As the previous item indicates, Microsoft and IBM get along about as well as Jon and Kate Gosselin. But one thing they do agree on is helping IT adopt Hyper-V as part of datacenter restructuring.
What does IBM get out of it? It wants IT to restructure around brand-new IBM high-end servers! The two have developed the kludge-ly named Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit for IBM 1.0. (Man, those marketing folks really have a way with words!)
The tool details IBM hardware, does application discovery and then shows how Hyper-V can shrink the number of servers needed in the datacenter.
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/02/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
There's nothing worse than a boring actor, politician or CEO. That's why I'm such a fan of Steve Ballmer. Boring he's not. Nor is Steve shy.
In a recent interview, Mr. Ballmer analyzed IBM's business moves over the last decade or so and found them wanting. In particular, he wondered why IBM would purposely divest itself of businesses such as network hardware and PCs, and purposely become a smaller, less strategic company.
IBM's logic is these were low-margin businesses. But Microsoft has a different worldview: It will happily lose money or break even just to get into a market it sees as core. If it sticks with the plan long enough, it wins -- like it did with the Xbox.
Has IBM lost some of the sizzle it had back in the PC days? Share your thoughts at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/02/2009 at 1:17 PM10 comments
Sometimes, even the most expensive lawyers are worth the dough. And after getting a nearly $400 million judgment against it dismissed, I'm sure Microsoft agrees. The whole dispute centers on whether the activation technology for key Microsoft operating systems (you know how much you love product activation) violates patents held by Uniloc. A judge in Rhode Island says it doesn't.
What do you think of Microsoft's product activation? Should the company have to pay customers the $388 million for activation pain and suffering? Send your best legal opinions to [email protected].
Meanwhile, as if Bill Gates needed more good news, Forbes has once again crowned him America's richest man with $50 billion in the bank -- even after giving billions to charity.
But not all legal and financial news is good. Microsoft is still trying to overturn a $240 million judgment because Office violates patents held by i4i.
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
In simpler times, a firewall (and some anti-virus software) was all you pretty much needed to protect the network. But times have changed, hackers are more devious, networks are more complex, and company insiders are more evil. In fact, you even have to keep tabs on your own IT folks, as we explained in a cover story three years ago.
This doesn't mean we should ditch firewalls, but instead equip them with additional layers of protection. First, you should get up-to-speed on the latest in firewall configuration -- and don't simply have them at the perimeter.
After that, look for firewall technologies that protect at multiple layers of the OSI stack, including the application layer.
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2009 at 1:17 PM2 comments
After a fairly sensationalistic speech by Larry Ellison, CNNMoney posed its own attention-grabbing headline: "Is Microsoft Relevant?" Bob thinks that's just part of the ratings game:
Regarding CNN and Ellison, consider all the free promotions being given to Michael Moore right now. (He's on the screen again as I type.) The guy is over-the-top, controversial because of the nonsense he spouts, and CNN loves it. They have learned the cardinal lesson of cable TV: Never let news and reasoned discourse get in the way of entertainment and ratings.
-Bob
Would you switch places with Bill Gates? Doug asked, readers answered:
As for switching places with Bill Gates, I would -- at least for a while. I'm old enough to understand about the greener grass, and while I would love to play with his money for a while, I'm not that unhappy with my own life. I'm sure he just has a different set of problems than I do.
-Bob
That has got to be the dumbest question I ever heard.
Let's see: Retired with billions of dollars. Able to do anything I want and go anywhere I want (both on and off this planet) any time I want. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
-Dana
Having a little money is nice. Having a lot of money is even nicer. But having the kind of money Bill has is a whole lot of responsibility. And it needs to be carefully managed and spent. Bill seems to be smart enough to do that wisely; not very many people could do that. I doubt I could do the job well enough to be happy with myself and have the populace be happy with me.
-Mel
Like most browsers, IE 8 has its share of problems, most recently with Google trying to steal its thunder with the Chrome Frame. On top of that, one reader has just spotted a possible security issue:
We were testing a site recently that had been uploaded by a client on our hosting server. Our normal practice is to test the using IE 6-8, Safari and Firefox 2-3.5. The home page contained an iframe that redirected to a malicious site. Firefox did not redirect to the site, but IE 8 did and our tester's computer received several welcome packages.
We sent a copy of the file to Sophos for analysis -- a process that was painless. We thought, "Hey, Microsoft might want to know about this, too." Not so much. After going through the usual automated support ordeal, we finally landed an actual human who told us that Microsoft really doesn't have a mechanism to report things like this. I find it hard to believe there is no way to give Microsoft feedback on how an infection occurred through their spiffy, new, secure browser. Does anyone know the secret path to reporting things like this to Microsoft?
-Cameron
And Dave gives his vote for what he'd like to see in future Redmond magazine issues:
The battle for notepad, aka netpad, computers should be high on your list of items for editorials and other stories. So far, there appear to be two players poised to compete for "King of the Notepads." The first is the Microsoft Courier. While Microsoft is a new player in computer manufacturing, its primary opponent is a veteran. All eyes and rumors are on Apple and its expected charge on the notepad battleground. On the Microsoft side, there is a completely new operating system, designed specifically for the Courier and incorporating the best of OneNote in its core. On the Apple side, rumors call for every thing from Snow Leopard to the iPhone OS to some hybrid of the two.
Netpads are going to make 2010 one of the most exciting years ever. They should be considered for an editorial or three.
-Dave
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/30/2009 at 1:17 PM0 comments
There's one big pain for those of us with multiple computers: keeping anti-virus software up-to-date and paying for the darn stuff!
For low-end uses, Microsoft has an answer, and it's free. Microsoft Security Essentials, formerly code-named "Morro," is now present and ready for download. Just make sure you have a legit copy of Windows before you download it.
This software runs on XP, Vista and Windows 7. And it can protect the Windows 7 XP virtual machine, as well. You don't want to secure Windows 7 and leave XP Mode unprotected!
Are you happy with your anti-virus/anti-malware software? Tell us why or why not at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/30/2009 at 1:17 PM5 comments
Bing has two things over MSN Live Search, which it replaces: a cooler name and a slicker interface. Oh, there's a deal to make it the default search engine for Yahoo.
All this is moving the Bing needle up and the Google needle down (albeit by an almost infinitesimal amount). Bing is up nearly 9 percent, and Google is down a whopping 0.1 percent. Once the Yahoo deal kicks in, expect another nice bump for Bing.
What do you like most about Bing, or are you a true Google loyalist? And has anyone tried Wolfram Alpha? Send your results to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/30/2009 at 1:17 PM2 comments
Multicore chips sound pretty exciting. In the same space as a single processor, you can have two, four, eight or more cores. Shouldn't that mean that you have two, four, eight or more times the speed? Nope. In fact, these extra cores do little or nothing unless the software knows how to exploit them. It's a complicated area, one we explored in a cover story last year.
In that article, we highlighted some of the key vendors trying to bring multicore capabilities to today's software. I'm not sure if Intel or Microsoft read the piece, but both recently snagged multicore companies. Intel, which already has multicore development tools, actually bought two: Cilk Arts and RapidMind. Microsoft, meanwhile, nabbed Interactive Supercomputing.
I think it will take years for software to catch up with multicore and manycore chips. But when it does, you can say goodbye to the Windows hourglass!
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/30/2009 at 1:17 PM6 comments
As an IE 8 user, I'm relatively happy, but I have noticed slow page loads which made me question my cable Internet connection. According to current wisdom, my connection is just fine -- it's IE 8 that's slow.
Google has what sounds like a neat solution: Web developers can invoke the Chrome engine from within IE 8, dramatically speeding performances. The Google Chrome Frame is in beta, but early reports are promising. And all developers have to do is add one simple tag.
Microsoft isn't entirely happy and warns of possible security flaws. And after spending so much time making IE 8 secure, Redmond may have a point.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/28/2009 at 1:17 PM8 comments
Critics like to argue that Microsoft's security is worse than a Barney Fife jail cell. But a quick glance around shows that nearly every piece of hardware or software has flaws.
Take Cisco: Its hardware has been stung by an unrelenting swarm of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Where Microsoft patches each and every month, Cisco rolls it patches out only twice year.
Early last week, Cisco put out 11 advisories that are well worth looking into for security-conscious network pros.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/28/2009 at 1:17 PM1 comments
The success or failure of a new OS has way more to do with compatibility than it does with hot new features or smokin' performance. A lack of apps has given Linux on the desktop less market share than Moxie soda, and it was only after the Mac got real file interchange that it became truly viable for business.
That's why Microsoft is pulling out all the stops to help Windows 7 run as many programs as possible.
