Windows Vista Review

It's hard to put Windows Vista in perspective. On the one hand, the product has been in development for over five years, which means that Vista had one of the longest development cycles in the 20+ year history of Windows. (See my Road to Gold series for an exhaustive breakdown of that time period.)

Paradoxically, Windows Vista is both revolutionary and evolutionary. While it includes modern OS features, such as a new hardware-based graphical user interface (GUI), Vista will also feel like familiar territory, for the most part, to anyone that's already familiar with Windows XP. And Mac advocates can claim, truthfully, that many of Vista's best features appeared first on Mac OS X, sometimes years ago.

More problematic, over the past five years, many of Windows Vista's best features have been jettisoned, and it's unclear whether they'll ever appear in future Windows versions. Other features, like Internet Explorer (IE) 7, the Avalon and WinFX programming interfaces, the RSS platform, and more have been back-ported to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, watering down the uniqueness of the Vista platform.

Does any of this really matter to the typical PC user? Perhaps not. As someone who's been dissecting Windows Vista for several years now, the novelty has frankly worn off. So it would be a disservice for me to base my opinions of this system on my belief that it should have shipped two years ago. After all, to the average PC users out there in audience (i.e. most people), Windows Vista is something new. Under the hood, Vista is, in fact, quite different from its predecessors, despite the surface similarities. Indeed, it is to Microsoft's credit that hundreds of millions of Windows users will be able to upgrade or otherwise move to Windows Vista, install and run almost all of their existing applications, hook up and access almost all of their hardware peripherals, and access all of their critical data files and other documents, all without any understanding at all of the major changes that Microsoft has wrought. Microsoft once described Vista as the Windows platform for the next decade. I'm no longer sure this was hyperbole.

These are the things to keep in perspective when considering Windows Vista. It is a complex product, a big product. It's a major Windows update with lots of new functionality and oodles of new features. It's the first Windows version to provide developers with a major new programming model in a decade. It's got an unbelievably long list of extensibility points so that Microsoft and its partners can build off it for years to come. It is, as promised, the biggest new version of Windows since Windows 95. Chances are, if you're reading this site, you're going to upgrade to Vista sometime soon regardless of my opinion. As for the rest of the world, I suspect their next PC purchase will include Windows Vista as well. By this time next year, over 100 million people around the world will be using Windows Vista.

It's incredible, isn't it? The sheer size and scope of Windows Vista makes it difficult to review, to digest, and to understand. If you step back too far, it doesn't look very impressive at all: It's like XP with a spit-shine. But if you get too close, it's easy to get lost in the seemingly never-ending lists of new features. Yep, it's a major Windows version all right. And now it's complete. Let's dive in.

Reviewing Windows Vista
In this multi-part review of Windows Vista, I will attempt to provide you with the information you need to decide whether you want Windows Vista now, in the near future, or later. (Let's face facts: Not ever upgrading isn't really an option.) I'll explain the differences between the various product editions, discuss each of the major new features, and tell you which I think are valuable and which you can safely ignore. I'll discuss Vista's hardware and software compatibility prowess (or lack thereof) and explain why you may want to hold off on that x64 version you've been considering. And by the time I'm done--sometime in the days ahead, but well ahead of Vista's general availability--I hope I'll have communicated why this major new Windows version is so important and, ultimately, so desirable.

The review will be broken down into several parts, which I'll publish over time. This first part of the review is largely introductory material. In Part 2, I'll explain the different Vista product editions and provide you with the simple information you need to determine which version is for you. Part 3 covers the installation process, including interactive setup, upgrading from XP, and even corporate deployment. In Part 4, I'll highlight what I think of as the Vista experience, explaining what you get in the box, the overall look and feel of the new Vista UIs, and how its performance compares with that of previous Windows versions.

Part 5 of this review will focus on new Windows Vista features, including the advances Microsoft has made in digital media, networking and Internet, and security. In Part 6, I'll look at compatibility, both hardware and software, and on both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) systems. Part 7 will discuss the dark side of Vista, the inconsistent and undesirable features that will leave you shaking your head. And finally, I'll wrap it up in Part 8 with information about availability and pricing and my conclusions.

A quick look back over the past five years
In mid-2001, my son Mark was three and my daughter hadn't even been born yet. We lived in a different, smaller, home, and the tragedies of 9/11 were still ahead of us. Today, over five years later, much has changed. My son is now over 8 years old and his soon-to-be-five-year-old sister Kelly is like a bossy buddy he can't quite shake. We live in a different house, and though it's supposed to be a better neighborhood, I'm haunted daily by the never-ending sounds of lawn machines, leaf-blowers, or snow removal equipment, depending on the time of year. Put simply, a lot has changed.

In the wider technology world, by mid-2001, Microsoft was getting ready to ship Windows XP and Apple had recently shipped the first version of Mac OS X, a product that was so woefully inadequate that even it's most ardent supporters ruefully referred to it as a public beta. Every year, it seemed, the Linux desktop was poised to take off. That, still, has never happened.

Apple and its supporters will tell you that Apple spent the past five years churning out major new Mac OS X versions while Microsoft fumbled around trying to finish Windows Vista. This is completely untrue. Though I use and respect Mac OS X, virtually every version Apple has shipped since 2001 has been a minor update, akin to a Windows 98 SE or Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Meanwhile, Microsoft has pushed an amazing variety of Windows versions out the door since 2001. Some highlights include Windows XP Embedded, Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE), Windows XP MCE 2004, Windows XP MCE 2005, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (TPC), Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. It has also shipped major updates to its digital media software, including three major updates to Windows Media Player, a major IE release--IE 7--major new client-based security applications and services, including Windows Defender and Windows Live OneCare. And this is just a partial list. The point here is simple: Microsoft hasn't sat still, contrary to the FUD you read online.

So why did Vista take so long? Microsoft will tell you that Vista has really only been in active development since mid-2004, when it "reset" the original Longhorn project and restarted development on the Windows Server 2003 code base. I'd argue that this is a convenient misstatement of the facts: Windows Vista is Longhorn and Longhorn is Windows Vista. In short, Microsoft did take five years to bring Longhorn--sorry, Windows Vista--to market.

As it turns out, the reason why is simple. Microsoft screwed up, plain and simple. Each version of Windows is based on the version that came before it and because Windows Vista was envisioned as a kitchen sink release that would include every major new feature imaginable, it eventually teetered and fell under the weight of the technology Microsoft was heaping upon it. That Vista is now based on the Windows Server 2003 code based and not that of Windows XP is meaningless. When the project started, back in 2001, it was based on Windows XP.

After the reset, Microsoft scaled back the Vista feature-set dramatically and ensured that features were added in a more logical fashion. The two year development time that Microsoft refers to in this case is the most recent two years, the period of time during which Vista got back on track. This is a period of time that Microsoft should be justifiably proud of. The previous three years? Trust me, we'd all like to forget that.

But the problem with the five year gestation isn't that OS X and Linux have caught up and in some ways surpassed Windows, which of course they have in some respects. The problem isn't even that Microsoft promised us the world and then failed to deliver. No, the problem is that there's another OS out there that runs just fine on over 400 million computers around the world. That system is stable, secure, and gets the job done. It's Windows Vista's biggest competitor. To be fair, it's Windows Vista's only competitor. Maybe you've heard of it: It's called Windows XP.

Good enough: The problem with Windows XP
Windows XP is still good enough for most people, and that's got to be a bit alarming to Microsoft at the dawn of the Windows Vista era. Three years ago, when you talked about features like instant desktop search, integrated RSS capabilities, safe Web browsing, and security, Windows Vista was an easy sell. Today, all of those features and more are available on Windows XP (and in other OSes), so the argument for Windows Vista is somewhat diminished.

Too, Windows XP is 100 percent compatible with all of the PC hardware and software out there. While there is little doubt that Windows Vista will improve over time--for example, Microsoft tells me that many hardware drivers will ship between Vista's November 2006 RTM and its January 2007 consumer launch--for the short term at least, it's a distant second to XP in those categories that matter most to many consumers. If you're a gamer, you want to purchase a new game title and not have to worry whether it will run more slowly on Windows Vista, or not at all. And while that honking new PC is really pretty, if the version of IE 7 included on Windows Vista doesn't work with your bank's private Web site, all you'll know is that Microsoft let you down.

The truth is, Windows XP's successes are a problem because Microsoft now has a user base that's gotten used to the company not shipping major OS upgrades that they can purchase and install. (Major Windows versions over the past 5 years, such as XP MCE, TPC, and XP Pro x64 have all typically only been sold with new PCs.) What's another year or two?

Microsoft's job, now, is to convince you that its previous Windows system, XP, is not good enough. I don't envy them that task. And I don't really have a stake in this argument either way. I'm sure Windows Vista will be a blockbuster release because of its many new features, cool new user interface, and enhanced security. And I'm sure that people who really care about computers will gravitate towards Vista like moths to a flame. It's hard to ignore something this good.

