InformationWeek Microsoft Weblog

Prepare for IE9 -- Or Not

Dave Methvin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:48:00 -0500

Internet Explorer 8 may have just shipped, but last week Dean Hachamovitch who is General Manager for Internet Explorer provided some hints about what is coming with IE9. A release date wasn't one of the hints that was dropped; I think it's far away.

Who Needs An IT Department?

Dave Methvin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0500

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting opinion piece written by Nick Wingfield, a frustrated "consumer" of big-company IT services. His main question is deceptively simple: "Why can't I use whatever technology I want to get my Wall Street Journal work done?"

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Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:01:00 -0500

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The New Office 2010 Beta: Is Microsoft Winning The Last War?

Fredric Paul — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:35:34 -0500

For most modern businesses, Microsoft Office is the standard for productivity applications. So the arrival of Microsoft 2010 -- now going into beta for release next year -- is big news. But after a couple weeks of working with the new release it seems that Microsoft has done a great job -- of winning the last war.

Microsoft's GPL Gaffe May Be Yours Too

Dave Methvin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:30:00 -0500

Although Microsoft has been known to dabble in Open Source projects when it suits their business goals, the majority of the company's software is still proprietary and closed to public view. This includes the source to Windows and Office, of course, but it also includes most of the utilities and other support software that Microsoft makes.

Methinks They Doth Protest Too Much

Dave Methvin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:06:00 -0500

Yesterday it appeared that some candidness leaked out from a Microsoft employee who said, "What we�ve tried to do with Windows 7 ... is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics." Microsoft blogger Brandon LeBlanc went into PR damage control, saying those comments were "inaccurate and uninformed."

Amazon Bids For Windows Developers On Eve Of Azure's Launch

Charles Babcock — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:35:37 -0500

Four days before Microsoft launches its Azure cloud platform to developers at a conference in L.A., Amazon has come up with a .Net software development kit to help Windows developers produce code that runs in Amazon's EC2. It's probably just coincidence. But let's see what they're getting with AWS SDK for .Net.

Does Microsoft's 'Sudo Patent' Protect User Account Control?

Serdar Yegulalp — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:49:45 -0500

Has Microsoft gone one step closer to patenting the words "May I?" That's been the general sentiment about the granting of Microsoft's "Rights elevator" patent -- which would cover User Account Control ("UAC") in Vista and Windows 7, but possibly also the generic sudo command in Unix.

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Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:49:45 -0500

Windows 7, U.S.A.

John Foley — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:45:11 -0500

Having made its case for Windows 7 in the business and consumer markets, Microsoft is taking its pitch to the nation's capital. Which raises a question: Would the U.S. government do a better job of running the country using Microsoft's new operating system?

The Klondike Bar Problem

Dave Methvin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:40:00 -0500

During the 19th century, P. T. Barnum supposedly said, "There's a sucker born every minute." In the 21st century, those suckers now fall for PC-based scams. In the process, they hurt more than just themselves or their PCs.

Windows 7 Is Broken, So What?

Dave Methvin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:35:00 -0500

Anyone who's used computers knows that Windows 7 has problems. Not as many problems as Vista, perhaps, but if you are betting that Windows 7 will work perfectly you are making a sucker bet. Microsoft has never made a bug-free operating system in its entire history. That isn't going to change any time soon.

Google Kinks Microsoft's Air Supply

Dave Methvin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:01:00 -0500

Last week's announcement that the city of Los Angeles was moving to Google Apps was quite a blow to Microsoft. The $7.2 million contract would have given Microsoft legitimacy in the "cloud computing" arena. Instead, Microsoft will find itself essentially paying L.A. to switch to Google.

Forget Windows 7 Service Pack 1

Dave Methvin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:08:00 -0500

If you have ever seen a survey about when consumers and companies plan to move to Windows 7, there's one choice you can count on being there: "After the first service pack." I suspect that many of the people who make that choice are simply saying they are really busy and just don't want to think about the whole disruptive OS migration thing right now.

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Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:08:00 -0500

Ten Useful Windows 7 Downloads

Dave Methvin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:40:00 -0500

If your company is staying with Windows then it's going to move to Windows 7 eventually. That means you need to be prepared to make the decision about when and how to migrate. Here are a few useful files and utilities on the Microsoft site to make you the Windows 7 expert in your company.

