Vista to Seven....HOLD.....Sorry to not stimulate the Economy

According to Microsoft will be offering free upgrades from Vista to Windows 7. Unfortunately, the offer doesn't start until June 26. The lesson? If you planned to buy a new computer this month, don't. Wait for Windows 7.

To some extent, this new upgrade program shouldn't be a surprise; Microsoft offered free or low-cost upgrade coupons for Vista when it came out in 2007. In retrospect, the only thing worse than a Vista upgrade coupon was twoVista upgrade coupons. That's especially true for those poor saps who bought Vista Capable computers, only to find they couldn't handle Vista.

What Microsoft hasn't yet announced is the make-good program for Vista users that I wished a few weeks ago. A generous discount for Vista users, especially the early adopters who suffered through its birthing pains in early 2007, would be a great thank-you gift. Microsoft might lose a bit of money from upgraders, but they can consider it a PR cost of putting Vista behind them.

A program like the one Microsoft announced is aimed at preventing a sales freezeup that could occur now that users know Windows 7 is coming in late October. That could wipe out the back-to-school sales season, for example. Given the choice between a Vista computer that I can upgrade to Windows 7 and one with Windows 7 preinstalled, though, the best way to ensure compatibility is to wait.

http://www.informationweek.com

Social Networking Enterprise

The social networking craze that has swept the not only the young but established businesses of America has IT Infrastructure Architects managing blogs, social networking and the like.

This is where the Enterprise 2.0 Conference June 22-25 in Boston, comes in. Broadly speaking, the conference is a vehicle designed to make sense out of the social networking landscape made up of blogs, wikis, customer e-mails, web sites, and forums as well as cloud computing, that is increasingly critical to how business is conducted.

Steve Wylie, general manager of the conference, believes U.S. business is ripe for business-oriented social networking -- provided enterprises can understand it and its rapidly-changing dynamics.

"At Enterprise 2.0 we're exploring new technologies and how they're being put to work," said Wylie in an interview. "Everybody is a social media expert these days. But we're going to look at social media and distill it."

Wylie attributes the record high number of expected attendees -- 1,500 have pre-registered -- largely to their interest in finding and developing cost-efficient techniques and programs during trying economic times.

Noting that at an earlier Enterprise 2.0 event participants were still trying to define social networking, Wylie said many participants are now starting to implement their own social networking-based strategies.

They can learn from others, such as Lockheed Martin, which has initiated leading edge social networking. Harvard Business School professor Andrew McAfee will moderate a panel on "Applying the Social Dimension to the Lockheed Martin Mission." Participants will feature Lockheed's Shawn Dahlen, senior media program manager and Christopher Keohane, social media program product manager at Lockheed

Who said Social Networking couldn’t increase critical success factors. Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, are really good for something when used properly.

http://www.informationweek.com

MAC VS. PC

The age old debate which is better Mac OS X or Windows OS.

The Mac Operating System X:

Macintosh’s Operating System has been improved. From the system utility “Finder” which locates and opens files folders and programs to installation of the operating system, the Mac OS has been streamlined and improved.

For example, multiple core processors and 64 bit support produces an OS that is even more aggressive when Snow Leopard is activated or installed. Leopard is the OS patch for Apple’s OS X. Much like Microsoft’s Seven is the OS patch for Vista.

Pro: Apple comes with useful pre-installed software.
Iphone, Ipod and family of compatible products.
Con: Price points, do it yourself hardware support. (tutorials are more available).

My opinion:

I love Macs for their pre-installed software. From a web design perspective Apple is incredible. Designing and Video Editing on Mac OS X Leopard is exhilarating.


Windows Vista Operating System:

Microsoft’s second to last OS has also been improved. From the interface to security and search features. The upgrade patch Windows Seven much like Leopard to OS X is the upgrade patch. Seven is Vista on steroids.

For instance, Seven also utilizes 64 bit support and dual core processing. (The processor is the frontal lobe of your machine.) Hardware support ventures into emerging touch screen technologies.

Pro: Price points, selection of hardware producers. Larger Market Share.
Con: Standards and compatibility issues. Additional software costs.

My opinion: I love PC’s for their programming conductivity. An amalgamation of utilities exists for web programming in a windows environment.

Both OS have their position in the world of computing. I’m proficient using both Apple and Windows to develop various projects. I also own both types of machines.

So keep debating……

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