Last week, a couple of big events took place. Right after the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) let Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) off the hook for stock option problems, several ex-Apple employees ratted out Steve Jobs.
In addition, while much of the news surrounding Windows Vista has been anything but good, the product came through -- along with Office 2007 -- allowing Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) to blow the roof off its financial numbers, surprising pretty much everyone. That suggests that Vista is ready for you -- but when should you buy?
Finally, this installment of gifts for dads and grads focuses on creating HD videos on the cheap and includes a couple of products that I'm using that seem to work well.
Guilty or Not: Should Steve Jobs Go to Jail?
Apple has been doing an amazing job protecting its CEO, but with its ex-CFO pointing the finger solidly at Steve Jobs and the ex-general counsel expected to do the same, the base of information now seems to support civil -- and probably even criminal -- action against him.
So, assuming the various folks are mostly telling the truth -- which Jobs' defense team would likely challenge -- Steve Jobs publicly took US$1 a year as salary, but he was receiving millions for his private jet and big blocks of options. At Jobs' direction -- and after receiving advice from the CFO that he not do this -- he caused falsified documents to be drawn up, which allowed him to get options that were then not properly reported.
The stock price of Apple fell below the strike price for the options, and they were canceled and replaced by options which, because the stock price continued to fall, were also underwater -- and eventually they were replaced by stock worth nearly $100 million. The only things in contention are who ordered the falsified documents to be created and whether Jobs knew about it.
Now, I'm making this look a lot more simple than it actually is, but let's add to this the fact that many, if not most, people currently believe Apple couldn't survive without Jobs (I would probably include Apple's board with this group), and that with Al Gore on the board, any action against Apple by a Republican executive branch could be positioned as dirty politics and made part of what will likely be an incredibly nasty presidential election.
Now, while the damages to stockholders could be in the tens of millions of dollars, pulling Jobs out of the company could result in lost income in the billions. Finally, Steve Jobs is already playing this out in the media and has already apparently hired Mark Pomerantz, a top criminal attorney (he represented Frank Quattrone successfully), to represent him. That increases the odds that he will either get off on a technicality or receive what amounts to a hand slap.
This makes for a rather ugly decision for the federal attorney who has to prosecute the case. If I were in that position, I wouldn't do anything until after the trial of Apple's ex-chief counsel is over. Then, I would either hope that enough information came out of that trial to make the decision easier, or hope to be reassigned before Jobs would have to be charged. The delay might also get me past the elections; handling this outside of an election year would seem vastly easier.
This issue does not reflect on Apple products or whether you should buy from the company, but it is interesting to watch. What do you think the federal attorney should do? What would you do? How we answer that question probably says a lot about our ethics, and how well we balance risks and rewards.
Vista's Looking Better All the Time
Vista was kind of a disappointment when it launched. Much of the news since then has covered aspects of the system that weren't working properly, as well as application and driver issues. Gamers were particularly upset; they were promised a great experience and didn't get it.
Still, as I suggested, the first 60 to 90 days are when problems like this are sorted out, and we are now exiting that window. Coverage is starting to become more positive, and an increasing number of gamers appear to like the product now.
This was reflected in Microsoft's latest financial results, which blew away quarterly estimates to surprise the stock market with unexpected strength. (Yes, Apple was even stronger in this regard.) Office 2007 and Vista are now not only selling well, but also, apparently, making a hit with users.
While this is great news for the company, the question is should you buy Vista now yourself?
Vista is best on new hardware and, having installed it myself now over 10 times, I would recommend that as the path you should take. In addition, the hardware that Vista seems to like the best is hardware that supports DirectX 10 and a huge flash buffer like Intel's (Nasdaq: INTC) Robson or an embedded ReadyBoost.
While there was a lot of hope that hybrid drives -- combining flash and traditional magnetic media -- would make a big difference, the truth is they didn't. They apparently only improve initial boot and, with Vista, you typically don't reboot -- only suspend. Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) is the first tier-one vendor to bring out a notebook flash drive, suggesting there is more of this coming. Capacity will go up and price down for this drive over the next few months.
I've now seen the back-to-school lines from most of the vendors, and they are a huge step forward from the hardware we have today in terms of performance, appearance and price.
In addition, the entire line of ATI (Nasdaq: ATYT) DirectX 10 products will be on the market shortly. For notebooks, those with Robson or built-in ReadyBoost drives are also expected in the back-to-school timeframe.
In June, you'll get a look at Leopard, and some of you may prefer to hold off and buy it when it becomes available in October.
August will therefore be the best time for you to make your purchase decision, because you'll not only get the best choices, but also -- thanks to back-to-school sales -- most likely get the best values.
