Tech Buzz

I've been spending a lot of time talking to folks who want to try the Dell Linux solution. I'm getting the sense that we have all been looking at Linux on the desktop wrong, and that products like Linspire are simply wrongheaded. Speaking of wrongheaded, last week, Research In Motion may have actual...

Last week was painful to watch. Don Imus made a statement that is common -- but inappropriate coming from an old white man -- and got shot for it, repeatedly, and is now off the air. This dovetailed with a now broad effort to create a code of conduct for the Web somewhat similar to what the broadcas...

Sometimes it really is about competition and changing the game. In the business space, victory in the race to be the most green has been awarded to one company, while another -- with Al Gore on the board -- continues to come in last. Ever since Apple launched the iPod, companies have been trying to ...

Last week, there were three events worth talking about, but I'll mention one of them only in passing. The first was the entry of the Xbox Elite into the market, positioned against Sony. It is almost a great product -- and for new buyers, it may be good enough -- but Microsoft could have hit a home r...

Sun's inability to allow for sufficiently open and inclusive governance over Java caused the eclipse of the Java tools and IDE action, which is now leading to an even larger purview for Eclipse at the ultimate expense of Java's future role. Buying NetBeans did not counter or blunt the Eclipse IDE fr...

Last week Apple TV launched, and it appears Apple is following a similar script to what made the iPod a success -- but will it work this time? With the U.S. primaries coming up, and the incredibly well done remake of the famous 1984 Apple Ad playing a big role, I thought it would be good to remind y...

I'm not sure I get the follow-through of Sun wooing mashup artist start-ups. If anything, by Sun trying to appeal to these types of low-capital spending firms shows Sun's latest quandary -- it waited too long to compete with its customers. Microsoft has rarely passed up the opportunity to compete w...

I'm spending some time thinking about missed and anticipated opportunities this week. In looking at Windows Server, I've become convinced that it is the wrong product for the Unix displacement market. In fact, in my head, it really always has been -- I just don't talk about servers much, so it doesn...

I'm an early adopter. I don't just analyze technology from the safety of my own cubicle; I bring it into my home and live with it. I find that by doing so, I gain a perspective that would otherwise be lost. About a year ago, I disconnected my traditional landline phone and signed up for VoIP service...

Don't you get a sense that we are on the edge of some big changes? Whether it is the PC market, the consumer electronics market, the server market -- anyone notice Sun is actually getting stronger? -- the network market, or the world in general, we seem to be seeing a lot of change all of a sudden.