free software

5 rules for guaranteed failure at SaaS, without even trying

Mitchell Ashley — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:11:57 -0400

We're all too familiar with outages in Google's Gmail, Salesforce.com and the RIM BlackBerry network. Recent failures by Apple MobileMe, Jott and Cuil online-delivered software demonstrate that software-as-a-service -- or Software+Services, as Microsoft would call it -- isn't just a matter of putting your software up on the Internet, gathering users and declaring your Version 1.0 ready so you can start charging for services. The three recent examples of MobileMe, Jott and Cuil clearly demonstrate other major pitfalls in trying to deliver online software. Are all online software services destined to repeat these same mistakes, or will we learn from the mistakes of others? I certainly hope the latter.

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"Free software" scammers out $2.2 million

Layer 8 — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:00:36 -0400

Scammers who allegedly offered “free” software CDs that weren’t free then billed unsuspecting consumers for a software continuity program they didn’t know they were enrolled in, have settle charges with the Federal Trade Commission today.

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The 20 most useful Microsoft sites for IT professionals

Microsoft Subnet — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:13:06 -0400

Microsoft professionals have a lot to keep track of, and a lot of market noise to contend with. That's why we've compiled this list of the 20 best places on the Web to help you find what you need. The list includes technology-specific sites, worthy bloggers and safe resources to help you pass your next Microsoft cert or training course. Plus we'll reveal places for trustworthy free Microsoft software and the best sites to help you stay on top of the voluminous amount of news churned out by, and about, the folks in Redmond.

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