Latest News
Maybe Apple's Ads are Correct
10/26/2009 -
In some recent blog posts it seems that Windows 7 is
not perfect and maybe closser to what Apple says in its most recent add
campaign.
 Microsoft is offering students
the option of buying a downloadable upgrade version of Windows 7 for $29--a
significant savings off the full boxed copy of the new operating system.
However, a number of students have reported problems when trying to download and
install the new version of Windows.
In a blog posting, Microsoft says it is aware of
several issues that folks have encountered. Most common is the fact that folks
can't easily go from the 32-bit version of Vista to the 64-bit version of
Windows 7. That requires a clean installation.
Those in that camp can either get a refund or
contact Digital River, the company managing the digital downloads, to try to get
a disc with the operating system.
In addition to that issue, Microsoft notes that it
is investigating two other errors that folks have been encountering. For some
folks, the download hangs at a certain percentage and won't continue or resume.
"This appears to be a series of isolated issues
that are often related to the user's Internet provider or installed third-party
software," Microsoft said.
In other cases, users get a generic unspecified
error message. "While not widespread, this issue appears to be caused when one
of the downloaded files is incomplete or has become corrupted on the user's
computer." Students in that camp
should try re-downloading the operating system, Microsoft
said.
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more information
Many do not want net neutrality
10/17/2009 -
Almost fifty companies sent a letter to the FCC saying new
regulations could hinder the development of the
Internet.
"Until now, the innovators who are building the Internet and
creating the advancements in telemedicine, education and the vast array of other
online products and services have done so in an environment driven by
competition and innovation," said the letter, signed by Cisco Systems,
Alcatel-Lucent, Corning, Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia. "We believe government's
role in the Internet should be to support investment, jobs, and new
technologies, especially if they increase the opportunity for all Americans to
connect online."
 Instead, new Net neutrality rules could prohibit
broadband providers from offering advanced and well-managed networks, the
companies said.
"Public policy should encourage more investment to expand access to
the Internet, whether it is access through a cell phone, a laptop, a PC or any
new device that we have yet to imagine," the letter said. "If the FCC takes a
prescriptive approach to new regulations, then it could place itself in the
position of being the final arbiter of what products and services will be
allowed on the Internet."
With the explosion of technology
into every facet of the day-to-day business environment there is a need to
define an effective infrastructure to support operating environment; have a
strategy for the deployment and technology; and clearly define responsibilities
and accountabilities for the use and application of
technology.
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more information
Microsoft thinks it will create 5.8 millions job world wide
10/11/2009 -
 Microsoft Corp. forecasts the information technology (IT)
industry will create 5.8 million new jobs and more than 75,000 new businesses
over the next four years.
The
expected growth rate for IT employment of 3 percent a year is more than three
times the rate of growth of total employment and a strong indicator that
investing in IT will contribute to economic recovery and growth.
“In this fundamental economic reset, innovative technologies
will play a vital role in driving productivity gains and enabling the creation
of new local businesses and highly skilled jobs that fuel economic recovery and
support sustainable economic growth,” said the CEO of Microsoft. “Countries that
foster innovation and invest in infrastructure, education, and skills
development for their citizens will have a major competitive advantage in the
global marketplace.”
Microsoft
claims that about 14.9 million IT jobs worldwide are related to the business
activities of the Microsoft ecosystem (Windows based systems and applications),
an inter-dependent ecosystem of nearly 700,000 local companies that partner with
Microsoft as developers, distributors, retailers and service
providers.
National
and local communities particularly benefit from Microsoft partner-driven
business model, which creates jobs and spurs innovation. For every dollar of
revenue made by Microsoft, local partners around the world on average will make
$8.70 in 2009. Local partners will generate local revenues for themselves of
$537 billion in 2009.
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more information
BlackBerry lets iPhone take a leadership position
10/05/2009 -
 BlackBerry has ceded the leadership role in the smartphone market
to iPhone. No longer is the smartPhone the mark of the user being an executive or
business traveler. Today, SmartPhones are now bought mainly by individual
consumers and used for mostly personal needs.
