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January 7th, 2009
MSDN and TechNet users: Get ready for your Win 7 Beta 1 bits
Straight from the (French) Microsoft blogger’s mouth: “C’est cette nuit.”
Expect Microsoft to make the official, sanctioned Windows 7 Beta 1 bits available to Connect testers, Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) and TechNet subscribers for download some time after the CEO Steve Ballmer Consumer Electronics Show (CES) keynote begins (6:30 p.m. PT).
If you really can’t wait for tonight’s “private” Beta 1 build — or the imminent public one – the 64-bit version is on torrents now. I’m not suggesting anyone do anything illegal — like download it from there. But I’ve heard it’s been done at least a few times with the 32-bit Win 7 version that was leaked just after Christmas.
Join us for our live-blogging coverage of Ballmer starting around 6:15 tonight. (If you’ve sent a request to be admitted to Friendfeed room we’ve set up, we’ll let you in starting just after 6.)
January 7th, 2009
January 7: Join our Ballmer CES live-blog keynote coverage
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicks off the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas tonight at 6:30 p.m. PT.
I’ll be joining Paul Thurrott of WinSupersite fame, plus Tom Warren of Neowin.Net, in a live-blogging fiesta on Friendfeed tonight. We were so impressed by how well VentureBeat did with their real-time Friendfeed live blogging from MacWorld yesterday that we decided to take a page from their book and got a room ourselves. (It’s locked right now but will be open to anyone who wants to watch/comment around 9:15 p.m. ET tonight.)
Come and be part of our running commentary on what Ballmer does — and doesn’t — reveal. There have been quite a few predictions about what’s on tap. My personal watch list:
- Windows 7 Beta 1 and Windows 7 Server Beta 1 to go to both private and public testers this week
- Microsoft and Dell ink a search deal that replaces the Google toolbar with the MSN toolbar (using Live Search)
- The final release of Windows Live Essentials (the Live software+service apps) is finally ready
- New market numbers on Vista vs. OS X holiday sales … which make Vista look
goodless lame - Promises about Windows Mobile 6.5 (but nothing code-wise until later this year)
- Zune Mobile? (I’m increasingly doubtful that Microsoft is going to use CES as the launchpad for this; maybe Mobile World Congress in Barcelona instead….?)
- Something futuristic that wasn’t quite enough to make Robert Scoble cry… but still managed to impress him
A Webcast feed of Ballmer’s keynote will be available. But if you want to share your two cents with other Microsoft watchers while listening, please join us for real-time coverage this evening.
January 7th, 2009
Microsoft preps to push IE 8; makes blocking tool available
As it has done with previous Internet Explorer (IE) releases, Microsoft has made available an IE 8 blocking toolkit to allow users to keep Microsoft’s browser from being downloaded automatically on their Windows machines.
In a January 6 posting to the Microsoft IE blog, company officials noted that Microsoft is planning to push the final IE 8 release via its Automatic Update (AU), Windows Update (WU) and Microsoft Update (MU) update systems. To keep the release from being pushed, customers can download the blocker toolkit from the Microsoft Download Center.
Unlike some previous versions of the toolkit, there is no expiration date on the latest blocker. The toolkit can be configured by running the registry file on client machines or via Group Policy, according to the IE 8 blog posting.
Once the final IE 8 bits are ready, Microsoft is planning to mark them as a top priority for distribution, officials said via the blog entry:
“The IE8 update will be released as the highest priority update for each operating system. For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, it will be listed as Important. For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, the update will be listed as High Priority. Delivery of IE8 via AU will begin after we make IE8 available from the Microsoft Download Center. Of course, users can always decline to install IE8 through AU when it is offered.”
Microsoft hasn’t provided a final release target date for IE 8, other than to say some time in 2009. Late last year, company officials acknowledged Microsoft would not be releasing the final version of IE 8 before the end of calendar 2008, as some company officials had claimed previously. Instead, Microsoft is planning to distribute in the first quarter of 2009 one more public test release, Release Candidate 1, before it rolls out the final IE 8.
I’m not sure if we’ll see RC 1 of IE 8 this week. While Microsoft is expected to release the official version of Windows 7 Beta 1 to private and public testers over course of the next three days, the build of IE8 that is part of Windows 7 Beta 1 is still Beta 2, company officials said on January 7. (The refreshed partner test build of IE 8 that Microsoft released privately in December was designated as “RC1″ but isn’t the official RC1 release, the Softies have said.)
When I asked earlier this week, Microsoft officials wouldn’t comment on when IE 8 RC1 would go live.
January 6th, 2009
Another former Softie joins VMware
A year ago when I wrote that former Microsoft manager — and current VMware CEO – Paul Maritz was getting the old band back together, I had no idea how many members would end up reuniting.
Maritz is now CEO of VMware. Another former Softie, Charles Fitzgerald, is now Vice President of Product Management with Decho, a startup that encompasses Maritz’s former Pi Corp. And on January 6, VMware announced yet another former member of the old Microsoft gang — Tod Neilsen — is now Chief Operating Officer with VMware.
Nielsen’s been around. Most recently he was President and CEO of Borland Software. Before that, he did stints with Oracle and BEA Systems. (BEA bought his company Crossgain — a company which put him in Microsoft’s non-compete crosshairs for a bit.) At Microsoft, where he worked for 12 years, Neilsen held a number of positions, including, according to the VMWare press release, general manager of database and developer tools, vice president of developer tools, and, vice president of Microsoft’s platform group.
Maritz, Fitzgerald and Neilsen all figured (to varying degrees of public prominence) in Microsoft’s antitrust trial in the U.S. in the late 1990s.
What do you see happening in the Microsoft vs. VMware virtualization contest in the coming year? Will a bunch of former Softies be the right crew to keep VMware ahead of Microsoft in the virtalization space?
January 6th, 2009
Public betas of Windows 7 client and server could hit this week
It’s not much of a secret at this point, but CEO Steve Ballmer is expected to announce official availability of the closed Windows 7 Beta 1 release during his Consumer Electronics Show keynote address on January 7. The official (non-Torrented) Beta 1 bits should be available to pre-approved Windows 7 Beta 1 testers later Wednesday night or early on January 8.
Ditto with Windows 7 Server, a k a Windows Server 2008 R2. The private Beta 1 release of that product is scheduled for late January 7/early January 8, I’m hearing.
I’ve gotten a number of questions from readers this year already about the expected public betas of these products. I’ve made some discreet inquiries.
The public (the one and only) beta of Windows 7 client and server could be released simultaneously with the private Beta 1 builds this week, according to some of my sources. What’s the point of a simultaneous public and private beta? The private testers’ feedback will get top priority; the public beta will be more of a milestone marker than anything else.
One source of mine said the Windows Server 2008 R2 code definitely will be available to the public this week, but was less sure about client. He said he thought the public beta of Windows 7 client might lag by a week or so.
Update: Nope. It’s going to be sooner, not later. The latest word: The public beta of Win 7 client is due to hit Friday, January 9, according to a source familiar with Microsoft’s plans. The public beta of Win 7 Server is due to hit a day earlier, January 8, the source added.
Microsoft officials declined to comment as to when testers — public or private — should expect to get the new Windows 7 client and server builds.
Bottom line: If the tipsters are on their game, anyone who wants to test Windows 7 client and Windows 7 server should be able to do so starting this week…. And if you’re a consumer in the market for a new Windows PC but want the flexibility to upgrade to Windows 7 for free, it sounds like you should wait until July 1, 2009, to make your purchase….
January 6th, 2009
Report: PC makers to provide free Vista-to Win-7 upgrades starting July 1
In yet another indicator as to the progress of Windows 7, the Tech ARP site reported that Microsoft plans to allow PC makers to offer customers who buy Windows Vista machines as of July 1 free upgrades to Windows 7 once it ships.
It looks as if Tech ARP may have obtained internal Microsoft information on its Windows 7 Technical Guarantee program. The Web site says that Microsoft provided PC partners with a first pass draft of its Tech Guarantee documentation on December 10.
According to a December posting on the Tech ARP site, Windows Vista PCs must be purchased by end users … between July 1, 2009 through TBD (to be determined)” to qualify for the Windows 7 Tech Guarantee program. The wording notes that “OEMs may choose to offer a shorter program period within the allowed date range.”
