Seeding a Greener Cloud

Microsoft is hoping to make the efficient part ring true with new ways of building server farms. The idea is to use low-power chips such as those that power today's $300 netbooks to drive servers. These little chips use one-tenth to one-twentieth of the watts of a typical processor. If it works for Microsoft hosting centers -- and it's still just a research project -- the same approach may save you dough in your own datacenter.

Posted by Doug Barney on March 04, 20090 comments

Microsoft Cloud Covers World

For international markets, Microsoft is bundling a bunch of existing Office-compatible services such as IM and presence and selling it as Office Communications Online (guess it's ditching the Live name overseas). The more expensive Business Productivity Online includes Office Live Meeting, as well as cloud SharePoint and Exchange services.

Posted by Doug Barney on March 04, 20090 comments

Mailbag: Will Microsoft Make It?, Class-Action No Big Deal, More

Microsoft will need to do some product innovation of its own in order to survive this time around. I don't think it'll be able to steal another "Windows" from Xerox.
-Anonymous

For Microsoft, the future is clear. Windows 7 will replace XP Pro as the flagship Microsoft operating system. It is that good. Even so, its sales will fall short of desired market penetration. Microsoft's true hope for the future lies with a touch-based user interface for its Windows Mobile software and a new physical format that will replace smartphones and netbooks.

My prediction? Look for the next tech-business move to come from the past. Anyone remember Apple's Newton? That physical format, in landscape mode, supportd a virtual qwerty keyboard for speedy, touch-typing text input. In addition, it provided all the functionality of a Kindle, cell phone and workstation. Bonus: The larger, high-resolution screen means on-screen text can be larger (maybe I could even read it without my reading glasses), images display at the size of printed photos, and videos can be viewed without extreme eye strain. For end users, this is the ideal format size for tablet PC applications for hospitals, field inspectors, insurance adjusters and law enforcement officers. For Microsoft, the mini-pad format gives much-needed screen space for Windows Mobile. For Apple, it is the next logical evolution for the iPhone. Plus, Apple gets some vindication for part of its Newton product. The physical format was simply ahead of its time.

Speaking of being ahead of it's time, Trekkers will be quick to point out that this physical format, was predicted in the original "Star Trek" series.
-Dave

The problem is deeper than you imagine. You say Microsoft will be fine, but I don't believe anyone will be fine in the foreseeable future. Most people, especially in business and politics, don't seem to get how deep and painful this one will be.

What Microsoft will do is the same thing other tech companies will do: survive. It will eventually come back to one degree or another, but the old days are gone for good. Fine? I don't think so.
-Anonymous

Posted by Doug Barney on March 02, 20090 comments

Vista SP2 Closing In

Now there are two possible solutions. One is Windows 7, which you all seem to like very much. There's also Vista SP2, which is now what Microsoft is calling a release candidate and I just call a late beta. This is a big baby, coming in at a hefty 300MB. Let's hope the download works better than SP1.

Posted by Doug Barney on March 02, 20090 comments

Excel Bug Bites

Symantec found the bug and came up the clever name: Trojan.Mdropper.AC. The attack works through a malicious spreadsheet that's masked by a legit file when the user opens it. Microsoft is working on a patch and points out the attacks have been limited so far.

Posted by Doug Barney on March 02, 20090 comments

Windows 7 Beta Bettered

Microsoft, as I understand it, hasn't had a lot of Windows complaints but has heard a few howls about IE 8, which comes with the new OS. Microsoft blames browser add-ins and has updated the beta

Posted by Doug Barney on March 02, 20090 comments

Microsoft Shows World's Most Secure Browser

Unfortunately, many of these research projects are more show than go. Take Singularity, a desktop OS architected for speed, compatibility and security.

Posted by Doug Barney on February 27, 20090 comments

Google Piles onto Microsoft Grudge Match

You'd think Google would have enough pride to stay out the European Union's prolonged fight against IE. But no More

Posted by Doug Barney on February 27, 20090 comments

Servers Crashing

Ballmer has reason to worry. It's hard to sell server software when no one is buying servers. Analyst firm IDC says the market dipped 3 percent in 2008 compared to 2007, mostly during in the fourth quarter when the market completely tanked. IDC doesn't expect a recovery until late this year or early next. That's if we're lucky, I say.

Posted by Doug Barney on February 27, 20090 comments

Mailbag: Microsoft and the Economy, Vista Capable Thoughts, More

Of course, Microsoft will be fine. Most of Microsoft's customers have enterprise license agreements so the income stream, though smaller, will remain intact. Being a software company, Microsoft won't be saddled with unused production capacity or unneeded staff or office space.

MS OEMs will be the ones to suffer and the smaller ones are likely to go belly-up.
-Marc

Given Microsoft's cash and the simple inertia of its customer base, Microsoft will make it through this downturn. And expectations for it will be lower because of the economy. The real question is after. Microsoft has strong and potentially strong products, but the key revolves around whether Ballmer can lead with vision as Gates did. And after the recession, expectations for things like Azure will be much higher.

Personally, I don't believe Ballmer is the right leader and MS will have to find a real Gates successor. Otherwise, while MS will retain large market share, it won't be as dominant as it is today (which might not be a bad thing). In essence, Microsoft will make it through, but it will shrink.
-Bob

Let's face it. No one is better than Microsoft at creating demand before there is any supply! If Microsoft was truly worried about the economic future of this great country, it would invest some of its huge cash reserves back into the creative workers that are actually U.S. citizens. Maybe Microsoft could create a new division of programers that do nothing but reduce the amount of code to help software run more efficiently. Or how about a group dedicated to searching for and filling the security gaps that seem to be everywhere in Microsoft products?

Of all the companies in the U.S., Microsoft would be able to have a positive effect on the economy. And if it expanded, other companies would surely follow. Just like they always do!
-Steve

Posted by Doug Barney on February 27, 20090 comments

Virtual Red Hat

Now Red Hat is laying out its enterprise strategy in the form of a new line of Qumranet-based products, such as an updated server hypervisor, management tools (which is where the real action and money are) and desktop virtualization wares.

Posted by Doug Barney on February 25, 20090 comments

Microsoft Stares Down Economic Barrel

Ballmer believes that the money that has left the economy won't simply come back during a recovery, but that we will "reset" at a lower level. For Microsoft, that means future profits may not be as big as we're all used to.

Posted by Doug Barney on February 25, 20091 comments