Opening My Vistas

by Glenn Fleishman

I just bought a new laptop with Windows Vista pre-installed, and, hey, I kinda like it.

As I dodge flaming arrows from regular TidBITS readers, let me note that it's not my main computer nor intended to be; that I've been using the Mac platform since 1985; and that I currently own something like five working Macs. (Yes, we Mac owners know the difference: I have two other Macs of ancient vintage that haven't been powered on in years.)

I purchased a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop for two reasons. First, I'm a technology journalist, and Vista is destined to be the world's dominant platform within a year or two. I need to know how it works and how to use it. Second, I write quite a bit about Wi-Fi and wireless data. Invariably, new wireless cards come out with Windows drivers first; Mac drivers lag by weeks or years, and often lack full feature support.

My criteria for a Vista system were fairly elaborate. I wanted a dual-core Intel chip - the one I got is a "budget" Core Duo chip with half the Core Duo's Level 2 cache - and I thought it would be nice to have a good platform on which to perform side-by-side comparisons with similar Mac platforms. I needed an ExpressCard expansion slot because that's the format in which new Wi-Fi and cell data modems will be issued. By the same token, I ordered the Intel Draft N (802.11n) internal card that's just been released because it will be among the most heavily sold Wi-Fi adapters this year.

Finally, I wouldn't buy a PC that didn't have Vista pre-installed. From everything I've read, buying a machine with Windows XP today and upgrading tomorrow is a sucker's bet. Further, I needed at least the Vista Business flavor to get the networking options necessary for the kind of testing I would be performing.

I looked at all the major manufacturers, and Dell came closest to what I needed at a reasonable price. Despite quite a lot of well-publicized missteps in the last couple of years - Dell used to be ranked a not-too-distant No. 2 behind Apple for customer support, but has slipped quite a bit - the company seems in the middle of a turnaround that includes Michael Dell resuming leadership.

The Inspiron 6400 I settled on has a 15.4-inch screen, 2 GB of RAM, a 120 GB 5400 RPM hard drive, a dual-layer 8x DVD burner, a Draft N adapter, and a 1.6 GHz Pentium T2060 dual-core processor. It does not feature gigabit Ethernet. (A previous version of this article posted to the TidBITS Web site stated that the Inspiron 6400 had a Core 2 Duo processor rather than the "budget" Core Duo that it actually includes.)

Along with the computer, I purchased a two-year subscription to a full McAfee anti-everything package: anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewall, and anti-this-and-that. Pre-purchasing that package meant the software is installed and supported, and was cheaper, too. I also bought a three-year extended warranty that includes 24-hour-a-day phone support and next-day, on-site repair.

For all that, I paid $1,500 including sales tax. That's not a terrible price.

Dell made setup easy. Unpack the box. Plug in a power adapter. Press the power key. A simple one-sheet setup poster came with it, and I didn't need to refer to it. Initializing Vista involved answering just a few questions before it was up and running.

My early experience with Vista, after spending only a couple of hours getting it set up and running, wasn't awful. Sure, it asks me about granting approval for programs more often than I'd like. It's weird that I can't easily say, "Hey, I trust this action for this particular program," since I've been able to do that with Zone Alarm Pro under Windows XP for years.

The McAfee package, however, did lock up my computer. A minimized window needed user approval to proceed, and that locked the whole minimized windows task bar at the bottom of the screen. I had to use the old Control-Alt-Delete trick to display the Process Manager, and then I was able to bring the McAfee program to the front and move ahead. That happened just once.

Vista, as a whole, does conform to reports that at the surface it's Windows XP with fancier dressing. (Beneath the surface, there's a lot that's changed, but we will have to wait to see how it shakes out on the security and stability fronts.) There are some nice features, many of them familiar to me as a long-time Mac OS X user, but I don't find it offensive or confusing. The Aero interface, which offers translucency among other features, is attractive. Vista, so far, is just fine. (Wait until I start really using it, of course, to see how it holds up.)

Now, you will ask me, "Why, Glenn, oh why did you not simply buy a MacBook Pro? It has a full Intel Core 2 Duo - not the budget Core Duo you got - along with an ExpressCard slot, and it can run Windows."

My answer is that at the moment, you can only install Windows Vista under Boot Camp for a native boot - which would be needed to handle Windows drivers for the ExpressCard slot - with a bit of elbow grease. Boot Camp is still in beta; Apple doesn't support Vista with Boot Camp yet, either.

Also, a similarly equipped MacBook Pro from Apple is nearly $2,400 including sales tax. That's for a far superior 2.16 GHz Core 2 Duo processor with gigabit Ethernet and Apple-supplied RAM, but that's the cheapest and slowest MacBook Pro offered and I could shave only a few dollars by supplying third-party RAM myself. Further, given Apple's product cycles, I expect that we'll see new versions of the MacBook Pro in the next two to four months.

The folks at Parallels told me at Macworld Expo that their Parallels Desktop virtualization software might be able to support Windows drivers working on devices inserted in the ExpressCard slot, just as they've improved USB support in their most recent release. However, that's speculative until it's available.

My insidious plan is to use the Dell laptop until the time comes that I can easily install and run Vista for all my needs using either Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop. The Dell should fetch a decent price when sold. And this is, of course, all a mental trick to justify buying a MacBook Pro in the future - but only when the time is right.

Stop Applications That Auto-start On Startup

Stop Applications That Auto-start On Startup
There are 2 ways to stop applications that auto-start when you login to Windows Vista. You can either use the System Configuration Utility or the new Software Explorer in Windows Defender:

Method 1: System Configuration Utility
1. Click on the Start Button, enter msconfig and hit Enter.
2. Click on the Startup tab.
3. Uncheck items that you do want to auto-start and click OK.

Method 2: Windows Defender
1. Click on the Start Button, enter Windows Defender and hit Enter.
2. Click on the Tools from the top menu bar.
3. Click on Software Explorer and select Show for All Users.
4. Select an application to either Remove or Disable.

Enable ReadyBoost with a USB storage device.

USB Storage & Windows Vista ReadyBoost
Windows Vista has a new performance feature called ReadyBoost. This feature enables the use of a USB storage device instead of the slow paging file on your hard disk when you're low on physical memory (RAM). The logic is simple - the USB storage device is faster than your hard disk drive.

In order for ReadyBoost to work in Windows Vista, your USB storage device must meet the following requirements:
- the device must have at least 64MB storage.
- the device must be USB 2.0 compliant.
- the device must have a minimum read speed of 3.5 MB/s.
- the device must have a minimum write speed of 2.5 MB/s.

Follow these steps to enable ReadyBoost:
1. Plug in USB storage device.
2. Go to Computer, right-click on the removable storage device and select Properties.
3. Click on the ReadyBoost tab.
4. Select Use This Device and set the amount of space to use for the system file.
5. Click OK.

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player Wins Sound & Vision Editors' Choice Award

Toshiba has maintained its position as a leader in delivering quality high definition products to the market," said Mike Mettler, Vice President and Editor-In-Chief of Sound & Vision. "The Toshiba HD-XA2 is a great example of a product that combines outstanding engineering and design to create an excellent value for the consumer."

The HD-XA2 was selected as one of the top products of 2007 from a large field of consumer electronics devices. The player was chosen because its "boot-up and disc-load times are vastly reduced, connections are more robust and its Silicon Optix video processor turns the HD-XA2 into one of the best upconverting DVD players we've seen," said Mettler.

"Toshiba is thrilled to receive an Editors' Choice Award from such a highly regarded publication in the industry as Sound & Vision," said Jodi Sally, Vice President of Marketing, Toshiba America Consumer Products Digital A/V Group. "Toshiba HD DVD players continue to be recognized as one of the best home theater products in the high-definition category from both A/V enthusiasts and everyday movie lovers alike. As Sound & Vision has noted, the HD-XA2's outstanding picture and audio capabilities and cutting edge interactive and Web-enabled networking features create the ultimate entertainment experience."

About Toshiba's HD DVD Players

All of Toshiba's HD DVD player models are backward compatible, allowing users to enjoy their libraries of current DVD and CD software while enhancing the look of regular DVDs by upconverting their output to near high definition picture quality. With the HD DVD format, select HD DVD players allow consumers to experience true high def 1080p for extraordinary resolution that matches the latest state of the art 1080p HDTVs. These same players display images at 24 frames per second, the same frame rate used by directors when using film to create motion pictures for a smoother, more film like, viewing experience. Thanks to the Ethernet port and memory built into every Toshiba HD DVD player, movie lovers also can enjoy the benefits of web-enabled network connectivity. Consumers can download the latest movie trailers as they become available, share favorite movie clips with friends, vote in online polls and enjoy the experience like never before.

