English Grammar - Incorrect Usage 2

Who versus Whom.

Who and Whom are both pronouns. And gramatically, they are often not interchangeable.

'Who' is used when you are referring to the subject of a clause. And 'Whom' is used when you are referring to the object of a clause. It is very tricky in usage. But let's get this straight.

Use 'Whom' when you are referring to the object of a sentence.

Ex. Whom did you play with?

'Who did you playwith?' with is wrong.

On the contrary, you'd use 'Who' if you are referring to the subject of a sentence.

Ex. Who played with you?

'Whom played with you' is wrong.

And to recap, Subject is the one taking action and object is the one being acted upon.

Microsoft - giant in a slumber?

I often wonder if Microsoft should have been named as 'Macro'soft. And this is not without reason. Given its tendency to release a product with multiple or macro options, Macrosoft would have been apt. Here is why.

I purchased a new laptop yesterday and had an option to choose among the various Vista versions floating around. The base configuration comes with Vista Home Basic, which by the way is as basic as it can get. If there is one entertainment feature that I really like in Vista, it is Windows Media Center. I use it all the time to watch my Netflix DVDs and I should say, the features and display options are really good. But, Vista Home Basic unfortunately doesn't have the Media Center. And I need to upgrade to Vista Home Premium to get access to media center and other entertainment options. Though I have been using Vista Ultimate, I never really took the pain to contrast it other editions of Vista. I did so yesterday and was baffled.

Microsoft has six 32-bit vista editions and five 64-bit vista editions. Phew! 11 options to choose from for an operating system. Here is the comparision of the four flagship Vista editions. It doesn't show Windows Vista starter edition and Vista Enterprise edition. What really stands out is the fact that, atleast to me, lines aren't clear between the various editions. Who would want a Vista Home Basic when it is that pale compared to Home Premium. Why list it or have this product in the first place? Is it to just boost the image of Home Premium? Given Microsoft's hold in OS market, it would have been a great idea to release two editions for Vista - Home and Professional. Or even better, have just one version for 32-bit systems. Having too many options is making things complex for users and might prove to be Microsoft's undoing.

Complex or superfluous options is not just the case in Microsoft's OS product line. It looks like Microsoft has developed a penchant for multiple options. It has become a pattern. Another random example of an Microsoft product. SQL Server 2008 Express. First there is an option to choose between SQL Server Express or SQL Server Compact. Under SQL Server Express, one can choose among

- SQL Server 2008 Express with Tools

- SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services

- SQL Server 2008 Express (Runtime Only)

And different files for 32-bit and 64-bit. So leaving the SQL Server Compact aside, SQL Server 2008 Express has 6 options. Why not have your best all-in-one installation giving users the option to install advanced features or tools if they want?

Before you think I am biased against Microsoft, let me give another random example. How many ways do you want to end your session on a computer? Windows XP got it right. Logoff, Lock, Restart or Shutdown. Wonder what Vista has done to it. They have two icons in the start menu - lock and shut down. And then to the right of these icons is a cascade menu having 'text' commands - Switch User, Log Off, Lock, Restart, Sleep, Hibernate and Shutdown. 9 options to terminate a user session. Too many choices spoil the dish?

I feel Microsoft will be better off if they reduce redundancy and focus on their core competencies i.e., the operating system itself. Look and feel do help but not as much as the functionalities. Once users like functionalities they will flock to download/use the products. And it need not try and impose its software on users, speaking of which I am reminded of another incident. I had a Sony Vaio that I wanted to downgrade and get rid of. It came with Vista Home Premium and before I got rid of it, I wanted to downgrade the OS to XP PRO and check that out. But call it whatever you may - monopoly or imposing the software or whatever, there is simply no option to downgrade Vista to XP on a Sony Vaio without getting your hands dirty. I downgraded the OS on my ThinkPad to XP in a jiffy but it took me an eternity to downgrade Vaio. Ofcourse, I did not like XP on ThinkPad and upgraded back to Vista, and that's my point - What's the problem in letting users install their choice of operating systems on the laptops they own? What's the need to impose your operating system, not giving users a chance to downgrade. Doesn't that show lack of confidence in Vista?

Finally, I feel Microsoft should get rid of redundancy, become more user-friendly in the sense that it gives users the choice to control software and devices they own and be innovative (remember Virtual Earth and Zune). Else, its efforts can be counterproductive and may lead to its own undoing.

