MS Dips Toes in Open Waters

Microsoft may aggressively sell against open source, but it does play -- just a bit -- in this world.

Redmond's interoperability efforts are well-known, and generally well-done. But Microsoft has also released a decent bit of code into the public domain. The latest installment is Oxite, a developer-oriented content management system built by Redmond code monkeys to test out ASP.NET MVC. Microsoft now wants to show the entire development world just how cool Oxite and ASP.NET MVC are.

Posted by Doug Barney on December 11, 20080 comments


Good News: Silverlight Rules. Bad News: You're Canned!

Netflix recently moved to Silverlight as its standard Web video player -- and the ROI was immediate. Because Silverlight is so darn good, Netflix fired 50 customer help-desk techs!

I wonder if Microsoft has any software that can help U.S. banks and automakers?

Posted by Doug Barney on December 11, 20080 comments


U.S. Balance of Trade Great -- for Malware!

We don't export like we used to. Koreans buy Kias, the Japanese purchase Nissans, Swedes get Saabs, and the rest of the world...well they just go for Toyotas.

But there's one area where we Americans apparently shine: malware. According to WhiteHat Security, U.S. servers now host more malware than anyone else. Guess it's time to finally stop blaming Bulgaria for all our security woes!

Posted by Doug Barney on December 11, 20080 comments


Patch Tuesday Leads to Attack Wednesday

A day after Microsoft publicly fixed 28 holes (including four Internet Explorer flaws), a researcher found that hackers already have an attack for IE 7.

The exploit delays the processing of XML tags, can crash the browser (though IE and Firefox do a great job of crashing on their own, at least on my aging Latitude D520) and can then inject malicious code upon browser restart.

There may well be a fresh patch to beat back these attacks. We'll keep you posted.

Posted by Doug Barney on December 11, 20080 comments


Mailbag: Microsoft T-Shirt Line, More

Readers opine about Microsoft's coolness, what snappy slogans the company should use for its new line of T-shirts...and wish Doug a happy birthday:

Hey, happy (belated) birthday! Microsoft T-shirts? I can see Microsoft bringing back its old "Where do you want to go today?" ad on a T-shirt, followed by the beloved "C:\>"!
-Dan

I do think Microsoft is cool. Back when .NET was relatively new, I remember I paid for a big sticker of the .NET logo and put it on my car. Not because I consider myself as a geek, but because of the impact that this kind of technology has on the people.

It's funny to watch people that really understand technology grin when they check out your shirt.
-Armando

First, DOS=MSDOS is a myth. Mac OS, Linux, Unix, etc. are all flavors of DOS. Second, I'd be more likely to purchase a T-shirt with Linus Torvalds' name and "LINUX" written under it than one with Gates and DOS. I love the GNU/GPL.
-Earl

I'd buy one that said something like "DOS? Who needs DOS when you can use Unix?" or "DOS is for sissies. Real geeks use Unix."
-Cheryl

Bet they'll try to keep the "Blue Shirt of Death" quiet. Plus, we can plug any dangerous holes in our clothing on "Patch Tuesday." I'll be here all week. Try the veal.
-Joseph

Happy (belated) birthday to you and Nick. The kid has good taste in game machines. Yes, I would buy and wear the Microsoft line of nostalgic T-shirts. They are cool, and hearken to the days of being a true geek.
-Steve

Since you mentioned it was your birthday, I thought I would wish you a belated happy birthday. My son turns 36 on Dec. 11 and I believe he has nearly all of the gaming systems that have been made over the last 20-plus years (but thankfully, I have not been the one that has had to buy them!). I do have the Sony PS3, but only because it was a good way to get a Blu-ray player at the time.

Although I have been in the computer field forever, it seems I have never developed an interest in playing games on the computer. Now that I am pushing 65, I think more about embracing retirement than embracing new technology!
-Dean

Share your thoughts with us! Write to [email protected] or leave a comment below. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).

Posted by Doug Barney on December 11, 20080 comments


Multi-Core Multi-Problems

Multi-core processors have such promise. Imagine: Instead of one CPU, you have two, four, eight, 16 or perhaps many more. Why, your performance would multiply! But performance increases aren't linear -- not even close.

I looked into this subject and found it stunningly complex. The bottom line is that unless a program is specifically designed for cores, there isn't a huge performance increase. Sometimes, apps even run slower because the clock speed on the multi-cores is slower.

Now there's another issue holding back multi-core: It seems that multi-cores can't efficiently use memory. The CPU may be ready to grind away, but the memory can't respond fast enough. One solution? Putting memory right on top of each CPU. Interesting.

Do you have a dual- or multi-core machine? And if so, how does it work? Share your experience at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on December 10, 20080 comments


Macs Need Anti-Virus, Too

Mac bigots (three of my kids easily qualify for this label) love to make fun of PC users for all the viruses and malware we encounter. But not so fast, buckos! The Mac needs anti-virus too -- and not just one tool, but multiple anti-virus apps. Who said such a thing? Bill Gates, the girl Steve Jobs dumped 30 years ago? Nope. It was Apple itself.

This is great advice. Microsoft comes clean the second Tuesday of every month with a public list of its flaws. I'm glad Apple came a little bit clean on its potential flaws. Here's why it's so important: Many Mac users are so confident that they pile up gigabyte after gigabyte of personal documents, photos, data and songs. If a virus hits, they have lots to lose, and often haven't taken as many precautions as their PC brethren.

Has your Mac ever been hit by malware? Horror stories and bragging about your uninfected machines both readily accepted at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on December 10, 20080 comments


Patch Tuesday Sets Record

Usually when you set a record, there's celebration, champagne, press releases and fanfare.

None of that happened for Microsoft this week when it set a high mark for fixing no less than 28 bugs. The patches came out yesterday and fix remote code execution as well as graphic device interface flaws. All of the patches, save one, are aimed at clients.

The number of bugs is due to the sheer complexity of Microsoft operating systems and applications, and the fact that Microsoft publicly fixes as many flaws as it can. And you thought you were in for a nice holiday break!

Posted by Doug Barney on December 10, 20080 comments


Obama Zunes His Way to the White House

Many assume that Obama, as a liberal intellectual, would be an Apple guy all the way. Turns out that our president-elect uses a Zune -- or so say those who spotted the Microsoft device attached to Obama's body at the gym.

What about Vista, you ask? Barack is apparently on record as a Mac user.

Posted by Doug Barney on December 09, 20080 comments


Microsoft Pushes Cool

Is Microsoft cool? The answer ain't easy. Back when geeks were geeks, Microsoft was only cool with...well, geeks!

But geeks are now cool. They're smart, can make tons of money and change the world -- all at the same time! And let's face it: The Xbox is now the game machine to have. How do I know? I was forced by my son Nick to buy the $300 version for his 13th birthday yesterday (my birthday is today, but somehow I don't think he'll be returning the favor).

But is Microsoft cool enough to support a clothing line? We'll soon find out as Redmond is set to launch "Softwear" T-shirts. You can get a shirt with Bill Gates' mug shot or one that simply says "DOS."

So is Microsoft cool? Would you buy a DOS shirt? Your thoughts welcome at [email protected]. Slogans for these shirts also readily accepted.

Posted by Doug Barney on December 09, 20080 comments


But Microsoft Says Commercial Software Cheaper

Last week, we discussed whether open source can support one of the tenets of capitalism: profit. One guru, Stuart Cohen, argued that the only way to make money on open source is to sell support -- but the software is so darn good, it doesn't need much support.

Meanwhile, IBM is arguing that its new open source desktop is just the ticket for this bad economy. Imagine my surprise when Microsoft publicized that one of its customers claims open source is the one that chews up precious support dollars. That's why Speedy Hire (the U.K. equivalent of Rent-a-Center), dumped open source and paid for Office, SQL Server and Dynamics AX instead. The company claims the move will save about a million-and-half dollars over the next half-decade.

The rationale is pretty compelling. Open source may be cheap, but the little things -- different UI elements and incompatibilities -- are what rack up so many help desk dollars. Make sense? If so (or if not), please reply to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on December 08, 20080 comments


Mega Patch Tuesday

Last month, you could've slept through Patch Tuesday, there was so little action. But now that you're all rested, you can handle tomorrow's Patch Tuesday with its eight remedies, six of them critical.

Once again, remote code execution (RCE) is the theme of the day, as all patches address this stubborn bugaboo. If you have Windows XP, Vista, Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 or 2008, get your spackle ready -- cuz it's time to patch!

Posted by Doug Barney on December 08, 20080 comments