For more information on HD DVD, please visit www.toshibahddvd.com.

About Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.

Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide. Toshiba is a pioneer in HD DVD, DVD and DVD Recorder technology and a leading manufacturer of a full line of home entertainment products, including flat panel TV, combination products and portable devices. Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. is headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey. For additional information, please visit www.tacp.toshiba.com.

About Sound & Vision

Established in 1958, Sound & Vision has led the category in the coverage of consumer electronics products for nearly 50 years. From early adopters to everyday shoppers, people come to Sound & Vision for the latest product reviews, recommendations and information on home theater, high-definition TV, digital surround sound, and more. Published ten times per year, the title has a rate base of 200,000.

Important Notes:

HD DVD with high-definition content required for HD viewing. Upconversion of DVD content will result in near HD picture quality. Viewing high- definition content and upconverting DVD content may require an HDCP capable DVI or HDMI(TM) input on your display device. 1080p capable display required for viewing content in 1080p. Firmware update may be required for some interactive features depending on content, which may also require an always-on broadband internet connection. Some features may require additional bandwidth. To take advantage of web-enabled network content, installing the latest firmware (ver.2.4 for HD DVD player models HD-XA1, HD-A1, and HD-D1; ver.2.7 for HD-XA2, HD-A2, HD-A2W, HD-D2, HD-A2C, and HD-A20; and ver.1.3 for HD-A35, HD-A30, and HD-A3) is required. Web-enabled network features require an always on broadband connection along with specific movie titles that include this form of content. For 24p output, content that was created in 1080p/24 frames/sec is required. Viewing 24p output requires an HD display capable of accepting a 1080p/24Hz signal. MP3/WMA audio files not supported. HDMI audio output requires connection to a PCM capable device. Because HD DVD is a new format that makes use of new technologies, certain disc, digital connection and other compatibility and/or performance issues are possible. This may, in rare cases, include disc freezing while accessing certain disc features or functions, or certain parts of the disc not playing back or operating as fully intended. If you experience such issues, please refer to the FAQ sections of www.toshibahddvd.com or www.tacp.toshiba.com for information on possible work-around solutions or the availability of firmware updates that may resolve your problem, or contact Toshiba Customer Solutions. Some features subject to delayed availability. While every effort has been made at the time of publication to ensure the accuracy of the information provided herein, product specifications, configurations, system/component/options availability are all subject to change without notice.

HD DVD and DVD are trademarks of DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation.

HDMI, the HDMI Logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing, LLC.

SOURCE Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.

Uninstall / Turn off unneeded features

There are many new features in Windows Vista that are installed by default that you may not need. These extra and unneeded features can slow down your computer and take up more storage space. If you would like to uninstall, or turn off, these extra features, this tip is for you.

Windows Features can be uninstalled using the Windows Features utility. Follow these steps to uninstall applications such as the Windows Fax and Scan and many more:

1. Click on the Start Button and select Control Panel.
2. Under Programs click Uninstall a program .
3. On the side menu, click on Turn Windows features on or off .
4. Scroll through the list as shown below and remove the check from any feature you do not want installed.
   
5. Click OK when you are finished making your changes. The features will now be uninstalled.
   

Show super hidden files

Even if you turn on show hidden files in Windows Explorer some files will remain hidden. These files are super hidden. Set the registry value below to 1.

	[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
		"SuperHidden" = 1

You will need to reboot after changing this setting for it to work.

Run as administrator start menu keyboard trick

If you are like me and use the search box in the new Start Menu in Windows Vista as a run box, you can run any command you type in as an administrator by holding down CTRL + Shift and then pressing Enter.

Say you want to start command prompt as administrator:

1. Click start button
2. Key in cmd
3. Press and hold down CTRL and Shift and then hit Enter
4. Command prompt now be run as administrator

Mount a CD Image

Mounting a CD image is a basic feature of almost every operating system package except for Microsoft Windows. Microsoft has never shipped this feature in any version of Windows including Windows Vista. Mounting a CD image is very useful when you have downloaded a .ISO cd image and you do not want to waste the time or the media to burn a copy. Since Windows Vista does not have this functionality built-in, you will need to download a utility. One popular utility that will mount CD images is called elby CloneDrive. Best of all, CloneDrive is free and easy to use. Follow these steps to mount CD images in Windows Vista with CloneDrive:

1. Visit http://www.elby.ch/fun/software/index.html and download a free copy of CloneDrive.
2. Install CloneDrive just like any other application.
3. After it is installed you will see a new virtual drive appear in your Computer drive list.
   
4. Right Click on the CloneDrive and select Virtual CloneDrive and then Mount.
5. Navigate to the .ISO file you want to mount and hit Open.
6. Your CD image is now mounted. Enjoy!

How to: Dual boot XP and Vista

Application compatibility remains one of the most annoying issues for Windows Vista users. The ability to upgrade the software to a new Vista compatible version is not always an option. The company that developed the application may no longer be around or the cost to upgrade is too high. In my case, I have a lot of classic PC games that will not run at all under Windows Vista no matter how I configure the compatibility options. In order to play my old games I need to install Windows XP. However, I am not exactly ready to give up all of the advances in Windows Vista just so that I can play my old games once in a while. The answer is to dual boot Windows Vista and XP.

Dual booting Windows XP and Vista on the same computer will allow you to select from a boot menu what operating sytem you want to run. This menu is shown right after you power on your computer. Setting up both Windows XP and Vista on one computer can be a little ticky depending what operating system you have installed first. The next two sections will help you configure both versions on your computer, depending on what OS you have installed first:

Windows XP is installed

If you want to dual boot XP and Vista and XP is already installed on your computer you will not have to do much work to dual boot vista. Just boot to your Windows Vista install DVD, select a custom install and install Vista on a separate partition or physical drive than where XP is installed. This will leave your XP install intact and automatically install a boot menu with both XP and Vista listed.

Windows Vista is installed

If you were like me and compley reformatted your hard drive and wiped out XP when you installed Vista, your setup is going to be a little more complicated. Follow these steps:

1. Boot up your computer with a Windows XP install CD and install Windows XP to a different partition or physical drive than where Vista is installed. When the setup is finished, your computer will automatically boot into Windows XP. Don’t worry, Windows Vista is still on your computer if you correctly installed XP to a different partition or physical drive.
2. When you installed XP, the Vista Boot Manager was replaced by the Windows XP boot components. The Vista Boot Manager needs to be fixed by using the Windows Vista install DVD. Boot your computer to the Windows Vista install DVD , click Next on the regional settings screen and then click on Repair your computer in the lower left of the window. Select your Windows Vista install and then run the Startup Repair. This will fix the Windows Boot Manager and Vista will once again startup automatically.
3. Now we need to add an entry to the Windows Boot Manger for Windows XP. This is done through Windows Vista. When you are back in Vista, open an administrative level command prompt window and run these commands:
   
   
   bcdedit /create {ntldr} /d "Windows XP"
   bcdedit /set {ntldr} device boot
   bcdedit /set {ntldr} path \ntldr
   bcdedit /displayorder {ntldr} /addlast
4. Reboot your computer and test out the new boot menu.

Dual boot has now been configured on your computer. You will be able to enjoy the enhancements of Windows Vista without giving up the ability to run older applications that require Windows XP.

Extend Activation period past 180 days

There has been a lot of news about a new technique to extend the activation period of Windows Vista past 180 days. It all started when Brian Livingston posted a story on his site, WindowsSecrets.com, about a registry key that can be modified to allow the slmgr -rearm command to be run more than three times. This allows you to use Windows Vista without having to activate it for longer than 180 days.

Activation has always been more of burden for licensed Windows users than an effective deterrent for piracy. There are already many cracks for Windows Vista that bypass activation completely. The end result is a bad experience for those that legally buy the product.

For me, this is an issue that I am always fighting with. I am constantly building, installing and re-configuring my two computers with multiple vista virtual machines. I don't want to deal with the burden of having to activate my legal copies of Windows Vista every time since none of my workstations seem to last for more than a few months before I reinstall. If I actually activated my Vista Ultimate licenses every time I reinstall I would already have to use the slow phone based system where you have to type in that super long code. Sorry Microsoft, that is a horrible experience that I'm trying to avoid.

