Windows 7 will include features specifically developed for enterprise customers and partners in an unprecedented number of technology early-access programs Microsoft is offering for the forthcoming OS.

Microsoft invited more than 100 customers and partners to give feedback on Windows 7 early on in its development process in an attempt to learn from mistakes it made when building Vista, said Gavriella Schuster, a senior director of Windows product management, in an interview Tuesday.

Microsoft developed four new customer and partner focus groups and spent six months planning how it would build Windows 7, and how it would engage customers early and often in that process, before even beginning development, she said.

Microsoft revealed more about this process in a blog post on the Windows Team Blog Wednesday.

In addition to expanding the number of testers in its existing Technology Adoption Program from about a dozen to nearly 20, Microsoft formed a Desktop Advisory Council, an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) engagement group, a Windows ecosystem readiness program and a First Wave program of customers to deploy the beta in live environments to garner "really early insight" from customers and partners about what the final OS should look like, Schuster said.

The company invited 4,000 enterprise customers in the U.S., Germany, Brazil, Japan, India, and China to provide feedback as part of extensive research as well, she said.

Enacting this unprecedented level of early customer engagement, combined with an effort to make the development process more predictable in general, were aimed at avoiding missteps the company took as it built Vista. Features Microsoft promised early on in Vista's development didn't make it into the final code, and the process itself was shut down and restarted midway through.

"We know the stop-and-start nature of Vista [development] posed a lot of challenges for customers," Schuster said.

With Windows 7, Microsoft has tried to share information "only when we had a higher degree of certainty" Microsoft could deliver on features or time frames for release milestones, she said.

As a result of all of this effort, Windows 7 will include several enterprise-specific features developed based on feedback from Microsoft's focus groups and other research.

Customers and partners said that protecting corporate data was a key priority, which is why Windows 7 will expand the BitLocker feature from Vista with a BitLocker To Go feature, Schuster said.

BitLocker To Go will extend the encryption already provided by the feature not only to the PC's hard drive itself but to any external USB device that is plugged into the laptop, she said. This will make it more difficult for hackers to access data not only on the PC but on peripherals connected to it.

Enterprise customers also expressed a need to ensure that corporate users only install and use authorized applications on their PCs and desktops, which led Microsoft to include a new AppLocker feature in Windows 7, Schuster said.

AppLocker allows IT administrators to determine through group policy what applications a user is able to install. For instance, a policy can be set that a user can install any application from Adobe Systems or to be more specific, only Adobe Acrobat 8.1 or later, Schuster said.

Policy setting in AppLocker can also be narrowed down to the "script level," with administrators authorizing that users can install only certain scripts on their machines, she added.

Enterprise customers also told Microsoft during the feedback process that they need to be able to give better remote access to employees because more of them are working outside of the office and that will continue. As a result, Windows 7 will include a couple of new features to make it easier for remote workers to access corporate networks, she said.

One is a DirectAccess feature that replaces a virtual private network with a secure tunnel to the network at the core OS level. Another is a Branch Office Caching feature that allows users on a corporate network to find and access a file on another corporate user's local machine if it already has been downloaded from the corporate network to that machine. This makes it easier for users to get access to files on a corporate network, Schuster said.

Microsoft is widely expected to release Windows 7, which is now in beta, before the end of the year. Microsoft has said it is on track to deliver the OS three years after it released Vista, which went out to business customers in November 2006 and to the general public in January 2007.

By Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service

Have you notice that your system is very slow with windows vista? If so, today tip is very useful for you to speed up your windows vista with only a few easy steps. There is a default setting in windows vista which is used to manage the cache writing on disk. By default windows enabled the write caching on disk but the advanced performance setting is disabled.

Below are the steps to enable the advanced performance setting:

Firstly, right click your “My Computer” icon and click “manage”.

