Vista Now Open Source

The big open source struggle that began with Linux, moved to enterprise applications and then the consumer space, is now pointed directly at the heads of doctors and hospitals.

VistA, the public record EHR and hospital management software created by the Veterans Administration, is once again an open source movement with word that DSS, its biggest commercial licenser, is switching to the Eclipse Public License.

In a press release posted by its PR firm, the company also said it is joining the Open Health Tools Foundation.

In the press release DSS President Mark Byers was frank about the company’s ambitions with the move:

1. Make VistA a standard framework in the coming battles over health IT; and

2. Get greater cooperation with the open source VistA community.

This is huge news, wrote open source health expert Fred Trotter at his blog. It changes the VistA game and gives open source a strong competitor in VistA software alongside Clearhealth and Medsphere.

While he expressed some skepticism about whether DSS “knows how” to be an open source vendor, Trotter’s piece was welcoming and he offered high praise for its code:

The fact that DSS has chosen to release its code through OHT brings a new relevance to OHT. There should be no confusion however; OHT is relevant because it is working to release DSS code, not the other way around. The code that DSS is releasing has the potential to be vastly more valuable than anything OHT has even attempted.

The move to strengthen open source and VistA is well-timed, given the new Administration’s promise to increase health IT spending. Whether it can beat a city filled with lobbyists is anyone’s guess. (full Story)

Ultimate Windows Tweaker Unlocks Hidden Vista Options

There are a number of apps that have dubbed themselves the "TweakUI" for Windows Vista, and one of the newest contestants for the title is the Ultimate Windows Tweaker. The app is free, supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows Vista, and only offers the relevant tweaks for your version of Vista and installed applications. Ultimate Windows Tweaker features over 130 tweaks and customizations designed to give you a bit more control over your Vista installation.

The Ultimate Windows Tweaker is a portable app and requires no installation. You can drop the executable on a thumb drive or a network share and use it to configure as many Vista systems as you choose. Best of all, it’s tiny, and weighs in at under 1MB.

Once you run the app, you can choose from seven areas to customize, including User Accounts and UAC, Security, System and Performance, Network Optimization, and more. The personalization tweaks are largely UI options that allow you to make Vista look and behave the way you want. The System and Performance options are some of the most useful, and allow you to tweak Vista to shut down faster and tell Vista to automatically end unresponsive programs.

The Ultimate Windows Tweaker also allows you to customize Internet Explorer for performance, and will automatically detect whether you’re running IE7 or an IE8 Beta. Once the app knows what version of IE you’re running, it will only present you with the options available for that version. You can also make changes to the way Vista handles networking, bandwidth, and shared files and folders. (full Story)

Blue Screen Error at Window Launch by Bill Gates

Microsoft to stop selling Windows XP on Monday

Microsoft Corp. is scheduled to stop selling its Windows XP operating system to retailers and major computer makers Monday, despite protests from a slice of PC users who don’t want to be forced into using XP’s successor, Vista.

Once computers loaded with XP have been cleared from the inventory of PC makers such as Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., consumers who can’t live without the old operating system on their new machine will have to buy Vista Ultimate or Vista Business and then legally “downgrade” to XP.

Microsoft will still allow smaller mom-and-pop PC builder shops to buy XP for resale through the end of January. A version of XP will also remain available for ultra-low-cost PCs such as the Asus Eee PC.

A group of vocal computer users who rallied around a “Save XP” petition posted on the industry news site InfoWorld had been clamoring for Microsoft to keep selling XP until its next operating system, Windows 7, is available. The software maker has said it expects to release Windows 7 sometime in 2009.

Last week, Microsoft said it would provide full technical support for six-year-old Windows XP through 2009, and limited support through 2014.