CNET’s Ina Fried put out an article today on Microsoft’s upcoming website called ‘Windows Vista Compatibility’, an online tool that will enable Vista users to determine whether certain bits of hardware or software will be compatible with Microsoft’s flagship operating system, Windows Vista. With this effort, Microsoft is presumably making its database of products that are certified to work with Vista publicly available.

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It certainly seems so from the screenshots that have been popping up all over the internet lately. A lot of them are most likely souped up for conceptional purposes, but one thing certain returns steadily: the click-wheel-like interface. Usually the Windows Logo Orb is seated in the center of a wheel with numerous icons surrounding it. These images are by no means official, nor were they acknowledgded by Microsoft.

They’re certainly fancy looking, though I wonder about the practicalities of it. Translucencies in the user interface as a whole seem to be coming back, too, sometimes turning out nearly transparant, other times more opaque.

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Windows 95, codenamed Chicago, has finally been released! It is the most exciting and promising release of the Windows Operating System ever. Along with it, Microsoft introduces 32-bit computing for the first time and with it, is planning to replace MS-DOS and Windows 3.1(1). At last, anyone with or without prior computing skills can easily step into the world of Windows without a steep learning curve.

Windows 95 Launch Commercial featuring Rolling Stones track “Start me up”

GUI

But, most noticeably, Windows 95 introduces a major paradigm-shift with its revolutionary Graphical User Interface (further referred to as ‘GUI’). Windows’ exciting new GUI is ‘document-centric’ and far easier to use and understand than its predecessor ‘DOS’. Gone are the days of the command prompt. Point and click is the promising motto of Windows 95. The ‘Start’-button is the most prominent element in this concept, since it’s the central access hub to everything on your computer; from the Help-function, to the new Control Panel, to every single program you’ve ever installed.

Clicking the button invokes cascading menus to expand in a beveled style, like every other element in the renewed Windows user interface. Old Windows 3.1 application immediately adopt this refreshing look and fit right into their interesting new environment.

The gray bar that runs along the screen horizontally is also a new feature and is called the ‘taskbar’. It holds the Start-button, the task-buttons and the system-tray. Every running application is accompanied by a button, which allows decent multi-tasking for the first time. The system tray shows programs running in the background and the system clock at all times.

Every object can be interacted with: a left click usually selects an element, double clicking opens a document or starts a program and right clicking usually shows a contextual menu. Don’t know what a certain icon stands for? Right click it!

Desktop

Resembling a real desk, the Desktop is the home of numerous system icons, like ‘My Computer’ and ‘Network Neighborhood’. User created content and shortcuts can also be placed on the desktop, however. Shortcuts are icons that point to applications and files, making it easier to access them.

Great DOS-support

DOS is still an integral part of Windows, even though it’s initially used as a boot loader. Windows 95 has full support for DOS and can even run several command prompts at the same time, each in their own consolidated, configurable shell. You can choose to run DOS application windowed or more traditionally, in full screen. Run DOS and Windows 95 alongside each other for the best of both worlds!

Support for long filenames

Through the use of the VFAT file system, Windows finally allows support for long filenames. These can be up to 255 characters long (mixed case). Also, file extensions no longer need to be a mere 3 characters long. This support is confined to Windows 95 only, though, since this feature isn’t supported by DOS and earlier version of Windows. When encountered in these OSes, they’ll be truncated to their 8.3 cousins. For example: ‘Checklist for Trip to Venice.xls’ becomes ‘CHECKLIS.XLS’.

Plug and Play

Plug and Play or PnP is a technology that detects hardware automatically. Many peripherals can be automatically installed, doing away with the intricate hassle of driver-gathering and installation. These devices have to be especially equipped with this technology, though. Until it is broadly available, this feature will be greatly crippled. Fear not, new devices are being released as we speak.

Older computers are supported too, since the user can easily specify a driver for an unrecognized device.

Other improvements

The built-in Paint has been enhanced and WordPad has been introduced, which is pretty much a fully-fledged word processor and fully compatible with Word for Windows 6.0. An advanced media player has been included, along with support for full-motion video. Windows 95 is also deemed to be the most stable version of Windows ever, since 32-bit applications built for Windows 95 will not be able to crash the OS, as happened every so often in Windows 3.1. Full backwards compatibility has been retained, despite the completely new 32-bit platform. DOS and 3.1-era applications will continue to work flawlessly.

System Requirements

Microsoft recommends the following to run Windows 95 smoothly:

• Processor: 386DX or higher (486 recommended)
• RAM: 4 MB or more (8 MB recommended)
• HDD: 55+ MB
• Floppy: 3.5 inch high density
• Video: VGA or higher (256-color SVGA recommended)

And optionally:

• Microsoft Mouse of compatible
• Modem
• Soundcard and speakers

Windows 95 should run fine on Windows 3.1 era hardware, but better is recommended for optimal performance.

Conclusions

I’m very excited about this new OS, especially after the Windows 3.1(1) debacle. It’ll take a while before 32-bit computing becomes mainstream, but Windows 95 will be at the frontline. Who knows what greatness the next version of Windows will bring us!

Now, let us return to 2008…

So, Google didn’t win the wireless auction. Instead, it has formed a technology coalition with Microsoft, Dell, Intel, HP and Philips Electronics to make sure the white space spectrum will be freed to allow ‘open’ wireless broadband services. Earlier, Bill Gates also urged the FCC for more or less the same reasons.

Broadcasters often fear that the utilization of this white space could cause interference with television broadcasts and wireless microphones.

Google handed the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) a proposal on Monday that promises an enhanced system to prevent wireless devices from causing serious interference.

The FCC is assessing the possibility of allowing two categories of uses for the spectrum:

• For low-power portable devices
• For fixed commercial services

Synchronize multiple (primary and secondary) Google Calendars to Outlook and your iPhone/iPod Touch for free with OggSync.

• Download OggSync 3.22 for Outlook (direct link)
• www.oggsync.com

The iPhone and iPod Touch don’t support calendaring very well out of the box. Apple provides some rudimentary implementation for Microsoft Outlook on the Windows side (the majority of the user base is Windows-users – after all). And that’s pretty much where it stops. Most likely, when the iPhone SDK makes its debut the tables will turn once the third-party developers get their foot behind the door, but for now we’re stuck with Outlook.

The only way to get your Google Calendar(s) onto the iPhone* (i.e. without hacking) is to go through Microsoft Outlook. This means you’ll have to subsequently synchronize your calendars with Outlook and then with the iPhone. Furthermore, the latest version of the ‘Home & Student’ edition of Office [2007] doesn’t come equipped with Outlook anymore, like previous iterations used to. If you’re a Windows user and want calendaring on the iPhone, you’ll have to acquire Outlook first.

Lame, I know.

The secondary calendars dilemma

The problem with Google’s own syncing app for Outlook is that it only supports 1 calendar, the primary calendar. If you like a certain structure in your events, like I do, this will rapidly become a problem. If you want, it is possible to merge all your calendars into one. In that case, you can go ahead and sync to Outlook with Google’s own app.

In order to accomplish a merged primary calendar, you can:

• Move the events to your primary calendar, or
• Export your entire secondary calendar and import them into your primary calendar

(Google promises to make the multi-calendar feature available in the future, but doesn’t specify a date)

OggSync (Google-Outlook Sync) to the rescue

For those who refuse to make such a sacrifice (hell, I do) there’s a free app out there called OggSync. It’s an Outlook Add-In that supports primary and secondary calendars seamlessly and best of all, it’s free. It docks right into the standard Calendar view as a toolbar and provides you with a few options. Once you’re set, all you need to do is hit the ‘Sync’-button. Magically, GCal events will start to trickle into your Outlook Calendar…

After that, plug in your iPhone and sync away.

Pros:

• Full support for all your calendars
• Support for both Outlook 2003 AND 2007
• Pro version available, but optional
• Free!

Cons:

• A bit of a hassle, but heck, it’s better than nothing, no?
• No calendar coloring support [yet] in Outlook 2007
• An occasional freeze, but they don’t usually linger for long

Download OggSync 3.22 for Outlook (direct link)

Notes

*: You can also access your Google Calendars via the Safari browser on the iPhone. However, this is a static view and means you cannot add or edit events. Furthermore, you will need WiFi availability in order for this work. Experience has shown you don’t usually have wireless around when you need that desperate peek at your calendar.

Over the weekend popular tech sites got themselves engulfed in iPhone 2.0-related stores. Numerous live reporters/bloggers were present, yet they all had a different take on Apple’s presentation related to the soon-to-come 2.0 Software Update and SDK. In search of a neutral stance on things, I found Paul Thurrott’s rather lengthy write-up on the matter.

In case you’ve got an hour and a half to spare and are in for some Apple-bragging, the whole event is up on Apple’s website in both Standard and High Def (QuickTime) video. I wonder why anyone would like to see Jobs’ face up close in HD, though.

A concise version of the event

As always, Jobs starts his presentation with the regular bragging about how fantastic things are going. The iPhone is now n°2 (right after RIM>BlackBerry) in the US smartphone market with a 28% share and accounts for 71 percent of mobile browsing.

Enterprise support

The iPhone is finally going to natively accomodate corporate functionality, in hopes of winning over businesses to acknowledge the iPhone as a true smartphone. When Apple ships the 2.0 software update, the iPhone and iPod Touch will support the following enterprise technologies.

• Full support for Microsoft Exchange
• Push e-mail/calendaring/contacts
• Global address list support
• Cisco IPSec VPN
• Two-factor authentication by means of certificates and identities
• WPA 2 Enterprise, 802.1x
• Remote wipe (over the air)
• Mandatory usage of a PIN

To make this all happen, Apple licensed the ActiveSync protocol from Microsoft.

The software update will be offered to iPhone users for free. iPod Touch users will need to pay a nominal fee, probably (hopefully) similar to the $20 fee for the 1.1.3 update.

Software Development Kit

The SDK is out already and can be downloaded for free*. Apps will be distributed through iTunes via a developer program. Developers can join this program for $99 a year. Companies will pay more ($299, also yearly). Though this looks like a great deal, you must note that the SDK will only work on Macs. Developing for the iPhone/Touch will require more funds than you thought, since you’ll need to purchase a whole new computer, too.

As an introductory to the SDK, Scott Forstall (vice president of iPhone software) outlined the iPhone’s architecture, which borrows heavily from Mac OS X. In fact, it’s comprised of 4 main layers:

• Core OS
• Core Services
• Media
• Cocoa Touch

The most impressive thing about this all is that Apple ported the first three layers from OS X without a lot of modification. The media layer provides several interesting API’s including an embedded version of OpenGL. Electronic Arts has developed a demo version of Spore, which uses the accelerometer for navigation.

Developing for the iPhone will give you all the tools Apple uses for OS X and the native iPhone apps:

• XCode + iPhone emulator: Apple’s Mac OS X-based development environment
• Remote debugger: hook up an iPhone/Touch and debug live
• Interface Builder: toolset for creating the GUI for the app (by dragging around controls, like Visual .NET)
• Instruments: statistics on the debugging app (CPU, File System, Memory Usage)

All APIs are written in Objective-C, a language that resembles C++, C# and Java to a certain degree, but is substantially different from what most programmers are used to.

App Store & iTunes

Every iPhone and iPod Touch that applies the 2.0 update will get a new icon on the home screen. This will initiate the App Store, the portable version of the iTunes Application Store. A user would be able to view the inventory and download/install the desired application without ado. It looks and acts much like the iTunes WiFi Store, but will also work over EDGE. Every application you install will also be automatically updated, too.

Rev Split

Developers get 70 percent of the revenues. The other 30 for Apple will render the hosting and distribution. If a developer decides to provide its application for free, there won’t be any hosting costs either. Credit card fees and marketing costs will also be taken care of by Apple.

The iPhone 2.0 update will become available in late June this year.

*: The SDK has indeed already been finalized. I initially stated that it was still in beta, like the 2.0 software update. Thanks for the feedback, Clak.

A few ago, Microsoft released the first beta version of it’s forthcoming Internet Explorer 8. It carries the label ‘developer beta’, which implies it’s pretty rough around the edges and not really suitable for the masses. Nonetheless, every new addition to the IE line is a welcome one, since -historically-, every new version introduced new complications. So what’s in the mix for Microsoft’s latest critter in the browser-space?

Image courtesy: Paul Thurrott

If I’m honest, I’m not the most credible source to rely on, due to the simple fact that I haven’t yet taken the liberty of installing it onto my machine. I’m planning to, though. I’ll have some experiences to share some time soon.

  (IE8) versus (IE7)

It’s important to note that Microsoft overrode its initial plans for a ’standards compliant mode‘ and, instead, makes IE default to standards mode altogether. The former would’ve required developers to insert specific code, which would’ve been particularly nasty.

Paul Thurrott made all the download links available on his blog, here.

For now, I’ll just look at what other [more reliable sources] are finding. ArsTechnica put their all-seeing loupe on IE8’s first [beta] iteration and stated that it does the following things right:

• first and foremost, it passes ACID2, finally some real standards compliance!
• relevant to the prior, there’s the new CSS 2.1 Testing Center where you can test specific portions of CSS while developing webpages [for IE]
• IE’s address bar introduces (minor) additional anti-phishing measures by highlighting the current site’s domain
• ‘Emulate IE7′-button to revert to what is referred to by MS as ‘quirks mode’

On the other hand, as with every bit of software, the following features aren’t up to snuff (yet?):

• the funky ‘favorites bar’ is weird
• IE8’s interface is still a greatly displaced and needs a redesign
• still no capabilities for handling the ‘application/xhtml+xml’ MIME
• still no SVG-support
• standards mode performs slower than IE7 mode

Aside from the usual quirks and hazards, it seems to me IE is finally nudging into the right path. If they could make sure they have inline search and sexy it up a little, I’d be a glad to welcome it to my toolkit.

Let’s see where this thing goes.