Using Brian's registry key and the old 180 day trick, it is possible to setup Task Scheduler to automate these changes to extend the period before you need to activate beyond 180 days. Follow these steps to automate the registry change and activation reset using Task Scheduler:

1. Click on the Start Button, type in Task Manager and hit Enter.
2. When Task Scheduler loads, right click on Task Scheduler Library and select Create Task.
3. Enter in a name for the new task such as "Activation Period Reset". Also, make sure that the user this account is run under is part of the Administrators group and the Run with highest privileges box is checked.
4. Click on the Triggers tab and hit the New button.
5. On the New Trigger tab, select Daily and Recur every 29 days (since activation is required 30 days after a reset) and hit OK.
6. Click on the Actions tab and hit New.
7. Enter in slmgr.vbs in the program/script box.
8. Enter in -rearm in the arguments box and hit OK.
9. Hit OK to save the settings for the new task you created.
10. Now you are ready for the second registry key change that will allow you to run the slmgr.vbs -rearm command more than three times. To do this, right click on the Task Scheduler Library folder again and select Create Task.
11. Enter in a name for the new task such as "Slmgr Reset ". Also, make sure that the user this account is run under is part of the Administrators group and the Run with highest privileges box is checked.
12. Click on the Triggers tab and hit the New button.
13. On the New Trigger tab, select Daily and Recur every 179 days (since slmgr needs to be reset after 180 days) and hit OK.
14. Click on the Actions tab and hit New.
15. Download and save this registry file to your computer.
16. Enter in regedit in the program/script box.
17. Enter in /s "full path to reg file" in the arguments box and hit OK.
18. Hit OK to save the settings for the new task you created.

Your computer is now configured to automatically reset the activation period every 29 days and reset your ability to reset the activation period every 179 days.

Check Windows Vista Activation Status

Are you a user of Windows Vista Enterprise or Business edition and would like to know the status of activation of a specific computer? Want to make sure that the computer connected properly to the Key Management Server (KMS) or used your Multiple Activation Key (MAK) properly? Or are you a home user and just want to make sure your computer is fully activated?

Included in Windows Vista is very useful utility that will help you check the status of activation of your computer:

1. Click on the Start Button and key in CMD and hit Enter to start up Command Prompt.
2. At the prompt, type in "slmgr.vbs -dli"
3. After a few seconds you will be presented with a pop-up message with your activation status.

Change Windows Vista Product Key after install

Do you need to change your product key so that you can activate Windows Vista properly? You can use a great command line tool that will help you do this very easily. Just follow these steps:

1. Click on the Start Button and key in command prompt so that it shows up on your start menu search list. Right click on the Command Prompt shortcut and select Run As Administrator.
2. At the administrator command prompt, type in "slmgr.vbs -ipk "
3. To activate windows after changing the key, run "slmgr.vbs -ato"

Facebook Asked to Remove “Scrabulous”

LONDON (Reuters) - The makers of word game Scrabble have asked Facebook to remove its popular online version "Scrabulous," which they say infringes their copyright.

The U.S. and Canada rights to Scrabble are owned by Hasbro Inc, the world's second-largest toy and game company, while the biggest, Mattel Inc , has the rest of the world.

"Letters have been sent to Facebook in the United States regarding the Scrabulous application," said a Mattel spokeswoman in Britain.

"Mattel values its intellectual property and actively protects its brands and trademarks.

"As Mattel owns the rights to the Scrabble trademark outside the United States and Canada, we are currently reviewing our position regarding other countries."

A UK spokesman for Facebook was not immediately available for comment.

Facebook has recently overtaken similar sites including MySpace and Bebo to become Britain's most popular social networking site.

A decentralized Twitter?

Andrew Baron is a smart guy, and he's not a techy, so when he explains technical issues he does it in a way non-technical people can understand.

Dembot: "If you hosted your own Twitter, just like you host your own website, you could put your twitter anywhere."

Twitter is doing us a service, with its lack of stability, in illustrating the dangers of centralized systems. We do need to figure out how to build a Twitter-like system with all the advantages of centralization and none of the disadvantages.

And like Andrew, intuitively, it seems to me we could do it with RSS. Of course RSS is not very nice to edit by hand, so a little bit of software would be needed to handle the editing. We would also need a place to store our RSS (easy and cheap), and a discovery mechanism, but none of this is impossible or even very hard, considering that Twitter already exists. If it didn't, discovery would be a mess. Because it does, discovery would just be inconvenient, and would require foresight -- the kind of foresight that tells you to keep a bunch of bottled water in the garage so you won't die when there's a big earthquake. You do have bottled water in the garage? " border="0" height="11" width="11">

The problem is, of course, when Twitter goes down, it's too late to use Twitter to bootstrap the decentralized Twitter-like system. Heh. Just like after the earthquake it's too late to go to Safeway and buy a crate of Aquafina.

Larry Dignan: "Twitter is a classic case of a neat little tool that wasn't built to scale but now has to because it has become a big deal."

Blogger Bullying Draws a Website Warning

Has Nick Denton gone too far? The new-media minimogul is notorious for poking New York media types in the eye (including Condé Nast Portfolio, Portfolio.com, and this writer).

But now he is accused of ambushing a publisher's daughter by using her Facebook entry in an unflattering and unwarranted item on his media-industry blogsite, Gawker.

In the process, he has violated Facebook's terms of use, Portfolio.com has learned, and the social network's honchos are not amused.

In a Gawker entry yesterday, Denton posted screenshots from the Facebook page of American Law Media founder Steven Brill's daughter, along with a selection of her status updates and other content from her profile. Denton added unflattering comments about the 25-year-old Brill's weight.

Facebook has opened an investigation into Denton's "repurposing" of Brill's Facebook profile and will be sending the blog boss a warning letter today threatening to deactivate his own Facebook account if he violates the company's policies again.

Facebook's Terms of Use make it clear that, "Except for your own User Content, you may not upload or republish Site Content on any Internet, Intranet or Extranet site or incorporate the information in any other database or compilation, and any other use of the Site Content is strictly prohibited."

Gawker has gotten noticeably more combative lately, as readership has flagged and staffers have fled.

What did Emily Brill do to deserve having her Facebook information trotted out on Gawker? Nothing, other than be born to a well-known, wealthy man. She herself is not a public figure, nor is there any discernible news value in posting her Facebook profile information.

UPDATE: Denton did not respond to several instant-message requests for comment on the matter.

Milli yazılıma veda mı?

F-16'lar için bugün karar günü. Ya milli yazılıma devam ya da ABD yazılımına dönüş.Yeni 30 adet F-16'ya milli yazılım yerine, hazır cihazın takılması tartışılıyor. Erdoğan'la Büyükanıt'ın kararları sonucu belirleyecek.

Üç kurumlu toplantı
Genelkurmay, Hava Kuvvetleri ve Savunma Sanayii Müsteşarlığı arasında bugün planlanan toplantı, F-16'ların kaderini çizecek: ABD'den alım anlaşması yapılan 30 F-16'ya takılacak elektronik harp cihazı tartışılacak.

Savunma sanayii ilgilileri ikiye bölünmüş durumda. ITT marka ALQ-211V serisi cihazlar, Türkiye'de imal edilen ALQ-178V serisinden daha yeni bir sistem. Diğer yandan hem sistem gereksinimlerini yerine getirme zorunluluğu yerli, yabancı herkes için var, hem de hazır cihaz henüz ABD Hava Kuvvetleri uçaklarına takılı değil.

İki ihtimal var
İki ihtimal: F-16'lara, milli yazılıma sahip cihazlardan mı, yoksa ABD'nin önerdiği, milli yazılım yüklenmesine uygun olmayan ITT marka mı alalım? İkinci şık, 20 yıllık önemli savunma sanayii adımından dönüş mü demek?

Dört kişilik kurul
Karar Savunma Sanayii İcra Kurulu'na sunulacak. Son söz dört kişilik kurulun: Başbakan Erdoğan, Genelkurmay Başkanı Büyükanıt, Milli Savunma Bakanı Gönül, Savunma Müsteşarı Bayar.

Yabancı yazılımı isteyenler
Milli yazılıma, yani Türkiye'nin savunma önceliklerine uygun elektronik tedbirlere açık olmayan bu sistemin bir an önce alınmasından yana olanlar iki görüşü dile getiriyor: 1- Daha önce Türkiye'de üretilen sistemlerde gecikme oldu. Bu nedenle 'uçaklar soba borusu gibi uçuyor' lafları çıktı. Hazır alırsak ABD teslimatı geciktirmeyeceği sözünü veriyor, 2- Hava Kuvvetleri uçakları 2010-11 yıllarında TUSAŞ'ta güncellemeye (modernizasyon) alınacak. Bir noktada hava savunma sisteminde uçak açığı ortaya çıkacak. 30 uçak o nedenle öncelikli. Elektronik aksamda gecikme riskini almayalım.

Milli yazılım isteyenler
Buna karşın milli yazılıma sahip sistemlerin Türkiye'de üretimini savunanlar şu görüşü dile getiriyor: "Daha önceki gecikme 2001 ekonomik krizinde ihalenin sonuçlanması için gerekli kararın gecikmesinden kaynaklandı. Şimdi üretim ASELSAN dolayısıyla devlet kontolünde. Üretim ve teslimatın zamanında yapılacağı konusunda yazılı garantiler verilmiş durumda. Ayrıca, örneğin Boeing'in AWACS teslimatında da gecikme var, ama o konuşulmuyor. Hem TSK yönetimi, hem de hükümet nezdinde de yerli savunma sanayiinin geliştirilmesi iradesi varken 20 yıllık emek boşa gitmemeli."

Milli yazılımda durum ne?
Hatırlatmak gerekirse, 'milli yazılımın' anlamı ve öyküsü şöyle: ABD'nin Lockheed şirketi tarafından tasarlanan, dünyanın en etkili savaş uçaklarından sayılan F-16'ların Türkiye'de TUSAŞ tarafından lisans altında imali merhum Turgut Özal zamanında gündeme geldiğinde, uçakların elektronik harp sistemleri tartışmaya açılmıştı. F-16'nın havadayken gizli haberleşmesinden silah sistemlerine, dost uçağı düşmandan ayırmasından düşman haberleşmesini köreltmeye dek pek çok işlevini yerine getiren elektronik harp aygıtı NATO yazılımına sahipti. Bu durum, örneğin Ege uçuşlarında Türk uçaklarının Yunanistan uçaklarını fark edememesi anlamına geliyordu.

AYRICALIK TANINDI
Bu sorunu aşmak için uzun müzakerelerden sonra, ABD'nin bir tek İsrail'e tanımış olduğu ayrıcalık Türkiye'ye de tanınmış, elektronik harp cihazı ütermek amacıyla Ankara yakınlarında MİKES şirketi kurulmuştu. 2001 krizi sonrası çoğunluk hisseleri devlet tarafından satın alınan (yüzde 72 Askeri Elektronik Sanayii-ASELSAN, yüzde 3 SSM) MİKES'in ürettiği ALQ 178V serisi Türk jetlerinde, en son Irak operasyonunda da görüldüğü gibi, kış ve gece koşullarında da başarıyla kullanılıyor.

HEPSİ YERLİ YAZILIM
TUSAŞ şu ana dek Türk Hava Kuvvetleri için C ve D modellerinden ve blok 30, 40 ve 50 serilerinden 240 adet F-16 üretti. Bunlardan son 80'i dışında hepsinde Türk yazılımı cihazlar takılı. Son 80 uçak içinde üretim sürüyor, montajın 2009'da tamamlanması öngörülüyor.

Beden Öğretmeni Bay Woodcock (2007) Mr. Woodcock

Çoğumuz için beden eğitimi dersi ile ilgili iyi ya da kötü anılar vardır. Fiziksel kapasite ile alakalı bu ders bazılarımız için hoş olmayan anıları çağrıştırır. Hele hele sizden bir komando ya da biyonik adam yaratma derdinde bir öğretmen söz konusuysa, sizin de böyle mükemmeliyetçi bir eğitmen tarafından bedensel aşağılanmaya maruz kalabilecek bir görünümünüz varsa, yaşamınızın ilerleyen yıllarında bu dersi hatırlamak dahi istemezsiniz.

Beden Öğretmeni Bay Woodcock, bu tür durumlara katlanmak zorunda kalan öğrencilerin hislerine tercüman oluyor bir anlamda. Okul hayatı boyunca bedensel zafiyeti nedeniyle beden eğitimi öğretmeni tarafından sürekli aşağılanmış bir adamın kendisini geliştirmesine tanık oluyoruz. İlerleyen yıllarda yaşadığı bu travmatik olayları geride bırakıp “geçmişimizden nasıl kurtuluruz” konulu bir kişisel kitabı yazabilecek kadar kendini geliştiriyor.

Ardından büyüdüğü kasabaya dönüp annesinin pek sevgili beden eğitimi öğretmeni ile evliliğin kıyısına geldiğini öğrenince olanlar oluyor. Bu enteresan baba adayıyla rekabete giriyor ve onun gerçek yüzünü göstererek annesiyle evlenmesini engellemek için elinden geleni yapıyor. Yaptığı bu mücadele sırasında yaşananları komik olmaya çalışarak anlatmaya çalışıyor film, ama bunu pek beceremiyor.

Böyle bir konu nereye gider? Elbette akla gelen şu. Sadist hocamız aslında ne yaptıysa çocukların iyiliği için yapmıştır. Bu uğurda kendisi kötü adam rolüne soyunmaktan çekinmemiştir. Oldukça sıradan, düz ve tahmin edilebilir bir akış değil mi? Aslında film bu kolay yolu deniyor bir bakıma ama onu bile izleyene tam olarak hissettirmeden aktarıyor.

Seyirciye sunduğu en kolay çözümün aktarılışında bile zaaflar var. Elbette bu türden bir filmden, aslında içeriği çok müsait olsa bile, bir takım psikolojik alt-metin çözümlemeleri ve göndermeler beklemek fazlaca iyimser bir beklenti olur. Öte yandan bu kadar sert ve körü körüne gaddar bir adamın da bu hale gelmesinde, geçmişten gelen kötü bir tecrübe veya travma olduğunu düşünmemek de elde değil. Ama gelin görün ki bu anlamda da altı doldurulmuş bir durum yok.

Beden öğretmeninin gaddar kişiliği, ne çocukları yaşamın acımasız sertliğine hazırlayan bir maske-kişiliğin yansıması, ne de çocukluktan gelen bir travmanın yarattığı dramatik bir arıza… Sebepsizce sert bir öğretmen; karikatürize edilmiş, üstünkörü bir kişileştirmeyle yaratılmış karton bir karakter… Soyadının anlamın da erkeklik organına gönderme yapan cinsel bir argo kelime olması, karakterimizin mimarlarının ne derece ince(!) düşündüğünün bir ispatı…



Kitaplarında geçmişe sünger çekmenin yollarını anlatan genç yazarımızın, geçmişinden gelen bir kabusla tekrar yüzleşmek zorunda kalması da bir yere kadar ilginçliğini koruyabiliyor. Geçmişi unutmanın deyim yerindeyse “kitabını yazan” adamımız birden bire yan çiziyor ve tam aksine davranarak geçmişiyle sonuna kadar yüzleşmeye başlıyor. Öğretmeni ve müstakbel üvey babasıyla anlamsız bir rekabetin içine giriyor. Film öyle bir noktaya geliyor ki, davranışlarının nedeni konusunda hiçbir rasyonel kanıt, ipucu ya da veri olmayan öğretmenimizin sadist uygulamaları birden bire aslında bir iyilik haline getiriliyor. Ama hikaye bizi bu aşamaya hiç de hazırlayarak getirmiyor.

Beden Öğretmeni Bay Woodcock, hikayesinin elverdiği psikolojik bağlantıları ve göndermeleri kullanma şansını kendi kendine ortadan kaldıran, bu nedenle kalitesine en azından “eh işte” diyebileceğimiz bir film olma özelliğini hepten kaybetmiş, eğlenceli olmaktan uzak bir film. İlgi çekici oyuncu kadrosu ise sadece enkazı kaldırmaya yetebiliyor.

Paris'te 2 Gün (2007) 2 Days in Paris

Yılın son eleştiri yazısının bir romantik komedi, üstelik beyazperdenin dalgın güzellerinden Julie Delpy'nin yönetmenliğini üstlendiği bir film olacağını söyleselerdi herhalde inanmazdım. Şimdi size bu filmin düşündüğünüzden çok daha iyi bir film olduğunu söylesem, belki de siz bana inanmayacaksınız. Madem yılın son yazısı; biraz kritik kurallarının dışına çıkalım ve yeni yılda bu filmi neden izlemeniz gerektiğini madde madde yazalım!

Paris'te 2 Gün'ü izlemelisiniz, çünkü...

1. Paris'te geçiyor. Üstelik şehrin gerçek meydanlarında, pazarlarında, dar basamaklı eski evlerinin toz kokan dar odalarında...

2. Marion (Julie Delpy) filmin başlarında Annie Hall'un Alvy Singer'ı gibi yeşil bir asker ceketi ve kemik çerçeve gözlükle karşımıza çıkıyor. Annie Hall benzerlikleri bununla da sınırlı kalmıyor. Delpy bir ilişkiyi kültürel çatışmaların her yönünü ortaya koyan diyaloglarla anlatma fikrini çok sevmiş. Hatta bu filmi özetlemek için, Woody Allen bir zamanlar Zor Baba'yı aynen böyle çekerdi diyebiliriz.

3. Marion'un anne ve babasını, Delpy'nin gerçek hayattaki ailesi canlandırıyor.

4. Jack (Adam Goldberg) bir Amerikalı olmasına rağmen Paris'e kod kırmaya gelen vatandaşlarını Bush'a oy vermekle suçlayıp bütün film sürecek ızdıraplı bir yolculuğa göndererek cezalandırıyor.

