OSes Archive

Can You Hear Me Now? Not With Vista Audio

On Friday, our Kevin McLaughlin posted a brief piece audio problems experienced by Windows Vista users running the new Service Pack 1 and Windows Update:

"The update for IDT (Formerly Sigmatel)'s high definition sound and is called "IDT High Def Codec," according to several users on a Dell customer forum, who claim that installing the update results in a "Code 10" Error after rebooting, as well as the loss of audio."

As of late this afternoon, over 120 ChannelWeb readers have posted in our forums about their experience with problem, and how they were able to fix it (if they were). It's the hottest forum topic we've seen in recent memory. Though not specifically Microsoft's fault, it's another black eye for Vista which really didn't need it...

Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:48 PM, May 5, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Could Microsoft 'Blink' On Vista?

We were just discussing how XP will be with us for a long time. Ed Moltzen takes the idea one step further, suggesting that it's Vista that may be the OS that disappears, much like "New Coke":

"While a lot of people will remember Coca-Cola's initial mistake, many tend to forget that, in the long run, its chief brand has endured and strengthened.

Could Microsoft learn a lesson from that? Could it announce that XP will live on, renamed as "Windows Classic?" Could it announce that it now has a roadmap for XP with SP 4, SP 5 and SP 6?"

Meanwhile, BusinessWeek reports that Macs are making inroads ino the corporate marketplace.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:55 AM, May 2, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Windows XP's Long Goodbye

Larry Hooper looks at the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 and sees the beginning of the end for the OS:

"XP lovers will likely be happy for a little while. But soon they will begin to realize something...

That 's it. There are no more upgrades coming. O.K., so Ballmer says Microsoft will be sensitive to XP SP3 users. I don't know what that means, but I am sure that doesn't mean we can expect an XP SP4."

But I'm not sure I'd say that the end of XP "looms," as Larry puts it. OEM's are enthusiastically taking advantage of their XP downgrade rights; XP fans are organizing to save their system; Dell is planning to sell XP until 2010; even Microsoft's Steve Ballmer refers to Windows Vista as a 'work in progress'.

In our forums, ChannelWeb members seem reluctant, at best, to start moving their clients:

"Any VAR that is suggesting it's clients move to Vista should be ashamed."

"You should not be selling [Vista] in a business environment until it is fixed, and that will probably be around SP 2."

"There is no legitimate reason for the small business to be forced into a short term rotation of software."

XP will be the OS that wouldn't leave. In the 90's, Microsoft's Windows updates (3.1, 95, NT, ME) made every IT shop a multi-OS shop. That's not going to change any time soon.

Don't miss our review of Windows XP Service Pack 3. You'll be getting to know it quite well...

Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:15 PM, April 29, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Microsoft Albany - Office By Subscription?

ReadWriteWeb reports on Microsoft's rumored subscription application service, codenamed 'Albany':

"Albany, which is entering an external beta with trusted regular Microsoft beta testers this week, is a software bundle that includes Microsoft Office Home and Student, Windows Live OneCare, Office Live Workspaces, and a cadre of Windows Live components...

Albany will be offered as a subscription service, and users will be entitled to automatic upgrades for the duration of their subsciption contract. It's not quite a web app, but it does take a page out of the web app play book by going the subscription route."

Computerworld asks if you would Pay Forever For Office? Well, no, but the pricing will certainly be an interesting element in this strategy. Ars Technica hones in:

Microsoft has been commended for its Windows Live OneCare pricing, but Microsoft Office prices are widely criticized... Windows Live OneCare and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 are the only applications in the suite that are not currently offered for free."

While Information Week identifies the threat:

"Microsoft's assault on the Web is in no small part a response to advances by archrival Google. In recent months, the search engine company has introduced a host of new online services. Of those, the biggest threat to Microsoft is Google Apps. The offering features free or low-cost versions of Office-style productivity applications that are hosted on the Web."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:55 PM, April 18, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Will It Run Vista? That Depends On Your Definition of 'Capable'

Damon Poeter bring us up to date on the latest from the "Vista Capable" class-action suit:

"If we learn anything from slogging through the 158 pages of electronic discovery, it's that Best Buy, not Intel, was apparently a prime driver of Microsoft's decision to stamp many more computers with the Vista brand than it had originally planned."

Leaving many customers and businesses feeling angry and litigious when they tried to upgrade and found they were unable to enjoy "the full Vista experience." We go through the court documents in detail in our Vista Capable Debacle slide show.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:04 PM, March 28, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Vista SP1 Arrives

Wait no longer: "Vista SP1 can now be downloaded manually from Windows Update."

"According to a Tuesday blog post by Windows Vista product manager Nick White, English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese are available now, with the additional 31 language versions due in mid-April."

Automatic updates also in mid-April. Retail availability? Soooon.... Will solution providers embrace it? Maybe. But they'll certainly be testing.

UPDATE: You say you want more? Here's more: Microsoft To Release XP SP3 Next Week.

And some Hot Topics readers have tried out Vista SP1. Initial reports seem mostly positive...

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:13 AM, March 19, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Vista's Second Chance

Can Vista SP1 pick up the corporate customers who ignored Vista in droves? Larry Hooper says the problems may no longer be technical:

"While there are still a few kinks to work out, and some time to wait, Vista SP1 actually does a lot to fix what was wrong with Vista. With that, the logical conclusion is that Microsoft partners will begin to roll out Vista to business customers in a big way. Here comes the big refresh!

But not so fast... solution providers tell me they are still reluctant to put their reputations on the line for Vista."

Of course, the third time's usually the charm for Microsoft.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:24 AM, March 17, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Ozzie Pledges Prudence On Yahoo!

One of Microsoft's best hopes for making a Yahoo acquisition work is their chief software architect, Ray Ozzie. He understands that they've got their work cut out for them:

"Ozzie said Microsoft should be very cautious of integrating technologies with a merger. 'Technology companies, if they dive in and just smash things together for smashing them together's sake, it's reckless, it's just simply reckless,' Ozzie told the Financial Times."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:48 AM, March 11, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Phishing As A Service, Part II

Now you no longer need an in with the international Storm syndicate to outsource your phishing attacks. On InformationWeek, George Hulme reports on a DIY phishing service:

"The service automatically generates text for the phishing emails that target various Web mail and social networks, including Facebook, Hi5, Orkut, and others...

While this is more of a novelty, and reminiscent of the old-time virus construction kits from the early 1990s, it reveals how heavily social networks will be targeted going forward."

Hulme predicts a significant attack through the social networks. I still think it's coming from instant messaging.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:15 PM, January 29, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Mapping Upgrades From Apple, Google

Ed Moltzen writes about the lastest iPhone software update, which provides rough location services on the non-GPS-enabled iPhone:

"Using its Google Maps feature, the iPhone triangulates your nearest cell phone towers and reports the data back to the mapping application, which gives you an idea, generally, of where you are."

Speaking of Google Maps, Lifehacker reports on new functionality Google has dropped into it's popular Maps application:

"Head to Google Maps, click the My Maps tab, and select The Weather Channel from the list of maps. You can turn on different overlays (like clouds and radar) and highlight different points of interest. My Maps has lots of other worthwhile featured content, like Gas Prices from GasBuddy, Google Real Estate Search, and geotagged photos from Picasa Web Albums."

Location services are (pardon the pun), where it's at. (See my earlier post on Google's Street View.) It's wise for the smart solution provider to get to know their latitude from their longitude.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:58 PM, January 16, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Anticipating MacWorld Surprises

With CES now in our rear-view mirror, attention turns this week to MacWorld, and particularly Steve Jobs' keynote Tuesday morning. Jennifer Lawinski anticipates some surprises:

"In a confusing and unprecedented move just a few days ago, Apple brought out its next generation Mac Pro and Xserve server products, updated with Intel (NSDQ:INTC) Core Duo processors that can bring users up to eight cores of computing power, leaving some to speculate that the move was made to free up Jobs to talk about other things."

Over on Information Week, Mitch Wanger looks at MacWorld possibilities in the areas of virtualization solutions and third-party offerings (including Microsoft Office)., while John Welch looks at possibilities in the iPhone and laptop direction.

Could you trade Apple stock based on anticipation of Jobs' keynote? Barry Ritholtz looks at the track record.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:10 AM, January 14, 2008
Permalink | Comments

Hackers Explore Instant Messaging

As a business tool, I've never been a big fan of instant messaging (as I said two years ago). Even worse, it's a burgeoning opportunity for hackers:

"Unlike the simple viruses of years past, the IM threats in the last 12 months have evolved into multi-staged attacks that have the potential to cause significant harm to users' PCs, experts say.

'(This kind of attack) doesn't seem to be a fad,' said Don Montgomery, vice president of marketing at Akonix Systems, which uncovered the recent attacks. 'IM is more popular. And IM is more popular at work. Hackers have a motivation to get into a corporate network, as opposed to when IM was mainly used by individuals at home.'"

We'll see a big IM-based breach this year...

Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:32 PM, January 9, 2008
Permalink | Comments

No Juicing--The World Series Of Linux

Ed Moltzen introduces the Test Center's World Series of Linux:

"Linux developers have delivered technology to the market that is sound, that is simple and that can do the basic work people need to get done... A viable alternative to Windows or Apple on the desktop has now arrived."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:54 PM, December 14, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Java Developers Take On Apple

We've been keeping an eye on the unexpectedly cool relationship between Apple and the Java development community lately. Ed Moltzen writes that if Apple's reluctant to support new Java releases in OS X, Java developers will take on the job themselves:

"Landon Fuller, a developer who has announced the first Developer Preview Release of an open-source port of Java 6 to Mac OS X, including support for Leopard. Fuller told Javalobby.org, 'Additionally, this is the first step towards adding Mac OS X support to OpenJDK. It's my hope to see Java 7, via OpenJDK, available for Mac OS X at the same time as Solaris, Linux, and Windows.'"

Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:56 AM, November 27, 2007
Permalink | Comments

You Can Never Be Too Thin Or Too Virtual

Can a virtualized desktop system match the experience of a 'real' PC? Mario Morejon sets up a virtual environment using VMware's Virtual Infrastructure Server in our newest TechBuilder recipe:

"The full desktop experience has never been fully captured within server-based computing. Virtualized desktops do a better job at making users feel that they are in a more normal environment and users have more control over work environments"

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:11 AM, November 19, 2007
Permalink | Comments

It's A Walk-Off: Leopard vs. Vista

Though it may lack the sheer cringe-inducing glory of the Ben Stiller-Owen Wilson "Walk-Off" in Zoolander, the Test Center's evaluation of Microsoft's Vista and Apple's Leopard does detail each of the most important features of the new operating systems, and puts in perspective just what solution providers will need to know to support their clients:

"Just as Vista was a substantial upgrade to previous Windows operating systems, Leopard is a major alteration to the Mac OS. Like Vista, it includes updates to the integrated applications and attempts to improve its security features.

Engineers were enthusiastic about Leopard's sheer number of features and ability to do things in fewer dialog boxes than Vista. Where there were gaps between Windows and OS X, such as in networking, Leopard has closed them, and where previous versions of OS X did something well, Leopard has jumped ahead..."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:31 AM, November 7, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Make Friends With SAM

In the Test Center, Mario Morejon has been working with Express Metrix 8.0, a tool to enhance Software Asset Management capabilities in small and mid-sized businesses:

"Tools such as Express Metrix 8.0 guarantee companies will meet compliance requirements and help them make the most efficient use of their software dollars...

One of the biggest challenges for asset management tools today is how to provide the correct information on migrating to different environments. For instance, what does a solution provider needs to know when recommending a migration to Vista?... What software upgrades can run on Vista? Customers want to know what incompatibilities exist before taking large steps."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:38 AM, October 30, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Java And Apple: Can This Breakfast Be Saved?

Ed Moltzen reports on disharmony between two of the world's premier (non-Windows) technology platforms:

"James Gosling, the Sun Microsystems developer often referred to as "The Father of Java," writes that he has given up using Apple's Macintosh OS... Is turnabout fair play?"

Ed asks if anyone remembers when the possible purchase of Apple by Sun was considered Apple's last chance. I remember. Instead they got Jobs back, and then launched the iPod. The rest is history...

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:14 AM, October 17, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Google In Microsoft, IBM's Sights

Speaking of Ed Moltzen, he's got the story of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer smack at Google's, well, entire existence:

"'Google's had the same experience, even though they read your mail and we don't,' Ballmer said, to chuckles and and a couple of gasps in the audience. 'That's just a factual statement, not even to be pejorative. The theory was if we read your mail, if somebody read your mail, they would know what to talk to you about. It's not working out as brilliantly as the concept was laid out.'"

He may as well have added, "Just sayin..."

Meanwhile, the folks at IBM have had their own "Just sayin..." moment, declaring at yesterday's XChange TechInnovators event, "Our Search Technology Is Better Than Google's".

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:06 AM, October 9, 2007
Permalink | Comments

As SCO Burns Down, Channel Partners Feel The Heat

Stacey Cowley looks at the staggeringly ironic situation SCO now finds itself in, in the wake of a U.S. District Court judge's decision that Novell still owns the Unix copyrights SCO has been collecting fees on:

"It also, ironically, left SCO needing protection from the financial consequences of its own lawsuits. Since the Utah court ruled that Novell owned the Unix copyrights, it also determined that Novell was entitled to a share of royalties SCO has earned from licensing those copyrights. Novell and SCO were slated to begin trial yesterday to determine the amount SCO would need to fork over, but SCO's last-minute bankruptcy filing prompted a postponement of the Novell trial."

Unfortunately, SCO VARs, (one of the company's "most valuable assets") can do little but watch in dismay:

"VARs who partner with SCO are left wondering about the fate of the company and its product line. PC-Pros Inc. in Port Washington, N.Y., has been working with OpenServer Unix for decades, dating back to its '80s origins as Xenix. The rock-solid operating system is popular with legacy clients, according to President Mark Schneider.

'We're definitely concerned," Schneider said. "It's a significant portion of our business, and we'd like it to continue.'"

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:48 AM, September 19, 2007
Permalink | Comments

SCO Files For Bankruptcy

News here. Over at Slashdot, they're popping the corks

Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:27 PM, September 14, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Top Tools For Linux Admins

Deploying and maintaining Linux servers and PCs calls for a different set of tools than those needed on the Windows side. Fahmida Rashid runs down 10 Must-Have Linux Tools in the latest TechBuilder recipe.

"Whether it's diagnosing a troublesome system, deploying a new device or managing a complicated environment, what's in a solution provider's Linux toolbox can make the difference for tasks that would otherwise be labor-intensive and mind-numbing."

You'll find some of my favorites--including Perl and Grep--along with a suite of networking and administrative aids. Most will run on Mac OS X, as well.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:52 AM, August 20, 2007
Permalink | Comments

SCO vs. Linux: More Over Than Ever

People haven't been losing much sleep over this for awhile, but you may be interested to hear:

"On Friday, Utah federal court judge Dale Kimball rejected SCO's claim that an earlier deal with Novell gave the company full ownership rights over Unix. The ruling effectively gutted a lawsuit that SCO filed against Novell in 2004.

Kimball ruled that Novell owns Unix."

To take your mind back to the halcyon days of SCO's legal attack on the Linux community, see our 2003 interview with SCO CEO Darl McBride. Here he is talking about the company's suit against IBM:

"Our case is up to $3 billion--they'd have to come up from a few hundred million dollars to settle. Every month we keep finding more and more [Linux code that violates our Unix System contract]. We'd want a settlement and royalty [on Linux] going forward."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 02:55 PM, August 13, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Put The Cork Back On Vista

In our newest TechBuilder recipe, Frank Ohlhorst spells out the smart way to 'downgrade' a new PC for customers that prefer Windows XP:

"While Vista comes pre-installed on new systems, many customers don't want it... That leaves integrators with unenviable task of ripping Vista off of new systems and replacing it with the customer's operating system of choice, in most cases Windows XP."

The main trick: formatting is not step one. Start by saving Vista for when you'll need it.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 03:12 PM, August 6, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Rip and Replace Vista?

