Now here’s a question deserving an answer. What exactly will Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows Vista, due for release late 2006, do for Probloggers?
Q: Should I pay the reported high price for the hardware ~ extra RAM and graphics capability?
A: According to a review in eweek, “We expect that Vista will run well with 512MB of RAM and pretty much any CPU that has shipped during the past few years.” So those in rival camps who write off Vista as beyond the means of many should maybe reassess that view.
Q: What will Vista itself cost?
A: According to the same review, “It’s too early to know what Microsoft will charge for Vista, but we don’t expect the price to stray much from that of Windows XP.”
Q: Windows has been susceptible to adware and other trojan attacks. Will Vista fix that?
A: A lot of the spyware incursions that Windows users have faced in recent years have occurred because the OS is usually run with elevated administrative privileges. In these cases, all running processes are at the same level, making it easier for adware to become established deep within the system. The answer, says Microsoft, involves making it simpler to raise privileges only when required, by presenting a pop-up dialog box when launching applications that need these rights. This “User Account Protection” should make Vista a more secure operating system.
Q: Problogging involves a lot of surfing the net. Will Vista offer protection against phishing attacks.
A: “Phishing” for bank account and other financial information on unsuspecting users’ computers is a common phenomenon of the web these days. The new phishing filter in IE7 uses an online service, which is updated several times an hour, to nail the growing number of websites that practise phishing.
Q: Is the Aero Glass (enhanced 3-D) user interface worth the money?
A: A review in eweek concludes : “… as far as we can tell, the only thing Aero Glass gets you is translucent window decorations. The translucency looks cool, but we found that the effect made it difficult at times to discern where our window borders were, and it led to fumbling when dragging windows around.” So it’s your choice. It will work just as well without the glassy effect.
Q: Aren’t older versions of Windows good enough?
A: Microsoft officials have admitted that one of their biggest challenges in continuing to expand the Windows business is the impression among some customers that older Windows versions are good enough. Windows 95, which is ten years old, is a good example of the loyalty factor ~ or should that be inertia?. Microsoft regards this as a challenge to Windows Vista when it goes public next year. The company has even likened the Vista release to the launch of Windows 95.
Q: Why should a blogger choose Vista over all other OSs?
A: It will always be a matter of personal choice for a Problogger. Compatibility with the largest number of other users is probably the most pressing reason. When Vista is launched next year, many of the problems highlighted in beta builds will have been solved.
Q: Will Vista help me be a better Problogger?
A: Winston Churchill said, “Give us the tools and we will finish the job.” With out-of-date tools and software Probloggers will struggle to match the increasing overheads found on the internet. If you’re a serious Problogger, you should have the latest system.
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