Windows 8 - My First Reaction

Here is my first reaction for Windows 8

The headline according to me would be - the new Start Interface is not complete.

What I liked...

• I like the way Microsoft has gone light its the transparency fad, that it has used to extensively in Windows 7. 
• I like the new Start screen, but I want a lot of customization options so that I can optimize it to my choice and liking.
• Most of the applications are running smoother.
• VB6 ran comfortably, with minor tweaks - This was important because I am still supporting a lot of my older applications on this platform.

What I did-not like...

• The configuration for the Start screen is not good.
• I want to be able add programs and apps and arrange (lock) them at locations of my choice on the screen.
• The All Programs equivalent in the Start Menu is all botched up - In fact it was the scariest experience.
• Most apps run in Full Screen mode - Why? I request Microsoft to give an option to make them run like normal windows applications.
• Shut Down is not easy. Thank goodness I remembered Alt-F4 shuts down.
• I would have appreciated if MSDE2000 would install, but I can do without it. I have successfully migrated to SQL2012 Express.

My first evaluation...
I am not regretting the update, but I would certainly appreciate a more "friendly" Start screen.

I wish Microsoft success with this Windows 8 OS.

Salman Khurshid - Did he give a reply?

Salman Khurshid - Did he address the issues raised against his trust?

No! A big No!

He did  not reply to any of the corruption charges that were leveled against him.

All he and his wife did was show a couple of photographs that were not related to any of the charges leveled against him over the last few days and a challenged individual who was wearing a hearing aid.

The main charges against his trust are that the trust had submitted several forged documents including a forged affidavit. He, himself, is that Law Minister of the country, and surely he knows the implications of submitting forged documents.

He just did not say anything on this.

Come on Mr. Law Minister, the people is eagerly waiting for some answers on the charges leveled and not unrelated stories.

Action against the protestors - Nothing against the corrupt

A couple of days back, TV news channel Aaj Tak did a story on the misdoings of a trust in UP.  The news anchors on the channel alleged that the trust run by Salman Khurshid and his wife is involved in siphoning off around Rs. 71 lacs of aid money by submitting forged documents.

According to the internal "departmental" investigations - a lot of papers were submitted with forged signatures and seals of officials in Uttar Pradesh, with the help of which money earmarked to provide aid-n-appliances for the persons with disabilities was siphoned off. The news also showed copies of letters from the UP government to the central government where in they have confirmed that the signatures and seals were forged.

In today's era of multi-crore scams this amount is chicken feed, but still the story was important because Salman Khurshid is India's Law Minister.

Although it remains to be seen who is guilty in the matter, there certainly has been foul play.

Today, on 12 Oct 2012, Arvind Kejriwal was arrested - or should I say detained - because he was protesting against this crime against humanity.

Is it not an irony? 

Action is being taken against the person who is just demanding action against the people involved in the matter. Even after three days of exposing this scandal, no action has been taken against the people who run the trust. Not even an inquiry has been announced.

Whose responsible for the loss of crores and crores of rupees?

Almost everybody - including those within the government and those outside - agrees that there is rampant corruption in the country.

There is even a general acceptance that only 10-12% of the funds allocated for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden in this country reaches the targeted at the grass-root levels, rest of the entire amount is either gobbled by the corrupt or lost in the bureaucratic red tape.


Yet, it is surprising, the successive governments have done very little to device measures that ensure checks and controls, device measures that club responsibility and accountability when earmarking funds for any project.


Way back in the 80s, the then Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi had publicly accepted this. The country's media recently when on record stating that lakhs of crores of Indian money is stashed in Swiss and other similar Banks.

I would certainly like to know, why then, each year the government is allocating crores and crores of rupees for development schemes in the far-flung rural regions without putting in place any mechanism that can ensure proper utilization of the funds.

Who is responsible for this great loss to the nation?

Arrest Warrant against Mukesh Ambani

Arrest Warrant against Mukesh Ambani!

Of all the things, a consumer court in Kerala has put out an arrest warrant against Mukesh Ambani. He is to be produced in court on the 15 Feb 2012.

The arrest warrant is because his company - Reliance Infocomm - failed to honour the penalty imposed on it. The Thirissur Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum had in 2010 asked Reliance Infocomm to pay the complainant, M. Joseph, Rs. 24000 and interest for five years.

The petitioner approached the court once again in March 2011, when the company failed to give him his awarded compensation for more than one year.

Serious Allegations of Senior Ministers - S. M. Krishna and P. Chidambaram

More cases against senior ministers in the Government of India is putting the government in compromising situation. 

The present UPA-Government at the centre is already in a storm, especially after the way it has gone out of the way to victimize and punish those who are fight for strong anti-corruption and anti-black-money measures.

An FIR has been filed against S. M. Krishna, the external affairs minister of India, while P. Chidambaram is in the dock after Subramanian Swamy has been allowed by the CBI court to prove his claim of the current Home Minister and the then Finance Minister's involvement in the 2G scam.

A case has been registered in Karnataka against S. M. Krishna over the illegal mining during the period when he was Chief Minister.

The music being faced by P. Chidambaram is multi-faceted. It is alleged that he was an equal partner in the crime that A. Raja allegedly committed in the allotment of 2G spectrum. 

Subramanian Swamy has also move the Supreme Court in which he has sought to a probe into the role of P. Chidambaram. Letters have also surfaced, from the finance ministry, that have raised doubts over the role of the then Finance Minister. 

In a separate case, a court in Tamil Nadu is hearing a petition that has challenged P. Chidambaram election to the Lok Sabha in 2009.

The other high profile politicians who are facing criminal proceedings and/or investigations include Sukh Ram, A. Raja, Dayanidhi Maran, Narendra Modi, B. S. Yeddyurappa, Madhu Koda

Intentions behind the censorship controversy of Kapil Sibal

I seriously doubt Kapil Sibal's intentions in wanting to censor the content on social networking sites.

I feel, the government wants to try and control backlash from the people when Anna Hazare launches his next round of protest against the government on the issue of Jan-Lokpal.

After all, it appears that the standing committee will be presenting a draft that will go against he "sentiment of the parliament" that had accepted in principle the points raised by Anna Hazare and his Jan Lokpal Bill. I feel, that he thinks a controversy of this kind will distract the people frequenting these sites.

We shall know the truth by this time tomorrow, when Abhishek Singhvi will have presented the report of the standing committee before the house.