Walt Mossberg Reviews Apple's iLife '09…

January 29, 2009 by 2 Comments
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In the following video, the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg gives a fairly detailed overview of what he likes and doesn’t like in Apple’s newly released iLife’09 suite:

The bottom line: Walt believes the overall iLife ’09 suite is well done, but the highly touted FACES feature in iPhoto falls short of the quality we have come to expect from Apple. He doesn’t see this as a “must have” upgrade and would not recommend you run out to buy it.

I will be posting my own review of iLife soon, and will give some added attention to the FACES feature to see if I see the same issues with it.

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The Real News From PDC2008: Azure…

October 29, 2008 by Leave a Comment
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Something interesting always comes out of Microsoft’s PDC events…

Microsoft’s annual Professional Developer Conference has been the place where almost every significant ‘Windows ecosystem’ revision or advancement is introduced. PDC 2008 is going on now in Los Angeles, and the big buzz this year is around two significant product updates: Windows 7 and Office 14.

While I discount Windows 7 as being more about marketing innovation than product innovation, Office 14 is significant – it’s Microsoft’s first Office Suite that can run across the web in a browser. (They clearly hear Google’s footsteps behind them)

However, the announcement that hasn’t gotten a lot of press – and the one that is probably the most significant to come out of the even, is the announcement of Microsoft’s AZURE. Here’s Ray Ozzie’s introduction:

Video From CNet

What Ray Ozzie’s describing isn’t new. Both Amazon and Google have offered cloud computing platforms for quite a while. What makes this significant is that Microsoft is looking to leverage many of the development tools and frameworks already in place for Windows as the foundation for development on Azure.

And that gives them some unique leverage…

The pool of Windows developers is huge. This approach would allow commercial developers and enterprises to leverage those existing assets – and potentially some of their existing code base – in developing services for Azure. That could give Microsoft a big leg up in adoption.

But in the end, Azure’s success will be based on two things.

Execution and Cost…

Microsoft needs to deliver on the promise – something they failed at miserably with the development and launch of Vista. The development tools really need to work as advertised, and the back-end really needs to scale transparently. Getting people to switch to a cloud based model in part requires them to trust you. Microsoft won’t get a second chance in this department.

Microsoft also needs to price it correctly. If they price it with an eye to preserving revenue from existing traditional product sets, it will be D.O.A. regardless of what else it can do. They need to price it in a way that gets people to take the risk and make the move to the cloud. With the world economy depressed, most organizations are looking for ways to improve efficiency and reduce cost – essentially they need to do more with less. That is one of the key valuable propositions behind the shift to cloud computing. Microsoft needs to grab on to this and make the adoption decision as painless as possible.

Azure is Microsoft’s chance at redemption…

FOOTNOTE:

If you want to get a more in depth introduction to Azure, this video from Microsoft’s Manuvir Das is worth watching:


Manuvir Das: Introducing Windows Azure

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Microsoft's NEW New Ad Campaign…

September 19, 2008 by Leave a Comment
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I was pretty harsh on Microsoft’s “Gates/Seinfeld” ads…

I thought they were unfocused and did little for Microsoft’s image or their brand. It appears that even Microsoft’s internal media types have come to the same conclusion and are now moving over to a new campaign. The first of the new ads is out, and I think it’s brilliant:

Opening with an actual Microsoft employee who resembles John Hodgeman (The PC guy from the Apple Ads) creates the perfect pivot from “Is this a new Mac Ad?” over to “Cool people also use PC’s”. This campaign is going to have real people can send in videos of themselves testifying to being a “PC” in whatever they do or are passionate about.

These ads are definitely the real deal for Microsoft – they should have started here. I’m looking forward to how this campaign plays out over the next few months.

And to Apple’s response…

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Video Of Microsoft's "Windows 7"…

May 30, 2008 by 1 Comment
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Microsoft has started showing off it’s next version of Windows…

Dubbed “Windows 7″, it will be built on the current Vista kernel, but add a new multi-touch based front end for it’s interface. At this year’s D:All Things Digital conference, Microsoft did a public demonstration of the new OS:

Here is a slightly better video clip (that came from the Windows Vista blog) of what was shown at D6:


Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7

This looks very similar to the Surface technology Microsoft introduced about a year ago, and could be quite interesting. It is clearly the next interface evolution in tablet computing, a segment of the portable computing marketplace that has failed to gain any real traction. It could also have significant impact on the design of more traditional notebook and desktop systems.

I do take all of this with a grain of salt. I remember seeing some incredible demonstrations of “Longhorn” – the prereleased version of what eventually became Vista. A lot never made it into the final release – most notably WinFS.

I would love to see Microsoft have some success with this. If nothing else, it will push Apple to move more aggressively with their own platform interfaces.

Who knows – we may even see a tablet based Mac one day…

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Linux For The Masses?…

November 2, 2007 by Leave a Comment
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Sometimes less can be more…

And that’s what the makers of ‘gOS’ are counting on. gOS is an Ubuntu 7.1 (Linux) variant that is packaged with a collection of Google’s web based services (including Google Office), the Firefox browser, and a few other web centric applications. The desktop, reminiscent of Mac OS X, offers simplified access to all of these services:

bloggos-image.jpg

This OS will be offered preinstalled on a system that will be sold by none other than Walmart. Priced at $199, it offers the average person all of the core services they will likely need on a computer except for one.

Internet access…

That said, I believe there are ways to provide for that as well. Now that we are seeing PC’s dropping below the $200 price point, it might make sense for the market to start thinking of them the way wireless carriers think of phone handsets. There will always be a ‘high end’ market just like there is with handsets. But there is also probably a market for a service that bundles a system like this with internet connectivity for a basic ‘cell phone like’ plan and commitment. Keep it for a two year contract, then trade it in for a new one when you renew. It could also be subsidized by advertising, something Google and others are looking to bring to the cell phone market.

With a combination of packaging, ad/sponsorship subsidies, and Moore’s Law, it might even be possible over time to deliver access to the internet at a price point almost everyone can afford. It’s clear we need to begin to close the ‘digital divide’ that limits access and opportunity for many of the poor in this country.

This might be a way good start…

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Leopard Is Here…

October 26, 2007 by Leave a Comment
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Apple’s new Mac OS has arrived!…

OS X 10.5 – dubbed ‘Leopard’ has been released today after about a three month delay. I haven’t had the chance to install it yet, but Walt Mossberg over at the Wall Street Journal has been running it for a while, and has posted a quick video review:

When it comes to operating system upgrades, I always do a clean format and install instead of just updating my existing system. This approach takes me a bit longer since I need to back everything up and reinstall all of the applications, but I think it can help me avoid problems in the long run.

As soon as I get it up and running, I’ll post my personal perspective on it.
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The 'Hidden' Bane Of Successful IT Projects…

October 17, 2007 by 1 Comment
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Many organizations seem to have trouble delivering on IT projects they start…

it-collage-sm.jpgThere have been numerous studies into why so many IT projects fail to deliver on their initial promises. (Some studies put the number as high as 70%) Reasons cited typically include poor IT management skills, poor specifications, lack of user involvement, scope creep, and poor testing. Having been involved with many IT related projects, I know first hand that all of these can play a role in creating these IT ‘projects from hell’. But there is also another issue in play here that’s obvious to everyone involved in IT, but isn’t often articulated.

Most IT projects are born and grow up in political environments…

Many organizations, especially large ones, have very complex political ecosystems. There are egos involved in decisions that cry out for a dispassionate hand. There are multiple competing agendas vying for limited company funding and attention. There are the many stakeholders in the ‘status quo’ that actively resist any changes that could threaten their position.

And there the ‘high level’ project sponsors that protect their pet projects from any meaningful critical review…

When those elements are tossed into the mix with the usual challenges associated with successfully delivering an IT project on time and within budget, it places incredible demands on everyone involved and requires a manager that is willing to fight to make sure the correct decisions are being made for the correct reasons. An unfortunate fact is that it’s hard to find these types of managers, most especially at the organizations that could use them the most. Fighting the political tide is a thankless, dirty job that rarely helps a person’s career. It eventually chases most qualified managers away. And the void in quality typically ends up being filled by the tech equivalent of corporate ‘yes men’.

The kind that believe the toughest part of a project is making a PowerPoint…

I believe that politics plays a far larger role in the failure of IT projects than most people recognize. Anyone that has been around IT long enough could tell you stories: The massive ‘conceptual’ projects that are able to get started even though everyone involved knows they are doomed to fail. The commitments made to clients or prospects that are clearly unrealistic, yet get written into contracts. The deals made to partner with specific technology vendors without involving real technology people in the decision.

There is no shortage of these examples…

Many of the other ’causes’ cited for failed IT projects are actually symptoms of more fundamental political forces that set them in motion in the first place. No matter what other steps an organization takes to get a handle on run-away IT projects, they will continue to happen unless political decisions can be largely replaced by practical ones.

Needless to say, I don’t expect this problem to go away any time soon!…

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Linux's Challenge…

May 22, 2007 by 2 Comments
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Apple isn’t the only OS provider with sophisticated interface ambitions…

A desktop called Beryl has been available for Linux for quite a while now. It is a 3D tour de’force, with great spacial representation and some super impressive graphics processing. Take a look at it here:

Though Beryl is probably a bit too “ambitious” for the average person to feel comfortable with it, it definitely makes a statement about the quality and sophistication of what is being developed for the desktop user by the Open Source community. I have no doubt that – if the applications were there – Linux would be able to step up as a viable (and in many cases superior) desktop replacement for Windows.

But the applications really need to be there…

The Open Source community has done an admirable job of developing diverse utilities, and design/productivity applications for Linux. But when it comes to certain applications, equivalent ones just won’t cut it. Users of Photoshop don’t want to use GIMP. Users of iTunes don’t want to use SongBird if they have iPods and various types of media. People want to use what they know and are comfortable with – typically the same applications their friends and associates are using to do the same things.

