Security is supposedly Vista's strong suit over earlier versions of Windows. Yet this claim is hard to take seriously when the default permissions for files are still wide open access to all users. Similarly, although Vista includes warnings against doing daily work in an administrative account, the first boot wizard creates only an administrative account -- and does not insist on a password. Meanwhile, password hints continue to be visible to everyone at the login screen. The bundling of Internet Norton Security is a promising reactive step, combining a firewall and anti-virus software, but the security architecture of Vista still seems questionable when it neglects so many basics. Asking for confirmation whenever an administrative task is done is hardly a significant increase in security.

In this chapter, you get started with GNOME and use it to do the normal and not-so-normal things you face every day with your computer. This includes opening and running applications, managing your files, adjusting the look and feel, using applications, managing your media, and more. Buckle up and get ready to take your shiny new desktop for a drive! Google is initially more focused on the consumer, but clearly is building a business play in the background, while Cisco’s play is more blended, as their VoIP phones shift more and more capability from the desktop and their new set top boxes make home PCs redundant. p> At the core of Google’s strategy to displace Windows is not a PC, but a Web-based set of products that make the OS, any OS, trivial, and focus the advancement on the Web were the value, and the revenue (which will flow to Google) will reside.