A decade ago, diskless PCs were all the rage, at least according to the vendors,
analysts and the sheepdog IT press. Even though they were cheap (not cheap enough,
though) and relatively secure from data theft (this was before every single
worker had a high-speed 'Net connection), diskless boxes never really took off.
With virtualization, Citrix and Microsoft's terminal services all surging,
maybe local drives are now a bit passé, at least for desktops. Recognizing
this possibility, Microsoft this week announced new
licensing options for Vista, including the ability to run Vista on a variety
of thin clients. One option lets the software run on "virtual machines
centralized on server hardware."
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Posted by Doug Barney on 04/04/20070 comments
Yesterday, I gave you a heads-up on a patch for a flaw within the Windows animated
mouse cursor. Microsoft felt the hole was severe enough that instead of waiting
for the monthly Patch Tuesday, it
created
a mini-Patch Tuesday
, which is today.
Get your mouse fix
here
.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/03/20070 comments
Want to save money on your next purchase of Microsoft software? No, don't buy
illegal dupes from Bulgaria. I'm not talking about saving 100 percent; I'm talking
about substantial discounts on volume purchases.
Knowing how to negotiate and deeply understand Redmond licensing options is
important, but as licensing guru Scott Braden points out, you can't start to
bargain until
you know exactly what you already have.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 04/03/20070 comments
Who reaches the end of more stories: those thumbing through a newspaper or magazine,
or those staring at a shimmering 1024x768 pixel LCD? Apparently, we'd
rather
singe our eyes with a computer screen
than enjoy the crisp, traditional
look of ink on paper.
I have two guesses as to why this is true. Web stories tend to be shorter than
print, and through smart searching, we can find the articles we actually want
to finish. As for me,
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Posted by Doug Barney on 04/03/20070 comments
Office Communications Server 2007, a new package designed to integrate Voice
over IP with traditional telephony,
is
in widespread beta
in preparation for release this year (hence the 2007
product designation).
One neat trick lets users make phone calls from within Office. This sounds
like one of those whiz-bang features that only a technophile would use. I can't
imagine crafting the perfect @function and suddenly deciding to call and brag
to my best girl. But that's just me.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/02/20070 comments
Tomorrow, Microsoft plans to release an
out-of-sequence
patch to block a zero day exploit
. This is an unusual flaw in that hackers
can use the animated cursor to take control of the entire computer.
Attacks have been limited so far, but they could pick up with news of the flaw.
Best get to patchin'!
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/02/20070 comments
Tim O'Reilly, as influential in cyberspace as Bill O'Reilly is on the air waves,
is fed up with Internet bullies, especially those that intimidate and threaten.
What really got under O'Reilly's skin (Tim, not Bill) are the increasing number
of death threats against bloggers. O'Reilly is so riled he's calling for a
code
of conduct for the blogosphere
.
He hopes such a code and self-regulation will solve the problem. That's like
asking Rosie O'Donnell to regulate her Ring Ding consumption! Not likely to
happen.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/02/20070 comments
My standard search engine went from AltaVista to Google four years ago (I'm
a late bloomer, I know).
That may have to change now that I've found
SearchWithKevin.com
.
That's Kevin as in Kevin Federline. Do enough searches and I may win a T-shirt,
an autographed picture or, the grand price,
an autographed K-Fed CD!
Dang.
Posted by Doug Barney on 03/29/20070 comments
When Microsoft Research built technology that brings smoother video, better
content organization and Web navigation to mobile devices, the company could
have turned it into a Microsoft product, or perhaps added it to its Smartphone
and other mobile OSes.
Instead, Microsoft decided to spin it off as a separate company, and then invest
in it as a venture capitalist.
And
so it is that we have ZenZui
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Posted by Doug Barney on 03/29/20070 comments
You might think I'm writing the same story twice, as Microsoft this week talked
about new technology to improve the browsing capabilities of mobile devices.
Instead of ZenZui, Microsoft was
extolling
the virtues of Deepfish
, a technology that makes cell phone and PDA browsers
look more like their larger PC or laptop brethren.
Deepfish offers the full layout of the Web site, but in a way that lets users
easily read the content.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 03/29/20070 comments
Ever buy a product for a critical function, only to have the vendor go out of
business? What did you do? How did you support a tool with no vendor to back
it?
And when buying from a startup, which may or may not make it, what special
precautions do you take? Do you demand to see the balance sheet, get source
in escrow or come in with a backup plan in case they go under?
We are writing a feature story about these topics and would love to hear your
war stories, lessons and advice. E-mail me at
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Posted by Doug Barney on 03/29/20070 comments
Google often seems like its strategy is driven by what Microsoft is doing (a
mistake Novell and WordPerfect made years ago). Just as frequently Microsoft
makes plans, products and pronouncements based on Google's latest plans, products
and pronouncements.
Don't believe me? A week or so ago, Viacom
sued YouTube (owned by Google) for copyright infringement. Faster than you
can say "Ask
a Ninja," Microsoft struck
a deal with NBC and Fox to legitimately distribute video over MSN.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 03/28/20070 comments