Why Was The Open Source Guy At The Windows 7 Party?

Serdar Yegulalp — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:31:37 -0500

It does sound like a setup for a joke, doesn't it? What was I, the Open Source Guy, doing at Microsoft's gala Windows 7 launch party in New York City yesterday? A colleague of mine pointed this out, and I joshed back that I felt like the only guy in a corduroy suit at a black-tie ball. Actually, my first jolt of perspective came before I even stood on line for my badge.

The Day That XP Died

Dave Methvin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:50:00 -0500

Bye, bye, to the XP supply
And Vista, what a nightmare, it was quite a black eye
Windows 7 now will be the rallying cry
Thinking this will make my new PC fly
This will make my new PC fly

Ballmer Bullish on New Directions for SharePoint

Andrew Conry-Murray — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:27:35 -0500

Microsoft's CEO talks up the collaboration software as a platform for customer-facing Web sites in an interview with InformationWeek.

Microsoft and Mozilla Agree On Browser Risks

Dave Methvin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:12:00 -0500

Usually the PC press spends a lot of time pitting the number 1 and number 2 browser makers against each other. I think that's just mean, and would prefer to focus on the important issues where they agree. Wouldn't you know, Microsoft and Mozilla have found common ground on the issue of browser plugins: both companies agree they can be dangerous.

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Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:12:00 -0500

Microsoft, That's No Way To Treat A Partner

Dave Methvin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:59:00 -0500

The news today from T-Mobile is that the servers are back and Sidekick users can start picking up the pieces of their mobile lives. The T-Mobile message isn't completely clear, but it seems Microsoft's Danger group has managed to totally destroy most of the data on the servers. The Sidekick product line may be dead.

Microsoft Danger: Living Up To Its Name

Dave Methvin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:30:00 -0500

Every computer user learns that it's vital to back up important files. They usually learn this lesson the moment after they lose a bunch of important files that they haven't backed up. That's just silly users though. Most large enterprises not only back up files, but have disaster recovery plans that allow them to continue business if their primary data centers are taken out. The key word there is most.

Microsoft's Ad Network Quality Problem

Dave Methvin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:48:00 -0500

Microsoft's deal with Yahoo shows that the company isn't ready to roll over and surrender the lucrative Internet advertising arena to Google. Still, the MicroHoo ad network is far behind Google when it comes to the size of its ad network. The result is that Microsoft ad inventory is sparse and ads are not of the best quality, as the Sunbelt Blog discovered.

Explorer In Slump Without Help From Brussels Sprouts

Paul McDougall — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:23:39 -0500

Microsoft's share of the browser market is off sharply as new rivals emerge and a bevy of gadgets that provide access to the Web from beyond the PC flourishes. That raises big questions about what's really behind the EU's move to force Redmond to make room for Explorer alternatives on Windows under threat of seven-figure fines.

Think You Have Swine Flu? Take A New Online Test

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:58:43 -0500

You've got a cough and a fever--and haven't had your flu shot yet. Could you possibly have H1N1? Microsoft has launched a new website to help you assess whether you've got swine flu.

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Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:58:43 -0500

LotusLive iNotes: A Necessary Move For IBM

Mary Hayes Weier — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:31:24 -0500

IBM released a $3-a-month, online subscription email service this week, called LotusLive iNotes, and really, it had no choice but to get very aggressive on the SaaS front. I know of at least two big company CIOs that recently left Notes and migrated to Google Gmail or Microsoft Exchange online, after considering upgrades to both on-premises Notes and the existing Notes subscription service that starts at $8 a month.

IBM Launches iNotes In The Cloud, More To Come?

Charles Babcock — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:48:48 -0500

IBM is wading into online email service, a space where Google, Yahoo and Microsoft already have big presences. Is IBM staging a kamikaze run, giving itself one more place where Lotus Notes will show it's got difficulty competing? Is there a method to this madness? Why does IBM have its head in the clouds?

Ballmer: Windows 7 Adoption A Matter Of When, Not If

John Foley — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:12:03 -0500

Steve Ballmer seems confident that businesses will adopt Windows 7. Of course, three years ago, Microsoft's CEO was sure that companies would deploy Vista, and look how that played out. Will he be right this time?