Many programs use the registry to store persistent data such as settings or user defined variables – which are really just settings, too – which can be retrieved whenever the program needs them. These settings survive, in most cases,  multiple loadings and unloadings of the program, uninstallation of the program, reinstallation of the program, update or upgrading of the program, and program crashes. This makes the registry a very valuable place to store these settings!

If you’re creating your own program, maybe you’ve already considered how you were going to save the settings. Well, saving your program’s settings to the registry is a piece of cake, and I’m going to show you how. Using the Windows Registry »

One thing I can say about AOL is that they’ve really been on the ball with updating AIM for Windows Mobile. The newest release, v1.1.15.1, offers increased performance and support of Windows Mobile 6.1.

While I can attest to the increased performance, I cannot confirm full functionality with WM6.1, as I do not have it.

Along with the general improvements with each update, the one thing I’ve been waiting for has been ever so slightly improved. I speak, of course, about power consumption.

I ran my own little benchmarking test for power consumption. The only differences in the tests were the phone status (normal or standby) and the status of AIM (not running or running), and the results are as follows. Click to view the results »

I’ve been meaning to install some form of Linux, as it has been quite a long while since I’ve worked in a Linux environment, but I actually got around to it this morning for some strange reason.

I don’t know what prompted my renewed interest in Linux, but I typed ubuntu.com into the Firefox address bar and hit enter, and here I am.

I decided to go with Kubuntu 8.04 LTS with KDE3 instead of KDE4, and I’ll wait for 8.10 final before I switch to KDE4.

It was actually a difficult decision for me, as to which version of Ubuntu to go with. On one hand, the simplicity of the Gnome environment of Ubuntu would make it a bit easier to transition from Windows to Linux, but I would always be missing out on the advanced features available with KDE in Kubuntu, and going with Xfce in Xubuntu would just be a waste of my computer’s potential. In the end, I made my decision based on my most recent use of a Linux environment.

I had been using Knoppix to repair issues or recover data on my Windows drives for a long time, and KDE was the desktop environment of choice for Knoppix, so that’s what I went with.

I think I’m in for an adventure, and if you’ve never used Linux, you are definitely missing out.

I should also point out that I have not abandoned Windows XP in my Kubuntu adventure, as I have installed Kubuntu using Virtual PC 2007. If you’d like to do the same and see the wonders of Linux for yourself, but you don’t want to leave the familiar Windows environment, leave a comment and I’ll post instructions. As it turns out, parts of installing Kubuntu in VPC are troublesome, and usually require some tweaking to get it to work.

Now I’m off to see if I can crash Kubuntu!

AIM for Windows Mobile is the first AOL created AIM client for Windows Mobile 5+, and it comes as no surprise that it does just what an AIM client is supposed to do: It sends and receives IMs on a Windows Mobile PPC or SmartPhone.

Don’t expect any bells and whistles, however, as its simple design is good for only two functions. Sending and receiving IMs using your data plan instead of text messages, and – as of version 1.0.60.1 – checking your AOL/AIM email.

I’ve been using MobileAIM for a few weeks now, so here’s what I can say about it:

Pros:

• Starts quickly
• Supports buddy alerts and IM sounds
• Keeps history of conversations until you sign out
• IT’S FREE!!!

Cons:

• Requires just under 3300K for installation.
• Uses nearly 8MB of RAM at peak usage
• Only supports the AIM protocol
• Quickly drains the battery, even in the background

All things considered, you can’t really go wrong with AIM for WM. If you use AIM a lot and you’d like to use AIM on the go, but you don’t want to use up your text messages, AIM for WM is your best FREE solution.

You can get AIM for Windows Mobile at http://mobile.aol.com/AIM4WinMo.

I’ve used other IM software, and AIM for WM is by far the best. The other software includes Palringo and Gizmo5, but if you have another suggestion, please let me know.