• A New Operating System; Not Quite!

    A New Operating System; Not Quite!

    Techtree News Staff, Jul 17, 2006 1215 hrs IST

    Microsoft has launched a new software called "Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs," designed to breathe life into old PCs.

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A criticism often leveled against Microsoft is that it does nothing to improve the lot of old hardware, while continuing to release new software.

Perhaps, the company's latest launch of a thin client software that breathes life into older PCs goes against this maxim.

Earlier code-named "Eiger," the software is now called, "Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs," and is designed to offer near-obsolete systems some of Windows XP's security technologies, including Windows Firewall and Automatic Updates.

Microsoft says Fundamentals is not a full-featured operating system, and that although it is based on Windows XP Embedded SP2, it is designed to work with the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection client or third-party clients such as Citrix ICA client.

While Fundamentals is capable of running a few programs locally, including security tools, management tools, and document viewers, line-of-business and productivity applications would have to be run remotely on a server.

The USP of Fundamentals, according to Microsoft, is that it improves security and manageability of those systems that are too old for Windows XP, and that are not immediately ready for an up-gradation.

Fundamentals is available only to customers of the Microsoft Software Assurance (SA) volume licensing program, and is positioned as one of the many improvements intended to improve the value of this program.

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Discussion Board
(11) Comments
kalamkar bapu
,karad, on Aug 02, 2006 04:44 PM
send to e-mail
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dookie
,Bangalore, on Jul 19, 2006 11:37 AM
I never thought I'd say this but I'm tired of Microsoft just re-packaging their OS with more fancy graphics and driving their old OSes and h/w into extinction. My PC is good enough to send a rocket to the moon but not to run a microsoft OS. I used to be a microsoft fan back in the 90s with their easy to use and DOS operating system. Though it had limitations, it was very simple to install and restore in the event of failure and was much more simple than unix or any other OS. With the advent of Windows 95, I realized that while Microsoft offered better manageability via GUI, they still retained DOS which was the best of both worlds. Sam with Win98 which was a major improvement to 95. Win ME was where Microsoft started to go wrong and in the end was a total flop. But that didn't stop microsoft with it's newfangled ideology to end legacy support. XP while being a good OS is bloated, a nightmare to install and maintain and has lots of issues. I long for a clean modern OS with the ease of use of Win98 and a small footprint of a few megabytes.
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Anonymous
,fa, on Jul 18, 2006 04:25 PM
sease
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murtuza rang
,mumbai, on Jul 18, 2006 12:28 PM
seems like microsoft is getting richer with enhanced and optimised interfaces using the mac platform with greater buffer speeds
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Heith
,Surfers, on Jul 18, 2006 09:52 AM
Hay Rusty - Maybe you didn't know Microsoft owns around 40% of apple Mac
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Real Bill Gates
,Seattle, on Jul 18, 2006 07:09 AM
All bad Apples go to the Apple basket. We keep only the real good ones.
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aamir
,khi, on Jul 17, 2006 06:01 PM
Microsoft should be closed FOREVER, it is just releasing new things but not focusing on quality , such that release one thing and take time in that and should be robust engough to stay in the market for alonger time
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Bill Gates
,Seattle, on Jul 17, 2006 11:04 PM
Iam tired of Microsoft. It desperately needs a leader, someone like steve jobs who can bring clarity & innovation at a time of utter confusion & lack of vision.
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jei
,keokuk, on Jul 17, 2006 08:44 PM
I don't think switching to apple is a fix. More people just need to start using alternate OS's that will run on older hardware. Linux runs fine on older systems. And has great support for old hardware. OSX won't run on an older mac, so apple suffers from the same problem as microsoft.
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Destiny
,Orlando, on Jul 17, 2006 08:03 PM
It is for this reason and many I have gone over to Apple.
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Rusty
,Jonestown, on Jul 17, 2006 07:35 PM
It's things like this that makes me want to go to Apple
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