Operating Systems

Apple zealots have one more reason to hate Microsoft: A new study concludes that the Microsoft brand is more respected and more valuable than Apple's. It looks as if Apple's Windows-bashing ads haven't paid off the way that Steve Jobs had hoped.

Steve Ballmer recently confirmed what much of the rest of the world is saying: Vista still needs work. He admitted in a speech at Microsoft's 's Most Valuable Professionals conference in Seattle that Vista remains a "work in progress."

Microsoft's announcement of "Albany," a subscription-based version of Office may not sound like a winner on first acquaintance, but at least it shows the software giant is thinking.

It's IT Blogwatch: in which Red Hat gives up on the consumer desktop Linux market. Not to mention some Chinese guys with too much time on their hands...

The short answer is: nothing. And that's a problem, not only for large companies that are trying to make plans, but equally for Microsoft's credibility in the small-business and consumer markets.

Businesses have shied away from adopting Vista, but Forrester Research has come up with a report offering five reason companies should adopt Vista right away. Agree with it or not, it's necessary reading for any Windows-based enterprise.

New project manager takes over administration of the server room where this pilot fish hosts an internal application, so fish figures it's a good time to ask for a few updates.

It's IT Blogwatch: in which we think we know the release dates for Windows XP Service Pack 3. Not to mention National High Five Day...

Mac acolytes might not like to hear this, but a just-released report from Forrester Research concludes that large businesses should upgrade to Vista as soon as possible, and forgo the Mac. Even Linux, the report concludes, is a no-go for big companies.

Think Microsoft is happy with Vista? Think again. Numerous top execs involved in its development and launch are no longer at the company, at least in one instance because an exec was put in a position that was certainly a demotion.

Last week a Microsoft exec revealed that Vista's User Account Control (UAC) scheme was designed from the ground up to keep people safe by constantly annoying them. Microsoft needs to learn that security through annoyance isn't the way to keep users safe --- or to keep them as customers.

Virtualization is heading for cell phones, predicts one vendor.

It's IT Blogwatch: in which Gartner Group says that Windows is dead, unless Microsoft gets its finger out. Not to mention more stupid interview questions...

Gregg Keizer reports:

Calling the situation "untenable" and describing Windows as "collapsing," a pair of Gartner analysts yesterday said Microsoft Corp. must make radical changes to its operating system or risk becoming a has-been ... Michael Silver and Neil MacDonald said Microsoft has not responded to the market, is overburdened by nearly two decades of legacy code and decisions, and faces serious competition on a whole host of fronts that will make Windows moot unless the software developer acts ...

Stop all the fuss. Soon it won't matter.
(Or, Beware the Cloud!)

The conventional wisdom that newfangled operating systems are superior to tried-and-true ones is flat-out wrong. Obviously the Apple IIGS perfected the OS decades before Leopard and Vista. Here are five reasons why.