Microsoft almost always wants you to upgrade to the latest and presumably greatest, even though in some cases the new tool is less ready for prime time than a Jason Alexander solo sitcom. But Microsoft is telling IT that the time to move to Windows 7 is now.
Ironically enough, this Windows 7 push just happens to coincide with its Volume Licensing availability.
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 18, 20094 comments
Microsoft Office Web Apps are now available for testing -- on an invitation-only basis. These are lightweight versions of Word, Excel, etc. that run on the Web. Like with Google Apps, documents can be shared across the Web.
The coolest part, for me, is a feature that lets me use my hard drive-based Office tools to save to the Web as easily as I save to my laptop. I hope this is the answer to my file synchronization issues. How do you synchronize between your various desktop and laptop computers? Give me the answers I desperately need at [email protected].
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 18, 20091 comments
It seems that IPv6 has been imminent for the past decade -- just like the coming collapse of Microsoft that never happened. In fact, it's been nearly 10 years since I interviewed Vint Cerf, who pushed IT and the Internet as a whole to adopt the new protocol because we were running out of addresses.
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 18, 20094 comments
Did you know it could take more than 20 hours to migrate to Windows 7?
Who's making this outrageous claim? Apple? The Linux community? No. It's Microsoft itself. Well, I'll be darned.
While most Windows 7 upgrades take one to six hours, you super users out there better be warned. As our story points out, "The longest install involved a super user (650GB of data, 40 apps installed) running mid-level hardware. That upgrade, for a 32-bit version, took 20 hours, 15 minutes."
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 16, 20097 comments
Bing is getting some reviews but so far it hasn't made Google so much as hiccup. But anyone who knows Microsoft knows that Microsoft is in this for the long haul. It'll keep plugging away 'til it gets where it wants to be: on top. Microsoft may never make it to the peak of Search Mountain (Google is already building condos there) but it can gain a healthy and sustainable market share.
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 16, 20090 comments
I was browsing our site RedmondReport.com (check it out) and found a great analysis of how Microsoft is faring in this tough economy. In fact, it's almost as good as my article, "The Strength to Endure."
The article by Joe Wilcox looks at where Google, Microsoft and Apple were a year ago compared to now. Apple and Google are actually doing exceptionally well. Microsoft, while doing less well, is still holding up just fine. There's no tech news, but if you own MSFT stock or are just curious, it's a fine piece.
Posted by Doug Barney on September 16, 20090 comments
I got a bunch of letters this week complaining about my Ann Coulter wise-crack. Some of you think the comment was political and that politics has nothing to with the newsletter. On the surface, I completely understand this reaction. Here what regular reader Jim had to say:
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 16, 200916 comments
Many believe in environmental causes. But convincing capitalist bosses to change the business to save trees, fleas and bees is tougher than getting Ann Coulter to stop dyeing her hair (or shut up).
For IT, green computing isn't as much about saving the environment as saving green -- as in dollars. Now that energy costs are increasing and budgets are falling faster than Hanson's album sales, IT and their businesses' bosses are getting serious about green. That is, at least, according to reseller CDW who recently polled IT pros.
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 14, 20091 comments
The reports I've read about last week's Microsoft company meeting expressed horror and surprise that CEO Steve Ballmer would rip an iPhone out of an employee's hands, threaten to stomp it into tiny Apple pieces, and then periodically berate the employee during his speech.
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 14, 20093 comments
Those of us who know at least a bit about software development have heard of CodePlex. This is a Web site built by Microsoft where programmers can share and post hunks of open source code.
Now CodePlex has evolved into a quasi-independent foundation where people can share and post open source code. The difference between the Web site and foundation, as I understand it, is the foundation offers more mechanisms to license and distribute the code. It's also a liaison between open source zealots and commercial software vendors.
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 14, 20091 comments
Today is a special and somber day, the eighth anniversary of the despicable attacks against New York City and the Pentagon. I was at a computer show across from the CNN Center in Atlanta with 30,000 other folks when the news broke. Two days later, driving past New York on my way home, I was surrounded by the acrid metallic scent of what used to be two glorious buildings.
What does this have to with IT? Not much. It transcends IT and makes all other issues seem minor. What did you learn from 9/11? Tell us all by writing to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on September 11, 20093 comments
It's nice sometimes to be validated. After researching two cover stories about Microsoft licensing, I decided that Microsoft made licensing hard on purpose. The more confused customers are, the more power Redmond sales reps have.
Now the esteemed analyst firm Directions on Microsoft agrees. In a recent article, the group (made up largely of ex-Microsoft execs) clearly believes Microsoft builds in this complexity as a negotiating tactic. The idea is IT gets so frustrated; it just pays the bill rather than unravel the tangle of terms and conditions.
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Posted by Doug Barney on September 11, 20090 comments