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Has Microsoft Changed it’s Update Policies?

Steve — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:07:30 +0000

Microsoft Sign

In a break from tradition, a recent Microsoft updated removed, or deprecated, code in older Windows platforms that had to do with the Indeo Video Codec. Microsoft chose to disable the utilization of this codec instead of patching it to fix some recently discovered security vulnerabilities.

Last year, Microsoft took a similar measure regarding a flaw that was discovered in its Windows 2000 Server’s implementation of TCP/IP, but in that case, Microsoft simply chose to do nothing, which leaves these systems vulnerable.

These actions are siginificant in that Microsoft has always tried to patch the holes that were found in its software and make everything work together. They have always chosen to make their products backwards compatible with older versions of software, but these actions may signal that the software company may be softening this policy.

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PC Sales Increase in 2009

Steve — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:47:42 +0000

The Gartner research group reported that worldwide sales of PCs have increased this year. Most analysts had been projecting PC sales to trend downward due to the recession, but buoyed by strong sales in the 3rd quarter, the PC market will show a 2.8% increase over 2008. This trend is expected to continue into 2010 shich should show a 12.6% increase.

However, even with the stronger than expected showing in unit sales, overall market value fell based on unprecedented decline in average PC selling price. Even though the report doesn’t quite say it, this decline in market value is due to the strong showing of the new netbooks or “mini-notebooks”. Since the sales of desktop PCs fell 9% from last year, the laptop segment, augmented by the popularity of the netbooks, has driven the sales increases.

NetbookBoards.com has more details about how the new segment is driving sales

Laptop, Notebook or Netbook

Technology Slaves

Steve — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:56:10 +0000

If you are reading this, then there is a really good chance that you are indeed a slave to technology, or at least deeply immersed. Surrounded by lifestyle-altering, digital gadgets, you are embracing technology.

Slave may be too strong a word, but we may be so reliant on our digital devices that our basic behaviors has been permanently changed. We text, we tweet, we chat incessantly on our cellphones in grocery store check-out lines, our kids use calculators for basic math, we eschew libraries for Google, and finally, when was the last time you “looked that up in your Funk and Wagnalls?”

The desire to perform tasks faster, better and more efficiently is pretty basic, and has resulted in some pretty amazing technologies. It’s all good, right?

Technology enables us to be more productive and it can help us focus our talents. But it also allows us to become detached from the world around us – the world where real things live.

Consider the cellphone and its impact on our lives, it goes with you everywhere and you would feel naked without it. This little guy allows you to be a press of a button away from everywhere that you’re not. I love my cellphone, but I don’t want it to rule my life, so I rely on two little bits of technology: Caller ID and Voice Messaging.

Technology to fight technology. Maybe I’m still a slave.

/doc

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