Why can't my computer copy multiple files?

Dear Apple and Microsoft,

(And all others who don't feel confident about their operating system after reading this.)

Recently, I prepared to re-install a computer by backing up files to my NAS (network attached storage), and dragged-and-dropped all personal folders to a new folder on it. After calculating how long it would take to copy the files, copying began with an estimated duration of a couple of hours (there were a lot of files to copy), and I left the computer alone to work.

After a while I returned to check how the computer was doing, and it wasn't doing good. A dialogue told me that a file couldn't be copied because its name was too long or held an invalid character. I clicked OK (or something like that) to accept the situation, and the dialogue box disappeared and copying stopped.

However, copying wasn't finished - it was broken! After the file with an invalid name, nothing more had been copied. To continue copying the remaining files, I had to browse to the last copied file in the last copied folder, and manually copy them to the NAS. I then had to repeat this for every folder all the way up to the root folder for the backup, before I could continue with the other folders that hadn't been copied.

Then, copying broke again, and I had to repeat the procedure once more. And it broke. And I continued. And it broke. And I continued. And I don't know how many times copying broke, but eventually I got all the files backed up. Except those with an invalid file name.

Now, the interesting thing here isn't that copying breaks, but that it continues to do so more than 25 years after the computer became personal. I really don't understand why computers can't deal more gracefully with errors like this.

Here's how it could be:

When a file cannot be copied, log it and continue with the next file. After an attempt to copy all files has been made, bring up a dialogue with the log of erroneous files from which the user can investigate each file, for example by opening its folder and take a closer look at the file name. Or even better, assist the user on how to correct the error - if the file name is invalid, give the user an easy way to change it! When the user has corrected or selected to ignore the errors, let her/him make another attempt at copying the remaining files. Repeat until the user has corrected or ignored all errors.

This way, the user gets control of the powerful tool a computer can be, but isn't as long as it cannot cope with simple situations like copying multiple files in a useful manner.

And finally: It shouldn't take 25 years to correct this. 25 hours would be more like it.


Kind regards,
Asbjørn Floden

Request for decoupling shutter release from autofocus on Panasonic Lumix GF-1

Dear Panasonic,

Being an amateur photographer, I love the AF-ON button on my Nikon D300. When activated (by default it is not active), this button decouples autofocus from the shutter release button, making focus and shutter release two separate functions. In other words, pressing the shutter release button does not focus the lens.

Looking for a compact camera with high picture quality, I recently bought the Panasonic Lumix GF-1 micro four thirds camera. Overall, I am very pleased with the camera, but I really miss the ability to decouple autofocus from the shutter release button.

The best alternative I've found, is to configure the AF/AE-lock button on page 2 in the custom menu by setting "AF/AE LOCK" to "AF", and "AF/AE LOCK HOLD" to "ON". This way, I can lock focus with the AF/AE-lock button so that the shutter release does not focus when pressed. However, when the shutter has been released (and a picture taken), focus remains locked and I have to press the AF/AE-lock button once more to release focus, and yet once more to refocus and lock it again (if I don't lock it, the shutter release button will cause the camera to autofocus, which I don't want).

What I would like, is the ability to deactivate autofocus on the shutter release button (decouple it), for example with a setting "SHUTTER AUTOFOCUS" that could be "ALWAYS ON" or "ALWAYS OFF". Then, I could get my desired functionality by activating AF on the AF/AE-lock button, and deactivate the annyoing AF/AE LOCK HOLD setting.

This way, life becomes a little easier as 1) I don't have wait for the camera to focus every time I want to take a picture, and 2) don't have to release the focus lock before refocusing between pictures. In a discussion on the DPReview forum, Barry McLaurin mentions a few other advantages of using the AF-ON button.

I believe that this could be achieved by a firmware update to the camera body (I currently have version 1.2), and hereby ask you to consider my suggestion for a future firmware update.

An upgrade like this would make the GF-1 an even better camera.

Kind regards,
Asbjørn Floden

Please update Polar Protrainer to include elevation data in GPX file

Dear Polar,

I use the RS800CX heart rate monitor with the G3 GPS receiver to track where I go, and use Polar Protrainer to download the track to my computer before I upload it to an online service such as Everytrail.com.

However, although I've activated elevation/altitude recording in the RS800CX this data is not included in the .gpx file. Consequently, I have to:

1. Import the .hrm and .gpx files into Sporttracks,
2. export a .fitlog file from Sporttracks, and then
3. convert the .fitlog file into a .gpx file with elevation data using TCX converter.

It would be a whole lot easier if Polar ProTrainer could embed elevation data into the .gpx file directly - preferrably with automatic update when elevation/altitude data is changed in ProTrainer (using the Error Correction tool).

Kind regards,
Asbjørn Floden

Fra hvilket spor går toget?

Kjære NSB.

Jeg skal reise med tog fra Oslo via Dombås til Åndalsnes, og lurer på hvilket spor på Oslo S toget går fra. Trafikkinformasjonen på NSB.no viser om toget er i rute, men ikke hvilket spor det (sannsynligvis) vil gå fra - for å se det må jeg oppsøke Oslo S, og vente til avgangen kommer opp på tavlen. Men hva om jeg ikke har tid til dette, eller kommer inn på stasjonen slik at jeg ikke ser tavlen?

Innen flytrafikken (som NSB har hatt en tendens til å sammenlikne seg med) er informasjon om hvor et fly går fra (hvilken gate) en naturlig opplysning, også på internett: Oslo Lufthavn Gardermoen (OSL.no) viser avgangstavlen på forsiden, og en lenke for å se flere avganger gir oversikt langt fremover i tid, med informasjon om oppmøtested (gate) for avganger drøyt to timer frem i tid.

Av erfaring vet jeg at alle avgangene på en togstrekning pleier å gå fra samme spor, eller i alle fall samme plattform, på Oslo S. Informasjonstavlen i avgangshallen viser i tillegg hvilket spor avangene går fra. Basert på dette burde det være relativt enkelt å tilby tilsvarende informasjon på internett: Eksempelvis som en avgangstavle á la OSL med mulighet til å velge stasjon for avreise (om enn ikke på forsiden), men gjerne også i tilknytning til trafikkinformasjonen for en strekning.

Vennlig hilsen
Asbjørn Floden

Private appointments take place Out of Office

Dear Microsoft,

When creating a private appointment in my Microsoft Outlook (2007) calendar at work, I mark them private to prevent others from seeing what it's about. Not that I don't want to tell people what I'm doing - I just don't want to share it with everyone at the office.

In addition, as most, if not all, my private appointment takes place outside the office, I also mark them as "Out of Office", telling colleagues that I won't be around.

Based on an assumption that most people plan their private appointments to take place outside the office, I suggest that marking an appointment private automatically makes it show as Out of Office:



To more clearly visualize this dependency, the private button (and possibly the importance buttons) should also be moved towards the left hand side of the Options panel in the appointment ribbon.


Kind regards,

Asbjørn Floden