nothing but .NET – things are changing fast…
This is going to be a short one, and probably of most interest to that portion
of my readership who lives and works in the tech sector, though there are some
gems out there for those of you who just want to know all about what shapes
my days.
Whistler
Microsoft’s "whistler" operating system is out in beta, and looking
really good. Whistler is the upgrade to Windows2000 and WindowsME that plans
to (finally!) bring the low and high end of Microsoft’s operating systems together.
If you don’t know what I mean, read on…
WindowsME
grew out of Windows98 grew
out of Windows95 grew out
of Windows 3.1 and so on back into history. Given the compatibility issues they
had to work with the buys at Redmond did an amazing job bringing the operating
system up to date – adding power and stability to a system that was built on
pretty shaky ground. Meanwhile, Windows2000
grew out of WindowsNT
– a total rewrite years back of Windows aimed at business users.
The problem was simple, there was no easy way to merge those two operating
systems. Drivers for devices, to name one issue, was radically different as
was the basic security system. Windows2000 was almost the unifying
force but at the last moment it seemed Microsoft veered away and put out WindowsME
– deciding people were not quite ready. I didn’t agree at the time – but they
might be right after all.
Anyway, if you want more information on the Windows OS that you will be using
soon, go take a look at any of these:
- About.com – Exclusive! Guided Tour of the Next Windows [link]
- SuperSite for Windows – Introducing the Whistler Preview, Build 2250 [link]
- CNET’s Sneak Peek at Microsoft’s Upcoming, All-in-One OS [link]
e-utopia
Bill Gates takes an incredible amount of abuse for being greedy – hell, basically
just for being richer than God. But, the man happens to be one of the largest
charitable workers in human history. A crying shame, but there you have it ๐
Recently Bill
spoke at the "Creating Digital Dividends" conference in D.C. –
a conference that seems to be composed of people thinking that the biggest problem
facing the third world is whether or not they can play Quake on the internet.
As usual, Bill had a fairly strong response:
|
“Let’s be serious. Let’s be serious,” Gates said, sparring with moderator Scott Shuster , a Business Week editor. “Do people have a clear view of what it means to live on $1 a day? … There are things those people need at that level other than technology. … About 99 percent of the benefits of having (a PC) come when you’ve provided reasonable health and literacy to the person who’s going to sit down and use it.” … “There’s no electricity in that house. None. Is someone creating computers that don’t require electricity?” – full text |
bend over, grease up
As we all know, the ‘dotcom’ world is going through an incredible amount of
stress as the shake out occurs. Let’s face it a lot of completely stupid companies
got money – and a lot of incredibly
good firms didn’t get any. Well,t here is a whole industry springing up
around keeping track of the companies that bite it… head
on over and check it out!
bitter, bitter, bitter
Over at Netslaves
you will find an almost endless parade of posts and articles from people who
have been laid off from failed dotcoms. There is some good information there
but 99% of it is simply a lot if whining and bitching from those who don;t really
seem to understand the industry we are in.
When someone working at a startup company starts looking for laws to back up
their assertion that they should only work 48 hours a week you should probably
fire them – unionization rallies cannot be far behind.
On the other hand, you find some real gems… but beware, the bitterness is
rampant there too.
| "We have not achieved profitability and expect to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future. We incurred net losses of 62.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2000, 93.0 million for the year ended December 31, 1999 and 43.7 million for the year ended December 31, 1998. As of June 30, 2000 and December 31, 1999, our accumulated deficit was 255.3 million and 192.9 million, respectively. We expect to continue to incur significant operating and capital expenditures and, as a result, we will need to generate significant revenues to achieve and maintain profitability." – full text |
iam – incredibly cute
Speaking of dotcom’s that look like they will be dead sometime soon, iam.com
occasionally redeems itself with something worth surfing
on over too.
Ah well… thats about it for now – I have got to get back to work!