Yahoooo, can you hear me now?

Posted: 10:18 am
December 10, 2005
Web 2.0
4 Comments

Big news of the week is that Yahoo is now taking calls, well, its instant messenger to be more precise. For $10 or $25 credit paid up front (calling-card style) your Yahoo! Messenger can now place outbound calls and receive inbound calls from regular POTS (plain old telephone service) lines. This would be bad news for Google chat, but since nobody actually uses that service it only impacts Skype. Skype is only coming out with video chat now, years behind Yahoo. It is also doing that in beta and we all know what that means. Skype on the other hand has had the largest VoIP database for years but its dial-in services have been in beta (broken, bad echo, reverb, static, "Luke, I am your father") voice quality for so long I think I am perhaps the only one still using it. This ought to be an easy sell for Yahoo and little incentive for current Skype users to go to Skype 2.0 once it is actually released. Being first-to-market is the most important, perhaps only second to quality, in the new .com era and Microsoft and Google are such far distant 3rd and 81st place that even Bill Gates wouldn't honor them with the "me too" tag.

del.icio.us, y.ah.oo and why I love it

Posted: 9:27 am
December 10, 2005
Web 2.0
6 Comments

I recently wrote about my recent discovery of a two year old site, del.icio.us which provides a mix of distributed bookmarking and social networking. At first I was quite fascinated with finding what others considered important enough to bookmark but I have since found so many uses for it, both practical and philosophical. Here are a few things about me that I know are common for most of us. We don't spend our entire day in front of a single computer. We don't always belong to a Windows domain with document redirection. We all think that bookmarking as-is in both IE and Firefox is a terrible exercise in how to poorly organize information. We all read web content in the AP newswire style – you've got the first paragraph to tell me why I should read the rest – if you lose me there I scroll down the page and scan for what I came for and if I have to roll my mice twice its quicker to just click back and try another site. No, I am not lazy, I just have things to do and your poorly written site is wasting my time. Enter del.icio.us – why do we bookmark at all? Because what we are looking at is a good source of information we either will need to refer to in the future or do not have the time to fully consider at the moment. So you hit CTRL+D and one of two things happen: If you're a good organizer you spend more than a few seconds trying to find the category to put it in…. or you're like 99.99999% of people – hit enter and let it fall where it may. While this is great for efficiency purposes, it makes it nearly impossible to locate later. Furthermore, which computer did you bookmark it on? Home? Work? Pocket PC? Email? Oh, now I remember I searched Google for… the monuments of inefficiency. So here is my story. I'm setting up a new laptop (media center) and I needed to get some stuff. Now, I could have gone to my desktop to dig up the Firefox bookmarks.html file, but instead I just logged in to my account at del.icio.us and had all my bookmarks there live. While I was installing VNC I found another similar project – bookmarked it! The question came up – url, descriptions, notes, tags. Url and description are prefilled by the url and title, but in a few seconds I just typed vnc so when I need to track this down I can just login to my del.icio.us account and search for vnc. No folders to create, nothing to scroll through to see if I already had the vnc folder.. Just set it and forget it. And when my buddies ask me for links to VNC stuff I can just point them to my del.icio.us account and let them search there for vnc. There you go for social and distributed! And its no surprise that Yahoo purchased del.icio.us to be added to the other social projects in Flickr and Upcoming.org – this gives Yahoo a big edge on Google and even bigger one on Microsoft as the Internet becomes a more social, connected place. For the longest time companies like Yahoo and Excite (are they even around anymore) have tried to force people into communities with fairly little success. But by giving the world the ability to search, connect and categorize information on their own terms – without joining, signing up or belonging.. the information is becoming a lot more connected and distributed. P.S. As a side note to Bob and Stefan at Microsoft's social networking crew – take a note from these widely popular social sites Yahoo has acquired… notice a little pattern on ease of use and accessibility?… no downloads, no plugins, no sidebars, nothing to install to search and use. Its one thing if you're counting on the Microsoft desktop monopoly to distribute the OPML-o-meter but I doubt you'll get a wide adoption the good idea you have if you don't make it burdenless and accessible. Don't make this another "good idea, poor implementation" dodo bird that goes the way of Microsoft Bob.

