What Do You Hate About….?

I'm working on an article and I need to know what you hate about:

• Licensing
• Software sales people
• Tech support
• Office
• Windows
• The Mac
• The iPad
• Software execs
• Trade shows
• Bosses
• PC hardware
• Virtualization
• The cloud
• Storage
  

What else do you hate? Let it fly at [email protected]. And tell me how I should quote you. Thanks!

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/16/20112 comments

Google Apps Fireworks Prepped

I am more thoroughly steeped in Google Apps than a Google product manager. That's because I just talked to over a dozen Redmond Report readers about your direct experiences with the cloud suite. The end result will be a pretty extensive real-world comparison between Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps for Business.

I found that there are fans of foes of both suites. Hardcore Microsoft IT types vastly prefer Office 365, while smaller shops appreciate the scaled-down nature of the Google software.

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/16/20112 comments

Silverlight Survives With Version 5

There's been a lot of talk about the death of Silverlight  (the rival to Flash)  now that Microsoft browsers and future versions of Windows will be all about HTML 5 (that other rival to Flash).

Microsoft evangelists spent thousands of man hours and flew hundreds of thousands of miles convincing developers that Silverlight was the next big thing for the Web -- making pages as dynamic and exciting for coders as a Taylor Swift concert is for 12 year-old girls (and their dads!).

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/14/20116 comments

Oh Say Can UC? Windows Phone 7 Can

After talking with nearly a dozen Redmond Report readers about Microsoft Unified Communications, and the latest UC tool Lync, I came away impressed. Many of you saved a ton of dough and radically improved communication and collaboration through UC.

The Lync 2010 client, as of this week, now runs on Windows phones, letting callers use IM, audio conferencing and other high-end Lync Server 2010 features.

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/14/20110 comments

Microsoft Updates Azure

A released Azure update this week boasts a new pricing model, is more open to open source and deals better with databases.

On the open source front, users can now try out a test version of Hadoop on Windows Azure. Hadoop is an open-source framework for cloud and distributed computing. Azure is also chummier with Eclipse and Node.js -- a system for writing scalable Internet apps that supports the open source database MongoDB.

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/14/20110 comments

Microsoft's Pre-Holiday Gift: 14 Patches

It won't come under the tree or tied in a bow, but Microsoft tomorrow will unwrap 14 little goodies meant to keep your Windows network joyful.

As is now rote, almost all the patches deal with remote code execution (RCE) flaws – this is where hackers run their bad code on top of your good (but vulnerable) code.

Three of the patches fix 'critical' RCE flaws, while the rest of the patches are merely 'important.'

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/12/20110 comments

Busy With BizTalk

BizTalk Server doesn't have the sex appeal of other tools such as Windows, Office and what not. What am I saying? These don't really have sex appeal -- that is reserved for the high-end sports cars Microsoft millionaires park in campus lots.

BizTalk is middleware that connects Microsoft tools (such as SQL Server) to other apps and data sources (such as IBM DB2, ERP apps like SAP and SharePoint).

Microsoft is working on an R2 version of BizTalk Server 2010, expected out a half a year or so after the release of Windows Server 8.

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/12/20110 comments

Doug's Mailbag: Defending Zune

After Doug took a jab at Microsoft's media player, readers chimed in with their support for the hardware and software:

I play music on my phone using the Zune player.
Sent from my Windows Phone.
-Anonymous

I have a 120 GB Zune and love it. It has around 10,000 songs, pictures and movies. I prefer it over a smartphone 'cause I believe a mobile phone is for making calls -- not hearing music. The space is limited for storage, and a mobile phone has a life of two years in average. A player last longer. Also if you use too much your phone for multimedia purposes, when it comes to make a call, you won't have enough battery for that primary purpose. That's my opinion.
-Jorge

Interesting...I am probably one of the few people in the world who own a Zune. I've never been able to share music wireless with my friends. They all have iPods.  Don't really play music on my phone.  Need the battery power for apps.
-Anonymous

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/12/20113 comments

Win 8 Apps Beat OS to Market

Imagine you are in the process of designing and building a brand new mass market motorcycle. The bike is due around the end of next year. Would you, as the manufacturer start offering parts 10 months early? Microsoft apparently would, as it plans to open up a Windows 8 apps store in two months.