The Apple iPhone has the best level of
customer satisfaction, at 83 percent. Google's Android platform and the Palm Pre
tied for second place at 77 percent, followed by the Research in Motion
BlackBerry at 73 percent, the "dead" Treo at 70 percent, and devices using
Nokia's Symbian OS and Microsoft's Windows Mobile coming in last at 66
percent.
Policies that cover the service level requirements are available from
Janco. Included with the policies are forms that can be used to facilitate
the implementation of the policy. Included are these ready to use forms:
- Internet & Electronic Communication Employee Acknowledgement
- E-Mail - Employee Acknowledgement
- Internet Use Approval Form
- Internet Access Request Form
- Security Access Application Form
 
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more information
Apple Adds A Glut of Software on Wiindows
09/30/2009 -
Apple is using its automatic update process to deliver
massive amounts of new software to users. And it is delivering this
massive payload without even a pretense of proper disclosure and without asking
consent from its users.
Apple is completely out of step with generally
accepted norms for delivering updates and new software to users with proper
consent . In the past 18 months, the only evidence Apple has shown that it is
capable of learning from its mistakes is that it decided to stop installing
Safari along with iTunes upgrades on Windows systems.
A program called Apple Software Update should not
push new programs on users. Not without getting their consent first.
iTunes 9 has now crossed the 100MB threshold?
ThatÂ’s a 25% increase in only one year.
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more information
Windows 7 upgrades Could Take Almost a Full Day
09/29/2009 -
Microsoft said that some "in-place" upgrades from
Windows Vista to the new Windows 7 may take some users over 20 hours to
complete.
The upgrade performance tests used
the metric of total upgrade time to gauge how Windows 7 upgrade
performed against Vista upgrade. The tests were designed to measure total
upgrade time simulating different user profiles (with different data set
sizes, number of programs installed and settings) against different
hardware profiles.
The best that users can hope for is a 1 hour and 24
minute process, said a member in the Windows deployment team, in a company blog
published.
So-called "clean" installs, where the user
overwrites an existing edition of Windows to end up with the OS, but no former
data or applications, take less time: from 27 to 46 minutes.
In-place upgrade times were obtained from lab
machines in three different configurations -- labeled low, mid-range and
high-end -- with three simulated users: a medium user, a heavy user and a super
user. The profiles differed in the amount of data and the number of applications
that were on the PC before the upgrade to Windows 7. The medium user
profile, for example, assumed 70GB of data and 20 applications; the super user
profile, on the other hand, contained 650GB of data and 40
applications.
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more information
Windows Mobile a poor product at best
09/25/2009 -
It's becoming obvious that Microsoft Corp.
officials, including CEO Steve Ballmer, wish Windows Mobile were a better mobile
operating system. Earlier this year, Ballmer told public sector CIOs that
Windows Mobile 6.5 (Version 6.5 is due out in October while version 7 is due
next year) was not "the full release we wanted to have this year." His comment
was made in response a question about how Microsoft planned to keep up with
phone rivals, such as iPhone and Android.
Attendees of Microsoft's Venture Capital Summit
reported via Twitter today that Ballmer said Microsoft "screwed up with Windows
Mobile" and changed the Windows Mobile team recently to try to recoup
losses.
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more information
New push for Windows 7
09/19/2009 -
Microsoft
started a new Windows 7 promotion that heavily discounts copies of Windows 7 for
college students, with the price nearly matching what Apple charges for its Snow
Leopard upgrade.
The offer
lets students with a valid university-provided e-mail address purchase either an
upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional for $29.99. Each
student can purchase one copy of either edition, which can be downloaded
starting on Oct. 22, Windows 7's official launch date.
Students in
the U.S. can place their pre-orders immediately through a Microsoft-sponsored
site, while those in the U.K. can plunk down their £30 starting Sept. 30, a
company representative said yesterday.
