Microsoft is currently in the process of developing Windows 10 which will be released later this year. During the next meeting we will take a look at the technical preview of windows 10 to get an understanding if its changes from windows 8.1 and see how it brings back the much loved start menu and compare it to windows 7. We will also discuss and have a look at some of its new features as well as look at its system requirements and supported devices.
Please however keep in mind as this is an operating system which is still in development and that its interface and layout could change substantially in the final release from the version we will be looking at.
Please let me know if you would like any further information.
At our last meeting Gareth introduced the latest edition of Mac OS X codenamed Yosemite which continues the integration between desktop and mobile devices which began with the previous Mountain Lion and Mavericks releases.
Yosemite's user interface retains the familiar features of the OS X desktop while introducing a newer flatter translucent theme, reducing the 3D and shadow heavy look of previous releases. This is very much akin to the changes made to Apple's iPhone and iPad mobile devices in iOS 7 and 8.
Integration between mobile devices and the desktop is a key feature of Yosemite, allowing a Yosemite equipped Mac and iOS 8 equipped iPhone or iPad to handoff in progress emails, web pages and more. This allows for instance to start writing an email on a phone, then switch seamlessly to the Mac to finish and send. This convergence even extends to allowing the Mac to send/receive SMS messages and make/receive phone calls when paired to an iPhone.
Family Sharing now allows for easy sharing of purchased apps, music and video between family members across both desktop and mobile devices and purchases immediately become available to the whole family.
The Safari web browser has been updated to further improve performance and reduce power usage when browsing the web particularly when watching video from services such as Netflix.
Under the hood changes include improved support for Windows networking protocols allowing the Mac to continue to integrate and work together with Windows PCs and API enhancements allowing app developers for instance to easily tap into system notifications.
Yosemite supports all Macs released since late 2007 as a free upgrade and in common with previous releases over recent years is only available as a download from the Mac App Store.
At our video editing evening we discussed the lack of DVD authoring tools on the Mac since Apple discontinued iDVD. Gareth recently found that Wondershare not only create a video editing package, but also Wondershare DVD Creator for both Windows and the Mac. This allows you to export finished video from iMovie and then author a DVD complete with menus. A trial version is available for download that is feature complete but watermarks the final video, while the full version costs $49.
Finally to round out the evening Gareth showed a short video showing off the new Ubuntu Phone, bringing Ubuntu Linux to mobile devices. We hope to have an evening on this soon!
Gareth
Following our Committee meeting we now have the new programme for 2015/2016. As usual meeting may be swapped around or changed as circumstances dictate. There were a few other topics considered for example software used by Radio Amateurs, Model Railways and Machine language translation. All of these need a bit more research before being included.
| ICENI Future programme 2015/2016 | ||
| 2015 | ||
| April 15th | AGM + Interesting Apps | All |
| May 20th | Social Media | Gareth & Michael |
| June 17th | The Ubuntu Phone and its development | Gareth |
| July 15th | Networking - HDMI over Cat 6 and CCTV | Michael |
| August 19th | Summer Social Evening - Wooden Fender, Colchester ( Provisionally Booked) |
All |
| September 16th | Computer Surgery | All |
| October 21st | Arduino /Raspberry Pi Developments | Peter, Duncan and John. |
| November 18th | Slide / Video Evening | All |
| December 16th | Gadgets and Party Evening | All |
| 2016 | ||
| January 20th | Winter Social Evening - Venue TBA | All |
| February 17th | Free Software | All |
| March 16th | Accounting Software | Peter et al |
| April 20th | AGM +MS Office 2016 and OpenOffice/Libre Office | All |
| May 18th | Programming | All |
Our meetings are held at the Bourne Vale Social Club, Halifax Road, Ipswich IP2 8RE , for a map and other details please see the website.
http://icenicomputerclub.org.uk
Currently both visitor fees and membership fees are in abeyance until the next AGM .
We are continuing our publicity for EAUG events , however their website has not been updated for a year now. So if you wish to know information please phone one of their contacts.
Meetings are at the Great Baddow Village Hall, on the second Tuesday of the month
opening at 7:30 p.m. for a start at 7:45 - 8:00 p.m.
http://www.eaug.org.uk/mtg.htm
For directions see below (note the new web addresses)
http://www.eaug.org.uk or 'phone one of the contacts on http://www.eaug.org.uk/ppl.htm
Drinks usually available.
See the Membership page of the website for more information:
"ICENI does not have any Insurance cover for computers or other equipment so please be advised that you bring machines to the club at your own risk."
However many household insurance policies will include cover away from home often with no increase in premium. (Ed.)
Our website has had to be moved since BT is no longer giving free hosting to customers and Peter was running the old website on his account. So Gareth has been fortunate to register a web address of our own and has generously hosted it on his own woolridge domain. All our old website data has been ported to the new site and a redirection placed on the old address. The old site will disappear some time soon.
If anyone would like a copy of the CD of our old newsletters this could be arranged.
I am open to suggestions on what people would like to have included in the website.
Our website URL is
http://icenicomputerclub.org.uk
Email to: iceni@woolridge.org.uk