I've been following the slow, downward track of IE's market share, and have been watching Firefox take most of the missing share, with Google Chrome steadily building a minority share. Last I checked, IE had a solid majority (you tell me whether it is deserved or not at [email protected] and we'll publish your thoughts).
Suddenly, here come a report from an obscure company saying IE is now in the minority (but in this case, the majority share is shared by several minorities such as Opera, Safari, Chrome and, of course my favorite, Firefox -- which somehow still likes to crash regardless of which OS I run).
Whether or not these numbers are true, I love the competition. There are too few areas of true competition in IT, except for start-up areas such as the cloud.
While we're on the topic of the cloud, is there a cloud vendor you truly respect? Reveal your feelings at [email protected]
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/08/2010 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Way back in the '80s I visited the Redmond campus when it had two buildings -- one for apps and one for the OS. Insiders explained that the cafeteria was set between the two so the groups could talk. Later on, when competitors accused Microsoft of giving its apps folks inside dope, Microsoft rather famously declared there was a "Chinese wall" between the two groups.
As a reporter for Infoworld, I helped bust this thesis by proving that Microsoft apps developers used secret API calls to make the most of Windows. (Major credit here goes to Brian Livingston and Stuart Johnston. I played a minor role verifying ISV claims.)
This became the basis of the federal government's efforts to break Microsoft up into two companies: one focused on operating systems, and the other on programs.
I've long thought that this could be for the better good, as the apps teams could truly go multiplatform, while the OS team could port Windows to any and all viable hardware platforms (exactly as Linux has done).
So when I heard the new call to break up Redmond it sounded either old hat or a publicity stunt. Then I found that Goldman Sachs was making this assertion. Computer historians and savvy investors both probably remember that Sachs took MSFT public at $21 a share. (I was prevented from buying any due my role as a journalist. Were it not for these ethics, I could be writing this from Tahiti.)
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/06/2010 at 1:18 PM6 comments
You can tell how serious Microsoft is about an area by how many speeches it gives. Steve Ballmer may not (he well may) give more speeches that all other Redmond execs put together, but his clearly gets the most notice.
So the fact that Mr. Ballmer keeps talking publicly about being "all in the cloud" means that Microsoft is plumb serious.
On a tour of Scandinavia (yeah, I'm plumb jealous), Ballmer (of course) touted Azure and gave out some news:
Windows Intune will ship next year. This is a cloud-based security and management tool, which, to my mind, is a lot like what Shavlik is doing by offering its software as a service.
Ballmer also argued that cloud computing does not equal thin client computing. Users still want a rich experience on their own intelligent devices, whether processing happens in the cloud or not. Agree or disagree at [email protected].
By the way, I continue to lunch with cloud and virtualization vendors, many of whom see Azure as a killer cloud platform. As always, I trust my Redmond Report readers' opinions the most. What are your thoughts? Send 'em my way at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/06/2010 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Here are some reader thoughts on the free OpenOffice:
I started using OpenOffice version 1.01 when the company for whom I worked evaluated it and Lotus Domino / Notes. Currently, I have version 3.2.1 installed on one of my laptops and also on an old MacBook. I find the old menu system a compelling reason to use the product, along with the fact that it is less resource intensive (disk space). For my needs, I can do everything that Office 2007/2010 (used at work) can do without the excess expense.
-Eric
I use OpenOffice on five personal PCs and have been spreading the news to local nonprofits. A few of them are now using it. Everything works great and converts to/from MS Office.
-Russell
I use Linux, therefore I use OpenOffice. I don't see why Oracle doesn't want to continue with OpenOffice. Sun supported it as integral part of their software "offerings" and it worked out fine.
-Greg
A Doug's Mailbag regular shares his thoughts on the future of cloud computing:
I really don't know their respective track records but it strikes me that IDC, Merrill Lynch and Gartner are no different than anyone else trying to pick stocks, playing the tables or betting on the horses. For everyone who makes a correct prediction, there are ten times as many who guess wrong!
