via Gizmodo other "transparent screens" or view as slide show
Reminds me of escher with respect to the visual eye trick
Enjoy!
Friday, March 25, 2005
My Google Toolbar problem
As some of you regular listeners know I have been having a lot of trouble with Outlook. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling it, no help. This has been going on for over a month, this week I went to BLOG a web page I read. I clicked on the "BLOG This" button on the Google toolbar, then Internet Explorer locked up on me and I received an error: Click here to see the error message. I was getting a C++ error.
I uninstalled the Google Toolbar, ran RegCleaner then I downloaded and installed the Google Toolbar again.
Low and Behold my IE started working right, my "BLOG this" Button worked, and my email started working right.
Thank you Google! I still like the Google toolbar.
Joe
I uninstalled the Google Toolbar, ran RegCleaner then I downloaded and installed the Google Toolbar again.
Low and Behold my IE started working right, my "BLOG this" Button worked, and my email started working right.
Thank you Google! I still like the Google toolbar.
Joe
Mozilla fixes risky Firefox flaw | Tech News on ZDNet
Mozilla fixes risky Firefox flaw | Tech News on ZDNet: "Mozilla fixes risky Firefox flaw"
Here we go! For all of you FireFox users.
Joe
Here we go! For all of you FireFox users.
Joe
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Browser Threats Analyzed
The Register has a synopsis of this quarter's Symantec security report as regards browsers. There are some interesting thoughts expressed regarding security zones and the fact that they are not used too much by IE users.
I personally feel that Mozilla and it's derivatives are more secure than IE in it's current state, but the truth is that the jury is still out on this. Symantec's report says the same thing.
For those with the time, the entire white paper is available at Symantec's web site. I highly recommend it.
Jack
I personally feel that Mozilla and it's derivatives are more secure than IE in it's current state, but the truth is that the jury is still out on this. Symantec's report says the same thing.
For those with the time, the entire white paper is available at Symantec's web site. I highly recommend it.
Jack
Creative Labs owes you $62
There was a class-action lawsuit regarding misleading marketing against Creative Labs on their Audigy and Extigy sound card lines. If you purchased one within the specified period, you are entitled to a discount on your next purchase from Creative's web site. It's a 25% discount, so the amount saved could be significant. Check it out at The Inquirer by clicking on the link above.
Jack
Jack
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Data Recovery and Destruction
We spent time on the last radio show discussing the pros and cons of data destruction.
As a follow-up, here is an article from PC Magazine on PC data destruction and its obverse, recovering data you accidently deleted.
Here is a separate article on recovering (precious photo) data from your flash memory card.
Both articles are worth flagging for the day you will need the information. And if you are like me, you will.
Peter S. Kastner
As a follow-up, here is an article from PC Magazine on PC data destruction and its obverse, recovering data you accidently deleted.
Here is a separate article on recovering (precious photo) data from your flash memory card.
Both articles are worth flagging for the day you will need the information. And if you are like me, you will.
Peter S. Kastner
Content Management Momentum Grows
Three content-management events in a week puts an emphasis on why vendors are investing so much in this area. IBM is purchasing extraction and transformation expert Ascential (see our blog). Apple is buying SchemaSoft, a "extract, synthesize and publish" company. And EMC rolled out a new version of its Documentum content manager with new features for desktop file management.
The big picture is that desktop data now far exceeds all other enterprise data. Getting more enterprise and collaborative value is a huge opportunity for generating value. Besides, the cost of just one document search for an F100 company can run to tens of millions of dollars. (Ask Microsoft).
IBM, Apple, and EMC are three of the blind men touching the data elephant. They are all part of the solution which is evolving as part of the "Information Lifecycle Management" concept.
The big picture is that desktop data now far exceeds all other enterprise data. Getting more enterprise and collaborative value is a huge opportunity for generating value. Besides, the cost of just one document search for an F100 company can run to tens of millions of dollars. (Ask Microsoft).
IBM, Apple, and EMC are three of the blind men touching the data elephant. They are all part of the solution which is evolving as part of the "Information Lifecycle Management" concept.
Couch surfers: too lazy to even type a URL
Go ahead, type "www.ebay.com" into your web browser window like the designer intended you to. Well, doing that may put you in the minority of surfers. Seems many 'Net surfers think it's so much easier to just type "ebay" or "yahoo" in their Google tool bar and click from there.
Wow, who would have thought that the most frequently used search terms at the top search sites are ... other search site URLs! Go figure. The work by Hitwise was reported in the March 22nd Wall Street Journal (free to online subscribers). The social implications are beyond me, but it does not suggest an early end to the obesity crisis. The capital costs to the search sites to support these short cuts must be huge.
Peter S. Kastner
Wow, who would have thought that the most frequently used search terms at the top search sites are ... other search site URLs! Go figure. The work by Hitwise was reported in the March 22nd Wall Street Journal (free to online subscribers). The social implications are beyond me, but it does not suggest an early end to the obesity crisis. The capital costs to the search sites to support these short cuts must be huge.
Peter S. Kastner
Microsoft Talks Longhorn communications fundamentals
"Microsoft expects to include the following comms upgrades in Longhorn next year:
- Delivery of a new, integrated IPv4/IPv6 stack optimized for low-speed wireless and multi-gigabit networks, both. (Microsoft exec) Khaki said the stack will be extensible, so as to provide "easy integration with third-party products such as firewalls, parental controls and virus products."
- Built-in support for streaming audio/video for entertainment and real-time communications tasks.
- Support for 802.11i wireless networking and 802.1x enterprise wireless scripting support. Microsoft also will deliver more troubleshooting tools for wireless users, officials said.
- Enhancements to Redmond's support of core DHCP, RRAS/VPN and RADIUS networking infrastructure services, including updates allowing them all to support fully IPv6.
- Microsoft will step up its IPSec support by providing server-to-server communications, domain isolation and network-access protection, execs said.
- Khaki and the other chat participants emphasized that Microsoft is making enhancements to both consumer- and enterprise-focused networking features with Longhorn.
- Microsoft is not planning on supporting wireless mesh in Longhorn, Huitema said, in response to a question on the topic. "But the extensibility features will allow addition of wireless mesh in the future, either by Microsoft or by third parties," he said.
Another feature which may not be supported in Longhorn is NetBIOS, a programming API for local network communication developed in the 1980s, Microsoft chat participants said, in response to participants' questions. "We're investigating retiring NetBIOS, but it isn't clear whether this will happen in Longhorn," said one Microsoft networking official.
Throughout the chat, Microsoft participants emphasized the networking security advances which they are planning to deliver with Longhorn.
A new Windows Filtering Platform will improve firewall development and deployment, Microsoft officials said. And Network Access Protection (NAP) — a framework and process via which computers must prove they are "healthy" before logging onto a network — also will be a key Longhorn enhancement, Microsoft officials said."
Well, let's see. IPv6 is an Internet plumbing issue that has no effect no users. Microsoft has to support it. IPv4 will be with us for a decade. Streaming audio support already exists, but the PC-streaming server overhead is way to high. Maybe good news there. 802.11i is another must do by Microsoft. Users will have to buy all-new equipment to use it, whoch means 802.11b/g will be with us ... for another decade. IPSEC strengthening is gooness, and let's hope it's not cracked any time soon. Mesh networking is another technology looking for a market.
I worry about retiring NetBIOS support. I can name several home networking situations where file sharing only worked when NetBIOS was specifically enabled over the Ethernet LAN. Consumers who cannot get to other home machines will sink Longhorn in a heartbeat, so I recommend Redmond make this weak spot flawless before retiring the workaround.
Missing from the list is Wimax support, which Intel will have in hardware products next year. Intel has made a very big deal about building out Wimax infrastructure as a solution to "always connected" and wider connectivity than 802.11 hotspots (<100>
Peter S. Kastner
ZD on 64 Bits: Wrong Facts Hurt Your Argument
Read this article carefully. It contains some very misleading information. While it is true that Intel's 64-bit processors such as the 6XX series support the "execute disable bit" (and all AMD Athlon 64 processors do too), the execute disable capabilities which improve security are also available on recent Intel 32-bit processors, such as the 5XX J series.
The Itanium processors supported execute disable back in 2001. This hardware allows an operating system to lock down memory pages, effectively shutting a big door to buffer-overrun hacking attacks.
I highly recommend new PC buyers select a processor from AMD or Intel which supports execute disable, and then install (32-bit) Windows XP SP2, which will use the execute disable capability if present.
Now that that's explained, aren't we begging the question: what is the mainstream market need for 64 bits? Some code runs faster, but the operating system takes up more main memory. My research suggests corporate buyers are not yet ready to leap to 1 GB on mainstream enterprise PCs -- the exception being power-user workstations. And 64 bit OS support is only really needed above 2 GB. I conclude that 64-bit computing is not going to add much pleasure to enterprise computing anytime soon.
Peter S. Kastner
The Itanium processors supported execute disable back in 2001. This hardware allows an operating system to lock down memory pages, effectively shutting a big door to buffer-overrun hacking attacks.
I highly recommend new PC buyers select a processor from AMD or Intel which supports execute disable, and then install (32-bit) Windows XP SP2, which will use the execute disable capability if present.
Now that that's explained, aren't we begging the question: what is the mainstream market need for 64 bits? Some code runs faster, but the operating system takes up more main memory. My research suggests corporate buyers are not yet ready to leap to 1 GB on mainstream enterprise PCs -- the exception being power-user workstations. And 64 bit OS support is only really needed above 2 GB. I conclude that 64-bit computing is not going to add much pleasure to enterprise computing anytime soon.
Peter S. Kastner
Dell Dumps White Boxes
Dell has dropped its three year old white box program, an idea hatched to increase channel penetration through small resellers and VARs. Dell concludes that in 2005 customers are willing to pay for the Dell name, as opposed to the "no name" implied by a white box.
I don't think of this as an end of life issue so much as a change in market. The Dell brand name -- widely recognized now by consumers and small businesses who buy from local resellers due to Dell's extensive U.S. print and TV advertising -- is valued more now than it was in 2002. That makes it a plus for resellers.
Peter S. Kastner
I don't think of this as an end of life issue so much as a change in market. The Dell brand name -- widely recognized now by consumers and small businesses who buy from local resellers due to Dell's extensive U.S. print and TV advertising -- is valued more now than it was in 2002. That makes it a plus for resellers.
Peter S. Kastner
Microsoft Wins Big With Symbian's Sync Capitulation
As cell phones converge with PDAs, users demand e-mail support. And e-mail support inthe corporate world lergely means Microsoft's Exchange. With ActiveSync, Microsoft SmartPhones can forward e-mail -- including MS Office attachments -- to mobile users.
Capitulating to Microsoft, Symbian, a phone OS software company with a huge market share, is licensing the ActiveSync component that synchronizes the phones with connected PCs and with servers over wireless networks.
This was an astute move by Symbian, as smart phones are useful devices. One of Symbian's largest customers, Nokia, also recently licened the same technology from Microsoft. My take is that Symbian helps assure its long-term player status in a changing phone market, albeit with monthly checks now going to Microsoft in Redmond, WA.
This deal is also good for consumers. With ActiveSync support, there is more than e-mail. For instance, Outlook contact information is seamlessly transferred to the phone. Anyone who has bought a new phone (or lost one) has had the ugly problem of thumb-entering contact information. The widespread use of ActiveSync technology will mean the important data on the phone is backed up routinely.
Peter S. Kastner
Capitulating to Microsoft, Symbian, a phone OS software company with a huge market share, is licensing the ActiveSync component that synchronizes the phones with connected PCs and with servers over wireless networks.
This was an astute move by Symbian, as smart phones are useful devices. One of Symbian's largest customers, Nokia, also recently licened the same technology from Microsoft. My take is that Symbian helps assure its long-term player status in a changing phone market, albeit with monthly checks now going to Microsoft in Redmond, WA.
This deal is also good for consumers. With ActiveSync support, there is more than e-mail. For instance, Outlook contact information is seamlessly transferred to the phone. Anyone who has bought a new phone (or lost one) has had the ugly problem of thumb-entering contact information. The widespread use of ActiveSync technology will mean the important data on the phone is backed up routinely.
Peter S. Kastner
Oracle Outbids SAP for Retek's Retail Apps
SAP flinched at $11 and Oracle swooped in for the close.
As we said yesterday, this is not the last of the Oracle-SAP vertical market fights.
Expect Wall Street to turn its eyes onto Manhattan Associates as SAP's bridesmaid choice.
Peter S. Kastner
As we said yesterday, this is not the last of the Oracle-SAP vertical market fights.
Expect Wall Street to turn its eyes onto Manhattan Associates as SAP's bridesmaid choice.
Peter S. Kastner
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
The Top Ten Spyware Apps
The Inquirer has a nice short piece detailing the ten most unwanted spyware applications, courtesy of WebRoot. Worth a look.
Jack
Jack
More on Visual Basic's Discontinuation
Not that I get asked all that often; but I've always cautioned against proprietary programming languages. Microsoft's discontinuance of free support for and continued development of Visual Basic completely validates my stance, as far as I'm concerned. I must admit that portability was my main concern. That an application would run on Windows and Windows only, forever, seemed like a long shot to me then and it still does. Who knows what the future will bring? And in line with that; who knows what we'll be running before the end of life for the applications we write? Some business applications have been around over 20 years and are still going strong. Computing changes much more rapidly than that.
When Microsoft announced, a year and a half ago, that free support and ongoing development for Visual Basic 6 would be discontinued the 31st of this month (March, 2005) it seems as if no one took them seriously. Microsoft has only themselves to blame for this, as they have backed down from sunsetting many products and operating systems over the years and continued support. (It has to be said that MS did this for a variety of good reasons and not as a result of a lack of corporate will.) Developers evidently were sure things would continue as before and acted accordingly. Unfortunately, Microsoft meant it and apparently is not backing down from their position.
Protesters against this stance also point out that they will lose faith in Microsoft's continued will to maintain any language and raise the possibility future purchasers might also. They ask if VB.Net or C# will be discontinued when MS thinks it's time to sell more software. It's not a fair question, in my opinion, but it is being seriously asked and perhaps the appearance will be more compelling than the actual reality to prospective users of MS languages.
On one side of the choice to use Visual Basic we have lock-in to a proprietary system that only runs on the [admittedly dominant) Windows platform(s). There were compelling reasons to use it on the other hand, though. For one thing, it's easy to turn out high quality applications using it and in short order, too. Yes, it was an interpreted language at a time when the efficiency advantage of compiled code really mattered, but that argument against it is long past it's prime, considering how far the price of computing cycles has dropped. Most of the alternatives in which applications can also be developed rapidly and well are also interpreted languages and one thing that has been proven over the years is that they do really have a place in business applications-even critical ones. The quality of the code generated and the ease with which it was generated argued forcefully for it's use at a time when many people were quite sure they were best off spending their entire career working exclusively with Windows. (Not such a certainty any more, though it's for sure Windows isn't going away.) Hence many specialized in Visual Basic.
Another example of a high quality proprietary language with a sterling IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is Borland's Delphi; also a Windows-only proposition. (There is a Linux variant of Delphi, known as "Kylix", but I am told that the code generated in one is not directly portable to the other. I have no direct experience with it, though, and so cannot state that for sure.) Delphi is not having either it's free suppport or it's development cut off, though that could well be a future possibility, subject to Borland's whim(s).
My argument was always for open and open-source languages like C/C++, Perl, Python and Ruby because it is my perception those are possessed of longer development and life cycles for being under the control of the users and developers themselves. Java is an obvious choice. It is a proprietary language, true, though Sun is deeply pledged to it's continued existence and has bet large segments of it's product line upon Java's success. I am not quite certain that should engender enough trust to base a committment on, though neither does it seem as if Sun is going anywhere away from Java in the foreseeable future. That is, of course, the problem. We can't see the future and we have to place our bets on something.
Very capable Rapid Application Development (RAD) environments are available for most of the languages I've mentioned, and others. These are of such high quality as to rival the Visual Basic environment in ease and speed of use. Visual Basic 6's environment is no longer unique, though it must be said this is argued fiercely in some quarters.
What is an enterprise which has been deeply dependent upon Visual Basic to do? Well, for the time being, they probably can go on as before, taking a bit of time to survey alternatives and courses of action. Perhaps it would be prudent to start writing apps in another language and re-writing those they use now. Perhaps not. One enterprise with which I am familiar intends to transition their Visual Basic applications onto virtual servers, isolated from the bulk of their infrastructure, in anticipation of the future finding of some critical vulnerability in VB and/or their programs written in it. Such a "sandbox" partitioning is wise as large systems, such as a programming language, will almost inevitably have vulnerabilities surface as time goes on which threaten or invalidate the security of their runtime environments. With no security updates from the publisher of the language (Microsoft) this would seem wise and a practical way to extend the life of the applications written in VB. (VB has not been especially plagued with such vulnerabilities but we all know that such things happen.)
There is also the option of re-writing one's applications in Visual Basic.Net, the follow-on to VB 6, or C#, it's "big brother". While that assumes a leap of faith in Microsoft's continued support of the chosen language, it is an option. Unfortunately, the older applications will not translate at all, as VB.Net is a fundamentally different language from it's predecessor and so far, no one has come up with anything like a painless way to transition, nor is it likely that someone will. It seems to me that if one were to choose the option to re-write one's applications, it should be in a language with better prospects for long term support, but perhaps I'm too suspicious. After all; MS did have very good reasons for introducing VB.Net. Visual Basic 6 didn't and doesn't support their vision of web services, which to them is justification enough to discontinue it and justification enough for many developers to have already switched to the new language and it's associated protocols.
David Peterman, a free-lance VB programmer from Wisconsin, sent me an email after I mentioned this on the show the first time. In it he said I had hurt his feelings by portraying him as less than competant for choosing to stick with VB for his career. I apologize if I gave that impression. I disagree with his reasoning, but understand it completely and agree that at the time, there was plenty of evidence telling him that was the way to go. He was, after all, catering to a huge market with many opportunities for employment. He still is, as he's migrated to both VB.Net and C#. I would advise him to do differently, but in saying that I'm going against the fact that he has an established clientele and a thriving business doing what he's doing now. David is seriously considering adding Java and Python to his repertoire and I would encourage him in this. All in all; we've had a nice conversation and I do hope I've smoothed any untentionally ruffled feathers.
David is recommending to his clients that they partition their servers into virtual operating systems to run the VB apps and that those which need continued development be re-written in another language.
This is all going to play out over a long period of time. It's a cautionary tale, as far as I am concerned, and folks should take notice before investing too much of their basic infrastructure in something that might not be around for them over the long haul.
Stay tuned.
Jack
When Microsoft announced, a year and a half ago, that free support and ongoing development for Visual Basic 6 would be discontinued the 31st of this month (March, 2005) it seems as if no one took them seriously. Microsoft has only themselves to blame for this, as they have backed down from sunsetting many products and operating systems over the years and continued support. (It has to be said that MS did this for a variety of good reasons and not as a result of a lack of corporate will.) Developers evidently were sure things would continue as before and acted accordingly. Unfortunately, Microsoft meant it and apparently is not backing down from their position.
Protesters against this stance also point out that they will lose faith in Microsoft's continued will to maintain any language and raise the possibility future purchasers might also. They ask if VB.Net or C# will be discontinued when MS thinks it's time to sell more software. It's not a fair question, in my opinion, but it is being seriously asked and perhaps the appearance will be more compelling than the actual reality to prospective users of MS languages.
On one side of the choice to use Visual Basic we have lock-in to a proprietary system that only runs on the [admittedly dominant) Windows platform(s). There were compelling reasons to use it on the other hand, though. For one thing, it's easy to turn out high quality applications using it and in short order, too. Yes, it was an interpreted language at a time when the efficiency advantage of compiled code really mattered, but that argument against it is long past it's prime, considering how far the price of computing cycles has dropped. Most of the alternatives in which applications can also be developed rapidly and well are also interpreted languages and one thing that has been proven over the years is that they do really have a place in business applications-even critical ones. The quality of the code generated and the ease with which it was generated argued forcefully for it's use at a time when many people were quite sure they were best off spending their entire career working exclusively with Windows. (Not such a certainty any more, though it's for sure Windows isn't going away.) Hence many specialized in Visual Basic.
Another example of a high quality proprietary language with a sterling IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is Borland's Delphi; also a Windows-only proposition. (There is a Linux variant of Delphi, known as "Kylix", but I am told that the code generated in one is not directly portable to the other. I have no direct experience with it, though, and so cannot state that for sure.) Delphi is not having either it's free suppport or it's development cut off, though that could well be a future possibility, subject to Borland's whim(s).
My argument was always for open and open-source languages like C/C++, Perl, Python and Ruby because it is my perception those are possessed of longer development and life cycles for being under the control of the users and developers themselves. Java is an obvious choice. It is a proprietary language, true, though Sun is deeply pledged to it's continued existence and has bet large segments of it's product line upon Java's success. I am not quite certain that should engender enough trust to base a committment on, though neither does it seem as if Sun is going anywhere away from Java in the foreseeable future. That is, of course, the problem. We can't see the future and we have to place our bets on something.
Very capable Rapid Application Development (RAD) environments are available for most of the languages I've mentioned, and others. These are of such high quality as to rival the Visual Basic environment in ease and speed of use. Visual Basic 6's environment is no longer unique, though it must be said this is argued fiercely in some quarters.
What is an enterprise which has been deeply dependent upon Visual Basic to do? Well, for the time being, they probably can go on as before, taking a bit of time to survey alternatives and courses of action. Perhaps it would be prudent to start writing apps in another language and re-writing those they use now. Perhaps not. One enterprise with which I am familiar intends to transition their Visual Basic applications onto virtual servers, isolated from the bulk of their infrastructure, in anticipation of the future finding of some critical vulnerability in VB and/or their programs written in it. Such a "sandbox" partitioning is wise as large systems, such as a programming language, will almost inevitably have vulnerabilities surface as time goes on which threaten or invalidate the security of their runtime environments. With no security updates from the publisher of the language (Microsoft) this would seem wise and a practical way to extend the life of the applications written in VB. (VB has not been especially plagued with such vulnerabilities but we all know that such things happen.)
There is also the option of re-writing one's applications in Visual Basic.Net, the follow-on to VB 6, or C#, it's "big brother". While that assumes a leap of faith in Microsoft's continued support of the chosen language, it is an option. Unfortunately, the older applications will not translate at all, as VB.Net is a fundamentally different language from it's predecessor and so far, no one has come up with anything like a painless way to transition, nor is it likely that someone will. It seems to me that if one were to choose the option to re-write one's applications, it should be in a language with better prospects for long term support, but perhaps I'm too suspicious. After all; MS did have very good reasons for introducing VB.Net. Visual Basic 6 didn't and doesn't support their vision of web services, which to them is justification enough to discontinue it and justification enough for many developers to have already switched to the new language and it's associated protocols.
David Peterman, a free-lance VB programmer from Wisconsin, sent me an email after I mentioned this on the show the first time. In it he said I had hurt his feelings by portraying him as less than competant for choosing to stick with VB for his career. I apologize if I gave that impression. I disagree with his reasoning, but understand it completely and agree that at the time, there was plenty of evidence telling him that was the way to go. He was, after all, catering to a huge market with many opportunities for employment. He still is, as he's migrated to both VB.Net and C#. I would advise him to do differently, but in saying that I'm going against the fact that he has an established clientele and a thriving business doing what he's doing now. David is seriously considering adding Java and Python to his repertoire and I would encourage him in this. All in all; we've had a nice conversation and I do hope I've smoothed any untentionally ruffled feathers.
David is recommending to his clients that they partition their servers into virtual operating systems to run the VB apps and that those which need continued development be re-written in another language.
This is all going to play out over a long period of time. It's a cautionary tale, as far as I am concerned, and folks should take notice before investing too much of their basic infrastructure in something that might not be around for them over the long haul.
Stay tuned.
Jack
Sigh. Computers Make Kids Dumber
With a quantitative study of 100,000 children worldwide, UK researchers find that there is a negative correlation between children's test scores and computer presence at home. This will come as a disappointment to U.S. phone subscribers: a federal tax on phone lines to fund computers in schools raises billions of dollars a year.
Peter S. Kastner
Peter S. Kastner
HP and IBM Push Server Blades Into SMB
IBM and HP are gearing up to put a blade server in every business datacenter -- including small-medium businesses. The sticking point to date has been the several thousand dollar cost of the blade chassis. The new programs seem to flip the cost equation around to the well-known razor and blade (pun intended) marketing approach. In this case, the proprietary chassis is the "razor".
Any business that needs more than a handful of servers (i.e., 50 employees and up) should consider migrating to a blade architecture on the next server buy. Blade architecture is a better way to house and manage racks of servers. Period. There are very few exceptions for 1-2 processor workloads.
Peter S. Kastner
Any business that needs more than a handful of servers (i.e., 50 employees and up) should consider migrating to a blade architecture on the next server buy. Blade architecture is a better way to house and manage racks of servers. Period. There are very few exceptions for 1-2 processor workloads.
Peter S. Kastner
Who Buys AdWare?
What companies use adware? You'd be surprised, as this article at Benjamin Edelman's site shows.
Perhaps it's time for us to quit patronizing companies who intrude upon our user experiences. I actively do so now.
Jack
Perhaps it's time for us to quit patronizing companies who intrude upon our user experiences. I actively do so now.
Jack
Caller ID: Now As Useful as Warm SPIT
Yup, the bad guys are now using VoIP networks for VoIP phone-based scams. As the article explains, it's now easy to bypass the elaborate caller-ID fortresses many have built to protect themselves from the storm-window sales reps. And let's not forget the ID theft ramifications of spoofed caller IDs. All of this is known as SPIT, for "spam over Internet telephony". You will see this acronynm again, unfortunately.
Out on a Limb Predictions:
Out on a Limb Predictions:
- In three years, SPIT will drive us to distraction like SPAM did in 2003.
- Importantly, SPIT will tarnish VoIP companies with regulators and politicians at precisely the time the VoIP players are looking for an unregulated rocket ship of growth.
Peter S> Kastner
Psst, Sony Playstations for Sale
Pop Quiz: The portable Sony Playstation went on sale last December for about $200 in Japan. It sells on the grey market today in London for about $600. How many Playstations will you have to carry in your luggage from Tokyo to London to pay for your $1,000 plane ticket? (And we know what you'll be doing on the long flight :-))
Hey, if folks are lined up to pay $600 for a portable game player, imagine the lines when the next-generation Cell-based set-tops arrive? Staggering!
Meanwhile, the U.S. press and media launch of the PSP is today. This will likely drive grey market prices even higher. You'd think Sony would keep the PR event bar tab as profits and let PSP sell itself on word of mouth. Lukewarm review by the Washington Post here.
Out on a Limb Prediction: The Sony Portable Playstation will be the next iPod in consumer bling-bling, pushing from young adults (with jobs and ~$600) down to teens and tweens. Demand will wildly outstrip supply and you won't see this toy at discount for a year. Parents be warned: you have 287 shopping days until Christmas to line up your brat's PSP.
Peter S. Kastner
Hey, if folks are lined up to pay $600 for a portable game player, imagine the lines when the next-generation Cell-based set-tops arrive? Staggering!
Meanwhile, the U.S. press and media launch of the PSP is today. This will likely drive grey market prices even higher. You'd think Sony would keep the PR event bar tab as profits and let PSP sell itself on word of mouth. Lukewarm review by the Washington Post here.
Out on a Limb Prediction: The Sony Portable Playstation will be the next iPod in consumer bling-bling, pushing from young adults (with jobs and ~$600) down to teens and tweens. Demand will wildly outstrip supply and you won't see this toy at discount for a year. Parents be warned: you have 287 shopping days until Christmas to line up your brat's PSP.
Peter S. Kastner
Apple Market Share Grows, But Margins Will Decline
Based on the 4th quarter stats in this article, Apple did indeed pick up market share, both sequentially (0.68%) and year-to-year (0.82%). This may not look like much, but a year ago Apple was at 2.2% of the worldwide PC market. Therefore, 0.82% is a big deal.
The Mac Mini will increase unit share in quarter as it is selling well and has no prior year comparables. However, a large decline in notebooks in Q4 is troubling. The profit margins are much richer on notebooks than Mac Minis.
Another indicator that Mac is picking up market share: more hacking attacks on OS X.
Peter S. Kastner
The Mac Mini will increase unit share in quarter as it is selling well and has no prior year comparables. However, a large decline in notebooks in Q4 is troubling. The profit margins are much richer on notebooks than Mac Minis.
Another indicator that Mac is picking up market share: more hacking attacks on OS X.
Peter S. Kastner
Monday, March 21, 2005
Dell Adds Third Call Center in India
Not mentioned in this article is the fact that Dell pulled back post-sales technical support from India for enterprise products some time ago. Customers were not happy. The call centers discussed in the news release are for pre-sales, mostly consumer and small-medium business.
Peter S. Kastner
Peter S. Kastner
Corporate Cyber Attacks Increase, Cost $2M Each
"Cyberintruders have stepped up their attacks on corporate computer networks, according to two surveys released Monday.
Symantec (SYMC) , the world's largest supplier of anti-virus software, reports a 332% spike in worms and viruses launched against Windows desktop computers and servers in the last half of 2004 compared with the year before - 7,360 variants in all.
What's more, the bad guys' determination appears to be paying off. In a January survey of 229 midsize and large companies, security firm Mazu Networks found 47% had networks compromised by a self-propagating worm in the past year."
This correlates with Aberdeen Group research last year which found large enterprises facing two intrusions a year. The IT costs to fix the intrusion were less than $100K, but the very troubling report is that direct costs in lost business were $2M per intrusion. Hardening networks is currently an IT job. I expect more outsourcing to network providers, who are being asked to provide "clean pipes" for IT applications and customer Internet access. Spending for countering cyber attacks is a high growth area.
