The most recent articles from Computing

Microsoft places its bet on lucky seven

Computing — 2008-11-06T06:45:00.000Z

Computing, Computing, Thursday 6 November 2008 at 06:45:00

Will Windows 7 be good enough to redeem Microsoft after the disappointment of Vista?

Microsoft simply has to get things right this time.

The early buzz around Windows 7, the next version of the software giant’s most important product, seems to have been positive. This is just as well, since Vista proved to be such a huge disappointment among business users.

Microsoft may have touted impressive sales for the most recent version of Windows, but much of that seems to have come from the inevitable purchases from consumers, most of whom have little choice but to use the system pre-loaded on their home PCs.

Among enterprise users, Vista adoption has been something of a damp squib. Companies whose regular refresh cycle and software licensing deals made a Vista upgrade relatively inexpensive and timely were probably the only ones to make the jump.

Certainly Vista offers few advantages over Windows XP in terms of business benefits. A whizzy new interface that hardly anyone uses because it is so resource-intensive and better multimedia features are not top of the list for many IT managers. And given the problems with application compatibility that many people experienced, it just became an upgrade that IT departments could do without.

Microsoft says it has listened to the criticism, and Windows 7 is the result. The emphasis at first glance seems to be more on business productivity and easier manageability.

But looking further ahead, what will Windows 8 be like and will it even exist, other than as a minor functional upgrade? Critics point to the unwieldy nature of the product, and the fast-growing code base is at odds with the trend to strip complexity out of the user device be it PC, laptop or mobile and put more of the applications on the web.

The newly named Azure, a cloud computing infrastructure, gives perhaps the best idea of where Windows will go in the future, as a hybrid PC/cloud environment.

But for Microsoft to ensure the continued commitment of enterprise users to Windows in the long term, it simply has to be lucky seven this time.

Top 10 best features found in laptop computers

Computing staff — 2008-10-24T10:42:00.000Z

Computing staff, Computing, Friday 24 October 2008 at 10:42:00

If you can buy a computer carved out of a block of metal, you can buy one to do anything. Almost. We look at the top 10 claims for laptop quality

With the recent release of the new Apple MacBook Air, which is apparently crafted out of a single block of metal, we've decided to have a look about for some other impressive sounding laptops.

If you have a niche requirement such as: "I only want a laptop that is carved from a piece of aluminium", then this is the place to look. The products below are neat devices that could get you out of a spot of bother - whether that is at the oversized baggage counter, or on the top of a cliff in a heavy downpour. Here you will find laptops that can stand falling off desks; laptops that could save the planet; and notebooks that can survive the British weather.

Which is the toughest?

Is the Panasonic Toughbook the toughest notebook? It certainly looks like it. Not only does it look like a briefcase that could withstand a bomb blast, but it can stand a fall of almost a metre. We think that this means that it could fall off the top of Jeanette Krankie's head without breaking. Disturbingly, the web site has a picture of an elephant stamping on one (a Toughbook, that is, not a Krankie). We presume that this is to demonstrate its toughness, rather than the fact that one disgruntled user happens to be an elephant.

Which is the most waterproof?

On its web site Getac shows its notebooks being exposed to a multi-directional shower - putting us in mind of certain other online videos that you wouldn’t find on our site. It certainly looks waterproof, everything is sealed and the water just runs off the keyboard. Unless they are prepared to send one in, we can't say whether it would withstand a large dose of cider, and at almost £5000 you could not call it a drop in the ocean either.

Which is the thinnest?

There is a lot of competition here, but the aforementioned MacBook Air is so thin it is almost not there. According to Apple it is almost as thin as your index finger which is presumably the digit that Apple chief Steve Jobs sticks in the air in the direction of his competitors - at least those competitors that might be as slim, but only get a thin slice of the sales pie. But really, how thin is too thin? Do you actually want to lose your laptop down a crack in the pavement?

Which laptop is most likely to be used to save the world?

The fact that an Apple iBook in the film Independence Day was used to send a computer virus to marauding aliens prompted blog comments such as: "Are the aliens using RS-232, or USB 1 or 2, or maybe Firewire. Maybe Ethernet or maybe Token Ring. I can't believe the aliens would use our physical interface specifications." Of course, we believe everything the former Fresh Prince says or does. Speaking of the Prince, his song Boom, Boom Shake the Room reminds us that the next entrant is:

Which laptop is least likely to blow itself up?

A tough choice this one, quite a few vendors have been forced to withdraw their devices following battery-based explosive incidents. In this case it was made even harder by the fact that our own piece of equipment decided to turn itself into an incendiary device during the research process. Feel free to contribute your own experiences so we can compile a definitive list.

Which is the most powerful?

CompAmerica appears to lay claim to the title of most powerful laptop. It's Orca Extreme is certainly pretty consistently harpooned by our researchers. Although the firm has given itself a name that surely is the first out of the end of a screenwriter's fingertips, it actually calls itself the best little computer company in the world. Which is nice. When it comes to the Orca Extreme in question, it's specifications are anything but little.

Which is the most expensive?

The Ego notebook is surely a major contender here, and cream of the crop is its Bentley model. The laptop is clad in Bentley leather and stamped with the iconic Bentley logo. It even has what looks like a Bentley door handle on it. There are only 250 in the world, and it will most likely set you back £10,000. Still, at least its never going to get you a parking ticket.

Which laptop really should never have been lost?

Is the Ministry of Defence’s infamous lost laptop the most inappropriate device to find itself in the wrong hands? Possibly. Unfortunately, we are loathe to write too much about government bodies and their laptops in case they start investigating us. And we would hate to find our personal information falling into the wrong hands.

Which has the strangest keyboard?

Sony has a Vaio with the snappy title VGC-LJ25L, that looks the least like a laptop out of all the ones we've seen so far. Sure, it has a 15.4in wide display, but below that everything goes a bit odd. Ever specifically wanted a laptop with only half a keyboard? Then this should go at the top of your Christmas list.

Which is most likely to act as a girlfriend repellent?

NEC's Himitsu Kitchi Type No-1, which it co-designed with the toy maker Takara, looks like the ultimate gamer boy’s-toy laptop, which surely can’t ever be seen as a good thing. It looks like something that would fill the centre of a control panel in a tank, and even has an LED message panel and emergency alarm button. If you are on the look out for one, be warned, there were only ever 300 made, which is somewhat less than the number of single guys out there.

IT speeds BA aircraft turnarounds

Angelica Mari — 2008-09-25T06:45:00.000Z

Angelica Mari, Computing, Thursday 25 September 2008 at 06:45:00

Digital pens have cut the time it takes to prepare flights for departure

British Airways (BA) is using digital pen and paper technology to speed up the turnaround time of aircraft landing at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

The tool allows dispatchers to communicate information from airside to the control centre in real time and helps avoid delays.

Following a trial started in April last year, the Anoto-supplied devices were introduced at departures for Heathrow’s terminals Four and One at the end of 2007, and have been used at Terminal Five since its opening in March, as well as Gatwick airport since earlier this year.

BA’s operations head of IT, Neil Clark, said that the technology was introduced to support the newly created role of turnaround manager.

“Managing the aircraft turnaround at an airport such as Heathrow is extremely challenging because of the infrastructure, congestion and other factors that make operation very tight within the timescales that our schedule allows,” said Clark.

“So we needed to have a role in charge of managing that critical area of the business effectively and new technology to support their work.”

With the digital pen system, a built-in infrared camera reads handwritten information and transfers data to the airline’s back-office systems via a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. The information is then made available to the pilot and the dispatch team on a secure web page.

Previously, staff working at departures would need to record information about all the cargo and baggage loaded onto the plane and the location of those items using a manual process.

