TR2N (Or, Tron 2 For the Geekspeak Illiterate) Is on the Way

Comic-Con 2008 is over, and the most important announcement made at the show? It wasn't even in an announcement.

It was a surprise trailer for Tr2n (or, Tron 2), a 26-years-later sequel to Disney's classic Tron. While it didn't get great box office the first time out, the popularity of Tron has grown over the years, becoming a cult classic. And then, of course, there are folks like me who liked it from the very beginning, and still love it to this day.

Just search for Tron on YouTube and see what you find. Tron Guy.Fan projects like this. Tron-like music videos. And don't forget Cardboard Tron.

While we still can't be completely digitized into the computer and become a program, and talk to, say, Microsoft Office like we're talking to a co-worker in the next cubicle (btw, here's my vote for the modern-day equivalent of the Master Control Program). What would Power DVD 7 from Cyberlink look like? I dunno. I just hope, when they do make it--and, based from the cheers I heard on the bootleg cell phone footage of the teaser they ran at Comic-Con, actually doing it is a no-brainer--they don't make it cutesy with lots of references to things like FaceBook, MySpace, Google, Web 2.0, etc. I hope it takes place in the original world of Tron . . . updated, of course, given 26 years have passed since the original Tron and Tr2n.

And, though we can't get you into the computer to have you hob-knob with you're software, we can still get you great software at great prices. Like Norton Anti-Virus 2008 for only $15.84, as of this posting, of course.

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 / SQL 2005 / Exchange 2007 And More

Microsoft Server products (previously called Windows Server System) have been around for a long time.

While the "Server" branding orginally debuted with Microsoft Windows Server 2003, file sharing had been available for some time and much of the functionality of a typical server was available in Microsoft's Windows NT.

Naturally, this expanded with the release of Microsoft Windows 2000 to the point where, aside from certain specialized enterprise software and policy management features, Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate is, in fact, a robust server platform. Although this hasn't prevented Microsoft from coming up with products like Windows Home Server, or prevented them from developing robust enterprise database and mail server products like Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise and Microsoft Exchange 2007 Enterprise. Both of which, purely by happenstance, we happen to sell. Yay for us!

So, get some chocolates, curl up with a good book, and enjoy unprecedented computer security for a great price.

Am I pimping the Software Supply Group ride too much? Well, I can't help it. We've got great products and great prices, including some difficult to find older software titles that can be a lifesaver when you've got large networks and backwards-compatability issues.

Yeah, you know what I mean.

Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac

I started really working with and on computers in 1981, with my first computer, The Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer, which has a long and storied history. Pretty much every evening, and every day during the summers, I started my free time looking at this:

And I'm nostaligic for it to this day. Around 1987, thanks the computer studio at Memphis College of Art, I became an equally big fan of the Amiga 500. Although I had some fun playing with the Color Computer's graphic capabilities, including what could be done in Microsoft BASIC as well as apps like Chesire Cat's Graphicom software (Copy and paste graphics! Invert! Wow!), the Amiga 500 and Deluxe Paint and Digipaint and Digiview, which allowed me to work in tens-of-thousands of colors and play with scanning via a video source (in our case, a black and white security camera with a color wheel to assist in color scanning), blew open the doors as far as what could be done with graphics and computers. Plus, it was fun as anything I've ever done in my life.

Then, after about a year of non-stop action on the Amiga, I started working in the Mac studio. And though I've worked on plenty of Windows and Linux desktops since then, nothing has ever bested the Mac, in my opinion.

Even though, when I started, it was in a studio with a few Mac IIs and several Mac 512ks. Over the years, I have personally owned or have worked on almost 25 models of Macintosh. The Amiga has faded (and I never owned one), and while I still have my Color Computer III (my third or fourth, I lost track) in storage, I will probably never boot it up again. But I fully expect to be using my Mac until the day I die.