Ed Moltzen and Steven Burke report that many system builders and solution providers are refusing to ship out Vista-loaded PCs:

"'We are ripping it off systems 99 percent of the time,' said Jay Tipton, vice president of Technology Specialists, a Fort Wayne, Ind., Microsoft Gold partner. 'There are too many issues, especially in the medical vertical market. It hasn't been tested with any of the medical software out there. I'm not willing to make my client a beta site to find Microsoft bugs.'"

These things will happen with any major upgrade. Still, if the security features were more secure, VARs would find a way to make it work.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:09 AM, July 9, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Vista Security Underwhelms

The CRN Test Center buries the idea that Windows Vista is much more secure than Windows XP:

"In the end, both the Vista and the XP test notebooks were almost equally damaged by viruses, trojans and other malware. And because most of the Web sites [used in our] test were able to exploit Vista's weaknesses, Internet users are just about equally vulnerable with both OSes."

As I've noted here and here, improved security could have been the driver of much Vista adotion. But as we've seen here and here, people just don't feel the urge to upgrade. So when will people move to Vista? When they buy a new computer that already has it installed. Get comfortable seeing XP in your organizations for a long time...

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:33 AM, May 30, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Microsoft and Linux: Don't Bet On The End of the World

Could Microsoft sue Linux companies, even Linux customers, for copyright infringement? They just might, according to senior Microsoft executives interviewed in Fortune last week:

"Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith and licensing chief Horacio Gutierrez sat down with Fortune recently to map out their strategy for getting FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) users to pay royalties. Revealing the precise figure for the first time, they state that FOSS infringes on no fewer than 235 Microsoft patents."

Continue reading "Microsoft and Linux: Don't Bet On The End of the World"

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:58 AM, May 24, 2007
Permalink | Comments

NASA: No Vista This Year

Other agencies were off the bandwagon first, but Information Week reports:

"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the latest federal agency to put a hold on PC upgrades to Windows Vista. NASA has decided against deploying Microsoft's five-month-old operating system anytime this year... NASA has set January 2008 as a "target" for beginning the transition from Windows XP to Vista, according to a spokesman for the federal agency, which has approximately 60,000 Windows PCs. "

It will all come down to security...

Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:18 PM, April 30, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Bloat My PC!

Is there just too much junk on new PC hard drives? Yes, according to Barbara Darrow:

"PC makers and their software buddies are preloading lots of software you didn't ask for and don't want. A new PC is often a morass of "freeware" and craplets that nobody but nobody asked for."

Darrow sees a huge opportunity for white box builders. And also for Apple.

Apple completely agrees. Their latest "I'm a Mac..." commercial takes bloated PC systems head-on.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:04 AM, April 18, 2007
Permalink | Comments

The Case Against Vista

Appalachian Computer Systems' David Gilbert says thanks but no thanks to Microsoft Vista in today's TechBuilder recipe:

"A large-scale roll-out of Vista systems by a small system builder—especially if attempted without adequate planning—could be a profit-eating monster. Not just once, but repeatedly over time as new issues are potentially uncovered by customers' usage habits."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:24 AM, March 26, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Pre-Installed Linux: Chicken and Eggs Everywhere

Vocal end-users clamor for Linux-PCs. Vendors ask if the market will be big enough to be worthwhile. What happens next?

While Dell and HP both more closer to offering pre-installed versions of Linux on their PC's, one Linux luminary says the Linux community can take some steps to ease the path. Ed Moltzen reports:

"Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, responded to the groundswell of interest in pre-installed Linux on PCs by suggesting the Open Source community take it easier on computer makers who would try to give the people what they want."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:24 AM, March 15, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Vista Dissed By NIST

That's gotta sting:

"The influential National Institute of Standards and Technology has banned the software maker's Windows Vista operating system from its internal computing networks...
Word of NIST's Windows Vista ban comes a week after InformationWeek revealed that the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration have both imposed similar blackouts on the operating system, as well as on Microsoft Office 2007 and Internet Explorer 7."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:54 AM, March 13, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Big-Name Linux PCs: No Years And Counting

It's an idea whose time has come: a major PC vendor offers a pre-installed Linux distro option. But no. Ed Moltzen breaks it down:

"Bottom line: No major OEMs offer Linux as a factory pre-load on PCs, and none have, in the pipeline, any kind of commitment to do so. And the next time you hear an executive of an OEM talk about it, stop them in their tracks and ask him or her to spell out precisely what they mean."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:24 PM, February 28, 2007
Permalink | Comments

The Penguin Roars At Dell

Ed Moltzen has his eye on Dell Ideastorm, a site built by Dell to generate ideas for new products. It's working.

"The runaway favorite idea so far: Having Dell pre-install Linux on their PCs... Just weeks after Microsoft launched Vista, no fewer than 71,000 people are telling Dell, the world's Number 2 PC maker, they want "no Windows" solutions."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:18 PM, February 23, 2007
Permalink | Comments

The Real Deal On Vista Adoption

We've reported anecdotal evidence about slow Vista adoption, and even Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has acknowledged that perhaps Vista sales estimates were "too aggressive". In response, Chairman Bill Gates added that Vista has provided PC sellers with a "very nice lift".

But speculate no further. CRN's Vista Adoption Study interviewed over 400 solution providers and enterprise IT buyers. The results show that pickup of the new OS will indeed take a long time:

"Only 16 percent of enterprise IT buyers expect to adopt Vista in the second half of the year, compared with 33 percent in the SMB, survey respondents said. And in the first half of 2008, only 18 percent of enterprise IT buyers said they would be adopting Vista vs. 29 percent in the SMB."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:54 PM, February 21, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Cross-Platform Nirvana: VMware Server

PC virtualization promises users a vast array of benefits: access to applications regardless of platform; ease of building and running test environments and customized configurations of software and settings; and much improved security against malware and viruses. VMware is an undisputed leaders in the virtualization space, and in this week's TechBuilder recipe Run Windows and Linux on a Single System, A. Lizard demonstrates how to configure VMware Server for the best performance:

"The Linux OS emulation described in this Recipe lets users run older legacy Windows applications within a virtual machine that's a lot more malware-resistant than a computer running Windows as its only OS. This emulation also lets users run the new Linux applications, many of which are as good or better than their Windows equivalents. Oh, and did I mention that they can run Windows and Linux applications at the same time?"

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:50 AM, February 12, 2007
Permalink | Comments

DoS Attack

The pieces have been picked up from Tuesday's denial of service (DoS) attack on the Internet's core DNS servers, and overall, experts are pretty pleased with the system's resiliency:

Continue reading "DoS Attack"

Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:33 PM, February 8, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Vista Adoption: The Customer Side

Network Computing's newsletter this morning (can't find a web link) opened with this anecdote from the pub's recent Network Access Control Forum:

"Last week, over 100 IT execs in a room at NWC's NAC Forum were asked about their Microsoft Vista deployment plans. Within the next six months? No hands went up. Within the next 12 months? Just a few. Within the next 18 months? Now the hands started to go up. "After the first service pack," someone volunteered from the audience."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:25 PM, January 31, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Server Virtualization for System Builders

Today's TechBuilder recipe is one I've been looking forward to for a month - David Gilbert provides step-by-step instructions for using Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 to run multiple instances of Windows and Linux on the same machine. The benefits are many, including:

"Virtualized servers can save customers a lot of money, and system builders can take credit for streamlining their customers' IT infrastructure. This should win more business opportunities in the long run. It should also reduce potential service calls by putting less hardware into the field to run the same applications."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:31 AM, January 22, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Migrate Your Apps and Data to Vista

I recently purchased a new Mac Mini, and the setup process seamlessly stepped me though plugging in my old iBook, and transferred my data, settings and applications from the old system to the new one. When upgrading to Microsoft Vista, it won't be that easy.
But our latest TechBuilder recipe, Data Migration to Vista Made Easy is here to help:

"Data migration is a voodoo science. Ask 10 system builders how they transfer their clients' data, and you'll probably get at least five different answers... But with only one exception, most PC file-transfer applications neglect one of the most important considerations of any old-new migration: the ability to transfer entire applications from an old system to a new one."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:54 PM, January 2, 2007
Permalink | Comments

Freespire and Linspire At Your Service

In November's CRN Test Center review 3 Linux Desktops Put To The Test, the Linspire OS scored high marks for it's channel-friendly solution provider program and it's Windows-like user experience. In today's TechBuilder recipe, A. Lizard goes into detail on installing and running Linspire and it's cousin, Freespire, enhancing their multimedia and networking features and adding in key applications through Freespire's CNR (Click aNd Run) capabilities.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:16 AM, December 11, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Linux For Kids

Over on The Chart, Ed Moltzen finds some early adopters:

""So Dad," he asked. "What is the difference between Linux and Windows?" I tried to explain but it was a waste of breath. "What difference do you see?" I asked back.

"Nothing, really.""

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:06 AM, December 5, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Get Down To Business With Vista And Office

With the launch behind us, Vista and Office '07 will quickly define what users expect from their computing experience and need from their solution providers. Heather Clancy predicts things will be busy:

"I do believe Vista's debut last week will be like the product launches of yore in that it's a great dialogue starter for your sales team. Which means 2007 will be awful, awful busy, and that you need to coach your staff both on how to handle objections and how to tout the business innovations made possible by the Vista-Office 2007 combination."

But if customers are getting email, calendering, word processing and spreadsheets for free over the web, do Vista and Office matter? Barbara Darrow has her eye on:

"Microsoft's continuing balancing act between the traditional Office/Vista delivery model relying on big-bang software sales vs. software as a service (SaaS), the delivery model pioneered by Google and representing the latest threat to Microsoft's traditional model."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:57 AM, December 4, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Vista Day

Microsoft's next-generation desktop OS is, at last, available to business customers. On Unblog, Barbara Darrow sees a different rabbit in Microsoft's hat:

"A completely non-scientific survey of Microsoft partners indicates--at least to me-- that interest is higher in the new Office 2007 slate of products than in Vista itself. Maybe that's because Office 2007 is simply not as late as Vista and the team hasn't had to pull back on as many promises as the new Windows client. Office is hitting its 36- to 48-month release cycle pretty much right on."

UPDATE: Barbara Darrow back from the launch:

"Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was typically ebullient, expecting Vista take-up to be faster, stronger than that for Windows XP...
Up front he addressed the biggest looming-if-unasked question: "It's great to be here. I probably should say it's great to finally be here but that's all I'll say on the past," he noted. "

UPDATE: Dan Saffer, at Adaptive Path (a San-Francisco-based web design firm), raves about the new Office:

"I have been looking over the changes that have taken place in MS Office 2007, and all I can say is, wow. Office 2007 just might be the best interaction design to ever come out of Microsoft, and it’s certainly the most significant upgrade to a major suite of applications since, well, probably ever."

