Getting started with IIS7 in Windows vista

Making the step from Windows XP Professional to Vista Ultimate may take some adjustment time, but, while for most people and most scenarios it won’t be much of a deal, web developers trying to do their usual thing (build websites ;) ) may find themselves stuck at one point: the very beginning.

In Windows XP Professional and IIS6, you’d start setting up your computer by enabling Internet Information Services in Control Panel/Add/Remove Programs/Windows Components. Installing Internet Information Services would also install the management console that allowed you to setup local websites. Alternatively, in XP Pro, you could define a “virtual site” by right clicking on the respective folder that contained the website, going to Properties, Web Sharing tab, and giving it a name; pretty simple. Well, in Vista and IIS7 it is no longer that simple… for some reason.

Setting up IIS7 in Vista was a bigger hurdle than I thought. Going to Control Panel, Programs and Features, Turn Windows Features on or off and then selecting Internet Information Services left me spending hours trying to figure out why web sharing was not appearing and how to get the iis management console. Why? As said above, Web Sharing via Windows Explorer functionality was simply removed… go ask Microsoft why… and also because, in Vista, the management console must be installed separately. So to be able to manage IIS7, make sure to select to install the IIS Management Console as well…which is under a different branch than the World Wide Web Service; see screenshot below.

Once you selected to install the IIS Management Console as well, you will be able to access it via Control Panel/Administrative Tools/ IIS Manager. Here’s a screenshot of what the new IIS7 manager looks like:

From that point on you’re on your own. I wanted to post this here to spare others some trouble for now.

Keywords: IIS7, IIS 7 Manager, how to manage IIS7, IIS7 web sharing, vista web sharing, configure IIS in Vista, configure IIS7.

Is a warrant needed to search your computer?

What: Homeland Security agents obtained permission from elderly father, who lived in the same house, to search his son's computer for contraband.

When: 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on April 25.

Outcome: By a 2-1 majority, the appeals court ruled the search was permissible because the father had the authority to consent to the search of the computer in his son's bedroom.

Read on to see the logic used by the court...

Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision vs QuickCam Pro 5000 vs. QuickCam STX

I found myself recently in the market for a webcam for PC. Since Creative and Microsoft don't really have any decent products that can compete with Logitech's line-up, especially at the higher end, I needed to choose between Logitech's QuickCam STX, QuickCam Pro 5000 and QuickCam Ultra Vision.

I am posting this since i couldn't really find in my online research any good comparison between these three models, so maybe it will be of help to others.

Since i do not have actual picture and video samples to provide for this post, the following are simply my own impressions based on a comparison between the models mentioned above in an interval of about three days.

I started with the QuickCam STX , which is considered as average, if not slightly better than average... compared to the $20 webcams variety (webcams that i highly advise to steer away from). Retailing at $79.99 CDN, you will often find the STX on special at $24.99, $29.99 or $39.99 CDN, depending on how lucky you are.

The image quality is decent for the price (on special), meaning that if you're only willing to spend no more than $40, you should be satisfied with the quality you get for your money. The image is a bit grainy and movement fairly jerky, while detail is minimal compared to the other webcams I mentioned; but certainly the best quality for the money in this price range. I would not recommend paying more than $40 for the QuickCam STX.

The next step up worth mentioning is the QuickCam Pro 5000. There is a huge difference in quality and detail between the STX and the Pro 5000. You will find the Pro 5000 selling for $120-130 CDN at places like BestBuy and FutureShop, or cheaper in the $80-90 range at other online stores. I purchased the webcam on special at $79.99 CDN.

Since i paid double the price for the Pro 5000, I expected a fairly significant difference in quality and there sure was. The sharpness, detail and lack of graininess are a few factors worth mentioning. Add to that the much better reaction to light conditions and the pretty funny Video Effects and you come to realize the price difference is certainly worth it. If you buy it for no more than $90 CDN, the QuickCam Pro 5000 is a great value for the money.

Greedy for having nothing less than the best, i couldn't rest until i also tried Logitech's top of the line, QuickCam Ultra Vision. It is certainly expensive, retailing at around $190 CDN, even though it is listed on Logitech's website at $129.99 USD, which converts to less than $150 CDN.

I was eager to see whether the difference in image quality between the Ultra Vision and the Pro 5000 was as big as the difference between the Pro 5000 and the STX and if the price difference is justified.

Since i already had the Pro 5000 installed, i simply connected the Ultra Vision to the computer and used the QuickCam software to switch between the two webcams at different resolutions.

I must say that the quality of the Ultra Vision is impressive, dare I say, comparable to that of an average camcorder. Very detailed, very sharp, life-like colors, by far the best of the three. People will not believe you're in front of a webcam and not in front a camcorder or some other higher quality video recording device. But is that worth the price difference of $100?

Well, no... but keep reading. The difference betwen the Pro 5000 and the Ultra Vision is not quite as dramatic as the difference between the Pro 5000 and the STX. Maybe that's due to the fact that the STX's quality really doesn't come anywhere close to that of the other two.

If i had to choose or recommend between the Pro 5000 at ~$90 and the Ultra Vision at ~$190 CDN, i would definitely say go for the Pro 5000. Why? Great value for the money, with a great quality, more than suitable for the average user. Trying to save a few bucks and getting a lesser quality camera than the Pro 5000 shows only that you really don't care enough to be seen. In that case, might as well not get any webcam.

But let's get now to the intriguing and somewhat upsetting part... As i said, the Ultra Vision retails at ~$190 CDN. So you can imagine my surprise when i found the QuickCam Ultra Vision Special Edition (a much nicer black version of the same webcam) on sale at BestBuy US, for $79.99 USD from $129.99 USD. That's more than $100 CDN savings !! So how come, I ask, is that possible? Why do we have to pay so much for the same product in Canada?

So what did i do? I returned the Ultra Vision to the local store and had a friend buy it for me from BestBuy US and ship it over, thus saving over $100 CDN or if you prefer to look at it differently, getting a much higher quality and value for the money for the same price i paid for the QuickCam Pro 5000.

So there you have it. If you need more information, feel free to leave your comments.