found an interesting article about old operating systems
Now this is good tech news in its purest form: After eight years of development, a new operating system called Haiku has been released in alpha form. It’s an open-source reconstruction of BeOS, the mean, lean, multimedia-savvy OS which I really liked when I reviewed it for PC World, um, eleven years ago. (If I recall correctly, I compared it with Windows 98 and an early version of Red Hat Linux.) It’s certainly a happier development than we’re accustomed to hearing about BeOS, a product which failed to become the next-generation Mac OS back in the 1990s and was then sold to Palm for a measly $11 million, whereupon it pretty much vanished except for the occasional legal aftershock.
Still, for an operating system that never succeeded in the first place, BeOS has been remarkably…successful. It’s still embedded in at least one professional audio product, is the subject of multiple news sites and blogs, and boasts an impressive array of applications. It may not have changed the world, but it was both useful and loved. And even if Haiku is a quixotic project, it gives BeOS a new lease on life.
The Haiku release got me thinking about other once-signficant OSes, and what happened to them. Herewith, some quick updates on a few major ones from the 1970s and 1980s. Remarkably enough, they haven’t been done in by disinterested owners, obsolete technology, and legal wrangling–they’re all still around in one form or another, and it’s entirely possible that some of them will outlive us all.
CP/M (born 1973)
You could argue that Digital Research’s pioneering desktop OS lives on in spirit every time anyone boots up Windows: Microsoft’s operating system is the successor to MS-DOS, which started out as a hasty knockoff of CP/M. As for bona-fide DR CP/M? Well, it’s apparently still available in new/old-stock form from this company for fifteen bucks a copy, although I’m not sure if anyone runs it today for any reason other than nerdy nostalgia. But CP/M never really went away–it evolved into DOS PLUS, which then morphed into DR DOS, which one-time owner Caldera open-sourced as OpenDOS. Both DR DOS and OpenDOS are still with us.
VMS (born 1977)
I don’t think I’ve ever laid eyes on a Digital VAX minicomputer in my life, but when I was first getting into computers, they were the gold standard of industrial-strength computing, in large part due to VMS, the OS they ran. (VMS architect Dave Cutler went on to spearhead Windows NT, and is currently working on Microsoft’s Azure cloud-computing platform.) VAXes VAXen were so popular that they not only survived the end of the minicomputer era, but also the merger of Digital into Compaq and of Compaq into HP–the last ones rolled off assembly lines in this decade. After multiple migrations by VMS to new platforms, HP is still selling computers that run the OS, which is now known as OpenVMS.
MS-DOS (born 1981)
You think Microsoft is having trouble ridding itself of Windows XP? DOS, an OS that dates from early in the first Reagan administration, is still very much alive, quietly in use at businesses running an array of vertical and embedded applications. Microsoft supposedly killed it in 2001, but if you subscribe to its TechNet service for IT types, you can download DOS 6.0 and 6.22 to this day. (The company surely wouldn’t offer it unless there were folks out there who still needed it.) Then there’s FreeDOS, the DOS-compatible open-source OS that you can even get preinstalled on certain HP systems. Prediction: Long after there’s not a single soul left running Windows 7, there will be someone, somewhere happily using DOS.
Commodore KERNAL/BASIC 2.0 (born 1982)
Like many early home computers–including my beloved TRS-80–the legendary Commodore 64 was so architecturally rudimentary that its BASIC programming language more or less doubled as its operating system, sitting on top of some low-level software called KERNAL. Until recently, I would have declared KERNAL and BASIC to be officially defunct. But they’re not only still around, but causing controversy! Developer Manomio created a properly licensed C64 emulator for the iPhone, letting you put Commodore’s 27-year-old OS in your pocket. But Apple told it that having Commodore BASIC on the iPhone was too dangerous, which led Manomio to submit a version with BASIC disabled–except you could turn it on again if you knew how. That led Apple to yank the app, which remains unavailable as I write this. Commodore founder Jack Tramiel liked to compare his competition with Apple and other companies to war; I hope he’s watching this somewhere and deriving pleasure from the dust-up.
