I have three kids that are dedicated Mac-oholics. One sure sign? Every time they see one on TV, they have to point it out. For instance, there's an ad that runs non-stop on basic cable for FinallyFast.com, which is software that promises to speed up your PC.
"Look, Dad, there's an iBook!" they all said in unison. And there's an iMac! They sure looked like Macs to me, but there are so many styles of laptops and monitors, I wasn't 100 percent convinced.
But the idea stuck in my head, and each time I saw the commercial I became more and more convinced these were Macs, even though the company points out the software only works on PCs. Then, leaning on my vast virtualization knowledge (I did found VirtualizationReview.com after all), I argued that these Macs may have been running Windows under Boot Camp or Parallels.
"Nothing doing," my son David said. "That iBook is a PowerPC -- it can't run Windows!" It's times like this I wish I didn't have such bright kids.
In preparation for writing this item, I did a little Googling (or Windows Live Searching, in Microsoft parlance) and found a blog about this company. Turns out, those were Macs. Even worse, the company is flagged by many as offering software that's barely effective and may actually be harmful. I can't confirm 100 percent that this is true, but there are some rather compelling reports on the matter. Google "Ascentive" and you'll soon see what I mean.
Posted by Doug Barney on July 13, 20095 comments
I have a love/hate relationship with Keith Olbermann. When Republicans are in power, I can half-stand the smug partisan attacks. And when Dems rule, the fawning (plus the continuing smug partisan attacks on Republicans) sicken me. In fact, to maintain any sanity, I shift from right-wing ideologues to left-wing dogmatists every half-hour or so, whether it's the radio, TV or a friend on the phone.
So I was surprised to watch that doofus Olbermann make fun of our own Steve Ballmer, choosing Steve as one of the worst persons in the world. Did Steve put another rival out of business? Lay off more workers? Defile Puget Sound with a gas spill from his yacht (I don't actually think Ballmer has one)?
Nope. Ballmer has the unmitigated gall to predict that in a decade, PC displays will be as flexible as paper, and that search engines will in that same period be able to guess what we're really looking for based on our basic query.
Olbermann has never been known for his subtle analysis, and so he assumed Ballmer meant that PCs would be like HAL -- more human than not. In reality, Ballmer argued that search engines would be like expert systems, tracking our past queries to rather simplistically predict the future. If we don't get to this point by 2019, my children and I with be sadly disappointed.
Posted by Doug Barney on July 13, 200916 comments
As a Microsoft vet, Steve Sinofsky is no stranger to pressure. But he better have his Alka-Seltzer ready as Sinofsky has just taken over as president of the Windows Division.
Sinofsky is already off to a good start. The man helped run Windows engineering and has been given credit for producing Windows 7, an OS that while not yet released, is stable enough to let me write this newsletter! Thanks, Steve.
Posted by Doug Barney on July 10, 20090 comments
North Korea loves attention. Kim Jong Il gets headlines with tough talk and feeble and embarrassing missile tests. Now, North Korean hackers may be trying to spread fear with a series of denial-of-service attacks on South Korean and U.S. government Web sites.
But according to security experts, these hackers are as ineffective as current North Korean missile technology. The worst that happened, according to those attacked, was a bit of annoyance.
That's the good news. The bad news is that politically motivated cyber attacks will go on and the level of sophistication is likely to increase. How can we fight cyber attacks? Is there a technical or political answer? Cast your vote at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on July 10, 20092 comments
This coming Tuesday will be moderately busy for IT patching pros as Microsoft plans a half-dozen fixes.
I know I sound like a broken record, but nearly all the patches address remote code execution (RCE) flaws. In fact, one patch helps close an RCE hole in all currently supported revs of Windows. Pretty handy.
Microsoft virtual wares get some security help, too. Hyper-V is fine, but older tools such as Virtual PC 2004 and 2007 as well as Virtual Server 2005 need to be patched.
Finally, Microsoft has a fix for DirectX (which hackers, for some reason, particularly like to attack) and tweaks for ISA and Office Publisher 2007.
Posted by Doug Barney on July 10, 20090 comments
Forefront is Microsoft's suite of enterprise security applications, but it has a bug in it when working with SharePoint. It can delete data when running a manual scan.
Microsoft appears to have a big task getting all of its various Forefront security solutions to work with Microsoft's various software products. But who else will you buy security from for your Microsoft products?
Posted by Kurt Mackie on July 08, 20090 comments
In another sign that Google means business, the search giant dropped the "beta" tag from its Google Apps brand of hosted applications.
IT pros are used to tracking and testing software upgrades and patches in their shops. Common wisdom suggests they wouldn't deploy a beta version of any piece of software live on the network. But for some time now, Google has established contracts with companies running essentially "beta" software.
Google claims its betas have to pass stringent internal tests before being released. No software is without troubles, though. For example, a beta release of a potential Microsoft Exchange-killer, called "Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook," had a few bumps that have since been remedied.