Slumdog Millionaire!

As I write this blog, the cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire are in Kodak theater, Los Angeles for the biggest prize in cinema - the Oscars. Incidentally, I saw this movie just today. There were some scenes in the movie that embarrass Indians; atleast I felt so. What is shown in the movie isn't the true India, but scratch that; true India can never be shown on screen. It can only be felt.

Anyways, back to the movie, I think it has all the ingredients in good proportions. It is logical, has a wonderful background score, has scenes that can rivet you, an excellent script and life in the characters. The only thing I didn't like in the movie is the constant focus on slums. India is not only about slums. Maybe the director had to focus on slums to emphasize the title. Maybe.

At my workplace, at times when we have team events, my colleagues ask me what India is all about. They are honest questions for sure. What I tell them is a different story altogether but I hope they don't see this movie as it shows only a part of India and incorrectly portrays as if that is what India is all about. 

Except this, I have no issues with the movie. I think it is very well crafted and above all, like its protagonist, the movie has right things happening to it at the right time. Golden Globe happened. BAFTA happened. Now it is time for Oscars. Who knows what the destiny has in store for the millionaire? Let's try this question.

What major award(s) did the movie Slumdog Millionaire win?

A. BAFTA

B. Golden Globe

C. Oscars

D. All of the above.

I would go for D.

Netbooks - is the net good enough?

Netbooks are a class of laptop computers that are small, light, and inexpensive, with reduced specifications and processing power relative to larger laptops (Wikipedia).

I loved a comment that I came across in K @ W. "Are these devices stripped down computers or phones on steroids?" is what professor Eric Clemons wondered when he discussed about Netbooks and their impact in the current economy. I concur with the thought above and truly, netbooks are somewhere between laptops and smartphones. What is worth pondering is where in the consumer market these netbooks fit in? How can they make a significant business sense? Will the netbooks increase the popularity of cloud computing? How will the key players be impacted? And many similar questions.

Netbooks, as the name explains, are heavily dependent on the internet. I wouldn't say they will replace smartphones. Not yet. That is because smartphones like iPhone have a distinct edge compared to netbooks; smartphones don't just rely on wi-fi. The fact that these phones can access internet through their telecom providers is kind of a double delight. This factor scores high in that one doesn't need to search for wi-fi spots or be within a certain range to access the internet. And cloud computing is as rampant with  smartphones as it is with netbooks. You can vpn, webex, browse, access online storage and what not with smartphones too. Hence smartphones still have an edge compared to netbooks. Netbooks make more sense in an ubiquitous internet environment.

Technology companies are pitching online storage bundled with netbooks. General perception is that netbooks market will continue growing due to the advances in cloud computing. Keeping the comparison between the smartphones and netbooks aside, there are other hurdles that could potentially bog down netbook sales. First, the current economy. While inexpensive, netbooks are kind of luxury items to purchase in this economy. Ubiquitous internet is a major hurdle. In emerging markets, this poses an even more threat to the future of netbooks. Netbooks are not convenient for everyday computing. This makes them more close to smartphones than to laptops. And given that smartphones come with many perks like camera, apps and more importantly the phone itself, users may find it beneficial to upgrade to a smartphone (read iPhone) than to a netbook.

So, though netbooks are relatively inexpensive, they still don't make a strong case. Partly, due to today's economy. And a netbook's relative utility compared to laptops or smartphones is not in its favor. But considering the speed with which technology is evolving today, it is worth waiting for the netbooks segment to make its mark.

English Grammar - Incorrect Usage 1

'Graduated' or 'Graduated from':

Correct Usage: 'Graduated from'.

It is a common error to use 'graduated college'. It should be 'graduated from college'. 'To graduate' is a verb. It can be both transitive or intransitive. A transitive verb takes an object and an intransitive verb doesn't. 

Consider the following example.

Raj graduated from University of Cincinnati.

This sentence uses an intransitive form of 'to graduate', because this verb has no object. 'from University of Cincinnati' is not an object. It is a prepositional phrase that tells you more about where Raj graduated from. But consider this sentence.

Raj graduated University of Cincinnati.

'To graduate' is turned to a transitive verb. The act of graduation is something a school does to a student and not something a student does to school. Schools graduate students. For example,

University of Cincinnati graduated 800 students this year. 