Windows Vista Home Premium purchasers will get a free upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium, the site says. Windows Vista Business users will get an upgrade to Windows 7 Professional. And users who buy PCs running Windows Vista Ultimate starting July 1 will get a free upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate.
(I asked Microsoft for comment on the information on the Tech ARP site on the Win 7 Tech Guarantee program. No word back so far.)
Update: A statement delivered ia a spokesperson: “We often explore options with our partners for how we offer products, but we have nothing to announce at this time.”
Customers will receive the free Windows 7 updates some time after Windows 7 becomes generally available — a date not mentioned in the Tech ARP posting (and probably also not in the Microsoft documentation, given how tight-to-the-vest Microsoft is continuing to be with its Windows 7 ship schedule).
Some time in calendar Q3 2009 seems to be the new whisper date for Windows 7 release-to-manufacturing. Microsoft is STILL saying early 2010 is the official RTM target. Sigh.
January 6th, 2009
Another Microsoft watcher joins Microsoft
IT market watcher Peter O’Kelly has joined a number of other former industry analysts who’ve taken the Red Pill and joined Microsoft over the past few years.
O’Kelly — a former Burton Group analyst who, more recently, was a self-employed IT watcher — announced on his blog on January 5 that he had decided to become a Microsoft employee. According to O’Kelly, whose first day on the new job was yesterday:
“I have joined a new Microsoft team focused on enterprise collaboration optimization (i.e., communication, collaboration, and information architecture, for large organizations).”
O’Kelly is part of the Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) organization, according to company officials. It sounds from his description like SharePoint will figure into his new responsibilities in some way.
O’Kelly hinted in his blog post that some of his former IT analyst colleagues also are part of his new collaboration team. O’Kelly didn’t name any names or provide further details on exactly what the new team will do.
Looks like the Softies are still hiring, in spite of predictions of mass firings… at least for now.
January 5th, 2009
Microsoft reorg season begins: Muglia gets the presidential nod
A year ago, I wondered when and whether Microsoft would make Bob Muglia, head of the company’s Server and Tools business, one of the company’s presidents.
On January 5, 2009, that happened. Muglia is now President of Server and Tools (not of the overall Windows business, as I had speculated originally). The other two Microsoft presidents are Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices unit, and Stephen Elop, President of Microsoft’s Business Division.
It’s just the start of Microsoft reorg season. Stay tuned. With all of the ongoing talk of consolidation, perhaps we’ll see a new Microsoft corporate structure take shape….
Today’s e-mail from CEO Steve Ballmer to the troops:
From: Steve Ballmer
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2009 2:52 PM
To: Server and Tools Business - FTEs
Cc: Executive Staff
Subject: Bob Muglia Promoted to President, Server & Tools BusinessThe core of our success at Microsoft has always been great people—people who combine talent, drive, vision, customer focus, and leadership. These are the qualities that enable us to see our opportunities clearly and pursue them with persistence and discipline.
Few people at Microsoft embody these qualities more fully than Bob Muglia, and few people have contributed more to the company’s success. So today, I am pleased to share the news that Bob has been promoted to President of Microsoft’s Server & Tools Business.
As senior vice president of STB, Bob has established Microsoft as the industry leader in providing great server products to companies of all sizes and in delivering the tools that enable developers and IT pros to build optimized solutions for their customers and companies. In the process, he has helped build a remarkably successful business that has grown from virtually nothing a decade ago to more than $13 billion in FY08. Today, STB accounts for more than 20 percent of the company’s total revenue.
More than that, Bob has built a culture of getting things done and done right. He has championed some of our most important initiatives and helped us successfully face some of our most important competitive challenges.
Bob joined Microsoft 21 years ago, in January of 1988. I can think of no better way to acknowledge the importance of his contribution over the last two decades than to extend my congratulations to him for his new title. As always, I look forward to continuing to work closely with Bob to drive further growth for STB and the entire company.
Steve
January 5th, 2009
It takes a lot to dismantle an Empire
Despite lots of wishful thinking by Microsoft haters, Microsoft won’t be destroyed in a day.
