Two readers share their thoughts on Microsoft's aging OS:
Another aspect of its January growth might be that the 'Windows XP Mode' is available for Windows 7 -- you can have a complete Windows XP running within a virtual machine. A couple quick downloads and installs from Microsoft's site and you too can be running Windows XP within Windows 7.
-Tony
I've got to disagree with you here...
Microsoft created its own problems with XP but that was because it didn't have the good sense to treat XP SP2 as a NEW RELEASE, not a free upgrade. Windows XP was released in 2001 and by 2007 it was time to retire it.
Windows Vista suffered from all of the same problems that Windows 2000 did:
- A NEW untested kernel -- new APIs which most ISVs simply ignored
- Sluggish performance -- reliability was more important than performance
- Excessively slow adoption rates
- OEMs who were uninterested in updating their drivers
- As demonstrated by all modern Windows applications, properly written XP code worked fine under Vista -- but in 2006, many, many XP titles were not written to Microsoft APIs and Microsoft got blamed for this
- To make matters worse, Microsoft set unrealistic expectations for Window Vista (actually Windows 7 runs better with 512MB of RAM than Vista did. (In fact, it runs better than XP does with 512MB of RAM)
- Like Windows 7, Vista needs 2GB of RAM to run well. XP-SP3 needs 1GB to run well
There is no doubt that Microsoft screwed up the Vista launch in any ways but Microsoft has since extended XP support twice. By the spring of 2014, when support ends, Windows XP will be a 13-year-old operating system. Frankly, I don't believe there is a netbook maker still shipping their devices with XP (at least not outside the third world).
When Windows 7 shipped in 2009, responsible IT departments had already begun evaluating Windows VISTA and began in earnest to evaluate Windows 7 to migrate to it. They will have had SEVEN YEARS (from 2007, when Vista shipped -- introducing the NT 6.x kernel -- to evaluated the next generation Windows operating system. That is enough time for any RESPONSIBLE IT professional so NO, I DO NOT THINK formal support should be extended YET AGAIN!
You've quoted the study that says that XP usage is up (by a VERY SMALL margin). I would bet that most of that 'increased usage of Windows XP' is from users still running on hardware from 2000 or earlier who are moving from Windows 95/98/se/Me who simply have no other choice because XP is the only OS left which will run on such lame hardware.
Should Microsoft be expected to support XP as long as there is a living soul who still uses it? (After all, lack of OEM hardware support left Vista looking at lot worse than it really was.)
Every OEM must decide what it can and cannot afford to do to support legacy customers. For instance, it would be less expensive to buy a new computer than to repair a computer built in 2000. Why put a lame 2001 operating system on it? That's just foolishness.
-Marc
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to dbarney@redmondmag.com. 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 02/08/2012 at 10:35 AM0 comments
Microsoft is a marketing machine. In fact, it is so powerful it thinks it can make do with fewer cylinders. This 12-cylinder beast won't exactly turn into a four-cylinder Pinto. Instead, a small number of jobs will be jettisoned as the company tries to simplify its organization.
You might be tempted to think that all this talk about simplification is just PR double-talk (and maybe it is). But a company as large as Microsoft surely has more useless layers than a Kim Kardashian wedding cake. My guess? Microsoft marketing won't skip a beat.
So far it doesn't seem that more than the 200 or so employees rumored to be let go are involved.
My high hopes aside, it is still sad in the economy to see anyone lose a job. Thank goodness it still has around 90,000 workers to pitch in.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/08/2012 at 11:56 AM1 comments
I still use a BlackBerry for two reasons: When I got my first (of three) it was enterprise-ready out of the box -- and I really needed to access my company's Exchange servers. Also, Verizon didn't have anything else when I first signed up years ago. I'm on the BlackBerry bandwagon until April 16 when my Verizon contract expires.
After that I'll likely move to an iPhone, which now has little problem syncing with Exchange.
To maintain whatever enterprise edge it has, RIM (which makes the BlackBerry) will integrate its phones with Office 365. This all sounds pretty cool. Just like the integration with on-premise Exchange, BlackBerry devices can sync with Exchange mail, calendar and contacts.
The coolest part is the protection of your data. Because it is in the cloud, it should be secured by your provider. And if you lose your phone, you can remote wipe it clean. Sweet. You can also remotely reset the password.
What phone and service would you recommend? Put on your Ann Landers wig and send your best advice to dbarney@redmondmag.com.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/08/2012 at 10:31 AM4 comments
Windows 8 isn't just great for PC clients, tablets and servers -- there's also a SmartPhone version on the line. Of course what would an unreleased product be without a code name? Instead of just calling it Windows Phone 8, Microsoft refers to it as "Apollo."
While Apollo may have been the Greek God of the sun, the name is not all positive. Do you really want to name your next product in a market where you are already losing after a doomed spacecraft? How about Titanic or Mount Vesuvius instead?
