Monthly Archives: July 2012

Microsoft, Linux, and Patents

One of my readers asked if I’d speculate on why Microsoft won’t disclose the 237 of its patents it thinks Linux violates.  Given news this week of Amdocs agreeing to license Microsoft’s Linux related patents (via a patent cross-licensing deal) I … Continue reading

Posted in Computer and Internet, Microsoft | Tagged , , , , | 76 Comments

And now a word from our sponsor

With summer well upon us I’m finding it hard to summon up the motivation to make blog postings.  For example, the Office 2013 preview announcement coincided with a two week driving trip.  And now I’m suffering from new puppy-induced sleep … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 4 Comments

Skydrive vs. NAS vs. Windows Home Server vs. Windows’ Shares

No, this isn’t a blog entry about comparing these options though someone would do the world a service by writing a good one.  This is a blog entry about the strategic realities of these four mechanisms for sharing and backing … Continue reading

Posted in Computer and Internet, Microsoft | Tagged , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Tumblr is back on my good side

In a piece I wrote a couple of weeks ago I’d brought up the problem of Tumblr hosting phishing/malicious web sites.  Well after a few days of my feeding examples to Tumblr’s support team, and they taking down the sites, I haven’t … Continue reading

Posted in Computer and Internet, Phishing, Privacy, Security | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The upcoming Vanity Fair article on Microsoft

I probably won’t comment much on the upcoming Vanity Fair piece on Microsoft, but did want to add some observations on the review system (which it seems VF is going to emphasize). The basic concept of a curve-based review system … Continue reading

Posted in Microsoft | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Acknowledging the aQuantive Mistake

Yesterday’s announcement that Microsoft would write-down the 2007 acquisition of aQuantive raised my opinion of Steve Ballmer another notch.  Steve makes mistakes, but he also owns up to them.  So let’s travel back and see how Microsoft got into this … Continue reading

Posted in Computer and Internet, Microsoft | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments