The sky is not falling

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:53:55 -0500

This week saw data analyst firm IDC step forward with the prediction that some PC makers will fall victim to the current economic situation. This comes mere weeks after its earlier assertion that the IT sector will experience slower spending for the next four years. Certainly, the feeling of gloom and doom is compounded by the New York Times' report that just over half a million jobs were shed in the United States in November alone--the largest one-month loss since December 1974.

Before you start subscribing to the mentality that "the sky is falling," rest assured that is not. In reality, life goes on. If anything, the unrelenting progress in the IT industry is proof of that.

The war of the browser continues with Opera releasing the version 10 beta of its web browser. It has been the underdog so far, but the Opera team managed to pull off a perfect score of 100 in the grueling Acid3 test. In case you were wondering, even Google's Chrome achieved only 79 out of 100.

On the operating system front, Microsoft released the first public beta of Windows Vista SP2 earlier this week. Love it or hate it, the fact is that SP2 does represent a relatively significant upgrade to Microsoft's flagship operating system. Not content to wait on the sidelines to see if Microsoft's falling marketshare will drop further, IBM teamed up with Canonical and Virtual Bridges to offer a new Linux-based virtual desktop solution that it hopes will propel the company to the top.

And yes, Microsoft will be releasing eight security updates next Tuesday, of which six of them are listed as "critical." So, stop worrying. And start patching, will you? - Paul

Study: 40 percent of IT jobs will be in open source by 2020

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:17:18 -0500

According to a roadmap presented at the Open World Forum in Paris, 40 percent of jobs will be related in some way to open source by 2020. What I found interesting was the assertion--which is completely logical--that the advent of cloud computing will only obscure the actual source code even more. This is, of course, the antithesis of the open source movement. Article

Microsoft releases Vista SP2 beta

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:15:42 -0500

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) has just been released as a public beta. Vista SP2 has been in the testing phase since October, and is scheduled for release around April of next year. Because SP2 will effect almost all of us, it has sparked a great deal of excitement and interest.

One thing is for sure, Vista SP2 is a fairly significant upgrade, and it includes numerous changes to the Vista operating system. So unless you are hanging on for Windows 7, Vista SP2 might be your best bet. Note that Windows Vista SP2 requires the prior installation of Vista SP1.

We have compiled a list of SP2's most intriguing features, and links to resources that outline the product further.

A summary of the new features in Vista SP2

Includes Windows Search 4.0
Reduces the resources needed to run various sidebar gadgets
Native support to record data on Blu-Ray media
Windows Connect Now (WCN) for simplified Wi-Fi configuration
Supports Bluetooth 2.1
Improved Wi-Fi performance after exiting Vista's sleep mode
Adds support for exFAT file system to handle larger files and UTC timestamp
Adds support for 64-bit processors from VIA
Adds the ability to detect incompatible drivers
Improves power management by almost 10 percent
Corrects a list of system bugs such as shutdown problems and crash-causing issues

Links to other resources:

Official announcement of the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 public beta
The download page for Vista SP2 from Microsoft TechNet
PC World has a nice write-up on six things you need to know about Vista SP2
Ed Bott of ZDNet praises Microsoft for getting back on track with Vista SP2

IDC predicts that some PC makers will be killed off by economic crisis

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:13:33 -0500

The ongoing economic crisis could lead to the collapse of some small PC makers, as the industry consolidates, according research firm IDC. This comes weeks after IDC's prediction of slower IT spending for the next four years.

Contrary to what one might expect, big players such as HP, Dell and Acer will not be gobbling up smaller vendors this time around, according to Richard Shim, personal computing research manager at IDC. "It won't be so much about acquisition but the smaller players will just go away," noted Shim. He says this is inevitable because everyone is "beating each other up in price."

What's more, in the coming weeks shipments of PCs outside of the United States will begin to slow, as the effects of the current crisis on PC shipments spreads globally. IDC thinks that the volume of shipments will come down in 2009, along with lower average sales prices, and as a result, less revenue for PC makers.

A lower price should logically mean better opportunities for consumers to upgrade or acquire new computers--for those who can afford it. The current economic state means that organizations have less cash to spare; and even those who are able to purchase new technology might be reluctant to spend unless it's absolutely necessary.

For more on this story:
- check out this article from Computerworld
- check out this article from eWeek

IBM unveils new Virtual Linux Desktop software package

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:10:23 -0500

With their sights firmly set on erroding Microsoft's sizable, but falling marketshare of desktop computers, IBM has teamed up with Canonical and Virtual Bridges to offer a new Linux-based virtual desktop solution. As its name suggests, Virtual Linux Desktop (VLD) works by squeezing multiple virtualized desktop images onto a server, and is being positioned as a cost-effective alternative to Microsoft's Windows desktop operating system.

Because VLD comes packaged with applications such as e-mail, word processing and other standard software, IBM says using VLD, as opposed to software from Microsoft, will save businesses about $500 to $800 per user. Taking it one step further, it is also possible to save up to $358 per user in hardware-related savings by not having to upgrade to accommodate the greater computational demands of Windows Vista. Because the desktops are virtualized in servers, cooling and reduced power could yield yet more savings ranging from $60 to $218 per user.

Forrester Research analyst Natalie Lambert does not agree that this represents competition to Microsoft, though. Other than the fact that Microsoft's market share is just too big to be defeated so easily, Lambert noted that, "The solution does not mesh with the way most enterprises are currently using virtualization technology."

To read more about this story:
- check out this article at TechNewsWorld

Microsoft to deliver eight security updates next week

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:08:55 -0500

Microsoft is slated to deliver a total of eight security updates for December's patch Tuesday, next week. Of these updates, a sizable chunk, six in all, are marked as "critical." According to Microsoft's monthly advance warning, one of the critical updates affects all shipping versions of Windows, with another affecting only the newer Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Two of the critical updates affects Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Media software respectively, with another four affecting various products ranging from Office, SharePoint, Visual Studio and Visual Basic. The critical fixes appear to be spread around Microsoft's product range, and as such, it probably makes sense to ensure that one is properly patched next Tuesday.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Computerworld
- check out this article at PCMag Blogs

Opera 10 gets perfect score in Acid3 test

Paul Mah — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:07:45 -0500

Opera has unveiled the alpha release of its new Opera 10 web browser. Based on the Presto 2.2 rendering engine--which was 30 percent faster than its predecessor--Opera 10 alpha is also the first browser to fully comply with the grueling Acid3 test, with a perfect score of 100/100. The Acid3 test was designed to test for and expose potential flaws in implementations of the public ECMAScript 262 and W3C Document Object Model 2 standards.

As a comparison, Google's Chrome 0.4 achieved 79 out of 100, while Firefox 3.0.4 manages 71, and Internet Explorer 7, a puny 14. New features include a spell-checker that checks as you type, as well as the ability to auto-update to the latest versions as they become available.

To read more about this story:
- check out this article at PC Pro News

Related Article:
Google releases new open source browser

VMware reduces storage requirements of desktop VMs by 70 percent

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:11:41 -0500

Desktop virtualization pioneer VMware is renaming its desktop virtualization software--formally known as Virtual Desktop infrastructure (VDI)--VMware View. VMware View will come with expanded capabilities that allow IT managers to create new virtual desktops from a generic master template, as well as user-specific files, potentially reducing storage needs by up to 70 percent. In addition, VMware View will also feature offline desktop access in which users can download the entire virtual machine for local use when not connected to the Internet.

VMware View is available today, with the basic package costing $150 per concurrent user. The premium package that comes with ThinApp and all the new features will cost about $250 per concurrent user.

