When most folks think of social networking, Twitter, Facebook and MySpace leap to minds. But Microsoft would rather you think about SharePoint. Microsoft is hoping that partners can make the point about SharePoint's social skills, and thus formed the Social Enterprise Alliance.
So far, it looks like only two vendors have joined the cause: speakTECH and Telligent. Not sure if Microsoft Googled or even MSN Live Searched "Social Enterprise Alliance," but if it had, it would've seen the first Google result is an organization that's been around for years and has way more than two members. Oops.
Posted by Doug Barney on May 29, 20090 comments
In this economy, we've stopped buying lots of things -- Hummers, boats and Moet et Chandon, to name a few. And IT slowed down, too, in many cases buying only the real essentials, like disks, replacement servers and security software.
But soon, tight-fisted CIOs might just open up to new purchases, or so says Robert Half Technology. Hot areas of investment include the aforementioned security, followed closely by virtualization and tools to make datacenters more efficient.
If you had a growing IT budget, what would you buy first? Shopping lists welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on May 29, 20090 comments
Ray Ozzie's first love is not public speaking. While he does just fine in front of a mic, I reckon he'd rather be talking to his developers or maybe just thinking. But as the leader of Microsoft's cloud push, Ozzie has to get out and about -- and that's how he landed at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference last week.
Much of Ozzie's talk consisted of the well-worn message of mixing standard apps with Web services. He also pitched the bean counters on Azure and then promised to integrate their PCs, phones and televisions.
The only real news was Ozzie's honest appraisal of Vista, where Microsoft tried to do too much in one fell swoop and failed to get enough drivers built.
Posted by Doug Barney on May 27, 20091 comments
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) just got a service pack and now the service pack needs a service pack.
SP2 works fine, but only for six months. That's when the software is inadvertently set to expire. The good news is a fix is on the way. The better news? Microsoft has about a half a year to get the fix right!
Do you use SharePoint, and if so, for what? Shoot me the deets at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on May 27, 20090 comments
Microsoft just earned a patent for technology that can lock down an operating system and only allow the manufacturer to upgrade the OS or let software to be installed.
If this sounds like Soviet-style computing, you may be right. If abused, the vendor can centrally control your machine, and paying off Politburo members with Stoli won't even help you out.
Here's another take: IT loves to lock down computers because there are fewer viruses, inappropriate applications and data theft. A locked-down computer could be seen as a utility -- it does what you ask and no more. And if that means I can't install Linux or LimeWire, so be it.
Would you use such restricted PCs, or recommend them for your company? Yeses and nos can be forwarded to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on May 27, 20095 comments
Microsoft is trying to show the world how great Azure is, and part of that is
a new program that lets the U.S. federal government share non-classified data with agencies and the public.
The system uses a host of Microsoft technologies. Information is posted through Visual Studio and contained as SQL files.
Not sure if this is a freebie proof of concept or if Redmond is snagging some stimulus dough to fund it.
Posted by Doug Barney on May 15, 20091 comments
Earlier this week, Doug wrote about a new plan in the works among some service
providers to charge Internet users based on bandwidth use. Most (though
not all) of you think that would be pretty unfair:
"My monthly bill is getting close to $150 month, and that's bad
enough. My message to the providers is: Raise the price and I will
declare my freedom -- from them."
-- Anonymous
"I shell out about $200 a month for phone and Internet. I even dropped
my home phone to save a little. I agree, tacking on another fee would
be too much."
-- Anonymous
"Americans have had it too good for too long. Here in Australia, we've had tiered Internet plans from day dot because a large
percentage of Internet traffic goes overseas on costly undersea cables
or satellite. As the Internet originated from networks put together by U.S. universities and defense departments, a large portion of all Internet traffic went to American sites and therefore ISPs could sell
unlimited plans because only a small amount of traffic was going
overseas. Now, however, the Internet is truly global and Americans are
now surfing the world for content, not just in their back yards. This
is why your ISPs no longer wish to give you unlimited accounts; it's
costing them money when you 'travel' outside the USA.
Usage payments should be embraced and it should encourage low-bandwidth users to the Internet by giving them cheaper accounts (i.e., $10 per month for 1G of data, $30 for 25G, and $50 for 100G).
People who are clogging up the Internet by using high-bandwidth
applications will pay for the privilege, and if you just want to read e-mails from your family occasionally, you'll be able to find a
cheaper plan than your current all-you-can-eat plans."
-- John
"Interesting you had to mention shelling out extra money for Internet at your summer home. You could use some help in the sensitivity department. There are lots of people out of work right now that are lucky to even have a primary home, given the foreclosure mess and unemployment rates.
As for the rate hikes, they are ridiculous. No one can afford this nonsense in the current economic climate. I'm all for everyone earning a buck, but do it the right way and don't be greedy. Time Warner Cable continues to hike prices at every opportunity and if I had a choice where we live, we would NOT continue paying their exorbitant rates."
-- Anonymous
"The DSL/cable companies alike are making more than their fair share of the money with no significant improvement in service to justify the cost(s)."
-- Anonymous
And one reader is dismissing cloud computing until it settles some
security issues:
"Until they take security seriously out-of-the-box and forego
'backwards compatibility' for new applications that also take
security seriously, or get automatically shut down and locked out by
the operating system (sort of like network access control), this
'cloud' stuff is all vaporware. That is my belief and that of the
SMBs I work with here in Louisville, Ky."
-- Anonymous
Posted by Doug Barney on May 15, 20091 comments
Tech-Ed is usually bursting with people and bubbling with Microsoft news. This one was a bit of a fizzle -- and you can blame the economy for that! In these days of layoffs, paycuts, and budget reductions paying for a plane, hotel and meals in Los Angeles is hard to justify. And taking the time away from work, well that ain't too cool either.
Microsoft, I think, saw the writing on the wall and played it low key. The only real news was some scheduling updates that we reported on Wednesday http://redmondmag.com/news/article.asp?editorialsid=10839. The news here was more or less a commitment to ship Windows 7 this year. While an economic recovery would be better news, Windows 7 this year isn't too shabby.
Posted by Doug Barney on May 15, 20090 comments
We're all used to cabs charging by the mile, and shrinks charging by the hour. But are you ready to pay for the Internet based on how much you use? Major providers, especially those selling overpriced cable TV services, hope you are.
The rationale from the cable/Internet companies is that a few users -- heavy file sharers, movie downloaders, and those with rich and popular Web sites -- use an inordinate amount of bandwidth, and therefore should pay more. There are a few problems with this line of reasoning: These new metered charges could apply to the majority, not the minority of users. And as the number of customers increase, the cost of serving each actually falls. Worse is that these companies are really just trying to keep you from dumping cable TV and watching shows over the 'Net.
I guess what really galls me are the price creeps we've already seen. I spend about $50 a month for home Internet mainly because DSL is so darn flaky. I spend the same amount during the summer at my vacation home, so for half the year I shell out $100 a month for Internet. Add to that the $20 a month for tethering so my BlackBerry can serve as a laptop connection, and we're talking serious dough. And I haven't even added in cable TV for the two homes, or all the cell phones my family uses.
All in all, my family gives service providers over $500 a month. I could lease a BMW for that! And now they want to hit me up for more? I don't think so. What about you -- do you want metered Internet? Do service providers provide a fair deal? Tell us what you think at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on May 11, 20091 comments
Much of what bogs down our processors is graphics, and a lot of this is just the operating system. AMD is taking aim at this issue by moving to build more processors with integrated graphics. In fact, the whole company is being reorganized around this new mission.
AMD is a feisty company, one I thought would have been put out of business by Intel long ago. With Windows 7 seeming snappier, and better and better processors in the offing, the future of performance is bright indeed.
Posted by Doug Barney on May 11, 20090 comments
The annual Tech-Ed show takes place this week, and I'm jetting off to Los Angeles to take in all the action. With the economy in tough straits and fears over swine flu lingering, attendance is expected to be way down. That's just the reality of conferences these days.
I'm there to see third parties, the lifeblood of the Windows market. Want to know what third parties we'll be talking about? Check out our exclusive Tech-Ed preview, and tune in Wednesday and Friday for newsletter updates.
Posted by Doug Barney on May 11, 20090 comments
As Windows 7 gets closer to market, more and more add-ons are appearing, albeit in beta form. You already know about the XP compatibility mode that will come free with high-end versions of the OS. Now Redmond is releasing tools that let Windows 7 configure and manage Windows Server 2008.
The overall idea is to "manage roles and features" through Windows 7. IT can set up roles for DNS, terminal services, AD and Hyper-V. These tools work best with Windows Server 2008 R2, but can direct the activities of older servers, as well.
In fact, Microsoft hopes Windows 7 will drive Server 2008 migration. Besides the remote management tools, Windows 7 has two 2008-dependent features. Direct Access lets Windows 7 clients talk to 2008 without a VPN. And BranchCache lets remote Windows 7 clients attach to headquarters more quickly through caching and traffic shaping.
Posted by Doug Barney on May 08, 20090 comments