Annual Cost of Microsoft Monopoly: $10 Billion

An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft's deals with major PC vendors lock
users out from alternative options, such as Linux. A recent [0]whitepaper
calculates that the cost to industry of this Microsoft monopoly is $10
billion per year."

Discuss this story at:
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=05/07/26/1434243

Links:
0. http://www.cybersource.com.au/about/monopoly.html

PCWorld Says Firefox is Strong, Vista is Weak

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/208659921/article.pl
twitter writes "PC World has released their year in review statistics and 2007 was not kind to Microsoft. IE 6 users are equally likely to move to Firefox as they are to IE7 and no one wants Vista. 'How much of an accomplishment is it for a new version of Windows to get to 14 percent usage in 11 months? The logical benchmark is to compare it to the first eleven months of Windows XP, back in 2001 and 2002. In that period, that operating system went from nothing to 36 percent usage on PCWorld.com--more than 250 percent of the usage that Vista has mustered so far.'"

Vista SP1 Preview

URL: http://badvista.fsf.org/blog/vista-sp1-preview

Word is out that Windows Vista Service Pack 1 is in Beta mode. Reviewers mention that it is relatively unchanged, i.e., it is still running as a giant piece of proprietary malware, but, that it is running a little bit faster (one report takes a shot at it claiming that it is almost as fast as Windows 98). Unfortunately, Service Pack 1 still leaves Vista designed to restrict what users can do with their software.

So, my advice is: don't wait for Service Pack 1. Despite the free software worlds constant battle to acquire hardware specifications (often reverse engineering them) in order to develop free software drivers, GNU/Linux still supports far more hardware than Vista ever will. One of the reasons for this is because Vista needs certain hardware requirements to implement Digital Restrictions Management schemes and Trusted Computing schemes so that the hardware and the software can restrict how you can use your software, your data, and all of your multi-media content. I'm not sure you can run GNU/Linux on a shoebox, but you certainly don't need a top of the line machine like Vista requires. Most distributions run on anything from your old 12-pound laptop from the early 90s to the latest and greatest super-computer cluster, as well as most everything in between. When you install GNU/Linux, you decide if you want to stay on the cutting edge and be a "beta tester," or you can choose to run a heavily tested and stable version of an application. GNU/Linux is not designed to restrict the user.

In fact, free software carries freedom to the user. Microsoft claims absolute ownership over their software, but, with free software, you have all the same rights as developers do to use, to change, to share (even to sell) the software to whomever, and for whatever purpose you see fit -- and, as long as you continue to pass along those same freedoms to everyone else, it will always be free software. So, don't wait for SP1, install your favorite GNU/Linux distribution today, and be a part of a thriving and respectful community that values your freedom of choice and your freedom to do what you wish with your software, your data, and your multimedia content.

Mensagem de erro do Vista

Windows Home Server Corrupts Files

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/207088899/article.pl
crustymonkey points out a ComputerWorld article which says that "Microsoft Corp. has warned Windows Home Server users not to edit files stored on their backup systems with several of its programs, including Vista Photo Gallery and Office's OneNote and Outlook, as well as files generated by popular finance software such as Quicken and QuickBooks."

Crustymonkey asks Don't back up your files to Windows Home Server, as recommended by Microsoft themselves? I'm not exactly what the point is in having a home server if you can't back up files on it."

Slow File Copy Bug in Vista: An Excellent Case for Open Source

URL:
http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2007-12-24-003-26-OP-MS-SW
foobar: "But let us just ponder for a moment what would happen if Vista
was open source...?"

Vista Named Year's Most Disappointing Product

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/202004132/article.pl
Shadow7789 writes "No surprise here, but to complete its humiliation,
PC Magazine has declared that Windows Vista is the most disappointing
product of 2007. Quoting: 'Five years in the making and this is the
best Microsoft could do?... No wonder so many users are clinging to XP
like shipwrecked sailors to a life raft, while others who made the
upgrade are switching back. And when the fastest Vista notebook PC
World has ever tested is an Apple MacBook Pro, there's something deeply wrong with the universe.'"

New Vista Random Numbers to Include NSA Backdoor?

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/201848405/article.pl
Schneier is reporting that Microsoft has added the new Dual_EC-DRBG random-number generator to Vista SP1. This random-number generator is the same one discussed earlier that may have a secret NSA backdoor built into it.

The Advantages of Upgrading From Vista To XP

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/200937085/article.pl An
anonymous reader passes us a blog posting, which may be just a bit
tongue-in-cheek, about the pros and cons of upgrading from Vista to XP.
"...there is only one conclusion to be made; Microsoft have really
outdone themselves in delivering a brand new operating system that
really excels in all the areas where Vista was sub-optimal. From my
testing, discussions with friends and colleagues, and a review of the
material out there on the web there seems to be no doubt whatsoever
that that upgrade to XP is well worth the money. Microsoft can really
pat themselves on the back for a job well done, delivering an operating
system which is much faster and far more reliable than its predecessor.
Anyone who thinks there are problems in the Microsoft Windows team need only point to this fantastic release and scoff loudly."

O que houve de errado com o Windows Vista?

http://www.meiobit.com/o_que_houve_de_errado_com_o_windows_vista

Vista Makes CNET UK's List of "Worst Consumer Tech"

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/190989167/article.pl
Several anonymous readers writes pointed us at CNET UK's Crave blog for
a list of what is or was, in their opinion, the worst consumer tech in
history. Vista comes in at number 10, in company with Apple's puck
mouse (number 6) and Sony's CD rootkit (number 9). According to Crave:
"[Vista's] incompatibility with hardware, its obsessive requirement of
human interaction to clear security dialogue box warnings and its
abusive use of hated DRM, not to mention its general pointlessness as
an upgrade, are just some examples of why this expensive operating
system earns the final place in our terrible tech list." That's gotta
hurt a little, coinciding as it does with Apple's Don't Give Up On
Vista attack ad.

More Evidence That XP is Vista's Main Competitor

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/190679116/article.pl
Ian Lamont writes "Computerworld is reporting that Windows XP Service
Pack 3 runs MS Office 10% faster than XP SP2 — and is 'considerably
faster' than Vista SP1. XP SP3 isn't scheduled to be released until
next year, but testers at Devil Mountain Software — the same company
which found Vista SP 1 to be hardly any faster than the debut version
of Vista — were able to run some benchmarking tests on a release
candidate of XP SP3, says the report. While this may be great news for
XP owners, it is a problem for Microsoft, which is having trouble
convincing business users to migrate to Vista."

Vista at Risk of Being Bypassed by Businesses

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/186419761/article.pl
narramissic writes "With Windows 7 due in late 2009 or 2010, many
businesses may choose to wait it out rather than make the switch to
Vista. According to some analysts, Vista uptake at this point really
depends on how good Vista SP1 (due in Q1, 2008) is. If it doesn't
smooth over all the problems, companies are much more likely to stick
with XP. And that holds especially true for those businesses that
follow the every-other-release rule." Note for Microsoft: Allow us to
natively disable trackpads.

Vista vs. Desktop Linux: One Year In

Address :

To me, Vista is a lot like those gas-guzzling, constantly breaking down
American junkers. I have been using Vista for more than a year now. It
still doesn't run all my hardware. It still has problems with some of
my Windows applications. And, even as PC hardware prices continue their
perpetual drop, I still find that the average PC with 2GB of RAM,
built-in Intel graphics and a middlin' performing dual-core CPU isn't
fast enough to run Vista acceptably.

