I recently was without my computer for some time and stumbled upon al3x’s Rules for Computing Happiness shortly after getting back online.  My time away from my computer gave me the opportunity to think about my own computer usage.  I thought I would go ahead and post my own short lists of rules.  For the sake of brevity, I will limit myself to five tips per category.

Obviously, the goal of using a computer is to improve your “happiness” through making work easier or making play more fun.  Although measuring happiness is hard, there is a clear divide between how computer power users (geeks) and the average person (non-geeks) uses a computer.

The first group has different objectives when they use their computer.  People in this group are more interested in hardware and software that gives them choice and control.  They are willing to put in the time to weigh their options and make the decision they feel is appropriate.

Geek Software:

  1. When looking for a piece of software, always consider using an open source alternative.
  2. Use software that stores data in open file formats.
  3. Learn how to use a Unix-based operating system.  Good options include Mac OS X, Linux, or OpenSolaris.
  4. If you travel, be sure to encrypt your data.  I almost put this into the Non-Geek category, but I think full disk encryption may still be a little bit out of the range of things that Non-Geeks are willing to learn how to use.  Either way, this is incredibly important if you travel and have any personal information on your laptop.
  5. Don’t be afraid to use proprietary software when it is simply the best tool for the job.  I think potential examples of this are Photoshop and TextMate.  Both of these programs have good open source alternatives (Gimp and vim or Emacs respectively), but the bottom line is that you should use whatever makes you most productive.  Just don’t forget point #2 in this list.

Geek Hardware:

  1. Buy hardware with open source software support. This hardware will almost invariably have good closed source support as well, but open source support will give you more options and more control if you want it.
  2. Do not skimp on your monitor, keyboard, or mouse.  If you are going to be using your computer heavily, the quality of the interfaces you use is very important to your health.
  3. If you use more than one computer, get a KVM.  It will save you a ton of space on your desk.
  4. If you use a router, get a dd-wrt compatible router.  The feature set will blow you away.
  5. Conduct extensive research on every piece of hardware you are considering buying.  Good places to start are the Ars Technica Buyer’s Guide or Tom’s Hardware.

The second group consists of a wide variety of people in all kinds of professions that want nothing more than to use it to complete some task or to have fun.  They explicitly do not care about learning how computers work.  My mother falls into this category.  Here are the rules that I would give anyone in this group to help them achieve computer happiness:

Non-Geek Software:

  1. Think twice before installing any piece of software.  Could an already-installed application do what you need?
  2. Find and use software that will help you back up your data.  Apple’s Time Machine is a good way to do this.  (See Non-Geek Hardware #4.)
  3. Keep a written record of all the software you install/remove and the time you install/remove it.
  4. Use a password manager that allows you to select stronger passwords.
  5. Do not use web applications unless the things you use them for aren’t sensitive.

Non-Geek Hardware:

  1. Do not buy top of the line hardware.
  2. Do not buy ultra cheap hardware.
  3. Hardware features are less important than the software support.
  4. Buy an external hard drive and use it to back up your important data.
  5. Avoid expensive hardware service plans.