Workers would then need to find a computer to load the data onto a legacy system that would transmit flight load information to the operations team, a procedure that risked missing take-off slots and incurring fines.

“One of the key benefits of introducing innovation is that while turnaround managers are able to perform their job effectively, they do not need to leave the aircraft’s side during the departure process as all the data is transmitted in real time to our centralised load control,” said Clark.

Why IT is getting greener

Tom Young — 2008-09-18T08:30:00.000Z

Tom Young, Computing, Thursday 18 September 2008 at 08:30:00

New research reveals that energy costs and regulatory pressure are among the main factors driving green IT strategies

Reducing IT energy costs has become the most important factor for companies looking to implement green computing initiatives, according to a survey by analyst Forrester Research.

Extending the lifecycle of hardware and regulatory compliance were also cited by IT leaders as important motivators, but cutting power consumption is very much the primary driver.

“Cost savings are always going to be the focus of any big change programme within IT,” said Forrester analyst Euan Davis.

Some 53 per cent of respondents to the survey of delegates at the Green IT 08 conference earlier this year highlighted reducing energy costs as their main objective.

Respondents pointed to energy saving schemes in a number of areas, but were missing some obvious shortcuts.

Eighty-seven per cent are implementing or exploring server virtualisation, while 83 per cent are looking at storage consolidation.

But while 69 per cent of those surveyed are pursuing improvements in cooling, only 57 per cent are changing their datacentre floor layout which can significantly reduce costs.

Depending on environment, cooling a datacentre can consume more energy than running the computers themselves. A hot aisle/cold aisle layout, coupled with blanking panels and correctly located vented floor tiles can make a big difference, according to Forrester.

Extending the lifecycle of IT assets was the second-highest priority for 41 per cent of respondents, and many IT managers thought they could kill two birds with one stone looking for both efficient and long-lasting hardware.

But Forrester pointed out that savings are not just made in the datacentre. Recent research from The Climate Group found that desktops and related peripherals may consume up to 50 per cent of IT’s total energy use. And companies seem to be catching on.

More than a third of firms 37 per cent have centralised power management systems in place, and a further 10 per cent are considering them. But only 34 per cent have deployed thin client systems, despite the technology being around for some time.

“Thin client is easier to secure, easier to manage and can be up to 25 per cent more energy efficient,” said Davis.

Regulation was another key driver for green IT, with 34 per cent of respondents pursuing green IT to “stay ahead of forthcoming regulations”.

“With a carbon cap-and-trade system coming in, the focus is really going to be on cutting energy use for many companies that are keen to avoid buying too many extra credits,” said Davis.

And the introduction of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) legislation last year seems to have had a major effect on many companies.

Three-quarters of respondents have desktop disposal and recycling policies in place for end-of-life equipment.

But internal initiatives are still more important than external ones, according to blue-chip user group The Corporate IT Forum (Tif). A survey of Tif members in May found that 62 per cent of respondents named corporate social responsibility (CSR) schemes as an important driver towards green IT. Legislation was viewed as being fourth out of seven issues.

Looking to the future - exclusive Michael Dell interview

Martin Courtney — 2008-09-04T05:30:00.000Z

Martin Courtney, Computing, Thursday 4 September 2008 at 05:30:00

Dell's chief executive talks to Computing about the way the company continues to adapt to major changes in the industry

Last year, after a series of corporate problems, Michael Dell returned to the role of chief executive at the company that bears his name. The vendor was subjected to an investigation into its accounting practices by US authorities; it faced criticism over poor customer service; and perhaps most painful of all for its founder, Dell was overtaken by HP as the world’s largest PC supplier.

Computing talked exclusively to Dell about his plans for the future.

What impact is the economic situation having on the company?

Dell has increased its growth rate over the past three quarters, and is growing at more than 1.5 times the industry growth rate. The macro-economic situation creates some challenges, in the financial sector for example, but even here firms still have enormous requirements to process information using servers and storage, and there is good growth in emerging countries as well. Lots of people in emerging countries are going straight from using a mobile phone to using a laptop.

