The Free Software Foundation (FSF) kicked off a public awareness campaign on Wednesday called "Windows 7 Sins," which, as you can probably guess from the name, lists seven deadly sins of Microsoft, honing in on its latest Windows 7 OS. (Incidentally, you can check out this feature in our latest issue that covers the seven things Windows 7 did get right.)
More
Posted by Kurt Mackie on August 26, 200914 comments
Microsoft delivered IE 8 to IT shops using Windows Server Update Services yesterday. Of course, you didn't ask for it. It just arrived, like a security update.
Some IT shops may still be using IE 6, but Microsoft doesn't really encourage it. IE 6 isn't standards-based like IE 8, nor does it provide the same level of security. For those still using IE 7, Microsoft tried to ease the transition by adding a Compatibility View function in the browser that switches from IE 8 to IE 7 rendering.
More
Posted by Kurt Mackie on August 26, 20094 comments
It's official. Microsoft will fight a court order denying the sale of Word in the U.S. The approach is two-pronged. First up is a hoped-for emergency stay, which will be heard Sept. 23, a solid month before the ban is to go into effect. At the same time, Redmond is seeking a full appeal.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on August 24, 20090 comments
I was driving on Cape Cod this weekend when I chanced across an honest-to-goodness hippy -- Jimi Hendrix shirt, worn-out pants, long tangled hair and ratty beard. But it wasn't, in fact, an honest-to-goodness hippy, as this dude was around 20 dressed just like me back in 1974. Ah, but what's old is new again, in fashion, music and even hacker techniques.
Case in point: A bunch of low-life hacker losers attacked sites in South Korea and the U.S. last month with moderate success. These guys (or gals) aren't the brightest hackers the world has ever seen; they simply stole old techniques and code and flung it at unpatched computers to see what would stick. Unfortunately, some of it did.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on August 24, 20090 comments
Vista and XP users interested in checking out Windows 7 may have plenty of time to decide. There's a little trick that can extend the free trial from 30 days to a full four months. If you can't figure out what to do by then, I'd suggest getting a little backbone.
The geniuses at Windows Secrets figured this whole deal out, and offer detailed instructions. All you've got to do is click the link.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 24, 20091 comments
Free speech nuts and Internet libertarians don't always like my opinions. For one, I don't think the Internet should be a free-for-all of filth, and there should be a way adults can prove their age to see the crazy stuff and block it for 10-year-olds. Nor do I believe in pure online anonymity. One should not be able to harass, commit crimes or hack -- and then hide behind a cloak of Internet invisibility.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on August 21, 200933 comments
David Coursey is a veteran computer journalist and commentator with whom I had the pleasure of working years ago at InfoWorld. Coursey is still up to his old tricks, offering insight, analysis and bold opinions that would make Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann proud.
I'm not sure I totally agree with his Mac Office conspiracy theory, but here goes: Coursey believes that Microsoft hobbled Mac Office by not including Outlook, making the Mac as tough a sale in enterprises as copies of the Quran in a Baptist convention (or the Bible in a Taliban camp). In David's view, Microsoft only agreed to a Mac Outlook after Apple itself started building Exchange-compatible clients.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on August 21, 20096 comments
Exchange 2010 is now in release candidate stage and interested parties can download the beast from TechNet. Oddly enough, Exchange 2010 works with Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2007 R2, but not Exchange 2007 itself.
Are you attracted by 2010's SaaS and unified communication features, or are you currently using or eying an alternative? Use whatever e-mail system you want and send your thoughts to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 21, 20094 comments
I've long toyed with using a Mac as a full-time work machine and running Windows on a home machine or two just to stay current. The only problem (besides shelling out big bucks for the honor of using a Mac) is Entourage. While this is a pretty good system, it ain't quite Outlook, which is my corporate standard.
Now, my only excuse is not wanting to shell out big bucks for the honor of using a Mac. That's because the next rev of Office for the Mac will dump Entourage for a newly built Outlook.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 19, 20091 comments
On Monday, I told you about a court order preventing the sale of Word in the U.S., an order that I believe doesn't actually go into effect for a few months.
If you thought Microsoft was going to take this lying down, then you know nothing about how this firm operates. It doesn't take anything lying down, not even a nap. That's why it's no surprise that Microsoft is going back to court, trying to reverse the ruling tout de suite.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on August 19, 20092 comments
Windows 7 may be getting all the headlines due to consumer excitement, but many in IT are far more interested in Windows Server 2008 R2, which is now ready, willing and able for download at TechNet and MSDN. You can even test it out for the next half-year by getting an evaluation license.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on August 19, 20091 comments
Now this is a mindblower: A Canadian company beat the barrister-packed Microsoft and as a result, Word will no longer be for sale in America in two months. It sounds nuts, but i4i LP owns an XML patent which da judge ruled Word violates.
The ruling awards gives i4i a cool $290 million -- a drop in the old Redmond bucket. It looks like Microsoft may appeal, but my guess is it will pull out a few moneybags and toss 'em i4i's way.
More
Posted by Doug Barney on August 17, 200916 comments