Get outspoken insights and expert advice on the products and companies that define today's tech landscape, from a source who knows these technologies inside and out.
Ed Bott is an award-winning technology writer with more than two decades' experience writing for mainstream media outlets and online publications.
What happens when a Microsoft blogger tries to explain a complex technical topic without the help of a team of editors or experienced technical writers? What happens when the author is a Microsoft employee, and the blog represents the official word from a major development team? The results can be unfortunate, as one unsophisticated user found out when he ran into an IE7 setup bug.
All I wanted was to find out whether I need to download the latest update for Media Center 2005. Instead, I tumbled down the Windows Update rabbit hole and found myself in a land where even the update rollups have update rollups. Does the process of naming, organizing, and delivering updates make any sense?
The conventional wisdom says Microsoft is making the biggest marketing blunder since New Coke by introducing a confusing mish-mash of Windows Vista versions. Nonsense. I took Microsoft's five-page feature table (which looks like a graduate thesis from the Rube Goldberg School of Business) and distilled it into a simple matrix that's not the least bit confusing.
Which version of Windows Vista will work best for you and your organization? I've gone through each version, feature by feature, and made a list of which features are available only in specific Vista versions. This article, the conclusion of a two-part series, includes advanced networking features and system administration tools that will be especially interesting to IT professionals in charge of enterprise networks.
Which version of Windows Vista will work best for you and your organization? I've gone through each version, feature by feature, and made a list of which features are available only in specific Vista versions. This article, first in a two-part series, includes end-user features such as Windows Media Center, the Aero interface, backup, and encryption.
One of the patches included with this week's updates from Microsoft causes a change in behavior to some web pages. Judging by the commentary, the web must be pretty fragile. Apparently, one click is enough to bring it to its knees.
Microsoft has just posted a comprehensive product guide to Windows Vista. It's packed with interesting information, including a feature matrix that explains what's in each Windows Vista version. Here's why you shouldn't read it.
Most of the time, an operating system should be invisible. It should do its work behind the scenes and not get in your face.
Years ago, IBM tried to sell OS/2 with the tagline "a better Windows than Windows." They failed, because it simply wasn't true. But Apple has the opportunity to succeed where IBM failed. Just look past Boot Camp.
No, Microsoft is not throwing in the towel on malware. The basic principles of security are the same as ever: Prevent untrusted software from getting on your computers and on your network. If a bad guy can convince you to install an untrusted program that alters your operating system, it's not your computer anynore.