Bonum Certa Men Certa

New Indications That HP is Dumping Windows for Linux (for Mobile Form Factors)

Bad Vista 7



Summary: Vista 7 is put where it belongs (the trash can) as Linux remains lighter and more suitable for devices such as tablets; new security headaches involving Vista 7

LAST WEEK we wrote about a Microsoft Windows summit being called off. Microsoft "scraps" it according to its very own booster and refunds are being issued to those who thought that Windows means partying. Well, the Windows business is declining and products that use Windows get cancelled or discontinued. Watch Microsoft excuses coming via Paul Thurrott, who is another Microsoft booster. He tries to repaint the death of Microsoft's Courier as a "non-event", but the press does not agree with him. A lot of coverage about a product that was never said to exist in the first place sure arrives from all over Internet, except fake 'news' like MSN/MSNBC (distractions). Here are some examples from what qualifies as 'news' sites, not mere blogs (there are tons more):





The Windows-powered Slate is dying too (Vista 7 dumped), not just Courier (some of the articles above wrote about both).

We found fewer articles about the latter because it's not confirmed by Microsoft yet and the role of Linux as a Windows replacement is only a rumour at this stage (although now it is more certain than before). To give a sample of what's considered news articles:



It may make sense to be done with it. Windows 7, though much lighter and more efficient than Windows Vista, is still a full-fledged desktop operating system. Even though it runs pretty well on netbooks, it's clearly not suited for super-simple touchscreen tablet devices. Microsoft would need to undertake a major rewrite and strip the software down to its essentials.




The last we heard about the HP Slate, it was dead (at least, according to rumors). HP found that it just couldn't get the performance it wanted out of Windows 7 on the Slate's Intel Atom processor and 1 GB of RAM. That's no surprise to anyone who's used a netbook with similar specs. Add the touch layer to this package and performance really isn't going to be great, at least not without a lot of tweaking.


A lot of the Web sites which comprise Microsoft boosters are quoting some vapourware talk from Bill Gates about tablets (styluses and touchscreens) because they cannot accept an embarrassing defeat, apparently to WebOS (they hardly mention that it's based on Linux). We choose not to reference those sites because they distract, as intended.

Vista 7 is failing in many other ways. In fact, here is a new blog post titled "Windows security software FAIL?"

It will be interesting to see how long it takes the security vendors to respond, either in the form of software patches or corporate denials, but in the meantime one does have to wonder if Windows security is if not dead in the water then certainly floundering around a little. One thing is for sure, if security researchers can uncover these problems, and if the bad guys can uncover these problems, one has to wonder why the vendors themselves are not made aware of them during the security software testing process?


IDG says that the "Windows 7 'compatibility checker' is a Trojan"

Scammers are infecting computers with a Trojan horse program disguised as software that determines whether PCs are compatible with Windows 7.


Yes, without software repositories, Vista 7 too will be very vulnerable (see links at the bottom).

It is worth adding that WebOS is becoming a risk to Apple's mobile OS. Apple has already threatened Pre/WebOS with patents. Here is the unofficial Apple defence (they don't like Linux) responding to Microsoft booster Michael Gartenberg without naming/highlighting his deep roots in Microsoft [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11].

Vista 7 and security:

Recent Techrights' Posts

How We Process Screenshots of Slop to Suitably Tag Them as Slop
everything is a single command
 
Gemini Links 11/08/2025: Upgrading Debian Bookworm and Better Quality PDFs From Gemini Pages
Links for the day
Currys PCWorld Lied a Decade Ago, 10 Years Later It Still Effectively Voids Your Warranty for Installing GNU/Linux Despite It Being Increasingly Mainstream
Microsoft gatekeepers
Team GNOME Has Libeled Me for Nearly 20 Years
we are not dealing with sane people
Experience With Airlines in 'Web Sites' and in 'Apps'
In a lot of ways, Stallman Was Right about what JavaScript would turn out to be
Open Does Not Mean Free
wiser to ask if some program is freedom-respecting
The Register MS Takes Money From Companies Banned by the Biden and Trump Administrations (National Security Risk)
today's sponsor
Sabotaging GNU/Linux PCs (and Users) is Not a 'Joke'
maybe cruelty is the very objective
Links 11/08/2025: Data Breaches, Politics, and Climate
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 10, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 10, 2025
Gemini Links 11/08/2025: Tea Caffeine Hot and Super ZZ Zero
Links for the day
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, Brian Fagioli, and Other Serial Sloppers
Maybe Microsoft wants to dub this "Web5"
Gemini Links 10/08/2025: Residents Management Company, Automation, and Politics
Links for the day
Links 10/08/2025: AOL Ending Dial-up
Links for the day
Seductive Mirage or Allure of Complex, Proprietary Coffee Machines (or Similar White Elephants)
Software is a lot like those things
Links 10/08/2025: Webrings, “AI Sunglasses” and “AI Eyeglasses”, US Administration Intensifies Attacks on Science and Research
Links for the day
Sometimes Newer is Worse
We generally need to reject this dumb notion that "old" means bad
The Code Used to Make Techrights Fits on a Seventh of a Floppy Disk (or 100KB When Compressed)
For the sake of comparison I've just downloaded the latest version of WordPress. The ZIP file is 27.2MB in size, or ~27,200KB.
What They Tell Young Programmers
Coding in 2025
Simpler is Better When Simple is Enough
Over-complicating things to "sell" new versions is so 1990s
Links 10/08/2025: From Social Control Media to Prison, New Examples of Windows TCO
Links for the day
Sloppy Reporting About Slop, or How The Register MS Lowers Its Standards
Maybe the management isn't even aware of this
IBM's Strategy: Cull 'Expensive' Workers, Replace Them With Cheaper Ones
So far we saw not even one rebuttal or challenge to the claim of Red Hat layoffs scheduled for tomorrow
If You Attack Somebody Too Much You Legitimise and Strengthen That Somebody
at the end those attacks add up to a "martyr" status
The Man Who Helped Microsoft Kill Linux is Trying to Delay Our Lawsuits Against Him
By conservative estimates, and based on court documents submitted by them, they're prepared to spend over a million dollars on lawyers, fighting against me and my wife
Gemini Links 10/08/2025: Gen Con 2025 and Framework Laptop
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 09, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 09, 2025
The Register MS (Microsoft) or The Register AI (Slop)?
What a slopfest!
Is Red Hat About to Give the Boot to GNOME People Who Helped Microsoft 'Secure' (Monopolised) Boot?
It was always a dumb idea to play along with Microsoft's hardware mischief
Sales of Windows on PCs (Windows Licences) Go Down
Microsoft has a big problem in its hands
The Hype That Microsoft and The Register MS (Among Others) Promote Helps Stage DDoS Attacks on Free Software Sites
Microsoft is, to put it bluntly, pure evil
The Goal of Coopetition Assumes You're Friends
it will never work with Microsoft
Links 09/08/2025: Putin Allegedly to Visit Alaska (Which He Deems Part of Russia), Mike Tyson Sued for Copyright Infringement
Links for the day
Slopwatch: Linux Journal, LinuxSecurity, and Google News With Its Slopfarms of Choice
SEO spam, made with LLMs
Follow the Money: The Register MS Gets Paid to Promote "Hey Hi" Ponzi Scheme/Hype, Some Fake 'Articles' Might Be Composed by LLMs Already
paid to promote slop
Gemini Links 09/08/2025: Rethinking Aliases and Posting on Gopher vs. the Web
Links for the day
Links 09/08/2025: Apollo 13 Astronaut Jim Lovell Dies, Slop Future Bleak
Links for the day
After Shutting Down Studios, Divisions, Applications (e.g. Skype) Microsoft is Also Shutting Down 'Apps'
Cuts all around as layoffs persist this month, Microsoft tries to get many people to resign, and debt skyrockets
Most of Geminispace Can Probably Fit on a CD-ROM or a DVD (the Textual Part)
If one excludes very large capsules and ones that contain non-textual contenty
Eventually UEFI 'Secure Boot' Will be Dropped (Users Will Demand Its Removal and Boycott Its Pushers)
we expect OEMs will just listen to users
The Register MS: We Know Slop is a Bubble and Mindless Hype, But We Get Paid to Participate
Call out the culprits
Hate Mail From Anonymous Cowards
if this persists, we'll need to escalate
There Are Probably Over a Million Pages in Geminispace
there are two many limitations which merit a mention when it comes to assessing magnitude
Informal Open Letter to the Lawyer of the Microsofters (on Who's Funding the SLAPPs Against Techrights)
Whenever I ask about the funding they try to change the subject and act all aggressive
Microsoft Lunduke is Just Provoking People for Provocation's Sake
Be forewarned and remember where this guy came from: Microsoft
Besieged by Plagiarists Who Play With LLMs and Image Fusions
We really need to exercise or use our collective voice to oppose Serial Sloppers
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 08, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 08, 2025
Gemini Links 09/08/2025: Water Painting and Political Violence
Links for the day