Driver Update Can Cause Vista Deactivation

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/173840192/article.pl
KrispySausage writes "After weeks of grueling troubleshooting, I've
finally had it confirmed by Microsoft Australia and USA — something as
small as swapping the video card or updating a device driver can
trigger a total Vista deactivation. Put simply, your copy of Windows
will stop working with very little notice (three days) and your PC will
go into "reduced functionality" mode, where you can't do anything but
use the web browser for half an hour."

Associação holandesa propõe boicote ao Windows Vista

A Consumentenbond, um órgão holandês de defesa do consumidor, está
pedindo que os usuários de computadores boicotem o sistema operacional
Windows Vista.

A associação tem recebido muitas queixas de pessoas que compraram o
Windows Vista, mas não conseguiram se adaptar, pois estavam acostumadas
ao Windows XP. Segundo informações do site da Consumentenbond, foram
mais de 5 mil reclamações.

Uma das reivindicações da entidade é o downgrade gratuito para que os
usuários descontentes voltem a usar o XP. A Microsoft, entretanto,
informou que apenas as pessoas que compraram as licenças Vista Ultimate
e Vista Business poderiam solicitar gratuitamente o serviço.

Outras informações no Blog Lote Cultural.
Address :

Vista Runs Out of Memory While Copying Files

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/170755506/article.pl ta
bu shi da yu writes "It appears that, incredibly, Vista can run out of
memory while copying files. ZDNet is reporting that not only does it
run out of memory after copying 16,400+ files, but that 'often there is
little indication that file copy operations haven't completed
correctly.' Apparently a fix was scheduled for SP1 but didn't make it;
there is a hotfix that you must request."

Microsoft Admits: Customers May Not Need Vista

URL: http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/other/display/20070928125246.html
Microsoft Extends Availability of Windows XP

Less Than 2 Percent of UK Companies Have Upgraded Windows

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/159599713/article.pl
Rob writes "Computer Business Review is reporting that less than 2% of
UK-based firms have already upgraded all their desktops to Windows
Vista. Just shy of 5% said that they have begun a Windows Vista desktop
upgrade program. 6.5% said they will upgrade in the next 6 months;
12.6% in the next 12 months; 13% in the next 18 months; and 18% in the
next two years. That means that within two years from now, only 56% of
survey respondents say they will have upgraded their firm's desktops to
Windows Vista. 'In terms of retail sales of Vista in a box, Ballmer
said he believes most of that up-tick is concentrated in the first few
months of the software going on sale. He doubted that this would carry
over into Microsoft's fiscal 2008, which began in July 2007. Analyst
estimates for fiscal 2008 growth in Microsoft's client business unit,
which includes Vista, is around the 9% mark. Ballmer said that analysts
should consider that rather than creating huge spurts of new growth "a
new Windows release is primarily a chance to sustain the revenue we
have".'"

Vista Networking - Part 1

URL: http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?i=dc6c39bacee1f13872b62d7fe194e3fa
Vista brings more annoyances than benefits to those seeking relief from
networking hassles.

Microsoft Still a Monopoly, 7 State Attorneys Say

URL:
http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2007-08-31-020-26-NW-MS-LL
eWeek Channel Insider: "Seven state attorneys say key provisions of the
final antitrust judgment have had little impact on competition with
Microsoft..."

Valve Says Choice to Make DX10 Vista-Only Hurt PC Gaming

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/148957948/article.pl
Erris writes "Valve's President Gabe Newell is calling Microsoft's
choice to make DirectX 10 Vista-only a 'terrible mistake' that has
harmed gaming. His company's latest hardware study shows the strategy
has not moved gamers onto Vista. The result is that almost no one is
using the newest version of DirectX, and companies are shying away from
creating new input devices that support it. Nine months after release,
after Christmas, after graduation, and with school mostly back in
session, still only 8% of gamers are using it." Update: 08/27 21:09 GMT
by Z : An AC points out that these numbers may be framed poorly given
uptake numbers for XP's release.

MS Responds To Vista's Network / Audio Problems

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/148493169/article.pl
quirdan writes "With the discovery last week of the connection between
Vista's poor networking performance and audio activities, word quickly
spread around the Net. No doubt this got Microsoft's attention, and
they have responded to the issue. Microsoft states that 'some of what
we are seeing is expected behavior, and some of it is not'; and that
they are working on technical documentation, as well as applying a
slight sugar coating to the symptoms. Apparently they believe an almost
90% drop in networking performance is 'slight,' only affects reception
of data, and that this performance trade-off is necessary to simply
play an MP3."

Playing Music Slows Vista Network Performance?

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/146565130/article.pl An
anonymous reader writes "Over the months since Vista's release, there
has been no doubt about the reduced level of network performance
experienced compared to Windows XP. However, some users over at the
2CPU forums have discovered an unexplained connection with audio
playback resulting in a cap at approximately 5%-10% of total network
throughput. Whenever any audio is being sent to a sound card (even,
several users report, while paused), network performance is instantly
reduced. As soon as the audio is stopped, the throughput begins to
climb to its expected speed. It's a tough one for users -- what do you
pick, sound or speed? So much for multi-tasking."

Vista is Watching You

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/129766654/article.pl
greengrass writes "Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well
know that the licensed operating system installed on your machine is
harvesting a healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this
context, a program such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of
your concerns. In fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and
services are hard at work collecting and transmitting your personal
data to the Redmond company."

Microsoft Pleads With Consumers to Adopt Vista Now

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/126378347/article.pl
SlinkySausage writes "Microsoft has admitted, in an email to the press,
that 'some customers may be waiting to adopt Windows Vista because
they've heard rumors about device or application compatibility issues,
or because they think they should wait for a service pack release.' The
company is now pleading with customers not to wait until the release of
SP1 at the end of the year, launching a 'fact rich' program to try to
convince them to 'proceed with confidence'. The announcement coincides
with an embarrassing double-backflip: Microsoft had pre-briefed
journalists that it was going to allow home users to run Vista basic
and premium under virtual machines like VMWare, but it changed its mind
at the last minute and pulled the announcement."

Google diz que Windows Vista faz concorrência desleal

http://conjur.estadao.com.br/static/text/56453,1

Microsoft To Dump 32-Bit After Vista

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/117464834/article.pl
SlinkySausage writes "Microsoft has used its annual hardware
engineering conference to announce that Windows Vista and Server 2008
will be the last versions of Windows capable of booting on 32-bit CPUs
such as Intel Pentium 4 and Core Duo. AMD, which introduced 64-bit CPUs
early -- much to the derision of Intel, which said there was no use for
them at the time -- must be delighted with Microsoft's decision. Owners
of first-generation Intel Macs that used (32-bit only) Core Duo CPUs
may not be so happy knowing that Vista will be the last Windows they
will be able to run."

Malware Hijacks Windows Update

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/117164516/article.pl
clickclickdrone writes "The BBC are reporting a new piece of malware is
in the wild that can hijack Windows Update's functionality and bypass
firewalls allowing it to install malicious code on users PCs. The new
code was discovered by Frank Boldewin in an email. The attack utilizes
the BITS system."

Vista Eating Battery Life

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/114209440/article.pl
LWATCDR writes "It looks like more issues with Vista drains notebook
batteries. Using the Aero interface really eats into your notebooks
battery life. Of course one of the new 'features' of Vista is supposed
to be better power management. This provides a great opportunity for a
showdown. How long until someone loads Vista on a MacBook and compares
run time? It would provide a flat playing field now that Apple makes
Intel-powered notebooks."