UPDATE: CRN Test Center's Frank Ohlhorst's is less taken with Vista, particularly the issue that may make or break it--security:

"What is the compelling reason to upgrade? Some may say it's security. But to me, most of the security enhancements stem from end-user interaction via User Access Control (UAC) -- in other words, ask the user if it's OK to do something. That's not a security improvement; it's just a way to shift the blame from poor code execution to the end user. After all, most end users will probably click "OK" without even reading the warning text."

Meanwhile, Gizmodo doesn't like the first Vista commercial.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:26 AM, November 30, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Countdown To Vista

Alexander Wolfe looks at the final beta build of Window Vista, due out November 30th.

"Windows Vista RTM is far more solid than both this summer's Beta 2 and the almost-but-not-quite-buttoned-down RC2 version released earlier this fall."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:21 AM, November 27, 2006
Permalink | Comments

TechBuilder Tests SLED10

TechBuilder's A. Lizard evaluates SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop version 10 from a system builder perspective:

"The real problem with the "enterprise distributions" like this one, at least from the viewpoint of a white box builder, is that they're intended for companies big enough to have their own internal Linux support capabilities."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:26 AM, November 6, 2006
Permalink | Comments

November Surprise: Microsoft-Novell Deal

Paula Rooney looks at the the details. Technical:

"The companies agreed to improve interoperability by enhancing and optimizing performance of Linux workloads on Microsoft's virtualization platform and conversely, virtualized Windows workloads that run on SUSE Linux Enterprise 10's Xen-based virtual platform.
But additionally, the two pledged to collaborate on Web service management and develop solutions that will help customers more easily manage, automate and provision distributed applications and virtualized workloads in mixed Windows-Linux sites."

Legal:

"(The) far reaching pact... contains a new "patent covenant" that will free their mutual customers from potential legal liabilities when deploying joint Windows-Linux solutions."

Continue reading "November Surprise: Microsoft-Novell Deal"

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:03 AM, November 3, 2006
Permalink | Comments

The Great Big Vista Launch Event

Microsoft has kept this pretty well under wraps, considering, but Barbara Darrow has the details:

"The gala Vista/Office 2007/Exchange 2007/Sharepoint 2007 launch event will be at New Yorks' Marriott Marquis on November 30. Nothing like a good Times Square event on T-Day Plus 7."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:06 AM, October 31, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Apple Ascendant, Part 2

Apple, which last week announced record sales of Macintosh computers the previous quarter, this week upgraded it's line of MacBook Pro laptops to use the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. This catches them up with most other laptop manufacturers, in terms of processor, but allows Apple to once again push it's softer advantages over Windows PCs.

One Gartner analyst says Apple has the capacity to "grab 10, 15 or possibly 20 percent of the consumer computer market", if it partners correctly. The analyst, Mark Stahlman, suggests Dell. Our Robert Faletra looks in a different direction and says the right answer is the channel.

"With the superiority of the Apple operating system and an increase in the availability of critical applications offered as a service, the company has an opportunity to make its mark. Apple's pullback from the channel in the 1990s was a result of its declining market share, which was really caused by the compatibility problems of the day. Today, Apple has the resources to get serious about the channel again."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 01:52 PM, October 25, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Web-Based RSS Readers

TechWeb has just released a review of three web-based RSS readers. I'm a big RSS fan, and we've seen interest in our RSS feeds growing steadily all year. The three web-based readers reviewed here all allow anyone to dive into RSS without installing software. (They're also all great ways to access your feeds from anywhere.)

I use Bloglines every day myself (enough that I gave it a button over on the right side of the blog), have tried out Google reader, and know people that are big fans of Newsgator. Give one a try!

UPDATE: Okay, we'll add a NewsGator button on the right as well! And here, too!

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:41 AM, October 24, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Apple Ascendent

Apple Computer, so often counted out of the PC game over the last two decades, once again confounds its critics:

"Apple sold 1.61 million Macs during its 2006 fourth fiscal quarter, breaking its previous quarterly record of 1.38 million Macs sold, in the first fiscal quarter of 2000. The company sold 8.72 million iPods during the fourth quarter. That represents 30% growth in Mac sales and 35% growth in iPod sales over the same period last year. "

"A CIO at a large U.S. university, who requested anonymity, says that the percentage of incoming freshmen using Macs at his college increased from 11% in 2005 to 25% this year, reversing years of decline. "

Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:17 PM, October 19, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Vista Countdown

Well, write it in pen this time. Microsoft has reiterated its November launch date for Vista to volume license business customers. All that waiting, and now time's nearly run out to get ready! Get current with these links:

TechWeb's Alex Wolfe tests out Vista RC2 and likes what he sees:

"Vista's GUI continues to improve. It certainly is pretty. More importantly, when one compares RC2 to RC1 and previous betas, Microsoft is clearly making intelligent tweaks to the interface. There's a subjective sense that the UI has settled down, and that changes to color, shape, transparency, and position have been done from a solid human-factors perspective rather than by some programmer run amok."

The CRN Test Center examines the Top 5 Vista Features For VARs, including it's security features, performance improvements, and bundled apps.

Microsoft claims 250 products are already certified for Vista, and Viewsonic promises their's will be too. But don't miss the updates on Microsoft's tightened licensing requirements for Vista use.

And keep an eye on our Windows News Center for all the latest.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:40 AM, October 13, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Vista RC2 Arrives

Microsoft Vista Release Candidate 2 went out to testers Friday, and represents the last milestone before the new OS goes to manufacturing for release to corporate customers by the end of the year. CRN examines the issues solution providers will face regarding the
Microsoft Software Protection Platform:

"The Microsoft Software Protection Platform, unveiled formally on Wednesday, requires that all customers —consumers who buy PCs and business customers with volume licensing agreements — activate their Windows Vista and Windows Longhorn Server licenses with Microsoft and prove that they have a genuine copy of Windows client or server running — or face punishment."

"Visual Studio 2005 will run on Vista, but with glitches and breaks requiring workarounds... Meanwhile, Microsoft officially put the kibosh on support for Visual Studio .Net 2002 or Visual Studio .Net 2003 on Vista."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:47 AM, October 9, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Latest Internet Explorer Exploit

Sounds like a bad one:

" An unpatched vulnerability in all editions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser is being exploited, security researchers said Tuesday, with the attack dumping a broad range of adware, spyware, and Trojans onto PCs whose users simply surf to an infected or malicious site."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 05:22 PM, September 19, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Channel Chatter: Defending The Penguin

ChannelWeb members take exception to Frank Ohlhorst's column on whether Linux is ready for the corporate desktop. Some comments (you'll find the full postings at the bottom of Frank's column):

"I would argue that your comments about Linux's names being non-obvious or "cute" is due to your lack of familiarity with the OS."
...
"Tux is the perfect mascot, and the bemused look that he wears projects at least a semblance of personality. Can we say the same of the Apple or the butterfly? I think not."
...
"Everyone who knows anything about Linux systems would call that renaming useless, if not insane. KDE already does something like this, it displays descriptions for each program in brackets, near the original name of the program."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:30 PM, September 11, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Put The Penguin On Ice?

If Ask.com could get rid of Jeeves, can Linux thrive without the penguin? Frank Ohlhorst says Linux has a ways to go before it's taken seriously by the business desktop market:

"The "crafty" names of some Linux applications simply come across as immature to the business world. Now, I am well aware that part of the allure of Linux is the fun factor, but that is going to have to change before most businesses take the OS seriously for the desktop."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:16 PM, September 6, 2006
Permalink | Comments

The Top Free Linux For The Channel

The CRN Test Center tests out Ubuntu, OpenSuse and Freespire to find the best free Linux distribution that offers solution providers opportunities to add value for their customers.

"Test Center engineers focused on what aspects of a Linux desktop would most benefit system builders, including installation, setup, support, feature set and usability."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:58 AM, August 24, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Linux: The Profitable Specialty?

Lots of VARs think so, according to this study on Linux solution provider profitability by CMP Technology's Institute for Partner Educations and Development:

"There is a perfect correlation between the percentage of Linux-based solutions sold and the relative profitability of those solutions," said Rick Vieth, senior practice manager at IPED, a division of CMP Technology, the Manhasset, N.Y.-based publisher of CRN. "The more experience they have with Linux and the greater percentage of Linux in their business, the more profitable they are."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:53 AM, August 17, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Boost Your XP Performance Today

The latest TechBuilder recipe covers 11 techniques you can use today to clean-up and speed up your own or your customers' XP systems, along with five free third party tuneup tools.

"If a client complains that their system's performance has taken a sudden hit, or that stability has suddenly become an issue, you're probably looking at a hacked machine, virus attack, or failing hardware. In all three cases, a repair job is in order. But if a client complains about an older model PC that simply won't run as fast as it used to, that probably means the time has come for a tune-up. That's where this Recipe comes in."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:45 AM, August 14, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Get Patching

This Windows vulnerability sounds like bad news.

"The bug in question is one of 23 patched Tuesday by Microsoft, and one of 16 tagged by the Redmond, Wash. software developer as "critical." It affects all currently-supported versions of Windows, can be exploited without end users lifting a finger, and in some experts' eyes, rivals the bug that led to 2003's destructive MSBlast attack."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:37 AM, August 11, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Prepare Now for Vista PC Builds

You know Vista PC's will need plenty of memory and fast graphics, but there's more to preparing for the Vista launch. You'll need to help customers choose among five Vista Editions; work though the Upgrade Advisor; and explain how Microsoft has lowballed those hardware requirements. Our latest TechBuilder recipe: What Will You Need For Vista? will get you on your way.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:31 AM, August 7, 2006
Permalink | Comments

The Vista Mistake

There's a lesson here, regarding biting off vs. chewing, that everyone can learn from. Steve Ballmer:

"We made an upfront decision that was, I'll say, incredibly strategic and brilliant and wise -- and was not implementable," Ballmer said [to financial analysts last week]. "We tried to incubate too many new innovations and integrate them simultaneously, as opposed to letting them bake and then integrating them, which is essentially where we wound up."

UPDATE: Lawrence Walsh weighs in:

"Let's be frank, Microsoft had no choice in taking on more than it could chew. When it took the wraps off Longhorn in 2002, it was on the eve of launching Windows Server 2003 and losing a battle of attrition with malware writers and hackers around the world. End users were going crazy -- and broke -- trying to keep up with the constant barrage of patches for Windows NT, 98/SE and 2000; bug hunters -- people who search for application vulnerabilities -- were making mincemeat out of the newly released Windows XP. The chief security officer of a top 10 bank relayed to me a conversation she had with Bill Gates: "Either you fix this or we're going to find a replacement.""

