Ready for the slippers and pipe?

On 30th June Windows XP will go to the great code breaker in the sky. There’s no disputing this figure. It’s a done deal. End game. Except for the manufacturers of ULCPC’s. Oh, and maybe for the masses if we all shout loud enough. So, no uncertainty there!

Leading from the back.

Why the change? Well, this has mainly been driven by business demand. Vista simply doesn’t cut it as far as many companies are concerned. The hardware demands alone have made made IT departments recommend skipping the purchase of Vista. Let’s face it, do you really want to spend huge sums of money on hardware upgrades when your system is ticking along just fine? Microsoft seems to get it, to a degree. Steve Ballmer stated: If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter but right now we have a plan for end of life for new XP shipments,”. Err, if feedback varies? Wake up! Dell shelved plans to ship Vista only computers due to…customer demand.

Slow train to tech Nirvana.

I’d say Microsoft have some serious thinking to do. Businesses are pushing back upgrade plans to allow themselves a glimpse of Windows 7. Steady growth of Ubuntu could also impact decision makers. The Linux OS now includes Likewise Open which allows integration into Active Directory which may have a significant bearing on its uptake.

But how should Microsoft approach this? I think they should take the XP code base and bring it up to date without the bloat and hardware requirements of Vista. Am I wrong? Maybe but the success of XP and the reaction of the business community would suggest that Redmond needs to sort out their game.

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“communist” Linux eyes Communist China!

Do you remember Steve Ballmer calling Linux “communist” back in 2000? What about the alleged patent infringements? Well, that doesn’t appear to slowing down the Novell/Microsoft love fest. On Sunday the firms announced that they are to place more focus on China based on the belief that Chinese enterprises will pay for updates and maintenance to their hybrid systems.

Now this is all a long way from Mr. Ballmers comments in 2000 but can you really blame Microsoft for a direction change? Consider the current slowing of the markets. The vendors must maintain market position or face hard times ahead. Novell and Microsoft first announced cooperative work back in 2006. I know many advocates of Open Source were banging the desk over this deal but business is business. Licensees of Novell were relatively happy as the threat of patent infringement receded (note - ‘receded’. Microsoft still stakes a claim to its patents). As a company using Novells software, what would you be happier with? Writs or the sounds of OS’s ‘getting friendly’ on the back seat?

I thee wed.

Don’t forget that Microsoft have also committed to extending support into Novells Linux distribution. SCOM Managements Packs are available for SuSe. Novells eDirectory can talk to Active Directory and Microsoft has issued coupons for the Novell OS. ‘Embrace and extend’ or simply the realisation that times are changing?

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Is Redmond learning a trick from Apple?

Speculation is rife that Microsoft may be positioning to take a chunk of the handset market. Over the years I’ve always wondered why there was no sign of Redmond producing its own hardware. The underlying point here is that Microsoft has always maintained that they are a software vendor. All that may be about to change. The recent purchase of Danger, creators of Sidekick, has heightened rumours of a direction change.

A number of industry experts are anticipating a move by Redmond to release Windows Mobile 7 on a Microsoft handset. This would fit in with the Danger acquisition.

Tea leaves.

When will this happen? I don’t think it’s imminent. Windows Mobile 6.1 has only just been announced and release is expected in the second half of 2008. Besides which, there really hasn’t been time to test and iron out any integration bugs between the OS nad hardware. Would you try to sell a new product that hasn’t been fully tested? I didn’t think so.

I think it’s going to be quite a while before we see an announcement from Microsoft. WM7 is not scheduled for release until Q3/Q4 of 2009 so don’t hold your breath.

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A future in standup comedy?

Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft CEO, put a question to 2,000 enthusiasts at a technology meeting in Seattle. Ballmer asked users of Yahoo’s search engine to raise their hands. It would appear that, when asked how many used Microsofts search engine there was a greater response from the audience. At this point Ballmer joked: “Wow! We offered 31 bucks a share.”

Don’t forget: this was a room packed full of Microsoft fans. Seems like a reasonable response to me. But the overwhelming response came when Googles name was offered as an option. I bet that left a sour taste!

To be fair, Microsoft has gained some ground in the search market rising to about to 10.2% of the market share. This leaves them in third position trailing behind Yahoo by about 4% (these figures have yet to be adjusted based on the recent reports of Yahoo’s market gains. However you look at it, Google still dominates with 69.4% of the market. Microsoft still has a long way to go.

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“At the cliff edge, drive straight ahead…”

Microsoft are to launch a free application that will plan routes for car journeys. The new system called Clearview (let’s see how long it takes for someone to find a more ‘apt’ name!) will be a step up from current methods. Historical traffic data will be used in conjunction with information such as known side streets, weather conditions and local events to plan the quickest route for the user. The concept was conceived when Eric Horvitz, a Microsoft AI researcher, was stuck in traffic. Odd that, eh? “It was awful” he said. “Everything seemed to be back up”. Wow! Really? That’s what traffic jams are about!

The system is currently being rolled out across 72 cities in the US and will be available through Microsoft Live.

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According to Gartner, Yes.

The analyst firm has said Microsoft will need to radically change it’s approach to the Windows OS if it is to remain relevant. At the Gartner/ITxpo around half the audience raised their hands when asked if Microsoft needs to change its approach to Windows. It would appear that the OS is simply too bloated. A major cause is one of trying to provide legacy support to so many applications. 20 years of development have spawned numerous incarnations of applications. Add to this Redmonds approach of ensuring they work on all versions of Windows and you can see where the problems start.

Small steps.

Gartner has suggested that, where possible, businesses skip Vista and wait for Windows 7 7. PCs running Windows XP should be replaced on a unit by unit basis rather than rushing head first into a Vista deployment.

What do we think?

Many of use still run applications that we’d like to keep but in order to support these apps each version of Windows becomes more and more bloated. Add in potential security issues and it soon becomes a nightmare. Look at this way, my old installation of Windows 98 took up few hundred megs of disk space. Vista takes up 2 Gbs. Point taken? So where does the future lie? Well, in our opinion, Microsoft should be heading for a more modular design. Installation of the OS should be tailored to a users/organisations needs i.e if you don’t need the support for certain apps you don’t install those components. Admittedly, this would fairly easy for IT departments and technical users to implement but may not be ideal for my Gran.

What’s a dll?

As a home user, you shouldn’t really care (I know, I know. It helps if you are savvy but it’s not a disaster if you aren’t. If you really want to know just search the internet for any errors you find). By delivering a modulare OS to a supplier Microsoft can alleviate some of the hardship. Look at it this way: you go into a store, find the shiney, new PC that you like, give the list of applications you currently use to the sales department. Tech guy in the back room goes at it hammer and tongs. Hey presto. Your machine is ready to go. The bonus? It’s fully customised to your needs.

Food for thought?

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2011. No, we meant 2010.

Microsoft have finally announced a release date of 2010 for Windows 7. The next release will see the OS released in both 32 and 64 bit editions inline with current versions. Traditionally, the Redmond based software manufacturer has favoured a 3 yearly cycle for new releases (although it could be argued that Vista was initially released in 2007).

Keen eyes.

Of particular interest to business users will be Microsofts commitment to 32 bit hardware. It would be fair to say that most hardware manufacturers would prefer to see anything 32 bit related consigned to the great mainframe in the sky but it doesn’t look like this will happen just yet. The obvious issue to business users is that 32 bit applications can perform poorly when moved to 64 bit architectures.

Method in their (apparent) madness.

Two viewpoints exist.

• Hardware vendors would like to kill off 32 bit where possible. This would allow them to concentrate on 64 bit architecture thereby reducing overall manufacturing costs, which makes sense.

• Many businesses are still using 32 bit hardware for desktop and will, where possible, upgrade to the next release of Windows. This leaves Microsoft with a dilemma: throw out support for 32 bit and see companies move to another OS. Or, continue to pump out two versions of Windows whilst maintaining a steady revenue stream.

Looking at these two statements it would be fair to say that Microsoft and the hardware builders will continue to manufacture and support 32 bit for the forseeable future. However, the growth of SaaS and a ‘gentle’ nudge from the likes of Intel and AMD may well be the final nail in the coffin.

Update

Based on Chairman Bills comments, we may see the next release even earlier. Then again, “…in the next year or so” is pretty open ended!

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Grim Reaper held at bay for a little longer!

Microsoft have announced an extension to the Windows XP shelf life for the manufacturers of low cost PCs. The Redmond based software giant has said that ULCPC makers will continue to be allowed to ship XP Home Edition until June 2010. An example of this type of hardware is the Asus eee PC which runs either Windows XP or Linux. Due to the limited nature of the hardware the eee would be unable to run Vista (although there are rumours of a cut down version of Vista in the wild, so who knows?). Considering the rise in the popularity of the eee PC it would be unwise for Microsoft to snub Asus in this venture.

Microsoft usually provides support for its operating systems for 4 years from release but due to the delays in releasing Vista the support window has been extended (it’s a shame Microsoft don’t open source XP. Just think of the oppurtunities).

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