One approach is trying to make the OS itself compatible, which Microsoft has clearly worked toward. Next, you get ISVs to tweak or port apps. A third and rather unique effort is creating an XP virtual machine to let old apps run. Microsoft also has an application virtualization tool it acquired when it bought Softricity.
Finally, the latest build of Windows 7 has a few compatibility tricks; for one, it can detect an incompatible program and refuse to run it. Windows 7 also has an update that lets you run some apps that previously broke.
By the way, I want to thank reader Mike G. for helping me get my HP LaserJet 1000 hooked up via a virtual driver. With guys like Mike, I have a huge virtual IT department at my disposal. Now I'm 100 percent in business!
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/28/2009 at 1:17 PM3 comments
Money aside, what's your dream IT job? These two readers have a similar idea:
If money was no object, I would definitely teach. It most likely has the same silly politics of the corporate environment, but you get to see the impact you are making immediately. For those students you are actually getting through to, it is a satisfying feeling and one that would allow me to overlook the above-mentioned nonsense.
But money IS an object, so I work.
-Avi
Since you asked, my ideal job, if money were no object, would be to be a university professor (comp sci) at a TEACHING institution in a country other than the U.S. I have the qualifications (Ph.D. in infosec, years of real-word development and infosec work experience, forensics certification, several years as an adjunct in a graduate infosec program, speak several languages), but the pay usually is not quite what you can make in industry. China or Wales would be ideal.
I specified teaching institutions because I want to TEACH. I'll do research on the side, but I want my primary duties to be teaching and working with students, not writing grant proposals to pull in research money. I enjoy teaching and helping people.
-Glyn
Complaints of PCs crashing -- and crashing often -- can seem like a dime a dozen, but Dennis' experience is vastly different:
I know some people, you included, have consistent crashing problems running Windows XP/7. However, it is curious to me how very little the systems I am in close contact with tend to crash. I am a one-man IT show at my company and manage a network with about 70 workstations running mostly XP with a handful of Windows 2000/Vista. At home, I have three computers I use daily, two with Vista and my wife's with XP. I think in the last year, I have seen maybe two or three full-blown blue screens on any of the systems I have under my umbrella. As far as crashing goes, I work with engineers and project manager types -- if they do experience crashes, it gets fixed to the point they no longer occur. So as a rule, if a PC crashes more than once a month, it is exceedingly unusual. Most of the PCs here operate normally for months at a time.
I don't know what the difference is between PCs and/or users that are successful in running without crashing and those that don't, but it is odd. I do know this: Human nature is an interesting thing. In general, people complain twice as often as they will compliment. When people are not having trouble with something, you never hear from them. When they have a few have issues, they speak up loudly, sometimes disproportionately so. I, for one, manage many, many Windows systems without issues or headaches. So from my vantage point, life in the Windows universe can't be all that bad.
-Dennis
Michael shares his thoughts on Dell's debut in the consulting ring with its Perot Systems buy:
My initial thought was that Perot Systems does very little consulting (they have a consulting group, but that is just a small sliver of their overall business/revenue). EDS bought A.T. Kearney to get more heavily into the consulting business, never really figured out how to integrate them, and then sold off the business. That said, if you view management design as consulting, then I agree with you that these companies are consulting-based/-driven.
I have worked with/for outsourcers for more than 14 years now. I have also consulted with businesses on their contracts with outsourcers. The worst part of outsourcing/consulting from an outsourcer's perspective is unrealistic expectations. Even if you can design the right Service Level Agreements and meet them, you are not Tom from down the hall, and so don't have the luxury of 15 seconds to "feel good"
(the amount of time it took Tom to pick up his phone). You may make every SLA, but still have customers that don't like you because they don't know you. The worst part of outsourcing/consulting from a buyer's perspective is poor definition of work. If I need anything "extra" it is going to cost me. Combine these two things and you have an industry comprised of matchmakers and marriage counselors.
Ultimately, I think the Perots made a good deal ($30/share for Perot Systems) and Dell will have to really work hard to make their services business into a growth engine. Perot Systems has been a slow grower in areas where others have seen huge growth (see the India-based outsourcers).
-Michael
Finally, last week, readers seemed torn about whether Steve Ballmer resembled Terry Bradshaw. Today, however, it's unanimous:
Does Ballmer look like Terry Bradshaw? Yes.
-Anonymous
Separated at birth!
-Daniel
Yes, Ballmer looks a lot like Bradshaw.
-Anonymous
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/28/2009 at 1:17 PM1 comments