Chrome Operating System Unveiled

While it has been talked about for some time since the release of the Google Chrome browser, the Chrome operating system has not been heard about much until now. Google is just today revealing its Chrome operating system to the general public, though no release time or much information at all is being brought forward, besides a possible completion of the project sometime last next year. Awkwardly enough, the operating system runs mainly on a cloud system, with the Google browser being the main interface that users access everything from, including email to word documents. Even regular hard drives will not be supported, and only solid state drives will make it on the list of storage mediums that can be used. Hardware wise, the search engine company is limiting what hardware the new OS will run on, though since it will be open source, it will not be long before mass amounts of different processors, video cards, and sound cards are supported by code edits, though x86 architecture and ARM CPUs are being supported initially. The demo was run on an ASUS Eee PC, even though Google will be selling its own approved hardware when the operating system comes to the masses. Flash is being heavily used throughout the new operating system; however Microsoft Silverlight was not discussed much at all at the unveiling.

Fedora 12 Released

Just today, the popular Linux operating system that follows alongside Ubuntu and openSUSE, Fedora, has been updated to version 12. With the update come many things, such as improved HD video codecs, Moblin support, improved webcam support, support for Intel BIOS-RAID, more support for Intel hardware, a new Dracut booting system, spanning desktop support, and various other optimizations. KDE has been updated to version 4.3.2, and the Linux kernel has also been brought up to 2.6.31, along with GNOME 2.28 desktop environments with the up-to-date release. With the new editions of Fedora, as well as openSUSE and Ubuntu, users have many options in what Linux operating system they want to use on their personal home computers, or even business environments.

Windows 7 sells "like hotcakes"; Surpasses Vista

Initial sales of Windows 7 were 234% higher than Vista's first few days of sales in the US, according to market research firm NPD Group. Although Windows 7 sales were up by over 200%, revenue growth was 82% up over Vista. The smaller growth of revenue has been attributed to early discounts for pre-orders and not enough advertising for the high-end "Ultimate" version of Windows 7. Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD said that “Microsoft’s program of early low-cost pre-sales, high visibility marketing, and aggressive deals helped make the Windows 7 software launch successful. In a slow environment for packaged software Windows 7 brought a large number of customers into the software aisles.” The top-selling SKUs of Windows 7 were Home Premium Upgrade, Pro Upgrade and Home Premium Family Pack (3 User) Upgrade at an average selling price of US$76, US$147 and US$149 respectively. It seems that Windows 7 has brought in all the customers wanting a fresh start with Windows and what's more, the attractive prices make it even harder to resist Microsoft's sleeker, faster and more minimalist OS.

Microsoft Abandons Family Guy Special

As part of its promotions for Windows 7, Microsoft was set to sponsor an episode of the popular cartoon Family Guy. The episode would be commercial free, but would have ads for Windows 7 included in the material. However, after seeing the episode entitled “Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show,” Microsoft decided it no longer wanted to be involved in the show. The episode featured jokes on several controversial topics, including the Holocaust and incest. Fox has announced that the show will still air with a different sponsor. Perhaps Apple will attempt to capitalize on this opportunity.

Windows 7 Launches Tomorrow, Will You be Buying?

Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you'll probably already be well aware that Microsoft's latest Windows operating system launches tomorrow. If you are like me, you will have already been running the release candidate version of Windows 7 since it was made available to the general public in May (you may have also been keeping up with development through the many leaked incremental builds). The fact that the development process has been so public has given Microsoft ample chance to iron out any problem for the final build that will appear in shops tomorrow, so expectations are high.

Media reaction to the new OS has been largely positive so far, and MS has tried hard to avoid repeating the mistakes it made with Vista. While Vista wasn't exactly a bad OS (and has matured into a perfectly serviceable one), it didn't really get over the bad press of it's initial problems and annoyances. Add in the confusing way Vista was marketed, with it ending up installed on machines that didn't give it room to breathe, and you end up with what has been widely perceived as a flop. Windows 7 remedies most of the problems associated with Vista, though it does still come in a potentially confusing number of versions. That hasn't stopped pre-order numbers for the Windows 7 being strong though, with it breaking the record for the most ever on Amazon. Businesses are also reportedly more positive, though they will likely wait a while before upgrading their systems.

It therefore comes as no surprise that our weekly poll here at OCC also focuses on the Windows 7 release, asking our members whether they plan to upgrade to the new OS on their primary system. Please feel free to drop in and vote, or share your opinion.

