Help file: Vista — Is 64-bits the best bet?

Q: Why are you so down on Windows Vista’s 64-bit edition? I run it, and I haven’t encountered any problems.

A: You can find the 64-bit edition of Vista — so named for its ability to process larger chunks of data than the normal, 32-bit version — on an increasing number of PCs. This option can seem like an obvious step up: More is better, right?


But 64-bit Vista doesn’t provide much benefit for many home users. It lets you work with extremely large files, but most people at home don’t open anything bigger than a short video clip or one of Microsoft’s Service Pack downloads. Complex computations can also run faster in this version — but again, few non-professional users will see a significant speedup from this ability.


Vista’s 64-bit edition, unlike the 32-bit flavors of Windows we’ve been using for years, can also accommodate 4 gigabytes or more of memory, and that may provide a simpler explanation for its newfound popularity. As memory gets cheaper, computer manufacturers have been shipping more memory on new systems — but once they hit 4 gigs, they have to load 64-bit Vista.


This version doesn’t cost extra, and by all accounts, it accepts far more 32-bit programs than 64-bit XP ever did. It also adds some useful system-level security upgrades. But old programs can still have problems, and older drivers may not run at all.


You should at least inventory your old hardware and software before buying a computer with 64-bit Vista to see if they’ll still work. If, however, you don’t get more than 3 gigs of memory on your next machine — even for Vista, that’s a lot — you can stick with 32-bit Vista and dodge this entire issue.


Q: How can I keep track of the security fixes for all the software that Windows Update doesn’t cover, like my Internet plug-ins and media players?


A: Secunia, a security developer in Copenhagen, provides a free tool at its Web site that can scan a Windows PC’s add-on software for insecure or obsolete versions.


Visit secunia.com/vulner ability_scanning/online, click to allow this page’s Java software to run, and in a minute or so, that page should list applications needing an update with a red X and a link to download their latest release. Current applications will show a green checkmark.


This online scanner covers about 70 applications. For a more thorough inventory — or if you have trouble running this tool through your browser — you can download Secunia’s free Personal Software Inspector (secunia.com/vulnerability_ scanning/personal/), which the company says covers more than 70,000 titles.

Source : http://wenatcheeworld.com/

Snow Leopard to see HFS+ compression, default gamma switch

Details of Apple's first Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard build for developers since WWDC have been published on the web, including confirmation of a Cocoa Finder and HFS+ compression.


 

 

Cocoa Finder

The full build details published by World of Apple confirm that 10A190 now has a Finder rewrite in Cocoa, marking the first time it has moved away from Carbon since the introduction of Mac OS X.

The Cocoa object-oriented program environment has also been used for re-writes of "almost all" visible applications Apple ships with Mac OS X; the transition is expected be finished by the time Snow Leopard is available to the public.

64-bit kernel

The site leaking the details further notes that Snow Leopard's move to a 64-bit kernel is underway, although only some Macs can run natively in this mode with this early test version.

HFS+ file compression

Also, the new Mac OS X update is now known to include support for file compression to the HFS+ file system that focuses primarily on reducing the weight of Apple's system files and built-in apps in normal use. The compression applies just to read-only files and is also designed to be backwards-compatible in such a way that Tiger and Leopard systems won't render files unreadable.

New default display gamma

More conspicuous if still subtle changes have also been made, including one to the default gamma (luminance) settings for display output. Macs to date have typically employed a lower-contrast but lighter 1.8 gamma level, but the new Snow Leopard build now changes this to a deeper 2.2 gamma that was previously only an option in earlier Mac OS X editions. This is to appease both visual editors as well as the everyday user, according to Apple.

Applications

Individual apps have similarly been given a handful of changes, including rudimentary hooks for creating and viewing content pulled from Microsoft Exchange servers in Address Book, iCal and Mail. Automator can also send out its completed workflows as operating system services.

While many of these changes are significant, the new Snow Leopard build reveals a definite work in progress that reflects the several months to go before Apple's publicly planned mid-2009 release of the new software: several features are either suspended or exhibit quirky behavior.

Source : http://www.appleinsider.com/

Microsoft goes black, making Chinese see red

An anti-piracy tactic by Microsoft that turns some computer users' screens black is setting off a wave of unexpected indignation among Chinese consumers, posing renewed problems for the software maker in the huge China market.

