ReactOS? - free open source version of MS Windows?

 I have been watching the development of an open source replacement for Windows by Microsoft. It is called ReactOS. It is still in development. The latest version is 0.4.14. It is - per the site - still in alpha.

There is a forum there to talk about problems and other things related to it. 

They have a 'shop' that has some nice ReactOS merchandise. 

the ReactOS logo.

I am hoping that one day it would replace the MS Windows on my computers. I believe there those who have installed it on computers and have used it with varying amounts of success. I like this operating system since it does not seem to be a resource 'hog' like Windows. Even the installation disc for it is smaller and takes less room on the CD and require less space and memory than Windows. I think it would be great for older computers for this reason. 

I have some older laptop computers that I will be trying it on. I think it would be great for older computers since it requires less resources to install and operate. Since it takes up less space and uses less resources, it could - potentially - operate faster than Windows. As it is in alpha development stage, there would definitely be problems. 

It has been long in development and progress is really slow. It seems it has been in 0.4.14 for quite awhile now. I am looking forward to get farther along. One can help with its development at the forum at the site as well as other parts.  

I am hoping to report on future development of ReactOS with this blog. 

TomLeeM

2023 / 11 / 01

eBook Apps

 I like to read. I don't have a preference between e-books (electronic books) and p-books (printed books). I like them both. There are times it is not easy finding the book one wants in print form. It could be that it is out of print or just not available in the bookstores in your area. I have booth e-books and p-books.

I found this picture online. I think it shows what an e-book is; an 'electronic' version of a printed book. 

I have been using e-book reader apps on my phone. I find it easy to read it on my phone since I usually have my phone with me. I can rest and relax while reading the e-books since I don't have to carry a p-book with me where ever I go. I can 'carry' a lot of e-books using the apps. 

I have been using three apps on my phone. There might be more but these are the three that I have been using. One is the Kindle app. One is the Nook app. One is the Google Play Books app. I have been using these apps - one longer than the others - and find it easy to use and easy to read (depending on the device one is using with it). I have a newer phone with a great screen (which device it is is for another blog). 

With the Kindle app, one buys the e-books on Amazon and it loads the e-book during the next time you use the app (one syncs the app with the e-book store at Amazon). I found it easy to use. There is a large variety of e-books one can buy at their Kindle books section. I have been using this the longest. At first with the Kindle e-book reader (which recently 'died' but it lasted many years before it did) then the Kindle app.

With the Nook app, one can buy the e-books at the Barnes and Noble sites e-book section. It is also loaded onto the app the next time one uses it. They have a lot of books too. I started using this app when the Nook device was failing to do what I need it to do (malfunctioning). 

With the Google Play Books app, I believe one can buy the books at the Google Play site and it downloads the e-book when you use it next. This was used since I found some good e-books on the Google Play Store and the app was needed to read them. 

I have no doubt there are other e-book apps out there. I don't plant to try them all. It would overwhelm ones electronic device; whether it be a phone, a tablet computer or other electronic device (like an e-book reader). 

I think the readability of e-books depends on the size of the screen and the quality of the screen. One can have a big screen but it would be lousy quality. One could have a great quality screen but it would be really small and hard to see. I think it is a combination of both quality of the screen and the size of the screen that makes the e-book reader app a pleasant experience. 

There are also e-book readers too. They are ones that are a 'stand alone' device that does one thing; display and hold e-books. There are some out there but that is for a different blog / post since this one is for the apps. 

TomLeeM

2023 / 10 / 02

Franklin eBookMan - feeling nostalgic

 Franklin eBookMan - feeling nostalgic. 

I was feeling nostalgic about my first e-book reader; the Franklin eBookMan. I bought it many many years ago (feeling really old). I don't remember how much I had paid for it. Having had newer e-book readers and now using e-book reader apps, I remembered my first e-book reader. I think it went the way of my Palm Pilot and Palm Pre phone; lost in time and memory. 

It had a cradle (if I remember correctly) that one used to connect it to the computer. It is through the computer that one download or transferred e-books from a compact disc (CD) that had many books on it. I believe one used an app or program on the CD to find the book one wanted then download it then transferred it to the e-book reader. It was simple yet effective. 

The screen was monochrome; one color. It was not really big. After reading for awhile, I would look up and try my best to refocus since my eyesight was a little blurry. It used two double batteries (IIRC - it has been awhile since I had or even used one). 

e-book readers in general:

I think one of the benefits of the e-book and e-book reader is that one can download books to read without having to carry around a lot of books. I think this way of reading books is great for schools since one can get newer textbooks without having to sell the old ones. One just has to delete the old one (assuming one wants to get rid of the older one). It would save a lot of paper; IMO; making it very green. 

Another benefit is that one can carry a lot of books to read without taking up much space; unless it is the space on the e-book reader. There are a lot of books available to read on an e-book readers; that can read a big variety of formats.

I think e-book reader is not good for all books. 

There are times one needs a recipe. One can easily get to a recipe on a printed book. One just turns the page to that recipe. With an e-book, one has to search for it on the device then hope not to mess up the e-book reader. 

There are some books that are just better for printed books. If one has a picture book, or a book with maps or really nice photos or paintings that are better view in a large book that cannot truly be appreciated on a small screen of a tablet computer or a phone. 

Early book readers were or had monochrome screens. It was not easy to appreciate the photos and artwork with such screens. The newer e-book readers have better screens but large printed books are still (IMO) much better in view those photos and artwork. 

In Conclusion

I think there is a place for both e-books and e-book readers and printed books. I hope and pray that book stores and libraries never go out of business. I think they are a great resource for books. There are some that are also a great resource for e-books and e-book readers too. 

Amazon and Barnes and Noble are great places for both printed books and e-books. There might be other bookstores that have both features but these two are the ones I know of. 

There is a local bookstore I really like. It is local - not far from where I live. It is the Jobberwocky Bookshop at The Tannery Mall in Newburyport MA. Their Facebook page. 

I might do a separate post just on this really cool store. 

TomLeeM

2023 / 09 / 23

Google Playbooks?

 

Google Play Books?

I found another way to read e-books. It is the Google Play Books app. It is the third e-book app that I have on my phone. My phone is an android phone; therefore, I have access to the Google Play apps and other things available in it. 

I have downloaded a few books on it. I have read most of them. I have read most of the books. Since it is on my phone, I can read the e-books anytime I have some extra time to do so. Since I usually carry my phone with me most places, I can read it anytime I want to (I do really want to since one can learn a lot by reading books [printed ones and e-books]). 

I need to download more e-books. There is a lot of e-books, and e-magazines available via the app. I have checked so many in such a variety of prices. I think there is something for almost everyone. 

TomLeeM 

2023 / 09 / 23

 

My Kindle Has Died?

My Amazon Kindle Has Died 

I had bought my Kindle from Amazon many many years ago (sounds like the beginning of Star Wars). It was on sale. It was great in reading e-books. I could carry as many in it since carrying the actual books would be heavy and getting heavier the more books I had bought. With this e-book reader (like others similar to it), one can download as many books as its memory could hold. With mine, it had gotten up to 160 books. I am not sure I read them all; some more recently bought were still being read when it stopped working. 

It has a 'keyboard' built into it but one cannot touch type with it. It had two buttons on either side; upper for turning to the previous page and a lower button for turning to the next page. It had a variety of useful buttons; one to change the location of the cursor, one to enter what one chose, and a home button. I found it quite useful. At first the battery would last a week of usage but eventually it would only a little longer than a day. 

I had already installed the Kindle app by Amazon on my tablet computer. The app had a few e-books on it but nowhere near as many as on the Kindle. I bought and downloaded some of the unread e-books onto the app. My tablet began to fail too. 

Installing the Kindle app on my phone was easy. By putting my id and password in the Kindle app, I was able to download the e-books that was on the tablet computer (the e-mail address and password was different on the Kindle than the one used in the Kindle app). Even where I left off on my tablet was also noted when I downloaded them on my phone. 

TomLeeM

2023 / 09 /23

My Nook Is In Trouble?

 My Nook Is In Trouble? 

My brother came across a Barnes and Noble Nook e-book reader. It was left behind. My brother was told to clear out the office and he took it home. I got it since he knew I like e-book readers. 

It had a touch screen and buttons to use. There were two buttons on each side; upper one for turning to the previous page and a lower one to turn to the next page. I think the newer Nook doesn't have these pages. The nook I have does. It used a micro USB port to charge the battery. I believe it has an E-Ink screen; which means the battery lasts longer. It was small but not too small where one couldn't read the words. It was nice but it was worn. 

There was some trouble with it at first. I wasn't able to clear the previous owner from it and I couldn't get it to connect to my WIFI. I download the updated software, transferred it to the device using my computer and an USB cable. When I unplugged the device from my computer and started it again, the update was installed. I was then able to clear the previous owner from it and install my own information (account information that I had created for it). I was able to download books to it. I had quite a few e-books on it. I was beginning to see why the previous owner left it behind. It was not easy to use. It was starting to have problems. 

Fortunately, Barnes and Noble has a Nook app that I was able to download to my tablet computer. Unfortunately, my tablet was going bonkers, not working properly. It would jump pages when I would only turn one page. There were other programs that didn't work well on the tablet compute too.

I was able to download the Nooks app onto my phone. I entered the e-mail address and password. I was able to download the e-books that was on the e-book reader. The screen on my phone is better and brighter than the one on the Nook e-book reader. 

TomLeeM

2023 / 09 / 23

ArcaOS 5.1 ? new release by Arca Noae.

 

Arca Noae has the release of 5.1. I have read of it having support for UEFI. The store where one can buy ArcaOS; the support and maintenance version,  the personal edition version, the commercial edition version. They still have 5.0 available. 

ArcaOS (Blue Lion) is an updated version of the OS/2 Warp operating system by IBM. I have been using the previous version and it works but not on the newer laptop. I am hoping that this newer version with support for UEFI will allow me to install it on it. 

I am glad there are ways to install it via the USB port and USB flash drive. With so many newer laptops and computers not coming with an optical drive, it would be difficult to install it unless one has an USB optical drive (which I have since my HP laptop doesn't have one - something I remember on older laptops and wish the newer ones still have). It seems even the newer laptops have fewer USB ports. I am glad there are ways to expand the number of USB ports with attachments (some not expensive). 

The previous release and post release of OS/2 Warp is eComStation. It does not seem to be developed anymore but there website is still up. 

OS/2 Warp was developed by IBM. There is still support for it online at OS/2 World. I had used this version many years ago. It was really good. I thought of it as an alternative to Windows (especially since - at the time - IIRC - 3.1 ran on top of DOS and seemed to have crashed a lot [from my experience]). 

TomLeeM

2023 / 09 / 22