| Microsoft has officially released their new operating system Windows Vista to business customers; however, it will not be available to the common user until the end of January. After several years of development here is a preview of the successor to Windows XP. The changes range from a new graphical interface to stronger system security. »
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Upset Customer Sues Microsoft
04/03/2007 8:23:40 PM CST
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According to a lawsuit filed against Microsoft, a customer who purchased a Windows Vista Capable PC believes they were deceived by Microsoft because the company is allowing PC makers to badge computers as “Windows Vista Capable” even though the computers are incapable of running key features of the new operating system.
The lawsuit centers on the inability of the Windows Vista Capable PC Logo to effectively state that the PC is unable to support the new, key features of Windows Vista that Microsoft has been advertising. The lawsuit alleges that PCs with the “Windows Vista Capable” logo are able to only run the bare-bones Windows Vista Home Basic version, which doesn’t include support for Aero Glass, Flip3D and Media Center PC functions. Because of this, the lawsuit reasons that the product doesn't meet the expectations that Microsoft marketed in its Windows Vista marketing campaign.
The lawsuit goes on to say that even Bill Gates took part in the deception by saying on TV that PC users can upgrade to Windows Vista in less than $100, a price point which can only provide a copy of Windows Vista Home Basic.
One of the lawyers working on the case, Michael Rosenberger, said “All the ‘wow’ stuff that Microsoft is selling and marketing is present in (Windows Vista Home) Premium, but it’s not present in Basic.”
Microsoft feels differently, as Linda Norman, a Microsoft associate general counsel, responded by saying in a statement: “We feel as a company we went beyond what we’ve ever done to try to educate people so that they understood and could make the right purchase decision.”
Whatever the validity of the case, it is no secret that Microsoft’s Vista badge system might come off as confusing, especially to inexperienced PC users. Whether this confusion warrants a successful lawsuit, though, depends entirely on the courts.
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Adobe Photoshop to Go Online
02/28/2007 11:29:24 PM CST
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According to CNET, Adobe Photoshop will be making its way online within the next six months. The online Photoshop will be an entry-level form of the product and will be available to all Internet users free of charge.
Adobe already has the foundation for an online product in place with Adobe Remix, a web-based video editing tool. Remix, which is a simplified version of Adobe Premiere Elements, is offered free of charge through Photobucket.
Like Remix, the hosted Photoshop will also be offered through a partner. Despite this, according to Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen, if ad revenues are high enough Adobe might be tempted into offering its web services to users directly.
"That is new (for Adobe). It's something we are sensitive to because we are watching folks like Google do it in different categories, and we want to make sure that we are there before they are, in areas of our franchises," said Chizen to CNET.
There is little doubt that Adobe has made this move as a result of the looming threat of Google, which lately has been placing a large amount of emphasis on online software. Late last year Google launched Docs and Spreadsheets, a word and spreadsheet editing tool based completely online and available for free. It is possible that Google might also create an online version of Picasa, which is currently distributed as desktop software for free.
Like Microsoft, Adobe’s business is largely based on packaged software. It is evident, though, that the company is not planning to be caught off guard in the case that Google offers an online competitor. Although the online version of Photoshop will be a low-end form of the product, Adobe claims it will still offer enough features to beat other free competition, namely Google Picasa.
The web-based Photoshop is expected to be the first move of a larger transition that will integrate hosted services into Adobe’s business model. Adobe plans to market the online Photoshop using its well established Photoshop brand, which is one of the leading graphics editor software available.
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Adobe PDF Gears Up for ISO Standardization
01/29/2007 8:32:18 PM CST
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Adobe Systems today announced its intent to submit PDF, or Portable Document Format, to AIIM for publication by the International Organization for Standardization, internationally known as ISO.
Adobe plans on releasing the full PDF 1.7 specifications for submission to ISO. In releasing the PDF format as an international standard, Adobe will forfeit company control over the specification. Adobe claims this move will ensure its long term intentions for the format. In addition, the move is expected to help keep Microsoft’s competing format, XPS (XML Paper Specification), at bay.
Adobe adds that “PDF has become a de facto global standard for more secure and dependable information exchange since Adobe published the complete PDF specification in 1993.” The announcement comes a day before Microsoft officially releases Vista and Office 2007 to consumers, both of which support Microsoft’s XPS format.
Kevin Lynch, senior vice president and chief software architect at Adobe, said that “By releasing the full PDF specification for ISO standardization, we are reinforcing our commitment to openness. As governments and organizations increasingly request open formats, maintenance of the PDF specification by an external and participatory organization will help continue to drive innovation and expand the rich PDF ecosystem that has evolved over the past 15 years.”
The PDF format is nothing new to the International Organization for Standardization. Two specialized PDF subsets, PDF for Archive (PDF/A) and PDF for Exchange (PDF/X), are already ISO standards; two more specialized subsets, PDF for Engineering (PDF/E) and PDF for Universal Access (PDF/UA), are currently proposed standards. The process of submitting the full PDF format to the ISO is expected to take up to three years.
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