OK, I know we're all big boys and girls here and what we do in IT is really serious stuff, but occasionally we have to take some time off to play games.
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Windows 7
Looking to decorate your desktop for the holidays?
See if anything in this slideshow will do the trick
Submitted by Paul McNamara on Thu, 12/15/11 - 2:33pm.
Windows 7 vs. Windows 8
Do I deploy Windows 7 immediately or wait for Windows 8?
Submitted by Andy Patrizio on Wed, 11/02/11 - 8:00am.
Just as we got comfortably settled in with Windows 7, Microsoft dropped a little surprise on us in the form of Windows 8, a radical redesign of the operating system we are all so familiar with, preparing it for the touch/tablet age. Read more
Two weeks with Ubuntu instead of Windows 7: Linux is great, Unity needs work
I've completed my two-week tour of duty using Ubuntu 11.10 and my feelings are mixed.
Submitted by Source Seeker on Fri, 10/28/11 - 7:44pm.
Today is my last day with the test machine loaded with Ubuntu 11.10 that Canonical sent me. My conclusion is: Unity is too buggy. I don't want to do my job, 8-10 hours a day, with it. This even though I like its look and feel and there are things about Unity I will miss when I go back to Windows 7. Read more
Happy Tenth Birthday, Windows XP. Now Please Die
You were badly needed and came along at a time of great challenge and adversity and performed well for many years. But now it's time for you to go.
Submitted by Andy Patrizio on Tue, 10/25/11 - 2:21pm.
October 25, 2001. Microsoft could not ask for a worse time to launch a new operating system. The industry was in a free-fall as Dot Coms were dying like bugs in the fall and dragging down big companies like Microsoft, HP, Intel and (especially) Sun along with them.
Plus, just six weeks earlier America had been thoroughly shaken by the worst attack on the continent ever. Ground Zero was still smoldering and the body count was not yet determined. Read more
Why Windows 8 is Microsoft’s 'Apple-like' Slippery Slope
Microsoft hasn't exactly besmirched Windows 7, but is going to lengths to show contempt for the status quo
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Tue, 10/25/11 - 12:51pm.
The following is a guest blog by freelance editor and self-confessed keyboard geek Marco Chiappetta. Now that we’ve been able to spend a little time with the Windows 8 Developer Preview, it’s obvious that Microsoft is tailoring many of the interface elements to Touch enabled platforms. This is all well and good since Microsoft has to make a strong play in the ultramobile space, but I fear some of the decisions being made could adversely affect desktop editions of the OS and put off many longtime Windows users. Read more
Week 1: Ubuntu Unity instead of Windows 7 and ready to scream
I am on a two-week mission to see if I can fully replace Windows 7 with Ubuntu 11.10 for work.
Submitted by Source Seeker on Mon, 10/24/11 - 7:55pm.
It finally happened. At the end of my first week of using Ubuntu 11.10 with Unity, full-time, 8-10 hours a day for work, the system crashed. I fumbled a few keystrokes, hit some combination of keys and froze LibreOffice Writer. And the whole system locked up. This caps a week of chronic little struggles that have made me look longingly at my Windows 7 machine. But I've had some good moments, too. Read more
Day 1: Giving up Windows 7 for Ubuntu 11.10 for two weeks
I'm on a mission to see if Ubuntu Oneiric Ocelot with Unity can really replace my Windows 7 work PC
Submitted by Source Seeker on Tue, 10/18/11 - 6:29pm.
I am on a two-week mission to see if I can quit using Windows 7 in favor of Ubuntu 11.10, code-named Oneiric Ocelot. Oneiric Ocelot was released last week from Canonical and, like the version before it, features the new Unity interface. This is Day 1, and like any change in behavior, I'm having moments of intense frustration coupled with moments of intense delight. Read more
Microsoft upgrades Intune cloud service, includes free Windows 7
With Intune, Microsoft offers software distribution, security management and features previously only available to Software Assurance customers.
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Mon, 10/17/11 - 12:25pm.
Microsoft is rolling out an upgrade to its cloud software distribution and security monitoring service, Intune, seven months after it officially launched the first version. With Intune, Microsoft is giving away Windows 7 and practically giving away some of the tools previously reserved only for Software Assurance customers. Read more
Windows 8 coming in 2012? 6 reasons why this could derail Windows 7 now
Microsoft long ago leaked 2012 as the release date of Windows 8. If you haven't rolled out Windows 7 yet, will it be tempting to wait?
Submitted by Microsoft Subnet on Thu, 09/15/11 - 12:55am.
Years ago, Microsoft leaked a 2012 target date for Windows Server 8. With developer versions of both the client and server operating systems out now, 2012 is still being kicked around as the target release date, sources say. At Microsoft's BUILD conference, the company is being deliberately coy about the date. Read more
Review: A Tale of Three Tablets
Two business-centered tablets and an Android tablet from Acer
Submitted by Keith Shaw on Tue, 06/21/11 - 4:20pm.
As the popularity of Apple’s iPad continues to grow, we’re seeing more competitors jumping into the space with their versions, all with the hopes of duplicating or getting close to the tablet experience offered by the iPad. Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to test out three different tablet systems (two from Acer, one from Fujitsu). With different audiences aimed at (consumer, enterprise, education, etc.), each tablet has the opportunity to make their own impact into the new tablet market.
Tablet 1: Iconia A500, by Acer, about $450. Read more
Mark's rating: 
Using VMware Fusion to fire up old games. Or not.
By Mark Gibbs on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 11:00pm.
Should Steve Ballmer Go?
A very prominent hedge fund manager has called on Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, to step down. Is this the fix that Microsoft needs?
Submitted by Craig Mathias on Thu, 05/26/11 - 3:28pm.
Hedge fund manager David Einhorn, who owns a whole bunch of Microsoft stock, has suggested it's time for Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft to go. Einhorn is undoubtedly under pressure to get some ROI here, and Ballmer leaving would likely boost the stock assuming a reasonable replacement, anyway. But is this they way for the shareholders to go? Read more
How to use Windows 7 on the iPad with VMware View
Get your Windows touch-screen fix from VMware
Submitted by Jon Brodkin on Thu, 05/05/11 - 2:21pm.
VMware was late to the game in bringing virtual desktops to the iPad, nearly a full year behind rival Citrix, but the release of VMware View Client for iPad a couple months ago brought VMware into the tablet age. Read more
Five myths about Windows 7 migration debunked
Unisys executive says it’s work, but migration will pay off
Submitted by Robert Mullins on Thu, 04/28/11 - 1:27pm.
An executive of Unisys is urging more enterprises to migrate to Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system by arguing, somewhat counterintuitively, that it’s not as easy a decision as some make it out to be, but it’s still a smart move. Read more
Tablets mean Business!
iPad2 will peak the tablet rush but are there convertible tablets out there that do more?
Submitted by Brian Egler on Fri, 03/11/11 - 1:19pm.
OK, so I am testing out a new Lenovo Thinkpad X201 Tablet. I wanted the ease of use of an iPad but also a powerful laptop that runs my business software too. I don’t think Microsoft SQL Server tools run on the iPad2 – yet. Maybe after Apple supports Flash, it may consider SQL Server – not. There’s always the WinAdmin iPad Edition for running Windows RDP but that’s clearly cheating – way too simple. No, I want a convertible. Read more
Windows 7 and Virtual Server – jump through some virtual hoops!
Submitted by Brian Egler on Mon, 03/07/11 - 12:26pm.OK, as an instructor, I use virtualization as an educational tool. Virtual machines are perfect for training in that a student can experiment knowing that any mistakes can be quickly discarded for another try – the perfect safe environment far away from production systems. Now many production servers are becoming virtual machines providing flexibility, failover and efficient utilization. Microsoft’s Hyper-V hypervisor claims a “live migration” feature allowing a production VM to switch to new hardware without stopping the service. That’s new in Windows Server 2008 R2. Read more
Do you want competitors telling the world what’s wrong with your product?
BeyondTrust discloses vulnerability in other access control tools
Submitted by Robert Mullins on Thu, 02/17/11 - 3:48pm.
At the RSA Conference 2011 continuing today in San Francisco, exhibitors try all sorts of ways to get attention, especially from reporters. One intriguing approach came from BeyondTrust, a provider of software that controls what apps employees can use on the corporate network. On Monday, BeyondTrust publicized a vulnerability in the software of some of its competitors that does not affect its software. Read more
Ballmer settles Windows 7 v. Phone 7 question
Tablets will run Windows 7, but Microsoft CEO still vague on Phone 7 sales
Submitted by Robert Mullins on Thu, 01/06/11 - 2:46pm.
The other day I asked why Microsoft doesn’t use the Windows Phone 7 operating system for coming tablet computers instead of the desktop-based Windows 7 OS. Apple and Google have migrated their smartphone OSes to tablets and Phone 7 could use the added exposure, I reasoned. In his keynote address last night at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer basically said that ship has sailed. Read more
Why not put Phone 7 on Microsoft tablet?
Apple and Google put smartphone OS on iPad and Galaxy Tab
Submitted by Robert Mullins on Sun, 01/02/11 - 5:25pm.
All tech eyes focus on Las Vegas this week for the Consumer Electronics Show, including on Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s Wednesday evening keynote at which he’s widely reported to be introducing a tablet computer running Windows. Oddly, at least from my perspective, it will run Windows 7 instead of its new Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. Read more
Tricky SQL Server install on 64-bit machines – Use Switchback!
Installing SQL Server on Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit is not as simple as it appears
Submitted by Brian Egler on Wed, 12/15/10 - 8:11pm.
Most of my test servers are still 32-bit machines. It’s not until recently that I have started to use 64-bit machines for testing. The big reason for the 64-bit platform is better performance for large databases given that you can allocate up to 2TB of memory on these monster machines. Database servers love extra physical memory. The SQL Server architecture is essentially the same on either platform. One difference is that the new feature of SQL Server 2008 R2 named Master Data Services is only available with the 64-bit editions. This was my motivation for getting started with 64-bit. Read more
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