Did you know Microsoft trimmed down sound files so your computer can boot up faster in the Windows 7 release candidate? Here are a few changes we found amongst the over 70+ obvious UI changes.
Desktop and User Interface:
• Gadget view options
In the Windows 7 beta it was impossible to separate desktop icons from gadgets under the View setting available by right-clicking on the desktop. Now there is the option to hide just your gadgets or just your desktop icons.
Keyboard Shortcuts:
• Windows Flip (ALT + TAB) with Aero Peek
Aero Peek is now enabled for Windows Flip (or more commonly known as ALT + TAB).
• Improved Windows Logo + # keyboard shortcut
Pressing Windows Logo + # (where # corresponds to an item's order in the taskbar) in the beta would only launch the program in Windows 7. In the release candidate, it can both launch and switch between Windows. For example, if IE wasn't running and the second item on the taskbar, Windows Logo + 2 will launch the program. If IE is running with a single window, the same shortcut will now switch to the program. When IE is running with several windows or tabs, holding down the Windows Logo and tapping the 2 key repeatedly will actually cycle through the open IE items off the taskbar (with Aero Peek). Letting go simply switches to the corresponding window. It works really similarly to the ALT +TAB shortcut.
Multitouch:
• Aero Peek for touch
First, the taskbar's thumbnails now support a gesture so you can drag your finger across the taskbar and it will trigger Aero Peek. The Show Desktop button is improved so a press-and-hold will allow the customer to peek at the desktop. A regular tap still allows you to switch over.
• Windows Explorer
Multi-touch zoom is now enabled for Windows Explorer.
Power Options:
• Faster access to High Performance power plan
Clicking on the battery icon in the taskbar notification area offers two different power plans: Balanced and Power saver. Windows 7 laptops are configured to use the Balanced by default. Now in the popout menu, you can see all three options.
Taskbar:
• Increased taskbar space
There is even more increased space on the taskbar now. The release candidate will feature 24-39% more icons before the taskbar scrolls (depending upon resolution, icon size and the default notification area).
• Increased flexibility and changes to Jump Lists
When there are too many things pinned to Jump Lists, it defeats the whole purpose of easy access. Jump Lists now only automatically suggest the first 10 items (there is still the option to customize the length of the list).
Now you can also pin files and folders to programs that are not handle that file type. Pinning the item in most cases will create a new registration so that launching it from the Jump List will always open the file with that specific program (ex. a pinned HTML file to Notepad will always open the file in Notepad).
The Control Panel jump list will now list your most recent items.
• Newly installed programs
When a program is installed, it automatically and temporarily surfaces at the bottom of the Start Menu. It lets the user see it, giving them the option to launch it or drag it to the taskbar.
User Account Control:
• Increased security
There will be two changes to the release candidate to UAC settings. The first change is that the UAC control panel will run in a "high integrity" process (thus requiring elevation). The second change will now prompt for a confirmation when you are changing the level of UAC.
The California woman suing Microsoft Corp. over Windows Vista's downgrade rights revised her lawsuit yesterday to focus her charges on the requirement that users buy the most expensive versions of Vista if they want to replace that operating system with Windows XP.
Originally filed Feb. 11 in a Seattle federal court by Los Angeles resident Emma Alvarado, the lawsuit was re-submitted Thursday. In the amended complaint, Alvarado repeated her charges that Microsoft violated Washington state's unfair business practices and consumer protection laws by restricting computer makers' ability to offer XP on new PCs after Vista's early 2007 launch.
"Downgrade" describes the Windows licensing rights that allow users in some circumstances to replace newer versions of Windows with an older edition without having to pay for another license. In effect, the license for the newer Windows is transferred to the older edition.
The revised lawsuit spells out in much greater detail how Microsoft allegedly profits from its Vista downgrade practices. In particular, the complaint now highlights the rules that limit downgrades to Windows XP Professional, and then, only from PCs that have Vista Business or Vista Ultimate pre-installed.
"Although many consumers would prefer to purchase a new PC pre-installed with the Windows XP operating system or at least not pre-installed with the Vista operating system, Microsoft has used its market power to take advantage of consumer demand for the Windows XP operating system by requiring consumers to purchase a PC that includes a license for the use of the Vista operating system and to pay money (as part of the overall purchase price of the PC) to downgrade to the Windows XP Professional operating system," the suit stated.
"To make matters worse, Microsoft requires consumers to purchase a PC that includes a license to either Vista Business or Vista Ultimate -- versions of the Vista operating system that: (a) are premium, more expensive versions of the home versions of the Vista operating system, and (b) include specialized applications that are neither needed nor wanted by an ordinary consumer seeking to purchase a PC primarily for personal, non-business use," the filing continued.
The suit also noted that Windows XP Professional, the only version of that line that users are allowed to downgrade to, is a premium edition with a higher price tag.
Alvarado claimed that Microsoft dreamed up those rules to boost Vista sales figures and profits.
"Microsoft appears to have conceived and implemented the 'right' for consumers to 'downgrade' to the Windows XP Professional operating system in order to: (a) maintain and/or inflate its sales figures for the Vista operating systems (particularly the Vista Business and Vista Ultimate versions ... and (b) recoup its substantial investment in the development and production of the Vista operating system by forcing consumers to purchase the premium, more expensive versions of the Vista operating system (Vista Business or Vista Ultimate) in order to 'downgrade' to the Windows XP operating system," the lawsuit read.
She also accused Microsoft of gouging consumers with its downgrade practices. "Prior to permitting the consumer to 'downgrade' to Windows XP Professional, Microsoft first mandates that the consumer 'upgrade' from Vista Home Basic or Vista Home Premium to either Vista Business or Vista Ultimate -- thereby forcing the consumer to incur an unnecessary expense of $130, perhaps more or less, depending on the retail outlet, and creating revenue for Microsoft in the same amount," her revised lawsuit said.
