Going for Not Broke

See that wonky-looking stuff on the right of the screen? That's what my iMac is doing these days. All in all, I can't complain. I bought it in 2006, so I got seven good years out of it. I was in the middle of my twice-yearly freelance project when it started this, and at first, rebooting would get rid of it for a little bit. Not so much now. I want to buy a new computer, but I won't. I have a laptop that works fine but runs much, much slower. I'm in the process of transferring all of my necessary files to flash drives. Scribus Update I had mentioned in a previous post that I was going to use Scribus as I worked on my freelance project this time to see how well it worked. I knew my computer's days were numbered, and rather than buy Adobe InDesign again (which I'd have to do because CS2, the Creative Suite version I have, will not work on a new operating system) I thought I'd see what my other options were. Well, it was slow going key command...

After seven years of dutiful, reliable computing, my iMac has started showing its age. It's manifesting in weird glitches, such as not letting me load photos. After a quick reboot, it will work fine ... for a while. Seven computer years equals like 75 human years, right? There have been at least four new iMacs since I bought mine, and the software updates on everything from browsers to operating software make getting a "tune-up" seem a little impractical. However, buying a new one presents its own problems. First of all, the price tag is way too hefty for me right now. Because of how this year started for me , I'm further away from my goal than I was six months ago. I don't want to make that worse by spending money I don't really have. Secondly, my current iMac has  Adobe CS2, which contains InDesign desktop publishing software that I depend on for a freelance project I do twice a year. My current version of Creative Suite wouldn't run on a newer c...

I've mentioned in past posts that my home computer is old (technology wise), which, I think will start affecting my ability to do freelance work before long. I have upgraded it some, but I can't any more without rendering my current desktop publishing software (Adobe Creative Suite 2) unusable. Upgrading my CS to version 3 or 4 would cost as much as the freelance client I use it for pays me in a year. Upgrading to the current version, 5.5, is totally out of reach without some new clients to make it practical. After doing some online searches, though, I found a free open source program that I'd like to give a try. It's called Scribus. So far, all I've done is download it and do some minor exploring, and it looks rather different than the Adobe software I'm used to, but I'm willing to give it a shot. If it can perform as I need, I will be able to further upgrade my home computer and use Scribus instead of Adobe. I've got my fingers crossed. Next on m...

Back in June, I signed up for GoDaddy's data storage service, thinking it would be a good replacement for Apple's iDisk, which Apple discontinued on June 30. It turns out, it didn't work as I had hoped so it won't do. Here's why I liked the iDisk: I paid for the service, and in turn, I got access to X amount of online data storage (I no longer remember how much) that was automatically divided into several folders, one of which was labeled "Public." I had the option to password protect the public folder, which I did. Then, I could send a link to whomever I wanted to allow access to the folder. The recipients could then login from anywhere, whether they use a PC or a Mac, and both download and upload files and folders. They could see and access anything within that folder. This allowed me as a part-time freelancer to move files back and forth between myself and my clients, without requiring them to buy or sign up for anything themselves. Als...

As I mentioned, I opted for GoDaddy's data storage service to replace the Apple iDisk. I did several online searches looking for a review of GoDaddy's data storage and couldn't find anything, so I figured it was OK. Apparently, I should've just been searching for GoDaddy in general. I signed up for the service Saturday. Since then, I've received three phone calls from an unknown number, so I didn't answer. However, because so many had called from the same place, I figured I needed to find out who was calling me.  So I Googled the number and found it belongs to GoDaddy's sales department. I logged into my account and looked for an option to not receive sales calls from GoDaddy. I could tell the company not to send me emails or text messages, but nothing stops phone calls. I sent them an email letting them know that I am not happy about getting sales calls from them. Hopefully, they stop. If not, I will find another company's services to use. The...

I had at one point decided against making any changes to my home computer, an iMac I purchased back in 2006. However, as I came across more and more stuff online that didn't work properly because my browsers were too old and couldn't be upgraded because I was still running the Tiger OS, I decided to spend the $30 for an upgrade to Snow Leopard, and I bought another memory stick to increase the speed. (I can further upgrade to OS Lion for another $30, but my system is still running good, everything online works. I think I'll use it as-is for as long as possible.) I found some information online that says my graphic design software should still work if I install the Rosetta option in Snow Leopard, but I just got the computer system upgraded and haven't had a chance to fire up Adobe yet. That's a task for this weekend. Fingers crossed it works. The $30 system upgrade and $50 memory upgrade ($80 total) is a lot cheaper than buying a new computer, which would've ...

Last month, I posted about the Apple iDisk going away. I had thought that if I could upgrade to Apple’s iCloud service, I could keep the iDisk, and the only thing standing in my way was the age of my current computer. Upon further research, though, I found that the iDisk function is going away regardless, which is good, because the pressure to upgrade my computer is off. I’ll need to upgrade at some point, but now I can take my time and may even be able to put it off for a few years. However, I do need to find a substitute for the iDisk. I’ve considered Google Drive and Microsoft’s Skydrive, but both options require anyone I share documents with to sign up for an account (if they don’t already have one) with Google or Microsoft, respectively. I’d rather not force my freelance clients to do so. One thing I’m considering is GoDaddy’s cloud storage service. I think it might work but I’d like to find reviews from other clients before I go that route, and I haven’t been able to find any th...

My home office equipment is aging. For the most part, this isn't a problem, and I don't care whether I have the latest and greatest computer equipment. However, this summer, I will use a function that has been very convenient in my freelance work, both for me and for one of my clients. It's Apple's iDisk, which allows the client to send me files without having to schedule a meeting and physically exchange flash drives or CDs. This June, iDisk will no longer work for Apple users who haven't upgraded to iCloud, which will not work with my 6-year-old system software. I'm weighing my three options: Do nothing. I've looked into other ways that my client and I could move files back and forth, but so far, I haven't found any that would allow the clients to access it without having to sign up for an account of their own, something I'm trying to avoid. Upgrade my system software so that I can get iCloud. Overall, this is probably the best option, as long...

I have occasional freelance projects that I do from my home computer. Word processing software is not necessary for me to do the work, but it does make it go a little smoother, so I bought the Microsoft Suite. Knowing what I do now -- that versions of word processing software are available for free online -- I would've saved my money. I'm sure there are others out there, but the two that I've used are through Google Docs and MSN. Neither program offers the full functionality of Word or other major word processing programs, but they do offer all I need -- and maybe even as much as most families would need for children in school and  home office tasks. Google Docs features: Word processing. Spreadsheets. Presentation software. Form creation. Drawing software. Table creation. MSN's software is a pared down version of its Office Suite: Word. Excel. PowerPoint. Notes. As my Office software ages out of use, I plan to check these again to see how well th...