[triadtechtalk] Re: Windows ME
- From: Howard <bint@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: triadtechalk <triadtechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 20:15:53 -0400
This is just fresh off today's Langa List for those who don't get
it.
-- Hi Fred, I spotted this today and thought it may be of use to
you. By the way, if you're not already a visitor to the Extremetech
website, it looks like something that would be right up your
alley.
"ExtremeTech Readers Uncover a Major Flaw in Microsoft's
Windows ME Operating System Memory Leak Could Potentially
Put Millions of Computers at Risk of Frequent Crashes;
Microsoft Support Confirms They Are Investigating the Problem (
http://www.extremetech.com ), Ziff Davis Internet's site for
hardcore technologists, reported today that its readers have
uncovered a significant flaw in Windows Millennium Edition
(Windows ME), the consumer version of Microsoft's flagship
operating system. The flaw -- a memory leak -- could put
millions of users at risk of frequent crashes. The full story can be
found online in the site's news section at
http://www.extremetech.com/article/0,3396,s%253D201%2526a%253D8748,00.asp
..."
"According to the report, Microsoft support has confirmed that
the problem exists and that they are currently researching a
solution. The memory leak occurs when users open large programs
or files in Windows ME and then later close them. By
design Windows is supposed to "recover" the amount of free
memory available to the system for other tasks. However, due
to this leak, Windows ME never actually manages its free memory
properly, thereby leaving a system unstable and highly
vulnerable to freezes, crashes and "blue screens of death." The
problem does not affect any other version of the operating
system."
Thanks, Jim.
There are several errors in the Ziff story. First, WinME isn't
Microsoft's "flagship" OS by a long shot; it's a stopgap OS
designed to generate some extra revenue for Microsoft until the
Win9X and NT/2K- based OS cores merge in the
forthcoming XP operating system.
Second, all Win9X operating systems suffer from memory leak problems
of one kind or another; memory leaks in general
are not unique to WinME. However, with this particular OS-level
leak, it appears that WinME actually has regressed to a
point where it's worse than earlier versions of Windows.
("Flagship." Hmmph!) In this area, as in so many others,
Win98SE is a much better home/end-user choice; and Win2K a much
better business-oriented choice.
Core-level memory leaks are hard to fix--- it takes a very low-level
fix, usually from the OS maker, to do the trick. But
other memory leaks can be plugged: See, for example
http://content.techweb.com/winmag/columns/explorer/2000/14.htm
.
And there are a number of other things you can do to work around
WinME's many other limitations (see
http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/merunbetter/default.htm
).
But my best advice still remains: Avoid WinME if you can. It's a
dog.
(These are NOT my opinions .... They are from Fred's List)!!
Howard
bint@xxxxxxxxxxxx
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