Tech-Ed Pumps Out the News

This week, Orlando welcomes Microsoft customers, execs and assorted hangers-on (like the motley Redmond crew), and as usual there are more press releases than Orlando area theme parks.

Today's keynoter was Bob Muglia, senior VP of the server and tools business. Muglia's theme was "Dynamic IT for the People-Ready Business."

I read reports of his speech but I can't for the life of me understand what Microsoft means by "dynamic." Don't get me started on "people-ready," a vacuous marketing term if there ever was one.

Digging deeper, "dynamic" really seems to mean "well-managed," and this management just happens to come from Microsoft. When systems are well-managed, they're easier to change, upgrade, tweak and add services to, so I guess this could kind of make them dynamic.

We'll be diving more deeply into individual new products in the next few newsletters, but here's a quick rundown:

  • There are new versions of Forefront security, including a unified system for clients, servers and the edge of the network.
  • There was a formal announcement of the name of the next version of Visual Studio, due next year. Get this: It's gonna be called "Visual Studio 2008"!
  • IIS 7.0 was announced and will be bundled with Windows 2008 Server Core. This seems like the perfect Microsoft antidote to the Linux/Apache duo.

Google Strengthens Software Development Hand
Google is dipping its well-heeled toes into the software development market with a new set of tools that will allow the building of apps that can actually run offline (gasp!).

The apps are still browser-based, but through Google Gears users can store the applications on Google's LocalServer, the data in a (you guessed it) database, and WorkerPool, which handles application management-type duties such as synchronization.

Microsoft Pushes Web Apps Envelope
Critics love to make fun of Microsoft failures, not realizing that what seems like a weak effort is actually just the beginning of a long slog to greatness.

Take Web apps. Knee-jerk, self-appointed pundits say that Google is absolutely killing Microsoft in Web software. A Redmond cover story that compared the two companies' Web software found the battle to be much, much closer -- more of a draw.

And Microsoft is just getting started. It just released three new betas of three new tools, including Live Writer, a blogging tool, Live Messenger and Live Mail (not to be confused with Windows Live Hotmail).

Microsoft Licensing Made Less Hard
Confused about licensing Microsoft software? The first thing you should do is read Scott Braden's Redmond Negotiator column every month.

Next, you can hear the Microsoft take through a new Webcast series at http://www.insidelicensing.com.

The first edition included a snippet from Steve Ballmer, as well as a partner and an analyst from Forrester, which has also developed an ROI calculator for Microsoft Software Assurance.

Any information about the confusing world of licensing is good, but always be aware of the source. For instance, the Forrester ROI calculator tends to assume that you exploit all the features of Software Assurance. If you use this tool, make sure all of your assumptions are realistic, and do some side calculations to account for upgrades that don't ship, problems with upgrades and other glitches that can destroy rosy ROI predictions.

Have you looked at the Forrester SA ROI tool? What do you think of Microsoft licensing? Let us know at [email protected]!

Amiga Games: Not Dead Yet
I'm probably the only journalist in North America who still writes about the Amiga. A month or so ago, I talked about plans to actually bring back complete Amiga computers.

Now, UK-based Vulcan Software is bringing old Amiga games to the PC.

In the '80s, the Amiga was the game machine, and many huge arcade machines had tiny, stripped-down Amiga 500s inside. My floppy-based Amiga 500 is still well-protected -- in the bottom of my son's closet!

What Does iTunes Know About You?
Apple may always come off as the good guy, but privacy advocates have discovered that iTunes songs can include information about the buyer, including name, e-mail address and more.

The theory is that this information can be used to hunt down the folks that offer up these tunes on file sharing networks.

So Apple demands that publishers take DRM off music, but uses a secret way of tracking down people that copy it?

Mailbag: "Surface" Thoughts, Big Blue's Buyback Binge
Last week, Microsoft took the covers off "Surface," a table-sized, touch-screen computer. Readers share their thoughts on the new gizmo:

I hate it when I sound like an absolute geek, but what a cool device/concept! Just the education factor alone...think of the possibilities. And for anyone out there who has kids, well, think of the games table you could have now (I dread to think of all the lost Monopoly pieces, playing cards and multi-sided dice from Dungeons & Dragons).

Good technology is "useable." Great technology is technology you can use and you don't even have to think about.
-Michael

I'd like to see a tabletop-sized screen that could be used by draftspersons (architects, engineers, etc.) to "draw" on more like they did when they used paper and pencil.

The trouble with CAD systems is that, often, either the image is too small or you can only view one section of a drawing at a time. If the screen could be, say, 30 inches by 40 inches or so, the architecture and engineering field would really appreciate that.
-Rod

And here's what one reader think about IBM's current buyback streak:

Given the regularity of investor clamor for short-term, maximum return on investment, while ignoring the long-term health and well-being of the company and the overall national economy, I find it encouraging that a behemoth like Big Blue is buying back controlling interest in itself. This allows for management to make the long-term health of the organization its priority, rather than the quick return on investment so many corporations find themselves being brow beaten into following by stock holders.

There is a balance point wherein investors are rewarded for their faith in a company, while the company has the autonomy to follow proper strategic thinking for the long term. Microsoft and scores of other companies do it, and now IBM is making its way there. As more and more companies see the light and reinvest in themselves, perhaps we'll see a brighter future return to American business, along with a more realistic, docile market.
-John

Got someting to add? Send an e-mail to [email protected] or leave a comment below.

Posted by Doug Barney on June 04, 20070 comments


OpenDoc Gets Redmond Boost

Microsoft has been wishy-washy about the Open Document format promoted by the OpenOffice backers. It supports the file format through translators, but not as a native format in Office 2007, which uses OpenXML instead.

Last week, Microsoft gave Open Doc another endorsement when it voted to make the format an ANSI standard. I'd still like to see tighter integration with Office, though.

Windows Server 2008 To Get 2009 Tweak
Windows Server 2008 (formerly Longhorn) is getting closer to shipping, giving Microsoft the confidence to talk about its follow-on. The company believes release 2 can ship in 2009. I've always maintained that Microsoft's server products are superior to its desktop wares. Maybe the server folks should build the follow-on to Vista!

Find out more about Redmond's server roadmap here.

Your 64-Bit Desktop Future
Microsoft has long had a 64-bit version of XP, and it turned out to be a bigger dud than Al Capone's vault. The problem, according to readers I've talked to, is a lack of driver support (sounds just like Vista, eh?).

But there is now speculation that Redmond is poised to put all its desktop eggs in the 64-bit basket with the next major desktop OS running only in 64 bits. Microsoft says it hasn't decided.

I say it should take the plunge: Splitting coding time between 32 and 64 bits makes both versions a compromise.

Microsoft Hits a Popfly
There are all kinds of somewhat-easy-to-use Web development tools. Ruby on Rails, I hear, is pretty good.

Every time Microsoft hears something is cool, whether it's a PalmPilot, iPod or Ruby, the company wants a piece. SmartPhones counter PalmPilots, the Zune (vainly) competes with the iPod (which, now that I own two, is far flakier than I imagined) and now Popfly is Microsoft's answer to mashups and cool, quick Web pages.

Based on Silverlight (itself a bit of an alternative to ASP.NET), Popfly is both a mix of tools and a place for developers to gather. Aimed at nonprofessional developers, the tools are in alpha. Learn about 'em here. And for more of our Popfly coverage, go here.

Meanwhile, my son David tells me Ruby on Rails has some pretty cool ads.

Killer Web
The Web is all about freedom -- maybe too much freedom. I don't want to deny you your Pamela Anderson JPEGs, but I'm not sure I want my kids to have the same privilege. And giving the ACLU and the John Birch Society their say is fine, but Muslim extremists' execution videos give me more than a little pause.

That's why I'm conflicted upon hearing that The Army of God is posting essays by Eric Rudolph, who murdered doctors that performed abortions, as well as articles by Paul Hill such as "I Shot an Abortionist."

I guess this is the price we must pay for freedom of speech, but it still makes me queasy. What about you? Speak freely at [email protected].

Mailbag: The Military's Tangled Web
A few more readers chime in about the military's decision to restrict soldiers' access to certain Web sites like MySpace and YouTube:

When I was in the Navy in 1988 (I can't believe I'm writing this) as a hospital corpsman, I wasn't even able to go to AOL to read mail at all of the naval bases I was stationed. They said some crap about a firewall that I didn't understand.