Peter S. Kastner
Symantec (SYMC) , the world's largest supplier of anti-virus software, reports a 332% spike in worms and viruses launched against Windows desktop computers and servers in the last half of 2004 compared with the year before - 7,360 variants in all.
What's more, the bad guys' determination appears to be paying off. In a January survey of 229 midsize and large companies, security firm Mazu Networks found 47% had networks compromised by a self-propagating worm in the past year."
This correlates with Aberdeen Group research last year which found large enterprises facing two intrusions a year. The IT costs to fix the intrusion were less than $100K, but the very troubling report is that direct costs in lost business were $2M per intrusion. Hardening networks is currently an IT job. I expect more outsourcing to network providers, who are being asked to provide "clean pipes" for IT applications and customer Internet access. Spending for countering cyber attacks is a high growth area.
Peter S. Kastner
Goldman Sachs: Slow Tech Growth
Not news the fragile NASDAQ market wants to here, but GS research predicts slow tech spending growth this year. Contrast this with the much more ebullient expectations of market research firms.
I do not subscribe to the article's premise that large cap tech stocks are the place to be.
Peter S. Kastner
I do not subscribe to the article's premise that large cap tech stocks are the place to be.
Peter S. Kastner
Ask Jeeves Sold
Entertainment mogul Barry Diller and his company, InterActiveCorp have offerred 1.85 Billion (USD) for search portal Ask Jeeves.
If nothing else convinced you, this ought to demonstrate that everybody thinks search is where the money is. One needn't be #1 to profit in this area, either. Just have a good product and a loyal user base.
I used to test software on an unpaid basis for Ask Jeeves and was a loyal user. I grew disillusioned with the number of paid inclusions in search results, however, and quit using it in favor of Google. A while back, they quit paid inclusions in search results and things have been improving since then. I've started using them again, though only in a limited way. One can only hope that the infusion of new money and expertise this buyout will provide will enhance the product and so boost their fortunes further.
Jack
If nothing else convinced you, this ought to demonstrate that everybody thinks search is where the money is. One needn't be #1 to profit in this area, either. Just have a good product and a loyal user base.
I used to test software on an unpaid basis for Ask Jeeves and was a loyal user. I grew disillusioned with the number of paid inclusions in search results, however, and quit using it in favor of Google. A while back, they quit paid inclusions in search results and things have been improving since then. I've started using them again, though only in a limited way. One can only hope that the infusion of new money and expertise this buyout will provide will enhance the product and so boost their fortunes further.
Jack
Electronic Bank Robbing is So Much Easier
Option 1: IRA knocks off bank in old-style heist and gets $50 million.
Option 2: Israeli hacks, then transfers $420M from Sumitomo Mitsu bank in London.
In this case, the electronic bank robber was caught. However, this writer can assure our dear readers that electronic bank fraud is real, and the scams are geting bigger. Obviously, risking jail for the part of half a billion dollars has a better risk-reward than driving off with an ATM.
[Update} Phishing also appears to be quite lucrative. The Brazilian police just landed a perp accused of $37M in phishing fraud.
Peter S. Kastner
Option 2: Israeli hacks, then transfers $420M from Sumitomo Mitsu bank in London.
In this case, the electronic bank robber was caught. However, this writer can assure our dear readers that electronic bank fraud is real, and the scams are geting bigger. Obviously, risking jail for the part of half a billion dollars has a better risk-reward than driving off with an ATM.
[Update} Phishing also appears to be quite lucrative. The Brazilian police just landed a perp accused of $37M in phishing fraud.
Peter S. Kastner
WGF (Windows Graphics Foundation) Marches On!
ATI has certified their next-gen graphics chip for WGF, the graphics follow-on to DirectX 9.
While parts of Longhorn are in terminal stasis, the graphics needed for their zoomy new desktop are proceeding nicely, thank you. Microsoft is committed to porting the new graphics back to XP, also, for those whose machines will handle it. (All accounts are that it will need significant support in the graphics hardware department. In 0ther words; high performance.) And there is a rumor that Longhorn will be available in a "corporate" form, without the special desktop and graphics, for companies not upgrading their hardware. All speculation, that, but what is for sure is that it's coming, and perhaps not too long from now. The OS itsellf may or may not follow in good time.
Jack
While parts of Longhorn are in terminal stasis, the graphics needed for their zoomy new desktop are proceeding nicely, thank you. Microsoft is committed to porting the new graphics back to XP, also, for those whose machines will handle it. (All accounts are that it will need significant support in the graphics hardware department. In 0ther words; high performance.) And there is a rumor that Longhorn will be available in a "corporate" form, without the special desktop and graphics, for companies not upgrading their hardware. All speculation, that, but what is for sure is that it's coming, and perhaps not too long from now. The OS itsellf may or may not follow in good time.
Jack
802.11n Takes Another Step Forward
Looks like 802.11n will get here, but not in early 2006 as had been expected last year.
This new WiFi standard will require new equipment, but will offer better and faster home and hotspot communications.
In the mean time, a number of vendors are offering "Pre-"802.11n gear. This is useable, but totally proprietary. No guarantees it can be software upgraded to the final standard next year.
Peter S. Kastner
This new WiFi standard will require new equipment, but will offer better and faster home and hotspot communications.
In the mean time, a number of vendors are offering "Pre-"802.11n gear. This is useable, but totally proprietary. No guarantees it can be software upgraded to the final standard next year.
Peter S. Kastner
Intel Readies Xeon MP Upgrade
"Intel is two weeks away from launching an upgrade to the high end of its Xeon MP processor line designed to boost performance in systems with four or more processors, according to sources familiar with the chip maker's plans. The company plans to launch its next-generation Xeon MP processor, code-named Trueland, at a press event scheduled for March 29 in San Francisco, the sources say."
They got the Trueland name wrong. It's Potomac. The updated Xeon MP processor will contain 8MB L3 cache, up from the 4MB offered now, and run at a clock speed of 3.33GHz. Therefore, the current Xeon MP frontside bus speed of 400MHz will likely go up, probably to 667MHz.
Potomac will ship alongside 'Cranford', a cheaper version of the product, equipped with 1MB of L2 cache and designed to fill the gap between two-way Xeon DP-based systems and four-way Xeon MP servers.
New 8- to 32-way servers can be expected based on the Potomac microprocessors.
These are essentially the last chip models prior to the dual-core products that will be introduced late this year.
Peter S. Kastner
They got the Trueland name wrong. It's Potomac. The updated Xeon MP processor will contain 8MB L3 cache, up from the 4MB offered now, and run at a clock speed of 3.33GHz. Therefore, the current Xeon MP frontside bus speed of 400MHz will likely go up, probably to 667MHz.
Potomac will ship alongside 'Cranford', a cheaper version of the product, equipped with 1MB of L2 cache and designed to fill the gap between two-way Xeon DP-based systems and four-way Xeon MP servers.
New 8- to 32-way servers can be expected based on the Potomac microprocessors.
These are essentially the last chip models prior to the dual-core products that will be introduced late this year.
Peter S. Kastner
OC Podcast
This is the On Computers podcast for 03-20-2005. If you prefer, you can download the same file here via ftp.
Turbocharge Your Linksys WRT54G Access Point router
This is the most fun I've had in weeks -- computer-wise, that is. With a free download, you can update the Linux-based operating system of the ubiquitous Linksys WRT54G wireless access point (WAP) and become a superuser at the root level. Very cool. Tweak your power and antenna settings. Run admin using a secure shell. Download the source code for the router as an educational tool.
Highly recommended.
Caveat: Be sure to have your user manual so that you can get back to factory settings if you really mess up. You also ought to have a copy of the latest Linksys firmware available.
Peter S. Kastner
Highly recommended.
Caveat: Be sure to have your user manual so that you can get back to factory settings if you really mess up. You also ought to have a copy of the latest Linksys firmware available.
Peter S. Kastner
Sunday, March 20, 2005
SIA, Barrett Renew Call For funds To Preserve U.S. Leadership
U.S. leadership in technology is under assault," said Intel CEO Barrett, in a statement. "The challenge we face is global in nature and broader in scope than any we have faced in the past."
"Federal funding for R&D as a percentage of U.S. gross domestic product has been almost cut in half over the past 20 years. We must return to the investment levels of the mid-1980s in order to compete for leadership," said Steve Appleton (Micron Technology and chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association), in the same statement.
When two key executives bemoan the lack of investment in R&D, and fear the long term ramifications for U.S., other business executives and politicians should take notice.
Peter S. Kastner
"Federal funding for R&D as a percentage of U.S. gross domestic product has been almost cut in half over the past 20 years. We must return to the investment levels of the mid-1980s in order to compete for leadership," said Steve Appleton (Micron Technology and chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association), in the same statement.
When two key executives bemoan the lack of investment in R&D, and fear the long term ramifications for U.S., other business executives and politicians should take notice.
Peter S. Kastner
Retek fight intensifies: Oracle counters SAP's new bid
Fri Mar 18, 6:13 AM ET
By Jon Swartz, USA TODAY
Software giants Oracle (ORCL) and SAP (SAP) escalated their bidding war for retail-software company Retek (RETK) on Thursday.
Just hours after Germany-based SAP improved its offer 29% to $617 million, rival Oracle came back and trumped it with a bid worth $631 million.
Running new point-of-sale networks and customer loyalty programs tied to data warehouses are three key IT buying intentions of retailers. That's why Oracle wants a bigger piece of the retail market. Meanwhile, SAP's version of R3 for retailers has been a "nothing special" product with only limited use in retail transaction processing.
Retailers are notoriously stingy in capital spending, but once installed the applications run for decades -- literally.
Whichever company pays the most for Retek, expect (many) more acquisitions of specialized applications and in vertical markets over the next five years. The Oracle-SAP software convergence war will not be won by one deal.
Peter S. Kastner
By Jon Swartz, USA TODAY
Software giants Oracle (ORCL) and SAP (SAP) escalated their bidding war for retail-software company Retek (RETK) on Thursday.
Just hours after Germany-based SAP improved its offer 29% to $617 million, rival Oracle came back and trumped it with a bid worth $631 million.
Running new point-of-sale networks and customer loyalty programs tied to data warehouses are three key IT buying intentions of retailers. That's why Oracle wants a bigger piece of the retail market. Meanwhile, SAP's version of R3 for retailers has been a "nothing special" product with only limited use in retail transaction processing.
Retailers are notoriously stingy in capital spending, but once installed the applications run for decades -- literally.
Whichever company pays the most for Retek, expect (many) more acquisitions of specialized applications and in vertical markets over the next five years. The Oracle-SAP software convergence war will not be won by one deal.
Peter S. Kastner
Sun Licensing Plan Stops Short of Open Source
Thu Mar 17, 2:35 PM ET
Elizabeth Millard, www.enterprise-linux-it.com
Sun Microsystems will introduce two licenses for using Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE), making access to the Java source code easier for developers. However, the company will not be creating an open-source license, as some in the developer community had hoped.
The new licenses are part a program codenamed "Project Peabody" that aims to attract more developer involvement in J2SE
Peter S. Kastner
Elizabeth Millard, www.enterprise-linux-it.com
Sun Microsystems will introduce two licenses for using Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE), making access to the Java source code easier for developers. However, the company will not be creating an open-source license, as some in the developer community had hoped.
The new licenses are part a program codenamed "Project Peabody" that aims to attract more developer involvement in J2SE
Peter S. Kastner
Internet Explorer 7.0 Details Start Leaking
"Internet Explorer 7.0 won't run just on Windows XP Service Pack 2, according to a new posting on Microsoft's "IE Blog." It also will work on follow-ons to SP2, which include Windows XP Professional x64 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, both of which are due out in the next couple of months. Still no word on whether the updated version of Microsoft's browser will run on older versions of Windows, too (specifically Windows 2000). Microsoft better get the lead out, though; IE's market share dipped below 90 percent for the first time, according to February data from WebSideStory."
Peter S. Kastner
Peter S. Kastner
Desktop Search Overview
To search the World Wide Web, you simply visit a site like Google, MSN, or Yahoo! and type in a keyword or two. But if your PC is like most, it's stuffed with huge numbers of e-mail messages, documents, spreadsheets, and the like, with no quick, easy way to find any of it. Thankfully, this is changing. In recent months, several companies introduced free applications that let you search your desktop as easily as you search the Web—and in some cases, even more quickly. We put eight of the most notable free products to the test in PC Magazine Labs, as well as four programs that still cost money. Two of them, blinkx and Filehand, are start-ups, but the rest are familiar names from the world of Web search: Ask Jeeves, Copernic, Google, HotBot, MSN, and Yahoo!.
An overview of software that brings search (e.g., Google) from the Internet to your desktop.
I have not used these products yet, but the day is not far away when the nedd and desirability to "get my arms around" the now gigabytes of data on my hard drive. In enterprises, the ability to support workgroup and project collaboration makes this technology an easy case to make.
Peter S. Kastner
An overview of software that brings search (e.g., Google) from the Internet to your desktop.
I have not used these products yet, but the day is not far away when the nedd and desirability to "get my arms around" the now gigabytes of data on my hard drive. In enterprises, the ability to support workgroup and project collaboration makes this technology an easy case to make.
Peter S. Kastner
Intel Dual-Core Processors on Desktops First -- Soon
A decent overview article on the forthcoming Intel dual-core chips for workstations (Extreme Edition), enterprise desktops, and consumer desktops.
Peter S. Kastner
Peter S. Kastner
HP to Ship ProLiant Servers with Smaller, SAS-Based Drives
Hewlett-Packard Co. within the next two months will begin shipping ProLiant servers with multifunctional network adapter cards and smaller hard drives.
Those moves, along with support for RAID 6 for greater data protection, are designed to simplify the infrastructure and improve manageability in the data center, said Paul Perez, vice president of storage, networking and infrastructure for HP's ProLiant servers.
The new capabilities will begin appearing in the ProLiant systems—which run on processors from Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.—in May, Perez said. Over the next 12 months, the features will begin appearing in all servers in HP's ProLiant, Itanium-based Integrity, BladeSystem and StorageWorks systems.
The multifunctional adapter card will bring networking, storage and clustering features onto a single connection point, he said. The new adapter cards have been shipped to five beta customers already, and HP is expanding that beta program, he said.
Analysis
HP is first to market with two important advances in technology. The new network interface card will tie storage and Ethernet communications. Serial Attached Storage (SAS) combines the best of SCSI, fibre channel, and ATA disk drive technology in a common chassis. Buyers will see products like these from all the major computer companies this year. These are two technologies worth investing in, sooner rather than later.
Peter S. Kastner
Those moves, along with support for RAID 6 for greater data protection, are designed to simplify the infrastructure and improve manageability in the data center, said Paul Perez, vice president of storage, networking and infrastructure for HP's ProLiant servers.
The new capabilities will begin appearing in the ProLiant systems—which run on processors from Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.—in May, Perez said. Over the next 12 months, the features will begin appearing in all servers in HP's ProLiant, Itanium-based Integrity, BladeSystem and StorageWorks systems.
