Microsoft may lift application limit for Windows Starter
With Windows 7, Microsoft may lift one of the biggest limitations of its Starter edition--the restriction that the operating system run no more than three applications at a time.
Blogger Paul Thurrott said in a posting Friday that Microsoft plans to remove the restriction, without elaborating.
Microsoft neither confirmed nor denied whether such a move will take place.
"We continue to work on developing Windows 7 and have nothing new to share at this time," a Microsoft representative said on Friday.
With Windows XP and Windows Vista, the Starter edition was sold only for use on new PCs sold in emerging markets. With Windows 7, Microsoft said it would also sell Starter in developed markets such as the United States as an added option for low-cost Netbooks.
Separately, enthusiast site TechARP wrote Friday that Microsoft plans to change its rules in terms of what hardware qualifies for the Netbook designation. Microsoft declined to comment on the report or its plans in that area.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
with virus...
Wow! Thats a long list features Microsoft had to implement to prevent users getting virus... geez...
Thats fine!. Tell me are there any apps users can use for regular tasks in Windoze?
Clue. Get one.
I read these blogs mainly to keep myself informed for those around me still using Windows. I'm using Linux with a built in AV and a built in firewall. along with a limited user set up by default. That's all I need. It's more than Windows XP had, it's better implemented than the security in Windows Vista and is already here where as Windows 7 is not. Actually, there will be a new version of Ubuntu out around the same time Windows 7 comes out and it still won't cost me anything.
Well, maybe MS will get it right one day.
Too bad you don't meet the minimum requirements to operated it.
Once again you demonstrate exactly why Apple fanboys are mocked and ridiculed worldwide. You're not helping people to *want* to convert to Mac if they have to be associated with folks of your mindset and reputaiton. If your goal is to turn people off of Macintosh with your comments and behavior, then you are doing an excellent job.
Apple has done a wonderful job of insulating the end user from the OS. I prefer working from a terminal window on my MacBookPro, but that's just me. I like a terminal and command line. OS X gives you the option of both a GUI and powerful command line.
Microsoft wins patent for kidnapping parts of Windows, holding them for ransom:
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/21173/
http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/05/developers-worried-by-apple-change-to-app-store-review-policy.ars
But in the end, i think they will drop it, because quite a few programs run with separate instances. (including virus scanners, firewalls, and even Chrome)
Either that or add a new flag into Windows that will allow you to specify that an application that is being executed is a child process (if it isn't already there)
But this leaves open holes that could be used by any programmer to create their own "Run" program.
(i know they have whitelists for certain applications, but keeping them up-to-date is a massive hassle, and is made worse for those without internet connections)
Yeah... they should just drop it, it will be cracked open in a matter of days, it is more effort than it is worth.
It is obvious that you have never even tried to run Ubuntu, or any other linux flavour in general, let alone on a netbook. Therefore you must a mac fanboi, as it is only from those sheep that we hear such ill-informed and uneducated statements.
FYI, there was not one driver I needed to install manually to get the Acer Aspire One fully working - just install the 9.04 "Jaunty" from the USB. The whole process took less time than finishing the XP install (about 30 minutes, plus the time to download the 700 mb .iso if you want to get really cute). Ever so glad to have that particular piece of Micro$*** software forever removed from my computer.
By the way, the only software I've ever seen that's incompatible is from MS. Just look at the "implementation" of .odf files in Office 2007 with the newest service pack to see what I mean.
@Mr. Dee That "incompatible with the rest of the world" argument is so 1990s. The net runs mostly Unix, in case you forgot. If there's anything incompatible around the world, its not coming from the *nixes.
Graphics manufacturers are unwilling to release drivers for linux because they are afraid their proprietary software will then become open source. The linux community has done a good job of creating drivers for the cards. While the linux drivers may not take full advantage of every feature the chips can offer (only the manufacturer knows how to do the software for that), they do provide good functionality for roughly 90% of what the chips can do. The linux community has had to deal with this for many hardware manufacturers other than graphics cards but all in all, they have done a wonderful job of providing drivers (usually reverse engineering the OEM's existing drivers) and they do it for free without being paid. Ok, they're not perfect, but you can't help but admire the work they have done and are providing free of charge. They have earned their respect.
But in doing so, they create an expectation as to what Windows is really worth. Ten percent of its current price at least.
Windows Vista's only fault was the device drivers were not ready at RTM along with some applications. Those issues were resolved in the first six months of its release and the OS has experienced positive reception and strong adoption since. Post like yours are very unrepresentative, you are just regurgitating the words of a few early adopters who got burnt because they were trying to run Vista on 1999/2000 hardware. Netbooks came out after Vista and were game changers especially where resources and usage was concerned. Most first generation could run Vista, its just that the disk space availability was not there to support the OS. I remember back in 2007, most Netbooks came with 4 to 8 GB SSDs. Even if I was getting one for free, it would still be worthless to me, my Music folder alone is more than 8 GBs.
If you are not seeing the benefits, I am sure you will have a harder time with Linux. Vista introduced better security, built in multimedia tools and efficient use of resources like memory and processor utilization. Do the research and you will see, Vista is not a rip-off. So stop spewing crap.
Vista's only fault? What are you smoking? Vista is a failure and a pig.
As for the comments on this article, do your own research and buy your OS accordingly. Maybe write an article on your blog or start working for Consumer Reports. However commenting on a CNET article because your (bad) opinion that "windows sucks" or "macintosh sucks" etc. is going to accomplish nothing.
Example I am stuck on Windows or Mac. I do photography work and I have at least three specialized applications for doing this work. Stuff like PT Gui. Find me an alternative that is effective on Linux and I am gone. Hell even developers don[t work on Linux. Which sucks. Hell maybe Linux has some good RADs available now. I doubt it. As Linux starts to grab the low end users maybe some of these more specific apps will be ported over. Most user just want a pc for basic use anyways. The Linux benefits are huge if you are not knowledgeable about computers. I recommend everyone who is a novice to use Linux or Mac. Anything but Windows.
It's also a smart move to scrap the "3 apps at a time" limit. During my daily workflow, I often have many apps and windows open at the same time.
I have netbook.. while it's fine to take when traveling, it's a slow pile and could never replace my "real" machine no matter what people say. once you're used to a proper machine with a fast modern CPU, 4GB of RAM and real graphics, it's hard to use a netbook for day to day work.
Cody
- by aSiriusTHoTH May 24, 2009 1:12 PM PDT
- Oh children... waste of time. There is no best operating system, there is only what is best for you.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(54 Comments)I am glad they are getting ride of the application limit for Windows Starer, as... they should!