For those used to Microsoft's releases, a common refrain is to wait until the first service pack is released before deploying an OS or application. Don't deploy betas in a production environment. Do your testing first. But maybe SaaS has changed the game. Can enterprises trust the instant software delivery model such as Google's service? Or are careful testing and patch management indispensible to the enterprise? What's been your experience with managing SaaS-delivered applications? Tell Doug at [email protected].
Posted by Kurt Mackie on July 08, 20090 comments
A recent announcement from Google seems to be stepping all over what used to be considered sacred ground for Microsoft. On Tuesday, Google announced "Google Chrome OS," a new Linux-based OS to be publicly launched in the second half of next year. Chrome OS will run on netbooks, as well as desktops.
So far, Linux-based OSes haven't made much of a dent in Microsoft's OS market share. Linux holds just 0.6 percent of the worldwide OS market, according to StatCounter. In contrast, XP holds 68 percent of that share, while Vista follows at 22 percent. Mac OS X has a toehold with 4 percent.
Will Chrome OS be any different than other Linux OSes when it comes to battling Windows, which meets the legal definition of a monopoly? After all, Linux was the OS of choice when netbooks first appeared. Now, Microsoft officials crow about a 90 percent attach rate of XP on netbooks and claim that any Windows 7 edition will be capable of running on a netbook.
Still, Google's announcement suggests that things might be different this time. Google is promising security from malware and no constant updates. There's also a big incentive offered for developers: You write for the browser OS and run the application anywhere. ("For application developers, the Web is the platform," Google's blog states.) The appeal to developers is straight from Microsoft's playbook. Does Google have the clout such that application developers will write more for Chrome OS than for Windows?
Much remains to be seen. And meanwhile, Microsoft has a research project called Gazelle that treats the browser more like an OS. What's going on here? Will the browser become the OS of the future? Tell Doug where this is going at [email protected].
Posted by Kurt Mackie on July 08, 20093 comments
Microsoft was never really hot to trot over Java, but when the language/system threatened to take off, Microsoft cooked up a deal to support it. Now, Java is still cool, but hasn't entirely set the world on fire. Maybe that's why Microsoft is comfortable enough to drop Java Virtual Machine support. As of now, the JVM that Microsoft licensed from Sun will no longer get patched.
This is probably not a big deal. My sense is most folks download the real thing from Sun when they need Java, anyway.
What are your thoughts? Did Java fail to live up to expectations or am I missing something? Thoughts can be forwarded to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on July 06, 20096 comments
Talk to any self-appointed pundit and they'll tell you that Google, Web 2.0 and clouds are the future. And usually, they tell you this by writing blogs, articles or columns. And what do they craft these masterpieces on? Thin clients? Google Docs? Their iPhones? No, it's usually just Microsoft Word running on either a Windows fat client or an Apple fat client.
As we move to these new computing paradigms, are they simply in addition to what we already have -- in effect, thin-client software running on a good, old-fashioned fattie? Or at some point, does the new way replace the old? That is, do we no longer need Windows or the Mac because all the smarts are in the cloud? And if so, what do these new clients look like?
In fact, we may be moving in the opposite direction. Many new Mac users are also running Windows -- two fat clients on the same machine. And many Vista users are virtualizing XP and sometimes Linux -- two or three fatties running on one box. And what do they spend most of their time doing? Surfing and IM. Hmm.
So what's the future, Web thin or Windows/Mac fat? Your vote readily counted at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on July 06, 20096 comments
With only so much network gear that can be sold, Cisco has been steadily encroaching on Microsoft's territory. One move was unified communications. A more recent gambit involves selling servers stacked to the gill with virtualization wares.
Neither action inspired a meaningful Microsoft response, but the latest Cisco move probably won't be taken lightly. The network king is making noise about a new Web-based system to create and share productivity documents and files. Can you say Office Live?
The apps aren't expected to be as full-featured as Office, which is good and bad. For many, all those features make the darn software too hard to use. On the other hand, if it's missing the one feature you really need, then it's no-go.
Do you prefer full-featured tools or slimmed-down apps? Make your feelings known at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on July 06, 20092 comments
CIOs might not have much fundage these days, but only the most short-sighted would stop spending altogether. What's different form the past is every dime gets close scrutiny now, and money goes to areas most in need. (Congress could learn a lesson or two from this!)
In a recent survey by Robert Half Technology, some 1,400 top IT chiefs detailed their priorities. The No. 1 priority is unfortunate: security. It's great that IT takes this issue so seriously, but it's a disgrace that hackers, cybercriminals and Internet low-lifes dictate IT spending, especially in these volumes.
The second-most popular in investment has an actual payback and isn't just a sinkhole: virtualization. Close to 40 percent of shops polled planned to spend on virtual wares. The third area encompasses virtualization, but goes a few steps further: datacenter efficiency. Consolidating via virtualization is one method, but there are others ways, such as improving venting, getting more efficient power systems, raising datacenter temperatures and even using alternatives such as solar panels and wind (these are neat options as long you're not in a high rise).
VoIP, SaaS and green IT are other top areas, the report concludes. What are your strategic priorities? Send your short lists to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on July 01, 20092 comments