A Windows Surfin' Safari

Now, in a stunning reversal, the company is building a version of the browser for Windows! The new tool is now in beta, and has already been tweaked to fix a few security problems (Apple Patch Tuesday, anyone?).

At first, I scratched my head over why Apple would want to enter the browser wars. Then, I remembered how much it charges for iTunes songs and videos. Safari on Windows, I'm sure, would offer every option known to man for buying Apple content. I'm less excited already.

The company is also hoping that developers will build Safari Web apps, but it'll need gobs of market share for that to happen.

Posted by Doug Barney on 06/18/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

Turning Notes Into SOA

Unify's new Microsoft Edition of Composer for Lotus Notes helps shops turn custom Notes applications into SOA services that work with various Microsoft tools such as SQL Server and SharePoint.

This is a very different approach to Notes migration. Instead of just moving the application logic to Exchange and Outlook (which ain't always easy), the tool migrates Notes databases to SQL Server, and converts the applications themselves to Web services written in C#. End users access the apps through ASP.NET apps or SharePoint. Pretty slick.

Posted by Doug Barney on 06/18/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

A SaaS SOS

The free portal has training and tools. If the company can truly build a community, then there will be plenty of peers to give you advice.

Posted by Doug Barney on 06/18/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

Mailbag: Microsoft Patch Problems, More

Until now, I was wondering if I was the only person with updates (three) riding my system tray for the past two weeks, hoping I shut my system down so they can play at installing. I'm running Vista Home Premium and this is the second time that this has happened. Updates arrive one evening and fail at installing for weeks at a time. When one batch installs, another batch appears to repeat the process.

With WinXP, updates installed in the background and were less obvious. What's going on with Vista?
-Rodney

And speaking of Vista, Nick has a bone to pick:

I have Vista Ultimate pre-loaded on a Dell Inspiron 9400. Mostly, it is very impressive. Getting my Dell bluetooth keyboard and mouse to work with the internal bluetooth card instead of the dongle was challenging. Sonic DLA didn't work for the first month or so until a driver patch came out. I am still waiting for F-Prot to issue a Vista-compatible version. So far, it's as least as good as XP was in its first six months. UAC is a non-issue. The UI changes take some getting used to, but if you ran IE7 on XP they aren't so jarring. There is one bad thing. One being minor, 10 being intolerable, this is 1.76038875096-E99.

I am talking about VERY slow file cut/copy/paste between networked machines. Do a Google search for "Vista slow file copy" and you will see what I mean. In a non-domain environment, cut/copy/paste operations between untrusted machines using pass-through authentication take FOREVER (i.e., 100MB of files on gigabit backbone taking 20-plus minutes to complete). That we are four months past release and this still isn't fixed doesn't bode well. We have absolutely no intention of creating a mixed XP-SBS2003-Vista environment until it does get fixed. The silence from MS on this problem has been deafening.
-Nick

Got something to add? Let us have it! Comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on 06/18/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

Patches Execute Remote Execution Flaws

In any case, it's good to see Microsoft tackling what could be some very dangerous problems.

Are you happy with Microsoft's patching strategy? Is Microsoft security getting better? Let us know at [email protected]!

Patch Tuesday = Upgrade Tuesday
Also tomorrow, Microsoft will push Windows Server 2003 SP2 through automatic updates. While the upgrade has been available since March, Microsoft is really putting the pressure on IT to make the SP2 move.

You can go out of your way, download a toolkit and block the upgrade -- and SBS customers might want to do so. There are some known connectivity glitches that mostly affect SBS, including problems with Outlook, SecureNet and VPNs.

Despite some problems (this is software, after all) this upgrade seems well worth the disk space. It includes a new rev of the management console and some interesting scaling technology to help handle big processing loads.

Google's Got the Goods on You
Kids demand privacy. If you peek inside their diary, listen in on a phone call or don't knock before opening their door, you'll get a shoulder colder than a frozen beef shank. But these same kids don't seem to mind when Google does the invading.

Privacy International calls Google an "endemic threat to privacy," in part because it hangs on to your search history for years.

Yes, Eric Schmidt knows exactly how many times you searched for Pam Anderson JPEGs.

Dell and Sam
Dell recently switched from its direct-only strategy and will now sell through the channel. And not just any old reseller; Dell will sell through discounters such as Sam's Club and Wal-Mart (have you ever noticed that people always add an "s" to the end of Wal-Mart?).

In keeping with the low-end nature of these stores, Dell will only sell low-end models.

Are You Ready for Vista? Take Two
A tool to test your old PC's ability to run the new Vista OS is now its second release. The new rev is designed to check out as many as 10,000 PCs for Vista readiness, and includes deeper Active Directory hooks.

I still maintain that Vista is best run on new PCs. Tell me where I'm wrong at [email protected].

Mailbag: Low-Cost Laptops, IBM and the SEC, More
In the footsteps of the One Laptop Per Child initiative, Intel and Asustek are teaming up to produce their own line of low-cost laptops for developing countries. Here's what one reader thinks about the project:

I think this is a very good initiative. To make it succesful, though, I think it needs to be embedded/integrated in a broader project/program on a long-lasting basis. The following subjects need to be in this program:

• Hardware support (spare parts, help desk)
• Power supply availability
• Training and education will be necessary (Microsoft OS, OpenOffice, use of Internet/e-mail)
• Internet connections will have to be made available and maintained
• People will have to feel that this is a project of their own, not something invented "for" them behind a desk in another country. In Tchad, I have seen a good-will project, supported with tons of money form the world bank, stranded because the project didn't "match" with their way of life
• Young people must be tought how they can make a bussiness with Internet applications (e.g., e-shop for local products)

If not, there is a risk that thousands of laptops will be used only as a nice toy by children.
-Oskar

Last week, IBM settled with the SEC on its stock option probe: IBM promised not to do it again and, in exchange, the SEC didn't issue any fines. Bob isn't impressed:

I just love it when all the big boys play nice and stick to everyone else. From one side, there's 'I won't fine you this time,' and from the other side, "We won't do this anymore."

My kids would love that kind of settlement for a premeditated, well-thought-out, intentional screw-up. Next time you feel froggy, try that one on for size and see what it gets you. Be sure to let me know what day or days are open for vistors (and between what hours). Do I hear slammer in your future?
-Bob

After the announcement last week of a Google-Salesforce.com partnership, Lafe asked readers what they think of the spread of online ads:

Don't like it one bit. The more ads, the greater the security risk.
-Karen

Got something to add? Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on 06/11/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

Tech-Ed Pumps Out the News

Today's keynoter was Bob Muglia, senior VP of the server and tools business. Muglia's theme was "Dynamic IT for the People-Ready Business."

I read reports of his speech but I can't for the life of me understand what Microsoft means by "dynamic." Don't get me started on "people-ready," a vacuous marketing term if there ever was one.

Digging deeper, "dynamic" really seems to mean "well-managed," and this management just happens to come from Microsoft. When systems are well-managed, they're easier to change, upgrade, tweak and add services to, so I guess this could kind of make them dynamic.

We'll be diving more deeply into individual new products in the next few newsletters, but here's a quick rundown:

• There are new versions of Forefront security, including a unified system for clients, servers and the edge of the network.
• There was a formal announcement of the name of the next version of Visual Studio, due next year. Get this: It's gonna be called "Visual Studio 2008"!
• IIS 7.0 was announced and will be bundled with Windows 2008 Server Core. This seems like the perfect Microsoft antidote to the Linux/Apache duo.

Google Strengthens Software Development Hand
Google is dipping its well-heeled toes into the software development market with a new set of tools that will allow the building of apps that can actually run offline (gasp!).

The apps are still browser-based, but through Google Gears users can store the applications on Google's LocalServer, the data in a (you guessed it) database, and WorkerPool, which handles application management-type duties such as synchronization.

Microsoft Pushes Web Apps Envelope
Critics love to make fun of Microsoft failures, not realizing that what seems like a weak effort is actually just the beginning of a long slog to greatness.

Take Web apps. Knee-jerk, self-appointed pundits say that Google is absolutely killing Microsoft in Web software. A Redmond cover story that compared the two companies' Web software found the battle to be much, much closer -- more of a draw.

And Microsoft is just getting started. It just released three new betas of three new tools, including Live Writer, a blogging tool, Live Messenger and Live Mail (not to be confused with Windows Live Hotmail).

Microsoft Licensing Made Less Hard
Confused about licensing Microsoft software? The first thing you should do is read Scott Braden's Redmond Negotiator column every month.

Next, you can hear the Microsoft take through a new Webcast series at http://www.insidelicensing.com.

The first edition included a snippet from Steve Ballmer, as well as a partner and an analyst from Forrester, which has also developed an ROI calculator for Microsoft Software Assurance.