A windows will appear on the screen with title of “Computer Management”, now select the Device Manager option, then double-left-click the SATA Disk under the Disk Drives. And finally, check the boxes of “Enable write caching on the disk” and “Enable advanced performance”.
This option is only selectable on SATA hard disk, else if using PATA or IDE hard disk, you won’t see the options, or the settings are grayed out or disabled.

My advice to you:
As you can see in the description, “Recommended only for disks with a backup power supply. This setting further improve disk performance, but it also increases the risk of data loss if the disk loses power.” So, enabling of advanced performance will hold more writable data in the memory cache to further improve disk performance, you are advice to use this option only if your disks do have a backup power supply, such as system protected by UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) or notebook and laptop computer with charged cell battery pack to fall back. This configuration will increase the risk of data loss if the disk loses power.

By ontechnews.com

Like everyone said, time is gold. Every single second is precious and time is not to be wasted. You know, it usually takes you at least 10 seconds to open a windows programs. With today tip, you can probably open any programs within 5 seconds. So now I’m going to show you a list of general and common commands that you can use in the Run option from the start menu (Start > Run box). I consider this tip somewhat advanced, but if you get this into your head early on and spend more time familiarizing yourself, you can be a PRO in computing shortcuts!

This list is quite long and extensive. If you can’t memorize all these right away, you can always come back here and check out the commands you need when you wish to open certain windows programs.

Run Commands that can be used in both Windows Vista and Windows XP:
To open… Run Commands…
MSN Messenger (If installed) --> msnmsgr
Accessibility Options --> control access.cpl
Add Hardware Wizard --> hdwwiz.cpl
Add or Remove Programs --> appwiz.cpl
Add/Remove Programs with Add New Programs Preselected --> control appwiz.cpl,,1
Add/Remove Programs with Add Remove Windows Components Preselected --> control appwiz.cpl,,2
Add/Remove Programs with Set Program Access & Defaults Preselected --> control appwiz.cpl,,3
Administrative Tools --> control admintools
Adobe ImageReady (if installed) --> imageready
Adobe Photoshop (if installed) --> photoshop
Calculator --> calc
Certificate Manager --> certmgr.msc
Character Map --> charmap
Command Prompt --> cmd
Component Services --> dcomcnfg
Computer Management --> compmgmt.msc
Control Panel --> control
Date and Time Properties --> timedate.cpl
Device Manager --> devmgmt.msc
Direct X Troubleshooter --> dxdiag
Disk Cleanup Utility --> cleanmgr
Disk Management --> diskmgmt.msc
Disk Partition Manager --> diskpart
Display Properties --> control desktop
Display Properties --> desk.cpl
Display Properties with Appearance Tab Preselected --> control color
Driver Verifier Utility --> verifier
DVD Player --> dvdplay
Event Viewer --> eventvwr.msc
File Signature Verification Tool --> sigverif
Files and Settings Transfer Tool --> migwiz
Firefox (if installed) --> firefox
Fonts Folder --> fonts
Fonts options --> control fonts
Game Controllers --> joy.cpl
Iexpress (Self Extracting Package Creator) --> iexpress
Iexpress Wizard --> iexpress
Internet Explorer --> iexplore
Internet Properties --> inetcpl.cpl
Java Web Start --> javaws
Keyboard Properties --> control keyboard
Logs You Out Of Windows --> logoff
Microsoft Access (if installed) --> msaccess
Microsoft Excel (if installed) --> excel
Microsoft Frontpage (if installed) --> frontpg
Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool --> mrt
Microsoft Movie Maker --> moviemk
Microsoft Paint --> mspaint
Microsoft Powerpoint (if installed) --> powerpnt
Microsoft Word (if installed) --> winword
Mouse Properties --> main.cpl
Mouse Properties --> control mouse
Nero (if installed) --> nero
Network Connections --> control netconnections
Network Connections --> ncpa.cpl
Notepad --> notepad
ODBC Data Source Administrator --> odbcad32
On Screen Keyboard (interesting tool!) --> osk
Outlook Express --> msimn
Paint --> pbrush
Phone and Modem Options --> telephon.cpl
Phone Dialer --> dialer
Power Configuration --> powercfg.cpl
Printers and Faxes --> control printers
Private Character Editor --> eudcedit
Quicktime Player (if installed) --> quicktimeplayer
Quicktime (If Installed) --> QuickTime.cpl
Real Player (if installed) --> realplay
Regional Settings --> intl.cpl
Registry Editor --> regedit
Registry Editor --> regedt32
Reliability and Performance Monitor --> perfmon.msc
Remote Access Phonebook --> rasphone
Remote Desktop --> mstsc
Scheduled Tasks --> control schedtasks
Services --> services.msc
Shared Creation Wizard --> shrpubw
Shared Folders --> fsmgmt.msc
Shuts Down Windows --> shutdown
Sounds and Audio Properties --> mmsys.cpl
SQL Client Configuration --> cliconfg
Sync Center --> mobsync
Syncronization Tool --> mobsync
System Configuration Editor --> sysedit
System Configuration Utility --> msconfig
System Information --> msinfo32
System Properties --> sysdm.cpl
Task Manager --> taskmgr
Telnet Client --> telnet
Tweak UI (if installed) --> tweakui
Utility Manager --> utilman
Windows Address Book (Contacts) --> wab
Windows Address Book Import Utility --> wabmig
Windows exprorer(It shows me Documents) --> explorer
Windows Firewall --> firewall.cpl
Windows Magnifier (Try this out!) --> magnify
Windows Management Infrastructure --> wmimgmt.msc
Windows Media Player --> wmplayer
Windows Picture Import Wizard (require camera connected) --> wiaacmgr
Windows Security Center --> wscui.cpl
Windows System Security Tool --> syskey
Windows Version (About your Windows) --> winver
Wordpad --> write

Run Commands that are only usable In Windows Vista:
To open… Run Commands…
Adapter Troubleshooter --> AdapterTroubleshooter
Advanced User Accounts Control Panel --> Netplwiz
Authorization Manager --> azman.msc
Back up or Restore your stored User Names and Passwords --> credwiz
Backup Status and Utility --> sdclt
Color Management --> colorcpl
Computer Management Snapin Launcher --> CompMgmtLauncher
Disk Defragmenter --> dfrgui
Ditilizer Calibration Tool --> tabcal
DPI Scaling --> dpiscaling
Driver Package Installer --> dpinst
Firewall Control Panel --> FirewallControlPanel
Firewall Settings --> FirewallSettings
iSCSI Initiator --> iscsicpl
Language Pack Installer --> lpksetup
Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool --> msdt
Problem Reports and Solutions --> wercon
Remote Assistance --> msra
Software Licensing (Windows Activation) --> slui
Sound Recorder --> soundrecorder
Sound Volume --> sndvol
System Properties (Advanced tab preselected) --> SystemPropertiesAdvanced
System Properties (Computer Name tab preselected) --> SystemPropertiesComputerName
System Properties (Data Execution Prevention preselected) --> SystemPropertiesDataExecutionPrevention
System Properties (Hardware options preselected) --> SystemPropertiesHardware
System Properties (Performance options preselected) --> SystemPropertiesPerformance
System Properties (Protection options preselected) --> SystemPropertiesProtection
System Properties (Remote options preselected) --> SystemPropertiesRemote
Trusted Platform Module Initialization Wizard --> TpmInit
Windows Features --> optionalfeatures
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security --> wf.msc
Windows Image Acquisition (only if you have a scanner) --> wiaacmgr
Windows Mobility Center (Only For Mobile PC) --> mblctr
Windows Update Application --> wuapp
Windows Update Standalone Installer --> wusa

Run Commands that are only usable In Windows XP:
To open… Run Commands…
Check Disk Utility --> chkdsk
Group Policy Editor (XP Prof) --> gpedit.msc
Local Security Settings --> secpol.msc
Local Users and Groups --> lusrmgr.msc
Resultant Set of Policy (XP Prof) --> rsop.msc
Windows XP Tour Wizard --> tourstart

By ontechnews.com

I recently attended a briefing where Microsoft explained some of the new features in Windows 7 to reviewers from different publications. At the end of the meeting, the Microsoft folks asked the half-dozen of us present what it will take for the new OS to be a success.


"Injecting about three trillion dollars into the economy to end this recession," was my initial response. It's hard to imagine any new OS will be a success, especially with business customers, until the economy improves. What we are already using works just fine, thank you. It will have to see us through.

So, let's fast-forward in the economic cycle to the inevitable uptick, when investing in business computing becomes easier. Here are 10 things Windows 7 will have to do.

1. Windows 7 should not be positioned in relation to Windows Vista, which is nonexistent in most businesses. Windows 7 needs to be related back to Windows XP, to which I think it is the legitimate successor.

2. I don't see Windows 7 as Vista SP2 or Vista Lite or anything like this. Windows 7 looks like a new OS to me and deserves to be treated as such. (Readers: Give Windows 7 a chance, OK?)

3. Windows 7 needs to run just fine on hardware the runs Windows XP just fine today. My sense, playing with Windows 7, is this is possible. Vista grabbed an early reputation as a resource hog. Windows 7 must avoid this.

4. Because Windows 7 cannot upgrade an existing Windows XP installation, Microsoft needs to provide easy transition tools. A copy of Windows 7 and a flash drive or small stack of DVDs needs to move all my data and my applications and my settings to the new OS. This may mean Microsoft needs to send an applications disc with Windows 7.

5. Just for emphasis: If I have to reinstall my applications, Windows 7 will not be a welcome upgrade.

6. If Microsoft does not or cannot accomplish the previous items, then it should not promote Windows 7 as an upgrade and offer it on new hardware only. This will avoid one of the major factors in Vista's failure: its inability to run well on what people already owned.

7. Fortunately, the Windows 7 user experience is not wildly different from XP the way Vista is. This will make it easier for companies (or households) to have a mix of Windows XP and Windows 7.

8. I like what I have seen of Windows 7, but have yet to hear Microsoft offer a good reason besides "a wide range of improvements" for me to upgrade. If it comes only on new hardware, that's fine. And, yes, some people will then decide they like the new OS and upgrade older machines as a result. But if Microsoft hopes to sell an upgrade, it needs to look at how Apple sells its upgrades.

9. Speaking of which: Apple sells features and applications that are included with the OS as major upgrade benefits. If Microsoft included more significant applications with the OS, maybe it could make them as important as the iApps are to Apple customers. Apple manages to charge its best customers up to $300 a year for upgrades of some sort.

10. I think we have solved the problem of linking Windows 7 too closely to the release of Office 14 now that the timing between two seems clearly offset. Delays, economic or technical, should not bring the two releases back together. At least, not until its clear from seeing the software that one won't drag down the other.

I won't say those are the "top 10" things Microsoft needs to do to make Windows 7 a success. My experience with the OS is too limited for me to feel I've considered all the angles, but these suggestions are a good place for Redmond to start.

By David Coursey

Ubuntu is a popular choice among desktop Linux users, but it isn’t the only one. In fact, you have a dizzying array of worthwhile options. Trying them all would be a time-consuming task, but here are some pointers to start you in the right direction.

Ubuntu variants. Within the desktop Linux community, GUI preference is hotly debated. The stock Ubuntu distribution is based on the Gnome user environment, but many people prefer the look and feel of its competitor, KDE. Never fear, a KDE-centric variant of Ubuntu called Kubuntu allows you to select the GUI environment of your choice while keeping the same basic OS foundation. Other variants favor lower-powered PCs or computers used in education.

