gxsaurav
You gave been GXified
Well, enough of fanboyism. Lets talk about something which makes sense. This is India & "Advice" is free 
, everyone keeps on advising the other to use Windows or to use Linux or to use Mac. I would like to ask if so many people are pissed at Microsoft then why not come up with the explanation of why u hate Windows or Microsoft & how to change the situation.
I m making this thread here cos this topic might go into flame wars. Please do not say here that Linux is better & does this or that already. This isn't about what Linux can & cannot do, its about how can you make a product called Windows from a company called Microsoft better. I am also calling Macboys & Lingeeks here to advice Microsoft on how can they make there product better.
Plz no DRM DRM DRM DRM DRM of Prakash, or no "Windows sux cos Steve Jobs said so" of Arya here.
Also if u like, give your ideas about how to make a particular product better. Such as if u want Windows Media Player to sync with iPod then tell that here & also say how can this be done because iPod is closed by Apple from working with WMP.
Starting with my advice....absolutely free
1) Reduce cost of Microsoft software such as Windows or Office or SQL Server. For this, release the software in an "India only" edition with cost in Rupees with manufacturing plant in Lucknow (I m biased about production in U.P.'s factories) with few features removed such as support for Multi Language User Interface (only Hindi & English) & anything server related such as IIS 7 which a home user will never need. Removal of MUI doesn't mean you can't read a Spanish web page, it means Notepad will not have "file" "Edit" menu written in Spanish letters.
Make 2 editions, Windows Vista Home Edition with features like Aero, MCE, DX 10 etc as mentioned above, & another version like Vista Professional with all features of Home edition along with support for running as a server in small business scenario like 20 or 30 computers, full MUI with support for languages like French etc but still without support for running a large scale enterprise server.
Set the cost of Home Edition as Rs 2,500 & Professional Edition as Rs 6,000 cos u will be making money by using the pro edition.
Release the "Office 2007 student & teachers edition" which contains only Word 2007, Excel & PowerPoint for Rs 1,000.
2) Release your software for other OS & platform. This isn't about releasing technology to other platform, its about software like Office 2007 Student Edition for Linux at Rs 1,000 or the whole Windows Live Suite for Linux for a modest Price of Rs 500 so that those who want to use other OS can still buy & continue to use your product such as these despite of these being closed source.
No need to open up DirectX source code for Linux, just make a runtime for Linux & Mac. The SDK should remain Windows only so that if you want to make a game in DirectX you have to use Windows due to better control over the architecture in Windows because Microsoft makes the Windows kernel & they know how to optimise the DirectX for Windows. Microsoft isn't making kernel for Linux or Mac OS X so they should not optimise for Mac or Linux kernel, it isn't there responsibility. If Apple or Linux want optimised DirectX then come to Microsoft Labs, work with MS & get an optimised version for Linux & Mac kernel & Display model.
3) Close the hardware from hacking. If someone hacks XBOX 360 with a modchip or something like that, then stop giving any support. Microsoft isn't responsible if u break your XBOX with a mod chip. Either pay for repair or get a new one. Physical damage due to consumer usage does not come in repair warranty anyway for almost any company.
4) Let users remove the components from Windows which they do not need during the installation process. In other words integrate vLite in Windows installation. For example User can either leave all drivers of printer or remove all but the drivers of HP printers only. Later on, if the user needs something like MCE which he removed during installation, he can simply insert the DVD & install it. (Which we can already do in Windows right now, just that it is installed by default whether u use it or not.)
More ideas & free advice awaited. I will myself forward these with other MVP to Microsoft feedback & developement team.
These are the things MS cannot do
1) They cannot lock the kernel from 3rd party intrusion such as virus or security software due to a Lawsuit of Symantec & Mcafee which prevents MS from doing this.
2) MS cannot bundle third party tools with Windows in the CD like Firefox or Adobe Reader cos MS isn't making them & it is not allowed for MS to bundle them
3) Windows cannot be made open source. If you say that with open source code you can mould Windows to look & feel the way you want, then you can already do this using various Microsoft or non-Microsoft tools to mould Windows Vista according to your own preference.
So far these are some feedback forum members have given that they would like to see
1) Better connectivity between different OS powered machines.
This requires work from both the sides. If Linux vendors won't come forward then it is tough to implement then what it is today
2) Windows should provide native support for read & write of HFS+, EXT2 & EXT3 file system.
In the meantime you can use Macdrive to read Mac OS X HFS+ Paritions. To read & write to Linux EXT2 & EXT3 Partition & File system in Windows you can use Ext2IFS
3) Ability to customize every part of start menu
4) A better antivirus than live one care & better security
In the meantime you can try many free AV solutions such as Bitdefener or Avast
5) Fast startups and installations
Vista installs here on my machine in 25 mins flat, then 10 minutes of auto configuration & optimisation of .net Libraries. Plz hibernate instead of restarting & Vista will resume within 8 seconds.
6) Zero configuration networking
7) More responsiveness of menus and dialogs.
To change the menu show delay in Windows, open registry -> Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop -> Click on the value "MenuShowDelay" in the right hand pane -> set value to 50 (this is in milisecond)
8 ) Networking/ssh/ftp/services start on Windows before the GUI
9) Give some customizing option in the OS install menu to remove IE, disk defragement etc
In the meantime, you can use vLite to make your own Vista installation disk with all your drivers included & remove all components which u don't need.
10) Low balloon tips
You can disable balloon tips in Windows by using the following method
11) Automatic mounting of ISO files in Windows as a virtual Disk
You can do this using Daemon tools easily or Virtual CloneDrive. However if you like you can simply install a Powertoy from Microsoft to mount ISO file as a virtual CD. I m working on a registry tweak so that it can be given as an option when right clicking on an ISO File.
12) To configure the Vista bootloader so that you can boot into Linux from Vista bootloader itself, have a look at EasyBCD 1.7.
for GUi installation. For manual installation you can read the tutorial to boot linux using Vista's bootloader
13) Windows Vista comes with inbuilt CD/DVD burning capability like Windows XP. Just select the files that u want to burn & click on the "Burn" button on the tasks toolbar. If you still want a 3rd party software to burn CD/DVD & more complex control then you can use a very good 3rd Party utility called InfraRecorder
Cost of Windows Vista & Office.
You can always find the cost of different editions of Windows Vista & Office 2007 in either US Dollers from Newegg or in India Rupess from Deltapage
For general home usage Windows Vista Home Premium is all you will ever need & is my recommendation to anyone looking to buy legit Vista.
Comparision of various edtions of Windows Vista
You can upgrade from one edition of Windows Vista to any other edition at any time using Windows Anytime Upgrade
When it comes to Microsoft office, for home use you will not need more then Word, Excel & Powerpoint. Have a look at Office 2007 Student & teachers edition. Here is a comparision of all Office 2007 Editions
*img376.imageshack.us/img376/5450/office2007suitesba8.jpg
Or if you use Outlook & not powerpoint then you can also have a look at Office 2007 basic edition
Right now the current Legit cost of Windows Vista Home premum + Office 2007 is Rs 9.5k. This is indeed a high price, but if you can pay for it then it is obviously worth it as u are going to use it for many years to come.
If you find office 2007 costly for yours needs, you can also give a look at OpenOffice.org which is a free open source office suite which will suffice your needs most of the times in home usage.
, everyone keeps on advising the other to use Windows or to use Linux or to use Mac. I would like to ask if so many people are pissed at Microsoft then why not come up with the explanation of why u hate Windows or Microsoft & how to change the situation.I m making this thread here cos this topic might go into flame wars. Please do not say here that Linux is better & does this or that already. This isn't about what Linux can & cannot do, its about how can you make a product called Windows from a company called Microsoft better. I am also calling Macboys & Lingeeks here to advice Microsoft on how can they make there product better.
Plz no DRM DRM DRM DRM DRM of Prakash, or no "Windows sux cos Steve Jobs said so" of Arya here.
Also if u like, give your ideas about how to make a particular product better. Such as if u want Windows Media Player to sync with iPod then tell that here & also say how can this be done because iPod is closed by Apple from working with WMP.
Starting with my advice....absolutely free
1) Reduce cost of Microsoft software such as Windows or Office or SQL Server. For this, release the software in an "India only" edition with cost in Rupees with manufacturing plant in Lucknow (I m biased about production in U.P.'s factories
) with few features removed such as support for Multi Language User Interface (only Hindi & English) & anything server related such as IIS 7 which a home user will never need. Removal of MUI doesn't mean you can't read a Spanish web page, it means Notepad will not have "file" "Edit" menu written in Spanish letters.Make 2 editions, Windows Vista Home Edition with features like Aero, MCE, DX 10 etc as mentioned above, & another version like Vista Professional with all features of Home edition along with support for running as a server in small business scenario like 20 or 30 computers, full MUI with support for languages like French etc but still without support for running a large scale enterprise server.
Set the cost of Home Edition as Rs 2,500 & Professional Edition as Rs 6,000 cos u will be making money by using the pro edition.
Release the "Office 2007 student & teachers edition" which contains only Word 2007, Excel & PowerPoint for Rs 1,000.
2) Release your software for other OS & platform. This isn't about releasing technology to other platform, its about software like Office 2007 Student Edition for Linux at Rs 1,000 or the whole Windows Live Suite for Linux for a modest Price of Rs 500 so that those who want to use other OS can still buy & continue to use your product such as these despite of these being closed source.
