Free condoms for your Windows install
March 30, 2006 5:33 AM Subscribe
Safely install software in a virtual layer. Sick of buggy or beta software screwing with your Windows install? Altiris SVS provides a free and nifty alternative to the software diet by letting you install software into protected layers which can be removed or restored with a single click. (It's like a thinly-sliced version of VMware.) Altiris's Juice site lists lots of interesting tricks such as easily rolling back software patches. Pre-layered software installs available here.
I've been wanting something like this for a looong time. There needs to be a way to restrict the authors of software the same way you can restrict the users of a computer.
Because really, anytime you run a program at a specific privilege level, it's like your letting the software author use your machine as a user at that level.
The problem with simply restricting rights, is that on windows a lot of old software was written in the old model, making it impossible to run restricted.
The solution is to virtualize that access, so that a program can do whatever it wants, but the changes that it makes are to a virtual system that only it can see.
If this is a step in that direction great. I've never understood why Microsoft didn't make this part of the base functionality though, since it would hugely cut down on the harmfulness of spy ware.
posted by delmoi at 7:01 AM on March 30, 2006
Because really, anytime you run a program at a specific privilege level, it's like your letting the software author use your machine as a user at that level.
The problem with simply restricting rights, is that on windows a lot of old software was written in the old model, making it impossible to run restricted.
The solution is to virtualize that access, so that a program can do whatever it wants, but the changes that it makes are to a virtual system that only it can see.
If this is a step in that direction great. I've never understood why Microsoft didn't make this part of the base functionality though, since it would hugely cut down on the harmfulness of spy ware.
posted by delmoi at 7:01 AM on March 30, 2006
I've never understood why Microsoft didn't make this part of the base functionality
I think you DO understand:
letting the software author use your machine as a user at that level.
See? You *DO* understand.
posted by rough ashlar at 7:03 AM on March 30, 2006
I think you DO understand:
letting the software author use your machine as a user at that level.
See? You *DO* understand.
posted by rough ashlar at 7:03 AM on March 30, 2006
Yup looks like this does what I always wanted.
However, the only 'free' part is a 120 day trial, after that you have to go to a reseller. This is software aimed at the corporation, not the individual.
posted by delmoi at 7:05 AM on March 30, 2006
However, the only 'free' part is a 120 day trial, after that you have to go to a reseller. This is software aimed at the corporation, not the individual.
posted by delmoi at 7:05 AM on March 30, 2006
Rough: huh? Obviously microsoft could let their own products by pass their layer. Certanly drivers and parts of the OS would.
posted by delmoi at 7:06 AM on March 30, 2006
posted by delmoi at 7:06 AM on March 30, 2006
huh?
Microsoft wants to be able to control their own software, to create breakage in other packages. Create breakage in their own packages.
Otherwise, why would you upgrade from Office 95?
Its all about the cash flow. Delaying the new OS and Office must be a hurting their cash flow. Expect security patches to 'break' old versions of the OS soon enough, as a way to push upgrades of Office. They are already running ads "why are you using such an old version".
posted by rough ashlar at 7:17 AM on March 30, 2006
Microsoft wants to be able to control their own software, to create breakage in other packages. Create breakage in their own packages.
Otherwise, why would you upgrade from Office 95?
Its all about the cash flow. Delaying the new OS and Office must be a hurting their cash flow. Expect security patches to 'break' old versions of the OS soon enough, as a way to push upgrades of Office. They are already running ads "why are you using such an old version".
posted by rough ashlar at 7:17 AM on March 30, 2006
They are already running ads "why are you using such an old version"
Those "Dinosaur" ads are supremely annoying. "We should update to Office 200x!"... errr... why? If what they have already does the job?
posted by slater at 7:25 AM on March 30, 2006
Those "Dinosaur" ads are supremely annoying. "We should update to Office 200x!"... errr... why? If what they have already does the job?
posted by slater at 7:25 AM on March 30, 2006
delmoi: Actually the Personal version of SVS seems to be without a time limit, as far as I can see.
It is not linked on the main Altiris site through; you can find it at the last link posted by yoz.
posted by Cironian at 7:25 AM on March 30, 2006
It is not linked on the main Altiris site through; you can find it at the last link posted by yoz.
posted by Cironian at 7:25 AM on March 30, 2006
Man. Altiris just sent me two cans of "Juice". Nutrition facts?
Amount Per Serving, Daily Value
Support Forum: 100%
Sample Applications: 100%
Applcation Best Practices 100%
Downloads: 100%
News: 100%
Podcasts: 100%
Vitamin E - Eliminate Application Conflicts
Vitamin I - Instantly repair damaged applications
Vitamin S - Significantly reduce leading time for rollouts
Vitamin I - On-demand application provisioning
A significant source of information, news, tipes & tricks about virtualizatoin.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a diet of ravenous hunger for the freshest info. Your Daily value may be higher or lower depending on your visualization needs.
You can't make this stuff up. Weird press kit.
And if you're wondering, the Juice was Apple.
posted by disillusioned at 7:30 AM on March 30, 2006
Amount Per Serving, Daily Value
Support Forum: 100%
Sample Applications: 100%
Applcation Best Practices 100%
Downloads: 100%
News: 100%
Podcasts: 100%
Vitamin E - Eliminate Application Conflicts
Vitamin I - Instantly repair damaged applications
Vitamin S - Significantly reduce leading time for rollouts
Vitamin I - On-demand application provisioning
A significant source of information, news, tipes & tricks about virtualizatoin.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a diet of ravenous hunger for the freshest info. Your Daily value may be higher or lower depending on your visualization needs.
You can't make this stuff up. Weird press kit.
And if you're wondering, the Juice was Apple.
posted by disillusioned at 7:30 AM on March 30, 2006
LIFEHAX OMG!
Ahem. Despite my reservations about the title of the blog, this is a good idea. It definitely makes sense, and Microsoft should have done this themselves long, long ago — this just shows them once again to be the gigantic flailing elephant of a company that they've become.
I wonder how well this really works, though, if they cover every detail. It can't be easy with the labyrinth of Windows internals.
posted by blacklite at 7:55 AM on March 30, 2006
Ahem. Despite my reservations about the title of the blog, this is a good idea. It definitely makes sense, and Microsoft should have done this themselves long, long ago — this just shows them once again to be the gigantic flailing elephant of a company that they've become.
I wonder how well this really works, though, if they cover every detail. It can't be easy with the labyrinth of Windows internals.
posted by blacklite at 7:55 AM on March 30, 2006
The fact that ANY software needs to install within the system is just lazy residual archaic crapola programming of the OS.
posted by HTuttle at 8:02 AM on March 30, 2006
posted by HTuttle at 8:02 AM on March 30, 2006
Damn, I was going to post this. I just got turned on to this by Kindall over IRC.
My comment was "Damn, that's the slickest thing I've seen since the first time I watched someone parition a dual-bus, dual-CPU machine and hard-reboot it to POST/BIOS while still maintaining a VM/VPC instance on the other partition."
Still haven't had a chance to play with it, but I have a feeling we'll be poking around at it at work to deal with troublesome apps shortly.
posted by loquacious at 8:43 AM on March 30, 2006
My comment was "Damn, that's the slickest thing I've seen since the first time I watched someone parition a dual-bus, dual-CPU machine and hard-reboot it to POST/BIOS while still maintaining a VM/VPC instance on the other partition."
Still haven't had a chance to play with it, but I have a feeling we'll be poking around at it at work to deal with troublesome apps shortly.
posted by loquacious at 8:43 AM on March 30, 2006
See also: Softricity is a Boston-area company that does more or less the same thing, though optimized for big IT organizations and remote deployment of apps.
I know some of the principals. It's a good company and a slick product.
posted by killdevil at 9:21 AM on March 30, 2006
I know some of the principals. It's a good company and a slick product.
posted by killdevil at 9:21 AM on March 30, 2006
My comment was "Damn, that's the slickest thing I've seen since the first time I watched someone parition a dual-bus, dual-CPU machine and hard-reboot it to POST/BIOS while still maintaining a VM/VPC instance on the other partition."
Did you mean that ironically?
posted by illovich at 10:03 AM on March 30, 2006
Did you mean that ironically?
posted by illovich at 10:03 AM on March 30, 2006
digglicios.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:08 PM on March 30, 2006
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:08 PM on March 30, 2006
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posted by yoz at 5:34 AM on March 30, 2006