Internet telephony has changed a lot the way we communicate with our near ones. PC to PC calling has become incredibly simple with applications provided by Skype, Google, Yahoo and others. It is a very exciting thing for users like me to use these applications to make voice calls on the internet for free. But the whole thing I hate with the PC to PC calling is that I have to use a PC to call!
It would be too convenient if there can be a telephone set which just hooks on to the internet and can make voice calls using Skype.If everyone (at least most of everyone!) uses this kind of telephone set, phone calls can be completely free and you get unlimited talk time! No monthly rentals, no paying by the minute for your talk time, no distinction between local, or international calls since everything is free.All that it takes is internet bandwidth.So, If you pay your internet service provider, you are done with it!
This technology easily extends to mobile telephony by just having a WiFi enabled phone with the Skype running over it. So now you also have mobile phone free of charge! This technology also paves way for the video telephony which has remained a luxury with the traditional telephone.In summary, the future telephony will not only be completely free but also offer much much more than what we are are getting now.
Well, this is not at all a good news for all the telephone service providers. They will have to shut down their telephone service unit altogether and only provide broadband connections if this becomes a reality. They will lobby with the governments (read bribe them like crazy) to ensure that this technology does not become widespread.
It will be interesting days that are going to come which we can wait and watch. One day, the internet might become free too!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Future of Windows Piracy
"Install genuine Windows. It costs only 10% of the hardware cost" There goes in an Ad asking people to buy genuine windows. But people here in this part of the world ask a more basic question. Why would I pay that 10% when I am getting it completely free?! Hmmm.. makes sense. And people are not deterred by the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) (Yes it is a genuine advantage for Microsoft!). They simply install SP2 for the XP and disable all auto updates. No home user that I have seen owns a genuine version of windows. There are exceptions who have bought laptops with XP bundled with it.
There will be some interesting developments here when Microsoft takes stricter anti piracy measures. I am very much sure that people here are not going to buy any future version of windows but wait for the pirated, hacked, cracked version of windows to get released. But, If windows becomes 100% hack free,
then it will lead to flourishing of other alternatives like linux.
Linux has already caught up with the people in here because computer usage is mostly by youngsters. These people are willing to learn, experiment and play around with these alternatives. So, that means, stricter anti piracy measures implies growth of OSs like linux.
This was one reason why Microsoft allowed piracy in countries like India and China (For Windows 95,98 2000...). Microsoft feared the emergence of Linux in these countries and allowed people to use Windows illegally. That means, he made the Americans, Europeans and others pay for the Chinese and Indian Windows users (If this were not to be the case, then MS would have gone into losses)!
But the question remains if MS is going to continue on this same strategy of doing charity in India and China!
There will be some interesting developments here when Microsoft takes stricter anti piracy measures. I am very much sure that people here are not going to buy any future version of windows but wait for the pirated, hacked, cracked version of windows to get released. But, If windows becomes 100% hack free,
then it will lead to flourishing of other alternatives like linux.
Linux has already caught up with the people in here because computer usage is mostly by youngsters. These people are willing to learn, experiment and play around with these alternatives. So, that means, stricter anti piracy measures implies growth of OSs like linux.
This was one reason why Microsoft allowed piracy in countries like India and China (For Windows 95,98 2000...). Microsoft feared the emergence of Linux in these countries and allowed people to use Windows illegally. That means, he made the Americans, Europeans and others pay for the Chinese and Indian Windows users (If this were not to be the case, then MS would have gone into losses)!
But the question remains if MS is going to continue on this same strategy of doing charity in India and China!
Why does Windows Vista require so much of hardware?
If you were to be asked what is that one thing you would want in the next release of Windows, what would your reply be? Well, I feel that any enterprise or home user would want one or all of these.
1) Better security from viruses, Trojan horses and million other badwares.
2) Better in terms of performance. Quicker response times, less resource hogs.
3) Better usability. More intuitive (not necessarily more colourful)
4) Stability. I don't want to update a "service pack" every week.
OK and now what is Microsoft planning to give its customers with Vista?
1) An OS which consumes as much hardware resources as you supply and still ask for more.
2) Fancy features like the "3D desktop" which is meant to be just eye candy.
3) Enhanced security features. But, You sill have to pay your antivirus vendor.
And why is MS doing this?
Well as I can see, MS has tied up with PC makers like Dell and HP and asked them to make "Windows Vista Capable" PCs. MS might have told its system architects "Implement whatever you feel like implementing. But let it consume lot of memory, require a dual core processor to run and refuse to run with even slightly old graphic cards(The ones manufactured 2 years ago)!!
This will automatically make even PCs that were bought 2 years back completely obsolete. Enterprise and home users invariably have to change their PCs to run the new fancy OS designed by MS. This results in a surge in PC sales and PC makers will make lot of money!
As a matter of fact major antivirus makers might also be paying royalties to MS for keeping enough security holes in the system!
1) Better security from viruses, Trojan horses and million other badwares.
2) Better in terms of performance. Quicker response times, less resource hogs.
3) Better usability. More intuitive (not necessarily more colourful)
4) Stability. I don't want to update a "service pack" every week.
OK and now what is Microsoft planning to give its customers with Vista?
1) An OS which consumes as much hardware resources as you supply and still ask for more.
2) Fancy features like the "3D desktop" which is meant to be just eye candy.
3) Enhanced security features. But, You sill have to pay your antivirus vendor.
And why is MS doing this?
Well as I can see, MS has tied up with PC makers like Dell and HP and asked them to make "Windows Vista Capable" PCs. MS might have told its system architects "Implement whatever you feel like implementing. But let it consume lot of memory, require a dual core processor to run and refuse to run with even slightly old graphic cards(The ones manufactured 2 years ago)!!
This will automatically make even PCs that were bought 2 years back completely obsolete. Enterprise and home users invariably have to change their PCs to run the new fancy OS designed by MS. This results in a surge in PC sales and PC makers will make lot of money!
As a matter of fact major antivirus makers might also be paying royalties to MS for keeping enough security holes in the system!
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