When Vista came out, many new users clamored for the right to move back to XP. Unfortunately, going back wasn't always easy and wasn't usually free. With that lesson in mind, Microsoft just announced that new Windows 7 customers will have a year-and-a-half to move back down to XP or even Vista (however, the plan only applies to high-end versions of Windows 7).
While this is a nice gesture, I think downgraders will be few and far between -- maybe just those who depend on that random app that Windows 7 chokes on. What would make you want or need to go back to XP? And would there ever be a reason to move from Windows 7 to Vista? Answers readily read at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/19/2009 at 1:16 PM7 comments
On Monday, we asked whether you'd buy downloadable software from Dell's online store, which recently started selling Microsoft Office apps. Charlie's open to the idea, but with a few caveats:
Would I buy from Dell? Maybe, but only if there is a substantial price difference. I don't know how they will do on support, and I expect that if they sell the software, they will be expected to support it.
-Charlie
A couple of readers don't think Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook will be the "Exchange killer" Google hopes it will be:
I like the sound of it and the idea of taking pressures off me, but I don't see how corporations would ever move to a system like that, especially corporations like law firms and financial institutes. How do you restore an e-mail that a user deleted a month ago? How do you make attorneys or bank CEOs feel like their e-mails are in a secure place that aren't going to be easily accessed? I know law firms that put their e-mails into case management solutions and move it out of Exchange to keep Exchange lighter and have e-mails associated with a case easily found.
I could only see small firms and companies starting up using this as a real solution.
-Jeffrey
One very big case against using Google as an Exchange mail server is e-discovery. How much will Google charge a firm to do a full legal search for all pertinent e-mails relating to a lawsuit? Will they, in fact, even allow that type of archiving and/or retrieval? Webmail or cloud e-mail systems are great for personal use but I have yet to see one that can perform the massive amounts of archiving, document management and legal discovery necessary to cover a company's hind end. Not to mention the information assurance aspects of authentication, certification and verification needed for the legal aspects of business correspondence.
If anything, Google's e-mail system will be much like a lot of their products -- just enough to get them in the door of a small business, so to speak, but never enough to fulfill any real corporate requirement.
-Frank
I have to disagree with you on Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook having any potential in the enterprise market. Large companies need a way to control every aspect of their e-mail system and Exchange allows admins to do so. The only effect Google Apps Sync will have is on the very small businesses that don't want POP3 e mail or don't have experienced enough IT staff to run Exchange.
I don't know anyone that uses Andriod or Chrome for anything other than playing with it for fun. Google can try to take apps away from Microsoft and Microsoft can try to win the so-called browser wars but neither is going to happen.
-Paul
But one reader thinks it will be a vast improvement over Exchange:
Replacing Exchange with Google -- been there, done that. We have already used Google Apps and free Google accounts to replace Exchange and another IMAP based e-mail environment that ran on Windows. The cost differential is even greater than what Google claims if a combination of paid and free accounts are used. Our cost savings was 90 percent while reliability improved five times. Google's big challenge is customer and service partner management of the services. Management and monitoring of Google Apps is very poor right now, so if users run amok, it's hard to detect and help.
However, for all the e-mail user categories where Exchange has been rotten for years -- for workers who travel, work at customer locations, collaborate internationally, work in small or branch offices, or work at home -- Google Apps is a breakthrough improvement. Microsoft needs to replace Exchange with a far more advanced and user-friendly cloud-based system to remain competitive.
-Anonymous
And finally, this reader doesn't have an opinion either way -- just an idea for a pithier name:
Let's call it "GASMO."
-Anonymous
More reader letters coming on Friday! Share your own thoughts in the meantime by commenting below or sending an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/17/2009 at 1:16 PM0 comments
There's a lot of hype over a new search engine Wolfram Alpha, which uses new techniques to give richer results. It's supposed to understand the context of what you're researching, get the relationships between the search term and other data, and simply blow Google out of the Web water.
Wolfram may be the future of search, but its soft launch isn't overly impressive. I gave it the Doug Barney Search Test, which is me searching for my own name. Wolfram basically told me how popular my first and last names are. Not much of an ego boost, eh what?
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/17/2009 at 1:16 PM6 comments
Redmond magazine has covered the good and not-so-good sides of IT. I got interested in the seamy side of IT after meeting with about a thousand security vendors. The idea was about selling IT tools that kept out hackers. But more and more, those security players talked about internal threats, with employees themselves doing the hacks. And now, those tools were being given to IT to keep out internal hackers.
So I'd ask, "Who is watching IT itself?" Every vendor was dumbfounded, the assumption being that IT, which controls the network, is inherently trustworthy. "But aren't IT folks just like everyone else, a portion of whom are dirtbags?" Again, the vendors were dumbfounded.
So I decided to find out just what a dirtbag IT guy or gal could do, and asked you, the loyal Redmond Report reader, to tell your tales of IT gone bad. You told me about blackmail, theft, sexual harassment and just plain snooping. Want to here more? Go here.
A few months ago, I decided to look at the bright side and asked you for stories of IT charity and volunteerism. And boy, did I get a lot of great stories! You can read them in Redmond magazine's upcoming July 2009 cover story.
But there's still a bad IT element, and it's bigger than you might think. According to security vendor Cyber-Ark (who gets the IT threat), a full 35 percent of IT people snoop. Sometimes it's just curiosity. Other times, critical data is lifted. The lesson here is that just as IT controls end user privileges, IT privileges should be limited, as well.
Does your shop have a distinct lack of IT morality? Have you taken steps to lock down the 'Net from bad IT apples? Answers and advice welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/17/2009 at 1:16 PM1 comments
Unlike many of you, Andy prefers the new Office 2007 ribbon to the earlier versions:
I'm an IT trainer who concentrates on the various versions of Office. I have to admit that in the two-and-a-half years that Office 2007 has been out, I've so far done just two days of training in this version. The majority of companies have stayed with 2003. Despite this, I've personally been using 2007 since it became available.
I know I'm in a slightly uncommon situation in that I have to study these packages inside-out, but I really like the new interface. Once you get used to it, everything you need is just there. I really miss some of the features when I switch back to previous versions. It even has some features that I've never seen documented -- like when you scroll down a long list in Excel, it actually slows down for you as you approach the bottom. Genius! I know it's very different to what most people are used to but stick with it, guys (or even get some training). I honestly believe it's worth it.
-Andy
A couple of readers recently submitted their complaints about Windows 7, but Kirk's pretty happy with what he's seen from the OS:
My thoughts are that Windows 7 is awesome! I have had no issues as others report. I've installed it on five or six machines, and created three virtual machines with it. All run fine. I've installed 7 on a netbook -- works great with 512 RAM. The only issue I have is drive-related and Microsoft doesn't write drivers for every manufacturer out there. On one HP laptop I am not able to get the sound hardware to work with the latest build, but HP doesn't support this model for Vista.
I have x64 running on my home computer which I run as a Media Center, extending to my 360 (this process still needs some work) which, over all, is my only complaint. The 360 is very slow with music and pictures as it has to re-index all files every time I connect to Media Center. Good job, MS -- good recovery!
-Kirk
Doug last week mentioned the development comptetition between Google and Microsoft, but Dave thinks it's too soon to call it that:
When you stated the key to Microsoft's success is the developers, you couldn't be more right. Even so, I think you may have overlooked the one screaming advantage that drew developers to the Microsoft world. When Microsoft made the decision to create a common macro language for all it's Office applications, based on Basic, it won over a large majority of developers. A developer could be a master of many by being a master of one.
As for competition, Google isn't there yet.
-Dave
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/15/2009 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Redmond magazine's back-page columnist Mary Jo Foley reports at her own site that Microsoft veteran Sanjay Parthasarathy is retiring.
Parthasarathy hustled up the corporate ladder and leaped big into a corporate vice presidency back in mid-2005, when he reported to Kevin Johnson as the head of Developer & Platform Evangelism. Foley's report says his role as Microsoft Startup Business Accelerator honcho will now be headed by another CVP, Amit Mital, from the Unlimited Potential Group.
"So, who cares?" you might be asking yourself. I do; it's one less tongue-twister to mangle in the weekly Redmond Radio podcast.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 06/15/2009 at 1:16 PM2 comments
I have to admit that I'm a fan of Google Chrome. I like its simplicity -- but sometimes it's just a bit too simple. It'll crash on Flash and inexplicably choke on some JavaScript. So my solution is to turn to IE 8. It's a bit slower, but more stable. It definitely was an easy upgrade decision from IE 7, which had its own set of problems that made me check out Chrome in the first place. (OK, I've mentioned this before, so excuse me for sounding like a broken record.)
If you're still on IE 7 and running Vista, there's an interesting security anomaly you should be aware of, detailed in a Microsoft bulletin from this month. In it, Microsoft recommends that you run IE with the protected mode setting turned on to prevent a remote code execution attack. Even with this setting turned on, Microsoft said to still apply the patch.
Are you still in IE 7 mode? What's keeping you from upgrading to IE 8? Chime in at [email protected].
Posted by Michael Domingo on 06/15/2009 at 1:16 PM4 comments
Microsoft has so much going on that it's easy to forget about Forefront. If you're a fan of ISA Server, pay attention to this release: ISA Server is evolving into the Forefront Threat Management Gateway, which the company said will be out later this year (it's in Beta 3 as we speak).