The multifunctional adapter card will bring networking, storage and clustering features onto a single connection point, he said. The new adapter cards have been shipped to five beta customers already, and HP is expanding that beta program, he said.
Analysis
HP is first to market with two important advances in technology. The new network interface card will tie storage and Ethernet communications. Serial Attached Storage (SAS) combines the best of SCSI, fibre channel, and ATA disk drive technology in a common chassis. Buyers will see products like these from all the major computer companies this year. These are two technologies worth investing in, sooner rather than later.
Peter S. Kastner
EU's antitrust chief still undecided on Microsoft compliance
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - European Union antitrust chief Neelie Kroes said Tuesday her office was still determining whether Microsoft Corp. was complying with last year's landmark EU ruling against it.
The ruling requires the company to offer an alternative version of its Windows operating system for sale without its video and music Media Player application. Microsoft also has to make technical information available to allow rivals to improve the interoperability of their products with the Windows server.
Analysis
Microsoft just cannot get away from the bureaucrats of the EU. "Reduced Media Edition" is a dumb idea, no matter what the EU forces Microsoft to call the product. On source code, Microsoft is again in a no-win battle over what are the appropriate terms for a source license.
I have some sympathy for Microsoft, a convicted monopolist. I feel the pain (in the neck) the legal team must be going through.
Peter S. Kastner
The ruling requires the company to offer an alternative version of its Windows operating system for sale without its video and music Media Player application. Microsoft also has to make technical information available to allow rivals to improve the interoperability of their products with the Windows server.
Analysis
Microsoft just cannot get away from the bureaucrats of the EU. "Reduced Media Edition" is a dumb idea, no matter what the EU forces Microsoft to call the product. On source code, Microsoft is again in a no-win battle over what are the appropriate terms for a source license.
I have some sympathy for Microsoft, a convicted monopolist. I feel the pain (in the neck) the legal team must be going through.
Peter S. Kastner
Look for Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger"
Look for the new Max OS X version in April.
Apple Preps Release of Mac OS X 'Tiger'
Mon Mar 14, 1:16 PM ET
Technology - Ziff Davis
Ian Betteridge - eWEEK
"Apple is due to launch the next major release of its flagship operating system, Mac OS X 10.4, aka "Tiger," by the middle of April, according to sources close to the company.
Sources told eWEEK.com that Apple plans to make copies of Tiger available in its own retail stores as well as through independent dealers by April 15, with the official announcement of the product coming earlier in the month. On Friday, a report on the Think Secret Mac market news site predicted the announcement would fall on April 1, the 26th anniversary of Apple's incorporation. "
IBM plans to buy business software maker Ascential Software
IBM to pay $1.1B for Ascential Software
Tue Mar 15, 8:01 AM ET
By Michelle Kessler, USA TODAY
"IBM (IBM) plans to buy business software maker Ascential Software (ASCL) for $1.1 billion in cash, the companies said Monday.
Westboro, Mass.-based Ascential makes software to link databases and other back-end business programs. That's important for businesses that want to understand and use the vast amounts of data they generate each day. "
Analysis
Last year's announcement of "Masala" -- a massive combination of ETI tools, data knowledge, and services -- put IBM on my radar screen as the company that really wants to solve the (never ending) problem of turning the petabytes of enterprise data into some intelligence and wisdom. The Ascential acquisition makes IBM the go-to supplier in this space, with a huge variety of products, many services, and excellent experience and expertise gained from customer assignments. The acquisition will help IBM build a multi-billion dollar complex data knowledge business.
Peter S. Kastner
Tue Mar 15, 8:01 AM ET
By Michelle Kessler, USA TODAY
"IBM (IBM) plans to buy business software maker Ascential Software (ASCL) for $1.1 billion in cash, the companies said Monday.
Westboro, Mass.-based Ascential makes software to link databases and other back-end business programs. That's important for businesses that want to understand and use the vast amounts of data they generate each day. "
Analysis
Last year's announcement of "Masala" -- a massive combination of ETI tools, data knowledge, and services -- put IBM on my radar screen as the company that really wants to solve the (never ending) problem of turning the petabytes of enterprise data into some intelligence and wisdom. The Ascential acquisition makes IBM the go-to supplier in this space, with a huge variety of products, many services, and excellent experience and expertise gained from customer assignments. The acquisition will help IBM build a multi-billion dollar complex data knowledge business.
Peter S. Kastner
Windows XP May Gain Longhorn Features
Windows XP may be updated to support a new file system technology that Microsoft is working on for the next version of Windows.
Called WinFS, the technology promises to make it easier for users to find data stored on their computer. WinFS was originally slated to ship as part of the next Windows release, code-named Longhorn. Microsoft, however, last August pulled WinFS from Longhorn to be able to make a 2006 ship date for operating system's release.
Microsoft now plans to have a beta test version of WinFS available when Longhorn ships, probably late next year, and add it as an update to the operating system later. While it develops the technology, Microsoft is also evaluating whether to make the storage system available on Windows XP, a company spokesperson says in a statement sent via e-mail."
Analysis
Microsoft has said that the graphical user interface (Avalon) and communications features of Longhorn will be available as "add-ons" to Windows XP. Now we hear that the new file system, WinFS, will also be an add-on. My presumption is that add-ons are free downloads.
If these three big, new technology features are free add-ons to the Windows XP installed base, is Microsoft cannibalizing its upgrade sales to Longhorn? Or is there no "in place" upgrade from XP to Longhorn like there i from Win2000/98 to Windows XP so there is nothing to cannibalize.
The migration to Longhorn is a story we'll be watching this year.
Peter S. Kastner
Called WinFS, the technology promises to make it easier for users to find data stored on their computer. WinFS was originally slated to ship as part of the next Windows release, code-named Longhorn. Microsoft, however, last August pulled WinFS from Longhorn to be able to make a 2006 ship date for operating system's release.
Microsoft now plans to have a beta test version of WinFS available when Longhorn ships, probably late next year, and add it as an update to the operating system later. While it develops the technology, Microsoft is also evaluating whether to make the storage system available on Windows XP, a company spokesperson says in a statement sent via e-mail."
Analysis
Microsoft has said that the graphical user interface (Avalon) and communications features of Longhorn will be available as "add-ons" to Windows XP. Now we hear that the new file system, WinFS, will also be an add-on. My presumption is that add-ons are free downloads.
If these three big, new technology features are free add-ons to the Windows XP installed base, is Microsoft cannibalizing its upgrade sales to Longhorn? Or is there no "in place" upgrade from XP to Longhorn like there i from Win2000/98 to Windows XP so there is nothing to cannibalize.
The migration to Longhorn is a story we'll be watching this year.
Peter S. Kastner
TiVo Wins Deal with Comcast, Stock Jumps
TiVo Wins Deal with Comcast, Stock Jumps
Tue Mar 15, 3:35 PM ET
Technology - Reuters
By Franklin Paul
NEW YORK (Reuters) - "TiVo (news - web sites) Inc. on Tuesday won a contract to supply its digital video recording technology to No. 1 cable television operator Comcast Corp., in a deal that could dramatically boost TiVo's distribution and quiet doubts about its future. "
The battle between Personal Video Recorders and standalone Consumer Electronics (CE) products like Tivo continues. Tivo has had a hard time getting more subscribers lately. This deal with Comcast, the largest U.S. cable TV provider, gives Tivo a huge distribution channel.
Peter S. Kastner
Tue Mar 15, 3:35 PM ET
Technology - Reuters
By Franklin Paul
NEW YORK (Reuters) - "TiVo (news - web sites) Inc. on Tuesday won a contract to supply its digital video recording technology to No. 1 cable television operator Comcast Corp., in a deal that could dramatically boost TiVo's distribution and quiet doubts about its future. "
The battle between Personal Video Recorders and standalone Consumer Electronics (CE) products like Tivo continues. Tivo has had a hard time getting more subscribers lately. This deal with Comcast, the largest U.S. cable TV provider, gives Tivo a huge distribution channel.
Peter S. Kastner
Digital Music Player Sales to Grow 57 Pct
"AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Sales of portable digital music players are set to grow 57 percent this year after more than doubling in 2004, results of a global survey showed on Tuesday.
Over the next five years, shipments of MP3 music players will expand to 132 million units in 2009 from 36.8 million in 2004, market research group iSuppli said. "
That means Apple iPod roll will continue, but others are jumping in to the market big time too.
Peter S. Kastner
Over the next five years, shipments of MP3 music players will expand to 132 million units in 2009 from 36.8 million in 2004, market research group iSuppli said. "
That means Apple iPod roll will continue, but others are jumping in to the market big time too.
Peter S. Kastner
Homeland Security Officials Refute RFID Reports
Homeland Security Officials Refute RFID Reports
By Jacqueline Emigh
U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have hotly denied reports by some other publications that the agency's upcoming ID cards will use radio-frequency identification. Instead, the DHS will deploy another type of RF technology known as "ISO/IEC 14443," which is soon to be required for all federal employee ID cards—and which carries a far shorter coverage range.
By Jacqueline Emigh
U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have hotly denied reports by some other publications that the agency's upcoming ID cards will use radio-frequency identification. Instead, the DHS will deploy another type of RF technology known as "ISO/IEC 14443," which is soon to be required for all federal employee ID cards—and which carries a far shorter coverage range.
Homeland Security Officials Refute RFID Reports
Homeland Security Officials Refute RFID Reports
By Jacqueline Emigh
U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have hotly denied reports by some other publications that the agency's upcoming ID cards will use radio-frequency identification. Instead, the DHS will deploy another type of RF technology known as "ISO/IEC 14443," which is soon to be required for all federal employee ID cards—and which carries a far shorter coverage range.
By Jacqueline Emigh
U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have hotly denied reports by some other publications that the agency's upcoming ID cards will use radio-frequency identification. Instead, the DHS will deploy another type of RF technology known as "ISO/IEC 14443," which is soon to be required for all federal employee ID cards—and which carries a far shorter coverage range.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Wired News: Blank Discs Not Created Equal
Because of a comment made by a friend, I thought this might be of interest to anybody with a burner:
"....Blank media still possess an air of mystery, at least to some people. When you buy a stack of shiny new platters packaged by Fujifilm, TDK Electronics, Ritek, Verbatim, Imation, Hewlett-Packard or another recognizable brand, you cannot count on the name that appears on the label to reveal the whole story. In fact, most of this blank media is manufactured by a short list of companies: India's Moser Baer, Japan's Ricoh and Taiyo Yuden, and Taiwan's CMC Magnetics, Prodisc Technology and Optodisc Technology...."
"....Blank media still possess an air of mystery, at least to some people. When you buy a stack of shiny new platters packaged by Fujifilm, TDK Electronics, Ritek, Verbatim, Imation, Hewlett-Packard or another recognizable brand, you cannot count on the name that appears on the label to reveal the whole story. In fact, most of this blank media is manufactured by a short list of companies: India's Moser Baer, Japan's Ricoh and Taiyo Yuden, and Taiwan's CMC Magnetics, Prodisc Technology and Optodisc Technology...."
Friday, March 18, 2005
Microsoft Details How Their Anti-Spyware Works
Information Week has an interesting article on the MS anti-spyware application, along with a link to a seven page white paper by MS.
Jack
Jack
In Asia, Microsoft sees slow start for budget XP
Just how is Windows XP Starter Edition doing? Not that well evidently. This article explains some of the reasons why, but the number one reason seems to be cheap, bootleg copies of XP Home and XP Pro are readily available.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Commerce: MSN Launches Sponsored Ads on Search Site
The use of data from Hotmail users to target ads is an interesting component of this search site. Of course, you have all given Hotmail absolutely true and accurate information about yourself, right?
MIT Backs Brazil's Free Software Over Microsoft
Every once in a while I have to sneak in a positive open source story here. I agree -- a full open source OS is a better option on computers for the poor than a scaled down proprietary OS.
More on Microsoft's Discontinuation of Free Support for Visual Basic 6
I posted about this a few days ago. News.com has a more detailed article, including links to the fundamental details of the controversy (differences in the languages involved themselves). This is likely the most complete statement of the problem and the controversy yet.
Jack
Jack
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Spammer Sues Spam Victim, Continues Spamming Him
Is this the future of CAN-SPAM? You request, under the rights of CAN-SPAM to be removed, but instead of being removed from the mailing list, the owner sues you?
I ran into this one on Tripso.com.
I ran into this one on Tripso.com.
AMD goes after thin-and-light notebooks
Thin-and-light is a category AMD has abdicated to Intel. New processor models will put AMD squarely in the most profitable notebook segment.
However, I doubt AMD's claim that 51% of the notebook market will be thin-and-lights by 2007. There are too many corporate cruisers -- not to mention consumers -- who have much heavier (and sometimes more powerful) notebooks to lug to meetings.
AMD Jumps on Processor Number Bandwagon
Note the new model numbers AMD has chosen, which identify the feature class and relative speed. Looks like AMD is imitating Intel's 2004 switch to the same (applaudable) idea: get rid of gigahertz as the main identifier of processor performance.
Peter S. Kastner
However, I doubt AMD's claim that 51% of the notebook market will be thin-and-lights by 2007. There are too many corporate cruisers -- not to mention consumers -- who have much heavier (and sometimes more powerful) notebooks to lug to meetings.
AMD Jumps on Processor Number Bandwagon
Note the new model numbers AMD has chosen, which identify the feature class and relative speed. Looks like AMD is imitating Intel's 2004 switch to the same (applaudable) idea: get rid of gigahertz as the main identifier of processor performance.
Peter S. Kastner
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Intel QUIETLY Pushes Desktop Linux
Intel is formally, though very quietly, supporting Linux on the desktop. MS must be pretty unhappy with them. Anyway, the details can be had at the link above.
My wife recently partitioned her laptop and installed SuSE 9.2, all by herself, which certainly shows that a user of average competance can now easily install Linux. Laptops used to pose special problems, but not any more. It may be that the time of Linux on desktops is come. It surely has in our home.
Jack
My wife recently partitioned her laptop and installed SuSE 9.2, all by herself, which certainly shows that a user of average competance can now easily install Linux. Laptops used to pose special problems, but not any more. It may be that the time of Linux on desktops is come. It surely has in our home.
Jack
Microsoft to Abandon Passwords in Longhorn?
Vnunet has an intriguing article quoting a Microsoft representative as saying that Longhorn will rely on some unspecified form of two factor authentication, rather than passwords.
The scheme is not detailed at all, but right away it raises questions like who will provide the database for authentication? Microsoft? I can hear the howls now from many quarters about entrusting MS with one's identity. The article makes the point (and I concur) that such authentication, whatever form it takes, has to be openly held and accessible from any and everywhere, lest myriad problems arise.
Still; passwords are rarely used well and something has to change. At least this will begin a (hopefully) constructive debate on the subject.
Jack
The scheme is not detailed at all, but right away it raises questions like who will provide the database for authentication? Microsoft? I can hear the howls now from many quarters about entrusting MS with one's identity. The article makes the point (and I concur) that such authentication, whatever form it takes, has to be openly held and accessible from any and everywhere, lest myriad problems arise.