Nvidia: We Underestimated Necessary Resources for Vista Driver

URL: http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20070412224213.html
Nvidia Names Stability as Top Priority for Windows Vista Drivers

Vista Can Run Without Activation for a Year

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/102143594/article.pl An
anonymous reader gave us a heads up on this article for people who like
putting things off. It begins: "Windows Vista can be run for at least a
year without being activated, a serious end-run around one of
Microsoft's key anti-piracy measures, Windows expert Brian Livingston
said today. Livingston, who publishes the Windows Secrets newsletter,
said that a single change to Vista's registry lets users put off the
operating system's product activation requirement an additional eight
times beyond the three disclosed last month. With more research, said
Livingston, it may even be possible to find a way to postpone
activation indefinitely."

Prescription Meds For Vista Sleep Disorder

URL:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/100896432/article.pl
Arnold O'Connor writes "NeoSmart Technologies has compiled a list of
hotfixes and patches provided by Microsoft for Windows Vista that
address a large number of issues related to waking/resuming a Vista PC
(both x86 and x64) from sleep or hibernation. Sleep-related disorders
have plagued Vista since its release, though they were not present in
earlier betas. Most of these fixes are due to be included in Windows
Vista SP1 -- codenamed Fiji."

Is Vista a Trap?

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/98515032/article.pl
logube writes "BBC has up an article about the trap of installing Vista
in your existing desktop. Written by Tim Weber, a self-confessed
'sucker for technology', this article is a good introduction to the
pain and extra money required to get going with the newest version of
Windows. See how you can spend an extra 130 british pounds, and still
have no working webcam! Says Weber, 'It took me one day to get online.
The detail is tedious and highly technical: reinstalling drivers and
router firmware didn't work, but after many trial and error tweaks to
Vista's TCP/IP settings, I had internet access. Once online, Creative's
website told me that my sound card was a write-off. No Vista support
would be forthcoming.'"

Vista Worse For User Efficiency Than XP

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/96897731/article.pl
erikvlie writes "Pfeiffer Consulting released a report on User
Interface Friction, comparing Windows Vista/Aero with Windows XP and
Mac OS X. The report concludes that Vista/Aero is worse in terms of
desktop operations, menu latency, and mouse precision than XP -- which
was and still is said to be a lot worse on those measures than Mac OS
X. The report was independently financed. The IT-Enquirer editor has
read the report and summarized the most important findings."

Software Missing From Vista's "Official Apps"

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/94400491/article.pl

PetManimal writes "Microsoft has just released a list of 800
applications it says are 'officially supported' on Windows Vista.
What's special about this list, however, are the programs that are not
included: 'Popular Windows software that is conspicuously missing from
Microsoft's list includes Adobe Systems Inc.'s entire line of graphics
and multimedia software, Symantec Corp.'s security products, as well as
the Mozilla Foundation's open-source Firefox Web browser, Skype Ltd.'s
free voice-over-IP software and the OpenOffice.org alternative to
Microsoft Office.' Another area in which Vista has found to be lacking
is gaming, as discussed earlier on Slashdot."

4 GB May Be Vista's RAM Sweet Spot

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/93569136/article.pl

jcatcw writes "David Short, an IBM consultant who works in the Global
Services Division and has been beta testing Vista for two years, says
users should consider 4GB of RAM if they really want optimum Vista
performance. With Vista's minimum requirement of 512MB of RAM, Vista
will deliver performance that's 'sub-XP,' he says. (Dell and others
recommend 2GB.) One reason: SuperFetch, which fetches applications and
data, and feeds them into RAM to make them accessible more quickly.
More RAM means more caching."

Testing Vista's Speech Recognition

URL:
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/02/testing-vistas-seech-recognition.html

A very patient individual decided to test Vista's speech recognition.
Admittedly, it's not an easy task to build a software that actually
works well and Microsoft doesn't have a brilliant history in this area
(remember the demo from July last year?).

Microsoft is proud: "Windows Vista includes a built-in speech
recognition user interface designed specifically for users who need to
control Windows and enter text without using a keyboard or mouse. There
is also a state-of-the-art general purpose speech recognition engine.
Not only is this an extremely accurate engine, but it's also available
in a variety of languages."

But this long video shows how difficult is to browse the Internet if
you're brave enough to use only your voice, and not your fingers. To
improve the performance of speech recognition, users should perform
some training before actually using it. But it's weird to see that only
Internet Explorer has problems, while Firefox is responsive.


This reminds me of a Saturday Night Live sketch (WMV file, 2.2MB,
transcript), that illustrates how hard speech recognition is.

"Very Severe Hole" In Vista UAC Design

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/90389211/article.pl

Cuts and bruises writes "Hacker Joanna Rutkowska has flagged a "very
severe hole" in the design of Windows Vista's User Account Controls
(UAC) feature. The issue is that Vista automatically assumes that all
setup programs (application installers) should be run with
administrator privileges -- and gives the user no option to let them
run without elevated privileges. This means that a freeware Tetris
installer would be allowed to load kernel drivers. Microsoft's Mark
Russinovich acknowledges the risk factor but says it was a 'design
choice' to balance security with ease of use."

Vista Not Playing Nice With FPS Games

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/89971408/article.pl

PetManimal writes "Computerworld is reporting that gamers who have
installed Vista are reporting problems with first person-shooter titles
such as CounterStrike, Half-Life 2, Doom 3. and F.E.A.R. (Users have
compiled lists of games with Vista issues.) The complaints, which have
turned up on gamers' forums, cite crashes and low frame rates. Not
surprisingly, the problems relate to graphics hardware and software:
'Experts blame still-flaky software drivers, Vista's complexity, and a
dearth of new video cards optimized for Vista's new rendering
technology, DirectX 10. That's despite promises from Microsoft that
Vista is backwards-compatible with XP's graphic engine, DirectX 9, and
that it will support existing games. Meanwhile, games written to take
advantage of DirectX 10 have been slow to emerge. And one Nvidia
executive predicts that gamers may not routinely see games optimized
for DirectX 10 until mid-2008.'"

Mecanismo pode limitar qualidade de áudio e vídeo no Vista

O Windows Vista trará um gerenciador embutido no sistema que será capaz
de identificar arquivos de vídeo e de áudio que forem transmitidos ao
computador por conexões consideradas ilegais. Nesses casos, o sistema
poderá reduzir a qualidade dos arquivos para exibição.

Com isso, a Microsoft espera impedir que filmes de alta definição sejam
copiados, exibindo esses conteúdos com um grau inferior de definição. O
mecanismo foi criticado por diversos especialistas, que consideraram a
tecnologia maléfica aos consumidores.

Em entrevista à rede BBC, Peter Gutmann, professor de ciência da
computação da Universidade de Auckland, na Nova Zelândia, considerou a
medida um obstáculo intencional à exibição de vídeos.

"Se os consumidores pagarem milhares de dólares para ter alta qualidade
e definição e perceberem que o que vêem foi "piorado", ficarão bastante
infelizes", afirmou. Em resposta, Dave Marsh, responsável pela
programação de vídeo da Microsoft, afirmou que a proteção embutida no
Vista é comum em tocadores e que a capacidade do sistema de tornar a
qualidade de áudio e de vídeo inferior só será ativada se isso for
solicitado pelos desenvolvedores do conteúdo.

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/informatica/ult124u21550.shtml

Vista - iPod Killer?

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/86004509/article.pl

JMB wrote us with a dire warning, as reported by the San Jose Mercury
News. Apple is cautioning its Windows-using iTunes customers to steer
clear of Vista until the next iTunes update. The reason for this is a
bit puzzling. Apparently, if you try to 'safely remove' your iPod from
a Vista-installed PC, there's a chance you may corrupt the little music
player. They also claim that songs may not play, and contacts may not
sync with the device. Apple went so far as to release a detailed
support document on the subject, which assures users that a new
Vista-compatible version of the software will be available in a few
weeks. Is this just some very creative FUD? If it is not who do you
think is 'at fault' here, Microsoft or Apple?

Remote Exploit of Vista Speech Control

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/84934677/article.pl

An anonymous reader writes "George Ou writes in his blog that he found
a remote exploit for the new and shiny Vista Speech Control.
Specifically, websites playing soundfiles can trigger arbitrary
commands. Ou reports that Microsoft confirmed the bug and suggested as
workarounds that either 'A user can turn off their computer speakers
and/or microphone'; or, 'If a user does run an audio file that attempts
to execute commands on their system, they should close the Windows
Media Player, turn off speech recognition, and restart their computer.'
Well, who didn't see that coming?"

5 coisas boas e 5 ruins no Windows Vista - Info Online

URL: http://info.abril.com.br/aberto/infonews/012007/30012007-11.shl

Vista Upgrades Require Presence of Old OS

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/83200774/article.pl

kapaopango writes "Ars Technica is reporting that upgrade versions of
Windows Vista Home Basic, Premium, and Starter Edition cannot be
installed on a PC unless Windows XP or Windows 2000 is already
installed. This is a change from previous versions of Windows, which
only required a valid license key. This change has the potential to
make disaster recovery very tedious. The article says: 'For its part,
Microsoft seems to be confident that the Vista repair process should be
sufficient to solve any problems with the OS, since otherwise the only
option for disaster recovery in the absence of backups would be to wipe
a machine, install XP, and then upgrade to Vista. This will certainly
make disaster recovery a more irritating experience.'"

Windows Vista--How Would You Like To Be Screwed Today?

http://www.jethrocarr.com/index.php?cms=blog:20070124

Microsoft Admits Vista Has "High Impact Issues"

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/79946155/article.pl

EggsAndSausage writes "Microsoft has granted, in a roundabout way, that
Vista has 'high impact issues.' It has put out an email call for
technical users to participate in testing Service Pack 1, due out later
this year, which will address 'regressions from Windows Vista and
Windows XP, security, deployment blockers and other high impact
issues.' It's hard to know whether to be reassured that Service Pack 1
is coming in the second half of 2007, and thus that there is a
timeframe for considering deployment of Vista within businesses, or to
be alarmed that Microsoft is unleashing an OS on the world with 'high
impact issues' still remaining." In other news, one blogger believes
that Vista is the first Microsoft OS since Windows 3.1 to have
regressed in usability from its predecessor (he kindly forgives and
dismisses Windows ME). And there's a battle raging over the top 10
reasons to get Vista or not to get Vista.

Gamers Don't Need Vista or DX 10 Says Carmack

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/78015991/article.pl

Freshly Exhumed writes "In an interview with Marcus Yam at Daily Tech
legendary PC/Console game creator John Carmack holds forth on DirectX
10: 'Personally, I wouldn't jump at something like DX10 right now. I
would let things settle out a little bit and wait until there's a
really strong need for it.' and then zings Microsoft's marketers over
DX10's mandatory use of the Vista OS: 'Carmack then said that he's
quite satisfied with Windows XP, going as far to say that Microsoft is
artificially forcing gamers to move to Windows Vista for DX10.' There
are a few good tidbits on Xbox 360 vs. PS3 development, and a fairly
clear disinterest in Wii as a platform for his company's products is
shown."

Linuxworld Australia: Windows Vista "Over-Hyped": Torvalds

URL:
http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2007-01-18-013-26-NW-KN-MS

With the imminent release of Windows Vista to consumers this month,
Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, has claimed Microsoft's latest
desktop effort is over-hyped and not a revolutionary advancement...

Some 'Next-Gen' DVDs May Not Work With Vista

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/72992406/article.pl

schnikies79 wrote to mention an article on the Times Online site, where
they report that a 'substantial number' of Vista PCs will be unable to
play HD-DVDs or Blu-ray discs, as a result of DRM requirements made by
the operating system. From the article: "Dave Marsh, the lead program
manager for video at Microsoft, said that if the PC used a digital
connection to link with the monitor or television, then it would
require the highest level of content protection, known as HDCP, to play
the discs. If it did not have such protection, Vista would shut down
the signal, he said."

Vista and the Music Industry

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/69214605/article.pl

BanjoBob writes "Vista locks down all the DRM functionality and
actually reduces the quality of playback of some media. This includes
both audio and video content. As a company creating music and video
products, how can we use Vista to create, distribute, and use legal
media? I have read nothing to indicate that Vista has a model to allow
'authorized' use without causing problems. Currently we use Windows
2000 and Linux products. If what we understand is true, Vista and
future Microsoft products won't be viable options for us since prior to
publication, media must be copied multiple times, edited, moved around,
re-edited and often modified into various forms (trailers, etc.)
before, during, and after production. This naturally includes backups
and recovery. If Vista is intent on prohibiting these uses, then
Microsoft is intent on keeping their products out of the realm of
content creation and editing. How do others deal with these issues?"

Adoção do Vista pode ser afetada por ferramenta de proteção, diz análise

http://idgnow.uol.com.br/computacao_pessoal/2006/12/27/idgnoticia.2006-12-27.0899115538/IDGNoticia_view

Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/65204533/article.pl

David Gerard writes "Security researcher Peter Gutmann has released A
Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection, a detailed
explanation of just what the protected-content paths in Windows Vista
mean to you the consumer: increased hardware cost and even less OS
robustness. 'This document analyses the cost involved in Vista's
content protection, and the collateral damage that this incurs
throughout the computer industry ... The Vista Content Protection
specification could very well constitute the longest suicide note in
history.'"

Vista an Uneasy Sleeper

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/59453276/article.pl

Emmy King writes "'One thing we just can't wrap our mind about is the
terrible, broken, and completely pitiful support for waking Vista up
from a Deep Sleep or hibernation.' Any time you attempt to wake Vista
up from Hibernation or "Deep Sleep" (S3-induced sleep mode), it dies.
It's either a BSOD, or a driver error, or a broken network, no DWM,
lack of sound... the list goes on, and on. So much for an operating
system to "power" the future! (No pun intended!) That's with
properly-signed drivers and no buggy software on multiple PCs..."

Activating Vista Enterprise Using a Spoofed Server

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/58790498/article.pl

Ruvim writes "It has been mentioned in previous Slashdot discussions as
possibility, and now it became a reality: Information Week reports that
a spoofed server has been released that can be used to activate
Microsoft's Vista Enterprise versions. It is being made available on
several pirate Web sites and spoofs a Key Management Service server,
used to activate a large number of copies of Windows Vista in
enterprise environments." From the article: "Vista is the first version
of Windows that Microsoft requires volume license customers to
activate. Besides KMS, the Redmond, Wash. developer also offers
Multiple Activation Key, which resembles the retail version's
activation process. PCs activated using KMS must reactivate at least
once every six months. The MelindaGates hack uses a VMware image of a
KMS server to activate -- and keep activated -- a pirated edition of
Windows Vista Business. 'Looks like Windows Vista Volume Activation 2.0
is a big bust,' wrote a user identified as 'clank' on the PirateBay Web
site Friday. "

Vista Designed to Make Malware Easy

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/56806793/article.pl

SlinkySausage writes "Trojan horses masquerading as 'cracks for Vista'
are starting to appear on pirate boards. More worrying though,
Microsoft has confirmed that Vista's image-based install process is
designed to allow third-party software to be slipstreamed into the
installation DVD. Great for corporate deployment of Vista with software
pre-installed, but also a huge benefit for malware writers, who can
distribute Vista images with deeply-rooted malware."

