Engineers View

Is Microsoft Pushing Customers to Linux?

2006-10-26T20:19:25+02:00

With all the recent publicity regarding Windows Vista, there has been not only praise for the new operating system but criticizism as well. Many critics of Vista have focused on negative features such as restrictive licensing which restricts the end user from moving the Vista O.S. from one PC to another more than once. Others have claimed that the EULA (end user license agreement) hasn’t changed from that of Windows XP and you should be able to utilize the license in the same manner.

Is it my imagination or does it seem as if Microsoft is pushing the limits and testing the waters to see how far its end users can be pushed? Now if Microsoft wanted to retain its enormous, current customer base it would not place so many restrictions on the use of its operating system. This especially holds true when rolling out a new product such as Vista.

Why would one create a negative buzz about a product before its release? That just doesn’t make good business sense. With the recent releases of Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Linux Desktop, the alternatives to Windows based operating systems are becoming quite attractive. This is especially true if you are a business owner with multiple PC’s. You have to ask yourself, “Is Microsoft Pushing Customers to Linux?” Surely not intentionally. That would be business suicide, but in a way by placing too many restrictions especially in the form of licensing on their products they are paving the way for open source products to gain market share.

There are definite advantages to running Windows based operating systems such as universal hardware compatibility, a huge base of compatible software applications and ease of installation to name a few. Within the last several years there have been several disadvantages as well, including security issues and increased licensing costs.

Will Microsoft push its entire Windows user base to Linux? No. Is it possible that Microsoft will lose market share to thousands of business customers over the years as they switch to open source Linux operating systems? Yes.

Microsoft clarifies Vista activation to bit-tech hacks

2006-10-26T20:17:39+02:00

Microsoft today talked to bit-tech in a bid to reassure the enthusiast community about the licensing terms of Windows Vista.

We previously read that Vista could prove to be a nightmare for enthusiasts who upgrade often, with only one transfer to a new machine allowed and with the license tied to a particular system configuration in a way that was far more limiting than Windows XP.

A Microsoft spokesman from the Licensing Dept told bit-tech that this would not be the case. He told us that Windows Vista will not require a system re-activation unless the hard drive and one other component is changed. This means that enthusiasts will be able to swap CPUs, memory and graphics cards out without any worry about having to re-activate with MS, either on the internet or by phone.

Should you change the hard drive and another piece of hardware - for example for a major upgrade such as a motherboard change that requires a re-installation - Microsoft will allow you to re-activate up to 10 times. You will not, however, be able to have more than one machine activated concurrently.

Should you wish to activate more than 10 times, you could be busted, or Microsoft could choose to let you activate again at its discretion.

For hardcore system enthusiasts, keeping a ghosted, activated copy of Vista with no drivers could be a good way of being able to swap around components and machines with the minimum amount of hassle.

Battle ensues over 1998 anti-porn law targeting Internet

2006-10-25T04:38:02+02:00

Eight years after Congress tried to criminalize material deemed ''harmful to children,'' free speech advocates and Web site publishers took their challenge of the law to trial Monday.

Salon.com, Nerve.com and other plaintiffs backed by the American Civil Liberties Union are suing over the 1998 Child Online Protection Act. They believe the law could restrict legitimate material they publish online - exposing them to fines or even jail time. The Justice Department argues that it is easier to stop online pornography at the source than to keep children from viewing it.

The law, signed by then-President Clinton, requires adults to use some sort of access code, or perhaps a credit card number, to view material that may be considered ''harmful to children.'' It would impose a $50,000 fine and six-month prison term on commercial Web site operators that publish such content, which is to be defined by ''contemporary community standards.'' It has yet to be enforced, however.

The U.S. Supreme Court has twice granted preliminary injunctions, including one in June 2004 in which it ruled 5-4 that the plaintiffs were likely to prevail. The ACLU argues that filters are a more effective way of policing the Internet. It notes that the law would not regulate any material posted overseas.

links for 2006-10-24

2006-10-24T23:26:23+02:00

O'Reilly Network -- Open Tools for MySQL Administrators

"MySQL provides some tools to monitor and troubleshoot a MySQL server, but they don't always suit a MySQL developer or administrator's common needs, or may not work in some scenarios, such as remote or over-the-web monitoring. Fortunately, the MySQL commu

(tags: mysql tools database sysadmin monitoring opensource administration)
Google Upgrades Coverage of Public Transportation: Treehugger

"Google has now added five more cities to the service: Seattle WA, Pittsburgh PA, Eugene OR, Tampa FL, and Honolulu HI."

(tags: googletransit transportation seattle pittsburgh eugene tampa honolulu)
Gartner: Apple should quit hardware business - ZDNet UK News

"Increasing component costs and pressure to cut its prices mean Apple's best bet for long-term success is to quit the hardware business and license the Mac to Dell, analyst firm Gartner claimed on Tuesday."

(tags: apple software hardware dell gartner mac intel)
Search Macros: LinkfromDomain: Live Search's WebLog

"We have one new, very exciting operator: LinkFromDomain. Using LinkFromDomain in your search includes all sites that are linked from a given domain. This complements LinkDomain (which includes all sites that link to a given domain) that was introduced ba

(tags: search Linkfromdomain tools)

Google Promotes Blog Search to News Tab

2006-10-24T23:24:32+02:00

Steve Rubel notes that Google has added a blog search to their Google News tab.

"Google has made a small, but important change to Google News. On the top right hand part of the page next to the Archive Search there's now a link to Google Blog Search."

Maybe this will lead to Google pulling blogs from Google News? Until that happens, check out Lee Odden's tips on how to get your blog listed on news search engines.

What Companies Should Google NEVER Buy?

2006-10-24T23:23:13+02:00

hris Mesinna provides a rant about how Google is evil and their integration of Dodgeball with Google Accounts is the latest sign of their evilness.

"Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but now when you try to log into your favorite neighborhood spyware, you’ll be greeted by a prompt to login with either your old skool Dodgeball account credentials or your Gauth account (the one that you use for Docs, Gmail, Gcal, Orkut, or other Google Services like YouTube (whoops — did I just say YouTube?)."

After reading this, I commented on Chris' site mentioning that I couldn't think of any companies Google could buy and integrate with my Google account that would really freak me out. Having now given it a bit more thought, a few may come to mind:

1. Fair Isaac: Would I want the company behind credit scores to have access to my online purchase behavior?

2. Blue Cross: Do I want Blue Cross tracking how often I go out to eat? Would my Dodgeball profile cause my premiums to skyrocket?

3. The Government: okay, Google isn't going to buy the government, but the government would sure love access to Google's data. Here is one perspective on that from Mother Jones:

Over the years, Google has collected a staggering amount of data, and the company cheerfully admits that in nine years of operation, it has never knowingly erased a single search query. It’s the biggest data pack rat west of the nsa, and for good reason: 99 percent of its revenue comes from selling ads that are specifically targeted to a user’s interests. “Google’s entire value proposition is to figure out what people want,” says Eric Goldman, a professor at Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara School of Law and director of the High Tech Law Institute. “But to read our minds, they need to know a lot about us.”

What do you think? Are their other companies or industries that would be poor fits for integration with Google Accounts? What comes to mind? Or, does the benefit outweigh the privacy concerns when it comes to credit scores, health records, or government intelligence?

BitTorrent Goes Legit

2006-10-24T23:08:21+02:00

Long before anyone had heard of YouTube, BitTorrent was the bad-boy online video site. If you wanted that vintage Saturday Night Live episode or a missed episode of a beloved sitcom, you went to BitTorrent or one of the pirate sites powered by its technology. Since BitTorrent's beginning in 2001, more than 80 million people have downloaded the technology and 5 million people are using it at any given time—making it one of the top ten downloads on the Web.

But as BitTorrent's popularity grew, so did the risk of legal backlash from studios and other content producers who say the technology violates copyrights. And recent years have seen a boom in rival sites and methods for getting video over the Internet—many of them fast, free, and even legal. To cope, BitTorrent is going legit, as evidenced by a flurry of deals with studios and other companies.

Making Deals

On Oct. 23 BitTorrent announced agreements with Asian hardware makers including ASUS, Planex, and QNAP, makers of routers and servers. Under the deal terms, the companies will include BitTorrent's software in several of their new products—considerably reducing how long it takes to download files using BitTorrent's method. Earlier this year, BitTorrent reached an agreement that lets Warner Bros. (TWX) distribute its shows and movies using BitTorrent's file-sharing technology. And more deals are on the way—some 20 in all, half of them with big players and the rest with smaller, indie studios.

The hard work of translating content arrangements into a sustainable business—and winning over holdouts who remain concerned about protecting copyrights—is just getting under way. Still, BitTorrent has a lot to show for its efforts.

Going Straight

By the time 2004 rolled around, BitTorrent founder Bram Cohen had seen the writing on the proverbial Web wall. It was time to make BitTorrent a full-fledged company, not just a software project. Cohen incorporated BitTorrent and ceased publishing his code online for anyone to use. He hired Ashwin Navin, a former investment banker and business development executive at Yahoo! (YHOO), as chief executive. The following year, BitTorrent raised $8.75 million from venture firm DCM-Doll Capital Management, a deal that DCM partner Tom Blaisdell said other firms "wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole" (see BusinessWeek.com, 9/27/05, "BitTorrent's Grab at Respectability").

Then came an even taller order: changing minds at the movie studios that had long viewed BitTorrent with disdain, at best. The music industry and Napster, the music downloading site, had already been through a long series of legal battles that left both sides scarred. By failing to honor copyrights, Napster was forced into bankruptcy; the Recording Industry Association of America, by trying to squash Napster, only alienated fans and encouraged the spread of copycats.

Neither BitTorrent nor the studios wanted a repeat performance. So by November, 2005, BitTorrent had struck a deal with the Motion Picture Association of America whereby BitTorrent would filter out illegal content in exchange for a de facto MPAA stamp of approval. That paved the way for negotiations with studios such as Warner Bros. Suddenly the onetime pariah appeared to be well on its way to legitimacy, just in time for the swiftly swelling online video wave (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/9/06, "BitTorrent Goes Hollywood").