However, in the sentence 'Raj graduated University of Cincinnati', 'Raj' is the subject and 'University of Cincinnati' is the object. So, while 'Raj delighted University of Cincinnati' is gramatically correct, 'Raj' cannot graduate 'University of Cincinnati'.

So, 'graduate from' is correct.

Raj graduated from University of Cincinnati. <>

Raj graduated University of Cincinnati. <>

Windows 7: What's cooking?

A beta of Windows 7, the next version of Windows OS from Microsoft, is available for free download from Microsoft's website. This is a good opportunity for all geeks out there to test the waters. I still don't have the patience, and more importantly the motivation, to download and get my hands dirty with Windows 7. Prominent reason being; I use Vista ultimate on both my notebooks and have had significant installation problems with it. I'd rather wait and watch Windows 7 establish itself than experiment with its beta version.

Anyways, out of sheer curiosity I may still download the beta sometime this week or the next (the free download is only till Jan 24th), and may test it out later this year. The beta license will expire on Aug 1, 2009. But at the outset, my instinct tells me Microsoft needs to come up with genuinely innovative ideas and designs and not try to ape Mac OS. That's the key to gain (or in this case, retain) consumer confidence and patronage. If it tries to design Windows 7 on lines of Mac OS, consumers will inadvertently start comparing them and this can be detrimental for Microsoft. Unfortunately for Microsoft, a lot of Windows 7's screenshots suggest the abovementioned similarity. As the saying goes, Originality and Innovation separate winners from the rest.

I can't stop myself from mentioning this analogy. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are both wonderfully gifted and naturally talented players. But, had Nadal tried to mimic Federer's strengths and fathomed to shift to a serve and volley style of tennis, would he have succeeded? Most probably, No. Mimic products and mimic efforts generally suck. MSN Virtual Earth is a case in point. Microsoft will be better off if it concentrates on its strengths and come up with innovative products than try and create mimic products.

Coming back to Windows 7, it is encouraging to hear that this version is targetted to overcome many of Vista's compatibility issues and bugs. That is the first step in recognizing that Vista is indeed problematic. All said and done, Vista is visually a treat to watch. And Windows 7 is said to better that. Good for Microsoft. And when functionality is added to visual effects, efficiency creeps in; style with substance. Vista to me is only style. Hopefully Windows 7 will be better. There is no sidebar in Windows 7, but gadgets can be added to desktop. In fact, there seem to be many more cosmetic enhancements in this version like aero, peek features etc. There is the new Action center which overlooks security features. Other enhancements include, new paint , new wordpad, new 'home groups', new media center, quick boot. Another great feature is the absence of the annoying UAC feature present in Vista.

I wouldn't jump to any conclusion on Windows 7 yet. Honestly, I found Vista okay but like Mac OS X better. At the end of the day, it boils down to efficiency, user interface and how user-friendly the OS is. If Windows 7 has all these, good for the user. If not, we already have Mac.

A rocky year ticks by!!!!

Phew! What an year it was! 

An extremely volatile economy with dampened spirits and investor confidence at the deepest trench. An year of extremities. Fuel hitting 147/barrel before plummeting to 30 something. Stocks fluctuating as spikes in an Electrocardiogram. Investment Banks wiped out - Lehman Brothers and Bear Sterns collapsed while Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley chose to become bank holding companies; Merrill Lynch was gobbled by Bank of America. This ended the era of Investment Banks in the United States. WAMU was the largest bank failure in US. 25 Banks have closed down in 2008. Here is the 2008 failed banks list. (Source: FDIC)

More than half a dozen airlines have shut business. Automobile companies are fighting for survival and some of them are staring down the barrel. CEOs of these companies are like deer caught-in-headlights. IT sector's outlook is bleak. Start-ups and mid-size companies are in severe cash crunch. And ofcourse, there are housing, real-estate and mortgage issues that plague the economy.

Personally, I feel we have moved over the worst part of this recession. I hope the proposed bailout works soon and get the economy back on track. Whatever the measures are, to restore investors' confidence and eventually the economy, results will not be achieved overnight. It will be a slow but steady way upwards hopefully from mid-2009.

Here is me wishing everyone a prosperous, refreshing and a very Happy New Year.