Peter's Blog

I was studying my access logs and noticed visitors using the Safari web browser under Windows. I thought, "No, can't be right, maybe Safari is lying to the server about the OS to get around compatibility problems" since Safari is an Apple OS/X browser.

I was at the Apple site for something or other and discovered it is true: there is a version of Safari for Windows here. It's a beta but everything is beta these days.

I've been using it at home and I'm liking it. It has the features of Firefox that I actually use but it feels leaner and meaner. There is something about the way it presents web pages that makes them look nicer. Don't ask me what, it's a subtle Apple designer thing that an engineering brain cannot put a finger on: if mine could I would be outta here and busy growing a ponytail.

One thing about Apple design I must address: the brushed metal look gets old very quickly, I'm already tired of it from iTunes I don't see any way to change the 'theme' and Windowblinds cannot change it (did I mention that rather than buy Windows Vista I just bought Windowblinds?).

It has crashed on me once, the text box I am typing this in has tiny weeny text and is making me squint (my glasses are two flights of stairs down ) I have found one or two sites with problems but I'm still using it. Oh, and it seems to insist on installing Quicktime when you install it which is a minus to me.

Firefox is seeming more and more bloated these days and takes about thirty seconds to boot on my crappy work computer. Opera is ok but whenever I try it I drift back to Firefox. Safari is quite likely to go the same way but it's a new toy for a few days. Internet Explorer, well HA I only use it on sites that don't work with anything else.

I so want an iPhone.

Choice 1:

• Buy Windowblinds for $20
• Install Google Desktop for free

Choice 2:

• Buy Windows Vista Upgrade for £100
• Struggle all weekend with compatibility problems

Choice 1 gives me a transluscent UI, desktop search and I can keep the pinball game I never play.

Choice 2 gives me less time to play World of Warcraft.

To be honest I have stopped using Google Desktop Sidebar: it kept making itself six inches wide whenever the pc booted and I was tired of resizing it.

Then again, maybe an OS upgrade will stop SVCHOST.EXE crashing every time I shutdown? The PC is about two months old now, that's how long it takes a Windows install to degrade.

I used to be open minded about operating systems but then reality set in.

NB I will inevitably cave and get Vista. Could the Multimedia TV stuff actually work? Streaming to an XBOX 360 sounds cool.

Decided to uninstall WindowsBlinds, partly because I am bored with it and partly in preparation for Windows XP SP2. I ran the uninstallation and rebooted but the logoff and logon screens were still the windowblinds versions.

I looked through control panel/add remove programs and found something called 'login studio' so I uninstalled that. No joy, still showed customised shutdown and login screens.

After a google trawl I found the trick. Find this registry item:

 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
    "UIHost"="C:\WINDOWS\System32\logonuiX.exe"

And change it to:

 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
    "UIHost"="C:\WINDOWS\System32\logonui.exe"

(i.e. remove the X) which is the microsoft version of the logout/login program. The C:\WINDOWS\System32\logonuiX.exe file can then be sent to hell.

The customised login.logout display was always a little odd anyway: user names were transparent and at an odd place on screen.