I remember thinking how wrong that was, but now that I am a bit more educated, those sites mentioned ought to be blocked. There is no reason a soldier/sailor can't find a different avenue to communicate nowadays.
-Chris

YouTube and MySpace are minor annoyances compared to the fact that in some locations -- and I speak from personal "been there" experience -- the Pentagon takes your computer, wipes and reloads the hard drive with its software, and blocks your personal e-mail access, some technical sites, and much more. It's a joke if the Pentagon says that you can check in at home. It's only under its conditions: no personal accounts, only your military account. As a reservist who was mobilized to help with the war, I practically lost all contact with friends and family, and lost business because of the gyrations necessary to get information that was removed from my computer.

Let's face it: In spite of all that the military does to protect information, people who want to get unauthorized information out will do it. People who want access to information they need will work hard to get it, as well, and the simplistic "punish everyone" approach that the military is taking is, in my opinion, bogus.
-Jane

My opinion regarding the restriction on certain Web sites by the military is similar to that of the corporate world; it's their computer/bandwidth, so they can do what they want with it. Now, if it gets to the point of restricting the soldiers' personal computing, then I believe the military will have overstepped. However, considering the complete disregard for constitutional, as well as international, law by the current administration (which is merely extending the precedents set by previous administrations), it probably won't be long before additional restrictions are applied. We can't have the soldiers in the field learning about what's going on at home or, worse yet, revealing the things they see and do to the folks back home, now can we?
-J.C.

Let us know what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on May 21, 20070 comments


Virtually Gone

In an effort to keep its next generation of virtualization from slipping further, Microsoft is delaying a raft of key features.

Viridian (which, besides being a codename, is a real word for the color blue/green) will lose the ability to move a virtual machine that's running to another box. Hot swapping is also getting the cold shoulder. I bet VMware engineers are breathing real sighs of relief.

Posted by Doug Barney on May 14, 20070 comments


New 'Net Names Near

A little more than a year from now, ICANN is expected to release a bevy of new 'Net names. I'm not sure what new suffixes it'll approve, but suffice to say Web squatters will be snapping up the most common names and selling them to the highest bidder.

Posted by Doug Barney on May 14, 20070 comments


Longhorn Name Dropping

Here's a shocker: It seems that "Longhorn," cool as it sounds, will not be the name of the next Windows Server.

Brace yourselves! Longhorn will be called "Windows Server 2008."

Microsoft won't comment on the name, mistakenly posted on its Web site, but this is far from a surprise.

I think they are substituting a great name, Longhorn, for one as boring as an Al Gore press conference. What do you think? Let us know at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on May 14, 20070 comments


Patent Storm Brewing

Fortune magazine has an extensive (read: long) report on Microsoft's strategy of using patents to squeeze money out of the free software community. Microsoft apparently has over 200 patents that are violated by the Linux kernel (isn't this based on the old Unix kernel?), OpenOffice (this one I can believe) and Linux GUIs (maybe Apple or PARC have a better case here).

The fear is that Microsoft can win licensing fees from the free software makers, making the software suddenly unfree!

I don't think the sky is falling here. Most open source has its legacy in software that predates Windows, and companies like IBM have plenty of patents to spit back at Redmond lawyers.

So I'm not terribly worried. They again, I run XP and Office -- not Linux and OpenOffice! What do you think? Does Microsoft have a case? Let me know at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on May 14, 20070 comments


More Flash for Flash Cards

SanDisk is working with Microsoft on a new generation of flash drives that make it easier to take your computing environment with you.

Many smart IT folks long ago figured out how to bring their files and applications anywhere they go. In the old days, some even toted around hard drives and slapped them into PCs at remote offices or at home.

Flash drives make this much easier, and the U3 technology from SanDisk is supposed to add core application functionality such as e-mail and browsing to the drives. Maybe I can finally stop lugging my laptop wherever I go!

How do you deal with having multiple computers? Do you have a common set of data? Does anyone actually use Briefcase? I'm dying to know at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on May 14, 20070 comments


Project 'Squash Symantec' in High Gear

Microsoft's plan to take over the anti-virus/security software from those who created it has moved into overdrive with the release of Forefront Client Security.

