Sometimes an idea is so brilliant that my weak mind can't grasp it. Other times,
I'm confused because the idea is too complex or the explanation unclear. Microsoft's
new Live
Mesh initiative clearly falls into one of these categories.
The basic concept is fairly simple. The mesh refers to the fact that most of
us have multiple computing devices which will be able to communicate and synchronize
by turning into our own private mesh. This mesh, which lets my laptop and phone
have the same files as my desktop, also ties into to the "cloud" so
our storage and services can be Web-based.
Here's where it gets a mite confusing: Live Mesh isn't really a thing we can
plug into, but a set
of developer services and technologies that allows meshes to be built. And
developers can use nearly any language to build meshes.
I have many questions. First, shouldn't data synchronization between devices
have been solved long ago? Didn't Windows 95 have Briefcase for just this purpose?
Second, this sounds way too abstract and futuristic. Any time I see something
this broad, without a lot of detail, I figure it will take years to emerge --
if it ever happens at all.
And, as I read into the details, it appears that Live Mesh will include a host
of software services, which sounds great 'til you realize these have to be paid
for somehow. One option is to clutter our screens with ads, which makes it hard
to concentrate. (How can you write a memo to employees when you're staring at
a bikini ad?) The other is to pay for them through subscriptions -- just one
more item to add to the list that already includes our Symantec subscriptions,
cell phones, cable TV and broadband Internet.
How much do you spend a month on TV, phone and Internet? Let us know by writing
me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/28/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
One of our sister publications is
Visual Studio Magazine (if you care
about development, check it out
here),
and its editor in chief, Patrick Meader, recently told me about a couple of
"Vista software" sites that have little to do with Microsoft.
Vista Software Inc.
sells a database engine that works with Clipper, FoxPro and other DBMSs. Meanwhile,
another Vista Software Inc., this
one from Tucson, Ariz., sells a souped-up automation system for Microsoft applications,
kinda like macros on steroids.
Got that? Now, who's going to sue whom over all this?
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/21/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
There's an area where Microsoft gets far too little credit: helping to save
the world. Sure, Redmond didn't jump on the One Laptop Per Child initiative
soon enough. But Microsoft Research is doing amazing work on the world's biggest
problems, hooking up with top scientists to tackle disease, global warming,
pollution, and more.
How do I know? I spent months researching Microsoft and wrote a couple of stories
about what
it's doing and how.
Microsoft isn't doing pure scientific research. Instead, it's providing the
computational infrastructure, data mining, visualization techniques, new languages,
etc. to help the scientists who are doing all the heavy lifting.
Last week, Microsoft announced a series
of cash awards for those trying to understand the human genome and apply
that understanding to improving our health and the survival of our species.
Like with most things concerning Microsoft Research, there's a lot I actually
understand and much more that flies right over my inadequate head, such as the
award for work at Columbia University on "Phenotypic Pipeline for Genome-wide
Association Studies." What's a pipeline?
Then there's this from Johns Hopkins: "Genome Wide Association Study of
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Finland." Uh, what's a Finland?
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/21/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Keith Ward, the editor of
Virtualization
Review (our new mag/Web site/newsletter about all things virtual) recently
visited an elementary school in Baltimore. No, Keith wasn't there to bone up
on his grammar skills, but to find out how this school is using virtualization
to literally multiply the access kids have to computers.
With a cool device from NComputing, one low-end computer (we're talking 512MB
of RAM) is turned into three. All you need is a little black box from NComputing
and some extra keyboards, monitors and mice, which are almost free these days.
Good work, Keith-o!
Check out Keith's blog, Mental Ward, here.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/21/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
A year ago, Microsoft updated its TechNet Web site with a large focus on modernizing
the navigation. Now Jeff Schwartz, a writer for
Redmond Developer News
(our dev book that focuses on management issues -- check 'er out
here)
reports that MSDN is
getting
a similar facelift.
The programming site is trying to turn from a static library into a dynamic,
community resource. Another area of attack? Improving search, which isn't as
easy as it seems given that so much of the content revolves around source code.
The coolest part is that Microsoft is just now talking to developers about
what they need, so there's still a chance for you to have your say.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/21/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Microsoft security gurus are
hunting
down and trying to kill off a bug in Windows XP, Vista and Server 2003 that
lets already-authenticated users gain more privileges.
