I just got a new Dell dual-core running Windows 7 (thanks to my IT guy, Erik!). So far, Windows 7 is working extraordinarily well, though I haven't moved over all my old apps or connected to all the printers I use.
Office 2007 is a different story. I opened Word looking for the basics. You know -- creating a doc, opening a doc, saving a doc. I couldn't find the commands anywhere. Turns out I had to configure the darn thing so these were exposed. It felt bizarre. I'll see if Word 2007 gets more normal the more I use it.
This drastically new interface is one reason enterprises are holding off on upgrades. A sour economy is another, or so says Forrester Research. Just as many shops are skipping Vista and moving to Windows 7, IT folks are also skipping Office 2007 and waiting for Office 2010.
The good news for Microsoft? There's no wholesale move to OpenOffice, even though it's free.
Posted by Doug Barney on June 10, 200912 comments
Microsoft has long been an international company. It has operations overseas and hires a ton of international workers. That's why Bill Gates has always been so concerned with expanding H-1B visas. And if the Obama administration and Congress have their way on taxes, more Microsoft employees than ever could be in other countries.
At issue are taxes on foreign profits, which legislators are trying to raise. Steve Ballmer isn't happy, arguing these higher taxes "make U.S. jobs more expensive." As the head of a public company, Ballmer needs to look at costs, and would opt for more of these less-expensive foreign jobs.
For those that think this is all just posturing, Ballmer believes the tax hikes could reduce profits up to 15 percent!
Posted by Doug Barney on June 10, 200922 comments
When Microsoft begins to lose control of a market, it doesn't just break out new products -- it also breaks out the speeches and press conferences. And so it was that Microsoft announced its vision for netbooks at a conference in Taiwan, where a good many netbooks are made.
First, netbooks are not netbooks. They are "small notebook PCs." Another revelation? Microsoft is expecting netbooks to move from casual Web surfing tools and travel companions to full-fledged, full-function machines. And that's why Microsoft removed the three-application restriction from Windows 7 Starter, designed in part for netbooks.
Do you have a netbook, and can you see a day when one serves all your PC needs? Tell me more at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on June 10, 20097 comments
JavaOne, a show put on by Sun, has been a big and vibrant event. This latest show, however, was overshadowed by the
$64 million question: Will Java's new steward care as much about the language/system? Oracle, as you likely know, is buying Sun and thus buying a controlling role for the open source Java. (I know it sounds strange that a company drives an open source project, but someone has to lead, eh what?)
An equally large question concerns the future of the show itself, which pulled in an impressive 15,000 people. (If just 10 percent of these folks signed up for the Office conference, it wouldn't have been cancelled.) Once Oracle fully takes over, these questions will start to get answers.
Are you worried about Java? What should Oracle do with Sun? Thoughts welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on June 05, 20091 comments
Any of you who've read this newsletter for more than a week or two know I'm a bit of an old-timer, at least in computer years. So when I hear that Office has turned into an actual development platform, I'm not surprised. I fondly recall conversations with Steve Ballmer back in the '80s about Visual Basic for Applications which replaced basic batch files.
Office has grown since then, and is now positioned as a front-end to database, ERP, BI and other back-ends. So why was a planned Office developer conference cancelled and merged into a SharePoint event?
Two reasons. First, events that require one to fly to a remote location and buy a hotel room are challenged. These events, when well-chosen, still make sense -- but your authorizing manager may not think so. But there's a strategic justification: Office is part of an overall environment that wants all shops to have, where Office is the client, SQL Server as the data repository and SharePoint as the holder of unstructured stuff. Those who believe in custom Office clients probably buy the SharePoint argument, as well.
And a merged show is better than no show.
Do you have custom Office clients? Tell us about them at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on June 05, 20091 comments
Last year, I attended VMworld in Las Vegas and it was pretty much awesome. There were 12,000 to 14,000 people there, as I recall -- more than double what Microsoft just pulled in for Tech-Ed. It was also an industry show, where Citrix and Microsoft pitched their wares right alongside VMware.
Maybe it was too much of an industry event. And maybe it was Microsoft's in-your-face Hyper-V marketing that took place right under VMware's nose. In either case, VMware is looking to turn its show into one that promotes VMware, not competitors.