Why Vista Took So Long

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/54639830/article.pl

twofish writes, "Following on from Joel Spolsky's blog on the Windows
Vista shutdown menu, Moishe Lettvin, a former member of the Windows
Vista team (now at Google) who spent a year working on the menu, gives
an insight into the process, and some indication as to what the
approximately 24 people who worked on the shutdown menu actually did.
Joel has responded in typically forthright fashion." From the last
posting: "Every piece of evidence I've heard from developers inside
Microsoft supports my theory that the company has become completely
tangled up in bureaucracy, layers of management, meetings ad infinitum,
and overstaffing. The only way Microsoft has managed to hire so many
people has been by lowering their hiring standards significantly. In
the early nineties Microsoft looked at IBM, especially the bloated OS/2
team, as a case study of what not to do; somehow in the fifteen year
period from 1991–2006 they became the bloated monster that takes
five years to ship an incoherent upgrade to their flagship product."

Vista's EULA Product Activation Worries

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/52205537/article.pl

applejax writes "SecurityFocus is running an article regarding some
concerns about Vista's activation terms. Do you have the right to use
properly purchased but not validated software? What happens if
Microsoft deactivates your OS that was legally purchased? The article
goes into some detail about Vista's validation and concerns." From the
article: "The terms of the Vista EULA, like the current EULA related to
the 'Windows Genuine Advantage,' allows Microsoft to unilaterally
decide that you have breached the terms of the agreement, and they can
essentially disable the software, and possibly deny you access to
critical files on your computer without benefit of proof, hearing,
testimony or judicial intervention. In fact, if Microsoft is wrong, and
your software is, in fact, properly licensed, you probably will be
forced to buy a license to another copy of the operating system from
Microsoft just to be able to get access to your files, and then you can
sue Microsoft for the original license fee."

Adobe pode processar Microsoft devido a recursos do Vista

URL: http://diariodigital.sapo.pt/news.asp?section_id=44&id_news=251233



Adobe pode processar Microsoft devido a recursos do Vista
Diário Digital - 1 hora atrás
A Adobe está a estudar a hipótese de processar a Microsoft, tendo em
conta que o gigante da informática se prepara para introduzir um
recurso que compete directamente com o formato PDF, da aplicação
Acrobat Reader, no novo sistema operativo Windows ...

Preview of Vista on Old Hardware

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/47632335/article.pl

Grooves writes "According to tests performed by Ars Technica, Windows
Vista will need some coddling on old hardware. As a follow-up to their
performance review of Vista Beta 2, Ars tested the latest public builds
of Vista on hardware spanning from 2001 to a Thinkpad purchased a few
months ago. The results show that Vista is extremely RAM hungry,
graphical power is less of an issue unless you want eye candy, and hard
drive I/O is critical. Also, their experience with 'in-place upgrades'
was abysmal, and mirrored my own experiences."

Every Vista Computer Gets Its Own Domain Name

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/46382292/article.pl

c_forq writes, "According to APC magazine, every new Windows Vista
computer will be given its own domain name to access files remotely.
There is a catch though: to use it one must be using IPv6. Is the push
for Vista also going to be the push finally to switch everything from
IPv4 to IPv6?" Microsoft, meanwhile, is trying to convince businesses
to adopt both Vista and Office 2007 at once. An analyst is quoted: 'In
all likelihood, enterprises will tie deployment of both Vista and
Office 2007 with a hardware upgrade cycle.' His reasoning is that it
will be easier for companies to handle one disruption to its IT systems
than two. Or three.

Vista to Allow "One Significant" Hardware Upgrade

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/43399228/article.pl

fiorenza writes "Ars Technica spoke with Microsoft concerning the
controversial changes in Windows Vista's licensing, and they have
learned that Vista will permit one 'significant' hardware change before
requiring users to either appeal to Microsoft support or purchase
another license. Automatic re-activation online will fail after one
use. Microsoft is using a new algorithm to monitor hardware changes and
enforce licensing compliance, and the company says that it is more
forgiving now than it was with Windows XP."

Vista Licenses Limit OS Transfers, Ban VM Use

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/36568176/article.pl

NiK0laI writes "TechWeb has posted an article regarding Vista's new
license and how it allows you to only move it to another device once.
How will this work for people who build their PCs? I have no intention
of purchasing a new license every time I swap out motherboards. 'The
first user of the software may reassign the license to another device
one time. If you reassign the license, that other device becomes the
"licensed device," reads the license for Windows Vista Home Basic, Home
Premium, Ultimate, and Business. In other words, once a retail copy of
Vista is installed on a PC, it can be moved to another system only
once. ... Elsewhere in the license, Microsoft forbids users from
installing Vista Home Basic and Vista Home Premium in a virtual
machine. "You may not use the software installed on the licensed device
within a virtual (or otherwise emulated) hardware system," the legal
language reads. Vista Ultimate and Vista Business, however, can be
installed within a VM.'" Overly Critical Guy points out more
information about changes to Vista's EULA and the new usage
restrictions. "For instance, Home Basic users can't copy ISOs to their
hard drives, can't run in a virtualized environment, and can only share
files and printers to a maximum of 5 network devices."

Early Testers Say Vista RC1 Not Ready

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/19600283/article.pl

digihome writes "A number of partners and analysts who have downloaded
Vista RC1 say the code is solid but they are not convinced it will be
ready for release this fall. A Directions on Microsoft analyst said, 'I
would call this at best a Beta Three and not a Release Candidate One.'"

Vista Startup Sound to be Mandatory?

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/18189533/article.pl

Toreo asesino writes "There has been lots of debate in the past few
days over Microsoft's plan to make the startup sound in Windows Vista
something that can't be specifically silenced by changing the sound
settings in the control panel. Users would be able to avoid hearing it
by manually turning down the speaker volume, but then they would have
to turn that volume back up to hear anything else."

Windows Vista Beta 2: cada vez mais parecido com o Mac OS X

14 Jun 2006 às 11:05, por MacPress

CURIOSOS de plantão que já baixaram a mais nova versão Beta 2 do
Windows Vista e conhecem o sistema operacional Mac OS X, da Apple
Computer, não puderam deixar de notar que o Vista está cada vez mais
parecido com o OS X.

"Agora que qualquer um pode pegar uma cópia do Windows Vista Beta 2,
pode-se ver em primeira mão o quanto a Microsoft admira o OS X",
escreve o editor do site SvenOnTech. "Sei que, quando o vi pela
primeira vez no Consumer Electronics Show deste ano, fiquei dizendo a
mim mesmo: 'Isto é do OS X... isto é do OS X... isto é do OS X...', até
que o gerente de projetos da Microsoft que estava fazendo a
demonstração disse à platéia que tipo de hardware seria necessário.
Sim, isso era bem Microsoft".

Para quem ainda não deu uma olhada na próxima versão do Windows, o site
Lifehacker mostra no artigo "Windows Vista Beta: bem como o Mac OS X"
imagens comparativas de funções similares do Mac OS X e do Windows
Vista.

"Com o crescente número de inseguranças diárias do Windows (que já se
tornaram uma praga também no Vista), logo os usuários se cansarão da
Microsoft e mudarão. O hardwre extra necessário para rodar o Vista pode
ser a gota d'água", opina o SvenOnTech. Entusiastas do Macintosh
criticam a Microsoft por há 20 anos dedicar-se a fazer cópias ruins do
Mac OS e apontam para este artigo de Matthew Yi, de janeiro de 2006, no
qual o autor diz que o Vista só impressiona quem ainda não viu o Mac OS
X.

http://www2.uol.com.br/macpress/noticias/c030s05014.shtml

Microsoft restringe acesso ao software Vista

Da Redação

18:34 12/06

SÃO PAULO - Segundo o jornal "Financial Times", a Microsoft limitou o
acesso online a uma versão para testes do seu próximo sistema Windows
por medo de causar um pane na internet. O arquivo para download do
software Vista, disponível de graça na internet na semana passada, é
tão pesado que o acesso ilimitado a ele obstruiria a internet, de
acordo com a companhia.

A Microsoft planeja lançar o Windows Vista em novos PCs no começo do
ano que vem, tornando-o a primeira nova versão do sistema operacional
em 5 anos. A versão padrão do software ocupa até 3.5 gigabytes de
memória. Uma segunda versão, projetada para aparelhos de 64-bit, ocupa
4.4 gigabytes e leva 5 horas e meia para ser baixada, mesmo em
computados com banda larga e conexão DSL, de acordo com a Microsoft.

Diversos bloggers sugeriram à Microsoft que o software fosse lançado em
um sistema peer-to-peer como o BitTorrent. Em vez de forçar o acesso a
um servidor central para baixar o arquivo - potencialmente obstruindo a
internet - tais sistemas permitiriam que usuários copiassem o software
localmente. A Microsoft rejeitou a idéia por "questões legais e de
privacidade", mas diversas cópias do software já estão circulando
no BitTorrent.

http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/materias/mundovirtual/2410001-2410500/2410017/2410017_1.xml

20 Things You Won't Like About Vista

feminazi writes "Computerworld's Scot Finnie details 20 things you won't like in Windows Vista, with a visual tour to prove it. He says that MS has favored security over end-user productivity, making the user feel like a rat caught in a maze with all the protect-you-from-yourself password-entry and 'Continue' boxes required by the User Account Controls feature." From the article: "In its supreme state of being, Microsoft knows precisely what's best for you. It knows that because its well-implemented new Sleep mode uses very little electricity and also takes only two or three seconds to either shut down or restart, you want to use this mode to 'turn off' your computer, whether you realize it or not. It wants to teach you about what's best. It wants to make it harder for you to make a mistake."

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/01/1638216

Vista Beta 2 has Major Problems

WebHostingGuy writes "In a review by Gary Krackow from MSNBC who reviewed Vista Beta 2 over the last week he had very disappointing problems. "for me [it] was one of the worst operating system experiences that I've ever encountered." Built-in audio and wireless didn't work on his Levono laptop. It took four days to get the first installation."

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/24/1326223

Protestors provide a nasty "vista" for Gates

Hazmat Suits Greet Microsoft Developers As They Gather For Annual
Conference

To schedule an interview about the campaign or for more details about
the event, please contact Ted Teah at the Free Software Foundation (+1
617-542-5942 x20) or Henri Poole at Civic Actions (+1 510-684-3180).

Seattle, May 23 2006

As Microsoft developers gathered in Seattle to hear Bill Gates's
keynote speech on the future of Microsoft and the coming release of its
updated operating system Vista, protesters wearing bright yellow Hazmat
suits swarmed the entrance of the city's convention center, delivering
an unsettling message to the corporation: your product is defective and
hazardous to users.

The surprise protest marked the launch of DefectiveByDesign.org, a
direct-action campaign that will target Big Media and corporations
peddling Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). "Flash protests, direct
actions, and practical ways that people can get involved and help stop
the stupidity of DRM," is how campaign manager Gregory Heller described
the grassroots effort.

An initiative of the Free Software Foundation (FSF), Defective By
Design is urging all technologists to get involved at the start of the
campaign. "Technologists are very aware of the dangers of DRM," said
Peter Brown, Executive Director of the FSF. "We see this as the tip of
the iceberg and it is our duty to do something about it." The tech
community is uniquely qualified to lead this effort, in Brown's view.
"We know about the collusion of Big Media, device manufacturers and
proprietary software companies to lock us down," he continued. "Their
aim is to put Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) into all our
computers and homes".

Brown's case is simple: the computers, high-definition screens, phones,
music players and video players that are currently being sold are
"defective by design". These products don't respect the user's right to
make private copies of their digital media. These devices make no
provision that would allow art, literature, music or film to ever fall
into the public domain. Effectively, the media purchased for these
devices does not belong to the user -- rather, the networking of these
DRM'd devices means that as the user watches a film, reads an e-book or
switches channels on their HDTV, their habits can be recorded and
actions monitored. The result is that over time, DRM technology will
negate, if not completely eliminate, the rights of the individual.

"In any other industry, such limitations or invasions would be
considered major flaws. A media player that restricts what you can play
is like a car that you won't let you steer," said Brown. "Products
containing DRM are defective -- only, unlike other products, these
defects are deliberately created by an industry that has long stopped
caring about us."

With DRM in place, media conglomerates can change the rules whenever
they want, leading to more restrictions on the individual.

"Media bosses scream 'pirate' equating sharing with murder and kidnap,
then sue our college students. They then steal our rights and impose
crippled products upon us," said Henri Poole, Chairman of CivicActions
and a coalition partner in the campaign. "Media bosses have long been
the 'gatekeepers to the market' for artists. Now they are threatened by
new distribution methods that give artists new freedoms and direct
access to an audience. DRM is the media bosses attempt to re-impose
their rule".

Today's event is the first in a series planned by DefectiveByDesign.org
that will mobilize individuals to make a stand against DRM.

----30----

About Defective By Design

DefectiveByDesign.org is a broad-based, anti-DRM campaign that is
targeting Big Media, unhelpful manufacturers and DRM distributors. It
aims to make all manufacturers wary about bringing their DRM-enabled
products to market. The campaign aims to identify "defective" products
for the consumer. Users are being asked to stand up in defense of their
existing freedoms and to take action by joining at
http://DefectiveByDesign.org

About the Free Software Foundation

The Free Software Foundation, founded in 1985, is dedicated to
promoting computer users' right to use, study, copy, modify, and
redistribute computer programs. The FSF promotes the development and
use of free (as in freedom) software - particularly the GNU operating
system and its GNU/Linux variants - and free documentation for free
software. The FSF also helps to spread awareness of the ethical and
political issues of freedom in the use of software. Their Web site,
located at www.fsf.org , is an important source of information about
GNU/Linux. Donations to support their work can be made at
http://fsf.org/join They are headquartered in Boston, MA, USA.


_______________________________________________
GNU Announcement mailing list
http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-gnu

Microsoft descreve hardware necessário para o Vista

A Microsoft divulgou no seu site a descrição oficial do hardware
necessário para correr o Windows Vista. O lançamento do novo sistema
operativo está previsto para Janeiro de 2007.

O mínimo para suportar o novo sistema é o chamado «Vista Capable», que
contempla um processador 800MHz, 512MB de memória, HD de 20GB com 15GB
livres, leitor de CD-ROM e uma placa de vídeo compatível com DirectX9.

Contudo, recursos inovadores como a nova interface gráfica «Aero» não
funcionam numa máquina desse género, pelo que a gigante da informática
anunciou também o «Premium Ready», que corre o Vista com os recursos
máximos.

Esta descrição define um processador de 1GHz, 128MB de memória na placa
de vídeo, 1GB de memória principal, disco de 40GB e leitor de DVD,
entre outras exigências mais complexas para o cidadão comum.

19-05-2006 11:23:20

http://diariodigital.sapo.pt/news.asp?section_id=44&id_news=228451

Halo 2 Only on Vista

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/02/09/2010238

Windows Vista vaza... novamente

10101001011 writes "The latest build of Windows Vista (5231) has been leaked to the public, again. This latest build includes some major revamping of Windows Media Player, including a smart interface. Also, IE 7 now sports tabs a la Firefox, under the address bar. Are these leaks accidental, or is Microsoft actually trying to pull a 360?"

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/12/2315201

$100 Million Marketing Push For Vista

GecKo213 writes "Microsoft is touting a $100 million marketing campaign promoting Windows Vista and encouraging software developers to build new programs. With the longest gap ever between major releases of Windows operating systems -- the current version, Windows XP, was launched in late 2001 -- Microsoft is facing pressure from its partners and developers to deliver technology that will convince users to upgrade. If $100 Million dollars won't make you want to switch to Vista, what will?"

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/09/16/151227

Um mês sem o Microsoft Office

PC WORLD: A MONTH WITHOUT MICROSOFT OFFICE

"Back on August 3rd, I installed the Beta 1 version of Windows
Vista on my work desktop. That meant reinstalling all my
software... but I didn't have a copy of Microsoft Office
handy..."

COMPLETE STORY:
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,1vaj,1,gmkt,abzw,m16j,arem

Itanium Will Only Be Partly Supported by Longhorn

ver.sicher.ungsvergleich writes "Although stopping short of pulling the plug entirely on Itanium, MS has said that Longhorn will only be able to work for a limited number of higher-end jobs. On the positive side, Microsoft does see a future for the chip, but that 'big iron' slot is not exactly what Chipzilla envisioned as Itanium's future."

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/09/05/1144210

What's it going to be: Windows Vista or Linux? Or Mac OS X?

"I'm aware of the Microsoft fans imminent disapproval, but I'm afraid Windows Vista is
nothing but an upgraded Windows XP with a transparent appearance..."

COMPLETE STORY:
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,1uay,1,7ilq,xgg,m16j,arem

Windows Vista pode prejudicar OpenGL

srw writes "OpenGL is the industry choice for cross platform, hardware accelerated 3D graphics, and it is also the only way you can get fast 3D graphics on your Linux desktop. It now seems Windows Vista implements OpenGL via Direct3D, seriously degrading its performance and attractiveness to developers." From the article: "In practice this means for OpenGL under Aeroglass: OpenGL performance will be significantly reduced - perhaps as much as 50%, OpenGL on Windows will be fixed at a vanilla version of OpenGL 1.4, No extensions will be possible to expose future hardware innovations. It would be technically straightforward to provide an OpenGL ICD within the full Aeroglass experience without compromising the stability or the security of the operating system. Layering OpenGL over Direct3D is a policy more than a technical decision."

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/06/177251

Monad Shell Removed From Vista

hggs writes "According to [0]Stephen Toulouse at Microsoft, because of
the [1]possible virus threat that targets Monad the shell will not be
included in Windows Vista. CNet is reporting that, even though Monad is
not to be included on Vista, [2]it will be included on a major server
operating system for servers from Microsoft. Codenamed Longhorn server,
that edition is due out by 2007." Update: 08/06 04:45 GMT by [3]Z : As
Mr. Toulouse [4]states here, the submission here adds one and one and
gets three. Monad [5]hasn't been in Vista for about two months. The CNet
article is clarifying a previous report stating that [6]Monad could
potentially be the first source of viruses in an OS which incorporated
it. The interesting news about Monad in the server edition was obscured
by the factually incorrect submission, which at first blush seemed to
make sense. Mea Culpa.

Discuss this story at:
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=05/08/05/2233207

Links:
0. http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2005/08/05/408720.aspx
1. http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/05/0411254&tid=109
2. http://news.com.com/Microsoft+Virus+target+wont+be+in+Vista/2100-1002_3-5820706.html?part=rss&tag=5820706&subj=news
3. http://slashdot.org/~Zonk/
4. http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2005/08/06/408741.aspx
5. http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/06/10/1956234&tid=201
6. http://news.com.com/First+potential+virus+risk+for+Windows+Vista+found/2100-7349_3-5819428.html?tag=nl

Windows Vista enfurece projeto de código aberto

Free electronic health record application already goes by the name VistA
Tom Sanders in California, vnunet.com 04 Aug 2005

Two non-profit organisations have denounced Microsoft over the name of its forthcoming Windows Vista operating system.

WorldVistA and the Vista Software Alliance both back the VistA application suite, which was originally developed by the US Veteran's Administration.

The software brings electronic health records and hospital automation to institutions that take care of veterans, but its use over the years has expanded to other areas of the healthcare industry.

VistA is in the public domain, meaning that it is not governed by any licence. This makes its use even less restricted than it would be under an open source licence.

Earlier this week the two organisations sent out a press release with unusually harsh language about Microsoft's naming decision. WorldVistA is particularly upset about the timing of Microsoft's announcement.

A new edition of VistA is to be released shortly, called Vista Office e-HR (electronic health record). The application targets surgeries that deal with patients qualifying for Medicare, a social healthcare programme in the US.

Maury Pepper, WorldVistA's chairman, told vnunet.com that Microsoft is very much aware of the project. The 200,000-employee Veteran's Administration is a Windows user, and Microsoft said earlier this year that it is considering becoming an official supporter of the project.

"It felt like a slap in the face," said Pepper. "It's like getting ready to have a party and somebody pulls the plug on you."

Although confusion over the name might be limited to the medical community, Pepper warned that it could hamper the software's adoption in other countries and new areas within the industry.

The Windows Vista name could also deter commercial services companies and software vendors from marketing the product and setting up divisions or subsidiaries with the word VistA in the company name.

And the potential for confusion is not limited to the operating system. " Between VistA and VistA Office e-HR and Microsoft's Vista and Office, there is the potential down the road for great confusion," said Pepper.

A Microsoft spokeswoman told vnunet.com that the company plans to use Vista only in combination with the registered Microsoft trademark. She explained that Microsoft conducted research to determine whether the product name would infringe on any registered trademarks, and found no areas of conflict.

Pepper said that he wants Microsoft to change the name of the next Windows version, but is not aware of any organisations involved with the project that had contacted Microsoft with such a request.

"It would have been appropriate to ask Microsoft to back off and change the name. It is stepping on the toes of one of its bigger customers," he said in a reference to the Veterans Administration. "Maybe Microsoft will feel a pinch here. I would be very happy if it would change its mind."

Pepper added that he would not know who to contact at the software giant and that by seeking publicity he was hoping that the appropriate person at Microsoft will contact him.

A number of organisations already use the Vista name. A software company called Vista from Microsoft's home town of Seattle said last week that its company name is a registered trademark and that it was " looking at its options".

Although it is common for some lawyers to use major product introductions for financial gain, throwing up last minute legal hurdles to get a quick financial settlement, Pepper strongly denied that he was out to attract attention to the open source project. VistA had no problem generating PR, he said.
BulletUpcoming Windows christened Vista
Beta version of Vista, formerly called Longhorn, scheduled for 3 August
25 Jul 2005

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2140739/windows-vista-angers-open

Surgem os primeiros vírus para o Windows Vista

Quinta-feira, 4 agosto de 2005 - 11:00
IDG Now!

A Microsoft lançou a primeira versão beta (de testes) do Windows Vista
no dia 27 de julho e oito dias depois já surgem os primeiros vírus
específicos para o sistema operacional.

A F-Secure alertou nesta quinta-feira (04/08) sobre a descoberta de
cinco vírus, já batizados de Danom, que atingem uma interface que será
divulgada somente com o substituto do Windows XP, a Microsoft MSH
(codinome Monad).

Essa é uma interface de linhas de comando e linguagem de scripts que
deve substituir outras em uso em sistemas operacionais da Microsoft,
como a CMD.EXE, COMMAND.COM ou 4NT.EXE.

Criadas por um desenvolvedor de vírus austríaco, as pragas foram
apresentadas em uma revista online sobre códigos maliciosos, mas a
empresa finlandesa de segurança não revelou mais detalhes sobre a
localização exata das ameaças.

Ainda no ano passado, o pesquisador da Symantec Eric Chien avisou na
conferência Virus Bulletin 2004 que, mesmo ainda incompleta, a
interface MSH já possuía funcionalidade suficiente para que criadores
de vírus pudessem desenvolver diversas variedades de pragas funcionais.

http://idgnow.uol.com.br/AdPortalv5/SegurancaInterna_040805.html

I'm So Excited by Microsoft Vista. Not.

By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
July 27, 2005

Opinion: With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Linux devotee Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols declares his enthusiasm for Microsoft's self-serving and unremarkable new features.

75 comments posted
Add your opinion

Click here to view a slideshow of Windows Vista Beta 1.

Like, wow, Microsoft's Vista, the former Longhorn, is now only more than a year away.

With this latest beta, we're finally going to see lots of really new, cool features.

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For example, it's going to have speech recognition! How cool is that!?

Since IBM's OS/2 Warp introduced that feature to operating systems in 1996, we haven't had more than half-a-dozen new operating systems with voice recognition built in.

Better still, it's going to include a new DRM (digital rights management system) —Microsoft's RMS (Rights Management Services) client. That way I know when I buy music or videos off the Web, I know Microsoft will make sure that I can't illegally back it up or put it on an iPod or anything else like that. It's so nice of them to make sure I can only use the files that I bought on real Vista systems.

There's also this spiffy driver protection plan. With it, I know that any equipment I buy has to come from a vendor who has made a deal with Microsoft. I certainly wouldn't want to buy a network or graphics card from someone who doesn't have a contract with Microsoft.

To David Coursey, Vista looks good at first glance. Click here to read more.

Vista's also going to have lightning fast search. Boy, I can't wait for that. Just think in just more than a year, or maybe two, I can have that instead of having to use Mac OS Tiger's Spotlight or SUSE Linux's Beagle or Google Desktop Search on Windows. It will be worth the wait!

It's also going to have this spiffy new file system called WinFS (Windows File System)… oh wait, that was canned last year. At least Linux doesn't have a new file system either. Well, except for Reiser4, and so what if it may be the fastest desktop file system ever.

I mean if you're talking Linux, you're also talking command lines and shell programming and with Monad, its new object-oriented shell programming, Microsoft shows that it can do a command line even better than… oh wait. That was cancelled too, wasn't it?

Well, at least Vista is based on the newest and greatest application development platform ever! .Net Framework! What? Oh, it's not?

OK… well it is still going to have IPv6 networking support. Of course, Mac OS X has had that since Panther a couple of years ago. And Linux has had it since 1996, but we know Microsoft will do an even better job of implanting it right? Right!

First beta of Vista goes to 20,000 testers. Click here to read more.

Vista is also going to be the fastest Windows ever. Of course, you'll need a really fast—say 3GHz or better—processor, 512MBs of RAM, and a high-end graphics processor, but hey, you'll only need to upgrade, say, 90 percent of your company's computers. You can afford that?

I mean you wouldn't want to upgrade to say SUSE Linux Professional 9.3, Red Hat's Fedora Core 4 or Debian 3.1, which can already do everything Vista will do tomorrow on less expensive hardware for less money today would you?

Of course not!

eWEEK.com Senior Editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has been using and writing about operating systems since the late '80s and thinks he may just have learned something about them along the way. He can be reached at sjvn@ziffdavis.com.

Click here for an archive of Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols' columns.

A verdade sobre o Windows Vista

Retirado do Blog do Minholi:

Ontém (27/07/2005) foi liberada a primeira versão beta do Windows Vista (a.k.a. Longhorn) trazendo algumas das “novidades” que já vem sendo anunciadas desde o ano passado. Dentre as tais “novidades” estão as seguintes:

• Aero: É a nova interface gráfica do windows e nela foram adicionados recursos como o Sidebar semelhante ao Beagle que mostra informações relacionadas com o conteúdo que está sendo visualizado pelo usuário dinamicamente.
• Search: Que é na verdade um agregador de RSS integrado com uma engine de busca, que pode ser utilizado para alimentar “pastas virtuais” nas quais são agregados conteúdos seguindo determinados critérios de busca. Recurso esse que já está presente no MacOSX há algum tempo e que também é fornecido por ferramentas como o Google Search e o Beagle para outras plataformas.
• Metro: É a nova engine gráfica do windows, semelhante à do MacOSX, capaz de trabalhar com gráficos vetoriais e 3d e aplicar efeitos de transparência e zoom por exemplo. Recurso que está no cronograma dos mantenedores do X para o mês de novembro e que pode ser instalado à parte também há algum tempo
• Shell: É o novo sistema de gerenciamento de arquivos, não mais associando aplicações com as extensões de arquivos e sim com o seu mime-type, e também com a geração automática de thumbnails de filmes e imagens, além de reprodução automática de arquivos de imagem, som e vídeo durante a visualização rápida (recurso presente em ambientes MacOSX e *nix).
• Networking: Suporte ao IPv6 e a implementação de um protocolo proprietário de P2P. Recursos esses que por sua vez já estão disponíveis em outras plataformas (no caso do IPv6) ou que sequer são de interesse público (no caso do novo protocolo P2P).
• NX: Suporte às extensões no-execute de processadores AMD64 para checagem de autenticidade do usuário de um determinado software. Recurso esse que está presente em plataforma Linux há algum tempo.
• Gravação de DVD: Recurso integrado ao gerenciador de arquivos. Já disponível no MacOSX e em plataformas *nix por meio do Nautilus.
• Imagens RAW: Já há suporte para isso em plataformas *nix e MacOSX faz bastante tempo.
• Monad: Novo “Prompt do MS-DOS”, com recursos semelhantes aos shells de ambientes *nix (desde a década de 50 eu acho).
• Meu Computador e Meus Documentos: Passam a se chamar Computador e Documentos, como nos padrões adotados por outros sistemas operacionais.
• SafeDocs: Ferramenta de backup (agora estão dizendo que pode usar que funciona :-) ).
• Virtualização de arquivos: Igualzinho aos links simbólicos dos *nix e MacOSX.
• Sistema de arquivos transacional: Seria isso uma tentativa de implementar Journaling? Pois bem. Vide ReiserFS, Ext3 e cia. em ambientes *nix e MacOSX.

Tirem suas próprias conclusões