Over the next few years, HP will shell some 9,000 workers and use the money it saves to buy machines. No, the workers aren't being replaced by robots or HAL. HP plans to build more data centers to run cloud apps. Besides buying new gear, HP plans to consolidate the data centers it already has, which will require less man (or woman) power.
HP won't exactly turn tiny. It will still have some 300,000 employees after all is said and done.
And while the 9,000 heads are on the chopping block, HP plans to hire 6,000 new workers in the same time frame, for a net loss of 3,000 slots.
Is HP making the right move, or it is sacrificing workers for a small boost to the bottom line? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/02/2010 at 1:17 PM3 comments
Last week I told you about a reorg in Microsoft's entertainment group. Today I'm going to tell you about some tweaks to the Server and Tools division. Starting next month, endpoint security will fall under the System Center team run by Brad Anderson.
One reason for the move is the increasing integration between Forefront endpoint tools and System Center.
Are you a Forefront fan or foe? Answer me this at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/02/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
One reader has a fear about the future of Android-based phones:
Recently, there is a lot of discussion on tech Web sites about the good and the bad of Android compared to the iPhone.
Although it is good to have some alternatives to the iPhone, i've just realized that my worst fear just came back...
Do you remember in the past with Windows Mobile? You would have Windows Mobile 5, 6, 6.5... But what happened when a new version came out? Not everyone could update...
I remember I had a Palm Treo in Switzerland when Windows Mobile 6.5 came out... I couldn't update. The reason was that although U.S. customers could update, there was no license for the Italian version to upgrade.
My point: Are we going back to the same nightmare? If we buy an Android phone with version 2.0, do we risk that later on we cannot upgrade to version 3? Of course, theoretically we could -- but we would need to wait for the various manufacturers to release their own image.
In addition, every phone out there has its own screen resolution.
I now realize how easier it was with the iPhone. Even customers with the first generation iPhone could update to version 3 of the iPhone OS. And the best thing about that? Everyone could get the update at the same time! In addition, as a programmer, not having to deal with different screen resolutions is a plus.
-Dave
Here are some of your thoughts on the battle between Office and Google Apps:
I moved a small shop of five users to Google Apps from an Outlook 2000 e-mail client backed by cheap Web hosts POP and SMTP mail. A local Exchange server would have been overkill for them and not paid for itself for about three years.
They ended up upgrading Office (well, Outlook) to the 2007 version on top of paying for Google Apps because of Outlook's file attachment ease of use. So $50 a year per user for e-mail, plus $93 per user for Outlook. I tried to get them to share calendars and contacts, but do not think they have gotten that far yet.
So a small manufacturing company still needed both. We ended up with both anyways.
-Phil
I thought I needed 25 years' worth of features, but since I can no longer find those features due to this awful RIBBON, I've learned to live without them!
-Todd
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. 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 06/02/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
I always found it ironic that as much as Google despises Microsoft, it continued to use Redmond products. Now Google is taking either a great leap forward or a great leap back by ditching Windows.
Google claims the move is due to the insecurity of Windows, especially in light of the Chinese attack on Google. But as I recall, wasn't it Gmail that was cracked?
In any event, Google is now pushing either Macs (I thought they hated Cupertino as much as Redmond) or Linux.
The move has self-important pundits questioning the future of Windows. But with a 90-some-odd-percent market, I wouldn't be too worried. If Vista couldn't kill Windows, nothing can.
Do you agree or is Windows finally under pressure from Google and the iPad? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/02/2010 at 1:17 PM15 comments
Last year HP had to recall 70,000 laptops due to overheating and possible fires (that's gotta hurt!). Now the company is recalling another 54,000 batteries for the exact same reason.
The recall affects Compaq and HP Pavilion (hey, I've got one of those!) machines. The machines were made between August 2007 and May 2008. If you have one of the puppies, a free new battery could be on its way.
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/28/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
The entertainment space for Microsoft has been hit or miss. The Xbox is a hit, the Zune and Windows phones a miss. That just doesn't cut it for one Steve Ballmer who reportedly engineered a reorg that saw Robbie Bach, Entertainment and Device president, and VP J. Allard leave their posts.
With Apple now more valuable than Microsoft, for the sake of Redmond pride, it must do better in the consumer space. The good news is that Windows Phone 7 looks to be a vast improvement over previous offerings. But once the iPhone is available from more carriers that just AT&T, it's going to be pretty hard to beat.
What do you think of Microsoft's consumer products? Share your opinions at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/28/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
Twenty years ago I figured Apple was a goner. By then nearly every non-PC platform -- the Amiga, Atari, etc. -- were either dead or dying. I just couldn't see the Mac or Apple surviving.
But Steve Jobs is way smarter than me, and during his second reign (remember when he got fired from his own company?) built Apple into a computing and electronics powerhouse.
Turns out the Mac isn't all that important after all. Sales of iPods, iPhones, iPads, along with applications and music are where the real money is.
