I love The Onion. The satire is odd, biting and mostly clean. Here's my latest favorite high-tech missive, and I'll quote directly:
"A new report published this week by researchers at Stanford University suggests that Americans spend the vast majority of each day staring at, interacting with, and deriving satisfaction from glowing rectangles."
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 20, 20093 comments
I had lunch with Nick Cavalancia, vice president of Windows management at ScriptLogic, at Legal Sea Foods near Boston last week. Over fried clams, chowder, lobster rolls and tuna melts, we talked about the market and then moved to a survey ScriptLogic just conducted about Windows 7.
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 20, 20093 comments
Mind if I brag a bit? First, I'll brag about me. After writing a cover story about disreputable IT folks, I decided to look at the other side: cases where IT pros help the world. Turned out to be a pretty good idea.
But I'm going to spend a lot more time bragging about you, the Redmond Report reader. All I had to do what ask you what you do and I was flooded with good deeds. If you haven't read what your fellow Redmond Report readers are up to, check the story out here.
Posted by Doug Barney on July 20, 20091 comments
On Monday, I talked about my Windows 7 glitches, and on Wednesday it was IE 8 foibles. Today, I'm talking about getting used to Office 2007.
I was nervous about Office 2007. I remember meeting an Office 2007 product manager at a winery near Seattle. I said I was getting a lot of feedback from my newsletter readers: "In fact, I have a bunch of messages on my BlackBerry about the ribbon interface I haven't even read. Would you like to see 'em?"
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 17, 20098 comments
IT pros always struggle with Microsoft volume licensing. I did two major stories on the topic, "SA Exposed" and "7 Steps to a Better Bargain." I read everything I could from Microsoft and experts, and relied heavily on Microsoft licensing and negotiation ace Scott Braden, who wrote a regular column on the topic for me.
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 17, 20090 comments
On Monday, I had a whole bunch of questions about Windows 7, which many of you answered clearly and succinctly. (If anyone thought I was complaining about Win 7, I really like it so far -- I just have a few glitches.)
Now I have a few IE 8 comments and questions. Overall, I like it. In fact, I had to ditch Firefox because it doesn't support Flash on Win 7. IE 8 brought in my 'Fox bookmarks with no problem, Flash works and the tabs are a lot like they are in 'Fox. All in all, an easy fix for 'Fox.
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 15, 20098 comments
If you're a developer or true IT buff, good news: Azure is free for now. Of course, it's only in beta so that's pretty normal. Once it emerges into a full commercial set of tools this fall, it's going to cost you.
Unlike most packaged software, Azure is more like a service where you "pay as you go." Existing customers can earn discounts, and those building apps can get the stuff even cheaper.
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 15, 20090 comments
Some months, Microsoft releases patches and IT has an easy time installing 'em. This month didn't seem like a big deal with only six fixes, but some of these repairs are time-consuming and also raise substantial issues.
In particular, DirectX is now a major vector of attack. Now IT has to take a hard look at locking down ActiveX and DirectX. How do you handle these systems? Do you leave it up to Microsoft to patch or take bolder measures? Advice welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on July 15, 20090 comments
Microsoft plans to release Windows 7 to PC manufacturers some time this month. The company mentioned that detail while announcing the promotion of Steven Sinofsky as president of the Windows Division.
Windows 7 is set for general release on Oct. 22. Details on the volume licensing of Windows 7 will be available on Sept. 1, according to Bill Veghte, Microsoft's senior vice president for the Windows Business, speaking at WPC on Monday.
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Posted by Kurt Mackie on July 14, 20091 comments
Microsoft boosted its Dynamics CRM application by adding three "accelerators" or customization options.
The platform has mutated from its original sales database function and now gets used for other organizational needs. Microsoft is referring to this flexibility as "XRM," where the "X" means anything.
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Posted by Kurt Mackie on July 14, 20090 comments
Microsoft rolled out a test version of its Office 2010 productivity suite on Monday, which includes "Office Web applications."
At last, Microsoft has taken its familiar Office user interface and made it into a lightweight application that runs in a Web browser. It should make waves among Software as a Service (SaaS) providers, but do IT shops care? The idea of moving to hosted application services maybe isn't so easy.
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Posted by Kurt Mackie on July 14, 20092 comments
This week, I officially switched over to Windows 7 and Office 2007 -- all in one fell swoop! I know a lot of you are on Windows 7, so here are a few questions:
Why doesn't Firefox support Flash on Windows 7 yet? Why does my 'Net connection and VPN die every time the machine goes to sleep? Why does Windows 7 still crash once or twice a day? Why can't I install a printer driver for an HP LaserJet 1000?
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 13, 200912 comments