This is funny, but also speaks to whether Google is respectful of our personal
privacy.
It seems that an Aussie gent lost his bloke. To commemorate his mate's death,
the 36-year-old Bill got snockered and passed out in front of his house, just
in time for a camera-laden Google van to drive by. The photos were posted
on the 'Net, much to Bill's chagrin.
Is anything in public view fair game to be posted on the 'Net? Should people
having heart attacks, clothing malfunctions or getting mugs be put on a Web
page? And what if this happened to you? Tell us what you think by writing [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 13, 20080 comments
The opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics were driven by over a hundred
media servers...one of which apparently failed. Thanks to some good eyesight,
IT savvy and the miracle of digital video recorders, we now have a
recording
of a Blue Screen of Death projected onto the ceiling of the Bird's Nest
stadium in Beijing.
The image, posted
in Gizmodo, prompted a debate over whether the crash was real or faked (like
the opening singer, apparently).
Is this real or just a put-on? And what kind of error was it? Claims, suppositions
and cold, hard facts welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 12, 20080 comments
If the numbers from Janco Associates are real -- and I have my doubts -- Internet
Explorer's market share has
dropped
to 58 percent, with Firefox picking up 19 percent.
That leaves 23 percent for "other" browsers. Others like what? Safari
is on 4 to 5 percent of machines, but most Mac people I know (like my two sons
Nick and David) use Firefox.
While I always welcome competition, I'm scratching my head over this one. For
instance, Janco calls Google Desktop a browser, when it runs inside a browser.
Hmm.
Help me out. What browser besides IE and Firefox has any serious share, and
why? Answers welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 12, 20080 comments
Readers chime in on the
RTM
of SQL Server 2008...and why, exactly, it's taking so long to get to customers:
It might be taking so long because it relies on VS 2008 SP1.
-Daniel
You can download from MSDN five different versions of SQL 2008 RTM which
I think are pre-pidded to be non-eval/dev type installations (or you can choose
the eval install which expires after 180 days, I think). This download typically
attract developers first wanting to test things out. However, if you try to
install this on a box that already has Visual Studio 2008 installed you can
run into some problems until they release Visual Studio 2008 SP1 (the current
beta SP1 doesn't seem to help avoid the problem that prevents installation).
In my book, this is not ready for primetime, since you have to wait several
days to get a patch. I would have wanted MS to delay the SQL 2008 release
until VS 2008 SP1 is ready to help me avoid all the installation issues it
presents. Hopefully, SQL 2008 + VS 2008 SP1 patch in a few days will help
restore my confidence.
-Robert
And a few of you try to shed some light into Microsoft acronyms:
I believe an RTM to Microsoft is basically the same as "Gone Gold"
is to game developers and manufcaturers. That's how I take it and I believe
that's how others take it, as well.
-Justin
Microsoft "releasing to manufacturing" means sending a master,
making DVDs, blah, blah. There is also a RTW (Release to Web) process that
requires all of the internal stuff (URLs, GUIDs for the bits, validation of
the bits, security, Web content, etc.). This starts as soon as the master
is created for the manufacturers and takes some time. This is why there is
a lag. As a benefit to Volume License customers, they get it first.
-Grant
One reader explains why Linux has no place in her office...as much as she wants
it to:
According to our head IT guy, SAP only integrates with Microsoft Excel.
So if you use SAP, you have to use Excel. Which means you have to run Mac
or Win OS. We are an international org and we run desktops on Micro$oft (some
of our servers are Linux).
I'd love to use Linux and Open Office, but that tail is not going to wag the
dog.
-Lynn
Rich throws in his votes for best
and worst OS:
Worst: DOS 4.0/Windows ME. Best: DOS 6.2/Windows XP.
-Rich
And because today is Patch Tuesday, it's only fitting that readers opine about
their favorite thing in the world:
Patches -- more fun than a root canal. Although manageable to a large
extent, my biggest complaint is having to restart servers on a constant basis.
Servers have become so mission-critical in recent years that a reboot becomes
a PITA experience, even for a smaller shop such as mine. With all the advances
made in recent times, is there no one that can figure out how the patches
can be applied on the fly and not require reboots?
Then again, the better solution would be to develop a secure OS in the
first place.
-Scott
Someday, Microsoft will release patches that don't require a reboot, but
I don't expect that in my lifetime!
-Rusty
For Patch Tuesday bulletins, maybe Microsoft could adopt the Deptartment
of Homeland Security's methodology of color-coding severity of risk.
-Anonymous
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
And don't forget to check in tomorrow for more reader letters.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 12, 20080 comments
Visual Studio 2008 has been out for less than a year (I'm good enough at math
to at least know that one), but it's already getting its first refresh. A
new
service pack for Visual Studio and .NET Framework 3.5 is done and is now
in the hands of those that actually manufacture this stuff.
Even if you're not a developer, there are a few things that may be handy to
know. The service pack makes software faster to develop and more data-driven.
Now you can tell your developers you want that new data-driven application,
and you want it now!
Posted by Doug Barney on August 12, 20080 comments
Last week, after word came out that IBM was
working
to build Linux-only PCs, Doug asked readers whether they'd find room for
these things in their own shops. Here are some of your responses:
You asked, why would you use Linux in your shop? Cost. It has crossed
my mind for the purpose of thin-clients doing basically nothing but booting
into Linux and loading RDC software to connect to a Windows Terminal Server.
No need to pay for big, beefy machines and Windows client licenses if the
employee is mostly remote, but needs a workstation when they come to the office,
and would use their remote desktop anyway because that is where all their
files are and it is configured to their liking.
-Timothy
If the environment I am in changes, yes. Vista is already banned from
the network. We run Solaris, Linux, 2000, XP and 2003 server with some 2000
servers still around, and at least one Mac OS X. A Linux desktop (if we can
buy it from Dell as it is a state requirement all hardware must be bought
from Dell) yes, but no Notes. It would need to conform to the Oracle, Outlook,
Office standard. There were several Red Hat Linux desktops in use fairly recently.
I need to run a program that is only written for Windows, but I can connect
to another machine or virtualize it to get around that. When I need to connect
from home, I use OS X and VPN in with a remote client.
-Stewart
Not today. And not from IBM. I was an IT professional before the IBM
PC was released. I know the stories. IBM would love not to have to sell Windows
to its loyal customers who want personal workstations for their non-technical
workforce, but that will not happen until someone invests some serious money
to position Linux for the non-technical desktop. Make Linux truly plug-n-play
(as Windows is on most any OEM system) and IBM might stand a chance, but the
costs far exceed the return IBM is ever going to get to provide its customers
with commodity desktops. Unlike most Linux vendors, IBM has the resources
to do this but they just don't have the stomach for it.
Could I be wrong? Sure, I could! Would I switch to Linux? Sure, if I
was convinced that it would meet my needs better than Windows -- but that
selling job is up to IBM and its partners. They talk a good story but I doubt
they will come through.
-Marc
There are too many wild Linux horses in the race to pick one of the winners.
The only common Linux direction is "anything but Microsoft or Sun."
Anarchy may work to bring down the "ruling class," but it doesn't
work when you need to assemble a system to bring order to the Linux chaos.
It will take an IBM or HP or someone else to bring the Linux chaos to an end
and give it a directon and a future. I fear the disarray that stalled Unix
is awaiting Linux.
You may have the kid down the street mow your lawn rather than a landscaping
company to save a few bucks, but when you make a business investment, you
invest based on a clearly defined investment strategy with established history,
focused strategy direction and an ultimate goal. If you want to gamble, there
is always horse racing or today's Linux.
-Dan
As for IBM's push
into cloud computing, one reader thinks it's a major move -- and we should
take note:
Having been a customer of IBM for many years before PCs, I wouldn't count
them out by any means. True, they do err (as does Microsoft), but they should
be taken seriously.
