In the tech world this phenomenon is known as “software bloat” or “feature bloat.” It's a well-documented problem and a frequent complaint about Windows OSs—Vista in particular. In addition to being buggy, the extra features tend to bog down your system by demanding more processing power and memory. Computer-makers: Don't load up operating systems with features and then make us sweat to figure out how to get rid of the fat.
CRN has received feedback from local resellers that their SMB customers are asking them to remove the Vista operating system off new machines and replace it with Windows XP.
Previous CRN reports indicate that Vista received a luke warm reception in America and sales were still slow a month after its US launch. At the time customers did not see the benefits of upgrading to Vista from XP, particularly in the SMB sector.
Local resellers have reported that a year later they are still experiencing problems when selling the product. Meng Wei, owner of IT retail store PC Market, said when customers with small businesses buy a new machine – that comes pre-loaded with Vista, they have been asking for their operating system to be downgraded to Windows XP.
I’m the increasingly discontent owner of an Hotmail account (don’t laught, I subscribed back when Hotmail wasn’t owned by Microsoft). Recently, in order to compete with Google on the Web, Hotmail’s interface was overhauled: it now has a “classic” interface, which works reasonably well but is still rather limited, and a supposedly “Full” interface that should make it the equal of sites like Google Apps and Yahoo Mail/Calendar/etc.
The Background
Required System
This is what Hotmail requires for the Full interface to start:
I saw this article summarized on Slashdot this morning. Headline: Microsoft Claims ‘Vista Has Fewer Flaws Than Other First-Year OSes.’ According to the article, Vista released 17 security bulletins and fixed 36 vulnerabilities in the first year, which is a big improvement over XP’s hit counts of 30 and 65 respectively. The article continues by comparing these figures to the first-year vulnerability numbers for Red Hat (360), Ubuntu (224) and Mac OS X (116). One security specialist is quoted, stating that these numbers “prove that [Vista] is quantitatively more secure.” He then chastises other OS vendors for their negligence in QA and security testing.
When you read this article, does it make you doubt the security of Linux and OS X? That’s the intended message, no?
There is a broad consensus among corporate technology managers—shared by many consumers—that new Microsoft (MSFT) products should never be installed until they have had their first major upgrade. Windows Vista, Microsoft's flagship operating system, is about to reach that happy landmark with an upgrade called Service Pack 1. But will it win the hearts of consumers, corporations, and computer manufacturers, who so far have largely snubbed Vista?
While Linux focuses on improving stability and efficiency, Windows Vista continues to charge a premium for its good looks and doll-like charm. Mirus has built a PC with Linux installed that costs less than a single license of Windows Vista.
Specifically this Mirus PC will run Freespire, a version of Linux developed by Linspire Inc. (formerly Lindows). Larry Kettler, CEO of Linspire says “our system builders have been forging new ground in the low-end Linux PC market for over 5 years now . . . This latest system from Mirus Innovations is the most robust hardware and software configuration, and offers the best value for under $200 to date,” according to the company’s press release.
I was talking to a friend of mine in the pub after work the other day. And after discussing some of the biggest geo-political issues of the day – Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the global credit squeeze and err… the trials and tribulations of Britney Spears – we discussed work.
My friend rather smugly revealed that he had just got a new laptop from his employer. "Vista", he told me, nodding proudly like a new father, in a way that would no doubt make Bill Gates leap for joy.
I thought it would be useful to put all the important information about the two new investigations of Microsoft by the EU Commission here. First, Opera's complaint to the EU Commission was deemed worth following through on. That is significant, indeed, but the ECIS complaint about Office is even bigger to FOSS, particularly with the Microsoft MSOOXML vote coming in February. One of the issues the EU Commission says it will be investigating is whether Office Open XML as implemented in Office is "sufficiently interoperable with competitors' products".
Heh heh. Maybe not.
OFFICIALS at the European Commission have announced they have more questions for Microsoft to answer about its apparent anti-competitive behaviour.
The body is to open up two new investigations into the company's behaviour after sticking it with a 750 milliom-dollar fine back in October.
A British educational report suggests the upgrade would increase costs and create software compatibility problems while providing little benefit.
The agency that governs educational technology in the United Kingdom has advised schools in the country to keep Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)'s Windows Vista operating system and its Office 2007 software out of the classroom and administrative offices.
"Upgrading existing ICT systems to Microsoft Vista or Office 2007 is not recommended," said the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, also known as Becta, in a report issued this week.
Becta officials said a study the group commissioned found that upgrading school systems from Windows XP to Vista and Office 2007 would increase costs and create software compatibility problems while providing little benefit.