Occasionally I go and look what Google Analytics tells me about my visitors. I assume that people who come are mostly people who built websites (since most people look for the Joomla stuff) and thus put somewhat more thought into choosing the software they use (like in using software that helps with web developement), but I was still amazed by the browser stats. From the (on average) 115 people who, according to Google, use this site daily a staggering 66% use Firefox, as opposed to 28% that use Internet Explorer.

And only 0,65% use a screen resolution of less than 1024*768 pixels, but 71% use a resolution of 1280*768 or better. So is the small screen finally dead or is this also a web developer thing (as programmers usually have better tools) ? And don’t tell me about handheld devices – a regular webpage looks like crap on 2,5″ screen, especially if the browser uses the regular screen CSS and you can’t do anything clever with your CSS to adapt your page to the retarded screen size. So I maintain my opinion that you need separate pages with separate URLS for handheld devices, which can still be powered by the same Database and serverside Scripts, so not much harm done. If anybody can prove me wrong please do so (but do not use the iPhone as an example which, according to the TV ads, requires me to obscure the screen with my finger if I want to scroll).

Anything else? Oh yes, I bought a new computer – I finally had to admit that my old workhorse ( a Dell Dimension 2400 with a 2,4 Ghz Celeron CPU and 768 MB RAM) simply didn’t cut the mustard anymore. I replaced it with a Laptop – an ASUS Z53SC. I’d been looking for something that has a lot of RAM and Firewire, and ASUS’ claim to use “green” technology was a welcome extra. I was amazed how much hardware you get these days for relatively little money – 2 Gig of RAM, 160 GB S-Ata Harddrive, 2 Ghz Dual Core Processor and a DVD Burner. I would have preferred a little less technology in a more robust exterior (the plastic casing looks and feels rather cheap), but that seems to be not an option in the “1000 Euro or less” price range. Also, the thing came pre-installed with Windows Vista, my first exposure to Vista at all despite the fact that the OS is already one year old.

Many people have already remarked on how much Vista sucks and I would like to amend this by telling you that Vista sucks. Really. And I’m not talking about alleged faults in the technical design of the OS. In my experience people are willing to ignore even glaring bugs if the parts that can be used can be used smoothly and without much thinking (I know I certainly am). But I have been using Windows practically since it was first released in Germany, and with Vista it still took me all afternoon to set up a network connection (worse, I did not find out why it didn’t work at first and I still don’t know why it worked in the end). When I use – and pay for – a system for twenty years I really do expect that I can use any new version without thinking. Everything else is like coming home only to find that somebody built a brick wall through your living room. Unless there is a redeeming feature lurking somewhere under the “Aero”-surface that I did not yet find I have to say that somebody at Microsoft did a lousy job.