Modify Colors
Posts in Microsoft
Matching Microsoft On Interoperability
Microsoft’s concession to offer a so-called “browser ballot” in the European version of Windows 7 has been covered extensively. European buyers of Windows 7 will, except when the OEM has a separate deal, be presented with a choice of browsers, ordered by estimated market share. Microsoft has also released a less covered document [.doc] that extends the idea of a ballot to file formats in Office 14:
“Beginning with the release of Office 14, end users that purchase Microsoft’s Primary PC Productivity Applications in the EEA in both the OEM and retail channel will be prompted in an unbiased way to select default file format (from options that include ODF)…”
Microsoft hasn’t exactly been friendly to open standards in the past, but this is a serious concession that will, if properly implemented, change the balance of file formats.
As much as the FSF would like to continue framing Microsoft as the bad guy in every situation, they aren’t. The Microsoft of today is very different from the Microsoft of 5 years ago, and supporters of open standards should start to match their moves towards interoperability.
The best reaction to this news would be for OpenOffice.org and other prominent open-source desktop productivity applications to offer a file format ballot as well.This ballot would offer ODF, Microsoft’s .doc binary formats, and OOXML.
This proposal will, undoubtably, be contriversal. This move would have a number of benefits, though.
First, it offers more choice to users. Why shouldn’t I be able to choose to use Microsoft’s file formats if I prefer? In fact, I do use Microsoft’s older binary file formats most of the time, since it is essential that I am able to open files I create with unknown versions of Office when I don’t have my computer with me. I’m am completely in support of open-standards, but I am also in support of choice.
Second, matching Microsoft’s moves towards interoperability would cast free software advocates and users in a better light. Thanks to the FSF’s childish campaigns (see the instructions) and the blatent FUD of unnamed anti-Novell sites, free software advocates are usually viewed as borderline insane extremists. If OpenOffice publically recognized Microsoft’s positive steps and offered their own ballot, it would help remedy this situation. (The FSF does a lot of great work and, as he is fond of pointing out, without some of Stallman’s work we wouldn’t have Linux as we have it today. That doesn’t excuse anything, though.)
Free software advocates can’t just continue to pretend Microsoft is a big evil corporation. Perhaps they are, but they’re a lot less evil and a little less big than they used to be. Instead of dismissing every move Microsoft takes as a trap, let’s admit it was a good move and thank them for it.
Kernel Patch To Work Around Microsoft FAT Patent Issues
Every once and a while some patent scare comes up in the Linux world, often from Microsoft. They all generally go like this: big company says vague thing about their patent and Linux; everyone freaks out. These sorts of issues generally divide technical Linux users into two groups. One group says that nothing should be done until they see a lawsuit, and the other says we need to drop everything else and abandon the piece of software in question.
I am, of course, overstating the problem a little, but that is the general idea. The most recent incident was when TomTom got sued by Microsoft over their FAT filesystem implementation. This, of course, created a lot of conversation, much of which was completely unproductive. Now, though, a patch has been submitted that should eliminate the potential violation.
Regardless of the patent violation’s existence or lack of existence, a patch that fixes the issue completley is a really good step. If every time these issues came up, they were simply patched as time allowed, we could end all the theoretical arguements about what to do and just fix the problem.
Microsoft Buries $10,000 For Firefox Users (With User Agent-Switcher Plugin)
In Microsoft’s continued effort to pay people to use their products, they are “burying” $10,000 somewhere on the web and will be giving clues out, but IE 8 (or Firefox + the user-agent switcher plugin) are the only browsers capable of finding the clues. In fact, if you go to the page with a different browser, it will make fun of you:
Chrome: “But you’ll never find it using tarnished Chrome.”
IE 7: “But you’ll never find it using Windows Internet Explorer 7″
Most other browsers: “But you’ll never find it using that browser.”
Interestingly, I don’t have IE 7 or Chrome installed. All I have is Firefox plus a handy user-agent switcher. The user agent string tells the server what browser you are using. With the plugin, though, you can send anything you want. For example, here is the user-agent string for Internet Explorer 8 on Windows Vista:
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 8.0; Windows NT 6.0; Trident/4.0)
So go install the user-agent switcher and add that string under Tools > User Agent Switcher > Options > Options.
The contest is open to Australians and the rules appear to require that you actually use IE 8, but I’m no lawyer, so don’t ask me.
Time and time again the EU has run after Microsoft, hoping to keep them in check and ensure some competition, but sometimes you have to wonder if they are just picking on the big guy. After pressure from the EU, Microsoft has decided to sell Windows 7 without IE, but even that isn’t enough.
Rather than not bundling any web browser, the EU would apparently prefer they gave a choice of several. Which browsers, then, will make the list? And do you really expect Microsoft to bundle Firefox? I’m all in favor of getting people off of IE for the sake of every web developer out there, but this is getting a little extreme.
It looks like the EU might be tightening the leash on Microsoft a little too tightly. You can’t expect no bundling and a web browser included at the same time.
Microsoft And ODF: Bad For Everyone
In shocking news, Microsoft’s support of ODF in Microsoft Office is basically unusable in many respects, according to the OpenDocument Format Alliance. This is a real problem for ODF’s adoption, since Office users who try using it, either for opening a document or for sending a document to someone else, will likely blame their issues on ODF, and, thus, avoid it.
What Microsoft has done with ODF support seems likely to harm ODF’s acceptance, rather than help it. It’s hard to tell if this move was incompetent or malicious or something entirely different?
It’s hard to believe that with all of Microsoft’s resources they couldn’t put together decent ODF support, but, then again, they haven’t exactly been hitting home runs recently. Whatever the cause, Microsoft would be better off if they had done this correctly. A little good will from a bunch of geeks is so much more important than (probably unintentionally) giving a few users a bad experience with ODF.
Microsoft often makes little gestures as if they are beginning to accept that they can co-exist with open-source software and open standards, but every time they manager to somehow undermine their own actions with some other unfriendly move. Reputation is key right now for Microsoft’s success. Lazy ODF support isn’t winning them any friends.
Solitare in Windows 7: Now With Hardware Acceleration
Apparently Solitare now requires hardware acceleration from the graphics card? Really, Microsoft?
The sad part is that it actually lags. It’s not just a stray dialog box, Solitare apparently actually needs hardware acceleration. I don’t know what to say.
By the way, go check out the Windows 7 RC.
Comparison of Windows 7 and Ubuntu 8.04 Artwork Style
Interestingly, Microsoft and most of the popular Linux distributions have taken a very different approach to Artwork. I don’t intend to state an opinion. Instead, this is simply to point out and compare the two styles. I am using Ubuntu 8.04 and Windows 7, since they each stand out as excellent in their own style. If you don’t like either one’s artwork, refrain from voicing your opinion and focus on the difference, not the art.
Ubuntu 8.04
Ubuntu 8.04, while not the current Ubuntu release, featured a wallpaper that was very artistic and impressive to most people. The yellow and red heron was complemented by the simple brown background. This color scheme was supported by Ubuntu’s “Human” theme. Whatever you think of the art, this created a very consistent theme that fits across the entire desktop.
What this theme does not do, however, is allow for any wallpaper to be substituted in. The brown theme is unique to Ubuntu and rarely fits with wallpapers or other elements that were not designed for it. This means that, unless you decide to replace everything, you are pretty much stuck with one look.
(Screenshot by Florian. Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike 2.0.)
Windows 7
Windows 7, and most Windows versions, takes a very different approach. All of the theming is almost completely neutral. Clear with a slight tinge of black is just about as neutral as you can get. Plus, you can change the tint color to match any color scheme. Instead of having two wallpaper options like Ubuntu, Windows 7 has many, many choices, almost all of which are just nice photos.
This set up allows the user to pick almost any background and simply supports it with neutral theming around the windows. This means that, for the options the user is allowed to change (without special software), there are almost no restrictions.
(Screenshot by oO XP3ctr0 PhotosOo. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.)
