blog.

Windows 7 - Microsoft's beta version of the OS that will take over from Vista - has some promising features (easier ways to set up home networks, interact with external devices and a better toolbar to use along the bottom of the screen)  but is essentially taking elements from the Apple iphone and making them available for use on a pc.

These links make interesting reading on the subject:

Pros and cons of Windows 7
Microsoft fined $1.4bn by EU for anti-competitive behaviour

Well it felt like ages since I've added anything to the FNM blog, and upon checking it turns out my last words of wisdom (!) were back in February! It's been an incredibly busy year and as a result we have some big, exciting news to announce in the first week of November - but lips are sealed until then I'm afraid (don't even think about bribing Lisa or Amy with chocolate to find out).

Before all that I'm off to the other side of the world for a few weeks travelling, lying around, seeing some incredible sights and raw fish. Prize to the first person to guess where I'm going.

Thought I would leave with - at last - an article mentioning concerns over Google's continued collection of personal data:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7599342.stm

The guys in the office have been well and truly bored with my rantings about this, so I won't repeat them here. But just to say that if Smart cars with Microsoft were being driven round the country taking photographs of everyone's houses, there would be uproar...

...and it looks like we bought ours just in time!

Since launching their EeePc complete with a Micrososft Windows platform back in March, Asus' profits have soared as demand has rocketed and the first affordable notebook is set to double in price.  

Having just bought ours for a snip at £239 (4GB version) from Amazon last week, we were rather smug to notice the price hike to £380 through the same outlet yesterday.  That includes a delay period of 2 -3 weeks, presumably while they frantically try and make some more to meet the demand.

Compared to £1100+ RRP of a Macbook Air or its cheaper sibling, the Pro, that'll set you back around £700, it's no suprise that Asus' pared down PC appeals to the increasingly mobile, as-yet-to-be high-earning generation.  It's also smaller (see pic) and more robust, winning points all-round.

Actually, it wasn't even a twenty-something friend who first alerted me to the Asus phnomenon, but Stephen Fry.  

Yahoo sniffs at Microsoft's offer, then.  Are they waiting it out for more cash or is this the end of the haggling battle?

Source:  BBC

Todays fairly hefty news is confirmation of rumours that Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo.

Can't say it's the biggest surprise in the world, Yahoo was formerly the internet's favourite showpiece but in recent years has taken a good beating from Google, and Microsoft has been royally annoyed by Google expanding it's services into email and desktop software - pretty much monopolised by MS to this point.

We'll have to see what happens - my guess is given the valuation, timing and stalemate of Yahoo's current position, it'll be an offer they can't refuse. 

For those of you averse to the relentless march of technology - beware!

Microsoft intends to enforce an automatic browser update from IE6 to IE7 via Windows Server Update Services from February 12th 2008.  The company explain that this move was prompted by security concerns.

Anyone wishing to stick with IE6 must take the following precautions to avoid the automatic update:

"Specifically, administrators who have set WSUS to automatically approve Update Rollups will need to disable the auto-approval rule before Feb. 12 to prevent IE7 from infiltrating their infrastructure. After that date, they must synchronize the update package with their WSUS server and then switch the autoapproval rule back on."

Source: InfoWorld