Daily Archives: March 7, 2007

Roll on, Vista!

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From Good Morning Silicon Valley…

Open-source software proponents may end up owing Microsoft a big, ironic thank you for finally getting Vista out the door. Release of the new version of Windows has forced IT folks in the public and private sector to make some serious plans about their upgrade paths, and that could be working in favor of Linux. Among government agencies, an important market for Microsoft, the Transportation Department has already put a moratorium on upgrades to Vista — as well as Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 7 — while it examines cost and compatibility issues and looks at alternatives, including Linux. Now, according to Information Week, the top technology official at the Federal Aviation Administration is considering grounding Microsoft software in favor of a combination of Google’s new online business applications running on Linux-based hardware. “We have discussions going on with Dell,” said Chief Information Officer David Bowen. “We’re trying to figure out what our roadmap will be after we’re no longer able to acquire Windows XP.” Microsoft still has a chance to retain the business, he said, if it could resolve the compatibility problems and make a case for its substantially higher costs.

The cost of Windows upgrades and proprietary software is also leading to some re-evaluation in Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Faced with replacing some 400,000 public school computers running Windows 98 or Windows Me (yipes!), the agency is taking a hard look at Linux and open-source software…

Apple unveils iLaunch

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From The Onion

The iLaunch runs Keynote-formatted presentations in high definition through a built-in projector while displaying a 3-D rotating image of the product. Voice-recognition software, Apple’s most advanced to date, can recite a speech highlighting the features of the device while injecting several clever digs at competitors. Should a product demonstration experience a glitch or malfunction, the iLaunch boasts a complex algorithm that can automatically produce humorous and distracting quips.

Described in its patent filing as a “hype-generating mechanism with fully integrated Mac compatibility,” the iLaunch is powered by Intel dual-core processors optimized to calculate a product’s gravitas. Apple claims the iLaunch can garner the same amount of press attention as a major scientific discovery, high court ruling, celebrity meltdown, or natural disaster at 200 times the speed of a traditional media-fostered launch.

“If you want to condition the public to liken your product to the telephone and the internal combustion engine in importance, that’s now possible with iLaunch,” Jobs said. “And it’s so easy, even an intern can use it.”