News
It’s been a month since Microsoft officially launched the Windows Vista operating system in the market. And research has shown that the operating system was being used on less than 1 percent of PCs tracked in February.
This was mentioned in a survey report released by Aliso Viejo-based Net Applications Inc.
This makes Vista currently the sixth most used operating system. Interestingly, Windows 98 has a larger market share. However, we can give Vista the benefit of the doubt considering it is pretty new in the market and most consumers are going to upgrade to it when they buy a new machine.
The report claimed that Vista’s exact share was 0.93 percent. Windows XP topped the list with a market share of 84.3 percent, followed by Windows 2000, with 4.8 percent.
Mac OS X on PowerPC machines had 4.3 percent, while newer Intel-based PCs running OS X had 2.1 percent.
Net Applications added in the report that these statistics are generated from data from the browsers of visitors to its network of more than 40,000 Web sites.
This was mentioned in a survey report released by Aliso Viejo-based Net Applications Inc.
This makes Vista currently the sixth most used operating system. Interestingly, Windows 98 has a larger market share. However, we can give Vista the benefit of the doubt considering it is pretty new in the market and most consumers are going to upgrade to it when they buy a new machine.
The report claimed that Vista’s exact share was 0.93 percent. Windows XP topped the list with a market share of 84.3 percent, followed by Windows 2000, with 4.8 percent.
Mac OS X on PowerPC machines had 4.3 percent, while newer Intel-based PCs running OS X had 2.1 percent.
Net Applications added in the report that these statistics are generated from data from the browsers of visitors to its network of more than 40,000 Web sites.
Posted on 04 Mar 2007 by Vista Advice
AMD has introduced the AMD 690 series chipset, the company’s first chipset to bring together the combined strengths of AMD CPU and platform technology with the features of the ATI Radeo X1250 GPU.
“As a result of the ATI merger, AMD is delivering platforms for the commercial and consumer markets featuring performance, visual computing experience, energy efficiency and stability,” said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and COO. “With the launch of the AMD 690 series chipset, AMD is delivering on the commitment we made to our customers, channel partners and end users to bring to them customer-centric innovation. Our largest global customers are already committed to offering AMD 690 series-based solutions, and more than 30 motherboard designs will be available.”
According to the company, the AMD 690 series chipset incorporates ATI Radeon X1250 graphics into its design to ensure The Ultimate Visual Experience for Windows Vista. Multitasking between applications has never been easier with Windows Aero, the new visually rich 3D user interface built into Windows Vista Premium and Business editions. The AMD 690 series chipset delivers the power to make new features like Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D an integral part of every business day.1
The AMD 690 family is the first AMD chipset with ATI graphics that supports ATI Avivo technology, providing The Ultimate Visual Experience with smooth video playback and true-to-life images for all multimedia, including high-definition content, the company said.
“As a result of the ATI merger, AMD is delivering platforms for the commercial and consumer markets featuring performance, visual computing experience, energy efficiency and stability,” said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and COO. “With the launch of the AMD 690 series chipset, AMD is delivering on the commitment we made to our customers, channel partners and end users to bring to them customer-centric innovation. Our largest global customers are already committed to offering AMD 690 series-based solutions, and more than 30 motherboard designs will be available.”
According to the company, the AMD 690 series chipset incorporates ATI Radeon X1250 graphics into its design to ensure The Ultimate Visual Experience for Windows Vista. Multitasking between applications has never been easier with Windows Aero, the new visually rich 3D user interface built into Windows Vista Premium and Business editions. The AMD 690 series chipset delivers the power to make new features like Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D an integral part of every business day.1
The AMD 690 family is the first AMD chipset with ATI graphics that supports ATI Avivo technology, providing The Ultimate Visual Experience with smooth video playback and true-to-life images for all multimedia, including high-definition content, the company said.
Posted on 03 Mar 2007 by Vista Advice
It seems like only yesterday we were installing Windows XP. Upgrading to a new operating system, even when you're giving your PC new capabilities and new tools, usually involves a new interface and requires some adjustment.
Even if Windows Vista is running on your newest system, it's likely a few Windows XP systems are humming along in your home or office. Here are some guidelines for tranquil cohabitation by operating systems.
Easing the transition
Can I make Vista look like an older version of Windows?
Yes indeed. Right-click the Start button, select Properties, and choose Classic Start Menu to get a Start menu that's composed primarily of cascading menus that lead to programs. Right-click the desktop, select Personalize, and double-click Theme to choose the Windows Classic theme, which does away with much of Vista's slickness (and gives you a Start button labeled "Start"). Take both of these steps, and Vista will have a decidedly old-school, Windows 2000-like flavor. What Vista doesn't seem to have is a way to make its Start menu behavior and other aspects of the OS behave more the way they do in Windows XP.
What happens to XP now?
Does the release of Vista mean that Microsoft will cut off support for Windows XP, as it did for Windows 98 and other old OSs?
Not immediately, no. But it's a safe bet that, as Vista becomes the dominant flavor of Windows, Microsoft will eventually discontinue Windows XP support. In fact, the company stopped supporting Windows XP Service Pack 1, along with Windows 98 and Windows Me, in October 2006. If Microsoft were to end Windows XP SP2 support after the same number of years of support, SP2 users would be covered until sometime in 2010.
Microsoft typically makes an announcement when it begins to phase out support for aging products, as it did with this schedule for Windows 98, Me, and XP SP1. The software vendor gives users both a timeline and options for upgrade. Even after discontinuing traditional technical support, some assistance remains available online.
