One of my engineers has started using Windows 7 in earnest. He started by putting it on his Laptop, which was in need of an OS reinstall. He liked it so much that he then put it onto his main PC. My policy here is that I’m quite happy for the guys to install whatever they want – providing it does not disupt their producivity.
Which brings me to Windows 7′s XP Compatibility Mode.
I get really wound up by a lot of application developers. I’ve had rows with them before over Vista compatibility of their applications. Probably 9 time out of 10 the application can be made compatible with Vista by simply obeying the rules, rules that have been around for years. The ‘problem’ with Vista is that due to public demand the rules have been tightened, and are now enforced. Microsoft have a program for certifying applications for Windows (you may have seen the “Designed for Windows” badges) which is not too arduous to get your software certified by. If you do that one of the things that your software will do is write files in the correct places. Or rather not write files where it shouldn’t. Vista’s enhanced security puts a stop to writing in some of the wrong places, and thus a stop to badly written applications.
So when I see features such as the XP Compatability mode I look at it as a mixed blessing.
What it does is give you a fully licence virtual copy of Windows XP that can run on top of your Windows 7 installation. Any XP only apps then get installed on that, which runs seperatley and unaware Windows 7. You can then copy the application icon to your Windows 7 desktop and enjoy the loveliness of Windows 7, but still have the application available running in Windows XP.
The mixed blessing for me is that although it will knock down a lot of barriers to using Windows 7, it also gives developers an excuse to stick their head in the sand and not update their application. It also means that end users will be able to keep that unsupported old application going for that bit longer – increasing the risk of depending on unsupported software to run your business.
If you are using an application that you are not sure about Windows 7 compatibilty, now is the time to badger the developer. They should be actively testing and converting code right now, and maybe running Windows 7 in house already in anticipation.
Windows XP Compatibilty mode will be included in Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.
I’m going to start with one of the single wierdest things about Windows 7. Windows 7 will ship without a web browser.
That is right, in our age of cloud computing and web 2.0 life, the new Microsoft OS will not have a web browser.
Google has announced its new OS, Chrome, which is based around a browser and web connectivity, yet Windows 7 does not have one.
Well, it isn’t as simple as that. Windows 7 E, which is the version that will be available in Europe, will not have a web browser. This is because of a European Commision anti-competative ruling, that dictates that people should be able to chose their browser from the off.
This does leave you in a bit of a conundrum, how do you download and install a browser if you don’t have a browser? The simple answer is that you either download it somewhere else and copy it across to the Windows 7 PC, or you can use a link on the machine to download and install IE8.
I’ve no problem with people using other browsers – I use IE myself simple because we have some .NET apps that insist on it, but I don find this ruling a bit ridiculous. Fair enough some people will be able to run their Windows 7 machines with only the browser that they chose installed, but I imagine that most people will simply download IE8 through the link, and then use that to download Chrome, Firefox, Opera or whatever. So the only real result is that it is more work to get the browser you want!
I plan for the next couple of months to start blogging information about Windows 7.
Windows 7 has been release to manufacturing in preperation for general availability on the 22nd October 2009.
Already PC manufacturers have started on upgrade deals to insure that PCs bought now will be eligable for an upgrade to Windows 7 once it is released. For information on the two main manufacturers that we deal with have a look at:
and
http://h41112.www4.hp.com/promo/win7web/uk/en/
As well as playing with the pre-release versions, at Shadowfax we will be checking out all the info from Microsoft as it arrives (http://windowsteamblog.com/). Windows 7 promises to be an exciting product with many features that build and improve on the reliability of Vista.
Don’t get me wrong, I do take a laptop away with me, and do understand the need for the small business owner to keep in touch whilst away, but some people can’t seem to drag themselves away from work!
So for those that absolutely can’t switch off from the office here are some tips for successfully working on holiday.
First of all preparation. Check what Internet access you will be able to get. If you are using a 3G card then check the providers coverage map. If they don’t have coverage it might be worth getting a Pay as You Go card from another provider. They are very inexpensive now, and will save having to drive around trying to find a signal (I have a contract on T-Mobile and a PAYGO on 3 just in case).