If you want to go early, some of the Vista-designed desktops have already started to show up. The eMachines line from Gateway (NYSE: GTW) was just refreshed and provides a lot for a little, and HP (NYSE: HPQ) just refreshed its consumer desktops as well. There are a number of design improvements, but laptops are still coming. There will be some stunning choices come August -- and most of you will probably want laptops.
Dads and Grads Gift Ideas: Inexpensive Personal HD Video
A few months ago, getting into high-definition video with a good set of tools and a camera would set you back well over $4K. Now, you can get started for much less than that with tools that are professional grade but affordable.
Memories for dads or grads are precious, and given we are moving to HD and memories might have to last generations, it just makes sense to get a little ahead of the curve.
Camera: It took me a while to research this, but I finally landed on the Sanyo VPC-HD2. It is a 7.1 megapixel (720P) HD camera with excellent low-light capability and a 10x optical zoom. It records on SD flash -- max is 8 GB now but will go up to 16 GB later this year and 32 GB the following year. It's easy to use, and it is small enough to fit in a coat pocket or in a belt pouch. It even has a built-in light. I was able to find it for around $500, but with the SD card and accessories, it came to a total closer to $650.
For editing, Corel's (Nasdaq: CORL) Ulead division just released VideoStudio 11. This is a stunning product that comes in two forms. You want the "Plus" version to do high-definition video. You get a series of choices. A two-step process will turn your recorded video into a professional-looking high-resolution DVD. If you want to do more, there is an option to go into more-detailed layout and thematic creation.
If you really want to go into a semi-pro editor, then you can take make the result massively more creative and unique. Output ranges from playable HD disks and hard drive files down to phones and iPods -- even Zune is supported. This is one of the first products in this class to be designed for Windows Vista.
For watching videos, you can use your phone, iPod or laptop. However, you'll find the screen limiting for the first two, and lugging your laptop everyplace can be a pain. Plus, if you use any of these to watch videos, you'll burn through the batteries quickly.
I like the Archos 604. It plays DVD quality, has a nice big screen, and you can find it for under $300 online now....
read more
Showing posts with label Windows Vista. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Windows Vista. Show all posts
Monday, April 30, 2007
[+/-] : The truth about Windows Vista security
Time and again we were told by Microsoft that Vista is the most secure operating system the company has ever produced. But just recently, Microsoft technical fellow Mark Russinovich is lowering the security expectations built into Vista. So, what’s the truth about Vista security?
Early testing suggests Vista is significantly more secure than previous versions and this obviously the truth. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean an end to Microsoft’s security headaches.
One of Windows Vista’s most lauded security enhancements is the User Account Control (UAC) which aims to address a long-standing flaw in the way Windows handles user permissions. This feature will allow a user to change computer settings while running as a standard user, instead of requiring administrator privileges to perform most tasks.
However, Russinovich made it clear that the feature will stop malware from making changes to the operating system but it’s not a security boundary.
Microsoft has added numerous other features to Windows Vista besides UAC, many of which are intended to increase the overall security of the OS.
New features include:
Windows Service Hardening (WSH) allows you to harden the security posture of your host system by limiting the amount of damage an attacker can do if a Windows-based service is compromised.
Network Access Protection (NAP) can help verify that each computer connected to the network is malware-free; if it is not, it will not be allowed to connect to the network and further infect other systems. Until the system checks out as malware-free, it will not be allowed to use the network or its services. .
Internet Explorer 7, comes with Windows Vista by default as the built-in Web browser, includes many security enhancements that protect users from malware attacks such as phishing and spoofing, and it uses a new mode, called Protected Mode, to further secure the user’s browsing experience.
Updated Windows Firewall comes with the new outbound filtering feature for more granular control over traffic traversing it.
Windows Defender utility detects malware on your system.
Technological advances within the OS bring real security benefits and Vista does represent a significant security improvement over Windows XP. But the bottom line remains the same. Vista is not immune to attack.
Russinovich said that in time hackers will become familiar with Vista, and will develop new exploits, so that viruses, password-stealing Trojans, and rootkits will continue to thrive and be a menace to Windows users....
read more
Early testing suggests Vista is significantly more secure than previous versions and this obviously the truth. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean an end to Microsoft’s security headaches.
One of Windows Vista’s most lauded security enhancements is the User Account Control (UAC) which aims to address a long-standing flaw in the way Windows handles user permissions. This feature will allow a user to change computer settings while running as a standard user, instead of requiring administrator privileges to perform most tasks.
However, Russinovich made it clear that the feature will stop malware from making changes to the operating system but it’s not a security boundary.
Microsoft has added numerous other features to Windows Vista besides UAC, many of which are intended to increase the overall security of the OS.
New features include:
Windows Service Hardening (WSH) allows you to harden the security posture of your host system by limiting the amount of damage an attacker can do if a Windows-based service is compromised.
Network Access Protection (NAP) can help verify that each computer connected to the network is malware-free; if it is not, it will not be allowed to connect to the network and further infect other systems. Until the system checks out as malware-free, it will not be allowed to use the network or its services. .
Internet Explorer 7, comes with Windows Vista by default as the built-in Web browser, includes many security enhancements that protect users from malware attacks such as phishing and spoofing, and it uses a new mode, called Protected Mode, to further secure the user’s browsing experience.
Updated Windows Firewall comes with the new outbound filtering feature for more granular control over traffic traversing it.
Windows Defender utility detects malware on your system.
Technological advances within the OS bring real security benefits and Vista does represent a significant security improvement over Windows XP. But the bottom line remains the same. Vista is not immune to attack.
Russinovich said that in time hackers will become familiar with Vista, and will develop new exploits, so that viruses, password-stealing Trojans, and rootkits will continue to thrive and be a menace to Windows users....
read more
[+/-] : Deferred Revenue From Vista Upgrades Boosts Microsoft's Earnings
Concerns continue to be raised about application compatibility and hardware requirements.
Despite signs that businesses are lukewarm to Microsoft's Windows Vista, the company reported record third-quarter profits last week, increased in part by deferred revenue from a Vista upgrade program.
Net income rose 65% year over year to US$4.9 billion for the quarter ended 31 March . The profits were driven by US$14.4 billion in sales, a 32 percent increase over the previous year. The quarter's sales included US$1.67 billion in deferred revenue from the redemption of upgrade coupons Microsoft handed out before Vista's launch.
The quarter saw Vista's consumer launch and the release of Office 2007. Vista helped drive a 67 percent increase in sales of the company's client offerings to US$5.27 billion. Server product sales rose 15 percent to US$2.75 billion, and revenue from online services increased 11 percent to US$623 million. advertisement
Amid the strong numbers, some businesses and other organizations have concerns about application compatibility and Vista's hardware requirements (see story, p. 63). NASA is the latest federal agency to hold off upgrading its PCs to the operating system. It joins the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Department of Transportation, which have temporary bans on Vista....
read more
Despite signs that businesses are lukewarm to Microsoft's Windows Vista, the company reported record third-quarter profits last week, increased in part by deferred revenue from a Vista upgrade program.
Net income rose 65% year over year to US$4.9 billion for the quarter ended 31 March . The profits were driven by US$14.4 billion in sales, a 32 percent increase over the previous year. The quarter's sales included US$1.67 billion in deferred revenue from the redemption of upgrade coupons Microsoft handed out before Vista's launch.
The quarter saw Vista's consumer launch and the release of Office 2007. Vista helped drive a 67 percent increase in sales of the company's client offerings to US$5.27 billion. Server product sales rose 15 percent to US$2.75 billion, and revenue from online services increased 11 percent to US$623 million. advertisement
Amid the strong numbers, some businesses and other organizations have concerns about application compatibility and Vista's hardware requirements (see story, p. 63). NASA is the latest federal agency to hold off upgrading its PCs to the operating system. It joins the Federal Aviation Administration and the US Department of Transportation, which have temporary bans on Vista....
read more
[+/-] : Vista down. Up next: Longhorn Server
Now that Windows Vista is finally finished, it's time to turn the spotlight onto the next version of Windows due to hit: Longhorn Server.
Microsoft has been releasing regular test builds of Longhorn Server for more than a year, to far less fanfare (and criticism) than Vista garnered during the test process.
The Windows Server team is looking to release a new Longhorn Server Community Technology Preview (CTP) test build before the end of November, Laing said. Another Longhorn Server CTP will hit in late January 2007. And some time shortly after that, Microsoft will deliver Longhorn Server Beta 3, he said. Microsoft's IT department already has rolled out more than 100 Longhorn Server beta systems internally, Laing said.
The final Longhorn Server is due to ship in the latter half of 2007.
With Longhorn Server, "for the first time (in Microsoft's history), the server won't look like the Windows client plus a bunch of stuff (on top)," said Bill Laing, general manager of Microsoft's Windows Server division.
Like Vista, Longhorn Server was designed to be componentizable and modular. Microsoft partners and customers will be able to choose among 20 different roles (such as file server, print server, domain controller, etc.) when configuring Longhorn Server.
The so-called Longhorn Server Core offering — the stripped-down, Window-less version of Longhorn Server — will offer users a choice of only four roles (file server, domain controller, DNS server or DHCP server).
By making Longhorn Server more modular, Microsoft is aiming to make the product easier to install, configure and monitor, Laing said. The forthcoming Longhorn Server release will add a number of other new, previously disclosed features, as well, including Internet Information Services 7.0; Network Protection and Access capabilities; and terminal services gateway support.
"We feel like this is really going to be a customer-driven release," Laing said. "And it's helping to get our developers on the rhythm of regular releases" every two years, alternating between major and minor updates.
Laing said the team already has a handful of members planning what will be part of Longhorn Server R2, the Longhorn Server release tentatively scheduled for 2009 (if Microsoft manages to stick to its every two-year timetable)....
read more
Microsoft has been releasing regular test builds of Longhorn Server for more than a year, to far less fanfare (and criticism) than Vista garnered during the test process.
The Windows Server team is looking to release a new Longhorn Server Community Technology Preview (CTP) test build before the end of November, Laing said. Another Longhorn Server CTP will hit in late January 2007. And some time shortly after that, Microsoft will deliver Longhorn Server Beta 3, he said. Microsoft's IT department already has rolled out more than 100 Longhorn Server beta systems internally, Laing said.
The final Longhorn Server is due to ship in the latter half of 2007.
With Longhorn Server, "for the first time (in Microsoft's history), the server won't look like the Windows client plus a bunch of stuff (on top)," said Bill Laing, general manager of Microsoft's Windows Server division.
Like Vista, Longhorn Server was designed to be componentizable and modular. Microsoft partners and customers will be able to choose among 20 different roles (such as file server, print server, domain controller, etc.) when configuring Longhorn Server.
The so-called Longhorn Server Core offering — the stripped-down, Window-less version of Longhorn Server — will offer users a choice of only four roles (file server, domain controller, DNS server or DHCP server).
By making Longhorn Server more modular, Microsoft is aiming to make the product easier to install, configure and monitor, Laing said. The forthcoming Longhorn Server release will add a number of other new, previously disclosed features, as well, including Internet Information Services 7.0; Network Protection and Access capabilities; and terminal services gateway support.
"We feel like this is really going to be a customer-driven release," Laing said. "And it's helping to get our developers on the rhythm of regular releases" every two years, alternating between major and minor updates.
Laing said the team already has a handful of members planning what will be part of Longhorn Server R2, the Longhorn Server release tentatively scheduled for 2009 (if Microsoft manages to stick to its every two-year timetable)....
read more
[+/-] : Live One Care - Vista - Down In Flames
This morning was just a typical day starting out with nothing unusual happening, until I fired up Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. I immediately spotted the warning from Windows indicating a protection and service were not working properly. Then I received a pop up asking if I wanted to send a report to Microsoft, Sure, why not. Then I noticed that Live One Care was not working correctly and that my anti-virus protection was turned off.
I fiddled with it for 30 minutes or so, but no go. I couldn’t get it to function no matter what I tried. And here is my personal feelings about rowdy software that misbehaves. DUMP IT ! I have spent to much of my waking hours talking to tech. support, applying fixes and patches, searching the Internet for answers, and just flat out wasting more of my time. My feelings are there are to many products available for us users, why waste time trying to fix what should of been fixed before it ever was released.
Rant off. OK, I feel better. Sure, there are going to be some issues with software. And yes I do apply fixes and patches. But in all honesty, this was a beta test that I volunteered to try and it was free. But I also knew in the back of my mind that if this software acted up, off it goes. And off it went.
And after the uninstall IE popped up a Microsoft site wanting to know why I had uninstalled the product. And the site didn’t even work right. I answered the first question, clicked on Next, nothing. Clicked Next again, nada. 5 more times, nothing. That’s it. Closed IE, rebooted. Fini.
So back over to AVG and installed their Free product. Works fine. :-)...
read more
I fiddled with it for 30 minutes or so, but no go. I couldn’t get it to function no matter what I tried. And here is my personal feelings about rowdy software that misbehaves. DUMP IT ! I have spent to much of my waking hours talking to tech. support, applying fixes and patches, searching the Internet for answers, and just flat out wasting more of my time. My feelings are there are to many products available for us users, why waste time trying to fix what should of been fixed before it ever was released.
Rant off. OK, I feel better. Sure, there are going to be some issues with software. And yes I do apply fixes and patches. But in all honesty, this was a beta test that I volunteered to try and it was free. But I also knew in the back of my mind that if this software acted up, off it goes. And off it went.
And after the uninstall IE popped up a Microsoft site wanting to know why I had uninstalled the product. And the site didn’t even work right. I answered the first question, clicked on Next, nothing. Clicked Next again, nada. 5 more times, nothing. That’s it. Closed IE, rebooted. Fini.
So back over to AVG and installed their Free product. Works fine. :-)...
read more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