How has Dell changed over the past few years?

Dell used to be focused on cost, but it is moving from a “cost at all costs” model to a value model there are things we can invest in that increase the value of our product quite a lot.

There is a lot still to do in the commercial world, but there is more opportunity to drive success in the consumer and datacentre market. Also, if you ask customers what they know about Dell, they say it makes PCs that big companies buy. In the consumer market, we use personalisation as a differentiator, but no one thing defines the business sector.

Has Dell completely abandoned the direct sales model?

There is now a new relationship with the customer. After 10 years, Dell had used up its direct strategy, so it had to change. The direct business was great for big firms, they like it, but they also like partnerships. Even our competitors rely on some benefits of the direct business model.

Will Dell aim to be more like IBM in terms of a products and services business mix going forward?

It is never good strategy to say, let’s be like this company or that one. It is better to say, let’s meet the needs of the enterprise or consumer customer more effectively, and build the skills to do that, either through acquisition or partnerships, and get the technologies to expand into new areas. Customer loyalty is the foundation of good business.

Why does Dell have a presence in both Facebook and Second Life?

We believe in listening to what people say and now we have big ears backed up by big servers. We have two million customer conversations a year when things go right, we find out faster and if they go wrong we find that out faster too.

What made you return as chief executive in February 2007 after standing down in 2004?

The board asked me to come back as chief executive, but I had not really gone anywhere I still had an office and came in regularly. The company was in need of a clearer strategy and focus. I had been the chief executive for 20 years, so I felt I would make a good candidate. I was happy to do it and things are going pretty well.

Why is Dell closing factories and do you expect to make more job cuts?

We had some excess manufacturing capacity and we needed to make things more efficient. I do not have figures on the job cuts but if employees are creating new products and services, or dealing with customers, we are investing in those areas, but we are not investing in factories.

Dell the company has your family name how do you equate your personal performance with the performance of the firm?

The board of directors asks now and again: “Michael, what happens if you are hit by a truck?” But they know what to do if that happens. I stay away from trucks and I am in good health, but I have talented leaders and special responsibilities. It is an illusion that superstar executives in large companies run everything by themselves.

Where do you see Dell’s growth coming from in the next few years?

After 24 years we are finally at the point where the business outside the US is bigger than it is in the US, and it looks as if it will keep growing. Half the revenue comes from PCs, and the other half from storage, servers and so on, but our growth

is entrepreneurial because we are doing so many new product lines. We do not care if people just want notebooks or desktop PCs or workstations, we can do each just as well.

What will Dell look like in 10 years?

I think the value of predictions drops off beyond three or four years. A 10-year plan is not a good use of thinking time, and we tend to plan more in the three to five-year timeframe. There are significant opportunities for expansion in the enterprise business, new things to do and investments to make in new areas.

Akhter launches green all-in-one PCs

Dave Bailey — 2008-08-27T17:34:00.000Z

Dave Bailey, Computing, Wednesday 27 August 2008 at 17:34:00

Akhter touts energy-efficient hardware to tempt firms aiming to cut power bills

UK computer manufacturer Akhter has launched a range of all-in-one desktop systems, aimed primarily at the business and education market, which it says can consume just 55 Watts, up to a third that of older PCs, whilst using Intel Core 2 Duo processors clocked at 3GHz.

According to Akhter, the new systems, branded LoCO2 PC, comply with the US Energy Star 4.0 benchmark, a joint program set up by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy to standardise energy-efficient products and practices.

"Everyone wants to claim they care about the environment and nobody wants to be seen to be wasting power," said Akhter's marketing manager Geoff Pick. "Our systems can save businesses significant amounts of money."

