Vista
”Steve Ballmer Says That Vista Capable Debacle Totally Not His Fault
Bailing on his court appearance in the class-action lawsuit over the fact that "Vista Capable" computers were utter pieces of crap packed with sucky chips that were "capable" of running Vista in only the thinnest, most literal interpretation of term, Steve Ballmer delivered a written deposition that excused himself of all responsibility."I was not involved in any of the operational decisions about the Windows Vista Capable program. I was not involved in establishing the requirements computers must satisfy to qualify for the Windows Vista Capable program."More »
Windows XP Gets Another Six Months to Live: Will Not Go Gently Into that Good Night
According to a leaked email from a PC OEM, Microsoft has officially extended the life of its now-beloved Windows XP, moving the date of planned obsolescence from January 31, 2009 all the way to July 31, 2009. In the wake of its very expensive ad campaign promoting (in a roundabout way) Vista, the move is a bit surprising. Essentially, Microsoft is trying to let users skip Vista completely, moving directly from XP to its forthcoming OS, Windows 7. The deadline for OEMs to include Windows XP recovery discs has been pushed back a couple of times already, and apparently some Microsoft hardware partners want it even further in the future than July. XP has become the Bill Clinton of OSs (stay with me here): yeah, it was great at the time, but it's showing its age and its enthusiasm for the new guy is sometimes suspect. Windows 3.11 in 2008! [The Register UK]Want Windows 7 Super Early? Get Your Conference Pants On
Who isn't ready for Windows 7? That wiser, stabler, more streamlined OS with Vista's good looks but an even prettier Start button and an alleged 15-second boot time? Heck, even Bill Gates is excited to get on to the next version. You can get your hands on a "pre-beta" version of Windows 7 by attending the Professional Developer Conference (PDC) in LA October 27 to 30, or the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), also in LA shortly after, from November 5 to 7. Go get them, and then report back to us with some new info. [Vista Blog; screenshot from WinFuture.de]Vista Really Isn't This Crappy
Say what you will about Windows Vista, but we think it's a little outlandish to advertise the product on a toilet. In an unnamed Russian city, ads for Vista appear right on the porcelain reading, "Windows Vista - the digital future starts here.” We really hope it's an advertising agency's version of a prank. Otherwise, Microsoft appears to be after that "I pee standing up and often drink so much that I puke" demographic...which is probably pretty broad, honestly. [English Russia via CrunchGear]Tinker Game is the First Good Windows Vista Ultimate Extra
Tinker, a game available right now for free through the Windows Vista Ultimate Extras program, is probably the first Ultimate extra that people actually like. The previous couple—Sound Schemes and DreamScene moving wallpapers—were nice, but hardly worth the extra money people paid for the premium version of Vista. Download the 60-level obstacle course game right now from your automatic Windows Update. Here's hoping there are more Extras coming before Windows 7 hits.



















