Only 104 Applications 'Vista Certified'
Microsoft on Wednesday published a list of the applications that have received either "Certified for Windows Vista" or "Works with Windows Vista" status. Of the 787 listed, 103 are Microsoft's own products, indicating few software developers have completed the logo process.
104 applications thus far have been deemed "Certified for Windows Vista," including a number from Trend Micro, ArcSoft, CyberLink and Corel's CoreDraw. Software from Adobe, Symantec, McAfee and other major vendors has yet to make the list, which Microsoft says will be updated each week. The small number of applications could be why Microsoft is offering to pay up to $1,000 to a third party certification company for software developers to test their programs.
Vista Hardware Assessment Tool Addresses Upgrade Dilemmas
Perhaps the most oft-asked question by consumers with regard to whether they should adopt Windows Vista is whether their six-month-old or older hardware is too obsolete for Vista to make good use of it. Users have already been told to expect to say, "Wow!" but is this necessarily a good kind of "Wow?" This morning, Microsoft released for free download the XP version of its Vista Hardware assessment tool, whose aim is to tell consumers what they may need to upgrade in order to put the best polish on those heavily anticipated exclamations.
As a "bonus," the Windows Hardware Assessment tool installs SQL Server 2005 Express, which is its database tool built on the .NET Framework. It isn't SQL Server 2005; if you've already installed that, Express will still need to be installed separately.
Microsoft Updates SQL Server for Vista
Microsoft on Monday released Service Pack 2 for SQL Server 2005, a major upgrade that adds support for Windows Vista and Office 2007. In addition, Microsoft is now allowing unlimited virtual instances of SQL Server on severs licensed for the Enterprise Edition of the database software.
SP2 for SQL Server 2005 is available for immediate download. Separately, Microsoft released a new Community Technology Preview of Windows Server "Longhorn," the successor to Windows Server 2003. Although Microsoft planned Beta 3 for early 2007, the February CTP is not quite there yet, and the company asks all beta testers to download and install the interim release.
The Vista Sales Numbers: Anatomy of a Wash
The abundant mix of both upward and downward slopes that have characterized Microsoft Windows Vista sales projections since last September, and the strangely dichotomous co-existence of expectations exceeded and fears realized, has led many experts to start asking serious questions about the role the operating system plays not only in the markets but in our lives: Has Windows evolved out of its shell as a consumer product, into the homogeneous commodity that Microsoft simultaneously hoped and feared it might become?
In other words, does Vista really matter?
Vista Sales Perhaps Not as Dire as Feared
This morning, NPD marketing manager David Riley offered to clear up some potential discrepancies with regard to how previous NPD launch week data for Windows operating systems has been reported, and how it's currently stated. Accounting for a change in tabulation strategies, what yesterday looked like a 58.9% decline in first-week retail sales for Windows Vista over Windows XP, might actually even out.
The problem, Riley said, is that over the years some retailers surveyed provided NPD with monthly sales data rather than weekly. As a result, NPD decided to no longer extrapolate weekly volume numbers, though for comparison's sake, the company continues to calculate weekly trend numbers, which is what NPD reported yesterday.
Microsoft Not Discussing Windows 7, Office 14
Now that Vista and Office 2007 are officially out the door, Windows enthusiasts have been busy scrounging up what they can about the next versions of both products. Not much has turned up besides code-names and potential features, but a number of blog posts prompted Microsoft to say publicly that it's not saying anything.
The commotion largely began at the RSA Security conference last week, where Windows Core Operating System Division Corporate Vice President Ben Fathi told an audience that the next major release of Windows is about two to two-and-a-half years out, indicating a 2009 timeframe.
Windows Vista 'DreamScene' Available
Microsoft on Wednesday made available a beta of the second "Ultimate Extra" for Windows Vista, which is available for download free of charge for those who purchased the Ultimate Edition of the new operating system. Called DreamScene, the Extra lets users put videos as their desktop background.
Developed by Stardock and first demoed at CES in January, DreamScene also adds the capability to fill a background with an image without distorting its size. Microsoft reminds users that DreamScene is still a Technical Preview and unsupported until the final release. Vista Ultimate users can download DreamScene from Windows Update.
