Thinking Tech

Ok, so I'm not a reactionary when it comes to security. I've generally thought that if you were reasonably careful, you'ld be OK. And my experience has confirmed it. You need the basics: a firewall; virus protection; occasional malware scans; some intelligence regarding what to click on, what attachments to open; some intelligence regarding...oh, wait, I said that already. Unfortunately, malware has now become almost as big a problem as viruses.

Soon, it will become a more serious problem. With a keyboard logger loaded on your computer, I can see your bank account access information, corporate logins, what web sites you visit, and virtually anything else that gets typed on your keyboard. You might think twice about letting your kids download games from just anywhere...

Here's the opening paragraph from yesterday's SANS ((SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute's @RISK newsletter:

This will be a bad week for cyber defenders; the vulnerabilities that will be announced this week will affect a very large proportion of business executives. Last week's critical vulnerabilities included an unpatched, important vulnerability in Apple Safari and a very critical vulnerability in Firefox that demands immediate upgrading.

Hey, folks, when SANS cries, it ain't "Wolf!"

For more from SANS:

SANS Institute - @Risk: The Consensus Security Alert

Be careful out there!

I've followed Linux for a long time now. Most of the posts on my other blog (now deleted) related to Linux opined that it wasn't yet ready for prime time. When Novell bought SUSE Linux a year or so ago, it looked like another in a long sequence of Novell missteps. How can any business with overhead like Novell make money with a basically free product??

Novell had botched so many things. Ten years or so ago, they had 80% plus of the server market with the Novell operating system. They botched that. Then they decided that the way to combat Microsoft's rise was to "integrate" and create a "suite" of products. They bought ailing Lotus, and WordPerfect and bundled them with the database Paradox (in its various incarnations) from Borland. They botched that.

So when Novell jumped into the fray and bought SUSE, I suspected that this was another in a long list of botched strategic moves. It may yet prove so.

But at least for this release of Linux, Novell is getting good reviews. And the sentiment that there needs to be an alternative other than Microsoft is growing in some quarters.

SLED 10 Is a Linux Distro Windows Users Can Love

When the Department of Homeland Security AND Microsoft warn you about a bug, you'd better pay attention. The article below explains why every Windows user should apply the fix released Tuesday. The article reads:

Wednesday, Department of Homeland Defense (DHS) called out a rare warning, and Microsoft acknowledged that the patch should be at the top of every computer user's or administrator's to-do list.

Windows Worm Warnings No Joke - Security - CRN

Vista (the next version of Windows) nears its release date. It's near enough that the spin machine is already in full force. The first couple of questions from clients have arrived in my in-box. What should we do? How will it work with my existing hardware? What software will I have to update? Will my old DOS programs still work?

And the answer is...no one knows, really. The release candidates that have come out have enjoyed generally good reviews. The last couple have tuned features and speed items that were sorely needed. For months, we've known that you needed good, speedy hardware to run Vista. Systems as little as 18 to 24 months might need upgrades to run Vista, if they run Vista at all. But the jury is still out. We need to see the actual production version of the code. And load it a few times.

So if you want to be a guinea pig, go ahead and buy the first copies of Vista off the production line. Otherwise, our (my) advice is ... WAIT!

The article below gives you and idea of some of the issues to be addressed before committing to Vista.

Vista Compatibility: What Does Microsoft Owe Us?

There has been a lot in the news lately about RFID as a supply-chain replacement for barcode. As a barcode replacement, RFID has a lot of benefits. There are other uses of RFID, though.

American Express was one of the first to release a credit card (Blue) with an embedded RFID chip. They also offered a free USB port connected reader that could be used to read the info from the card and enter it into eCommerce applications that were ennabled for the card. I actually ordered one. Still have it. Never used it.

Now RFID is rearing its head in international territory. The PASS card will replace the Passport for entry into certain countries. Take a look at the article below for more information.
New Border-Crossing Card Could Boost RFID Demand - Security Technology News by TechWeb

Adobe Acrobat 8 Beta 1 is available. Adobe Acrobat has done as much to move us in the direction of the paperless office, make electronic publishing easier, and ennable document transmission. In addition, the ability to annotate, collect data, and work with forms through Acrobat has evolved through the last several versions.

Acrobat Reader, which you need to read Acrobat documents, is free. Acrobat professional, which creates Acrobat documents, isn't free. In fact, it's quite expensive.

If all you need to do is to make your Microsoft Word report into a PDF, there are cheaper alternatives, such as ScanSoft PDF Converter or Nitro PDF or PrimoPDF.

As the article below says of these cheaper alternatives,

These PDF converters lack many of the features found in Acrobat 8 Professional, such as Web conferencing tie-ins and workflow capabilities, but they can capably create PDF documents.

Adobe Builds on Acrobat Strengths

Apple has upgraded iTunes and announced (sort of) the iTV box (internal code name, not the product name). iTV, according to media reports, will be a 6 x 6 x 1 inch box with WiFi (wireless network) that connects to the television. The idea is that you can download videos from iTunes (the last episode of the TV series you just missed is $1.99) and play them on the TV...or iTV. Take a look at the press release on iTunes 7.

And the iPod Nano (no hard drive, up to 8Gb of memory or 2000 songs) is newly redesigned. The silver (stainless) is really cool...I just bought one.

And Microsoft has announced the Zune, a sweet little mp3 player with a few features that the iPod doesn't have...like WiFi built into the player. You can download without connecting it to a PC. Some of the analysts are claiming that it's 2 years late...since the Apple iPod has about 75% of the market. But for us Gizmodicts...the $299 price tag (estimated) may not be a barrier. It may be an "I'll buy it...I'll try it...if I like it, I might use it...purchase."

Meanwhile, I'm sure the teenagers in your life will be really interested in your Christmas budget. Take a look...

Apple Announces iTunes 7 with Amazing New Features

Almost drowned in the flood of press releases was this one about the new 80Gb model of iPod Video. Unless, of course, you're doing lots of video, 80Gb seems like overkill...the first PC I had only had 5Mb (vs 80000Mb on this) of hard drive....my, my, things are a-changin'

Apple iPod (80GB) review by PC Magazine

As of the last time I looked, there wasn't an official list of "compatible with Vista" software. Vista is the soon-to-be-released version of Microsoft's Windows Operating System, and will eventually replace Windows XP.

And as I expected, the list of the software that won't run on Vista has already begun to trickle out...and the first entry into the fray is...Microsoft's premier software development tool...Visual Studio.

You'll have to read the article for the full announcement, including the release of a BETA SERVICE PACK for Visual Studio (I don't think I've ever seen that one before...a BETA service pack!). Here's Microsoft's quote:

"This was a tough decision for us internally, whether to hold the service pack to get all of the [Vista] fixes or get it out there sooner," said Jay Roxe, group product manager for Visual Studio at Microsoft. "The feedback from customers was that they want it sooner."

This is always the dilemma. All software has bugs. If we kept testing until all the bugs were gone, we'd never release the software.

I just hope Microsoft has enough of the bugs worked out.

ChannelWeb Web Services Weekly

Your teenager will be interested in Zune, the newest MP3 player from Microsoft, but should you?

I had lunch with a friend on Tuesday. He's into music, and is looking forward to getting an MP3 player for all his 50s and 60s music. But what about business applications?

I'll leave that question hanging for a few more weeks, but you can bet the answer has to do with podcasting.

Zune Pricing Shows Microsoft Waging Market Share Gamble - Mobile Technology News by TechWeb

Ok. Somebody here asked me how the button on the front of the Zune was going to work...and being the techie I am, I googled it. Here's a YouTube video posted into a blog that will give you an idea. Let me know what you think.

Zune Insider Blog: Zune Interface Video

Between now and the end of the first quarter, we'll see releases of Microsoft Vista and Office 2007. A lot of words have been spilt in the press over the hardware requirements for Vista. Most of these words have been about Aero Glass, the new 3-d interface that makes overlapping windows on the screen partially transparent, as well as other things.

To see a bit of what Vista will do, visit the Microsoft Vista site. Click on the User Experience link at the top to see print screens of the new interface. In a recent presentation, the presenter referred to these features as "eye candy." Other than the thumbnail images of pages that come up when you press Alt+Tab in the new version, he came up with very little productivity enhancement from the new interface.

Other features in Vista deserve a bit more consideration. The main features I think businesses will be interested in as of now are:

• Bitlocker. In XP, it was possible to encrypt folders. Unfortunately, this was fairly easy to override. In Vista, bitlocker will encrypt the entire hard drive. Without a password, the drive appears empty to any operating system. I suppose it's just a matter of time before this encryption is broken--just like any encryption--but by that time we'll have bitlocker version 2.0.


• Search. It's possible to search for files on your local computer, including email, etc. with the enhanced search. It will be much faster than using the current Windows search. If you've loaded LookOut for Outlook 2003 (and if you haven't, you should go to the Microsoft site, search for it, and load it), you can imagine what this is like.


• Security. Most analysts are saying that security is better.

I'm loading Vista RC 1 on a new machine this weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I really meant to install Vista this weekend. I tried. I had downloaded the beta (I thought) from MSDN, but when I started to burn it to a DVD, it didn't work. So I'm downloading it again. I'll keep you up-to-date.

