Blog posts in Computer hardware

Why you’ll never buy another PC again

I run a small IT company and I make no apologies for making my customers keep their hardware up to date. I feel it makes a real difference to the productivity of their staff. Modern, reliable, stable hardware returns investment many times over. It’s all about keeping your staff able to do their jobs and not waiting around to get problems fixed.

About five years ago we took on a client with about 40 computers. It soon became apparent that their hardware was flagging and that their computers would need to be replaced.

We put together a replacement schedule and upgraded a couple of machines each month to make sure we didn’t blow the IT budget. As a smaller business this worked for our client, and gradually things improved.

Upgrade time again!

Productivity improved and their people started to think differently about IT. But, of course, several years later we we’re about to run into the same marathon again. The customer wanted to upgrade to Microsoft Office 2010 and their new line of business application required a little more memory than the standard 2GB that most of their computers had.

Upgrade time again! The trouble was that this time we needed everyone to get up to speed quickly to fall in line with the new application. That worked out at a cost of about £10,000 for new computers.

Obviously we didn’t want to spend all that cash but knew that in order to maximise the investment in software we would need to do something. Up steps thin client computing.

What is thin client computing?

Thin client computing means your software and applications are run on a server. Your PC only handles the screen, keyboard and mouse movements. Most of the computing power is centralised. In other words, the server does all the hard work so the client PC doesn’t need to be upgraded.

There are lots of business advantages to thin client computing:

• People can connect to the system and use their software from anywhere, as long as they have internet access.
• We only need to maintain one copy of the software for everyone as it’s essentially installed once on the server.
• It’s fast and scalable, because you only have to upgrade the server, not individual PCs.
• It costs less. For the client I’m dealing with at the moment, using thin clients will cost half what new computers would.
• It’s secure. The security is my personal favourite. Without thin clients you have users roaming around with laptops carrying the company’s data. But now - because everything’s done by the server - the laptop they use doesn’t hold any data.

So there you go. I see this as a win-win situation, and as a result I’m sure there will be a big push towards thin client computing over the next five years. In fact, Dell is so confident about this that at the start of this month they announced they had acquired Wyse, a PC manufacturer which specialises in thin client terminals.

Thin client is the perfect accompaniment to cloud computing. It’s a technology that has been around for years. However, the next two years are when it’ll really shine.

• How to cut your IT running costs
• Business tech trends for 2012
• Should you upgrade or buy new?

Lee Wrall is founder and MD of Everything Tech, an IT support and service provider based in Manchester

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A cheap tablet computer for business?

Ok, I’ll admit it. I may have judged things a little early when I said I couldn’t quite see the point of tablet computers. They’re here to stay, without a doubt, and they’re being put to all kinds of interesting uses by all kinds of forward-looking businesses.

But there’s still a barrier to mass adoption of tablets, and that’s the price. The most popular, most lusted-after tablet computer by far is Apple’s iPad.

It starts at £399, but you’ll need to spend more like £500 if you want space for lots of files and apps (particularly if you need to store lots of video) or want to be able to get online when you’re not in a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Unless you were lucky enough to snag a dirt-cheap HP TouchPad last year, the iPad’s competitors aren’t much cheaper either. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is powerful enough to give the iPad a run for its money, but you’re still looking at spending at least £350. For a gadget which is still – if we’re being honest – a bit of a punt for a lot of companies, that’s a fair bit of cash to splash out.

Here’s a capable tablet computer for £200

Actually, there’s no shortage of cheap tablet computers on the market. The thing is, most of them either lack the power for serious use, or have simply had too many corners cut in an effort to keep the price tag down. Buy one for your business and you’d be virtually guaranteed disappointment. Hardly a fair trial for new technology in your company.

Things may now be changing, albeit slowly. There’s a relative newcomer that seems to have a powerful processing chip, lots of memory and a decent screen. It’ll almost certainly lack the hewn-from-granite feel of an iPad, but then at half the price you won’t be complaining too much.

