I've been writing Redmond Report for over 6 years (wow, time flies). Because the newsletter only comes out every other day of the workweek, this is only the third Valentine's Day edition.
I'll make this one short and sweet.
I love writing the newsletter because I love the feedback I get from you every day. Market research analysts have phone banks and surveys. I have something better: Tens of thousands of IT expert readers who aren't afraid to share their knowledge and opinions. And every time I get something wrong, you correct me immediately. Those comments run in our next edition and in my blog.
If there's anything I can do better or different, please let me know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/14/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Readers share their memories and thoughts of Ken Olsen:
Being a former Digital employee I have to agree with your sentiments that with the passing of Ken Olsen. We did indeed lose a good one. Although I didn't work in the mill (as the headquarters was known), I worked in a facility that was close enough that we did see Ken Olsen often enough. One of the many things I heard about this guy when I first started working there was his penchant to be just a regular guy.
He wasn't 'Mr. Olsen' or 'Sir.' He was just Ken (although most people referred to him as Uncle Ken). Maybe not to his face, but that was how he was known when he wasn't around. It wasn't meant in a mean or devious way -- it was just because everyone really liked the man. How many CEOs can you say that about in this day and age? He was just an all around great guy that truly cared about his employees. From handing out turkeys at Thanksgiving to every employee at digital to renting out Canobie Lake Park for multiple weekends in the summer for his employees and their families. Anybody that legitimately needed the corporate helicopter could call and reserve it with the only stipulation that if someone higher on the food chain needed it, they could bump your reservation.
The only mistake Ken Olsen made (other than the often, out of context quote regarding home PCs) was turning over his company to Bob Palmer. But that is a story for another time.
-James
The first computer I worked on was an old DEC, circa 1992. It just ran DOS and had Lotus 1-2-3. It was a great machine and never crashed or had any problems, a real workhorse and practically indestructible. They don't make computers like that anymore.
Ken Olsen was not just a pioneer in the computer industry but also was involved in many charitable endeavors for which he never looked for publicity (unlike other more modern computer giants with the initials W.G.).
-JL
Ken was the most unpretentious CEO I ever met. I first met him at DECworld and thought he was just some local DEC guy visiting the show until our salesman straightened me out.
A guy who deserved better than he got.
-Robert
Your story hit home. I recently was talking to one of our newer salespeople today and explained our history in OpenVMS. (Had to talk about clustering, David Cutler, VMS to WNT, and more.) Amazing how you get the blank stare from anyone under the age of 35-40 when you say DEC.
While most of our business nowadays is Windows/Linux/AS400, we still see the occasional OVMS deal roll through the door. (Just closed a deal with Volvo in that was 100 percent OVMS.)
Hope all is well.
-Scott
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 02/11/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
A recent cyberattack against the U.K. looked like it came directly from the White House. If the Brits weren't mad enough about the return of the Winston Churchill statue, a Presidential cyberattack would leave them seriously chuffed.
Fortunately, this administration is in the clear. It seems that Chinese hooligans spoofed white house addresses and sent virus-laden e-mails to U.K. government officials.
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/11/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Internet insiders have warned that IPv4 addresses were running out for over a decade, and if we didn't adopt IPv6, the Internet would come to a standstill. Years ago some geniuses figured out a way to extend IPv4, but those tricks couldn't keep the old standard creaking along forever.
Now ICANN, which distributes IP addresses, says it has completely run out of IPv4 addresses. However, there are regional registries that get addresses from ICANN, and these registries still have an inventory of IPv4 addresses to act as a bit of a buffer.
Major vendors such as Microsoft have had plenty of time to add IPv6 support, so I hope and expect the transition to be smooth.
Then again, I'm not an expert. Many of you are, so tell how this move will play out at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/11/2011 at 1:18 PM2 comments
When Stephen Elop left Microsoft to take over Nokia, pundits wondered what really happened. Did Elop leave on good terms? Apparently he did as he and Steve Ballmer just struck a deal where Nokia, a cell phone powerhouse, will commit itself almost entirely to Windows Phone 7.
Observers naturally conclude the deal is designed to blunt both the iPhone and Android. And because the logic is so simple, I (and even my four-year-old daughter) tend to agree.
This is good news for Microsoft, but a risky deal for Nokia. Mobile is one of the most dynamic areas of the market (PCs, Office suites and servers are on the low side of the dynamic totem pole). If Nokia makes the wrong bet, this Finnish company could be kuollut liha (Finnish for dead meat).
I wish Windows Mobile well as it increases competition, but Android, iPhone and the BlackBerry are pretty fearsome competitors.
What is you mobile phone of choice? E-mail me from your phone, PC or iPad at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/11/2011 at 1:18 PM9 comments
Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corp., passed away on Sunday.
