On Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:53:42 EDT, "Richard Crowley"
wrote:

Note that the requirements for the newer operating systems (post-
XP) are significantly higher for application authors

In what sense?

so don't be
too surprised if some favorite apps take longer to make the upgrade.
Also not unusual for developers to just throw in the towel at the
sight of the newer requirements.

Some software devs also didn't move with increased security
requirements. Microsoft finally started to clamp down in Windows
Vista. In my opinion long overdue. And Vista got blamed for this.
These standards predate Windows 2000.

For example

1) requiring that folks run their apps as administrators

1) software devs running as a regular user to locate all such
problems.

2) installing apps to \Program Files is obviously fine but put all
your data files in the users Application Data

3) Installing the software in it's own folder on the root of C drive
with a mixture of exes, dlls and data files shouldn't be done either.

Tony (software developer)

"Tony VE6MVP" wrote ...
"Richard Crowley" wrote:
Note that the requirements for the newer operating systems (post-
XP) are significantly higher for application authors

In what sense?

The number of hardware and software products that got left by
the wayside by Vista is unprecedented in MS Windows history.
That is one of the BIG reasons for the continued popularity of XP.

so don't be
too surprised if some favorite apps take longer to make the upgrade.
Also not unusual for developers to just throw in the towel at the
sight of the newer requirements.

Some software devs also didn't move with increased security
requirements. Microsoft finally started to clamp down in Windows
Vista. In my opinion long overdue. And Vista got blamed for this.
These standards predate Windows 2000.

For example

1) requiring that folks run their apps as administrators

1) software devs running as a regular user to locate all such
problems.

2) installing apps to \Program Files is obviously fine but put all
your data files in the users Application Data

3) Installing the software in it's own folder on the root of C drive
with a mixture of exes, dlls and data files shouldn't be done either.

No argument at all. I'm both a software developer AND someone
who owns/maintains ~100 windows systems in semi-public use in
several classrooms, so I see it from both ends.

I'm just saying that MS finally raised the bar and enforced it this time
(for better or for worse) and lots of programmers and hardware
vendors made the decision that the cost/benefit ratio was no longer
in their favor. Just saying.

Richard KE6GKP

Tony VE6MVP wrote:
Some software devs also didn't move with increased security
requirements. Microsoft finally started to clamp down in Windows
Vista. In my opinion long overdue. And Vista got blamed for this.
These standards predate Windows 2000.

For example

1) requiring that folks run their apps as administrators

Some game companies figured out that sophisticated users were able to
use the "limited user" boundary as a lever to pry open copy-protection
features, and therefore demanded that their software run only in
Administrator accounts.

Professional system administrators actually welcomed the change, since
it meant that their lusers couldn't play games with company property,
and that ID-ten-T problems went down proportionately. ;-)

Bill, W1AC