This affordable-yet-powerful tablet computer is the Archos 80 G9. Together with its larger sibling, the Archos 101 G9, it represents impressive value on paper. Prices start at under £200, and for £250 you can get a tablet that looks like it’ll give far more expensive models a run for their money.

Spec-wise, it ticks all the important boxes:

• Dual-core central processor, to help the tablet cope with more than one task at once.
• Proper multi-touch screen, so you can use two or more fingers together - for instance, to pinch-and-zoom.
• Good connectivity, including connections for a monitor and memory card slot.

Crucially, the Archos runs Google’s Android operating system. Tablets running Android have fast emerged as the main rival to Apple, ensuring you’ll be able to access a good range of applications and tools. It scores over other cheap tablets by being able to run the very latest version of Android (called, amusingly, Ice Cream Sandwich), which virtually guarantees it’ll last a good while.

The first of many cheap tablets?

As with all cheap tablet computers, the Archos will have its compromises. Reviews have suggested it feels a bit plasticky, and if you compare it side-by-side with an iPad, it’ll be obvious where the extra cash goes.

There’s an excellent chance this end of the market will grow significantly in the months to come, particularly if Amazon decides to release its impressive Kindle Fire in the UK. As the choice of cheap tablets go, better options may emerge.

But right now, it’s finally possible to trial a tablet computer without spending the same amount you’d spend on a decent desktop computer. Perhaps it’s worth considering for your company.

Have you bought a cheap tablet computer? Was it up to scratch or did it disappoint? Leave a comment to let us know.

• Are tablet computers right for business?
• Sure, your iPad is cool. But my netbook is better for business
• iPads: they breed like, er, iPads

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Now is when the tablet comes of age for business

Last week’s launch of the new iPad was met with the excitable coverage that inevitably accompanies any Apple product announcement. But beneath the hype, does the new iPad herald wider business adoption of tablet computers?

In November 2011, a study of IT adoption trends among UK small and medium businesses (SMEs) found 37% were using tablet computers. Another 37% said they were planning to purchase them.

So there’s a definite enthusiasm for and move towards tablet computers like the new iPad. And perhaps the emergence of cheaper competitors will accelerate this trend.

Why choose a tablet for business?

The real beauty of tablet computers is their portability. Their smart design, integrating everything into one neat, light panel, makes them ideal for use on the move.

They’re particularly useful for visual tasks, like running presentations or referring to spreadsheets, websites or designs when visiting a client. Many tablets let you take notes using a stylus or digital pen. Some will even convert your handwriting into type.

Tablets vs. laptops

Tablet computers tend to cost the same as, or a bit less than laptop computers. But can you really replace a laptop with a tablet? And would you want to?

Tablet are fun to use, at least initially. If you’re not used to using a fast, intuitive touch screen then your first days with a tablet can be really enjoyable.

However, when it comes to processing power, laptops have the edge. The latest iPad has heaps of power by tablet standards, but it won’t hold a candle to many laptops. Still, for everyday tasks that may not matter. You won’t notice a great deal of different when browsing the internet or using email.

The ergonomic issue

If you’re considering buying a tablet, think carefully about how you plan to use it. Typing on a touch screen can be awkward and may even be harmful. At least one study has found tablet users have a higher potential for neck and shoulder discomfort.

“It’s best to avoid typing for any length of time directly on a tablet computer,” warns back pain therapist Diksha Chakravarti. “It’s better to use a peripheral keyboard and stand, and remember to take regular breaks to stretch.”

Boosting battery life

A real bonus for tablet users is that the battery life of these slate-type devices tends to be much better than that of laptops. Your typical tablet computer’s battery will last more than twice as long as your average laptop’s.

This is partly due to the lower power demands of the solid state storage tablets rely upon. They also have other components specifically designed to minimise power use.

One of the trade-offs for this efficiency is in storage space. Tablets are able to hold much less data than your average laptop. Using cloud-based storage can make up the shortfall.

Indeed, tablets and cloud computing are natural partners. Touch screens lend themselves well to navigating web-based applications and you can get a whole host of business tools designed specifically for tablets.

What’s more, because these tools are hosted online (in the cloud), they put less strain on your tablet’s own storage capacity and processing power and are generally more secure, because the data isn’t stored on your easily-stolen tablet.

Should you invest in a tablet for business?

If you currently rely on a laptop as your main computer, replacing it with a tablet is probably not a good idea. Although tablets are super-portable and enjoyable to use, you’ll miss your laptop’s power, storage capacity and keyboard.

However, as a mobile device to complement your main desktop or laptop computer, a tablet can be ideal. Used in combination with the right cloud-based applications, it can seriously increase your productivity.

• Are tablet computers right for business?
• Sure, your iPad is cool. But my netbook is better for business
• iPads: they breed like, er, iPads

This is a guest post from Integral IT, a Yorkshire IT support company.

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iPads vs laptops: Apple to win?

Over the years, new types of computer have come and gone. Remember the ultra-mobile PC? Or the Amstrad E-m@iler? I wonder why Alan Sugar never mentions that on The Apprentice. And whatever happened to tablet computers with rotatable screens, built-in keyboards and a stylus for writing on the screen?

But every now and then, something comes along that does change things. And at the end of last year, a piece of news suggested that one new kind of computer is having a real impact – both at home and in the workplace.

The iPad sales success

Apple’s iPad reigns supreme in the UK tablet computer market. It accounts for almost three-quarters of all tablet sales. And perhaps most impressively, it turns out that Apple is selling more iPads than Dell is selling laptop computers.

Given that Dell is one of the world’s biggest computer manufacturers (the company claims it ships over 10,000 systems a day), that’s astonishing. And it strongly suggests that long-term, the iPad – plus other tablet computers, should anyone start buying them – could have a huge impact on what sort of computers we use and how we use them.

People are embracing the iPad enthusiastically, swapping full-spec laptops for the thin, light, super-easy-to-use Apple gadget. Who can blame them? No long waits while it starts up, no fiddly keys or buttons ... just a touchscreen anyone can use, plus thousands of apps.

It’s not a stretch to say that 2012 could see tablet computers establish themselves as the mobile computing tool of choice. Unless you need a full-size keyboard, it’s becoming more difficult to see what benefits are offered by traditional laptops for typical on-the-move tasks like checking email or reviewing documents.

Nobody wants a netbook any more

Just ask the companies which sell netbooks, the small, cheap, low-powered laptops that just a few years ago were poised to reshape the PC industry. Things don’t look great for them: sales have slumped 40%. Blame is being laid at the door of the iPad.

The argument stands up: to many people, netbooks are just compromised laptops. If you can’t type comfortably on the keyboard and you have to squint to see the screen, a tablet computer might well be a better option.

What’s more, machines like the iPad are developing fast. Will the combination of impressive hardware and versatile apps persuade more people to swap their netbook or laptop for a tablet?

Laptop makers certainly are worried. You can tell, because the big players are rushing to release ultrabooks, another type of computer which is like a netbook but thinner, more powerful and much more expensive.

These sleek machines have enough punch to replace your desktop computer, but are designed to start instantly and be small enough to take anywhere. They look great, they perform well and – although they can be expensive – they’re finding a spot in the market.

This time it’s the MacBook Air

But hold on – guess who makes the most successful ultrabook. Yep, that’s right: it’s Apple again, this time with the MacBook Air. This is the computer which pretty much defined what an ultrabook should be – and it certainly represents what other ultrabook manufacturers aspire to.

Put aside the ultrabook vs. netbooks vs. laptops vs. tablets debate. The real story might be Apple itself, and whether it can take a much bigger slice of the business IT market in 2012.

• Can you really use an Apple Mac for business?
• Should you bring your iPad to work?
• Are tablet computers right for your company?

This is a guest post from Integral IT, a Yorkshire IT support company.

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Will economic recovery be driven by tech companies or start-ups?

Both the technology industry and UK start-ups are crucial in determining the health of the nation’s economy, but which holds the key to the economic recovery?