You Got Your Windows In My Mac, You Got Your Mac In My Windows

Having used both Mac OS X and Microsoft OS I know that there are a lot of great features to both. Fanboys, or as InfoWorld calls them zealots, for both sides will argue blindly that the other side lacks innovation and continues to steal ideas from the other side. Fact is, both Microsoft and Apple have stolen concepts from each other. After all, if something works, why not incorporate that into your OS?

InfoWorld has put together two slide shows covering the Top 10 features each stole from the other:

• Top 10 Features Apple Stole from Windows
• Top 10 Features Microsoft Stole from OS X

What features do you like in your OS that originated elsewhere?

Microsoft to Comply With EU Browser Request

Microsoft has announced that it intends to fully comply with European Union regulators by giving users the option of picking their web browser. If the initial trial program is successful, Microsoft will need to continue the program for five years. This change comes due to the regulators believing that installing Internet Explorer on all Windows PCs is anti-competitive. This will be done through a ballot screen which will inform users that there are different choices when it comes to web browsers. The user will then be able to choose which browser they wish to install. This functionality will come standard with Windows 7, and will be available for XP and Vista through Windows Update.

"Free" Upgrade to Windows 7 May Not Be Free After All

 Remember all of the manufacturers and retailers saying that if you buy a computer with Windows Vista loaded on the machine after June 26th, that you can upgrade to Windows 7 after its release for free? Remember the stir it caused? Well, as it turns out, those upgrades may not be free after all. Some manufacturers and retailers/e-tailers may have you pay the shipping and handling charge for your "free" upgrade. Lenovo, HP, and Dell all have listed in their terms and conditions that they may charge for shipping and handling. MousePrint.org contacted the manufacturers and put together a nice little chart to figure out if you have to pay or not:

Other notes of interest are that Vista Home Basic doesn't qualify, and neither does XP (sorry netbook users). Also, if you bought the boxed version of Vista, you have to pay Microsoft $9.99 for shipping and handling.

XP Mode for Windows 7 Enters RTM

Though Microsoft has claimed pretty much from the beginning that Windows XP applications and many software titles will work within the Windows 7 environment, the company is releasing a Windows XP mode for the new operating system. The current version is at a RTM release, and will be shipping the same day that Windows 7 will hit stores shelves nationwide. The Release Candidate is available now however for those users that are currently running Windows 7. Users for the most part have not had problems with most software titles, though old drivers and very old applications may need the Windows XP compatibility mode for them to work correctly, once it gets released in its final form.

OEM Pricing for Windows 7 Revealed

Being one of the largest online electronic retailers in the United States, Newegg has officially added pre-order Windows 7 products to its catalog. As expected, the OEM prices for the products are cheaper than retail versions are, with Windows 7 Home Premium costing just under $100, after a $10 discount that the online store provides. The Home Profession edition in OEM packaging costs just under $135 after the pre-order discount, and the Ultimate edition of Windows 7 costing roughly $175, also after the discount that Newegg if offering. Obviously, OEM editions do not let users transfer the license between computers, but the money savings should make up for that small issue for people who build and maintain their own systems.

SMB2 Flaw Can Cause Remote Crashes on Windows Vista, Server 2008

A flaw in Microsoft's implementation of the Server Message Block 2 protocol could allow computers running Windows Vista or Server 2008 (but not R2) to be crashed and restarted remotely. Microsoft has noted that these are the only OS versions affected, though apparently the problem is also present in the Windows 7 RC. The vulnerability is caused by the implementation of the SMB protocol not correctly parsing negotiation requests, which will likely result in the system becoming unresponsive and restarting. However, in some cases it could potentially lead to an attacker gaining control of the affected system. A security update is currently in the works, but if you want to do something about it in the mean time, Microsoft is recommending disabling SMB v2 and blocking TCP ports 139 and 445 (though if you are serious about security you are probably blocking all unsolicited inbound traffic already, right?).

Best Buy Receives the Facts on Linux, From Microsoft

A leaked training course for Best Buy employees has made its way on to the internet. The training course was provided by Microsoft and educates the employees on the truth behind Linux. The training informs employees that Windows is safer than Linux and seems to indicate that Linux may not receive free updates. As an avid Linux user, I am shocked at the claims made in these training slides. While some of points about being easy to use and be comfortable with may be valid for an advanced distro like Gentoo, there are plenty of versions that are very easy to use. A casual PC user would likely be able to do everything they needed to on a Windows computer using Ubuntu for example. It is this kind of misinformation that can lead people away from using Linux, and it just isn't right.

