Microsoft's licensing may among the most complex the software world has ever
seen, but that doesn't give you the right to violate any of its many terms.
The most recent example is an extension to Windows Genuine Advantage with the
catchy name "Get
Genuine Windows Agreement." And since everything at Microsoft turns
into an acronym (even BG), let's call this new plan GGWA.
Microsoft's concern is that customers that have a right to upgrade are instead
doing full new installs. And Microsoft worries that enterprises aren't doing
enough to protect their license keys, allowing for counterfeiters.
While this may well be a pain for law-abiding customers, Microsoft does have
a right to protect its intellectual property. Agree, disagree? Tell me where
I'm right or wrong at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/08/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Microsoft is releasing a whole heap of .NET 3.5 source code. Does this mean
you can create your own .NET distribution? Not bloody likely. In this clear
step in the right direction, Microsoft is
allowing
developers to look at .NET source code to help understand how it works and
where problems may lie. But changing the code is still very much a no-no.
I can possibly see Microsoft's point here. In open source, when you modify
code, you're either on your own or the community supports you. In the case of
.NET, should it be Microsoft's responsibility to help when you've completely
trashed .NET with your spaghetti code?
What would you do about open source if you ran Microsoft? Tell us all at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/08/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Advocates for "green" IT focus on efficient hardware, using virtualization
to put more apps on fewer servers (the old power-supply-per-app equation) and
making sure PCs and laptops have proper power management.
Now the Green Data Project is
suggesting you look at the data itself. The idea is that we store a lot of data
we don't really need, and then back up and archive all this junk. Disks, arrays,
NAS boxes and SANs all take power, and the more we can reduce the growth of
these devices (scaling back may be an impossible task), the more we can contain
greenhouse gases.
How do we green our data? First, we have to take control of what we store,
setting policies and training users so they aren't just saving junk they'll
never need. Then, IT has to intelligently archive data that's rarely used, but
important to keep.
What should we do about storage needs that are spiraling out of control? Share
your thoughts at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Consumers haven't had much to say about Vista. They just head on down to Wal-Mart,
buy a new machine with Vista and go home to compute.
IT is a tougher lot. You guys are waiting for Vista to prove its compatibility,
performance and ease of learning.
IT (even in my own company) is sticking to XP. Microsoft is getting this message
and -- like it has done so many times with so many products -- is extending
the life of XP. (Anybody remember how many lifelines Microsoft threw NT's
way?)
In this case, XP will be sold for an extra five months, or until the middle
of next year. My guess? XP will get several more extensions while Vista gets
a service pack or two.
While critics may say soft Vista sales are bad news for Microsoft, keep in
mind what's being sold instead -- not Linux or Mac OS, but XP!
How long should Microsoft keep selling XP, and what are your Vista plans? Let
us all know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Microsoft is serious about keeping up with Google. It's not just a matter of
money (in this case, billions), but more an issue of pride. If Google beats
Microsoft in search, it legitimizes all of Google's other efforts.
Microsoft -- which, I understand, does much better in search in places like
Europe -- is revamping
Live Search. Instead of tricky new techniques, Microsoft is improving the
basics, increasing the amount of sites it searches for matches. It also features
new fuzzy approaches that better understand how badly we spell and gives us
what we want anyway.
To his great credit, Bill Gates has been thinking and talking about fuzzy search
and natural languages interfaces longer than some of us have been alive.
(So how old are you? I'm looking for the oldest and youngest Redmond Report
readers. Here's a hint: My dad, mom and youngest son all read this newsletter.
Send your age and thoughts to [email protected]
-- relatives are welcome to write in, as well!)
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Most security tools will allow just about anything as long as it's not on a
black list. Symantec CEO John Thompson thinks it's time for a change. Because
exploits are getting worse and worse, Thompson believes we should turn security
on its head and only allow things that are
specifically
outlined in a white list.
While this appears overly restrictive, it might be better to have a locked-down
system that actually runs rather than a wide-open machine that's more frozen
than a king crab fisherman.
A better idea might be to build virtualization into the OS in very specific
ways -- such as isolating e-mail and the Internet from our documents. Of course,
this runs completely counter to Microsoft's attempts to integrate everything
with the Internet. But isn't that what got us into trouble in the first place?
Speaking of Symantec, my daughter Lauren just went off to college. Milliseconds
after connecting to the campus network, her HP laptop began running slower than
Kyle Petty with a flat tire. Now that's slow!
I paid for a Norton subscription, so she dutifully ran a Norton scan. After
eight hours, it was only a third of the way done. Next, she tried the Microsoft
Malicious Software Removal tool and it told her she had an unwelcome visitor
-- Backdoor:Win32/Rbot.gen!A! Even though this Trojan was first discovered over
three years ago, it managed to slip past Norton's defenses and set up shop.
We went back to Norton and it took three full days to complete the scan.
Just shows you how tough it is for even the top dogs to protect our systems.
Maybe Lauren will listen next time I offer to buy her an iBook!
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/24/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Later this week,
hackers
with good intentions will descend upon Redmond, Wash. and try to break into
Windows and other Microsoft products. Microsoft will give back by drilling deep
into new security issues such as virtualization, mobile and Office. Good times,
good times!
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/24/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
This week, nearly finished code for Windows Server 2008 -- or a release candidate,
in Microsoft parlance -- is
due
to ship. While not a certainty, this makes it a strong possibility that
the new server software will actually be available early next year.
Just as important, points out Redmondmag.com news hound Keith Ward, the first
service pack for Vista is expected very, very soon.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/24/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
SCO's story is mildly intriguing, but I fear it would take more time to explain
the whole saga than real interest levels would support. On the plus side, the
tale is twisted, complex and possibly sleazy.
SCO was a major player in Linux back the day. In fact, Microsoft licensed SCO's
software and sold it as Xenix until Redmond got single-OS religion.
In more recent years, SCO has claimed ownership of Unix (created by AT&T)
and used that to sue Linux vendors (Linux was derived from Unix, which is one
of the reasons I often doubt the originality and creativity of the open source
movement).
The suits against powerhouses like IBM didn't work out, and now sue-happy SCO
is filing for Chapter 11 so it can pay its creditors (maybe lawyers?) pennies
on the dollar.
SCO may get a taste of its own medicine as Novell -- which bought Unix System
5 from AT&T but later sold rights to SCO -- can possibly claim ownership
of some parts of Unix/Linux, and go after what's left of SCO for royalties.
Even more strange, SCO was bought by Caldera, which was founded by Novell founder
Ray Noorda (now deceased).
Here's a possibly accurate
view of SCO.
Got all that? If so, and if you have an opinion, write me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/17/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
I happen to love motorcycles. I should -- I own well over a dozen.
While I have a soft spot for gas engines, I have nothing against helping the
environment. So you can imagine my excitement when my favorite motorcycle Web
site (http://www.ironcross.net/) linked
to a video of a 400-horsepower electric motorcycle. In the video, the builder,
a government scientist, shows just what this baby can do.
I'm not a huge fan of laws to protect ourselves from ourselves, but if you
burn out on a 400-drag bike, a helmet and some leathers is never a bad idea!
Watch
the video, and you'll see what I mean.
What's your favorite motorcycle? Let us know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/17/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
In the same way that death row inmates regularly claim innocence (unfortunately,
sometimes they're right), spammer Jeremy Jaynes says he's 100 percent not guilty.
In Jayne's case, it's not that he didn't do it; it's that spam shouldn't be
illegal in the first place.
According to Jaynes' equally creepy lawyer, spam should be protected
as anonymous free speech. Of course, Jaynes' form of spam (er, anonymous
free speech) included using false originating addresses and messages meant to
trick us out of our money.
I'm all about free speech, but protecting spam is so wrong on so many levels,
I almost don't know where to start. First is the issue of decency. When you
send an unsolicited, filthy e-mail to my 11-year-old son, I have a problem.
Next, anonymous speech doesn't deserve universal protection. I shouldn't be
able to slander and libel you, and then hide like a coward behind anonymity.
And I shouldn't be able to sell you fake male enlargement products and then
claim a right to be anonymous.
Perhaps most important, while speech should be generally free, the Internet
actually costs money. Don't forget: The carrier lines, routers, servers and
all the rest cost someone money. And if your Trojan takes over my PC to spew
spam, that's costing me money.
I wish Jaynes all the luck in the world -- as long as it's bad!
While Jaynes' lawyers think spam laws are too strong, judging by my inbox and
quarantine, I say they're way too weak. What say you? Send your thoughts on
spam laws to me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/17/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
For many, IT is a game of chasing and fixing problems. Run out of storage? Buy
a new disk. Apps too big? Get more servers. The result is often too much hardware
from too many vendors with too many configurations. And don't get us started
on all the software, PCs and laptops, and network gear from so many vendors,
you can't even keep track of them all.
For years, vendors such as IBM and integrators like EDS have gone into large
shops, looked at the IT systems holistically and offered up plans to simplify,
create efficiencies and make them more productive.
During the last two or three years, Microsoft has gotten into this game with
its Infrastructure Optimization (IO) model -- a system for analyzing the state
of your shop and devising plans to make it more efficient and better support
business goals.
Has Microsoft talked to you about IO? Do you trust Redmond to take an objective,
holistic view of your shop? Send your yays and nays to [email protected]
or fill out the form here.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/17/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments