“An annoying surprise awaits 2 million consumers expected to enthusiastically step forward in the next few weeks to help Microsoft test its new Windows Vista PC operating system. Volunteers will test Vista Beta 2, a near-final version of the much-hyped upgrade of Windows. The testing is the last step leading up to Vista’s broad consumer release, scheduled for January,” Byron Acohido reports for USA Today. “Beta 2 testers can expect to encounter an obtrusive security feature, called User Account Control (UAC). Designed to prevent intruders from performing harmful tasks, the feature grays out the computer screen, then prods you to confirm that you really want to do certain functions.”
Acohido reports, “In early test versions, the queries crop up so often that they interrupt routine tasks, such as changing the time clock or deleting shortcuts. And UAC sometimes triggers an endless loop of dialogue boxes that can be curtailed only by rebooting, says Paul Thurrott, news editor of Windows IT Pro magazine. ‘Microsoft completely botched UAC,’ Thurrott says. ‘It’s almost criminal in its insidiousness.'”
Full article here.
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Related MacDailyNews article:
Yankee Group: Windows Vista to alienate business with disruptive security features – May 09, 2006
Mossberg: Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard will allow Windows Vista to run on Macs – April 27, 2006
Windows Vista to be Microsoft’s last operating system? – April 21, 2006
Thurrott: Microsoft collapsing under its own weight, Gates has driven Windows Vista into the ground – April 20, 2006
Microsoft employees call for heads to roll over continual Vista slips – March 27, 2006
Microsoft’s Windows Albatross, er Vista could slip even more – March 27, 2006
Microsoft Vista fumble could lead to score for Apple Mac; Mac OS X Leopard may beat Vista to market – March 23, 2006
What’s the difference between Mac OS X and Vista? Microsoft employees are excited about Mac OS X – March 22, 2006
Analyst: Windows Vista may still impress many consumers because they have not seen Apple’s Mac OS X – January 05, 2006
Gartner: Ignore Microsoft Windows Vista until 2008 (why not just get Apple Mac OS X Tiger today?) – November 12, 2005
no comment…
Funny. Microsoft seems to be losing a lot of their fanboys recently.
Great MDN take….
Thing is, Microsoft will have to fix this before go live. Too bad it is cropping up in the Beta 2 test
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If for some reason they do NOT tone it down before go live, they will face the same plauge of trojans and viruses as users resort to running in Administrator mode to avoid these windows.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
and more Hahahahahahahahahahahahahah
Microsoft Maroons.
Microsoft only has Thurrott when they remember to buy his anti-depressants.
Vista, it’s bulletproof.
Now, just make the computers running it bulletproof too, because that’s what people are going to aim their guns at from frustration of using Vista.
VISTA, the only way they could make it secure is to lock out even the user, so a secure windows is one that your not allowed to use lol
It would appear that Microsoft’s implementation of UAC is flawed. No Sh*t Sherlock.
Unfortuantely, these are easy fixes and shouldn’t be a major problem by the time Vista goes public.
Next surprise: Vista code will allow one click switch to Mac OS when installed on Apple machine.
And, get this… provide a big open pipe for all sorts of nasties that will eat up your Mac.
Only better: Steve will beat Bill to the punch with Leopard – same one click wonder transfer between OSs.
Just what we need.
What’s really going on? Will somebody please file a lawsuit or something.
Wow…and I though this was a Mac site. Turns out, it is a Sci-Fi site.
Oh yeah Vista may also be shipped with a million dollar rebate to wipeout the purchasers home and credit card debt. And Vista may also be shipped in a kevlar box. Oh yeah Vista may also clear Acne from teens’ faces. Vista will return hair to thae bald. Vista will make it’s ugly users attracive to Super Models.
If MDN doesn’t post these completely baseless claims with the same vigor that it posts M$’s baseless Vista hype, I will deem MDN fictionally incompetent. Why should my fictional baseless claims be less important that anyone elses? MDN…STOP POSTING HYPE about a fictional consumer OS that no consumer can buy. The difference between an M$ beta and the shipping version are huge as this 10+ year old joke illustrates:
Bill Gates dies and is up at the pearly gates.
St Peter: Well, you’ve got a choice. Have a look around here. Pop down to Hell and see what Satan has to offer. Check us out, and then let me know your decision.
Bill has a look around heaven. Lots’s of somber people singing hymns, praising the Lord. He goes down to Hell. There are beautiful beaches, lots of sun, sand, attractive women. Long cool drinks that never get you drunk. He loves it. He goes back to St Peter.
Gates: Look, I know you’re really doing good things here, but Hell seems more with it. More my kind of scene, you know what I mean? No hard feelings, but I pick Hell.
St Peter: No worries. You’ve got it.
Bill finds himself back in Hell, neck deep in fire and brimstone, suffering eternal torment. He can’t figure it out.
Gates: Hey! St Peter! Where are the beautiful girls and long beaches and cool drinks?
St Peter: Sorry if you got confused, That was just the beta version…
That was about the big letdown called Win95. Now it will be about Vista. Do you guys get it yet? Post about the final product…DUH!
oh boy the Microsoft computer phone tree is here. For option A click here, for option b click here…for option zzzzz click here ….for option a click here …………………the endless Microsoft loop
I’m sure these things will all be ironed out by next January.
Wait 8 months or so and you can have Vista in all its glory! Or get a Mac now out of sheer impatience. Is that a good reason?
Vista will match Tiger feature for feature, and probably beat Tiger in some ways. And it can run your Windows stuff, which for 99% of the world, we already own.
Worth waiting for.
You’ve got a better chance of running MicroSoft BOB than this fantasy-ware called Vista.
http://toastytech.com/guis/bob.html
Vista always has, and always will suck. Why? Because it is basically Windows 95 with a clumsy ‘interface’ and the same old spaghetti code underneath.
Has anybody seen WMP 11? Oh dear, some people actually think it is better than iTunes
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Why do M$ use Tahoma for everything – I don’t even think I’ve got that font installed it is so ugly. Same old M$, TACKY!
“Vista will match Tiger feature for feature, and probably beat Tiger in some ways.”
This is true. Vista will beat Tiger in:
-The number of viruses it will catch
-The number of restarts required in any given day
-The number of times you will be forced to reinstall it
-The number of features blatanly ripped off from your competitor
Anybody got anything else to add to the list?
MDN MW: “except”; Except no substitutions. Get a Mac!
Damn. Except its accept!
Pedro: if we are comparing operating systems that aren’t here yet, then the one that Vista will have to match is Leopard, not Tiger.
Hey, Pedro For Votes.
Wise up.
When (if?) the consumer edition of “Vista” ever ships, it just MAY match “Tiger” feature for feature . . . BUT LEOPARD WILL BE OUT AND IN CONSUMERS’ HANDS THEN!
Good grief, man, are you operating in the real world?
Only a true “moroon” would even THINK of buying/using Vista in its first official iteration of 2007. Wait until the second or third Service Pack, man, and save yourself uncounted hours of grief and torture!
they can’t even think about matching Leopard as it is not available for them to copy. So Vista will try to match Tiger and head for a big disappointment.
Analysts and journalists private comments at latest *show* of Vista were “we have seen that already, and better. In Tiger”
Microsoft is either delusional or everyone is drunk with Balmer armpits exudating kool-aid.
You don’t know the history of driving people even more nuts. I DO.
I’m sure these things will all be ironed out by next January.
Wait 8 months or so and you can have Vista in all its glory! Or get a Mac now out of sheer impatience. Is that a good reason?
Vista will match Tiger feature for feature, and probably beat Tiger in some ways. And it can run your Windows stuff, which for 99% of the world, we already own.
Worth waiting for.
… Well, Pedro, maybe so. But, by that time, Tiger will be old news… LEOPARD will be smacking Vista around like a cheap… well, you get the picture.
Hoss
Like the article says, this “security” is worthless. Any security feature which relies on users to give their approval to processes they don’t understand will just result in the user clicking “OK” to everything. Windows users are already conditioned to do that now.
Note: This is why it’s so very important that Mac developers stay away from anything that requires users to enter a password. The password dialogue should be a red-flag that possibly dangerous system modifications are going to be made. The last thing we want is to condition users to mindlessly type in their password any time it’s requested.
I don’t believe Windows will ever be secure in the way they want it. You can’t reverse-engineer security onto a system that was originally designed as a single-user, non-networked OS. Security needs to be built in from the ground up.
Hold on, are you sure you want to do that?
[ Yes ] – [ No ] – [ Tell me more ]
Are you really sure you want to do that?
[ Hell yeah ] – [ I think so ] – [ Why shouldn’t I? ]
Really, really, really sure?
[ Of course! ] – [ Well, maybe ] – [ Fuck off ]
Sigh, I don’t think I can let you do that.
[ Just do it, moron! ] – [ Why not? ] – [ What’ll it take? ]
Well, Microsoft can’t guarantee you’ll be secure if you do it.
[ Oh Christ! Do it, asswipe!!!! ] – [ I couldn’t give a shit! ] – [ I agree to not hold Microsoft responsible. ]
Done at your own risk!
[ Thank you! ] – [ I love Microsoft ] – [ Vista Rocks! ] – [ Show your gratitude with PayPal ]
Y’all can bitch about how bad the black one looks and how obscene the price jump is, but the Apple logo on the back of the black MB is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.
… I need to get out more.
LOL @ Ray’s beta version! 😀
Thanks, I needed that.
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