The “Network Effect” isn’t just an operating system thing…

Productivity with an application isn’t just about functionality. It’s also about support and community – the ecosystem of users, utilities, and knowledge that have developed around specific applications. And for many people, the applications are probably more important than the operating systems they run on.

Apple has been fairly successful in this regard, and has grown its software ecosystem significantly. It has gained traction with 3rd party developers, and has also developed suites of applications on its own that have significant penetration in the marketplace. In terms of broad industry development support, OS X has completely eclipised Linux.

And OS X is still just a niche player in the market…

The lesson for the open source community is that they will not be successful with a “go it alone” approach of writing equilivant versions of popular applications. That model – though working well on the server side – has limitations on the consumer desktop side. They need to move beyond a purist model and build support and partherships in the commercial space.

An effort needs to be made to get many popular applications (and hardware support) ported over to Linux. They need Adobe to support them. They need Avid to support them. They need RIM and Verizon to support them. They need support from the Roxio’s, Joost’s, DIVX’s and Sony’s out there. That is a big challenge for the Linux community. But this is what the consumer desktop is all about.

Consumers buy and use applications – the OS just comes along for the ride…

This may mean that the community does work – pro bono – to port specific specific vendors solutions to Linux. And hand it back to the vendor knowing that the end result will be sold as a commercial product. That approach will benefit the community, but not by providing it with more free software. The benefit is bringing more people into the community outside the core base. And without growing beyond it’s core base, Linux will never break out of its current niche on the desktop.

But getting the Open Source community to move in this direct may be Linux’s biggest challenge…

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Open Source, Microsoft, And Moore's Law…

April 25, 2007 by Leave a Comment
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Open source has a new best friend – Moore’s Law…

As the power and cost of computer technology continues to follow the curve predicted by Gordon Moore in 1965, we are seeing some new high end systems introduced at fantastic prices. You can get 4 core systems for less than $2500, and even 8 core systems for under $4000. Though not cheap, these systems offer a phenomenal price/performance ratio.

Microsoft has been riding this curve for the past 30 years, releasing operating system and productivity software that has leveraged these performance increases. They have seen their business grow at an amazing pace as the droping price of computer systems propelled them into increasingly broader segments of the consumer marketplace. Moore’s law has been their friend.

So why is this good for open source?…

Microsoft’s latest software requires higher end systems for it to perform well. Both Vista and the new Office 2007 suite place real demands on memory, cpu, and video processing. They simply don’t run well on lower end systems. Moore’s Law has allowed Microsoft’s latest offerings to remain affordable.

But Moore’s Law is also impacting the low end of the market…

It’s possible to buy name brand, reasonably powerful computer systems for less than 350 dollars today. These lower end system may not be ideal for Vista, but they can run most builds of Linux really well. And when you add in Open Office and Firefox – both open source packages – you end up with systems that can do an excellent job with the tasks most people want them for.

But this has always been one of the strengths of open source. So what’s the big deal?

Software development doesn’t follow Moore’s Law…

While hardware costs continue to drop, the cost of software has remained flat, or even increased a bit. We will soon be at the point where the cost of Microsoft’s software will be more than the cost of the hardware to run it on. And these Microsoft based systems will need to compete with systems based on open source components – software that is essentially free. The cost difference between these systems will become increasingly obvious. And when combined with the fact that Microsoft’s software typically requires higher end hardware, we could start to see a real world cost difference that actually sways consumer purchases.

Moore’s Law is going to give the open source community a chance to grab some marketshare, but they have a lot of work to do to appeal to the consumer segment of the market.

They will need to focus on drivers and utilities – broadening hardware support and making systems easy to configure and manage. This is especially true with laptops. They will need to work with device manufactures to get key support from them – people will want to have their iTunes, phone syncing, wireless support, etc. They will need to partner with the Dell’s and HP’s of the world for online distribution, and also figure out how to get distribution of Linux based systems through big box retailers. None of these are small tasks.

And they should have no illusions – Microsoft won’t be sitting still…

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Adobe's CS3 Launch Announcement…

March 29, 2007 by Leave a Comment
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Adobe has launched their new Creative Suite…

I don’t know a single web developer or video producer that doesn’t use some part of the Adobe Creative Suite family. It is the ‘Windows’ of the creative tools marketplace – the common technology that bridges organizations and creative disciplines. It’s a key part of my own personal workflow for this blog, production work on Practical RSS and other programs I produce, and in many aspects of my work at my company, Instant Information.

This is a video of Adobe’s launch event earlier this week of their new Creative Suite 3 family of tools:

It covers may of the key products of interest to both web developers and video professionals. I recognize that this is a long video (yet again), but it offers a good glimpse of what will be shipping later this April. It should be easy to jump to the parts about the products you are most interested in.

Enjoy…

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