AmigaOS (born 1985)
Ever have one of those dreams in which you discover that a long-deceased relative is alive and well, and you’re simultaneously happy and creeped out? That’s sort of how I feel about the current status of the Amiga operating system, of which I was a wild-eyed disciple from late 1987 until early 1991. Commodore folded more than fifteen years ago; its various assets have kept on changing hands ever since. I don’t claim to fully understand the convoluted post-Commodore history and legal status of AmigaOS, or why people are still running it in late 2009. But Wikipedia says that AmigaOS 4.1 was released last year, and that a “quick fix” (read: service pack) came out just last June. All I know for sure is that this version won’t run on my Amiga 500…and that I’ll shed a silent tear if AmigaOS ever ceases to exist.
OS/2 (born 1987)
“They make the Amiga users look sane.” That’s how my first boss in the computer magazine business cheerfully described OS/2 aficionados, back when it had failed to become the dominant next-generation OS that everyone expected it would be. I think we’re finally at the point where there’s nobody out there stubbornly running OS/2, grumbling about Windows, and insisting that the world will eventually come to see IBM’s OS for the gem that it is. (Actually, I take that back.) But OS/2 isn’t dead–it’s apparently still kicking around in some embedded systems and supported, grudgingly and for a fee, by Big Blue. And Serenity Systems’ eComStation 2.0, an authorized OS/2 variant, is still kicking–in fact, a silver version of release 2.0 came out just a couple of weeks ago.
EPOC (born 1989)
Some of you are probably sick of hearing me wax rhapsodic over the Psion Series 5, an amazing PDA from the 1990s which would still be amazing in some respects if it were re-released today. Much of its amazingness came from EPOC, the mobile operating system which it and earlier Psions ran. For reasons I still don’t fully understand, Psion got out of the PDA business early in this century and spun off its software operations into a company called Symbian, which concentrated on OSes for cell phones. Eventually, Symbian ended up being acquired by Nokia, and its OS has gone open source and continues development. There are still glimmers of the Psion genius in Symbian-based phones such as Nokia’s N97, but overall, the OS not only failed to keep up with the times but actually lost some of the clever interface touches that made Psion’s products so wonderful. I was so emotionally attached to EPOC that it hurts to type this, but I’ve come to the conclusion that Nokia should probably put Symbian out to pasture and adopt Google Android as its primary phone OS.
I could go on–Microsoft’s MSX, which I thought never caught on in the first place, is still sort of extant–but I’ll end this here. Except to ask you this: Which other OSes of yore are worth remembering, celebrating, and maybe even using?
see more from here http://technologizer.com/2009/09/17/old-operating-systems-dont-die/
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Microsoft takes more steps towards cloud-based future
an interesting article on the future of cloud base computing. read on:
Microsoft is now helping its rivals. It has, for example, licensed connections to its Exchange mail server to mobile phone suppliers such as Palm, Nokia and Apple, so that users can pick up their corporate email. It has developed a version of Silverlight for the Mac, and encouraged the development of Moonlight, an open-source version forLinux. It has helped Mozilla make Firefox run better on Windows, and Microsoft's forthcoming web-based version of Office will work with both Firefox and Apple's Safari.
We've just seen two more examples with Microsoft's link-up with Nokia and the announcement of Outlook for the Mac version of Office.
The Nokia deal involves the development of Office Communicator Mobile and the mobile version of Office for Symbian smartphones. This should make Nokia's phones more attractive to businesses, which until now have only been able to get the same level of integration by buying Windows Mobile phones. It should help Nokia to compete with RIM and Apple, though they could also sign similar deals.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's new business version of Office for the Mac will include its Outlook email and organiser software, instead of the earlier Mac-only Entourage. It's unlikely that the Mac version will have all the same features, and it won't be able to hook into Windows in the way that Outlook hooks into Windows. Nonetheless, Outlook is key software for millions of users in large corporations, so this will make Macs more attractive to enterprise buyers. And if they buy more Macs, they are likely to buy fewer Windows machines.