Still; passwords are rarely used well and something has to change. At least this will begin a (hopefully) constructive debate on the subject.
Jack
SHA-1 Hash Flaw Draws Serious Industry Response
Last month, news reports that academic researchers in China had found a flaw in the widely used SHA-1 hashing algorithm raised a few eyebrows but quickly passed from the headlines.
Fast forward a month, and today's Wall Street Journal has a front page story about raising red flags over this story.
SHA-1 hashes a 160-bit "key" that was thought to be unique for each message. That would ensure a recipient, for instance, that an e-mail had not been tampered with. SHA-1 is widely used in Internet commerce (e.g., money) and in a number of authentication systems built into commercial products such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
What a difference a month makes. The Wall Street Journal story paints a different story from the initial blase reactions. Security specialists and product developers looked at the evidence from the Chinese research and found an exploitable flaw. The security industry will jettison SHA-1 as soon as it can -- and hope a hack that exploits the flaw dose not appear first.
Bottom Line: In this case, last month's smoke becomes this month's fire. The SHA-1 flaw is serious and deserves attention by vendors and enterprises which use it in their customer- and partner-facing applications.
The unstated fear is that the bad guys will find an unpublished flaw in some other critical Internet security feature, and create chaos through lack of trust in online commerce. Should the $20 billion Internet commerce market lose consumer and business confidence, it could crash overnight. Not my Cassandra scenario, mind you, but it's very sobering to realize that the world is coming to depend on fragile technology -- and may not know how large the risk is.
Peter S. Kastner
Fast forward a month, and today's Wall Street Journal has a front page story about raising red flags over this story.
SHA-1 hashes a 160-bit "key" that was thought to be unique for each message. That would ensure a recipient, for instance, that an e-mail had not been tampered with. SHA-1 is widely used in Internet commerce (e.g., money) and in a number of authentication systems built into commercial products such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
What a difference a month makes. The Wall Street Journal story paints a different story from the initial blase reactions. Security specialists and product developers looked at the evidence from the Chinese research and found an exploitable flaw. The security industry will jettison SHA-1 as soon as it can -- and hope a hack that exploits the flaw dose not appear first.
Bottom Line: In this case, last month's smoke becomes this month's fire. The SHA-1 flaw is serious and deserves attention by vendors and enterprises which use it in their customer- and partner-facing applications.
The unstated fear is that the bad guys will find an unpublished flaw in some other critical Internet security feature, and create chaos through lack of trust in online commerce. Should the $20 billion Internet commerce market lose consumer and business confidence, it could crash overnight. Not my Cassandra scenario, mind you, but it's very sobering to realize that the world is coming to depend on fragile technology -- and may not know how large the risk is.
Peter S. Kastner
Open Source Servers is a Dumb Idea
Timothy Prickett Morgan is a writer and analyst whom I usually respect. He is off base with a proposal to rid the world of proprietary servers and replace them with Open Source Servers.
Morgan writes, "IT vendors are in the business of selling what are still largely point solutions to customers who have holistic problems that include myriad legacy systems. The vendors and the consumers of servers, in particular, have been at odds with each other from the beginning. The vendors control the introduction, maturation, and death of any technology in the servers they control, often to the chagrin of their customers.
There is another way to make and support servers, one that is more flexible, yet allows companies to absorb change in the way they want to, not the way that vendors want them to."
What Morgan wants is a myriad of interchangeability standards that would allow enterprises to allow -- well, there is no other way to put it -- do-it-yourself (DIY) servers. I agree it is sometimes frustrating to be unable to plug an IBM Power server into an HP rack, or have to pay a big price for the sheet metal and screws on hot-plug disk drives. But that's the way the industry works -- and has always worked.
No New News
First, Morgan is wrong. Open Source hardware has been around in many variations for years. You can go to Tyan or any number of Taiwan server-motherboard makers and buy the features you want. Exactly like a DIY desktop PC. Enterprises can easily negotiate with the Taiwanese or Chinese to procure disk drive enclosures, racks, and all the things Morgan rants about. But, gee, that would mean having F1000 enterprises designing their own variation on Open Source computers. I trust at least a few CEOs will decide that computer design and on-site assembly is not the core competency of most enterprises (and certainly not the government). On the other hand, resellers have supported the small- medium-business market this way for years with OEM parts they assemble.
Peter's "Make a Buck" Argument
CIOs for years have had the delusion they should receive the low -- as in free -- price of open source software. They just expect the free software to come with enterprise-class support on a 24x7 basis. What is wrong with this thinking? Software and Morgan's target hardware companies have to mark up the products they sell to cover the support and warranty they provide. They also are expected by shareholders to make a profit. All those on-site vendor pre-sales calls to help scope the project requirements get added into the gross margin needed on disk drives enclosures. And almost all enterprises need that support and help, whether it is a paid service or built into the price of the server rack.
Open source Enterprise Won't Fly
Sorry, Timothy Prickett Morgan, your idea won't fly in the real world of enterprise computing. The choice to do open source has been there for a decade in many ways and the market has spoken with a resounding "no thanks". Enterprises may grumble and groan about prices, but they keep paying and paying. In fact, when faced with the end of a hardware platform (think HP 3000), they roar with displeasure.
Peter S. Kastner
Morgan writes, "IT vendors are in the business of selling what are still largely point solutions to customers who have holistic problems that include myriad legacy systems. The vendors and the consumers of servers, in particular, have been at odds with each other from the beginning. The vendors control the introduction, maturation, and death of any technology in the servers they control, often to the chagrin of their customers.
There is another way to make and support servers, one that is more flexible, yet allows companies to absorb change in the way they want to, not the way that vendors want them to."
What Morgan wants is a myriad of interchangeability standards that would allow enterprises to allow -- well, there is no other way to put it -- do-it-yourself (DIY) servers. I agree it is sometimes frustrating to be unable to plug an IBM Power server into an HP rack, or have to pay a big price for the sheet metal and screws on hot-plug disk drives. But that's the way the industry works -- and has always worked.
No New News
First, Morgan is wrong. Open Source hardware has been around in many variations for years. You can go to Tyan or any number of Taiwan server-motherboard makers and buy the features you want. Exactly like a DIY desktop PC. Enterprises can easily negotiate with the Taiwanese or Chinese to procure disk drive enclosures, racks, and all the things Morgan rants about. But, gee, that would mean having F1000 enterprises designing their own variation on Open Source computers. I trust at least a few CEOs will decide that computer design and on-site assembly is not the core competency of most enterprises (and certainly not the government). On the other hand, resellers have supported the small- medium-business market this way for years with OEM parts they assemble.
Peter's "Make a Buck" Argument
CIOs for years have had the delusion they should receive the low -- as in free -- price of open source software. They just expect the free software to come with enterprise-class support on a 24x7 basis. What is wrong with this thinking? Software and Morgan's target hardware companies have to mark up the products they sell to cover the support and warranty they provide. They also are expected by shareholders to make a profit. All those on-site vendor pre-sales calls to help scope the project requirements get added into the gross margin needed on disk drives enclosures. And almost all enterprises need that support and help, whether it is a paid service or built into the price of the server rack.
Open source Enterprise Won't Fly
Sorry, Timothy Prickett Morgan, your idea won't fly in the real world of enterprise computing. The choice to do open source has been there for a decade in many ways and the market has spoken with a resounding "no thanks". Enterprises may grumble and groan about prices, but they keep paying and paying. In fact, when faced with the end of a hardware platform (think HP 3000), they roar with displeasure.
Peter S. Kastner
Microsoft Converges Business Solutions Business
"At its Convergence 2005 conference in San Diego last week, Microsoft unveiled its ERP product roadmap, including details of its "Project Green" initiative to gradually unite the five core products sold through its Microsoft Business Solutions (MOBS) division. Project Green will be delivered across two waves, the first of which has already begun. Microsoft also announced a new five-year support policy for all MOBS products, replacing the previous three-year support policy."
Microsoft as a whole set revenue and profit records for the last quarter, but the MOBS segment grew revenues only five percent, to $206 million, and its net loss grew to $23 million -- a loss approaching 10% of sales. This is obviously a disappointment for Microsoft, which trails predictions it would leverage Great Plains, Navision, Solomon, retail POS, and CRM applications into a juggernaut to challenge SAP and Oracle applications -- at least in the mid-market.
Convergence will (eventually) cut costs because fewer support resources will be needed five-plus years from now. More importantly, Microsoft needs to rationalize its sales channel: five products now use five channels to go to market. This is not efficient for Microsoft or for the resellers who are competing at the local level.
Bottom Line: Will not help customers, channel partners, or Microsoft any time soon. But it's the right thing to do in the long run. Potential customers will have to consider a migration somewhere down the road -- but Microsoft is not alone with the prospect of migrations down the road!
Peter S. Kastner
Microsoft as a whole set revenue and profit records for the last quarter, but the MOBS segment grew revenues only five percent, to $206 million, and its net loss grew to $23 million -- a loss approaching 10% of sales. This is obviously a disappointment for Microsoft, which trails predictions it would leverage Great Plains, Navision, Solomon, retail POS, and CRM applications into a juggernaut to challenge SAP and Oracle applications -- at least in the mid-market.
Convergence will (eventually) cut costs because fewer support resources will be needed five-plus years from now. More importantly, Microsoft needs to rationalize its sales channel: five products now use five channels to go to market. This is not efficient for Microsoft or for the resellers who are competing at the local level.
Bottom Line: Will not help customers, channel partners, or Microsoft any time soon. But it's the right thing to do in the long run. Potential customers will have to consider a migration somewhere down the road -- but Microsoft is not alone with the prospect of migrations down the road!
Peter S. Kastner
Monday, March 14, 2005
Microsoft Extends Office "Presence", Buys Groove
Anyone thinking Microsft's venerable Office suite is out of new features to add has missed the boat. Microsoft has an active -- and maybe visionary -- program to extend the concept of Office and workplace to remote, mobile, and disconnected workers. This is a long-term effort which Microsoft believes is strategic to its long-term growth and prosperity.
Last week, Microsoft purchased Groove, a Massachusetts company headed by Lotus Development luminary, Ray Ozzie. Ozzie will become one of three Microsoft "chief technology officers", working with chief architect Bill Gates.
Last week, Microsoft purchased Groove, a Massachusetts company headed by Lotus Development luminary, Ray Ozzie. Ozzie will become one of three Microsoft "chief technology officers", working with chief architect Bill Gates.
Groove's Virtual Office complements Microsoft's collaboration solution offerings:
- Real-time collaboration solutions such as Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2005 and Microsoft Office Live Communications Server that enable in-the-moment one-to-one and one-to-many collaboration
- Server-based collaboration solutions such as Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server and Windows SharePoint Services that allow businesses to create and manage collaborative work spaces online or on a company's internal IT system
- Peer-to-peer collaboration solutions through Groove's Virtual Office, which let any Windows-based PC user instantly create ad hoc, virtual work spaces that securely and easily span organizational, geographic and network boundaries, and allow information workers to be productive whether they're online or temporarily disconnected from the network.
Gates talked last week about "presence", the ability with forthcoming technology to instantly create the appropriate meeting environment for collaboration. E-mail, telephony, video conference, instant messaging -- all will tie together. Given Microsoft's strong push with this initiative into Voice Over IP (VoIP), we reiterate our prediction that VoIP is going to see enormous growth this year. On the other hand, Microsoft's technology will make it harder for workers to get private or personal time as instant meetings could be no more than a mouse click away.
Peter S. Kastner
Peter S. Kastner
Pi Day Gives Math Mavens Something to Celebrate
Take a little break from your manic Monday, geeks, and contemplate Pi and Einstein's birthday all rolled into one!
Storage: Show Me the Money
Market counter IDC reported last week "Worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenues grew slightly in the fourth quarter of 2004 (4Q04), posting just 1% growth over the same quarter one year ago to $3.8 billion, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker. The total disk storage systems market grew at a slightly higher year-over-year rate of 1.8% in the fourth quarter, as internal storage revenues grew faster than external storage. Demand for disk storage systems capacity picked up considerably in the fourth quarter, however, resulting in 57.7% year-over-year growth in external disk storage systems petabytes. For the full year 2004, the external disk storage systems market posted 4.7% revenue growth over 2003 to $14.2 billion."
EMC and EMC partner Dell are growing fastest, while HP lost several market share points last year (see separate blog entry).
Where's the Money?
There is a real disconnect between the piddling 1% revenue growth noted by IDC and the widespread belief that storage growth is 40% - 50% a year. I believe growth is at the 40% - 50% a year range. My research last year at Aberdeen Group with F1000 users showed statistically significant results at the 40%+ level for planned gigabytes of enterprise storage added (e.g., datacenter, not desktop). To this add EMC CEO Joe Tucci's complaint to analysts last month that EMC could not get enough fibre channel disk drives to meet demand this quarter. And it's not just me: EMC states storage industry growth is 50%, so many smart people are drinking the 50% growth Koolaid.
The question I pose is this: since no one is suggesting that enterprise storage prices have declined 40% - 50% in the past year, how can revenues be up only 4.7 percent as IDC claims while gigabytes shipped is up over 40%? The arithmetic just does not work! One answer is that IT is budgeting and planning for 40% growth but buying far less -- 35% less growth than planned. Another could be a fundamental flaw in the methodology used by IDC (and others) which understates storage spending growth as a share of the entire server/storage/software/services pie.
I'd like the answer, please. Post your thoughts.
Peter S. Kastner
EMC and EMC partner Dell are growing fastest, while HP lost several market share points last year (see separate blog entry).
Where's the Money?
There is a real disconnect between the piddling 1% revenue growth noted by IDC and the widespread belief that storage growth is 40% - 50% a year. I believe growth is at the 40% - 50% a year range. My research last year at Aberdeen Group with F1000 users showed statistically significant results at the 40%+ level for planned gigabytes of enterprise storage added (e.g., datacenter, not desktop). To this add EMC CEO Joe Tucci's complaint to analysts last month that EMC could not get enough fibre channel disk drives to meet demand this quarter. And it's not just me: EMC states storage industry growth is 50%, so many smart people are drinking the 50% growth Koolaid.
The question I pose is this: since no one is suggesting that enterprise storage prices have declined 40% - 50% in the past year, how can revenues be up only 4.7 percent as IDC claims while gigabytes shipped is up over 40%? The arithmetic just does not work! One answer is that IT is budgeting and planning for 40% growth but buying far less -- 35% less growth than planned. Another could be a fundamental flaw in the methodology used by IDC (and others) which understates storage spending growth as a share of the entire server/storage/software/services pie.
I'd like the answer, please. Post your thoughts.
Peter S. Kastner
Privacy advocates frown on Amazon snooping plan
Anyone who has an Amazon.com account knows how their system works. If you are logged in, Amazon presents you will all kinds of "suggestions", based on your browsing and buying habits, that it thinks you might like to buy. Sometimes it is kind of spooky. Most of the time to me, it is wrong and annoying. I want to look at what I want to look at, and I don't want to be bombarded with a bunch of stuff related to things I bought in the past every time I log in.
While Amazon does give you the chance to fine tune the "suggestions" by deleting things, well, that's not my job or where I want to spend my time. I once bought a country music CD and for years Amazon must have thought that I really wanted to buy mass quantites of country music. Every time I went there, I got another "suggestion". My interests are so varied that no automated system can get it right, and Amazon's routinely gets it wrong.
Now this "suggestion" business may only get "better" with this new Amazon patented gift tracking system.
Amazon, listen! There are 2 useful features your tracking system gives me. One is keeping track of things I've looked at during a session (and no longer). That way if I'm comparing stuff I can easily find the things I've already scoped out. The other is when I put something in my shopping cart, Amazon offers me a deal on that and a related item I might want -- a possible savings. Possible savings are good, especially if I really want that other item -- I'm likely to buy.
I realize that other shoppers may have other needs. What Amazon really needs to do is let us, their customers, choose from their tracking features those which are useful and allow us to leave the others behind. The ones that are offensive to me personally, will actually cause me to spend less time at the Amazon site which means that I'm less likely to see something that I want to buy. I have never bought something from Amazon that I didn't want to buy before I went to the Amazon site. Perhaps I am atypical, but it is true.
After that rant, why do I even buy from Amazon? A couple of reasons. They often have good prices. They often have what I want in stock. They usually get the order right. When they get the order wrong, they have fixed the probem in a timely manner. There are so many things I like about Amazon, but it is possible to drive a loyal customer away if the browsing experience gets too spooky. What is described in this article is, in my opinion, spooky. Not to mention the child safety issues involved, which is a very huge concern.
So Amazon, please patent the "let the customer turn off the parts they don't like" buttons. And please, please go very carefully with this next step and its potential for child exploitation.
While Amazon does give you the chance to fine tune the "suggestions" by deleting things, well, that's not my job or where I want to spend my time. I once bought a country music CD and for years Amazon must have thought that I really wanted to buy mass quantites of country music. Every time I went there, I got another "suggestion". My interests are so varied that no automated system can get it right, and Amazon's routinely gets it wrong.
Now this "suggestion" business may only get "better" with this new Amazon patented gift tracking system.
Amazon, listen! There are 2 useful features your tracking system gives me. One is keeping track of things I've looked at during a session (and no longer). That way if I'm comparing stuff I can easily find the things I've already scoped out. The other is when I put something in my shopping cart, Amazon offers me a deal on that and a related item I might want -- a possible savings. Possible savings are good, especially if I really want that other item -- I'm likely to buy.
I realize that other shoppers may have other needs. What Amazon really needs to do is let us, their customers, choose from their tracking features those which are useful and allow us to leave the others behind. The ones that are offensive to me personally, will actually cause me to spend less time at the Amazon site which means that I'm less likely to see something that I want to buy. I have never bought something from Amazon that I didn't want to buy before I went to the Amazon site. Perhaps I am atypical, but it is true.
After that rant, why do I even buy from Amazon? A couple of reasons. They often have good prices. They often have what I want in stock. They usually get the order right. When they get the order wrong, they have fixed the probem in a timely manner. There are so many things I like about Amazon, but it is possible to drive a loyal customer away if the browsing experience gets too spooky. What is described in this article is, in my opinion, spooky. Not to mention the child safety issues involved, which is a very huge concern.
So Amazon, please patent the "let the customer turn off the parts they don't like" buttons. And please, please go very carefully with this next step and its potential for child exploitation.
Corel WordPerfect Gets Some Justice
Back in the late 1980s when word processing on a PC became de rigeur and companies like Wang and Data General began the long slide to oblivion, WordPerfect Corporation was the market share leader. WP could do an awful lot of page layout once you learned the secret codes that control text and paragraph attributes. The alternative was using very tedious and unfriendly programs with a graphics user interface like PageMaker on an Intel 286 16MHz processor. But as Windows and Microsoft Word rolled out in ever-improving versions from Redmond, WordPerfect lost share in the 1990s and was eventually sold off to Corel Software in Canada.
One of the strong vertical markets for WordPerfect was legal, primarily because WordPerfect listened to lawyers and did things like line numbering pleadings and making legal document formatting easy.
So it is with some justice (pun intended) that WordPerfect wins a 50,000 seat order at the Big Lawyer, the U.S. Department of Justice -- which respects the first amendment rights of bloggers should they be reading this. Corel bid $40 a seat per year for 5 years, plus services and training to bring the contract value to $13M. At one-third the bid price of Microsoft, the accountants at Justice saw a good deal.
Peter S. Kastner
One of the strong vertical markets for WordPerfect was legal, primarily because WordPerfect listened to lawyers and did things like line numbering pleadings and making legal document formatting easy.
So it is with some justice (pun intended) that WordPerfect wins a 50,000 seat order at the Big Lawyer, the U.S. Department of Justice -- which respects the first amendment rights of bloggers should they be reading this. Corel bid $40 a seat per year for 5 years, plus services and training to bring the contract value to $13M. At one-third the bid price of Microsoft, the accountants at Justice saw a good deal.
Peter S. Kastner
Is Google Quietly Leading a revolution in Open Web Programming?
Take a look at Google Suggest. Watch the way the suggested terms update as you type, almost instantly. Now look at Google Maps. Zoom in. Use your cursor to grab the map and scroll around a bit. Again, everything happens almost instantly, with no waiting for pages to reload. What's happening? This isn't your father's static web page circa 1996!
"Google Suggest and Google Maps are two examples of a new approach to web applications that James Garrett at Adaptive Path has been calling Ajax. The name is shorthand for Asynchronous JavaScript + XML, and it represents a fundamental shift in what’s possible on the Web.
Defining AjaxAjax isn’t a technology. It’s really combining several heretofore standalone, standards-based technologies together in powerful new ways. Ajax incorporates:
The classic web application model works like this: Most user actions in the interface trigger an HTTP request back to a web server. The server does some processing — retrieving data, crunching numbers, talking to various legacy systems — and then returns an HTML page to the client. It’s a model adapted from the Web’s original use as a hypertext medium, but as readers of The Elements of User Experience know, what makes the Web good for hypertext doesn’t necessarily make it good for software applications.
Ajax Way
Instead of loading a webpage at the start of the session, the browser loads an Ajax engine — written in JavaScript and usually tucked away in a hidden frame. This engine is responsible for both rendering the interface the user sees and communicating with the server on the user’s behalf. The Ajax engine allows the user’s interaction with the application to happen asynchronously — independent of communication with the server. So the user is never staring at a blank browser window and an hourglass icon, waiting around for the server to do something."
Analysis
1. The architectural balance between "fat client" and "this client" continues in a yin-yang seesaw. Probalbly thus it will always be. The rush away from fat (e.g., client-server mid-1990s) clients to "thin" web clients with a mere sliver of HTML cum Java Script left many wide-area network users frustrated while the web-load bars slowly move from left to right. There are too many client-server interactions in the unpredictable web response time world to make the current thin client model last in a web services world.
With fast machines loafing along, it makes sense in the Ajax model to place more of the local work on the desktop (or laptop) so the user gets more rapid response to what they are looking for. Mousing to the place on the map and zooming in are a good example.
2. Interesting that Google is quietly playing with fire. They just throw this technology out there without so much as a press release, Larry Ellison would have a migraine if that happened at Oracle. The technology is a open as it gets, so it runs on all kinds of browsers -- a not so subtle jab at Microsoft's browser hegemony.
3. The more combinations of open technology take root, the lower the revenues of the software industry. Microsoft, IBM, Macromedia and a host of other software tool companies have much to lose when premier web sites like Google go pure-white with standards based code. And if Google can do it, so can General Motors and other technology-savvy enterprises.
4. You will add Ajax to your lexicon. Ajax will be a big deal in the world's development community inside six months.
5. This will drive the "premier supplier of janitorial and cleaning industries software" absolutely crazy. :-)
Peter S. Kastner
"Google Suggest and Google Maps are two examples of a new approach to web applications that James Garrett at Adaptive Path has been calling Ajax. The name is shorthand for Asynchronous JavaScript + XML, and it represents a fundamental shift in what’s possible on the Web.
Defining AjaxAjax isn’t a technology. It’s really combining several heretofore standalone, standards-based technologies together in powerful new ways. Ajax incorporates:
- standards-based presentation using XHTML and CSS; dynamic display and interaction using the Document Object Model; data interchange and manipulation using XML and XSLT;
- asynchronous data retrieval using XMLHttpRequest;
- JavaScript binding everything together.
The classic web application model works like this: Most user actions in the interface trigger an HTTP request back to a web server. The server does some processing — retrieving data, crunching numbers, talking to various legacy systems — and then returns an HTML page to the client. It’s a model adapted from the Web’s original use as a hypertext medium, but as readers of The Elements of User Experience know, what makes the Web good for hypertext doesn’t necessarily make it good for software applications.
Ajax Way
Instead of loading a webpage at the start of the session, the browser loads an Ajax engine — written in JavaScript and usually tucked away in a hidden frame. This engine is responsible for both rendering the interface the user sees and communicating with the server on the user’s behalf. The Ajax engine allows the user’s interaction with the application to happen asynchronously — independent of communication with the server. So the user is never staring at a blank browser window and an hourglass icon, waiting around for the server to do something."
Analysis
1. The architectural balance between "fat client" and "this client" continues in a yin-yang seesaw. Probalbly thus it will always be. The rush away from fat (e.g., client-server mid-1990s) clients to "thin" web clients with a mere sliver of HTML cum Java Script left many wide-area network users frustrated while the web-load bars slowly move from left to right. There are too many client-server interactions in the unpredictable web response time world to make the current thin client model last in a web services world.
With fast machines loafing along, it makes sense in the Ajax model to place more of the local work on the desktop (or laptop) so the user gets more rapid response to what they are looking for. Mousing to the place on the map and zooming in are a good example.
2. Interesting that Google is quietly playing with fire. They just throw this technology out there without so much as a press release, Larry Ellison would have a migraine if that happened at Oracle. The technology is a open as it gets, so it runs on all kinds of browsers -- a not so subtle jab at Microsoft's browser hegemony.
3. The more combinations of open technology take root, the lower the revenues of the software industry. Microsoft, IBM, Macromedia and a host of other software tool companies have much to lose when premier web sites like Google go pure-white with standards based code. And if Google can do it, so can General Motors and other technology-savvy enterprises.
4. You will add Ajax to your lexicon. Ajax will be a big deal in the world's development community inside six months.
5. This will drive the "premier supplier of janitorial and cleaning industries software" absolutely crazy. :-)
Peter S. Kastner
OC Podcast
This is the On Computers podcast for 03-13-2005. If you prefer, you can download the same file here via ftp.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Links from the show
Geekmeet
What Memory is Best?
DDR on Pentium4 (old)
DDR versus DDR2
Anand Tech on DDR2 and X-Bit Labs also on DDR versus DDR2 memory performance
Game PC on DDR benchmark and tests of 3 high-end DDR2 memory products suggests DDR2 is starting to pull away in performance with DDR2-600. And the cost differential between premium DDR memory and DDR2 memory is not large. [Peter S. Kastner]
Ways to tell what hardware you have Belarc and Everest
Google Converts Your Phone Number Into a Map to Your House from the blog.
Ageia Physics Processing Unit Improve Photo Realism of games!
Interview with ageia developers
Mozilla stopping Mozilla suite development
Why we don't allow comments on this blog...
How to Remove NAV2003 and earlier
Regcleaner link
VIA DP 310 Dual Processor, mini ITX and here are the specs
Free typing tutor
*nix Seti unit cacher here
Th-th-that's ALL folks, have a good week
What Memory is Best?
DDR on Pentium4 (old)
DDR versus DDR2
Anand Tech on DDR2 and X-Bit Labs also on DDR versus DDR2 memory performance
Game PC on DDR benchmark and tests of 3 high-end DDR2 memory products suggests DDR2 is starting to pull away in performance with DDR2-600. And the cost differential between premium DDR memory and DDR2 memory is not large. [Peter S. Kastner]
Ways to tell what hardware you have Belarc and Everest
Google Converts Your Phone Number Into a Map to Your House from the blog.
Ageia Physics Processing Unit Improve Photo Realism of games!
Interview with ageia developers
Mozilla stopping Mozilla suite development
Why we don't allow comments on this blog...
How to Remove NAV2003 and earlier
Regcleaner link
VIA DP 310 Dual Processor, mini ITX and here are the specs
Free typing tutor
*nix Seti unit cacher here
Th-th-that's ALL folks, have a good week
Sun Rises in Redmond
Scant evidence from a blog, but the photos are not likely faked. It sure makes sense for Microsoft to sell its forthcoming Windows 64 on Sun's AMD Opteron-based servers. My nose tells me this unannounced story will come true.
Sun sells hardware: the cynic in me says let the customers decide whether they want Linux, Solaris, or Windows. And Sun needs to move tons of Opterons to make up the revenue dollars for slow-growth/declining big-iron SPARC Unix servers.
Peter S. Kastner
Sun sells hardware: the cynic in me says let the customers decide whether they want Linux, Solaris, or Windows. And Sun needs to move tons of Opterons to make up the revenue dollars for slow-growth/declining big-iron SPARC Unix servers.
Peter S. Kastner
AMD Skips DDR2 in 2005
AMD is seeing no real performance gains in DDR2 -- and DDR2 costs more -- so AMD is not respinning its Athlon 64 processors to support it. I cannot fault AMD's logic.
Peter S. Kastner
Peter S. Kastner
My 1st time
Recently got my first KVM switch.
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=MPB079-N
Please use
http://www.geeks.com/?sourceid=qIrKQjQboTbOAkqAaJof
Joe's link if you decide to get one too.
I have 3 main computers. Up to now i have been using seperate keybords, Mice, and monitors. Needless to say this took up a whole bunch of space. After hearing most of the rest of the folks here talking about their KVM switches, I finally decided to try one of my own. After seeing what compgeeks had to offer, I got the one above. Looked like it had everything and was cheap. So, when i got it, I deciphered the 3"X4" instuctions in about 45 minutes.
After 3 attempts at hooking everything up. I crossed my fingers and powered everything up. Well, no video. Turns out I didn't have my main computer hooked into the #1 postion. So, switched a few more cables and TA DA. I got video. Fired everything else up. tried my first switch (scroll lock, scroll lock, computer #), that took a few attempts. Finnaly got switched over to #2 and the #3. It will also scan for computers if you hit space instead of the number. Now I am a switching fool (LOL). Just last week I think I got a bit too fast. I was ghosting one computer onto another over the LAN. while I was listening to oncomputers. Well, video went funky and scrunched up. I was going nuts could not get anything. Had to shut everthing down. I heaved a sigh of relief when everything came back.
So, to sum up I cleared out a great deal of space, extra montors, keyboards and mice. Saved myself allot of moving from computer to computer. All for $35 plus shipping.
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=MPB079-N
Please use
http://www.geeks.com/?sourceid=qIrKQjQboTbOAkqAaJof
Joe's link if you decide to get one too.
I have 3 main computers. Up to now i have been using seperate keybords, Mice, and monitors. Needless to say this took up a whole bunch of space. After hearing most of the rest of the folks here talking about their KVM switches, I finally decided to try one of my own. After seeing what compgeeks had to offer, I got the one above. Looked like it had everything and was cheap. So, when i got it, I deciphered the 3"X4" instuctions in about 45 minutes.
After 3 attempts at hooking everything up. I crossed my fingers and powered everything up. Well, no video. Turns out I didn't have my main computer hooked into the #1 postion. So, switched a few more cables and TA DA. I got video. Fired everything else up. tried my first switch (scroll lock, scroll lock, computer #), that took a few attempts. Finnaly got switched over to #2 and the #3. It will also scan for computers if you hit space instead of the number. Now I am a switching fool (LOL). Just last week I think I got a bit too fast. I was ghosting one computer onto another over the LAN. while I was listening to oncomputers. Well, video went funky and scrunched up. I was going nuts could not get anything. Had to shut everthing down. I heaved a sigh of relief when everything came back.
So, to sum up I cleared out a great deal of space, extra montors, keyboards and mice. Saved myself allot of moving from computer to computer. All for $35 plus shipping.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Microsoft Visual Basic Developers Revolt Over MS' Decision to Kill VB
Microsoft, which has actively been courting increased developer interest in the Windows platforms has decided to end it's support for Visual Basic, probably the most widely used language for coding Windows applications, in favor of Visual Basic .Net, a fundamentally different language. Some developers are protesting and would like VB maintained and developed alongside VB.Net.
This may be a cautionary tale about investing one's programming career based upon a proprietary language. Then again; it might just be that folks don't want to transition to the future when the tools they are currently using are apparently still viable. You be the judge. I surely don't know how to call it. But when I code, I code in languages that are not the property of one company, such as Python. Though I only program in the smallest of ways, the cross-platform capabilities of Python and Java are attractive to me. Okay, Java is proprietary (though perhaps Sun will heed calls to open it up) but Java runs everywhere, which makes it special. And Sun doesn't demand a license to use it, which makes it different in my eyes and those of many others.
Many programmers are moving to languages which run on many platforms, not just Windows or another one (Intel's Itanium?). VB had coders locked into the Windows platform, was and is a viable language, and MS should probably keep supporting it, lest they lose the support of programmers completely within their fold. There is no effective way, short of a complete re-write, to move VB applications over to VB.Net. This effectively strands the VB developers as MS will no longer be updating VB6 (the most current version) for security or other important shortcomings.
Jack
This may be a cautionary tale about investing one's programming career based upon a proprietary language. Then again; it might just be that folks don't want to transition to the future when the tools they are currently using are apparently still viable. You be the judge. I surely don't know how to call it. But when I code, I code in languages that are not the property of one company, such as Python. Though I only program in the smallest of ways, the cross-platform capabilities of Python and Java are attractive to me. Okay, Java is proprietary (though perhaps Sun will heed calls to open it up) but Java runs everywhere, which makes it special. And Sun doesn't demand a license to use it, which makes it different in my eyes and those of many others.
Many programmers are moving to languages which run on many platforms, not just Windows or another one (Intel's Itanium?). VB had coders locked into the Windows platform, was and is a viable language, and MS should probably keep supporting it, lest they lose the support of programmers completely within their fold. There is no effective way, short of a complete re-write, to move VB applications over to VB.Net. This effectively strands the VB developers as MS will no longer be updating VB6 (the most current version) for security or other important shortcomings.
Jack
Microsoft Enterprise Engineering Center WebLogs
The Microsoft Developer's Network web sites are fascinating places to cruise. The link above will take you to a part of it which contains blogs by MS employees. While there's a huge amount of "rah-rah" for MS, there's also a lot of interesting information. Some of what I've read there has actually helped me in my work and much of it is entertainingly informative.
Not only is it a human face to a company I rarely perceive in that way, it also tells us a lot about where MS is heading; meaning where all of us will be, soon enough.
Jack
Not only is it a human face to a company I rarely perceive in that way, it also tells us a lot about where MS is heading; meaning where all of us will be, soon enough.
Jack
Friday, March 11, 2005
CNN.com - CompUSA settles rebate complaint - Mar 11, 2005
If you have any unresolved rebates from Compusa, you might wanna submit them, within the next 75 days.
Specialized Processor for PC (Game) Physics
Startup Ageia announced a chip dedicated to improving virtual world physics. The immediate use will be in game consoles and PCs to more rapidly compute real-world Newtonian issues for hard and soft bodies, clothing, and particles. Such dedicated chips will do a job that is now handled in software on the main microprocessor. If Ageia gets to market by Christmas like they promise, they have a "first-mover" opportunity to get built into next-generation games and gaming consoles, not to mention graphics boards, PCs and notebooks.
Ageia's work leads us another step closer to photo-realistic virtual worlds running on mainstream PCs (including game consoles).
Interestingly, I had dinner last night with a venture capitalist who makes a convincing case that specialized hardware chips -- and I bet he would agree what Ageia is doing fits the description to a T -- are a growth opportunity for early stage investors.
The microprocessor giants, Intel and AMD, will argue that the rapid deployment of multiple CPU cores starting this spring will obviate the need for dedicated physics processors -- or sound processors for that matter -- in the battle to control silicon and computing functions. I'll weigh in on the side of the VC: there is a role, albeit yet to be proven in the market, for specialized processors.
Peter S. Kastner
Ageia's work leads us another step closer to photo-realistic virtual worlds running on mainstream PCs (including game consoles).
Interestingly, I had dinner last night with a venture capitalist who makes a convincing case that specialized hardware chips -- and I bet he would agree what Ageia is doing fits the description to a T -- are a growth opportunity for early stage investors.
The microprocessor giants, Intel and AMD, will argue that the rapid deployment of multiple CPU cores starting this spring will obviate the need for dedicated physics processors -- or sound processors for that matter -- in the battle to control silicon and computing functions. I'll weigh in on the side of the VC: there is a role, albeit yet to be proven in the market, for specialized processors.
Peter S. Kastner
Google Converts Your Phone Number Into a Map to Your House
Google has implemented a new feature where you can type someone's telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and then you will be given a map to their house. Everyone should be aware of this! Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked.
The safety issues are obvious, and alarming. In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to Google. Type your phone number in the search bar (I.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter.
If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your phone number. Removal takes 48-hours. If you are unlisted in the phone book,
you might not be in there, but it is a good idea just to check. If your number does come up, then if you click on map, it will show you a direct map to your house...
Then again, some folks will consider this capability a feature. But the choice should be yours.
Peter S. Kastner
The safety issues are obvious, and alarming. In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to Google. Type your phone number in the search bar (I.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter.
If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your phone number. Removal takes 48-hours. If you are unlisted in the phone book,
you might not be in there, but it is a good idea just to check. If your number does come up, then if you click on map, it will show you a direct map to your house...
Then again, some folks will consider this capability a feature. But the choice should be yours.
Peter S. Kastner
Spyware Infects IE Through Alternative Browsers!
This is important! While I suppose it was only a matter of time before the slimeballs attacked the alternative browsers like Firefox, Mozilla and Safari, it has happened in a big way. Read this and watch for follow-ups. Fixes are in the works, but this attacks via fundamental code in browsers and may take a while to fix.
Jack
Jack
An update to the HP saga
Just thought I would pass along a little update on the saga I posted last week. The machines that were on order finally arrived. I must say that I was suitably impressed with the hardware. The AMD 64 processor was mindblowingly fast, this machine was the snappiest laptop I have ever had the pleasure of tinkering with. They also came with the docking station, whoever designed these things my hat is off to them. This was my first time using one, the quality of the hardware was very impressive. I didn't even need to use the install discs, it just plain worked folks. This is the way that computers should be, right out of the box. Despite HP saying to the contrary, they did arrive with restore discs. So I am still very unsure of what customer services issue was with telling my friend that they did not send them anymore. In closing, I honestly believe with customer service issues aside. My friend should be very happy with the high end performance and durability of the machine.
Till next time...
Till next time...
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Gizmodo - News from CeBIT
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
AOL Tries to Become VOIP Gorilla
After startups like Vonage, brand names like AT&T, and freeware like Skype, AOL is into the voice over Internet (VOIP) market for telephony. With millions of customers, AOL has to be taken seriously. However, many customers are still using dial-up, and VOIP brings nothing to those customers.
Whether AOL can become the next gorilla in VOIP is problematic. The key takeaway from this announcement, which follows on the not to subtle plug for VOIP by Intel last week at its developer forum, is that the VOIP saloon is open, and customers can belly up to the bar. I expect several million more broadband customers will try VOIP this year, further cratering the landline business. The real gorillas to watch do not include AOL: watch how SBC and Verizon play with the VOIP revenue hand grenade.
Peter S. Kastner
Whether AOL can become the next gorilla in VOIP is problematic. The key takeaway from this announcement, which follows on the not to subtle plug for VOIP by Intel last week at its developer forum, is that the VOIP saloon is open, and customers can belly up to the bar. I expect several million more broadband customers will try VOIP this year, further cratering the landline business. The real gorillas to watch do not include AOL: watch how SBC and Verizon play with the VOIP revenue hand grenade.
Peter S. Kastner
New Version of BitTorrent Debuts!
The popular open source BitTorrent file sharing software has received it's first major revision in a year. Version 4.0 is out. There's a new license and many functional improvements. Check it out at the link above.
Jack
Jack
With Interchangeable Parts, Notebooks Will commodities
The do-it-yourself (DIY) market of hobbyists fiddling their own desktops has gained considerable momentum in the past couple of years. Enough so that I call it a market segment.
But DIY notebook enthusiasts are presently plain out of luck: I know of know standard "kits" that would allow a consumer to build -- let alone customize -- a notebook.
Mobileformfactors.org may create the catalyst which enables a DIY notebook market. By focusing on standards which will allow for interchangeable parts, the organization will accomplish five things, wittingly or not:
But DIY notebook enthusiasts are presently plain out of luck: I know of know standard "kits" that would allow a consumer to build -- let alone customize -- a notebook.
Mobileformfactors.org may create the catalyst which enables a DIY notebook market. By focusing on standards which will allow for interchangeable parts, the organization will accomplish five things, wittingly or not:
- With standards for, say, heat exchanger dimensions and dissipation characteristics, OEMs will be able to build fewer models in more volume -- driving down prices. [Heat exchangers are typically custom parts for each OEM notebook today]
- As Colt and Ford proved with rifles and cars, respectively, interchangeable parts will allow Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) in Taiwan and China to offer generic "white box" notebooks, without OEM orders and at lower costs -- the design and test costs will be much lower with interchangeable parts.
- To supply second- and third-tier OEMs, the ODMs can offer off-the-shelf designs. Parts can be sourced locally, spurring geographic innovation.
- Once an ODM-OEM business gets started, parts manufacturers in Asia will gear up to crank out now-standard notebook parts, which will be stocked and sold online.
- Consumers will then be able to buy notebook parts just like they buy desktop cases, motherboards, optical, processors and OEM software to build a custom desktop.
I see nothing to stop this trend from happening. The notebook OEMs lack the clout. The parts manufacturers will have to do standardized parts to keep up with the competition. And the big component makers such as Intel and Microsoft will consider a sale a sale as nothing is lost to them -- low-volume prices may be higher than the big OEMs like Dell and HP pay. Moreover, some consumer hobbyists will want to do this.
But be warned that there is a lot less room to maneuver inside a notebook shell than there is in a gamer case. And you will have to clean up your cables in order to screw the case shut.
IBM & Lenovo PC Deal Jumps National Security Hurdle
With approval from the U.S. government in hand, IBM and Lenovo are free to complete the sale of IBM's PC buiness to China's Lenovo. The hiccup was caused by concerns about the Chinese government, a Lenovo investor, having control of technology widely used by federal government agencies, especially the intelligence and military departments.
After all is said and done, a second-quarter close is still on track. That means a state of limbo where customers get antsy is unlikely to occur, so Dell and HP are unlikely to scoop up many IBM PC customers.
The real proof in the pudding of this mega-deal will be how well Lenovo expands out of its China box, where 97% of sales currently come from. IBM's own sales force and channel pertners will also have to stay the course. The success or failure of this deal cannot be measured in a year (the agreement runs five years as IBM's PC source). Inherent competition between IBM's xSeries and Lenovo's nascent server capabilities is inevitable, and a likely source of considerable friction.
Peter S. Kastner
After all is said and done, a second-quarter close is still on track. That means a state of limbo where customers get antsy is unlikely to occur, so Dell and HP are unlikely to scoop up many IBM PC customers.
The real proof in the pudding of this mega-deal will be how well Lenovo expands out of its China box, where 97% of sales currently come from. IBM's own sales force and channel pertners will also have to stay the course. The success or failure of this deal cannot be measured in a year (the agreement runs five years as IBM's PC source). Inherent competition between IBM's xSeries and Lenovo's nascent server capabilities is inevitable, and a likely source of considerable friction.
Peter S. Kastner
Waiting for the Second Coming Will Probably Pay Off Faster Than Waiting for HP Printer Software to Work
I've had a love-hate relationship with HP products, over the years. I like their printers, but the price of consumables for them is prohibitive, in my opinion. HP support has been spotty, at best, for me. Sometimes, they shine, but often they're condescending to nearly the point of rudeness. It's as if I have to prove my credentials as a tech before I'm entitled to a straight answer. They do make some very desireable computers and I've bought a few. Two in this last year, as a matter of fact. And HP servers are often what I recommend for my clients because they're as reliable as refrigerators and fairly priced.
Try downloading drivers for a 3 year old laptop, though. They don't offer them. At least I've never found them and you would be hard pressed to look harder than I have. They're not real hot on supporting products outside the warranty period. It would be easy and cheap to leave them on a server somewhere, for those of us who need them. The return in customer good will would probably pay the costs. They don't do it, though.
I recently disinfected my wife's parents' computer, which was chock-full of spyware and was functioning as a spam bot. During the course of the job, we decided they needed to upgrade the OS from Windows ME to Windows 2000 Professional or XP Home. We ended up choosing W2K Pro, as licenses were already at hand, where we would have had to pay for XP, as I had no more licenses. The machine is an HP desktop with an 800 MHz Celeron CPU and I added some RAM so it's possessed of 256 MB. This is surely good enough specs to provide a machine capable of doing everything they do in a snappy manner and, indeed, I was very satisfied with the results of the upgrade and installation until I got to the printer.
The unit in question is an HP psc750 xi. It's a printer, scanner and copier all in one kind of thing. Attractive and nicely laid out, I think it would be something which added to one's work if it performed as I expect. It doesn't, though. It's a pig, when using the software HP provides with it. The installation of software from the accompanying CDs, takes up over 200 MEGABYTES on the hard drive. The sheer size of the installation is apalling! I don't care if disk space is cheap, these days. That's just too much.
The size of the installation shows immediately when the application is launched. It takes forever to open. A full ten minutes on this machine. Yes, a Celeron with it's smal cache and low internal bus speed is not the best computer. But with all other applications, it performs well enough. This one is just too big. Clicking on the "scan" button requires a several minute wait until the machine is ready to start the actual scan. If you rush it, the application locks up. You have to wait and take it slow. It's slower to open than The GIMP, for Heaven's sake! And The GIMP is a huge application with dozens of plug-ins that have to be loaded. This is just a printer driver plus a few functions.
I complained about this on the show and Peter reminded me that HP never claimed to be a software company. Darned right they aren't!
The machine itself is not slow. I hooked it up to my Linux laptop and used all it's functions via the drivers included in most current Linux distributions and it performed quite briskly. The problem is definitely the software. HP offers a "driver only" package for it. That's nearly 50 megabytes in the download and over that when installed. Other applications can be used for the interface and that helps noticeably. I wish I had a really good one and am actively looking for one. I'm sure there are some out there. Right now, they're only printing from other apps, such as Open Office, and doing all their scanning with PaperPort, with which they are not too happy.
What the world needs is good software for this sort of task and the machines we use for it. God knows HP isn't providing it.
Jack
Try downloading drivers for a 3 year old laptop, though. They don't offer them. At least I've never found them and you would be hard pressed to look harder than I have. They're not real hot on supporting products outside the warranty period. It would be easy and cheap to leave them on a server somewhere, for those of us who need them. The return in customer good will would probably pay the costs. They don't do it, though.
I recently disinfected my wife's parents' computer, which was chock-full of spyware and was functioning as a spam bot. During the course of the job, we decided they needed to upgrade the OS from Windows ME to Windows 2000 Professional or XP Home. We ended up choosing W2K Pro, as licenses were already at hand, where we would have had to pay for XP, as I had no more licenses. The machine is an HP desktop with an 800 MHz Celeron CPU and I added some RAM so it's possessed of 256 MB. This is surely good enough specs to provide a machine capable of doing everything they do in a snappy manner and, indeed, I was very satisfied with the results of the upgrade and installation until I got to the printer.
The unit in question is an HP psc750 xi. It's a printer, scanner and copier all in one kind of thing. Attractive and nicely laid out, I think it would be something which added to one's work if it performed as I expect. It doesn't, though. It's a pig, when using the software HP provides with it. The installation of software from the accompanying CDs, takes up over 200 MEGABYTES on the hard drive. The sheer size of the installation is apalling! I don't care if disk space is cheap, these days. That's just too much.
The size of the installation shows immediately when the application is launched. It takes forever to open. A full ten minutes on this machine. Yes, a Celeron with it's smal cache and low internal bus speed is not the best computer. But with all other applications, it performs well enough. This one is just too big. Clicking on the "scan" button requires a several minute wait until the machine is ready to start the actual scan. If you rush it, the application locks up. You have to wait and take it slow. It's slower to open than The GIMP, for Heaven's sake! And The GIMP is a huge application with dozens of plug-ins that have to be loaded. This is just a printer driver plus a few functions.
I complained about this on the show and Peter reminded me that HP never claimed to be a software company. Darned right they aren't!
The machine itself is not slow. I hooked it up to my Linux laptop and used all it's functions via the drivers included in most current Linux distributions and it performed quite briskly. The problem is definitely the software. HP offers a "driver only" package for it. That's nearly 50 megabytes in the download and over that when installed. Other applications can be used for the interface and that helps noticeably. I wish I had a really good one and am actively looking for one. I'm sure there are some out there. Right now, they're only printing from other apps, such as Open Office, and doing all their scanning with PaperPort, with which they are not too happy.
What the world needs is good software for this sort of task and the machines we use for it. God knows HP isn't providing it.
Jack
Buying a Computer; The Unhurried Approach
We see a lot of folks who don't get the computer they want or need because they buy in a hurry. No, they don't mess up. It's just that they go out to buy when they really need a new computer that very moment and can't get a deal on the "right" machine. Buying in a hurry is sometimes necessary. But if you can avoid it, you can do a lot better for the amount of money spent. I know this sounds like simple stuff, but you'd be surprised at how many people can't or don't pay heed to it.
The great deals offered by Dell that Peter mentioned a few entries below this one are a case in point. If you were at the point where you were going to need a new computer soon and were already sitting on the money, this would be the time to jump in and buy. If you are forced to buy at a given time, it's bad odds againsti you won't be able to get a deal. It's simply thinking ahead, but it is going to pay off more in the next few months than at any time in the recent past.
Why? Well, all the PC and notebook makers are going to be offering different models in the next 3 or more months. More new models than they usually introduce in a short period. New single and dual-core processors and peripherals are going to dictate this. Any company who doesn't bring out models based on the new parts in a hurry is going to lose brownie points, so they'll all be doing it. And because they can't afford to have too many different models floating around (for store inventory reasons and limited available display space, mostly) there will be sales to move the "old" merchandise.
Now some of use just won't be able to live without the newest, fastest computers. Most of us, however, have no problem existing with a slightly out-of-date machine. (I'm typing this on a 500 MHz AMD K6 powered desktop. It's still a very useful box to me.) There is still a LOT of life left in both single processor and 32 bit computers and computing. Many of us-perhaps most of us-can get on just fine with these machines. The geek in me wants the hottest new gear, but the truth of the matter is that I can live and do my work just fine on a single cpu, 32 bit machine. Newer, 64 bit hardware would float my boat, but I don't need it.
I suspect notebook buyers will have it best in this, because notebooks have a longer lead time; meaning the time between manufacture and arriving at the point of sale. The new lines of slim and yet high performance notebooks will likely replace a higher percentage of stock than those desktops that premier will.
So, if you're going to be in the market soon and can live well with models currently offered, rather than the newest stuff coming along, put the money in the back of your wallet now and start watching for spot sales. There's going to be a lot of them; some big and some on only a few machines. A bit of judicious shopping will really pay off in the next few months.
Jack
The great deals offered by Dell that Peter mentioned a few entries below this one are a case in point. If you were at the point where you were going to need a new computer soon and were already sitting on the money, this would be the time to jump in and buy. If you are forced to buy at a given time, it's bad odds againsti you won't be able to get a deal. It's simply thinking ahead, but it is going to pay off more in the next few months than at any time in the recent past.
Why? Well, all the PC and notebook makers are going to be offering different models in the next 3 or more months. More new models than they usually introduce in a short period. New single and dual-core processors and peripherals are going to dictate this. Any company who doesn't bring out models based on the new parts in a hurry is going to lose brownie points, so they'll all be doing it. And because they can't afford to have too many different models floating around (for store inventory reasons and limited available display space, mostly) there will be sales to move the "old" merchandise.
Now some of use just won't be able to live without the newest, fastest computers. Most of us, however, have no problem existing with a slightly out-of-date machine. (I'm typing this on a 500 MHz AMD K6 powered desktop. It's still a very useful box to me.) There is still a LOT of life left in both single processor and 32 bit computers and computing. Many of us-perhaps most of us-can get on just fine with these machines. The geek in me wants the hottest new gear, but the truth of the matter is that I can live and do my work just fine on a single cpu, 32 bit machine. Newer, 64 bit hardware would float my boat, but I don't need it.
I suspect notebook buyers will have it best in this, because notebooks have a longer lead time; meaning the time between manufacture and arriving at the point of sale. The new lines of slim and yet high performance notebooks will likely replace a higher percentage of stock than those desktops that premier will.
So, if you're going to be in the market soon and can live well with models currently offered, rather than the newest stuff coming along, put the money in the back of your wallet now and start watching for spot sales. There's going to be a lot of them; some big and some on only a few machines. A bit of judicious shopping will really pay off in the next few months.
Jack
Monday, March 07, 2005
OC Podcast
This is the On Computers podcast for 03-06-2005. If you prefer, you can download the same file here via ftp.
Good Deals at Dell
Every once in a quarter Dell has great deals for a week or so. This is the week to splurge if Dell is your choice.
For instance, $839 gets you:
Dimension 8400
Pentium® 4 Processor 630 with HT Technology (3GHz, 800 FSB)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
FREE UPGRADE! 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x512M)
FREE UPGRADE! 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive(7200RPM)w/ Native Command Queuing
FREE two-day shipping
There are other desktop and notebook deals in the 20% range, all at Dell.
Peter S. Kastner
For instance, $839 gets you:
Dimension 8400
Pentium® 4 Processor 630 with HT Technology (3GHz, 800 FSB)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
FREE UPGRADE! 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x512M)
FREE UPGRADE! 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive(7200RPM)w/ Native Command Queuing
FREE two-day shipping
There are other desktop and notebook deals in the 20% range, all at Dell.
Peter S. Kastner
Unwanted Software Installations with Peer-to-Peer Applications
Benjamin Edelman operates a very good, very informative web site regarding security and related topics. He's analyzed the End User License Agreements (EULAs) along with the hundreds of registry keys written and extra software installed by 5 P2P applications. One license agreement ran well over 22,000 words! No wonder folks don't read them. It's an interesting and eye-opening read. Screen shots and comparison charts are well thought out and clearly convey what's up.
Actually, everything on the site deserves your attention, in my opinion. This one in particular, though. If you don't understand the issues of unwanted software installation, this one is for you. If you do already get it, the details will still knock your socks off.
Jack
Actually, everything on the site deserves your attention, in my opinion. This one in particular, though. If you don't understand the issues of unwanted software installation, this one is for you. If you do already get it, the details will still knock your socks off.
Jack
Is Linux Ready for the Desktop?
Yet another article of the genre. This time by James Cherryh, who is no slouch. His points are valid, no matter where you stand on the notion.
In the next little while, I'll be posting as my wife, a first time Linux installer, partitions her laptop and starts dual booting different distros, looking for one which suits her. Stay tuned. Hopefully, this will provide some insight as to whether you and yours could use Linux as a primary desktop OS.
Jack
In the next little while, I'll be posting as my wife, a first time Linux installer, partitions her laptop and starts dual booting different distros, looking for one which suits her. Stay tuned. Hopefully, this will provide some insight as to whether you and yours could use Linux as a primary desktop OS.
Jack
SP2 is Coming, Automatically
Starting next month, the grace period for deferring the install of Microsoft's SP2 update expires. That means those who have their Windows XP machines set to automatically install Windows updates (a good idea) will find themselves updated.
You can turn off Automatic Updates, but the OnComputers team recommends consumers install this important security and stability improvement to Windows XP.
Those software application developers who have not yet updated their apps to play nice with SP2 should not be surprised to start getting more help desk calls starting April 12th.
Peter S. Kastner
You can turn off Automatic Updates, but the OnComputers team recommends consumers install this important security and stability improvement to Windows XP.
Those software application developers who have not yet updated their apps to play nice with SP2 should not be surprised to start getting more help desk calls starting April 12th.
Peter S. Kastner
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Media Sites: Say No to Pop-Ups
I enjoyed reading this article from Wired. I think it does a good job of analyzing the whole pop-up thing. However I'll go a little further with this question: What is the worst thing about pop-ads (pop-ups/unders)? You may have a different answer, but for me it is having to close the danged things.
So say there are 20 pop-ads and out of that 20, one truly interests me (and I'm being generous here). That means that in order to recieve that one "good" ad I have to close 19 "bad" ads. When in reality it is more like 1 out of 100 or 1 out of 1000, the ad I may be interested in gets closed without looking at it because it is just another annoyance invading my desktop, which is my personal space, -- an important point that seems to elude the pop-ad peddlers.
I haven't been bothered for 4 years or so, since I started blocking pop-ads about that time. I have been blissfully unaware of what any of them may be trying to sell me. Annoy me enough -- invade what I consider my space enough, and I will blot you out of my world any way I can.
So what about ad supported sites? There is no free ride right? Everything costs something, right? I have no "blanket" ad blocker in place except for pop-ads. I still have flash turned on and I use Adblock (a Firefox extension) which is selective for flash, graphics and I-frames. Frankly, I only bother with Adblock when an ad is annoying and flashing in my face. Adblock is effective, but it takes work. So I see the ads on ad supported sites that respect me as a possible customer and I don't see the ads that don't.
There is another problem with online ads these days. I may see an ad that is a great offer from a Web based business that I know and trust. But with the prevalence of phishing, am I going to click on that ad link? Not without thinking about it. I'm much more likely to type in the URL of the trusted site and rummage around to see if the "deal" is available without having to click on the ad link. If not, I figure I can do without. This is one very real way in which the criminals are further ruining e-commerce. A way that I've never seen discussed anywhere, but I can't be the only cautious surfer who does not trust every link I see. I wonder how many of us think twice about following a link in an ad?
We live in a world in which advertising is becoming more and more intrusive. Marketers keep trying to find new ways to get in our faces (or ears in the case of audio only media). There are limits. Just like the telemarketers overreached until the American public demanded legislative relief, all advertisers risk alienating the very people they are trying to reach. In the pop-ad arena, this level of alienation was reached several years ago, as evidenced by the popularity and proliferation of pop-ad blockers. Some marketers are backing off while others are working hard to get around pop-up blockers. To what end, the accidental click in a effort to get rid of the thing? It is time for the pop-ad purveyors to give it, and us, a rest.
So say there are 20 pop-ads and out of that 20, one truly interests me (and I'm being generous here). That means that in order to recieve that one "good" ad I have to close 19 "bad" ads. When in reality it is more like 1 out of 100 or 1 out of 1000, the ad I may be interested in gets closed without looking at it because it is just another annoyance invading my desktop, which is my personal space, -- an important point that seems to elude the pop-ad peddlers.
I haven't been bothered for 4 years or so, since I started blocking pop-ads about that time. I have been blissfully unaware of what any of them may be trying to sell me. Annoy me enough -- invade what I consider my space enough, and I will blot you out of my world any way I can.
So what about ad supported sites? There is no free ride right? Everything costs something, right? I have no "blanket" ad blocker in place except for pop-ads. I still have flash turned on and I use Adblock (a Firefox extension) which is selective for flash, graphics and I-frames. Frankly, I only bother with Adblock when an ad is annoying and flashing in my face. Adblock is effective, but it takes work. So I see the ads on ad supported sites that respect me as a possible customer and I don't see the ads that don't.
There is another problem with online ads these days. I may see an ad that is a great offer from a Web based business that I know and trust. But with the prevalence of phishing, am I going to click on that ad link? Not without thinking about it. I'm much more likely to type in the URL of the trusted site and rummage around to see if the "deal" is available without having to click on the ad link. If not, I figure I can do without. This is one very real way in which the criminals are further ruining e-commerce. A way that I've never seen discussed anywhere, but I can't be the only cautious surfer who does not trust every link I see. I wonder how many of us think twice about following a link in an ad?
We live in a world in which advertising is becoming more and more intrusive. Marketers keep trying to find new ways to get in our faces (or ears in the case of audio only media). There are limits. Just like the telemarketers overreached until the American public demanded legislative relief, all advertisers risk alienating the very people they are trying to reach. In the pop-ad arena, this level of alienation was reached several years ago, as evidenced by the popularity and proliferation of pop-ad blockers. Some marketers are backing off while others are working hard to get around pop-up blockers. To what end, the accidental click in a effort to get rid of the thing? It is time for the pop-ad purveyors to give it, and us, a rest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)