Nothing is ever simple in Redmond. Product names are more confusing than they
have to be (first there's a code name that's usually pretty good, then a final
name that's usually pretty bad, and after we all get to know the product, Microsoft
changes the name to something even worse).
And when it comes to MS Word file formats, Microsoft is spinning a story as
a tangled as a plot from "24."
While it could have just included OpenDoc -- the same format used by OpenOffice
and other tools -- in Word, Microsoft instead decided to help start
an open source project to build a translator that would turn Word OpenXML
files into OpenDoc and vice versa.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 07, 20070 comments
Microsoft is investigating a
flaw
in Excel similar to the four zero-day flaws the company is still working
to patch in Word. Thankfully, there has been limited activity so far.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 07, 20070 comments
Recently,
Newsweek interviewed Bill Gates and gave him an open forum
to promote Vista and complain about those "lying" Mac ads.
Time
took a different approach, recently publishing a
rambling
and disjointed review of the new OS.
Despite some praise, the review -- in a rare moment of lucidity -- called Vista
"an embarrassment to the good name of American innovation, but it's perfectly
fine."
Posted by Doug Barney on February 07, 20070 comments
The man behind the Zune
has
left Microsoft, and no one is really saying how or why. Bryan Lee, by all
accounts, got the Zune out on time and in stores in time for Christmas. I looked
superficially at the specs and thought it compared quite favorably to the iPod.
That is, until Redmond Report readers set me straight, pointing out the Zune
won't play tunes Microsoft originally promised it would, such as WMA tracks
bought from Napster and other music services, or even from Microsoft itself.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 06, 20070 comments
When AMD starting gaining steam with cheap and blazingly fast PC and server
chips, all the major hardware makers jumped at least partly on the bandwagon
-- except Dell, which stubbornly and publicly refused give AMD an inch.
Behind the scenes, though, Intel was paying Dell big bucks to use its chips.
While this may not be illegal or even unethical, it's the subject
of a shareholder lawsuit; Dell didn't report about $1 billion in such payments
openly enough, the suit charges.
All this chaos led founder Michael Dell to take
back the reigns of the company he started in an Austin dorm room 27 years
ago.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 06, 20070 comments
Congratulations! You get to memorize a brand-new acronym. While Cisco has firewalls
with names like PIX, Centri and Catalyst, acronym-crazy Microsoft named its
latest firewall
IAG
2007 (which is about as intuitive as ISA, its previous product).
IAG isn't just a complicated name; it's a complicated product and has an even
more intricate history.
Let's start with the product. IAG combines ISA with VPN and firewall software
that Microsoft got when it acquired security appliance maker Whale Communications,
which had hardware similar to that of Network Engines, Celestix and others.
The appliance story is a bit tangled, so let me walk you through it. Although
Whale was a maker of appliances, Microsoft decided not to compete against other
hardware makers (check out our take on this issue here).
Instead, both Celestix and Network Appliance will build IAG hardware devices.
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal all around.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 06, 20070 comments
Bill Gates has never been afraid to speak his mind, a characteristic that drives
competitors (and government regulators) insane, but makes his company all kinds
of interesting to write about.
Lately, Gates has been less visible and less lively. I half-figured all those
dinners with Bono and the president of China -- and his impending retirement
-- lulled Gates into a sense of complacency.
Not the case, at least when it comes to Vista. Gates spoke
with Newsweek's Steven Levy (a longtime Mac freak) and was as feisty
as ever. Gates strongly suggested that Apple's TV commercials are "lying"
about just how flaky PCs are, and how tough it is to upgrade to Vista.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 05, 20070 comments
Meanwhile, there's an
old
video of Bill Gates that could be even more effective than the Mac ads --
if Apple could only gain the rights!
Posted by Doug Barney on February 05, 20070 comments
Maybe it's because they're working, or perhaps it's because they get under Bill
Gates' skin. Either way,
Apple
plans to keep up the attack and is taking particular pleasure in roasting
Vista. This is all well and good, but Apple is missing a huge opportunity by
not going after IT. Let's face it: IT loves computers and knows good tech when
they see it. Many of you have Macs at home and would gladly have more in your
shop if you felt that Apple was serious about servicing the corporate market.
But Apple does no PR, marketing or advertising at this influential and well-heeled
segment of the market (Steve, we still have a cover story waiting if you want
to talk to us!).
I prodded Apple about this in
a column and then did a feature explaining just what it would take for Mac
or Linux to blow
away the Redmond desktop monopoly.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 05, 20070 comments
I'm not sure who's at fault here, but it seems
iTunes
and Vista aren't altogether compatible, and Apple is warning users to wait
before upgrading to the new Windows. Of course Apple isn't Vista's biggest fan
and wouldn't mind if the OS just dried up and blew away. And Microsoft, especially
with the Zune in tow, wouldn't mind if iTunes just dried up and blew away.
Regardless of who blew it, the problem should be straightened out in a few
weeks.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 05, 20070 comments
Virtual Iron, a server virtualization concern, has a new concept:
Virtual
Appliances. These aren't the dedicated hardware appliances we are
all used to. Instead, these appliances are similar to the way some apps have
been built for the VMware player. The app is already virtualized and can simply
be installed and run alongside all your other virtualized apps.
Posted by Doug Barney on January 31, 20070 comments