I've been critical of this move on the grounds that partners -- including Symantec, McAfee and Sunbelt -- together saved Windows from the unrelenting peril that is viruses. Once they showed the way, it was easy for Microsoft to do the exact same thing, competing with the very vendors that helped keep Windows running in the first place! We tackled this and other issues in our January cover story "Unfair Fight."

Symantec isn't taking this lying down. It released a statement arguing that Forefront Client technology is based on OneCare, which Symantec argues is substandard.

What do you think of OneCare and Forefront? And would you rather buy anti-virus software from Microsoft or a third party? Let us know at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on May 03, 20070 comments


Vista Code Not All New, Not All Secure

Versions of Windows have always suffered and benefited from the use of old code. The benefit is backward compatibility. The suffering comes from a failure to move fully forward, slow performance and security holes.

After Trustworthy Computing, many of us thought that Vista would be different. And in most cases it is. But not every hunk of code is new and that leaves pieces of Vista vulnerable.

I learned all this from Redmondmag.com contributor Steve Swoyer, who explains that old code from Windows 2000 led to the recently reported mouse cursor vulnerability.

Software may never be perfect, but I still applaud the lengths Redmond went to lock down Vista. Then again, only time will tell just how hacker-proof the new OS will be.

Posted by Doug Barney on May 03, 20070 comments


Microsoft Research Struts Stuff

Microsoft Research has gotten many a bum rap from the business press. Journos who are fixated on stock prices and product launches just don't understand why Redmond would invest billions researching "a best-first alignment algorithm for automatic extraction of transfer mappings from bilingual corpora" or do a "comparative study of discriminative methods for re-ranking LVCSR N-best hypotheses in domain adaptation and generalization." (When you put it that way, I'm not so sure either!)

The real knock is that the billions spent on research don't magically turn into stock price-raising products.

And that's the point: Microsoft doesn't restrict its research to things that make money. It's interested in advancing the state-of-the-art in computer science.

But there are projects that could become products, and every so often Microsoft shows them off. At the recent Computer/Human Interaction 2007 Conference, Microsoft showed off a few cool projects, including Shift, a tool that lets you use your finger as a stylus for a mobile device. It also talked about two projects that bring users and customers into the product design phase.

Most intriguing to me is: "Do Life-Logging Technologies Support Memory for the Past? An Experimental Study Using SenseCam." The idea here is for people to wear a camera throughout their lives. The question is whether going back to actual images from the past changes how one remembers them.

This question is mildly intriguing, but the very idea of constantly wearing a camera and archiving all the footage is what really gets my wheels turning.

If only O.J. had been wearing one of these on June 12, 1994!

Posted by Doug Barney on May 03, 20071 comments


Ubuntu and Dell

The word "Ubuntu" may mean a universal bond that unites humanity, but these days it also refers to the tight ties between the Ubuntu desktop version of Linux and Dell, which will preload the OS onto PCs and laptops for any customers who ask.

Desktop Linux has long been maligned for its lack of driver support. Nowadays, that rap is also given to Vista.

I'd love to run a new Dell Ubuntu box alongside Vista and see if that old Linux knock still holds up. If any of you have tried 'em both, give us your verdict at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on May 02, 20070 comments


The Amiga Is Back -- 15 Years Too Late!

Love is a wonderful thing, except when it clouds your judgment and makes it impossible for you to let go of what you've already lost. And no one loved their computers more than the owners of Commodore Amigas.

The fact that Commodore went utterly bankrupt and that the machines have been pretty much dead for over a decade didn't stop these users from dreaming, and the true believers from plotting a comeback.

The latest scheme comes from Amiga Inc., which promises to deliver two brand-new PowerPC-based models.

Technically speaking, the Amiga never completely went away. A dedicated group of enthusiasts have kept the OS going, and folks have been able to load the AmigaOS onto PowerPC boxes and compute to their hearts' delight.

What's different about the Amiga Inc. news is the preconfigured hardware.

The Amiga is the only computer I've ever had a deep affection for, but even I have to admit it's over.

Posted by Doug Barney on May 02, 20073 comments