I am a big fan of Vista, no questions there. Sure, there are some issues with it as a mainstream OS. I have had GREAT luck with it on all my machines. I also have an Ubuntu machine that I really like. Vista does have some stiff competition, but I wouldn't go as far as calling it a failure. These guys have taken a poll to find what they LIKE about Vista.
Moving forward, let’s take a look at a few of the good things about Windows Vista. I have put together a poll of 20 random Windows Vista user to find out what they LIKE about Vista. That’s right, some people actually found some GOOD point regarding Vista. I asked each person in my informal survey to name three things they like about the OS.
It seems like Microsoft is already starting to do these suggestions. But, they are very good suggestions. A lot of the problems I have with Vista are being addressed in Windows 7. One thing I'd like to see done: visualization in place of emulation. Rather than try and emulate Windows 98 or XP in compatibility mode, why not just have a small footprint VM of the OS run the program (hardware drivers would be an issue, but could be solved). Run that full screen, with full access to the hardware (but not the other OS), and in a sandbox environment, and it should keep the primary OS safe from attacks. Full backwards compatibility for programs would be taken care of. That's something to think about...
So to shore up Windows against imminent collapse, I suggest a simple three-step process. 1) Trim down the bloat that was added in Vista, and to a lesser extent with XP. 2) Redouble efforts to work with third-party hardware and software makers so that the final product works well. 3) Stop changing things without a darned good reason; make Windows a familiar and stable friend instead of a crazy neighbor.
Not in the sense that they were being spied on! :) The new Office anti-piracy scheme accidentally got released onto the public, giving some the impression they were using non-legit versions of Office. Not everyone was affected on this one... Thanks, MS!
Last Tuesday, however, Microsoft published the test update to all Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) servers, and did not limit its delivery to end users in Chile, Italy, Span and Turkey. WSUS is the primary update mechanism used by businesses to patch their Microsoft software. Later, Microsoft said the mistake had seeded the OGA update to WSUS servers for about 24 hours.
Contrary to earlier reports and a quote from Billy Gates, Windows 7 is still coming in 2010 at the earliest.
If your pants / panties were in a "bunch" upon hearing news that Windows 7 would be headed into your ever-loving arms "next year," you might just want to hold off on those party invites for a little bit. Sure, Bill Gates just happened to mention that we'd see a new version of the OS "Sometime in the next year or so," but it's looking like that "or so" makes a world of difference.
Even with SP1, hackers were able to break Windows WGA... Well, it really is a matter of time. There is no way around it. If there is a will, there's a way.
Various reports point out that Genuine Advantage Validation and Notifications versions 1.7.69.1 (1.7.0069.1) and 1.7.69.2 released in March 2008, following the March 18 availability of Windows Vista SP1 through Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center, have been cracked.
Microsoft is set to release a new video site coming in April. Seems similar to another very popular video website. :) Competition breeds innovation!
You will be able to scan our Quick Picks for the latest videos, enter a search, or choose a category from our Video Guide. Then tell us what you think by rating what you’ve watched. If you like what you see, you can share it with a friend or colleague, or link to it in your blog using one of our community features.
Microsoft is actually taking the blame for the miscommunication behind the whole Vista Capable. It's not very often a corporation, much less one of the biggest ones out there, actually takes responsibility for what happens.
I do agree with Poeter, however, when he says that "Microsoft may have botched Windows Capable all by itself." One of the main problems appears to have been the disconnect between various departments.
Yes, it's a fake! (Like I had to tell you!). But, the next version of Firefox has some stiff competition from Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8. And they are coming back strong with some similar features.
The first feature is called “Prism”, which will simply let you run web-based content in an offline mode. I already know this as “Work Offline”, so I can’t really see what’s so special about that, but time will tell.
The big decision of whether or not to go 64 bit or stay with 32 bit is debated at Wordplop.
First of all let me say why I’ll be talking about Windows Vista here. XP x64 has proven to have terrible hardware and software support. So if you want a 64 bit Windows OS, it should be Vista.
Tips & Tricks has a new way of disabling the annoying auto eject feature of Vista when you double click on the drive name in Windows Explorer.
Whatever the purpose, it’s not a feature that everybody needs or wants, and sometimes may get annoying. However, Microsoft does not provide an easy way to disable and turn off the auto eject and auto open of DVD/CD writer drive when clicked feature. However, based on observation that the disc tray will automatically open and pop out only when it’s a CD or DVD burner, then there is a workaround to disable the Vista CD and DVD drive auto eject feature.
For those having issues with Vista Service Pack 1, Microsoft is offering free technical support. Options include phone, chat and email support. This is a good move for Microsoft. They seem to be doing a lot for the consumers lately. Not a lot of people are noticing, though.
