July 2015
Contents
A few weeks ago we took delivery of a new tablet computer we had intentionally ordered with Windows 7 to check out the upgrade to Windows 10. Also to make sure existing Morning Flight programs would run on the new OS. I'm happy to report they do.
The upgrade was simple but took a while. Haven't had time to explore all the new features, but overall I'm impressed. Which is more than I would have said for Windows 8. Or Vista. Microsoft seems to go in cycles, and when they do miss the mark, they miss it big. Windows XP, 7, and now 10, all good. Vista and 8 - already much maligned and no point kicking a skunk. Microsoft decided to skip a number and jump straight to 10, then make the upgrade available at no charge.
Again, based on the short amount of time I've had to play with Windows 10 on our tablet, if you're unhappy with Windows 8 (and you probably should be), I would recommend putting in your reservation for Windows 10 now. Microsoft will notify you when your download is ready. You can upgrade at no charge from Windows 7 as well, but there you can afford to wait a bit. The offer expires on July 29, 2016.
Hal Heindel
Unitac International Inc.
Cutting Monthly Expenses
In tough economic times, a penny saved is sometimes easier to come by than a penny earned. We obviously want to do both. But regardless of the business climate, it pays to step back once in a while and take a look at whether we're making full use of a service, find places where we can save money with something less expensive.
Case in point: There's a cable commercial airing in the States that makes the offer sound like an irresistible bargain. "For just $89.99 a month, you can get cable and phone and internet. And for just $9.95 you can add HBO (or whatever it is they're selling)." Sounds good until you do the math and realize it's costing you nearly $1,200.00 a year, on a rate that will inevitably go up next year.
Two months ago I received a renewal letter from my cable company that said "Congratulations! We're able to extend your contract at a new promotional rate." The new rate was higher per month than what I had been paying. Nearly $30.00 higher. What were they congratulating me for? And how many 'promotional' levels did they have, anyway? Turns out quite a few.
The letter was a tipping point. I stayed with the same company but renewed for basic cable - no extras. I then bought my own Motorola cable modem for $89.99 instead of renting theirs for $8.00 a month (saving $6.01 the first year and $96.00 each year thereafter); bought a Roku 3 for $89.99 (no monthly fee); and finally a Mohu 30 indoor HDTV antenna for $39.95 to watch local TV channels off the air (better Hi-Def than what's coming through the cable). To finish it off, I signed up for Netflix.
My latest cable bill? $49.09 per month, plus $7.99 for Netflix. That's roughly one-third the monthly cost of what my new promotional rate would have been, and I now have superior choice of content.
Another example: We switched to a new shopping cart provider last month, as we said we would in our May FlyBy. Our new store is more attractive, more intuitive to navigate, and easier to administer. How much is the new store costing us? About 40% less than what we had been paying.
Sure the makeover was work, changing to a new system always is. Doesn't matter whether it's an internet store or an estimating system or a Print MIS. But being software developers for small print shops, we're in the same economic boat you're in. We, too, have to look twice at every nickel.
Morning Flight Shop Cable Modem Roku 3 HDTV Antenna
Morning Flight on Windows 10
The screen capture says it all: Morning Flight will run on Windows 10 as trouble-free as it's running on all previous versions of Windows. That's good news all around. For us, because we can focus on developing new software instead of having to spend time modifying current editions. For Morning Flight users, because you can keep working with the edition you're using now.
Thank you, Microsoft.