Readers give their thoughts on Exchange apps for mobile platforms.
My experience with the Android outlook client is that it's fantastic. I have 30 users on it every day, including me. We use hosted exchange and have full access.
-Thomas
My Windows 6.5 HTC Imagio was a painful experience. I would have gone for the Windows phone 7 had Verizon offered some device options to choose from. In the end I went with the Galaxy Nexus. The Touchdown client works well, and I have had no complaints with the Exchange client nor the device.
-Jerry
Sorry, but many phones have problems. We have Exchange 2003 and it doesn't play well with most phones and it takes a little bit to get it to work. I support BlackBerry devices, iPhones, Win 7 Phones and different flavors of Android phones. I also manage a separate Exchange 2007 and almost everything works the first time.
I've used Touchdown when my Droid X came out -- it wouldn't connect to my Exchange 2003. Motorola found a bug with the Android app and gave me a few licenses to Touchdown. It worked flawlessly. Its modern technology -- while it seems like they should just work, there are always little glitches.
-DK
We have  around 347 Android users. The rest are iPhones (500 or so) and two Windows Phone 7 devices. Everyone is pretty good with their particular unit as far as e-mail goes, but the Windows users still complain about random freezes and reboots.
-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 09/19/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
Monday I brought you a report that in some cases enterprise customers renewing Windows licenses could see a 43 percent price increase. I also asked how Microsoft licensing compares to other vendors. I got feedback on both counts.
Some readers claimed I am a Microsoft basher and a shill for the company trying to sell reports about Microsoft licensing. I try to never sweep a good bashing under the carpet.
Speaking of bashing, a few of you slammed other vendors, Oracle in particular, though Adobe and CA also took a hit or two.
Take for a look for an interesting reader perspective.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/19/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments
Recession -- what do you do? If you are Microsoft, you raise prices for your most loyal customers by some 43 percent.
Loyal customers buy volume licenses, one of which is the Enterprise Agreement (EA). These agreements are purposely confusing because if Microsoft is the only one to understand them, it gives Microsoft control. This is the same technique that lets lawyers charge $300 an hour.
Fortunately some folks, like analyst Paul DeGroot, understand licensing, and by DeGroot's calculations, EA Windows three-year-renewals could cost up to 43 percent more.
That's because when customers renew, they renew not at the EA rate but at the Select or Select Plus rate (which is higher).
What is your experience with Microsoft licensing and is it better or worse than other vendors?
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/17/2012 at 1:19 PM7 comments
Some of you may know I've been struggling with what smartphone to get next. Fact is, I could have gotten a free phone from Verizon way back in March, but I'd have to wait a full two years for another freebie. I decided to wait. Not for another Blackberry, heck no, but for either the iPhone 5 or the next Windows Phone.
Some of you have suggested an Android device. A couple of my kids have had 'em and they weren't feeling the love. And an unnamed former huge Microsoft exec whose technical chops are impeccable recently complained about not getting his Android phone to fully connect to his Exchange folders. If this guy couldn't get it to work, what hope is there for mere mortals?
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/14/2012 at 1:19 PM10 comments
System Center 2012 is only about a year old and Microsoft is already getting its first service pack ready, one that should ship early next year.
Most service packs are rolled up bug fixes with a few small new features tossed in for good measure. This one actually marks a real shift in System Center to a decidedly more cloud-centric approach.
In fact there is so much new that Microsoft is confusing folks by calling it a service pack. It really should call it a new version, though Microsoft would probably be compelled to charge for a new version (so I guess SP1 is OK after all).
Of course, as you may guess, SP1 supports Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. That's a given.
So here's where the cloud kicks in: SP1 makes it easier to transfers VMs from in-house servers to Windows Azure. Also, you can tie VMs to Azure backup services.
Is the cloud starting to make more sense the more tools that come out or is it all a plot to take over your data and ultimately your job? You tell me.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/14/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
I've noticed a new theme coming out of Redmond lately: social networking. No, Microsoft isn't going to build its own monster network. Not even Google can crack that nut. Instead, Microsoft hopes to pick up a few crumbs by embracing all the work Facebook has done.
The idea is simple, at least according to Redmondmag.com columnist Brien Posey. Bing, an underrated search engine in my estimation, can also now search social networks. At first Brien was nervous, fearing an invasion of privacy. After some sleuthing, er, some searching, it turns out it will only find stuff your friends post and only things you overtly make public. And you  have to turn social searching on.
Sounds like Microsoft hit the balance right.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/14/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for the Windows 8 was just released as a sort of a beta (it only works with the Windows 8 Customer Preview). It's meant to let Win 8 clients manage Win 2012 servers remotely.
With RSAT, IT can use PowerShell or the built-in GUI.
If you want to control earlier servers, it appears you'll have to first load Windows Management Framework 3.0. That way RSAT will talk to Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/12/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
Is Google Books a helpful resource or just a way for Google to cheat original content authors? Here's what you think:
As an engineering student, I have to say that Google books has been one of the best resources online in terms of figuring out things that we had no idea how to do! I really appreciated it because it often gave examples and explanations that were different from the other sources that I had (and books that I did pay for!) So in terms of textbooks, I love it...but it is a pain because if you search for something specific, it will sometimes block out the important pages that you obviously wanted to see based on your search. But then if you go back in a different browser (or a friend's computer), then you can usually see what you were looking for!
-Lauren Barney (Doug's daughter)
You aren't being too hard on Google. I was at the Waterside Publishing Conference to accept an award some years ago and one of the speakers was a Chinese publisher who said books were only worth the value of the paper. But he couldn't understand why those of us who were authors weren't jumping all over the chance to have our work published in China. As I explained to him, several of my books were published in China and I thought it would only be fair if I shared in the profits. Like Google, he thought that the writers didn't deserve to be paid -- only those who were stealing their work should make money. Needless to say, after writing well over 80 books, I think I do deserve to be paid for my work.
-Brian
I think as the book market transitions to a digital one( just as the market for CDs and DVDs has), it will change the entire distribution model. Authors may need to adjust to lower compensation per copy for digital distribution, but the opportunity for vastly higher sales volume may outweigh that. And, as with music and video, some people may want to sample without buying, but many will pay an appropriate amount to consume the content they desire.
Content creators of all sorts will need to adjust to this new model of distribution instead of reacting like the RIAA and MPAA: trying to sue people back into a bygone era of physical media ownership. As for Google scanning and posting content from existing books, how is that different from a library? They buy one copy and many people can read that one copy without paying the author any money. The Google copies are also incomplete (certain page ranges are blank). So if someone wants the full content, they still need to pay for either a physical or digital copy. But, without being able to find this content first by searching Google, they might not even know the work or author even existed. And if all they wanted was a snippet of the content for research or references, they wouldn't be a potential purchaser anyway.
It's an adjustment for sure, but it sort of seems inevitable at this point. As long as content providers can produce revenue for the creators and allow them to specify how their content is distributed, everyone will benefit. Look at the Apple store, advertiser-backed Web pages, Netflix-like streaming services, etc.
-Paul
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 09/12/2012 at 1:19 PM0 comments
Redmondmag.com columnist Brien Posey always has an interesting take, especially with his recent article that focused on the future of the hypervisor, particularly market leading VMware.
Big changes have been happening in data centers. More and more servers are split into a bunch of VMs, and server operating systems are becoming more dedicated with smaller footprints. We've long had Linux appliances. Now Windows Server is increasing focus on Server Roles.
This is the perfect context for hypervisors (which assume the duties of an OS). You see, these slices of server computing are narrowly focused, so they need less OS support.
VMware is the company Posey sees moving in this direction (wouldn't it love to intrude on Microsoft's OS turf?). VMware is already looking to handle storage and to virtual networks -- key pieces that OS's generally touch. And Posey got a sneak peak at some cool stuff in VMware labs that seem to back up his prognostications, especially in the area of configuration.
