BRUCEB NEWS
Apple’s Unforced Error
Two weeks ago Apple announced that iPhones would begin scanning for photos involving sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Sounds like a good thing that makes the world a better place, doesn’t it? I’m sure Apple execs expected a burst of good will. Instead it...
DROWNING IN JAVA
There are frequent updates for Java, the technology used by many web sites to make interesting things happen in your browser. You've probably seen the Java update bubble popping...
ACTIVESYNC FOR BLACKBERRY
ActiveSync is the technology from Microsoft that connects a mobile device to Exchange Server. For businesses running Small Business Server, it is ActiveSync that makes a Windows...
STEP 1 – BACKUP. STEP 2 – BACKUP AGAIN.
Let me tell you a scary story. When we plan our backups, the idea is to have a duplicate copy of our data on something separate from where it is normally stored and used. In...
SECURITY PROGRAM RANT
An interesting perspective on the state of security programs, from Susan Bradley's invaluable blog: "Anti-virus, you have lost. You sit there filling up our system trays with...
WHAT I USE
On the assumption that my choices are endlessly fascinating to an ever-growing number of people - really, really bored people - I've added a page with details about the hardware...
WINDOWS HOME SERVER & HP ADDINS
This is getting to be an old, old story. The story is: a manufacturer forces unwanted software on consumers, and the software slows down or breaks perfectly nice devices. This...
THE MOJAVE EXPERIMENT
Microsoft has put up a web site for "The Mojave Experiment," with film footage of people responding favorably to what they believed was a brand-new secret operating system, then...
WINDOWS SEARCH 4 & NETWORK SHARES
Windows Search 4 was released last month as an upgrade to Windows Search 3.01 (Windows XP) and the built-in search capability in Windows Vista. It is an important upgrade for...
MICROSOFT FIGHTS BACK WITH “MOJAVE”
Microsoft will be using new advertisements and other marketing tricks to turn around the public perception that there is something wrong with Vista. A CNet writer just ran across...
UPS SPAM
The latest outbreak of virus-laden spam purports to be a message from UPS about an undeliverable package. The attachment is a ZIP file with an executable program inside that does...
MICROSOFT ONLINE SERVICES
Two weeks ago, Microsoft announced new services that might drastically change the email technology used by small businesses. Let me give you some background, then give you some...
WINDOWS HOME SERVER POWER PACK 1
Microsoft has released Power Pack 1 for Windows Home Server, fixing a rare but embarrassing data corruption bug, adding new features, and improving stability. Reports of...
SONY DELIVERS CRAPWARE-FREE PC
From a column today by Ed Bott:"Sony is finally taking on its crapware problem. For the past two months, I've been using an astonishingly light and agile Sony VAIO notebook and...
OUTLOOK vs. GMAIL
Microsoft Exchange and Outlook dominate the market for corporate email. Small businesses running Exchange Server use Outlook almost exclusively. Until recently, even individuals...
SKYDRIVE/FOLDERSHARE/LIVE MESH
For those of you following along at home, here's a comparison of Microsoft's overlapping services for sharing and syncing files and storing files online, taken from this forum...