There’s been much debate recently on whether Linux will be able to strive in the netbook war once Windows 7 is released. Although it is too early to claim a preemptive death for Linux on netbooks, there are a couple of reasons that make it clear Windows 7 will become clearly dominant in the netbook war.

Netbooks are secondary computers

Even more so than laptops, netbooks are primarily for portable use and are not desktop replacements. Almost everybody that is purchasing a netbook most likely has another computer at home. If Microsoft is able to make a good impression of Windows 7 on the netbook, this could influence them to go out and purchase Windows 7 for their desktops at home, resulting in higher sales. Microsoft knows this and I won’t be surprised if they they are willing to minimize profits for this kind of exposure.

Microsoft has the ability to win the war

Let’s face it, Microsoft has a lot more ability to win the war if they really wanted to. Unlike Linux, Windows 7 is a combined effort and funded with millions of dollars to make it a success. Linux is a collaborative effort by programmers whose goal is to improve the operating system so it can fit certain needs that cannot be fulfilled by operating systems such as Windows. Developers might work to improve Ubuntu for the netbook, but ultimately, their goal is not to dominate the netbook market and reap in millions of dollars for profit, which they can’t anyway.

Microsoft is already preparing its attack on netbooks

It’s no secret that Vole wants to capture the netbook market that Vista missed out on. They’ve already confirmed that it will ship a version of Windows 7 designed for netbooks. Microsoft did not announce a Netbook edition as part of their SKU lineup but claims in an interview that they did design Windows 7 with the netbook in mind. To compete against Linux’s instant-on features, it’s been suspected that Microsoft is developing their own version of instant-on. Seeing that Windows 7 already runs great on netbooks in terms of performance, a few others including myself think that the netbook version will be different feature-wise (removal or addition of features such as instant-on) rather than performance-wise.

Windows 7 has more functionality

Windows 7 will always have better functionality software and hardware wise than any other OS. The tech-savvy group will keep telling you that there are free alternatives to Office and many other non-free apps but none of these alternatives will live up to the true product.

Not everybody likes change

Change is a hard thing to accept for many and the response to the User Interface changes made in Windows 7 is a perfect example. There have been countless talk about how to get the taskbar to look like the one from Vista and XP even though the current “Superbar” offers productivity benefits for many. After writing my 4th point, I knew I was going to get some beef so here’s where I’ll explain myself. Linux is a drastic change from Windows and everyone knows that. Not everybody wants to spend the time learning how to install a program, find drivers, and learn about the alternatives they can use. They just want a netbook that works for them out-of-the-box and Linux can’t do that for most people.

Although I believe Windows 7 will dominate on netbooks, that is not to say that Linux will no longer be sold with netbooks. There are still some people who only plan to use their netbooks for internet, instant-messaging, and simple text-messaging. That portion of the market certainly doesn’t have to spend the extra dollars for Windows 7. But for the majority of consumers, Windows 7 is an upgrade from XP or what Vista should have been. Microsoft missed the netbook market entirely with Vista, but they are going to put up a fight Windows 7 this time around.

What are your thoughts on Windows 7 vs. Linux on netbooks? Let us know in the comments.

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   Source: The Technist

   [/caption] Microsoft confirmed in…

User Access Control in Windows Vista annoyed a lot of people, so Microsoft made a couple of changes to make it “less-annoying” by providing users the option of customizing the frequency of notifications. UAC has also learned to differentiate between changes made by programs, and changes made to Windows settings. Windows distinguishes each through by checking security certificates. Any process or application containing a specific security certificate will not trigger UAC to prompt.

The default settings only notify the user when programs try to make changes to your computer.

The flaw lies in what Windows 7 doesn’t notify – when changes are made to Windows settings, which includes UAC. Since UAC is a built-in Windows security feature, it must have the ceritficate as well right?

Zheng went on to investigate and created a proof-of-concept script with Rafael (the same guy that released all the Unlock Windows 7 Build 6xxx hacks). Turns out he managed to create a script that silently turned UAC off. A more malicious script would be able to go even further and install malicious apps in your startup folder. The reason why this works is because the UAC process contains one of those security certificates, so you are not prompted when changes are made.
Zheng points out a simple fix: Make all UAC modifcations require a prompt. Unfortunately, Microsoft has claimed that his is not a vulnerability and is done “by design.” Looks like Microsoft is telling us we’ll all have to use the highest setting to keep our computer safe…

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Given the estimated release date for Windows 7, we all expected that there would be only one beta before an RC. Microsoft proved the community right when they announced yesterday that the next step would be a Release Candidate (RC). This means no Beta 2.

With the RC, this process of feedback based on telemetry then repeats itself. However at this milestone we will be very selective about what changes we make between the Release Candidate and the final product, and very clear in communicating them. We will act on the most critical issues. The point of the Release Candidate is to make sure everyone is ready for the release and that there is time between the Release Candidate and our release to PC makers and manufacturing to validate all the work that has gone on since the pre-Beta. Again, we expect very few changes to the code.

They still have not yet said anything about the release date. Here’s another excerpt of the steps Windows 7 will go through:

• Pre-Beta – This release at the PDC introduced the developer community to Windows 7 and represents the platform complete release and disclosure of the features.
• Beta – This release provided a couple of million folks the opportunity to use feature complete Windows 7 while also providing the telemetry and feedback necessary for us to validate the quality, reliability, compatibility, and experience of Windows 7. As we said, we are working with our partners across the ecosystem to make sure that testing and validation and development of Windows 7-based products begins to enter final phases as we move through the Beta.
• Release Candidate (RC) – This release will be Windows 7 as we intend to ship it. We will continue to listen to feedback and telemetry with the focus on addressing only the most critical issues that arise. We will be very clear in communicating any changes that have a visible impact on the product. This release allows the whole ecosystem to reach a known state together and make sure that we are all ready together for the Release to Manufacturing. Once we get to RC, the whole ecosystem is in “dress rehearsal” mode for the next steps.
• Release to Manufacturing (RTM) – This release is the final Windows 7 as we intend to make available to PC makers and for retail and volume license products.
• General Availability (GA) – This is a business milestone and represents when you can buy Windows 7 pre-installed on PCs or as full packaged product.

Overall, Microsoft claims Windows 7 Beta to be a great success. I urge everybody to continue using the Send Feedback feature so Microsoft can hear us out on what needs to change and get fixed.

You can read the whole post at Engineering Windows 7

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I found this very interesting article on how to improve iscsi performance with vmware and a lot of the information probably translate to improving performance for all iscsi tasks. I have skimmed it, it looks very well done with tons of information, I will read it again once coffee is on board, it is early on saturday morning and my brain is only firing on one cylinder.

a multivendor post to help our mutual iscsi customers using vmware

After back-to-back hospital visits for congestive heart failure, Eva Olweean figured her health was back to normal. But the nurses at her retirement home knew better: Motion sensors in the 86-year-old’s bed detected too many restless nights. Tiny sensors hover unobtrusively over the toilet, shower and doorways to detect Olweean’s movements inside her apartment. Pneumatic tubes tucked in the mattress and beneath her easy chair measure weight shifts. Caregivers and researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia study the data.