As the beta for Windows 7
approaches
,
one reader looks forward to trying it out, while another wonders about its multi-core
support:
I'm hoping Windows 7 will be better than Vista and will work with much
less RAM. I'm hoping to be able to get a copy of the beta version of Windows
7 to run on one of my test machines I have at the house.
I'm a contractor working for the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps building
systems to send to troops around the world. We have access to an MSDN subscription
and I've already gotten calls about getting the beta version of Win 7 when
it comes out to test for possible deployment later on. Time will tell.
-Bob
With all the talk lately about Windows 7, the one piece I don't recall
seeing anything about is (better) support for multiple CPU cores. Do you have
any information about this? My understanding is that even Vista, developed
during the launch of multi-core CPUs, didn't have great support (outside of
the server, anyway). Any information about how Windows 7 fares?
-Dave
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 08, 20080 comments
IBM once owned the PC business. It, along with Philip "Don" Estridge,
created the IBM PC and in the process made DOS the dominant OS. It tried to
maintain dominance with OS/2, but Microsoft lost interest (as it lost control)
and went with Windows instead. The rest is antitrust history.
IBM would like nothing better than to reassert itself on the desk. Its answer?
A set of open source productivity apps all delivered through virtual
Linux servers. IBM has made headway with a similar approach in Europe and
many internal Big Blue users are on open source clients.
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 08, 20080 comments
Symantec just
released
a study
claiming that as of now, software authors are writing more malware
apps than legitimate, useful programs. And the company says next year will be
even worse.
First, a little caveat. Symantec sells security software, so it's in the company's
interest to scare us. That said, Symantec has always been honest with me so
I must take it at its word.
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 04, 20080 comments
I avoid fighting people that are bigger and better trained than me (which means
I'll have to stop fighting my two sons pretty soon). So I would certainly never
want to irritate an organization with 3 million people, many of whom are armed,
and a huge complement of planes, bombs, tanks and guns.
But that's just what some idiotic hackers are doing by releasing
malware aimed at U.S. Defense Department computers.
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 04, 20080 comments
On Tuesday,
Fred
posed a question
to fellow Redmond Report readers -- what should he do to
keep his home WEP Wi-Fi connection secure? Here are your responses:
Regarding Fred's question on wireless: WEP is commonly defeated in under
10 minutes, so if someone decides to target your network, any available resource
will be open to them. I'd worry less about the man next door than I would
about the boy next door, who might try to break into your network just for
the 'fun' of doing so. Another worry with WEP is having a stranger gain Internet
access through your network and then use it for criminal activity, which would
trace back to your IP address.
-David
If you don't share anything on your computer, including hidden shares,
a hacker can get access to the Internet only. The harm here is that they can
capture your Internet traffic, but this would be very unlikely in a home environment.
Even if they do capture Internet traffic, https sites are safe because of
encryption. For example, your username and password for most Web-based e-mail
is safe because it is encrypted; the log in page is usually https://something.
However, the e-mail packets themselves are probably not encrypted and can
be captured. You can configure Firefox to encrypt all Gmail traffic, but this
is an exception. If you use e-mail handlers like Outlook or Thunderbird, your
SMTP port is 25 and your POP port is 110, your mail transmissions can be easily
captured. Hackers can also use peer-to-peer file transfers and slow down your
Internet connection (the odds against this happening are astronomical).
I can hack 128-bit WEP encryption in 10 minutes if I am close enough
to the access point, usually within 100 feet. The farther away, the more time-consuming
the hack. Right now, the average hacker would not bother with any WPA because
WEP is easy and plentiful. Almost all wireless routers and network cards can
be configured with WPA. If you really want to be safe, use WPA-2 with AES
and more than 20 characters in the encryption key. Also, keep potential hackers
more than 300 feet away. This is almost as safe as a wired network.
Once again, if you don't have anything shared, including hidden shares,
and you don't have sensitive e-mails, there is not much to worry about from
Wi-Fi.
-Earl
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 04, 20080 comments
Microsoft has been cleverly trying to turn the subject away from Vista and
toward...well, toward just about anything else! Vista TV commercials mention
Mojave more than the V-word, and the new, big Redmond word is "cloud."
On the desktop, Microsoft isn't shy about promoting Windows 7 and making it
seem this OS is right around the corner. And it is -- at least in beta form.
It looks like the first beta will be out
this January. An alpha (I call it that, even though Microsoft has its own
odd nomenclature) is already in the hands of developers who find it pretty solid.
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 04, 20080 comments
Even though Microsoft is planning to kill off OneCare next year, it's still
touting
the product as a success
. A couple of you happen to agree:
I've been very happy with OneCare, mainly for two reasons relating to
my 84-year-old dad's PC. First of all, OneCare wakes the PC in the middle
of the night to do an automated backup to an external hard drive. Dad isn't
aware of this and can't accidentally disable it, so it provides some protection
against his other often careless actions.
