Microsoft and Novell these days are better friends than Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza. Redmond recently reached a
new détente with VMware owner EMC, and just this week Microsoft
made nice with Red Hat.
The Red Hat deal makes sure that Linux runs as a host under Windows Server and that Windows Server runs as a host under Linux.
Technically speaking, this isn't a big deal. What is a big deal is each company's acknowledgement and agreement of support. It may seem minor, but agreements like this are a pretty big deal. Congrats to both parties.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 18, 20090 comments
One reader sees those
six planned versions of Windows 7 and raises you a dozen more:
Why so few? They should give you choices as follows: For the Home versions, Home Real Light (no Internet), Home Light (with Internet), Home Medium (no Internet but peer-to-peer), Home Premium (with Internet and peer-to-peer) and Home Ultra (has everything but costs more).
For the Professional versions, there should be Professional Real Light (more bells and whistles than Home but no Internet); Professional Light (same as Real Light but with Internet); Professional Medium (no Internet but sharing); Professional Featured (Internet and sharing); Professional Premium I, II and III (Internet, sharing, can interface with Enterprise and costs more); and Professional Premium Ultra (Internet, sharing, can interface with Enterprise, costs more and crashes less).
For the Enterprise versions: Enterprise Entry (more bells and whistles than Premium Ultra, somewhat unstable), Enterprise Medium (more bells and whistles than Enterprise Entry but only crashes occasionally) and Enterprise Ultra (rarely crashes, but when it does...).
And then, Ultra Ultimate Windows 7, which would have all the bells and whistles, is better than Enterprise Ultra and, like Mac OS X, what's a reboot? And what's a crash? Because it's a licensed copy of Mac OS X, and what you should've purchased in the first place for much less money.
-Anonymous
And Marsorry, writing form Namibia, thinks it doesn't matter how many versions of Windows 7 there are -- it's still just another Vista:
I wonder why there's such a general consensus that Windows 7 should be called "Windows 7."
A major version number should constitute a major upgrade. Since Windows 7 is still effectively Windows Vista (6) with the big bugs fixed, it should really be called Windows 6.1 or 6.5. Looking at the screenshots and feature set, there's nothing revolutionary about it. Vista changed the communication system and the presentation system, among others, while possibly biting off more than it could chew. Windows 7 doesn't quite do that. If anything, it's cutting back on what it needs to run, tightening the belt while providing minor tweaks here and there.
This is not a major upgrade. Microsoft would like us to believe so, but it's just confirming what Microsoft has been saying all along: Vista was a good operating system that did only a few things wrong. Now Microsoft will sort out the few wrong things and give Vista right back to us.
-Marsorry
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on February 18, 20090 comments
If you're old like me, you've heard stories about how IBM once sold and upgraded mainframes. The stories go that customers would ask for a $100,000-plus upgrade for new functions and an IBM tech would connect an unconnected cable.
Microsoft is looking at the same approach for Windows 7. Its upcoming Windows 7 starter pack runs three apps. Once you're sick of that, you give Redmond a few more bucks and Microsoft upgrades you over the Internet.
I'm not a fan of artificially restricting software. I mean, the functions are there -- Microsoft just won't give them to you unless you have a lot of disposable income.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 11, 20090 comments
Lately we've been telling you how the European Union (EU) is
suing Microsoft for bundling IE with Windows. Now the Mozilla Foundation, built on the remnants of what used to be Netscape, is
helping the EU press its case.
The EU believes Microsoft gained dominant market share through bundling, which is true. It further argues that once Microsoft began losing market share to browsers you actually had to install, the company stopped development, resulting in an insecure hunk of software.
I'm not sure about this last point, but it does seem that Microsoft is dead serious about IE 8. The last beta was a mess, as Redmond readers in droves told me. But the feature set and focus on performance is heartening.
Are you using IE 8 R1? Is it more stable that the last beta? If so, e-mail me at [email protected]. I'm doing a feature story on this puppy.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 11, 20090 comments
When it comes to business judgment and economic acumen, I'll trust Steve Ballmer any time. And so, perhaps, should the Obama administration.
You see, Mr. Ballmer is a realist. His advice and analyses are simple and apolitical. Ballmer gave his view at the recent Democratic Party retreat, where he explained that borrowing our way to prosperity is no longer viable, and the only way forward is innovation.
Days after giving this sage advice, the Senate passed a nearly trillion-dollar debt -- I mean, stimulus deal -- and just yesterday the administration proposed $1 trillion in new lending to banks. Ballmer must have wondered why he bothered.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 11, 20090 comments
One reader takes the Indian government's plan to make a
$10 laptop to the next level:
Why pay even $10 for a laptop? Seems to me that if Radio Shack can offer a netbook for $99 with a two-year wireless service plan, why not just subsidize the whole thing and charge $0 for the netbook with a two-year plan? Granted, the $0 netbook at sign-up becomes a $1,440 netbook (assuming $60/month for service), but the computer itself would be free. Then perhaps you could negotiate your plan to one of these online companies that sublet your contract to another for a small fee. Not that I'm suggesting this scheme or anything...
