Total Members Voted: 50
I just wonder in light of this review if MS will not INTENTIONALLY downgrade the performance of SP3 JUST to make it seem like the Vista SP1 not so bad..... I wouldn't put it past them!
Microsoft surrenders on WGA kill switchSP1 kills the killerBy Nick Farrell: Tuesday, 04 December 2007, 3:29 PMSOFTWARE colossus Microsoft has decided to kill off the unpopular WGA kill switch from Vista.According to the Beeb, Vole has given up on the part of the anti-piracy tool from Windows Vista that disables the operating system.The big idea was that it would stop users with illegal copies of Vista being able to use them.However it is so jam packed full of 'features' that users have been moaning louder than a banshee on steroids that it was killing of legal copies.The Vole has defended its system saying it has resulted in a drop in piracy. Now it seems to have worked out that not even pirates can be bothered with Vista.Top Volish pooh-bah Mike Sievert announced to the world today that SP1 will remove the kill switch. Punters whom WGA thinks have dodgy copies will be bothered with a Chinese water torture of pop-ups accusing them of theft and telling them where to buy legitimate copies.They won't lose access to functionality or features, but it will be very clear to them that Vole thinks that their copy of Window Vista is not genuine and they need to take action.Well it is a move in the right direction we guess. Insulting customers who have installed legitimate copies that Microsoft does not recognise is a step up from shutting them off completely.Indeed, Sievert points out that the Vole's cunning plan has not changed and all copies of Windows Vista still require activation and the system will continue to validate from time to time to verify that systems are activated properly. µ
Microsoft Releases List of Programs that Won't Work with Vista SP1by Becky Nagel21 February 2008Microsoft Corp. today released a list of known programs that experience some sort of "loss of functionality" with Windows Vista SP1.The list of 11 products -- divided into categories of "blocked from starting," "do not run" and "loss of functionality (minor or major)" -- is based on reported issues and is "not comprehensive," the company said. Many of the affected programs offer newer versions or upgrades that will make the software compatible (linked below where applicable).As of press time, the products are:Blocked from Starting * BitDefender AV or Internet Security, version 10 * Fujitsu Shock Sensor 2.1.0.0 * Jiangmin KV Antivirus 10 * Jiangmin KV Antivirus 2008 * Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 * ZoneAlarm Security Suite 7.1Do Not Run * Iron Speed Designer 5.0.1 * Xheo Licensing 3.1 * FreeAllegiance 2.1Loss of Functionality * NYT Reader * Rising Personal Firewall 2007 * Novell ZCM Agent 10.01As Vista SP1 was released to manufacturing and IT professionals this month, the list may grow -- especially after the update goes live for consumers in March.
again ...i fear for those unfortunate ones amoung us that WILL be affected by these MS blunders (I Love my XP)
Microsoft wants to freeze the Vista incapable lawsuitHang on, wait till everyone forgetsBy Egan Orion: Monday, 10 March 2008, 4:23 PMEVER SLIPPERY, Microsoft asked that the "Vista Capable" lawsuit against it be stayed while it appeals the judge's approval of class action standing for the case.The lawsuit, filed almost a year ago, claims that Microsoft misled punters in late 2006 by letting PC makers stick "Vista Capable" labels on lower power machines sold with Windows XP that were later found capable of running only the Home Basic version of Windows Vista rather than the full version that includes most of Vista's new features including the Aero eye-candy graphical interface.It claims that PC buyers paid more for those machines than they would have parted with had they known that they wouldn't be able to support Windows Vista when that was released a few months later in early 2007.Never mind that those PC consumers who bought "Vista Capable" machines are likely better off sticking with Windows XP instead of "upgrading" to Vista, seeing as how Vista has turned out to be even more of a pig on qualudes than all prior versions of Windows. The Vole probably won't be arguing that, but even if it did, that wouldn't let it off the hook for having misled customers who expected that "Vista Capable" actually meant "Vista Ready" when they coughed up the readies.US District Judge Marsha Pechman granted the lawsuit class action status two weeks ago. Microsoft filed a petition to appeal that ruling with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, a day after it filed a motion before Judge Pechman to stay the lawsuit pending its appeal.If the case is stayed, that would put off any further discovery by the plaintiffs until the appeal is decided, which could take up to three months or more. The delay would postpone additional revelations of potentially embarrassing emails and other documents by Microsoft and PC manufacturers, hardware suppliers such as Intel, and wholesalers and retailers.Release of internal company emails last month disclosed that high level Microsoft executives anticipated the problems caused by the "Vista Capable" labels on PCs sold with Windows XP. Microsoft's OEM partners warned the company that the labels would confuse consumers, and even Microsoft's own executives got burned by buying PCs incapable of running the full version of Windows Vista.In its motion to stay, Microsoft wrote: "Continued proceedings here would cost Microsoft a substantial sum of money for discovery and divert key personnel from full-time tasks...; would intrude on sensitive pricing decisions and strategies by OEMs, wholesalers, and retailers; and would jeopardize Microsoft's goodwill with class members -- all with respect to claims that might not proceed on a class basis at all."Microsoft argued that, if its appeal is successful, any time and money it spends on additional discovery will have been wasted and any further negative publicity will have been raised unnecessarily. It also claimed that continuing discovery while its appeal is pending might needlessly impair certain business partner relationships."Plaintiffs' discovery almost surely will involve intrusion into the most sensitive pricing decisions of the OEMs, wholesalers, and retailers who sell the PCs at issue and set their prices," Microsoft wrote. "Continued discovery thus will disrupt Microsoft's relationships with its business partners, a disruption that will be unnecessary if the Ninth Circuit reverses."The motion also raised the issue that continuing the lawsuit pending the appeal will require the plaintiffs to advertise nationally for class members to join the litigation, and that the class action search could damage Microsoft's reputation with its customers unfairly. "The result will be nationwide publicity that impugns the ['Vista Capable'] program," it said.With typical Microsoft chutzpah, the appeal to the Ninth Circuit challenges Judge Pechman's basing her approval of class action standing on Washington state law because Microsoft is headquartered there. It also questions her approval of the plaintiff's theory that PC buyers might have paid more for the so-called " Vista Capable" PCs than they would have without those allegedly misleading labels.Like many defendants, the Vole is seeking delay in the hope that the passage of time might work in its favour, as "Vista Capable" PC buyers get over having been taken in, witnesses change jobs, memories fade, documents get lost, and so on.We'll see in due time whether Judge Pechman is fully confident in her rulings and believes the plaintiffs' case deserves to move forward timely, or decides that the potential harm to Microsoft should her rulings be reversed on appeal outweighs the plaintiffs' rights.
Vista SP1 flunks university testPenn banBy Egan Orion: Friday, 21 March 2008, 4:31 PMVISTA SP1 isn't good enough to install yet, according to the computer support staff at the University of Pennsylvania.The University's Information Systems and Computing organisation has advised faculty and students not to upgrade to SP1 any computers they might have that are running Windows Vista, Information Week writes.The university techies said they will support Vista SP1 that's been pre-installed on new systems, but cautioned in a bulletin to campus users that it "strongly recommends that all other users adopt a 'wait and see' attitude."The Ivy League school's technical support staffers advised "continuing to use previous versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista until after the initial bugs in SP1 are identified and fixed."Perhaps the graybeards among the Penn techies - those who were around in 2002 - remember how Windows XP SP1 caused a lot of problems that had to be fixed with later patches.
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