Suse Linux. Novell has been very active in Linux development in recent years, particularly on behalf of desktop Linux users. SLED (Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop) is a highly polished commercial Linux distribution that merits serious consideration if you must integrate your Linux workstations into a Windows environment. In particular, SLED handles Active Directory integration arguably better than any other distribution. It’s not free, however. If you’re on a budget but would like to see a bit of what it has to offer, try OpenSuse.

Xandros. Another distribution that specializes in mixed Windows/Linux environments is Xandros. Versions are available both for home and business users, but it’s probably the business version that offers the most value. Xandros should be of particular interest if you want the professional polish of a product such as SLED but prefer the KDE desktop environment.

Mandriva. More popular in Europe than in the United States, Mandriva remains a good choice for desktop Linux users because of its strong hardware support and ease of installation and configuration. It also bundles more commercial/non-free software than Ubuntu, which helps to get new users running quickly.

Linspire. Arguably the leader in bundling commercial software is Linspire, a distribution that aims to be a complete, out-of-the-box Windows replacement. That means supporting proprietary multimedia codecs that can be problematic for noncommercial distributions, as well as bundling CrossOver Office to facilitate running Windows applications on the Linux desktop. Longtime Windows users should feel right at home.

Red Hat Enterprise Desktop. Red Hat shied away from the desktop Linux market until recently, but it now offers a range of products designed for desktops and workstations. If you’re already a Red Hat customer for its server products, it makes sense to consider this option.

By Neil McAllister

It's been a decade since Linux proponents first argued their OS was ready for mainstream adoption. Yet for all intents and purposes, Linux remains nonexistent on "regular" people's desks. Sure, developers and other tech experts use Linux, but that's about it.

So when my colleague Neil McAllister, author of InfoWorld's Fatal Exception blog, made the case for desktop Linux, I snorted, "Give me a break! Desktop Linux is nowhere." He challenged me to try it myself. He had a point: It had been a decade since I fired up any desktop Linux distro. So I accepted his challenge.

In fact, I found that it makes a lot of sense to standardize office workers on desktop Linux. I now understand why governments in Asia and Europe say they want to get off the Microsoft train and shift to Linux. I thought these were empty threats meant to get better licensing deals or to blunt some of Microsoft's monopolistic power, but as it turns out, desktop Linux is a worthwhile option for both public organizations and private companies. Those who standardize on Linux would save serious money on the new equipment needed for Vista or Windows 7, not to mention OS and Office upgrades as well. Your business could, too.

Moreover, Linux-based shops would require significantly less training than they would to teach staff Vista or Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2007.

Let's face reality: Most people use just Microsoft Office, e-mail, and the Web at work. For that, you don't need an expensive, resource-hogging suite like Office or a piggy operating system like Windows Vista or Windows 7. You don't even need my favorite OS, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Plus, adopting Linux will solve some of IT's headaches when it comes to PC management.

Let me explain.

An easier transition from XP than going to Vista
I set up a virtual machine on my Mac and loaded Ubuntu 8.1. (Why Ubuntu? Reviewers single it out as the best desktop Linux. Many folks like Novell's Suse as well. And there are other Linux choices.) It booted like a real OS, with the familiar GUI of Windows XP and its predecessors and of the Mac OS: icons for disks and folders, a standard menu structure, and built-in support for common hardware such as networks, printers, and DVD burners.

Yes, I know that a Parallels Desktop or EMC VMware Fusion virtual machine is not a real PC, with all the variables per PC model that can make Linux not work on some models. But that's beside the point. Dell and others offer Linux-equipped PCs if you want that assurance. If you have a standard desktop configuration in your business, you'll find out quickly if it's Linux-compatible. And yes, you may discover that Linux doesn't work on your laptops, as InfoWorld Enterprise Desktop blogger Randall C. Kennedy learned when he tried Ubuntu 8.04 a year ago.

I was struck by how XP-like Ubuntu is. And that's a good thing. It took me very little time to find where standard functions are, given the similarities. In fact, it's a much easier transition. The menu structure is clear and not hidden. There's none of the "I'm so complex I must hide myself in gewgaws" nonsense that Microsoft has convinced itself, in Vista and Windows 7, makes a good UI but in fact further complicates an already hodgepodge user interface. (Gluing feathers on a platypus won't make it fly.) Users can get to work without guessing what Microsoft thinks they ought to do.