There are seven models in Akhter's LoCO2 range, from the E1400, running Intel Celeron Dual Core Conroe processors at 2GHz and costing £539 + VAT, to the high-end E8400, running Intel Core 2 Duo Wolfdale processors at 3.0GHz and costing £630 + VAT.

"In a typical office situation, put a LoCO2 in to replace a desktop PC or a Tower and you may save £100 a year per PC. If your office still uses CRT displays, you could save a lot more in a worse-case scenario if they're left on 24 x 7," added Pick.

Pick also pointed out that there were some firms targeting the education market who had Energy Star 4.0-rated systems, but were using processors more energy-efficient than those used in Akhter's new systems, like Intel's Atom. " Some firms are touting Energy Star 4.0 compliance using processors running under 2.0GHz, whilst we've achieved it with 3.0GHz chips."

Pick also gave details on measurements the firm had made on the energy efficiency of Microsoft's Windows operating systems. "Strangely enough, on the lower-end models using relatively older Intel technology, Windows XP appears to be more energy-efficient, whilst on high-end models using newer Intel technology, Vista appears to be more efficient," said Pick.

Dell sets notebook trends to beat off rivals

Martin Courtney — 2008-07-31T09:50:00.000Z

Martin Courtney, Computing, Thursday 31 July 2008 at 09:50:00

Born-again direct sales specialist puts faith in customised notebook design, channel and retail sales

Dell is preparing an assault on the notebook PC market which the company hopes will help it steal a march on rivals such as HP, Lenovo, Acer and Asus by appealing to customers’ sense of style and individuality.

In the next few weeks, Dell will launch a mini-notebook PC running the Linux operating system, a clone of the £200 Asus Eee PC 900 but featuring a larger 8.9in display.

The next six months will see Dell add consumer and business notebooks with personalised casing designs.

It will also focus heavily on emerging markets, where unit sales shipments and revenue growth are fastest, and attempt to reach more customers through an expanded retail presence and channel strategy.

Notebook volumes make up 60 per cent of shipments, reflecting the “pile them high, sell them cheap” strategy deployed by all notebook vendors. Dell expects demand for consumer and small business notebook PCs will continue to escalate in developing markets,.

“Eighty-five per cent of our revenue comes from other sectors [servers, clients, services and storage in partnership with EMC] and we find the business notebook market in developed markets to be more of a steady upgrade cycle,” said Paul Bell, senior vice president and president of Dell Americas.

“The notebook PC market has grown far more quickly than either Gartner or IDC anticipated,” he said.

Dell’s revenues for the first quarter of 2008 grew nine per cent to $16bn (£8bn). Net profit year on year was up just five per cent to $784m (£394m).

Notebooks underpin continued strong PC growth

Janie Davies — 2008-07-21T17:26:00.000Z

Janie Davies, Computing, Monday 21 July 2008 at 17:26:00

PC shipment surge exceeds expectations amid demand for portable devices

Low-cost ultra-portables have contributed to a surge in PC shipment growth, which outperformed expectations with a 24.5 per cent increase for Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the second quarter of 2008.

And notebooks continued to drive overall market growth at more than 53 per cent year-on-year, according to research group IDC. Desktops also performed slightly better than expected at 0.7 per cent.

The market seems to have withstood difficult economic conditions and the near future looks positive, said Karine Paoli, associate vice president for IDC EMEA personal computing research.

"Despite a challenging overall economic environment that has raised concerns throughout the second quarter and on the evolution of spending trends for the rest of the year, the PC market continued to demonstrate strength," she said.

"And several factors inherent in the market itself lead us to remain optimistic for the second half of 2008."

She added: "Businesses may exert spending caution, but replacement activity will continue to take place, and the development of lower-cost offerings."

Icahn tries dealing directly with Microsoft in Yahoo battle

Computing — 2008-07-07T15:23:00.000Z

Computing, Computing, Monday 7 July 2008 at 15:23:00

Talk with Ballmer sees angry shareholder call for ousting of directors board at Yahoo

Dissident Yahoo investor Carl Icahn has issued an open letter to Yahoo shareholders asking them to oust the board, citing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's willingness to negotiate for the company should the board be replaced.