Of course, Microsoft has always supported the Mac, and co-founder Bill Gates helped promote it when it was launched. This isn't altruism. Microsoft's Mac business unit in California is very profitable, because of the number of Mac users who buy Microsoft Office. Many also buy boxed copies of Windows, which Apple has made easier by providing Boot Camp software to load it.
But this time, there's a more important shift taking place. Microsoft's latest financial results show that its business division (which includes Office) is now its biggest source of revenue: $14.3bn over the past nine months. Windows Client ($11.6bn) is second, but Server & Tools ($10.6bn) is catching up.
It therefore makes financial sense for Microsoft to focus on growing its key business and server software – Office, Exchange Server, SQL Server, SharePoint and so on – rather than defending the client versions. This is particularly true for Windows Mobile, which brings in hardly any money. (Roughly 20m sales at an estimated $7-$8 is only $140m-$160m.)
The changeover will become even more striking as Microsoft cranks up the revenues from its loss-making online services division, which has brought in only $2.4bn over the past nine months.
Microsoft is investing heavily in data centres and the development ofAzure, its cloud operating system. This will run existing Microsoft Live services such as Hotmail and Messenger, and it will eventually host Exchange, Web Office and other software. All the major programs that run on or work with Windows Server will be offered in the cloud.
And to profit from the cloud, Microsoft will eventually need to work with as many client devices as possible, not just Windows PCs. It won't be competitive if it doesn't.
Cloud computing can be cheaper as companies no longer have to buy servers and run such large data centres. However, while they will spend less on staff and hardware, they may spend more on Microsoft software.
Software can be extremely cheap if you buy it once and keep using the same program for four to eight years. When you rent it by the month – which businesses do with hosted and cloud-based services – it costs almost nothing to start, but you end up paying forever.
Indeed, if a cloud service owns your business data, you won't have a choice.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
SQL Azure CTP Is Live
New events and developments for SQL Azure. Read on.
Microsoft is making the first development milestone of SQL Azure available to customers. Essentially, the Redmond company announced that the first Community Technology Preview for its relational database management system (RDBMS) for the Cloud went live as of August 18th, 2009. With SQL Azure, the software giant is laboring to extend the capabilities associated with the SQL data platform into the Cloud. At the same time, Microsoft is using branding as a means to underline the intimate connection between the Windows Azure Cloud operating system and the SQL Azure Cloud RDBMS.
“It’s a really exciting day for everyone involved in SQL Azure. [On August 18th] we’ve announced that CTP1 is available to customers. Over the next couple of weeks everyone who has already requested an Invitation Code should be receiving one in an email. If you haven’t already requested one please do so here. Once we get through the list of developers who have already requested access, new requested will be processed in a day or two,” revealed Zach Skyles Owens, Microsoft technical evangelist.
It was in the first half of July 2009 that the Redmond company announced the rebranding of the Microsoft SQL Services. Starting with the past month, the company is referring to the now former Microsoft SQL Services as SQL Azure. At the same time, the rebranding also affected the relational database service of the Microsoft SQL Services. The company transitioned the SQL Data Services under the Windows Azure umbrella and rebranded it as the Microsoft SQL Azure Database.
“We’ve delivered a bunch of new SQL Azure content in the August release of the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit including: Presentations - Introduction to SQL Azure; Building Applications using SQL Azure; Scaling Out with SQL Azure; Demos - Preparing your SQL Azure Account; Connecting to SQL Azure; Managing Logins & Security in SQL Azure; Creating Objects in SQL Azure; Migrating Database Schemas to SQL Azure; Moving Data into and out of SQL Azure using SSIS; Building a Simple SQL Azure App; Scaling Out SQL Azure with Database Sharding and Hands on Labs - Introduction to SQL Azure; Migrating Databases to SQL Azure; Building Your First SQL Azure App,” Owens added.
see more from here http://news.softpedia.com/news/SQL-Azure-CTP-Is-Live-119577.shtml
Microsoft is making the first development milestone of SQL Azure available to customers. Essentially, the Redmond company announced that the first Community Technology Preview for its relational database management system (RDBMS) for the Cloud went live as of August 18th, 2009. With SQL Azure, the software giant is laboring to extend the capabilities associated with the SQL data platform into the Cloud. At the same time, Microsoft is using branding as a means to underline the intimate connection between the Windows Azure Cloud operating system and the SQL Azure Cloud RDBMS.
“It’s a really exciting day for everyone involved in SQL Azure. [On August 18th] we’ve announced that CTP1 is available to customers. Over the next couple of weeks everyone who has already requested an Invitation Code should be receiving one in an email. If you haven’t already requested one please do so here. Once we get through the list of developers who have already requested access, new requested will be processed in a day or two,” revealed Zach Skyles Owens, Microsoft technical evangelist.
It was in the first half of July 2009 that the Redmond company announced the rebranding of the Microsoft SQL Services. Starting with the past month, the company is referring to the now former Microsoft SQL Services as SQL Azure. At the same time, the rebranding also affected the relational database service of the Microsoft SQL Services. The company transitioned the SQL Data Services under the Windows Azure umbrella and rebranded it as the Microsoft SQL Azure Database.
“We’ve delivered a bunch of new SQL Azure content in the August release of the Windows Azure Platform Training Kit including: Presentations - Introduction to SQL Azure; Building Applications using SQL Azure; Scaling Out with SQL Azure; Demos - Preparing your SQL Azure Account; Connecting to SQL Azure; Managing Logins & Security in SQL Azure; Creating Objects in SQL Azure; Migrating Database Schemas to SQL Azure; Moving Data into and out of SQL Azure using SSIS; Building a Simple SQL Azure App; Scaling Out SQL Azure with Database Sharding and Hands on Labs - Introduction to SQL Azure; Migrating Databases to SQL Azure; Building Your First SQL Azure App,” Owens added.
see more from here http://news.softpedia.com/news/SQL-Azure-CTP-Is-Live-119577.shtml
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Microsoft, Google, and VMware redefine the OS
Interesting news on how Microsoft is strengthening its market through Cloud computing
While the open-source crowd gets (rightly) excited by Linux's growing market share, three companies are pulling the rug out from under the feet of traditional operating systems.
Red Hat is winning in Linux while IBM cleans up the Unix market. But those are increasingly yesterday's markets as Microsoft, Google, and VMware create different breeds of operating system, each tuned to the strength of its product portfolio.
The easiest to understand are Google and VMware. Google, with its Linux distribution Chrome OS, is placing secondary emphasis on the operating system and primary emphasis on where it takes you: the Web. Given Google's strength in cloud computing, this makes perfect sense. Google needs an operating system just long enough to move users "off" their personal computers (or mobile phones, for which Google has developed Android) and into its cloud services: Google Apps, Search, Wave, etc.
While Google won't find this strategy to be easy, it has the brand and expertise to bring "desktop" substance to cloud applications.
Similarly, VMware's vSphere attempts to untether computing from "desktops" and on-premises servers. VMware describes vSphere as:
...the industry's first cloud operating system, transforming IT infrastructures into a private cloud--a collection of internal clouds federated on-demand to external clouds--delivering IT infrastructure as a service.
VMware recently acquired open-source Java leader SpringSource to complement this strategy, giving developers an easy way to build, deploy, and manage Java-based applications for vSphere (and beyond). With Java applications already running at full steam in vSphere, this move should serve to heighten the value of vSphere.
And then there's Microsoft. The company prints billions of dollars worth of profits each quarter from its Windows franchise, yet for years it has been quietly developing its next big operating system. And no, I'm not referring to Windows 7.
