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

GNU/Linux Adoption in Africa, a Passageway Towards Freedom From Neo-Colonialism
Digi(tal)-Colonialism and/or Techolonialism are a thing. Can Africa flee the trap?
 
There's Nothing "Funny" About Attacking Free Speech and Software Freedom
persistent focus on the principal issues is very important
Professor Eben Moglen Explained How Software Patent Threats Had Changed Around 2014 (Alice Case) and What Would Happen Till 2025
clip aged reasonably well
CNN Contributes to Demolition of the Open Web
Reprinted with permission from Ryan Farmer
Eben Moglen on Encryption and Anonymity
The alternate net we need, and how we can build it ourselves
Yet More Microsofters Inside the Board of Mozilla (Which Has Just Outsourced Firefox Development to Microsoft's Proprietary Prison)
Do you want a browser controlled (and spied on) by such a company?
IRC Proceedings: Monday, December 04, 2023
IRC logs for Monday, December 04, 2023
GNU/Linux Now Exceeds 3.6% Market Share on Desktops/Laptops, According to statCounter
things have changed for Windows in China
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news
Links 05/12/2023: Debt Brake in Germany and Layoffs at Condé Nast (Reddit, Wired, Ars Technica and More)
Links for the day
[Meme] Social Control Media Giants Shaping Debates on BSDs and GNU/Linux
listening to random people in Social Control Media
Reddit (Condé Nast), Which Has Another Round of Layoffs This Month, Incited People Against GNU/Linux Users (Divide and Rule, It's 2003 All Over Again!)
Does somebody (perhaps a third party) fan the flames?
Who Will Hold the Open Source Initiative (OSI) Accountable for Taking Bribes From Microsoft and Selling Out to Enable/Endorse Massive Copyright Infringement?
it does Microsoft advocacy
Using Gemini to Moan About Linux and Spread .NET
Toxic, acidic post in Gemini
Web Monopolist, Google, 'Pulls a Microsoft' by Hijacking/Overriding the Name of Competitor and Alternative to the Web
Gulag 'hijacking' 'Gemini'
Links 04/12/2023: Mass Layoffs at Spotify (Debt, Losses, Bubble) Once Again
Links for the day
ChatGPT Hype/Vapourware (and 'Bing') Has Failed, Google Maintains Dominance in Search
a growing mountain of debt and crises
[Meme] Every Real Paralegal Knows This
how copyright law works
Forging IRC Logs and Impersonating Professors: the Lengths to Which Anti-Free Software Militants Would Go
Impersonating people in IRC, too
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, December 03, 2023
IRC logs for Sunday, December 03, 2023
GNU/Linux Popularity Surging, So Why Did MakeUseOf Quit Covering It About 10 Days Ago?
It's particularly sad because some of the best articles about GNU/Linux came from that site, both technical articles and advocacy-centric pieces
Links 04/12/2023: COVID-19 Data Misused Again, Anti-Consumerism Activism
Links for the day
GNOME Foundation is in Reliable Hands (Executive Director)
Growing some good in one's garden
Links 03/12/2023: New 'Hey Hi' (AI) Vapouware and Palantir/NHS Collusion to Spy on Patients Comes Under Legal Challenge
Links for the day
'Confidential Computing'? More Like a Giant Back Door.
CacheWarp AMD CPU Attack Grants Root Access in Linux VMs
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, December 02, 2023
IRC logs for Saturday, December 02, 2023
Links 03/12/2023: CRISPR as Patented Minefield, Lots of Greenwashing Abound
Links for the day