Microsoft looking for Facebook love?

Microhoo has been the subject of discussions for weeks now. But since $33 did not do the job, maybe we will have some developments in the Microbook front. (continued)

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NVIDIA responsible for almost one third of Vista crashes!

Source: ars technica 

Poor Microsoft. You have been hammered by almost everyone about the instability of Windows Vista. But what can you do when the largest GPU supplier writes low quality driver software that causes the whole OS to crash?

NVIDIA’s G80 architecture caused many problems throughout 2007 and the pie chart above -based on Microsoft data- confirms that NVIDIA drivers were the major cause of crashes. Not that others are as good as we would expect, with heavies like Intel and ATI causing their big share of the problems.

Microsoft’s Silverlight coming to Nokia smartphones

Silverlight is Microsoft’s competitor to Adobe’s firmly entrenched Flash player. It currently runs on Windows and Mac OS X, but as mobile devices become a new major battleground, Nokia is the best door to knock on as it currently commands 40% of the world market.

According to Crave, the two companies are expected to announce a partnership. Silverlight will be rewritten for Symbian and will be compatible to versions S60 and S40. A Linux version is to follow soon and make happy those of us that need a Nokia N810 for our web surfing needs.

9 reasons you should not get drawn in the operating system discussion black hole

Since the appearance of Windows 3 and the proliferation of Microsoft’s operating system, the comparison with Apple’s Macs and operating systems is a popular and never-ending issue of discussion. A lot of ink -and now web pages- are devoted to a topic with no clear answers in sight. The equation became even more complicated when Linux entered the market in several different flavours, each with its own virtues. And not only that! Microsoft users have got in the debate process as to whether it is worth moving on to Vista or sticking to XP.

I consider the whole process of trying to convince other users as to the superiority of a particular operating system as a waste of time -therefore the ”black hole” title. And here is nine reasons:

1. Most people participating in the discussions are simple users, and by this I do not imply a low level of sophistication for applications they use, but simply the fact that the operating system is the underlying platform on which software is run for work or pleasure. So if for example you are a graphic user that uses Photoshop 90% of the time what is the difference between operating systems? Nothing, absolutely nothing!
2. Instead of arguing about a situation that you can only change with your personal choice, focus your attention on your work instead. Having an opinion is a good thing, but being a supporter of any company is not going to win you extra money. Concentrate on your work instead for extra income and satisfaction.

The shape of things to come in Barcelona Mobile World Congress 2008

The Barcelona Mobile World Congress of 2008 is finishing tomorrow, and those that are following events even superficially must have already got the message. Smartphones and mobile operating systems are all the rage, and later in 2008 we are going to see some really cool new models. Here is some facts from the event worth mentioning:

• Microsoft is getting ready for the upcoming mobile battle with Google. It has even gone as far as talking with Nokia about integrating Windows Mobile in some of its phones. It has not worked out so far but who knows…
• Android is coming later this year and prototype demos are springing up with OS features trickling out.
• Microsoft and Sony-Ericsson have reached agreement to combine their OS and hardware in new products. Sony-Ericsson is also participating in Symbian, so I am not sure how well this will go down with Nokia…

Torvalds calls Apple file system “utter crap”

I was reading last week how Apple fans feel an air of superiority against Microsoft users. Well it seems that Linus Torvalds, the famous Linux boy, is not eating any of this. When in Melbourne for Linux Conference Australia that finished on February the 2nd, he was asked to compare Microsoft Windows to Apple OS X.

Depending on what you read and who you speak to, you will hear opposing opinions. Well Torvalds did not hesitate to say that the OS X file system is “utter crap”. This sinks in heavily, but wait for the second part, he thinks that “OS X in some ways is actually worse than Windows to program for”. One would expect that Torvalds would prefer to compare Linux against Windows and Apple separately without getting involved in the endless Microsoft against Apple debate.

As far as Torvalds is concerned, I am limited to what everybody knows of him related to Linux and his involvement with open source operating systems. But I have a suspicion that he is a guy that has got bored of listening all the time by Apple users how much better OS X is, and how it turns everything else into dust. And as an open source driving force, it is certain that the close approach that Apple takes with every single piece of software and hardware it delivers is hardly promoting a neutral stance, against everything that Torvalds and Linux represent.

Should Yahoo accept Microsoft’s offer of $44.6 billion?

It was about time we heard something definite. Microsoft is making the decisive move to formally offer $44.6 billion for Yahoo. After all the endless rumours it is now officially confirmed that the two giants have been in talks for a pretty long time. So what were they waiting for? From what they say, for Google to get larger and more threatening…

Yahoo! keeps fighting on and has in its collection some great aps. Flickr is a super example with wide popularity and Yahoo mail is among the best out there. Unfortunately, it has not been easy to pull all the fragments together to create the all critical buzz a web company needs.

Video games grow 28.4% in the US in 2007

Video games are the entertainment stars of 2007 as their software side of the business sold $9.5 billion in the US, an amount similar to what was spent for movies and music. The bad news -at least for me- is that PC games account for only 9.5% of sales. Whether piracy or less interest in PC gaming is responsible for this disappointing result is hard to say, sales show that consoles are dominant since their hardware side sold a healthy $9.35 million. The surprise? It is the Wii which has smashed competition from both Microsoft and Sony.

Is SP1 going to help Windows Vista sales?

Some Windows Vista users have already installed the beta version of Service Pack 1. Now Microsoft publicly releases SP1 RC Refresh, to be used as the final test before the final release. Unlike initial XP safety vulnerabilities, Vista has fared much better in this sector, but not well enough in others, as for example in drivers or older software installation. Many users have been sceptical about Vista and the question is whether SP1 will help its shaken image. It is difficult to predict whether the adoption rate will increase but here is some facts that in my opinion play an important role:

• When XP was introduced it was a major step up from Windows 98 SE and Millennium, both of the later unstable by today’s standards.

When is the market dominated by a single player?

This post is a direct result of recent rumours in several blogs that state that Intel’s Penryn chips might appear later in the market than originally projected because AMD currently has a very weak product line and is not a threat even for Intel’s current CPU models! Of course Intel has the last word in this, but even the rumour is enough to make me think that there are cases when users do not receive the freshest technology developments as they become available at company R&D departments. For this to happen, the particular company must be the absolute leader in its market, the undisputed number one. Here is some examples:

• Intel obviously. It dominates computer CPUs for ages now.
• Canon in photographic cameras.
• Microsoft in operating systems.
• Apple in portable music devices and music downloads.

So apart from market share how do you judge that a company is in such a strong position?