Over A Year Later And Windows Vista Is Still Not Worth It

It has been over one year since my first experience running Microsoft’s *supposed* next generation OS and boy have things not changed. You would think that Microsoft would have made major changes to Windows Vista in an attempt to reverse the downward spiral over the last year but so far no luck. Not surprisingly we saw over this last year two fantastic releases from Ubuntu and the release of Mac OSX 10.5 Leopard with nothing more than a few security patches from Microsoft. As Microsoft continues to waste time trying to force Windows Vista on a much more educated public these other alternatives have been doing nothing but chewing away at their long held lead in the desktop OS market. So has my opinion of Windows Vista changed? Like the OS itself my opinion has not budged so here are four more reasons why Microsoft Windows Vista is still just not worth it.

Technorati Tags: commentary, microsoft, Vista, Windows

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Can An OS Change The World?

With today’s release of Ubuntu 7.10 there are lots of folks writing about how this is going act as a catalyst to propel Linux onto the desktop as a real alternative to Microsoft Windows and how this is going to change the (computing) world. So these statements got me thinking about past OS releases and how they sometimes exceed or fail to meet our expectations with regards to how they enable us to be more productive. Carrying this thought further I began to wonder just how much impact on the world has each of theses releases made? What OS had the biggest impact? OSX? Linux? Windows? So read on for a trip down memory lane and a brief prediction of the future.

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iPhone Update 1.1.1 Here Come The Lawsuits

I would have figured that Apple was smarter than this. The latest update for the iPhone (version 1.1.1) has been confirmed as breaking any ability to install 3rd party applications. According to sources the methods used are encryption key based and will be significantly harder to crack than any previous versions. So much so that it may be enough to completely deter any future development efforts for this platform making this perhaps the biggest mistake Apple has ever made. I almost cannot believe they would be this stupid. One of the most compelling features (till now) of the iPhone was the possibility of installing 3rd party applications since it essentially operates on a lightweight version of OSX. If there is no technical workaround found within a reasonable amount of time you can bet that we will be seeing some class action lawsuits filed to force Apple to do the right thing. Till they back off or someone figures out a fix I highly recommend NOT purchasing an iPhone. There are several new phones running Linux that will feature touch screens that are due out by the end of the year which are likely to replace the iPhone as the “phone to have” if Apple does not step up to the plate (after they wipe all the egg off their face). Since I have had my 8Gb model for over a month I guess I will have to eBay it or just never update (very likely) but the 4Gb my girlfriend purchased less than two weeks ago is going back tomorrow since she now cannot use AIM on it.

Thanks Apple, it is going to be a while before you are trusted with my money again.

UPDATE: As predicted there are more serious rumblings regarding possible class-action against Apple appearing on Slashdot.

Technorati Tags: apple, cell phones, DRM, gadgets, iphone

3 Reasons Why The OLPC Project has Microsoft Running Scared

Unless you have been hiding under a rock then you have very likely read about the ongoing One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project which aims to design, produce and distribute a laptop with a target price around $100 to millions of needy children around the world. The basic idea is that these devices would be purchased and used in poor rural areas where no existing computing technology exists. So why does such a noble endeavor strike fear into the heart of such a mammoth company as Microsoft? It’s really simple, these groundbreaking new computing devices run Linux not Windows. At first glance this seems like not such a huge deal but if you look at the target distribution numbers for the OLPC then you begin to understand the fear coming from Microsoft about the long term consequences of this project. Imagine a world where millions of children have their first experience with a computer…running Linux. This is really Microsoft’s worst nightmare and ample justification for their recent attempts at spreading the FUD about patent violations and other similar anti-linux actions.

Technorati Tags: linux, microsoft, ubuntu, vista

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Digg gets pwned, crowd goes wild.

Just in case you missed it, the very popular (and even more so at the moment) social bookmarking site digg.com has really screwed the pooch. They decided to remove posts that linked to, or referenced the now insanely popular HD-DVD DRM key which in theory you can use to copy HD-DVD movies. As you can well imagine the very flawed thought process at digg.com was to try and remove something which I am sure the MPAA was going to give them a hassle over but the resulting flood of new posts (featuring the key) are now swamping the site. <sadistic laugh> Of course this proves two things, one that yes, digg.com CAN be manipulated by a large number of users and two, that even minor attempts to “filter” or remove posts such as these are doomed to fail thanks to the very social aspect of the site itself. As for the impact to the MPAA’s latest attempts at DRM….well, better luck next time.