After VMware changed the terms of exhibitor agreements so that companies like Microsoft and Citrix are limited to tiny booths (making them seem like bit players), the blogosphere went into an uproar. Maybe VMware deserves the heat. But as one VMware official points out, when Microsoft has a show, it restricts what direct competitors can do, as well.
Is VMware getting too big for its britches, or is what's good for Microsoft good for VMware, as well? Answers readily accepted at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on June 03, 20092 comments
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a way of developing and deploying applications so that components and the apps themselves can easily connect. And this component-based approach also makes it easier to drop in new functions. (If I've got the definition wrong, feel free to correct me at [email protected].) The end result should be faster development and deployment, all leading to cost savings and a better return.
But according to Gartner, many enterprises adopt SOA because it seems like everyone else is doing it, and not really looking at business value or ROI.
That might be true, but it might also be that the salesmen and saleswomen from the big SOA vendors are good at what they do. Does your shop use SOA? Send me your whys and why nots at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on June 03, 20091 comments
In decades past, Microsoft pre-announced products and then promptly blew each and every delivery date. Recently, though, Redmond has been more circumspect in announcing dates, always saying it will ship no software before its time.
But when it comes to Windows 7, Microsoft is beating the drums more than the Blue Man Group. The message is, barring some unforeseen disaster, Windows 7 will be out before the year is done. In fact, it will be out before Halloween, on Oct. 22.
The PC market needs this OS, especially for the holidays. Last holiday season was dismal with only Vista to pitch. A Windows 7 holiday could do much to revive the fortunes of foundering firms like Dell, and even prop up the U.S. economy.
My IT department is busy prepping a Windows 7 laptop for me, and they have enough confidence that it will be my main work machine -- and this is a company that never adopted Vista!
Posted by Doug Barney on June 03, 20095 comments
On desktops and laptops, Linux has made less of a dent then a feather on an Abrams tank. On netbooks, though, Linux and now maybe even Google's Android pose a real threat. Microsoft got the message and will do whatever it takes to rule the netbook roost, which is exactly why it's doing away with the anticipated Windows 7 restrictions that would let just three apps run on netbooks.
I'm not the world's biggest multitasker, but I'm running four apps right now. On a netbook, I'd have to give up one just to keep running. I've said that once Mac laptops get cheap enough, I'd buy one. I'm still waiting. Now I'm waiting for a $300 Windows 7 netbook.
Posted by Doug Barney on June 01, 20093 comments
Microsoft has been flailing around in the search space for years. It built up the horribly named MSN Live Search into an also-ran, tried to buy Yahoo and bad-mouthed Google every chance it got. Now Microsoft has a new approach -- a built-from-scratch engine with a name that could either be the dumbest idea ever or could actually catch on. Bing was launched late last week.
I gave Bing a two-minute spin this morning, putting it through the old "Doug Barney" test in which I searched for my name. The results were pretty good. But basic search results are just the beginning of this new engine. The real plan, similar to the recently launched Wolfram search engine, is to provide richer results, such as helping one find a vendor, track down an illness or pick a product.
Have you tried Bing or Wolfram? If so, send your results to [email protected].
Meanwhile, it looks like Yahoo would still happily sell its search, but it would take "boatloads of money." Good luck with all that!
Posted by Doug Barney on June 01, 20092 comments
Maybe they're just trying to prop up their sagging stock, or maybe they really believe it, but both Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer recently argued that the high-tech economy has a bright future and that we ain't seen nothin' yet.
Thirty-four years after the founding of Microsoft, both believe we're still in the early stages of the computer revolution. Gates' comments focused on what technology can do to help the world, an area that The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is devoted to.
Don't believe Microsoft cares about our world? Check out this article and let know what you think at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on June 01, 20091 comments
This week, Service Pack 2 for Vista and Windows Server 2008 made it to broad release. One can choose a full download as long as your network or machine won't choke on the 300MB-600MB beast. You can also opt for a tidy 43MB download through Automatic Update.
There are a few neat features snuck into the SP, including better Wi-Fi and search. But the real aim of SPs has always performance, compatibility and stability.
Have you installed SP2? If so, let us know how it's going at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on May 29, 20099 comments