Hewie's Views & Reviews June 18 2009

++++ Real Tech Support does exist
++++ My iPhone Update

June, 2009

++++ Real Tech Support does exist

I am trying to learn a new web development program called Drupal. Without getting technical, it requires me to set up a Linux Server and some Open Source programs on my Windows Vista System. To make it easier, there are a couple of programs that package the installion to make it easier.

I attended a 1 day event here in Orlando called DrupalCamp Orlando earlier this year. I heard about 2 different systems to do an install. One is totally free and the other is packaged by Acquia, which is a commercial open source software company providing products, services, and technical support for the open source Drupal social publishing system. They charge a fee for their services, but you can download their installation software for free.

I downloaded and ran the installation.  It ran well until it got to 99% and hiccupped, then completed. It mostly worked, but not enough to use. After uninstalling and reinstalling a couple of times, I left a voice mail to Acquia’s Tech Support and sent an email describing my plight. 

Now, remember this is a commercial company whose business plan is to get paid for supporting this open source software. They are located in Massachusetts, so they are in my time zone. I heard back from one of their techs, Michael, and we corresponded a few times that evening between 9:30 PM and Midnight. 

We couldn’t resolve the problem with some of his fixes, so he said that he would turn it over to the engineers. Within a couple of days, the engineers had some more possible solutions, including running a program from Microsoft to help detect the problem.

I decided to try the install on my laptop with Windows 7 and it worked perfectly. I know that the problem is something running on my desktop machine that is preventing the complete install.

I gave up and thanked the people at Acquia http://www.acquia.com , but I need to learn the software, not take forever to install the tools on my computer. I just am amazed that Acquia went above and beyond to help me before I even became a customer. 

While many of my readers will never have an opportunity to come in contact with Acquia or use Drupal, I urge you to remember their name and recommend them to any Drupal developers.  But more importantly, realize that there are some companies that do help, are concerned about their users, and have great customer service.

++++ My iPhone Update

I bought an iPhone several months after it was first released and love it.  When the 3G model came out last year, I decided that the plan I had was sufficient for my needs and the faster connection was not important. The latest iPhone 3Gs was just released and I, again, have resisted the hype and frenzy and have decided to stay with my original phone. I did upgrade the operating system to 3.0 and it upgraded without a hitch.

Although I am going without the built-in GPS, the video camera, and the 3G connection, I do get many of the software upgrades with the new version. I now have cut and paste, syncing notes with Outlook notes, Voice memos and some 100+ other improvements for free. 

There still are a few things that the iPhone lacks and I would like to see.  They include the use of Flash and the ability to store & read PDF files. Oh well, I can’t have everything.  The Palm Pre looks interesting, but I have too much invested in accessories for my iPhone to make a change, just to make a change.