In October, technology experts and entrepreneurs were invited to fight it out in attempt to answer this question as part of the Dell Solutions Tour. It all happened in Twickenham, under the watchful eye of referee Charles Ward from Intellect.

The power of start-ups

Championing the cause for start-ups, entrepreneurs Dan Scarfe from Dot Net Solutions and Chris Book from Bardowl kicked off proceedings. They used some impressive figures to highlight the power of start-ups.

Half a million start-ups set up shop each year and 49 per cent of turnover comes from small companies. What’s more, research from the US has demonstrated that existing firms lose one million jobs per year whereas new firms are generating three million each year.

Small businesses need technology

But technology champions Tristan Wilkinson from Intel and James Griffiths from Dell were quick to point out that technology is at the heart of the small business community. They said 99 per cent of start-ups are either building innovations on existing technology or enabling their business growth through efficient use of technology.

While hardware and structured technology sit firmly in the realm of large businesses with the resources needed to develop them, start-ups have the freedom and flexibility to innovate in the service and software space. But as Dan noted: “start-ups can scale fast and fail fast.”  

We all need technology

Surely technology is an enabler for both small and large businesses alike? Tristan highlighted that we’re not even close to breaching the limits of technology.

After all, the power of technology is universal. The mobile device in your pocket has more computing power than was used to put a man on the moon. What’s more, technology empowers people to work on their own terms and on the things they’re most interested in.

In effect, argued James, it’s technology which enables today’s small businesses to exist. It’s also levelled the playing field between start-ups and larger companies - it’s never been easier to get your message out there and alongside the established corporate players.

Perhaps the most fitting conclusion came from referee Charles who noted that this is the classic ‘chicken versus egg’ argument.

Technology and start-ups go hand-in-hand. Remove technology and you limit start-ups. Remove start-ups and you limit the innovation that is so important for the economy. So, far from fighting it out in the ring, our panel experts fast realised a love-in was more in order.

• Buying IT for your new business
• Trends that could influence your IT strategy

This is a guest post from Dell Small & Medium Business.

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20 inspiring and insightful Steve Jobs quotes

1 “What made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians and poets and artists and zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world”

2 “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

3 It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want.”

4 “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

5 “Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”

6 “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying ‘we've done something wonderful’, that's what matters to me.”

7 “We don’t do market research. We don’t hire consultants. We just want to make great products.”

8 “The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We're just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people – as remarkable as the telephone.” (speaking in 1985)

9 “Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple, but it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

10 “My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people.”

11 “What a computer is to me is the most remarkable tool that we have ever come up with. It's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”

12 “I'm the only person I know that's lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year. It's very character-building.”

13 “You can’t just ask the customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

14 “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.”

15 “You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

16 “When you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”

17 “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”

18 “Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. It's ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.”

19 "I don't think I've ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn't be ours anymore. When we finally presented it at the shareholders' meeting, everyone in the auditorium stood up and gave it a five-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe that we'd actually finished it. Everyone started crying.''

20 “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

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HP TouchPad sale: is it worth buying an £89 tablet computer?

Word has reached us (thanks PC Pro) that Dixons will slash the price of HP's TouchPad Tablet PCs from 6pm today. According to the company's Mark Webb, you'll be able to pick up the 16GB version of the tablet computer for £89. The larger 32GB version will cost £115.

Product discontinued

The reason for the huge reduction? HP announced last week that it's pulling out of the tablet computer business, triggering a fire sale in the US that now looks like it'll be mirrored over here.

With these products previously retailing for £400 or more, and competitors like the iPad 2 similarly expensive, this does look like a real bargain. But even if you can get on the Dixons site to buy one (we're predicting enormous demand for the limited supply), is it worth it?

Limited apps, sluggish performance

You'll be paying around £100 for a tablet PC with no real app 'ecosystem' (so there's not much you can install onto it). Still, you'll be able to browse websites, watch video and use maps. And that might be enough to persuade many people to part with the cash. We're seriously considering it.

