IE7 to be Pushed to Users Via Windows Update

July 27, 2006 Leave a comment

If you're an ecommerce site, you'd better start testing your site in IE7. Why? It looks like they are going to push it out via automatic update, right before the holidays. From the article:
IE 7 will be delivered in the fourth quarter as a “high priority” update via Automatic Updates in Windows XP, Gary Schare, Microsoft's director of IE product management, said in an interview Tuesday.
“The justification, of course, is the significant security enhancements in IE 7,” Schare said. Microsoft recommends that all Windows users install the new browser when it ships, he added.
While it should be noted that users will have the ability to choose not to install the update, I'd guess most will click yes out of habit. Microsoft will also be offering a “Internet Explorer 7 Blocker Toolkit” for businesses. This automatic update could be a mixed blessing. While anything is likely to be more security that IE6, who knows how some sites will end up rendering. The good news for us standards based coders is that we may be ok as IE7 looks to be more compliant than any previous release. If you coded to the quirks of IE6 though, you may be in trouble. I'd still recommend Firefox if you're looking for a better browsing experience, although 1.5.x on Linux has been a bit unstable for me.
–jeremy
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Filed under Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

What can we Learn from Microsoft

July 25, 2006 Leave a comment

Steven Vaughan-Nichols lists his top five things Linux can learn from Microsoft. This list is:

1. MSDN
2. Common Interface
3. Common Format
4. Marketing
5. OEM Support
While I don't 100% agree with every ascertation he makes, he brings up some very valid points. I think Marketing and OEM Support are going to be absolutely critical if we ever want to really cross the chasm. I'd still contend that once we get to the other side we might not like where we are, but that's a separate topic. As for number 1, better documentation for developers is something we sorely need and I've heard a recent rumor that OSDL will be putting one full time staffer on this. That would be extremely helpful and a single person dedicated to this could make a substantial impact. Let's hope they follow through. In the end, all too often I think we're too quick to just ignore or blindly hate Microsoft, which is not in our best interest. It's good to get a reminder sometimes that we need to stay the path, focus on where we are doing well/where we can improve and focus on what's important.
–jeremy
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Filed under Linux, Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

Microsoft and XenSource

July 23, 2006 Leave a comment

Microsoft recently issued a press release entitled “Microsoft and XenSource to Develop Interoperability for Windows Server “Longhorn” Virtualization”. From the press release:
Microsoft Corp. and XenSource Inc. today announced they will cooperate on the development of technology to provide interoperability between Xen™-enabled Linux and the new Microsoft Windows hypervisor technology-based Windows Server virtualization. With the resulting technology, the next version of Windows Server, code-named “Longhorn,” will provide customers with a flexible and powerful virtualization solution across their hardware infrastructure and operating system environments for cost-saving consolidation of Windows, Linux and Xen-enabled Linux distributions.
Notice that the compatibility is one sided. That is, they will support running Windows as the hypervisor to run virtualized Linux hosts. They, however, make no claim that Windows will run inside a Xen or Linux based hypervisor. This in effect means that they are hoping if you want to run both Linux and Windows in a Xen environment, all of your hypervisors will have to be Windows machines. Also note the target release date for this – “plans to release the solution to manufacturing (RTM) within 180 days of the RTM of Windows Server “Longhorn,” which is targeted for the end of 2007”. That puts the release well into 2008, which is a long ways off. I'd guess quite a bit is going to happen in the virtualization world in the next 18 months, so who knows what this will end up looking like in the end. This smacks of the tried and true traditional of Microsoft making a press release about something they don't yet have a product to address that's in a rapidly growing segment. What they hope to do is make enough people hold off on competing solutions while they bring their product to market. It often times works quite well for them. This time though, they aren't just competing with the likes of VMware (which is now a gratis product on the low end). They are also facing the realization that as Intel and AMD chips that support hardware virtualization are common place, it could rapidly change the rules of the OS game. The implications of workable virtualization are fascinating, and something I'll be blogging my opinion on very soon.
–jeremy
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Filed under Linux, Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

Microsoft outlines principles of competition

July 20, 2006 Leave a comment

In what may become a continuing trend, Microsoft pledged today to follow a dozen principles of competition as it builds and sells its Windows desktop operating system software, the ubiquitous product that has been the subject of nearly a decade of antitrust battles. From the article:
“As creators of an operating system used so widely around the world, we recognize that we have a special responsibility both to advance innovation and preserve competition,” Smith said. “We've learned that people care not only about what we do, but about how we do it. That's why we're adopting these principles, and why we're making them so public in this manner.”
That sure is a change of tone for Microsoft. The one point that I am extremely happy to see is and business terms that protect manufacturers who go the non-Microsoft route from retaliation. It may have taken multiple antitrust suits across multiple continents, but Microsoft may actually be starting to get it. I'm as skeptical as the next person and it's going to take a lot of follow through before I'm a believer, but at this point I think Microsoft is feeling real pressure from its large clients, and that is more important to them than any lawsuit ever will be. The entire “Twelve Tenets to Promote Competition” can be viewed here. Hopefully we'll see viable competition flourishing soon.
–jeremy
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Filed under Linux, Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

Symantec sees an Achilles' heel in Vista

July 19, 2006 Leave a comment

This CNET article covers the recently released “Windows Vista Network Attack Surface Analysis: A Broad Overview” paper from Symantec. The paper covers the flaws uncovered by Symantec in the freshly rewritten Vista networking stack. To me, that's not too interesting. Vista is still in beta, and bugs are common in completely rewritten components. The fact is, sometimes old sections of code no longer make sense in the current framework and need to be replaced. It happens in Linux regularly and it is painful, but it's the right thing to do (sometimes). What is interesting to me is that Microsoft has clearly lost what has traditionally been a close business partner and ally. With the release of Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft has directly encroached on the cash cows of Symantec and McAfee. It's suddenly in these companies best interest to make Microsoft look bad, almost incompetent. It's a tenuous line though, as unlike some companies they can't just jump ship to another OS. Why? For the most part, the ills they cure just don't exists on Mac or Linux. Add the small desktop penetration to the mix and these companies are now forced to sleep with the enemy. One has to wonder how things will turn out long term though. I'd guess the fat days are coming to an end for Windows virus providers, despite the proliferation of malware, viruses and their ilk. Once Microsoft shoe horns themselves into an industry like this, prices are sure to plummet. I for one am interested to see how the companies in question react.
–jeremy
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Filed under Linux, Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

An Interview with Neelie Kroes

July 16, 2006 Leave a comment

A quick follow up to a story I have been covering. An interview with Neelie Kroes, competition commissioner for the European Union, has just been posted on cNet. From the interview:
Do you believe Microsoft answered your questions truthfully?
Kroes: Microsoft has claimed that its obligations in the decision are not clear, or that the obligations have changed. I cannot accept this characterization–Microsoft's obligations are clearly outlined in the 2004 decision and have remained constant since then.
Indeed, the monitoring trustee appointed in October 2005, from a shortlist put forward by Microsoft, believes that the decision clearly outlines what Microsoft is required to do. I must say that I find it difficult to imagine that a company like Microsoft does not understand the principles of how to document protocols in order to achieve interoperability.
She also verifies that the fine in currently levied up to June 20th and is pending after that based on information Microsoft has already submitted. I don't have much to add to the interview, as I've said most of what I have to say in the previous two posts. As is often the case with interviews, I think the most interesting question went unanswered (although it's not a questions she could have answered, for obvious reasons). If you've been following the case, the interview is worth a read.
–jeremy
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Filed under Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

Microsoft hit with 280m euro fine

July 12, 2006 Leave a comment

The EU has indeed followed through, as promised, and fined Microsoft almost $357m USD. From the article:

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said she had “no alternative but to levy penalty payments” against Microsoft, adding that “no company is above the law”.
“I regret that, more than two years after the decision… Microsoft has still not put an end to its illegal conduct,” Ms Kroes said.
It was also noted that a daily fine of 3m euros could be put into force after July 31st if Microsoft doesn't comply. Microsoft does plan to appeal, according to general counsel Brad Smith. While it's true that compared to the huge sums of cash Microsoft has, this is not a mammoth loss, but the reality is that this will have real implications on the profitability of the European market for the year. Aside from that, the repercussion to public opinion and the documentation gained by the settlement should not be understated. I'm sure the Samba guys are champing at the bit to get real documentation on how things actually work. In the end, even those of us outside the EU will benefit from this.
–jeremy
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Filed under Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

Open XML Translator project announced

July 6, 2006 Leave a comment

Brian Jones recently announced that Microsoft will be releasing an ODF converter for office. The Open XML Translator project is hosted at SourceForge and is available under the BSD license. From the post:
While we still aren't seeing a strong demand for ODF support from our corporate or consumer customers, it's now a bit different with governments. We've had some governments request that we help build solutions so that can use ODF for certain situations, so that's why we are creating the Open XML Translator project. I think it's going to be really beneficial to a number of folks and for a number of reasons.
There has been a push in Microsoft for better interoperability and this is another great step in that direction. We already have the PDF and XPS support for Office 2007 users that unfortunately had to be separated out of the product and instead offered as a free download. There will be a menu item in the Office applications that will point people to the downloads for XPS, PDF, and now ODF. So you'll have the ability to save to and open ODF files directly within Office (just like any other format).
This should be seen as a fairly large step for Microsoft, who had strongly opposed ODF in the recent past. We may have finally reached a time when Microsoft is no longer able to force its customers into a direction they don't want to go. What's more, they may even be realizingly that interoperability is the way they'll be able to have a bright future. It will be a slow change to be sure, but if this is the seed finally planted it will be looked back on as a water shed moment.
On a different topic, while this should be seen as good news for the consumer it could actually end up being bad news for OOo. Had Microsoft stood their ground and not supported ODF, OOo would have certainly seen rapid mass adoption in some segments. With Microsoft promising to support ODF, that's a lot less likely to happen. But that begets the question – is this just a promise? Has Microsoft really started a turn-around, or is this just an opportunity for them to claim to support ODF, make the implementation so bad and so much of a pain that ODF looks like garbage (as people are unlikely to realize it's the implementation and not ODF itself that is at fault) and then make a large push for a new and improved OXML with the next Office release. I have to say that they seem genuine on this one, but they do of course have quite a track record with these things. Our only option at this point is to wait and see, while proceeding with caution.
The other potential problem is that companies and government agencies have a purchasing edict that all documents must be saved in ODF format, but no real operational procedure that mandates actually using ODF as the final format. ODF is of no use if people simply continue saving documents in the OXML native Microsoft format. Could ODF become another POSIX type situation where support for it is something that companies list as a feature that their product has checked off, while in the real world it's not actually used. The fact that “save” will get you OXML, while ODF will require that you “export” could lead in this direction. Let's hope that doesn't happen (and as this case is a little different than the POSIX one, I'm optimistic that it won't happen the same way).
–jeremy
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Filed under Linux, Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

(Another) Microsoft Exec Jumps to Google

June 29, 2006 1 Comment

That's the title of this Business 2.0 article. From the article:
Another prominent Google-fighter leaves Redmond. This one concludes: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Vic Gundotra, a general manager for platform evangelism at Microsoft and a 15-year employee, has agreed to join Google after first spending a year working on charitable endeavors, Business 2.0 has learned.
While not as high on the org chart as some other recent departures, Vic was integral in the recent Microsoft push to attract developers. He's also the one who hired Scoble, whose last day at Microsoft is today. Vic won't be able to start at Google for one year due to a non-compete clause and his role at Google isn't even defined yet. Mini-Microsoft is also reporting on the departure, but also adds that a wide spread reduction in force may be coming to Microsoft. Alone with the news yesterday that Microsoft is moving a bunch of existing execs around and the writing on the wall is clear – some major changes are going to be taking place at Microsoft in the short term. Whether those changes revive the company or are the beginning of a slow decline into a maintenance mode company remains to be seen.
–jeremy
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Filed under Main Page, Microsoft

EU poised to rule against Microsoft

June 28, 2006 Leave a comment

After being successfully prosecuted by the DOJ, but escaping any serious punishment by a new incoming administration, it looks like the EU may actually follow through with some bite to its bark. With the $2M Euro per day fine (about $2.5M USD) potentially being back dated to December 2005, the amount could be substantial. One item I've seen incorrectly reported in multiple venues is that the EU is forcing Microsoft to open the code for Windows. This is categorically not the case. They are asking for open and usable documentation on API's and interfaces that are not license encumbered along with the unbundleing of media player. In fact, Microsoft offered the code under an NDA and that was turned down as an unacceptable resolution. After the DOJ case, it appeared that once a company reached a certain size, even the US Government couldn't do much to monitor and govern its actions. It's good to see the EU at least taking a stand. One comical sentiment I continue to see in comments are things like “Microsoft should just pull out of the EU”. That is so astoundingly short sighted and ethnocentric that I find it hard to even rebuke. It should be obvious that pulling out of a market that is so huge would immediately spawn the adoption of alternative operating systems and applications that it's asinine to even consider as an option. The day they pulled out would be the day every hardware manufacturer announced preload support for Linux and the day nearly every software maker would announce their port. There's no way Microsoft is prepared to let that happen.
Another article has the following:
Commenting on the report, the Americans for Technology Leadership, a consumer group of 40,000 members, said that “All American companies doing business in Europe should be concerned. This development makes clear that successful American companies will face a higher regulatory standard in Europe and that their entire global business strategy may be hostage to the whims of a few European regulators.”
The “hostage to the whims of a few European regulators” is a bit dramatic, but if you are an American company who chooses to compete in the EU, why would you not expect to have to comply with the regulatory standard in the EU. You think the EU is bad, wait until you see what it takes to get into China.
–jeremy
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Filed under Main Page, Microsoft, Open Source

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