Technorati Tags: digg, DRM, MPAA, RIAA, social networking

5 Reasons To Cancel Cable, Use iTunes, And Save Money

One year ago this week I took the plunge and canceled my Comcast cable TV service and replaced it solely with a Verizon DSL connection and content I have downloaded through the iTunes music store because I was sick and tired of paying over $50+ per month for tons of commercials and content I never had the time or the desire to watch. The cable companies always seem to make so you have to pay for the top of the line package just to get that one show you really want to see. So after one year of nothing but iTunes (and a handful of other downloadable content sites) am I still a believer? You bet! What started out as pure frustration regarding yet another cable bill increase quickly evolved into one of the most rewarding decisions I have ever made. So what did I watch? How did I managed to pull this off, and most importantly, did I save any money? Read on for those answers and whole lot more.

Technorati Tags: apple, AppleTV, cable TV, video

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5 Reasons Why A World Without Microsoft Won’t Be That Bad

In recent days there have been numerous reports on why folks are ditching Microsoft. I think these all are symptomatic of a larger movement that points to a singular undeniable fact. Microsoft is on the way out. Windows Vista has been a disappointment for Microsoft and the industry as a whole. However, this is not the whole story. As a consequence of Windows Vista not meeting expectations we are seeing for the first time many companies (even including the US Government) actively seeking alternatives to Microsoft Windows. This is not happening with just a few select companies or government offices, this is happening on a wide scale, involving numerous large corporations and even entire nations. So why now? What has changed? Was Vista THAT bad? Even if you factor in the lukewarm reception for Vista there still remains little doubt that there has to be something more on the table for these companies to seriously consider dumping a product they have used for almost a decade. The reason is not that Windows is so bad, but that Linux/OSX/etc is now so much better. So here are five simple reasons why dumping Microsoft won’t be all that bad.

Technorati Tags: apple, microsoft, vista

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A 5 Step Program for the Music Industry

Back in the early days of the internet a close friend of mine called me up and made me drive over to his parents house (yes, it was THAT long ago) to show me something he had just discovered online. After he played for me the first .mp3 file I had ever heard and told me the file size I instantly knew that the age of the music CD was effectively over and that unless the industry made real attempts to embrace this new technology they were going to be effectively screwed. That was almost 10 years ago. Surprise! I was right, looks like they are screwed. With CD revenue down 26% between 2000 and 2006 I think it is long past time for someone to explain the situation to them in simple, easy to understand terms. So here is a simple 5 step program they can take to maybe salvage the situation before they end up going the way of the dodo.

Technorati Tags: apple, digital music, mp3, music, RIAA

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Three Reasons Why Windows Vista Is Sinking Like A Rock

Lately it sure seems like a day does not go by where I don’t run across at least one or two news stories about how annoying Microsoft’s Windows Vista is. A recent article on CNN is a prime example of how bad the reception of Vista has been from folks who simply know better. Talk of limitations on virtualization and media playback combined with hardware and software compatibility problems are making Vista look very bad in comparison to even Windows XP. Of course some of these issues might be addressed over the next few months but I think I have three good reasons why Vista is making for the bottom faster than you might think.

Technorati Tags: microsoft, virtualization, vista

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Turns out Vista Won’t Play Nice With FPS Games

Noticed this little bit of news on slashdot.org today which is not even the least surprising. My own experience with Windows Vista has been less than stellar, and one of the things I noticed about the new OS was the lack of any increase in gaming performance. Although I don’t recall there being a huge drop in performance it does not surprise me that others are having worse issues than myself.

The really interesting fact that the article speaks to is the lack of adequate video hardware support in Windows Vista. Several of the problems I experienced with a Windows Vista Ultimate installation on a notebook was centered on how the OS handled secondary displays. It did’nt. Apparently Microsoft radically changed how video drivers are implemented in Windows Vista which is resulting in all the fuss since older drivers have to use a “compatibility” layer which saps performance. Since few “native” video drivers are out or completely debugged and out of beta resulting in many folks are having serious issues, as reported by slashdot.

Yet another reason to avoid Windows Vista for the foreseeable future.

UPDATE: News.com is running a story on how Vista won’t run Second Life for lots of folks….and you will only need one guess why.

Technorati Tags: fps, games, microsoft, vista