Which brings me to Microsoft Office 2008 for the Mac. This edition includes Microsoft Word 2008, Microsoft Excel 2008, Microsoft Powerpoint 2008, Microsoft, Entourage 2008, and Messenger for Mac. While there is still no Microsoft Access for Mac (a slap, indeed), and they dropped support for some of their older productivity apps like Microsoft Project for Mac years ago, it's still a robust suite of Office products . . . and shows that the Mac is more than important enough for Microsoft to throw some serious development resources at. And right now we have the full retail product for only $289.95! Get it while it's hot.

Microsoft Office XP Student And Teacher

One could argue that Microsoft has too many iterations of their products--Home and Professional, Basic and Ultimate, Desktop and Server and Mobile and Tablet and Media Center and . . . and . . . and . . .

Still, they do, and sometimes you can get a perfectly good version of their software at a much better price just because it's a different version will largely the same capabilities.

So let me point you at Microsoft Office XP 2002 Standard for Students and Teachers, Retail Box for only $79.95 (as of this posting) . . . this offer won't last forever, so if you're interested, I suggest you hit it now. Because it'll be gone soon.

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It ain't the only thing we've got for a good price, however. May I also point you at Microsoft Works 2006 OEM on DVD for only $37.95. Microsoft Works includes Word 2002, Microsoft Works 8.0, Money 2006 Standard, Digital Imaging Standard 2006, Encarta Encyclopedia Standard 2006, Streets & Trips Essentials 2006 . . .and Microsoft Works 8.0 by itself is a pretty robust application for productivity. This software does require a DVD-ROM to install, and is OEM. But I suggest you check it out.

And We Sell a Little Hardware, Too

Like this Dell 22" Widescreen Flat Panel LCD Monitor (factory refurbished). And for only $259.95! As of this posting, of course.

We have other great Dell Hardware here.

And, finally, a few other hardware items (cradles, cables) are right here.

Of course, this is all as of this posting. Stock does change.

Taking Care of Business

There are lots of solid software tools for taking care of your business and managing your personal finances, and we have some great prices on them. Microsoft Money Plus Premium is just such a product and, as of this posting, we've got it for $45.95. It consolidates your banking, credit and investment accounts in one place and provides plenty of tools for assessing how much you are really worth (debt vs. equity) and may help you end up with more equity and less debt. And for $45.95, that's a bargain.

Not sure where you're going with your business? Then you might give serious thought to Palo Alto Software's Business Plan Pro 11, 2008. Hundreds of sample business plans, wizards for quickly building your business plan, and toolks to automatically organize and collate a "bulletproof" business plan and (this is important) output it in the preferred format of banks, investors and the Small Business Administration (SBA). It's a great business tool, and we have it for only $67.95 as of this posting.

Need to do the books? Check out Quicken 2008 Home and Business Retail. Great for the self-employed and contractors who need to keep track of business and personal expenses and income in one place. And we've got it for $52.95, as of this posting.

The Magic of Branding

As a consumer, business or otherwise, if you didn't already know (or at least suspect) what it was, what would you think Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 was? It is described as: "It includes Symantec Endpoint Protection, Symantec AntiVirus for Linux and Macintosh, and mail protection which shields against malicious email."

So, it's an Anti-virus program? With anti-malware and perhaps spam-blocking, phishing prevention, or other features? Why is that, exactly, "endpoint" protection?

I'm sure the product itself is fine. I haven't used it, but I've used Symantect Norton Anti-Virus before and it's a bit of a resource hog, for me.

But what, specifically, is an endpoint, and why do I need mine protected? Apparently, it's important enough to protect my endpoint that they've come up with 11different iterations of it!

Reminds me a little bit of the classic "What if Microsoft made the iPod?" video. In a desire to make product branding distinct, unique, and to "stand out" companies tend to obscure what the product is and what the product does. What about "Complete Protection"? "Whole Computer Protection" . . . I dunno, I think there has to be a better way to get the message across than "endpoint" protection.

But maybe that's just me.