It’s go time for Vista. Starting today home users can purchase an upgrade or full version of the software.
Microsoft Corp. rolled out Windows Vista at retailers in 70 countries Tuesday, delivering a new computer operating system that aims to better manage the explosion of digital media and protect users from the dangers of the Internet.
The world’s biggest software maker marked the launch of its first all-new Windows operating system in five years with a marketing blitz, including commercials featuring basketball star Lebron James and appearances by Microsoft (Charts) co-founder Bill Gates on morning and late-night chat shows.
Now, there has been a great deal of talk about whether or not you will need to buy new hardware to run Vista. In fact this OS will run on older hardware in most cases. However, you will not be able to leverage some of the glossy features. In a nut shell, if you have the means then a hardware upgrade may be to your benefit. I have been running Vista (business) in a virtual machine off and on for a couple months now…and I still can’t get into it. I’m a Mac fan. To each their own.
Another notable is this article that I found over on Boing Boing. It turns out (just in time for the rollout) that Vista’s DRM may have been cracked.
Alex Ionesco, a security researcher in Montreal, has released technical details of a hack he’s developed for Windows Vista. The hack lets him subvert Windows’ anti-copying technology and get force a full-resolution, unencrypted high-def video stream. He has not released source code, however, because he claims to be nervous of violating US law — I think that this is misplaced. Canada hasn’t passed Bill C-60 yet (and with any luck, it never will), so he should be all right in Canada.
The best part of the Vista launch was the uneasy interview that Bill Gates had on the Daily Show. Kudos to Bill for having the stones to do the show. I was laughing. Bill even managed to take a swipe or two at Jon Stewart.
The world’s richest man sat down with the world’s most famous fake news anchor Monday, and everything went pretty much perfectly for everyone involved. Until Bill Gates bolted from the set.
To be clear, the interview was over, and Gates and “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart had shaken hands and said thanks. But the Microsoft Corp. chairman’s speedy departure came with the show still rolling, when guest and host usually engage in polite on-camera banter unheard by the audience at home.
Replay the interview from YouTube.
[tags]Vista Launch, The Daily Show, Bill Gates Interview, Vista DRM, Windows Vista, Funny, Humor[/tags]
