WhatsOpen

WhatsOpen is a free application for the Mac that is a cross between the Force Quit utility and Activity Monitor. It is designed to free up files so you can eject media, which can be a pain to figure out. For example, have you ever tried to eject a CD and the error message "can't eject volume because it is in use," and after force quitting the app it still doesn't eject? Well, w/ this app you can figure out exactly what process are running.



Also, WhatsOpen like Activity Monitor shows you not only what applications are running, but you can pause process or kill a process too. One of the features I was really impressed w/ is the ability click on a process and either find documents linked to it on your HD, or click the Google button to search Google. This can be very handy when trying to troubleshoot and you don't want to copy/paste into your browser.

Download WhatsOpen by clicking here.

Mac or PC

In working w/ computers everyday for the last ten years I get asked all the time what do I prefer Macs or PC’s...Well, my opinion of course is biased based on strictly using Mac’s but I do have some major reasons why I feel Mac’s are better for education.

Top 5 Reasons Mac’s are better for education:

1. Mac’s are more user friendly - for those users who are not familiar w/ either platform it is a lot easier to show somebody how to use a Mac.

2. Mac’s are lot less likely to get a virus - PC’s are not as secure on a “root” level and most viruses are built to attack PC’s.

3. Mac’s are a lot better value for your buck - while they are more expensive then PC’s, iLife alone makes it worth the value, plus it is a lot less likely to have to go in for repairs (unless of course you plan to run Linux)

4. You can run Windows on a Mac using Boot Camp, Parallel’s, Fusion, or any other number of Virtual Box.

5. Target Disk Mode - this is far away one of the most used features for a tech to troubleshoot user issues and can not be done on a PC.