Operating System Reaction Times
When you’re driving a car, the road in front of you changes fast and, in order to avoid a collision, you have to turn, speed up, and slow down in response to these changes. Now imagine if you couldn’t change course or speed until the person sitting next to you told you. Before too long, you’d probably crash. That’s exactly where Windows is right now.
The tech world is changing faster than ever before. Did you know you can buy a flash drive with an eSATA connection
Just look at what happened with netbooks. Microsoft may have caught itself, but they were not prepared for the emergency of netbooks. Netbooks are currently forcing them to keep alive an operating system they wanted to kill years ago. New technology doesn’t wait for 5 year release cycles. It just comes.
This isn’t necessarily about open-source vs. proprietary software. In theory, you could develop an incredibly flexible piece of proprietary software that could be modified to react as soon as the new technology hit, but at this point, the only operating systems that can consistently be there for the people releasing new, cutting edge technology are those that are open source – specifically Linux.
Microsoft is being the backseat driver in an era when there is no time for a delay.
Proprietary Tax Makes Linux $1000 Less Expensive Than Mac, Windows
A new study by the IMTSUF reports that, contrary to opinions by Microsoft and CNBC, Linux is actually the cheapest choice, due to the Proprietary Tax, which adds the following additional expenses on to a standard $700 Windows PC or Mac:
- $50-$100 – Cost of proprietary operating system
- $50 – RAM upgrade for comparable performance
- $200-$300 – Proprietary software to replace free software included with Linux
- $20 – Toaster
- $50 – Anti-virus software
- $400 – Cat litter
Right about now you’re thinking about checking the source, right? I already said it comes the IMTSUF – The I’m Making This S**t Up Foundation. Haven’t you heard of them?
Well, apparently you have, because Microsoft and CNBC (???) are having a battle over the so-called “hidden costs” of owning a Mac or PC. To give you an example, Microsoft claims that an average family will need, in addition to two other computers and many accessories, a Mac Pro, a Mobile Me family pack, (in a few years) an iLife upgrade, and so on , but if you are on the PC side you don’t need any software, since you have older copies. CNBC, on the other hand, apparently believes that Macs come with Photoshop and PCs always require a Geek Squad visit. Sorry, iPhoto != Photoshop.
Those are just the most obvious examples, in 5 minutes of looking at these arguments, you could poke so many holes in each of them you couldn’t tell what they were supposed to say in the first place.
Trying to compare details like what software someone is going to buy is impossible. Is there a person for whom a Windows PC ends up costing $1000 more than a Mac? Probably. Does that person have a clue what they’re doing? Probably not. Does anyone care? Definitely not.
Attempting to do a detailed comparison of one company’s raw hardware versus another company’s is one thing, but making assumptions about what the user is going to do is a waste of everyone’s time. Just remember that next time you buy a Windows PC, you have to pick up 4 tons of cat litter, too. (It’s just in case someone leaves his or her soda in your case. It could happen, but then again that’s according to IMTSUF.)
Macs are for snobby, cool people; PCs are for picky people. I guess that’s what we’re supposed to take away from Microsoft’s latest “Laptop Hunters” advertisements. I might be the only one, but I don’t like these ads.
As I watched Microsoft’s latest ad I was getting ready to comment on how much better this one was than the last one. Just then, I head the last line: “I’m a PC, because I’m really picky.” What?
If you took that line out it would really be a fairly normal ad. Likewise, with the previous ad, if you took out the “I’m just not cool enough to be a Mac.” line it would also be quite normal. Of course, if it was too normal of an ad, no one would talk about it. For most companies, having an ad of any sort talked about as much as these have been would be a dream, but Microsoft’s ad agency seems to be good at it. The problem is that instead of being the punch line to a jab at Macs, the memorable line is almost a jab at PCs. That’s not the line you want people repeating.
Microsoft’s ads seem to follow the any publicity is good publicity, but it isn’t necessarily true. I would love to see some good competitors to Apple’s Get A Mac ads, but I just am not convinced these ads will do it.