5. Özgürlükçü Fransız aileyle; rahat ama paranoyak, özgür ama kuralcı Amerikalı arasındaki çatışmalar görmeye değer. Marion'un babası kaldırıma çıkan arabaları çizerek cezalandırırken, Amerikalı suçluluk duygusuyla yerin dibine geçiyor!

6. Yemek masasındaki kültür testi bölümleri harika. Jack Kerouac'tan Jim Morrison'a karşı kültür kahramanlarının farklı kuşaklar için ne anlam ifade ettiği çok güzel yansıtılmış. Üstelik bu filmi izleyince Morrison'ın neden sonsuza kadar "yatmak" için Paris'i seçtiğini daha iyi anlayacaksınız.



7. Daniel Brühl anarşist bir peri; Alejandro Jodorowsky'nin Santa Sangre'de oynayan oğlu Adan Jodorowsky ise sanat ve kadın sevici rolüyle bir görünüp kayboluyorlar.

8. Geceleri uyumayı beceremeyen Jack bir gece bilgisayarında Fritz Lang imzalı ünlü Alman filmi M'i izliyor. Avrupayı gezen kafası karışık bir mimar için iyi bir seçim!

9. Paris, Seni Seviyorum filminin başarılı kısa filmlere rağmen ünlü şehri fazla romantize ettiğini düşünüyorsanız; filmde Jack'in "Burası Paris değil. Cehennem!" diye bağırdığını hatırlatalım. Delpy iyi ve serinkanlı bir diyalog yazarı!

10. Müzik filmde önemli bir yer tutmasa da, özellikle de Jack'in aldatıldığını hissettiği anlardaki gerilimine eşlik ettiği sahnelerde çok başarılı. Müziklere de Delphy imza atmış.

11. Bir ilişkiyi kalıcı kılmak için her zaman öpücük beklemeyip arada bir tükürükle de idare etmek lazım diyor Delpy. Ateşli Fransız öpücüğü ile anlamsız saldırganlıklara neden olan kıskançlığın arasını bulmak gerekir diyor yani.

12. Yeni yıla bir aşk filmiyle başlamak fena bir fikir olmasa gerek.

13. Bu filmin uğursuz sayıya düşen olumsuz yönü ise iki kişi arasındaki aşkın çok fazla diyaloglara ve eylemlere indirgenmiş olması. Bu anlamda fazla teknik ve gürültülü olduğunu itiraf etmek gerek. Bakışlar ve sessizlikler eksik. Belki de sorunlar o kutsal sessizliği unutmaktan kaynaklanıyor...

Çılgın Dersane Kampta (2007)

Bu filmle ilgili yazmaya başlamadan önce, serinin ilk filmi için kaleme aldığım kritiğe göz attım. Söyleyebileceğim çoğu şeyin aynı olmasından biraz endişe ettim doğrusu. Bu, birileri için olumlu bir değerlendirme olur mu bilemem ama Çılgın Dersane Kampta’nın ilk filmden pek bir farkı yok.

Berksan adlı pop müzik şarkıcısının kendi ismiyle, kendi benzeri (sadece daha popüler) bir pop yıldızını canlandırdığı film, onun konser görüntüleriyle açılıyor. Daha jenerik bile başlamadan bize birkaç dakika şarkılı danslı bir klip sunan film de durduğu yeri belli ediyor. Bu bir film değil. Bir tür eğlence programı.

Üniversite sınavlarına girmek isteyen genç şarkıcı Berksan’ın dershaneye katılımıyla, bu kez kamp ortamındaki kadromuzla buluşuyoruz. Ondan sonrası yine aynı: bikinili kızlar, geyik muhabbetiyle geçen dersler, cinsellik muhabbetleri ve dershaneyi sabote etmeye çalışan aynı kötü adam. Evet, yeni bir entrika kurmaya bile gerek görülmemiş. Bu filmde Tuba Ünsal oynamıyor ama ilk filmde onu elde etmeye çalışan Berke Hücran hala dershaneyi batırmaya çalışıyor.

Ciddi ciddi eleştirmeye çalışmak gerçekten manasız böyle bir filmi. Doğrudur, ipe sapa gelir bir öyküsü, dramatik bir yapısı veya karakterleri yok bu filmin. Sadece sabun köpüğü bir eğlencelik olma iddiasında. Ama gerçekten güncel bir mizah anlayışı da yok filmde. Herhangi bir dönemde tuttuysa bile köhneyeli en az on beş, yirmi yıl olmuş bir komedi tarzı bu filmin barındırdığı… Güldürmüyor, eğlendirmiyor. Ve ilk filmde düşülen başka bir hataya da yeniden düşülüyor: Böyle bir film en fazla doksan dakika olur. Fakat Çılgın Dersane serisinin ikinci filminin süresi de ilki gibi iki saati buluyor. Varın siz düşünün işkenceyi…

Bence her şeyi özetleyen bir detay var filmde. Herkesin gözüne çarpmayacak bir detay aslında bu. Benim yakalamamın sebebi de söz konusu oyuncuyu dolaylı yollardan tanıyor olmam. Filmde ufak bir rol oynayan, dansçı kökenli Ahmet Erim, basın bültenine bakılırsa Timur adlı bir karakteri canlandırıyor. Fakat bir sahnede kendisine diğer oyuncular tarafından Ahmet diye hitap edildiğine şahit oluyoruz. Detay gibi gözükebilir ama bu küçük örnek sette kimsenin senaryoymuş, karaktermiş, devamlılıkmış umursamadığını belli ediyor. İşin ne kadar umursamazca, ciddiyetsizce yürütüldüğü anlaşılıyor.

Ben ne dersem diyeyim, bu filmin kaçınılmaz olarak seyircisi var. Zaten Çılgın Dersane Karda adlı üçüncü film de yapım hazırlığındaymış. Sinemamıza hiçbir faydası olmayan, sadece yapımcılarının cebini dolduran bir başka seri olarak karşımıza çıkmaya devam edecek yani bu ekip. Ben almayayım, alana da mani olmayayım…

İşte PARDUS 2007.3 Lynx Lynx !

Pardus 2007 işletim sisteminin güncellenmiş ara sürümü Pardus 2007.3 Lynx lynx yayınlandı. İndirmek için tıklayın...

Pardus, kullanıcılarına en güncel uygulamaları ve en son güvenlik yamalarını da internet üzerinden GNU GPL Genel Kamu lisansı ile özgürce sağlıyor. Bu güncellemelerin boyu zamanla oldukça yüksek değerlere ulaşıyor ve kurulum ardından tüm güncellemelerin çekilmesi hem kurulum zamanını, hem de internet kullanımını artırıcı etki yapıyor. Bu sakıncayı ortadan kaldırmak için Pardus ekibi, ortalama üç aylık periyotlarla güncellenmiş ara sürümler yayınlıyor. Pardus teknolojilerinde yapılan son değişiklikler de bu ara sürümlerle kullanıcılara ulaştırılabiliyor.

Güncellenmiş ara sürümler, Türkiye'ye özgü ya da soyu tehlikede hayvanların Latince isimlerini sürüm adı olarak taşıyorlar. Pardus 2007.3 ismini tüm dünyada rastlanan en bilinen Vaşak ailesinin Anadolu'ya özgü bir alt türü olan Lynx lynx 'den alıyor...

Yeni özellikleriyle otomatik olarak bulunduğunuz yeri tanıyan Ağ yöneticisi, daha hızlı bir PiSi, başlatılabilir disk seçimi yapabildiğiniz yeni YALI ve birçok güncel özgür uygulamaya ulaşmak için Pardus'larınızı güncelleyebilir ya da yeni sürümü indirebilirsiniz.

Vista'nın içinde Pardus kurmak.(Resimli)

Öncelikle Vista'nın içinde Pardus kurmak yüksek RAM ve alan ister. Ben öncelikle size nasıl yapılır anlatıyim. Benim bilgisayarım HP Pavilion dv6000 yani 2.0 GHZ işlemcisi ve 2 GB ram'i var. Bilgisayarımıza önce http://www.virtualbox.org dan indirdiğimiz programı yüklüyoruz. Bu program sayesinde Vista olan bilgisayarınızı hiç silmeden Pardus yükleyebileceksiniz. Öncelikle Pardus'u kendi pardus.org.tr sitesinden indirin ve .iso dosyasını emin olabilecek bir yere kopyalayın.

Kademeleri izlediğiniz takdirde rahatlıkla kurabilirsiniz.

Büyük Hazine: Sırlar Kitabı (2007)

Büyük Hazine: Sırlar Kitabı (2007)
Natıonal Treasure: The Book Of Secrets

2004 yılının olay yaratan filmi "Büyük Hazine"nin ("National Treasure") devam filmi olan "Büyük Hazine: Sırlar Kitabı"nda, artık dünyanın en ünlü ve zengin hazine avcısı (onu tercih ettiği sıfatla "hazine koruyucusu") olan Ben Gates’, Abraham Lincoln'ün suikastçi John Wilkes Booth’un günlüğünden kaybolan ve yıllardır bulunamayan sayfaları ele geçirir. Bu sayfalarda, Başkan Lincoln'e düzenlenen komploya büyükbabası Thomas Gates'in de bir şekilde suç ortaklığı yaptığı iddia edilmektedir. Ben, bu olayın ardındaki gizemi çözmek için Amerikan tarihi arşivcisi olan eski kız arkadaşı Abigail Chase ve teknoloji dahisi ortağı Riley Poole ile birlikte kolları sıvar. Çıkacakları bu macera, onları Washington kentinin tehlikelerle dolu gizli dehlizlerinden alıp zigzaglar çizdirerek Paris, Londra ve Kuzey Amerika'nın derin bölgelerine kadar götürecektir.

Kabadayı zor da olsa liderliğini devam ettiriyor.

Ali Birant 9 Ocak 2008, Çarşamba 10:26

Bu hafta ilk sıra için geçen hafta tahmin ettiğim çekişme yaşandı ve “Kabadayı” ilk sıradaki yerini korumayı başardı. “Büyük Hazine: Sırlar Kitabı” oldukça başarılı bir sonuç almasına rağmen “Kabadayı”yı ilk sıradaki yerinden indiremedi. Bunun dışında ilk on içinde önemli değişiklikler meydana gelirken geçen haftayı 4. sırada kapatan “Altın Pusula”ın ilk on dışında kalarak 14. sıraya gerilemesi haftanın en büyük sürpriziydi.

badayı” geçen haftaya göre %41 hasılat kaybına uğramasına rağmen ilk sıradaki yerini korumayı başardı. Cuma ve Cumartesi günleri “Büyük Hazine:Sırlar Kitabı”nın altında bir seyirciye ulaşan yapım pazar günü büyük bir sıçrama yaparak ilk sıradaki yerini korudu. Toplamda 1.6 milyon seyirciye ulaşmayı başaran yapımın gelecek haftayla birlikte büyük bir seyirci ve hasılat kaybına uğrayacağı ancak geçen haftaki tahminim olan 1.8 milyon kişiyi geçebileceği gözüküyor.adan sonra yabancı bir film yer almayı başardı. Nicolas Cage’in başrolünde yer aldığı “Büyük Hazine:Sırlar Kitabı” ilk haftasonunda 100 bin kişiye ulaşarak iyi bir başlangıç yaptı. Amerika’da 3. haftasında ilk sıradaki yerini korumayı başardı. İlk haftasonu 44 milyon dolar hasılat elde eden yapım şu anda 170 milyon dolar hasılata ulaştı. Kadrosunda Jon Voight, Helen Mirren, Diane Kruger, Ed Harris,Harvey Keitel gibi ünlüleri barındıran film bu başlangıcı ile ülkemizde 400 bin rakamını aşabilir.

Bu hafta 3. sırada geçen haftaki yerini koruyan “Kutsal Damacana” yer alıyor. Ilımlı bir düşüş yaşayan film toplamda 460 bin kişiye ulaşarak büyük bir başarıya ulaştı. Film bu başarısıyla daha önceki tahminlerimin çok üstünde bir başarıya ulaşacak gözüküyor. Sanırım 600 bin rakamını zorlayacaktır.

Sezonun şu ana kadar en çok izlenen filmi olan “Beyaz Melek” başarılı serüvenine devam ederek toplamda 1 milyon 750 bin kişiye ulaşıyor. Film bu başarısının yanında “Kabadayı” ile de kıyasıya bir mücadele içinde bulunuyor. Tahminimce “Kabadayı” filminden daha çok kişiye ulaşacak ve toplam seyircide geçilmeyecektir.

“Arı Filmi” önemli bir hasılat kaybıyla birlikte toplamda 373 bin kişiye ulaştı. Toplam seyirci sayısı 400 bin kişiyi aşacaktır, ancak 450 bine ulaşması çok zor. Başarılı animasyon filminin dünya çapında ulaştığı hasılat 257 milyon dolara ulaştı. Bu hasılatıyla 2007 yılının en çok hasılat rakamları içinde 15. sırada bulunmakta.

Bu hafta 6. sırada ilk haftasında olan “Yargısız İnfaz” yer almakta. Genel olarak olumlu eleştiriler alan politik gerilim türündeki filmde Oscarlı ünlü oyuncular Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep ile son dönemde yıldızı parlayan Jake Gyllenhaal yer alıyor. Önemli konusuna ve büyük oyuncularına rağmen film Amerika’da gişede başarılı olamadı ve 4 hafta sonunda gösterimden kaldırıldı. Filmin dünya çapında elde ettiği hasılat şu ana kadar 17 milyon dolar. Ülkemizde 40 bin civarı izleyiciye ulaşacaktır.

Bu haftanın diğer bir filmi beni şaşırtan bir başarıyla 7. sıradan listeye giren “Ölüm Bekçisi” oluyor. Henüz diğer ülkelerde gösterime girmeyen film ülkemizde oldukça iyi bir şekilde 8 bin kişiye ulaşıyor. Bu da klasik olacak ama her türlü korku filminin ülkemizde oldukça iyi bir izleyici sayısına ulaştığını gösteriyor.

Vizyondaki iddialı filmlerden “Manhattan’da Sihir” 3. haftasında 2 basamak gerileyerek 77 bin kişiye ulaşıyor. Amerika’da çok başarılı olan film ülkemizde beklenen hasılata ulaşamadı. Daha önce belirttiğim gibi 100 bin kişiye ulaşması zor. Film dünya çapında 230 milyon dolar hasılatı ile 2007 yılının en başarılı 19. filmi oldu.

“Beden Öğretmeni Bay Woodcock” 2. haftasında ilk on içinde kalmayı başarıyor ve 29 bin kişiye ulaşıyor. Film 40 bin kişiyi aşacak gözükmekte.

Bu haftanın en önemli sürprizlerinden birine “Beowulf” imza atıyor ve 10. sıradaki yerini koruyor. Toplamda 293 bin kişiye ulaşan ve 300 bini aşacak gözüken yapım dünya çapında 191 milyon dolar hasılat elde etti.

Bu hafta “Altın Pusula”, “O Kadın” ve “Paris’te İki Gün” ilk on dışında kalırken gösterime yeni giren diğer filmlerden “Hayatta İki Kez” 2 bin izleyici ile 15. sırada yer aldı. Yurt dışı bir çok festivalden ödül alan duyarlı ve gerçekçi ilgiyi kesinlikle hak eden “Rıza” adlı yerli yapım ise maalesef 5 salonda 378 kişi 24. sırada yer alabildi.

Gelecek Hafta Ne Olur?

Gelecek hafta “Kabadayı”nın gövde gösterisi sona erer. Vizyona girecek iddialı yerli filmlerden “Maskeli Beşler: Kıbrıs”ın ilk sırada “Çılgın Dersane Kampta” nın ise 2. sırada yer alacağını düşünüyorum.

Kaynak: Haftalık Antrakt Sinema Gazetesi

Paris'te 2 Gün (2007)

Julie Delpy'nin yönetmenlik, senaryo ve müziklerini yapmanın yanı sıra rol de aldığı filmi Paris'te 2 Gün Adam Goldberg, Danil Brühl ile Marie Pillet ten oluşan kadrosuyla da dikkat çekiyor.� Paris'te 2 Gün severek izleyeceğinizi düşündüğümüz bir romantik komedi...

New York’ta yaşayan Jack ve Marion tatillerini Marion’un ailesinin yaşadığı Paris’te geçirmeye karar verir. Aşıklar şehri Paris fikri Jack’ı başta heyecanlandırsa da işler hiç de beklendiği gibi gitmez. Marion’un zamanında şehrin yarısı ile çıkmış olduğunu şaşkınlıkla öğrenen Jack, Fransızların seks konusundaki rahatlığı karşısında da şaşkına döner.

The Bucket List (2007)

For Geezers Gone Wild, Too Little, Too Late
“The Bucket List” operates on the hope that two beloved stars rubbing their signature screen personas together can spark warm, fuzzy box office magic. I wouldn’t count on it. Stars or no, it is an open question whether audiences will flock to a preposterous, putatively heartwarming buddy comedy about two men diagnosed with terminal cancer living it up in their final months. The geezers chafing at death’s doorstep are Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman), cancer patients who meet cute in the room they share in a hospital owned by Edward. A greedy billionaire health care mogul, Edward is a victim of his own ruthless cost-cutting program that decrees two to a room in his cramped establishment.
Obviously, no billionaire in his right mind would endure such humiliation in an institution he is knowingly bleeding to death; he would have his own deluxe private suite somewhere else. Edward, however, does have gourmet food supplied by his obedient assistant Thomas (Sean Hayes), which he lustily consumes until chemotherapy takes away his appetite along with his hair.
Slipping into their stock screen personas of rampaging fool (Mr. Nicholson) and pious wise man (Mr. Freeman), neither actor adds a note that we haven’t seen before. Given less than a year to live, Edward and Carter flee the hospital to board Edward’s private jet for a final blowout underwritten by Edward.

