the myth of more ram

by Simon Strantzas (procurement@loop.ca), Product Specialist

As computers continue to advance, their ability to accept greater and greater amounts of RAM also increase. Right now, Apple's top machine, the Mac Pro, supports up to 32GB of RAM, and once OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard is released next spring, the amount of RAM the OS can handle will jump dramatically (though the odds are you'll need new hardware to take advantage of it).

Because of these changes, a lot of applications that seemed to feed on RAM a few years ago are now reaching their hitherto unknown limits, and because of that some false information has started to circulate. The biggest of these is of course Adobe Photoshop.

Even as recent as version CS3, the rumour has spread that the application only supports a max of 3GB of RAM. And, in fact, it's true ... sort of. If you look in the preferences of Photoshop you'll see that you can set the amount of RAM the application will reserve for itself, and that amount goes no higher than 3GB. In today's computing world, that seems puny to some people. And they're right; it is. So what we've seen is a string of articles about creating RAM disks in OS X. For those who don't remember their OS 9 days, a RAM disk is a virtual hard drive that uses RAM instead of physical disks. Because it's all electronic, the ability to write to it is exponentially faster than a hard drive. The feeling is all one needs to do is create a RAM Disk in OS X and use that as the primary scratch disk. Sure, it doesn't perform as fast as allocated RAM to the application, but it would run far faster than a scratch disk on a physical hard drive, right? Well, yes and no.

What the authors of these articles fail to remember is that Mac OS X is pretty smart for an operating system. The OS knows that when one application isn't being used, its RAM should be available to others that are. Even though Photoshop will grab a segment for itself to ensure things run smoothly for average use, when that allocation is used up the OS doesn't dive straight for the assigned scratch disks but instead lets the OS free up some RAM elsewhere for it. If you were to create the RAM disks these articles suggest, all you would be doing is locking RAM away from the OS, RAM it can use to make your computing experience smoother.

So, the moral of the story is to not believe everything you read and to do a bit of investigation. The Mac OS is a powerful tool -- and getting more powerful all the time. Let it do the hard work for you whenever possible.

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the xp vs. vista dilemma – should i stay or should i go?

By Stefan Kanitz, Project Specialist

Windows Vista is the current operating system from Microsoft. Released worldwide in January 2007, it has not been widely adopted by the corporate world and Windows XP continues to be the predominant desktop operating system. Windows XP was discontinued by Microsoft in June 2008 leaving business owners with an important decision to make when refreshing their desktops.

As of June 2008, Windows XP is no longer being sold at retail outlets. This means that new boxed versions of XP will no longer be found on store shelves and any computer purchased at a retail outlet will most likely have Windows Vista pre-installed. System builders can continue to sell XP until January 31, 2009, meaning that you may be able to purchase a new system with an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) version of XP. The end of retail distribution does not mean the end of support for Windows XP however. Microsoft will continue to provide support until April 2014, mainstream support will end in June 2009, with extended support (security patches) continuing for the remaining 5 years.

Knowing this, should you stay with XP or move to Vista? Switching operating systems is a decision that can not be taken lightly. There are many factors to consider before purchasing Vista; these include the compatibility of your existing hardware and peripherals, the ability of your software to function within Vista and of course, possible retraining issues for your staff. It may seem that staying with XP is the best decision initially, however consider that in time, employees will become more familiar with Vista through home use and possibly through College and University courses. So what should you do?

Let’s begin with the support issue. Maintaining a consistent, standard image on your desktops is best practice in any business small or large. If you are not planning on replacing the majority of your computers and you currently run Windows XP, any new system you add to your network should also run Windows XP. This will allow the continued use of existing applications and peripheral hardware as well as allowing employees receiving replacement computers a simple transition without retraining.

If you are in the process of refreshing the majority of your computer systems, moving to Vista is an option to consider. Prior to making the switch, it is critical that you invest the appropriate amount of time ensuring the compatibility of your core business applications and key peripherals. If current software applications are not supported, determine if upgrades are available and what the upgrade or replacement cost will be. For peripherals such as printers, scanners and specialized equipment, ensure they are supported in Vista by locating device drivers and supporting software, once again taking note of any upgrade or replacement costs. Ensure employee retraining is also taken into consideration.

If your end decision is to move to Vista and you have ensured that your applications, peripherals and employees will continue to function, congratulations, you have made a choice that will take you into the future with full support and compatibility. Vista is now two years old, and while there were problems in the beginning, mostly with compatibility, it is now a stable, mature operating system and a good base for any business.

If your core business applications are not supported, or if the cost to upgrade software and peripherals, and retrain staff is too high, staying with Windows XP will likely be the most logical choice. It should be noted however that you will need to begin the planning of a future refresh that will include upgrades as XP will eventually need to be replaced. Staying with XP poses a problem when you decide to replace or add a computer as most are now sold with Vista. Thankfully there is a solution.

To begin with, resist the urge to purchase computers for your business at a retail outlet. Instead purchase a business class system from a brand name vendor or authorized reseller. The differences between retail computers and business class computers will be the topic of another article, but in brief, business class computers usually have longer, better warranties, tend to be more robust and support is readily available. While most systems will by default ship with Vista, you should look to companies that will sell you a computer that includes a Windows Vista license, but ships with Windows XP pre-installed. This practice is called XP Downgrading.

XP Downgrading is a right granted to purchasers of a new computer licensed with Windows Vista Business Edition and Vista Ultimate Edition that allows the legal installation of Windows XP Professional on the new computer. Vendors such as Dell and Lenovo have simplified this process for you. When you purchase a new business class Dell desktop or notebook computer with Vista you can exercise your downgrade rights and have the computer shipped with XP installed and your Vista license and media in the box ready for a future upgrade. Lenovo will supply Windows XP system restore disks with the computer for a small additional fee.

If you choose to purchase a retail computer with Vista pre-installed you can downgrade it yourself but keep the cost of doing so in mind. On average it takes three hours to properly install, configure and patch a Windows XP system. This assumes that you have proper installation media, a license key and all of the device drivers necessary to support the hardware. Once this cost is added to the purchase price of the computer, savings realized by going the retail route are lost.

Windows XP will continue to be a mainstay on the corporate desktop for some time to come. It is a given that change will need to occur eventually, however there is ample time to plan the move to Vista or its successor as Microsoft has committed to supporting and keeping XP secure for some time. The largest issue that most businesses will face moving beyond XP is software and peripheral compatibility. If it is possible to perform a smooth transition to Vista as part of a major refresh then it should be done. If you are not yet ready or able to move, take advantage of downgrade rights when purchasing new computers and have them delivered with a Vista license, but with XP installed.

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take control of your digital assets

By Mike Bevilacqua, Corporate Account Manager

Does this sound familiar? Shelves full of CD/DVD Roms, maybe even some Zip or Jaz discs containing backed up projects? You require a file and the search begins, first looking for discs in a date range. Then when you have narrowed it down, you start reading through the disc window printouts to find the correct file. This works if the disc is actually there, if it is missing, then you can start to worry.

Or you find the disc, but it’s not readable. We have all read the stories of discs not being readable a few months after they were written. A lot depends on how you treat the CDs and even more on the quality of your initial recording, but there are discs around which are more likely to fail than to work - one survey showed that six out of 10 discs can fail if you select the wrong brands. As one CD duplication service states: "It is not advisable to leave a CD-R upside down in bright light or the sun for a long time", however most failed backups are not satisfactorily written in the first place.

You can implement a disc cataloging software solution, which would make the process of finding specific files a lot easier and more time efficient than simply performing a manual search. However the above statement is still true; if the disc is missing or the media is not readable, then the limitations of a disc cataloging solution become apparent.

With hard drive sizes going up and the costs dropping, in addition to the introduction of simple to set up RAID-like solutions like a Drobo or an XServe/Promise RAID setup, digital asset management software becomes a more viable option.

Extensis Portfolio made by the same company that makes Suitcase Fusion, is a popular application that goes beyond simple digital asset management. At version 8.5 it has been around for a long time, and has a large installed user base, this means the product will receive new features and updates frequently. A few of the most notable features listed on Extensis' site are below.

Express Palette
This floating palette makes the contents of your Portfolio catalogs instantly available within any application, at any time, via a global keyboard shortcut. Find, copy, open and use any file you’ve cataloged — without even launching and opening Portfolio. The palette displays thumbnails of each item in your catalog and its filename.

Presets Palette
Save collections of metadata as a pre-set. Then, using the Presets Palette, quickly apply this to an entire selection of assets. Use this to drive processes and automate workflows.

Enhanced PDF and EPS Support
Portfolio 8.5 quickly generates high-quality thumbnails and previews from PDF and EPS documents, making it an ideal solution in PDF workflows. You can also view complex, multi-page PDF documents from within Portfolio on both Macs and Windows platforms. View a complete list of file formats supported.

Custom XMP Read and CS File-Info Panels
Take advantage of the IPTC4XMP standard known as IPTC Core, used by Adobe Creative Suite applications. This effectively extends Portfolio’s custom fields into the most popular creative applications, allowing a two-way exchange of information. Check out Portfolio Project Sync™ for full details on Adobe Creative Suite 3 integration.

SmartGalleries
Galleries (or subsets) in Portfolio can be set to automatically find any cataloged file that meets your pre-determined criteria. This ensures that your galleries are always updated without you having to lift a finger.

Web Page Creation Wizard One-Click CD Publishing & Archiving
Collect files, create a catalog, add a copy of Portfolio Browser and burn a CD/DVD in one step. Collect original images or low-res JPEG previews for distribution. Automatically change paths of cataloged files to a destination disk, allowing you to move content offline without having to manually relink files.

Other features

• Default Field Values
• Catalog Types
• Wide Range of File Format Support
• Built-in Image Conversion
• Roundtrip Metadata
• Saved Cataloging Options
• Full-Screen Previews
• Email or Burn Low-Res Previews
• Custom Views
• Contact Sheet Printing
• Scratchpad Galleries
• Enhanced Digital Camera Support

A powerful add-on to Portfolio and Portfolio Server is Portfolio NetPublish, which allows you to create searchable websites from your catalogue files. Depending on user privileges, files can be downloaded directly, great for remote users or a satellite office. User permissions can be set to "search only", requiring a request for files be submitted to the administrator, a beneficial feature to ensure protection of copyright and intellectual property.

Take control of your digital assets, at the same time as ensuring your files are backed up securely in a redundant setup. Talk to your Loop corporate account manager about implementing a digital asset management solution that is best suited to your organization and workflow; you can also contact us at sales@loop.ca or by phone at 905.761.2185.

For further information on digital asset management, download the Portfolio Best Practices Guide from Extensis.