Conflicting options for Windows Administrators

Posted on October 23, 2012 by andy dingfelder

It’s approximately 11 years since Windows XP was unveiled, and this week Microsoft was still at it trying to convince users that it’s time to upgrade.

A post on the Windows For Your Business Blog calls on businesses to start XP migrations now.

Microsoft cites the main reason as being that support for XP ends in April 2014, and ‘most new hardware options will likely not support the Windows XP operating system.’

If you run Windows Vista, Microsoft argues that it’s time to ‘start planning’ the move to Windows 8.

As this article points out, it’s not uncommon to hear about people still running XP at work.

But yet, at the same time, Microsoft Corp’s release of Windows 8 on Friday is likely to be a non-event for most companies — and some experts say many may never adopt it.

The system may appear to offer something for everyone: touch-screen functionality for tablet enthusiasts, a slick new interface for the younger set, and multiple versions to make it compatible with traditional desktop PC software.

Many businesses, though, say there is no compelling reason to adopt. Indeed, a large number have yet to make the transition to Windows 7 from Windows XP.

Even as it launches Windows 8, a key priority for Microsoft is to get customers off the decade-old Windows XP — which still runs on 41 percent of the world’s 1.5 billion PCs.

What will happen?   Will businesses stay with the unsupported XP ?  or move to a newer (but not loved) Windows 7?   Or will they jump to Windows 8?  Only time will tell..

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The latest on Do Not Track? Advertisers say they are getting stiffled. ???

Posted on October 15, 2012 by andy dingfelder

I read an article yesterday on the New York Times about the Do Not Track process and was amused to read the following:

First came a stern letter from nine members of the House of Representatives to the Federal Trade Commission, questioning its involvement with an international group called the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C, which is trying to work out global standards for the don’t-track-me features. The legislators said they were concerned that these options for consumers might restrict “the flow of data at the heart of the Internet’s success.”

Next came an incensed open letter from the board of the Association of National Advertisers to Steve Ballmer, the C.E.O. of Microsoft, and two other company officials. Microsoft had committed a grievous infraction, wrote executives from Dell, I.B.M., Intel, Visa, Verizon, Wal-Mart and other major corporations, by making Do Not Track the default option in the company’s forthcoming Internet Explorer 10 browser. If consumers chose to stay with that option, the letter warned, they could prevent companies from collecting data on up to 43 percent of browsers used by Americans.

“Microsoft’s action is wrong. The entire media ecosystem has condemned this action,” the letter said. “In the face of this opposition and the reality of the harm that your actions could create, it is time to realign with the broader business community by providing choice through a default of ‘off’ on your browser’s ‘do not track’ setting.”

Personally I would applaud Microsoft’s actions to make the “opt out” process very easy for customers, as over 75% want to opt out.  Compare this to hiding the setting deep in the browser settings like Apple did.  I believe the browser vendors have it right, and Apple has it wrong.   Yes, we need to ask users, and they should be aware of the repurcussions, but it must be simple and obvious.

Word to advertisers:  I know you want info.  And I will sometimes give you some.  But if you do not honour my wishes, I will turn on ad blocking software and you will get nothing.

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Microsoft CEO bonus is way down due to flat sales of windows and lack of browser choice

Posted on October 10, 2012 by andy dingfelder

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer got a lower bonus than last year’s, partly for flat sales of Windows and his failure to ensure that the company provided a choice of browser to some European customers.

Ballmer, who took over as CEO from co-founder Bill Gates in 2000, earned a bonus of $620,000 for Microsoft’s 2012 fiscal year, which ended in June, down 9 percent from the year before, according to documents filed Tuesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

His salary — low by U.S. corporate standards — remained essentially flat at $685,000.

It is the third year in a row that Ballmer has not earned his maximum bonus, set at twice his salary.

Microsoft’s recent financial year was scarred by a massive $6.2 billion write-down for a failed acquisition and lower profit from its flagship Windows system as computer sales stood still

In the company’s filing, Microsoft’s compensation committee said it took into account a 3 percent decline in Windows sales over the year, as well as “the Windows division failure to provide a browser choice screen on certain Windows PCs in Europe as required by its 2009 commitment with the European Commission.”

The company’s failure to provide a browser choice in Europe was an embarrassing setback for the software maker, which has been embroiled in disputes with European regulators for more than a decade and paid more than $1 billion in fines for including its own Internet Explorer browser on Windows. It now faces further fines from a new investigation.

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CrossLinking Hawkes Bay Twitter accounts

Posted on October 10, 2012 by andy dingfelder

Looking for another way to connect local users, I am making a list of twitter users here

If you are a Hawkes Bay user and want your twitter username added to this list, post a comment and I will add it.

This comes originally from the discussion on the LinkedIn group:  NZ online Start-Up community

Cheers!