No need to open up DirectX source code for Linux, just make a runtime for Linux & Mac. The SDK should remain Windows only so that if you want to make a game in DirectX you have to use Windows due to better control over the architecture in Windows because Microsoft makes the Windows kernel & they know how to optimise the DirectX for Windows. Microsoft isn't making kernel for Linux or Mac OS X so they should not optimise for Mac or Linux kernel, it isn't there responsibility. If Apple or Linux want optimised DirectX then come to Microsoft Labs, work with MS & get an optimised version for Linux & Mac kernel & Display model.
3) Close the hardware from hacking. If someone hacks XBOX 360 with a modchip or something like that, then stop giving any support. Microsoft isn't responsible if u break your XBOX with a mod chip. Either pay for repair or get a new one. Physical damage due to consumer usage does not come in repair warranty anyway for almost any company.
4) Let users remove the components from Windows which they do not need during the installation process. In other words integrate vLite in Windows installation. For example User can either leave all drivers of printer or remove all but the drivers of HP printers only. Later on, if the user needs something like MCE which he removed during installation, he can simply insert the DVD & install it. (Which we can already do in Windows right now, just that it is installed by default whether u use it or not.)
More ideas & free advice awaited. I will myself forward these with other MVP to Microsoft feedback & developement team.
These are the things MS cannot do
1) They cannot lock the kernel from 3rd party intrusion such as virus or security software due to a Lawsuit of Symantec & Mcafee which prevents MS from doing this.
2) MS cannot bundle third party tools with Windows in the CD like Firefox or Adobe Reader cos MS isn't making them & it is not allowed for MS to bundle them
3) Windows cannot be made open source. If you say that with open source code you can mould Windows to look & feel the way you want, then you can already do this using various Microsoft or non-Microsoft tools to mould Windows Vista according to your own preference.
So far these are some feedback forum members have given that they would like to see
1) Better connectivity between different OS powered machines.
This requires work from both the sides. If Linux vendors won't come forward then it is tough to implement then what it is today
2) Windows should provide native support for read & write of HFS+, EXT2 & EXT3 file system.
In the meantime you can use Macdrive to read Mac OS X HFS+ Paritions. To read & write to Linux EXT2 & EXT3 Partition & File system in Windows you can use Ext2IFS
3) Ability to customize every part of start menu
4) A better antivirus than live one care & better security
In the meantime you can try many free AV solutions such as Bitdefener or Avast
5) Fast startups and installations
Vista installs here on my machine in 25 mins flat, then 10 minutes of auto configuration & optimisation of .net Libraries. Plz hibernate instead of restarting & Vista will resume within 8 seconds.
6) Zero configuration networking
7) More responsiveness of menus and dialogs.
To change the menu show delay in Windows, open registry -> Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop -> Click on the value "MenuShowDelay" in the right hand pane -> set value to 50 (this is in milisecond)
8 ) Networking/ssh/ftp/services start on Windows before the GUI
9) Give some customizing option in the OS install menu to remove IE, disk defragement etc
In the meantime, you can use vLite to make your own Vista installation disk with all your drivers included & remove all components which u don't need.
10) Low balloon tips
You can disable balloon tips in Windows by using the following method
11) Automatic mounting of ISO files in Windows as a virtual Disk
You can do this using Daemon tools easily or Virtual CloneDrive. However if you like you can simply install a Powertoy from Microsoft to mount ISO file as a virtual CD. I m working on a registry tweak so that it can be given as an option when right clicking on an ISO File.
12) To configure the Vista bootloader so that you can boot into Linux from Vista bootloader itself, have a look at EasyBCD 1.7.
for GUi installation. For manual installation you can read the tutorial to boot linux using Vista's bootloader
13) Windows Vista comes with inbuilt CD/DVD burning capability like Windows XP. Just select the files that u want to burn & click on the "Burn" button on the tasks toolbar. If you still want a 3rd party software to burn CD/DVD & more complex control then you can use a very good 3rd Party utility called InfraRecorder
Cost of Windows Vista & Office.
You can always find the cost of different editions of Windows Vista & Office 2007 in either US Dollers from Newegg or in India Rupess from Deltapage
For general home usage Windows Vista Home Premium is all you will ever need & is my recommendation to anyone looking to buy legit Vista.
Comparision of various edtions of Windows Vista
You can upgrade from one edition of Windows Vista to any other edition at any time using Windows Anytime Upgrade
When it comes to Microsoft office, for home use you will not need more then Word, Excel & Powerpoint. Have a look at Office 2007 Student & teachers edition. Here is a comparision of all Office 2007 Editions
*img376.imageshack.us/img376/5450/office2007suitesba8.jpg
Or if you use Outlook & not powerpoint then you can also have a look at Office 2007 basic edition
Right now the current Legit cost of Windows Vista Home premum + Office 2007 is Rs 9.5k. This is indeed a high price, but if you can pay for it then it is obviously worth it as u are going to use it for many years to come.
If you find office 2007 costly for yours needs, you can also give a look at OpenOffice.org which is a free open source office suite which will suffice your needs most of the times in home usage.
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trying to defend ... ur ego hurts after u got pwned by us doesnt it