For those in the USA, have a great and safe Independence Day! If you are doing any drinking, make sure to pass your keys to someone else. And be safe with those fireworks!
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
Happy Independence Day!
If you want more information on why we celebrate this great day, check out this page from ushistory.org. Have a great and safe day!
While it hasn't gotten a lot of traffic yet, and most of it coming from the beloved HardForum.com (I'm there as Ur_Mom), this server powered by a 486 is attempting to stay running with a bunch of traffic. Called the Digg effect (or the slashdot effect, for the slashdot folks... whereever you are...), it sends MANY visitors in a short period of time. There are a few little quirks in this guys setup to acheive the uptime, but oh well. 15 minutes of fame! Give him a click when you can!
Since well over a year ago I have had a dream to setup a 486 capable of being Slashdotted, Dugg, Reddit'ed, or being put on any major news site. I wanted it to have some useful dynamic content, be accessible over IPv6, and have as few hacks as possible, while running Icadyptes.
At least he doesn't want the glory:
I would love to publish (under the GPLv3) the source code for the script that the 486 is using, but do not want someone to try undermining all of the time and effort I have put into this by putting it on one of their own boxes. Once the 486 receives 250,000 hits or I receive $1,000 USD in donations I will release the source.
Here is a nice pro/con article on Vista. Short and sweet. Nice.
This may be counterintuitive, seeing as our guy who defended Windows doesn't even like Vista, but I've used Mac OS X and Vista side by side and simultaneously for over a year (and before that, Mac and XP) thanks to the dual-computer-controlling app Synergy. Here's why Vista's not that bad:
After an issue with an overlooked domain name expiration date (it was the dogs fault!), we are back. But, we are also working on a new site to replace this one. Same information, different layout and a wider knowledge base. Look forward to this in the coming months. It will have a lot more information for a lot more Microsoft and technology subjects.
If you are interested in writing guides, articles or news, send me an email! No pay, but you get the glory and satisfaction of helping thousands of people!
More Windows 7 and Surface information ... well, Surface! :) Steve Balllmer and Billy Gates get together to showcase the new technologies. Some new info in there, and some video. Nice.
So is this the next phase of how people will use their computers. Gates says it’s the beginning of an era of computing based on a new hierarchy of input systems. Today the machine is really set up for one person to sit at a keyboard. “We’re at an interesting junction,” he says. “In the next few years, the roles of speech, gesture, vision, ink, all of those will become huge. For the person at home and the person at work, that interaction will change dramatically.”
For those that find that UAC is very annoying and a pain in the ass, it actually works very well against root kits. With the tests that these folks did testing AV products, they needed to turn off UAC, as it stopped every single root kit they were testing with. Not bad at all!
Love or hate its nagging prompts, Vista's Account Control feature (UAC) has a security feature that marks it out from any other type of Windows security programme -- it can spot rootkits before they install.
This blog has some new screenshots of the new version of Windows, due out in 2010, dubbed Windows 7.
Windows 7 (formerly known as Blackcomb and Vienna) is the working name for the next major version of Microsoft Windows as the successor of Windows Vista. Microsoft has announced that it is "scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year timeframe", and that "the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar." Windows 7 is expected to be released sometime in 2010. The client versions of Windows 7 will ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
An article from PCWorld explains why some (well, most) developers are avoiding programming for Windows Vista.
Windows developers are confirming the results of a survey released yesterday that found fewer than 1 in 12 programmers currently writing applications targeting Windows Vista.
On a sidenote, I'm sorry for not posting lately. I've been recovering from a lower lumbar back surgery. I'm doing fine, and should be able to devote much more time to the site... Hopefully pain free!
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.