While this bug mainly supports inside hacking jobs, smart social engineers
could also gain a foothold (like your password) and then wreak havoc. As for
the insiders, the mostly likely attackers are admins who script and programmers
who host their code on your machines.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/21/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
At the recent RSA Security Conference, the talk wasn't just about patches, hackers
from Bulgaria and the latest virus. Much of the conversation revolved around
security
for virtual shops.
The concept is surprisingly simple and alarmingly scary. If you have 1,000
VMs, a single attack can compromise them all. Vendors are just now starting
to address these issues, and, fortunately, we haven't had that one killer attack
that makes us all rethink the drive to virtualize. VMware is helping by sharing
APIs with security companies, who are now starting to build VM-specific tools.
How do you protect your VMs? Clue us all in by writing [email protected]
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/14/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Microsoft may be in a position to replace Windows with its own new OS, after
all. Microsoft Research has a brand-new, stripped-down, ready-to-rock OS development
called
Singularity.
The new OS is designed from scratch to resist attacks such as buffer overflows
and actually checks code for stability and compatibility before it runs. It
all sounds great. But, then again, Microsoft will have to do something about
all that backward compatibility.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/14/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Last week, I voiced a few concerns over
Gartner's
analysis of virtualization. The esteemed group argued that PC virtualization
will spell the end of "the monolithic, general-purpose operating system"
(read: Windows).
I did an analysis of Windows on the desktop and found it almost
impossible to kill. Compatibility, OEMs and the economics of Windows PCs
will keep the OS large and in charge for years to come. There's simply nothing
that can replace it. The Mac, Linux, mobile devices -- all just nibble around
the edges of the Microsoft monopoly.
Now, the Gartner gurus have another proclamation: Windows is collapsing
due to its sheer size and the only thing that can save it is virtualization
(the exact opposite of the company's first prediction). The idea is for Microsoft
to write all-new OS code and use a virtual layer to maintain backward compatibility.
It sounds interesting in theory, but these kinds of compatibility layers are
always way harder to write than you might think.
Don't these analysts even talk to each other or read each other's press releases?
And just what is going to replace Windows? The expensive Mac? Linux? Pure Web?
Tell me where I'm wrong and Gartner is right by writing [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/14/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
While Microsoft Research preps
Singularity, the same group has also built a
unique system to test out new hardware designs.
On the surface, it seems like a killer PC, one a geeky teenage game freak might
own. It's got a boatload of computer and network interfaces and 64 gigs of RAM.
But unlike that sick gaming system, Microsoft's BEE3
has a bunch of programmable arrays, so designers can turn it into anything they
want without having to build new chips first.
BEE3 is based on work from UC Berkeley (BEE stands for the Berkeley Emulation
Engine) and was built with the help of Canadian design company Celestica.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/14/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
I feel like apologizing every time I write about Patch Tuesday, which is exactly
12 times a year.
The reason I'm so sheepish is that every story is nearly the same, describing
remote execution exploits, Internet Explorer holes...you get the picture. But
like covering every nuance of the Iraq war or the fight for the Democratic nomination,
it's painful, boring and necessary. At least I'll try to keep it short.
Tomorrow is a relatively busy day, with eight
fixes. Again, IE, Office and, of course, Windows are the main victims. Surprisingly,
Microsoft Project also gets a little plug. Also unusual are the fixes for JScript
and VBScript. Web developers take heed!
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/07/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments
I have written many
newsletter
items and even a
full-fledged
editorial arguing that Yahoo isn't worth nearly $44 billion, and buying
it is a backward move for Microsoft.
Maybe Microsoft read some of this stuff or is just getting cold feet. At the
very least, Microsoft is reportedly
wondering if Yahoo is worth the original bid or if the bean counters from
Redmond should knock it down a few bills.
Late last week and over the weekend, Microsoft pressed
Yahoo to accept its offer or else suffer through a proxy fight, hinting
that the final price might be lower. So what does a slumping Yahoo do? It argues
that it's worth more than
Microsoft's offer!
If I were Microsoft, I'd forget the whole thing and spend all that dough on
inventing new technologies.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/07/2008 at 1:15 PM0 comments