Microsoft is beginning to make some real moves in the area of Unified Communications
(UC) with real products, real partnerships and a real chance to finally get
this UC train rolling.
Many might argue that other vendors, particularly those in the networking space,
invented UC and Microsoft merely jumped on the bandwagon. And they'd be right
-- except that these vendors never really lit a match under the concept the
way Microsoft has. So, tough beans!
Now Microsoft is rolling out its secret weapon: developers. Late last week,
Microsoft introduced a raft
of UC development tools for the enterprise. That's the icing on the cake,
as UC only becomes interesting when it's been tweaked for a particular use.
What do you think about Microsoft's UC strategy? Send me your thoughts at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/03/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Now's a great time to be a Microsoft Certified Professional. Salaries are climbing
steadily, and there are always plenty of things to either fix or configure.
And Microsoft is taking pains to treat MCPs right, announcing last week a raft
of
new
benefits for the certified crowd.
MCPs can now find peers through a new directory, set up their own Web pages
(sort of like MySpace for geeks), get Knowledge Base articles and download certification
logos to spruce up resumes, business cards and marketing materials. Good stuff.
Are you an MCP? Are you satisfied with the certification's new benefits, or
should Microsoft do more to keep MCPs happy? Tell me what you think at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/03/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Every time I miss a deadline, I blame a system crash -- and as a Windows user,
they usually buy it. When I was a teen, whenever my friends crashed their cars,
they always pointed to faulty brakes or a messed up steering system (it was
always messed up steering, but it was the idiot steering, not the steering mechanism!).
Well, in the great tradition of "My dog ate my homework," a South
Korean man blamed
an exploding cell phone for the death of a co-worker. Turns out the co-worker
was hit with a drilling truck. Maybe Phil Spector can use this one if he has
a second trial.
Fess up -- have you ever blamed technology for something that had a completely
unrelated explanation (like an out-of-control drilling truck)? Send me your
stories at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 12/03/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
One of my favorite newsletters/blogs is
WServerNews
written by Sunbelt exec Stu Sjouwerman. In his most recent issue, Stu tries
to make sense of Windows Server 2008 versions and their pricing. You'll have
to scroll down to page 4 to get his analysis, but it's well worth the trip.
Eventually, there will be eight different major editions of Windows Server
2008. Oh, and there's a standalone version of the Hyper-V hypervisor. Then,
Stu looks at the 32- and 64-bit versions, and comes up with as many as 16 different
versions!
If a guy that writes WServerNews can't make sense of this, we're all in trouble.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/26/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
IBM and Microsoft haven't truly gotten along since they split up over OS/2 versus
Windows. Now,
the
battle continues as IBM pitches Linux and Power6-based servers against Dell
and HP servers running Windows.
On the development side, IBM runs with Rational (which supports Eclipse) and
WebSphere (which competes with Microsoft IIS).
But unlike in decades past, IBM is all about openness and standards. That may
be one reason why IBM hooked up with Mainsoft to make sure that .NET and SharePoint
work with the IBM WebSphere portal.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/26/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Most of us hate copy protection, not because we want to steal software, but
because it too often gets in the way of legitimate use. But according to the
Business Software Alliance,
protection
works. Since launching the Genuine Software initiative, sales of Windows
are up and piracy is down, the organization believes.
Windows Genuine Advantage isn't copy protection in the old sense of the word
-- through dongles and so forth. No, here Microsoft pings your computer, checks
if it's legit and -- if it isn't -- disables some of its features 'til you buy
the real thing.
Personally, I'd rather have a dongle.
What about you? Are there protection schemes you can live with? Let us know
by writing me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/26/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Microsoft's new hypervisor, (formerly called Viridian, and now Hyper-V) is nearly
a year away, but Redmond is already prepping support services, including a new
program to certify that
third-party
tools work with Hyper-V.
The virtualization market is in its infancy (even though you old mainframers
will tell me IBM big iron has had virtual machines for decades), so it's crucial
to prove what works with what.
In fact, the real battle will be for ISVs. Major virtualization companies are
building platforms, entire stacks of virtual technologies. Whoever can get the
most third-party support may ultimately become the platform. While Microsoft
is a genius at building third-party markets (and then tearing down the most
profitable pieces), VMware has a clear headstart.
Send your virtualization war stories to me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/26/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Symantec just released its annual list of the year's
top
10 security concerns, and while it's clearly not as funny as David Letterman's
nightly list, for IT the Symantec list is far more useful.
Things you probably need to think about include securing virtual machines,
figuring out what to do about Vista and dealing with an increasing barrage of
virus-laden spam.
One big issue is the commercialization of hacking. There are more and more
"hacking kits" for sale, and one company is even selling vulnerabilities
to the highest bidder. Sick.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/19/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Over the years, Microsoft has picked up a number of top software minds from
rivals such as Borland (
Brad
Silverberg, father of Windows 95) and Lotus (Bob Frankston and
Ray
Ozzie come to mind).
The latest hire is freelance
graphics creator Reed Sturtevant, who'll remain in Cambridge. Here's where
it gets interesting: Reed will report to Jack Ozzie, who reports to his brother
Ray. Sturtevant will work on new concepts for all Microsoft product groups,
kind of like Microsoft Research except directed at real product development
(a lot of Microsoft Research is pure research).
This hire is a classic Gates move. The chairman has always been interested
in hiring the best brains, and has even bought entire companies to get the people;
the products and technology were secondary.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/19/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
I love my BlackBerry -- well, I'm not impressed with its Web browsing and the
coverage could be better, so "like" is a better word -- especially
its ability to tether to my laptop and give me Internet access when I'm on the
beach or in a bar (don't tell my boss, OK?).
But while coverage is getting better, there are too many bars and beaches where
I can't connect, or get a connection slower than a 300 baud Radio Shack Model
100.
The United Nations (probably as frustrated about this as I am) is hoping to
solve this problem, and will now let wireless service providers use
parts of the TV spectrum. The goal is to have worldwide wireless data access
by 2015. I'm not sure I can wait that long.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/19/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
The theme in the last item was that Microsoft sticks with technology 'til it
gets it right. That's very true with Windows CE, which is now in its sixth version
(
with a new
R2 release).
In days gone by, I've tried to use a CE-based sub-notebook and a CE handheld.
Both made me want to throw the device at the clown who came up with CE in the
first place!
Now, CE is more of an embedded OS than it is a driver of handhelds and smartphones
(that may be a good thing). Small consumer devices are now the purview of Windows
Mobile.
The new release of CE, used for medical equipment and other dedicated apps,
can handle video telephony and better supports Web services.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/15/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
I've recently knocked Microsoft for not doing enough to exploit graphics processors
and multi-core processors with its client software. I am, however, way impressed
with the pure research Microsoft is doing in HPC, mostly as it relates to clusters.
Microsoft is moving away from the cluster-centric perception by renaming Computer
Cluster Server to HPC Server 2008, which is now
in beta test. The upcoming tool encompasses SOA and high-speed networking.
Look for this new tool, er, I guess some time in 2008.
Posted by Doug Barney on 11/15/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments