A reader shares his thoughts what Microsoft needs to change with its next OS:
The biggest problem with Windows is that it does not protect itself. Windows must not let ANY user software intermingle with Windows. This means that all Windows folders (like SYSTEM32) must remain inviolate The Registry must also be limited JUST to Windows entries. Of course, an OS is no good without applications, so there must be application interaction. However, the same logic that allows libraries could allow two separate but equal SYSTEM32 folders -- one for Windows use and one for applications to use. The same goes for all other similar folders. This also suggests two registries: one for Windows and one for applications. Windows could build an integrated database (Registry) each time it boots or each time either Registry changes.
I should be able to do a complete reinstall of Windows -- or upgrade it to a new computer -- without affecting any application on the computer. I also should be able to copy all the user folders from one computer to another and have all my applications up and running on that new computer immediately without having to do a reinstall of each application (assuming the old and new versions of Windows are compatible).
This way if there are problems, one can just reinstall Windows, install all the updates to Windows and be back in business. This is the way it used to be -- when applications had their own configuration files (and there was no registry), and one could move most programs from one computer to another just by copying that application's folder(s) to the new computer.
Another option for the Registry is to require all Windows applications to have a Save Registry Data and a Restore Registry data option. One could do the former, which would save the current values of all of that application's registry entries to a file in the application's folder. One could then copy that folder to a new computer and do the latter command to link the application to Windows without having to reinstall and reconfigure its settings. If needed, an application should also be able to save and restore any files it added to system folders to facilitate this process or reregister any DLLs (etc.) it uses.
-Lou
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/06/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Eric Schmidt used to be CEO of Google. That changed after he put his foot in his mouth so many times that his breath permanently smells like sneakers, forcing Google to move him down to the executive chairman role.
Most of his blunders involve creepy statements about privacy and how Google has a right to invade ours as part of doing business.
His latest gaffe is just plain dumb. Schmidt claims the only way to compute safely is with a Mac. Many make the same argument, and I tend to agree -- I've never had to rebuild any of my three kids' Macs due to an infection.
But doesn't Google have its own line of computers based on the Chrome OS? Schmidt did suggest we use the Chrome browser but also said that it is far from free of flaws. Oh, and wasn't Gmail just hacked big time by the Chinese?
I can't believe Schmidt can be smarter and dumber than me at the same time!
Do you trust Macs more, or has all this patching made Windows just as safe? You're the expert so tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/06/2011 at 1:18 PM12 comments
HTML 5 is a driving technology behind IE 9, IE 10 and now Windows 8. But did you know the spec isn't even finished yet? It is getting closer. In fact, instead using terms like alpha or beta the W3C consortium, which is working on the spec, says it is on "last call." Now, they aren't taking final orders for your Jack and Coke -- they are in the final throes of getting developer input.
The good news is HTML 5 is a multi-faceted spec, and much of what Microsoft uses is pretty far along.
Now the spec is about to enter its final test phase, a phase that will be open to a larger number of developers and IT pros. It's been a long time coming. HTML 4.01 can out a dozen years ago.
HTML 5 is far more dynamic than the aging HTML 4, with better video, graphics animation and the ability to build rich Web apps. But don't go too crazy yet. The final spec may not be approved 'till 2014.
Many standards work this way, and their specs are often widely adopted years before they are actually approved. This happened with WiFi, and we were none the worse for wear.
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/06/2011 at 1:18 PM6 comments
I was expecting Windows 8 to be a lot like Windows 7, which, quite frankly, was a lot like Vista -- minus the most glaring problems. But no, Windows 8 will have an interface much like a Windows Phone 7 and iPad. Scratch that. It will actually have two interfaces: that's akin to a mobile/tablet device OS and a second that is a more traditional interface.
The new GUI is cool, but I wonder how much it would clash with the older one. For instance, I once imagined blending the iPad with a Mac laptop. Then I realized they were two very different machines.
Maybe the same is true for Win 8. Will it feel odd to switch back and forth between two very different systems? I guess time will tell.
Here are a few more details of the upcoming OS, which emerged from a recent speech and demo: Win 8 will run across phones, tablets, laptops and mega PCs. When it runs on an ARM-based device it won't run older apps such as Win 7 and Vista programs, despite what a Microsoft exec recently argued.
Many of the ideas came from Apple such as selling Win 8 apps through an Apps Store and having a touch-driven interface.
Are you looking forward to the new OS? Lay it on us, string bean, at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/03/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
According to research from StatCounter, Windows 7 now has almost exactly one-third of the operating system market share -- pretty impressive for an OS that is fairly new.
Many of us get a new machine every two or three years and there are always spouses and kids to buy for, so it only sounds right that most of that share is from consumers.
IT, on the other hand, is far more reticent. It's a daunting task to get support, applications and peripherals infrastructure up and running on a new system. Now that we've got XP running smoothly and know how to quickly fix its most common problems, we're loathing the task of upgrading.
That's why only a fifth of shops have even started a major Win 7 migration.
That may sound like bad news for Redmond, but, dig this: The Mac still only has a 6.3 percent share and Linux desktops limp in at a feeble 0.81 percent. Might be time for that crowd to give up and just worry about servers.
Am I dead wrong about desktop Linux? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/03/2011 at 1:18 PM4 comments
Sometimes Steve Ballmer just can't win. Many critics, pundits, analyst and even employees think Microsoft needs a new leader, despite the fact that every fiscal quarter is a new record. Many of these folks have Google-, Facebook- and Apple-itis. Just because Ballmer didn't invent all these things he must be a failure.
Do any of these companies have Office, SQL Server or the Xbox? I didn't think so.
The heat has really turned up in recent weeks. A major shareholder, David Einhorn, said Ballmer must leave for Redmond to reach its true share price potential.
And a recent survey, which I'm not sure I fully believe, claims a puny 27 percent of Microsoft employees like the job Ballmer is doing. Ouch. Why am I skeptical? Because only 50 employees were questioned. That's 50 out of what, 88,000?
The Microsoft board has Ballmer's full back, endorsing his $8.5 billion Skype acquisition and multi-billion dollar Nokia deal.
Are you a Ballmer friend or foe? Vote with your fingers at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/03/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Microsoft isn't the only one with holes in its browser. Google's Chrome just got four fixes -- two of them for 'critical' problems. Google employees found the two biggest flaws, while outsiders discovered the other two.
The company is keeping some of the details quiet until it is confident that end users have upgraded.
Posted on 06/01/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Numara Software is hoping to ease the move to Windows 7 with FootPrints Migration Manager. The software moves applications, bookmarks and other custom touches from your old machine to that hot new Windows 7 machine.
The product actually competes with Microsoft's free Windows User State Migration Tool. The Microsoft tool requires some heavy IT lifting -- skill with scripting is needed. Numara's software is 100 percent graphical. The company also claims it can migrate more apps than Microsoft.
How was your Win 7 migration? Share your war stories at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/01/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Here are a couple of reader responses to Doug's assessment of how Steve Jobs is perceived:
I've always heard the Steve Jobs was a jerk which is why, no matter how good his products are, I don't buy them. I don't believe in supporting bad behavior. I don't want any part of helping to make a horse's ass a rich man.
I believe in accountability. I also believe in treating people with respect. I figure when people screw up, they are already beating themselves up. If they aren't, they shouldn't be working with me. If a major screw up occurs, I can calmly ask what happened and if I find that people need to find employment elsewhere, so be it. Being a respectful person does not preclude expecting excellence. Your employees don't have to be afraid of you to do their best. In fact, I know that I personally will work my hardest for someone who treats me fairly. If they treat me badly and I see them running for a brick wall and it's not specifically my job to stop them, I step back and let them hit it as hard as they can.
-Catherine
His being 'a tyrant' has served Apple well because he is also a brilliant salesman. (Thank refrigerators and Eskimos.) But Steve's nature will also be the ultimate downfall of Apple.
As with most warlords, when Steve Jobs leaves Apple (probably feet first), there will be a big power vacuum. There will be no one in Apple with the strength to fill that void. Most likely, the resulting fragmentation of power will lead to a slow decline of Apple in the marketplace -- if for no other reason that no one will have been groomed to 'take over' at Apple and no one can match the charisma and the vision of Steve Jobs.
That's too bad.
-Marc
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/01/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Internet Explorer has an unusual new flaw. It seems that hackers can hijack a user's cookies and then potentially install malware to take over the PC.
Right now the danger is more theoretical than real. But hackers, no doubt, will figure out how to exploit this hole, so hopefully Microsoft will patch IE soon.
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/01/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Microsoft MVP Chris Pietschmann has written a free open source app that turns your Windows 7 client or Windows Server 2008 R2 box into a wireless access point.
The app is aimed at those times when only one Internet connection is available, but more than one person wants to use it. Maybe there's a conference room or a friend's house with just one Ethernet hookup. Or maybe someone is using a cellular connection and you want to connect as well. With Virtual Router you can safely connect via your friend's machine.
The router is password protected, and WPA2 encryption cannot be shut off.
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/25/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Speaking in Japan, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer referred to the next Windows client as Windows 8. That is a rather trivial detail -- after all, the way an OS works is far more important than what it's called.
The bigger deal is that Ballmer indicated that Win 8 will ship next year. It sounds like the x86/64 revs will come first and the versions for ARM to come later.
Intel also released a bit of news, arguing that Windows 8 on x86 will run legacy apps, while Windows 8 on ARM processors (an Intel competitor) will never be backward compatible. Instead, like an iPad, you'd need all new apps. Microsoft vehemently denies the Intel comments, but I can't see how an ARM version of Windows is going to run all the old stuff. And even if it doesn't, lots of you iPad folks run Windows apps through virtual client software, usually from Citrix. The same should be possible with ARM tablets.
I've mentioned I like (but don't love) Windows 7. It still exhibits the flaky behavior of all previous versions. I'd like to see all this fixed far more than gaining a few new features.What do you want from Win 8? Say it, don't spray it at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/25/2011 at 1:18 PM6 comments