Getting settled in...

If you followed me over here from Ed Bott's Windows Expertise, you probably have a good idea what to expect from me. I've been writing books, magazine articles, and online commentary about Microsoft for more than a decade (Windows XP Inside Out, Second Edition is a good place to start). I've worked for dead-tree media (PC World and PC Computing) and online publications (About.com and TechRepublic, to name two). If you've never read my stuff before, here's what I'll probably spend a lot of pixels writing about here:

• Windows, of course. With a special emphasis on Windows Vista.
• Microsoft application software, with a special emphasis on Microsoft Office. (No, it's not dead.)
• Windows security software.
• SmartPhones, portable media players, Tablet PCs, and just about any other kind of gadget that has a connection to Windows.
• Digital media, especially the features in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
• Whatever else strikes me as amusing and vaguely related to the Microsoft system.

I'm not a financial analyst or a stock-picker, so don't expect much if any commentary on MSFT's stock price or the latest quarterly results. And I'm strictly a Windows guy, so I try to stay away from OS food fights ... although sometimes it's just irresistible.

Got a topic you want me to talk about? Windows or Microsoft questions? Send them to ed-zdnet@edbott.com. I can't promise to give a personal answer, but I welcome thought-provoking questions and comments and read every one.

Oh, and I haven't abandoned edbott.com. I'll still be posting observations, tips, and other short items there. Look for news and more substantial commentary here at ZDNet.

Coming up soon: Closer looks at security features in Windows Vista, some observations about the growing pains of Microsoft's new transparency, and some thoughts on the latest generation of security software.