When I read analysts, customers, bloggers, partners and others prematurely dancing on Microsoft’s grave because of a loss of a half percent of market share here or a customer loss there, I want to remind them that there is a long legacy — and lots of layers of fat — protecting Microsoft from annihilation. This isn’t a Microsoft apologist talking; it’s a Microsoft realist.
Take the rumor of 15,000-person layoffs that first percolated on Mini-Microsoft’s blog before Christmas. (And keeps re-percolating, thanks to a number of sites like Fudzilla.)
It’s not far-fetched to think the Softies will be doing some belt-tightening and cost-cutting in these harsh economic times; in fact, in late 2008, the company already was putting the squeeze on new hires in a number of business units.
Microsoft is trying to present itself to customers as a solid bet in uncertain times… as the lower-cost, higher-volume producer which can withstand turbulent market conditions. Laying off thousands of people might make Wall Street watchers happy, but it would send some very negative signals to Microsoft’s partners and customers.
Think this through. Microsoft has a LOT of ways it can trim expenses without actually laying off any of its 90,000+ employees. I’m not advocating that the company do any of these things, but technically, CEO Steve Ballmer & Co. could:
- Cut loose the hundreds of contractors who work across the various divisions at the company
- Consolidate product groups, phasing out less successful projects
- Allow natural attrition to take its course
- Slow hiring, especially in divisions that have been growing like wildfire
- Tighten up the company’s traditionally liberal travel policies
If these cost-cutting measures didn’t go far enough to appease the scorecard-happy bean counters and Wall Street analysts, Microsoft could institute a myriad of other unpopular measures before having to conduct mass layoffs. Again, I am not suggesting the company do any of these things, but it could eliminate Pro healthclub membership benefits; require employees to chip in for their healthcare costs; raise cafeteria prices; and maybe even charge for those wifi-enabled Connector bus rides. (If you think the Softies screamed bloody murder over losing their free towels a couple years ago, think what they’d do if any of these changes were instituted!)
Acknowledging that Microsoft has built some high walls and deep moats around the Redmond fortress doesn’t mean I think the company can’t and won’t ever be toppled. Microsoft has made and is still making a lot of mistakes. It is subject to the same economic forces as every company in the tech sector. But it’s going to take a lot longer to dismantle a company that $60 billion in revenues last year and that has insulated itself with tens of thousands of surrounding partners and customers, than it will to wipe out the whole Web 2.0 playing field.
So might Microsoft announce layoffs this month before the company unveils its second quarter FY 2009 earnings on January 22? Anything’s possible. But if it happens, I’ll be very surprised. What about you?
January 5th, 2009
Macs vs. PCs: Is it still a ‘tax’ if users happily pay a premium?
It’s the eve of MacWorld Expo and Microsoft officials are out talking up the idea of the “Apple tax” again.
The Windows team last mentioned the Apple tax concept during Microsoft’s Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in late October. Then, as now, the Softies’ contention is that Apple’s higher prices — coupled with fewer natively ported apps — is making Macs less appealing to customers and partners.
“Apple had an excellent ride through October, but Windows is turning the corner now,” Brad Brooks, the Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Windows Consumer Marketing, told me during a phone interview on January 5.
Brooks hinted that new market data which will go public during the Consumer Electronics Show later this week will prove Microsoft’s claims. But he had no numbers to share today. Microsoft also is touting this week a chart that it plans to update once Apple makes any new MacWorld announcements that is designed to show that Windows PCs best Apple systems at every price point in terms of cost and functionality, Brooks said.
(Click on the chart below to see Microsoft’s Apple Tax spec sheet.)
To my mind, there are a couple of key questions here. First, when — if ever — will Apple’s user base object to paying a premium? When you ask Mac users why they willingly shell out hundreds of dollars more for their systems — knowing full-well that some of the software they might want to run isn’t available for Macs — their answers run the gamut. I’ve heard everything from “I just want no parts of Microsoft,” to “Macs are more secure and easy-to-use,” to “an iMac looks way cooler sitting on my new coffee table than any PC would.”
Will there be a point when these reasons won’t justify the costs? What will happen once Apple attempts to grow its user base beyond the unquestioning, loyal core to include folks who will look at things like dollars and cents as being more important than a recessed plug?
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