Any information about the confusing world of licensing is good, but always be aware of the source. For instance, the Forrester ROI calculator tends to assume that you exploit all the features of Software Assurance. If you use this tool, make sure all of your assumptions are realistic, and do some side calculations to account for upgrades that don't ship, problems with upgrades and other glitches that can destroy rosy ROI predictions.

Have you looked at the Forrester SA ROI tool? What do you think of Microsoft licensing? Let us know at [email protected]!

Amiga Games: Not Dead Yet
I'm probably the only journalist in North America who still writes about the Amiga. A month or so ago, I talked about plans to actually bring back complete Amiga computers.

Now, UK-based Vulcan Software is bringing old Amiga games to the PC.

In the '80s, the Amiga was the game machine, and many huge arcade machines had tiny, stripped-down Amiga 500s inside. My floppy-based Amiga 500 is still well-protected -- in the bottom of my son's closet!

What Does iTunes Know About You?
Apple may always come off as the good guy, but privacy advocates have discovered that iTunes songs can include information about the buyer, including name, e-mail address and more.

The theory is that this information can be used to hunt down the folks that offer up these tunes on file sharing networks.

So Apple demands that publishers take DRM off music, but uses a secret way of tracking down people that copy it?

Mailbag: "Surface" Thoughts, Big Blue's Buyback Binge
Last week, Microsoft took the covers off "Surface," a table-sized, touch-screen computer. Readers share their thoughts on the new gizmo:

I hate it when I sound like an absolute geek, but what a cool device/concept! Just the education factor alone...think of the possibilities. And for anyone out there who has kids, well, think of the games table you could have now (I dread to think of all the lost Monopoly pieces, playing cards and multi-sided dice from Dungeons & Dragons).

Good technology is "useable." Great technology is technology you can use and you don't even have to think about.
-Michael

I'd like to see a tabletop-sized screen that could be used by draftspersons (architects, engineers, etc.) to "draw" on more like they did when they used paper and pencil.

The trouble with CAD systems is that, often, either the image is too small or you can only view one section of a drawing at a time. If the screen could be, say, 30 inches by 40 inches or so, the architecture and engineering field would really appreciate that.
-Rod

And here's what one reader think about IBM's current buyback streak:

Given the regularity of investor clamor for short-term, maximum return on investment, while ignoring the long-term health and well-being of the company and the overall national economy, I find it encouraging that a behemoth like Big Blue is buying back controlling interest in itself. This allows for management to make the long-term health of the organization its priority, rather than the quick return on investment so many corporations find themselves being brow beaten into following by stock holders.

There is a balance point wherein investors are rewarded for their faith in a company, while the company has the autonomy to follow proper strategic thinking for the long term. Microsoft and scores of other companies do it, and now IBM is making its way there. As more and more companies see the light and reinvest in themselves, perhaps we'll see a brighter future return to American business, along with a more realistic, docile market.
-John

Got someting to add? Send an e-mail to [email protected] or leave a comment below.

Posted by Doug Barney on 06/04/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

OpenDoc Gets Redmond Boost

Last week, Microsoft gave Open Doc another endorsement when it voted to make the format an ANSI standard. I'd still like to see tighter integration with Office, though.

Windows Server 2008 To Get 2009 Tweak
Windows Server 2008 (formerly Longhorn) is getting closer to shipping, giving Microsoft the confidence to talk about its follow-on. The company believes release 2 can ship in 2009. I've always maintained that Microsoft's server products are superior to its desktop wares. Maybe the server folks should build the follow-on to Vista!

Find out more about Redmond's server roadmap here.

Your 64-Bit Desktop Future
Microsoft has long had a 64-bit version of XP, and it turned out to be a bigger dud than Al Capone's vault. The problem, according to readers I've talked to, is a lack of driver support (sounds just like Vista, eh?).

But there is now speculation that Redmond is poised to put all its desktop eggs in the 64-bit basket with the next major desktop OS running only in 64 bits. Microsoft says it hasn't decided.

I say it should take the plunge: Splitting coding time between 32 and 64 bits makes both versions a compromise.

Microsoft Hits a Popfly
There are all kinds of somewhat-easy-to-use Web development tools. Ruby on Rails, I hear, is pretty good.

Every time Microsoft hears something is cool, whether it's a PalmPilot, iPod or Ruby, the company wants a piece. SmartPhones counter PalmPilots, the Zune (vainly) competes with the iPod (which, now that I own two, is far flakier than I imagined) and now Popfly is Microsoft's answer to mashups and cool, quick Web pages.

