Bill Lindner

... continued from Part 1 (of 3). Recently, I laid out some of the reasons why Microsoft's marketing offensive for Windows Vista has overextended the supply lines of reality. Although it looks great and might have potential, there are only a handful ... of reasons to upgrade now. So, what are those flashy features being pushed by Microsoft? Let's take a look at some of the new tools that the company believes make purchasing Vista worthwhile. BitLocker BitLocker is a security enhancement and works by encrypting the data on your hard drive using a hardware key and pass phrase -- but is only ... (view more)

Flashback to late January 2007 -- Microsoft releases Windows Vista consumer versions of their "latest and greatest" new operating system (OS) with the marketing hype of "the wow is now". The Vista web site even offers 100 reasons you'll be ... speechless. The top reason? "It makes using your pc a breeze" (provided your computer runs once you've installed Vista). Your chances of effectively using Vista improve if you purchase a new computer with the finicky operating system already loaded. Upgrading older computers is a waste of time and money. Unfortunately for Microsoft, their marketing tactics ... (view more)

AT ... (view more)

Talk about deja vu. A Finnish security researcher recently discovered that the same problems affecting Windows XP and recovery disks were inherited by Windows Vista. If you have a Vista install DVD, you can gain administrative level access to the ... hard drive without needing a password. Detailed documentation, including possible workarounds, can be found at Kimmo Rousku's web site . The potential hack was discovered on February 8, 2007 during a Windows Vista training session. It was immediately reported to Microsoft Finland who confirmed it two days later. Apparently, the Command Prompt tool in ... (view more)

The launch of Windows Vista earlier this year may have helped fuel Mac sales according to research conducted by Gartner Research. Mac sales were up 35 percent in the first quarter compared to a year ago. Comparatively, PC sales were up by 9 percent. ... (Source: Kansascity.com ) A lot of technology companies appear to have expectations that computer sales would get a bigger boost with the release of Vista, which requires a lot more computing power than earlier versions of Windows. That expectation may be leaving tech companies with higher inventories and more production capacity than necessary. ... (view more)

Dell officially launched three consumer PCs that run the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux Operating System (OS): two desktops and one laptop. The new PCs give consumers a third choice when purchasing a computer -- namely, a machine with Windows installed, a ... machine with no OS so they can install whatever they want, and one with Ubuntu Linux installed. The PCs will be available from Dell's web site . The E1505n laptop starts at $599. The E520n desktop starts at $599 and the XPS 410n starts at $849. As a comparison, the XPS 410 that comes with Windows Vista Premium preloaded costs $899. More information about ... (view more)

Independent security tests performed by CRN.com suggests that Windows Vista is only marginally more secure than Windows XP. CRN spent a week testing both operating systems against various Trojans, viruses and various exploits. The tests were ... performed with Windows Vista Business on an HP Compaq 6515b notebook with Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and an HP Compaq nc6400 with Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), both using the default security features and settings. Finjan's RUSafe sniffer tool (a security tool that sniffs live traffic and generates logs that can be analyzed to help protect you ... (view more)

Will you be upgrading to Windows Vista any time soon? Vote your opinion at the end of this article! -- At the annual WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference) earlier this month, Microsoft issued new numbers in an attempt to bridge troubled ... waters concerning the success of their new Windows Vista operating system (OS). Microsoft claims to have sold almost 40 million copies of Windows Vista in its first 100 days, twice as many copies of Windows XP after its first 100 days. The big question is, who's buying them? PC makers under contract with them? Consumers aren't buying them at a rapid ... (view more)

In what's being labeled by some as an attempt to deflect questions surrounding their floundering Vista reception and sales, Microsoft is threatening law suits aimed at open source distributors and users, claiming that Free Open Source Software ... (FOSS) violates 235 of their patents ... and they want royalties from it. If they get their way, free software won't be free any more. According to Microsoft , the Linux kernel violates 42 Microsoft patents, the Linux graphical user interface (GUI) violates 65 patents, the Open Office suite of programs violate 45 patents, Email programs violate 15 ... (view more)

... [continued from Part 1 ]. Others argue that Microsoft is at a turning point as they try to build a successful business around online services and advertising, waiting too long to adopt new business models similar to the ones that Google ... successfully launched. The Xbox 360 game console and the Zune digital media player have also proven to be unsuccessful. A January 26, 2007 memo issued by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) CIO Dave Bowen states he might permanently bypass upgrading the FAA's desktops to Windows Vista due to stringent hardware requirements and application ... (view more)