Bad Windows

It’s official. Bill Veghte, Microsoft’s senior VP for Windows business, told an audience of the Microsoft faithful at TechEd that Windows users should not switch to Vista. Veghte said, “If you’re just starting your testing of Vista, with the [Windows 7] Release Candidate and the quality of that offering, I would switch over and do your testing on the [Windows 7] Release Candidate, and use that going forward.”

In short, Microsoft is finally telling you what I’ve been telling you all along: Vista is junk.

Read more at Practical Technology

I have been involved in a crusade, switching users at my workplace from Windows desktops to Ubuntu desktops, however, there have been a lot of complaints, and, people is requesting to go back to Windows, most of those complaints are regarding their office suite, and they are valid and justifiable complaints.

Linux has matured since I have started using it a few years ago, I remember I have started using Fedora, then, switched to OpenSUSE and finally, thanks to the recommendation of a friend of mine (former co-worker) I have landed on Ubuntu. I found it to be a very robust desktop and then I switched every computer at home to it.

I wanted to replicate the same effort at my workplace, and I started with IT Department, and of course, everything went smooth, then I moved to other departments, having a very moderate success, but, then when I moved to the power users, the complains started to roll in, to the point, that users are asking to be migrated back to Windows.
Read more at LXer

As they did in the past with Java and HTML (just to cite two cases), Microsoft has now invested at least 12 months of work to try to fragment the ODF in the IT market: A shame.I swear I was ready to publish this week a post praising Microsoft for finally released SP2 of Office 2007 with native support for ODF, but unfortunately after the initial tests of various users, what we see is an absurd attempt to mislead consumers (who payed for the software) and fragment ODF in the IT industry.

When I use the word fragment, I mean the known tactic of using ‘creativity’ during the implementation of a standard to make the implementation only compatible with your software (people that had seen sites that only work in Internet Explorer already know what I’m talking about). Looking from outside, the documents appear identical but a most consistent inside look demonstrate that they are completely different, thus fragmenting the uniformity expected as a consequence of a standard adoption.

Read more at homembit.com

I happen to be Dutch and if you’re into Linux that is a major disadvantage. If countries were shops, The Netherlands would be a Windows-only shop. There are very few Linux magazines (err.. one!) and even that one I gave up reading, because even the columnists were on Microsofts hands. I happen to do a lot of writing and once offered a major magazine to write Linux articles. “Well,” they said “Not many people are using Linux.. We’ll call you.” I’m still waiting. Consequently, even now there are people who still think Linux is a toy. Fortunately, I read German. If you happen to drive a Mercedes or a BMW, you know these guys know what engineering is. Linux is big over there. You know that SuSE was a German firm?

Read more at The Beez’ speaks..

With the Windows 7 release code out there and available for download right now, and free to use until 2010 for good measure, the last thing Microsoft will want to hear is bad news about potential security risks for users of the new flagship OS. But that’s exactly what researchers over at security outfit F-Secure is delivering.

The Helsinki-based F-Secure reckons that a well known and long-lambasted problem that has existed in Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Vista has not been fixed. That problem is Explorer hiding extensions for known file types. F-Secure claims that virus writers have long used this feature in order to trick people into thinking executables are simple document files and the like.

Read more at DaniWeb

The best antidote against FUD is facts. FUD only works when people don’t know any better. So, given some recent anti-ODF FUD in the air, I thought it would be useful to provide some facts.

First, I’d like to show you who voted Yes to approve OpenDocument v1.1 as an OASIS Standard in January of 2007. ODF v1.2 is already being adopted by some now, of course, as development has continued, but Microsoft chose to stick with v1.1, so let’s do the same. I think you’ll find the list dispositive as to who is sincere in this picture. Next time you read some criticism of ODF, then, you can just take a look at the list and ask yourself what it tells you. And if you are a technical person, here’s ODF v1.1, so you can compare any claims of deficiencies. Here’s Groklaw’s chronicle of the OOXML/ODF saga, where you can find many resources, including a chronology of events from 2005 to the present.

Read more at Groklaw

Tuesday May 5th was a big day for Microsoft. After all, it was the day when Windows 7 Release Code was finally made available for public download. Not just available, but free to use until 2010 for good measure.
It was also the day that Steve Ballmer, the Monkey Dancing Microsoft CEO, sent an email to employees which starts “This is difficult news to share” and goes on to announce a second phase of staff layoffs which is likely to hit some 3000 people.

The news of staff cuts as a cost-cutting move is not new, we were first made aware that some 5000 jobs would go, back in January. At that time, 1400 cuts were made with the remainder to follow by 2010.

Read more at iTWire