It’s a joke: In a Linux world without walls who needs Windows?

Microsoft are poised to launch a new $USD 300 million advertising campaign this week, starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld among others. The marketing types responsible are intending to counter Apple’s successful "I’m a Mac" line, but the slogan picked out is simply on the wrong foot from the start and is thwarted by Linux immediately.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft have enlisted the help of popular comedy stars. I3 years ago I received a promotional VHS video cassette spruiking the virtues of Windows ’95 starring Jennifer Anniston and Matthew Perry, aka Rachel and Chandler from “Friends.” Sadly, my friends and family still to this day have to put up with me repeating a segment of dialogue that occurred when the duo approach Bill Gates desktop computer.

“Click on My Computer,” says one.
“But your computer isn’t here.”
“No, Bills’ My Computer.”
“You call your computer Bill?”

The other 29 minutes and 57 seconds of the video have escaped my mind, but “Bills’ My Computer” has forever etched itself into the finite storage space of my mind, squeezing out such things as how to perform basic vehicle maintenance.

Fast forward to the present day and neither Friends nor VHS are with us. Come to think of it, neither is the Seinfeld show. However, the war between operating systems is definitely hotting up again.

In my schooldays we debated the virtues of the highly-inspired Commodore 64 over the rubber keys of the Sinclair Spectrum, the lack of software for the Microbee, the price of the Apple II and the wide range of other personal computers of the mid to late ‘80’s. The more business-oriented computer mags hinted at the existence of such things as CP/M and UNIX. Some kids even had IBM clones in their households but in the gaming environment of youth they were the unlucky ones; it was uncommon for these to come standard with sound cards or game controllers.

Time marched on and with the death of 8-bit computing, the fading away of CP/M and the obscurity of PC-based UNIX systems, the battlefield levelled to Microsoft Windows vs Apple Macintosh. The revolutionary Amiga was gone, and so too the Atari ST.

The Macintosh always had its legions of fans but suffered from a hefty pricetag and a lack of a clone market. By contrast Microsoft enjoyed massive success by selling licenses to every single PC manufacturer. It really was the popularity of IBM, and the desire of manufacturers to get a piece of their pie, that made Microsoft what it is today.

A decade ago Linux had made its debut but was considered firstly a hobbyist system, then later a system for experts. It hadn’t reached the heights of usability that distros like Ubuntu are becoming famed for.

Apple turned their fortunes around with the release of the iPod. This elegant, massively hyped mp3 player became a hot item for geeks and fashionistas alike. It raised the public consciousness of Apple. It introduced the Apple flare for design and usability and seeded many a thought that Apple computers were worth a try.

So, what about these ads then?

From : http://www.itwire.com/

Attack of the Network Minnows: Netbooks conquer the market

Hanover, Germany - When the CeBIT rolled out in March 2008, nobody had an answer to the small yet affordable Asus EeePC. The market has rushed to fill the gap in the interim, however, with several new devices seeking to make headway in the netbook market. Devices in this class are designed to have dimensions comparable to a sheet of paper and weigh just one kilogramme, yet cost a fraction of their similarly dimensioned cousins, the subnotebook. Even so, buyers must make clear sacrifices in terms of options and performance. German hardware maker Brunen IT follows closely in the footsteps of the original EeePC with its One A110, a unit that featured a 7 inch display and the Linux operating system. Offered at the eye-popping price of 199 dollars, the device is over 100 dollars cheaper than its predecessor, with 512 Megabytes (MB) of RAM and 2 Gigabytes (GB) of internal memory in the place of a hard drive. The One has a VIA C7 M chip at its heart, while the Asus is based on Intel's Celeron M processor. The device is intended for surfing, communication, and simple office tasks. The series' thin construction allows for a long battery life. Regardless of which operating system is used, the A100 minis achieve roughly five hours of running time when used for non-intensive computing and with low monitor brightness, a test by Hanover-based c't magazine showed. The A150 comes delivered with 60 GB of hard drive space, 1 GB RAM, and Windows XP Home for 289 dollars. Packard Bell is still offering its 7 inch EasyNote XS netbook, including Bluetooth on board. Users who just can't handle the tiny 7 inch monitor and its low resolution should consider a 9 inch model. The current EeePC 900 from Asus (399 dollars) provides not only a bigger display, but also an improved touchpad, Windows XP Home and 12 GB of internal storage space. The restraints have been removed from the Celeron M. which now runs up to its full 900 Megahertz (MHz). A 901 model is already being designed to use an energy-saving Intel Atom processor. An Atom chip was already in the 9 inch Aspire One netbook that Acer sent onto the market in July. It comes with WLAN standard and can be upgraded with a UMTS module. The manufacturer gives One purchasers the choice of 8 GB of internal storage or 80 GB of hard drive capacity. The RAM is available in either 512 or 1 GB versions. Users can also choose between Linpus Linux and Windows XP Home as their operating system. The units cost between 300 and 400 dollars. Soon, nine inch netbooks will be available from HP, Dell and Fujitsu Siemens. Gigabyte will soon be launching its own netbook. At more than 500 dollars, it is considered somewhat expensive for this category, but it offers an Atom CPU, 160 GB of hard drive space as well as a rotating and tilting touchscreen - making it perfect for tablet PC use. The upper end of the Netbook category is currently filled through 10 inch devices weighing in at 1.2 kilogrammes. Medion is pushing one such unit under the name Akoya Mini E1210 for 399 dollars. While the device comes with good standard features, the device did not convince testers at Stiftung Warentest, a German consumer testing organization. "The small battery (3 cell) just didn't keep the netbook running long enough. The short two hour battery life makes this netbook ill-suited to be a mobile companion."

