Microsoft's launch party videos have proven to be entertaining to viewers even if not for the reasons for the marketing department had hoped for. There were a great many comments on my post that provided context to their release, but generally speaking most industry-watchers have been confused as to the goals behind the program, questioning the target audience not just for the videos, but for the launch parties as well.
I reached out to Microsoft for comment but they withheld at this time as the videos are apparently just one step in a much larger integrated marketing campaign.
I personally found the most recent video weird, but after thinking through things a bit I think this is a case of a good idea hampered by poor execution. The videos are well-done and professional and try to connect with consumers in a humanistic tone. The fact that it feels like you stumbled into a shiny-happy Windows world filled with sit-com throwaways is the problem. Even if this is a training video to show others how to throw a launch party, it's hard to connect with the vapid characterizations of party guests.
This is the crux of Microsoft's marketing problems. It's not that they aren't good at technical marketing issues, it's that the brand itself is so voluminous, it's very hard for people to connect to specific products like Windows. And the efforts to persuade consumers isolate the tech media and confuse IT shops.
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MySpace today announced a new open-source project called Qizmt, a distributed computation framework developed by its data mining team.
Qizmt is based on the MapReduce distributed processing framework, well-known as a core part of Google's search indexing infrastructure. Qizmt, however, runs on large clusters of Microsoft Windows servers, an interesting sidebar to a computing style we most commonly associate with commodity Linux machines.
MapReduce is a programming model and an associated implementation for processing and generating large data sets. Users specify a map function that processes a key/value pair to generate a set of intermediate key/value pairs, and a reduce function that merges all intermediate values associated with the same intermediate key.
I spoke with Java architect and distributed systems expert Eugene Ciurana about MapReduce and he contends that "indexing large amounts of unstructured data is a difficult task regardless of the technologies involved. MapReduce provides a simple, elegant solution for data processing in parallelized systems."
As more sites move to manage large data sets, the uptake of frameworks like MapReduce and projects like Hadoop is sure to grow. And along with the growth of the data is the growth of the market opportunity. Open source is a great way to expand and enlarge the adoption curve as users figure out the best way to use these new tools.
Qizmt is currently being used in the MySpace "People You May Know" feature, and will soon expand to user recommendations and other new areas.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom.
Just when it seemed like Microsoft was content to bag on Google and Apple, screenshots of anti-Linux training materials hit the Internet a few days ago. If these are fakes, someone certainly spent a lot of time making them look and sound a lot like previous Microsoft training materials.
According to the anonymous source, Microsoft has been sending Best Buy retail staff training material that deliberately attacks and distorts Linux. And from the screenshots below (originally posted on Overclock.net forum) it's clear Microsoft is threatened by Linux--if for the wrong reasons.
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Lest you think that Netbooks are dead, Sharp is out with the PC-Z1, released under the "NetWalker" brand in Japan.
Running an Ubuntu Linux derivative, several sites have compared the PC-Z1 to the fabled Sharp Zaurus.
Ubuntu is a logical choice for Netbooks and other low-cost consumer devices. Besides being highly customizable, the open-source aspect really helps. Companies can tweak the operating system to meet their needs without having to be burdened with licensing fees. But having owned a 7" Asus Eee PC for more than a year, I can safely opine that Netbooks are not all they are cracked up to be. Between the challenging keyboard and questionable battery life, their utility varies between models and user styles.
Gizmodo doesn't think that this is a Netbook, but at this point, the whole category is so confusing, I can't figure what you're supposed to call it. (An extra batch of pictures of the PC-Z1 is available at Akihabara News.)
Odds are, you are better off with a smartphone, unless you really love this form factor or have very tiny hands for the very tiny keyboard. I find it hard to imagine people lugging these around as their main machine. Nonetheless, Sharp has raised the bar with better boot time and a claimed a 10-hour battery life. According to its release Thursday:
The PC-Z1 features a quick-launch function (approx. 3 seconds) similar to mobile phones, enabling users to conveniently check e-mail while on the road. Also, a long battery running time (approximately 10 hours) allows users to fully enjoy net services, such as videos or blogs.
The high-resolution, 5-inch touch-screen LCD enables intuitive touch operation while the full keyboard provides for comfortable text input. Additionally, in business settings, users can create documents, spreadsheets, presentation materials, etc., and edit them stress-free.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom.
The Linux Foundation recently released an updated study of Linux development statistics that reveals interesting statistics relating to who actually writes the kernel that allows others to build on top.
More than 70 percent of total kernel contributions come from developers working at large companies including obvious participants like Red Hat, IBM, Novell, and Intel as well as other less obvious small companies such as Parallels.
- Red Hat: 12.3%
- IBM: 7.6%
- Novell: 7.6%
- Intel: 5.3%
- Independent consultant: 2.5%
- Oracle: 2.4%
- Linux Foundation: 1.6%
- SGI 1.6%
- Parallels 1.3%
- Renesas Technology: 1.3%
- Academia: 1.2%
- Fujitsu: 1.1%
- MontaVista: 1.1%
- MIPS Technologies: 1.1%
- Analog Devices: 1.0%
- HP: 1.0%
Another interesting fact is the rate of development and constant refactoring of the kernel code. An average of 10,923 lines of code are added with an average of 5,547 lines removed every day, ensuring that the code is high quality and relevant for the most important implementations of the kernel.
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Despite all the hype associated with a never-ending Linux versus Windows battle, it's Unix, and specifically Sun Solaris that has felt the most pressure in the server operating system landscape.
While I doubt that Solaris will completely languish long-term under Oracle's watchful eye (in fact, it may well flourish), there is little question that Sun's ups and downs in the recent past have made customers look to alternatives.
At a recent IBM analyst meeting, Inna Kuznetsova, director, Linux strategy, told attendees that the Linux business is strong and growing.
- In the past three years, over 1,800 customers have migrated from competitive platforms to IBM, and nearly 50 percent of those IBM wins included Linux.
- IBM doubled their number of Sun customer wins between first quarter and second quarter 2009.
Much of the growth comes from IBM's close relationship with Red Hat, which allows IBM to play all sides of the fence in terms of OS suggestions to their customers.
This comes at a time when Novell has decided to invest further into OpenSUSE, adding full-time staff to the project team. As The Register noted, it's a bit shocking that it's taken this long for Novell to properly fund the effort, but it seems like an obvious time to take advantage of the market opportunity as Solaris and OpenSolaris are potentially on the ropes.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom.
(Credit:
Red Hat)
Red Hat recently posted an interesting case study on how retail giant The Gap moved from a Unix and Windows based e-commerce infrastructure to one based on Red Hat Linux with support for Microsoft's Active Directory via LikeWise, a product that improves the management and interoperability of Windows and Linux systems.
According to the case study, "Gap Inc. Direct needed to revamp its entire end-to-end business technology platform--from the customer-facing front-end system, to the back-end order management application, to the business tools that supported the company's long-term growth strategy."
Platform growth and adding new features were key to the underlying infrastructure and the ability to integrate a heterogeneous environment was the other major hurdle that needed to be addressed. Positive ROI was an added bonus.
"The ROI (return on investment) of the Red Hat-Likewise solution is hundreds of thousands of dollars annually once you add the hardware and software savings to the reduced costs of manually auditing our systems. Likewise Enterprise's compliance enhancements allowed us to expand our use of Red Hat Enterprise Linux," said Jeff Arcuri, senior manager, IT for Gap Inc. Direct.
I'm sure there are many Red Hat Linux wins to be touted, just as Microsoft would happily tell you about their customer successes. What's interesting here is that Red Hat is actively telling a story that includes a diverse environment and not pushing a myopic, single vendor view of the enterprise.
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom.
The Linux Foundation is now offering membership to individuals that support the cause. Your support goes a long way in enhancing, promoting and protecting Linux for generations to come and your membership connects you with the information, tools and events needed to advance your career and stay current with the platform.
Linux Foundation Benefits:
- Your own Linux.com email address with forwarding service. Since this is a new service, new users will have a chance to grab a nice alias.
- A weekly Linux.com "Briefing Book" with news, technical tips, and analysis to keep you ahead of the curve.
- 30% off of Linux Foundation LinuxCon 2009 standard registration fees.
- 20% Discount on registration fees for Linux Foundation Training. This can save you (or your company) a lot of money.
- A Free Linux Foundation T-shirt so we can showcase your OS of choice at your next company meeting (or at the grocery store, the beach, Presidential news conferences, the Super Bowl, etc.)
Partner Discounts:
- 35% of O'Reilly Books and E-Books
- 20% Off O'Reilly's Open Source Convention (OSCON)
- 35% of No Starch Press Publications
- 15% off Subscription to Linux Journal
- 15% off Neuros Technologies NeurosLink. The Neuros LINK allows you to watch internettv (Hulu, Youtube) as well as downloads on your TV using Linux.
- 50% off Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE)
- $10 off every $40 order on Thinkgeek (excluding shipping and taxes)
Link: Linux Foundation membership sign-up page.
How soon until we see an @linux.com email address blackmarket?
Follow me on Twiter @daveofdoom
In case you were concerned that Linux didn't have enough of a presence in pop culture, you can now read English translations of Ubunchu, a Japanese Manga comic series about three students in a sys admin club who are getting into Ubuntu.
I await the episode where Mark Shuttleworth flies his open-source spaceship to Japan to meet the students.
Via BoingBoing
Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom
CNET News' Ina Fried reported on Wednesday morning about a new version of Windows geared toward very small businesses.
Unlike Windows Small Business Server, which comes bundled with applications, Windows Server 2008 Foundation "is only the operating system and is aimed at single-processor servers with fewer than 15 users."
I have to wonder what the point is. If Microsoft really wants small businesses to get addicted to Windows Server, the offering should be free (like Linux), or provide some kind of cloud connection services as more small business reduce reliance on on-site IT.
Perhaps a better idea would be for Microsoft to create an on-premise SMB server product that simply acts as a proxy to its online services, such as Hotmail and Live Search, and provides some kind of local or remote storage. That way, users wouldn't have to upgrade hardware or software, and Microsoft would have them locked into its cloud services.
In my nearly 15 years of IT experience, I've never seen a server that didn't eventually have to be upgraded--especially Windows servers. Think back a few years, to the advent of Active Directory, and remind yourself that you not only had to upgrade your software, but also your hardware and CALs.
Small businesses need to be wary of things that sound too good to be true. Windows Server 2008 Foundation doesn't come close to what you can get for free in every Linux distribution.
April Fools?
