We know you guys like to tweak and tune the hell out of everything, so why stop at Windows Vista’s user interface? Thanks to a shiny find by the lads at Lifehacker, we’re goin’ lockstep to make Ultimate Windows Tweaker our download of the day.
It’s 370KB, it’s portable, it has over 130 tweaks. That’s bloat-free music to our ears.
It’s been a little more than 36 hours since the first semi-private pre-beta of Windows 7 has been in the wild. Luckily for users everywhere, the reviews are positive across the board. Performance, usability and stability are all reported to be top notch, indicating a product that is further along than anyone believed. Let’s take a look at what people are saying about all aspects of Microsoft’s next-generation operating system.
Microsoft has recently released an emergency patch for Security Bulletin MS08-067 which outlines a vector that leaves NT-derived operating systems vulnerable to attack.
Published on Thursday, MS08-067 outlines a flaw in the Windows Server service which would allow malformed RPC requests to execute remote code without notice. Under the terms of the bulletin, Microsoft describes that computers with WAN-facing ports are particularly susceptible. As such, the deeply-entrenched Windows XP is likely to bear the brunt of future attacks.
Microsoft’s decision to release a patch off of its monthly schedule, a move undertaken only four prior times, demonstrates the severity of the flaw. While the vector has not yet been broadly exploited, the newly-discovered Gimmiv.A trojan demonstrates its potential for abuse.
Users of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and their derivatives are advised to immediately download the security update for their respective operating system. The operating systems in the bulletin’s affected software table link directly to the relevant fix. Additionally, users with the Windows automatic update service enabled have already begun to receive the appropriate patch.
Last Wednesday Microsoft updated their knowledgebase with a placeholder for details about Vista’s Service Pack 2. Today the word is out that we could be just days away from the release of Vista’s first beta builds. In an alleged email sent to testers over the weekend, the service pack is primarily for Windows 2008, but carries some enhancements for Vista as well:
It is said that the update will not be as significant as XP’s service pack 2, which is not surprising given Microsoft’s statements that they’d prefer not to release a service pack like that again.
While newly-annointed Microsof CEO Steve Ballmer hoped that big IT would come back to Windows Vista, his speech at Thursday’s Gartner’s Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, FL said that it was okay if firms waited until Windows 7. While Ballmer went on record to say that he’d definitely deploy Vista, “if people want to wait [for Windows 7] they really can,” he said.
This represents a stark departure from Microsoft’s — and especially Ballmer’s — hardline position on Vista’s value proposition for large-scale deployments. Where previous speeches hammered on Vista’s stability, ease of deployment and security, Ballmer’s expression today was muted by comparison.
The Register recently produced a poorly-sourced statement that the date Windows XP would no longer be available to OEMs has been pushed from January 2009 to July 2009. This may kinda, sorta, possibly, maybe mean that users can continue to stave off the inevitable for a nominal upgrade downgrade fee.
Techware Labs has some quick tips to speed up your Vista system.
Formerly codenamed Vienna, the next version of Windows now working under the Windows 7 name has just reached its third code milestone. With a rumored launch date of 2H09, this Windows 7 version 6.1.6589 may be the very last before the fledgling operating system goes beta at the end of the year.
While most reports indicate that the build is visually and functionally similar to Windows Vista, some programs have begun to adopt the Ribbon UI. Some are expecting the new interface, first seen on Microsoft Office 2007, to spread through the OS as a common UI. For now, Wordpad and Paint are the only programs with the new interface.
The PC functions through a set of complex interactions between hardware and software. It may be surprising to learn that the operating system is often incapable of controlling the computer’s hardware by itself. In a sense, the operating system needs an interpreter to talk to the hardware. The interpreter that the operating system uses to talk to a specific piece of hardware is called a driver. Manufacturers often release newer versions of drivers in order to leverage their hardware more efficiently, fix bugs, or to improve performance.
Neowin is reporting that Mark Dowd (IBM ISS) and Alexander Sotirov (VMware) demonstrated a way to bypass all of Windows Vista’s memory protection safeguards using a web browser. The kicker? It isn’t a vulnerability, per se, but rather exploiting how the entire system is set up. Neowin continues:
According to Dino Dai Zovi, a popular security researcher, “the genius of this is that it’s completely reusable. They have attacks that let them load chosen content to a chosen location with chosen permissions. That’s completely game over.”
After news that the DNS flaw is much worse than initially thought, it appears the annual Black Hat conference is having a very productive session.
There have been many operating systems running on the PS3, but all are Linux-derived and compiled specifically for the unique Cell CPU. One daring user has gone ahead and successfully run Vista on the machine.
By success, we mean something nearer to that of Enron or MCI Worldcom’s definition, but success all the same. The feat employed the processor emulator QEMU and managed to launch notepad in a spry twelve minutes.
It appears Microsoft has been hard at work enhancing the responsiveness of the Vista platform.
(Ed note: Zing.)
The Mojave Experiment: Bad Science, Bad Marketing
Since Windows Vista’s January 2007 release, Microsoft has been fighting an uphill battle to repair its beleaguered reputation. Windows Vista has not been hailed as the revolutionary new operating system that they intended. Rather, it has been met with complaints, criticism and sluggish uptake in the ever-important business and enthusiasts sectors.
Despite strong sales on OEM boxes, Microsoft is suffering from depleted mindshare and a lack of consumer confidence. To remedy this, Microsoft has pulled off — with staggering speed — the “Mojave” program designed to bring back the faith. Microsoft has collected scads of unhappy Vista users in California and shown them a “New” operating system code-named Mojave. After a stunning 90% of the candidates stated that they liked what they saw, it was revealed that it was none other than Windows Vista powering their positive impressions.
This campaign comes at a crucial time in the longevity of the Vista operating system. Regardless of whatever technical merit it may or may not have, what people are saying and hearing is overwhelmingly negative. Microsoft hopes that the recordings of people’s experiences with the Mojave experiment will help bolster their image when the footage is aired in commercial format.
This ambitious plan chases the heels of various recent internal memos. Steve Ballmer recently wrote that, “In the weeks ahead, we’ll launch a campaign to address any lingering doubts our customers may have about Windows Vista.” “And later this year, you’ll see a more comprehensive effort to redefine the meaning and value of Windows for our customers.”
So as Vista stretches into its second year of life, no more popular with the loud and listened-to voices than it has been, it seems Microsoft is digging in to fight a massive uphill battle.
Use Windows Process Explorer to learn a bit more about what’s happening in your box.
It’s not due out until 2009, but Microsoft will finally be taking the lid off DirectX 11 at GameFest 2008.
