Bill Gates was great at grabbing onto a concept and never letting go. Two examples come to mind: a PC on every desk, and information at your fingertips.
Ray Ozzie is much the same way with cloud computing. Every speech he gives is a sales pitch for clouds. So it was no surprise that Ozzie's keynote at this week's Professional Developers Conference was all about Azure.
Was there any new news? Well, Azure will be commercially available on Jan. 1, so if you're not hungover, you could give it a whirl.
One area I've been confused about wasn't entirely cleared up, though. My sense is that Azure is for building apps that run in the Microsoft cloud, not ones you build yourself in your very own datacenter. Ozzie mentioned that Microsoft is working on a single development model for internal and external clouds, but didn't seem to give a lot of detail. If you know the answer to this perplexing question, send it my way at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/18/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
Last week, Cisco got into the hosted e-mail space, and immediately the gadflies all came out to worry that Cisco is competing with Microsoft when they're supposed to be partners. Oh, dear!
Have any of these eggheads seen how Microsoft competes? It can be your best friend, your worst enemy -- and sometimes both at once.
I wouldn't be too worried about Cisco, either. It's managed to put nearly every independent networking vendor out of business, and did it all with a smile.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/18/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
Doug's been having IE 8 issues since he upgraded to Windows 7. Luckily, a couple of you were quick to respond with some tips:
IE 8...I can't tell you the number of small annoyances. Lately, it's a new tab taking seven to 10 seconds to appear. Think it's the Java plug-in. But it's always something. It seems like these days, if you find a site working well in a particular browser -- Safari, IE, Chrome or Opera -- just stick with that browser-site combination.
-Michael
Rule of thumb for IE problems is to start it in no-add-on mode and see if the problem still occurs. IE problems are almost always add-ons, so if it works as expected in that mode, you can disable/enable using the 50 percent rule until you figure out the cause. Also not a bad idea to make sure you're on current versions of Flash and Java.
-Dave
I never had problems with IE 8 until I got a new Windows 7, 64-bit computer and switched to IE 8 64-bit. I started having problems with freezing while loading Web pages or being unable to click the back arrow. After about a week of this, I suddenly got a Windows update that restarted my computer, and IE 8 64-bit has been fine ever since. I think that they must have downloaded a patch that fixed my problems. It might have been the following:
Update for Internet Explorer 8 for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB976749)
Installation date: 11/5/2009 4:58 PM
Installation status: Successful
Update type: Important
Install this update to resolve issues that may occur after installing the Internet Explorer cumulative security update issued as MS09-054. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.
-Bernie
The problem stems from doing an upgrade from Vista to Windows 7, and is not an IE 8 or Windows 7 issue, per se. I had this problem with one of my workstations in which I did an upgrade from Vista x64 ENT to Windows 7 x64 ENT. I also experienced a few other problems such as not being able to access some Web sites using https (one of them being the Microsoft eOpen site). I did not experience these problems with my laptops in which I did a fresh install. So I then backed up my workstation's data, wiped the partitions and did a fresh install. The problem went away and has not resurfaced.
The problem may stem from some browser plug-ins that have built up over time. My suggestion: Back up all your data and do a fresh install and restore all your data and settings. The process may be a little unappealing at first, but you will have a faster, more stable system. Which, in my opinion, is worth it.
-Asif
But even aside from these IE 8 glitches, Windows 7 is still not everyone's dream OS:
You recently suggested that people will eventually see the benefits of Windows 7 and forget all about XP mainly because of the extra security. I beg to disagree. I enjoy the secure features of any new MS product, but I do not appreciate the new look and feel of both Vista and now the "new Vista" -- Windows 7. I do not want to read a novel just to determine which 'paragraph' to click to adjust different features of screen resolution. Although it would be nice to have easy-to-find features, where the heck are the IP settings and NIC speed tabs? How many links do I have to click to find screen resolution, desktop settings, screensavers, etc.? Why do Windows Explorer folders look like all my files are about to spill out onto the floor? I thought I was supposed to be organizing my stuff? And by the way -- what was up with the green folders in Vista? Did someone visit the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland? Or is green the favorite color of the new outsourced coding team?