All that led to Apple now having a market cap larger than Microsoft.
The lesson here? Never bet against Steve Jobs.
What is your favorite Apple product? Is Jobs a genius, a control freak or both? Answers welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/28/2010 at 1:17 PM8 comments
Microsoft and Google clearly dislike each other and make no bones about it. And as a journalist, this is endlessly amusing. Now that they are fighting in the apps space, things are particularly nasty.
The latest salvo is Microsoft's claim that customers are leaving Google Apps in droves because it just can't match the features of the 25 year-old Office.
You tell me? Do we really need 25 years' worth of features, or is lean software better? Answer me that at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/26/2010 at 1:17 PM2 comments
Kirk Foutts is not just a loyal Redmond Report reader, he is also an intensely loyal father. Five years ago, Kirk's son Michael fell and was left seriously disabled, incapable of controlling movement. It was so bad that Michael could only communicate with his thumb -- down for no, up for yes.
Kirk wouldn't accept this, and used his IT gifts to craft a system that allows Michael to more fully engage with those around him.
The system is based on a touchscreen that Foutts saw in action at Michael's rehab center.
Foutts managed to procure the touchscreen computer, but it was underpowered and the XP-based unit was unstable.
Foutts ended up buying a touchscreen running Windows 7 that had wireless so his son could stream movies. The only problem -- it still had to run XP software, which was taken care of by XP Mode, a virtual machine for older apps. The new machine even has Skype and a Webcam so Kirk can keep in touch with his son at all times.
Kirk Foutts, you are the man!
Kirk isn't just an IT guru -- turns out he is a gifted writer as well. Read his full report here.
If you‘ve been part of an unusual or groundbreaking project, share your story by writing me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/26/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
One reader discusses the connection between security holes, anti-virus software and Windows OS:
It is important to realize that AV makers got started by leveraging the same vectors into the kernel that hackers do.
When Vista hit the streets, Microsoft closed those vectors so effectively that AV makers could not get in! Microsoft was forced to give in and open up the vectors used by AV makers because, unlike non-monopolies, Microsoft cannot do anything that stinks of locking out competition. (Which is, of course, what competition is all about.) In short, Microsoft has (well, had) built protections into Vista that made AV software all but unnecessary!
With Windows 7, Microsoft has taken a different tact. This time, Microsoft is competing directly with AV vendors by offering its own free consumer (Microsoft Security Essentials) and not-so-free professional (Forefront Client Security) AV tools.
-Marc
Here's one reader's thoughts after Doug asks you if you have had any IE 6 compatibility issues in your shop:
We still have a few issues with browsers other than IE6. One of them is our Siebel platform; it will not function on IE7 or IE8. To get around this I'm now having Siebel run as a published app in Citrix so that the workstation can run a newer version of IE while Citrix publishes IE6.
We have one other application from AT&T called Route-It which is a client install going out via port 443 that seems to be having issues with the new browser and is not supported on anything other than IE6. Fortunately it is only installed on one machine. It's possible a browser setting needs to be changed -- we're just now starting to look into it. Also, Route-It has a Web version, but because of its inefficiency, the user is requesting the fat client for better performance.
Aside from that, most of our other apps seem to be doing fine on a beta of about 20 people running IE8 at my site. We're planning on rolling out to another 20 this week, and then to another 500 or so computers next week due to the success of the beta.
-Travis
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. 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 05/26/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
Outlook's .PST file format is not always the most intuitive thing in the world, but it is an effective tool for saving personal folders. You could argue that the data contained in .PST files is as valuable as anything in your shop, especially if your company is big enough to fall under compliance regulations.
Microsoft has two tools that give you more control over .PST. On the low end is software that teaches you how .PST works. Once you know the innards, the second tool can come into play. This File Format SDK offers APIs and source code libraries so you can build apps that use .PST or can move data from .PST files to other formats.
Is .PST as clumsy as I think, or is my brain just not developed enough? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/26/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
When a hot new album (or CD or digital download) comes out, consumers snap it up fast.
When a hot new operating system arrives, it can take years for IT to make the move. There's testing and training, and oh, it can cost a bundle too!
That's the story with Windows 7. While consumers are buying Windows 7 in droves, those of you in IT take a bit longer. Forrester Research thinks enterprises will start refreshing PCs and moving to 7 this summer. In the world of operating systems, that is right quick!
Microsoft's efforts to get IT to move away from IE 6 are expected to pay dividends. By definition, moving to Win 7 means moving away from IE 6. The only hitch is many corporate apps are tied to IE 6. In the old days, you'd have to rewrite these puppies to run on the new software. Now with virtualization, you can run these apps in a virtual machine.
Forrester expects XP and IE 6 to be out of most shops by 2012.
Do you have IE 6 issues? Tell us about them at [email protected].
Posted on 05/24/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments