Archive for July, 2005

Is Skype the new email?

It’s an odd thought, I know, but I find myself sending and receiving Skype messages as if they’re email. What I mean is that I’ve started sending and receiving messages, using Skype’s Instant Message features, where I don’t expect a response right away (if at all).

In fact, I’ve started sending messages to people who are Offline, because I know they’ll get them when they come on!

Whenever I log on, I find these types of messages as well. Many are responses to blog posts, some are little “hey, can you send x file” and a handful are just “hey, haven’t talked in a while, wanted to know I was thinking about you” type messages.

I think this is very cool. Anyone else experiencing this? What do people think about the practice?

I know I wouldn’t want to get hundreds of these every morning, but it’s certainly an interesting new use of the medium.

This post is basically a categorization of the best information I can find related to Windows Vista. If you have better info, feel free to drop me a comment.

First off, Vista Beta 1 is currently out. As David Coursey notes, this beta isn’t for everybody:

In the Windows world right now there are two types of people: Beta Ones and Beta Twos. Each group will have a different reaction to the Wednesday beta release of Microsoft’s next-generation operating system, formerly known as Longhorn.

Developers and need-to-know IT professionals are the B1′s. All they require is for the guts of the operating system to be in place so they can begin their work. Everyone else, including myself, are Beta Two people, who want even a first beta operating system to do exciting things right now. ADVERTISEMENT I mention this because, if you’re a B2, using this first beta release is a really frustrating experience. Windows Vista shows tremendous promise, but at this stage in its development it’s not ready to be used in any significant way.

His article sums up well why this beta is important, how we got to where we’re at and what some of the changes actually mean.

The accompanying slideshow is interesting for a number of reasons, mainly that it highlights some important parts of Vista which will be of interest to a wide range of folk.

But, how did we get here? And what is Vista really?

Paul Thurrott has a few interesting articles, including a very in-depth review which is generally positive. There are some glitches, there are some odd decisions Microsoft’s made, but Paul’s generally positive. Paul has also updated the Windows Vista FAQ with even more information. Both are well worth reading if this is your first foray into looking deeply into what Windows Vista actually is and actually means.

In terms of getting inside Microsoft’s head on Windows Vista, you could certainly do worse than this half-hour Channel 9 video. In it, Chris Jones, one of the guys in charge of Vista, talks quite a bit about what excites him, at least from a developer perspective.

John Montgomery has a nice follow-up to this video, which goes even more in-depth on Vista.

And, of course, there’s all kinds of screenshots, reviews and whatnot being released today, including:

NS.org’s review and screenshots WinVista.net has loads As does JCXP

Of course, if you’re looking for news, there’s all kinds of things going on at Google News. Hell, Vista is one of Technorati’s top tags right now as well.

Someone noted that the Windows Vista site has also been updated.

Which is good, since Windows Vista is now in the hands of roughly 10,000 people, and should be in the hands of another 40,000 by the end of August. This is a big beta, which is available to Vista beta testers, Technet and MSDN Subscribers.

Big beta.

As part of that, Microsoft has, of course, provided all kinds of information. From the 5 minute overview to the half hour overview, Microsoft is beginning to tell tech enthusiasts what matters… At least from a technology perspective. Actual “what does this mean to me” changes are still scarce.

But, the Technet page is adding stuff pretty quickly, so keep your eyes peeled there if you’re an IT Professional wondering about Vista. The MSDN page is also very cool and full of info.

In closing, here’s a neat little review by PC Mag.

What’s my opinion? My opinion is that it’s still too early to tell. This is obviously more than “XP SP3″. Vista isn’t revolutionary, it’s evolutionary. In the same way that the last 5 years has of OS X, Linux and every other OS has been evolutionary. Windows XP to Windows Vista will be like going from the first version of OS X to the current one in terms of features. It’ll be like going from Windows 95 to Windows XP in terms of core OS stuff.

I’m pretty sure that classes it as a new OS, but whether users will care is something else entirely. Right now, Microsoft is shipping 120 million copies of XP every year. They’re expecting to ship 100 million of Vista next year, topping out at an installed base of 1 BILLION computers sometime before 2010.

That blows my mind.

Does an OS need to be revolutionary if it’s the most widely installed one ever, or does it simply need to fit the bill: secure, fast, reliable, easy to use and friendly.

If Vista can do those 5 things, I think it’ll be a success.

Let me know if you have other links I should be adding or other info you’re seeking that I can shed some light on.