December Orlando IT Pro news

Posted: 11:36 pm
December 9, 2005
Events, IT Culture
Comments Off on December Orlando IT Pro news

Wow we had a great event at the Microsoft SQL/Visual Studio/Biztalk launch yesterday. The table for the meeting was graciously given to us by Culminis and I sincerely hope Microsoft watched. We were easilly the most popular table at the event and have collected hundreds of business cards, distributed over 1,500 pieces of candy, 1,500 flyers for Orlando IT Pro and connected IT professionals with groups from Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Pensacola, Tampa as well as our home here in Orlando. We distributed 10 copies of 180-day SBS trial and the event was overall a huge success in my humble opinion. What I hope the Microsoft representatives noticed was the power of having IT Pros connecting with other IT Pro's. Yes, ask the experts is a very nice one-off idea which is about as useful as showing Microsoft Dynamics to a bunch of programmers and system administrators (read: catastropic lack of judgement, demonstration of business-centric content to engineers and architects) – it might get some interest and start the ball rolling but user groups not only contribute to the education, nurturing and growth of professionals that deploy and design the software that interfaces with Microsoft technologies – they become an extension of Microsoft's support staff. Orlando IT Pro has hosted 6 Microsoft speakers over its one year existance. Total cost to Microsoft for venue, food, marketing and event coordination – $0. Now, do entertain me, how much does a single Microsoft Dynamics event cost Microsoft? 🙂

SBS Weekly – SBS Show #9 is out

Posted: 10:57 pm
December 7, 2005
SBS Show
5 Comments

Ok, so we have finally picked the name for the SBS Show mid-week updates. Thank you for the feedback and suggestions, we did pick SBS Weekly which was suggested by one of the anonymous cowards on this very blog. The SBS Weekly show will run about 20 minutes to make it convenient for you to listen to it the same (or the very next) day and get the most up-to-date information in the SBS world. I know its hard to come by an hour or more to sit down and listen to the SBS Show we produce on the weekends, and believe me, we wouldn't dream cutting the weekend subjects down. I have been editing down the show with Susan Bradley for three days and I have a hard time taking out stuff – thank you for your patience with this one, it is really a gem. Now on to the SBS Weekly (SBS Show #9). We talked about: – Announcement of SBS 2003 R2. Even called Guy Haycock, Sr. Product Manager for SBS to get the details on just what expanded CALs were and if it was possible to split SBS components onto multiple servers with R2. – Discussion about Mozilla 1.5 and why you should really try it out. – New viruses and worms in the wild spreading through IM and how you can protect yourself from the next onslaught of Sober. – Risks involved in deploying Blackberry ES and potential blackout due to patent disputes. – New laws requiring VARs to handle proper disposal of PCs they sell in UK … and a few other things. Please let us know how you like the new format. Direct download of SBS Weekly (SBS Show #9, mp3) Podcast xml feed for your aggregator Look for the SBS Show #8 with Susan Bradley tomorrow night. If you got Friday afternoon open make sure you check out or sister show Inside SBS by the SBS PSS crew, they will be covering ISA..

R2 is born, SBS in final trimester

Posted: 3:40 pm
December 6, 2005
IT Business, Microsoft
4 Comments

So its the R2 day at Microsoft. Some products are going gold, others are up as evalutation versions (snag a 180 day copy of Virtual Server 2005 R2). Windows Server 2003 R2 is being released today so the R2 of SBS will naturally follow in about 60-90 days. For everything you always wanted to know about Windows Server R2 here is the link. Here are a few notes on R2 and SBS courtesy of Steven Bink: Q. What is Windows Small Business Server 2003 Release 2 (R2)? A. Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 will be an update release to Windows Small Business Server 2003 with SP1, providing new features and functionalities. Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 will offer increased productivity and functionality by adding automated patch and update management, increasing mailbox limits to 75 GB and adding SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition for Premium Edition customers. Q. When will Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 become available? A. The Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 update will be offered 60-90 days after the availability of Windows Server 2003 R2. Windows Server 2003 R2 is scheduled to release TODAY!! Q. Why will Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 become available later than Windows Server 2003 R2? A. Windows Small Business Server 2003 is an integrated product that includes advancements and improvements in Windows Server 2003 R2. Because of this, Windows Server 2003 R2 delivery to market must happen first. Microsoft is working to ensure that Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 is well integrated for customers. Q. How will existing customers obtain Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2? Will it be available for free download? A. Like Windows Server 2003 R2, customers will need to have purchased Software Assurance to obtain Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2, or they will need to purchase a new server license. Unlike Windows Server 2003 R2, a low-cost option for Windows Small Business Server customers (any version including 4.0, 4.5, 2000, and 2003) will be available to upgrade to Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2. Customers tell us that Software Assurance is not commonly purchased with Windows Small Business Server so we continue to make low-cost version upgrade SKUs available. Q. How much will Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 cost to upgrade? A. Specific pricing details are not available at this time. Update: Susan Bradley just wrote in to let me know that the SBS FAQ has been updated to say the following: Q. What about the next release of Windows Small Business Server, R2? A. Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2, the next release of SBS which promises increased productivity and functionality, will be available in 32-bit only, and will be available shortly after the availability of Windows Server 2003 R2. SBS 2003 R2 is expected to release mid 2006. Here is another hint to that mid-2006 date from the press release:

Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 (SBS 2003 R2) is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2006. SBS 2003 R2 will help small businesses improve their productivity by providing automated, networkwide patch and update management, increased mailbox limits, SQL Server™ 2005 Workgroup Edition technology for SBS 2003 R2 Premium Edition customers, and expanded client access license rights for access to additional Microsoft Exchange 2003 and SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition servers in the SBS 2003 R2 network. As part of a Technology Guarantee program, beginning March 1, 2006, for a limited time customers who purchase SBS 2003 from an original equipment manufacturer or a system builder will have the opportunity to obtain SBS 2003 R2 for a nominal shipping and handling fee, once the product is released.

So it looks like you won't see SBS 2003 R2 until mid 2006 but if you purchase SBS after March 1, 2006 you'll get free upgrade to R2. If you are among people considering that purchase without Software Assurance you're a darn fool, SBS Longhorn is due in 2007.

Vladville for the Holidays

Posted: 2:18 pm
December 6, 2005
Misc, Vladville
7 Comments

Dig the new raindeer logo for Christmas (look up and to the left)? The hack is courtesy of my girl Judy that takes care of all the Own Web Now graphics and logos and business cards and brochures and… well, most folks reading this are the one man wrecking crew for all things tech. Judy is the one woman crew for all things media – flash, pictures, logos and she's even a developer! Hope you like the little Christmas spirit on the blog, hopefully not everything is ungodly. As for the social stuff, I will be at the Orlando IT Pro Association's table at the local Microsoft SQL 2005, Visual Studio 2005 and Biztalk 2006 launch in Orlando this Thursday, December 8th, 2005. Several friends from South Florida are coming up as well. The event is all day at the Orange County Convention Center and they expect about 2,000 people. The event itself was waitlisted due to the popularity but try it anyhow. Microsoft won't say that because they can't gauge the number of people but on behalf of all the Microsoft shows I've ever been a part of, there is a huuuuge dropoff in the amount of people registered vs. amount of people attending. Give it a shot, show up and see if they'll let you register on-site. If not, just come sit and learn. Its worth your time, have I ever mislead you before?

Where in the world is Vlad?

Posted: 11:27 am
December 5, 2005
Misc, Vladville
Comments Off on Where in the world is Vlad?

Can't a brotha take a break? Thanks to all of you who wrote, emailed, IMed and so on – I am alive and well in Orlando, FL. It's been a rough few weeks trying to juggle everything and frankly I've been having that burned out feeling for a little over a month so the weekend was all about rest and Monday just came far too soon. I'm postponing all the user group planning, events, Exchange documents and user group leads business for about a week until I can catch my breath… For those of you that know what I've been up to over the last week or so this is a little preview of whats coming. 🙂

This Weekends SBS Show & Updates

Posted: 8:19 pm
December 2, 2005
Podcast
16 Comments

This weekends show, at least for Chris and me, is somewhat of a religious experience. The one and only Susan Bradley is going to be a guest on our SBS Show and I just cannot believe the response we have received so far. I've literally received questions from all corners of the world – UK, Germany, Russia, USA, Australia and Japan. (407) 965-2945 The SBS Show voicemail was flooded and I will be spending Sunday writing them down, categorizing and putting together a show worthy of her holiness. We're going to (try) structure the show around patch management. The Wednesday show appears to be gaining a lot of popularity. I appreciate all the nice things everyone has to say. We're also very happy that Susanne Dansey of SBSBPI is joining us when time permits. She is not an MCSE but has a good deal of experience in business, community initiatives and understanding the retail channel so hopefully you like how she complements our tech conversations. That and she adds much needed class to our show. We will be renaming and separating the SBS Show mid-week broadcasts to give everyone the ability to subscribe to the one you wish to hear the most. Ever since I offered to do that I've received so much praise that would make you think I actually did it 🙂 Not the case. We need a name for the show. I've kind of been calling it the "This Week in SBS" but I can imagine that there are other ideas. I sort of hope there are. So, what do you like, or rather, tell us if you can think of anything better: This Week in SBS Wonderful World of SBS World Wide SBS SBS and 20 Fun'N'SBS Small Business Tech Lunch SMB Tech Talk SBS Bash SBS Smackdown Specify your own value: SBS Roundup SBS In A Minute SBS To Go SBS Fast Chat SBS Chat SBS Now SBS Roundtable SBS Report Choices, choices everywhere. Which one do you pick?

Define Innovation: Reboot Manager

Posted: 8:11 pm
December 2, 2005
IT Culture
2 Comments

If you've been following this blog or my seminars you know that one pet peeve of mine is the constant redefining of "innovation" – and Microsoft seems to be taking the cake as of late. For as many times as Microsoft engineers have pointed at Linux and claimed it copies them they are stealing ideas and very principles that have been available in Unix for… well, decades. The latest one is the "restart manager" which on the surface appears to be a simple killall -9 processname before an update. As Jim Alchin explains in this eWeek article:

"If a part of an application, or the operating system itself, needs to updated, the Installer will call the Restart Manager, which looks to see if it can clear that part of the system so that it can be updated. If it can do that, it does, and that happens without a reboot," he said.

Yup, killall and insmod/rmmod alright. But when you dig a little deeper there is more going on in there:

"If you have to reboot, then what happens is that the system, together with the applications, takes a snapshot of the state: the way things are on the screen at that very moment, and then it just updates and restarts the application, or in the case of an operating system update, it will bring the operating system back exactly where it was," Allchin said.

Now its a little more interesting and sort of puts Windows Vista on the same page that Redhat Enterprise Linux hopes to get to with Xen virtualization. While this is not quite on the scale of innovation that Monad/MSH seems to be, it is nice to see that open solutions are forcing Microsoft to be more competitive and innovative without constant acquisition and butchering of stable products. I for one commend them on this one and am glad to see Microsoft is hiring developers for change.

Inside SBS Podcasts #9 and #10

Posted: 6:57 pm
December 2, 2005
Podcast
1 Comment

Mark Stanfill is updating us on the status of the Inside SBS podcast. As you recall, they took a 2 week break during which we were lucky to get them to come on and talk a bit more about business with PSS than straight geeketry (yes, I'm making up words today). These podcasts are taped versions of the webcasts that were delivered with TS2 this week (who have the best webcasts at Microsoft, sorry Technet) so if you haven't seen the webcast perhaps you'll catch the podcast. And they show their faces, something I still can't get Susanne Dansey to do due to a multitude of excuses.