UAC in Windows Vista: simply a non-issue

It sounds already like a broken record. Users and IT "experts" whining and complaining about one of the key security features of Windows Vista: User Account Control (UAC). And over this subject there's considerable contention: some are in favor and many "don't like it". My opinion regarding this is clear: UAC is a non-issue. I know users have to use UAC to protect themselves from malware (spyware, Trojan horses and viruses), and the objective of UAC is simple: to ask for elevated privileges to install software or hardware, change system settings, etc. not always legit, but triggered precisely by malware. In Windows Vista everybody runs as a standard user, including members of the Administrators groups and that's why even when your are logged as Administrator you will still get the UAC prompt. At any rate, much ado about nothing! (UAC is however, from a technical viewpoint, a very interesting and crucial subject in bringing out the best of Windows Vista and 7).

My IT predictions for 2009

I am not a magician or a IT psychic but I'd like to venture some thoughts:

• Windows Vista will gain acceptance, thanks to the good reviews of Windows 7, which actually is an upgrade of Windows Vista.
  


• Windows 7 will be released in November 2009.


• Adoption of Netbooks, which I consider oversized PDAS, will grow by the summer only to drop sharply by the end of the year.
  


• The iPhone will continue to be the major player among smartphones, but Windows Mobile adoption will grow as well (expect previews of Windows Mobile 7 in the autumn) and the Palm Pre will definitely make waves.
  


• Users will start demanding more matte screens, as opposed to unsightly and unusable glossy screens (in laptops) which are actually a fad of the last 3 years.
  


• Interest in Cloud computing will wane to its deserved level: a good technology that certainly will not replace established data centers. They will simply coexist.
  


• Linux and its countless distributions will stay at the same level of acceptance as they are now, no fluctuations.
  


• The Internet will start to become less secure and at the same time less democratic. New laws will arise. Governments will start to intervene more.
  


• Japanese and Chinese will come up with new Internet paradigms and will also be able to start using their languages on the address line: URLs in Japanese and Chinese! Just another sign of the beginning of the end of the Western world predominance in science and technology.