17 years have gone by since there were actually lines at the store at midnight waiting for the newest release of a Microsoft operating system. Windows 95, the full GUI OS that replaced the DOS first, GUI second Microsoft Windows 3.11 (Windows for Workgroups). It was also the OS that introduced the Start Menu, which has recently been removed with Windows 8.

Happy Birthday, Windows 95! It really doesn’t feel like 17 years since I was running it on my 486DX/66.

In a response to the cries last week about the SmartScreen application sending data to Microsoft, Microsoft has responded to the claims. It’s very good news, although all the worries aren’t resolved.

"We can confirm that we are not building a historical database of program and user IP data," a spokesperson told El Reg. "Like all online services, IP addresses are necessary to connect to our service, but we periodically delete them from our logs. As our privacy statements indicate, we take steps to protect our users’ privacy on the backend. We don’t use this data to identify, contact or target advertising to our users and we don’t share it with third parties."

Microsoft’s new SmartScreen, which checks programs that the user has downloaded from the internet against a safe/unsafe database, appears to have some major security concerns. Judging from the initial looks at what is happening, it doesn’t look good. I’m looking forward to Microsoft’s response to this one.

This problem can however get even more serious: It may be possible to intercept SmartScreen’s communications to Microsoft and thus learn about every single application downloaded and installed by a target. Here is my analysis:

Microsoft is really focusing on changing their image, from the new Windows 8 interface to the much larger entry into the hardware market with Surface. Now, they are changing the Microsoft logo. Like it? Hate it? It’s very plain and simple, which is the aim that Microsoft is going with their software. But, the old logo was identifiable as Microsoft.

It’s been 25 years since we’ve updated the Microsoft logo and now is the perfect time for a change. This is an incredibly exciting year for Microsoft as we prepare to release new versions of nearly all of our products. From Windows 8 to Windows Phone 8 to Xbox services to the next version of Office, you will see a common look and feel across these products providing a familiar and seamless experience on PCs, phones, tablets and TVs. This wave of new releases is not only a reimagining of our most popular products, but also represents a new era for Microsoft, so our logo should evolve to visually accentuate this new beginning.

For those that bought a PC with Windows 7 from June 2nd, you are eligible to upgrade to Windows 8 for $14.99 when it is released on October 26th. I am sure there are some that will prefer to stay with Windows 7 (“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”), but many will want to upgrade to the latest and greatest that Microsoft has to offer.

After buying your PC, go to the Windows Upgrade Offer website to register. It will ask you to select your country (details for the offer vary depending on country). You will then be asked to register with your personal details as well as information about your Windows 7 PC purchase – including date of purchase, retailer, and PC brand and model. You should also have your 25-digit Windows 7 product key that came with the PC handy as you may be required to enter this as part of the registration.

With every new release of Windows comes a new set of Microsoft bashers and people trying to knock Windows down. Some of it is warranted, while others is just baseless. However, this article, while good in theory, really lost me in the first paragraph. Gabe Newell, which for the two of you that don’t know, is the head of Valve and a former Microsoft employee. Valve created one of the biggest and most well known gaming platforms using digital distribution: Steam. Steam has forged a full on attack… no: a full on war on gamers wallets during their many sales which can bring popular games down to just a few dollars.

Yea, Gabe Newell is fairly unknown to those that aren’t gamers or work with PC’s. Valve is a bit more known, as is Steam. But, they are FAR from unknown (even before he commented on Windows 8).

It’s like some twisted reality TV show. As we draw closer to Windows 8’s official release date, a parade of "D-List" industry luminaries has emerged to bash the product in exchange for their 15 minutes of fame. Names like Gabe Newell, a previously unknown co-founder from the equally obscure software firm Valve, have now become household names among the anti-Windows set. And while their arguments against Windows 8’s success ring a bit hollow, the industry media is still eager to lap up every controversial quote.

That long legal document you don’t read and accept the terms when installing Windows is getting a bit easier to read and a little more user friendly.

The first half is a question and answer format and the second is the legalese. The way the OS is licensed to different individuals has been changed slightly as well.

How can I use the software?

OEM

The software is licensed, not sold.Under this agreement, we grant you the right to install and run one copy only on the computer with which you acquired the software (the licensed computer)…

RETAIL UPGRADE

We do not sell our software or your copy of it – we only license it. Under our license, we grant you the right to install and run that one copy on one computer (the licensed computer), for use by one person at a time, but only if you comply with all the terms of this agreement.Typically, this means you can install one copy of the software on a personal computer and then you can use the software on that computer.

PERSONAL USE LICENSE (SYSTEM BUILDER) FOR WINDOWS 8 PRO

We do not sell our software or your copy of it – we only license it.Under our license, we grant you the right to install and run that one copy on one computer (the licensed computer) as the operating system on a computer that you build for your personal use, or as an additional operating system running on a local virtual machine or a separate partition, subject to the restrictions outlined under “Are there things I’m not allowed to do with the software?”

Bill Gates wants to reinvent the toilet. Yes, that’s right. The toilet. No, I’m not talking about re-releasing Windows ME. He would like to have super efficient toilets that cost less that 5 cents a day per user (definitely not Windows!) and is waterless. Will it happen? Several prototypes are already being developed by CalTech and University of Toronto.

As Gates knows, two-thirds of the world’s people have no access to that great leap in sanitation, credited with adding a decade to our longevity. Their communities can’t afford the water and sewerage systems to which the toilet must be attached. So they make do with latrines or squat in the open, and consequently suffer diarrheal diseases that kill two million annually.

Anonymous sources (as they usually are) are claiming that the Windows RT powered Surface tablets will be coming in October for a mere $199. While I have a lot of reasons to take this as a bad attempt at humor and a bad rumor, there are a couple reasons why it could be legit. It would put a lot of Windows 8 tablets in the hands of consumers. Seeing the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 fly off shelves by offering a powerful tablet for a very low price may have gotten Microsoft happy. Coupled with the Microsoft Store application, it would be a consumption device. Sell at a loss, but make the money (and then some) back by app and in-app purchases.

I won’t take this as fact until Microsoft confirms it themselves. Personally, I’m taking it as a hoax or a bad rumor. I don’t expect them to be $199 at release. If they do, I’ll eat those words… And buy 3 tablets at launch, and give one away on the site. If not, and they are >$500, I’ll pass on them and wait for a cost friendly model.

That MSRP, almost certainly lower than Microsoft’s own cost, would line it up against the Nexus 7 and even the Kindle Fire. It would put Windows 8 on the map in a big way and give a lot of people a lot of reason to try out an operating system that is going to feel rather different than previous incarnations. The question is: will it drive enough sales of media and apps for Microsoft to recoup its loss? Or, will companies like Acer put up enough of a fight in the months between now and October to keep Microsoft from undercutting its own partners? We’ll find out soon, dear readers.

With Windows 8 hitting MSDN and Technet (along with Visual Studio 2012), there are a few things that Ed Bott has noticed since the Release Preview. However, one of my biggest peeves against Windows (since Windows XP) is even more restrictive. I understand that they want to protect their intellectual property and prevent piracy, but it is becoming more of a hassle for the general user. Installing the OS requires an activation key, no problem there. Activation is automatic after installation. That’s alright, too. As long as you’re on your first installation. Assuming drivers are all working and the install went great. In my experience, that is 90% of the time. The other 10%, I have to reinstall for some reason. I’d rather activate on my own time (with my home PC, I wait until the last minute to make sure everything is working as it should – I’ve been burned before).

If it only allows one activation before requiring a phone call, I will be very disappointed. With Windows 7, I had a couple tries before I had to call. I notice this is a big trend in various forums, too. After a reformat and reinstall, users are forced to make the phone call, sometimes explaining to the representative that they are not a pirate and that this in the only PC they are installing it on – basically a phone court trial by Microsoft. Then, if the person deems the reason satisfactory, they will give a long code to enter in to activate Windows. Sure, it takes about 5 minutes. But, that 5 minutes is valuable time that could be wasted doing something else. Very annoying, and it really makes me feel like a criminal defending myself every time I have to make that phone call. Yea, that’s one of my huge disappointments with the recent versions of Windows. It’s a flawed system that punishes the average, law abiding citizen that bought his copy of Windows. Pirates have found ways around it, usually before the release to the public. They aren’t being punished by the activation schemes.

If you’ve become accustomed to installing Windows 7 without entering a product key so that you can use it in evaluation mode for 30 days, you’ll definitely miss that option. After installation, activation is automatic. If you use a product key that’s already been used on another PC, you’ll be unable to personalize some parts of the Windows 8 environment.

On an unactivated PC, you’ll get regular notifications that you need to enter a valid product key. This message appeared in the upper left corner of the screen just now when I tried to visit PC Settings on an unactivated Windows 8 test PC. It didn’t appear to block any functionality, nor did the notifications degrade any features. It appears to be strictly a speed bump. (I’ll be looking into the exact implementation of activation and product key checking in the next few weeks.)