“Vista Capable”? Well, not quite…
The Microsoft view of Vista is darkening by the day, especially with the latest lawsuit hanging over their heads over the “Vista Capable” designation, apparently given to systems that could not run Vista properly.
Intel was upset apparently over Microsoft’s plan to require Vista Capable machines to have graphics cards that would support Vista’s new driver model, as its 915 chipset was not planned to have that support at first launch.
Microsoft eventually did drop that requirement, a shift that is now being tried in court with a recent class action suit filed that probably has MS throwing fits. The plaintiffs in that case charge that, by caving to Intel, Microsoft allowed sub-optimal Vista machines to be sold with the Vista Capable sticker (a very distinct possibility).
The very latest court filings, legal chess moves, etc are all detailed here. It’s getting a little heated, even among MS internally. All of this should make them even more eager to get Windows 7 out there even faster, to distance themselves from what has become a huge mistake.
Reports: Windows 7 may not improve performance much
While many of those who have played around and tested an early late alpha version of Windows 7 have noted that it feels pretty zippy, especially for such an early version, InfoWorld says early benchmarks show the software is just on par with its predecessor., which is more than a disappointment.
In a article written on Monday, InfoWorld said that Windows 7 is a “virtual twin” of Vista when it comes to performance. Uh oh, if that type of thing spreads…bad news for MS.
Microsoft’s efforts to position Windows 7 as better performing could be stunted badly. At the same time, bear in mind, this is a pre-beta version. Early releases often lag in performance since optimizations tend to be among the later steps in operating system development, at least for most software developers.
For its part, Microsoft is encouraging folks to withhold judgment until a later beta is released more widely.
“Microsoft consistently encourages people to hold benchmark tests until software is finished and ready for broad release,” Microsoft said in a statement.
This would be a good thing to keep tabs on, though. Hopefully when later versions are released, benchmarks will be better.
Sunday’s Techie Notebook
Here we are with another techie Notebook for Sunday. Here are my short takes on a few things making news on this cloudy, cold morning (Northern CA, USA):
- Windows 7 has hit the BitTorrent download sites apparently. But it’s a pre-beta from ages ago, and people are saying it isn’t different enough from Vista to bother. When you download a really old build without all the changes made, this is what often happens. Various other publications with access to newer builds and minus the anti-Microsoft agenda are claiming it really is a step up usability (and stability) wise from Vista. We’ll see. I’m taking a wait and observe approach after the disappointment of Vista.
- An inside source has stated that electronics giant Panasonic is in talks to buy out and absorb Sanyo. This seems to be the direction of corporate survivial these days: Merge. It would cost around 6 billion USD for it to happen, so its not a done deal yet, but if completed, it would cause some major ripples in the electronics industry and make Panasonic the largest elec. corp in Japan in terms of sales.
- Remember that big Android security flaw we reported here a few days ago? Well, they patched it up according to this article. Reports are that the update went well and all is good in Android land.
Commentary: Steve Ballmer interview strikes some interesting notes
Steve Ballmer, Microsoft head guru and CEO, did an interview for a newspaper recently, and the phrase “unqualified success” was thrown around an awful lot, without a whole lot of qualified data to support it.
For example: He stated Vista has sold 180 million copies (does that count licenses that came with systems, Steve?) and is an “unqualified success”. Never mind that its been snubbed by corporations as being ‘too unstable’, bashed by most users i’ve spoken with, and most mag reviews haven’t been very kind to it either. IMHO and based on the data presented there, Vista has been a huge commerical and critical failure, almost on par with Windows ME.
Same with the XBox 360. Another unqualified success, and another platform whose sales are slipping despite price cuts, WAY behind the Wii and with the PS3 now nipping at its heels. It’s been successful to be sure, but a total unqualified success? Not quite.
Office 2007: It’s a nice package, but its expensive, a total hog with system resources, and its required a lot of patching to get it to be really secure and stable. An unqualified success? Depends on the eye viewing it, I suppose.
More of the interview here: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Microsoft-CEO-Steve-Ballmer-on-Vistas-Unqualified-Success-64723.html
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