence of AIDS over 20%. I know people working on the ground to help children orphaned by AIDS. If my grandmother can’t get ordinary painkillers in Zimbabwe, I certainly don’t believe that specialized drugs like antiretrovirals for people living with AIDS are any easier to come by. As a member of the leadership council for the Africans at Microsoft community, I am frequently asked by my African colleagues how they and Microsoft can make a difference in their home countries. Well, here’s something that can help. And if my efforts contribute to success for (PRODUCT) RED, not only will it directly help people in Swaziland, Rwanda and Ghana, but maybe one day it will be able to help people in my country too.