Frankly (and I have probably said this to you before), cloud computing is really not a lot different today than it was under a myriad of other names using different technologies to accomplish the same thing -- to centralize those resources which benefit from economies of scale while distributing access to remote locations as efficiently as possible.
Whether the technology is a dumb terminal linked to a mainframe, remote boot to central computing resources, remote access via client-server or browser to cloud, the goals are always the same and each technology creates a bottleneck SOMEHWERE that limits the usefulness of the technology.
These technologies always find a niche which suits them well, but ultimately the value of these technologies is always over hyped in the press and oversold in the marketplace.
The well-run IT department looks at each technology in the context of how it will be used by those it is meant to serve. Funds are budgeted based upon a project life cycle in order to anticipate ROI. At the end of each life cycle, you need to determine how well the technology met your goals before investing further -- or moving to an alternate technology.
-Marc
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 10/06/2010 at 1:18 PM0 comments
While many key execs at Microsoft, such as Steve Ballmer and Bob Muglia, have had stable jobs for years, reorg is a constant for many others. This week Ballmer promoted three Redmond-ites to division president roles.
First up is Kurt DelBene, the new head of the Microsoft Office Division, replacing Stephen Elop, who eloped with Nokia and is its new CEO.
Next up is a reorg in the gaming and mobile space, where Redmond is doing great on the first part and far less on the second. This all used to be one unit, but is now two, with Don Mattrick to run entertainment and Andy Lees to run the mobile space, which is either distressed or up and coming, depending on your perspective (or whether you work for Microsoft or not!).
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/04/2010 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Last week I explained that Microsoft believes software patents are too strictly enforced -- a ploy to try to get out of a patent judgment won by i4i.
This week brings the news that Microsoft is trying to strictly enforce a patent against Motorola's implementation of the mobile Android operating system, perhaps as a ploy to clear more room for the imminent release of Windows Phone 7.
In this case, Redmond believes nine patents have been violated, and include scheduling, syncing of mail, contacts, calendars and letting users know, through their apps, when power is being taxed.
Dang, these seem like pretty basic functions to me!
Recently Microsoft got some patent coin from Android supporter HTC, so it makes sense, I guess, to go back to the well.
Should these patents be strictly enforced through the courts, yay or nay? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/04/2010 at 1:18 PM3 comments
I'm sure I've mentioned ad nauseam how much I like Windows third parties. One of my favorites is Vancouver, WA-based TNT Software. In fact, company exec Brent Skadsen flew down to Tech-Ed in New Orleans just to come to one of our famous parties (not sure much how much the open bar defrayed Brent's travel expenses. Skadsen had never been to the French Quarter so I obliged him with a late night walking tour.
With this in mind, I couldn't resist promoting the event log and monitoring company's latest news that it wants more folks to know what it is all about and is turning ELM Event Log Monitor 6.0 into shareware.
Are you a TNT customer, a shareware fan or both? If any apply, share your thoughts at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/04/2010 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Patents are great -- if you happen to own one. They are not so great if you are on the other side, being sued for infringement. In the world of technologies, these fights have gone on to give millions to lawyers and patent holders (probably a pretty even split).
Microsoft has a huge patent portfolio and are using this might to threaten Linux providers. In the case of i4i, the shoe is on the other foot as that company successfully sued Redmond for violating XML patents.
Microsoft is pushing this all the way to the Supreme Court and now argues that patents are TOO strictly enforced. It may win on this point, but if so, it devalues the hundreds and thousands of patents Microsoft owns.
Are software patents given too easily and enforced to rigorously, or do inventors deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labors? You tell me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2010 at 1:18 PM3 comments
Readers sound off on the idea of IT Debt, coined by Gartner:
No doubt about it Barney, Gartner is full of themselves.