Adding Hewlett-Packard and Brother network printers was trivial -- easier than in Windows and about the same as on the Mac. But I did have to install drivers for the Brother's fax and scanner capabilities, and these required command-line installation via the Terminal. Using an external USB media card drive was also no biggie; Ubuntu detected both the drive and the SD card I inserted, saw it contained photos, and asked to launch a photo management app. You can expect to come across compatibility issues with more exotic hardware, but most business PCs don't typically include that class of consumer-oriented gear.

Well-suited for office workers, but not specialty users
After basic compatibility with PC hardware, the big criticism of desktop Linux is the state of its apps. There's good news and bad news here. Ubuntu comes with the Mozilla Firefox Web browser and the Evolution Mail client pre-installed, as well as OpenOffice.org's office productivity suite.

Firefox is my preferred browser, but if you depend on ActiveX controls for your company's Web apps (which you should not in this multibrowser, multiplatform world), the lack of Internet Explorer could be a deal killer. The Evolution Mail client is fantastic; it easily connects to Exchange Server for mail, calendar, and contacts, using LDAP and Outlook Web Access. The UI is similar to Outlook's but simpler. And in a move that should shame Microsoft, the Evolution Mail client is more compatible with Exchange than is Microsoft's Mac client, Entourage. (One example: I could set an away notice, which I cannot do with Entourage.) You can also run Mozilla Thunderbird if you're POP-oriented, though Evolution Mail also supports POP and IMAP.

OpenOffice is a sound alternative to Microsoft Office, but I spent most of my time with the free IBM Lotus Symphony, which is a slightly better productivity suite than OpenOffice, in the InfoWorld Test Center's evaluation. It's simply more refined and will be easier for Office users to adapt to, even though it lacks the database and drawing applications that OpenOffice has. I'm sure there are features in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that Symphony and OpenOffice can't match, but you can bet that for 80 percent or more of your "knowledge workers," sales staff, and so on that Symphony or OpenOffice will do the job.

Adobe has made its Reader, AIR, and Flash Player apps available as well, so you can work with PDF files, AIR apps, and Flash media just as Windows and Mac users can. In addition to Symphony, IBM offers a Linux version of Lotus Notes.

All these apps work very much like they do in XP, so your users will need just an hour or two to adjust to accessing them on desktop Linux. Seriously.

Ubuntu has a handy utility to add and remove a broad selection of free Linux apps, from FTP clients to graphics editors, so you don't have to hunt for them. (But the Adobe and IBM apps aren't in it, so it's not complete.) These apps self-install, so you don't have to switch to the Terminal and use sudo privileges and other arcane commands to install them. Sure, IT techs can manage this, but not your users.

I'm disappointed that Cisco's VPN client, which my company uses, has the kind of install that gives desktop Linux a bad rep. You have to know basic Linux commands to navigate to the files in the Terminal, use sudo to get admin privileges, and follow the convoluted install script. As is common with these Terminal-installed apps, there's little documentation, and the Web is full of contradictory and inaccurate instructions on how to install them. Cisco dissuades end-users from getting information at its site, so even after I procured a copy of its VPN client software, I couldn't find reliable instructions for installing it, so I gave up after 40 minutes. I had similar problems installing Parallels Desktop's UI tools into Linux. VMware Fusion uses a Terminal script, but the program runs it for you when you first install Linux, so that's less of an issue. (Note that neither product supports cut and paste between Linux and the Mac, as they do with Windows.)

Let's face it: The app selection for desktop Linux -- especially those designed for regular folks -- is very thin. You won't find BI tools, database apps, media creation apps, and so on, as you would for Windows or the Mac. If you think the Mac has too few apps to be used in business, you'll downright dismiss desktop Linux.

There is the beta Wine app that runs many Windows apps, giving desktop Linux wider reach, as well as the commercial CrossOver version from CodeWeavers. But the list of supported Windows apps is not huge. Moreover, supported versions are often one or more iterations behind what's currently available. But Microsoft Office, Project, and Visio 2003 are all on the list, as are Internet Explorer 6 and Intuit QuickBooks. I tried to install three unsupported apps -- Adobe Acrobat Pro 9, Adobe Photoshop CS4, and H&R Block TaxCut 2008 -- but had poor results. Acrobat 9 managed to install, but the license confirmation dialog box would not close, so I could never use the software. CrossOver claimed to install Photoshop, but it did not. And it couldn't install TaxCut. So don't count on Wine or CrossOver for more than Microsoft Office and supported apps.

Also, though synchronization for Palm devices (as if they matter anymore) is included in Ubuntu, you can't sync to an iPhone, Windows Mobile device, or other handheld -- even though these are increasingly commonplace in business. But Ubuntu can access an iPod's or iPhone's photos as if it were a digital camera. (There are hacks out there to support some of these devices for data and music syncing, but IT doesn't want to rely on hacks.)

Performance Monitor: ERP at the Speed of Light - read this white paper.

Essentially, desktop Linux makes sense as the desktop OS only for those employees who do common work in Office and Web apps. But that's a lot of people.

Solving some of IT's control issues
Desktop Linux's app limitations mean that you'll still need Windows PC or Macs for users who require specialty apps. But they also provide an easy way to assert control over the desktops you manage.

Think about it: Most of your malware worries go away, as does the constant effort to stay up with the latest anti-malware patches. You don't need to worry about users installing games, iTunes, or spyware -- those are designed for Windows (and sometimes the Mac) -- so the need to monitor rogue apps is greatly reduced.

Of course, you won't have the same kind of central system management options that you do for Windows PCs. So you'll need to rely on your Linux distro's update manager, as well as your apps. This automated, client-level approach is also standard on Windows and Mac OS, even though many IT organizations don't like it and instead want to validate and apply such patches centrally. The more control you want, the less you'll like desktop Linux (just as you probably don't like the Mac).

But desktop Linux does support basic Active Directory authentication for user access management.

I'm not suggesting every organization chuck its Windows or Mac OSes for desktop Linux. But many companies, government agencies, and educational institutions can chuck at least some of them. Those based on XP -- or Windows 2000, which still has a huge installed base in government agencies -- can look to big savings on licensing, hardware, and training costs.

Desktop Linux and its core productivity apps are solid and worth serious consideration for many of your users' PCs. Try it yourself.

By Galen Gruman

You already know Safari. It's the only browser that ships with OS X, in the same manner that Internet Explorer is the de facto browser for Windows. Safari rose to greater recognition as the iPhone's touchy-feely Web 2.0 client. You might be aware that OS X and Windows editions of Safari are released in parity, function identically, and are updated automatically through Apple Software Update in response to security and stability issues.

You likely also know that Safari is implemented using WebKit, an open source framework for embedded HTML clients. It's at that point that the relationship between Safari and WebKit becomes hazy. The common belief is that Safari is effectively a front-end wrapper for WebKit.

I'll set that record straight. The default browser on all of my Macs is named WebKit.app. There is another program in the Applications folder named Safari.app. When I launch WebKit.app, the menu bar shows the name "Safari." WebKit is Safari, plus everything the independent WebKit project folds into its nightly builds. Those builds are released as source and as Windows and OS X executables that users are not warned away from, but encouraged to use.

Safari is WebKit frozen at a stable release, validated, supported (except for betas), and documented by Apple. That's essential added value given that WebKit joins Core Data, Core Animation, and other Apple frameworks that provide developers with one way, a right way, to incorporate any application feature. The safe, supported WebKit and its vastly accelerated JavaScript interpreter will move developers to shift more applications to the Web. Steve Jobs spoke of this at the iPhone announcement. He just spoke too soon.

Racing JavaScript
A key feature -- if not the key feature -- in Safari 4 beta, is the SquirrelFish/Nitro JavaScript interpreter. WebKit calls its boosted JavaScript SquirrelFish, not exactly glossy brochure material. Apple renamed it Nitro Engine. JavaScript is the "j" in "AJAX," so is responsible for first page draw latency. To do the fastest browser takes the fastest JavaScript, but also quick server communication.

Apple's "fastest browser" boast is proved by SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark tests against Firefox 3.0.5, both running on OS X Leopard 10.5.6. The SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark suite is freely available online, where you can test any browser you like. Note that the benchmark resides on WebKit's site. Mozilla and Microsoft should challenge the results if they feel their browsers are misrepresented.

In my runs of the SunSpider benchmark, Safari 4 beta skunked Firefox, which is the primary browser for POSIX platforms. (See the Lab Notes blog for my results.) With Apple's backing and a quick chain for distributing updates, Safari is a browser you need to have. You can download Safari 4 beta, and browse features and screen images, at Apple's Safari site.

Other features make Safari 4 flat irresistible. It's the first desktop release to support the local database features of HTML 5. The information and Web apps traditionally only available when you're linked to the network can be accessed locally. WebKit, nee Safari 4 beta, has a facility for examining and structuring tables and fields.

Field fill-in for URLs and keyword searches are attempted with each keystroke, for both the URL and search fields. The most likely matches show in a drop-down list populated by Google. URL matches are taken from Safari's history. The sites you visit most often can be displayed as a matrix of thumbnails when Safari 4 launches, and pages in your history can be leafed through in Cover Flow. When the RSS for a page is updated, an indicator lights up for that thumbnail.

I wish that these features were available to scan bookmarks as well. That's a facility that needs work overall.

The acid test
Safari/WebKit is the first browser to pass the Acid3 test for compatibility and completeness of a browser's implementation of CSS version 3. (These three screen images show the Acid3 reference rendering, the Safari 4 beta run, and the Firefox 3 run; a test run must produce a pixel-accurate duplicate of the reference rendering in order to pass.) Without that, we're stuck with the esoteric (but independent) Scalable Vector Graphics and the extremely resource-intensive (and proprietary) Flash. Leave it to slimmer, faster JavaScript. JavaScript tools are wanting in OS X. Thankfully, an integrated JavaScript console, debugger, and profiler have been added to WebKit. Although these leave much to be desired relative to native tools, they deliver more than print() can. The profiler is a particular standout.

A fast and pretty browser won't cut it for me. A browser -- and, indeed, any application that incorporates the linkable framework of that browser -- must place an equal emphasis on standards promotion and adoption, as well as accessibility. OS X's integrated Voice Assist and Universal Access preferences stand apart as mechanisms for inclusion for the visual and motor impaired. New to Safari 4 is support for ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications), which takes screen reading and modalities for atypical navigation to the next level, to Web 2.0/AJAX Web apps and sites.

I'm relieved to see full-page zoom, a sort of experimental WebKit feature, included in Safari 4 beta. The typical text-only zoom command persists, but is augmented by a zoom that enlarges (or shrinks) the entire page, as a mobile browser would. Safari users can also create a non-defeatable style sheet and set a minimum font size. That anyone should be denied access to the Internet because of disabilities makes me see red. That the disabled can be held up for usurious sums for specialized devices that are no more capable than a MacBook is a message I struggle to get out. Apple leads in accessibility as a standard feature.

The Safari 4 beta is mighty fast, very possibly the world's fastest, and it's well in front in such cutting-edge standards as HTML 5, CSS 3, accelerated JavaScript, and ARIA. If you've a mind to, you can check out what the WebKit team is doing after the Safari 4 beta. WebKit is my favorite open source project by far, and arguably the best software decision that Apple has ever made.

By Tom Yager