The report read like the hundreds I've read about XP: There is a flaw that
could let a hacker take complete control of your machine (I'm envious as I've
never had complete control of any of my machines).
The "stop the presses" news is that the
flaw is within Vista, the supposedly bullet-proof new OS.
The press would have you believe that Microsoft completely messed up, that
Vista can't be trusted and that the sky is indeed falling.
One flaw does not a disaster make, and it's too early to tell just how secure
Vista will be. If you have any thoughts, send 'em our way at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on January 02, 20070 comments
I spent a few solid weeks talking to over a dozen customers about Visual Studio,
and then reported these findings to Microsoft. The VS product managers were
all ears. In the developer space, I found a healthy and active dialogue between
customers and Redmond.
The same now seems true for Windows clients, as Microsoft
is asking beta testers for advice on the next version of Windows. Now that's
how you build software!
The two-part story will be up on http://reddevnews.com
soon!
Posted by Doug Barney on January 02, 20070 comments
I consider Ray Ozzie to be the next Bill Gates since Ray will ultimately drive
software strategy for Microsoft. Pollsters at Zogby have
a
different view -- to them, the next Bill Gates is the man or woman that
drives the next generation of technology. And that person doesn't wave the stars
and stripes, most Americans believe. Instead, the next Bill G. will hail from
Asia, either Japan or China, or perhaps India.
But Zogby didn't call up hundreds of Americans just to ask about Gates. While
interrupting all these dinners, Zobgy also found that Americans believe that
kids know more about the Internet than congressmen -- though Sen. Ted Stevens
from Alaska did nail it when he defined the 'Net as a series of tubes. That
was as insightful as George W. talking about "The Google."
Posted by Doug Barney on January 02, 20070 comments
A bundle of 64-bit tools based around Longhorn for midsize businesses
is
in beta. When complete, the pack will boast SQL Server, Exchange, ISA Server,
with management chores taken care of by System Center Essentials. Microsoft
hopes this bundle, codenamed Centro, will be easier to install and manage than
Linux-based rivals. My guess is we'll find that answer in early 2008. There's
also help on the way for small businesses in the form of "Cougar,"
a new version of Small Business Server with much the same basic lineup as Centro.
Posted by Doug Barney on December 20, 20060 comments
Whether you like to build robots in your garage the way that bikers make choppers,
or make your living from robots, Microsoft has a system for you. The company
just
shipped the first version of the Microsoft Robotics Studio. Redmond hopes
to build an entire industry around its robotics platform.
If you're just a hobbyist, the $400 software kit is free.
Posted by Doug Barney on December 20, 20060 comments
I've suddenly become very interested in
Visual
Studio, not because I have the ambition (or skill) to build the next killer
app, but because we just launched a new magazine for corporate developers,
Redmond
Developer News.
For those who keep count, that's Redmond's third magazine launch in a smidge
more than two years. First was Redmond magazine itself, then less than a year
later Redmond Channel Partner,
and last month we put out the first issue of Redmond Developer News.
This trio does two things: It takes up a lot of my time, so forgive grammatical
errors and the many logical inconsistencies in this here newsletter (better
to blame it on lack of time than lack of skill).
On the positive side, this lets us see more of the market and make connections
between different segments. And that's how I became fascinated with Visual Studio.
It drives much of how our computers look, act and function in years to come.
After 31 years as a developer-oriented company, the service pack (SP1) for
Visual Studio 2005 ain't (there go those grammatical errors again!) quite the
breakthrough that was Altair Basic, but for folks that live inside Visual Studio,
it's a fairly big deal.
I've been communicating with a lot of Visual Studio folks lately, so when Microsoft
says the service pack was driven by customer feedback, I buy it hook, line and
sinker.
A lot of user problems have to do with performance, and VS SP1, partly through
dual core support, tackles this problem. There's also a whole, big wad of bug
fixes. Woohoo!
Next up is a service pack specifically aimed at Vista development.
Posted by Doug Barney on December 20, 20060 comments
I don't pretend to understand how superconductors work, but I'm happy as heck
that we have them, especially when I hear about the
breakthroughs
expected next year. Hypres Inc., a superconductor vendor, has 10 predictions.
First up, cheaper MRI machines. For anyone who ever paid for a back pain or
muscular injury diagnosis, this is great news. Not to mention that the less-privileged
might be able to afford this amazing diagnostic tool.
On a less profound but perhaps no less important note, superconductors may
pave the way for a new class of super-speedy Internet switches, quantum computers
and ultra high-speed workstations.
Superconductors may also drive a new class of efficient propulsion systems
for ships, meaning Larry Ellison and Paul Allen will some day dramatically increase
the gas mileage on their mega-yachts!
Posted by Doug Barney on December 20, 20060 comments
Time magazine doesn't make a lot of mistakes. I know firsthand how its fact
checking works and it's pretty darn rigorous. But one thing I have long been
unimpressed with is its Person of the Year. Looking back, a couple of winners
are more obscure than your college rock band (admit you had one!).
And too often it just picks the easy choice, like the president of the United
States, which it has chosen 19 times! But this year, the choice is strange and
fawning: the
person of the year is YOU.
I guess the idea is that blogs, social networks and sites like YouTube make
us all the center of attention -- we drive the content.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Russia is changing by the minute, North Korea
is rattling sabers, Israel is under increasing threat, disease and hunger is
ravaging the Third World and, oh, the Middle East is a heartbeat away from all-out
chaos -- and Time thinks blogs are the biggest thing that happened in 2006?
Are blogs changing your world? Let us know (and not just by sending a link
to your blog) by writing to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on December 19, 20061 comments
How's this for nerve? Former IBM employee James Pacenza admittedly spent hours
at Big Blue not working, but trolling the Internet, cruising some of the more
licentious and lascivious spots.
When he got fired, it wasn't his fault. It
was IBM and his boss' fault because they never dealt with his Internet addiction.
Boohoo! Pacenza went through so much hassle that he clearly deserves the $5
million his lawyer is asking for.
What would you give Mr. Pacenza? Tell us at [email protected],
and try to keep it cleaner than Pacenza's Web cache!
Posted by Doug Barney on December 19, 20061 comments
The October cover story for Redmond magazine talks about bad IT people taking
advantage of their access to information. The stories are scary, and should
serve as a lesson: IT folks should play it clean, and smart IT managers should
protect assets from other IT people as much as from end users. Read the story
here.
Not all bad IT people get away with it. An ex-systems admin tried to get back
at former employer UBS PaineWebber by sabotaging
the computers and making money from what he hoped would be a dramatic stock
drop. The sabotage worked and 1,000 computers lost their files. However, the
stock held up better than Dick Clark. As a result, Roger Duronio got caught
and is now sentenced to eight years in the pokey.
Posted by Doug Barney on December 19, 20060 comments
Symantec is beating back a worm that
attacks
its anti-virus software. But in this case the hackers aren't exactly Johnny-on-the-spot:
Symantec finished a patch for the flaw back in May, so the worm only attacks
systems that haven't been fixed. Best get to patching!
Posted by Doug Barney on December 19, 20060 comments
You're probably used to Microsoft salespeople knocking on your door, but more
and more you may be exposed to joint Microsoft/HP sales calls. The two have
long been tight, but based on a brand-spanking new
$300
million services deal, the companies will be seeing a lot of each other.
The big areas of focus are messaging, business process, business intelligence
and unified communication.
Not sure how Michael Dell feels about the deal.
Posted by Doug Barney on December 18, 20060 comments