Google Petulant?
CNet wanted to expose how Google can be used to unearth one’s personal
details, and what did it get for its trouble? A
year-long
snub from the irritated search engine giant. Maybe it was because the info
they gathered was on Google top dog Eric Schmidt, or maybe it was pure embarrassment.
In any case, the decision not to talk to CNet for a year is ill-advised. They
exposed a legitimate issue and Google looks like a moody teen fresh out of pimple
cream.
Unix and Windows Sittin’ in a Tree
At this week’s LinuxWorld, one of the few large trade shows still alive,
Microsoft plans on spreading a message of peace, joy and interoperability. Microsoft’s
approach to interoperability is to have Windows tools control Unix, but not
necessarily the other way around.
Microsoft Watch has most
of the details and reports that Redmondites will be talking up the next
version of Unix Services for Windows Server. In addition to this, Microsoft
has a friend and ally in Quest (I was lucky enough to have lunch with them yesterday
to discuss this whole issue) and its new Vintela acquisition, which has a growing
line of Windows interoperability tools.
While Vintela boasts deep Linux support, I’m not sure how far beyond
Unix the new Microsoft services are planning to go.
Girls Gone PC Wild
This week the Redmond campus has a certain feminine flair as some 80 high school
girls are spending part of their summer at a Microsoft
computer camp. The idea is to highlight the fact that women are hugely underrepresented
in high-tech and IT. And should any of these girls truly excel in computer science,
Microsoft hopes to have first dibs.
No August Vacation from Patches
August is a lazy time, traffic is sparse, offices are at half-staff and, of
course, George W. is running the show from Crawford (vacation in Texas in August?).
But hackers, perhaps afraid of sunlight or bikinis, are hard at work, forcing
Microsoft to keep its patching pedal to the floor. This month there will be
six bulletins, and a new rev of the Malicious Software Removal tool (wonder
if it can uninstall IE?), reports
Redmond News Editor Scott Bekker.
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Shopping for a COO at Wal-Mart
Microsoft this week announced
a new chief operating officer, 40-year-old Kevin Turner from Wal-Mart. I’m
surprised Wall Street didn’t give Microsoft shares a big boost as this
is important news. Wal-Mart isn’t just the king of pricing and promotion,
but has a supply chain rivals would kill for. If Turner can lead Microsoft to
the same supply chain nirvana, costs will go down dramatically and deliveries
hastened. So what could Turner do for you? He could help make Microsoft a leader
in supply chain software and help get your operations in shape.
Spam, Spam Go Away
Two years ago Microsoft filed suit against a notorious spammer. This week Microsoft
got a $7
million settlement, much of which will go toward fighting the problem. Like
viruses, the only way to truly tackle spam is to go after the spammers. Thanks
Bill, thanks Steve!
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.