Icahn says he has had several conversations with Ballmer about the situation at Yahoo, "some have lasted as long as an hour."

Icahn's position is backed by Microsoft in an open letter of its own.

In his letter Icahn says: "Much has been said about how badly the Yahoo board has "botched up" negotiations with Microsoft over the past months. There is no need to keep pointing out the mistakes I believe Yahoo made by not immediately taking a $33 offer made by Microsoft. But one thing is clear – Jerry Yang and the board of Yahoo will not be able to "botch up" a negotiation with Microsoft again, simply because they will not have the opportunity. Our company is now moving toward a precipice."

Icahn also attacked the board directly: "According to publicly available information, Google's income from operations grew 59 per cent per year over the last two years, while Yahoo's shrank 21 per cent per year. However, none of the above has caused the Yahoo board to hesitate in paying themselves $10,000 per week. IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE."

Microsoft issued a response to the letter saying: "In the past week, we have had the opportunity to discuss with Carl Icahn the prospects for a possible agreement between Microsoft and Yahoo.

Despite working since 31 January of this year, as well as in the early part of last year, we have never been able to reach an agreement in a timely way on acceptable terms with the current management and Board of Directors at Yahoo. We have concluded that we cannot reach an agreement with them. We confirm, however, that after the shareholder election, Microsoft would be interested in discussing with a new board a major transaction with Yahoo, such as either a transaction to purchase the "search" function with large financial guarantees or, in the alternative, purchasing the whole company."

Ichan ends his letter: "Move expeditiously to replace Jerry Yang with a new CEO with operating experience."

Declining desktop sales force vendor action

Martin Courtney — 2008-06-26T05:00:00.000Z

Martin Courtney, Computing, Thursday 26 June 2008 at 05:00:00

Stagnant desktop PC sales and notebook price pressure force strategy rethink among big suppliers

UK PC vendors face some tough strategy choices as desktop sales decline and lower-cost notebooks erode profit margins, despite the fact that the volume of PCs sold is on the increase.

Figures from analyst Gartner indicate sales of business and consumer desktop PCs in the UK in the first quarter of 2008 declined 15 per cent year on year.

Vendors are seeking ways to offset desktop losses by price cutting to gain market share, streamlining costs in their own supply chains, and tempting customers with greener desktops that emphasise low power consumption.

For example, Lenovo started shipping high-end business workstations to boost its profits earlier this year, and will shortly start selling single and dual-processor servers, using x86 technology licensed from former owner IBM.

“Even if there is decline in desktops, there is still opportunity, and we can enter new markets with products such as servers and workstations,” said Lenovo European president Milko Van Duijl.

“The desktop PC market might be stagnant in many places but 45 million units were sold worldwide, representing a $37bn (£19bn) market. It is still a huge market with lots of potential for differential between competitors,” said Van Duijl.

Gartner estimates combined sales of desktop and notebook PCs in the UK increased by 11 per cent year on year to 3.1 million units in the first quarter of 2008. “The impact of an economic slowdown and the credit crunch has not affected the PC market yet,” said Gartner analyst Ranjit Atwal.

The pIT stop Q&A: Should I move to Windows Vista?

The pIT stop panel — 2008-06-17T18:08:00.000Z

The pIT stop panel, Computing, Tuesday 17 June 2008 at 18:08:00

Computing readers put their IT questions to our expert panel

John Craggs asks the pIT stop panel:

What is the consensus on companies moving to Windows Vista as their main operating system? We have remained with Windows 2000 but need to do something soon and it seems too late to go to XP but a bit early to consider Vista.

The pIT stop panel's replies:

Windows Vista has certainly caused some controversy. The decision can’t be taken in isolation though. I generally look at three factors.

