Mailbag: Why Sun, More Thoughts on IE 8

I agree that IBM may not be gaining a lot in a buy-out of Sun, but Sun would certainly benefit from IBM's considerable clout in the marketplace.

What Sun does have to offer IBM, though, is considerable intellectual property rights to Unix, which IBM lacks. As a co-developer of Unix System V (along with AT&T), Sun's IP rights to Unix are equal to Novell's. Buying Sun could free IBM from threats of any future potential Unix litigation. Sun also has considerable x86 assets with Solaris x86, as well as open source x86 assets with OpenSolaris.
-Marc

Bruce thinks virtualization has its uses, but issues a word of caution:

I think virtualization can be a valid tool in IT. What it can be used for is what I call "junk servers" -- those servers that run a small application or handful of users you don't want interfering with the file, database, mail server, etc. It keeps the cost of both rack space, hardware and power costs down.

The problem comes in when too many servers or hardware-intensive services get put on one system. This may work fine under "normal" conditions, but have the usage on three of four VMs spike and watch them all slow or crash. Don't think you're safe having two VM servers and putting half on each one, depending on failover to keep things running. Make sure one VM server can handle the load of two. Care must be taken to not over-virtualize servers and maintain the balance between cost-effectiveness and reliable, usable server environment.
-Bruce

And here are some more of your takes on IE 8:

IE 8 is dog sloow. How can you seriously call it fast?
-Phil

I did not use the beta or RC versions of IE 8 but installed the RTM version last week when released. I seems much faster than IE 7 and at least as fast as Firefox. I did just have a tab crash but only that tab (my Live.com homepage, believe it or not). I'll give IE 8 a "thumbs up" for now.
-Jim

IE 8 needs a good ad blocker. IE 7 Pro is inferior to Adblock Plus when it comes to ad blocking. Occasionally, there are Web sites that are completely incompatible with Firefox and for those, we'll have to use IE, but it's Firefox for everything else until further notice. I wonder if Steve B. at Microsoft understands that issue.
-Tom

I would have to agree that IE 8 is very stable, and much better and faster than IE 7. I have been evaluating the release version since its release on several different machines, and so far I am very happy with it, and prefer it to Firefox or Chrome. IE 7 used to freeze up frequently for no known reason and I had to constantly end the IE process. So far, IE 8 has not frozen up, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.
-Asif

While IE 8 seems quite solid on my Vista SP1 system at home, it was dying on virtually every URL I clicked on my work XP Pro SP3 system. I quickly removed it. As a beta tester of Win 98, XP and Vista, as well as VS 2005 and VS 2008, and VFP 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0 -- and an MS MVP for four years -- I know beta software when I see it, and IE 8 on XP just doesn't appear to be ready for primetime!
-Rick

You surely must have heard about the sidebar clock provoking a serious hang-up of the processor after IE 8 installation. But I experienced on another machine screensavers refusing to start -- in particular the Microsoft American flag screensaver and most of the Microsoft Plus screensavers. There was also the sudden appearance of unwanted full-page pop-ups (that did not happen at all in IE 7).

I am so scared now that I stopped installing IE 8 on my grandchildren's computers.
-Jost

I found IE 8's performance to be excellent -- better than IE 7. I found two incompatibilities, though: eRoom would not execute and one of our Web applications would not function as expected.
-John

IE 8 is not compatible with a number of real estate programs, e.g., Zillow.com. When you go to pictures, it comes up with errors.
-Dan

As it becomes more important to tighten spending everywhere, there will be more emphasis both at homes and in the marketplace to reduce costs. I am hearing more interest in Linux than I have heard in some time. While that doesn't affect IE directly, show me a Linux distribution that comes with a copy of IE on it.

While I have downloaded IE 8, I am too busy working with Linux to even look at it.
-Anonymous

Finally, Paul ran into a snag when installing IE 8. Any explanations from Redmond Report readers in the know are welcome:

I tried to download IE 8 to my Windows Ultimate machine, and it said I do not have a compatible OS for it. What can you tell me about this?
-Paul

Got an answer for Paul? Or have another comment you'd like to share? Leave it below or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 25, 20090 comments

Microsoft Crawling All Over IE 8 Bugs

You can actually search the bug database to see if your particular problem is on the list. If not, time to stand up and shout. For the minority that have big enough problems to warrant a full de-install, Microsoft has posted instructions on how to remove the offending browser.

Posted by Doug Barney on March 25, 20090 comments

Microsoft Dribbles Out Open Source

What's less clear is whether Microsoft itself should release open source software. So far, there has been little more than dabbling and dribbling. A prime example is !exploitable Crash Analyzer, an open source tool to help programmers figure out why their software is crashing and how to fix it. It can also prioritize crash causes so you can fix the worst culprits first.

What should Microsoft do about open source? Advice always taken at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 25, 20090 comments

Gartner Windows 7 Advice Not as Good as Yours

In my last item, I explained how most of you are having a good experience with the final release of IE 8, with a handful of exceptions. I also learned enough about Windows 7 from you that I wrote a two-part series, the first appearing on the cover of the March issue of Redmond magazine with part two running in April.

Here's what I heard: Windows 7 is 10 times better than Vista, and many shops will move ASAP to the new OS based on current test results. Now Gartner is jumping on the Windows 7 bandwagon with a somewhat confusing report. First, the analyst group argues that IT need not wait until the first service pack to move to Windows 7. That's because Windows 7 is really just a small upgrade to Vista, the opposite of what most of what you told me.

Then Gartner argues that it will take a year or more for ISVs to have their apps prepped for Windows 7. Here again, your views were different; nearly everything you had seems to run fine on Windows 7.

Finally, Gartner advises waiting about a year-and-a-half before migrating -- which is precisely when the service pack should be out!

Rather than buying an expensive Gartner subscription, I'll just keep getting my insights from you! Do you use and trust IT research firms? Send me the skinny at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 25, 20090 comments

'Vista Capable' Ruled a Loose Term

Now, I'm no fan of most class-action actions because each plaintiff usually pockets pennies while the lawyers walk away with millions. But in this case, a class action is the only option. If each plaintiff only suffered tens or hundreds of dollars in damages, it's hard to pay for a lawyer good enough to take on Microsoft.

Even without class-action status, the suit dragged on -- only to encounter another setback when the same judge, Marsha Pechman (likely an XP user), denied a proposed summary judgment that would've declared the proposed Vista requirements deceptive.

The ever-weakening lawsuit continues, but with this judge's attitude Microsoft may as well pop the champagne corks now!

Posted by Doug Barney on March 23, 20090 comments

IE 8 Pulled Out of the Fire

This probably isn't enough to sway Firefox and Chrome fans, but for IE shops it looks like a nice step forward. With IE 8 looking solid and Windows 7 on the way, Microsoft is looking at a major desktop redemption. Tell me where I'm wrong at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 23, 20090 comments

Mailbag: Cheers (and Some Jeers) for IE 8

I loaded IE 8 on my PC at work. No compatibility problems so far. It's pretty peppy, and I love the "Accelerator" feature (e.g., highlight a word and launch a Google search in a new tab). Another nice organizational feature is coloring related (spawned) tabs.

I also loaded IE 8 64-bit at home on my dual-core Vista 64. Very quick Web action!
-Elgin

Since the release of IE 8, I have done additional testing at work and home and I have found the released version to be quite good. I have noticed a speed improvement -- not by leaps and bounds but something noticeable. I have not had a single crash or freeze. I have tested many sites and tried to focus on some of the problem sites. However, all is well. Overall, I'm quite happy with IE 8.
-Craig

For the past few months, I've been using Windows 7 (build 7000) for my primary workstation, with IE 8 as my primary browser. Under XP, I used Firefox because of speed and security; I avoided IE 7 except for those sites that didn't render properly in Firefox.

On my Windows 7 install, I haven't even installed Firefox. For one site that I've had problems with, I use a portable version of Firefox. This may also say something for the unbundling proponents.
-Yehoshua

I downloaded IE 8 last Friday. My primary driver was that some change on my system had introduced a bug into IE 7 about a week before, so I was hoping that IE 8 would resolve it. IE 8 reported that one of the HP add-ons was incompatible, so I disabled that. It's running fine with no problems.

The concepts in IE 8 are great. Accelerators are a great way to get things done quickly. Group tabs are cool. I haven't noticed a huge difference in speed of presentation of pages -- maybe a slight edge but the real issue is speed of Internet connection and that varies quite a bit. Web Slices will take time to come of age but the concept is good. The SmartScreen Filter is probably helpful for casual users. No stability issues. For me, IE 8 is a mature version of IE 7 and group tabs are a sensible development. Glad to have it and I expect that a rich set of accelerators and Web Slices in due course will be a great improvement. I'm also glad that my IE 7 bug is gone.
-Joe

I got the final release yesterday night on Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1, updated using a very slow Acer 5103WLi Laptop connected to a Wi-Fi network at 2Mbps. The effect was immediate: IE 8 transformed my machine into a FERRARI! Thank you, Microsoft!
-Rainer

I moved from the beta to the final version yesterday. Even in beta, I did not find any issues and IE 8 is and will be my default browser. The installation and automatic removal of the previous version was very smooth.
-Narayana

After countless problems with both beta versions, the version released Wednesday hasn't crashed one single time. I am amazed at the difference in speed and reliability this has over the beta. I think the biggest problem was that add-ons on IE 7 didn't work in IE 8. Best way to use this new IE 8 is to uninstall all add-ons before you download, and wham! It runs like a jewel. I even changed my default back from Mozilla to IE 8, if you can believe that.
-M.

