Windows 8 has now been released to TechNet and MSDN subscribers, which means the code is essentially done. I am getting very very nervous. Before Vista came out, things looked pretty good. It was really just a modest upgrade to XP. The slick, new addition was the optional Aero interface (and you didn't have to use that). The real problems started after Vista shipped, and the little gotchas all added to big problems. This app didn't work. And worst of all, many hardware devices became obsolete overnight.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/17/201237 comments
Every year Redmond magazine does a salary survey and the last few have been pretty flat when it comes to salary growth. I was expecting more flatness this time around. Boy, was I surprised to find that on average your pay went up 3.25 percent. Now that may not put you in the market for that new 60' Hatteras, but you shouldn't have to settle for a leaky dingy either.
Almost 60 percent of readers got raises. That's also pretty sweet!
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/17/20120 comments
Is Microsoft becoming more and more like Apple every day? Here's what some of you think:
Microsoft has long tried to be more like Apple, often to its detriment. The Windows XP UI was made to look more like the Apple UI (OK, the trash can became the recycle bin and the menu/task bar was at the bottom instead of the top). Despite what Microsoft might think, just because it is Apple does not mean that Microsoft should copy it.
-Darryl
I would love if Microsoft started selling its own hardware like Apple does. I am sick and tired of hearing morons say that Apple is better, just to find out that it is because the computers are faster. Well guess what? If I spent around the same amount of money on a PC as you would for a Mac, then you would get that speed. Too many people buy the low-end models and then wonder why the $1,000 Mac is better. It's because it was made with parts that cost $1,000 rather than $400. Maybe Microsoft will do the same and get a better rep for it.
-DJ
I hope it does try to be more like Apple, as long as it doesn't try to be a 'me too.' I am worried that all this catch-up will mean it becomes just like Apple -- leaving the PC enthusiast that wants to use their own researched hardware purchases instead of settling for the big name, big ticket, big box retail solution. These solutions have a history of ignoring what people want unless they number in the millions. Unfortunately "device" means Microsoft probably will go that route too. Heaven forbid we allow people to actually have a choice that doesn't involve compromise!
-Tom
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/17/20121 comments
There is a new version of the free Microsoft Web storage service, SkyDrive, that is almost ready for duty. The update has been in preview (which is one of many words Microsoft uses when it should just say beta) for a while.
Here's what's new: The service, in keeping with Windows 8 and what Microsoft is looking to do with all its cloud/Live services, will get the "modern" look found in Windows 8's new interface.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/17/20123 comments
Hyper-V is getting more and more non-Windows friendly every day. It's already reaching out to Linux and now it is doing the same for FreeBSD.
The support isn't ready for prime time, but the drivers are in beta and are open source just like the operating system it supports. The drivers right now work with Windows Server 2012 R2.
Helping Redmond in the effort is NetApp and Citrix.
Posted by Doug Barney on 08/15/20120 comments
One of my fondest semi-early memory of a dedicated Microsoft shows was an Exchange conference in New Orleans, despite the fact that it was mid-summer. A FoxPro event in Orlando was a close runner up because the attendee loved their product so dang much. Foxpro memories welcome at [email protected].
It's been 10 years since Microsoft had an Exchange show, but the Microsoft Exchange Conference is back, baby, and will be held late next month in Orlando (my apologies to FoxPro fans but there's nary a track on this old beauty).
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/15/20124 comments
A record-breaking $22.5 million fine was slapped on Google for violations. And although the company fully deserved them, they were, at the same time, misplaced.
The fine largely revolved around Safari and issues around opting out of Doubleclick ad tracking -- really the least of Google user worries. Even after you may have opted out, cookies still tracked you, despite the fact that Safari was designed to block these cookies in the first place.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/15/20123 comments
Sometimes it pays to read the fine print. Ed Bott has made a career out of it. Last year he read a Microsoft 10-K investor report and saw the company mention devices, leading him to predict that Microsoft would enter the hardware game. That may sound like bragging but I've known Ed for over two decades. And if it's bragging, he's got the chops to back it up.
Bott dissected the latest 10K and saw references, again, to hardware. Ed's analysis is that Surface is just the tip of the hardware iceberg. Last year its 10-K mentioned hardware eight times. This time it was around 15. Last year it used the word "device" on 11 occasions. Now we see it 25 times.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/13/20129 comments
Patch Tuesday is coming up next week, and Microsoft Windows is in for a whole heap of fixin'. In fact, five of the nine bulletins are aimed at the OS and three of them labeled "critical."
Where some Patch Tuesdays are light, this one will be busy. Nine might not sound like a huge amount of patches, but there are lots of different kind of fixes and lots of reboots, experts caution.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/10/20121 comments
Readers chime in on whether Win RT makes sense:
Windows RT tablets are primarily a consumer offering. Yes, they may play an enterprise role in the BYOD arena. And certainly some businesses will use them for specific non-information worker applications (i.e., point of sale). But they are not intended to be full information worker devices. You want one of those, get an x86 device.
-Hal
Why would the person needing this type of functionality not have the Pro device? I view RT as more a consumer or non-power user device. Do we know how long the battery life is for Surface Pro? Intel is making great strides in that area and Windows 8 is using as less energy was possible. All this on a free version of the software.
-THEKMAN58
I am soooooo tired of bloggers repeating the same lame bull*** about the differences between Win RT and Windows 8. So, for the absolute last time:
- Windows RT tablets are for CONSUMERS, just like the iPad, and anything associated with it is for CONSUMERS.
- Windows 8 tablets (you know, the one with the built-in keyboard) are for enterprises/businesses.
So does Office 2013 that is designed to work on Windows RT need VBA, macros or third party plug-ins for consumers who make spreadsheets to balance their checkbook, write their mother or their grandmother a rare letter or make-up a birthday card really going to miss those features? Absolutely not.
-Anonymous
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/10/20121 comments
I saw two items that gave me pause. I'm going to be neutral on this because, quite frankly, I'm more concerned with what you think, and this is sensitive stuff. Say too much and I'm sure to offend someone. So just the facts this time, ma'am.
First up, Microsoft has finished working on a system for New York City that combines massive video surveillance with an equally massive database. The idea is to see anyone in the city, watch exactly what they are doing in real-tine and match them to what is already known about them. The system, according to press statements, is aimed at terrorists and suspected criminals.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 08/10/201214 comments