From : http://www.earthtimes.org/

Windows XP Ready for OLPC XO; OLPC To Revisit Give 1, Get 1 in November

We reported months back, to the dismay of many Linux and Sugar lovers, that One Laptop Per Child had officially teamed up with Microsoft to port over Windows XP to the OLPC XO. According to ZDNet, Microsoft has finally now released to manufacturing the version of Windows XP that it has tweaked to run on the One Laptop Per Child XO computer.

JkonTheRun put up a single shot of the OLPC XO running the customized XP (see an enlarged picture below). We don’t have many details at the moment on how the XP interface has been tweaked but we do know that it will run many of the programs that were designed for the Sugar operating system. The system hardware has also had to be changed to run the Microsoft OS and now includes more RAM. But rest assured, we will be getting a peek at the new XP for the green system in the coming weeks.

Foley of ZDNet reported that Microsoft has no plans to make Windows available for individuals who bought an XO in last year’s Give 1 Get 1 program. The program allowed U.S. and Canadian consumers to buy the XO laptop, but only if they bought one to donate to a developing nation.

It looks like the public will have to wait until this year’s Give 1 Get 1 to get an XO running Windows XP. According to Nicholas Negroponte, the non-profit will ramp up its next Give 1 Get 1 in November of this year. He tells us that he is trying to have dual-boot machines, running both Windows XP and Sugar, ready for the new G1G1.

From : http://blog.laptopmag.com/

Microsoft 'Vista Capable' debacle points to Intel

Pressure from Intel led Microsoft to lower the requirements for computers qualifying for a "Vista Capable" badge, even though internal e-mails show the company knew Vista would not work correctly.

Internal Microsoft e-mails (large PDF), which have been disclosed due to a class action lawsuit against the software company, reveal the tangle of chaos.

Originally, in order to qualify for a "Vista Capable" badge, Microsoft had stipulated that PCs required the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) -- a graphic driver able to display Vista's Aero interface. However, after pressure from Intel, the company decided to loosen the specifications.

In a February 2006 e-mail, Microsoft's Will Johnson explained what was to lie under the hood of Vista Capable machines: "We have removed the WDDM requirement for Vista Capable machines, the modern CPU and 512 RAM requirements remain intact but the specific component that enables the graphical elements of Windows Vista has been removed."

Johnson was aware of the problems the move could cause: "From my standpoint, the potential issue this creates is placing more machines that while Vista capable logo'd will ultimately not be able to deliver the full Vista experience if the customer chooses to upgrade at launch."

The change of heart was due to pressure from Intel, according to an e-mail sent by Microsoft general manager John Kalkman. He revealed that the decision was made because Intel wanted to continue selling its 915 chipset, which was unable to properly operate Aero.

"In the end we lowered the requirement to help Intel make their quarterly earning so they could continue to sell motherboards with 915 graphics embedded," Kalkman wrote.

In the same month, fellow employee Mike Ybarra e-mailed his violent disagreement: "I am passionate about this and believe this decision is a mistake," he said. "We are allowing Intel to drive our consumer experience," he said. "I don't understand why we would cave in on this when the potential to drive the full UI experience is right in front of us."

Kalkman admitted the change created confusion in the market: "It was a mistake on our part to change the original graphics requirements. This created confusion in the industry on how important the aspect of visual computing would play as a feature set to new Windows Vista upgraders. We will take this learning into Win7 planning."

One Microsoft VP, Mike Nash, expressed his displeasure, calling on personal experience. "I personally got bummed by the Intel 915 chipset issue on a laptop," he said. "I know that I chose my laptop (A Sony TX770P) because it had the Vista logo and was pretty disappointed that it not only wouldn't' run Glass, but more importantly wouldn’t run Movie Maker ... I now have a [US]$2,100 e-mail machine."

Microsoft VP Steven Sinofsky, writing to CEO Steve Ballmer, said the Intel 945 chipset caused problems: "[Intel's] 945 chipset, which is the baseline Vista set "barely" works right now and is very broadly used," he said. "Hopes are on the next chipset rather than this one."

To make matters worse, the marketing of what exactly "Vista Capable" machines could do was not clear. In an e-mail discussing strong Wal-Mart criticism on the lowering of Vista Capable standards, Microsoft VP Steve Shiro said: "This feedback has been consistent from all retailers around the world. We should not let consumers or retailers have to decipher what Windows Vista Capable means."

In response to request for comment, Microsoft issued this statement.

"We included the 915 chipset as part of the Windows Vista Capable program based on successful testing of beta versions of Windows Vista on the chipset and the broad availability of the chipset in the market.

Computers equipped with this chipset were and are capable of being upgraded to Windows Vista Home Basic. Microsoft authorised the use of the Premium Ready designation on PCs that could support premium features of Windows Vista."

Microsoft reduces cost of Vista
In a move designed to boost sales of Vista, Microsoft has announced it will reduce the cost of buying a standalone version of its operating system.

"Stand-alone retail sales, while not representing a large percentage of the business, represents an area of opportunity for additional growth the company sees based on the new editions introduced in 2007," the company said.

The changes will coincide with the global release of Windows Vista SP 1 later this year -- though some markets will score the reduced prices sooner as a result of promotions.

Most Australian Vista prices will take a fall according to an Australian spokesperson for Microsoft. Vista Business Full edition will drop AU$116 to AU$449, although the Upgrade edition will keep its price of AU$379. Vista Home Basic Upgrade will be reduced AU$50 to AU$149, while the Full edition will cost AU$299 instead of AU$385. Home Premium Upgrade will sell at AU$199, down from AU$299 and the Premium Full edition will fall AU$106 to AU$349. Vista Ultimate Upgrade only goes down AU$94 to AU$399, but the Full Edition will be slashed AU$302 to AU$449.Windows, Vistsa