Based on Silverlight (itself a bit of an alternative to ASP.NET), Popfly is both a mix of tools and a place for developers to gather. Aimed at nonprofessional developers, the tools are in alpha. Learn about 'em here. And for more of our Popfly coverage, go here.

Meanwhile, my son David tells me Ruby on Rails has some pretty cool ads.

Killer Web
The Web is all about freedom -- maybe too much freedom. I don't want to deny you your Pamela Anderson JPEGs, but I'm not sure I want my kids to have the same privilege. And giving the ACLU and the John Birch Society their say is fine, but Muslim extremists' execution videos give me more than a little pause.

That's why I'm conflicted upon hearing that The Army of God is posting essays by Eric Rudolph, who murdered doctors that performed abortions, as well as articles by Paul Hill such as "I Shot an Abortionist."

I guess this is the price we must pay for freedom of speech, but it still makes me queasy. What about you? Speak freely at [email protected].

Mailbag: The Military's Tangled Web
A few more readers chime in about the military's decision to restrict soldiers' access to certain Web sites like MySpace and YouTube:

When I was in the Navy in 1988 (I can't believe I'm writing this) as a hospital corpsman, I wasn't even able to go to AOL to read mail at all of the naval bases I was stationed. They said some crap about a firewall that I didn't understand.

I remember thinking how wrong that was, but now that I am a bit more educated, those sites mentioned ought to be blocked. There is no reason a soldier/sailor can't find a different avenue to communicate nowadays.
-Chris

YouTube and MySpace are minor annoyances compared to the fact that in some locations -- and I speak from personal "been there" experience -- the Pentagon takes your computer, wipes and reloads the hard drive with its software, and blocks your personal e-mail access, some technical sites, and much more. It's a joke if the Pentagon says that you can check in at home. It's only under its conditions: no personal accounts, only your military account. As a reservist who was mobilized to help with the war, I practically lost all contact with friends and family, and lost business because of the gyrations necessary to get information that was removed from my computer.

Let's face it: In spite of all that the military does to protect information, people who want to get unauthorized information out will do it. People who want access to information they need will work hard to get it, as well, and the simplistic "punish everyone" approach that the military is taking is, in my opinion, bogus.
-Jane

My opinion regarding the restriction on certain Web sites by the military is similar to that of the corporate world; it's their computer/bandwidth, so they can do what they want with it. Now, if it gets to the point of restricting the soldiers' personal computing, then I believe the military will have overstepped. However, considering the complete disregard for constitutional, as well as international, law by the current administration (which is merely extending the precedents set by previous administrations), it probably won't be long before additional restrictions are applied. We can't have the soldiers in the field learning about what's going on at home or, worse yet, revealing the things they see and do to the folks back home, now can we?
-J.C.

Let us know what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on 05/21/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

More Flash for Flash Cards

Many smart IT folks long ago figured out how to bring their files and applications anywhere they go. In the old days, some even toted around hard drives and slapped them into PCs at remote offices or at home.

Flash drives make this much easier, and the U3 technology from SanDisk is supposed to add core application functionality such as e-mail and browsing to the drives. Maybe I can finally stop lugging my laptop wherever I go!

How do you deal with having multiple computers? Do you have a common set of data? Does anyone actually use Briefcase? I'm dying to know at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

New 'Net Names Near

Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

Longhorn Name Dropping

Brace yourselves! Longhorn will be called "Windows Server 2008."

Microsoft won't comment on the name, mistakenly posted on its Web site, but this is far from a surprise.

I think they are substituting a great name, Longhorn, for one as boring as an Al Gore press conference. What do you think? Let us know at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

Patent Storm Brewing

The fear is that Microsoft can win licensing fees from the free software makers, making the software suddenly unfree!

I don't think the sky is falling here. Most open source has its legacy in software that predates Windows, and companies like IBM have plenty of patents to spit back at Redmond lawyers.

So I'm not terribly worried. They again, I run XP and Office -- not Linux and OpenOffice! What do you think? Does Microsoft have a case? Let me know at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments

Virtually Gone

Viridian (which, besides being a codename, is a real word for the color blue/green) will lose the ability to move a virtual machine that's running to another box. Hot swapping is also getting the cold shoulder. I bet VMware engineers are breathing real sighs of relief.

Posted by Doug Barney on 05/14/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments