Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

d_e — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:10:31 GMT

And what are the improvements in Windows 7?

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

Domenico — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:11:49 GMT

Nice!

Now i wont tablet PC :D

Example new dell latitude Xt2

http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/10/dell-latitude-xt2-multi-touch-tablet-with-11-hour-battery-now-of/

Calibration

mustafaburny2007 — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:55:02 GMT

Handwriting works amazingly well on Tablet PCs, but a major problem I'm having with pen input (atleast on my HP Tablet PC) is terrible calibration and a no reliable way to improve calibration. The pointer will often be half a centimeter off from the point where the pen tip is touching the screen. In addition, at different positions on the screen, the calibration is correspondingly better or worse. Now, perhaps this is more of a hardware issue (which Microsoft has less control over), but it would be great if some kind of better calibration tool came with Windows 7 (there is one that I believe came with HP on my machine but it only had 4 calibration points on it and more often than not ruins calibration even more than it already is). The more calibration points on this tool the better--I wouldn't mind pecking away at the screen every once in a while if I could enjoy a realistic "pen and paper" experience.

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

peterfnet — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:42:18 GMT

Impressive. My nasty handwriting may actually be usable.

I take it that you're planning on releasing updates for the recognition if you're setting up an opt-in feedback service?

Pen Callibration

Antimatter — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:08:47 GMT

After years of using the pen, I find it serves me better focus on where the cursor is rather than where the pen tip is. It's never more than a mm off for me anyway, so it's not too much of a hardship.

Although I should mention there is a better calibration tool with Windows 7 that uses 16 points, but I haven't noticed an appreciable difference due to it.

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

LorenHeiny — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:40:32 GMT

Thanks for the excellent write up.

What about the new Math Input Panel new to Windows 7? Is there any overlap in how it was created? If so, is there a broader tool/API that could be created which Microsoft and third parties could use to create other recognition sets?

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

martinmine — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:37:47 GMT

Too cool!

AND FINALY! NORWEGIAN IS GOING TO BE SUPPORTED! :D Therefore, I must get a tabletPC at once Windows 7 get's released ^^,

Great improovemnts!

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

jrronimo — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:03:11 GMT

I think I have a lot of "bad habits" when it comes to pen input in Windows -- my first pen input device was an HP iPaq 3850 running PocketPC 2002. I learned to make my L's as curly-L's, even though I don't do that normally -- it increased recognition.

After reading this post I just went and did about half of the handwriting exercises. Hopefully this will help my Win7 tablet with my URL entry in non-IE browsers. :D

Wonderful post! I'm incredibly interested in this sort of thing, so I really appreciate your time writing this up Yvonne. Also thanks to Steven for posting it. :)

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

Helmore — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 03:14:42 GMT

Pretty awesome, now if I only had a tablet/convertible PC myself.

I'm wondering though, you said that the recognizer will use the language that your spellchecker uses to improve the recognizers accuracy. How does this work of you would use 2 languages at the same time? Let's say I'm making lecture notes, which are given in Dutch in my case, but have to use quite some English words while doing so. Wouldn't using 2 languages at the same time decrease accuracy in this case? Or is the recognizer intelligent enough to know that you are not consistently using the same language in that same piece of text?

I have to admit though, I'm really interested in buying myself a nice tablet/convertible laptop in the future and this post made me even more eager to have one.

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

bdodson — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:41:35 GMT

I have to say - the handwriting recognition software in Windows is excellent.

I actually found a very interesting use: when I was taking Chinese class in school, a tablet PC was by far the best way of using a dictionary to find the meaning and pronunciation of a character. By hand this requires looking the character up by radical and stroke count (a laborious process by any standard) - writing the character on screen with a tablet PC was massively easier (and worked incredibly well).

Perhaps you should advertise tablets to students studying east asian languages?

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

lozmatic — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:24:05 GMT

bdodson, I'm learning chinese too and have had the same idea about using Chinese (mandarin) character recognition: using OneNote to practice writing them down and using recognition to see if I've done so correctly :)

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

steven_sinofsky — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:40:00 GMT

@bdodson & @lozmatic -- Hey, I did the same thing!

During my first demo of the new recognizers I even got a chance to write a little "show off" by writing a bit of Russian (a very little bit).

--Steven

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

SeanP — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:54:34 GMT

<pedant mode="on">Since when were 'USA' and 'UK' languages? Surely you mean English with USA or UK spelling & grammar?</pedant>

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

Domenico — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:16:14 GMT

Off topic

http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=1436

Smile :D

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

Joop — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:01:51 GMT

Very interesting and very impressive!

What about Speech and Narrator?

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

Domenico — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:41:18 GMT

The Great Mark Russinovich

Springboard Windows 7

http://ms.istreamplanet.com/springboard/portal.asp

Enjoy

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

Lockon — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:38:10 GMT

Ultimate Extras come in windows seven ultimate ? From my point of view is an important feature for windows, that many bought the Ultimate version, not only by all the features but also by the ultimate extras. Many hope that this feature is not removed from the final version

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

FWinkelman — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:10:49 GMT

I've upgraded my Thinkpad X60 Tablet running Vista to the Windows 7 beta. Nice! Except, now I don't have Dutch recognition anymore. Under Vista I could also put it to Dutch, in Win7 I only get the on-screen keyboard when set to the Dutch language. (Note: I ran English Vista, not Dutch, so that's not it...)

Is the beta missing other pen input languages but English, or can I turn it on somewhere.

Oh yeah, I do like the 'in place' recognition of Win7! Easier then the Vista way. And Win7 does indeed a better job of recognizing, IMHO.

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

ATS967 — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 07:43:12 GMT

I was waiting for Arabic language recognition from the first days of tablets, years ago.

I know that Arabic language recognition is very different from Latin languages, but if Microsoft did not do it, who will?

When will you add support for Arabic language?

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting for EA languages

WeiYu — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:59:37 GMT

In this version we have significantly improved the accuracy for four East Asian languages (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), we have also provided better personalization scheme, and we also support text prediction fucntion for CHS and CHT. Actually our accuracy has surprised many users since initially they didn't expect their cursive writing can be recognized!

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

RikDederly — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:52:25 GMT

This will be a big benefit for students and the learning process in general. the days of taking hand written notes may soon become a thing of the past. I would also image this could reduce the amount of paper used, in that all notes can be consolidated.

re: Recognizing Improvements in Windows 7 Handwriting

Paweł — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 19:59:50 GMT

well, handwriting itself works spotless, BUT I used to use TRUST's graphic tablet which seems not to work with anything else than handwriting collector as cursor sticks to the edges of the screen and I can only move it up and down :( 7's handwriting works, however well

Networking: HOSTS files & WFP vs. 3 layer/driver PORT FILTERING

Alexander Peter Kowalski — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:00:38 GMT

See subject-line above:

I have YET to see a valid technical response from anyone online, be they Microsoft networking personnel (or otherwise) as to:

----

1.) Why HOSTS files in VISTA/Server 2008/Windows 7 cannot use the more efficient on disk smaller 0 blocking IP address

(vs. the larger & slower to load 127.0.0.1 loopback adapter, or the slightly less efficient 0.0.0.0, for stopping known bad site access)

----

AND

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2.) Why the GUI front-end for PORT FILTERING has been removed in VISTA/Server 2008/Windows 7... or, rather, moved to the Advanced section of Windows Firewall controls.

(&, the reasoning from the VISTA resource kit is poor in this regards, because removing the PORT FILTERING gui control feature ONLY doesn't prevent the other 2-3 methods of layered security from working WITH (or against) one another, as the reasoning was stated)

----

Removing the PORT FILTER 3 part design (not just the Local Connection gui control layer of security) is a BAD MOVE, imo, & for the SAME REASON "zone defenses" are usually better than "man-to-man" ones in sports!

Now - the reasoning given by the VISTA reskit was that removing it was because none of the methods in software firewalls, IP Security Policies, Port Filtering & even RRAS methods do not "automatically sync" w/ one another...

WELL - so what?

I say that, because this actually WORKS IN FAVOR of "layered security", because if 1 of them goes down (or, is taken down, which is what malware often seek to do, say, in the case of software firewalls), the other layered security methods are in the way...

This is much like folks using deadbolt locks, door handle locks, & chain locks on the doors of their homes - break 1? The others still function to stop intruders.

Nobody seems to be answering why this was done, especially in favor of BOTH of the above points, as to WHY it was done... could it be MS has made a mistake here, & is unwilling to admit it publicly?

Until I see a SOLID, LOGICAL TECHNICAL REASON for both of the above occurring, because I have not to date, @ this poin, from YOU folks @ MS, or from others interested in the area of TCP/IP networking online?

I am leaning to my conclusion here - MS has messed up...

APK

P.S.=> Following up on what I wrote up above!

(That's so others here have some documentation from Microsoft themselves, & especially in regards to the differences in HOW their security works now)

Thus, I'll now note how:

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1.) TCP/IP packet processing paths differences between in how Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 did it (IPSEC.SYS (IP Security Policies), IPNAT.SYS (Windows Firewall), IPFLTDRV.SYS (Port Filtering), & TCPIP.SYS (base IP driver))...

2.) AND, how VISTA/Server 2008/Windows 7 do it now currently, using a SINGLE layer (WFP)...

----

First off, here is HOW it worked in Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 - using 3 discrete & different drivers AND LEVELS/LAYERS of the packet processing path they worked in:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb878072.aspx

The Cable Guy - June 2005: TCP/IP Packet Processing Paths

====

The following components process IP packets:

IP forwarding Determines the next-hop interface and address for packets being sent or forwarded.

TCP/IP filtering Allows you to specify by IP protocol, TCP port, or UDP port, the types of traffic that are acceptable for incoming local host traffic (packets destined for the host). You can configure TCP/IP filtering on the Options tab from the advanced properties of the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) component in the Network Connections folder.

Filter-hook driver A Windows component that uses the filter-hook API to filter incoming and outgoing IP packets. On a computer running Windows Server 2003, the filter-hook driver is Ipfltdrv.sys, a component of Routing and Remote Access. When enabled, Routing and Remote Access allows you to configure separate inbound and outbound IP packet filters for each interface using the Routing and Remote Access snap-in. Ipfltdrv.sys examines both local host and transit IP traffic (packets not destined for the host).

Firewall-hook driver A Windows component that uses the firewall-hook API to examine incoming and outgoing packets. On a computer running Windows XP, the firewall-hook driver is Ipnat.sys, which is shared by both Internet Connection Sharing and Windows Firewall. Internet Connection Sharing is a basic network address translator (NAT). Windows Firewall is a stateful host-based firewall. Ipnat.sys examines both local host and transit IP traffic. On a computer running Windows Server 2003, Ipnat.sys is shared by Internet Connection Sharing, Windows Firewall, and the NAT/Basic Firewall component of Routing and Remote Access. If the NAT/Basic Firewall component of Routing and Remote Access is enabled, you cannot also enable Windows Firewall or Internet Connection Sharing.

IPsec The IPsec component, Ipsec.sys, is the implementation of IPsec in Windows to provide cryptographic protection to IP traffic. Ipsec.sys examines both local host and transit IP traffic and can permit, block, or secure traffic.

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1.) After receiving the IP packet, Tcpip.sys passes it to Ipsec.sys for processing.

If the packet has IPsec protection (the IP Protocol field value indicates either Authentication Header [AH] or Encapsulating Security Payload [ESP]), it is processed and removed. If the Windows Firewall: Allow authenticated IPSec bypass Group Policy setting applies to the computer, Ipsec.sys sets an IPsec Bypass flag associated with the packet. Ipsec.sys passes the resulting packet back to Tcpip.sys.

If the packet does not have IPsec protection, based on the set of IPsec filters, Ipsec.sys determines whether the packet is permitted, blocked, or requires security. If permitted, Ipsec.sys passes the packet back to Tcpip.sys without modification. If the packet is blocked or requires security, Ipsec.sys silently discards the packet.

2.) Tcpip.sys passes the packet to Ipfltdrv.sys for processing.

Based on the interface on which the packet was received, Ipfltdrv.sys compares the packet to the configured inbound IP packet filters.

If the inbound IP packet filters do not allow the packet, Ipfltdrv.sys silently discards the packet. If the inbound IP packet filters allow the packet, Ipfltdrv.sys passes the packet back to Tcpip.sys.

3.) Tcpip.sys passes the packet to Ipnat.sys for processing.

If Internet Connection Sharing or the NAT/Basic Firewall is enabled and the interface on which the packet was received is the public interface connected to the Internet, Ipnat.sys compares the packet to its NAT translation table. If an entry is found, the IP packet is translated and the resulting packet is treated as source traffic.

Windows Firewall checks the IPsec Bypass flag associated with the packet. If the IPsec Bypass flag is set, Windows Firewall passes the packet back to Tcpip.sys.

If the IPsec Bypass flag is not set, Windows Firewall compares the packet to its exceptions list. If the packet matches an exception, Ipnat.sys passes the IP packet back to Tcpip.sys. If the IP packet does not match an exception, Ipnat.sys silently discards the IP packet.

Tcpip.sys compares the IP packet to the configured set of allowed packets for TCP/IP filtering.

If TCP/IP filtering does not allow the packet, Tcpip.sys silently discards the packet. If TCP/IP filtering allows the packet, Tcpip.sys continues processing the packet, eventually passing the packet payload to TCP, UDP, or other upper layer protocols.

====

NOW, the new method, "WFP", used by Windows VISTA, Windows Server 2008, & the upcoming Windows 7:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/network/wfp.mspx

====

"The IPsec Policy Agent service and Windows Firewall are examples of WFP applications that are included with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008"

and

"Because all the applications and services use the same filtering engine, it is easier to determine whether other applications or services exist that perform the same function."

(JUST A SINGLE LAYER/LEVEL OF WORK, instead of 3 discrete-separate ones)

====

SO - what is the "problem" I have with this NEW method?

(That yes, does seem to "sync" what was 'out-of-sync' in older Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003, but, what I felt was a STRENGTH of that, & NOT a weakness)

Well...

THE NEW "WFP" METHOD apparently only REPRESENTS A SINGLE POINT TO ATTACK FOR MALWARE MAKERS...

(I.E.=> ONLY 1 THING TO "TAKE OUT" vs. 3 like before... actually making it EASIER to attack because of this!).

The HOSTS file issue I note above? I have NO DOUBT on that one... but, I'd like to see the reasoning for PORT FILTERING being changed the most though! Thanks for your time... apk