The first is a full application compatibility and support audit, to understand which of your applications are properly supported on Windows Vista and the impact on any third party support agreements that you have.

The second factor is user sentiment. Vista has generated polarised responses and you should understand the current appetite, or otherwise, of your staff for using Windows Vista.

The final factor is the age of your current desktop and laptop fleet, and your plans for these. If you are considering a major upgrade of the hardware estate then Windows Vista can be more readily planned into that. If you’ve no plans to upgrade the hardware estate then you need to carefully calculate the cost of hardware upgrades, driver issues, and so on, and factor this into any decision.

However, the overriding factor is probably your organisation’s attitude towards being an early adopter of new technologies. Ultimately, Vista is still in the early stages of adoption in the market, with early adopters and innovators having taken the plunge. We’ve not yet seen it heading into the early majority and late majority market stages. If you organisation is typically an early adopter then go ahead with Windows Vista, with careful planning, otherwise Windows XP is still a viable technology for the rest of the market.

By David Mitchell, senior vice president of IT research, Ovum

Talk about the longhorns of a dilemma. XP is a good stable operating system, with everything nicely bedded down, but if you chose not to migrate from Windows 2000 (another stable operating system), you’re now two full versions behind the current code base. Vista, for all its teething problems, is going to become a corporate desktop standard. While some major organisations- notably General Motors – are reportedly considering a move straight to Vista’s successor Windows 7, they are currently running XP. If you wanted to do something similar it would mean committing to Windows 2000 for another two to three years at least.

The launch of Vista has been pretty shocking. Microsoft likes to point to the much harder job it needs to do than, say Apple or Linux, because of the “combinatorics” – that is, the fact the software needs to support so many drivers and applications. But changing the driver model in Vista, and not even getting HP on board to offer a seamless experience from day one, smacks of negligence. Microsoft evidently needs to learn the fine art of triage. Many software vendors were also not ready for the new operating system. Complexity is not a sufficient excuse.

An organisation in a similar position to yours needs to ask what it is trying to achieve, and take broader software licensing and strategy issues into account. What applications does the company need - bespoke or packaged? Microsoft’s server products such as SQLServer are excellent, and the wildcard is Sharepoint, which offers a range of internet-style collaboration services. A Software Assurance licensing deal could offer substantive benefits, with a choice of operating system going forward, and the full range of Microsoft Server products, and possibly home-use Office licences if you were considering, say home-working. XP is good, but it’s old news.

By James Governor, co-founder and principal analyst, RedMonk

It might appear, at first glance, that migrating to an operating system that has already been replaced will cost more in the long run and cause more disruption to your users. There may or may not be something in this. But the simple answer here is there is no simple answer; the considerations go beyond the currently-stated support lifespan of the operating system.

To prove the point, during an operating system transition the biggest challenge facing any organisation is backwards compatibility of existing applications, the verification of which is usually ascertained through what is known as regression testing. Therefore, always aim to migrate to the current offering from your preferred vendor.

Related to this is the hardware and driver profile of the deployed hardware. Testing procedures apply here as they do with applications, and the results of hardware and driver compatibility testing in terms of a stable platform image will give you a good idea of the risks involved in the transition.

The other key decision is on the software your organisation needs to run its business, for example, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system such as SAP. Make sure you understand what this software needs in order to execute successfully.

Finally, some operating systems represent a greater change in terms of user experience than might at first be apparent. The risk here is that the migration will create a need for training and transition change management. A lack of planning here may result in a smooth project delivery, but a huge burden in support.

The principles at work in this scenario are the same as when planning a major hardware upgrade, namely compatibility testing, total cost of ownership, as well as management of risk factors associated with change.

By William Crowe, enterprise solution architect, Intel

The increasing complexity of moving from one major version of Windows to another is causing a lot of organisations to rethink not just the timing of the operating system upgrade, but their whole end-user computing strategy.