@dingfelder

@aclnz

@JohannvanReenen

@ryanbakernz

@chillfish

@igorportugal
@vadacom

@jonolester

@jesterracetrain

@hornetnutrition

@torquesocial_nz

@kiwilandingpad

@ursulahoult

@unifiedinbox

@immigranz

@2Reviewco

@Reviews_NZ

@Reviews_AUS

@kellstudio

@PamelaHarland

@lesleyhuntley

@DeployTech

@jaimierobson

@FreelancePJ

@SimonTWC

@psaif

@qreamo

 

As indicated before if you add a comment with your username, I will add it to the list

Andy

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I think this is really sad. Google and Apple Spent More On Patents Than R&D Last Year.

Posted on October 9, 2012 by andy dingfelder

Google and Apple Spent More On Patents Than R&D Last Year.

NYTimes has an interesting article about how patents are really stifling innovation in the tech industry.

Today, almost every major technology company is involved in ongoing patent battles. Of course, the most significant player is Apple, industry executives say, because of its influence and the size of its claims:  in August in California, the company won a $1 billion patent infringement judgment against Samsung. Former Apple employees say senior executives made a deliberate decision over the last decade, after Apple was a victim of patent attacks, to use patents as leverage against competitors to the iPhone, the company’s biggest source of profits.

At a technology conference this year, Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, said patent battles had not slowed innovation at the company, but acknowledged that some aspects of the battles had ‘kind of gotten crazy.

‘ It is a complaint heard throughout the industry. The increasing push to assert ownership of broad technologies has led to a destructive arms race, engineers say. Some point to so-called patent trolls, companies that exist solely to sue over patent violations.’

Others say big technology companies have also exploited the system’s weaknesses. ‘There are hundreds of ways to write the same computer program,’ said James Bessen, a legal expert at Harvard. And so patent applications often try to encompass every potential aspect of a new technology. When such applications are approved, Mr. Bessen said, ‘the borders are fuzzy, so it’s really easy to accuse others of trespassing on your ideas

Call me crazy, but I think their priorities are misguided.  But having said that, once one is doing it, the others have to follow suit or they will get left behind.

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Computer Networking Update

Posted on October 8, 2012 by andy dingfelder

I applied to join the online course at Stanford University that I discused in my previous post, and got a response…

Dear Networking student,

We are delighted to announce the start of Week 1 of the 6 week free public online class “An Introduction to Computer Networks”. If you visit the class website  you will find 13 videos to watch this week. Each video is 15-20minutes long. Altogether, the first week’s material is just over three hours, which is about the same time a Stanford student spends in class for a course each week.

If this first week time commitment seems daunting, consider that in just three hours you’ll have learned the basic principles of networking in addition to a high level understanding of how the Internet works! Because this first week is more descriptive than problem-oriented, the material should be very accessible. As the subject matter becomes more detailed in future weeks, the number of videos will go down but they will have more challenging problems.

So go ahead and start watching this week’s videos – we hope you enjoy them.

We would like to know a bit more about you before you begin the class to help us measure how effective the class is. It would really help us if you could complete this survey before the class starts. Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer to some of the questions — we know that many of you won’t be able to answer some of the questions. The questions help us calibrate where we are all starting from. The survey is available by clicking here.

We are overwhelmed by the tens of thousands of you who have signed up for the class. It’s going to be a very exciting six weeks for all of us. Hang in there and keep up with the videos and exercises every week. Set aside some time in your schedule each day to watch a couple of the videos. For example, first thing in the morning before you go to to work or school, or before you take the kids to school. We promise that if you put the time in now it will pay off handsomely as you become familiar with the basic principles and ideas of networking and the Internet.

The videos will remain accessible throughout the entire course. So don’t feel that you have to stop on every topic until you understand it completely. It might be easier to understand later, and you can always come back to it.

If you have questions about the material in the videos and the quizzes, you should visit the Forum on the class web page. It will take you to a wonderfully rich and varied online discussion with your fellow students. Jump in and post questions and answers and learn from your colleagues. It’s one of the most exciting parts of the class

See you online soon.

– Phil and Nick

So, I am in the class now.

We will see if I have the time to devote to it, if so I will post some blog articles about what I discover.  It has been over 20 years since I took my last computer networking course, and that was back when Novell Netware and star networks were still the rage.  I have a feeling that there may be things to learn, if I have the time to devote to the class.

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Free course on Computer Networking from Stanford University

Posted on October 8, 2012 by andy dingfelder

I just saw a link to this page on Stanford University’s website.  They are offerring a free course on Computer Networking, entitled:  An Introduction to Computer Networks

About the Course

This is an introductory course on computer networking, specifically the Internet. It focuses on explaining how the Internet works, ranging from how bits are modulated on wires and in wireless to application-level protocols like BitTorrent and HTTP. It also explains the principles of how to design networks and network protocols. Students gain experience reading and understanding RFCs (Internet protocol specifications) as statements of what a system should do. The course grounds many of the concepts in current practice and recent developments, such as net neutrality and DNS security.

I am thinking of enrolling for a networking refresher.  Anyone else up for it?   Classes begin tomorrow.

 

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Apple ruined Siri, says Wozniak

Posted on October 5, 2012 by andy dingfelder
If ever a PR Wiz there Woz, it’s definitely not our Steve.

The iPhone 4’s Siri voice controlled personal assistant was a better app before Apple got its paws on it, according to the tech giant’s co-founder and all-round loose-cannon Steve Wozniak.

In an impromptu Q&A to mark the Woz’s official meeting with a horse named after him (no, really), Steve told attendees that he was incredibly taken with Siri when he first came across it.

steven wozniak

So much so, in fact, that he was “telling everyone this was the future”. Woz claims he even described Siri as the “greatest program” for the way it made users feel like “you’re talking to a human”, as well as its efficacy at web searches and comprehension of human speech.

He said: “I would say, ‘Siri, what are the five largest lakes in California?’ and it would come up, one, two, three, four, five.

“And I would ask ‘What are the prime numbers greater than 87?’ and they would come up all in a row. That was pretty incredible.”

But that all changed by the time it showed up on the 4S. In the intervening period, he claims that Apple’s attempts to ‘improve’ Siri, left it less functional and bloated with unnecessary features. The result was a “very disappointed “ Wozniak.

iOS 5 Siri

The latest outburst from Woz, who still holds a ceremonial position at Apple, follows his earlier, impolitic praise of rival Windows phones. He has also vociferously called for Apple to ease the famously rigid restrictions that it places on developers.

Source:

Times Union

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The google book suit is over

Posted on October 5, 2012 by andy dingfelder

After seven long years of litigation, Google Inc. and the Association of American Publishers have reached an agreement to settle over the search giant’s book-scanning project, which will allow publishers to choose whether or not they want their books, journals and publications digitized by Google and accessed via its Google Library Project.

The agreement, according to the two companies, acknowledges the rights and interests of copyright holders, so U.S. publishers can choose to remove their books and journals digitized by Google for its Library Project, or choose to keep their publications available.

For those that keep their works online with Google, those publishers will be able to keep a digital copy for their own use and sell their publications via the Google Play marketplace.

But Thursday’s settlement does not affect Google’s current litigation with the Authors Guild.

“Google continues to profit from its use of millions of copyright-protected books without regard to authors’ rights, and our class-action lawsuit on behalf of U.S. authors continues,” Paul Aiken, executive director, Authors Guild said

Google was sued in 2005 by the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers for violating copyright laws, but reached an earlier settlement by agreeing to pay $125 million to people whose copyrighted books have been scanned, and to locate and share revenue with the authors who have yet to come forward.

But critics contended the settlement gave Google an unfair competitive advantage. A federal court agreed, and rejected the earlier settlement.

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What is BOYD, and why do I care?

Posted on October 1, 2012 by andy dingfelder

What is BOYD, and why do I care??

BYOD, aka Bring Your Own Device is the “next big thing” for many business IT departments.

Everyone wants to bring their iPhone or Galaxy S3 into work.  It used to be that IT departments determined what technology was allowed, but that has changed dramatically in recent years.

Recent changes to how individuals interact with IT, fueled in part by the iPhone, have changed the culture of IT as tech savvy users are focused on having the latest, greatest cutting edge technology.  And who wants to leave that at home?

According to wikipedia:

about 90% of employees are already using their own technology (in at least a limited capacity) at work.   In most cases, businesses simply can’t block the trend. Some believe that BYOD may help employees be more productive.   Others say it increases employee morale and convenience by using their own devices and makes the company look like a flexible and attractive employer.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • Users have higher satisfaction if they have the devices they want, be it their new phone, or tablet
  • Cost savings – some studies have showed cost savings for departments, as users are paying some of the hardware costs.
  • Latest Technology – Because user tend to bring the latest and greatest items, the quality of hardware maay go up.

Cons

  • IT departments have acceptabele use policies, and how can they be enforced, when the devices might not use the internal systems such as web proxies and filters?
  • Expectations must be defined so users know what activities are allowed.
  • Who owns data at work when produced on a user device?  Certain regulations (PCI DSS, HIPAA, or GLBA etc) may require  specific data safeguarding.
  • When a worker leaves, how can company data be separated from user data?  Some IT groups require the right to remotely wipe mobile devices for this reason.

These are just a few of the pros and cons of BYOD issues, and upcoming posts will expaand on this important topic.

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