Always the optimist, Microsoft is packing this new OS with tighter integration with its tablets and PCs – it's trying to turn the phone into a client for your base computing device. Of course, the phone OS will use the Metro interface, which could be as ubiquitous as windows and dialog boxes in years to come.
The integration is largely based on shared components. If the phone OS has much the same stack as the PC/tablet client, it ought to interoperate!
Best expert guesses? This baby ships by year's end with about 100,000 apps ready to roll.
What will it take for Microsoft to take a commanding place in the smartphone world? Your best advice welcome at dbarney@redmondmag.com.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/06/2012 at 9:51 AM5 comments
All the major OEMs, from HP and IBM to Oracle (by virtue of Sun) and Dell, have cloud stories to tell. Some of these tales involve public cloud services. These OEMs sell hardware to fill massive server farms, and often sell services themselves.
There is also money to be made in private clouds where internal servers are highly virtualized and managed -- and turns into services where capacity shrinks and grows based on demand.
Last time I took a close look at Dell's virtualization strategy the company was closely aligned with VMware. While it still has a VMware bent, Dell is also supporting Hyper-V, and its new line of private cloud-ready servers can go either way.
One new box is the vStart 200, which can handle 200 VMs (hence the name).
Servers are just one piece of the puzzle. The real magic is in management and orchestration, which shifts loads from one machine to next to handle computing demands, maintain uptime through failover and maximize performance. Here Dell is offering management software that works with Microsoft System Center.
How do you define a private cloud and will they live up to the hype? You tell me at dbarney@redmondmag.com.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/06/2012 at 9:56 AM0 comments
Here's the funny thing about Windows XP: Just like Rambo, it seems to be a thing that just can't die. Microsoft tried to replace it with Vista, but it was Vista that pushed up the daisies. Windows 7 was a darn good try -- but even with that XP's heart didn't skip a beat.
In fact, XP share actually grew last month, albeit a paltry 0.67 percent. XP still has nearly half the OS market. Meanwhile MacOS totals a bit more than 5 percent. I'm not sure if Net Applications, which did the research, even bothered to look at Linux.
The research is all well and good, but the reader comments underneath the story really tell the tale. You see, IT really understands XP. Shop apps work, and admins know how to fix most every problem. And you don't need to buy a new machine, new OS, new apps and new drivers -- just keep XP chuggin' along.
Many in IT actually buy new machines, then wipe off Windows 7 and install XP -- all for that precious compatibility. And one reader points out that some OEMs still sell new netbook with XP, despite that fact that XP is set to lose support in a couple years.
Given that Microsoft both created and tolerates the situation that keeps XP compelling, I think formal support should be extended.
What say you? Thoughts welcome at dbarney@redmondmag.com.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/06/2012 at 9:54 AM14 comments
Readers share their opinions on two entirely different aspects of the app world:
I have a love/hate relationship with the app store concept. I love that my app can be found and that I can find other apps. But I hate that I have to give the store owner 30 percent for hosting my app. I bet even high-end marketing firms don't take 30 percent of a product's sales for a fee. Heck, even the government doesn't tax sales at 30 percent. But since it seems that our only choices in the future will be to use the app store or develop for some other platform I am hoping for in-app sales or subscriptions that would not be subject to the app store tax.
I like the idea of a declining percentage but think Microsoft should have taken it further with high volume apps (like Angry Birds) eventually getting to the point where Microsoft's cut equals their bandwidth bill for distribution since having those popular apps on the store will drive other purchases and becomes advertising for the app store.
-Scott
I'll just say that after using both Google Apps and Office 365 extensively I have pretty much abandoned both of them in favor of desktop apps and Sugar Sync to ensure my files are accessible at all times. Our university has a big pipe to the Internet and at various times the slowdowns for getting work done is just too much for me (I admit to being a bit obsessive -- some people at work and home openly call me Monk). And while I know that privacy is largely an illusion I still try to keep what I can on premises and share only when there is a very clear advantage, and I don't see the advantage of either of these services yet.
-Mark
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to dbarney@redmondmag.com. 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 02/06/2012 at 9:59 AM1 comments
NIST, otherwise known at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, thinks it knows a thing or two about building or buying a proper cloud.
The most impressive clouds are dark, with sharp shards of lightening, wind, rain and danger. That's perfect for watching, but dangerous for running your business. Here you want a safe, puffy cloud --one that won't hurt a soul but will feed and crops and keep those lawns fresh and green.
NIST thinks a good cloud is private and secure, and it has government-funded documents to prove it. The group just released some guidelines, and since you as a taxpayer already paid for them, you might as well listen.
This is where NIST insists:
- Research precisely what cloud providers offer and make it match your security needs before signing any contract.
- Figure out who is accountable for security and privacy and how they will actually be held accountable.
- Before building a cloud, think through issues of privacy and security and built those protections into your plan,
What are your top cloud criteria? Share your thoughts at dbarney@redmondmag.com.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/03/2012 at 9:58 AM0 comments
PST (personal storage table) files are either a godsend or a curse. On the positive side, messages can be saved on end-users PCs without clogging corporate servers. This gives end users more control and they don't have to be backed up umpteen times (or if you buy into EMC's approach, umpteen times two).
There are two downsides. Locally stored files don't meet today's compliance standards and it can be a real bear dealing with .PST files.
As au aside, I once got a ZIP .PST file from an IT author. I didn't know off the bat how to use it and asked him for advice. This guy, who trust me is a big time expert, knew how to create a .PST but not how to use it.
Another problem? Finding mail stuck in some .PST files. Here is Microsoft's latest crutch. PST Capture works with your MailboximportRequest cmdlet (so now the language of IT is as obscure and protected as that of lawyers and politicians) and helps IT find files that should be easily found in the first place.
This is all great for IT pros that have the specialized knowledge to make this work, but doesn't this all still sound like a kludge? Wouldn't it be better for IT to drive real innovation, rather than fighting with a MailboximportRequest cmdlet just to get the CEO's personal mail back?
And are compliance rules preventing another economic meltdown or preventing businesses from truly prospering? Let it fly at dbarney@redmondmag.com and see your opinions (first name only) posted ASAP!
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/03/2012 at 10:01 AM1 comments
Readers share their thoughts on moving over to Windows 8 on release:
I am not sure that moving to Windows 8 will ever be a priority for me. I do not view every new version of an OS as a must-have since the operating system is just an interface to the hardware for applications. Since I do not buy most of sales hype (if you need marketing guys to sell me something, I probably don't need it anyway) there is not good reason to jump to another OS just for the fun of doing it. I am guessing we will go to Win 8 when the next version is in beta.
-Anonymous
My focus with a new OS or application is how it impacts the enterprise business. Because of this I tend to hold off on downloading betas until they are close to RTM -- so I haven't taken a look at Windows 8 yet.
Our IT visionaries have decided that we will adopt future operating systems within nine months of their release. We're still stumbling around trying to migrate to Windows 7 and can't even determine what apps need to be sent offshore to a Microsoft packaging/sequencing factory in India (we've contracted with MS to help us do the migration). It's embarrassing.
Anyway, if we stick to the new vision we'll be rolling into Windows 8 right after we finish Windows 7 (assuming we can actually finish Windows 7).
-JC
I am an early adopter so I will go to Windows 8 sooner rather than later. My employer is a 'major mid-western university' and it is pretty aggressive. But I would not expect my employer to roll out Windows 8 before Summer 2013. Or maybe as late as Summer 2014.
-Marc
Tried the developer's preview and the IE 10 trial. As the help person for a small school district, trying to keep teachers up to date with interface and system changes from XP to Vista to win 7 has been enough headaches. The changes for Win 8 even confused me when I tried to do the simple maintenance activities that I do routinely. Some I never did figure out in either of the interfaces. Using the control panels create a nightmare. Will try to avoid Windows 8 and let the person hired after I retire in a couple of years deal with it. At home -- never!
-Anonymous
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to dbarney@redmondmag.com. 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 02/03/2012 at 10:03 AM3 comments
Looks like readers didn't like the news of Google's enhanced snooping policy. Here's some responses:
I agree that this is an invasion of privacy. While I am concerned with Google having this information, my main concern is more about how well will they be able to protect the information that they collect. Google should be held financially accountable for any Personally Identifiable Information that they allow to be compromised. I guess it's time for me to start using a different search engine.
-Mike
Well, one has to remember Google has never been free and does come at a price (your info). As Lifehacker stated "If You’re Not Paying for It; You’re the Product". It still creeps me out though and I feel I should have an option to opt out of some things. Maybe if Google offered an ad-free paid subscription for it's services, then maybe one could Opt Out.
-TJ
It's a violation of my privacy - always has been and always will be. Kind of like the tracking cookies you are using on this site.
-EOS
Total violation of privacy and, like JC, I'm more worried about the government or other third parties (legit or hacked) getting access to the data. Best to not put all your eggs in one basket. Use YouTube, Bing, Yahoo email and get a Blackberry phone. That way, nobody can put all of your info into one file.
-Anonymous
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to dbarney@redmondmag.com. 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 on 02/01/2012 at 10:27 AM2 comments
When was the last time Google, Facebook and Microsoft agreed on anything (except for keeping corporate tax rates low)? There is one other point of unity -- spam should be spurned, stricken and stamped out!
These three are part of a 15-vendor technical working group that is trying to stop spammers from spoofing legitimate addresses. How many fake e-mails have you gotten from Bank of America to reset your password or Microsoft to collect your lottery winnings? I get 'em most ever day.
The approach suggested by the Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance is to authenticate real e-mails from real companies. Those that aren't authenticated can be more easily blocked by anti-spam software.
I'd love to see more of this type of cooperation, reaching across the aisle if you will. And if customers make enough noise, it just may happen.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/01/2012 at 10:25 AM2 comments