My trackball was playing up so I went into the settings to see if I could spot anything. I was alerted that there was a new update of my trackball software so I went ahead and clicked yes for update. No idea on the file size, currently at 53Mb but almost finished. The annoying part however is that the download window insists on being on top of all other windows. I don’t have the fastest of connections at work so it’s been there a while; I’ve moved it off screen somewhat but it’s annoying. I upgraded the java client earlier and it happily ran in the background, similarly when I do a windows update. Though a windows update can be annoying with requests at 10 minute intervals to reboot the computer. I keep putting it off, then mis click at the wrong moment, losing the current workspace as the machine shuts down. Hmmm the trackball software is now in install mode and can be minimised. Update finished, and it has created a shortcut on my desktop (quickly deleted). Deary me, it would like me to restart the computer before I can actually use it. Nope, don’t think I will as it turns out the battery in the trackball needed replacing. All good now.

Which brings me to the greatest irony, I have a cordless trackball; I bought the cordless model because I couldn’t find a corded one at the time. Thankfully, a few weeks later I was able to get a corded version for my home setup. A trackball doesn’t move across the table and thus doesn’t have the cable issues a mouse would have. Yet, I have a cordless model that requires a new battery every so often. Sometimes I’d like to scream. Complaints aside, I don’t mind Windows XP (dual boot with Ubuntu) and it’s mostly fine except for occasional annoyances. It’s interesting to read that with the rise of the eee and such, Microsoft might hang on to XP longer than anticipated.