Microsoft also shipped an update to its Forefront Online Security for Exchange and will be making a big to-do about Forefront Unified Access Gateway, the replacement for Microsoft Intelligent Access Gateway.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 06/15/2009 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Dell's Download Store this week has started selling Microsoft Office applications for download at discounts slightly lower than Redmond's retail.
The company already sells goods from companies like CA and Intuit. But with only about 10,000 visitors to its download site weekly, it'll take a while before Dell can mount a challenge against Amazon, Ingram Micro or other big online distributors.
Did you know Dell sells software? Would you buy from them? What's your preferred method for corporate software purchases these days? Tell us at [email protected].
Posted by Michael Domingo on 06/15/2009 at 1:16 PM2 comments
Doug asked readers this week for their thoughts on netbooks -- if they own one, and if they (like Microsoft) see them becoming more than minimally featured PCs:
You asked, "Do you have a netbook, and can you see a day when one serves all your PC needs?" I don't. But I did, long before they were called netbooks. I had a Zeos PPC. Did everything I needed at the time, but chewed through its little coin-sized backup cells faster than a teeny-bopper chews through Chicklets. Replaced it with a Grid Pen Convertible running MS Win 3.1 for Pen Computing. That had the size of a netbook, but twice the weight and a 4-bit gray-scale screen. But it also let you see 8-bit color on an attached external monitor. It had parallel and serial ports, an early version of PCMCIA slot and a 14.4 fax/data modem. It had all the external connectivity its day called for.
Today's netbooks, on the other hand, may have ethernet, Wi-Fi and USB connectors, but no fax/modem, no RS-232 serial port, no parallel port, no SCSI HA, no FireWire, no PCMCIA -- not even half the connectivity options I'd need. And touchpads come nowhere near a pen for productive "mouse" control (even if the Grid's pen chewed up its batteries almost as fast as the Zeos PPC drained its). Will I use a netbook? Sure, once one is available that meets all my needs.
-Fred
I bought a netbook when they were called "ultra mobile PCs." I love it for its role -- e-books, webinars when I can't do them from the office, e-mail when I'm waiting for my wife, maps when I'm traveling, etc. I'll probably upgrade within a year because I use it so much.
But to use it for everything? I can't imagine doing photo editing, document editing, Visual Studio, etc. on a netbook. Screens are too small and the keyboard size would wreck my hands. These might become a main machine for some people, but I doubt there will be that many. Someone that has only a notebook and no desktop will mostly opt for a notebook with more room to work. As far as I can tell, only physically small people with not terribly demanding video needs would be logical candidates for netbook-only.
-Bob
I just had the latest Asus Eee 1008HA delivered -- 10" by 7" by 1" and at around 2.5 pounds with the newer atom N280 chip set. It really is a small laptop, or whatever you want to call it. I have not used it just yet, but the primary use is minimal: Internet, e-mail and some other basic uses (sounds like typical computer use). We got it for personal travel, but who knows what else? I sure beats a heavy laptop.
-Andrew
I was considering purchasing a netbook due to its small form factor and cost. As much as I would enjoy it for the ability to browse and read e-mail, the one thing stopping me is poor graphics/video, even with Internet video, and lack of an optical drive. I am cheap and still check out a lot of my entertainment from the library. Sure, you could get some of this from the Web but even if you have a subscription to ATT or Verizon, the decent costing plans are limiting you to 5GB, which will be chewed up rapidly with entertainment.
The irony is that I realized that I already have something better than the netbook in a form factor which is where I see netbooks eventually going: my old Sony TR1, which is still working fine! It weighs only 3.14 pounds, has a 10.1" screen, 92 percent keyboard, 1GB of RAM, 60GB HD and (most importantly) a DVD/CD-R player! It runs full XP Pro and Office and has a resolution of 1,200 x 768, which is better than the netbooks. I realize that at the time of purchase, it was $2,000 but with today's latest technology and miniaturization, I don't see why something like this can't be made for a much lower cost. Perhaps this is what Microsoft was talking about.
-Frank
As an IT administrator and freelance computer consultant, I use a netbook very often. Due to the fact that the netbook is small, light and therefore very portable, it's easy for me to take it along on jobs away from work and home. I have found it to be so convenient that I have stopped dragging my laptop (MacBook) back and forth from work to home; I now leave my laptop at work and use the netbook at home. The main thing I need the netbook for is e-mail, remote connectivity and some browsing. Whereas I have moved all of my support documentation over to Google Docs, I have immediate access to them regardless of on which computer I am working. Oh! And I should note that I am using Ubuntu 9.03.
I think netbooks do have a future, but I am not so certain that they will be that popular for the general public. For those often on the run who need a computer for work and studies, I think netbooks will have an audience. But one final note: I don't agree with netbooks only being good for online content. I have created and edited documents and spreadsheets using OpenOffice (I could theoretically do graphics work, but I just don't do that). I will be taking it on trips in the future and can use it as a temporary silo for photos. I have watched movies on it, listened to music -- even to music on a server at home. Netbooks are full-fledged computers, so there's no reason why they can't do everything one expects a computer to do.
