11 Patches Patching -- Redmondmag.com

11 Patches Patching

By Doug Barney
10/13/2008

Tomorrow will be a particularly busy Patch Tuesday, and once again remote code execution attacks are taking center stage, with no less than four fixes. Active Directory will get plugged, as will Windows Server 2000, Internet Explorer and Office.

IBM Sales Far from Blue
IBM is bucking the recession, and is expecting its revenues and earnings to rise more sharply than the price of a New York Giants ticket. Revenue should be right around $25 billion -- which, if you multiply by four, gives a $100 billion run rate, enough to bail out one mid-size investment firm. Profits are also expected to be solidly in "kick-butt" territory.

What's IBM doing right? Insight welcome at [email protected].

Gates Loses to Best Pal
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have a mini-mutual-admiration society. They support the same causes (The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and neither are as flashy as their wealth would indicate (compare either to Donald Trump and you'll see what I mean).

But for at least a decade, Bill has outpaced Warren for good, old-fashioned greenbacks. This year, Buffet finally turned the tables, and is now the richest man in the world.

We'll check back after Wall Street recovers and see who's on top then. It'll probably be some short seller we've never heard of.

Searching for Yahoo: Take Two?
One stock maven believes that the Wall Street collapse may reignite Microsoft's interest in Yahoo. The theory is that Yahoo is now far cheaper and the value of Microsoft cash is relatively undiminished.

This could well be true, though I still think buying Yahoo is a terrible me-too idea. And Microsoft has recently spent $80 billion buying back its own stock (a better investment than AIG, I dare say). Does Redmond still have the cash to snag Yahoo? And if not, can it borrow that amount in today's market? You tell me at [email protected].

By the way, we can no longer call Wall Street types gurus, experts or pundits after losing so much money. I lost the equivalent of a fully equipped BMW 640 last week -- what about you? Stories of possessions lost welcome at [email protected].

About the Author

Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.

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