Security is very important and should be treated as such, but this is not a new trojan and has been patched for over six months. If you are a Windows user and haven’t been in a coma since last October, this is probably patched on your machine. Plus, all major (and minor ones probably) anti-virus packages have been able to detect and delete this worm for quite awhile. I agree with Ed’s take that this hysteria is manufactured by the security companies themselves to create panic and drive users to their sites in hopes of driving up sales.

We should, however, take this as an opportunity to perform a review of proper security policy. Here are the big three;

- If you are running Windows, you should be running the Windows Update feature. Automatically. All the time. Period. No excuses. Do it. If you don’t know how or are not sure, ask someone or better yet, Google it.

- Install anti-virus software and make sure it updates automatically. Just because your new PC came with an anti-virus package on it DOES NOT NECESSARILY mean that it is updating regularly. Updates are a paid subscription and most new PC purchases only come with 6 to 12 months of protection included. I personally detest most of the big commercial anti-virus packages because they are needless bloated and take up too many system resources, but they are CERTAINLY better than nothing at all. Don’t want to drop the coin for updates? No problem. Go here.

- STOP GOING TO FREAKY WEBSITES! This is probably the easiest defense against trojans, malware and viri. With some of the modern forms of malware, just the act of going to an infected website is enough to pass it along to you. Though there is no hard and fast rule as to what sites are safe, a couple of guidelines would be to stick to major names (Amazon, E-Bay, Yahoo, Google, etc) and to avoid sites that have popups. If a website automatically launches popups when you visit, it’s probably shady. Even if it’s not, it is bad form and you may not want to patronize them on principle. ;)

So take responsibility for your internet security and get updated!

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=778

More info on the Adamo. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on one of these.

Dell Adamo to also come in $2,699 1.4GHz model with 3G

Pretty proud of this one. The Linc Group (my company) wins the Overall Excellence award from Microsoft at the 2009 Convergence conference in New Orleans. I guess all that fanboi stuff pays off. ;)

Convergence New Orleans 2009 | About | Customer Excellence Awards

Looks like Microsoft is, as promised, skipping Beta2 and moving straight to RC1. This is very good news as it looks more and more promising that we will see Win7 GA this summer rather than the Fall or later. Windows 7 will be a very important release for many of us in the tech community as it will allow us to finally get the XP monkey off our backs.

Microsoft Watch - Windows 7 - Next Windows 7 Milestone: Release Candidate

Good collection of Windows 7 tips and shortcuts. Pretty handy stuff.

20 Windows 7 Tweaks & Tips – Every Secret Uncovered to Date | Maximum PC

I will be keeping a list here of applications that I have tested in Windows 7 and whether or not they work correctly.

• Zune software – Works properly
• Yahoo Instant Messenger – Works properly
• iTunes – Works properly
• Twhirl (Twitter client) – Works properly
• Windows Live Applications (Messenger, Writer, Toolbar, etc) – Works properly
• Office 2007 Enterprise – Works properly
• Windows Live Mesh – Works but has a bug that disabled window transparency when loaded (EDIT: This bug is fixed with latest Mesh update)
• Google Chrome – Installs but will not run
• Apple QuickTime – Works properly
• Virtual Server 2007 – Works properly
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 – Works properly

Just a few thoughts after a few days with the 64-bit Beta of Windows 7 (Build 7000).

• Installation is very smooth and incredibly fast. Maybe 30 minutes soup to nuts, even on a laptop on battery power
• Very pretty interface. I know it’s shallow, but it sure is a good looking UI. Menu and windows transparencies and effects look great and actually add to the overall effect.
• The new task bar is very interesting. Not sure how I feel about it yet, though. All running instances of the same program are combined into one icon, then when you hover your mouse over it, each instance appears as an icon above it. The biggest problem I have with it so far is that launching new instances of the program can be tricky. For example, with all of these IE windows open, the only way to open a new IE session is to right-click on the task bar icon and choose to crate a new instance. Maybe there is a simpler way but I haven’t found it yet.

• The small task bar icons on the lower left part of the screen are equally maddening. In XP and Vista, you had the ability to show them or not… not much individual choice. In W7, you can customize exactly which icons appear and which do not. You can even choose to show the icons only when something new has occurred (like a new email has arrived in Outlook). This is all fine and dandy, but I am struggling getting it to display the way I want it. I may be stuck in the old way of thinking so it could just be a training issue, but when icons that you expect to appear do not, it can be disconcerting.

It’s only been a few days of actual use so I will definitely post more when I have it.

FINALLY managed to track down the bits to Windows 7 Beta 64. That was way harder than it should have been.

Anyway... I've decided to go all-out and install it on my production desktop. I know, I know... but I'm a big kid. I can handle it. Besides, I always have my laptop to fall back on. Im very eager to see how this version of Windows performs, particularly on lower end hardware. We are knee-deep into a mobility initiative that could really use something like this if it can work well on an Atom processor and 1GB of RAM. Let's just say that Vista.... doesn't.

I'll update you soon!

Staying with the whole "cloud computing" theme, Microsoft is talking about a couple of new enterprise computing platforms called "Trebuchet" and "Monsoon". I think this is just another shot across the bow of the IT industry saying that localized servers and data is passe and cloud-based virtual computing is in. Though I have my own reservations about the cloud computing idea, I think these are very interesting concepts and I am interested in seeing where they go in the future.

Microsoft discusses "Trebuchet" and "Monsoon"

I'm leaving this morning for a weeks trip to Houston. We have a large office in Houston (three, actually) and they are moving across town. Since we haven't upgraded the network in Houston for nearly five years, I am taking this opportunity to upgrade major network components such as switches, wireless, and servers. The new wireless system is the most exciting of the new items as it allows domain authentication instead of the traditional WEP or WPA key system. This will make things much simpler for the users and their guests. In addition to this new wireless system, we are installing a new server that will act as their file and print server, but more importantly is running the new Microsoft Server 2008 Terminal Services. Using this, we will have the ability to run line of business application remotely on this server rather than on the local desktop computer, dramatically increasing performance and scalability. Terminal Services will be a new concept for the folks in Houston so we will start them off gradually, but I know that once they see the performance benefits, they will adopt it readily.

Interesting article from Paul Thurrott on the future of Microsoft Office and it's potential "webification". I personally believe that this is the direction software is going. As broadband Internet connections become more ubiquitous, it is only natural to move this sort of low-impact computing to the cloud. Overall, I strongly feel that the computing platform that you are on will become more and more insignificant as time goes on. Ironic given the $300M that Microsoft is spending to fight back against Apple and their "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads. In the not-so-distant future, I predict, the operating system and device that you are using will be all but insignificant in our computing lives. Your apps and data will reside in the cloud... always there when you need them, regardless of the device you use to connect.

The future is going to be interesting indeed.

Cloud computing vs. Software + Services; Google Docs vs. Office Live Workspace - SuperSite Blog

This is great. I heard they were going to do something like this, but didn't realize it would be this cool. Is Visa perfect? No, but if you are buying a new PC, you would be silly to get anything other than Vista.

The Mojave Experiment

VMware will give it's ESX product away for free. Given the massive hype surrounding Microsoft's free Hyper-V release, I think this was the only prudent business move they could have made. The problem, of course is still the same as it was 6 months ago. ESV needs the very expensive management tools to be useful. Hyper-V has management tools too, and they certainly can't be classified as cheap, but you can operate a perfectly running Hyper-V environment without them. Not so with ESX.

I have no problem with VMware as a company, I just think their arrogant attitude towards their customers and the changing marketplace has led them to this place.

VMware... the new Netscape.

Now that Microsoft is starting to fight back against the funny, but often incorrect "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads that have been blanketing US television for months, it's probably time to admit that Vista has a serious PR problem.

We can all agree that Vista hasn't had an easy go of it so far. Released nearly two years late, driver and application incompatibilities, and some just plain old bugs, have caused the operating system to take a real beating in the hearts and minds of computer users the world around. I can't tell you how many conversations I have had over the last year and a half that have gone something like this:

Joe User:   "Oh, I won't get anything that runs that dumb Vista software. That thing sucks!
Me:   "Really? Why is that?"
Joe User:   "It's all over the internet that Vista sucks. Plus, those Mac commercials say so too!"
Me:   "Hmmmm... Have you tried it?"
Joe User:   "Hells no! Vista sucks! Everyone knows that!"

Obviously I am not the only one that has had that experience, as Microsoft is about to spend millions on an advertising campaign to start spreading the word that Vista is a good operating system. That's right... I said it. A good operating system. The almost weekly enhancements made by Microsoft, coupled with the application community finally getting off their collective butts and optimizing their software for Vista, has now turned Vista into a true powerhouse. Does it take more memory than XP? Yes. Is it a bit slower than XP? Indeed. But do you remember how much slower Windows 2000 was than Windows 98? How much more memory it took? And don't even get me started on the Windows 95 to NT 4.0 comparisons...  Yet somehow we survived.

Vista is more secure, more stable and more user friendly than any previous version of Windows.

Is it perfect? No. Far from it, but what modern operating system is? Do I recommend that you upgrade your existing PC to Vista? No. But when it's time to drop the dough on that new desktop or notebook, you would be a fool to get anything other than Vista pre-installed. Take it to the bank.

The other day I attended a day-long seminar hosted by Dell on the "Future of Computing". These types of seminars tend to focus too much on the offerings of specific vendors rather than the basic technology behind them, but since they are typically sponsored by these same vendors, I guess it is to be expected. Major topics covered included:

• Server virtualization
• Mobility (Laptops)
• "Flexible" computing
• Green computing

The Flexible computing presentation was the biggest eye opener. Dell demonstrated a "streaming OS" solution from Citrix called Provisioning Server for Desktops. This product was pretty amazing. It actually requires a BIOS modification that allows a diskless PC to boot directly to the OS server. This server checks the PC credentials and downloads to it the appropriate operating system image based on group policies. The concept of diskless workstations are intriguing to us IT folks as the hard disks are far and away the most common source of computer failures. Also, since there is no source for local storage, all data, even "My Documents" data, is stored on a server where it can be secured and backed up.

Dells new line of "E" series notebooks look pretty compelling. They are light, slim, and very modern. They even have one that is rumored to be just as light and thin as the infamous Mac Book Air. They didn't announce prices, however, so I will reserve final judgement till then.

The server virtualization session focused mostly on the ESX product from VMWare. ESX is a fine product and the current market leader, but the new Hyper-V product from Microsoft is better and is free.

Green computing is all the buzz these days as you can imagine. Virutalization is a primary focus of the green strategy because it allows you to run multiple server applications on a single physical server, thereby dramatically reducing the amount of power draw. The other aspect of green computing is the power draw of the servers that remain. Much has been done in the last couple of years to improve the efficiency of modern servers. So much so, that it is possible to cost justify the replacement of old servers based purely on the saved power expense. Oh what a crazy IT world we are living in.

I know this has been around for awhile, but with Twitters malfunctions lately, I have been looking for an alternative. Since Robert Scoble and Jason Calacanis keep playing up FriendFeed, I decided to give it a try. Very interesting concept, in that it's more of an aggregator than an actual content tool. It allows people to share many aspects of their cyber-lives, from picture postings, to blog entries and RSS feeds, to Twitter and Facebook posts. It even lets you see what they added to their Netflix queue. TMI for most folks, I would imagine. Anyway, I will be following a few folks and seeing how it plays out. Feel free to follow me there as well.

John Denver - FriendFeed

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/09/the-cost-of-the-199-iphone-10-more-per-month-for-data/

Give up front, yet take away on the service. Plus, data plans for businesses are $45 a month? We get Sprint and Verizon plans for $15 and $20 respectively. REVOLT!!

Oh snap! Sounds to me like Revision3 was deliberately targeted because of their choice to distribute content via BitTorrent without regard to the legitimacy of the content itself. Typical hysteria. What really freaks me out is that there are actually companies out there who's raison d'être is to take down networks using DoS attacks. How can this be? Something is fishy, I tell ya, and I don't like it.

Revision3