For years Microsoft has had a groupware collaboration story more confusing than a Rick Perry sound bite (to be fair I've done my share of public speaking and it is way too easy to freeze and spew a bunch of garbled nonsense).
Microsoft had shared folders in Exchange and collaboration tools built into Office. And then it bought Groove.
Now it is clear that SharePoint is the only sharing tool that truly matters to Microsoft -- it's putting every bit of its substantial weight behind it.
I've seen this puppy grow. It used to be that the vast majority of Redmond readers not only had Windows and Windows Servers (of course), but also owned Exchange and SQL Servers. I reckon the majority of you also have SharePoint installed somewhere.
At this week's SharePoint conference, in the same Anaheim convention center that held Build, Microsoft gave a few updates -- and more than a few bangs on the drum. SharePoint is clearly on the move with some 125 million users and over a billion dollars in annual sales.
Microsoft says an update for the Office 365 version of SharePoint will ship this year. Since SharePoint is a document-sharing system, it really isn't transaction oriented and is a good fit for the cloud.
The Redmond Media Groups does work where we access a SharePoint server clear across the country. While not a cloud, per se, we still have to traverse our WAN and then the 'Net -- and performance seems OK.
A more vague revelation is the fact that Redmond is building its next major release. When is Microsoft not building its next major release?
In this case, Microsoft boasts this rev has the biggest development team ever and will be its biggest release ever. I hope 'big' means colossally great, not just colossally large.
If you want to be a SharePoint guru, this is a new certification program, Microsoft Certified Architects for SharePoint.
Is SharePoint all it's cracked up to be? Or am I the one cracking up?
You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/05/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
We (or at least I) tend to think of IT folks are pretty bright. After all, you've taught me an awful lot in the 27 years I've been covering this industry.
But as good as you are, you all aren't perfect. From time to time you'll goof up, blunder or botch things. Over a dozen of you came clean with biggest boo-boos, and I turned these confessions into a Redmond magazine cover story titled Dumb IT.
Some errors were minor and easy to rectify. Others were truly colossal. As George Santayana famously said, those that do not learn from IT mistakes are doomed to repeat them. Give this article a read and hopefully you won't make the same faux pas.
Care to share, anonymously, where you've messed up? If so write me at [email protected]. We'll only use your first name.
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/03/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Microsoft love to flirt with open source -- it just won't commit. Its latest move solidifies an agreement to port Hyper-V to OpenNebula, an open source cloud project aimed at service providers.
This may not be entirely altruistic -- Citrix and VMware are already firmly in the OpenNebula camp.
Expect some early code this month.
How would you advise Microsoft on open source? You tell me and I'll share as long as you write me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/03/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Are books going the way of the dodo, thanks to tablets (like the newly announced Amazon Kindle Fire)? Here are some of your thoughts:
I love reading. I hate books, particularly paperback novels. Not like a Fahrenheit 451 hater of books, but I consider them to be a pain to use. I used to love to read for hours at a time. But then I stopped. You know why? Because books suck! They actually get in the way of the reading experience. I hate holding them open and approaching middle age with repetitive stress problems in my hands that sucks more than some might think. I hate losing my place. I hate the dryness of the pages on my skin. I especially HATE those older books that aren't cut straight on the side (whatever the opposite of the spine is called). As much as I loved reading as a kid, I had mostly given up on it, because it was kind of a hassle to me. I started several novels and never seemed to finish because to read a book you have to sit a certain way or lay a certain way and your neck gets stiff.
Then my wife bought me a kindle. I probably wouldn't have bought one myself. I love it. I have read more novels in the nine months since Christmas than I have for the last 10 years. Elmore Leonard, the Sookie Stackhouse novels, heck even the entire Percy Jackson collection. I'll read two at a time, and switch to the one that appeals to me at the moment. It's like I can't get enough of it or I'm making up for lost time. I lay down and plop my kindle down where I can see it and touch it only to turn a page. Print too small? Blow it up (this is becoming increasingly important to me). Can't look at your kindle? It will read to you (that feature could use some work, though. Its a little too robot-y for a dramatic novel, but that actually worked for Super Freakanomics ).