Will Microsoft stop providing security patches and bug fixes for XP?
No, though the fact that it recently announced a delay until 2008 of the planned Windows XP Service Pack 3 suggests that improving XP is no longer the company's highest priority.
Now that Vista is out, will new applications require it? If I stick with Windows XP, will I be unable to get any new software?
Past Windows transitions give us hope that most applications will be available in Windows XP-friendly editions for quite awhile -- after all, millions and millions of people will continue to use XP for years to come -- but a gradual transition to Vista will occur over the next few years. Cutting-edge games will make the earliest transition to the new OS, since DirectX 10 (the new version of Microsoft's APIs for game programmers) will be Vista-only.
Even if Windows Vista is running on your newest system, it's likely a few Windows XP systems are humming along in your home or office. Here are some guidelines for tranquil cohabitation by operating systems.
Easing the transition
Can I make Vista look like an older version of Windows?
Yes indeed. Right-click the Start button, select Properties, and choose Classic Start Menu to get a Start menu that's composed primarily of cascading menus that lead to programs. Right-click the desktop, select Personalize, and double-click Theme to choose the Windows Classic theme, which does away with much of Vista's slickness (and gives you a Start button labeled "Start"). Take both of these steps, and Vista will have a decidedly old-school, Windows 2000-like flavor. What Vista doesn't seem to have is a way to make its Start menu behavior and other aspects of the OS behave more the way they do in Windows XP.
What happens to XP now?
Does the release of Vista mean that Microsoft will cut off support for Windows XP, as it did for Windows 98 and other old OSs?
Not immediately, no. But it's a safe bet that, as Vista becomes the dominant flavor of Windows, Microsoft will eventually discontinue Windows XP support. In fact, the company stopped supporting Windows XP Service Pack 1, along with Windows 98 and Windows Me, in October 2006. If Microsoft were to end Windows XP SP2 support after the same number of years of support, SP2 users would be covered until sometime in 2010.
Microsoft typically makes an announcement when it begins to phase out support for aging products, as it did with this schedule for Windows 98, Me, and XP SP1. The software vendor gives users both a timeline and options for upgrade. Even after discontinuing traditional technical support, some assistance remains available online.
Will Microsoft stop providing security patches and bug fixes for XP?
No, though the fact that it recently announced a delay until 2008 of the planned Windows XP Service Pack 3 suggests that improving XP is no longer the company's highest priority.
Now that Vista is out, will new applications require it? If I stick with Windows XP, will I be unable to get any new software?
Past Windows transitions give us hope that most applications will be available in Windows XP-friendly editions for quite awhile -- after all, millions and millions of people will continue to use XP for years to come -- but a gradual transition to Vista will occur over the next few years. Cutting-edge games will make the earliest transition to the new OS, since DirectX 10 (the new version of Microsoft's APIs for game programmers) will be Vista-only.
Posted on 27 Feb 2007 by Vista Advice
As businesses and consumers grapple with Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, one question is increasingly being asked: why is it so much more expensive to buy Vista in the UK than the US?
Anger over the issue has prompted an e-petition on a government website that acts as a forum for public petitions. In less than a day it had collected more than 1,000 signatures with a regular stream of people signing up.
The petition is posted on the 10 Downing Street section of the government site and will be sent to the Prime Minister's office after it closes on 20 April. It calls on Tony Blair to put pressure on Microsoft "to stop them overcharging the UK for its Vista operating system".
It points out the "huge difference in the price that people in the US and the UK are paying for Windows Vista", claiming that Vista Ultimate (the premium version) costs £350 in the UK but can be bought for £150 ($298) in the US.
It's not clear where these figures come from, as retail prices vary. For example, according to the recommended retail prices on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, Vista Ultimate is pegged at £203 ($399.99) in the US, and £369.99 in the UK.
For the purposes of the petition, the organisers have picked on the most extreme difference in price between Vista in the UK and in the US. Generally, many versions of Vista, which comes in multiple flavours, are nearly twice as expensive in the UK as they are in the US. But Vista Home Basic, the version for people who qualify for an upgrade to Vista, costs £99 in the UK and £81 ($159) in the US - a UK premium of almost 20 per cent.
Anger over the issue has prompted an e-petition on a government website that acts as a forum for public petitions. In less than a day it had collected more than 1,000 signatures with a regular stream of people signing up.
The petition is posted on the 10 Downing Street section of the government site and will be sent to the Prime Minister's office after it closes on 20 April. It calls on Tony Blair to put pressure on Microsoft "to stop them overcharging the UK for its Vista operating system".
It points out the "huge difference in the price that people in the US and the UK are paying for Windows Vista", claiming that Vista Ultimate (the premium version) costs £350 in the UK but can be bought for £150 ($298) in the US.
It's not clear where these figures come from, as retail prices vary. For example, according to the recommended retail prices on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, Vista Ultimate is pegged at £203 ($399.99) in the US, and £369.99 in the UK.
For the purposes of the petition, the organisers have picked on the most extreme difference in price between Vista in the UK and in the US. Generally, many versions of Vista, which comes in multiple flavours, are nearly twice as expensive in the UK as they are in the US. But Vista Home Basic, the version for people who qualify for an upgrade to Vista, costs £99 in the UK and £81 ($159) in the US - a UK premium of almost 20 per cent.
Posted on 27 Feb 2007 by Vista Advice