Randall C. Kennedy's blog

Windows 7 is quickly displacing Vista -- but not XP

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Windows 7 is surging. After an insanely popular beta cycle, Microsoft's latest and greatest has exploded out of the gate, grabbing more than 4 percent of the real-world usage base as tracked by InfoWorld's Windows Pulse service -- after only a few weeks of general availability.

Windows 7's real killer feature

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Everyone loves a killer feature: that must-have capability or technology that prompts you to plunk down your hard-earned cash in an effort to upgrade your computing experience.

Windows 7: Giving credit where credit is due

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Windows 7 was made by you. Windows 7 was made by me. Windows 7 was made by Wally down in accounting. By Beverly in sales. By Joe in building maintenance. Windows 7 was made by all of us millions of beta testers who eagerly shared our feedback and helped shape Microsoft's new OS into the marvel it is today!

Why Windows 7 may still fail

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

As the build-up to the carnival known as the Windows 7 launch event reaches a fever pitch, I thought it would be helpful to redirect a bit of spotlight to an aspect of the new OS that I believe is being glossed over by the mainstream media: hardware compatibility.

Windows 7 restores balance to the universe

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

The Great Moore's Law Compensator: It's a term I coined more than a year ago to describe the process whereby each successive Windows release effectively gobbles up the latest gains in PC hardware performance. The net result is an environment that performs roughly on par with the one you're upgrading from -- despite the fact that the underlying CPU, chip set, RAM, and I/O subsystems are all at least twice as fast as those in your old rig.

Google's Native Client: The second coming of evil ActiveX?

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Is Google's Native Client the second coming of ActiveX? I ask because the more I learn about this nascent Web/PC integration technology, the more it strikes me as so much old wine in new wineskins.

Chrome Plus: Putting the plug-in shoe on the other foot

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I'm watching with amusement the whole Google Frame controversy. As a huge Chrome fan, I've found the sight of Microsoft squirming in the face of this unexpected assault from within quite entertaining.

Office Web Apps: The beginning of the end for Microsoft?

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Fish or cut bait. As adages go, this universal exhortation to overcome indecisiveness and commit to a specific course of action is just as applicable to software strategy as it is casual angling. The history of the IT industry is rife with examples of market-defining companies (Lotus, WordPerfect, Borland International) that ultimately failed because they refused to invest fully in paradigm-shifting changes in how people use and interact with computers.

Windows 7 upgrades: Why so slow?

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Baloney! That's what I say to all of the Microsoft apologists coming out of the woodwork to defend the insanely slow Vista-to-Windows 7 upgrade process. The sheer amount of ignorance and knee-jerk FUD-slinging is simply breathtaking to behold. Never have so many generated so much blather while contributing so little to the actual discussion at hand.

Office ribbon UI lovers: It's now safe to come out of the closet

Randall C. Kennedy — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Scenic Ribbon: It’s the Microsoft Office 2007 feature people just love to hate. Whether they use the suite regularly or have just seen the screen shots, everyone has an opinion about what is one of the most substantial updates to the Windows UI paradigm in over a decade.