-Anonymous
Another responds to a recent letter defending companies that hire H-1B visa workers:
H-1B visas were meant to bring people to the country to augment the work force, to provide talent that doesn't exist here. But the talent does exist here -- just not at the bargain-basement salaries that many companies want to pay. Guess why the schools have a disproportionate amount of foreign students? American students have seen the wave of imported, cheap labor and have shunned the field.
It's not prejudice to expose the greed of multibillion-dollar companies and the disservice they do to their country by the misuse of H-1B visas. Do these foreign workers pay taxes? Yes, but due to lower pay scales, they pay less taxes than their American counterparts. Also, how much of that money is sent out of the country to support folks at home, taking it out of the U.S. economy altogether? This is not some sort of windfall. Do you think that politicians would stand by and let companies import thousands of laborers to supplant unionized factory workers? No, but since tech workers don't have that union backing or lobbyists in D.C., forget about it. (Of course, the politicians will let companies ship their manufacturing offshore, even to communist countries, but that's another rant.)
-Anonymous
And Matt shares his misgivings about a teacher who almost faced 40 years in jail for accidentally inviting malware onto a school computer:
I have recently several articles about Ms. Amero. While I think her possible punishment was excessive, I am still bothered by several things about this incident. One, was she supposed to be checking her personal e-mail from a school computer? She also supposedly spent "several hours" trying to get rid of the pop-ups to no avail. Who in their right mind spends that much time attempting that sort of task without asking for help?!
She maintains that she isn't computer-savvy and didn't know how to turn off the computer. I have had clients that are, uh, "non-savvy,"
but they all figured out they could pull the power cord to shut off the computer. Lastly, there is no way she or the administration truly believed that this incident wouldn't be talked about. A note should have been sent home with each student in her class telling them what happened and that the school was looking into the incident to ensure it didn't happen again.
Again, while I think giving her 40 years in jail is excessive, I don't have a problem with her losing her teaching certificate. If she truly is that poor at problem solving, I don't think I would want her teaching my children, anyway!
-Matt
Check in on Friday for more reader letters, including some more thoughts on Windows 7. Meanwhile, tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on February 11, 20090 comments
Microsoft and its customers have one thing in common: Both are anxious to move on to Windows 7. Customers are doing their part by thoroughly testing the software and reporting bugs. And Microsoft is doing its share by fixing bugs and building tools to make the migration smoother.
That's where the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) toolkit comes in. This little beauty is being tweaked for Windows 7. The idea is to ping the entire network of PCs and see which are ready for a Windows 7 upgrade. Those that don't stand up will be given a list of upgrades.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 09, 20090 comments
If you haven't read
Virtualization Review magazine or its Web site
VirtualizationReview.com, it's pretty good stuff. The print and Web versions are driven by Keith Ward, editor in chief. And Mr. Ward has a knack for calling 'em as he sees 'em.
I've been looking for some good research on hypervisor market share, but the most recent figures were from last fall -- not real current given that that's about when Hyper-V first shipped. Keith has a similar passion for real data, and was excited by a new survey by Virtualization.com that purported to detail which vendor has what share.
Keith is a journalist through and through. At first he was alarmed that the relatively new Hyper-V had the most share. That didn't make sense so he looked into the methodology and discovered...there was none! Vendors like VMware and Microsoft could load up the results, and load they did.
On the other hand, the leader of the Web site was pretty open about his approach and was clearly not trying to sell it as $100,000 Gartner report.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 09, 20090 comments
Readers continue the
debate over whether six versions of Windows 7 is too many:
No, I don't believe it's too many. There are only three real options for the general public: Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. Basic is only for emerging markets. Enterprise, like in Vista, is only for software assurance (VL) customers. And Starter...well, it's only able to run three apps at once and no Aero, so it's really not an option for most people.
-Anonymous
Well, of course seven versions are too many. I think that was a bit of the show-stopper for Vista, as well. Why would I want to pay MS $400 for an operating system when I can get it for free from *Nix?
It seems reminiscent of the '90s when Novell was championed as never losing market share. It was charging outlandish prices and MS was offering desktops for $100. That's the way Microsoft worked into the server market, as well. Offer the same services or capitalize on a problem with your competitor, then bury them in wholesale pricing. It's the MS way...or at least it used to be.
-Paul
You do realize, don't you, that it is really only FIVE versions since Ultimate and Enterprise are identical, except that individuals cannot buy Enterprise?
Since consumers cannot buy the shrink-wrapped Starter Edition and won't be able to buy Home Basic (shrink-wrapped or on OEM hardware) any longer either, it really reduces to THREE that people in the developed world can buy shrink-wrapped and on OEM hardware: Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. This sounds a lot more reasonable.
-Marc
If Windows 7 is based on the Vista codebase and if it retains Vista's intrusive functionality, then even one version is too many. I suspect that XP will continue to run for many years to come, as long as MS is not successful in strong-arming hardware vendors into not providing new equipment with XP drivers. MS will continue to support XP (as if I care) as long as there is considerable revenue in doing so. As long as the market does not buy into Vista and 7, third-party vendors will continue to develop and support software for XP; they will not stop doing so while XP has 90 percent of the market.
It is only an operating system, people. All it has to do is interface with your applications. What makes you think that you need to replace it as often as last year's hemline? In a tight economy, this continuing two-year-plus rant about the need to upgrade Windows is beyond frivolous. Until MS develops a truly new product based on user needs and demands, I would recommend the Nancy Reagan approach and just say no.
-Anonymous
My guess is that Microsoft makes more money out of products with multiple nonsense versions -- like Home, which is a crippled version of Standard. Who would buy a crippled version of Windows 7? I wouldn't spend a dime for it. I blame uneducated consumers. I urge everybody to stop that craziness. For the majority of consumers, one version would be adequate.
-Brian
Marc doesn't think Vista's 10 percent adoption rate in the enterprise market is reason for worry:
Not surprising! Big business doesn't upgrade its operating system until all of its hardware is capable of running the new OS. In the best of times, after two years only the most aggressive enterprise customers will have upgraded more than 50 percent of their hardware. Most will have replaced 40 percent or less. Since we are in the midst of a recession, your 10 percent figure is not surprising. For that matter, adoption rates for Windows 2000 weren't much better. It took XP to turn that around -- just as it will take Windows 7 to turn it around now.
-Marc
And Earl tackles the argument against hiring H-1B visa workers in a bad economy:
Are businesses just looking to save money by hiring foreigners with H-1B visas, or are they really the best and the brightest? Look at any college graduate program in engineering or science and you will find a disproportionate amount of foreign students. This is because they are better qualified to do the work. I do not think this is the case for advanced business degrees.
We should not let predjudice stop us from importing brilliant people to help our economy. After all, they end up paying U.S. taxes also.
-Earl
Watch this space for more letters on Wednesday! In the meantime, share your thoughts with us by writing to [email protected] or leaving a comment below.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 09, 20090 comments
EMC and Microsoft have a tricky but generally positive relationship, one that has been formalized through long-standing interoperability and cooperative agreements.
The rub in all this was VMware, a company owned by EMC and which competes 100 percent with Microsoft. EMC played it smart and ignored VMware as if there was no connection at all. In the past, you could search through EMC.com all day long and not find a reference to VMware. But today, if you mosey over to EMC.com, you'll see that VMware has come out of its shell; it only takes an hour or so find detailed VMware product information.
Now EMC and Microsoft have come to terms with VMware, and a new cooperative Redmond-EMC agreement talks about virtualization -- though the details are less explicit than "Sesame Street," "Blue's Clues" and Barney the Dinosaur put together. I've read the press release and struggled to find some real details of how VMware and Hyper-V will work together.
On the plus side, the two companies are giving the right broad-brush messages: Interoperability is good. Now let's see how it all plays out!
Posted by Doug Barney on February 09, 20090 comments
Twenty years, ago I first met Alex Eckelberry. At the time, I was the editor in chief of
Amiga World magazine and Alex worked for Aegis Development, which sold high-end 3-D modeling and animation software. After launching
Redmond magazine, I became reacquainted with Alex, who is now CEO of Sunbelt Software. Alex is a smart guy, a successful businessman -- and now an American hero.
Sunbelt is an expert in all things malware and understands that things aren't always as they seem. That was the case with substitute teacher Julie Amero.
Here's what went down, according to an article and a report from "Good Morning America." It seems that Amero checked her e-mail on a public computer at the school before class. Like so many of us have experienced, Amero was hit with bogus pop-ups and the machine was quickly infested with spyware. But Amero wasn't around to witness the destruction or the racy images that flew across the screen. Unfortunately, a couple of her students were.
After realizing that her students were enjoying the show, Amero tried to stop it. But like kids in an unruly classroom, the pop-ups popped up faster than they could be shut down. The immediate conclusion of the authorities was that Amero must have been cruising for porn, even though women are far less attracted to this form of entertainment than their male counterparts.
Days later the teacher was arrested for harming minors. The maximum time in the pokey? An astounding 40 years! The verdict? Guilty.
A similar thing happened to my son's computer when pop-ups carrying filth multiplied like bunnies. If I was a teacher, I may have been facing jail time, too.
Fortunately, experts like Eckelberry know that porn can take over a computer without our willing participation, and he decided to help. Eckelberry and other experts proved that Amero did nothing wrong and that malware was to blame for the entire episode. Now, that's a hero!
Posted by Doug Barney on February 06, 20090 comments
Security pundits crave attention the same way Rod Blagojevich loves the camera. Latest case in point: Security experts are publicly complaining that User Account Control (UAC) in the Windows 7 beta can be taken over by hackers who can then gain elevated privileges. Microsoft counters that Windows 7 is perfectly safe, but it's
making a couple of tweaks to make UAC safer.
I'm no expert on this debate, but I do know the new UAC is a lot less intrusive than in Vista. By default, Windows 7 only notifies you when a program is trying to make a change. Users can also set it to "never notify" or "notify always," which is the Vista default. This is a nice change indeed.
Posted by Doug Barney on February 06, 20090 comments