Are You Losing Money on IE7?

Ian Campbell is to ROI what Roger Ebert is to movies: He knows his stuff and usually gets it right. Campbell, founder of Nucleus Research (I worked there for a short stint), also likes to ruffle a few feathers. His latest salvo -- that moving to Microsoft's latest browser will cost you money . More

Posted by Doug Barney on February 20, 20070 comments


SaaS-y Software

Mark me as confused on this one. Microsoft has just posted a sample application to show how Software as a Service (SaaS) works . The Microsoft Web site explains that "Software as a Service is a new delivery model where companies pay not for owning the software itself but for using it." More

Posted by Doug Barney on February 20, 20070 comments


Microsoft to Developers: Let's Get Small

Tired of all these fat clients like XP, Vista and Office 2007? With Microsoft's new .NET Micro Framework , developers can use Visual Studio to build embedded apps for devices as small as a wrist watch.

Programs can tap into the MSN Direct wireless data service More

Posted by Doug Barney on February 14, 20070 comments


Patches Galore

This month's Patch Tuesday was a doozy . Even software designed to protect has to be patched, such as the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine which helps drive no fewer than nine separate Microsoft security tools!

It would be easy to make a wisecrack about this state of affairs, but at this point it would be a cheap shot -- since Microsoft's coders are working their fingers to the bone on security.

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Posted by Doug Barney on February 14, 20070 comments


If You Thought Y2K Was Bad, Get a Load of March 11, 2007!

Daylight-saving time is a few weeks early this year, and this change in schedule could be trouble for some of our computers !

According to Microsoft, some programs that rely heavily on date and time stamps, such as punch clock systems and calendars and schedulers, could have problems. For Windows XP clients, as long as you're on XP2, you should be fine.

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Posted by Doug Barney on February 14, 20070 comments


Sun Ships Office to OpenOffice Translator

The hunk of code I told you about last week (and reiterated in the item above) that converts files from Office's OpenXML to OpenDoc and back is now available from Sun. If you're like me, you've had your share of file conversion nightmares. So is this conversion any good? Let us know at More

Posted by Doug Barney on February 13, 20070 comments


Windows Mobile: The Sixth Time Is the Charm

Usually, it takes Microsoft three versions to get a product right. That means Windows Mobile 6 must be pretty darn good!

The new software for smart phones and other small devices supports Office apps, boasts better synchronization with Outlook and now Vista, and has contacts listed alongside their call history.

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Posted by Doug Barney on February 13, 20070 comments


Vonage and Mozilla: What's their Major Malfunction?

The great thing about having a magazine, newsletter or Web site (and I've got all three!) is you get to complain and people have to listen. Today's beef: Vonage pop-up ads!

One reason I moved to Firefox (besides wanting my kids to think I'm cool) is it promises to reduce pop-ups. And it does, except for those coming from one company -- Vonage. I've got the pop-up blocker active, but to no avail. Vonage just busts on through!

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Posted by Doug Barney on February 13, 20070 comments


A Non-Announcement Concerning Microsoft/Novell Interoperability

On Nov. 2 of last year, Microsoft and Novell announced a pretty important interoperability agreement. This week Microsoft offered up a completely non-important update. The 1,128-word press release was so bereft of new information it could have been written by a congressional intern. More

Posted by Doug Barney on February 13, 20070 comments


Prepping for Patching

Tomorrow is the day IT folks all know and don't love. Yes, folks, it's almost Patch Tuesday already (seems like the last one was only a month ago, doesn't it?).

Get your crew ready, as a cool dozen bulletins are set for release . So far, there is no word on whether we should expect Vista patches, or fixes for the Word and Excel zero-day exploits.

Posted by Doug Barney on February 12, 20070 comments


Vista Vulnerable Via Vendors

Microsoft is a bit like the Boston Celtics -- they just can't win. Here Redmond goes and builds a desktop operating system it believes is as secure as any (well, maybe not DOS), only to have critics complain that Vista can be hacked by attacking third-party programs . For instance, ARCserve Backup from CA is just one source of buffer overflow attacks, security experts say. More

Posted by Doug Barney on February 12, 20070 comments


Moving to the Forefront

I'm not a fan of Microsoft's entry into the security market, at least when it moves into areas that were pioneered by third parties that fixed holes Microsoft should have plugged in the first place. But it is hard to argue with a complete solution, no matter who it comes from, and that is what Microsoft's Forefront is fast becoming.

At the recent RSA security show in San Francisco, Microsoft announced a More

Posted by Doug Barney on February 12, 20070 comments