I downloaded twice yesterday, once for Vista Ultimate and once for XP Pro. The downloads were very fast on my slow DSL. IE 8 installed well on both machines and works well on both machines.

I had a little trouble with adding favorites. I looked for the old icon and didn't notice the text line in the favorites drop-down. I accidentally wound up at the Windows Live Favorites, an idea that is pretty cool but I'll look into it in greater detail later. I always seem to choose search terms for Help that don't help me much but after a few tries I found out how simple it now is to add a favorite...to the local list. So far, IE 8 is great. No problems. I am happy.
-Eric

But a couple of readers report that there's still some work to be done on IE 8:

This "improvement" isn't. I lose a significant amount of time trying to close stalled windows that didn't load properly and the app crashes far too often. If one gets too close to an ad, the ad opens and takes precedence over where you are legitimately trying to go.

I tried to go back to 7 but short of F-disk, I couldn't get there. Will MS ever learn?
-Anonymous

I tried IE 8 again and the same issue that prevented me before is still active. Our fundraising software, GiftWorks, depends on all the little MS pieces working together and IE 8 breaks those little pieces. Perhaps in time they will patch the software so that I can try again but at the moment the fundraising trumps my trials of other stuff. Good luck with that review.
-Angus

Adobe Flash Player still will not install on IE 8.
-Dennis

I installed IE 8 at home last Thursday and soon found Web sites it would not connect to (for example, http://www.richersounds.co.uk and http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002).
-Mike

I have downloaded the RC and that worked great. Yesterday, I downloaded the final version...huh. It keeps logging in and logging out continuously. What a pain! Logs me in and out every three seconds.
-Anonymous

Irritated by a non-story that made headlines last week about Microsoft definitely not buying The New York Times, Doug asked readers how they feel about the news media. Here are your responses:

In the interest of being fair to real journalists, I think what they do in terms of exposing government flaws cannot be accomplished by the average citizen. My local newspaper does some pieces yearly that keep the public informed in a way that your average blogger or paparazzi-style journalist can't touch. For instance, they publish all the local government employees' top money earners -- county, cities, the local air base. You might be surprised to know that our county administrator makes twice as much as the president of the United States. What blogger or paparazzi could dig up that kind of information? Another of their more valuable exercises is to expose the extent to which government agencies comply with the Freedom of Information Act. Many local agencies have taken taken steps to improve their ability to provide the public with public records.

Apologist? I don't think I am. Journalists are humans and have their faults. But I think we are going to lose a valuable service when all the print journalists aren't in business anymore.
-Pamela

Personally, I think the news media is whatever the consumers choose to make it. If enough people give their attention to biased, sensationalist, inaccurate or just poor reporting, then the advertisers will take note and they will give the people all they want. It is the consumer's responsibility to find a journalistic source that is credible.

My other thought is that a lot of this has come about because of 24-hour news shows. You have to fill the space with something and the more viewers, the better.
-Clyde

Because of all the "spin," I believe very little of what media alleges. Only after confirmed by other reports (not by the name publisher) will I begin to pay attention.
-Francene

I generally find your thoughts to be cogent and responsible. However, in last Friday's newsletter, you wrote: "I defend the press often. When readers complain of spelling errors, I point out just how many words the average editor processes per day."

Isn't this akin to saying that coding errors by programmers should be overlooked due to the number of lines of code written? Or that errors in manufacturing or assembly should be forgiven when you consider the number of products produced? If writing is your craft, I find little excuse for spelling or grammatical errors. (And let's not even start on the questions of clarity, style or accuracy.)
-Jim

Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 23, 20090 comments

Mimosa Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Mimosa NearPoint for Office SharePoint Server doesn't just archive SharePoint documents, Mimosa executives argue, but does so in a way that saves on storage and energy costs. That's because an optical archive uses less power than a hard drive that whirrs more than a hippy at a Phish concert. Users of NearPoint for Exchange can use the same management console, so in a sense the SharePoint is just an add-on to what you've already got.

Are you using SharePoint? If so, how? And are you using any third-party tools? Experiences welcome at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 23, 20090 comments

Dark Clouds over Sun Deal

Apparently, at least a few people agree, including analyst Dana Gardner (who, like me, used to write for InfoWorld). Gardner sees IBM's only motivation as market share. In my opinion, you're better off building rather than buying market share, which is why I was so against Microsoft buying Yahoo.

On the other hand, Sun's shareholders were huge fans of the deal (at least in the middle of the week) as their stock nearly doubled.

Posted by Doug Barney on March 20, 20090 comments

IE 8 Hits the Streets

The browser has a decent feature set, but the test versions -- even the last RC -- were clearly problematic. That's why I was surprised when Microsoft shipped the browser late Wednesday night.

With your help, I've written a draft of the IE 8 cover piece. Now I need the final touches. I need to know if this final rev is stable, fast and compatible. Shoot your experiences to [email protected]. And if you're one of the 75 readers who've already sent me your IE opinions, all the better.

Posted by Doug Barney on March 20, 20090 comments

Lame News Story of the Day

But I can't defend journalists who waste words when there's simply no story. Here's what has me on this tirade: Steve Ballmer recently spoke at a BusinessWeek media event. Somehow, this was construed as the first step in Microsoft buying The New York Times. To some reporters, that little bit of nothing was a big story. Even bigger? Ballmer's adamant denial when surrounded by paparazzi-style journalists after the event.

The new journalist motto should be: "Writing all the news that's not fit to print." Are you a mindless media basher, an unabashed fourth-estate apologist or somewhere in between? Send your thoughts (they don't need to be copy edited) to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 20, 20090 comments

Mailbag: Cisco Does Servers, IBM Courts Sun, More

Nope -- I'm very satisfied with Dell, particularly its support. Cisco support doesn't come close. Given past experiences with Cisco training and router systems, well, Dell is better.
-Anonymous

IMHO, this is an avenue Cisco to sell its own servers for voice systems rather than HP, which it uses now. I can see Cisco offering a package of x number of blade servers, all encased in a nice, neat, single cage for a complete solution -- at least for SMBs such as ourselves. Hopefully, Cisco will also get to the point of offering virtualized solutions for its voice systems, thus eliminating the herd of physical servers that are now required. Knowing Cisco's pricing, however, I have to wonder how competitive it will be in the server market.
-Scott

Readers give their own takes on IBM's possible Sun acquisition:

Sun and IBM? Oh, no! I have been a Sun customer for 20-plus years. I thought Ed Zander was the worst CEO until the power of the Schwartz took hold. I have never seen so many bad decisions (i.e., four to one reverse stock split). I figured the best takeover fit was Apple until this week when Cisco decided to enter the server market. Either of these are a better suitor because they would provide the missing parts of the other through the purchase or merger. IBM just wants to destroy its competitors.

Did I also mention that everyone I know in small IT shops just hates IBM? We have all been burned badly. I am sure that during the next buy cycle, we would not buy IBM/Sun even though we are 90 percent Sun and 10 percent Dell right now. Most of our Suns are the X86 systems running Windows Server 2003.
-Henry

IBM couldn't care less about Sun's server products. No, what IBM wants is Java. For 10 years, IBM has been trying to fight off Microsoft and GUI advances with Java and Web technologies. IBM wants full control over Java and its future direction because even now IBM wants nothing more than to unseat Microsoft (it even recently announced a 'Microsoft-free' desktop: http://tinyurl.com/d7lbrb). IBM has never forgiven Microsoft for the failure of OS/2, and it never will.
-Joel

Mailbag gets a little political, as Bob wonders about Doug's characterization of President Obama's economic outlook as full of "doom and gloom":

You know, an honest politician is new to you; that is why you are saying he's full of doom and gloom. He is giving an honest answer to the public instead of the usual crap. You're used to that from the last eight years -- get over it and look at the progress for what it is. Get off his back; he is going to save you and the rest of us from the people who have got us into this mess in the first place.
-Bob

And finally, Microsoft might get its very own bridge out of the stimulus package, but what do you think we should spend it on? Some suggestions below:

First, we should feed all of the starving children, men and women in the United States. Then we encourage all that are helped here in the U.S. to share with all those hungry in the world.
-Tom

Since my IRA is on the skids, how about an increase in Social Security...or a grant to pay off my house?
-Anonymous

In reference to your statement, "Hey, Obama! My driveway needs paving. Can you help a fella out?" That might work. It has all the earmarks of a proper stimulus investment. It helps a small, local business. It would provide employment for a few people for a couple of days. And it would only cost a few grand. The stimulus could fund millions of them.

Sounds perfect to me. Let me know how that works out. My driveway could use a facelift, too.
-Dana

Tell us what you think! Comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on March 20, 20090 comments