The ability to deduplicate virtual machine images is set to position VMware on a whole new level as it seeks to increase the value of its product. Obviously, the availability of this technology essentially eliminates much of the differentiator factor for companies such as 3PAR, and other storage vendors.

Other features include Virtual Printing, which allows virtual desktops to print to any local or network printer without having to deal with drivers, and Multimedia Redirection, where multimedia tasks are redirected to be handled by the client. Indeed, this drive by VMware to improve is making Microsoft's three-pronged strategy to defeat VMware look dated.

To read more about this story:
- check out this article from The Register
- check out this article from Network World

Microsoft to give away free antivirus software

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:05:44 -0500

Microsoft plans to release free antivirus software code-named Morro. This new offering will be made available by the end of next year, and is slated to replace its embattled Windows Live OneCare product, which will be discontinued. In a nutshell, Morro will be a no-frills antivirus software that is able to run on minimal resources.

Such a move is certain to anger existing antivirus vendors, who already are unhappy over the paid-for Windows Live OneCare. Microsoft, however, claims that it merely intends to "remove barriers" that are stopping a sizeable percentage of consumers from installing antivirus applications. So is Microsoft is really concerned about stopping malware, or is it merely putting pressure on antivirus firms such as Symantec and McAfee?

Mary Landesman of web security company ScanSafe suggests that the reason might have more to do with Windows OneCare not generating significant returns in the first place. Pushing it to users' desktops like the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool however, would leverage on existing technologies developed by Microsoft to increase the company's insight into users' desktop. And, of course, there is no doubt that having even a basic antivirus utility on all Windows desktops will be beneficial in the fight against viruses and malware as a whole.

In this context, rolling out a fully functional free antivirus scanner makes sense.

For more on this story:
- check out this article from ZDNet News

IE market shares slip under 70 percent; Windows drops below 90 percent

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:03:21 -0500

Internet Explorer's market shares dipped below 70 percent for the first time in the wake of the launch of Google's Chrome web browser, and slightly better showings for Apple's Safari and Mozilla's Firefox web browsers. Internet Explorer 8, which is still in development, isn't expected to turn the tide. This is due to its higher penetration in corporations, which is always slower to change.

At the same time, the market share of Microsoft's Windows operating system plummeted to just below 90 percent of the market. This is a figure not seen since Windows 3.11 (a 15-year low, according to TG Daily). This is in sharp contrast to the peak of 97.5 percent from 2002 to 2003.

The figure comes from a company called Net Applications Inc., which monitors a number of websites for systems powered by Windows. Of course, Net Applications' executive vice president of marketing, Vince Vizzaccarro, noted that the slip in November could be attributed to the higher than average number of non-work days, which could skew the figures toward Macs at home as opposed to the Windows PCs in the office.

More troublesome for the Redmond-based company perhaps, is the fact that the slow gains by Windows Vista do not appear sufficient to regain ground lost by Windows XP, as well as older versions of Windows operating systems. Perhaps this helps to explain Microsoft's apparent effort to accelerate the launch of Windows 7, as well as allowing the venerable Windows XP to be prolonged for Netbook makers.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at TG Daily
- check out this article at ComputerWorld
- check out this article at CNNMoney

MySQL founder publicly criticizes MySQL 5.1

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:56:42 -0500

In an unusual move, the founder of MySQL has come out to publicly criticize version 5.1 of the popular MySQL open-source database. Monty Widenius wrote in a blog post that numerous bugs--more than 180, in fact--have yet to be fixed despite MySQL 5.1 receiving generally available (GA) status and becoming available for download.

Worse still, was the assertion by Widenius that there are 20 known "crashing and wrong result bugs" in version 5.1, as well as another 35 known crashing bugs that could well be inherited from version 5.0. Defending their move, a spokesman from Sun Microsystems, which acquired MySQL AB earlier this year, countered that not everyone agrees with Widenius. It remains to be seen just how serious the bugs are at the end of the day. Where Sun is concerned, it recommends that companies test every piece of software before implementing it in production systems.

To read more about this story:
- check out this article at eWeek
- check out the bug list at MySQL

New Windows worm builds massive botnet

Paul Mah — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:48:05 -0500

A critical bug patched by Microsoft in an emergency fix in late October has been exploited to build a new, massive botnet. Ivan Macalintal, of Trend Micro, thinks that about 500,000 PCs have been infected in just a week and a half, with the number starting to grow. Article

IBM to offer enterprise services around cloud computing

Molly Bernhart — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:03:01 -0500

In recent years, many tech companies have been buzzing about cloud computing and preparing their initial foray into the clouds. IBM has decided to approach the movement from a different angle, by focusing on certification and consulting services. IBM's approach could lead more companies to accept cloud computing and ease some fears around security and reliability. The company plans to help clients assess the total cost of ownership for cloud computing, as well as design and implement cloud operations.

The certification aspect of IBM's new services will allow certain vendors to get the IBM seal of approval--and get the right to use that on their marketing materials, of course. But James Governor, an analyst at Redmonk, told Computerworld.com that IBM may be jumping the gun with it's new business model.

"It's far too early in the curve to really identify what the industry-specific best practices are for cloud computing," he said. "While I understand IBM's desire to drive an industry-vertical go-to-market strategy across its portfolio, cloud computing is still something that's very experimental. It's very hard to nail down the total cost of ownership, the whats and the whys."

Even if the true value of this new service is debatable, one thing is certain: IBM's announcement could have real influence over cloud computing's adoption in the marketplace.

For more:
- read the article

Related Articles:
Cloud computing news from FierceCIO

Some tips for IT to survive the current economic crunch

Paul Mah — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:11:04 -0500

As we wait for the worst of the fallout from the on-going credit crunch to pass, it has become inevitable that even the resilient IT industry will be affected by the economic climate.

I think it's safe to say that if the current situation had happened a short eight or 10 years ago, the inevitable outcome would be drastic cuts in IT department personnel (with IT-related spending put on an indefinite freeze). However, the inexorable advancement of technology is such that IT is now an inseparable part and parcel of normal operations. While IT can no longer be subjected to an outright amputation, it does make sense to attempt to reduce costs as well as increase its efficiency.

Here are some tips and resources to help you do just that:

A guide to cutting IT costs lists some tips where an organization can reduce running up IT costs.
Use this crisis to make things things ‘best-ever' highlights some ways which organization can leverage this downturn to make things better than they were.
Six ways to keep training staff talks about keeping up with IT training despite reduced budgets.
Consider switching to open source. Check out our short report on how 85 percent of companies are already using open source.
Consider switching over to a hosted e-mail service in order to reduce expenses.
If your company relies on high-performance desktops--animation comes to mind--you might want to check out top desktops for any budget for a good deal.

Report claims that Google is snipping 10,000 jobs

Paul Mah — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:57:04 -0500

Citing anonymous sources, WebGuild says Google may be preparing to lay off thousands of workers. These sources have also claimed that "hundreds" of staff have already been released over the last few months. Indeed, the only reason why this has gone unnoticed is the fact that Google has classified these workers as "temporary operational expenses," allowing the company to eliminate their positions without public notification.

A report at CNET appears to confirm it, although it pins the reduction in head count on a plan to reduce the number of contractors and not in reaction to the recent economic troubles. The reduction is achieved through vendor management, as well as converting contractors to regular employees, according to co-founder Sergey Brin.

Google spokeswoman Jane Penner, while short on actual details, told CNET that, "We have 10,000, and we have had a plan in place for awhile to significantly reduce that number. This is something we've been thinking about for awhile--six or seven months. It predates the most acute phase of the (present economic) crisis."

Layoffs are only to be expected in a slowing economic climate, though Google--the poster child of the "do no evil" camp--certainly gets more attention than most.

To read more about this story:
- check out this article from the Network World