Monday, July 25, 2005
Firefox 1.1 bumped to Firefox 1.5
According to MozillaZine ( http://www.mozillazine.org/talkback.html?article=6995), Firefox 1.1 has been scrapped. Firefox 1.1 was to be released end of July/beginning of August. Now plans are for a September release of Firefox 1.5. What was the big change? It sounds like Mozilla wanted to add SVG support to Gecko, which is the engine that renders graphics inside Firefox, along with improvement to the Extension and Update features. Personally, I think it sounds like a good idea.
Microsoft Shafts Windows 2000 Users with No IE 7 Release
According to IEBlog ( http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2005/05/27/422721.aspx), Microsoft won’t backport security features or make available the more secure, basic tab using Internet Explorer (IE) 7. Microsoft claims that this is part of their new product cycle plan, but by not producing IE 7 for Windows 2000, Microsoft is cutting of 48% of the Windows market. Of course, Microsoft, with its usual sensitivity toward its customers, is telling customers that they should have switched to Windows XP four years ago even if the just finished upgrading to Windows 2000 this year.
Of course many IT technicians responded that the same reason to upgrade is also the same reason to migrate. Some pointed to Ernie Ball( http://news.com.com/2008-1082_3-5065859.html?tag=lh), a man whose business got raided by federal marshals when an ex-employee reported to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and Microsoft that Ernie Ball’s company, Sterling Ball, didn’t have its software licenses up-to-date. Ernie Ball had to pay Microsoft $90,000 in legal expenses to avoid a lawsuit. Ernie Ball went open source. Ernie Ball moved from Microsoft Windows to Linux, Microsoft Office to OpenOffice, Microsoft Outlook to Evolution, and Microsoft IE to Mozilla.
Microsoft’s goal for releasing IE 7 was to stop the hemorrhaging of Windows users from IE 6 to Mozilla Firefox. By not supporting half of their user base, Microsoft is not only pushing more people toward Firefox for security, Microsoft is also pushing people away from the Windows operating system toward Linux as well.
Of course many IT technicians responded that the same reason to upgrade is also the same reason to migrate. Some pointed to Ernie Ball( http://news.com.com/2008-1082_3-5065859.html?tag=lh), a man whose business got raided by federal marshals when an ex-employee reported to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and Microsoft that Ernie Ball’s company, Sterling Ball, didn’t have its software licenses up-to-date. Ernie Ball had to pay Microsoft $90,000 in legal expenses to avoid a lawsuit. Ernie Ball went open source. Ernie Ball moved from Microsoft Windows to Linux, Microsoft Office to OpenOffice, Microsoft Outlook to Evolution, and Microsoft IE to Mozilla.
Microsoft’s goal for releasing IE 7 was to stop the hemorrhaging of Windows users from IE 6 to Mozilla Firefox. By not supporting half of their user base, Microsoft is not only pushing more people toward Firefox for security, Microsoft is also pushing people away from the Windows operating system toward Linux as well.
Ubuntu Linux…The Next Great PC OS?
On the search for an alternative Operating System (OS) for my PC, I found Ubuntu, a distro of Debian Linux, at http://www.ubuntulinux.org. The Debian Linux was the version of Linux that some thought in 2000 could take on Microsoft and replace Windows on PC’s. The experts would have been right if the Debian crowd wasn’t made up of hobbyist programmers who love to write code but don’t produce many polished final products. The Ubuntu group takes whatever unfinished release of Debian Linux exists at six month intervals and polishes and finishes it.
The desktop is very clean. There is no plethora of options leaving the desktop for work only. Actually, there are four desktops. Each desktop can be selected from the bottom task bar so one can have multiple programs going without them cluttering one desktop.
The upper task bar is well arranged. One can easily select from programs, places, preferences, and systems in the four different directories without trying to trudge through one Start menu. The setup is fairly intuitive.
The program selection is quite good also decent. Ubuntu has Mozilla Firefox web browser, Evolution email client, and OpenOffice Suite among many, many other programs. Ubuntu also has an expansive screensaver collection with some humorous screensavers like a “Flying Toasters” remake and “Matrix” screen.
It was founded by Mark Shuttleworth, who got to go into space for $20 million. His belief in a free and open software system is an interesting take on technology. Mark Shuttleworth spent $10 million to get Ubuntu off the ground.
I have tried Ubuntu’s Live CD version, which runs from a 700 MB CD in a CD drive instead of installing on the hard drive, and it is sweet. A complete version of Microsoft Windows could never run from a CD. This is what makes Ubuntu Linux so cool, it is small, compact, and can work with system you have without any huge upgrade requirements or buying into new technology. Definitely worth trying and definitely worth considering for a stand alone or dual boot. Go to http://www.ubuntulinux.org for more information.
The desktop is very clean. There is no plethora of options leaving the desktop for work only. Actually, there are four desktops. Each desktop can be selected from the bottom task bar so one can have multiple programs going without them cluttering one desktop.
The upper task bar is well arranged. One can easily select from programs, places, preferences, and systems in the four different directories without trying to trudge through one Start menu. The setup is fairly intuitive.
The program selection is quite good also decent. Ubuntu has Mozilla Firefox web browser, Evolution email client, and OpenOffice Suite among many, many other programs. Ubuntu also has an expansive screensaver collection with some humorous screensavers like a “Flying Toasters” remake and “Matrix” screen.
It was founded by Mark Shuttleworth, who got to go into space for $20 million. His belief in a free and open software system is an interesting take on technology. Mark Shuttleworth spent $10 million to get Ubuntu off the ground.
I have tried Ubuntu’s Live CD version, which runs from a 700 MB CD in a CD drive instead of installing on the hard drive, and it is sweet. A complete version of Microsoft Windows could never run from a CD. This is what makes Ubuntu Linux so cool, it is small, compact, and can work with system you have without any huge upgrade requirements or buying into new technology. Definitely worth trying and definitely worth considering for a stand alone or dual boot. Go to http://www.ubuntulinux.org for more information.
Windows “Longhorn”: Already Long in the Tooth?
I’ve been reading up on Microsoft’s next Windows Operating System (OS) codenamed “Longhorn” in this article http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,121435,00.asp . This OS is to be released in 2006, though according to some in the know, it was suppose to have been released in 2001 and that Windows XP was a stop-gap because Microsoft couldn’t get “Longhorn” off the ground. Also Windows XP64 is considered a stop-gap of a stop-gap because Microsoft has had so many difficulties programming “Longhorn”.
“Longhorn” requires 512 MB’s of memory to start up. This is astronomically high considering Windows 98 required 64 MB’s to start up, Windows NT and Windows 2000 required 128 MB’s, and Windows XP also required 128 MB’s to start up (though the minimum recommended for Windows XP on techie sites was 184 MB’s). There is already speculation that “Longhorn” will require 2 GB’s to 4 GB’s or even 8 GB’s to function properly. This is a monstrous amount of RAM since 98 could run with 128 MB’s, Windows NT and Windows 2000 could work well with 256 MB’s, and Windows XP could run properly with 512 MB’s of RAM. (Note: 1,000 MB’s=1 GB)
Furthermore, “Longhorn” requires a modern graphics card to run its Avalon graphics engine for screen effects. Microsoft is including Avalon to compete with Apple’s OS 10 graphics effects even though Apple doesn’t need a graphics engine or a modern graphics card to run screen effects. Besides, who ever heard of an OS needing a graphics engine like a PC game such as DOOM, Quake, or Half Life especially when Windows XP, Apple, and Linux run perfectly fine with out it? On top of it all to meet their self-imposed 2006 deadline, Microsoft won’t even ship the WinFS file system, which is to replace the Win32 file system Microsoft has used since Windows 95. Paying full price for a partial OS sounds like a bad deal to me.
Besides I read this old article on the Internet, http://www.devx.com/DevX/Article/17899, and it sounds like Microsoft is ripping off the Open Source and Free Software movements and calling it proprietary. Mozilla has been using the setup Microsoft wants switch to and Mozilla can do it cross multiple OS’s without being bloated or slow.
If Microsoft is going to scavenge other people’s ideas, why can’t it take security ideas? Linux creator Linus Torvald added security features to the Linux kernel he just released such as an “address space randomization” to make it harder for virus writers to write viruses to attack Linux ( http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,121531,00.asp). Right now, “Longhorn” is only as secure as Windows XP SP2.
The only reason I’m not happy is because when I was working in a computer lab, I talked with a professor, who was one of the beta testers for Windows XP. He gave it rave reviews and said that XP was the system to wait for and not to even consider Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows 2000. For the most part he was right, aside from critical and chronic security flaws, it is one of the best OS’s Microsoft has produced. The reviews of “Longhorn” are far less encouraging and this doesn’t bode well for the final product.
Update: Windows “Longhorn” officially named Windows Vista.
“Longhorn” requires 512 MB’s of memory to start up. This is astronomically high considering Windows 98 required 64 MB’s to start up, Windows NT and Windows 2000 required 128 MB’s, and Windows XP also required 128 MB’s to start up (though the minimum recommended for Windows XP on techie sites was 184 MB’s). There is already speculation that “Longhorn” will require 2 GB’s to 4 GB’s or even 8 GB’s to function properly. This is a monstrous amount of RAM since 98 could run with 128 MB’s, Windows NT and Windows 2000 could work well with 256 MB’s, and Windows XP could run properly with 512 MB’s of RAM. (Note: 1,000 MB’s=1 GB)
Furthermore, “Longhorn” requires a modern graphics card to run its Avalon graphics engine for screen effects. Microsoft is including Avalon to compete with Apple’s OS 10 graphics effects even though Apple doesn’t need a graphics engine or a modern graphics card to run screen effects. Besides, who ever heard of an OS needing a graphics engine like a PC game such as DOOM, Quake, or Half Life especially when Windows XP, Apple, and Linux run perfectly fine with out it? On top of it all to meet their self-imposed 2006 deadline, Microsoft won’t even ship the WinFS file system, which is to replace the Win32 file system Microsoft has used since Windows 95. Paying full price for a partial OS sounds like a bad deal to me.
Besides I read this old article on the Internet, http://www.devx.com/DevX/Article/17899, and it sounds like Microsoft is ripping off the Open Source and Free Software movements and calling it proprietary. Mozilla has been using the setup Microsoft wants switch to and Mozilla can do it cross multiple OS’s without being bloated or slow.
If Microsoft is going to scavenge other people’s ideas, why can’t it take security ideas? Linux creator Linus Torvald added security features to the Linux kernel he just released such as an “address space randomization” to make it harder for virus writers to write viruses to attack Linux ( http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,121531,00.asp). Right now, “Longhorn” is only as secure as Windows XP SP2.
The only reason I’m not happy is because when I was working in a computer lab, I talked with a professor, who was one of the beta testers for Windows XP. He gave it rave reviews and said that XP was the system to wait for and not to even consider Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows 2000. For the most part he was right, aside from critical and chronic security flaws, it is one of the best OS’s Microsoft has produced. The reviews of “Longhorn” are far less encouraging and this doesn’t bode well for the final product.
Update: Windows “Longhorn” officially named Windows Vista.