Along the way they become best pals who help each other learn the usual lessons about living life to the fullest. The movie strenuously denies medical reality. As they undertake their journey, both men, in temporary remission, appear as robust as the rejuvenated seniors in “Cocoon.”
Their initial adventures, like sky diving and race car driving, are high-adrenaline stunts embraced with macho zeal; they even visit a tattoo parlor. As they follow an itinerary that takes them to the south of France, the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Himalayas and Hong Kong, these stopovers, obviously filmed on a soundstage, have all the reality of snapshots photographed in front of travel posters.
On the sexual front, the happily married Carter demurs when opportunity presents itself. But nothing has ever prevented Edward, who has been married and divorced four times, from pursuing continuous novelty. The movie mercifully spares us the spectacle of Mr. Nicholson, whalelike at 70, in full rutting mode.
Directed by Rob Reiner from a sketchy screenplay by Justin Zackham, “The Bucket List” fails its stars in fundamental ways. Mr. Nicholson has played wealthy rogues before (most recently in “Something’s Gotta Give”), but this particular bon vivant is unsalvageably repellent. The actor’s frantic mugging, guffawing and eyebrow twitching only underscore the character’s pompous self-satisfaction. By the time the movie allows Edward a token gesture of humanity (his guilt-stricken attempt to reunite with an estranged daughter he cruelly betrayed), it is too little too late.
Carter is the one who initially brings up the notion of “the bucket list,” a roster of must-have experiences to be pursued before “kicking the bucket.” We are asked to accept that this dignified sage has been happily toiling as an auto mechanic for 46 years after forgoing his higher education to support a family. Anyone this articulate and composed would have risen far above day-laborer status.
Largely self-taught, Carter keeps himself in mental shape by watching “Jeopardy!” and competing out loud with the contestants. During their travels he is a font of geographic and historical trivia.
For all the kindly gravity he puts into the role, Mr. Freeman cannot begin to make you believe that a quiet family man like Carter would abandon his loyal wife (Beverly Todd) during his final months of life to go on a spree with a rascally egomaniac. I don’t imagine Mr. Freeman believes it either.
Saddest of all, the professed spiritual goals on the pair’s checklist of things to do — “laugh till you cry,” “witness something majestic” — are the kind of pallid bromides found in the pages of a quickie self-help book: “I’m Not O.K., and Neither Are You.”

Craftier Trojan Invades 10,000 Web Sites, Stumps Security Pros

The "random js toolkit" is a Javascript code that is created dynamically and provides a random filename that can only be accessed once. As a consequence, it changes every time it is accessed. The dynamic embedding, known as "code obfuscation," is done in such a selective manner that once a user has received a page with the embedded malicious code, it will not be referenced again during future visits.

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A little more than two weeks into 2008, cyber-criminals are up to their same old tricks -- stealing users' private data -- but they have concocted a far more advanced and sophisticated method. They are now embedding their malicious code into legitimate Web sites using Web-hosting servers, according to a report released Monday by Finjan Software, a provider of secure web gateway products.

More than 10,000 Web sites in the U.S. alone were infected by the latest type of malware attack during the month of December. The attack, dubbed "random js toolkit," is an extremely elusive Trojan that infects a computer user's machine, sending personal data over the Internet to the criminal mastermind. Stolen data can include documents, passwords, surfing habits and any other sensitive information that may be of interest to criminals, Finjan said.

"In mid-year 2007, studies show there were nearly 30,000 new infected Web pages being created every day. About 80 percent of those pages hosting malicious software or containing drive-by downloads with damaging content were located on hacked legitimate sites. Today the situation is much worse," said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, chief technology officer at Finj

Clever Criminals

Intel predicts the personal net

Intel are parading a range of mobile devices at CES Devices showcased

Mobile devices will deliver a more personal internet within five years, using chips with the power of today's desktop PCs, Intel's head has said.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show, Paul Otellini predicted mobile devices could soon "augment reality" by pulling data from the net in real time.

He said the industry was on the verge of creating a "new level of capability and usefulness to the internet".

"It's an internet that is proactive, predictive and context-aware."

Explaining that devices would be location-aware, and would access the internet over Wimax wireless connections, he said: "Instead of going to the internet, the internet comes to us.

"We need a ubiquitous, wireless broadband infrastructure. Eventually we will blanket the globe in wireless broadband connectivity."

Intel is backing Wimax, one of a number of competing next-generation wireless technologies, such as Long Term Evolution and HSDPA.

Mr Otellini said for this vision of the future to be fulfilled it would "require exponentially more powerful processors, using less and less power".

Chip development

He said that breakthroughs in chip development were needed to solve the problem of faster chips requiring more power and becoming less efficient.

The Intel chief executive said the firm had a roadmap for five more generations of chips, over the next 10 years.

"I have no doubt we will make all the breakthroughs necessary to make the five generations happen."

He told BBC News: "Intel, as a leader, has to advance the silicon technology every generation.

"Our business model is one of very high risk: We dig a very big hole in the ground, spend three billion dollars to build a factory in it, which takes three years, to produce technology we haven't invented yet, to run products we haven't designed yet, for markets which don't exist.

"We do that two or three times a year."

He added: "Everything we do has an inherent belief in technology."

'No compromises'

At the show Intel unveiled a range of new processors, including chips designed for so-called "mobile internet devices".

The first machines to use the new chips, which are 25% smaller than previous generations, are expected to hit the market later this year.

"A mobile internet device is something that you carry around in your pocket, and can deliver the full internet, with no compromises," he said.

The first devices will be larger than a typical mobile phone but are expected to shrink in size by a factor of four within two years.

One of the first devices to use the new Menlo chips is a Toshiba ultra mobile portable computer, which is capable of running Microsoft's processor-hungry Vista operating system.

Mr Otellini said the obstacles were not just processing power, but also increased wireless access, an internet which can understand context and simpler computer interfaces, such as gesturing and visualisation.

Apple announces ultra-thin laptop

Apple announces ultra-thin laptop

The laptop weighs 1.3 kilograms and costs £1,200 Laptop on view

Apple boss Steve Jobs has unveiled the world's thinnest laptop, called the MacBook Air.

The computer, which is 0.76 inches (1.93cm) at its thickest point, was unveiled at an event in San Francisco.

The Apple head also launched online film rentals for iTunes users in the US from almost every major film studio, including Disney and Fox.

"We're dying to get this international as well," said Mr Jobs, saying it would roll-out worldwide later in the year.

Of the laptop, Mr Jobs said: "It's an amazing feat of engineering."

It does not have a CD or DVD drive in order to save space. "It was built to be a wireless machine," he added.

The laptop will compete with a range of portable devices, from companies such as Sony, Dell and Asus, which are already building so-called sub-notebooks, designed to be lighter and more mobile.

The machine goes on sale in two weeks and costs from $1,799 in the US (£1,199 in the UK) and comes with either an 80 Gigabyte hard disc drive as standard or 64 Gigabyte solid state drive for an added $999.

Apple worked with chip maker Intel to produce a smaller version of its Core2Duo processor for the laptop.

Movie rentals from the key Hollywood movie studios will be available in the US immediately. Until now customers have had to buy movies outright but now they rent them for up to 30 days, or for 24 hours once viewing has started.

Movie lovers will be able to download films to their computers, and transfer them to the latest iPods and iPhone, in standard and high-definition, for between $3 and $5.

The company also announced it was revamping the Apple TV device so that it can now download content independently of a computer and display it on a widescreen TV.

Mr Jobs admitted that Apple's first attempt to put online video in the living room had failed.

"[Apple TV] was designed to be an accessory for iTunes and your computer.

"It is not what people wanted. What people really wanted was movies, movies, movies."

He added: "We weren't delivering that. We're back: With Apple TV Take Two."

He announced the firm had sold 125 million TV shows and seven million movies via iTunes.

"It's more than everyone else put together, but it didn't meet our expectations," said Mr Jobs. "I think we've got it right this time."

Mr Jobs also announced a wireless back-up system called Time Capsule, offering a combined wi-fi router and hard drive.

New software for the iPhone was unveiled, including an update to Maps, which can plot the phone owner's spot on a map without using GPS.

Apple announced it had sold four million iPhones in the first 200 days on sale, putting it on target to sell 10 million by the end of 2008.