Novell CEO: We're Going to 'Attack' Vista
The 'alliance' between Novell and Microsoft got a bit weirder after Novell's CEO indicated that he was pleased by Vista's slow rate of adoption, and will continue to battle the company directly in the marketplace.
Ron Hovespian made the comments to reporters in Australia on Thursday. He mentioned that Vista took over five years to produce, while open source is much easier to develop for. Also, the agreement brings Novell closer to Microsoft's customers.
MS: Valid Vista Family Discount Keys Coming
Microsoft said Friday afternoon that it was in the process of issuing new keys to those who may have received invalid ones through the Vista Family Discount program. The feature, provided exclusively to purchasers of Vista Ultimate, allows for two PCs to be upgraded to Vista Home Premium at a cost of $49.99 per computer. However, a glitch in the key-generation system produced invalid keys.
According to Microsoft, the keys would be on the way via e-mail to those affected over the next five days. The company is at a loss to explain the cause of the key-generation issues, although it said it was taking steps to prevent it from happening to future participants. News of the response was first reported by Windows enthusiast site Neowin.net Friday.
iPod, iTunes Have Problems with Vista
If you have an iPod, and plan to install Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, Apple has one word of advice for you: don't.
That's because issues with iTunes 7.0.2 and the next-generation operating system are creating havoc for some users, Apple disclosed on Friday. The problems include issues with purchased music tracks playing, syncing issues, and even incidents where the device becomes corrupted.
AMD: With Vista, Time to Re-evaluate Price/Performance
Since last July, when Intel introduced its Core 2 Duo processors and, perhaps more importantly, effectuated a complete U-turn in its microarchitecture, experts and enthusiasts in computing have judged Intel to have regained the performance lead from AMD in CPUs, which includes the lead in providing processor performance per dollar.
But in its multi-faceted campaign to wrest back the title of hero, if not yet leader, in consumers' minds, AMD is leveraging its fusion with ATI and ATI's cooperation with Microsoft to make a bold new case for itself: Now that the Windows Vista era is upon us, AMD's executives and managers believe the time has come to throw out the old XP-based benchmarks, and re-evaluate AMD's current line of processors using more updated metrics.
Handful of Vista Hotfixes Available
Now that Windows Vista has been unleashed onto an expecting public, a number of minor issues have cropped up in the new operating system. Microsoft has already posted a handful of hotfixes for those running into issues, although they aren't critical enough to be published on Microsoft Update.
Windows enthusiast Steven Bink has linked to the fixes, which include patches for Vista crashing when connected to a Firewire device, high definition audio devices not working after resuming Windows, and audio playback in a different language when using Media Center. Microsoft frequently releases non-priority hotfixes that usually make their way into service packs for its operating systems.
Ou's Low-tech Vista Exploit
Inspired by an online discussion where the question was raised, could Microsoft's Windows Vista's new vocal command feature inadvertently respond to a word spoken by an audio file played remotely, perhaps through a Web site, ZDNet blogger George Ou discovered through his own tests that a well-recorded voice command could be played back through the speakers of a Vista-endowed computer, and that the computer would respond as if commanded by its own user.
Ou reported the details on his ZDNet blog on Tuesday. "I recorded a sound file that would engage speech command on Vista, then engaged the start button, and then I asked for the command prompt. When I played back the sound file with the speakers turned up loud, it actually engaged the speech command system and fired up the start menu."
Vista Breaking Online Games, Says Developer
Even with the operating system released to the public, Microsoft cannot seem to catch a break with Windows Vista. The latest complaints come from game developers, who say the OS' parental controls are so strict they're disrupting gameplay.
The charge comes from WildTangent, an online gaming network. It says that security restrictions in Vista actually breaks hundreds of games across RealArcade, Yahoo Games, AOL Games, and even on its own site. The reasons? One is that there's no ESRB rating.
Vista Application Compatibility Kit Out
Although Windows Vista officially launched for businesses back in November, Microsoft waited until today to release the final version of its Application Compatibility Toolkit for the new operating system. The software is designed to diagnose any potential problems that may arise from upgrading.
ACT version 5.0 can be deployed on current Windows 2000 and XP machines to take an inventory of applications and see whether or not they are compatible with Windows Vista. A built-in Standard User Analyzer checks to see if the new security settings in Vista will affect applications, namely those running as an administrator.
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