Unlimited installation and compatibility support is available at no charge until March 18, 2009.
For those in Japan wanting to jump on Windows Vista, and need one more reason to do it, here you go! Microsoft has jumped on the "cute" bandwagon in Japan, aiming at the Hello Kitty & Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi crowds. You can purchase a special pink box containing Windows Vista Home Premium, a one year subscription to Windows Live Care, and a Vista book of tips and tricks. Check out the original Microsoft page here. Soon, we will have mascots on the boxes of operating systems! Lots of flowers, and judging from the site, it's not only aimed at little girls.
For those wondering why their system powered by an NVIDIA video card are crashing... It may be because NVIDIA drivers rank #1 in the cause of crashes for Windows Vista. Looks like someone has some work to do to get those numbers looking a bit better!
That's some 479,326 hung systems, if you're keeping score at home, and it's in first place by a large margin -- Microsoft clocks in at number two at 17.9 percent, and ATI is fourth with 9.3 percent.
Windows 7 will be less bloated. If you want it to. You can go balls to the wall and load it with everything you want, or just a minimalistic install and go from there. Also reported is a possible subscription based model for some software.
Whether or not this is a good thing is difficult to predict. Generally, we're very much in favor of package-based setup routines, much like you find with popular Linux distributions. Why run a web server when you don't need it? Why start device drivers that aren't going to be used? Why install a library on a system that doesn't need it?
Us hobbyist PC tweakers have been trying to make our Windows installations as slim as possible from day 1. We stop services not being used, tweak the BIOS to turn off hardware not used, and edit the registry to only load the needed software. Now, Microsoft is making it even better for us. Lets just hope they can do it right, so we don't have to fix it!
University of Pennsylvania has recommended that students and faculty not upgrade to SP1 for Windows Vista yet.
The school's Information Systems & Computing department said it will support Vista SP1 on new systems where it's preinstalled, but added that it "strongly recommends that all other users adopt a 'wait and see' attitude," according to a newly published department bulletin.
This guy spat some warnings about Vista a while back... Was anybody even listening?!
The imminent real release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is reason enough to broach the question. SP1 is an important milestone for an operating system that bloggers and other critics consistently ridicule. Oh, yeah, the channel and enterprises aren't exactly loving Vista either.
These 10 things are in no particular order of importance:
I guess it all depends on where you are standing. Yes, Vista gets a lot of complaints. But, I see a lot of people loving Vista, and migrating to it as well. I see that with every OS release. Hmmm. Do we see a pattern there? New OS = Bashing... Too bad not very many journalists get that. Oh well... Some fear change, and will bash it. Once it becomes the norm, it will be different. Then we'll have the next newest OS come out and all of a sudden Vista was the best since sliced bread and Windows 7 sucks... I'm calling it now!
Well, everyones favorite to bash OS is in the spotlight again. I think even Microsoft cracks jokes about Windows Me! :) I was never a fan. I used it a few times, but I went to Windows 2000 as soon as I could. And I never looked back. My opinion is surely not the same as the author of this article!
I have a confession to make, I used Windows Millennium Edition and I liked it. That doesn’t stop me making fun of it however.
At a time where there was still a separation between consumer and enterprise operating systems, Windows Me was at the top of its class.
What a lot of people forget or don’t even recognize to begin with is that Windows Me is actually a rather innovative and forward-looking operating system. Instead, almost everyone focuses on its reliability problems which can be largely attributed to the flaky and inherently unstable Win9x kernel.
For those that grabbed some recent Excel patches, you may have some incorrect calculations. For those that use VBA or real time data, this can be a big deal.
In a warning posted Thursday, Bill Sisk, security response communications manager, said that the fixes outlined in the MS08-014 bulletin "causes Microsoft Excel 2003 calculations to return an incorrect result when a Real Time Data source is used."
Microsoft is releasing Vista SP1 this Tuesday, on Windows Updates. This is good news for all those waiting for it! And I know a lot of people have been!
Microsoft will release Windows Vista Service Pack 1 next week to a wider audience, according to information posted on Amazon.com and reports from a Web site that correctly called SP1's ship date last month.
Now all Windows Vista users can have animated backgrounds, thanks to DeskScapes 2.0. This brings one of the Ultimate Extra's to the rest of Vista users. I use DeskScapes, and find that it works and looks amazing, if your PC can handle whatever video you throw at it. I highly recommend this if you like the eye candy. It's amazing.
What makes DeskScapes special is that animated wallpapers can be run that use hardly any system resources (obviously this will depend on what animated wallpaper is chosen). It integrates seamlessly with the Windows Vista desktop background dialog so picking animated wallpapers is much the same as picking any other desktop wallpaper.