And, as part of my OneCare "circle," his system status gets
reported in the OneCare console on my home PC, alerting me to potential issues
as they occur. I haven't had much in the way of problems with OneCare, but
I'd speculate that the cost of providing free support was a big factor in
Microsoft's decision to stop offering it.
-David
I do not know why Microsoft would want to eliminate a necessary product,
especially since it was one of the cheapest packages around. Honestly, in
my opinion, I believe that anti-virus software should be FREE. Protecting
computers from malware and viruses is a necessity and should be provided with
the OS, instead of from the greedy, pay-or-else companies like Symantec. This
is the very reason I use Grisoft AVG.
If companies want to charge for their firewall or parental control products,
fine, but basic protection from hackers should be at the forethought of everyone.
How can you prevent viruses and zombies if we cannot afford the product? Symantec,
McAfee and others are no better than the pirates in Somalia.
-Anonymous
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 03, 20080 comments
Desktop virtualization has been around for...I don't know. About at least 20
years. But there's a new debate over VDI, or Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.
Citrix has long had server-based thin client computing, so VDI isn't the first
stab at this kind of processing. Instead, VDI adds an additional layer of virtualization
on top of the hardware so that each client has a more dedicated experience (virtual
gurus, feel free to correct or polish my definition by writing [email protected]).
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 03, 20080 comments
How serious is Microsoft about the cloud? Besides building new cloud infrastructure
software and retooling all its apps for remote computing, Microsoft is
pouring
huge bucks into its datacenters
, to the tune of 10,000 new servers every
month.
Microsoft has an interesting new approach to building datacenters with efficiencies
that remind me of state-of-the-art supplies like Wal-Mart has. Microsoft's approach
is all modular and snap-in, and the center is architected to deliver Just in
Time capacity (the same way a good supply chain delivers products Just in Time).
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 03, 20080 comments
Vista is still one of the great mysteries of software. Many like it and can't
for the life of them understand why it gets such a bad rap. Others hate it and
can't for the life of them understand why Microsoft built it in the first place.
For most Microsoft products, the first service pack stamps out the bugs and
makes it usable. The first Vista SP helped, but wasn't enough to change Vista's
bad reputation. Fortunately, SP2
is getting closer, as it's now in wide-scale beta.
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 03, 20080 comments
While less conservative than it was two decades ago, IBM isn't exactly a wild
and crazy company. So when IBM told me that electronic holiday toys
could
include malware
, I had to trust the information.
The idea is that toys, especially those that connect via USB, could be loaded
with software to give hackers a backdoor entry to your machine and maybe your
network.
Posted by Doug Barney on December 02, 20080 comments
There's just no shortage of opinions when it comes to the "Vista Capable"
sticker lawsuit. Today, it's the Microsoft defenders' turn:
OK...just a sanity check here. All of you whining about this, please
look carefully at the your computer and see if you can figure out who manufactured
it. Those whose computers were manufactured by Microsoft, keep complaining
about MS. The rest of you, aim your complaints at the computer manufacturer!
So much whine, bring on the cheese!
-Terry
I think MS should win the case. It's fun to knock the "Big Dawg"
which is why people tend to root for underdogs. I believe Microsoft didn't
even have to put that label on the hardware. Let's not blame it for the ignorance
of others.
-Michael
In my opinion, Vista is not just Vista Ultimate. I believe (correct me
if I am wrong) there are other editions including Home Basic, Home Premium,
Business, etc. If a machine can run Vista Basic (without the razzmatazz of
Vista Ultimate), then the machine is "Vista Capable." If the sticker
said "Aero Capable," then we have a different game entirely. I use
an HP dv2910us with 3GB RAM, and it's very capable of running Aero, but I
use the Windows Classic theme. Just because Aero is turned off, doesn't mean
I am not running Vista.
Microsoft should pay, but not through its nose.
-Anonymous
I think everyone is missing the point about the "Vista Capable"
stickers. Yes, Microsoft goofed when it allowed manufacturers to use them.
However, Microsoft did not manufacture any of those low-end computers or place
the stickers on the computers. Most of the blame should go to the manufacturers
who wanted to mislead consumers about low-end computers.
Another important question is: Why does Vista have so many flavors? Could
Microsoft be making these stripped-down products in response to manufacturers'
needs? Could it be making them to make more affordable products? After all,
it doesn't cost Microsoft any more money to ship Ultimate than it does to
ship Home Basic. Unlike Apple, Microsoft does not control the entire manufacturing
practice for its computers. If it did and forced manufacturers to make high-end
computers, it would deny access to a large segment of the populace.
-Earl
As they try to hang MS, how many of those same folks are trying to fry
the auto companies for the mileage ratings posted on the windows of new cars?
I know the auto companies all say, "Well, those are the numbers from
the government testing," but I don't hear any of them saying, "Here's
what you should really expect to get."
-Anonymous
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Posted by Doug Barney on December 02, 20080 comments