Hi Clif,

MS Mole reports that the war over Vista certification continues.

Many publishers of freeware programs are doing the expected, upgrading their products to be compliant with Windows Vista without going through the costly process of receiving Microsoft certification. Microsoft is prepared for this. It wants its thousands of dollars for every program that runs on Vista and is prepared to take action against any software that doesn't have the "proper" certification.

When a non-certified program is installed on a Vista system, Microsoft doesn't care if the software actually works or not. What it cares about is whether the program has Vista certification (which is an income stream for MS). When next the Vista box is updated through Microsoft, the uncertified software will be disabled or deleted when the Vista update is installed.

While this will be an annoyance for most home users and small businesses (who can reinstall each freeware program between Vista updates), jaws have dropped among the large business community that will ultimately pay much higher prices for software with Vista certification. Veins are bulging in many corner offices.

Expect virtual machines to proliferate so that freeware programs that will run on a Vista computer using Linux may be hidden from Microsoft. Linux system crossovers that will run Windows programs are gaining popularity quickly.

Rumours have resurfaced in the European Union about breaking up Microsoft. Bill Gates is talking about doing just that, but on his own terms. Instead of having multiple companies each with its own administration and shareholders, Gates wants six Microsoft companies to operate "independently" with one umbrella controller.

Compared to governments that act slowly, the gods of Microsoft can act quickly to sidestep any major move to remove the power that the MS empire has over the modern world. (Who needs a war when you employ thousands of lawyers?)

As Clif Notes readers know well, there is a freeware program for almost every paid application on the market. What the world needs is a dark horse operating system to come through the middle of the pack to run freeware programs. Several are in development in Europe and Asia. The Vista war may morph into one between need and greed.

Cheers
Bill Allin

Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today’s Epidemic Social Problems, a book about real and inexpensive solutions to personal and community problems most people think are inevitable evils of modern society. They aren't. We just have to look in the right place.
Learn more at http://billallin.com
Contact author Bill Allin at turningitaround@sympatico.ca