I covered DEC in 1984 and saw Olsen in action at many press conferences. Unfortunately he was not very press-friendly, and I wasn't able to speak to him. And after one particular story, my interview hopes were dashed for good.
Remember the DEC Rainbow? It was almost PC-compatible, but ran a proprietary version of MS-DOS that doomed it to failure. I had a couple, and even with what I think was an 8086 processor, it was faster than most Windows machines today. Character mode will do that.
I confirmed that DEC was about to kill the Rainbow and broke the story. DEC stock fell more than a billion dollars in a single day. Of course what goes down must come up, and the stock came back just fine.
Later I learned that DEC was replacing the Rainbow with a machine designed to be both a standalone PC and an adjunct to VAXes. The VAXmate was the first PC I know that had built-in Ethernet. I don't think DEC was happy that I pre-announced their computer, but the fallout was better than the first story I broke.
Much later when Olsen founded Advanced Modular Solutions, which built highly reliable and expandable PC-based systems, I was finally able to interview him. He was gracious and impressive.
We'll miss you Ken. Do you have any Ken Olsen memories, or are there other tech leaders you miss? Send your thoughts to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/09/2011 at 1:18 PM5 comments
IE 9 is as close to shipping as you can get -- without actually shipping. Tomorrow IE 9 will be a release candidate, which means Microsoft thinks it's ready to go (but isn't 100 percent sure). The software is 100 percent feature-complete and stable.
If the final round of testing goes well, IE 9 will be officially available.
The two newest IE 9 items addressed are improved speed and the ability to block sites that harvest clickstream data.
Are you looking forward to IE 9 with its HTML 5 support? Let me know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/09/2011 at 1:18 PM2 comments
On Monday I told you, in vague terms, what to expect from this month's Microsoft batch of patches.
In all, over 20 holes are now presumably plugged with the help of a dozen fixes.
A couple of fixes took a bit longer than IT would like. A problem with the Windows Shell graphics processor that came to light last year is just now getting repaired. And an existing IE flaw that lets hackers embed malicious libraries in HTML files also got fixed. The third critical fix fills a hole in the Windows OpenType Compact Font Format Driver
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/09/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Readers chime in on those critics that constantly predict the demise of Microsoft:
It's laughable, Doug, that people are always predicting the demise of Microsoft over the silliest things. Gee, $6 billion in net profits against $20 billion in revenues? Wow, that's only a 30 percent profit margin. Most companies would kill to have a 5 to 10 percent net profit margin!
As long as Microsoft's online sales are breaking even, it should be laughing all the way to the bank. Every license it sell online is a licensing fee it doesn't have to share with an OEM or retailer.
-Marc
The critics ARE too mean to Microsoft, just like the bullies are too mean to the smartest guy in the class. There will always be people jealous and critical of the person the teacher picks who gives 'the right answer' or a short guy picking a tall guy for a bar fight. It's just the nature of the lowest common denominator.
The fact is that Microsoft brought a unification and commonality to the PC user experience successfully and made a lot of people jealous, envious and downright eager to see Microsoft fail. They are not the average person, however.
I for one am happy to see its success and am not envious of Bill Gates -- I'm pleased by his philanthropic outreach to others of excess wealth to help those with less. I wish the little machines at checkouts had the same interface like Windows does world-wide.
Microsoft -- like any company -- is subject to controversy, is not perfect and can't patch every hole in its APIs that hackers constantly exploit. But it's done a better job than anyone else, in my opinion. Period.
-Jim
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 02/09/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments
January was a nice light month for patches -- just the thing for IT pros to get over their holiday breaks (all that eating, drinking and socializing can really take a toll).
This month won't be so easy: Tomorrow Microsoft will release a cool dozen fixes. Three patches are deemed critical, so this is indeed an important patch batch.
IE gets a long-awaited patch for a CSS flaw. This is needed because various attacks have already been spotted in the wild.
Last week I reported on an IE flaw related to MHTML. This probably won't be repaired tomorrow, but apparently these MHTML attacks are tough to execute.
The Windows family also gains two critical fixes, and the patches apply to most current versions of the operating system.
Are Microsoft products any holier than the rest? Let us know at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/07/2011 at 1:18 PM1 comments
I've generally heard good things about both Windows Small Business Server (SBS) and Windows Home Server.
I hear from customers that it is pretty easy to set up and operate, and pretty comprehensive. The only real complaint was when you ran out of capacity it can be hard to add more SBS servers and integrate them with what you've got.
On the Home Server front, many of you have sung its praises, using it for backup and as a common file store. If you are out and about or using different machines, you can always get to your data.
