The Free Software Foundation (FSF) kicked off a public awareness campaign on Wednesday called "Windows 7 Sins," which, as you can probably guess from the name, lists seven deadly sins of Microsoft, honing in on its latest Windows 7 OS. (Incidentally, you can check out this feature in our latest issue that covers the seven things Windows 7 did get right.)
The organization advocates that software should be available for free, and not be proprietary. So it's not just Windows 7 that gets the evil eye from the FSF; Vista and even the venerable XP get panned for the same reason: proprietary control. FSF doesn't necessarily advocate open source as the solution. The software just needs to be free, an FSF spokesperson explained to me a few months back. And while this FSF campaign focuses on Microsoft, Adobe and Apple are also in its sights.
People may tend to dismiss the FSF, but it depends on your perspective. IT pros responsible for setting up desktops in organizations have practical concerns that must be addressed. They'll install whatever software is easy to use and supported. Things do go horribly wrong, after all, so organizations will pay to ensure that it's someone's job to provide that support. Really, that's the reason why organizations agree to Microsoft's complex licensing, which does seem rather arbitrary and limiting -- and expensive.
For everyday use, free software is great, except when things go wrong. Case in point: I bought a Dell laptop equipped with the free Ubuntu Linux OS. The OS updates every six months or so. One of the updates wiped out the system's sound. I tried searching for the sound driver online, but failed. I contacted Dell's support and they promised to call me to fix the problem. They didn't. Of course, I guess it's my own fault for not knowing how to control my computer using the BASH command line.
On an intellectual level, can people really object to some of the FSF's claims? The group says that Microsoft is pushing its OS monopoly in the public schools, and that its software accesses your computer, which constitutes an invasion of privacy. Security is a problem with Microsoft's software, the FSF adds.
But the FSF's argument that Microsoft has tried to block the OpenDocument Format seems a bit off. Microsoft is now part of the OASIS effort overseeing ODF. In late April, Microsoft released Office 2007 SP2, which includes built-in support for ODF. So instead of blocking ODF, it seems Microsoft is absorbing it.
The FSF could make a strong argument on the document format front, as many institutions like governments and schools need to keep electronic records that won't disappear along with the Wang word processor. Alas, it seems that Microsoft has actually responded to this issue, and now there's support for ODF as well as Microsoft's Office Open XML document format as international standards.
Overall, the FSF is arguing about the ills of capitalism, which is a big topic. However, in the meantime, I'm wondering if someone can just help me fix the lack of sound in my Ubuntu-driven laptop. Any ideas?
Posted by Kurt Mackie on August 26, 200914 comments
Microsoft delivered IE 8 to IT shops using Windows Server Update Services yesterday. Of course, you didn't ask for it. It just arrived, like a security update.
Some IT shops may still be using IE 6, but Microsoft doesn't really encourage it. IE 6 isn't standards-based like IE 8, nor does it provide the same level of security. For those still using IE 7, Microsoft tried to ease the transition by adding a Compatibility View function in the browser that switches from IE 8 to IE 7 rendering.
Security certainly seems like a compelling reason for any organization to select a browser, and Microsoft cited two NSS Labs studies that demonstrated IE 8 to be a top performer in thwarting malware and phishing attacks. What Microsoft failed to mention, however, is that it paid for those two studies. What's worse, the studies themselves don't indicate Microsoft's sponsorship.
Is Microsoft's IE 8 the most secure browser? Maybe. Unfortunately, Microsoft may have blown some credibility by not ensuring that its sponsorship was properly declared in the NSS Labs studies. In the research and publishing world, this is a major no-no.
Will your IT shop switch to IE 8 in the near future? Is security a compelling reason to make the switch, or are you more worried about breaking apps? Tell Doug at [email protected].
Posted by Kurt Mackie on August 26, 20094 comments
It's official. Microsoft will fight a court order denying the sale of Word in the U.S. The approach is two-pronged. First up is a hoped-for emergency stay, which will be heard Sept. 23, a solid month before the ban is to go into effect. At the same time, Redmond is seeking a full appeal.
My guess is that this will still be settled out of court. Meanwhile, new patent suits appear to be cropping up, as noted by InformationWeek.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 24, 20090 comments
I was driving on Cape Cod this weekend when I chanced across an honest-to-goodness hippy -- Jimi Hendrix shirt, worn-out pants, long tangled hair and ratty beard. But it wasn't, in fact, an honest-to-goodness hippy, as this dude was around 20 dressed just like me back in 1974. Ah, but what's old is new again, in fashion, music and even hacker techniques.
