Most of us hate copy protection, not because we want to steal software, but
because it too often gets in the way of legitimate use. But according to the
Business Software Alliance,
protection
works. Since launching the Genuine Software initiative, sales of Windows
are up and piracy is down, the organization believes.
Windows Genuine Advantage isn't copy protection in the old sense of the word
-- through dongles and so forth. No, here Microsoft pings your computer, checks
if it's legit and -- if it isn't -- disables some of its features 'til you buy
the real thing.
Personally, I'd rather have a dongle.
What about you? Are there protection schemes you can live with? Let us know
by writing me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on November 26, 20070 comments
One of my favorite newsletters/blogs is
WServerNews
written by Sunbelt exec Stu Sjouwerman. In his most recent issue, Stu tries
to make sense of Windows Server 2008 versions and their pricing. You'll have
to scroll down to page 4 to get his analysis, but it's well worth the trip.
Eventually, there will be eight different major editions of Windows Server
2008. Oh, and there's a standalone version of the Hyper-V hypervisor. Then,
Stu looks at the 32- and 64-bit versions, and comes up with as many as 16 different
versions!
If a guy that writes WServerNews can't make sense of this, we're all in trouble.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 26, 20070 comments
I love my BlackBerry -- well, I'm not impressed with its Web browsing and the
coverage could be better, so "like" is a better word -- especially
its ability to tether to my laptop and give me Internet access when I'm on the
beach or in a bar (don't tell my boss, OK?).
But while coverage is getting better, there are too many bars and beaches where
I can't connect, or get a connection slower than a 300 baud Radio Shack Model
100.
The United Nations (probably as frustrated about this as I am) is hoping to
solve this problem, and will now let wireless service providers use
parts of the TV spectrum. The goal is to have worldwide wireless data access
by 2015. I'm not sure I can wait that long.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 19, 20070 comments
Symantec just released its annual list of the year's
top
10 security concerns, and while it's clearly not as funny as David Letterman's
nightly list, for IT the Symantec list is far more useful.
Things you probably need to think about include securing virtual machines,
figuring out what to do about Vista and dealing with an increasing barrage of
virus-laden spam.
One big issue is the commercialization of hacking. There are more and more
"hacking kits" for sale, and one company is even selling vulnerabilities
to the highest bidder. Sick.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 19, 20070 comments
Over the years, Microsoft has picked up a number of top software minds from
rivals such as Borland (
Brad
Silverberg, father of Windows 95) and Lotus (Bob Frankston and
Ray
Ozzie come to mind).
The latest hire is freelance
graphics creator Reed Sturtevant, who'll remain in Cambridge. Here's where
it gets interesting: Reed will report to Jack Ozzie, who reports to his brother
Ray. Sturtevant will work on new concepts for all Microsoft product groups,
kind of like Microsoft Research except directed at real product development
(a lot of Microsoft Research is pure research).
This hire is a classic Gates move. The chairman has always been interested
in hiring the best brains, and has even bought entire companies to get the people;
the products and technology were secondary.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 19, 20070 comments
I've recently knocked Microsoft for not doing enough to exploit graphics processors
and multi-core processors with its client software. I am, however, way impressed
with the pure research Microsoft is doing in HPC, mostly as it relates to clusters.
Microsoft is moving away from the cluster-centric perception by renaming Computer
Cluster Server to HPC Server 2008, which is now
in beta test. The upcoming tool encompasses SOA and high-speed networking.
Look for this new tool, er, I guess some time in 2008.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 15, 20070 comments
The theme in the last item was that Microsoft sticks with technology 'til it
gets it right. That's very true with Windows CE, which is now in its sixth version
(
with a new
R2 release).
In days gone by, I've tried to use a CE-based sub-notebook and a CE handheld.
Both made me want to throw the device at the clown who came up with CE in the
first place!
Now, CE is more of an embedded OS than it is a driver of handhelds and smartphones
(that may be a good thing). Small consumer devices are now the purview of Windows
Mobile.
The new release of CE, used for medical equipment and other dedicated apps,
can handle video telephony and better supports Web services.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 15, 20070 comments
VMware's latest announcement wasn't as big and broad and futuristic as Microsoft's
but for Mac users, it's probably way more important.
The company's latest
rev of VMware Fusion for the Mac works with Leopard and supports DirectX
9.0 on an "experimental" basis. It can also create virtual machines
out of Vista Boot Camp partitions.
And the new VMware tool is shipping!
Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments
Microsoft has a PR machine that J-Lo, Paris Hilton and the Bush administration
must all envy. The company can get journalists (like me) to write about an upcoming
product -- and then get us to write about it again (and again).
Here's how it works: Word sneaks out about a major new tool, and we all run
to our keyboards. Then Microsoft doles out a few official details -- and we
pound out a few thousand more stories. Later, Microsoft actually names the product,
producing more copy. After almost all the details are known, it officially announces
the product. And once the product is finished, there's a huge launch. No one
wonder competitors have a hard time getting their message out!
Today in Barcelona, Microsoft
announced (and I quote from the headline of the press release), "Windows
Server 2008 Details." What's new here is pricing and a final set of version
types. Product details should be well-understood; the product is in heavy beta
testing.
Microsoft also made a virtualization splash, officially naming its Viridian
hypervisor "Hyper-V." This tool could be as much as a year away.
But virtualization isn't as simple as dropping in a new version of PowerPoint;
this is a fundamental infrastructure decision. In many cases, there's more planning
than actual virtualization, which makes it imperative for Microsoft to offer
as much detail as possible.
Is all this coverage too much? How should Microsoft announce its products?
Write me at [email protected]
and let us all know.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments
Last week, a computer luminary (let's call him Mark Shavlik) asked me over a
lunch of chowder and butterfish (we live well here at
Redmond magazine)
what was going on with security. I dabbed the cream and clam juice from my beard,
which gave me time to think (I was stalling).
I know security is the biggest issue but, like with the 9/11 attackers, we
just aren't afraid anymore. On the Microsoft side, the older products are becoming
legacy and have been patched so many times they look like a Three Stooges car
tire. The newer products, so far as I can see, are more secure out of the box.
This is all a good thing. Hackers are like violent political/religious extremists:
They do it for the power and publicity -- kinda like Paris Hilton! Let's not
be afraid of any of them. When a virus circulates, block it, delete it and go
on with your life. When extremists release a video tape, how about we keep it
off the 7 o'clock news -- they aren't important enough. And let's never ever
again call them "terrorists," as this gives them power they don't
deserve. And the next time Paris crashes her car into a West Hollywood sushi
bar in a mini-dress, let's use those cameras for real news, shall we?
I've clearly lost my train of thought here, so let's get back to the patch
news. Tomorrow, Redmond will set
forth a mere two patches, one for XP and the other for Windows Server spoofing
attacks. You might even get away with sleeping late this Tuesday.
Is security less or more of a problem today? Let us know by writing me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments
Microsoft has been working quite well with the world's top scientists on solving
big problems: disease, hunger, global warming and open source (I made up that
last one). A lot of this has to do with harnessing computers to massage massive
quantities of data.
I wrote about this in two different articles (here's
one and here's
the other) and came away impressed.
As cool as all this is, though, I worry that Windows clients are falling behind
hardware, with multi-core advances and revolutions in graphics every fortnight.
So I wrote a far
more distressing article about that.
Maybe Daniel A. Reed can help. Just
hired by Microsoft as director of scalable and multi-core computing, Reed
has a great track record in academia, and currently serves as director of the
Renaissance Computing Institute in North Carolina.
My fear is that Microsoft sees this as a server/cluster/high-performance computing
problem. But multi-cores are made for more than climate modeling, 3-D rendering
and deciphering the human genome. Our laptops and desktops are going multi-core,
as well. This is the area I'd love to see Reed attack.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments
PCs these days are so cheap, we usually don't bother buying them used. And if
we do, we often worry about flaky hardware, food-filled keyboards, whether Microsoft
will still support the OS and if we can reinstall it in the inevitable event
that the old machine refuses to work.
Microsoft has an answer. Those that sell used machines in volume can get
licenses from Microsoft in bulk, which means these machines will be supported
and eligible for updates and fixes, service packs, and security software such
as Windows Defender.
I'm a bit puzzled by the plan. Microsoft will only sell licenses (these are
XP licenses) if the machine has a certificate of authenticity. If so, Microsoft
will sell a license with a new certificate of authenticity. If it's already
authentic, why would I need a new license and certificate?
The only thing the Microsoft press release didn't detail is the price of the
refurb license. If the new licenses are cheap and supported, it might be a decent
deal after all.
Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments