Most of us hate copy protection, not because we want to steal software, but
because it too often gets in the way of legitimate use. But according to the
Business Software Alliance,
protection
works
. Since launching the Genuine Software initiative, sales of Windows
are up and piracy is down, the organization believes.
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 26, 20070 comments
One of my favorite newsletters/blogs is
WServerNews
written by Sunbelt exec Stu Sjouwerman. In his most recent issue, Stu tries
to make sense of Windows Server 2008 versions and their pricing. You'll have
to scroll down to page 4 to get his analysis, but it's well worth the trip.
Eventually, there will be eight different major editions of Windows Server
2008. Oh, and there's a standalone version of the Hyper-V hypervisor. Then,
Stu looks at the 32- and 64-bit versions, and comes up with as many as 16 different
versions!
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 26, 20070 comments
I love my BlackBerry -- well, I'm not impressed with its Web browsing and the
coverage could be better, so "like" is a better word -- especially
its ability to tether to my laptop and give me Internet access when I'm on the
beach or in a bar (don't tell my boss, OK?).
But while coverage is getting better, there are too many bars and beaches where
I can't connect, or get a connection slower than a 300 baud Radio Shack Model
100.
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 19, 20070 comments
Symantec just released its annual list of the year's
top
10 security concerns
, and while it's clearly not as funny as David Letterman's
nightly list, for IT the Symantec list is far more useful.
Things you probably need to think about include securing virtual machines,
figuring out what to do about Vista and dealing with an increasing barrage of
virus-laden spam.
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 19, 20070 comments
Over the years, Microsoft has picked up a number of top software minds from
rivals such as Borland (
Brad
Silverberg
, father of Windows 95) and Lotus (Bob Frankston and
Ray
Ozzie
come to mind).
The latest hire is freelance
graphics creator Reed Sturtevant, who'll remain in Cambridge. Here's where
it gets interesting: Reed will report to Jack Ozzie, who reports to his brother
Ray. Sturtevant will work on new concepts for all Microsoft product groups,
kind of like Microsoft Research except directed at real product development
(a lot of Microsoft Research is pure research).
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 19, 20070 comments
I've recently knocked Microsoft for not doing enough to exploit graphics processors
and multi-core processors with its client software. I am, however, way impressed
with the pure research Microsoft is doing in HPC, mostly as it relates to clusters.
Microsoft is moving away from the cluster-centric perception by renaming Computer
Cluster Server to HPC Server 2008, which is now
in beta test. The upcoming tool encompasses SOA and high-speed networking.
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 15, 20070 comments
The theme in the last item was that Microsoft sticks with technology 'til it
gets it right. That's very true with Windows CE, which is now in its sixth version
(
with a new
R2 release
).
In days gone by, I've tried to use a CE-based sub-notebook and a CE handheld.
Both made me want to throw the device at the clown who came up with CE in the
first place!
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 15, 20070 comments
VMware's latest announcement wasn't as big and broad and futuristic as Microsoft's
but for Mac users, it's probably way more important.
The company's latest
rev of VMware Fusion for the Mac works with Leopard and supports DirectX
9.0 on an "experimental" basis. It can also create virtual machines
out of Vista Boot Camp partitions.
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments
Microsoft has a PR machine that J-Lo, Paris Hilton and the Bush administration
must all envy. The company can get journalists (like me) to write about an upcoming
product -- and then get us to write about it again (and again).
Here's how it works: Word sneaks out about a major new tool, and we all run
to our keyboards. Then Microsoft doles out a few official details -- and we
pound out a few thousand more stories. Later, Microsoft actually names the product,
producing more copy. After almost all the details are known, it officially announces
the product. And once the product is finished, there's a huge launch. No one
wonder competitors have a hard time getting their message out!
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments
Last week, a computer luminary (let's call him Mark Shavlik) asked me over a
lunch of chowder and butterfish (we live well here at
Redmond
magazine)
what was going on with security. I dabbed the cream and clam juice from my beard,
which gave me time to think (I was stalling).
I know security is the biggest issue but, like with the 9/11 attackers, we
just aren't afraid anymore. On the Microsoft side, the older products are becoming
legacy and have been patched so many times they look like a Three Stooges car
tire. The newer products, so far as I can see, are more secure out of the box.
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments
Microsoft has been working quite well with the world's top scientists on solving
big problems: disease, hunger, global warming and open source (I made up that
last one). A lot of this has to do with harnessing computers to massage massive
quantities of data.
I wrote about this in two different articles (here's
one and here's
the other) and came away impressed.
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments
PCs these days are so cheap, we usually don't bother buying them used. And if
we do, we often worry about flaky hardware, food-filled keyboards, whether Microsoft
will still support the OS and if we can reinstall it in the inevitable event
that the old machine refuses to work.
Microsoft has an answer. Those that sell used machines in volume can get
licenses from Microsoft in bulk, which means these machines will be supported
and eligible for updates and fixes, service packs, and security software such
as Windows Defender.
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Posted by Doug Barney on November 12, 20070 comments