标签: desktop

I am a routine-oriented creature. The first thing I do every morning after I've plonked my bottom down in the command chair and booted my three computers is to set things up the way I like them.   In the case of my main tower computer -- the one on which I do the bulk of my work -- I have three 28-inch monitors configured so as to present me with a single honking big desktop as shown below.   Three 28-inch monitors forming a single desktop   On the left-hand monitor I open an Excel spreadsheet in which I keep a record of all the columns I post (name, date, document ID number, author, etc.). Once I have this set up, I minimize it for later use and then bring my email system up on this screen.   The center display is where I perform my text and image editing activities. I typically have two Word documents open side-by side. "Behind" these will be a Paint.Net window, which will often be accompanied by a Visio window.   On the right-hand screen I open four Notepad text editor windows. The upper-left window is used to access my file of commonly-used HTML codes and shortcuts. The file in the lower-left window is where I keep track of which articles are to be posted in which carousels, which articles have yet to be Tweeted, and so forth. The bottom line is that these two Notepad windows always access the same files -- the other two Notepad windows are used on a temporary basis for specific activities.   Now, on the one hand, it doesn't take more than a couple of minutes to set all of this up before I move on to access my email and my day really starts to rock-and-roll. On the other hand, it's a pain in the rear end having to do this each and every day. What I would love would be to have a little script that I could invoke by double-clicking an icon on my desktop, and for this script to perform the following tasks: Launch an Excel window; make it fill the left-hand screen; use it to open my "articles" file. Launch a small Notepad window in the upper-left corner of the right-hand screen; use it to open my HTML codes file. Launch a larger Notepad window in the upper-middle of the right-hand screen. Launch another small Notepad window in the upper-right of the right-hand screen. Launch another larger Notepad window in the lower-left corner of the right-hand screen; use it to open my "articles to be tweeted" file.   Note that it's important that the four Notepad files be opened in the sequence I describe above. This is because I may have a bunch of other windows open -- perhaps showing additional graphic images or a calculator or other applications -- on this right-hand screen, so having the Notepad windows opened in a specific order allows me to easily select and access the window of interest when I move my mouse cursor over the Notepad icon in the Task Bar.   The problem is that I'm not an expert when it comes to the Windows 7 operating system -- I just use tools like Word and Excel a lot -- so I'm wondering if there is any way to create a script that can set my desktop up just the way I like it as described above. Do you have any ideas as to how I might achieve this?

There was a much hope for Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system to boost PC sales, however it has thus far failed to materialise. According to the NPD Group, since the Oct. 26 launch of Windows 8, U.S. sales of consumer Windows PC and tablets—including the Microsoft Surface tab—have fallen 21 per cent versus the same period of last year. Sales of Windows notebooks declined 24 per cent year-over-year, while sales of desktops fell 19 per cent, according to NPD. The PC market is expected to contract this year for the first time since 2001 , as consumers increasingly opt for tablets and other less expensive, more convenient mobile computing devices. Many had hoped that the launch of Windows 8—described as the most dramatic refresh of the ubiquitous operating system in decades—would provide a boost to the PC market, as other Windows launches have done in the past. Others have already speculated that Windows 8 would not be enough to stem the tide of PC sales decline. Though the new operating system offers some compelling new features and usability, it adds significant cost. "After just four weeks on the market, it's still early to place blame on Windows 8 for the ongoing weakness in the PC market," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD, in a statement. "We still have the whole holiday selling season ahead of us, but clearly Windows 8 did not prove to be the impetus for a sales turnaround some had hoped for." Windows 8 tablet sales 'almost non-existent' According to NPD, since the launch date, Windows 8 has captured about 58 per cent of Windows computing device unit sales. In the like four-week period after the launch of Windows 7 in 2009, Windows 7 made up 83 per cent of Windows computing device sales, according to the firm. NPD said Windows 8 tablet sales have been "almost non-existent," representing less than 1 per cent of all Windows 8 device sales to date. According to Baker, a less than stellar back-to-school PC sales left a lot of inventory in the channel, which had a real impact on the initial sell-through rates for Windows 8 PCs. "The strong performance of Windows 8 notebooks with touchscreens—where Windows 8 truly shines—offers some reason for optimism," Baker said. "These products accounted for 6 per cent of Windows 8 notebook sales at an average price of $867, helping to re-establish a premium segment to the Windows consumer notebook market." According to NPD, average selling prices of Windows computing devices have jumped significantly this year, up to $477 from $433 last year. Windows 8 notebooks boast an ASP nearly $80 higher than comparable Windows notebooks last year, while Windows 8 desktop ASPs are up nearly 10 per cent, according to NPD. But while Microsoft and PC OEMs might take some solace from the increased ASPs, the cost of the systems is part of the problem. Those who want a Windows 8 PC may be willing to shell out a little more for it, but for those consumers trying to choose between a Windows 8 PC and a $200 Android tablet, it only makes the decision easier.

