if connected

Vista is the future of the PC, despite what its many detractors may wish and so put to one side. Vista matters, maybe now, maybe soon, but it is where the PC is going, eventually. Over the weekend I installed the release version of Windows Vista Ultimate on my home PC. Declaration – I paid for both Vista and for the PC myself.
The Vista interface is a marked improvement on previous versions of Windows. It’s not just attractive, although it is, but it’s more functional. Many of the little changes that appear as eye candy also do help usability… when copying/moving files, or finding the right window, etc. I’m reserving judgement on the infamous security pop-ups; my initial impression is that they bear a passing resemblance to the worst of Internet advertising and may suffer the same fate.
The real issue is what will determine how quickly consumers switch to Vista. I believe central to this is Vista’s software support to ease migration.
On the first day that a consumer upgrades — whether to a new PC with Vista pre-installed or by upgrading an existing machine — Vista needs to support everything that that consumer does digitally. Otherwise that consumer will be disappointed. And, that digital life has increased dramatically since 2001′s Windows XP launch.
Increasingly consumers own more computers, including laptops, digital cameras, games consoles with WiFi and connect them all together with home networks and/or to the PC.
The more devices a consumer owns, or the more digital media they create, or the more they consume, then the more painful it will be to switch to a new OS or to a new PC. When Windows XP launched one of its unsung innovations was the files transfer wizard. Vista desperately needs more tools to make the upgrade process easy for consumers, and the pre-install upgrade advisor tool needs to be strengthened.
So far, everything I have thrown at Vista has worked, bar a minor sound issue. However, as I do have a lot of digital devices, like increasing numbers of consumers (see the reports linked to above) I’ve not had time to install them all yet. The upgrade process is time consuming even though everything has worked as it should and installing Windows Vista has been easier than any previous version of Windows that I’ve tried.
More later on the various Vista improvements, and what new possibilities they offer businesses developing new consumer products or Internet services. Vista will make 2007 an interesting year.

So, around two weeks after installing XP service pack2 and hows it going? Great.
Despite all the horror stories, the only incompatibility I’ve encountered so far is Nero.
What happened? The right thing. After I clicked on Nero, a window popped up saying there was a problem with this version of Nero and I should install an update. This is how software should be. After the Nero update, the box vanished and everything has worked fine.
I’ve seen more on automatic updates too, so my earlier post has been updated. Have a look. Interesting point here is that fresh installs of Windows XP with SP2 won’t be shipping with automatic updates enabled, instead, users will be encouraged to switch it on. However, this is still much better and will hopefully reduce the number of virus and worm outbreaks on Windows.

[updated]
The new Windows XP service pack switches strongly encourages users to switch the automatic download of Windows updates to ‘on’. For broadband users, this background activity will make little difference to the speed of their connection and their overall online experience.
However, for dial-up users, it could be a major problem. While an update downloads, dial users may experience slower web browsing, although the new download manager aims to use only spare download capacity.
Worse, there’s a pretty good chance that for the larger Windows updates, like this service pack, there will not be time to download them fully during a dial-up session that lasts 30 minutes, or even in an hour. Therefore, it may be days before a dial-up user has downloaded a large critical security update. Microsoft aim to release new Windows updates once a month. Sometimes they are more frequent.
For ISP’s with large dial-up customer bases, there’s an opportunity here: use it to encourage the broadband switch. The prices in Europe are little different to dial. Broadband availability is good. The Internet is better for entertainment and communication on broadband. I argue that broadband makes it easier to be more secure as well, but this benefit needs to be set out in clear language.
Read this item from Joe Wilcox in the Microsoft Monitor blog on the dangers for people with unpatched PCs.

Amid all the furor about security and application compatibility problems with Win XP Service Pack 2, there are some buried gems. Here are a few key feature improvements Microsoft have delivered for free:
Built-in bluetooth support
So far, for me, this works faster, is more reliable and has a better interface than the Belkin drivers I was using before to sync my phone. Why is this a great thing? I can pick up my phone to answer a call while it’s sync’ing!
WiFi hotspot access wizards
Great in principle, less good in practice. This should make connecting to hotspots simpler. Problem is that many corporate laptops still run on Windows 2000, and the system relies on the service provider using Windows 2003 server. Other mechanisms will be more important, see Delivering Ubiquitous Mobile Data
Pop-up windows are blocked
It’s great for people that hadn’t installed one of the many toolbars or alternate web browsers that offer pop-up blocks. For me, I’m less sure this is a good thing. The problem is, that advertisers have moved on, with Flash-based ‘pop-overs’ that still obstruct the content of the web page but sit within the same Windows. Shame on Yahoo! for serving these already on the personalized My Yahoo! page. Pop-ups are being blocked for a good reason; consumers don’t like them, this will hurt brands that advertise with them without care, and damage the readership of publishers that offer the format. My advice: talk to one of JupiterResearch’s Marketing & Advertising analysts before using these new ‘pop-over’ formats.
The firewall is ‘on’ by default
In an age of always-on broadband connections, I never cease to be amazed this wasn’t being done before. Prizes to OEM’s that configured their PC’s ahead of SP2 with the firewall ‘on’.
Read the full detail:
Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2

Microsoft is expanding Windows XP Media Center Edition’s reach to Europe, see this announcement. For the uninitiated, XP Med. Ed. is an enhanced version of Windows XP with infrared remote control capability, a large text interface, and bundled software to provide TV recording, audio playback, and photo/media management. It will be bundled with select new PCs that meet a minimum hardware specification that is higher than for standard Windows XP.
While immediate prospects for success are not great, due to current PC hardware limitations (see yesterday’s post), do not write off XP media technology on the basis of early setbacks. Microsoft tends to be tenacious with new and evolving products, and looks set to place media functionality at the heart of future consumer versions of Windows.