Microsoft’s Zune seems to continously experience oppositions. The latest joke is an iPhone parody poking fun at both Microsoft and the Zune.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Via TechEBlog)

After Apple released a public beta of Safari for Windows on Monday. (Press Release)

Over a million copies had been downloaded during the first 48 hours. (Press Release 2).

This does seem to show that at least a couple Windows users have been hungry for an alternate to the dominance of Internet Explorer and Firefox.

(I also find it interesting that Apple displays a Yahoo! page, in their Safari on Windows XP screenshot.)

I have not heard much of Windows Vista since the initial hype some months ago. The general idea I have been left with, after talking with others, is that Vista has not really taken off. But apparently Vista is doing better than most people think.

Although no statistics are yet available of Vista sales. Some of Microsoft’s rewards can clearly be seen according to a post on Windows Now by Robert McLaws. As an example Microsoft has received 21% fewer support calls for Vista than during the same period for Windows XP.

Also if you like Macs and you didn’t catch Joy Of Tech‘s clever comic on Vista sales in a store, check my previous post here.

(Via p0ps blog)

Connectix’s old baby Virtual PC, now in the possession of oligopolist Microsoft, just turned 10 years old. I have fond memories of the first Virtual PC running Windows 98 beta on my Mac before most of my PC friends had even tried it. Check out the commemorative story at Uneasy Silence.

Picture copied from UneasySilence.com

Among other good old Connectix jewels I will just mention RamDoubler. And yes, it actually worked fantastically, although I have heard talk that it was an incredible hack!

While first beginning to read this guide over at LifeHack.org I was hoping this could help me towards my stationary free environment. But you have to install VMWare not necessarily a bad thing, but it is not something I want to be the first thing I do when I hit a new stationary computer.

Though looking at the article it does present a pleasant introduction how to have Linux up and running rather rapidly. Especially compared to the tedious hours I used to take on my first installs, when I messed up some setting with the Master Boot Record of one partition or the other.

After reading some of the comments at the bottom of the page, I can’t see this as anything permanent for people wanting to get into Linux. But if your looking for a way to run Linux in your windows only office environment this could work.

After attending and participating at a conference this weekend I had a good laugh and inspiring moment from this comic from Joy of Tech. I first caught a glimpse of it during the conference with some friends and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

 
View original size.

This morning I found another amusing Joy of Tech comic on a scary possible situation with the iPhone.

Via Digg: Don’t worry I have my iPhone with me.

I was slightly excited at the opportunity to test drive Windows Vista Online, I installed IE and its necessary ActiveX Controllers and was looking forward to test drive some of the revolutionary new features I have been told to expect…

I thought this is interesting: Not testing an online application, but actually an online operating system test-drive. Their testdrive website: http://www.windowsvistatestdrive.com/. And yes it was too good to be true, and least for me, currently residing in Norway. But they would only tell me this after installing and giving them my email address after signing up: “This trial program is available in limited geographies and languages, and you are currently located outside of the available area.” –Error message here.
To not just be negative, I can mention that their design is actually somewhat bearable at the moment.

Some comments to my article (Laptops NOT a Microsoft Bribe?) on Digg.com made me realize that I should be a little more clear of where I stand on the issue.

Firstly Credibility
If you knew a travel operator had sponsored some journalists writing a merry story or review about a rather unknown holiday beach somewhere half around the world, the chances are you would find them slightly less credible on their review. At the same time it’s so much better for them to disclose the fact that they actually were sponsored. Because not disclosing it, would then in fact perhaps be “misinterpereted” as a bribe.

Secondly Finances
There is no doubt that the finances of an established newspaper compared to a privately financed hobby blog are going to decide what the reviewer is capable of reviewing. In that light, if a “poor” reviewer should be given the possibility to review something that he at a first glance can’t afford, that should be a good thing. Though how the product is acquired is even more importantly something that should be told during the review. However if the product is already on the market, the established newspaper should strive to self finance the products.

Thirdly Not a Perfect World
Even the established newspapers might have owners that just grant them enough cash for their survival; therefore a free product to review might be greatly appreciated. In an ideal situation, the press is supposed to be free. Not told by anybody how to write an article or review something, in that way the reader is hopefully receiving a more correct picture of reality. But again, representation of reality will always be skewed. A lot of people don’t want to lose face or credibility and therefore might not inform readers that they have received a product for free. I’m sure this is the case every single day, and we can only be glad that Microsoft’s contribution, along with the others (Acer, AMD), has been brought to our attention.

Fourthly I’m biased
I mentioned it in my last post’s edit, but I’ll mention it again. My experiences with Microsoft’s operating systems have not been all that good, along side with Internet Explorer. Where I used to spend countless hours trying to make my webdesigns work for IE, when they looked nice on all the other browsers, just because Microsoft didn’t want to follow the standards. In addition that error pages and domains that are not found, even if you just forget the www, will lead you back to Microsoft’s search pages I interpret as an attempt to generate “false” internet traffic to their own sites.

Fifthly I’m not writing more quite yet
I’m sure I could write a great deal more on this matter, and I know there are books on similar issue’s. But for readability and other things I need to get done I’ll call it a day for now. 

(This post, like many of my other posts, is just me thinking aloud, and I don’t have the facts in front of me and may be totally wrong. And if so please tell me.)

More about this in the news:
Scott Beale is donating auction proceeds to EFF: Windows Vista Laptop on eBay, Proceeds Going To EFF
Amit Agarwal: What other bloggers are doing with their Microsoft freebies
Microsoft gives laptops that are not optimal for Vista Premium(?): Microsoft Gives Bloggers Sub-Aero (2.8) Laptops
B.L. Ochman: Edelman Has New Ethics Scandal Brewing With Microsoft’s Blogger Bribe Campaign
Chris Abraham: In Defense of Edelman over Bribery Charges