Students in
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Korea and Mexico are also eligible for the
discount, but will not be able to order until Oct. 22. Microsoft has not set
prices for those countries.
The
offer ends Jan. 3, 2010 in every market except for Australia, where it will run
until March 31, 2010, Microsoft confirmed Friday.
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more information
Another body blow to Windows Mobile
09/18/2009 -
Palm announced that it
will stop developing new phones running Windows Mobile software, instead
focusing future development on its new WebOS operating system.
The
news came as the struggling handset maker reported widening losses for the
quarter during which it started selling the new Palm Pre, the first device to
run WebOS.
Palm
has already signed contracts with additional operators to bring phones using
WebOS to new and existing markets. The Pre is scheduled to debut later this year
in Europe with Telefonica. The newest WebOS phone, the Pixi, will come out from
Sprint before the end of the year.
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more information
Infrstructure Key To CIO and IT Success
09/12/2009 -
Often, B2B initiatives were
driven by the need to comply with a certain mandate or meet specific operational
requirements, resulting in a piecemeal chain of systems and leaving
communication gaps within the supply chain. Therefore, many companies are
working with legacy
applications and silo solutions that are not interoperable. There is no easy
way to synchronize the data from each system to create a comprehensive view of
the supply chain. Silo tools create barriers to working within multiple formats
and standards, resulting in lost business, missed growth opportunities and
further eroding value.
Additionally, B2B technology itself has built-in
complexities arising from communication issues with AS2, AS3 and VAN mailboxes,
erroneous data exchange as well as trading partner connectivity problems. These
problems are commonplace and drain resources. In fact, according to a 2006 GS1
study, most businesses spend between $40 and $80 per error to resolve problems
with item data and invoicing data.
Furthermore, connectivity issues are
typically recurrent which creates a reactive environment, shifting focus from
core business operations toward lower impact issues, wasting time and creating
unnecessary productivity costs.
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more information
Is your PC infected?
09/10/2009 -
 There
are som common things to look for if you suspect that a computer or workstation
is infected with a virsus or spyware. They are:
- There are unexplained slowdowns and crashes,
especially when searching the Web
Browsers open to strange homepages,
return odd search results, or go to unsolicited websites.
- The mouse, keyboard, monitor, or CD/DVD
drive is unresponsive or performs erratically
- Pop-ups open when the user is not surfing
the web, or open so often it is becoming a distraction
- The security programs are not working,
and/or the user cannot access security-related websites
- A program or application you attempted to
uninstall reappears when the PC is restarted
- The computer seems to have a "mind of its
own" and is difficult to control
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more information
New chip technology will impact Windows 7
08/24/2009 -
Intel's architecture behind its future chips for servers, laptops
and desktops is going to be based on
Westmere chips. They will be made
using the advanced 32-nanometer process and should deliver performance and power
benefits over existing Intel chips made using the 45-nm process. Initial chips
will integrate a CPU and graphics processor in a single package, which could
improve graphics performance while drawing less power.
The
first Westmere chips will go into laptops and desktops as early as the first
half of 2010. Initial Westmere chips will be dual-core CPUs with 4MB of cache,
and will include an integrated memory controller. Clock speeds could remain
similar to existing processors, but performance could see a boost by running two
threads on each core, Intel officials have said.
Initial Westmere-based laptop chips, code-named Arrandale, could
preserve battery life while improving graphics performance. The desktop chips
are code-named Clarkdale. The chips are expected to go into production in the
fourth quarter this year, though samples have already shipped to laptop and
desktop PC makers for testing.
The
Westmere architecture is the basis of some of Intel's future laptop and desktop
chips, including the Core i3, i5 and 7 chips, wrote Ken Kaplan in a blog entry
on Intel's Web site on Wednesday.
The
chip package's CPU will be made using the advanced 32-nanometer manufacturing
process. The graphics processor will be made using the 45-nm process.
Westmere is a process shrink of Intel's current Nehalem
microarchitecture, which forms the basis of the existing Core i7 high-end
desktop and Xeon 5500 server chips. Nehalem integrates a memory controller with
the CPU and provides a fast pipeline for processors and system components to
communicate.
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more information
Microsoft Releases Windows Server 2008
08/20/2009 -
 Microsoft
has released Windows Server 2008 R2 to volume licensees who subscribe to
Microsoft's Software Assurance program.
The new release, which came last Wednesday -- a
week earlier than scheduled -- follows up on Windows Server 2008 and includes a
number of integration points with Microsoft's latest client operating system,
Windows 7.
The most anticipated new feature of Windows Server
2008 R2 is likely Live Migration, the ability to move virtualized server
workloads around a data center on the fly. This feature's absence from Windows
Server 2008 was one of the main disadvantages Microsoft had to vmWare. Users can
now also 'hot add' or remove virtual storage and boot the system from VHD,
Two other major new features in Windows Server 2008
R2 require Windows 7. DirectAccess combines IPv6 and IPSEC to eliminate the need
for a VPN. That means users will no longer have to connect to a VPN to access
corporate resources, since DirectAccess connections are made automatically. As
soon as Windows 7 boots up on a corporate PC set up to work with DirectAccess,
it authenticates with a DirectAccess server.
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more information
New Patent Application Can Breach Your Privacy
08/13/2009 -
 Once the Patriot Act was
passed, the door was opened to the government and its proxies being able to find
out everything about everyone. Now
with a recent patent application by Apple for a "Consumer Abuse Detection System
and Method" the breach of personal privacy may be complete.
Apple is
looking to develop technology that would constantly monitor devices such as
iPhones and iPods for events that might void warranty. The idea is a clever one - take a device
(such as the iPhone) and build into it a variety of sensors, such as liquid
sensors, thermal sensors, shock sensors and continuity sensors (this would
detect tampering), and have these feeding data into dedicated "circuitry" and
have the data logged. Now, when the device is hooked up to second diagnostic device that reads the stored
data it highlights anything that you might have done or where you have
been.
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more information
Windows Drops Windows 7E for EU
08/03/2009 -
Betting that European antitrust regulators will
okay its proposal for a "ballot screen" and facing opposition from computer
makers and corporate customers, Microsoft late Friday abandoned plans to ship
Windows 7 without Internet Explorer (IE).
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At the same time, a company executive said
Microsoft was not happy with having to give equal time to rival browsers. "As
you might imagine, it was not easy for Microsoft to accept the idea that we
would essentially promote directly competing software from within our flagship
product, Windows," said Microsoft's deputy general counsel and a company vice
president.
Even though officials from the European Commission
have not signed off on Microsoft's proposal to offer customers a choice of rival
browsers when they first run Windows 7, the company said it is dropping the
special edition once destined for Europe, dubbed Windows
7E.
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more information
Solid State Disk and Windows 7 a Winner
07/24/2009 -
 Intel has introduced new faster
and cheaper solid-state disk (SSD) drives to coincide with Windows 7's release
to manufacturing. This new feature will make an PC with Windows 7 scream.
Windows 7 is the first Microsoft OS to include native enhancements for
SSDs.
IT professionals have been drooling over the prospect of SSD drives
for years now, it ha seemed as though that has always been tomorrow's
technology.
Intel makes some of the most best SSDs, but until now they have e
been priced like luxury items. Intel is introducing two new X25-M SSD drives
that are faster and much cheaper. With CIOs put together a new computers to run
Windows 7 anyway, they will include solid-state
disk.
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more information
Microsoft blinked – Buckled to EU IE Antitrust
07/17/2009 -
Microsoft on buckled to critics involved in the company's European
antitrust case who have accused it of silently changing users' default browsers,
a move that may be aimed at Brussels-based regulators.
 Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) will no longer replace a PC's default
browser when a user selects the already-checked "Use express settings" option in
the setup screen, Microsoft said on Thursday. Both Opera Software and Mozilla
had hammered Microsoft in May over the tactic, accusing the company of force
feeding IE8 to users with Windows Update, and silently changing the default
browser on PCs.
In a
blog post peppered with screenshots, Microsoft's IE team spelled out changes to
the browser's setup when users receive an upgrade offer to IE8 via Windows
Update, or when they download and install IE8 on their own.
Users
who already have IE set as their default browser won't see the "Do you want to
make Internet Explorer your default browser?" box, Microsoft said.
Microsoft will not re-release IE8 to make this change, but will
instead "use dynamic updates in order to deliver this change," the IE team's
blog said. Sometime around the middle of August, Microsoft will add the change
to the process that occurs before the configuration dialogs appear, when setup
asks users whether they want to grab the latest Windows and IE8 updates from the
company's servers. "Over 90% of users who run IE8 setup opt-in to dynamic
updates in & setup," the IE team's blog post
claimed.
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more information
Why is the DOJ not Reacting to the Apple, iPhone, iTune Monopoly?
07/16/2009 -
Apple flexes it monopolistic muscles by killing the
hook that Palm Pre had to sync with Apple iTunes. One of the slickest and most
convenient functions of the Palm Pre was the ability to sync seamlessly with
Apple iTunes.
The latest iTunes 8.2.1 update breaks the Palm Pre
iTunes synchronization. This was not really unexpected, but it is a bit
disappointing if Apple created this update just to break the Pre sync
capability. They seem to be acting like a monopolist -- they could have
just left it alone and let Pre owners enjoy and continue to purchase and support
iTunes.
Apple wants everyone to buy their iPhone or iPod
touch device, but it seems that having Palm Pre owners from Sprint who are never
going to go to AT&T for the iPhone buying iTunes content to put on their Pre
would be a good thing for Apple. Maybe this update was released for other bug
fixes in iTunes and the Palm Pre break was just an unfortunate side
effect.
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more information
Is Windows 7 Here?
07/14/2009 -
Microsoft just denied that it has finished Windows
7, quashing rumors that the company was about to declare "release to
manufacturing," or RTM.
"We are close, but have not yet signed off on
Windows 7," said a company spokesman. "As previously stated, we expect Windows 7
to RTM in the 2nd half of July."
 Microsoft cautioned users against
downloading in-progress builds that have leaked to file-sharing sites. There are
many bogus copies of Windows 7 floating around the Internet. More often than
not, they contain a rather nice malware payload. In May, people who downloaded
pirated copies of Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) just hours before Microsoft
released the preview reported that the build was infected with a Trojan
horse.
Microsoft also provided a few details, albeit at
times vague, about when users will get their hands on Windows 7 after Microsoft
does declare the code finished.
TechNet and MSDN (Microsoft Developers Network)
subscribers, who in the past have gotten RTM builds almost immediately, will be
able to download Windows 7 from their respective services "a few weeks after we
announce RTM," according to Microsoft.
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more information
Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint act like monopolies
07/07/2009 -
According to the Wall Stree Journas, the U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun to look into the way that large operators
form exclusivity agreements for popular handsets over concerns that the practice
is anticompetitive.
According to the report the DOJ may be looking broadly
at ways that large telecom operators, including AT&T and Verizon, may be
acting anticompetitively. Other issues include ways that operators restrict the
kinds of services that can be offered on their networks, the Journal reported.
The DOJ does reveal when it is officially
investigating a matter. It hasn't yet in this case, which could mean it is now
considering whether to launch an official investigation. The agency did not
immediately reply to a request for comment. The agency declined to comment for
this story.
Public interest groups applauded the news of a
potential investigation. "The focus of the Department's investigation should be
on the clearly anti-competitive rates, terms and conditions imposed by AT&T
and Verizon on the high-capacity broadband market," wrote the NoChokepoints
coalition, a group that urges the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to do
more to improve competition in the broadband market, in a
statement.
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more information
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Other News Links
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