I covered the Microsoft anti-trust case ever since it was started by the FTC (it was later taken over by the DOJ). In fact, I was cited in many court documents by the plaintiffs -- not that I took sides.
The whole legal theory was something called monopoly leveraging. That means you use one monopoly in the hopes of gaining another. In Microsoft's case, it was charged with using the Windows monopoly to gain share in Office suites and browsers.
There were negative rulings against Microsoft, but much of the case was neutered when the Bush administration came to power. In the end, Microsoft was left largely untouched and to this day has closely aligned operating systems and applications groups.
Maybe things have changed with the advent of Google and the mind-boggling success of Apple (Oracle and IBM aren't doing too shabby either). So perhaps it is time to let the whole thing go, which the DOJ will do May 12 when it stops peeking over Microsoft's shoulders to make sure the company complies with the terms of the settlement.
However, I'm not so sure the European Union is so ready to forgive.
Are the antitrust issues all in the past, or are the fed giving Redmond a pass? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/02/2011 at 1:18 PM3 comments
This is a special request from Jeff Schwartz, Redmond's editor-at-large: Microsoft has released the public beta of Office 365, the company's most ambitious step yet towards bringing its most widely used apps to the cloud. With this successor to BPOS, many users will see the new features of Office 365 for the first time. Office 365, which aims to bring parity to the premises and cloud versions of Exchange, SharePoint and Lync, also brings Office to the cloud. That promises to change the way many people create and share information, as well as how IT Pros administer the provisioning end-user accounts.
Whether you're an administrator or an end user, we want to hear what you like and dislike about the new Office 365 beta for a feature article we are putting together. Please drop a line to [email protected], and share your experiences.
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/02/2011 at 1:18 PM4 comments
Readers share their thoughts and one sets Doug straight on the news that Google Apps will be charging for small businesses:
"You will want to correct your bait-and-switch story.
Existing Google Apps domains will allow 10+ for free. It's only new signups that are limited to 10 for the free version.
As such, I don't see any bait and switch here."
-Jay
"I don't think $50 per year for 10 users is at all high for a company of 10+ users. If it's a commercial company, it HAS TO be grossing in $500,000 annually to support a staff of 10.
At five days a week, that's two cents per user, per day.
(Full disclosure:Mmy small company would get Google Apps for free.)
To me, Google's cloud apps issues are usability, reverse compatibility, access, document/graphic fidelity and clarity of directions for computer lightweights.
Let them spend my two cents a day improving those things."
-Jon
"I was interested in your comment about Google Apps pricing and especially in the low threshold for requiring payment.
Google's monthly charge might be $1.00 or so cheaper than Office365, but Google Apps don't include the equivalent of SharePoint 2010 and its Enterprise edition features: Excel Services and Access Services. I'm certain that Exchange Online has features that Gmail can't match, although I haven't thoroughly tested it."
-Roger
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 05/02/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
GPS maker TomTom is doing nearly exactly the same thing as Google and Apple: tracking customers every move and sharing it with law enforcement. In the case of TomTom, it gave data to police in the Netherlands, which used the info to set up speed traps. And not just any old speed traps, but ones that use cameras instead of real, live cops.
The GPS data showed the cops where most of the speeding takes place, so they can nail more drivers. TomTom claims it didn't know its data would be used this way.
I'm all for traffic safety, but this sounds more like a cheap way to make money.
What do you think? Let us all know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 05/02/2011 at 1:18 PM4 comments
I used to think Google was the king of free software. And for a while, it was. Here's how it worked: Its search engine would point to results of articles that I and fellow journalists wrote and sell ads against the results, cutting my company out of the business. That produced billions in pure profit without Google creating a lick of content.
That type of cash isn't for Google any more. Now they want the kind of dough Microsoft gets from Office.
Google Apps, at least for smaller shops and individuals, was always free. Well forget that. Any shop with over 10 users (heck, that could almost be my house) have to pony up $50 a year for the privilege of using Google Apps. If you know anything about amortization, this ain't necessarily no cheaper than the installable version of Office (I might know about amortization, but I never claimed to know grammar). It is, however, about a dollar a month cheaper than the online Office 365 version.
If you are already using Google Apps for free, you reportedly should be able to keep on keepin' on. And schools and non-profits can still sign up for free.
Google argues that paying is in your interest, as it will let them deliver a better service. This may be true, but it still feels like a bait and switch to me.
Am I too rough on the poor folks from Google? Are you a Google apps fan or foe? Answers to both are welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/29/2011 at 1:18 PM13 comments
I was never a fan of XP. Performance degraded, stability floundered and reinstalls were the only solution after prolonged use.
I was initially a fan of Windows 7, until performance degraded, stability floundered and a reinstall were the only solution (in truth, the reinstall was due to a virus). And three of my printers that worked fine with XP are dead in the water with Win 7.
Win 7 is still far better. But for me, the blush is off the rose.
Maybe my experience and those of others are filtering back to IT, many of whom are forestalling Win 7 migrations. Fact is, over half of shops haven't move a muscle in Win 7's direction, according to a new report from Unisys. According to the report, little more than 20 percent are making the move, with the remainder (about a quarter) running pilots.
I get this. IT spent years getting its arms around XP, and while it breaks about as much as a Yugo, IT knows how to fix it.
And spending well needed cash on app upgrades and new peripherals is about as popular as a meal of garlic and red onions in a stuck elevator.
What is your Win 7 plan? Say it, don't spray it at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/29/2011 at 1:18 PM14 comments
I don't know about you, but if I were to get sued for violating patents for technology I didn't even create, and asked to pay massive royalties, I might just get a little ticked off.
That's how Barnes & Noble reacted when Microsoft claimed the Android-based Nook e-reader and tablet trampled all over five of Redmond's hard-earned patents.
After being served by barristers, B&N lawyers spit back, claiming that Microsoft is using the courts to try and squash the competition, namely Google's Android. Adding fuel to B&N's fire is the allegation that Microsoft wants twice as much from Android vendors as it does from those that violate Win Phone 7 patents. "Microsoft is misusing these patents as part of a scheme to try to eliminate or marginalize the competition to its own Windows Phone 7 mobile device operating system posed by the open source Android operating system and other open source operating systems," B&N argues.
If you were president of the world, what would you do about software and technology patents? Send your official directive to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/29/2011 at 1:18 PM3 comments
Here's some thoughts on why tablets may not be right for the enterprise:
The thing about computing devices that use flash for storage (and thumb drives for that matter) is that I can't stop focusing on the lack of the ability to know that your data is really gone when you want it to be (see paper from UCSD). Shades of Ollie North!
I think that this problem will end up being a very big deal for business, government and the consumer. Think of some guys in an out-of-the-way place with a minimum of equipment searching through the chips in discarded storage devices looking for sensitive data. Or worse, some country unfriendly to the U.S. searching through some SSD that was 'supposed to be erased' before it was captured (remember that U.S. plane that was forced to land in mainland China?).
-Chris
One reader argues why the Amazon cloud isn't good for the enterprise:
For those not needing enterprise-class capabilities, Amazon is still an acceptable (very good) alternative.
If you want to move enterprise apps to the Cloud (really, we're just talking hosting here, although I suppose you could make an argument that the utility billing model inherent in cloud computing could be of value for some apps), Amazon falls far short of other vendors' offerings (Savvis, for example).
-Steven
Andrew wraps up his thoughts about Facebook quite elegantly:
Here are two great quotes from colleagues about Facebook:
- 'It's a great way to keep in touch with the people I don't want to spend time with.'
- 'Do you really want your proctologist to friend you?'
-Andrew
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 04/27/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
End users love and hate browser add-ons. They add much needed functionality such as blocking pop-ups or syncing bookmarks between various PCs.
But they can also slow down performance or make the browser unstable.
Microsoft has long heard these complaints and long fought to solve the problems. Now with IE 9 the company thinks it has a pretty good grip. According to Microsoft, the 40 most popular add-ons work just fine. Some historic problematic add-ons (such as Skype) are good to go with IE 9.
And both the Yahoo and Google toolbars are also stable, Microsoft says.
Have add-ons given you angina? If so, blow off steam at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/27/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Google claims it ain't no Sony when it comes to cloud security. The company detailed its datacenter security using one center in particular as a model. The center keeps intruders from its physical location with iris scans, checkpoints and ID cards it claims are darn near impossible to forge.
Sometimes old gear is recycled, and hackers nab the drives and grab the data. Google crushes its drives then shreds the debris, avoiding that scenario.
But precious few hacks are due to physical break-ins or poorly disposed drives. Most hacks are purely electronic, and here is where Google is short on details. I guess I don't blame them. When you disclose your security measures, they cease to be secure.
Do you trust Google security? Why or why not both welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/27/2011 at 1:18 PM4 comments
My son is an Xbox devotee. If I ask him to do his homework, or (god forbid) wash the dishes, it is always "after this game." And somehow that single game goes on for hours.
I often regret buying that Xbox, but I would regret far more having bought him a PlayStation (oh yeah, I bought him a PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2).
This good news is he doesn't use the older PlayStation models anymore, and there was no reason to subscribe to the Playstation Network.
This network, with millions of users, was hacked big time. Here is what the hackers got: user names, passwords, addresses, places of birth and, perhaps, credit card numbers. This could lead to massive credit fraud and identity theft. The fraud should show up fast. Identities could be stolen for years to come.
One question I have: Why did Sony want so much information?
The network has been down for a week and there is no clear sign of when it will return.
How could such a breach happen? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/27/2011 at 1:18 PM3 comments
After 9/11 our government invaded our privacy to protect us. I'm not sure if this makes sense or not, or perhaps I don't want to offend my loyal readers with a political statement. I will say that I am troubled...
After we all let the Patriot Act happen, it sent a message to corporations that they can do as they please, our liberties be damned.
Google has taken total advantage, and now it and Apple have been found to be tracking the whereabouts of their mobile customers. There is big money apparently to be made on this. Location-based services can send out an ad for a pizza shop we are driving past or a department store having a big sale.
My problem is that both companies are so cavalier about what they are doing. And for Google, it is not just your location, but information about nearby Wi-Fi hotspots.
Posted by Doug Barney on 04/25/2011 at 1:18 PM10 comments