I got the Windows Vista RC downloaded (all 3+ Gb of it). I burned it to a DVD, then backed up the XP operating system I was working on. The machine has an AMD 64-bit dual core with 2Gb of RAM and a 250 Gb hard drive, as well as DVD RW, video card, Network Adapter, and monitor. The machine was new, and the only thing I had used it for was to download Vista and burn it to the DVD. The machine was supposedly ready for Vista, but if you read the verbiage on the Microsoft site, until the actual release of Vista, anything could happen.

The machine booted from the DVD and asked if I wanted to install Vista. Since I chose to install the 64 bit version of Vista, keeping the 32 bit version of XP that had been installed on the machine wasn't an option. I deleted the XP partition and reformatted the hard drive. This process was much smoother than the same process in XP, and the graphical user interface appeared with mouse support earlier in the process of Vista installation than it does in the XP installation. When you install XP, there are several character based screens you navigate through before you get to the familiar Windows look and feel. With Vista, you're looking at a graphical user interface almost from the beginning.

Vista then asked the familiar questions about time and time zone, keyboard layout and language, and how I wanted to configure my internet access. There are fewer questions in the Vista installation than the XP installation. The process, however, has a slow point when all of the Vista programs are copied to the hard drive and decompressed. This seems much longer than the XP process which presents the time remaining on a sidebar with a changing screen that sells the new features of XP. This type of entertainment may appear in the final release of Vista, but the waiting screen is pretty plain in the release candidate.

The install went well. Vista found drivers for all of my devices, set the resolution of my screen properly, and launched itself. Office 2007 installed well, and the machine is performing well. The Aero Glass interface has some interesting features (be sure to try the Windows Button + Tab combination [similar to Alt + Tab, but much prettier]).

I noticed that Microsoft had heard the critique that you had to press the Start Button to Shut Down. The familiar green Start button has disappeared. In its place is a 3-d look button with a graphic. It doesn't have a label, so everyone just seems to be calling it the--you guessed it--start button.

I haven't had enough time to play with Vista to give an opinion one way or another yet, but it's worth a look. I don't think I would deploy a release candidate in production work...and there are several security vendors harassing Microsoft about the weaknesses in the product. In this case, I think time will tell.

FireFox has become a popular browser. Release Candidate 2 is out. A release candidate is a step beyond a Beta, and indicates a product version that will be the final release unless something major is discovered before the product is released to manufacturing.

Firefox 2.0 has been touted as a "must install" release by some. E-week's test of RC2 finds good and bad.

I'll probably wait until the final copy comes out.

Firefox 2.0 RC2 Is a Step … Backward?

If you're interested in technology, you might want to start paying attention to a bunch of TWiTs. TWiT is the tongue in cheek name for the This Week In Tech podcast. What is a podcast? That, dear reader, is the subject of another blog entry. Announcement regarding podcasts coming soon to a web site near you.

The TWiT Netcast Network with Leo Laporte

I should have listened to the latest TWiT before I installed the 64 bit version of Vista. Turns out that Microsoft has drawn a line in the sand between 32 and 64 bit versions. Hardware will need to be compatible. No more unsigned drivers. And, most interesting of all, the Windows Core will be protected from code running under Windows.

What does all of this mean to the everyday user? Absolutely nothing. Your IT department (or Dell, for that matter), will make it work..or they won't. Some antivirus software (Symantec and McAfee) will have to play by different rules. Yep, this means that your current antivirus software won't work on Vista 64 bit until these changes are made. And some of your other software won't work.

Other than that, most of the reviews of Vista seem to indicate that it's not too bad. People like the Aero Glass interface. It runs pretty quick on new equipment. All in all, not bad.

Lesson for the casual user? Don't install 64 bit Vista...or 64 bit XP for that matter..both suffer from the same malady...or fix, depending on your perspective.

Microsoft released it's newest version (7) of the Internet Explorer (IE) browser yesterday. I've been working with the Vista Beta version since I installed Vista a couple of weeks ago. I really do like it. It's more secure, which is good for most folk. It took me a couple of minutes futzing around with the security options to get the Microsoft MSN plug-in for Portfolio management to work. Also took a bit of work to get the GoToMyPc program to download, but overall it's fine. Hopefully, it'll keep the kids from destroying my machine with spyware.

Install with care, though. It may break something you've come to rely on. And of course, if you have questions, give us a ring.

IE 7: Finally, Something to Write Home About

In November, the business versions of Vista start to come out. January will bring the home versions to the market. And--as with XP--users will have a choice of which version to buy. But buyer beware...if you buy the wrong version, you could be paying to upgrade it.

Remember XP Home? Businesses bought it for laptops and desktops thinking they'd save a few dollars...and then spent more than they stood to save buying XP Pro--which they should have bought anyway.

You've been warned. If you want more info, check out the article below. Disclaimer: I don't own any Microsoft stock, so I could care less which version you pick.

Which Vista Is the Right Vista?

These sites aren't new, but if you haven't seen them, you might be interested.

Del.icio.us - A site that allows you to create bookmarks, tells you who else has bookmarked the same page, and ennables sharing of bookmarks. I use this to bookmark at home and retrieve the bookmarks at work, or vice-versa.

YouTube -- An online video sharing service. Doesn't require a special plugin to play the videos. Just purchased by Google for a mere $1.65 BILLION. Yep, that's billion with a "B."

Facebook and mySpace -- You should have heard of these by now. If you haven't you should really look to see for yourself. Also, if you have children, find out if they have a site on these social networking sites.

If you find yourself on del.icio.us, link to me. I'll share links there as I find them.

Today, tomorrow, and Saturday, I'm at Directions 2006, a Microsoft Dynamics conference. More posts on that later.

A few posts ago, I wrote that I'd purchased a "Vista Ready" computer and installed Vista RC1 (Build 5600) and installed it. I've banged on it some; my kids have tested it some; I've installed Antivirus software and turned on Windows Update. And it mostly worked...until last week, when I realized that it had stopped coming back from "Sleep." Now while I'll admit that there are days when sleep has its attractions over and above being awake, I prefer for my computers (and my kids) to answer when I call.

But it's stopped doing that. I've reset it when it locks up, but now just browsing the internet is a problem. So I'm writing this on another computer while I download RC2 to install. Fortunately, there's nothing on the system that I'm worried about losing.

Here we go...chapter 2...

After the last post, I was trying to browse the internet with IE 7. Lockup. Then I was trying to type a pretty simple paper in Office 2007 (no problems from this Beta on my trusty XP machine). Lockups. Lost work.

Good thing the real release of Vista isn't until November. Oh, wait, look...it is November. Realistically, the problem could be my hardware. It could also be Windows Vista. So I downloaded RC 2 (Build 5744, according to my desktop). And reinstalled. Hope there wasn't anything on the system I needed. If there was, it's gone now...

Chapter 3 begins...

Think I said before that I liked the new interface. It is mostly eye candy, but I'm good for a little eye candy occasionally.

I found some more things on installation that I like.

First of all, I didn't have my activation code handy when I installed, and RC 2 let me move forward. It warned me several times to make sure I picked the version of Vista that I had purchased (Home vs. Business vs. Ultimate -- there are 5 in all). I had the Ultimate key, so I picked that option. The install completed, and I used the newly installed version of Vista to look up my key on MSDN. I found Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System Information > More Information, scrolled down, entered (actually cut and pasted the new key). The system took the key, activated my copy of Vista. And all is well for now.

I'm writing this to you on my newly installed copy of Vista.

Now for more testing...

Windows Vista and IE 7 arrive with security updates already touted in the press. One of these benefits is a centralized management console which points out on new installation that no antivirus software is installed. There was a button that provided a list of available products to download and install.

For Release Candidate 1 (RC1), only PCcillin from Trend Micro showed up on the list. Now the list has lengthened. CA (Computer Associates) shows up. Trend Micro is still there. Microsoft has an entry into the race. And there are three or four other options.

I installed the Trend Micro product. The installation went well. Virus updates seem to be coming down. All is good.

If you find yourself with the newest version of PCcillin from TrendMicro, don't be satisfied with the default settings. There are a few optional things like web site checking, virus scanning for webmail (did you realize that if you read work emails through your web browser, your virus software might not be scanning them?), and firewall protection.

Though I generally don't trust firewall software, if it's in the base product, might as well use it.

The full list of features is available from TrendMicro.

With an unofficial target of 11/30/06 as the release date, Vista has "gone to manufacturing." This, of course, doesn't mean no bugs and no future updates. It does, however, mean that Vista is coming soon to a computer near you.

My Vista RC2 machine (see earlier vista post) is still acting pretty well. I'm looking forward to the actual release of the product. I also don't save anything on the machine that has Vista that I can't afford to lose.

Microsoft Releases Windows Vista To Manufacturing - News by InformationWeek

All the articles are arguing about it. Microsoft says, "No, you really don't need a new PC to run Windows Vista." And I agree--you really don't NEED a new PC.

But really, folks, you're going to want one, aren't you? After all, the eye-candy of the Aero interface and some of the new features that chew memory and spit it out are really cool. And what would a PC be without a few cool toys?

But if, on the other hand, you're really trying to run a business with your PC, you can get by without new hardware. And if you do that, you'll probably choose to do without Vista for a while...

So, it's up to you. But remember that I said it first: you're going to WANT a new PC.

Most of the emphasis in the scramble to adjust to these new hardware needs has centered on memory. For example, a major reason that Vista will be a pain in the bus (thank you, Microsoft, for deciding that an operating system should be an operating environment) is, of course, Aero, its hoity-toity graphical interface. As you might expect, that's going to put quite a strain on your computer's graphics subsystem. Although Vista will scale back on Aero effects if your system is too poorly equipped to use them all, are you really ready to admit that you're running a hobbled computer to anyone? It's doubtful. That means at least a new graphics card.

But wait, there's more. If your graphics memory starts to run low, Vista is designed to borrow from your system memory to fill its needs. We have all said for years how terribly wrong that is because it robs overall potential system performance -- you might also want to get yourself a bit more memory.

However, if your PC is strictly for business, or if you're more interested in grunt than glitter, you may need to start thinking about your CPU. In fact, once you've assured yourself that the rest of the components are up to the new OS, but your PC is still dragging its feet, the only place to turn is your processor.

In the early days of the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), Palm made a splash by releasing a device that was easy to use, contained the most commonly needed features, and worked right out of the box. My Treo 650 (Palm OS) has become a requirement for business. But PalmSource hasn't released a new version of the OS in 2+ years. And now people want to use phones as portable-everything. Camera, video-recorder, MP3 player, web browser, email, etc. The Blackberry device has cut into Palm's market with the same type of easy-to-use reliability that made a name for Palm.

Now Symbol is pulling all the versions of its products that contain the Palm OS in favor of Windows. I can't blame them. Every software developer that has Visual Studio on their desk has a development tool that they're familiar with for the Windows Portable operating system.

Meanwhile, Palm may not be dead yet...they are promising to release a new palm OS based on Linux...

We'll see...

Symbol Bids Adieu To Palm, Start-up Seeks To Fill Void - VARBusiness

Coming to a store near you in January, Windows Vista. Ok. Here we go again.

Be sure to check compatibility of all your drivers, software, and devices before installing Vista. Also, many tech writers that have tested the upgrade vs. clean install suggest a clean install. This means that you'll have to reinstall everything, but you may get a better result in the long run.

Microsoft To Start Selling Vista At Retail Jan. 30 - VARBusiness

A few posts agon, I suggested that Vista might not be adopted as soon as Microsoft would wish. The newest survey from InformationWeek suggests that only 26% of respondants have plans to migrate to vista. 86% expect to implement at one time or another (and the other 14% are fooling themselves unless they go with Linux or Mac OS). Eventually, everyone that runs Windows now will be on either Vista or what follows it. If for no other reason, then because it's the only thing available.

The 52% that are worried about first version bugs are relying on history. And they may be right to wait. I've always said that the time between release of a new version and the first service pack will tell you how solid the release was. Short time, not solid. Long time, good things to come.

Survey: 86% Expect To Implement Vista Sooner Or Later - News by InformationWeek

eWeek provides some practical advice for companies that are evaluating Windows Vista and Office 2007. I'd add one thing: there are enough new features in Office 2007 that I think it's reasonable to expect that some users will want Office 2007. I don't think this is a bad thing. They will get Office 2007 bundled with computers they buy by mail order. They'll get Vista with new PCs soon. I don't think it's ever good business to dig in your heels and refuse to upgrade.

I still don't have any Microsoft stock. No axe to grind. Just evaluate the new products based on the potential business benefit to your business. If there isn't any, don't upgrade. If there is, don't stonewall.

Dos and Don'ts for Vista and Office 2007

I rarely just quote someone else, but Ziff Davis says it better than I could.

Ok, this has got to be one of the wackiest ideas I've heard in a long time. Dell now plans on selling PCs inside the oh-so-hot virtual community Second Life. So how will this work? You spend virtual dollars on a virtual Dell PC that you put into your virtual house on your virtual island, inside a virtual world? Or do you buy a real computer with real dollars in a virtual world that, presumably, shows up in your real house? Either way, it's way out there. Read our story for the details.

Wacky? Good word.

I still don't get it....but I'm workin' on it.

News from PC Magazine: Dell to Sell PCs on Second Life

A Wiki is a webpage that can be edited by the users. Usually, the software that supports this editing has workflow, approval, undo, and redo capability.

You can see a table of different Wiki software, some free, some not at one of the most famous Wikis, Wikipedia. Many of these Wiki software packages are free.

What might you use a wiki for?

• Internal communication


• Project Management


• Client communication


• Training manuals


• Technical manuals


• Program development

I'm sure I missed a bunch, but this will give you an idea.

I got an email from Steve Ballmer today. Know who that is? Sure you do...he's with Microsoft.

Microsoft rolled out Vista with much hoopla today. According to InformationWeek, IDC predicts that 90% of machines shipped next year will have Vista Home pre-loaded. Only 35% (per IDC) of business machines will be so equipped.

Thus begins the saga of what will run...and what won't...

It will be interesting to see what happens with this new release from Microsoft.

IDC Pegs Vista Sales At 90 Million In 2007 - News by InformationWeek

Another estimate, similar to IDCs of the acceptance of Windows Vista. The Gartner Group, according to eWeek, predicts that just 10% of PCs will be loaded with Vista in 2007.

I think the long-run issue is whether Vista solves some of the security problems that have plagued other releases of windows, and how many products have to be upgraded in order to work with this new version of Windows.

No Enterprise Rush to Newest Microsoft Products

The real problem here is that I understand how our clients think. And I agree--somewhat. The speech runs something like this:

I bought Windows 2000 just six years ago. It still works good enough for me. Why is Microsoft forcing me to buy a new version? And oh, by the way, my computer isn't powerful enough to run Vista, so I guess I'll have to buy another one of those, too.

I wish I didn't understand the feeling. I have it every five or six years when my car rolls over the 100,000 mark. Just in case you're curious, I have one vehicle that is moving toward 130,000 miles, and another that's just over 102,000 miles. I plan to get about 250,000 on both of them...but I guess that's just the way I am about cars. By the time I'm done, the cars will be 10 years plus old, I hope.

But why do I have to replace my Windows every six years or so? The answer--realistically--is that you don't. But the issue is that the technology is moving so fast and making so many improvements that if you want any of the benefits of the new advances, you've got to upgrade the foundation (Windows). I replace a copier every six or eight years, and it still just makes copies for me. Windows (theoretically) does a lot more.

So as long as you don't want your software to do anything different, ever, you're safe with Windows 2000...at least until your hardware breaks...and even then you can probably patch it together for a while.

So about the time I'm ready for a new car, some of our clients will be ready for a new version of Windows.

By that time, I'll have forgotten everything I know about the their version. Windows 98? Some clients still have it. Problem is, I've forgotten all the tricks and so has most everyone else. At the very least, we're not as good as we were when it was new...say 10 years ago.

So hold off for another year or two if you really want to...or bite the bullet and start thinking of your computer system like your cell phone bill...something you need to invest in on a regular basis.

Now if I can only figure out how to get children to stop eating so many groceries...

Microsoft Turns Up The Heat On Windows 2000 Users - News by InformationWeek

The photo is from the Apple web site, and is (c) 2007 by Apple. There has been buzz since the middle of 2006 about a variety of devices coming from Apple: a widescreen iPod, a touchscreen iPod, an Apple phone. An Apple device that would browse the Internet, send and receive email, and download from iTunes wirelessly.

Guess what? There's a single device now that does it all. Take a gander at the iPhone.

It almost (maybe it did) eclipsed the Apple TV, another cool device announced at MacWorld 2007.

I'm a clicker. I see what looks like an interesting email, and I click it. I have virus protection. I have spyware protection. They ought to protect me from anything out there....

Right.

Most users really are their own worst enemies. Microsoft is right...if they close the holes that hackers squeeze in through, I'm less likely to click on something that does me harm.

I like that.

Truthfully, I like Vista. It looks cool. It has some really nice features.

And in two months, my kids haven't broken it. That says something.

I'm not sure what.

"The weakest link in the security of any system is the end user. It seems like we're putting them down, but, realistically, there's a lot we can do in technology to secure our products, but as long as user can be tricked into clicking a link or going to an unknown Web site, we're at risk," Fathi said. "We think that by helping users protect themselves better, we can make a big dent in the current methods of attacks being used by hackers."

Vista Aims to Stop Hackers' Social Engineering Ploys

If you haven't tried out YouTube, you should. It's a great medium. And it portends a change in the way businesses and individuals will use the Internet. Put simply, YouTube allows anyone to upload a video--whether taken with a hi-definition professional camera or with their cell phone--and converts it into a format (Flash Video) which 90%+ of the users of the Internet can see.

The upcoming Presidential Campaign should be interesting. Candidates are already positioning to use Internet video as part of their strategy. But it's the video shot on-the-sly by college students that may get the most downloads...

...watch your gaffes, gals and guys, you may see them (along with a few million others) on YouTube that evening...

'Macaca' Moments Will Define 2008 Presidential Campaign - News by InformationWeek

The average server in the average data center--it turns out--isn't doing much. Kind of like the salespeople at your average mall...but that would be another rant.

In order to increase reliability, we once proliferated servers. We balanced load by creating more servers and directing part of the work to one and part to others. Now IT departments are putting servers back together--sort of.

These virtual server (and virtual desktop) systems allow technologists to create multiple "virtual" servers on the same box. Now you can have a web server, a database server, an email server, and a file server all on one box, but each running in its own space and each with only the programs loaded that it needs.

Since these servers are often stored in data files, load balancing and disaster recovery also become easier. To move a load to another server, just copy the virtual machine file to the new system and start it up. Since virtual machines use the hardware interface of the underlying operating system (usually a simple installation of Windows Server or equivalent), moving a server isn't a hardware issue. And disaster recovery becomes easier since the virtual machine can be backed up intact and moved from one system to another at will.

You could even run Windows and Linux on the same server at the same time.

This trend is one to watch. It can save you money and make your computing more disaster-proof at the same time.

Virtualization Picks Up Steam - VARBusiness

Ok, you've figured out that Vista is one of the main things you'll hear about from IT folk this year. Right?

I'm going to get tired of Vista-bashing articles. I actually like it. I haven't yet been brave enough to load it on a laptop I bought last year that claims to be "Vista Ready" or some such thing. But Wayne Rash at eWeek is a bit more venturesome. He decided to try it on an old "high end" machine.

Before you read this, keep in mind that I read the specifications for the machine he's trying Vista on. Most of the readers of this column probably don't own that machine. Also, Wayne had to buy some more hardware before it worked well, and it took 3 days to get it working. Here's how his article begins:

Surely, I thought, a dual-Xeon HP xw8000 workstation with a gigabyte of memory and fast hard disks could run nearly anything. Besides, this computer is new enough that it's still under warranty, so if I really got into trouble, I knew that I could always call HP's tech support for help.

Turns out, I was wrong about a lot of things, including that. While I did manage to install Vista on the machine, you might want to think twice before trying the same thing in your business. Or your home, for that matter.

You got the patience of Waynev?

Wayne's Old Computer Gets Vista

Consider this gloating if you will. Or consider it a case of "I told you so." Vista isn't moving as quickly as the early estimates said it would. There's a real question in my mind, though: Is anyone surprised? I don't think so.

Reuters wrote:

SEATTLE (Reuters)—Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Thursday analysts' forecasts for revenue from Windows Vista in fiscal 2008 were "overly aggressive."

No joke. Really?

Microsoft CEO: Vista Revenue Forecasts Too Aggressive

Well, it's not Microsoft's fault. They released the beta. It's my schedule. You can tell from last week (no posts) that I've been out of town. Actually, it was only two days last week, but still it seems to have mushroomed into three or four days behind.

I should be caught up enough by the end of the week to post a couple of things. Most of the reason that I haven't posted was that I wanted to be able to give you an actual look at some of the new features. Screen captures, you know.

Look for them the end of the week or first of next week.

I keep wating for clients to begin using thin client technology in droves. You know, eliminate the expensive (relatively) desktop computer with processor, hard drive, etc., for all but a few power users who need the extra "oomph.."

Microsoft's adjustment in licensing allows Vista to run centralized in a "virtual" enviroment and hardware OEMs to ship diskless PCs with just enough power to connect to a session and run the graphics locally. Great concept.

It's the office joke here that we had to give one of our salespeople a thin client because she broke two previous PCs. Actually, she collected so much nastyware (spyware, malware, etc.) that we gave her a thin client. There are a few issues occasionally, but for the most part it's been a good thing. We've not had to reformat a hard drive in her computer since then...there's not one. The machien she's running on is four or five years old, but it runs the software she needs as well as any computer in the office (and as fast).

Take a look at "virtual" computers (thin clients, to be precise) the next time you need to expand your office. You might also consider this type of arrangement if your computers are getting old. Speed them up by adding a single power server rather than 10 or 12 new PCs.

This technique also gives you more control over the configuration of the computers and the ability to do upgrades centrally and once.

Microsoft Changes Vista Licensing to Cover New Deployment Models

Many people will choose to pass on Office 2007.

Not me. I like the pain of learning something new and having to hunt for things that I knew where to find seconds before (in the old software). Just kidding.

But there are some neat features in Office 2007. I just ran into one. I was doing a table, and was going to send it to a client, so I wanted to "pretty it up." I changed the background of the cells at the top of the table to a solid color. And guess what happened to the text?

In previous versions, it would have disappeared or almost disappeared (black on black or something like that). In 2007, Word changed the text color to white.

Nope, I wasn't picking a style. I just changed the background color.

And then to prove to myself that I wasn't seeing things, I changed the background back, and the color of the text changed again.

Cool.

Everyone with a finger on the pulse of technology has been watching with bated breath to see what happens with Linux. Many companies and consultants have decided that there is just not enough support or enough applications that run on Linux to justify the risk. After all, the old adage has it that "you get what you pay for." And "FREE" has to mean "worthless," doesn't it?

That may be true in real estate, but I'm not sure it's true anymore with software. We'll just have to wait and see.

But while I'm waiting, I'm playing with Linux.

Dell to Preload Ubuntu Linux on Some Consumer Machines

As I mentioned earlier in the year, the iPhone is not necessarily for business (yet, or perhaps even soon). Apple is focused on individuals using the iPhone as a replacement iPod, Phone, internet browser, etc. It has WiFi access, which is cool if you spend a lot of time in Starbucks or have a corporate WiFi network that you need to access when you're not at your desk where your laptop or desktop is.

I'm big on portable devices. I get lots of good business benefits from my Treo 650 (!), but I'm not ready to drop $500 per employee on a cool phone from Apple, iPod, pictures, etc. or not. Take a look at the blog post below. You'll see that there's a bit lacking in the iPhone for business. So I'd keep away from it for now.

Gartner: Keep The iPhone Out Of The Corporate Enterprise -- iPhone -- InformationWeek

In the past couple of weeks, I've installed Debian and Ubuntu on a laptop. Mind you, I didn't have a laptop lying around that I was willing to risk to Linux. I went out and bought the cheapest laptop I could find.

A programmer in my office had downloaded Ubuntu 7.04, and gave it to me on a DVD. I downloaded the 3-DVD set of Debian 4 image files and burned them to DVDs. I loaded Debian without a glitch. It came up to the Gnome desktop. I loaded KDE desktop and was able to use it from the get-go. In fact, it ran well. Later on, I unloaded a few too many packages and killed Debian (I think I could have fixed it, but why try when I could re-load it in a few minutes?) With Debian killed, I decided to try Ubuntu. It loaded in a few minutes and even saw the wireless network card (and the wireless network) in my house. I never did get the wireless network up and running.

I was working on getting PostgresSQL to compile and install when for some reason I decided to reload Ubuntu. It didn't take long, althought with the author of the article below, I agree that there is too long a period from the time you boot from DVD until you can tell that the system is doing something.

After working on this for a while, I decided to go back to Debian. Almost all the packages I need are already built for Debian distribution (and are probably on those 3 DVDs.)

Keep in mind (a) this was a new laptop, and (b) I didn't do anything fancy to get it working.

I do agree with the author on one thing: in order to get Linux running (any Linux, not just Ubuntu), it's pretty easy to do things that are already built for that distribution. If you have to rebuild the kernel, make system changes, or do other things under the hood, the support resources assume that you have a level of technical saavy. You'll find yourself looking for resources to explain the resources.

All-in-all, though, I think Linux is coming. Windows better watch out.

Ubuntu Linux's Achilles' Heel: It's Tough To Install On Laptops -- InformationWeek

I'm not sure this announcement is even worthy of a blog post. But here goes: Microsoft is delaying the launch of Windows Server 2008 until early 2008. It's a quality issue, of course. Microsoft wouldn't want to release software that wasn't ready for prime time. All of that I understand.

You'd think, though, that eventually Microsoft would get the estimation thing down. But not yet.

Microsoft Delays Windows Server Until Early 2008 -- Windows Server 2008 -- InformationWeek

The first Windows Vista service pack is due out in Q1 2008. Many businesses will see this as the indication that Vista is now ready for prime time. We expect to see many incompatibilities with legacy applications as new businesses migrate to Vista.

smallbusiness.itworld.com - Microsoft: Vista SP1 due in Q1 2008, beta in September

Are printers interesting? Be careful, your response may brand you as a "Geek!" But that's ok. I've been studying printers at the office supply stores near me, and on-line. It seems that the prices have come down substantially. The first color laser I had for business was in the range of $3000 to $4000, and printed 4 full-color pages per minute on a good day. The last one I bought was at least twice that fast, and cost around $400. And they're getting cheaper and faster, with more features and better results every day.

Take a look at eWeeks roundup of 20 "interesting" printers.

The 20 Most Interesting Printers of 2007 (So Far) - Introduction

It's a bit hard to fathom, but there is a competitor to Internet Explorer (IE) that comes with Windows. The issue most folk have with IE is that it's not secure. It opens you up to potentially nasty things. FireFox thinks they have it figured out. There is a new beta out.

Firefox 3 Beta Offers Secure, Easy Web Browsing