Many companies have in the past worked on the assumption that they will move forward with software updates in line with their hardware refresh cycle – but the pain of checking compatibility of application software and hardware drivers has increasingly put people off making the move.

At the same time, other factors have emerged to complicate what was once a simple decision. The growing availability of hosted online applications – so-called software as a service – means that some users simply do not need the full functionality of a PC. This is particularly relevant for smaller businesses, where tools such as Google Apps and Microsoft Office Live allow basic productivity software to be used across the web. Maybe a simple, cut-down PC running Linux and an open source web browser is all such users need.

Then there is the green agenda and the environmental impact of power-hungry PCs on every desk. Technologies such as thin client and desktop virtualisation offer ways to provide cheaper, more energy-efficient personal computing.

And then there are the light users for whom a handheld computer such as BlackBerry covers most of their needs.

If your organisation is considering the next steps for its PC operating system, it is worth going through a broader exercise to look at all these trends in personal computing and devise a strategy that combines the best of each technology targeted at the needs of each group of users.

There is every chance you will find that Vista is a sensible option for many users – but not for all.

It is certainly fair to say that business users have not flocked to Vista and there remains scepticism about the product in the short term. Don’t feel you have to upgrade – but do invest the time in deciding how best to serve your end users, and to understand how, where and even if, Vista fits into that plan.

By Bryan Glick, editor, Computing

Read more about the pIT stop here: www.computing.co.uk/pitstop

Dell profit beats expectations

Computing — 2008-05-30T10:39:00.000Z

Computing, Computing, Friday 30 May 2008 at 10:39:00

Founder's return bolsters financial performance but US court finds the firm guilty of false advertisng

In the week it was found guilty of false advertising by a New York court, Dell's first-quarter profit rose $28m (£14m) to $784m on revenue up nine per cent to $16bn (£8bn).

The results beat Wall St expectations but the firm is reported as saying it expects US public sector spending to slow in the coming quarter. The solid financial results are seen as a result of founder Michael Dell's return to the helm.

Early this week Dell was found guilty of abusive debt collection practices, misleading consumers about financing terms for which they had qualified and failing to provide consumers with promised rebates.

Dell now faces the prospect of a huge damages claim, and New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo has asked consumers to register their complaints at a special web site so that damages can be assessed.

"Huge companies such as Dell cannot continue to walk all over their customers and get away with it," said Cuomo.

Apple second quarter brings in $1 billion profit

Computing — 2008-04-24T00:00:00.000Z

Computing, Computing, Thursday 24 April 2008 at 00:00:00

Apple ships 2.2 million Macs, 10.6 million iPods and 1.7 million iPhones

Apple's revenues reached $7.5bn (£3.75bn) for its second quarter as its gross margin fell by three per cent to 32 per cent.

The figures compare with 2007 second-quarter revenue of $5.26bn and net profit of $770m. Sales outside the US accounted for 44 per cent of the quarter’s revenue.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, said: “With over $17bn in revenue for the first half of our fiscal year, we have strong momentum to launch some terrific new products in the coming quarters.”

Global PC shipments reach 71.1m

Bryan Glick — 2008-04-17T00:00:00.000Z

Bryan Glick, Computing, Thursday 17 April 2008 at 00:00:00

HP sells the most, say Gartner Q1 2008 estimates

PC vendors shipped a total of 71.1m computers in the first quarter of 2008, up 12 per cent year on year, according to preliminary calculations published by Gartner today.

The figures include desktop PCs and x86 based servers, as well as mobile PCs which saw an average price decline, said the research company.

The top six manufacturers were HP, which increased its market share to 18.3 per cent, followed by Dell at 14.9 per cent, Acer 9.5 per cent, Lenovo 6.7 per cent and Toshiba 4.3 per cent.

Whereas US sales remained largely flat at 15.2m units, sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) increased 14.9 per cent to 24.8m units compared to the first quarter of 2007.