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5/2/2008
Microsoft plans to stop selling Windows XP for new state-of-the-art PCs on June 30, despite rumors that XP's life would be extended. Windows XP Home Edition will still be available past that date to customers buying new so-called "ultra-low-cost personal computers," which have hardware that is insufficient for running Vista.
Another option for new PC buyers wanting to get their machines loaded with Windows XP is to buy them with Vista licensing and then request a downgrade to XP. Original equipment manufacturers have the rights to downgrade Vista, but the rights are only for Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate versions. Moreover, the downgrade can be performed only to Windows XP Professional. Those who bought their PCs with Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium do not have these downgrade rights, according to a Microsoft FAQ (Word file). Individual dealers may or may not charge to perform the downgrade.
Kurt Mackie is Web editor of RCPmag.com and ADTmag.com. He can be reached at kmackie@1105media.com.
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In May in San Francisco, experts from leading universities, libraries, and research institutions around the world met as part of an ongoing effort to address a pressing issue: archiving the world's history, right up to today.
The Quilt, a coalition of 28 regional network organizations, has added XO Communications Services to its authorized vendor list. The Quilt represents 200 universities and thousands of other educational institutions across the United States. With this new relationship, Quilt members can purchase XO's high-speed IP transit and network transport services at competitive rates.
At the NECC 2008 conference in Texas this week, Wimba launched a new version of Wimba Classroom, the virtual classroom component of the company's Collaboration Suite. The new 5.2 release expands options for classroom capture and adds a variety of other functional and ease of use features.
The lure of automating workflow online so human intervention is minimized is continually reinforced in the minds of higher education administrators by examples of automated campus systems such as financials, student information systems, and other enterprise systems. But what's good for management is not always good for learning.
Cognos, which IBM acquired in January, has released an update to its business intelligence software that will run on the Linux operating system on IBM System z mainframes. IBM Cognos 8 BI was being developed by the two companies prior to the acquisition, but assimilation of Cognos into IBM accelerated development.
Facebook is a way to greet a colleague as if she or he is on your own campus: a wave at a distance, a hello at the corner burrito place, a honk as you both leave the campus parking lot. Informal collegiality has been extended over the miles.