When I first installed the Android SDK I only installed Android 4.0.3 (API 15), which was current at the time. Later I wanted to test against Android 2.2, so I returned to the Android SDK Manager to find that Android 4.0.3 was the only platform version listed. There were also Android 8 and Android 10, but these didn't include the SDK Platform and couldn't be installed.
I googled for a couple of hours and all the advice was the same, install Android 2.2 (API 8). But how does one install it when it isn't in the list of packages to be installed?
I had restarted Android SDK Manager several times and, as I am running on Windows 7, I had been careful to right-click and run as root but this made no difference.
Finally, in desparation, I shut down Windows and re-booted. After this, I started Android SDK Manager (right-click and run as administrator), and the packages list now had a full assortment of platform versions, including Android 2.2 (API 8).
And the lesson is: Android SDK Manager and/or Windows 7 are flakey. Before wasting time researching problems, try a reboot. It may save you hours with Google and reading feedback to instructions for newbs.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Why is Windows so slow?
This is just venting.
I often have to transfer files to remote Microsoft Windows servers, connected via VPN and RDP. My broadband connection is a bit slow - my uplink speed is often only 500-700kbps and sometimes only 200-300kbps, though rarely worse than that.
If I zip the source folder, which takes less than 5 seconds, I can copy it to the remote system in about 3 seconds and unzipping to the destination is sub-second. A total of about 30 seconds, including opening explorer, navigating to the source and destination folder, etc.
If I copy and paste the folder using Microsoft Windows explorer functions, it takes 5 to 15 minutes to transfer the same data. It takes a minute or more to complete the copy, traversing the few directories to find the few hundred files. Then many minutes to paste the files to the target on the remote server. The uncompressed data is less than 5 times the size of the zip file so even if RDP doesn't compress data through the pipe it doesn't come close the explaining the performance difference.
I can't imagine what nonsense Microsoft Windows Explorer is doing that it takes so long to copy then so much longer to paste a few files. Certainly not anything of any benefit to me. And certainly not anything necessary, given the few seconds it takes to transfer the files in the form of a zip file.
I often have to transfer files to remote Microsoft Windows servers, connected via VPN and RDP. My broadband connection is a bit slow - my uplink speed is often only 500-700kbps and sometimes only 200-300kbps, though rarely worse than that.
If I zip the source folder, which takes less than 5 seconds, I can copy it to the remote system in about 3 seconds and unzipping to the destination is sub-second. A total of about 30 seconds, including opening explorer, navigating to the source and destination folder, etc.
If I copy and paste the folder using Microsoft Windows explorer functions, it takes 5 to 15 minutes to transfer the same data. It takes a minute or more to complete the copy, traversing the few directories to find the few hundred files. Then many minutes to paste the files to the target on the remote server. The uncompressed data is less than 5 times the size of the zip file so even if RDP doesn't compress data through the pipe it doesn't come close the explaining the performance difference.
I can't imagine what nonsense Microsoft Windows Explorer is doing that it takes so long to copy then so much longer to paste a few files. Certainly not anything of any benefit to me. And certainly not anything necessary, given the few seconds it takes to transfer the files in the form of a zip file.