14,025 Topics
 | |
 | Over the last year, Microsoft ads have been simply bad on one end of the spectrum and horrible on the other. It's really time for the company to reconsider their ad agency choices and their overall strategy because right now they are throwing good money after bad. I had one … |
 | This post has nothing to do with Michael Jackson, his death, his kids, his Neverland Ranch or anything related to him. It has everything to do with my need for a virtual laboratory where I can test virtual machines, write about them or produce other documentation about them without a … |
| | [I]How come I can't let go? I'm between two worlds ~Tom Petty, Between Two Worlds[/I] As I watched vendors navigate the changing software world last week at [URL="http://www.e2conf.com/"]Enterprise 2.0 in Boston[/URL], it struck me that the old companies are trying desperately to hold onto to the markets they have dominated … |
 | You might have seen the announcement [URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8116387.stm"]yesterday[/URL] that Microsoft is going to start offering free antivirus protection to its customers. The initial reaction is no doubt going to be reasonably positive, and speaking as someone with a family member who's been hit by a computer virus fairly recently, the easier … |
| | There's a new campaign on [URL="http://twitter.com"]Twitter[/URL] about fixing [URL="http://www.microsoft.com"]Microsoft[/URL]'s flagship email program, Outlook. Outlook 2010 will be coming out next year (just say if I'm going too quickly) and it renders emails oddly if they're in HTML. There are details [URL="http://fixoutlook.org/"]here[/URL]. Let's ignore the fact that the Fixoutlook page is … |
| | Over the years there has been plenty of [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/20745/53/"]speculation regarding the sanity[/URL] of Steve 'Monkey Dancing' Ballmer, the Microsoft CEO. But what is it with Microsoft and this obsession to pursue the search supremacy dream at any cost? Sure, I know [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3327.html"]Ballmer has sworn to kill Google[/URL] before but the … |
| | Speaking about consumer search [URL="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/06/18/ballmer-we-should-have-built-search-sooner/"]last week[/URL], Steve Ballmer said he now regrets that Microsoft quote "didn't start earlier" unquote. But it seems to me that Microsoft has been all in for a long time and they just haven't been very successful at consumer search. It wasn't so much they gave … |
| | I've seen a lot of love for Microsoft's newly branded search engine, [URL="http://www.bing.com/"]Bing[/URL] lately and frankly I just don't get it. Bing landed a couple of weeks ago with a huge ad budget (as I wrote in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4372.html"]Microsoft Ad Wars Turn to Google[/URL]) and a big splash, but I've used …  |
| | [URL="http://blogs.forrester.com/information_management/2009/05/microsoft-office-still-owns-the-desktop.html"]Sherri McLeish from Forrester[/URL] reports that 80 percent of enterprise customers still use Microsoft Office. While this is down significantly from the 95 percent reported in this [URL="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_27/b3991412.htm"]2006 BusinessWeek article[/URL], it still makes me wonder why so many companies would continue to use Microsoft Office given the current economy and … |
| | Ah, Microsoft, that crazy company from Redmond, WA is at again. This time they want to rename the Netbook unilaterally to the...drum roll please..."low cost small notebook PC." As first reported in the [URL="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20090602PD221.html"]Digitimes[/URL] last week, Microsoft decided on their own that the name was not appropriate and they were … |
 | Isn't it amazing just how attached so many people are to Windows XP given that it is relatively old and [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/25484/53/"]relatively insecure[/URL]? I will even admit to having a netbook which runs very nicely on XP thank you very much, and have no plans to 'upgrade' this to Vista or … |
| | [URL="http://www.intel.com"]Intel[/URL] acquired [URL="http://www.windriver.com"]Wind River[/URL] for $884 million to boost Linux adoption in the Intel Atom market. Obviously Intel sees Wind River's embedded Linux market as new opportunity for its Atom processor family. There's also buzz about multi-core processor offerings from the two in the near future. I see this as … |
| | Gamers have got to love the E3 Expo, especially Microsoft gamers who are into the social side of the Xbox experience. If they happen to be obsessed with Twitter as well as Xbox Live then Microsoft had some good news to announce for them at E3: a [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4249.html"]Twitter[/URL] client for … |
| | I received a newsletter from [URL="http://www.rpath.com"]rPath[/URL] concerning Lean IT and it occurred to me that Linux is the keystone in each one of the elements listed in it: Virtualization, Cloud Computing and Cost reduction mandates. As more businesses work toward saving money, they'll look for ways to save on IT … |
| | It's never a dull moment when it comes to Google, Microsoft and Apple (which is why I write about them so much), and this week Google and Microsoft made some big announcements. For Google, it was [URL="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/went-walkabout-brought-back-google-wave.html"]Google Wave[/URL], an incredibly hyped new communications interface (more on that it in a … |
| | I've been to a couple of conferences recently where I was surprised to see representatives of the U.S. military on panels discussing various uses of technology, but I was shocked to learn that the military was on the cutting edge of the technologies being discussed. To be honest, my perception … |
| | [URL="http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=136847"]Ad Age reports[/URL] that Microsoft is ready to spend $80M to try and turn people's attention away from Google, the dominant search market leader, and toward Bing, Microsoft's latest search engine offering. Much like Microsoft's attempts last summer to prop up Vista, trying to turn consumers to a new product …  |
| | Strange but true, usually the best of enemies it would seem that [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4331.html"]Microsoft[/URL] and the [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4219.html"]Linux Foundation[/URL] are in full agreement over something for a change. What is more, they are working together in order to find a solution as well. According to Horacio Gutierrez, the Microsoft Corporate Vice President … |
| | I've never been a big fan of American Idol or reality TV in general, but the tit for tat going on between Microsoft and Apple ads reminds me a bit of a reality TV competition with bloggers acting as Simon and Paula and the gang. We watch. Sometimes we laugh. … |
| | I wonder if the [URL="http://www.linuxfoundation.org"]Linux Foundation[/URL] is prepared to go to task for us, the Linux users, the Linux supporters, the Linux developers and the Linux Foundation members? I wonder if they are our [URL="http://www.nra.org"]National Rifle Association[/URL] (NRA)? I wonder if the Linux Foundation is prepared to meet the challenges … |
| | Microsoft has made a double whammy of Windows 7 update announcements. The first concerns a hotfix for a bug that could "cause some application failures on the English version of Windows 7 Release Candidate 32-bit Ultimate" while the second brings news of the arrival of as many as 10 'fake' … |
| | With the Windows 7 release code out there and [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4283.html"]available for download[/URL] right now, and [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4317.html"]free to use until 2010[/URL] for good measure, the last thing Microsoft will want to hear is bad news about potential security risks for users of the new flagship OS. But that's exactly what researchers … |
| | So I get up to work first day after a hard time relaxing over the public holiday weekend and guess what - the web's full of rumours that [URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL] is about to swoop and buy [URL="http://twitter.com"]Twitter[/URL]. The value being put on the deal by anyone wanting to tout the story … |
| | The cheap Netbooks you see advertised at discount stores might not turn out to be so cheap after all. If you see a Netbook advertised at $100 or less, beware--it will end up costing you many times the regular price of $275-$400 USD. As I predicted in my post, "[URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4188.html"]Branded … |
| | Last week we heard about the first Android-powered Netbook (which I wrote about in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4290.html"]First Android Netbook Nothing to Write Home About[/URL]). Then on Friday, analyst [URL="http://gartenblog.net/"]Michael Gartenberg[/URL], who is VP of Strategy at Interpret, and who writes frequently about consumer technology sent the following Tweet: [I]Is Android's future in … |
| | Last evening, my friend [URL="http://blogs.zdnet.com/perlow"]Jason Perlow[/URL], IM'd me and told me to go to this [URL="http://download.cnet.com/Presto/3000-2094_4-10910300.html?tag=mncol"]link[/URL] and download a program called [URL="http://www.prestomypc.com"]Presto[/URL]. He had just returned from some "green" IT show in New York City and apparently had seen, or heard about, this Presto thing--a new Linux operating system that … |
| | If you recall, on April 11, I wrote "[URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4227.html"]Linux Store Open for Business: A Fantastic Voyage[/URL]," where I told you that I wanted a Netbook for my anniversary. I also described my fantasy computer store where you select your computer, OS, other options and walk out happy. I had a … |
| | There has [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4259.html"]certainly been enough speculation[/URL] about when the Windows 7 Release Candidate code would actually be made available. Right here on DaniWeb [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4182.html"]we confidently predicted[/URL] that the big day would be May 5th following a slip up, or more probably a deliberate leak for marketing purposes, on the Microsoft … |
| | The quarterly numbers are in the books for Google, Apple and Microsoft , and while Apple and Google made money, Microsoft failed to report a profit for the first time in 23 years as a public company. [B]Crazy Times, Crazy Results[/B] It seems unfathomable that Apple continued to do well … |
| | May 5th should prove to be an interesting day for tech fans, as it would appear that both the much hyped Windows 7 operating system and the HTC Magic Android mobile phone will be launched to the waiting public. Neowin [URL="http://www.neowin.net/news/main/09/04/18/windows-7-rc-coming-to-msdntechnet-soon-public-may-5"]spotted[/URL] that a Microsoft Partners [URL="https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40084742"]web page[/URL] (now replaced with … |
| | It is usually the Apple adverts which get the positive column inches both online and off, even when they go [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/21257/53/"]straight for the Vista jugular[/URL] perhaps because they do so with no small dose of humour. Microsoft has done less well in garnering media support for its campaigns. Who can … |
| | I've been fascinated by the recent series of Microsoft ads that go after Apple. On one hand I commended Microsoft for having a unified message in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4186.html"]Microsoft Gives Apple the Full Court Press[/URL]. On the other, I think the message is off kilter as I wrote in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4212.html"]Apple's Value is … |
| | Microsoft today released the first public beta of MS Exchange Server 2010 which forms part of the Microsoft unified communications family. As the first of many products (Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft Visio 2010 and Microsoft Project 2010 all to follow) which will form part of the … |
