As I become more and more comfortable with Vista the number of unsigned software that I am using is starting to grate on my nerves. I am not sure if I am more annoyed with the developers or the OS that keeps reminding me (even when I tell it not to remind me).

There is quite comprehensive article on signing of .NET applications, however, what the article does not go into is that getting a valid certificate from a 3rd party is not free. I can create a test certificate, but the application will have a test certificate that is not verifiable. What, pray tell, is the point of that!

The perfect scenario for me is to use a Uri that I own as the point of verification, that way I can have and own a certificate that is publicly accessible! So as long as you believe that my site is mine, by extension you can trust that I own and control the certificate at that Uri!

Please submit all ideas for this scenario here!

When using previous incarnations of Windows, the windows key + 'R' combination was indispensable as a short cut to all things that were found in C:\windows\systeme32. Within Vista, however,  there has been a marked attempt to bring in all programs into this shortcut loving world by presenting and alphabetized list of all your installed programs by simply pressing the windows key.

I noticed today when I type 'n' in the run command prompt Microsoft Visual C# Express was at the top of the list despite that fact that it clearly does not begin with the letter 'n'. Clearly this violates the alphabetic order that the list is supposed to be presented in, but I think I am to blame as interprets my previous fat fingered errors as a preference to select Microsoft Visual C# when I click 'n'.

Not sure why this is, but now I just want to figure out why notepad2 will not go to the top of my list!

I hop on my wife's laptop every opportunity I get, I think the Vista UI is just super slick. I was adjusting the volume and noticed that I could adjust the relative volume of all the open applications that required sound.

This is just a better way to live! I hope Corillian\CheckFree\[Next take over company name here] lets us upgrade soon.

In my last post I mentioned the Windows Experience Index (WEI) on my HP Pavillion DV6000 notebook was 2.2. As I wrote it struck me that it seemed to be awfully low. In fact it dawned on me that I had checked this WEI on the same machine in Circuit City and it was 3.1! I went back to the store and confirmed that I actually purchased the right model, and that I had not somehow been tricked into purchasing a lower model. After being convinced that the model numbers matched I decided to give HP support a call which is where this story gets interesting.

Now I know I should have low expectation of level 1 tech support but considering I have been developing and supporting software solutions for almost 10 years I need to feel someone is as talented and committed (tooting my own horn) as me! So I get through all the initial tell all of the meeting and this guy actually has no idea what Windows Experience Index is! I try to explain that this is a part of the Vista OS and that it is not actually a separate program for which I can supply a version number. After being left on hold for about 10 minutes he comes back finally convinced that I am actually telling the truth.

After about another 10 minutes of waiting he gets back on the phone and lets me know that there is an known issue with HP machines and the Vista OS' ability to detect the correct Index for various components. I was this close to sending my machine back after what amounted to a great first day. If I do not see an update for this issue soon, I still might!

"You can learn from anyone even your enemy." - Ovid

I purchased my wife a HP Pavillion DV6000 notebook this weekend, I think I would have preferred to get the Sony Vaio but that ended up being a bit pricey. After removing all those HP craplets that are littered throughout the system I started to look a little more closely at the the Performance Information, specifically the Windows Experience Index.

I found the Windows Vista blog that helped to explain in more details what these arbitrary numbers would mean in relation to the actual user experiences. My lowest number was in relation to the 'Graphics: Desktop performance for Windows Aero' at 2.2, this seemed kinda low and coupled with the fact that I only have 1 Gb RAM (2 x 512MB sticks ... how frustrating) the overall experience was surprisingly snappy. I am very happy with the Vista feel, I am just loving the eye candy.

I love the concept of Gadgets and am looking forward to creating a good Google Notifier. I am not sure I like any of the Gadgets that represent Gmail so far. I would have thought that most companies would be making Gadgets with a friendly digital signature to give us that warm fuzzy feeling as we install ... but alas the only Gadgets of note were signed by Microsoft.

I became painfully aware of the confirmations required for every single installation\uninstallation that I performed. It got to the point that I was not even reading the messages which surely is the whole point of the added security.

I checked out the file system briefly which now consists of the much more succinct "C:\Users\[YOURID]", I never like the "C:\Documents and Settings\YOURID".

What else ... oh ... with they have given a well deserved face lift to all the games and added a couple of new ones. I absolutely love the addition of the 3D chess game, it allows you chose the type of Board and pieces, but I really wish we could use cooler characters ala Star Wars.

Now I was little disappointed that Zone Alarm has not updated its product to work on Vista. Aside from that I give the first day of Vista two thumbs way up!!!

"We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us." - Francois de La Rochefoucauld

With the release of Vista I am very seriously considering the upgrade ... I have only a few peripherals that I am worried about, but what is of greatest concern to me is whether my home based PCs can handle the transition. In the past Microsoft has always grossly underestimated, IMHO, the required hardware specs.

So this time round instead of making an educated guess (AKA suck it and see) I downloaded the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor! This application starts to scan your hardware and verifies which version of Vista, if any, is right for you. In addition it scans your software, and peripherals for potential issues.

For my laptop, Upgrade Advisor recommended the following:

The Advisor allows you to save a report and complete a checklist of TODO's, a lot of thought went into this and because Windows is an open bucket for virtually any hardware, and therefore driver (unlike the Mac), this kind of application is critical to upgrade success.

"Adversity is the trial of principle. Without it a man hardly knows whether he is honest or not." - Henry Fielding

I have wanted to have a peek at Windows Vista for a while, but simply do not have the daring to install it on my well preserved home machine. Well here is a comprehensive, but slow, alternative for you techies without spare hardware. You can preview Windows Vista Business Edition via Virtual Labs. You can check out many of the key features e.g. Schedule Automatic Backups, Restore Old Files, Windows Side Bar, Gadgets and much more.

You may also want to install Office 2007 on your own machine for a 60 day trial, be warned after 60 days you will no longer be able to create, save or print files and I am not sure about rollback options.

"The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land." - Gilbert Chesterton