This is probably TMI, but I have a towel rack in front of my toilet that I have rigged a stand to for "hands-free operation" of my Kindle. If I don't know a word, I don't have to look it up in some OTHER book, I just navigate down to it and the definition appears at the bottom. My wife sprang for the 3G model so I can look something up on Wikipedia in a pinch if I'm not at home or around Wi-Fi. (In a pinch, because that 'experimental Web browser' should be codenamed 'SuckAss'). When I read the Elmore Leonard novel with the short story "Fire in the Hole" that they based the TV series Justified on, I decided I wanted to read the other two Raylon Givens novels. I was reading the next one within five minutes! I can play scrabble on it. I can highlight notes in the financial books I read.
Of course, the consequences are more dire if it gets dropped in the bathtub, but I'm extra careful there.
I broke it a few weeks after I got it (my fault) and I was like a jonesing drug addict waiting for Amazon to send me another one.
I still love bookstores. I still like to have hardbacks for Non-fiction science stuff. I'm kind of in the air about technical books, like about programming. But as far as a paperback novel goes, you will be lucky to see me pick one up again.
-Matt
Barney, you are living in the past. Read the 10 things that will not exist in the future. Hard-bound books are one of them, except in libraries. I love paper books but the future is less stuff owned and more stuff rented/leased/borrowed. It has a lot of potential advantages including the possibility of a greener world.
-Anonymous
I find your comparison humorous. Aside from books, music, movies, and apps, the iPad is an expensive way to surf the internet (sans Flash). Both devices exist to help you consume more and more media. One is geared more towards reading while the other tries to be everything for everyone (for a price). That's all.
-Anonymous
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/03/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
For consultants, authors and ambitious IT vets focused on Microsoft, being an MVP is the Holy Grail -- comparable to winning an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy or Tony.
There are leagues of brilliant consultants, authors and ambitious IT vets focused on Microsoft, but a small portion are MVPs. Gaining that illustrious status can mean more and better paid consulting work, more books sold and better IT gigs.
So how do you break through? After all, it isn't like Microsoft posts applications and FAQs on an MVP Web site. And it isn't like you can take a bunch tests, ace 'em and get in. You have to find you own way.
Fortunately, seven-time MVP Brien Posey has some tips:
Microsoft sees the MVP as a way of thanking those technologists who stand out in the community, so the community in a way is what gets you on the short list. That is how you end up getting nominated -- either by an MS or member of the MS community.
So far I've used the word community three times, and community is the key. Posey suggests not just being active on community message boards, but being useful. That means actually answering questions (correct answers, if possible), and playing a role in training and educating those that are new to your area(s) of expertise. Being a magazine/Web author (hint, hint -- if you want to write then write me at [email protected]) is one step, as is being an instructor and speaker at technical conferences.
Like an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy or Tony, an MVP only lasts for a year, so you better get used to fighting for it again and again.
Are you or have you ever been an MVP. Do you deserve those three letters but never got 'em? In any case, share your story at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/03/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Fortune magazine is one of the most prestigious magazines in the world. I was lucky enough to intern there as a college senior -- an experience that made me really want to be a journalist.
So I was more than a bit surprised to read an article that compared Steve Ballmer's failures to those of George W. Bush. The column used the recent Microsoft annual employee meeting as a launch point. It regurgitated rumors, still unsubstantiated, that employees fled Ballmer's speech like fans in the last quarter of a Kansas City Chiefs home game.
The three-named author Philip Elmer-DeWitt said, "Steve Ballmer has done to Microsoft what George W. Bush did to the United States from 2000-2008 -- run things straight into the ground."
I'm not going to say what I think of George W. If I am too kind, the Bush haters will hate me. Too rough and supporters will rough me up.
Does Dewitt think all his readers agree with his Bush assessment or does he just not care?
I, unlike De(half)witt, am unwilling to alienate as much as half my readers by getting overly political.
I also think he is wrong about Ballmer. Yesterday I had a fine seafood lunch with a storage networking exec. My guest made an off-hand remark about Microsoft's current malaise and Ballmer's failures.
I pointed out that Microsoft is held to a crazy high standard. Does Microsoft have Facebook? No, but Facebook only has Facebook -- and nothing else.
Does Microsoft have an iPhone, iPad or iPod? No, but does Apple have Windows Server, Lync, Visual Studio or the Xbox? Course not.
If Microsoft doesn't win each and every battle, or invent each and every cool new thing, it is a failure. Heck, even the New England Patriots lose a game every now and again.
Who's right, me or Dumbwitt? Cast your vote at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2011 at 1:18 PM13 comments
The iPad is certainly, in part, designed to help Apple sell books, movies, music and apps. Fortunately there is a lot you can do with an iPad without shelling out big bucks for books, movies, music and apps. And that more than justifies its $500 base price.
Amazon's approach is the opposite. Its new Android-based Kindle Fire tablet sells for only $200, but barely does a lick unless you load it up with books, movies, and music --which cost money.
I like my books the old fashion way: on a shelf. I can get plenty of movies on basic cable, HBO, or Netflix. Heck, I even drive to the cinema every now and again. And with decades' worth of 8-tracks, LPs, cassettes, CDs and my two iPods, I have music enough to get me through a life sentence.
I don't want to give Amazon $200 for the privilege of giving them more money in the future just so I can use my tablet.
But for Kindle fans, I can see this as a neat upgrade -- these folks already enjoy stashing books on one small device and don't mind paying for the right.
In which camp are you? Let us all know how you feel at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/30/2011 at 1:18 PM13 comments
As mentioned above, there are rumors that employees walked out of the Microsoft annual employee meeting in droves. I'm surprised this is still just a rumor -- there were thousands of witnesses.
Whether true or not, there is an undercurrent of discontent in Redmond. Maybe employees are tired of all the bashing and are taking it too much to heart. Maybe folks are upset that the crazy stock options have gone the way of the dodo. And maybe there are legitimate concerns over the lack of innovation and the continuing quest to produce bloatier and bloatier hunks of software (Windows 7 isn't exactly svelte).
Mini-Microsoft, a blog penned (or keyed) by an unidentified Microsoft employee, reported that a "small" number of people left during the meeting -- far from the droves reported by WinRumors.
WinRumors did, however, repost a bunch of anonymous comments from Mini-Microsoft claiming that Ballmer is holding Microsoft back and that this meeting was the worst in recent Microsoft history (the 20,000 attendees couldn't even muster a decent round of applause).
Any Microsoft employees care to comment? We use first names only, so unless yours is incredibly unique, no one will know who you are. Shoot your thoughts to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/30/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Readers give their answers on whether they would or would not be in the market for a Windows tablet device:
Windows on a desktop or laptop, I love it. For an OS to be so compatible with so many hardware vendors and platforms is impressive. Tons of free apps. You could use Windows with freeware-only software titles and not miss a beat from a usage perspective.
Had windows CE lived up to the potential of its desktop counterpart, iOS may have had stiffer competition. With that said, Apples tablet success is due to its iPod/iPhone following. With it being such a popular, well thought out platform, it would be hard to get folks to switch. Especially since the best competitors are more buggy, inferior and lack quality apps. Apple has already dominated the tablet market, slam dunk.
I own every platform of tablet. My personal favorite is the BlackBery Playbook for its overall usage. But based on apps support, I tend to go back to my iPad 1 a lot. If it included Flash, it would be lights-out for the competition.
I think Google stands a better chance than Microsoft at this point. The tablet is no PC replacement -- it should be a mobile accessory to the PC. With that in mind, vendors and developers should know I won't type a thesis on my tablet, but I may need to access, edit or forward it, which a tablet should do. Functionality, reliability, stability and build quality need to be considered. It's these areas especially where the cheaper tablets fall short. Microsoft needs a viable hardware partner, before its considered a competing OS.
-MJ
I'd buy a Windows (x86) tab for work; we have a fleet of HP tablets running XP and Win7 with good success. They run an electronic health record system, and it works relatively well. You have to have Windows compatibility in most business environments. I wouldn't buy a Windows tablet for purely entertainment purposes. The newly announced Amazon tab for $200 sounds like a pretty high-value solution for my needs.
I'll almost never use a tablet in a 'portable' scenario; if it doesn't fit on my belt, it isn't portable enough. I use my BlackBerry for reading when I have downtime away from the house, and currently use a Playbook for media consumption around the house. The Amazon tab would be just about as good for that purpose, and costs 60 percent less. Of course, I'm not someone who can't stand to be offline for five minutes, so my needs may not be typical; I actually like it when I don't have to carry a phone.
-Karl
I think the tablet/slate market is still Microsoft's to win or lose. It has the advantage of offering a fully integrated OS that will provide full functionality in a business environment. Maybe this market will splinter into consumer and business segments. The analysts are all academic sh##heads that have no accountability and a poor track record.
