Microsoft may have ROI and TCO reports that claim open source is more expensive to operate, but IT pros in this recession aren't buying it. The claim, that is. What they are buying is open source -- lots of open source, apparently. IDC reports that open source will grow almost 25 percent this year, and it may even go higher.
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 07, 20091 comments
Anyone who's read this newsletter for any length of time knows that I have a love/hate (or at least a like/dislike) view of Apple. I see its machines as expensive and proprietary, but admit they're cool and work pretty darn well.
I'm not alone in finding fault with Apple, especially as it exerts more and more control over all of its products. Switched.com columnist Terrence O'Brien makes a similar argument, claiming that Apple is far more proprietary than Microsoft.
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 07, 20095 comments
If you're running Windows 7 RC like me and find that some things no longer work, like I have, you might want to download the release candidate of Windows XP Mode. XP Mode is essentially XP running in a virtual machine, so apps and peripherals that don't talk nice to Windows 7 can talk nice to the XP VM.
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 07, 20090 comments
Some Windows 7 beta testers can convert to the real deal free of charge once it's done. Members of an exclusive club, those actually invited by Redmond to test the software, are eligible. Most of these top IT pros belong to TechNet, but not all TechNet subscribers got the special invites. So how do you know if you qualify? Microsoft will send off an e-mail with all the details.
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 05, 20092 comments
Microsoft let its Windows 7 upgrade pricing out of the bag, and instead of being excited, I'm confused.
Even though the news is only about upgrading from one version of Windows 7 to another, there are myriad versions and multiple pricing plans. Even more confusing, some options may only be available for a limited time. Add in temporary free upgrades for new Vista buyers, as well as other Windows 7 options, and what should be simple is more abstruse than a Visa credit card agreement.
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 05, 20094 comments
Making points that are already obvious to most Redmond Report readers, a security researcher is warning that cloud computing includes certain risks such as lack of data ownership and hacker risks when that data is in transit. Hmm, haven't you all been telling me this for over a year?
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 05, 20091 comments
Let's face it: Whether it's a Zune or an iPod, we're really just talking about a small drive that stores and plays media files. And speaking as a father who's paid for three now-dead iPods, Apple can't even build a reliable small drive that stores and plays media files. But when it comes to small drives that store and play media files, image is everything, and the Zune -- which has a cool name and is apparently not a bad device -- just isn't cool
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 03, 200917 comments
The COO of Microsoft, one Kevin Turner, claims that since its release Hyper-V has helped Redmond gain 24 points of market share from VMware. The article, which has fewer details than a Sarah Palin speech (hey, John Edwards is no prize either!), provides no context at all for this rather stunning statement.
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 03, 20094 comments
Recently, some have complained about a conflict of interest or possible collusion due to the fact that the CEO of Google sits on Apple's board -- especially since Apple and Google share a common enemy. Well, fret no more, as Eric Schmidt just resigned as an Apple director.
The easy answer here is that Apple and Google are now one another's enemy, with Google going into mobile operating systems and browsers, and with the Chrome OS eventually fighting over the desktop.
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Posted by Doug Barney on August 03, 20090 comments
Satire is my favorite form of humor; it cuts through hypocrisy, stupidity and arrogance like a well-sharpened deli slicer. And as I've mentioned before, The Onion is perhaps our greatest source of satire, a proud replacement for the old National Lampoon magazine.
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 31, 20092 comments
Who are the leaders in core virtualization tools? VMware, Microsoft and Citrix. That's a pretty good list. Red Hat hopes that you'll soon include one more, and think of the fourth as every bit as important as the big three. And the $100 million-plus acquisition of Qumranet should lay the groundwork.
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 31, 20093 comments
At Redmond's latest financial analyst meeting, Ballmer took to the stage -- Ballmer does take to the stage like a duck to water -- and drilled into the key issues facing Microsoft today.
As usual, the candid and expressive Ballmer had a few surprises, including this whopper: He himself has been personally managing the Windows business for the past year or so. I'm not sure how Steve Sinofsky, who is responsible for that group, feels about that comment.
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Posted by Doug Barney on July 31, 20092 comments