In the days since Microsoft deployed an updated anti-piracy tool here, some Chinese have fumed about what they see as an invasion of privacy. Users of legitimate software have been turning their own screens black in protest. One authorized user complained to the police.

"It's a crime," said Beijing lawyer Dong Zhengwei, who filed a complaint against Microsoft with the Public Security Ministry. The ministry hasn't responded.

"The black-screen plan implies that Microsoft can hack all its users, not just the pirates," Dong said. "That's not fair."

Microsoft defended its actions, saying the company complies with Chinese law. It issued a statement Thursday promising its anti-piracy campaign would not be used to collect personal information. It is also offering steep discounts on some software to give consumers an affordable legal alternative.

At issue is a software feature that searches for pirated copies of Windows and is part of the XP operating system and Vista. In conducting the search, the tool logs certain information about the personal computer and then notifies the user if it detects illegal copies or counterfeits.

While the tool has been in use for several years, the update released Monday by the Internet is more intrusive when it detects a fake copy of XP: it turns the PC's desktop black, replacing the user's background image. A piracy warning appears in the corner of the screen. Though the user can override the blackout, it reappears every 60 minutes.

In all other ways, the blacked-out computer still works. Users not yet affected can avoid getting hit by disabling Windows' automatic update feature, though they will then might miss security updates. For those already hit, software patches to avoid the black screen are already circulating online.

But Chinese computer users' outrage points to continuing problems for the world's largest software maker in what is projected to become the world's biggest computer market.

While Chinese know their Internet is monitored and censored, that rarely creates such a stir. Rather the reaction against Microsoft's Big Brother-esque tactics show Chinese consumers' persisting belief that there's little wrong with buying cut-rate pirated goods.

Knockoff software and electronics are rampant in China. Brand-name computers are sold by retailers with pirated software bundled in, helping to keep prices low. More than 80 percent of personal computer software in China last year was pirated, according to the U.S.-based Business Software Alliance. One in five Chinese consumers do not know they're using pirated software, Microsoft said in a statement.

In an upstairs corner of a Cybermart electronics emporium in downtown Shanghai, saleswoman Jin Li stood in a pink smock under a large Microsoft sign, the shop's counters cluttered with computer parts, mobile phone trinkets and imitation iPods. The shop isn't a licensed Microsoft seller.

"We just wanted to put a brand name up there," Jin said, nodding at the sign.

Customers, she said, have a main complaint about Windows XP. "The real thing is definitely too expensive. They can download it or buy it pirated for 10 yuan," or less than $2, she said. "The real thing is hundreds of yuan. What do you think?"

That easy availability threatens Microsoft's potential profits.

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer told a business forum last month that China will surpass the United States as the largest consumer market for personal computers within two years. But software piracy in China has undercut sales of the real thing, keeping Microsoft from meeting revenue growth targets, according to Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell.

The focus on the Chinese consumer has grown with the China market. For years, Microsoft aimed its anti-piracy campaigns at businesses, the government and other large customers. Two years ago, the Redmond, Washington-based company began signing deals with computer makers both inside and outside China to install genuine versions of its software before PCs reach the stores.

Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA China Ltd., a Beijing tech consulting firm, said the updated Genuine Advantage push is likely an attempt to use shame to target business customers and professionals who do not want to be seen using a fake product.

"There's a little bit of a Big Brother effect," said Clark. "As for the youth, Microsoft probably couldn't win them over in any case."

The move has only increased bitter feelings toward a company perceived by many to charge too much.

"There's absolutely no need for such a monster cash cow like Microsoft to take this obviously dramatic step and make itself the No. 1 enemy of most Chinese PC users," said Steven Lin, a spokesman for the video sharing Web site Youku.com, in an e-mail. "Business/government users are their primary income source in China, how much more can they squeeze from ordinary users who can make on average $500 (3,400 yuan) per month? They're crazy!"

So far, the Chinese government has made no comment, though the Web site of People's Daily, the Communist Party's flagship newspaper, allowed plenty of room for Chinese to vent.

As of Thursday, almost 80 percent of more than 10,000 people responding to a poll on the site said Microsoft should solve the piracy issue by further lowering its prices.

Still, with piracy rampant across the country, lower prices might not be enough.

As the day of the black-screen update loomed in China, a poll taken by the popular Tencent QQ instant messaging system showed 84 percent of the more than 90,000 respondents said they were using pirated software _ and 60 percent said they'd keep doing so.

"Actually, I'll still use pirated software," said 24-year-old Shanghai advertising salesman Tai Chenggong, whose screen turned black this week after downloading a fake copy of Windows for free. "It still works, no problem."

Source : http://news.theage.com.au/

Apple seeds Snow Leopard build w/Cocoa Finder, more

Apple's second build of Snow Leopard, which was released to developers earlier this weekend, brings a number of changes to the next version of the Mac OS X operating system, including a new "simplified" installation experience, preliminary support for HFS+ file system compression and 64-bit kernel, a rewritten Cocoa-based Finder for performance improvements, a new default gamma setting for viewing colors, and basic reading and editing support for Microsoft Exchange in Mail, iCal and Address Book. Apple also noted other multi-core enhancements and low-level kernel operating system changes, including those to queue management in Grand Central its technology for enabling developers to better leverage multi-core processors. The pre-release software, offered to developers for testing, is the second version made available, following the initial preview release at WWDC in June; the final version of operating system, designed for Intel-based Macs only, is expected to ship as Mac OS X 10.6 next year.


Apple's Snow Leopard is expected to take the 64-bit support introduced Leopard to the next level. The latest build enables 64-bit kernel support on some Macs and enables both audio and AirPort support for testing purposes -- specifically that early 2008 models of the Mac Pro, 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro and Xserve can be used for 64-bit kernel development. Apple noted that in SnowLeopard, the 64-bit kernel will be used by default on the Xserve and the Mac Pro and MacBook Pro systems (developers were given both startup key options and terminal commands for booting into the 64-bit kernel). Apple also offered the necessary support for porting kexts (dynamically loaded extensions that provide additional OS or kernel functions) to 64-bit and "strongly encouraged" developers to begin the transition.

The release notes cautioned, however, that some 64-bit features were still in development and that Shark, Apple's performance testing tool for developers, does not work with the new 64-bit kernel and that both sleep / wake and power management and graphics acceleration is not yet supported.

HFS+ file compression

Although not as high-profile as the ZFS support expected in Snow Leopard, Apple noted that it has continued to build on the HFS+ file format, saying that new file compression has been added to the HFS+ file system. Apple said that the compression was designed to be used with Apple System and Application files that are normally read-only/updatable.

Apple emphasized that it is not a new file system, but that developers who write disk utility programs would need to recognize these files exist and some details about how they are implemented. The compressed files would be supported on both Tiger and Leopard systems, but would show up as files of zero size and have the indicated extended attributes.

"These files are not normally copied by users, however, if they are, the copies will be expanded to their normal size," Apple noted in the release notes. "This is not a new file system format and does not require volumes to be repartitioned."

Cocoa-based Finder

Confirming earlier reports, Apple says the latest Snow Leopard build has made "much progress" in transition of the Finder from a legacy Carbon application to Cocoa. The transition, expected to be completed in time for the release of Snow Leopard, includes all user-facing applications in Mac OS X and has Apple has completed much of the transition with the exception of a select few application, it said in the notes.

Default Gamma setting changed

Apple also said that it has changed the default gamma display setting to help both consumers and professionals. The Cupertino-based company made adjusted the default settings to be closer to those used by Windows PCs and televisions. According to the latest Snow Leopard release notes, the default gamma setting has been changed from 1.8 to 2.2 -- which is recommended by many professionals -- and that applications that override the deftault and assume a gamma 1.8 setting may have different onscreen and printed output than they did in previous releases of Mac OS X. Although the 1.8 setting has been used as the default by Apple since its earliest monitors and laser printers, Apple already actually recommends on its website to re-calibrate monitors to the 2.2 setting for photographic work.

Enhanced Exchange support

Specifically, Apple said that Snow Leopard now contains additional support for Microsoft Exchange 2007 via Mail, iCal and Address Book, including support for basic browsing as well as creation and editing of Microsoft Exchange data. The company, however, said that "much functionality and polish is still forthcoming which may impede full Exchange use in this seed."

The company, however, urged developers to test a variety features, including a new auto-discovery feature in Apple's Mail.app application designed to streamline the configuration process and simultaneously configure both Address Book and iCal. For servers that do not support auto-configuration, users can select “Microsoft Exchange 2007″ as a new account to type and manually enter server settings. The new Exchange support allows reading and writing of Messages, Notes, and To Do’s as well as scheduling events and checking recipient and room availability within iCal, Apple's free calendaring application and adding contacts and groups within “Address Book” (version 5.0) -- although it appears that Apple has also bundled the older Leopard version of application as “Address Book (Leopard)" for legacy support.

Working with the build, Apple told developers about several Exchange limitations, including noting that working offline mode in Mail.app is not yet supported and that event invitations, delegation authorizations; some other types of messages are not currently displayed and conversion of messages moved between Exchange and other accounts was still buggy; that undo is not fully supported within Mail; that creating calendars on Microsoft Exchange accounts is not yet supported in iCal.

Finally, Apple also noted that split view support has been added to Terminal, tab support has been enhanced with a contextual menu and that it has added the ability to create new tabs by double clicking. In addition, Snow Leopard uses Java SE 6, released for Leopard systems in September, for all Java applications and applets.

Source : http://www.macnn.com/

Yahoo’s “Vista optimized” messenger is gone for good

Yahoo has ceased availability and future upgrades for its Vista-only release of its Messenger IM software.  One of the first applications built specifically for and around Windows Vista is gone for good. 

CNet is reporting that Yahoo has decided to return its focus to the core messenger software; "Yahoo has made the strategic decision to discontinue external releases of the stand-alone Yahoo Messenger for Vista client and focus on delivering one Windows experience that is optimized for Windows users today," Yahoo’s Terrell Karlsten said in a statement to CNET News. "This decision will help Yahoo increase efficiencies and deliver one consistent, full-featured solution for Windows users–whether they are using XP or Vista."

The Vista-optimized version of Messenger made excellent use of Vista’s “Windows Presentation Foundation,” which more or less means it used Vista’s slick interface to make the UI more appealing than other versions.  The functionality was the same, and it seems the dwindling popularity of Vista has forced Yahoo to drop the project all together. 

With more and more talk of people completely skipping Vista all together to instead opt for Windows 7, Yahoo looks to have taken a preemptive step.  The whole idea really never made sense to me in the first place.  If the Vista version had better functionality or new features I could see the benefits, but spending resources on something that can only be used on a not-so-popular OS should have been doomed from the beginning. 

The “Windows Presentation Foundation” will almost definitely find its way into Windows 7, and Yahoo has vowed to continue development with the platform, but for now all development has stopped.  "Moving forward we encourage Vista users to download our full-featured Yahoo Messenger 9.0 client, which is compatible with XP and Vista," Karlsten said.

Users that are already using the Vista version of Messenger can continue to do so, but no further updates will be provided.  In my eyes, it proves that Vista is one step closer to extinction.

Source : http://vista.blorge.com/

Microsoft readying Vista SP2 beta: blogs

Microsoft will begin beta testing the next service pack update for Windows Vista within weeks, according to a Windows enthusiast website.

Testers have received invitations to beta test Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2), reported Neowin.net earlier this month. Betas are expected to be released to invited testers, but not to the general public, in approximately four weeks, Neowin.net says, citing multiple tipsters.

Service packs typically consist of collections of the patches, hotfixes and reliability updates released since the original edition of the OS, or its last service pack, whichever came last. At times, however, the company introduces new features to its software via such packs.

Among those features, reported Neowin.net, Vista SP2 will include Windows Search 4, Bluetooth 2.1 wireless support, and support for Via Technologies' 64-bit processor. Currently, Via is best known for its C7 chip, which powers some ultra-light "netbook" laptops, including Hewlett-Packard's Mini-Note.

Windows Search 4.0 is the newest version of Microsoft's desktop search engine, and was issued to current Vista users via Windows Update last July.

Vista SP1, the single service pack released thus far, went final in February, just over a year after the operating system debuted in retail and was made available to consumers. The highly-anticipated SP1, however, suffered a bumpy launch, as users complained that they weren't able to upgrade and others reported that their PCs were crippled by endless reboots.

Earlier this month, speculation that Microsoft would soon seed select testers with a beta of Vista SP2 began after users noticed that the company had added a placeholder to its support database for the service packs for both Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Others, including blogger Mary-Jo Foley, have confirmed the Neowin.net reports. In a post earlier this month, Foley said that a few testers had already received Vista SP2 betas, and that Microsoft wanted to issue the service pack before it released Windows 7, Vista's successor.

Source : http://computerworld.co.nz/