With Windows under fire from VMware in virtualization (though Gartner thinks Microsoft stands to gain on VMware) and from Google in Web-based applications, Microsoft has created a bridge "between personal productivity and line-of-business applications," one that stitches together Microsoft's "desktop" dominance with its cloud ambitions.
It's called SharePoint, and with over 100 million seats and $1 billion in revenue, the odds are that your company already has it installed.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer long ago declared that "SharePoint is the definitive operating system or platform for the middle tier," and I don't think he's using the term "operating system" lightly.
Increasingly, SharePoint is the center of the Microsoft universe, at least, for enterprise computing. SharePoint serves as the hub for Microsoft's suite of operating systems, applications, and third-party software. It is a content application server, of sorts, one that provides the platform upon which so much of Microsoft's value is now being built.
I've disparaged SharePoint in the past for its tendency to lock customers into its proprietary repository. But let's be clear: a large number of companies seem perfectly happy to make that trade-off and are actively using SharePoint at the heart of their intranets, extranets, and Web sites.
Between Microsoft SharePoint, Google Chrome OS, and VMware vSphere, we're in for real innovation in what "operating system" means. While this shift will take awhile, leaving traditional vendors plenty of time to make money in traditional operating systems--hey, companies are still making money in green-screen software--the future of the operating system is almost certain to look different from vanilla Windows, Linux, or Unix.
see source here http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10315586-16.html
While the open-source crowd gets (rightly) excited by Linux's growing market share, three companies are pulling the rug out from under the feet of traditional operating systems.
Red Hat is winning in Linux while IBM cleans up the Unix market. But those are increasingly yesterday's markets as Microsoft, Google, and VMware create different breeds of operating system, each tuned to the strength of its product portfolio.
The easiest to understand are Google and VMware. Google, with its Linux distribution Chrome OS, is placing secondary emphasis on the operating system and primary emphasis on where it takes you: the Web. Given Google's strength in cloud computing, this makes perfect sense. Google needs an operating system just long enough to move users "off" their personal computers (or mobile phones, for which Google has developed Android) and into its cloud services: Google Apps, Search, Wave, etc.
While Google won't find this strategy to be easy, it has the brand and expertise to bring "desktop" substance to cloud applications.
Similarly, VMware's vSphere attempts to untether computing from "desktops" and on-premises servers. VMware describes vSphere as:
...the industry's first cloud operating system, transforming IT infrastructures into a private cloud--a collection of internal clouds federated on-demand to external clouds--delivering IT infrastructure as a service.
VMware recently acquired open-source Java leader SpringSource to complement this strategy, giving developers an easy way to build, deploy, and manage Java-based applications for vSphere (and beyond). With Java applications already running at full steam in vSphere, this move should serve to heighten the value of vSphere.
And then there's Microsoft. The company prints billions of dollars worth of profits each quarter from its Windows franchise, yet for years it has been quietly developing its next big operating system. And no, I'm not referring to Windows 7.
With Windows under fire from VMware in virtualization (though Gartner thinks Microsoft stands to gain on VMware) and from Google in Web-based applications, Microsoft has created a bridge "between personal productivity and line-of-business applications," one that stitches together Microsoft's "desktop" dominance with its cloud ambitions.
It's called SharePoint, and with over 100 million seats and $1 billion in revenue, the odds are that your company already has it installed.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer long ago declared that "SharePoint is the definitive operating system or platform for the middle tier," and I don't think he's using the term "operating system" lightly.
Increasingly, SharePoint is the center of the Microsoft universe, at least, for enterprise computing. SharePoint serves as the hub for Microsoft's suite of operating systems, applications, and third-party software. It is a content application server, of sorts, one that provides the platform upon which so much of Microsoft's value is now being built.
I've disparaged SharePoint in the past for its tendency to lock customers into its proprietary repository. But let's be clear: a large number of companies seem perfectly happy to make that trade-off and are actively using SharePoint at the heart of their intranets, extranets, and Web sites.