OK, there. I've vented. In short, XP had a nice look and feel. Vista and Windows 7 look like a carnival ride with enough verbiage to fill the New York Library. Knock it off, you bored programmers at Microsoft! I want my simple tabs back!
-Steven
I'm also having problems with Windows 7, starting with Windows Explorer. I use that application tons and was disappointed to see that Windows 7 has some of the same annoyances as Vista. When clicking the arrow to expand a folder, it refreshes the screen and drops the folder list down to the bottom of the page so that if you click through several folders to drill down, you have to keep scrolling down to see the new folders. Also, what happened to the total at the bottom of the window that shows how much data is in the selected folder?
As for Aero, the whole preview thing where you put your mouse over the taskbar items and it shows a mini window is quite annoying. It pops up whenever I get close to the bottom of the screen and don't intend to, and I'm very annoyed with it. I've read up on how to disable it but have found that anything I try only works for a few days and it magically starts working again, much to my frustration. I also do not like the transparent tops of windows. I find myself constantly clicking the wrong window when I try to grab a specific one and move it. Haven't figured out yet if there's a way to change that.
-Jim
As for XP, Doug's been having problems with that, too, particularly with slowness. Here are some diagnoses and suggestions:
You are probably installing/uninstalling all sorts of different apps on your system. Most of us use a few apps and build up the junk that slows you up over several years.
-Joe
Check the size of your registry file after a year. Over time, this thing becomes monolithic, and every program start-up has to read the monster for something -- another example of technology redefining a problem rather than solving it. This is one of the reasons not to jump on every upgrade to every software package you are running. None of those installers cleans up very well.
The other problem I have found is fragmented page files. There are some third-party tools to fix this but it is just as easy to recreate it. You will find that Windows 7 is probably no better since it follows the same development model. That is my two cents. That and a dollar will buy you a mediocre cup of coffee.
-Anonymous
And finally, here are more of your thoughts on Microsoft's recent move to lay off 800 positions:
Gee, I wonder if they cut the H-1B Visa workers first. (Yeah, right!)
-J.R.
Anybody that thinks layoffs in pursuit of profits is OK is the biggest capitalist douchebag there is. These are people's lives they are dealing with -- not just the person that lost their job but their spouse and their kids, as well.
We recently lost a friend to suicide because of this. Her husband had had a heart attack a few years ago and was underemployed (he worked but nothing too strenuous) so she was also working some crappy job. Nothing great but they were getting the bills paid (mostly). Then because the company she worked for wasn't making enough profit, she lost her job. As the bills piled up she just lost hope and committed suicide. So anybody that thinks this is OK needs to have something like that happen to them and then tell me if it is still OK.
-James
Join the fray! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/18/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
For years, pundits claimed that Google was Microsoft's biggest enterprise rival. Back then, Google had a search engine and some low-function Web productivity apps. The company has grown since then, and is starting to emerge as a real enterprise player as its cloud apps -- especially messaging -- mature.
Our news hound, Kurt Mackie, cornered Matthew Glotzbach, director of Google Enterprise, to talk about apps, browsers and operating systems. After reading this extensive and insightful interview, you'll have a better appreciation for all that Google has done.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/16/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
I spent six years of my life as news editor at Network World and there was plenty to cover. Like the early days of software, there were vendors galore -- Cabletron, 3Com and a little company called Cisco. Today, most of the independent networking companies are gone, having either gone out of business or been bought by Cisco.
A former powerhouse, 3Com, just got snapped up by HP for a bit less than $3 billion. That's chump change compared to what the company used to be worth.
This market change has been hell on networking publications. Network Computing, where I was editor in chief for a while, died a few years ago, as did Network Magazine. Meanwhile, Network World, which has outlasted nearly all of its rivals, just went from a weekly to a biweekly.
What is your favorite old networking company and favorite dead networking magazine? Vote at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/16/2009 at 1:17 PM2 comments
Microsoft has a special computer forensics tool designed only for law enforcement. Now, the Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE) has been leaked on the Internet, and the fear is that hackers can use the tool to sidestep these very forensic techniques.
The tool is designed to nab computer information including evidence of child pornography and other crimes -- the same approach I see on every other episode of "Law & Order."