But the store is not selling unfinished apps for an unfinished OS. The store will only offer free apps for all you Win 8 previewers.

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/12/20110 comments

Win 8 February Non-Surprise

On Monday I reported rumors that a Win 8 beta would be out in the next few months. The rumor mongers were correct. Microsoft now says the beta will be out before shortest month of the year ends.

Microsoft made the disclosure when hyping its new Windows Store, where you'll be able to buy your fill of Metro apps.

Win 8, which is generally expected to be released late next year, still needs work according to one tester who posted on Redmondmag.com. The reader called Metro "a UI only a mother could love. The gestures and navigation need to be far more natural and intuitive. Aesthetically, the GUI's style gets worse as you scale up in screen dimensions. The UI looks flat, loud and a bit fat on a tablet."

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/09/201111 comments

Adobe Reader Flaw Exposed

Adobe and Adobe Reader has had more than its share of flaws. Some experts think Adobe tools are a bigger attack vector than anything Microsoft has out.

Latest example: An apparent "U3D memory corruption vulnerability"  was deemed critical by Adobe. The company is now  feverishly trying to find a fix for it .

The flaw could allow hackers to fully rummage through and control your computer and crash it if they please. The area of concern is universal 3D, a format for compressed files supported by multiple vendors.

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/09/20110 comments

Doug's Mailbag: All Things Windows 8

Readers discuss their thoughts on Windows 8, whether it's the OS, server or tablet device:

Windows 8 (desktop) is what I am anxious to see (but then, I am an early adopter). My employer, a university which tends to adopt new technology early in its lifecycle, will probably be a lot less interested in migrating this time around.

I don't put much credence in IDC or others like them.

To me, the more interesting questions pertain to Microsoft's tablet strategy. I can easily imagine that the netbook will disappear and be replaced by a Windows 8 (Intel) tablet capable of running legacy Windows applications. This tablet could compete head-to-head with the 10-inch iPad at iPad price-points. Microsoft might then respond to the lower-end of the tablet market with a Windows 8 ARM tablet running Metro apps. This device could compete with 7-inch tablets at $200 to $350 price-points -- and with Windows 8 Metro smart phones.

It could be an interesting strategy. Or, like the Zune, Microsoft's tablet strategy could be a flop.
-Marc

Yes, I care about Win 8.

I moved from Win 7 with VMware Workstation to Win 8 with Hyper-V for my demo vms, running a Dell Precision 5700 2 ssd and 16GB of ram. 

It is working good -- Hyper-V is lacking some features vs. VMware workstation, but it dose the job and very well. I am also using 5nine.com to manage the Hyper-V. Its console is very nice and easy to tab through windows vs. having a bunch of windows open.

I have disabled the Metro UI. It was totally useless on a laptop -- maybe once the app store opens up might be better.

It has been very stable considering its only a pre beta.
-Chas

I think the big question is 'Will Office run on ARM?'

The answer is almost certainly 'No,' at least not the versions of Office we have known and loved in the past. It is going to take a full port or maybe the same code base that is rumored to be in work for iOS.

Honestly, I think this question is the potential Achilles' heel of Win 8 on ARM! Would you want a Windows 8 tablet without a full functioning Office?
-Jeff

Do I want or desire a Win 8 Tablet?  Absolutely!

I'm now using Windows Phone 7.5 on my smartphone and love it. I've had an iPhone and iPad... I didn't like it, won't buy it again and now waiting for Win 8.
-Stephen

Posted by Doug Barney on 12/09/20110 comments