The much anticipated boost in PC sales courtesy of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system has thus far failed to materialise. According to the NPD Group, since the Oct. 26 launch of Windows 8, U.S. sales of consumer Windows PC and tablets—including the Microsoft Surface tab—have fallen 21 per cent versus the same period of last year. Sales of Windows notebooks declined 24 per cent year-over-year, while sales of desktops fell 19 per cent, according to NPD. The PC market is expected to contract this year for the first time since 2001 , as consumers increasingly opt for tablets and other less expensive, more convenient mobile computing devices. Many had hoped that the launch of Windows 8—described as the most dramatic refresh of the ubiquitous operating system in decades—would provide a boost to the PC market, as other Windows launches have done in the past. Others have already speculated that Windows 8 would not be enough to stem the tide of PC sales decline. Though the new operating system offers some compelling new features and usability, it adds significant cost. "After just four weeks on the market, it's still early to place blame on Windows 8 for the ongoing weakness in the PC market," said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD, in a statement. "We still have the whole holiday selling season ahead of us, but clearly Windows 8 did not prove to be the impetus for a sales turnaround some had hoped for." Windows 8 tablet sales 'almost non-existent' According to NPD, since the launch date, Windows 8 has captured about 58 per cent of Windows computing device unit sales. In the like four-week period after the launch of Windows 7 in 2009, Windows 7 made up 83 per cent of Windows computing device sales, according to the firm. NPD said Windows 8 tablet sales have been "almost non-existent," representing less than 1 per cent of all Windows 8 device sales to date. According to Baker, a less than stellar back-to-school PC sales left a lot of inventory in the channel, which had a real impact on the initial sell-through rates for Windows 8 PCs. "The strong performance of Windows 8 notebooks with touchscreens—where Windows 8 truly shines—offers some reason for optimism," Baker said. "These products accounted for 6 per cent of Windows 8 notebook sales at an average price of $867, helping to re-establish a premium segment to the Windows consumer notebook market." According to NPD, average selling prices of Windows computing devices have jumped significantly this year, up to $477 from $433 last year. Windows 8 notebooks boast an ASP nearly $80 higher than comparable Windows notebooks last year, while Windows 8 desktop ASPs are up nearly 10 per cent, according to NPD. But while Microsoft and PC OEMs might take some solace from the increased ASPs, the cost of the systems is part of the problem. Those who want a Windows 8 PC may be willing to shell out a little more for it, but for those consumers trying to choose between a Windows 8 PC and a $200 Android tablet, it only makes the decision easier.  

One certainty about the domination of the computer industry by personal computer is that it was – and continues to be – a major market for embedded device hardware and software. In addition to the x86 that powers the operating system, the desktop PC is the home to at 8 to 12 or more MCUs embedded in the system that manage all the various user interface and communications operations. And as the world has gone mobile, portable and wireless, the same is true of the many smartphones, tablets, and ultrabooks that inhabit our lives. In such connected computing devices, for every 32bit ARM or Atom acting as the main CPU, there are at least a half a dozen or more embedded MCUs. And one of the fastest growth areas is anything to do with capacitive touch sensor-based gesture recognition, well illustrated by the hard-sell videos from companies such as Texas Instruments, Microchip, Freescale, Cypress and Atmel. But the opportunies this offers to developers comes at the cost of greater design and development complexity.   One measure of still increasing opportunities and challenges ahead are the number of research projects pushing gesture recognition to its limits.

One fact about the domination of the computer industry by personal computer is that it was – and continues to be – a major market for embedded device hardware and software. In addition to the x86 that powers the operating system, the desktop PC is the home to at 8 to 12 or more MCUs embedded in the system that manage all the various user interface and communications operations. And as the world has gone mobile, portable and wireless, the same is true of the many smartphones, tablets, and ultrabooks that inhabit our lives. In such connected computing devices, for every 32bit ARM or Atom acting as the main CPU, there are at least a half a dozen or more embedded MCUs. And one of the fastest growth areas is anything to do with capacitive touch sensor-based gesture recognition, well illustrated by the hard-sell videos from companies such as Texas Instruments, Microchip, Freescale, Cypress and Atmel. But the opportunies this offers to developers comes at the cost of greater design and development complexity.   One measure of still increasing opportunities and challenges ahead are the number of research projects pushing gesture recognition to its limits.