Free Trial of Windows 7 for Technet Subscribers

Microsoft is offering a free 90 day trial of Windows 7 to people with Technet subscriptions. Many professionals are signed up for this service, and the free trial is meant to give them an extended look at the operating system. Microsoft is hoping that some of these free trials will lead to sales, as people continue to evaluate if the upgrade is worth it. The number of trials is limited, so be sure to get yours now if you want to get in on the trial. After the trial expires, users will need to purchase a full license to continue using the OS.

Snow Leopard Shipping August 28th

The latest edition of Apple's OSX operating system, titled Snow Leopard will be shipping starting August 28th, the company announced earlier today. If you own a required Intel based Mac and a copy of OSX Leopard then you will be able to grab an upgrade for what seems a very reasonable $29, with pre-ordering available now. Snow Leopard includes number of performance improvements and also new features, such as OpenCL support and Quicktime X. The majority of system applications have now also made the transition to 64-bit code, with those such as Safari claiming a significant speed boost as a result. You can read a full run down of what is new in Snow Leopard over at Apple's website.

Microsoft Releases Windows 7 to MSDN and Technet

Windows 7 was made available to MSDN and Technet subscribers today. I currently only have access to the Windows 7 Ultimate RC, so perhaps the MSDNAA isn't included. Customers with volume licensing agreements with Software Assurance will get access tomorrow. Those without Software Assurance will have to wait until September 1, with Gold and Certified partners gaining access August 16. Microsoft has tried to involve hardware and software partners along the development as much as possible, hopefully leading to greater adoption, compatibility, and functionality. Current predictions estimate that 177 million copies of Windows 7 will ship by the end of next year.

Apple Releases OS X 10.5.8 Update

On Wednesday afternoon, Apple released a new update for OS X 10.5 (Leopard). With the upcoming release of OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), the 10.5.8 update could possibly be the one this cat sees. As always, the update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility and security of your Mac. The full list of changes include:

• Upgrades Safari to version 4.0.2.
• Improves the accuracy of full history search in Safari 4.
• Resolves an issue in which certain resolutions might not appear in the Display pane in System Preferences.
• Dragging an Aperture image into Automator now invokes an Aperture action instead of incorrectly invoking an iPhoto action.
• Resolves an issue that could prevent importing of large photo and movie files from digital cameras.
• Improves overall Bluetooth reliability with external devices, USB webcams and printers.
• Addresses an issue that could cause extended startup times.
• Improves iCal reliability with MobileMe Sync and CalDav.
• Addresses data reliability issues with iDisk and MobileMe.
• Improves overall reliability with AFP.
• Improves overall reliability with Managed Client.
• Improves compatibility and reliability for joining AirPort networks.
• Improves Sync Service reliability.
• Includes additional RAW image support for several third-party cameras.
• Improves compatibility with some external USB hard drives.
• Includes latest security fixes.

The update can be downloaded via the System Update utility (165 MB) or directly from Apple (274 MB).

Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 RC Released

Microsoft has announced today that Windows XP Mode for Windows 7 has reached the "release candidate" and is now available for download. While Windows 7 is heavily based on Vista, and many applications and drivers have made the migration, Windows XP Mode serves as a kind of "backup plan" for all those really, really old apps that some of us can't bear to lose. Working much like a VMWare machine, Windows XP runs inside a virtual machine, and the best part is that all versions of Windows 7 that have the XP Mode available (namely Professional and Ultimate) come with a free Windows XP license. It's like having your cake, and running an old program on top of it too!

Features announced in this morning's Windows Team Blog include:

• The ability to attach USB drives to your machine, and have Windows XP Mode see them.

• Being able to boot to a program in XP Mode from shortcuts in your Windows 7 Start Menu (AKA, the "Jump List").

• Being able to enable or disable drive sharing between Windows XP Mode and Windows 7, effectively giving you the option to have Windows XP completely cut off from the rest of your system.

Windows XP Mode requires that your processor has virtualization instructions built in, but as long as your PC is less than two or three years old, this shouldn't be an issue.

Microsoft Fixes Windows 7 Leak

Microsoft has apparently, perhaps temporarily, stemmed the flow of pirated copies of Lenovo's RTM Windows 7 Ultimate by blacklisting the product key. This was possible for the simple reason that no customers have yet activated any copies of Windows 7 using that key. Microsoft has reportedly sent Lenovo a new product key. If this leak had happened after Lenovo had sent out computers with Windows 7 Ultimate pre-loaded, Microsoft would have had a bit of an issue on its hands.

So this basically ties up the game between pirates and Microsoft, with the score at 1-1. Of course this will not be the end of it by any means, with combating piracy being an ongoing task for Microsoft.

Intel Works With Microsoft for Windows 7

For the new Windows, Microsoft is aiming their operating system at not only features and functions, but as well as speed. Much effort has been put into making sure Windows 7 performs as it should, and does not turn into a downhill operating system like Vista did at its launch. Intel and Microsoft have been working together to figure out the best coding possible as far as speed is concerned. A new feature in the next Windows has been implemented because of this collaboration, called SMT parking, which provides additional support for the included Windows 7 scheduler while using Intel Hyper-threading Technology. The two companies have also used their combined efforts to analyze various boot, shutdown, sleep, and resume times on Intel platforms, so that Intel drivers, BIOS, and Windows 7 can be optimized accordingly.

Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 Ready to RTM

Microsoft announced today that both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have been finished and were sent to manufacturing. Both operating systems are on schedule for the expected release dates in October. Some users will be able to access the RTM version of Windows 7 on various dates in August. As a member of the MSDNAA, I will able to download on August 6, with the rest of the dates here. The upcoming version of Windows has also received feedback from several OEM partners, including Toshiba, which should help the OS in adoption more than Vista.

Mac Rootkit Soon to Be Revealed

In what may come as a surprise to many, a rootkit for Mac OS X will be revealed at the upcoming Black Hat conference. The rootkit deals with the Mach kernel of OS X which allows remote procedure calls to be sent over a network. This functionality was used for distributed computing, but will be reintroduced to allow a remote computer to exploit the host. Macs have traditionally had to worry less about security issues as the majority of attacks and exploits have been directed at Windows, but this proves that Macs aren't impervious to the same threats.

Windows 7 Build 7600 Not Ready to RTM

The recent rumors found on the internet claim that the latest leaked build of the upcoming Windows 7 operating system was the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) version, but Microsoft says that isn't true. Brandon LeBlanc, a blogger for Microsoft, said late Monday that while Windows 7 is close to RTM, it isn't quite there yet. Windows 7 is expected to RTM sometime this month in order to meet its release date of October 22. LeBlanc added that the news would likely come from a reputable industry source. However, corporate customers are expected to gain access to Windows 7 as early as September 1.

Steve Ballmer Isn't Afraid of Chrome OS

At a conference held by Microsoft in New Orleans, Steve Ballmer told the crowd that the Chrome OS project would be “interesting.” Ballmer reportedly did so in a joking fashion, and the crowd saw the humor in it as well. Perhaps this is just a defense mechanism as Microsoft has recently relaunched its search engine and announced online versions of Office 2010, likely in response to Google. Ballmer added that he didn't believe there was a need for both Chrome and Android, but Google has already defended the need for two. It is worth noting that Ballmer also said the iPhone would flop due to the high price tag.

Update Your Linux Computer Without a Restart

Ksplice Inc. has developed new software that will allow users to apply Linux kernel security patches without restarting their computers. This is accomplished through a combination of “pre-post differencing” and run-pre matching which are techniques that allow the code to be analyzed before and after the update. Updated function calls are placed into memory and at the same time, the existing code is modified to run the new code. The developers claim that system operation will be disrupted for 0.7 milliseconds, and that 88 percent of recent patches could be applied without additional helper code. Ksplice Uptrack has just been added to the Ubuntu 9.04 repositories to allow those users to apply updates without restarts.

Majority of Businesses Won't Be Upgrading to Windows 7

A recent study by ScriptLogic indicates that 60 percent of companies, based on the survey group, won't be moving to Windows 7 at any point in the near future. In most cases, Windows XP probably still gets the job done for them. There is also the added bonus of being released for several years now, meaning that the kinks have been for the most part worked out. The businesses simply don't need to upgrade as the software they currently run works fine on XP, and most don't want to take the chance that it won't work on Windows 7. In addition, the high cost that would likely accompany a company wide upgrade to Windows 7 just can't be justified in the minds of many people, especially in a down economy.

Windows 7 Build 7600 Leaked, Ready For RTM?

It's pretty much guaranteed that any new builds of Windows 7 coming out of Microsoft will find themselves leaked to torrent sites in short order, and things appear to be no different for the most recent 7600 build. Many suspect that this could be the RTM build, which is due to be distributed to MS partners later this month in preparation for the October launch of Windows 7. It would appear that only the x64 version has currently been leaked on torrent sites, along with the x64 Windows 7 Server 2008 7600 build. People believe that the 7600 build is likely to be the same as the upcoming RTM, as previous leaks have all been numbered 72xx, with the large bump to 7600 being indicative of finalisation. If it is indeed the RTM build, then we will likely get somekind of confirmation from Microsoft soon, what with its Worldwide Partner Conference kicking off in New Orleans today. With all this, there is one thing that we can be confident in saying, and that is that Windows 7 has been through considerably widespread consumer testing, even before its official release. Let's hope it delivers come October.

Google Says Chrome OS Won't Make Android Obsolete

With the recent announcement of Google's Chrome OS, many thought it was a replacement for Android. However, Andy Rubin, VP of Mobile Engineering Platforms, put any worries to rest. Rubin pointed out that an OS for a mobile phone has different priorities than that of a desktop or laptop. For example, Android needs to worry about whatever network protocol is used by the carrier, as well as interact with cell towers. Rubin went on to discuss future developments for Android, as well as talk about the upcoming MyTouch from T-Mobile. Plans were announced to add more options than just Google Checkout for the Google Marketplace through APIs. Google will continue to update the Android platform twice a year, and aren't worried about competing with Apple and the successful iPhone.

Chrome OS Has Some Big Supporters After Just A Day

Google's new OS, Google Chrome OS announced here, seems to have some big supporters just a day after being announced. The blog post is in response to common questions about Google Chrome OS, including if it is free (it is), and how to apply for a job to work on Chrome OS. But the biggest announcement on the page (at least to me), is who is already on board with using the new OS. The companies listed (it says among others, but the others may be small or big companies at this point) are HP, Acer, ASUS, Lenovo, and Toshiba, which may mean a big leg up on the notebook/netbook market, along with Adobe (which will mean compatibility with its products, including Flash, another huge bonus for Chrome OS), and Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, which are chip makers that make some ARM's and CPU's. If these partners are announced and on board merely one day after the public announcement (one has to assume that talks went on before the public announcement to secure these partners), it will be interesting to see who's on board after it's been around awhile.

Open Source Google Chrome OS in the Works

Following the release of the Google Chrome web browser nine months ago, Google has announced its latest project: an open source Google Chrome operating system. The Google Chrome OS will be designed for people who spent the majority of their time on the web, focusing on speed, simplicity and security along with an unintrusive GUI (Graphical User Interface). The Chrome OS will be based on a Linux kernel with a new windowing system and aims to have users on the Internet within seconds whilst maintaining security against online threats such as malware. Google Chrome OS will operate on x86 and ARM based CPUs. Google is currently working with numerous OEMs to have Chrome OS based netbooks available for consumers in the second half of next year. The code of Chrome OS will become open source later this year.

Microsoft Focuses on Energy Consumption

When Windows Vista was initially released, some users claimed that it used even more battery on their laptop systems than Windows XP previously did. Obviously Microsoft added power management features into the operating system to save energy when needed, or let the computer run at full power, but some consumers still complained of high energy consumption altogether. As for Windows 7, the company is planning on doing even more to lessen the energy that the operating system uses, coupled with whatever green hardware and technology the manufacturer of the said system incorporates. In the new version of Windows, both the hibernation and standby modes are more efficient and reliable, which hopefully ensures that consumers will use the some variation of the two modes instead of leaving their computer on constantly. Power management is also being seen in the idle stages however, with Microsoft stating that even during keystrokes, Windows 7 will be able to save power since it is smarter in energy management overall. New tools included with the operating system can even help advanced users diagnose various hardware and device problems, along with application issues, that could cause power issues. All of the options that Redmond plans to implement in its next Windows delivery should not only grant laptop uses some extra time while using a battery, but will hopefully save on energy bills with desktops as well.