Updated: 4/4/06; 7:38:45 PM.
Ted's Radio Weblog
Mission: Interoperable. Competition breeds Innovation. Monopolies breed stagnation. Working Well with Others is Good.
        

Friday, February 17, 2006

Computerworld News reports Hackers follow Microsoft patches with malware. "Hackers have posted attack code that takes advantage of two recently patched Windows Media Player bugs and could allow them to take over a Windows PC that doesn't have the latest security updates."

Did I mention that you need to get patching? What are you waiting for?
8:39:01 PM    comment []


InfoWorld: Top News is reporting It's official: Office '12' to become Office 2007.

(InfoWorld) - "Microsoft is set to unveil on Thursday its long-awaited branding, packaging, and pricing for the next version of Office, which is expected to be available later this year... There will be seven Office suites in the 2007 Microsoft Office System, including one new enterprise package, Office Enterprise 2007, as well as two packages that have been rebranded..."

"Long awaited?" Now there's something I'm sure their customers demanded: seven different versions! "Two packages have been rebranded?" They're not sold under the Microsoft label? No, they've been renamed, so the package you buy is not the same as the one of the same name. Other industries call this bait-and-switch.

"To help companies purchase some of the new licenses that will be required to use Office 2007's collaboration capabilities, Microsoft will offer a new Enterprise Client Access License (CAL). .."

Oh, Microsoft is helping customers!

"Microsoft also will add new server software to the Office family. The company will combine its portal and content management servers into one server called Office SharePoint Server 2007... n addition, the company will offer Office Forms Server 2007... Another new offering, Office Project Portfolio Server, complements the existing Office Project Server..."

Now, Office is a "family." I'm not sure which I find more disturbing: Microsoft's packaging, or the reporter's straight-faced use of MicrosoftSpeak without any objection.

Seven different versions. Dozens of applications, with various features disabled. Nightmarish new licenses. New servers. What a mess! All this to print documents, calculate spreadsheets and do other routine office work? I think Microsoft is overreaching here. They may sell to their captive audience, but new computer users whose machines come with Corel Office or OpenOffice are going to be hard-pressed to find a reason to switch.

If you haven't tried OpenOffice.org, there's no better time than the present!
9:44:42 AM    comment []


Ars Technica is reporting that the RIAA et al. says CD ripping, backups not fair use. What a disturbing idea. I avoid Digital Restriction Management because I don't want a hard disk failure or the bankrupcy of my supplier to invalidate my ability to play what I've paid for. I rip my CDs to enjoy them on the media players of my choice, in the sample rates and formats of my choice and to have backups of CDs so easily scratched. (The RIAA argument that the only legitimate backup is one that I can purchase again doesn't fly.) Didn't these guys study Sony v. BetaMax? Time-shifting, place-shifting, media-shifting needs to be recognized as a right of the user.
9:03:39 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 Ted Roche.   

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

  

 

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