Vista Days Away
Microsoft PR may be playing it cagey, but Vista developers aren't. Apparently,
the folks in Building 9 have an electronic sign
counting
down the days until Vista is released to manufacturing. Earlier this week,
the ticker said RTM was nine days away. I'm getting chills already (but that's
probably just the fall weather here in New England).
Virtual License Revamp a Gift for Developers
Microsoft's virtualization software now has true open source-style licensing
with the news that developers can run as many operating systems as they like
for free
and without a license.
Such actions don't seem to faze VMware, which just announced that it's operating
a $750 million yearly revenue run rate. Not everyone is afraid of Microsoft.
Diluting Spam
As a kid I loved Spam, once pilfering a can from the cupboard and slipping it
under my pillow so I’d have fatty, delicious, porkish dreams. As an adult,
I hate the stuff -- at least the kind with the lowercase "s."
Hormel, makers of the uppercase form of Spam, is also irritated by unwanted
e-mail. In fact, it tried to prevent antispam vendors from disparaging
the name "Spam." The only problem, according to a European court,
is that no one seems to realize that Spam can actually refer to a high-calorie
processed canned meat-style foodstuff.
Loving Libyan Linux Laptops
I once tried to learn how to spell the name of Moammar Gadhafi only to find
that the press had three to four different spellings depending on the magazine
or newspaper. Libyan kids can go through the same frustration by using Google
and their shiny new $100 Linux laptops, all thanks to Moammar who plans to give
over a million youngsters laptops and satellite connections to the Internet.
Meanwhile, I came across a Web site that lists 11 different ways to spell the
Libyan leader’s name -- check it out here.
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.