Word Edges Closer to OpenDoc

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


Excel Open to Zero-Day Hack

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


Time Mag Doesn't Love Vista

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


Major Hack Fails To Take Down 'Net

Hackers staged a prolonged and vigorous attack on the key computers that manage worldwide Web traffic. Either the hackers aren't that good or the Internet is pretty darn resilient, since there was no discernable effect on Web operations.

Posted by Doug Barney on February 07, 20070 comments


Zune Exec Zooms Off

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


Dell and Intel: I Knew Something Was Up

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


IAG 2007 -- A Whale of a Deal

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


Gates Still Not Mellow

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


Bill's Mac Ad

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


More Apple Ads On the Way

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


iTunes and Vista Non-Simpatico

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 Pushes Prepacked Apps

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