| | So much for a “glimmer of hope”. Wall Street is looking more skeptically at claims from Washington that the economy is getting better. The stock market is down about 45 points in late morning trading, after more layoffs were announced by U.S. companies (Yahoo (YHOO) being one of them – … |
| | Will you be moving to Windows 7 during the next year, or will Vista disappointment, economic doom and gloom or compatibility concerns keep you away like 84 percent of business folks surveyed have said? The [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/23795/53/"]Windows 7 Release Candidate[/URL] is nearly with us, complete with plenty of [URL="http://www.itwire.com/content/view/23084/1231/"]reported security problems[/URL], … |
| | A [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=aa6e0660-dc24-4930-affd-e33572ccb91f&displaylang=en"]Microsoft security report[/URL] has 'revealed' that some 97 percent of the emails travelling across the Internet are actually unwanted spam. Well duh, like I didn't realise it was such a big problem. Actually, I didn't, to be fair. Mainly because just about every other security report I have read … |
| | President Obama – who only weeks ago warned of the greatest financial meltdown since the Great Depression if his $1.1 trillion stimulus package wasn’t passed by Congress - now says that he sees a “glimmer of hope” that the financial trauma is ending and that things could be stabilizing. Call … |
| | I opened up Google Reader this morning and found major rumors from our favorite corporate rivals Apple and Microsoft. For Apple it is the oft cited iTablet. For Microsoft, it's a supposed iPod Touch clone. I try not to give too much credence to rumors (as I wrote in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3626.html"]It's … |
| | It's with more than idle curiosity that I've watched the recent [URL="http://news.cnet.com/microsofts-lauren-ad-follow-up-disses-mac-power/?tag=rtcol;pop"]Microsoft ads[/URL] that attack Apple, subtly suggesting that it's too expensive and that it's all glitz with no real computing power. There is so much wrong with these assertions that it's hard to know where to begin. There is … |
| | I read a [URL="http://tech.yahoo.com/news/infoworld/20090403/tc_infoworld/131038"]news story[/URL] by Paul Krill about how Linux OS Server shipments have and will continue to slip by double-digit margins in 2009. Windows Server shipments are hit hard as well but almost 5% less so than those of Linux. The original report came from IDC. The IDC … |
| | This morning I heard a news blip about a Netbook offering later this year from Verizon. Verizon? The phone company? Yep. I had to do a double-take on it too. There's talk that the Netbooks will be subsidized and cost about $100. I'm sure that price is a result of … |
| | Microsoft has been active lately, showing some signs of spunk. I reported last week that Steve Ballmer was going straight after Apple at the McGraw Hill Summit (as I wrote in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4155.html"]Ballmer Wastes No Words Going After Apple[/URL]). This week we see the release of an [URL="http://byronmiller.typepad.com/byronmiller/2009/03/new-microsoft-ad-goes-after-high-price-of-apple.html"]ad campaign comparing Apple … |
| | Although there has been much speculation that the Windows 7 Release Candidate will finally arrive in April for testing, it would appear that actually it won't be until a month after that. Who says so? Microsoft, that's who. According to a page published at TechNet, albeit briefly, Microsoft will be … |
| | It's not the users for whom I feel sorry. Yes, they'll have to learn a bit more about how they're going to interact with - sorry, use - their computers when multitouch comes into significant amounts of hardware with Windows 7.0, but if it's as easy and intuitive as some … |
| | Almost a year has passed since I wrote, [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2329.html"]Novell CEO Disses Embrace of Desktop Linux[/URL] where I told you how Ron Hovsepian, Novell CEO, totally slammed Linux as a desktop operating system and now another major CEO comes out publicly against Linux on the desktop. Red Hat's CEO, Jim Whitehurst, … |
| | As much as Microsoft loves to grinch about Linux, they've made significant changes over the years to compete with it--and will abandon it altogether to maintain their competitive edge. Windows 7 will be the last Windows product. What changes has Microsoft made to compete with Linux? They've prettied it up … |
| | I guess that it will be of little comfort to the developers who lost jobs when Ensemble Studios was closed down earlier this year, but the final game to come out of the Microsoft owned outfit has just become the biggest selling Real Time Strategy title ever to grace any … |
| | I was a bit surprised to open my [URL="http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-ballmer-apple-is-too-expensive-for-this-economy-and-thats-why-msft-will/"]PaidContent.org newsletter[/URL] this morning and find that Steve Ballmer was taking direct aim at Apple in pointed comments at the McGraw Hill Summit yesterday. Ballmer went straight for the jugular calling Apple too expensive for today's economy, perhaps because Apple's computer sales … |
| | Well that didn't take long. No sooner had Microsoft officially launched [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2606.html"]Internet Explorer 8[/URL] to the waiting masses and talked up how new security features will ensure hackers will find it more difficult to exploit the new browser that guess what? Yep, a hacker exploits the new browser. During his … |
| | There’s a lot of talk about ‘dead cat” bounces in the financial markets these days. Nobody really knows if the stock market has hit bottom, but last week’s rebound continues into Monday, after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke went on “60 Minutes” and said that the recession could abate if … |
The End.