The $130 figure cited by Alvarado was the same as noted by Dell Inc. last year when it responded to reports that it was charging customers $150 to downgrade a new computer to XP. Dell countered that while it did charge $20 to install XP on the machine and cover the cost of the additional media, $130 was the price of upgrading the PC from the standard Home Premium to the more expensive Business edition.
"Microsoft mandates that customers who want to downgrade to XP must purchase the license to Vista Business or Vista Ultimate," said Dell spokesman David Frink last December. "[That's] typically about a $130 premium, though some retail outlets charge more."
When Alvarado's suit was first filed last month, Microsoft denied it made money on downgrades.
"Microsoft does not charge or receive any additional royalty if a customer exercises those [downgrade] rights," said Microsoft spokesman David Bowermaster in a February e-mail.
Bowermaster repeated that today. "Microsoft does not charge for downgrades," he said in an e-mail Friday. "Some Windows Vista licenses, including Windows Vista Business and Ultimate, include downgrade rights to various versions of Windows XP. If a customer exercises those rights, Microsoft does not charge or receive any additional royalty."
Alvarado is seeking compensatory damages and wants the case granted class-action status.
In the last few years, there has been a surge of renewed interest in using Linux, in both the server and desktop spaces. Several factors are contributing to this surge, all happening at once. First, there is the trend from powerful desktops to smaller, but less powerful, notebooks — and now, netbooks. In addition, more user (and media) friendly Linux
distributions, such as Ubuntu, have hit the scene. Finally, here comes the OS everybody loves to hate: Windows Vista — significantly more resource hungry than XP and perhaps released a little too soon. The confluence of these factors has led many users to give Linux a shot.
Largely, however, Linux has still been found wanting. Whether because of some inherent weakness of Linux, a preconceived advantage that doesn’t pan out, or the fact that users simply miss their familiar Windows functions, there are a number of reasons why Linux isn’t triumphing over Windows. I’m going to look at 10 of these reasons, some that apply primarily to servers, some to desktops, and some to both.
Servers
1: Cost comparisons are often misleading
Let’s get what may be the most controversial point out of the way early. First, in the server space especially, we should try to compare apples to apples. This means comparing Windows Server to paid Linux. By far the most dominant flavor is Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), with about a two-thirds share of the paid enterprise Linux market, so this seems the most logical comparison. While there are plenty of free options out there, such as CentOS, for a business running mission-critical workloads, an unsupported operating system is a hard pill to swallow.
There are a couple of ways we can look at cost, neither of which is nearly as flattering to Linux as one might expect. First, we can look at the costs directly related to the acquisition of the platform. RHEL is a subscription-based license, meaning that rather than pay for the software itself, you pay for support. This doesn’t mean just phone tech support or troubleshooting (although that is included too, whether you want it or not) but also includes standard patches and bug fixes. Standard support for RHEL 5 Advanced Platform is $1,499 per year per server, or $4,047 for three years. Compare this with $3,999 for Windows Server 2008 Enterprise edition with free patching and bug fixes, and you can basically call it a wash unless you use a ton of phone support. And there are also features that aren’t included and must be purchased separately, such as Red Hat Directory Server — thousands more per year.
The other way of looking at cost is total cost of ownership (TCO) of the platform, and this leads into our next issue.
2: Expert talent is more readily available
When looking at TCO, we’re not just looking at the software costs but also at staffing and administration costs, costs due to downtime, hardware costs, etc. Of these, staffing is the largest, accounting for more than half of the TCO. Here, Windows wins out because IT pros experienced with Windows are much more plentiful and generally cheaper to hire than Linux experts and because they can often be more productive.
With Linux, efficient management over many machines usually means going to the command line and pounding out a script to automate a process — which is cool. However, with Windows Server 2008, PowerShell is now built in, which means the Windows guys can do that too, arguably better. Add that to the System Center family of tools, where virtually all management tasks are available at the click of a button (and which really have no peer on the Linux side), and Windows is simply easier to manage.
3: Linux isn’t actually trying to compete head-to-head
The last reason Linux isn’t triumphing over Windows in the server space is that it’s not really the primary focus. Right now, both Linux and Windows are gaining in server market share. How is that possible? Old granddaddy UNIX is being thrown under the bus to make it happen. Today, companies are dumping their old mainframe or proprietary UNIX servers for cheaper x86-based commodity hardware. It’s easy for a Linux sales guy to come in and make the value proposition: “It’s essentially the UNIX you know and love, but it runs on hardware a fraction of the cost.”
Unfortunately, the market for UNIX conversions and mainframe modernization is drying up. When those deals are gone, Linux will have to compete head-to-head with Windows to continue its growth, and this is a much harder proposition to make. Why should an organization already using Windows change platforms and have to build whole new skill sets around Linux?
Desktop
4: Windows offers familiarity and ease of use
Let’s face it: Whatever else you might say about Windows, it is easier to use. We love our Start menu and our Task Manager and our system tray. Some of us are even starting to love our Vista Sidebar and gadgets.
Young adults today never had to use MS-DOS, even if they started using computers at an early age, so they aren’t going to be comfortable at a Linux command line.
Don’t get me wrong — Linux has come a long way. But remember how far back it has had to come from — where just managing to install the operating system for a non-expert (and sometimes experts too) was considered a major triumph. There are still too many things in the Linux world that are expected to be done manually, like program installation. A majority of users will say, “I might have to compile something myself? No thanks.”
5: More software is available
Here’s another one that’s a pretty clear edge for Windows. It isn’t about being able to play the newest games, even if that is one of the most often raised issues against using Linux. Simply because Windows is the dominant operating system, there is much more (and usually higher quality) software available for it than for Linux. Much of it comes from evil Microsoft itself.
A good example goes straight to one of open source’s greatest recent successes: OpenOffice. OpenOffice is great software… considering it’s free. I use it when I’m in a pinch on somebody else’s computer. It’s almost certainly adequate for a light user or a student typing up a couple of essays. As a writer, however, I can’t imagine being stuck without Microsoft Office for long. When it comes to features like SmartArt, quick table generation, editing and review functions, and inserting basically any kind of object into a document, there is no comparison. When you go beyond the word processor to the presentation software or spreadsheets, the gap grows even wider.
Now of course much of our favorite Windows software can be run using an emulator such as Wine, or on a virtual machine running Windows — but if we find ourselves doing that all the time, why use Linux in the first place?
6: Windows Vista is just a bump in the road
This had to come somewhere. Vista has become the proverbial red-headed stepchild of the operating system world — everybody loves to beat on it, and not completely without reason. Vista hogs resources like no OS before, and initially, at least, there were plenty of issues with both software and hardware compatibility.
Without going too far in singing the virtues of Windows 7, however, I think it is reasonable to say that there is no reason to expect Vista’s shortcomings to be repeated in the next generation.
Windows Vista was like the growing pains experienced by a teenager when he starts to, well, grow. Too many things were happening at once, and there was bound to be some pain involved. We combined security changes such as UAC and how applications were handled fundamentally by the operating system with lots of nifty but resource-intensive gadgets at a time when so many users were switching away from their powerful desktops, and we got a sluggish OS where things don’t always work quite right.
However, Windows 7 is faster. Software vendors and Microsoft have had time to update their code, so now applications are compatible. Before much longer, Vista will be behind us.
7: Hardware continues to advance
Now, while Windows 7 is significantly faster than Vista, I won’t try to claim that it will be as friendly to the lowest end hardware as Linux. Fortunately, time marches on — and hardware improves. We can now get a quad-core processor and 8 gigs of RAM in our laptops. Intel has a dual-core Atom processor out, and even if it is made for nettops rather than netbooks, it’s a safe bet that a dual-core Atom with netbook-friendly power consumption levels is right around the corner. In any case, as hardware continues to advance, that aspect of the Linux argument will become more and more irrelevant.
Also, while we’re on the topic of netbooks, let’s not forget that while these may seemingly be the perfect candidate for conversion from Windows to Linux, according to a Laptop Magazine interview of MSI’s director of U.S. sales, Andy Tung, the return rate of netbooks running Linux is much greater than the rate of those running Windows.
“They start playing around with Linux and start realizing that it’s not what they are used to. They don’t want to spend time to learn it so they bring it back to the store. The return rate is at least four times higher for Linux netbooks than Windows XP netbooks”
Both servers and desktops
8: Claims about open source don’t stand up to scrutiny
Much of the hype about Linux is really more about open source development in general. The buzzwords all sound good: Open source is about sharing. Collaboration. Proliferation of knowledge. For certain, there is nothing wrong with the open source model, and its use surely helps advance new ideas in software development. As a business model and a model for end-user products, though, it’s less reasonable. Here, it causes a lack of standardization. Egos among the different developers collide, and the final product suffers. Let’s not forget the old adage “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
Another claim is that Linux and open source software are more secure than Windows and Microsoft software. This is largely based on problems with legacy versions of Windows. Back in the NT and Windows 2000 days, there were valid points to be made, but this is far less true today. The last several years have seen a massive emphasis on security across the industry. And now, with Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and the whole Forefront line of products, Microsoft is running a pretty tight ship — enough so that major competitors such as Red Hat are not really bringing up the security argument against Windows anymore.
9: Linux is still too bleeding edge
Since a Linux advocate will be quick to bring up the problems associated with Vista’s perhaps premature release, it seems only fair to bring up similar issues with Linux. Though not as high profile as the problems with Vista, the inclusion of KDE 4 with Fedora 9 was perhaps just as much of a flop.
This is no big deal as an isolated incident. But the problem is that it was merely a symptom of a larger issue in the Linux world: Much more emphasis is placed on technological innovation than usability, and often a technology will be dropped or juggled with something new at a moment’s notice. Look at Red Hat’s hypervisor history. At the end of 2004, Red Hat announced support for Xen — first with Fedora and to be included later in RHEL. Then, fast-forward a year and a half to summer 2006 and it announces that Xen isn’t ready and that Novell was irresponsible in including it with SUSE. Less than a year later, in spring of 2007, RHEL 5 was released and Xen was a major feature. And last summer, in 2008, at the Red Hat Summit, it announced the shift from Xen to KVM.
Whether Xen or KVM is better isn’t the issue. The issue is that an emphasis on the newest but perhaps untested technology leads to rapid and inconsistent changes in direction that leave users scrambling to keep up.
10: The Linux culture isn’t always responsive to the common user
This all brings us to the last reason Linux isn’t triumphing over Windows: the Linux community and the users and advocates themselves. Linux is a geek’s OS. I don’t mean geek in a derogatory way and certainly include myself in the term: a very technically skilled user who derives pleasure from the technology itself.
The problem is that geeks are not the majority. We don’t drive the market, the Average Joes of the world do, and Linux geeks in particular don’t seem to be receptive to that. In an already unfamiliar and more difficult environment, when people using Linux for the first time encounter a problem and turn to the community for help, too often they’re met with ridicule. They don’t want to hear, “All you had to do was recompile the kernel.”
Of course, this is not the case for all users, and there are plenty of dedicated individuals providing free support in the forums around the world. But until Linux users as an entire community can accept that all users are not programmers or even power users, there is no chance that their operating system of choice will come out on top.
Who could blame you for not wanting to buy a new PC right now? With Windows 7 mere months away (some rumors even claim it will ship as early as September 2009), why would you want to get stuck with Windows Vista, then have to shell out hundreds again for a Win7 upgrade later in the year?
Unless you buy a system within weeks of Windows 7's arrival (one source says the planned cutoff date is July 1, but that's a rumor right now), Microsoft is unlikely to offer free or discounted upgrade coupons, and that means computer sales are likely to stagnate for the time being as buyers take a "wait and see" approach.
At least one company has other ideas, though, and wants to keep sales going. Seattle-area PC builder Puget Sound Systems says it is launching a program this week to give new computer buyers a free copy of Windows 7, "completely independent of any Microsoft program."
There are a few catches: You have to buy a machine that costs at least $1,000. And you have to equip it with Windows Vista Ultimate, 64-bit edition. Your free upgrade will be to Windows 7 Ultimate, also 64-bit.
(Update: The company says Home Premium will also be supported.) You don't simply get a disk to do the upgrade yourself, sadly: You'll have to bring or ship your computer back to Puget Sound, so they can install the upgrade themselves, "to make sure that the upgrades go smoothly." You pay for shipping both ways.
Maybe not a great deal, but at least a good sign and a really good idea -- and it makes me wonder if any of the big PC players will follow up and offer a similar program. No sense losing sales while Microsoft figures out what people want, right?
In response to user feedback, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has made numerous changes to the Windows 7 user interface as it readies the operating system--viewed by many as a make or break product for the software maker-for formal launch later this year or early next year.
Included in the changes, which number three dozen, is a new keyboard shortcut that allows the user to launch an application simply by pressing the Windows logo key in combination with a number that corresponds to the apps' order in the Quick Launch menu. For example, if an application is listed fourth in Quick Launch, it could be opened by pressing the Windows key in convert with the number 4 key.
Microsoft also made changes to alerts that signal when an application needs attention. The icon for a so-called "needy" application will now flash up to seven times, as opposed to the previous three, in an effort to grab the user's attention. Changes also include a more noticeable flashing animation in a bolder color of orange.
Other changes include modifications to the taskbar pane that allow it to display a greater number of application icons, a change that makes it easier for users to pin new apps to the taskbar, and more flexible icon and gadget view options.
Additional changes affect Windows 7's touch-screen capabilities, Control Panel, and Explorer features.
"As is evident from this sample of changes, we've been very busy improving Windows 7 based on what our customers are telling us in many forums," wrote Microsoft engineer Chaitanya Sareen, in a Thursday blog post that details the changes.
Microsoft needs Windows 7 to be a hit. Vista, the company's current OS, has failed to catch on with mainstream computer users while businesses have shunned it outright. Many users have complained about Vista's hardware requirements, intrusive security measures, and lack of compatibility with older applications.
Dissatisfaction with Vista has allowed Apple to gain share against Microsoft in the computer operating system market in recent months. Windows' market share in November fell below 90% for the first time in years while Mac OS is now flirting with the 10% mark, according to market watcher Net Applications.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told stock market analysts during a conference call that Windows Mobile 7 should be released in 2010. While the software is third in OS market share behind Symbian and RIM, it still is a money losing venture for the guys from Redmond. But the executive said that with the continuing growth of the smartphone segment of the cellphone industry, Windows Mobile should continue growing even with a down economy. Many analysts cite the smartphone segment as being the only part of the wireless phone business that continues to grow even in the face of the world wide recession. Ballmer stated that Windows and Windows Mobile were two sides of a single project and to expect more sharing of functions, like the browser, between the two. He also said that there would be no Microsoft phone citing the firm's desire to stick to the licensing model of doing business.
Microsoft Corp. will turn Windows 7's background picture black and put up persistent notices on the screen if users don't activate the new operating system, a company manager said yesterday.
The Windows 7 beta, the public preview Microsoft launched Jan. 10 but has since stopped offering, exhibits much of the same behavior as Windows Vista if it is not activated within 30 days, said Alex Kochis, senior product manager for Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program.
"If you do not activate the software within the grace period, you will receive persistent notifications, including a message from the system tray every 60 minutes that reminds you to 'Activate Windows Now,' " said Kochis in a long entry to the WGA blog. Also on-screen, he said, is a permanent notice that the copy of Windows is "non-genuine," Microsoft's term for pirated or not-yet-activated versions of the operating system; a similar message appears whenever the user launches the Control Panel, which houses Windows' settings and options.
"While you can change the plain black background to any background you choose, if changed, the background will reset to a plain black background every 60 minutes," noted Kochis. "Also, you will not be able to receive optional updates from Windows Update unless the copy of Windows is properly activated."
Several of those on-screen elements -- notably the black desktop and the always-on-screen "non-genuine" warnings -- are shared with Windows Vista, which was revamped with Service Pack 1 to soften the impact of not activating the operating system. Before SP1, Vista used a so-called kill switch that dropped the operating system into what Microsoft called "reduced-functionality mode," in which nothing worked except the Internet Explorer browser for only an hour at a time.
Other bits, however, appear to be new to Windows 7, including the notice that pops up when the Control Panel is launched and the blocking of some updates.
Kochis also spelled out the warnings that Windows 7 puts in front of users as the 30-day grace period slowly shrinks. If the user doesn't activate within the first three days of use, for example, a message reading "Activate Windows Now" and the number of days remaining appears in on the Windows 7 taskbar.
A pop-up asking the user to activate appears daily through the 27th day, said Kochis, at which point it switches to an every-four-hours schedule until the final, 30th day, when it changes to an hourly timetable.
Although Kochis did not mention it, others have noted that like Vista, Windows 7 can be run for up to 120 days, not just 30, without activating the operating system, by using the same "slmgr -rearm" command that gained notoriety after Vista's debut. Several blogs have posted instructions on how to use this legal method to extend the life span of Windows 7, including My Digital Life.
Kochis noted, however, that nothing is set in stone. "The beta isn't necessarily the final experience that will appear in the released product and that based on feedback some of the specific elements of the product activation experience could change," he said.
Microsoft Corp. will finish Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) next month, according to a Web site that has accurately predicted other moves by the company.
TechARP.com, a Malaysian Web site that has reported on Microsoft's plans to offer free upgrades from Windows Vista to the newer Windows 7, said today that Microsoft will reach IE8's "release to manufacturing" milestone, also known as "RTM," in March.
"Microsoft will RTM Internet Explorer 8 in March 2009, most likely sometime during the last two weeks," the site said, citing unnamed sources. "This is because Microsoft plans to announce the final details of the IE8 RTM schedule and available language versions by March 5, 2009."
In development parlance, RTM means that the software has been finished and that the vendor is ready to ship it to partners, release it to the public, send it to duplicators for retail distribution, or all of the above.
