Bad Windows

Maybe not for the average corporation yet, or even the average home user, but every time Canonical releases a new version of Ubuntu (and with it comes Edubuntu), Microsoft becomes a little less the default vendor of choice for educational computing.

I’m still 2 years from a major tech refresh, including server hardware and software. I have to say I wish I was a little closer, having just installed Edubuntu 7.10 on my test server at home. Not only did the install go even easier than it did when I installed version 7.04 6 months ago, but the performance once installed is significantly improved. Just as Adrian Kingsley-Hughes reported for Ubuntu,

Read more at ZDNet 

Despite the attempts by malicious types throughout the 'Net, Vista has, at its core, been able to withstand malware attacks. Oddly enough, it turns out the biggest issue facing Vista today on the security front appears to be the various applications that are designed to run on Windows, rather than the OS itself.

Don't Click On ’Secondlife://’ Urls On Webpages With Internet Explorer. No matter how many implementations on security the IE team puts into place, leave it to the malicious minds to use lackluster security in applications outside of Microsoft's control to give Redmond a bad name.

Even though this issue may now be resolved, there is something to be noted that simply has to be haunting Microsoft to some extent: Mac and Linux are not vulnerable. Does this responsibility ultimately fall into Microsoft's lap? Sure, just as it would with Mozilla when Firefox has an exploit of their own.

Read more at OSWeekly 

Windows Vista ready….

Is Windows Vista the biggest PR failure in Microsoft's history? I don't remember the criticism being this bad a year after XP was launched, nor any of its predecessors. Of course, slagging off Microsoft's latest operating system launch is nothing new, but according to over 3,000 people who answered our recent poll, the disapproval has reached new extremes. Twice as many of those who responded would rather have XP installed on their new PC or laptop than Vista.

The long development cycle for the latter has surely had a big hand in the widespread criticism. People hated Windows ME, for example, too, but it was launched at a time when Microsoft was releasing operating systems far more regularly. After the five-year build up to Vista people were expecting something really special, and they just didn't get it.

Read more at PC Advisor 

I'm currently using seven computers. Well, not at this precise moment (just three, as it happens), but darn it if I'm not proud of the fact.

Of those seven, three run XP, one runs Ubuntu 6.06, two are now on Ubuntu 7.10, and one is Vista. Apple has invited me along to the Festival of the Leopard, so I have high hopes that I'll soon be adding OS X to the mix (I do have a Mac OS 8 box in the bedroom, but I only use that for Crystal Quest, so it doesn't count).

My XP systems, I like. Everything works with them, the one in the office lets me use the office Windows-only software (gnash) that controls the phones, and the two at home get loaded up with other bits of hardware and software that i can't be bothered to (or just can't) shoehorn into Linux.

Read more at ZDNet 

Becta, the United Kingdom government's adviser on IT in schools, has taken Microsoft to the Office of Fair Trading over anti-competitive practices–but open source campaigners say Becta is still effectively promoting Microsoft.

"This is a mini-step in the right direction, but what Becta is actually doing is keeping Microsoft in front of the market to the exclusion of alternatives," said Mark Taylor of the Open Source Consortium pressure group. Becta's complaint is part of the process of negotiating a new contract for the use of Microsoft technology in schools and will therefore only add to the visibility of Microsoft in the market, Taylor suggested to ZDNet.co.uk on Friday.

Read more at ZDNet 

Some solution providers have reported that the pre-orders for Apple's Leopard are more than double for the same time prior to Tiger's release. They cite Leopard's new features and customer dissatisfaction with Vista as key drivers, according to ChannelWeb on Thursday.

"We've probably doubled the backorders of Leopard, compared to what we did with Tiger," said Patrick Brown, CEO of Brown Computer Solutions, in Brattleboro, Vermont, a solution provider and Apple specialist. "With the Intel Macs, Apple has significantly increased the installed base. We do expect a very successful launch."

Read more at Mac Observer 

Microsoft have listed 100 reasons why people really ought to upgrade from Windows XP. They appeal to usability, mobility, security and entertainment. Yet, looking through the list, we reckon they’re actually talking about Ubuntu Linux, not that dog Windows Vista.

Let’s count down the top 10 reasons from Microsoft why you should upgrade to Ubuntu.

#10 Surf more safely
Online security is a big issue – there are matters of privacy, and matters of persistent, incessant malware. Fortunately, Ubuntu provides the Firefox web browser. It is a separate program, not an integrated component of the operating system. This means that even if viruses and malicious attackers can compromise the web browser, they don’t gain any extra access to the system. What’s more, Firefox will never allow spyware or adware to automatically install just by visiting a web page.

One supporting factor is that Firefox does not offer built-in support for VBScript or ActiveX, two Microsoft technologies which are well-renown for being exploited. This lack of support saves a multitude of problems, but loses very few positives: even Microsoft themselves have largely abandoned VBScript for web-based scripting: all the ASP.NET client-side form validation routines, for instance, are implemented in JavaScript.

What’s more, Firefox gives complete control over cookies to keep privacy under wraps.

#9 Unchain your mobile PC
Wireless networking has become widespread; the Intel Centrino platform mandated built-in WiFi as have other hardware standards. WiFi is available on your computer, your Nintendo Wii, your hand-held PDA, and even your cockamamie rabbit.

Ubuntu’s latest release, 7.10, or “Gutsy Gibbon”, now offers far more WiFi adapter support than before. A quick Google yields many happy punters. Wired magazine report Ubuntu immediately recognised their Toshiba laptop’s WiFi card, and automatically joined a local network, and sensed  and enabled WPA encryption. Bloggers report that wireless now works with the Dell Inspiron 1501 with just four clicks of the mouse.

Ubuntu ships with a fantastic GUI network tool called network-admin. This is readily available under the System/Administration/Networking menu. When launched, it lists the network adapters available on your computer, including the wireless connection. All your networking configurations can be managed here, and additional tools are provided to automate switching WiFi networks, letting you roam freely with your laptop.

Read more at iTWire

It’s become an annual event. Steve Ballmer shoots his yap about how Linux and open source violate Microsoft patents. The open-source community says, “OK, show us your cards, your patents,” and Ballmer shuts up for six months or so.

This time around, though, Microsoft’s FUD campaign is playing out in a different way. First, Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief poobah says those nasty, old Linux and open-source developers are still violating Microsoft’s precious IP (intellectual property). What property?

Come on, by my count, this is the fourth time Ballmer’s made the exact same claims, and not once has Microsoft produced even a solid accusation, much less any proof. And, for the fourth time, the open-source community has asked Ballmer to show his cards, and once more, rather than show his hand, for all intents and purposes, he folds.

Read more at Linux-Watch 

A group of state attorneys general urged a federal judge on Tuesday to hold Microsoft to a 2002 antitrust settlement another five years so that the company can't stymie embryonic Web 2.0 rivals of its Windows operating system. According to six states – California, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Massachusetts – and the District of Columbia, Microsoft could use its Internet Explorer browser as a 'chokepoint' to block moves that might unseat Windows dominant position on the desktop.

Read more at OSNews