-Anonymous
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/30/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
I'm not sure how much I like Facebook. I love the idea and wish I invented it -- that accolade apparently goes to the Winklevoss twins, who are now doing pistachio commercials (I saw one last night!).
I do like the fact that Facebook lets you reach back to the past and reconnect with people you probably never cared about in the first place.
Kids love it, which leads to another problem: Grownups are always trying to friend their kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews. It's like crashing a slumber party. Not cool, old dudes and dudesses.
There is also an unending stream of meaningless experiences and thoughts -- all expressed on your home page. Wake me up when something cool pops up.
And, as the new Toyota commercials point out, many use social media as a replacement for real social interaction.
Privacy, though, is the biggest bugaboo. The more you express yourself (sometimes late at night after cocktails) the more the world knows about you and remembers forever.
Now Facebook has a new feature. You can opt-in and let your friends see your every Facebook move. First, when you click something dumb you can't take it back. Second, this is turning social media into a true trivial pursuit. Don't I have anything more important to do than see what my hundreds of friends are looking at on a minute-by-minute basis?
The concept I guess is interesting. But I don't want my boss to track me and see that I spent all day on Facebook listening to music and chatting. In fact, I don't want to spend all day on Facebook listening to music and chatting.
The co-founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, finds all this a mite creepy -- although maybe someone hacked his Wikipedia page to make it seem like he said that. If it really was Wales, he has no intention of offering this level of intrusiveness to Wikipedia users and contributors.
What do you think of the new Facebook features? E-mail your thoughts to your 'friend' Doug Barney at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/28/2011 at 1:18 PM4 comments
Readers chime in on whether or not they use Microsoft's search engine:
It is a pretty sad state of affairs that searching for solutions to event log errors in Google's search engine works better than Bing at finding Microsoft KB articles relating to that error. Tried Bing but wasn't impressed. I always go back to Google -- although I dislike Big Brother looking over my shoulder.
-Dan
Over the past couple of months I have switched from using Google to using Bing, almost exclusively. At work, I primarily am searching for Microsoft-related content (I'm a Windows System Administrator). When I search Google, I tend to come up with various forums that may or may not have anything close to what I'm looking for. When I search Bing, I almost always come up with a TechNet article first and then Microsoft-sponsored forums second. For this reason alone, at work it is worth my time to choose Bing over Google.
At home, I've switched to Bing as well. Bing seems to lead me to local resources better than Google. Google wants me to purchase online more than Bing does (although that might be a misperception). Google also seems to lead me to purchase sites rather than information sites more often when I want information on a product or service.
That said, Google maps are still better, and I like Google's street view, despite personal misgivings about such a feature. I use Google's RSS reader regularly, and yes, I have a Gmail account that I occasionally use. So I don't think there's a clear winner, unless it is us. With strong competition comes better technology. My only hope is that all the search engines continue to operate ethically and for the betterment of the Internet communities (Yes, yes, they have to make a profit too...).
-Mark
Bing stinks. I have pretty much given up using it. Maybe it is just the way I search but I usually just get garbage when I use Bing and I get good results from Google. I am an academic researcher and trained to use keyword searching and Boolean search terms so that may be why Google is superior for my purposes. If Microsoft is really losing that kind of money supporting Bing it needs to throw in the towel and cede the market to Google -- maybe then the stock price would go up a bit!
-John
Share your thoughts with the editors of this newsletter! Write to [email protected]. Letters printed in this newsletter may be edited for length and clarity, and will be credited by first name only (we do NOT print last names or e-mail addresses).
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/28/2011 at 1:18 PM3 comments
Microsoft is now barely in the tablet market. And according to Gartner, four years from now Microsoft will still be barely in the tablet market.
While there is hype and excitement over the Windows 8 Metro mode (which is aimed at tablets), in 2015 the iPad will still rule the roost with nearly 150 million units sold that year, Android second with a healthy 116 million tabs taken and Windows less than 35 million making it out the door.
Hey, 35 million ain't bad. I expect a lot of these to go to IT pros and enterprise workers based on its presumably better compatibility with enterprise -- it's still Windows after all, isn't it?
What would compel you to buy a Windows tablet rather than an Android or Apple unit? Share your thinking at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/28/2011 at 1:18 PM5 comments