Microsoft declined to confirm or deny the TechARP account. "Out timeline is driven by the quality of the product," said a spokeswoman today in an e-mail reply to a request for comment. "Microsoft is deliberate in our approach to releasing new products, and we feel a strong obligation to our customers to do so in a responsible manner that ensures they are getting the safest, most reliable product possible."
TechARP said that once Microsoft declares IE8 has reached RTM, it will offer it to computer makers, which can then add it to machines they ship with either Windows Vista or the older Windows XP operating systems. At the moment, the former comes with IE7, while the latter is bundled with IE6.
IE8 is also slated to be a cornerstone of Windows 7, the successor to Vista.
TechARP had no information on when Microsoft would post the final version of IE8 for public download. But the site's late-March RTM timetable meshes with past IE release schedules.
In 2006, there was a gap of eight weeks between IE7's first release candidate (RC1) and the public posting of the browser. A similar eight-week stretch from Microsoft's delivery of IE8 RC1 in late January 2009 would put the final build's availability at around March 23.
IE8 includes new Web standard compatibility features, performance improvements, a revamped address bar and private browsing tools.
It was reported last week that Telstra’s Sol Trujillo had his HTC Touch Diamond running Windows Mobile 6.5 lifted off his person during MWC. And today APC is reporting that the device was remotely wiped of both OS and user data once the theft was realized according to an anonymous higher up at Microsoft. We’ve contacted Microsoft as well and will update if we hear otherwise.
I’m not really sure how I feel about this. Microsoft was able to completely wipe the device remotely? Hmm…
Next week, Windows 7 beta users will get a variety of updates, only they aren't really updates.
Instead, Microsoft said it will be sending the patches to test the operating system's updating mechanism.
The company stressed the updates won't actually add new features or update anything.
Brandon LeBlanc explained the nature of the updates in a blog posting Thursday (note that the emphasis is his):
Starting February 24, we will be releasing up to 5 test updates to PCs running the Windows 7 Beta (Build 7000) via Windows Update. These updates allow us to test and verify our ability to deliver and manage the updating of Windows 7. We typically verify servicing scenarios during a beta.
Windows 7 Beta users will be notified that new updates are available beginning February 24 through Windows Update. Even if the user has Windows Update configured for automatic update - these test updates will not install automatically. Users will need to manually install the test updates through Windows Update.
These updates do not deliver new features or bug fixes. The test updates simply replace system files with the same version of the file currently on the system.
Yikes! The vast majority of our recent poll participants fell into either the “Not Impressed” or “OK, but not enough progress” categories. Only 19% of you figuratively had your socks knocked off by the incremental upgrade. I’m using the word incremental for a reason here, because it underlies a large part of the challenge that Microsoft is facing. I also believe it has much to do with how folks voted. I think folks are disappointed by what amounts to minimal improvements relative to the time between releases.
Sadly, none of us are going to see new devices running Windows Mobile 6.5 until late this year. That could be nine months from now and yes, it will only be on new devices, which is just silly. Many of the new devices won’t offer much more (if anything) different in terms of hardware capabilities. In cases like that, it sounds like a business decision to sell more Windows Mobile handsets and thus, gain more Windows Mobile license revenue.
So what will we see from the more nimble players in the market between now and then? Even if we saw nothing new from them (highly unlikely), the bar has been raised some time ago and the reaction from Redmond has been slower than an oil tanker making a turn.
Windows Mobile 6.5 = February of 2009 announcement, devices in late 2009
Windows Mobile 7 = expected in 2010
Ultimately, I like what I see in where Windows Mobile 6.5 is heading with a more finger-friendly shell. Should it take this long to develop, test and release incremental improvements, however? James in his recent editorial says no, and I agree. It has that “day late and dollar short” look and feel to me. No doubt that some delays can be attributed to carriers for their testing and customizations. We’ve seen that time and again. But this doesn’t seem to be the main reason for slow progress and evolution.
This sluggishness and other factors are allowing other mobile OS platforms to catch up or even surpass Microsoft. One of our frequent commenters mentions that Windows Mobile devices outsold rival Apple’s iPhone in 2008. I’m not exactly positive that’s the case, as I haven’t seen any numbers for the full year yet. I have seen them for as recent as the third quarter of 2008, and there were more iPhones sold than Windows Mobile devices in that particular time frame. Quibbling over who sold more in a quarter or a year is pointless; the real point here is that it shouldn’t even be close. But it is. A lack of innovation and speed to market has opened up the door for others to own this space. Incremental updates every 18 months or so aren’t going to close it. Here’s wishing luck to Windows Mobile 7.
I’m already anticipating the comments with a list of what a Windows Mobile phone does well and how it has feature X that you folks can’t live without. Hey, I’m sure you’re correct, as the platform is evaluated against your own requirements. And if Windows Mobile 6.5 is going to meet your needs, then that’s the platform you should use. I’m in agreement with you with respect to your needs. Chances are, however, you’ve used Windows Mobile for several years, which isn’t the case for the market at large.
Regardless, the main issue here isn’t how good or bad Windows Mobile is as a platform. That’s an individual choice, as I alluded to above. This is more about Microsoft’s development model with the platform: At one point it was acceptable to be the tortoise, but now the hares are passing by.
Microsoft scored a major victory Wednesday when a judge ruled a lawsuit challenging the company's "Windows Vista Capable" marketing program cannot go forward as a class action.
That could bring to a close a case that has made public a flood of internal Microsoft e-mails, providing a rare and often unflattering look at the company's internal debate as it set hardware requirements for Vista and planned how to market the operating system.
The company was in a bind because as Vista approached launch in 2006, many computers on the market could not run the premium version of the operating system.
In a bid to maintain demand for this soon-to-be obsolete hardware and the Windows XP operating system that it used, Microsoft allowed PC makers to label these machines "Vista Capable," even though they could only run Vista Home Basic, which lacks features such as the Aero user interface.
The plaintiffs allege this was deceptive and violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act, among other claims.
In certifying the case as a class action nearly a year ago, U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman said the plaintiffs had to show the marketing program caused them to pay more for PCs only capable of running Vista Home Basic than they would have absent the Vista Capable campaign.
Pechman ruled that evidence submitted in support of the "price-inflation theory" was based on assumptions and anecdotes and that plaintiffs failed to separate any impact the marketing program had on PC prices from other factors such as holiday sales.
"Absent evidence of class-wide price inflation, plaintiffs cannot demonstrate that common questions predominate over individual considerations," she wrote.
But she declined to issue a summary judgment in Microsoft's favor. The plaintiffs do not have to prove their price-inflation theory if they pursue their claims as individuals, she ruled.
"We're pleased that the court granted our motion to decertify the class, leaving only the claims of six individuals," Microsoft spokesman David Bowermaster said in an e-mail."We look forward to presenting our case to the jury, should the plaintiffs elect to pursue their individual claims."
Attorney Jeffery Thomas said the plaintiffs are still reviewing the ruling and their options.
Microsoft now has its sights set on Vista's successor, Windows 7, which is due out within 11 months though many expect it sooner.
It's unclear whether the company will attempt a similar marketing program to maintain demand for Vista, but analyst Matt Rosoff, of Kirkland-based with Directions on Microsoft, thinks it's unlikely. The hardware requirements of Windows 7 are no greater than those of Vista, and the PCs on the market have caught up.
"There's really no need for it because most of the computers today will be able to run Windows 7 Home Premium," Rosoff said.
Microsoft on Tuesday launched Microsoft Recite, a voice search technology for Windows phones version 6.0 or later.
It provides users with a simple way to capture, search and retrieve spoken notes and reminders using voice without the need to navigate menus or type text. The tool organizes a user's spoken words based on the same or similar terms and phrases.
The application relies on voice matching, which differs from speech recognition because it doesn't convert the spoken words to text. The tool analyzes speech patterns and finds matches between two recordings based on inflections. Recite allows users to store and search through thousands of spoken notes. A free preview download is available for some cell phone models
Here’s the risk you take holding the cellphone industry’s annual gathering in Barcelona, a city famous for its world class pickpockets.
Only hours after Microsoft (MSFT) announced the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5 — the software giant’s answer to Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone and Google’s (GOOG) Android — a prototype phone loaded with a top-secret copy of the new software was lifted from an executive’s pocket, the London Telegraph reported Thursday.
Microsoft was “in a panic,” according to this report, fearing industrial espionage.
The phone had reportedly been loaned to the CEO of Telstra, the Australian telecommunications giant, to test before launch. He, in turn, handed it to an unnamed executive, who was apparently pickpocketed that evening. According to the Telegraph:
“A spokesman for the Australian company confirmed the theft had happened. ‘One of our product executives was given the phone to test the system. He had it with him at an organised evening event and it was stolen from him – we don’t know by whom.’” (link)
Microsoft declined to comment on the report.
Barcelona’s professional pickpockets often travel in groups and are experts at misdirection. They tend to target tourists and business travelers, confident that if they are caught their victims are unlikely to stick around long enough to appear in court as witnesses against them.
According to the Telegraph report, there have been repeated incidents of theft at this year’s Mobile World Congress, which ends today. The event’s organizers have reportedly threatened the Mayor of Barcelona to move it to another venue if the city does not do something to reduce the level of street crime.
In the latest sign that Windows 7 may be completed sooner rather than later, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has released a trial version of software that will allow users of its next operating system to securely share files with other PCs they own or with computers used by friends, family, or business associates.
Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant 6.5 beta links users' Windows Live IDs with their Windows 7 user account, creating a secure connection between hard-drive resident files and data stored online in Windows Live. Beyond accessing his own files across multiple devices, a user could provide third parties with access by adding associates' Windows Live IDs to the Windows 7 homegroup feature.
"On his homegroup, Bob wants to share certain documents with his wife but not with his kids. Simply by specifying his wife's Windows Live ID user name, Bob can give his wife exclusive permission to access documents on his computer," Microsoft notes on its Web site.
The trial version of Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant 6.5 is available as a free download from Mrosoft's Windows download site.
Windows 7 offers numerous new features, including native support for touch-screen interfaces and more than 20 hotkey combinations designed to simplify use.
Microsoft needs Windows 7, expected to be released in late 2009 or early 2010, to be a hit. Vista, the company's current OS, has failed to catch on with mainstream computer users while businesses have shunned it outright. Many users have complained about Vista's hardware requirements, intrusive security measures, and lack of compatibility with older applications.
Dissatisfaction with Vista has allowed Apple to gain share against Microsoft in the computer operating system market in recent months. Windows' market share in November fell below 90% for the first time in years while Mac OS is now flirting with the 10% mark, according to market watcher Net Applications.
Is Microsoft moving too fast with Windows 7? That's the complaint coming from some members of the technical beta program. According to these folks, Microsoft isn't taking their feedback seriously, even when filed through their private beta tester feedback channels.
Development team responses like "won't fix" or "by design" seem to be the the norm for even serious issues, leading many testers to conclude that the product was feature complete (i.e. no longer subject to significant modification based on tester input) long before they received their first code drop.
Now I hear that the much anticipated release candidate build (7048?) has already been branched off of the main code tree and is being prepped for release as early as the end of this month -- this just five weeks after the one-and-only beta drop was made public.
I've long felt the Windows 7 development process was a bit too opaque. After the near transparency of the Vista soap opera -- where we all tuned in weekly to learn of the latest axed feature or slipped ship date -- Windows 7 has been a veritable "black box." Most of us knew nothing about the new version until we received our pre-release PDC builds, and by then much of the OS' design and feature set was already frozen.
And as for the public "beta" charade, more than one person has accused Microsoft of using the threat of limited availability and a fixed cut-off date as a kind of PR stunt, a way to generate buzz by showing how much pent-up demand exists for their new baby. Of course, once the download deluge began, the "limited" number of user slots quickly became unlimited while the cut-off date slipped from mid-January to just last week (and even now you can still get the bits through MSDN, TechNet and a host of Torrent links).
As I ponder the above confluence of factors, I can't help but conclude that Windows 7 is being rushed to market without adequate testing or even acknowledgement of beta user feedback. Much of the blame can be placed at the feet of Steve Sinofsky, a man notorious for running a very "cloak and dagger" development process while helming the Office product group.
Even before the pre-beta bits were dry, I opined that he was the wrong man for the job. To be sure, Windows Vista was a PR disaster (blame Jim "I love the limelight" Allchin for that one). However, this whole Windows 7 beta process reeks of overcorrection. It's as if they had locked everything down months in advance and are using the public testing cycle as nothing more than an elaborate strip-tease designed to get geek pulses raging so they'll fork over those Software Assurance dollars by the truckload.
So, as I curse at the latest compatibility gaffe (XenoCode, like ThinApp, is completely broken under Windows 7) to trip up my beta experience, I can't help but feel sorry for those brave technical beta testers, many of whom have invested a good portion of their personal and professional lives helping Microsoft to assess the readiness of each new Windows version.
Less Licensing Worries
Linux itself and many of the popular applications that go with it are Community based Open Source efforts. They are owned by no one individual or company.. then again it is owned by everyone who contributes to them. You can install Linux or other free/open source application on a computer for yourself, a business, or a friend and not worry about breaking the license agreement. Lately buying many commercial software programs makes the buyer feel like a suspected criminal by forcing them into more limited usage, conditions, and licensing terms. Then down the road having to worry about paying for the next upgrade cost of your OS and your apps, one by one.Not to say Linux is totally open-source, there are also proprietary/commercial applications available for Linux too, but without such a monopoly or control and a lot of grass-roots competition, commercial outfits have to be more receptive to the community and competitive to the user needs to earn their money.
A Better Desktop
Ever get too many windows open or need to run some commands in another program to answer a question in the program you are currently using? If so Linux got your back, there are six text-based screens and as many graphical "desktops" as you need to switch between, sure is nice for that multi-tasker like myself. As the different desktop GUIs mature features for the disabled are now being added.There are remote access components to serve out your desktop remotely so you can access your computer at home from work or wherever you are. With this technology can even host multiple users on the same machine simultaneously (see Linux Terminal Server Project for an inspiring example).
Better integration
A huge benefit of open source - the various software project groups are free to communicate and collaborate to build a better OS and applications infrastructure and design for all other developers to use as well. Even the text editors (like Kwrite) I employ such integration, spelling check comes from a common dictionary application, Kwrite itself is used as part of an application development environment and retains a lot of the features specific to it (program syntax highlighting, etc).
Programming Languages
Interested in programming your computer, but computer languages and development tools are just out of reach? In Linux most if not all the tools are freely available. Many of the Linux distributions include the very programming languages and development environments that are used to code the Linux OS and applications. Given the "open source" motto, the "source" is source-code, the actual program with all the commands and comments are there to examine, learn from and modify and build from as you wish. There are a wide variety of languages that make up a Linux distribution from the more easy to understand scripting languages like PHP, Python, Java, and Ruby to the basic but powerful low-end languages like C which is used to write the core of Linux itself.
Servers
If you wanted to set up a home network to share files or looking to serve up your own web site with web-based applications Linux is more then capable of the job (in fact over half of the web servers on the Internet run under Unix or Linux). There are servers for just about every function in Linux from file and web servers, to application, terminal servers and high-end Database engines.
DTP and Multimedia
Linux is also forging ahead in the Desktop Publishing and Multimedia departments too, with Desktop Publishing there is most notably Scribus, a program attempting to be a competitor to other high end DTP applications like PageMaker and Quark Express. There are also high end image editors for bitmap (such as the GIMP, the Gnome Image Manipulation Program) and vector art (Inkscape and Sodipodi are two notable ones) There is a wide variety of media players for audio and video formats, as well as many composition tools and editors too.
Productivity
Since many business see the cost benefits of having open source replace commercial applications they also have invested in open source for productivity as well as the OS, one of the most notable projects is OpenOffice.org/StarOffice which compares favorably to the scope and usability of Microsoft's Office Suite, OO.o includes a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation and Drawing applications (and a database is in the works) The Word Processor (write) and Spreadsheet (calc) and Presentation (impress) are 95%+ file compatible with MS Office apps, so it is not much work to move into and out of OO.o and Office. There are other major Office (KOffice) and Word Processors (AbiWord) also so you have a choice to meet your preferences. For financial planning there is GNUCash which is on the same lines of Quicken/Quickbooks. There are many other tools such as task/project management, diagramming, PDA tools, etc
Less Old Junk
Ok, this is a good/bad point, but look at the shelves of a retailer's software rack. Bunches of old games shoveled onto a CD antiquated programs resold over and over. On the Internet it's just as bad with screensavers and down-loadable games and other things that clog up your hard drive and empty your wallet. How much of all that does anyone really need? Linux as it's just getting the public attention doesn't have all that crap behind it (though if you do want to use it there are applications like WINE which will help you run Windows and other OS programs under Linux.) Many of the applications popular under Linux are new (many still in active development) employing modern features and technologies.
SOME SUGGESTED APPLICATIONS TO CHECK OUT: Open Office - Word processor, Spreadsheet, Presentation, and Graphics (in V2.0 also database)
Scribus - Desktop Publishing. If you are used to higher end publishing programs like Adobe PageMaker, Scribus is a very worthy Linux alternative.
Inkscape - SVG, EPS, etc. vector/object drawing application. Along the same lines as Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw.
the GIMP - the GNU Image Manipulation Program, a full featured bitmap image editor in par with Photoshop.
KDE Kontact or Evolution - Similar to Palm Desktop or Outlook Express (calendar, address book, email, to do list, etc.), also can Sync to Palm Pilot and other PIM handhelds.
