If you run IE, you might want to run the browser in "protected mode," a security setting that locks down the browser by restricting privileges, to protect against a new IE bug.
Newer versions of IE have protected mode on by default. Older versions of IE, such as 5 and 6, also have the mode on by default if they run on Vista or Windows.That leaves older versions of IE running on X,P plus newer IEs with protected mode turned off, vulnerable to attack.
Microsoft has issued an advisory for the bug suggesting that affected users "protect themselves by implementing Network Protocol Lockdown," for which there is a FixIt. A formal patch is forthcoming.
Trivia question: In Microsoft parlance, what did "protected mode" used to mean?
Answers welcome at [email protected] or post your comments below.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/08/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
Jonathan Schwartz, the CEO of Sun with the Jesse Ventura ponytail, is no longer CEO of Sun. In fact, Sun is really no longer Sun now that Oracle has officially bought the former Java/SunRay/Solaris/SPARC powerhouse.
When high-powered execs resign, usually there is a carefully crafted press release talking about "other opportunities," "amicable partings" and "pride in the work done." But Schwartz is no average exec -- he quit through a tweet!
And here's another thing not so average: He resigned via Haiku, writing, "Financial crisis/Stalled too many customers/CEO no more." The thing I like is, even though he's on Twitter, Schwartz had the class to actually spell properly.
Is there a business use for Twitter? How do you tweet? Do you hate misspelled tweets as much as I do? Send e-mail (not a tweet) to [email protected] or post your comments below.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/05/2010 at 1:17 PM4 comments
Some software upgrades are a piece of cake, some are so complex they're not worth it. Exchange 2010, for some, fits in that latter category. The good news and bad news is that Exchange 2010 is far different architecturally from its predecessors, particularly in how it stores files. That's how we make progress. One example is the new "database availability groups," which could take time and money to adapt to, according to a report from Forrester.
Exchange 2010 may also require upgraded third party tools such as security and backup.
Are you jones'in for this new software, or happy with what you've got? E-mail me through your messaging system of choice at [email protected] or post your comments below.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/05/2010 at 1:17 PM1 comments
The biggest issue surrounding the iPad is its use of an iPhone-based OS, rather than a full-fledged computer operating system. While there are clear technical sacrifices, the stripped-down OS should offer greater usability. The market will decide if features or elegance is more important.
The PC set has an opposite approach. Vendors such as HP plan Windows 7-based tablets, which means these machines are true desktop/laptop/netbook equivalents. You can actually get work done on these things.
What approach do you prefer? Let me know at [email protected] or post your comments below.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/05/2010 at 1:17 PM4 comments
Steve Jobs recently had some pretty scathing things to say about Google for entering the smartphone market (and challenging the iPhone). Readers react with some strong words of their own:
Jobs is scared and whining like a little baby. Competition is always good for the public. No, it may not be good for Apple, but I don't care about Apple. The consumer who doesn't drink the Kool-Aid is concerned about themselves, not Apple.
-Ross
So it's OK if Apple goes into the phone market but not Google? Apple is just afraid it will no longer be able to gouge the public. Let the best balance between cost vs. features win! Game on!
-Pete
To be fair, it sounds like he was talking to Apple corporate, not the public. He's rallying the troops, pointing out that Google is going after Apple's market share.
-Dan
Jobs is not only irritated, but he is scared. Those comments are a clear sign of panic. Microsoft should feel that way, too, but it has not shown it as much.
-Melvin
Motorola could have said the same to Jobs about the cell phone business a couple of years ago. Open markets make everyone better, including Apple. Apps, search, integrated devices are the begining of the story not the end.
-John
I think the issue is that Google has stated its "Do no evil" policy, whereas other companies have not. Google is just another big company that does the same evil as others.
-Anonymous
Where does Steve Jobs get any moral authority? He creates closed, proprietary systems, nice as they may be. He is only interested in money, and if anyone else makes money or competes with him, then they are evil (see: Microsoft, Google). Great design and marketing are not moral attributes, and it is quite strange to me that anyone would suggest that they are.
-Daniel
You said, "His [Jobs'] products are almost always closed and expensive." Not at all like Microsoft, then...
-John
Concerns have been growing about Google's online advertising share, but Earl wonders whether there's any point in breaking up such tech monopolies:
Yes, Google is a monopoly and something should be done about it. Microsoft is also a monopoly, and Apple's business practices are an example of restraint of trade. We probably should do something about it -- but because of the technology involved, we may not be able to. What would happen if Google, Microsoft or Intel closed up? Would IT survive? Would we be forced to bail them out?
In the late 1960s or early 1970s, Thom McAn wanted to merge with Kinney Shoes. The Justice Department would not allow it because their combined 7 percent market control would destroy competition. At the same time, there was no interstate banking except for Oregon and California. Since then, we let banks get too large to fail and deregulated the kinds of investments they could make. We let their insurer, AIG, become a monopoly. As a result, we had this predictable financial crisis. (Predictable because we had financial crises every 10 to 15 years from 1789 through 1929. Then we instituted regulations and the crises stopped until 1982 when we deregulated. The crises began with the Lincoln S&L scandal and continue through today. Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told Congress that a financial crisis is something that happens every five to seven years.)
So, yes, we should break up those IT monopolies. But I don't think we can.
-Earl
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/05/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
ScriptLogic's Nick Cavalancia shared some other company news: Longtime CEO Jason Judge has left the company. For this to make sense, you have to have read the previous item.
As you recall, Quest bought ScriptLogic two-and-a-half years ago. Quest made good on its pledge to maintain ScriptLogic's independence by keeping Jason on as CEO (my guess is Judge remaining was part of the contract). I've seen this happen before, such as when Quest bought Aelita Software. The founder and head of Aelita, Ratmir Timashev, stayed on during the transition, but left afterward to start virtualization vendor Veeam, itself a very cool company.
My guess is that Judge has something similar in mind. Judge is used to running his own show, having started companies, run companies and, in the case of ScriptLogic, given them serious legs. I'll be curious to see Jason's next move!
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/03/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
I talked to my old pal Nick Cavalancia, vice president of Windows management for ScriptLogic, about a new direction for the company. This is a little complicated so bear with me.
Quest Software last year bought a company called PacketTrap, which does network monitoring. Now, years earlier, Quest had bought ScriptLogic, though many don't know this because ScriptLogic is run pretty much as an independent company with its own brand, salesforce, product line, executive staff and development team. This is a smart move as ScriptLogic is known by thousands upon thousands of IT managers and admins.
Now, Quest is selling PacketTrap technology to managed service providers and as a free suite. Meanwhile, ScriptLogic is selling PacketTrap as Perspective, a premises-based management and network monitoring tool for small and medium-size businesses. The software monitors core Microsoft products such as SQL Server and Exchange, as well as VMware. It also works with network gear from Cisco and Juniper, which together own a vast swath of the network market. Perspective, by integrating with Desktop Authority, is a true member of the ScriptLogic family.
I hope Oracle learns a lesson from Quest and ScriptLogic and leaves Sun alone.
Third parties are welcome to share their news with me and the Redmond Report readership by writing [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/03/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
When Microsoft was under the antitrust gun, former government target IBM piled on. Now that Google is gaining dominance, it's only fair that Microsoft take a few shots.
And that's just what Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith did in a recent speech, arguing that Google's 90 percent share of the online advertising market should raise serious questions -- questions Google should be made to answer.
Smith is not alone. Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France and husband of the best-looking first lady ever, also wants Google investigated.
Is Google good or bad for media? And what do you think of antitrust laws? If you back them, who would you prosecute? Render your verdict at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/03/2010 at 1:17 PM2 comments
Steve Jobs is a real American hero. It's tough to knock the guy, but I'll try anyway: His products are almost always closed and expensive, and he has a penchant for going after journalists for doing their job.
Despite these flaws, Jobs generally has the moral high ground, and that's why his recent Google comments sting so much. Google is famous for claiming to "do no evil." Jobs isn't buying it, saying it's all a load of...well, you fill in the blank.
Jobs' beef seems to be over Google going after the iPhone: Jobs isn't competing in search, so why should Google enter the phone wars?
I don't get it. I'm in favor of competition, and as long as Google competes with the iPhone fairly, what's the beef? Clearly, there are other ways Google has violated the "Do no evil" code.
Is Jobs right to be irritated? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/03/2010 at 1:17 PM9 comments
Readers gauge the iPad's chances, given its price and multitasking limitations:
How many netbooks have a touchscreen like the iPad? It's expensive as netbooks go and doesn't do a lot of things that normal netbooks can do, but then it has the cool touchscreen capabilities. If you're in the market for a netbook and you're willing to sacrifice functionality to be "cool," then the iPad is a viable option.
-Dan
I feel that many people who use a netbook-style laptop for just taking notes or browsing the Web will be able to use the iPad. In my opinion, this is a much better form factor for casual use cases. But it also has the power to watch video and play casual (and some not so casual) games. Time will tell.
-Greg
Both the iPhone and the iPad have the hardware capable of multitasking (running simultaneous apps). They're plenty powerful enough. I think the better question is, why not allow multiple apps to run simultaneously? What reasons would make sense that Apple would limit the functionality to just one app? One of the better ones is to limit the amount of bandwidth it can use. AT&T's networks are already straining under the current load. So Apple's reasoning is probably partly about the user experience -- the bandwidth just isn't there for a great user experience, trying to surf the Web while streaming Pandora. That's the "soft" side of the argument.
However, the "hard" side that's pure business is that AT&T's bandwith/capacity issues would multiply exponentially if users could run more than one bandwidth consuming app at one time, and it would almost certainly have to cost more than $30 per month for unlimited use. So, multitasking capability while on Wi-Fi might be a reasonabe alternative, but only if such a limitation couldn't be hacked to unlock it on 3G, too. My guess is that once AT&T addresses its current capacity issues, it'll come out with an "enhanced"
data plan that will cost more, and for that, users will be able to run multiple apps.
-Scott
I personally think Jobs is out of sync with this product. As you stated, this satisifies a niche market. Most of us either need a pocket device (a la PDA/smartphone) or a laptop with real power to run development apps and perform real work. I was thinking maybe it could compete with in-car GPS-dedicated devices, but no real GPS. And only one speaker for movies or stereo? My laptop already has nice stereo speakers.
I own an iPhone and love it. It does almost everything a pocket device should do. But I can't see a use for the iPad. And it is missing a camera.
-Mitch
If the iPad were priced higher or it was more capable, it would cut into Apple's MacBook line. As for me, I like the Apple iMac/iMac line. However, I see no need to purchase a Kindle on steroids. As you stated, for the same price you can purchase a well-sorted Windows-based laptop.
-Mike
Microsoft's latest earnings report has plenty of positives. John isn't that surprised:
I think Microsoft has proven itself as a survivor (relatively speaking). With its size and everyone gunning for it, it can withstand a few bad quarters. When it has a good quarter, it's really good.
By the way, has anyone accused you yet of comparing Bill Gates to Lindsay Lohan? (Tongue firmly in cheek.)
-John
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/03/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
Microsoft has been busy lately with patches, in particular patching the famous hole that let Chinese hackers break into Gmail. Last week, Microsoft released four under-the-radar fixes -- not plugging holes per se, but correcting "idiosyncrasies."
Here's a quick rundown:
- Software updates don't always update, so there's a new tool for Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 (R2, as well).
- Some machines with an NVIDIA USB-enhanced host controller interface freeze after moving data to USB devices. There's a hotfix for those with real troubles, while other folks can wait for a fix through a software update.
- Error reporting in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 has its own errors which are fixed through a quick update. Errors include system hangs and keyboard shortcut glitches.
- Those wanting to restore Windows XP or Windows Server 2008 R2 backups have a new utility that replaces the no-longer-available removable storage manager.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/01/2010 at 1:17 PM0 comments
I thought I could ignore the iPad, but as someone who might be asked to buy one (or three) as Christmas presents, I can't resist. First, given Steve Jobs' track record and knack for design, this will be a raging success. But I have to question why it's based on the single-tasking iPod/iPhone OS rather than the richer, multitasking, full version of the Mac OS.
Let's face it: Nearly all of us need a laptop. If the iPad were indeed a computer, it could act as a laptop replacement or companion, just like PC-based tablets and netbooks. But I can't see lugging around my cell phone, laptop and an iPad -- especially through airport security. A Mac OS-based tablet could do all the things the iPad does, but also word process, run all common Web apps and browse without limits.
The iPad may cost from $499 to $829. In this recession -- and when I can get a sweet laptop for $400 -- this seems a tad steep. But that's just the beginning. Like the iPod and iPhone, it's all a big money suck. Videos, books, tunes -- Apple wants you to pay for all this, too. Given that, the iPad should be a Park Avenue/Hamptons/Silicon Valley status symbol. Unfortunately, regular folks who can't afford it will be wasting their gotten gains on stuff they don't need.
The iPad is cool for sitting around the living room, car seat (passenger, please!) or airplane, and listening to tunes, reading a book, watching video or doing some low-level messaging. This is a niche market -- and an expensive one, at that.
Having said all that, I'm not a technology and design genius. Steve Jobs is. And I predict Jobs will prove me dead wrong. Now, if Jobs would only build a Mac-based netbook...
By the way, will Apple be forced to change the iPad name? Given all the late-night jokes, it might not be a bad idea.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/01/2010 at 1:17 PM7 comments