Case in point: A bunch of low-life hacker losers attacked sites in South Korea and the U.S. last month with moderate success. These guys (or gals) aren't the brightest hackers the world has ever seen; they simply stole old techniques and code and flung it at unpatched computers to see what would stick. Unfortunately, some of it did.
The lesson? Patch, patch and patch some more.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 24, 20090 comments
Vista and XP users interested in checking out Windows 7 may have plenty of time to decide. There's a little trick that can extend the free trial from 30 days to a full four months. If you can't figure out what to do by then, I'd suggest getting a little backbone.
The geniuses at Windows Secrets figured this whole deal out, and offer detailed instructions. All you've got to do is click the link.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 24, 20091 comments
Free speech nuts and Internet libertarians don't always like my opinions. For one, I don't think the Internet should be a free-for-all of filth, and there should be a way adults can prove their age to see the crazy stuff and block it for 10-year-olds. Nor do I believe in pure online anonymity. One should not be able to harass, commit crimes or hack -- and then hide behind a cloak of Internet invisibility.
Microsoft researchers apparently agree and want to help us all track down hackers by finding out who they are and what host servers they use.
I do worry about what governments could do with these techniques. Not just Iran and North Korea, but even "free" countries like the good, old US of A which could abuse our personal rights. Should we give up our anonymity to expose hackers and other creeps? Tell me what you think, anonymous or otherwise, at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 21, 200933 comments
David Coursey is a veteran computer journalist and commentator with whom I had the pleasure of working years ago at InfoWorld. Coursey is still up to his old tricks, offering insight, analysis and bold opinions that would make Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann proud.
I'm not sure I totally agree with his Mac Office conspiracy theory, but here goes: Coursey believes that Microsoft hobbled Mac Office by not including Outlook, making the Mac as tough a sale in enterprises as copies of the Quran in a Baptist convention (or the Bible in a Taliban camp). In David's view, Microsoft only agreed to a Mac Outlook after Apple itself started building Exchange-compatible clients.
I'm not sure what to think and, as usual, rely on your good judgment. Set me straight at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 21, 20096 comments
Exchange 2010 is now in release candidate stage and interested parties can download the beast from TechNet. Oddly enough, Exchange 2010 works with Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2007 R2, but not Exchange 2007 itself.
Are you attracted by 2010's SaaS and unified communication features, or are you currently using or eying an alternative? Use whatever e-mail system you want and send your thoughts to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 21, 20094 comments
I've long toyed with using a Mac as a full-time work machine and running Windows on a home machine or two just to stay current. The only problem (besides shelling out big bucks for the honor of using a Mac) is Entourage. While this is a pretty good system, it ain't quite Outlook, which is my corporate standard.
Now, my only excuse is not wanting to shell out big bucks for the honor of using a Mac. That's because the next rev of Office for the Mac will dump Entourage for a newly built Outlook.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 19, 20091 comments
On Monday, I told you about a court order preventing the sale of Word in the U.S., an order that I believe doesn't actually go into effect for a few months.
If you thought Microsoft was going to take this lying down, then you know nothing about how this firm operates. It doesn't take anything lying down, not even a nap. That's why it's no surprise that Microsoft is going back to court, trying to reverse the ruling tout de suite.
There's no saying when or if a stay will be ordered, but emergency motions such as this tend to get heard fast.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 19, 20092 comments
Windows 7 may be getting all the headlines due to consumer excitement, but many in IT are far more interested in Windows Server 2008 R2, which is now ready, willing and able for download at TechNet and MSDN. You can even test it out for the next half-year by getting an evaluation license.
The 64-bit server software has Live Migration, so VMs can be moved on the fly, as well as storage swapping, so the same thing can happen with disks.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 19, 20091 comments
Now this is a mindblower: A Canadian company beat the barrister-packed Microsoft and as a result, Word will no longer be for sale in America in two months. It sounds nuts, but i4i LP owns an XML patent which da judge ruled Word violates.
The ruling awards gives i4i a cool $290 million -- a drop in the old Redmond bucket. It looks like Microsoft may appeal, but my guess is it will pull out a few moneybags and toss 'em i4i's way.
Much more importantly, though, the decision goes right to the core of Word, the .DOCX file format (which I avoid, preferring to save in older .DOC formats). Do you like the XML-based .DOCX file format, or are you upset that only other Word 2007 users can open them unless they have a translator? Yeses and nos equally welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 17, 200916 comments