But do be aware of the limitations if you're tempted. Going by this review you can expect sluggish performance compared to an iPad 2, limited (or non-existent) abilities to load and edit Microsoft Office documents, and a unit that's less-pleasing to hold than many of its competitors. There's another review here to help you make a snap decision.

The flip side

Despite these drawbacks, a bargain HP TouchPad might still be worthy of consideration if you want to dip a toe in the world of tablet computing. HP is promising to provide support for the tablet, and expects customers to continue to receive updates and enhancements.

Don't expect the TouchPad to match an iPad, In fact, to be safe, see it as a web browser that can play video and show you maps, and not much else. But even with those relatively low expectations, this is one £100 tablet that could be a bit of a bargain.

You should be able to buy online from 6pm today at Dixons, PC World and Currys. Good luck!

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Does Google's Chromebook take the cloud too far?

Google's first Chromebook (Image: karlnorling on Flickr)

If you keep your fingers on the pulse of technology (so to speak) then you've probably already heard about the Chromebook, Google's latest attempt to take over the world change how we think about computers.

A Chromebook (there will eventually be several models, from different manufacturers) looks just like a bog-standard netbook. It's basically a small, light-ish laptop that's thin and has a good battery life. So far, so-so.

The Chromebook is a web browser

The real difference comes when you turn the thing on. According to reports, it starts up superfast (we're talking under ten seconds) and the first thing you see is a web browser. With the Google homepage on, we assume.

Other software? There isn't any. All you have is your web browser. And - of course - your internet connection, which is about to become more important than ever. Because with the Chromebook, everything is stored online, in the cloud.

You access everything on the internet. Your files, your applications, the lot. Want to check your email? Forget about installing Microsoft Outlook; you'll need to log in to your Gmail account (or your preferred email service).

Need to work on a document? Google would prefer you to use Google Documents, though you could also use Microsoft's Office 365 beta.

If you've ever been confused about what cloud computing means, the Chromebook is a great illustration of it in action. Virtually everything you do with it, you'll do online.

The Chromebook's weak link is your connection

You've probably spotted the flaw by now: what happens when you're not connected to the internet? Well, Google's own Chromebook page is keen to point out that not all is lost: 'many apps keep working, even in those rare moments when you're not connected'.

'Rare moments'? I wonder. Sure, some Chromebooks will have a built in 3G connection which means you don't need to be in a Wi-Fi hotspot to get online. But this costs extra - and as many netbook users will know, there are parts of the country where you'll struggle for any sort of signal at all, never mind a fast one.

Is the Chromebook right for business?

So, with all your files stored online, all your programs accessed online, and your web browser the only way you have of doing anything, is this taking cloud computing a little too far - especially for business use?

Well, although more and more companies are relying on the cloud to provide various aspects of their IT, it's rare to find one confident enough to move everything to the cloud. But that, effectively, is what the Chromebook does.

There are big management advantages. As Google's co-founder Sergey Brin puts it: "The complexity of managing your computer is torturing users. It's a flawed model fundamentally. Chromebooks are a new model that doesn't put the burden of managing your computer on yourself."

He has a point. I'd dearly love to never see another stupid dialog box urging me to update and restart my computer now. But I'm not sure I'm ready to sacrifice the control I have over my own data just yet. And I suspect a lot of other businesses will be feeling the same.

But then maybe they don't have to. As Google explains, you can 'run your browser-based apps instantly, whether in the cloud or behind your firewall, as well as apps virtualised through technologies like Citrix'. In simple terms, that means you can hook a Chromebook up to servers that you own or operate (your own 'private cloud', in effect). Any more tempted?

Chromebooks should be available from Amazon and PC World soon. We can't find UK prices yet, but they'll start at $350 in the US.

What do you think of the Chromebook? Would you use it in your business?

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Why printer cartridges don't last as long as you expect

This ink has definitely been wasted. (Image: buyalex under Creative Commons.)

This is a guest post from Huw Carrington, who heads up sales and customer service at Stinkyink.com.

If you own a printer, at some point you're likely to ask: "How much printing will my cartridge do?" Unfortunately there’s no simple answer.

