This can be looked on as a continuation of the Vista Beta 2 post that I put up less than an hour ago. In short, this is simply a list of new applications (note, NOT enhancements to Windows, but rather bundled apps) that we have seen.

Microsoft does not offer a list of these features, and some of them are quite extensively hidden beneath the surface but trust us, they are there. Not all of these are new to Beta 2, some of them are in previous versions of Vista, but all are programs that you poor XP-bound people will find interesting…

1) ActiveSync
ActiveSync is no longer that program that some losers use to connect their Windows CE PDA to their Desktop PC. In Vista ActiveSync promises to be the life of the party. Thus far it seems that it will support streaming video to other media consumer electronics, synchronizing MP3 Players, PDAs, Phones, and more. It is VERY different even from ActiveSync 4.0 Beta that we are testing, which, though it is loaded with new features, is still something entirely different.

2) Peer-to-Peer
Nope, you read right. It seems that Beta 2 comes with a P2P Application! We’re still looking into it though. We have managed to get the server up and running, but the client interface is somewhat of a mystery…. We don’t know yet, but we will keep you posted.

3) Windows Media Center
We mentioned this in the last post briefly. In short its a place where everything digital and everything entertaining comes together. You can do almost anything you want here, and it comes with more codecs than Windows ever did before. It also seems to be a sign that Microsoft has stopped its bloated ‘MCE’ line, which was too slow, but had some promising features.

4) Parental Control
I haven’t really looked into this, don’t want to lock myself out of *certain* things, do I? :) But really, its a nice addition. Content locking in Internet Explorer just didn’t cut it, since most webmasters never rated the content of their site. Let’s face it, they do want to corrupt us, right?

5) iSCSI
Just a platform management thing. Not of much interest this far… But we’ll let you know once we have something more definitive.

6) Speech Recognition
Yep. Speech recognition. I cannot wait to see the EU’s action to this blatant violation of antitrust, but I’m with MS on this one… It seems to just be a placeholder: ‘No plugins detected,’ is not really the way to go… But it looks promising.

7) Tablet PC
Part of the ActiveSync program is another app that adds Tablet PC functionality to your Vista, which makes us suspect that Tablet PCs will run the same Windows as everyone else, no preferential treatment :P.

8) MSN Desktop Search
What is now called ‘Indexing and Search’ seems to be MSN search on steroids. Very smooth and minimalistic, giving results without exhausting your PC or making it look unprofessional with all those colors.

9) Solutions to Problems
This is, I guess, more of an enhancement than a program, but its not truly a part of Windows, so here goes. Its a nifty app that sits in your Control Panel and… Well, remember the Windows Error Reporting service that always asks if you want to be informed when a solution is found to your problem? One thing, they never ask for your email, and MS doesn’t collect personal information, so, yes, you guessed it, you never find out what happens. Solutions to Problems (what is up with the name????) keeps track of your error reports, lets you attach bug reports to them, and tells you when a fix or hint is available.

Its interesting to note that all these new things live and thrive in the Control Panel, which has been given new Life. It has a shortcut on the desktop, has a new look, and has millions of new features that make it worthy of the seat on your homepage..

Though Microsoft’s latest Operating System is not out in the final Beta 2 stage, your reps here at NeoSmart Technology are currently testing out a 52XX build, which, unlike the 51XX build series, is a precursor to Beta 2.

NeoSmart Technologies is a proud Microsoft Beta Tester, accepted into more than 25 different programs simultaneously. While we do our best testing and breaking them from Microsoft, we rarely talk about it much, since what we test normally has little immediate impact. But for the last week or so we have been testing Vista 5219, and we have to admit, it is something to behold.

In short, Vista 5219 is the closest Microsoft has ever come to a true out-of-box experience. When you mention out-of-box, most Computer Geeks think Linux, where you literally can install the DVD, and never install a thing again. With Vista, its *almost* the same thing. Especially since if MS packages anymore software, the EU and Supreme Court will never let them here the end of it…… But that’s another story for another time.

First is the Media Center. In a move that most likely eliminates Windows Media Center Edition (no promises however), MS has shipped this test build with Microsoft Media Center, which is the all-in-one portal for a complete entertainment experience. You can play DVDs, listen to MP3s, watch TV and Movies, tune in to the radio, and more; all from one easy to use program, without the jetsam and flotsam of Windows Media Center Edition (MCE).

Wireless Support. Believe it or not, in our test centers of 8-inch concrete walls, Vista has reach. Its weird, because under Microsoft Windows XP, the connection was nil, but in Vista somehow there is software-reinforcement or something like it- a dark secret Microsoft is waiting to unleash on its foes. At any rate, it works, and it works well. Plus Vista ships with more wireless drivers than Windows ever did before.

Of the few ‘drawbacks’, the biggest issue is the complete rewrite of the sound and video system. We personally see no reason why people are getting all worked up about it. Sure, the old drivers don’t work, but don’t you think that in the day and age of digital audio and video, HDTV, and HD-DVDs, we deserve something newer than the same technology used in Microsoft Windows 95??? Soon enough ATi and nVidia will have drivers that take advantage of the new architecture, and we can experience better gaming and video surreal effects, with the same crappy hardware. Microsoft taking a bold step, but they cannot be blamed. If you do not like it, switch to ALSA and pure OpenGL w/out DirectX on Linux.

For Microsoft’s latest endeavor, we have to say, they have outdone themselves, its about time, and we cannot wait for another build to come out.

Fanboys…. They are what makes companies last through ups and downs and through thick and thin.

Its a very interesting topic to post about. Basically, fanboys are just a group of people who admire a company to such an extent that they believe it can do no wrong, and are oblivious to everything else.

The best and most widely alluded to example is Apple. Most Mac users are Mac fanboys. They believe that, no matter what, Macintosh is better than Windows and Linux, that the PPC Big Endian architecture rocks Little Endian, and that, no matter how high of prices Apple charges and how slow of a PC they get in exchange, Apple is God.

I’m not going to say that I *cough, cough* disagree with them or think they are a bunch of single-minded lunatics, but what started out as a Mac-only phenomena has compounded to cover almost all the other popular companies out there.. All but one.

As of now, fanboys can be most clearly seen in the followers of Google, Firefox, Apple, and Linux. Linux fans tend to be more objective, realizing that Linux is not (at the moment at any rate) anywhere near as easy to use or adopt as Windows, but they live for Linux, and will never badmouth it. At the same time though, you have many Linux users who respect Linux, but are far from worshiping it. A decent mix.

Google!!!! Now, that is something else. The newest kid on the block, it has gained ground and worshipers like no other. No matter what they make, what they invest in, who they hire, what technologies they champion and scoff, to these Googlians, Google is King. This takes on a double meaning, since it is now eternally clear the Microsoft and Google are the two Gladiators in the playground, domineering over the rest. In essence, to be a Google fanboy is to hate on Microsoft forever.

Firefox is a more mysterious affair. You have people that swear by Firefox, and would never leave it for Microsoft, yet they are aware of its shortcomings..But, get this, they are proud of them! Ask any Firefox fan about the UI, and they will admit it doesn’t ship pretty, but they are proud owners of a browser that cares more about works than looks.

At last, is Microsoft. Fan-less I’m afraid. Over the years, though Microsoft has proved its worth over and over again, I’m afraid that to the followers, it has hurt too many companies, broken too many laws, and is unworthy of their trust. That doesn’t (of course!) mean that no one uses it, after all, it is still the first name in computers and technology. But it doesn’t have a group of followers who will go with it to the ends of the earth, fending off attacks left and right.

Where does that leave Microsoft??? Well, Microsoft has thus far proved its worth, earned its name, and secured its rank. A couple of years ago, no one would have guessed that it would ever teeter above its self-dug grave. Yet today, it has surely witnessed the power of fans, followers, freeware, and open-source. Today. Microsoft could do with followers, but so long as it keeps going straight and steady, it will always have a chance.

Ushering in a new era of compatibility and integration with newer technologies (CSS3, increased W3C Compatibility, better popup blocker, etc.) is what the Mozilla Foundation claims its latest release is about.

Soon Firefox will dump support for the SSL2 protocol, one which was meant to provide security, but is a liability in and of itself…

All these changes… It is more than obvious to someone who hasn’t been hiding in a bomb shelter for the past six months, or enjoying an extended vacation in the Bahamas, that Mozilla is refusing to go down to IE 7, not without a fight.

In the end though, here at NeoSmart, we feel that what they are doing is going in circles and avoiding the real battle. Unfortunately, our good friends at Mozilla do not realize that their fight is not with the Computer Gurus, Techies, Geeks, Wizards, Programmers, etc. but with the average man.

Firefox

John Doe and Bill Smith could care less about CSS3.. What is it anyway?? What matters is the interface, the availability, and the usability. The former and the latter can technically be piled together; but they are so important that they deserve to be mentioned separately.

I am a web developer, and to me it is very important that my browser support JavaScript 1.6 and CSS2/3 completely, but do you know what? When I develop websites, I test them on Internet Explorer first. Why? Because I know my audience.

The majority of the world (88%) uses Internet Explorer (obviously by Microsoft). The first reason is obvious: it ships with Windows, and its free. But more importantly than that, what it boils down to is: it works. The common man is dictated by the age-old falsehood ‘If its not broken, don’t fix it.’ This cliche has never been more wrong, but just the same, to the people that matter, the bulk of the audience, the filling of the pie; Internet Explorer is getting things done, there is no need to switch.

No need to switch to what? A program that looks like it was made for Windows 95? A program where pages don’t transition smoothly, scrollbars don’t change color, and eye-candy is gone unused??

If Mozilla wants Firefox to be number 1, they have a far way to go. Its not that far actually, nothing that a dozen programmers couldn’t get fixed in a month, but so long as their priorities aren’t straight, a while is no different from forever.

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer has long since conquered the home. No PC isn’t without IE from Mac to Windows, its there. Why? Because its impossible to not who Bill Gates is, what he invented, and what browser comes with your computer. Because it ships with Windows, and it gets things done.

With Internet Explorer 7 though, things are starting to change. Microsoft was for a while a PC for Dummies thing, but not anymore. With IE7, new boundaries are being forged, the old ones broken and shattered beyond recognition. IE7 is Microsoft’s response to the growing threat from Mozilla as it takes away the Computer Enthusiasts from Microsoft’s platform. And, from what I have seen as a MS Beta Tester, its quite a comeback.

What does all this mean???

Real simple? It means that until one company buys the other, or Google buys The Mozilla Foundation (or Firefox at the very least), both these browsing giants will continue to evolve and improve, and either way, we will benefit. Until then though, it boils down to the geeks, the fanboys, and everyone else.

The geeks will constantly switch from one to the other, seeking the bleeding-edge, just like those before them searched for the end of the Earth, where everything stopped.
The fanboys will pick one and never switch even years after its death (now might be a good time to point out that Microsoft never really had a fan base, just consumers wishing it didn’t charge so much, while open-source will always have its place in society).
As for everyone else, so long as Microsoft exists and ships IE with Windows, and refuses to ship Firefox with it, the battle will pass right on over their heads.

Me? Well, I have Firefox on a USB drive that use everywhere at work and school. At home I have Internet Explorer 7 which I use for normal browsing, and Firefox for simple RSS reading… What the future holds, I know not.

—Addendum—

Looking back, my first post was long.. maybe too long? Feel free to let me know :)
Hopefully in the future posts will be less round about and more explicit…

Hey all….

Ramblings of a Computer Guru is a WordPress-powered blog and the beginning of a new line for NeoSmart Technologies. If you ever want the inside scoop on corporate buyouts, antitrust lawsuits, new applications, ground-breaking technologies, earth-shaking discoveries, or constant ranting on everything that goes wrong in cyberspace, this is the place to go.

This blog is where you find out what the latest news translates to, and what we at NeoSmart recommend. Often this information will be pertinent to your survival on the extra-terrestrial platform of technology, but we what you hear here may leave you sleepless for a couple of weeks.

Hope you stick around and enjoy the blog, that’s what its here for.

Out for Now,
The Computer Guru