More DST Updates

This Daylight Savings Time issue is getting fun! Microsoft has updated a couple of its fixes and moved most of them to the Critical Update section of the Microsoft Update Service. One nice thing is that they have created a website where Windows Mobile 5 cell phone users can browse to to download the DST fix directly to their phone. I've tried it and it worked flawlessly. I have updated our DST document to reflect the most recent changes. It can be found here. Just open the PDF attachment. I will update this document as more information is available.

One new thing since I updated the DST document; Symantec has indicated that Backup Exec uses the Windows date and time functions for backup scheduling. As long as you have the Windows DST updates installed you should be good. However, if your backup is scheduled between 2:00am and 3:00am, you may have problems. When DST comes on in March there will be no 2:00am to 3:00am and when DST ends in November there will be two 2:00 to 3:00am! Fun right?

2007 DST Changes Need Some Attention

The beginning and ending dates for Daylight Savings Time will change this year. The start date will be the second Sunday in March (March 11) instead of the first Sunday of April (April 1). The end date will be the first Sunday of November (Nov 4) instead of the last Sunday of October (Oct 28). Because Windows is aware and adjusts for DST, it will need to be updated to properly handle the change. I have created a document that details the changes and what need to be done. You can locate the document here.

Microsoft is still in the process of testing and releasing patches for the various programs that are affected. I will update this document as new information is available.

It would also be a good idea to check with your other software vendors to see if the change affects their software. This would be mostly applications that use date and time functions like scheduling applications.

I Was Wondering When This Would Happen

This week, at MacWorld, Apple announced the long anticipated iPhone. It's looks like a pretty cool phone, although I think I will stay with my Windows Mobile phone for now. However, there is one slight problem. Cisco released their iPhone a couple of months ago. It turns out that a company that Cisco purchased several years ago launched the iPhone product in the late 90s. Cisco patented the name in 2000. So Cisco is now suing Apple. This blog written by a Cisco legal VP, is Cisco side of the story. Obviously, Apple is aware and must think they have a good chance to beat this. Otherwise a lot of money and marketing will go down the tubes.

Another cool or at least amazing CES product launch is the Hitachi 1 Terabyte hard disk drive. 1 Terabyte is 1000 Gigabytes! Truly amazing! Just think, the first hard drive I worked with was 5 Megabytes. 1 Gigabyte is 1000 Megs, 1 Terabyte is 1000 Gigabytes. And to think that I am constantly telling people to clean up old files! Here is more information on the drive.

Busy IT News Week

This week is one of the busiest IT related news weeks of the year. The Consumer Electronics Show is happening in Las Vegas (I should have gone). CES is where all the major (and not so major) consumer electronics manufacturers show all the new cool stuff that they are working on. Some of the products are available now and some will be available over the coming year. My technology blogs are going crazy with articles about all this new stuff.

So far, the most interesting thing to me is the Microsoft Home Server. Yes, a server for your home. Think about it. How many homes now have more than one computer. The home is now where small businesses were 6 or 7 years ago. Multiple computers mean the need to share stuff and the need to back stuff up, and how about the need to access your stuff when you are away. You can bet there will be a Microsoft Home Server at 87 Barton Street!

Here is a video of an interview with Bill Gates. The interview was run by Robert Scoble, one of the bloggers I follow, and several other industry news people. Very interesting. Gates looks and sounds better than ever. And here is the link to his CES Keynote Address. If you want to see some really cool stuff check it out.

Next year I will be at this thing!

So What's Microsoft Windows Vista?

Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest operating system for PC's. It is replacing Windows XP, their current PC operating system. It will ship to large Enterprise customers on November 30, 2006 and to the general public January 30, 2007.

This is a big deal! A new operating system means lots of things. In the early stages of the rollout there will undoubtedly be compatibility issues and plenty of user frustration. However, these will pass and in the long run Windows Vista will bring a whole new wave of applications and technologies that will take advantage of the features built into the operating system.

My experience with Vista so far is that it is faster and has some really nice features. However, I have also struggled to find things that I was previously able to find with my eyes closed. Over the next couple of months I will be posting articles on what's new in Windows Vista as well as what's new in Office 2007, the latest Microsoft Office version that will ship at the same time as Vista. My plan is to publish at least one article on each per week. So stay tuned.