When you look at things like Linux appliances, a lightweight OS doesn't actually have to do all that much. It's easy to assume that VMware may not be that far away.
One of the questions Posey didn't address is could VMware support Windows servers apps? Would this let IT run these apps without paying the Microsoft server license tax, and would Redmond let it?
What is your expert analysis? Send it forth to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/12/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments
Yesterday should have been a somber, reasoned reflection on the events that occurred in 2001. We should have been celebrating the rebirth of the World Trade Center, which will be the tallest building in Manhattan as long as the city has a heart. We should have been coming together as we did that day 11 years ago. We should have had a little class.
What did we do instead? The maker of a virulently anti-Muslim video gleefully posted a clip on YouTube, with the full knowledge of the reaction it would create. Then the idiot pastor who burned the Koran (protests of that directly resulted in 21 deaths) promoted the video all day yesterday. And these toads don't feel at all responsible for the murder of Chris Stevens, our ambassador to Libya and three other Americans? I guess it's OK since this time only four people died.
And how do the folks in Cairo and Libya celebrate their new-found freedom? By attacking us on a day of mourning. Class. Pure class.
Meanwhile, on our home turf, politics can't even pause for 9/11. Early yesterday, before the protests even started, an embassy worker in Cairo sent out a statement condemning those that insult the religious feelings of Muslims, and indeed all religions. In a bizarre twist, the Obama administration felt compelled to disavow this statement.
Meanwhile, thanks to the Internet, all of this is happening in near real-time.
According to a Presidential candidate not named Ron Paul, our President was "disgraceful" because somebody in the Cairo embassy sent out an unapproved message viewed as an apology to Muslims, and this came out before Mr. Obama had a chance to formerly address the tragedy unfolding in Libya (and after Obama disavowed the message). Does this campaign have some kind of faulty dialup connection and can't keep pace with what is actually happening? Is that why you attack a sitting President on specious grounds on 9/11?
The Internet changes everything. Before you cram your foot in your mouth, refresh your browser!
It was horrible when Keith Olbermann attacked John McCain night after night, and it is just as bad when the talking heads do the same on the right. By the way, the only sign on my lawn is Scott Brown for Senate. If you want to attack me, attack me for being non-partisan.
Is there any way to take politics out of politics? And if we can't take the politics out of politics, can we at least take it out of 9/11? Your thoughts welcome at [email protected].
I probably should have spent the evening watching ESPN.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/11/2012 at 1:19 PM11 comments
I spent the weekend patching bicycle inner tubes -- something I do because they cost about five bucks each. When my patches fail, my bike can crash. This Tuesday Microsoft will unload its monthly supply of patches. If these fail, your machines may crash, or even worse, a hacker may have his or her way with your precious computers.
Fortunately there won't be that many patches, which should mean there aren't than many vulnerabilities to fix.
In fact, there are no, I repeat no "critical" bulletins and a scant two "important" items. Wouldn't it be great if every month were at light as this?
And the regular top targets, IE, Windows and Office, come through unscathed. Instead System Center Configuration Manager and Visual Studio Team Foundation Server get fixes.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/10/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments
Oracle now knows what it feels like to be Microsoft. Security experts are constantly finding flaws in Microsoft software and telling the world all about them.
Well, last week Oracle thought it had fixed a well-publicized problem in Java, one that had some advising end users to just stop using Java altogether. Instead of offering a round of applause, researchers told the world of a flaw found inside the supposedly fixed version.
Fortunately, the researchers had the good sense to hold off publishing actual details of the flaw until Oracle has a "proof of concept" fix.
My question is, why publish them then? Not all machines will be patched with this proof of concept fix. Any idiot can take what the researcher publishes and attack unpatched machines.
Am I missing something? If so, corrections readily accepted at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/10/2012 at 1:19 PM2 comments