Microsoft Introduces New Vista SKU Specifically for Virtual Deployment
LOS ANGELES - In a completely unanticipated announcement made quietly during a virtualization talk here at WinHEC 2008, Microsoft announced a completely new SKU of Windows Vista, to be entitled Vista Enterprise Centralized Desktop (VECD). Its purpose will be to enable Vista to run within an enterprise exclusively as virtual machines, managed centrally using System Center Virtual Machine Manager.
Under the new system, a thin client logging on will request a VM image from SCVMM. Based on the user profile it pulls up from that logon, SCVMM will then locate the best server on which the image of Vista will be run. Applications licensed to that user will then be run from the VM, as well as the seat for Vista that's licensed to that user. But only a thin virtualization connection package will address that image remotely.
Gates: 40 Million Copies of Vista Sold
During his keynote at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference Tuesday, Bill Gates told an audience of developers that 40 million copies of Windows Vista have sold in the first 100 days of the operating system's release - a figure more than the install base of Windows' competitors combined.
The 40 million sales figure does, however, includes copies of Vista that were sold before the OS launched at the end of January through upgrade options on new PCs. Still, Gates said the rate of adoption of Vista is twice that seen for Windows XP in 2001. Premium editions of Vista account for 78 percent of sales, he added.
WinHEC 2007: Time for Vista to Deliver the Goods
LOS ANGELES - The reason Microsoft puts on a PC hardware-specific hardware conference every year, even though it's technically not a PC hardware manufacturer, is to appeal to its single most important and influential class of customers: system builders. An unavoidable truth in the personal computer industry is that consumer PCs are designed to run Windows. The way they handle the PCI Express bus, the way they manage graphics drivers, the way they connect to peripherals are all directly connected to how Windows works.
This is where Microsoft capitalizes on its inherent advantage as a commercial producer of operating systems. Windows is the principal driver of the personal computer economy. If Linux had more than half the PC users in the world, this would still be the case: Windows is built to sell. For this reason mainly, manufacturers such as Intel and AMD, nVidia and ATI, and Asus and MSI take Windows more seriously than anything else.
Microsoft: Vista UI Uses Little Battery Life
Responding to a number of recent articles claiming that Vista's new "Aero" user interface causes laptops running the new operating system to drain their battery faster, Microsoft has published its own results. The company says Aero consumes only 1% to 4% more battery life than when the feature is disabled.
Vista is designed to turn off transparency effects when put into a power-saving profile, but Microsoft product manager Nick White says, "We don't turn off Aero wholesale because in the end, doing so is not going to save you much more power." White notes that a laptop display is the big culprit, consuming between 15% and 25% of the battery, while the graphics processor (GPU) uses only a small percent, even when being pushed to its limits with Aero.
VMware Workstation 6 Supports Vista
VMware this week made available version 6.0 of its desktop virtualization product, which has set a standard for testing and development, and competes with Microsoft's now-free VirtualPC. New features in Workstation 6.0 include support for Vista, dual monitors, and USB 2.0 devices.
While the server world increasingly turns to virtualization to take advantage of the huge advances in CPU power with the advent of multi-core chips, virtual machines play a critical role in aiding IT administration, development and software testers. Users can quickly boot up a computer within a computer, as well as do cross-platform testing without multiple hardware setups.
Lenovo to Spend $1.3 Billion on Vista, Office
Chinese computer maker Lenovo has inked a deal with Microsoft to buy up to $1.3 billion worth of Windows Vista and Office 2007 for the next year. A similar deal valued at $1.2 billion was signed last year, which was considered a big step toward fighting piracy in China.
Lenovo has been battling Taiwan-based Acer to be the world's number-three computer manufacturer behind giants Hewlett-Packard and Dell. In turn, the company has been forging closer ties with Microsoft, including a joint research center announced last month to be built in China. Details of the new Microsoft agreement will be finalized soon, the companies said.
Microsoft, Apple Join to Fix Vista iPod Issues
Touting the collaboration between the two companies, Microsoft today released a patch it developed with Apple to correct problems Windows Vista users are having with iPods. While Apple already updated iTunes, issues remained with iPods becoming corrupted when ejected.
"The long and short of it is this: Apple and Windows have partnered together to ensure a great experience in using Windows Vista with iTunes and the iPod, and both companies recommend you download this update," said Vista product manager Nick White. The download is available now, and will be automatically downloaded for Vista users beginning May 22.
Beta Test CA Protection Suite for Vista
CA is looking for participants to join the beta program of the CA Protection Suite r3.1 for Windows Vista. Protection Suite is designed for small and mid-sized businesses, and includes a range of integrated solutions to minimize risks and prevent downtime.
Beta testers will have a direct impact on the product's development, and help ensure the update will function optimally in their work environment. The installation of CA Protection Suite r3 is a prerequisite for the beta program. Interested users can apply for the r3.1 beta by visiting CA's Web site.
Microsoft Updates Vista Media Center
Microsoft has release an April 2007 Cumulative Update for Windows Vista's built-in Media Center application, which aims to resolve a number of issues reported by users. On the list of fixes are DVD freezes, errors when deleting a picture, Media Center rotating the wrong picture, among others.
The Online Media feature in Media Center has additionally been improved with caching, and is now supported on 64-bit versions of Vista. Video Playlist support has also been added for Windows Media Center Extenders. The April 2007 update is available for download now from Windows Update.
Microsoft: Upgrade Your Vista Betas
Microsoft reminded users of Windows Vista beta builds Tuesday that their operating system will expire on May 31. However, those running the free pre-release copies of Vista may be happy to discover they can simply purchase a cheaper Upgrade version of the OS.
The beta builds were provided as part of the company's Customer Preview Program. Microsoft notes that Vista Beta 2, RC1 and RC2 will all expire and can be upgraded to any final edition -- although the Upgrade copy must perform a "clean install." After May 31, customers who continue to use pre-release versions of Windows Vista will only be able to log in for 2-hour sessions to retrieve data.
Dell Brings Back Windows XP as Option
In response to huge customer demand, Dell has brought back Windows XP Home and Professional as operating system options on a handful of consumer PCs. The computer maker, like most others, had largely switched its product lines entirely to Windows Vista.
The decision came after feedback on Dell's IdeaStorm Web site, where customers are asked what things they'd like to see the company do. Previous requests have included offering Linux as an option, and including OpenOffice rather than just Microsoft Office.
HP Surge Continues; Vista Credited with Spurring PC Growth
The surprise in yesterday's numbers from IDC's Quarterly PC Tracker was not so much the continued rise in global market share for the world's new #1 supplier, Hewlett-Packard. It was that PC market growth grew at an annual rate a full 2.4 points faster than what IDC had predicted, well into the double-digit range at 10.9%.
And despite recent comments from executives from both Intel and AMD, who either nicely or bluntly qualified Windows Vista's consumer launch last January as a wash for their sales numbers, IDC analyst Loren Loverde credited Vista with giving the market a boost - one which he says is likely to keep on producing double-digit growth over the next two years.
Microsoft Patches Vista Flaw, 4 Others
As part of April's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft corrected an issue within Windows Vista that could allow for a variety of attack vectors, along with issuing patches for three other Windows flaws and one in Content Management Server.
The Vista related flaw resides in Windows Client/Server Run-time Subsystem (CSRSS) process, Microsoft said in an advisory. Three separate flaws are fixed by the patch, including a critical code-execution problem and two less serious denial-of-service and privledge escalation risks.
Harris: Two-Thirds Will Say No to Vista
While actual sales numbers may suggest otherwise, a new study from Harris Interactive seems to suggest that consumers are increasingly deciding to hold off on upgrading to Windows Vista.
The poll was initially taken in December 2006, preceding the software's consumer release. At that time, only 47 percent of respondents were aware of Vista. Of that group, 20 percent said they would upgrade, 31 percent said they would wait, and half were unsure.
Microsoft: Ignore Third Party Vista "Service Packs"
For years, tech enthusiasts have been compiling hotfixes into unofficial service packs for Windows, offering brave users a quick way to update their operating systems before Microsoft finishes its own. But for Vista, Microsoft is warning users not to trust these third-party roll-ups.
In a blog entry posted Tuesday, Vista product manager Nick White specifically mentions one such "Service Pack 1 preview" for Microsoft new operating system. The fact that Microsoft is preparing SP1 for Vista is a given, but the company has remained coy about its potential release date.
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