Windows 10 will be the best version ever. Yes we have heard it all before and all you need to respond to such a statement is Vista, Windows 8 and Windows Bob. Does anyone even remember that last one? These three versions and a couple of others were hardly the "best version ever" as Windows XP and Windows 7 has proven to all in more recent times.
Windows 8 failed because it was really a touch-based, tablet-only version pushed out to the desktop and it was too big a jump from the version before in terms of user interface. Vista didn't do well because it was device-driver unfriendly, slow and required a lot of hand-holding to keep working. To date, organisations have kept clear of Windows 8 in all versions, staying with Windows XP for as long as they could before moving onto Windows 7. In fact, so far, Windows 7 has saved companies from using both Vista and Windows 8, with Windows 7 currently on top as the most used OS with XP still hanging in there in second place.
By the time you read this, a Windows 10 preview will have been released. This next version returns to the general look and feel of Windows 7 with the full return of the Start button. The new version will keep some of the tablet based bits and pieces but they will be more in the background. There are still some new features for mobiles devices, however, like a voice interface and the new Spartan browser. The real target with this version is to entice businesses to move from 7 to 10 so it will be interesting to read the user feedback. If Microsoft messes this release up then Windows 7 will continue on until Windows 11 comes out and Redmond does not want that to happen.
Microsoft will be giving away Windows 10 to Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8 users in the first year of release and will last for the "supported lifetime of the device". It will also have better security, more control options including gesture support and the Cortana digital assistant that looks like it has a whole range of functionality.
It is interesting times in Canada, with a new law banning the installation of computer programs without consent. The targets are primarily spammers and those pushing malware onto computers but it also covers unapproved updates from the larger software houses. There have been instances in the past where organisations like Microsoft have pushed through updates without them being approved by users. Do this in Canada and this will now get you a fine. The new laws include mobile devices like phones and tablets.
Some computer scientists from Italy and Poland believe they can use steganography to hide covert messages in users' voice commands to Siri and they don't need to install anything to do it. The method uses a man-in-the-middle process between your device and the cloud. Given the need for a jailbroken device and access to the communications channel between the user and Siri this approach is not as yet practical but it does highlight the security concerns between devices and the cloud in general. For the moment the so-named iStegSiri is a proof of concept that has been tested but the information release is primarily aimed at making security organisations aware of the possibilities and hopefully closing this kind of potential hole before it can be taken advantage of.
Microsoft has fallen in behind PayPal and will be supporting the new PayPalHere hardware locations so that users can pay for things with their phones. Initially this will only cover Lumia and Surface users in the US. This will be in direct competition to the mPowa users with, say, an Apple tablet. Microsoft is also hoping that small and medium business owners will use the Surface as a replacement for their systems like supply, inventory and accounting and to cover point of sales. Not sure this will be a winner for Microsoft.
I guess someone had to do it. Polish developer Przemysław Strzelczyk and his team have built a computer, in a mouse. This is a 1.4 GHz quad-core ARM CPU, a micro-HDMI port, Wi-Fi up to 802.11n, accelerometer, gyroscope, two USB 3.0 ports and 128GB flash computer. Yes it fits inside a regular mouse. Using the HDMI port you connect it to a monitor and using a cloud connection you can get past the limited on-board memory. It even works as a regular mouse for your PC then while away you can connect it to a monitor and use it as a computer. You can go here for more info and pictures, mouse-box.com. I think this a cool use of technology and am wondering what else you could fit a computer into.
James Hein is an IT professional of over 30 years’ standing. You can contact him at jclhein@gmail.com