If your operating system is still being supported/patched by your vendor and your AV software is up-to-date, you are not any more vulnerable to malware than anyone else. System efficiency and user productivity is another matter. Here is the point:
As a matter of principle, it is important for every enterprise to maintain an IT budget with strict hardware and software lifecycles. (With IT, three-year lifecycles are optimum. Bean counters and tax types prefer five-year lifecycles. IT can usually live with that. However, after five years, hardware starts to become unreliable and the technology has left you in the dust. Trying to add updated software to five-year-old hardware may be penny-wise but it is certainly pound-foolish. Hardware should be purchased with cradle-to-grave warranty coverage. Three-year warranty coverage is usually a good investment. Years four and five tend to be more expensive, but if your mission-critical hardware fails, you will be glad you bought it.
At the end of each lifecycle, the chosen hardware and software should be re-evaluated, along with alternatives. Once a selection is made, all software should be maintained at the current version level. Updates should be applied as they are announced (after they have been tested in your environment). Version updates of software in the middle of a lifecycle need to be evaluated carefully before proceeding as mission-critical software can be sensitive to changes in the other software which you support.
-Marc
The thing is we have gotten much better at building security and resiliency into our applications. Newer applications take advantage of the advances in processing power, storage capabilities and systems management improvements much more so than something written / published 5 - 10 - 15 years ago. Further, over time an organization's brand new application has accumulated a number of dents, had countless rolls of duct tape employed to keep things together and been repaired with mismatched nuts and bolts. I would venture that the amount of extra effort going into maintaining obsolete systems outweighs the cost to get systems current. Further, the hardware/software vendors would probably cry foul if everyone stopped needing to pay through the nose for extended support agreements.
-Kevin
IT Debt seems really to be referring to entropy and the tendency to disorder. That's just life. Things lose their luster. However, like an old pair of blue jeans, sometimes things are just as good with a little wear!
-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 10/01/2010 at 1:18 PM0 comments
Leo Apotheker was CEO of SAP, but was sacked this year because he didn't move SAP software to the cloud fast enough. HP has no such concerns and just tapped Apotheker as its new CEO, replacing the recently defrocked Mark Hurd, who just landed a cushy job at Oracle (guess at this level it doesn't really hurt to get fired!).
Speaking of Oracle, HP also hired former Oracle president Ray Lane as "non-executive chairman." I'm not sure what that means, but I'm sure it pays better than any of our jobs!
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2010 at 1:18 PM1 comments
The Wall Street Journal, (in general) a paragon of accuracy, reports that Windows Phone 7 smartphones will be announced in 10 days and will hit the street in 38 days.
I'm not sure finding out the announcement date is much of a scoop. What does the announcement of a product everyone knows about actually mean anyway? In this case, the news may not be so much about the OS, but the devices that use it. Samsung and others are expected to show off their new Win Phone 7 wares.
I think Microsoft has to push this to the enterprise market and show how the phones integrate with core chunks of Microsoft software like SharePoint and Office -- similar to how the BlackBerry sales are based on tight integration with back-end corporate e-mail.
And what would a new product launch be without a name change? The current OS is called Windows Mobile 6. The new one? Windows Phone 7. I guess Microsoft thinks the new name has a nice ring to it.
Posted by Doug Barney on 10/01/2010 at 1:18 PM1 comments
Business Productivity Online Suite (better known as BPOS) is Microsoft's cloud-based collection of communications apps that includes conferencing, e-mail and collaboration tools.
The state of Minnesota has a contract for "all executive branch agencies" to use the suite and gives the option for other state agencies to tap into the Web apps.
E-mail users should be pleased. Now they are relegated to a scant 100 MB of mail storage -- barely enough for many workers' Pam Anderson JPEG collections!
Do you like BPOS, or does the acronym POS mean something entirely different to you? Answers welcome from cloud or on-premises e-mail systems at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/29/2010 at 1:18 PM3 comments