It is not even a simple question for computer printer manufacturers to address. Differences in printing technology, resolution and colour production mean that a cartridge containing five millilitres of ink from one manufacturer will produce a different number of pages compared to one from another company. Confused yet?

After several manufacturers requested a method of measurement to address this confusion, the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) stepped in.

How do printer ink measurements work?

The obvious starting point for any printing standard is the document bring printed. So ISO first produced a standard document for performance measurements to be based on. The current version has the snappy name of ISO/IEC 24712:2007.

It's a five page document, consisting of four 'typical' documents, like a standard presentation document or letter, and one diagnostic page.

There's no standard for photo printing, so you will never (or at least should never) find a photo cartridge with an expected yield on.

Once this standard document was in place, standards could be created for the performance of printer cartridges. These standards are split into three individual areas, with the following codes:

• ISO/IEC 24711:2006 - for mono and colour inkjet printing
• ISO/IEC 19752:2004 - for mono laser printing
• ISO/IEC 19798:2007 - for colour laser printing

With these standards established, it became possible to measure the 'print-till-dry' yield of cartridges with the same settings, same documents and same environment being used. In short: when it comes to printer cartridge lifespans, you can start comparing like with like.

The results from these standards are used to calculate how many pages a cartridge will print based on the paper having five per cent of its surface covered in ink.

You might have seen a figure quoted as being 'at five per cent page yield'. These standards are where that figure comes from. You see it on manufacturers’ cartridges, where they use this set of standards.

What does five per cent mean?

In reality, five per cent coverage on a normal text document only amounts to about a third of a page using a common font, like Arial in size 10. So, when a cartridge says you might get 1,000 printed pages, you're more likely to actually get a few hundred. Throw in a couple of images and you can quickly be getting through an ink cartridge three times as quickly as you expected.

But that's just the start. With a three-colour cartridge, the yield is based on a five per cent coverage of each colour in the cartridge - so the whole paper is covered with 15% of colour. If you have individual colour cartridges this doesn't make a huge difference as each will print as much as it can. However, if you’re using a three-colour cartridge (as many inkjets do) then the same size cartridge is trying to cover three times as much, and so can print, at best, a third as much.

In the world of printer cartridges, there's rarely a simple answer.

• Find the right printer for the right job
• How to cut your printing costs
• Laser printer buying guide

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Ten ways your printer can ruin your day

Printers: Laser or inkjet, every business has one. They're essential and, to be fair, they behave themselves most of the time. So why, when you come to print something important, do you know full well that your printer is going to play up?

Here are ten ways your printer can ruin your day, plus one that seems unique to me.

1. Printer ink is low. You installed a new cartridge a week ago and haven't used it since. How can it possibly be low? Maybe it's because the printer purges all four cartridges each time you clean a nozzle. It feels like a get-rich campaign by cartridge makers.
2. You can't print in black and white, because you've run out of colour. You only want to print an important letter. So why does it matter that you don't have any yellow ink left?
3. When empty isn't empty. Dear Mr. Printer, it's great that you let me know when you'd run out of ink. I just wish you'd waited until the cartridge actually was empty. Yours, the owner of ink-stained clothing / carpet / other ruined items.
4. Paper jams. Some days you can get a paper jam even when no paper is loaded. Now that is one heck of a jam! And it usually means poking around inside your printer until the error message goes away.
5. No paper at all. If you used the last piece of paper in the printer, you'd replace it, wouldn't you? Unfortunately, not all office staff are so considerate. But don't fret; the printer will queue up all print requests ready for a print-fest once new paper is loaded.
6. Update your printer driver. Surely in today's plug-and-play world, your printer driver should be able to update itself. No? Ok, but at least the manufacturer will have released a new driver for the latest operating system? No? Sigh.
7. Phantom printer. 'No printer detected'? Well, how come it appears in my list of printers? And in my devices list? Anyway, I can see from here that it's plugged in to my computer. Only one solution: the hammer.
8. My borderless print has a border. Why come with a borderless setting if, in actual fact, it's not borderless? False hope is not endearing. Be honest and say you'll 'print with 0.5cm border'.
9. Randomly-changing paper size, orientation and scaling. You're almost certain you tried to print an email on A4 paper in size 12 font. So why has it come out at 6" x 4" in huge letters? Oh, right, the default settings have changed in that single piece of software.
10. Why does restarting only fix things for five minutes? If you're going to break, at least have the decency to malfunction properly. Printing a few pages before you have to restart again is not helpful.

