Later this week,
hackers
with good intentions
will descend upon Redmond, Wash. and try to break into
Windows and other Microsoft products. Microsoft will give back by drilling deep
into new security issues such as virtualization, mobile and Office. Good times,
good times!
Posted by Doug Barney on September 24, 20070 comments
Most security tools will allow just about anything as long as it's not on a
black list. Symantec CEO John Thompson thinks it's time for a change. Because
exploits are getting worse and worse, Thompson believes we should turn security
on its head and only allow things that are
specifically
outlined in a white list
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 24, 20070 comments
This week, nearly finished code for Windows Server 2008 -- or a release candidate,
in Microsoft parlance -- is
due
to ship
. While not a certainty, this makes it a strong possibility that
the new server software will actually be available early next year.
Just as important, points out Redmondmag.com news hound Keith Ward, the first
service pack for Vista is expected very, very soon.
Posted by Doug Barney on September 24, 20070 comments
SCO's story is mildly intriguing, but I fear it would take more time to explain
the whole saga than real interest levels would support. On the plus side, the
tale is twisted, complex and possibly sleazy.
SCO was a major player in Linux back the day. In fact, Microsoft licensed SCO's
software and sold it as Xenix until Redmond got single-OS religion.
In more recent years, SCO has claimed ownership of Unix (created by AT&T)
and used that to sue Linux vendors (Linux was derived from Unix, which is one
of the reasons I often doubt the originality and creativity of the open source
movement).
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 17, 20070 comments
The
latest
version of BizTalk Server
(one of the more creatively named Microsoft products)
is now out and includes a few new features and a heckuva lot more advice.
BizTalk is Microsoft's main SOA play, as it connects up applications to each
other and ties them to mainframe and other high-end resources.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 17, 20070 comments
For many, IT is a game of chasing and fixing problems. Run out of storage? Buy
a new disk. Apps too big? Get more servers. The result is often too much hardware
from too many vendors with too many configurations. And don't get us started
on all the software, PCs and laptops, and network gear from so many vendors,
you can't even keep track of them all.
For years, vendors such as IBM and integrators like EDS have gone into large
shops, looked at the IT systems holistically and offered up plans to simplify,
create efficiencies and make them more productive.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 17, 20070 comments
In the same way that death row inmates regularly claim innocence (unfortunately,
sometimes they're right), spammer Jeremy Jaynes says he's 100 percent not guilty.
In Jayne's case, it's not that he didn't do it; it's that spam shouldn't be
illegal in the first place.
According to Jaynes' equally creepy lawyer, spam should be protected
as anonymous free speech. Of course, Jaynes' form of spam (er, anonymous
free speech) included using false originating addresses and messages meant to
trick us out of our money.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 17, 20070 comments
I happen to love motorcycles. I should -- I own well over a dozen.
While I have a soft spot for gas engines, I have nothing against helping the
environment. So you can imagine my excitement when my favorite motorcycle Web
site (http://www.ironcross.net/) linked
to a video of a 400-horsepower electric motorcycle. In the video, the builder,
a government scientist, shows just what this baby can do.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 17, 20070 comments
Tomorrow, Microsoft is expected to go easy on IT workers, releasing a
scant
four patches
.
Even better, there's only one critical patch which involves remote execution
of code, and can apparently be fixed rather easily with a simple reboot of the
Baseline Security Analyzer.
Posted by Doug Barney on September 10, 20070 comments
I love software -- when it works! -- and have been covering it nonstop for over
two decades. (It seemed to crash less 20 years ago -- except for the Amiga,
of course.) Hardware, to me, was always a bit boring. I mean, a Pentium or Itanium
can't do anything without software.
And during all of those 20 years, desktop hardware -- as much of a snooze as
I find it to be -- has vastly outstripped software. The only exceptions I can
think of are the old Amigas -- which fully exploited the Motorola 68000 processor
and a host of dedicated sound and graphics chips -- and video game systems,
which likewise push multiple processors to the max.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 10, 20070 comments
I've never hidden my love for the Amiga computer. It's the only machine I've
ever formed a personal bond with. The machine is largely gone now (though a
dedicated group of fans have kept the OS alive), but its games aren't.
Amiga, a company born out of the ashes of Commodore, is shipping a whole
heap of old Amiga games ported to Windows. The best news of all: They cost
less than five bucks each!
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 10, 20070 comments
Before I get started on what I hope is a light-hearted look at the news, we
should all pause to remember the tragedy of Sept. 11.
I was at NetWorld+Interop in Atlanta, right across from the CNN Center. The
hall was filled with thousands of people, and with planes still in the air,
we thought it best to go to a restaurant, bar or back to our hotels.
Two days later, I drove past New York around midnight. The smoke was still
billowing and a creepy, metallic smell had drifted as far north as the George
Washington Bridge.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on September 10, 20070 comments