This may not be a huge deal. Hackers already have plenty of tools for snooping, and I'm not sure having COFEE out in the wild is a game changer. Tell me where I'm wrong at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/16/2009 at 1:17 PM1 comments
Doug mentioned last week that he'd been having some issues recently with both IE 8 and Office 2007. Here are some of your tips for the Office problem (and check back on Wednesday for your IE 8 responses):
This happened to one user here (out of fifty) -- highlight anything in Word 2007 on XP Pro and the whole document gets highlighted. Two restarts fixed it.
-Michael
I had the same thing in my Office 2003 for months. To resolve it, I deleted the Normal.dot and let it create a new one and life was good again (after months of frustration). Might do the same for 2007 and see if that fixes it for you.
-Phillip
The issue with Word is not so much a glitch as it is a newer option/feature (since Word 2003). Word tries to determine if you want the matching text style to include the similar formatting, so the whole block will change. There is an option to disable this feature.
As for our own software, we will not change the behavior of the software unless the user selects this new feature as an option. Kind of like the Prime Directive from "Star Trek." I wish Microsoft took this stance!
-Tom
If you have text that uses a particular style (Normal, for instance) and that style has the "Automatically update" setting checked, then if you change the style of a single piece of text that uses that style (for example, by making it bold), all the other text in the document that uses that style will also automatically become bold. To fix it, clear the "Automatically update" check box.
-Marcus
Have you been cleaning your computer? CCleaner does a good job. With all the spam you say you receive, I am not surprised with your problems.
-Pedro
Here is another issue, at least on the version of Office 2007 in my classroom: Adding a text box into a document causes the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone else experiencing this?
-Mitch
Meanwhile, this reader takes issue with Office 2007 in general:
I bought the latest Office about a year ago and still hate it. The thing I was surprised about was the goofy new interface which I thought was kind of childish and geared toward teenagers. The ribbon was not intuitive at all, and I could not find anything. I'm going, "So where is New? Where is Save, for chrissake? Where is Save As? Where is the formatting?" Finally, I realized you have to ADD these basic items to your toolbar yourself. What? I would have rather had to REMOVE these things from the tools scattered across the top of the window.
The point is, you should not have learn Word from scratch to use 2007. Sure, it looks groovy, but is it better? Some new features to me are useless. I could be wrong, but I'm sure most people just want to type a letter or create a spreadsheet, not spend a lot of time trying to figure out the program. (Or is it an app? Who cares?) So now I only use it to open Word 2007 .DOCX files, then I go back to Word 2003 to actually get some work done. Another peeve I have is that I can't put it on my older XP machine because I don't have the lastest security pack for it. I want to know why it is any of Microsoft's business what kind of security I have on my computers. That should be my concern, and it should not prevent me from installing a glorified word processing program that I purchased.
-Anonymous
Doug thinks that for Linux to really make inroads against Microsoft, it needs to work on its desktop presence. Marc agrees:
You're right, Linux vendors just don't care all that much about the desktop. The problem with Linux on the desktop is that it is constantly touting itself as being "just as good as Windows." If Linux wants to compete on the desktop, it has to make it easy for the consumer to buy Linux (pre-installed) on the desktop and it needs to show the consumer why they should choose Linux over Windows. The price differential between Windows and Linux on identical hardware is just too small to attract the non geek consumer.
-Marc
Finally, Doug rated one pundit's notion that Windows 7's success will hurt Microsoft as a 10 "on the dope scale," but Benjamin thinks it's fairly tame:
The news is littered with dopey theories (think global warming) or has suppressed the really stupid ones (like eugenics, which was a BIG one that got buried but was incredibly and ridiculously mainstream with massive support from everyone).
So on the scale of comparison, to say that Microsoft being successful with the Vista-service-pack-called-a-new-name will blind it from focusing on forward-moving areas isn't all that crazy -- more like a 2 on the scale.
-Benjamin
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/16/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
We just finished a cover story on Bing, due to run Dec. 1, that's entirely based on your opinions. Apparently, you like it, you really like it! Now there's more to like: Bing will soon display results from Wolfram Alpha, a rather unusual search engine.
Based on Mathematica, Wolfram does not index the Web. Instead, it builds its own ever-growing mini-encyclopedia or database. If I search for my name, it won't give links to my articles, but will give information about the commonality of my name and other stats. It's also a compute engine; it can solve equations or play notes when you search on C# (the note, not the computer language).
Wolfram is very cool and Bing is cool for tying into it.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/13/2009 at 1:17 PM1 comments
I get a lot of spam. Part of it is because I put my real e-mail address ([email protected]) in all my newsletters. I'll put up with a few hundred spam messages a day just so I can hear directly from Redmond Report readers.
But come this holiday season, I may be eating my words. Security experts believe that spam will increase dramatically this month and next as we celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa and others. There could be as many as 2 billion holiday spam messages every day. Bah humbug!
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/13/2009 at 1:17 PM2 comments
I'm generally happy, very happy, with Windows 7. When I upgraded, I also went to Office 2007 and IE 8. But a few months in, two glitches have suddenly appeared. When I highlight and bold text in Word 2007, huge portions of the document also turn bold. Only when I hit Ctrl+Z to go back is the intended highlighted text bolded. Rather bizarre.
IE 8, meanwhile, now hangs when I try to go back to the previous page. Sometimes I click again, and of course it goes back two or three pages. I'm waiting for the next release of Firefox and will likely switch back then, but in the meantime it's a little frustrating.
Any of you have these problems? Any fixes? Help me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/13/2009 at 1:17 PM3 comments
Microsoft is now shipping Exchange 2010, giving a much-needed upgrade to Redmond's widely deployed messaging platform. Among other things, it provides higher availability and improved administration, and will be welcome to Outlook Web Access users.
If you've made the upgrade or tried the beta, we'd like to hear what benefits you're seeing and how you intend to use it to improve the way messaging is used in your organization. If you're on the fence about making the upgrade, what's holding you back? Write [email protected] and you may be quoted in an upcoming feature story.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/13/2009 at 1:17 PM1 comments
Last week, Kurt Mackie, while covering for Doug, wrote about the Windows 7 upgrade "hack," which would yield a cheaper version of Windows 7 at the expense of violating Microsoft's ULA, the company says. Readers share their thoughts:
Microsoft should give consumers and non-consumers a big break and charge $25 for Windows 7 Ultimate full version. Or we could all try Linux (then again, I'm not a big fan of Linux, except for dabbling with UNIX-like software). Better yet, maybe we could all get OpenSolaris to work.
-Jeff
What really riles up many of the open source devotees is the labyrinth of rules associated with Microsoft licensing. Instead of having "full retail versions" and "upgrade versions," why not have one version with which you can do either? Make the pricing on this simplified version one-price-fits-all, or perhaps base upgrade pricing simply on whether the user obtained a license for the previous version within the past six or even three months? I think taking these measures might actually woo some users back to Microsoft that have henceforth been beating the Linux drum.
As it is right now, Microsoft is the biggest gorilla on the block and it appears it enjoys beating its chest and lording it over all the users. It thinks it's bullet-proof, but eventually its arrogance will catch up with it, just as it did with so many other mega-corporations at the beginning of our current recession.
-Mike
I ordered Windows 7 Ultimate upgrade DVDs in advance from Microsoft for my tower and laptop computers. I did clean installs and was surprised when I was not asked to insert DVDs of previous qualifying versions (which I have) to validate the Windows 7 upgrades. The clean install in my tower computer was to an HDD that had Windows 7 Ultimate RC (7100), while the clean install in my Dell laptop was to a new HDD.
I would never dishonestly violate an EULA or install unlicensed software on my computers. How does Microsoft know my OS upgrades are legal?
-Gary
And Marc thinks Microsoft's effort to move enterprises off XP and onto Windows 7 is well-justified:
Yes, Microsoft SHOULD be pushing the enterprise to upgrade to Windows 7. XP will never be as secure as Vista or Windows 7. Sure, some people will be unhappy that Microsoft will stop supporting XP, but they will also be unhappy if Microsoft continues to support XP and then one day they are hit by malware which XP is simply too unsophisticated to detect.
The driver model on Vista and especially Windows 7 is much easier to maintain and keep up-to-date. And, as you point out, XP collects a lot of dust over a year or two. Most people that I know got in the habit of doing a clean re-install of XP every couple of years just to keep it running well. So far, I have seen no evidence that this is necessary with Vista or Windows 7.
-Marc
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/13/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments