The big distributor
blew away estimates
with its fourth-quarter numbers, even though revenue slipped a bit. There's a not-unexpected warning, though, that Q1 is going to be tough.
Posted by Lee Pender on 03/05/20090 comments
In the Netherlands, there's a popular
soap opera
called "Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden" -- don't try to pronounce it unless you're Dutch -- which translates directly to "Good Times, Bad Times." (You know I've had my share...yeah, we're singing it, too.)
Anyway, GTST, as it's commonly known, probably won't feature a three-episode arc about the RCP reader survey any time soon, but it could. (And if the producers are out there reading, your editor still remembers a little Dutch from his time in Rotterdam and would love a guest appearance.) Because unlike in 2007, when credit default swaps and mortgage-backed securities were still mostly wonky Wall Street terms, there's some trepidation in 2009. Imagine that.
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Posted by Lee Pender on 03/05/20090 comments
Kurt Mackie delves into the future of cloud computing at Microsoft by examining an
interview
with the company's Cloud Computing Futures project director.
Posted by Lee Pender on 03/04/20090 comments
There have probably been happier occasions for Stephen Elop, head of Microsoft's Business Division, than this week's state-of-the-company address in front of the undoubtedly nervous folks from Morgan Stanley and other likely ledge-dwelling financial types.
But Elop performed admirably, it seems, answering questions that were likely beyond his (no doubt considerable) pay grade. After all, Elop runs Microsoft's Business Division -- think Office, Dynamics and unified communications -- and while that's a pretty big chunk of Microsoft, it's not the whole company, and he's not really a financial executive. Still, the up-against-the-Wall Streeters wanted to know how Microsoft would cut costs and make money online in a -- say it with us, everybody -- down economy.
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Posted by Lee Pender on 03/04/20090 comments
The Phoenix HyperSpace Linux quick-boot shell will
now be friendly
with Microsoft's Word and Excel file formats. We just love when everybody (sort of) gets along.
Posted by Lee Pender on 03/04/20090 comments
Looking for a category of technology that won't be going pear-shaped in the -- say it again, everybody -- down economy? Look to virtualization, which the analysts at Gartner say will be a
boom technology this year
. This gives us a good excuse to post a nice hypervisor comparison from Keith Ward's blog on
VirtualizationReview.com
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Posted by Lee Pender on 03/04/20090 comments
Get it? Rolls out? It's a pun wrapped in a word play. Anyway, the question here isn't how good
Microsoft's car software
is, but whether there will be an auto industry in the next few months to actually buy it.
Posted by Lee Pender on 03/03/20090 comments
If we were hosting a '70s variety show or possibly "Saturday Night Live," we'd be smiling, pointing and saying, "Once again, ladies and gentlemen, Scott Bekker!" And here he is with details of
changes to Citrix's partner program
. Followed by a song, we hope.
Posted by Lee Pender on 03/03/20090 comments
OK, we're not going to lie to you. (We never do lie to you, actually, but in this case we're going to be ridiculously truthful.) Your editor just spent a decent chunk of Monday afternoon shoveling snow, uncovering cars and watching the neighbor clear the driveway with the second-greatest invention of all time, the snow blower. (The greatest invention is still air conditioning.)
So this might not be the most poignant, clever or analytical RCPU entry of all time. But it will be informative, starting with this week's news, lovingly crafted by RCP Editor in Chief Scott Bekker, that Microsoft is taking its online services worldwide.
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Posted by Lee Pender on 03/03/20090 comments
Microsoft is suing the Linux-loving GPS company, and since patents are involved in the suit, the open source community is
getting nervous
. And probably for good reason.
Posted by Lee Pender on 03/03/20090 comments