-Charlie
And Peter shares his thoughts about Zimbra's
open source alternative to Outlook:
One comment about Zimbra (we're actively considering it as a hosted e-mail
server). The Web client doesn't support secure e-mail (digitally signed, encrypted,
etc.), and I can't see anything on their Web site about Zimbra Desktop supporting
this either. If this is the case, I think a lot of corporate customers will
stick with Outlook (I know we will). At least for the time being.
-Peter
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 11, 20080 comments
After tomorrow, your Microsoft software is going to look like the tires on
the Three Stooges' car -- full of patches!
Microsoft is releasing a full
dozen patches tomorrow, covering everything from Office to Access and nearly
all current versions of Windows (for some reason, Windows Me and DOS 6.0 don't
get any fixes).
While most patches cure that old bugaboo, the Remote Code Execution, no less
than three try to keep hackers from stealing information.
In two months, there will be a fairly
big change in how Microsoft discloses its flaws. Starting in September,
the company will give more detail on the severity of its flaws so you can decide
which patches to install first.
Is your patching under control, or still a pain in the neck? Complaints and
advice both welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 11, 20080 comments
Microsoft has been making some decent efforts in the area of green computing.
A nearly free hypervisor is one great move.
Now Microsoft is touting the benefits of System
Center Configuration Manager, which is Energy Star-compliant by virtue of
its ability to configure hardware to hibernate, sleep and shut down when not
in use.
My only complaint? Vista is a huge hardware hog, meaning we're wasting lots
of watts running this OS -- at least, those of you that have taken the plunge.
Is your shop energy-aware? If so, what do you do to save on power? Give us
your best suggestions by writing [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 11, 20080 comments
Microsoft may come clean on its security flaws each and every month, but for
Google it seems to take an outsider to point out weaknesses.
That's just what happened at the recent Black Hat conference, where security
maven Tom Stracener from Cenzic Inc. showed
how Google Gadgets can be hacked to steal passwords and personal information,
and perhaps ultimately pilfer transaction data.
These gadgets may be cool, but given their exposure, they should probably have
no place in your enterprise.
Are you taking extra steps to lock down Web services such as gadgets and IM?
If so, how do you do it? Answers should proceed directly to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 11, 20080 comments
The second Tuesday of every month, Microsoft releases and publicizes a series
of patches. It also gives a basic severity level, such as low to critical. Starting
in October, Microsoft will
give
far more information about the actual threat these vulnerabilities pose,
helping IT figure out which patches have to be done pronto and which can wait
a bit.
Microsoft is also hoping to work more closely with other security firms to
find and fix flaws. That's good news, but most of the security companies I've
talked to already report a good relationship with the folks up in Redmond. Not
sure how much that's changed, now that Microsoft competes with so many of them.
What else can Microsoft do to improve security and how would you grade its
current efforts? Send your "A"s, "B"s, "C"s, "D"s
and "F"s to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 07, 20080 comments
Are you an experienced server manager who cares about usability, have two hours
to spare for a "study session" and, lastly, can make it up to Redmond
to meet with Microsoft? If so, Microsoft wants you to
help
test out a new product.
Microsoft won't yet say what the product is, but if you sign up as a tester,
drop me a line and let me know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on August 07, 20080 comments
I'm not exactly sure how Microsoft ships products. This week, Microsoft announced
that SQL Server 2008 is
released
to manufacturing. This is such an exciting event that it comes with its
own acronym, RTM. That's TWU, or Totally Weird and Unnecessary.
So it's Aug. 7, 2008, and SQL Server code has been sent to the manufacturers,
who'll get it in your hands by the middle of next month, more than a month later.
What exactly is the manufacturer doing? It could be making boxes and burning
CDs, but that's SOS (So Old-School). But these days, it's all about the download.
So what's taking so long? Maybe you can tell me at [email protected].
In any event, subscribers to TechNet or MSDN can check out an eval version
now, and volume license customers will get it late next week. Or you could just
wait 'til Sept. 15 and buy one of seven different versions. That's right, there
are seven different versions ranging from a free compact version, a developer
rev, a Web edition, all the way up to the high-end Enterprise release.
Posted by Doug Barney on August 07, 20080 comments