Ardour, Audacity, Rosegarden, many others - Lots of music realted programs, audio mixers, MIDI sequencers, etc.
Kino, Cinelerra - non-liniar digital video editor on the same lines as iMovie or Premiere
Quanta, Bluefish, Screem - various high-featured web page/script development/management packages (these pages are written with the aid of Quanta).
VICE - The Versatile Commodore Emulator, can emulate just about any Commodore 8-bit computer, including my fave, the Commodore PET.
BZFlag, Armagetron, Tux Racer, etc. - A very small sample of the 3D games available (single player and free-play over the Internet) for Linux. There are also many traditional favorites (like Mahjong and various Card Games). Here is a Linux Games List site which will give you a good idea of all the games available for Linux.
In early 2007, I wrote that a growing number of Windows users were considering switching to Apple’s Macintosh platform.
I called this “the Macintosh tide” and predicted then that it would swell quickly (see www.chron.com/macstampede).
Indeed, I think you can say that the tide came in. By some estimations, Apple’s market share has grown from the midsingle digits to close to 10 percent in that time, and that growth likely came from the legion of Windows users. After all, there aren’t that many computer neophytes left.
But now I’m wondering if we’re past high tide. For a variety of reasons, the pace and intensity of Windows-to-Mac switching may be starting to ebb.
Don’t get me wrong. There are still a lot of people out there interested in making the leap. During Wednesday night’s episode of Technology Bytes, the computer help call-in show I co-host, we took a call from someone interested in buying his wife a new notebook computer, and he was eyeing a 17-inch MacBook Pro with a price tag of more than $3,000. She was a Windows user, studying accounting at a local college, and was planning to use Parallels Desktop software to run Windows on that Mac.
Four of the five co-hosts on the show use Macs, including me, but all of us suggested the caller’s wife would be better off with a much-less-expensive PC. She already had the software she needed, doesn’t know the Mac OS and isn’t particularly computer-savvy. Using virtualization to run basic productivity apps would have added a layer of complexity she didn’t need, as well as greatly increasing the cost. We suggested she buy a Windows-based notebook at about a fourth of the price and be done with it.
This is a good example of the problem Apple is starting to face in growing its share of the market by winning over Windows users. There are a growing number of factors at play:
• The economy. It’s true that, even in tough times, those who still have money to buy luxury goods will do so, but those folks are fewer and farther between. Despite the legion of die-hards who’ll tell you that Macs are a better value than PCs because of quality, security and feature set, they have a much higher out-of-pocket cost.
You still must have the $2,000 to get a 15-inch MacBook Pro if you want one. But if you only have $800 to spend, you can find a pretty powerful 15-inch Windows notebook. If Apple wants to continue its growth, it’s going to have to lower prices. I still hear from Windows users interested in switching, but more and more, they indicate they’ve decided not to do so because of the cost.
• The cool factor. No one does interesting design or innovates on features like Apple, but it’s my impression that the company’s design juggernaut has stalled in the last year. It had been pumping out interesting and market-changing products, but I haven’t seen anything since the MacBook Air that’s impressed me.
The new MacBooks were impressive, but they didn’t knock it out of the park for me.
New iMacs and a rumored revamped Mac Mini haven’t materialized. The tech universe evolves quickly, but in terms of its Macs, Apple seems to be taking a breather.
• The hype. Apple’s a master at getting others to do promotion on its behalf. The fanboy nation is a powerful force — watch for its presence to manifest itself in the comments under the online version of this column at chron.com — and it saves Apple a bundle in marketing costs.
But at the moment, Microsoft is winning the buzz contest because of the impending launch of Windows 7. With the release of the public beta, the gang in Redmond has tech pundits and bloggers writing about it on a regular basis — including me.
Apple, of course, is working on an update of its own operating system, but it doesn’t do public betas. So, while Snow Leopard is expected to have some impressive, mostly under-the-hood improvements, it doesn’t have much excitement outside of the traditional Apple user base.
Microsoft’s edge here comes from the fact that Windows Vista was perceived as such a dog, and Windows 7 is getting much better reviews. We’ll see in the end if Win7 lives up to the hype generated by its early release.
If the Macintosh tide is indeed ebbing, we should start to see it with Apple’s next quarterly earnings report.
The company did remarkably well at the end of 2008, but it warned that things would be tougher going forward. I think Apple’s leadership also suspects that the tide of Windows switchers may be receding for a while.
Microsoft is preparing to announce a new version of Windows Mobile that will hopefully be able to compete with Android and iPhone — but my money says it will be a disappointment. Microsoft has a ways to go to compete with Apple and Google, and many people have already lost confidence in Windows Mobile (which can be difficult to reverse).
In my opinion, the biggest mistake Microsoft has ever made was focusing too much on competing with Google when they should have been investing in their Windows Mobile operating system. Instead, they have wasted billions of dollars on a sub-par search engine, and let the mobile future slip through their fingers.
Microsoft has a chance to change my mind with Windows Mobile 6.5 — and who knows, maybe it will knock the ball out of the park. The new operating system apparently looks an awful lot like Android right now, but it’s too early to say what the final product will look like since it’s not even in beta yet.
In related news, the Windows Mobile Marketplace (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?) will be launched sooner than later — it’s the equivalent to the iPhone App Store, and the Android Marketplace. Applications found here will be compatible with Windows Mobile 6 when it’s launched.
What do you think of Microsoft’s attempt to get back into mobile?
The Windows 7 beta download program may have ended, but that hasn't stopped leaks of an even newer version of the next Microsoft operating system.
Torrent sites, such as The Pirate Bay, are currently seeding versions of Windows 7 Build 7022, which appears to have been finalised after the previous beta was made public. IE8 too
The new disk image includes RC1 of Internet Explorer 8, which is new to Windows 7, although it has been made public separately already.
Naturally, the leak isn't approved by Microsoft and is most likely illegal to own (it depends on your territory), but that hasn't stopped tens of thousands of downloaders checking it out over the weekend.
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