Windows 7

Ok, there have been a few interesting developments on Windows 7 since I last blogged about it.

For starters, the starter edition will no longer have the 3 app rule. For those who don’t know, the 3 app rule was that you could not run more than 3 apps at once (not including A/V software). Their reasons were that the netbooks couldn’t handle it, and that most people won’t use more than 3 apps. So, it is interesting that they have stopped this, as they seemed to be taking more and more control over netbooks as time went on.

I wonder what made them change their mind. Was it the bad press? Was it the hundreds of people being unhappy bout it? I guess we will never know…

Second of all, windows 7 seems to be running at a base install (no AV software) at about 400mb on a 32-bit computer. That is interesting. It seems to be a lot better than Vista, but still quite heavy. 400 as apposed to about 150 for a base ubuntu install running compiz. But ach well, it is a step in the right direction.

Third, it seems Windows 7 will only be released as a full install in Europe. They will have an upgrade option, but it will just be the full install disk. I wonder what the point is…? But also, it will be much more expensive than in America. Up to double depending on the actual version that you choose.

So, good and bad things going for Microsoft and Windows 7 just now. I would like to point out that the RC seems to run slower than the beta.

Microsoft are selling Viagra?

I just got this email today (it went into my spam folder, but I check that anyways, just incase anything slips into it.

I find this really amusing. Do people think this is Microsoft??? Why???

TomTom added to my "Good Companies" list

You may remember a while ago, Microsoft started to try and sue TomTom for its use of the Linux Kernel and the Fat filesystem (in a big mess of patents that noone totally understands). Well, TomTom then decided to try and sue Microsoft over their mapping system. Supposodly it breaks a TomTom patent. Ok, so noone likes suing and patents, but that is only part of what TomTom has done which has made them into my Good Companies list.

TomTom joined the Open Invention Network. This is a group of companies (such as Red Hat, IBM, Google, etc) who joined together to share patents and fight Microsoft and Apple essentially. By joining the Open Invention Network, TomTom promise to not sue any other companie in the Open Invention Network and to help fight any companies trying to sue another companie in the Network. In return for this, TomTom get the protection of all the other companies in the Network. The only other requirement is they have to have something to do with Linux or Open Source software.

This is a great move, because, by doing this, it stops TomTom being able to make a patent deal with Microsoft, and shows that TomTom are really willing to fight Microsoft. This is great, because now we will see if Microsoft really has anything, or if it is just scaremongering. I think this is fantastic and I am very happy with TomTom, and for this reason, they are now on my Good Companies list. Good on ya TomTom

Tech Predictions

Right, ok, so its that time of year when everyone tries to say what they think will happen with tech in the next year/few years.

Now, I don’t know why people keep doing this…because they are almost always wrong. Let me give you a few examples.

Bill Gates 1982 – “640K is more memory than anyone will ever need”
PC World in 2000 – “Within 3 years we will have PDA and phone batteries that last a year, like watch batteries.”
Alan Sugar 2005 – “Next Christmas, the ipod will be kaput”

If you want more you can go here http://listverse.com/history/top-30-failed-technology-predictions/

So…the question we all ask is…why on earth do we do it?
I have an answer…because its fun.

I am not expecting anything I say to be correct…but at this point in time this is how I feel it will go this year.

1. Microsoft will postpone their deadline for Windows 7. (Currently at 3rd quarter of this year)
2. Apple won’t wait till Christmas to release their new Iphone, which is what they said they will do.
3. 10000 people will once again say that this is the year of linux.
4. This will be the year of linux.
5. I will get my computer working again.
6. Google will release 2 more versions of their G range of phones, taking as long to release the source code as they did with the first version.
7. Canonical will make an increasingly stupid name for version 9.10 of Ubuntu. Kranky Kangaroo or something.
8. We will see the start of the silicon -> something else switchover, near the end of the year.
9. Google will release a desktop OS, because they don’t have one yet.
10. Thunderbird 3.0 might get released…that would be nice…taking long enough.
11. 3d desktops will become all the rage, and noone will believe linux users when they say we’ve had the cube for 6 years.

Ok, these are my predictions. If I think of anymore, I will put them in, but I will post one at the end of the year discussing what was right, and what was wrong.

Maybe I’ll be quoted as one of the top 30 worst predictions ever. Nah…that crown belongs to the people in the link above.

Microsoft decides what is best for you.

Ok, so I was doing a wee bit of research on Windows 7 (previously codenamed Vienna), the new version of Windows that is meant to come out in first quarter of 2010. (So…2013 then…). And I found a lot of interesting things about it. First of all, they will be introducing some more 3D stuff, which is annoying because soon I won’t be the only person in my uni lectures editing a word processor, then spinning round a sphere to my calculator, back again, then closing it all down in a big ball of fire.

But more importantly, I have once again heard something from Steven Sinofsky of Microsoft.

This is going to be the new taskbar for Windows (hmmm reminds me of a certain KDE kicker) which is radically different from even the one in Vista, never mind the old XP and 2000/98/95 style taskbar. Now, whether or not you think this is good is irrelevant because

“there will be no ability to enable the old taskbar since, in Microsoft’s opinion, the new taskbar’s leap in usability negates the need for a “less-able” option.”

What can I say? I am sorry for doubting you oh master of computers…what you say is correct…I will obey. I cannot be right about my personal opinions on what a taskbar should be like.

Goodness me, who are they and what gives them the right to tell me what my computer should be like? This is one huge reason why I turned away from windows in the first place. They say…it happens.

Another couple of interesting things about Windows 7 is that you can very quickly resize a window to half-maximised (ok, sounds fantastic…I will use that very often) and a number of programs (such as notepad) will incorporate the ribbon-style menu that Microsoft Office has been infected with.

Also, on a sidenote, Microsoft haven’t given up on their stupid I’m a PC ads yet. Look at what they have outside an Apple store. I’m not sure where exactly, but somewhere in America I believe. (Where else…)

IBM don’t like Microsoft anymore.

Ok, so I just read in Linux Format for this month, that IBM have spoken out saying that they are going to be working with linux based companies (Canonical, Novell, Red Hat) and some hardware vendors (doesn’t specify what) to work towards creating a “World without windows”.

Basically, they said that they didn’t like Windows Vista, and that a lot of customers have been asking for linux computers. They mention the fact that Sub-notebooks (Asus EEE PC, Dell E, Webbook) have linux on them by default is another reason that they have decided this.

One thing that IBM has created recently is “Lotus Symphony”. Now, I have yet to try this out, but basically it is described as “giving OpenOffice.org an Office 2007-esque Ribbon controller”. So its like Office 2007? Not sure whether that is a good thing or not, but if it is a way of taking people off Microsoft Office and onto OpenOffice.org…I’m happy. I don’t think I will like it myself, but then thats one of the things I love about open source – the choice.