magazine®

Some of you might already have known this, but I just recently discovered this in an archived blog. This bug has existed since Windows 98 as the writer of the blog said though I haven't tried it on older machines. This bug, although an old one is still present in Windows XP. To expose the bug try this: 1. Open Notepad 2. Type 'AAAA BBB CCC DDDDD' (or any other 4-3-3-5 letter combination) 3. Save the document, and close notepad 4. Open the saved file update: Type 'AAAA BBB CCC DDDDD' in notepad without the quotes and do not press enter after typing it. As you will notice the text is being converted to little sqaures "䅁䅁䈠䉂䌠䍃䐠䑄䑄"(unicode characters) . I can't quite explain this but it has something to do internally with its multi-language support. As I was trying this bug, I accidentally pressed F1 (help) on notepad and as I was reading through its help I found new tricks with notepad that I never knew existed. I think its quite useful when your debugging scripts. Here are some tips:

• When editing a file, press the F5 key to insert the system date and time
• Change or add headers & footers by selecting file | page setup
• Press ctrl-G and enter a line number to go to (VERY useful when debugging VBScript errors)
• Select view | status bar to display the line/character number as you navigate the file (another beneficial debugging aid)

update: Ctrl+G would not work if worwrap is enabled. Thanks to billy for correcting this... But the best trick I've learned is this:

• open notepad
• set the first line to be (without the quotes and in uppercase) ".LOG"
• press enter and save/close the file
• every time you open the file, notepad will automatically insert the system date/time at the end of the file and add a new line where you can begin typing

This trick is very useful specially when creating a LOG file for an application. Now you don't have to manually insert a date stamps for your LOG,  just let notepad handle it for you.

With the upcomming public release of Windows Vista and Office 12 Microsoft has really pushed its limits in terms of advertising the upcomming new softwares. They just made it free!

Well, you might be crazed up a little bit just as I did. First they gave free copies to its public Beta Testers as a gesture of saying thanks. But this?! I mean making it available for the public? Its as close as releasing the source of Windows to the public (which I think would really shock the whole IT industry!). Both software could cost up to 600$ (30,000 Php) can you imagine that? There must ba a catch in this, don't you think? The first limitation that I noticed here, one which automatically disqualifies me is the offer is only valid for the United States. So if your not, don't waste your time trying coz I already did. Its strictly for Americans! And also, you should not be an active MSDN Subscriber or a Microsoft Partner (hell, these people already has vista upon its RTM!). The people who have already got their copies are saying that you are required to fill-in tax information to make sure that you are from the United States.

Let's backtrack a little here. When the site officially launched, Microsoft was silent with this. So some people who stumbled on it reported the site as a Phishing site coz nobody could believe that Vista and Office 12 are just being given out for free! But I tell you guys, the site is Legit! Microsoft has already confirmed.

 Currently the site is quite slow (too many downloads) so you must be very patient when trying to register. Some did it for a couple of hours and some did it for days. But I  guess the wait is just fine if you were to recieve these two great products. So if you want it, better start applying for a VISA or a greencard for that matter.

www.powertogether.com

With the release of Windows Vista just 2 months ahead, Microsoft has released a promotional animated series focused on educating consumers on the upcomming Operating System. It's a 6-episode animated flick featuring Tom and his extraordinary customers/friends. Here's a preview:

Ain't these guys cute! It has a 70's touch into it, giving emphasis on some commercials that was done during the era. I think some consumers might be enticed with this.

For more episodes, visit WindowsVistaRetail.com