Now these two beauties are being tweaked. Windows Small Business Server Essentials 2011 just entered release candidate status, meaning it is basically done, barring any crazy last-minute glitches.
Windows Home Server 2011, formerly code-named 'Vail,' is also now a release candidate. Expect both when the snow thaws -- if it manages to actually thaw by spring.
Neither is really enterprise-worthy, unless you are talking remote offices or small departments. Home Server supports up to 10 users, barely enough for the average Irish family, and SBS 2011 can only handle 25 users, so when they say small business they mean small business.
What is your experience with either? Reports welcome at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 02/07/2011 at 1:18 PM3 comments
Here's some reader mail on Redmond's conflicting views on patent laws:
It would appear that Microsoft wants only to have the patent office improve its bottom line. If you ask a lawyer he will tell you, in a rare fit of honesty, that that the more obfuscated the law, the easier it is to turn it to your nefarious advantage. Microsoft spends more money on lawyers then it does on research. This tells you something all by itself. Because of its size, Microsoft is slow and vague. This means that, deliberately or not, it has to steal ideas because it takes a while to get to the top in such a cumbersome organization. The same size that lets you monopolize one market inhibits your ability to move quickly elsewhere.
To be fair to Microsoft, this is just Organizational Theory 101. It's human nature to externalize as much of your costs as possible. Imagination is expensive. We also need to be aware that one of the reasons for patents in the first place was to enable the best and brightest to take advantage of their speed and agility. Essentially, the Microsoft position is, 'Go ahead and get your patent -- if we can make it look like we tried it once or twice, we get to ignore the patent.' Of course, this presupposes that everyone is playing by the same game, which history has shown Redmond does not.
This appears to be just another rouse by the MS legal department to justify its exorbitant salaries and costs while producing nothing but sunk costs for the company.
-Anonymous
We need a new legal object, a 'software work.' Software does not fit in the shoes of a legal object designed for machinery, tools, gadgets and appliances. It also does not fit the shoes of a legal object designed for recordings, music, art, manuscripts and books. As computer hardware becomes more robust, software is going to become even more difficult to fit into either the category of a patent or a copyright.
Patent law is already flawed within its own domain. Entities file patents without any intention of bringing anything to market. Instead they sit on them until someone infringes, and then sue them. That is all they do. Patent law needs to change to put the 'patent trolls' where they belong: patentless.
We need tort law reform for more reasons than the health care issue. Frivolous lawsuits use our court system as a legal weapon to out-money the real inventor until they capitulate. As things now stand, the bad guys go free while the insurers, customers and shareholders pick up the tab. We also need reform of the statute of frauds so lawyers are compensated for what they do, not relative to the size of the award.
A fundamental invention (such as a laser, computer or television) is a solution seeking a problem. It takes a long time to discover and develop usable applications that can make some money for its inventor before patent protection expires. A new prescription drug or medical device has to jump through all kinds of government scrutiny before it can be marketed to the public. Yet the countdown begins when the patent is filed, not when the drug achieves FDA approval about 10 years later. Thanks to the Waxman-Hatch Act, anyone can use the patented process to manufacture the drug as a generic the moment the drug patent expires. This gives the prescription drug manufacturers only five to seven years to recoup their entire investment, help pay for the duds and make a decent return on their investment. That may explain the reasons behind the drug ads on TV and relentless marketing to medical practitioners.
Copyright law also has need of reform because the Internet has made 'fair use' a joke, and computer technology has made enforcement difficult. Computers can use adaptive software applications to 'invent' songs. Who is the author? The computer. Who owns the copyright according to current law and international treaties? The author...for life plus 50 years. What is the expected life of a computer? See what I mean?
Patents also have similar problems. Computers can use adaptive technology similar to the way a human brain works to derive optimum structural designs. Through artificial intelligence, computers can program themselves to do things like drive vehicles, prospect for oil, forecast weather, discern probable pathways for hurricanes and discover sub-atomic particles. Ok, so who designed the software? The computer. Who is the author of the software? The computer. Then who owns the patent according to current law? The computer. Can a computer assign a patent to a human being or corporation? No. It is not human and is mentally incompetent because it has an IQ of zero. That is why we call this phenomenon 'artificial intelligence.' It isn't real. It's just Darwinian.
So why hasn't the legal profession addressed this issue? No one knows how to define a software work that covers all of the possibilities. Also there is too much money to be made in litigating the status quo, aided and abetted by creative legal mischief. No one has clean hands, including Microsoft. Isn't it odd that Microsoft now wants patent reform? Is it interested in legal reform for the common good, or has it run out of legal ammunition?
-Roger
I think your songwriter was Judy Collins, at least one of the songs you used was Clouds.
Like your column.
-Ed
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 02/07/2011 at 1:18 PM0 comments