Tim Marman's Loosely Coupled

Browse by Tags

• .NET
• Apple
• Blogging
• Business
• Gadgets
• Google
• Microsoft
• Programming
• Rants
• SAPTechEd2006
• Security
• Software Development
• Technology
• Web 2.0

• The Enterprise, The iPhone, and the Role of Silverlight

  With its recent announcement to support ActiveSync on the iPhone , Apple is clearly going after the enterprise user. The problem, as Colin puts it, is that the decisions that consumers make decisions on a radically different set of criteria than organizations . Lack of Exchange support was surely holding back enterprise adoption, so that move was both obvious and inevitable. The fact that they are also supporting remote wipe is a bigger deal than most might realize too - security is a major concern for large enterprises, and for a long time Blackberry was the de facto device in large part because of this. (Windows Mobiles devices weren't allowed at my last job until the Remote Wipe feature was enabled). Fundamentally, I think we're moving to a model where enterprises are going to demand a certain baseline for devices to play in their garden. Features like over-the-air Exchange connectivity, remote wipe, and support for .NET, Java, and Flash are quickly becoming non-negotiable. It... Posted Mar 27 2008, 09:00 AM by Tim with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Rants, Gadgets, Microsoft, .NET, Enterprise, Apple, Programming

• Looking at Google's acquisition of Postini

  Last week, Google (GOOG) purchased Postini for $625m . Jason calls this Google's most enterprisey acquisition yet - and despite all the other acquisitions, it's "the first evidence . . . that Google is ready to take the kid gloves off outside of the ad-driven model." Cote says that $625 million is not flippant , and regardless of whether you consider this a move to "directly compete" with Microsoft (MSFT), it does mean (especially when considering other efforts like Google Gears) that "Google is a threat to Microsoft". Fred, as an existing Postini customer, outlines what he'd like to see Google do with Postini . Fred focuses on mail because, let's be honest, that's what they're best known for. But as Jason suggested, I think the acquisition goes beyond this. InfoWorld coverage of the acquisition outlines this broader application. Postini provides on-demand security, archiving, and policy enforcement services, primarily for e-mail and... Posted Jul 17 2007, 11:35 AM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Business, Microsoft, Google, Enterprise

• Missing SAPPHIRE

  I was excited about attending SAPPHIRE this year, but had a conflict and cancelled my travel plans last week. (Well, Vienna might have fit in my schedule since I'm done with exams). I'm disappointed to not have the change to hang out in the Blogger's Corner again, especially since I'm also going to miss TechEd later this year due to my wedding. I'm not too worried though, because I know the corner will have plenty of insight. (As Charlie said, bloggers are interested in insight, not scoops). Oh, and even Oracle made an appearance . Dan Farber has great coverage of the keynote where Hasso Plattner outlined SAP's "new idea" for on demand software - a vision that includes community and collaboration at its core. Jeff says it's criminal that SAP sat on this so-called "MySpace for the enterprise" for a year. Of course, this natural given that enterprises are slow-moving by their nature. SAP TechEd '06 was eye-opening for me - it's clear... Posted Apr 24 2007, 11:38 AM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Enterprise

• Google launches Google Apps Premier Edition

  As rumored yesterday , Google made a major announcement : a subscription package of premium, hosted business applications. (Man, Arrington's sources are scary good). The service combines GMail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and Google Docs & Spreadsheets for $50 per user annually. I still insist that Microsoft is well positioned to compete with a hosted version that integrates with existing Office apps. There are elements about a hosted Office that are appealing, but there are just as many that are not - particularly in publicly traded enterprises. Aside from potential downtime issues, you're placing a lot of trust in Google and its security ( which may not be the best idea ). No word on any plans for a self-hosted server like their search appliance - to me, that would be key for broader adoption and erase a lot of these security and compliance concerns. Getting back to Microsoft, I'm still puzzled that they haven't done more with Foldershare. By integrating this technology with a Office... Posted Feb 22 2007, 06:04 AM by Tim with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Software Development, Security, Web 2.0, Business, Microsoft, Google, Enterprise

• A word of warning about Vista upgrades

  Unlike past versions of Windows, the Vista upgrade edition requires you to have XP already installed . (That is, you can literally upgrade, but you can't do a clean install). Hopefully that version of XP doesn't need to be activated, because the upgrade process apparently invalidates your XP key . (Luckily, a workaround has been found to allow a clean install, but it requires installing Vista twice). I know piracy is a big issue for Microsoft, but there has to be a better way to handle this (and let's be honest, they don't exactly have a good track record on past attempts ). Like DRM, these hurdles tend to piss off legimate users more than preventing piracy, because those who are determined to steal their OS will find ways to do so . I wonder if we'll end up with future operating systems built on microtransactions . You want search? $10. Power management? $5. Posted Jan 31 2007, 10:59 AM by Tim with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Microsoft, Enterprise

• SQL Server installation problems on Vista? (Failed to compile the Managed Object Format)

  I've been having issues installing SQL Server 2005 tools (i.e., Management Studio) on Vista. I know it works because I was able to get it installed on my tablet also running Vista - I just couldn't get it on my desktop. I thought it might be related to SQLEXPRESS installed as part of the VS.NET 2005 install, but that didn't seem to fix anything. As it turns out, this is related to a corrupt WMI repository - and the fix is quite easy. C:\Windows\system32>winmgmt /verifyrepository WMI repository is INCONSISTENT C:\Windows\system32>winmgmt /salvagerepository WMI repository salvage failed Error code: 0x8007041B Facility: Win32 Description: A stop control has been sent to a service that other running services are dependent on. C:\Windows\system32>winmgmt /salvagerepository WMI repository has been salvaged As you can see, I had to run it more than once - but it eventually fixed the problem. I clicked Retry and the install went through fine. Hope this saves time for anyone else running... Posted Jan 22 2007, 05:48 PM by Tim with | with 28 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, Software Development, Microsoft, .NET, Enterprise, Programming

• A Discussion with SAP's Shai Agassi

  On Tuesday, we had the opportunity for some Q&A with Shai Agassi . Shai is the President of the Product and Technology Group at SAP and one of the seven members of the SAP Executive Board. (And I'm glad I don't work for him, because he apparently likes to say no a lot - I'm glad I don't have to ask him for my vacation approvals and raises). When asked whether SAP was a technology or ecosystem company, Shai made it very clear that "SAP is an applications company". They are "a company that knows how to codify business practices". And yet, they are trying to transform somewhat to support the ecosystem. Shai used the analogy of tariffs to protect local manufacturers. Right now, those tariffs are in place, but once they are lifted the playing field is a little more level - and you have to actually be better. One of the points that really stood out for me was when Shai said they "have a lot more innovation than they share". I'll be honest, I never really thought of SAP as an innovative company... Posted Sep 16 2006, 01:43 PM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: Technology, SAPTechEd2006, Enterprise

• The SAP Developer Network (SDN)

  In my last post about the SAP ecosystem , Mark Yolton mentioned in comments that I neglected to mention the SAP Developer Network (SDN). Part of the reason I didn't discuss it further there is that I felt it deserved a post of its own. I spent most of today walking around the SDN Clubhouse, talking with members in the community and listening to some demos. As I said earlier, the SAP community - and enterprise developers in general - is a smaller community than, say, Microsoft developers. As such, their goal is deeper, not broader, involvement. It all starts with the enthusiasm of Mark Finnern and Craig Cmehil . Mark said that his challenge initially was trying to build the SDN community. Since then, the community has taken a life of its own and he now describes himself as the "community listener". I'll tell you this much - Mark and Craig's enthusiasm is contagious. Perhaps the best evidence is Edwin Harpino, an SDN member in Indonesia who earned over 20,000 points... Posted Sep 14 2006, 05:51 PM by Tim with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, SAPTechEd2006, Enterprise

• Alleged Bias in the SAP Blogger's Corner

  Scoble reports on accusations that the SAP TechEd bloggers are biased . Judy says SAP is confusing bloggers with journalists . At its TechEd event today, SAP made a big point of inviting bloggers to its press and analyst conference . . . [which] were all from companies in SAP’s developer network and included Robert Scoble, now at Podtech. She apparently made this inference because "the bloggers in the pack stuck to softball questions . . . and left the tougher questions to the journalist." Charlie sets the record straight . It has nothing to do with being "part of SAP’s ecosystem and therefore not impartial." The irony, perhaps, is that the reason I haven't asked any "hard" questions is because I'm not part of the ecosystem. In fact, i was discussing this exact issue with Mike last night. Neither of us are really that entrenched in the enterprise software world and neither of us are particular familiar with SAP. Both of us appreciate the access and exposure we've gotten despite not being... Posted Sep 13 2006, 03:49 PM by Tim with | with no comments Filed under: SAPTechEd2006, Blogging, Enterprise

• Building an ecosystem around SAP

  One of the things Microsoft really gets is how to build a platform, innovating and yet carving out real spaces for their ISVs to play in. Part of this is community involvement, and part of this is the ability to let go of some control. SAP is trying to do the same thing. We had a chance to meet with Zia Yusuf, Aiaz Kazi, and Mark Yolton today to discuss some of the challenges with building their platform ecosystem. As Zia put it, "it is not a platform until the people say it's a platform." Their strategy revolves around three primary concepts: Adoption, Co-innovation, and Monetization. One of the interesting issues brought up by Michael was around the IP rights. Zia acknowledged that this was a complicated and critical issue, but said it's important to look at different stakeholders and different processes. ISVs building software to be sold on the xApps Hub retain their rights and simply sell through this "glorified directory". In the Enterprise Services Community, where SAP works with... Posted Sep 13 2006, 02:43 PM by Tim with | with 9 comment(s) Filed under: Technology, SAPTechEd2006, Enterprise