- http://www.three.co.uk/_standalone/Coverage_checker_mbb
- http://maps.vodafone.co.uk/coverageviewer/web/default.aspx
- http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/
- http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/coverage/street-check/
- http://web.orange.co.uk/coverage/
Remember that if you want to get on the Internet then it is the 3G coverage that you probably want.
Check Roaming charges. If you are going abroad check roaming charges. These are coming down for voice and text, but data is still high.
Take data with you. Just because the brochure says Internet Access available don’t rely on it. If there are a few files that you know you will need to work on then take them with you. That way you can still do a bit of Off-Line working. And take it securely, encrypt it if you can.
Prepare in advance. Remember that if you cannot connect from home the week before, then the chance of being able to do it from the Seycelles is next to none.
Schedule your day. More for your family’s sanity, I find it best to schedule the work you are going to do as part of the day, so you don’t miss out on the fun, and they don’t have to sit and watch you plugging away at a Blackberry for the whole day.
Enjoy yourself. No point going on holiday if you sit in front of the laptop all day long. Enjoy the downtime and deal with any problems when you get back.
Yesterday I went to visit a client on a small estate whose broadband has been playing up intermittently. BT have been extending the dealine for fixing the line fault, and it is now obvious that it is going to be a long term problem. The client is very dependent on their internet connection to access their accounts software that is hosted in the cloud So I had a chat with one of their neighbours – another of our clients – and set up a wireless bridge using two Linksys access points between their networks. The link is the WAN side of both their firewalls, so their networks aren’t talking to each other. It just means that my client can now use their neighbours internet connection whilst theirs is flaky. It is working very well, they now have a stable route out to the internet. My generous client is also safe in the knowledge that should they have a problem with their internet, a backup solution is already there for them.
So I had a chat with one of their neighbours – another of our clients – and set up a wireless bridge using two Linksys access points between their networks. The link is the WAN side of both their firewalls, so their networks aren’t talking to each other. It just means that my client can now use their neighbours internet connection whilst theirs is flaky.
It is working very well, they now have a stable route out to the internet.
My generous client is also safe in the knowledge that should they have a problem with their internet, a backup solution is already there for them.
When configuring your e-mail software (e.g. Outlook or Outlook Express) you always need to specify the name or IP address of the SMTP server for outgoing e-mail. This name or address is normally provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Note, that it is perfectly possible to have one ISP just for Internet access and another service provider to host your e-mail. However, many ISPs include e-mail as part of their Internet access package.
To collect e-mail you have a choice of POP3 or SMTP. However, you can only use SMTP with software that is SMTP aware such as Microsoft Exchange. Outlook and Outlook Express cannot on their own receive e-mail using SMTP.
With SMTP you need to have a static IP address on the computer that is running your e-mail software. Whoever is hosting your e-mail domain name will attempt to deliver e-mail to your e-mail server as and when e-mail arrives and regardless of who the e-mail is addressed to. Your e-mail software is responsible for organising which e-mails go into which inboxes. If your e-mail server is off then your e-mail service provider will store the e-mail for you until your e-mail server can be contacted again.
The main advantages of using SMTP to receive e-mail are that e-mails arrive more or less immediately at your server and that you do not have to set up individual mailboxes with your e-mail server provider.
With POP3 you need to set up an account, with your e-mail service provider, for each e-mail address that you wish to use called a mailbox. When e-mail is sent to your domain the e-mail will be stored in the appropriate POP3 mailbox until you collect it. Your e-mail software has to actively connect to the your e-mail service provider’s server to check if there is any e-mail and then download it. This must be done separately for each mailbox. Most e-mail clients can be configured to automatically check for new e-mail every few minutes.
E-mail service providers use a variety of charging schemes for SMTP and POP3 Mail. Some charge to provide SMTP mail, others charge for each POP3 mailbox. Some ISPs include a specific number of POP3 mailboxes for free as part of a package.
In general, businesses that use an e-mail server such as Exchange should use SMTP for incoming e-mail.