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:25 AM, August 1, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Linux Letters

CRN has published a rich collections of emails in response to Frank Ohlhorst's column, "A Linux OS For All," which asked what it would take to grow Linux's market share among enterprise users. Frank responsds at the end:

"With encouragement from the channel, the purveyors of commercial Linux distributions will get it right, but time is running out and Microsoft's Vista is right around the corner."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:57 AM, July 31, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Macs: The Low Price Leader?

No, but it's getting harder to tell. Ed Moltzen looks at Apple's 'eye-popping' price cuts over the last two years:

"This begins to provide a glimpse at how Apple has begun to disrupt the desktop space. It also begins to explain how, after years of tepid growth, Apple is now seeing its U.S. desktop business grow by more than 15 percent, while Dell's desktop business in the U.S. is growing by a little more than 6 percent."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 08:06 AM, July 27, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Macs Secure Against All But Apple

No big surprise here:

"Macs aren't immune to vulnerabilities, he added, but exploits continue to be rare against Apple's operating system. Even the February disclosure of the first-even "zero-day" flaw in Mac OS X wasn't enough to galvanize hackers."

"Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac OS X has joined rival Windows in "phoning home" to distant servers without users' permission, a Mac developer claimed earlier this week."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 07:11 AM, July 6, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Windows On Linux-Upgrade To Fedora Core 3

For running Windows applications on a Linux desktop, Red Hat's Fedora Core is one of your best options. Over on Techbuilder, thye've posted the second part of a recipe on upgrading your Linux to run Fedora Core 3, and take advantage of the improved Windows support.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 10:22 AM, July 5, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Vista Vs. SUSE

The CRN Test Center pits the pre-release version of Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 against Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2, and rates the two OSes on installation, features, user and administrator experience, networking, security and add-ons:

"Dave Morrill, Co-CEO of Assured Computing Technologies, a Bedford, N.H.-based system builder and solution provider, said he doesn't believe wide-scale migration from Microsoft to Linux will happen immediately, and customers who don't want to spring for Vista may simply stick with Windows XP rather than switch. However, Morrill said, once Microsoft stops supporting XP, it could be a different story."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:48 AM, June 12, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Two Views of Vista b2

Two reviews of the new Windows Vista Beta 2. On TechWeb, Preston Gralla evaluates the improvements in the feature set of Vista since the last build:

"The much-ballyhooed search feature is turned on for the first time, and it's just about everything that Microsoft promised. The universally disliked User Account Control (UAC) has received significant work, and is finally usable, helping to lead the way to a more secure operating system. And overall, there's a better organization and "fit and finish" to this beta than previous Vista versions."

"While beta 2 has made significant improvements, Vista is still a little rough around the edges when it comes to hardware support and driver compatibility. Those issues became evident as Test Center engineers installed Vista on several test systems."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 04:39 PM, May 25, 2006
Permalink | Comments

The Summer Of Desktop Linux

Heather Clancy detects a groundswell:

"With its history with the VAR channel, this could be Novell's chance to change the dialogue. You'll also be hearing plenty in the next month from Xandros, which is prepping the launch of its consumer desktop in mid-June (to be followed in September by the business edition) and Red Hat, which has desktop aspirations of its own plus an ambition to connect with VARs and other solution providers aside from its traditional ISV supporters."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 06:55 AM, May 25, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Mac Storm At Tidal Waves

Over on Tidal Waves, Lawrence Walsh is hearing from Mac OS fans unhappy with his post on Mac OS X's growing appeal and vulnerability to hackers.

"Since Mac has only held 3 to 5 percent of the PC deployment base, I maintain--as I stated in my previous writings--that the lack of attacks is more a reflection of the small target surface than the OS' being impervious."

Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:55 AM, May 17, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Linux's Vista Opportunity

Robert Faletra warns that your customers will soon need advice on whether to upgrade to Vista or consider switching to Linux, and that you'd better be prepared to answer:

"As a solution provider, your first loyalty is to your customer. Even if you are not a Linux fan, you need to be ready for questions surrounding this issue. There’s nothing wrong with believing strongly in either environment, but your credibility may be on the line if you haven’t considered the pros and cons of the alternative"

Posted by Joe Caponi at 12:10 PM, May 15, 2006
Permalink | Comments

More Boot Camp

The full story: Apple Offers Tool To Let Intel Macs Run Windows XP; some solution provider reaction: VARs Mull Windows On Mac Attack; a CRN Test Center look at a tool, Parallels, that Runs Windows, Solaris, Linux On Mactel Platform; and over on Macintouch.com, First-Hand Boot Camp reports.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:10 AM, April 6, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Boot Camp

Speaking of Apple, the company has released beta software enabling Windows XP and XP applications to run on the new Intel-based Macs. Much more later.

Posted by Joe Caponi at 09:55 AM, April 5, 2006
Permalink | Comments

Hot Topics

BlogRoll

The Big Picture
bMighty Blog
Channel Wire
The Chart
Digital Download
MacInTouch
Small Biz Resource
The Speculist

Feed

Subscribe To This Feed
More Newsfeeds Information

Archives By Categories

Archives By Date

May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005

Recent Entries

• Can You Hear Me Now? Not With Vista Audio
• Could Microsoft 'Blink' On Vista?
• Windows XP's Long Goodbye
• Microsoft Albany - Office By Subscription?
• Will It Run Vista? That Depends On Your Definition of 'Capable'
• Vista SP1 Arrives
• Vista's Second Chance
• Ozzie Pledges Prudence On Yahoo!
• Phishing As A Service, Part II
• Mapping Upgrades From Apple, Google

Powered by:

Movable Type 3.14