Microsoft
What Microsoft Should Improve with Windows Blue/8.1
By now you’ve heard that Microsoft plans to release significant changes to Windows in time for Christmas. Without giving specifics Tami Reller, the head of marketing and finance for the Windows business, told the Financial Times that ‘key aspects’ of how the software is used will be changed.” The update is codenamed Windows Blue and according to Tami Reller, it’s a significant upgrade but falls short of a full release, so it will be free to customers who have already purchased Windows… continue…
Adobe’s Creative Cloud Illustrates How the Cloud Costs You
Adobe’s Creative Cloud Illustrates How the Cloud Costs You (via slashdot) Adobe plans on focusing the bulk of its software-development efforts on its Creative Cloud offering, with no plans to further update its “boxed” Creative Suite products. The move isn’t surprising, considering the tech industry’s general movement toward the cloud over the past few years; nonetheless… continue…
Interview Questions for SharePoint Architects
Though many job postings refer to “SharePoint Developer/Architects,” the two roles require different skills and responsibilities. When you’re interviewing, you have to be able to address the differences. Sam Sabel, guide of the Dice SharePoint Talent Community, previously contributed interview questions for SharePoint developers. Here, he poses questions for architects, based on SharePoint 2010. How would you a set up SharePoint farm for our 800 active users? What would the network topography look like? What most people say: “We can… continue…
From the Buzz, Piecing Together the Xbox 720
By Scott Bowers Microsoft has announced that the date of the “Xbox Reveal” will be at a special event on May 21. This is the first official announcement from them regarding their new upcoming console. But just because Microsoft’s not saying a lot about the upcoming Xbox 720 – code-named “Durango” — doesn’t mean gamers are in a wait-and-see mood. After all, if nature fills vacuums, then the gaming community argues rumors. And so many rumors have been floating around… continue…
Microsoft Plans a Hollow Start Button for Windows 8
Microsoft will restore the Start button to Windows 8, though it won’t lead to a Start menu as previous versions did. Instead, the button, which will look like Windows 7’s version, will take users to the Windows 8 Start screen, according to the Verge. At ZDNet, Mary Jo Foley says the button supposedly wasn’t originally part of the Windows build, but is indeed looking more likely. Here’s the thing: A Start button that doesn’t include a menu is disingenuous. It… continue…
Windows 8 Partially Responsible for PC Implosion: IDC
Windows 8 Partially Responsible for PC Implosion: IDC (via slashdot) PC shipments are tumbling into the basement, and IDC partially blames Windows 8. The research firm estimated worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter of 2013 at 76.3 million units, down 13.9 percent from the same quarter in 2012. It was the worst quarter in IDC’s 19 years of tracking the PC market… continue…
Interview Questions for SharePoint Developers
Microsoft SharePoint’s value isn’t about ease of development, but empowering users to manage their content effectively. And because it’s so widely used, the skills needed to implement and maintain the platform come at a premium. (SharePoint skills rank No. 7 on Dice’s list of the most difficult tech positions to fill.) One complicating factor is that many job postings seek a “SharePoint Developer/Architect,” even though those are roles with different functions and responsibilities. It’s a common situation that SharePoint professionals… continue…
Failing Over an Entire Data Center: No Biggie
Failing Over an Entire Data Center: No Biggie (via slashdot) Racks of servers in a shipping container can quickly add to a data-center’s computing capacity. And according to Microsoft, they can also help out with reliability. David Gauthier, Microsoft’s director of data center architecture and design, described in a blog post how the containerized design… continue…
Microsoft Considering Smaller Windows 8 Tablets
Microsoft Considering Smaller Windows 8 Tablets (via slashdot) Microsoft might want a piece of the mini-tablet market. Earlier in March, Microsoft lowered the minimum screen resolution for Windows 8 tablets, from 1,366 x 768 pixels to 1024 x 768 pixels. “This doesn’t imply that we’re encouraging partners to regularly use a lower screen resolution,” the… continue…
Windows Blue Shows Microsoft Doubling Down on “Modern” UI
Windows Blue Shows Microsoft Doubling Down on “Modern” UI (via slashdot) Ever since Windows 8 launched last year, a number of users have complained about its Start screen, which features a grid of colorful tiles linked to applications. They don’t want to tap (or click) one of those tiles to access the “traditional” desktop; they didn’t want Microsoft to fix something… continue…
Alice Hill
C.S. Magor
Cat Miller
David Brumbaugh
David Chie
Dawn Kawamoto
Don Willmott
Elisabeth Greenbaum Kasson
Gayle Laakmann McDowell
Lekan Oguntoyinbo
Leslie Stevens-Huffman
M Noivad
Mark Feffer
nick kolakowski
Stephen Lahanas
Susan Hall
Vincent Chow