-Curtis
Doug's been having trouble figuring out the new interface on Office 2007 (he finally had to reconfigure it so the basic commands would be visible). Turns out, he's not alone:
I sympathize. Two remarks, and a question: First, remember all the old Office Alt+whathaveyou keystroke sequences that the mouse-averse learned on earlier Office versions? The good news is they pretty much all still work! Second, notice the cute, round, little graphic at the top left of the Word (or other Office 2007 app) window? That's the app's own very well-disguised 'Start' button, clicking which sort of brings up the File menu, and a few more.
And for my question: You mean you CAN configure it so commands are exposed? Please, puhleeze, tell me how!
-Fred
I had to laugh when I read that you, too, had trouble finding even the most basic Word operations: open, close and save files. It was so clever of Microsoft to hide these operations in what appears to be the Office logo. I bought Office 2007 for my new Vista laptop, but I never use it. Instead, I downloaded OpenOffice 3.0 and use that. On my desktop computer I still use Office 2003, and I intend to do so until it dies. At work, we are still using Office 2003 and have no plans to change for at least two years; the prospect of retraining our staff to use Office 2007 is too daunting. It also looks like the temporary loss of productivity will be very costly.
It is easy to resent Microsoft for making this dramatic change in the user interface for the Office applications. We only hope they see the mistake and that the next version of Office goes back to a more familiar look or has it as a compatibility option. I fear that is too much to hope for and we will just have to bite the bullet or shift to OpenOffice.
-John
I read that in 2010, MS will have a new version of almost every product they sell. Does this mean the ribbon bar will replace menus and toolbars in SQL Server and Visual Studio? I hope not, but it seems inevitable. The ribbon is bad ergonomics, especially after 20-plus years of muscle learning. It is why I avoid upgrading from Office 2003.
-Randy
Reader Dave this week suggested that it's often need, not price, that people consider when deciding to buy (or not buy) Macs. A couple of you disagree:
A response to Dave on the topic of Mac prices: My children went to public school. They used a Mac when they worked on projects/homework at school. When they came home they used a PC, price being one of the more critical issues associated with Macs, but in addition to that there is a severe limitation on the number of applications available compared to a PC, and if there is a similar app for the Mac the cost is more. My wife works for the school district. She supports Macs but uses a PC at home. I don't have a problem with the Mac, just with the price. Cost is a critical criterion.
By the way, both my children graduated at or near the top of their class, maybe because they can use both a Mac and a PC. They are both in college and by far the most prevalent platform is a PC.
-Jim
My daughter is three years from going to college, and if she was required to have a Mac to "matriculate" through a certain college, then she, and my money, would not be going there. If she wants a Mac because she likes it, then I would consider getting it for her, but to use an example like Dave did is ridiculous.
-Ken
And here's one vote for least favorite comedic actor:
Mike Meyer (or whatever his name is). "Wayne's World," "Austin Powers"...stupidity at a fifth-grade level rather than funny. Sad that the American public is so dumbed down even in their comedy.
-John
More letters coming on Monday! Share your own thoughts by writing a comment below or sending an e-mail to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/12/2009 at 1:16 PM0 comments
Laptops have long been the preferred machine for many shops. Personally, I can't image buying a desktop, as I work from a number of locations (I'm writing this from a comfortable chair in a comfortable house on Cape Cod). And laptops that can be taken home dramatically increase -- often to our detriment -- the number of hours we all work each week.
The same set of circumstances is driving sales of netbooks, which now outnumber the sales of PCs and laptops combined.
The low price, around $300, is one driver. But I think ever greater mobility is the real deal. Instead of trying to get your cell phone to jump through hoops and actually compute, why not get the real thing?
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/12/2009 at 1:16 PM1 comments
I always laughed when I heard that Google was about to squash Microsoft. Google had search, a bunch of ad programs and low-end online apps. That wasn't enough bulk to squash a fly.
But sometimes, if you say something long enough, it comes true. Now Google has a real OS in the form of Android, and a real browser in Chrome. And it wants to take over the lucrative e-mail server market with a new tool, Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook.
While it doesn't have a cool name, it does have huge potential. The idea is to let us use Outlook, but instead of talking to Exchange servers, we get our mail from Google cloud e-mail servers. Google claims this costs one-sixth as much as Exchange.
If it works, Exchange could be in for some serious pressure. Could we see price cuts, or a more aggressive move to Exchange in the cloud? Would you ditch Exchange for Google? Use whatever e-mail system you want and send me a note at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 06/12/2009 at 1:16 PM3 comments