Oct 14, 2006 | blog
I’m an “old” microcomputer geek. I’ve been there from the original Commodore, Apple, Atari, IBM, TRS-80, Timex, and other early computers. The potential of these fantastic machines to simplify life, entertain, learn, and create news was never lost on me.
Of course there were computers (and networks) long before the microcomputer revolution. Huge mainframes and later minicomputers. Huge rooms of hard drives, batteries, controller units, and much more. This was “Information Technology” for 30 years by the time I started playing with computers.
Now approaching 30 years after I discovered the wonderful world of computers, technology is radically different (as if ICs & the microprocessor weren’t enough). With more computing power in our phones than existed in the world in 1950, our capabilities are different as well.
Figure this, most of the systems being designed and built today are by the original MTV generation. The first generation to grow up with computers, microwaves, Sony Walkman players, video games, cordless phones, MTV, CD Players, VCRs, and much, much more.
Now, I’ve been rambling here, but the point I’m getting to is that how we use technology today is about to change – again. Some of it is obvious, some not. Take the Internet. As it has grown and technology advances, the ability to deliver new tools and services continues to amaze. With each new iteration of computer, software, and network advances, the opportunities for the consumer leaps forward. Today the computer is but a mere cog in our consumption of information – because that is what technology is really all about: Information.
Its information that we trade with each other, through email and IM, post on our blogs, record in our podcasts, share on our social networking services, download to our media players, watch on our monitors, sync to our phones/PDAs. All that and more.
What this ultimately means is that the computer has become irrelevant, and all we really need, or will need going into the future is access to our information. If you have a device that can access the network (the Internet), you can get to your information. It no longer matters where you store your information.
Even as I write this post, it is entirely online. Meaning that I am not using any local storage, posting directly to my blog, using online software to write, proof, and post.
As an old IT geek, I used to have an impressive home network with email, file, systems management, AV, firewall, web, and more – all in my house, on my network, where I had to manage it all. Today, all the services I felt I needed to provide myself & family are all hosted online for little or no cost.
From a custom GMail domain account for email, to hosting services, to online data storage services, to online media subscriptions. Its all online, accessible from anywhere in the world. What have I left at home? A few laptops that my family can take with us when we need to.
As phones grow more capable, all you’ll need with you is your phone. Maybe a rolling/folding wireless keyboard, for bulk typing needs, but that’s it.
I love technology, mostly because its all starting to resemble those dreams of the future I had so long ago.
Oct 10, 2006 | blog
Look out, Gartner is stating the obvious again!
Of course, it occurred to me that on this topic, Gartner is not talking to people who understand the consumerization of IT. This is happening, and traditional IT folks, yes including us Microsoft/Linux/Apple junkies, don’t see it coming.
For myself though, all I get from news articles of Gartner is the same opinion: Isn’t this obvious enough?
Link to Gartner: Consumer Tech Is Next Wave of Enterprise IT
Oct 6, 2006 | blog
This post is directed to the Windows Live Writer team! I really enjoy the WLW tool for blogging, in fact I’ve been using the latest build since it was released a week or so ago and have not blogged about it.
I could rave about all the features, but I’ll simply say that the tagging, category improvements, performance, PNG support and the WLW Gallery at Windows Live are great improvements to WLW. Keep up the good work!
Now my one negative comment. Pre-set post date info does not work with WordPress. If I want to set the date a post appears on my blog, sometime in the future, the blog mysteriously travels back in time to December 31st, 1969! Is there a chance that this could be fixed? I’ve seen the same behavior in Word 2007 B2.
Fixing this one feature would make this already fantastic tool, indispensable.
Link to: Writer Zone
Oct 6, 2006 | blog
Charles Cooper, a Executive editor at CNET News.com, discusses an interesting point. One that I’ve seen as well: is Windows still relevant in today’s “web 2.0” centric world?
The answer, of course, is yes. Charles goes on to discuss a quick history of Windows’ “bundling”/anti-trust disputes.
What I find interesting, or more correctly – frustrating, is the attitude with which many companies are taking. Charles talks about Symantec and Adobe trying to whip up sympathy in the European Union about Microsoft competing with them in their market.
The part that bothers me the most is that these companies, and others, fail to see that the product that was a lucrative niche market 10 years ago, is today’s commodity toaster. Since AV engines, and portable document formats are a commodity, the are to be expected in the base OS – a base service available at any moment to any requesting application.
These companies simply need to be more proactive, find that new niche. Look forward and discover those new business opportunities, and develop a business plan to exploit them. Simply relying on the old tried & true product song & dance.
CNET News.com – Perspective: Is Windows still relevant?
Oct 3, 2006 | blog
Well, this is one piece of Windows Vista that I had not heard much on. It seems that corporations planning on deploying Vista will require a mechanism to validate or “Authenticate” their Vista installs similar to how retail versions of XP need to be authenticated.
For those who’ve yet to hear about it, Volume Activation is a new digital-license activation technology aimed at businesses. It’s part of the larger “Software Protection Platform” that Microsoft is constructing to combat piracy. In short, Microsoft is not going to allow enterprises to operate on an honor system, when it comes to proving how many copies of Windows they’ve paid to license. Just like it does with individual Windows users, Microsoft is going to start requiring companies to authenticate their new versions of Windows within 30 days of installing.
This will cause more deployment headaches and costs than previous Windows desktop operating systems. It also drives home the concept of centralization again. Instead of all those PCs, move 90% or greater back to the Data Center using Terminal Services/Citrix, and some Virtualization for really unique installs.
Yeah, we can’t get away from Microsoft extracting their full licensing costs, but we can reduce the amount of time and money we spend managing the desktop. Put a dumb terminal on the desktop and move the OS & App’s to the Data Center.
Source: Neowin.net – Volume Activation 2.0: Another Potential Vista Gotcha?
