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."
The article satirically claims we "spend 90% of our waking hours" in front of these screens, be they TVs, laptops or mobile phones.
The Onion may be overstating things, but by how much? How much time do you and your family spend staring at some kind of tube? I know for me, it's way too much. Send your hours and feelings to [email protected].
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.
The survey shows what seems to be slow adoption of Windows 7, with almost 60 percent of respondents having no "current" plans to adopt 7. Around 34 percent plan adoption next year. Nick thinks this shows that IT will be using XP and Vista for some time to come.
Many in the press are overreacting, arguing that 66 percent of IT pros will "skip" Windows 7. But as a Computerworld blogger points out, having no "current" plans does not equal "skipping"; that just means people aren't moving to Windows 7 all that soon.
An old friend of mine and Microsoft expert Ed Bott has an interesting take. Bott argues that having over a third of all IT customers adopt a new OS in its first year is pretty dang good -- three times better, in fact, than XP in its first year.
When will your shop make the Windows 7 move and why? Tell me at [email protected].
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?"
He was excited, expecting great praise. Instead has was subjected to ridicule, objections and condemnation.
I mostly use Word (I haven't yet cranked up PowerPoint or Excel), and have figured out most things. But like Word 2003, Word 2007 seems to have a mind of its own. It wants to format the way it wants to format. With 2003, I just used "undo format." I'll have to search a bit to find it on 2007. The same is true with Track Changes and "accept all changes." I'm halfway through making sense of all that.
Another oddity: "recent documents" has been replaced by "recent places," which for me is far less useful. Thank goodness for keyboard shortcuts, which still largely work.
What do you love or hate about Office 2007? Let me know at [email protected].
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.
After all this effort, I still felt like an amateur. Microsoft licensing is just that complicated. On a regular basis, Microsoft tweaks its program all with the aim of simplicity. To me, it's like trying to simplify the U.S. Federal Tax Code by giving it a larger font; it's still utterly befuddling.
So let's run through Microsoft's latest changes. First, there are now more options, such as a bundle of SharePoint, SQL Server, Visual Studio, Dynamics xRM and BizTalk. Another bundle ties together Windows Server, Forefront security and management. (I guess not having to negotiate separately is a step forward.) Microsoft is also putting together virtualization bundles, hopefully making it easier to buy suites of virtual products.
Do you have any Microsoft negotiation tips? Forward them directly to [email protected].
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.
But one thing that's strange is Firefox is still my default browser, so it opens when you click on links in messages and so forth. I'll have to search for a way to make IE the default.
Plus, when scrolling through the page, the arrow keys don't work. I have to use the scroll bar unless I left-click first. And this works for some pages but not others. A little odd.
Tabs are also a bit odd. Often, clicking a link launches a new tab and just as often a new window, whereas with Firefox, it was almost always a new tab. You can take the extra step of right-clicking and choosing a tab, but who wants to do this every time you click?
I cut and paste a lot of links writing this newsletter. With IE 8, I have to highlight the URL, then use a keyboard shortcut to copy it. The copy function on the menu doesn't work. Again, a bit odd.
Got any IE 8 head-scratchers of your own? Solutions to these issues I mentioned? Send them to [email protected].
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.
Azure, aimed now at high-end service providers and ultra-demanding Web users, comes in at 15 cents a gigabyte for storage per month, and 12 cents an hour for computing. Microsoft will also charge for every gigabyte that moves in or out of its server farms.
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.
Veghte also told the Microsoft partner crowd that there will be a limited-time promotion in which Microsoft will offer a 15 to 35 percent discount on Windows 7 to customers. Veghte also said that Microsoft plans to double the internal use rights for Windows 7 customers.
Analyst firm IDC predicts that there will be 177 million Windows 7 shipments by the end of 2010.
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.
Sales may be down around the planet with the current global economic depression, but Microsoft is touting success with Dynamics CRM. There are now more than 1 million users of the application, according to Steven Elop, president of Microsoft's Business Division. Microsoft is also revamping its Microsoft Dynamics specializations, according to reporting from the WPC floor in New Orleans by RCP's Scott Bekker.
Is your IT shop using Dynamics CRM for some other purpose than sales? Tell Doug Barney about it at [email protected].
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.
For instance, a survey conducted by Gartner in December found some difficulty with SaaS-delivered software passing muster. Survey respondents who were dissatisfied with SaaS cited its high cost (42 percent). In addition, there were integration problems (38 percent), along with difficulty meeting the IT shop's technical requirements (33 percent).
Those findings seem surprising. They also seem to strongly favor Microsoft as it revs up its Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) of hosted software and Windows Azure cloud computing operations. Microsoft has long profited from having interoperable products within its own software stack, even while other software companies have sued over a lack of such integration.
It's assumed that SaaS now makes compelling business sense as IT budgets get cut or frozen in a down economy, although Gartner's study suggests otherwise. Has your IT shop considered making the move to SaaS? Let Doug Barney know your concerns or successes with SaaS-based applications at [email protected].
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?
Tech advice welcome at [email protected]. Once I solve my Win 7 glitches, I'll have plenty of Office 2007 and IE 8 questions!
Posted by Doug Barney on July 13, 200912 comments