However, my favourite error is this last one. Maybe it's just me. I send a print job to my new Epson printer, as shown here:

Does it print? Not exactly. Instead, I get this wonderful message:

I don't know why this happens, and haven't managed to fix it yet. Maybe I should try sending the print job to my mouse.

John Sollars is MD of Stinkyink.com

What are your humourous or frustrating printer problems?

• Choosing a computer printer
• How to work out what your printer is costing you

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It was better in my day: business IT that I miss

Funny thing, nostalgia. It makes you yearn for things from the past, just because you can't have them any more - even though at the time you probably didn't think they were all that.

Of course, in the world of tech, it's only new stuff that's really cool. Just look at the rush to purchase iPad 2 today. Who wants a first generation iPad now?

So, as nostalgia is an underappreciated phenomenon in the world of business IT (and as it's Friday) I've decided to embrace it. Here are the top five pieces of business IT that I miss.

1.The IBM Model M keyboard

Built like the proverbial brick outhouse, these keyboards were first manufactured in the early 80s and I bet most of them are still going today. With a unique 'buckling spring' mechanism, the keys make a tactile click as you type. They're responsive and pleasing to use, and I don't think anybody's ever made a better keyboard.

Heavy enough to crush a substandard desk, solid enough to serve as a battering ram and noisy enough to disrupt a quiet office? Every keyboard should be like this. And, believe it or not, you can buy this keyboard today. IBM sold the manufacturing tools to another company - which still produces them. What other business tech has lasted over 25 years?

2. Computer mice with balls in

These seem to have disappeared from our desks with surprising speed. Yet it's only a few years ago that optical mice - with their fancy light on the bottom - were expensive luxuries that needed special mouse pads to work properly.

I miss the 'rolling over rubbers bands' effect that occurred if you didn't clean your mouse often enough. And I miss the strange pleasure that came from cleaning out the rollers. Where did all that fluff come from? But most of all, I miss being able to steal the ball out of a colleague's mouse and feign ignorance when they discover it missing.

3. Big cathode ray tube monitors

The fitness of your average IT worker must have dropped considerably since most people ditched bulky CRT monitors for flat screens. In a former job I once had to shift some 21" monitors. Those things weigh a ton.

But the thing about them was that you really knew when you had a good monitor. You paid a small fortune for it and lifting it into position frequently took two or three people. Nowadays, you can pick up good, big monitors for pennies.

4. Dot matrix printers

I loved the stacatto noise they made, the ink ribbons that produced prints that got gradually fainter and fainter, and the continuous feed paper that was perfect for printing reams of figures that then had to be trawled and annotated by hand.

I guess the equivalent today is office laser printers which run out of paper, then spit out pages of queued print jobs when someone actually bothers to make the trip to the stationery cupboard.

5. Windows 3.1

Windows 3.1 is the first graphical operating system I can remember using. And while it certainly had its limitations, it was also pretty stable, relatively easy to use - and for many of us, was the first time we were able to swap cumbersome keyboard commands for a mouse and clicks.

Sure, it wasn't the first ever graphical user interface (GUI). But it was the first I used. And that's why it's on this list. (If you want to remind yourself just how Windows 3.1 felt and functioned, here it is recreated in your web browser. Some people have too much time on their hands.)

So, there are the five bits of workhorse business IT that I miss. What are yours? We'll give extra points for particularly esoteric or geeky suggestions.

(Images are all from Flickr users under Creative Commons. Keyboard / jhritz. Mouse ball / L. Marie. Monitor / Collin Anderson. Printer / blakespot. Windows 3.1 / Roger Schultz.)

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