Between Microsoft SharePoint, Google Chrome OS, and VMware vSphere, we're in for real innovation in what "operating system" means. While this shift will take awhile, leaving traditional vendors plenty of time to make money in traditional operating systems--hey, companies are still making money in green-screen software--the future of the operating system is almost certain to look different from vanilla Windows, Linux, or Unix.
see source here http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-10315586-16.html
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Visual WebGUI targets Web, Silverlight, and Azure
found this interesting article on how to port web applications to cloud applications with minimal change.
read more from http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/visual-webgui-targets-web-silverlight-and-azure-778
Development tool creates Web sites, RIAs, and cloud applications from desktop Windows Forms applications
Last Thursday I had the pleasure of speaking with Navot Peled, CEO, and Itzik Spitzen, vice president of R&D of the Israeli software firm Gizmox. Their product Visual WebGUI, which Iblogged about in January 2008, has outgrown its roots as a simple way to Web-enable Windows Forms applications.
Now you can start with a Windows Forms application (or develop one) and target the Web, Silverlight RIAs, and/or the Windows Azure cloud with a minimum of work. The general idea is that you copy your code into the correct kind of project, replace the System.Windows.Forms namespace in your code with Gizmox.Webgui.Forms, build, and deploy. These steps are illustrated for an Azure target in the screen shots below. (Click each image to see it full size.)
[ Also on InfoWorld: "Visual WebGui: Easier, More Secure Web 2.0 Apps?" | Keep up with app dev issues and trends with InfoWorld's Fatal Exception and Strategic Developer. ]
According to Peled, besides lowering the barrier to development of Web, RIA, and cloud applications, Visual WebGUI offers security and runtime efficiency advantages. In the Visual WebGUI architecture, all of the application logic resides on the server, which is much more secure than having it on the client. The Web client talks to the server over an optimized pipe, consuming 10 percent of the bandwidth and 40 percent of the CPU of a conventional Azure Web application, which reduces the Azure charges incurred.
Visual WebGUI can also utilize third-party ASP.Net controls in Azure using a simple wrapper. The WebGUI runtime takes care of simulating an ASP.Net environment for the control within the Azure fabric.
In July, Gizmox demoed this technology in the Windows Azure booth at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans.
read more from http://www.infoworld.com/d/developer-world/visual-webgui-targets-web-silverlight-and-azure-778
Friday, August 28, 2009
Company Helps ISVs Assess Cost of Microsoft's Windows Azure
An interesting article on how a MS partner creates a tool on cloud computing costs. Read on.
With the commercial release of Windows Azure scheduled for later this year, one Microsoft partner is giving ISVs a tool to figure out how much deploying their application might cost once Microsoft starts charging for the cloud-computing platform.
As part of a new release of its existing Dotfuscator Suite, PreEmptive includes a way for ISVs (independent software vendors) to monitor an application not only to find out how many computing resources it requires when running on Windows Azure, but also to find out how people are using it, said Sebastian Holst, the chief marketing officer at PreEmptive, based in Mayfield Village, Ohio.
This latter functionality is especially key to helping ISVs calculate how much it would cost to run the application on Azure once Microsoft begins charging a fee because it allows them to specifically weigh the usefulness of the application, he said. By doing so they can decide which components of an application they may want to host on Azure and which parts they may want to sell for an on-premise deployment, Holst said.
"The challenge for developer organizations who are targeting Azure is to figure out how their application will be used," he said. "If you don't know what features [people] use, how much activity will be generated inside the cloud, you will have no way of predicting what the cost will be and what the behavior and value [of the application] will be ultimately to their business."
Dotfuscator is a tool that injects code into an application so its usage can be remotely monitored either through a company's own or third-party analytics software, he said. Alternatively, PreEmptive can provide a hosted dashboard for people to view the information.
Forrester analyst Frank Gillett said it's certainly going to be useful for companies to monitor applications as they begin deploying more of them on a third-party cloud infrastructure. While companies like RightScale and Hyperic offer tools for monitoring how applications consume computing resources, monitoring how people use them is still an emerging area of functionality, he said.
"The whole overall category of getting better visibility into your application is going to become a more important area," Gillett said.
He added that it's likely Microsoft will begin enhancing Azure with similar features as the platform evolves, although there will still be room for third parties to play in this market.
To this end, Microsoft actually bundles a lightweight version of Dotfuscator in its Visual Studio developer toolset, and will do the same with the release of Visual Studio 2010 once it's available so ISVs can measure application usage on Azure, PreEmptive's Holst said. Visual Studio 2010 is currently in beta.
PreEmptive charges US$12,000 for a development group to use the full suite, and then if users want to subscribe to a PreEmptive-hosted dashboard to view the data, it's $2,000 per user per year, Holst said.
At its Worldwide Partner Conference last week, Microsoft made Windows Azure available free for anyone to use until November, when it will begin charging for it mainly on a per-consumption basis so people pay only for what resources an application uses.
Microsoft also will offer what it's calling a development accelerator that will allow people to pay a one-time fixed price for six months of access to Windows Azure as a more predictable pricing option. In that scenario, Microsoft calculates how much it would cost to run an application on the platform for that time period and then discounts it 45 percent as part of the six-month promotion.
source here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/168854/company_helps_isvs_assess_cost_of_microsofts_windows_azure.html
With the commercial release of Windows Azure scheduled for later this year, one Microsoft partner is giving ISVs a tool to figure out how much deploying their application might cost once Microsoft starts charging for the cloud-computing platform.
As part of a new release of its existing Dotfuscator Suite, PreEmptive includes a way for ISVs (independent software vendors) to monitor an application not only to find out how many computing resources it requires when running on Windows Azure, but also to find out how people are using it, said Sebastian Holst, the chief marketing officer at PreEmptive, based in Mayfield Village, Ohio.
This latter functionality is especially key to helping ISVs calculate how much it would cost to run the application on Azure once Microsoft begins charging a fee because it allows them to specifically weigh the usefulness of the application, he said. By doing so they can decide which components of an application they may want to host on Azure and which parts they may want to sell for an on-premise deployment, Holst said.
"The challenge for developer organizations who are targeting Azure is to figure out how their application will be used," he said. "If you don't know what features [people] use, how much activity will be generated inside the cloud, you will have no way of predicting what the cost will be and what the behavior and value [of the application] will be ultimately to their business."
Dotfuscator is a tool that injects code into an application so its usage can be remotely monitored either through a company's own or third-party analytics software, he said. Alternatively, PreEmptive can provide a hosted dashboard for people to view the information.
Forrester analyst Frank Gillett said it's certainly going to be useful for companies to monitor applications as they begin deploying more of them on a third-party cloud infrastructure. While companies like RightScale and Hyperic offer tools for monitoring how applications consume computing resources, monitoring how people use them is still an emerging area of functionality, he said.
"The whole overall category of getting better visibility into your application is going to become a more important area," Gillett said.
He added that it's likely Microsoft will begin enhancing Azure with similar features as the platform evolves, although there will still be room for third parties to play in this market.
To this end, Microsoft actually bundles a lightweight version of Dotfuscator in its Visual Studio developer toolset, and will do the same with the release of Visual Studio 2010 once it's available so ISVs can measure application usage on Azure, PreEmptive's Holst said. Visual Studio 2010 is currently in beta.
PreEmptive charges US$12,000 for a development group to use the full suite, and then if users want to subscribe to a PreEmptive-hosted dashboard to view the data, it's $2,000 per user per year, Holst said.
At its Worldwide Partner Conference last week, Microsoft made Windows Azure available free for anyone to use until November, when it will begin charging for it mainly on a per-consumption basis so people pay only for what resources an application uses.
Microsoft also will offer what it's calling a development accelerator that will allow people to pay a one-time fixed price for six months of access to Windows Azure as a more predictable pricing option. In that scenario, Microsoft calculates how much it would cost to run an application on the platform for that time period and then discounts it 45 percent as part of the six-month promotion.
source here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/168854/company_helps_isvs_assess_cost_of_microsofts_windows_azure.html
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
MySynths - Publish Photosynths on Facebook via Windows Azure
An application called MySynths running in Azure. Read on.
MySynths is a Cloud application designed to no less than bridge Facebook and Microsoft Photosynth. Essentially, the app allows users of the social networking website to integrate content created with Photosynth into Facebook profile pages. “MySynth” was developed by speakTech with CEO Aaron Sloman presenting the application at the Real Estate Connect Conference, and is currently available for Facebook members, revealed Chris Pendleton, the Virtual Earth Technical Evangelist for Microsoft. At the same time, MySynths is a pure Cloud application, as it leverages not only Facebook and Photosynth, but also Microsoft's Cloud operating system, Windows Azure.
“Once you find the Photosynth you want to publish, simply complete the form on the application page. The Title can be anything you want. You can choose to use the name of the Synth itself from the site or make up your own. Next, put in the URI string from the Photosynth site. You can get the URI from landing on the actual synth page (out of the address bar) or by clicking the EMBED tag (the little <> carrots) on the page. Next, add an URI to the thumbnail. This is a little trickier for the novice, but I went to the user’s collection of Synths, right clicked on the respective thumbnail of the Synth, view the image properties, copied the URI from there and pasted it in,” Pendleton explained.
MySynths will first of all enable Facebook members to add Photosynths to their page. Each Synth needs a Title and a source URL. But Facebook users are also free to add a Thumbnail Image URL, a Thumbnail Description, extra details, location data, and even external URLs with more information on the content shared. For every Synth added, a thumbnail will be displayed on the profile page featuring a link to the Facebook page that hosts the embedded Photosynth.
“The Thumbnail Description, again can be anything you want, but you may be best off to just copy the content from the site. Same goes for the long description,” Pendleton said. “The location is a bit trickier. If there is a globe icon on the Photosynth page, that means that it has been georeferenced and you can sort of reverse figure it out for yourself. If you uploaded the Synth yourself, you obviously know where the Synth belongs in this world and can enter it yourself. Add a URI for more information – in this case I put the Real Estate Agent’s web site URI.”
Users will also be able to opt for their Synths to be added to the application tabs and even for them to be published via their Facebook feed. Of course that MySynth also offers the possibility to manage and edit synths after content has been embedded. “Before you can publish to your feed, you have to grant the application the ability to publish posts or comments, so remember to click the link and configure that before you continue. Click “Add Synth” and BOOM! you’re done,” Pendleton stated.
source here http://news.softpedia.com/news/MySynths-Publish-Photosynths-on-Facebook-via-Windows-Azure-119049.shtml
MySynths is a Cloud application designed to no less than bridge Facebook and Microsoft Photosynth. Essentially, the app allows users of the social networking website to integrate content created with Photosynth into Facebook profile pages. “MySynth” was developed by speakTech with CEO Aaron Sloman presenting the application at the Real Estate Connect Conference, and is currently available for Facebook members, revealed Chris Pendleton, the Virtual Earth Technical Evangelist for Microsoft. At the same time, MySynths is a pure Cloud application, as it leverages not only Facebook and Photosynth, but also Microsoft's Cloud operating system, Windows Azure.
“Once you find the Photosynth you want to publish, simply complete the form on the application page. The Title can be anything you want. You can choose to use the name of the Synth itself from the site or make up your own. Next, put in the URI string from the Photosynth site. You can get the URI from landing on the actual synth page (out of the address bar) or by clicking the EMBED tag (the little <> carrots) on the page. Next, add an URI to the thumbnail. This is a little trickier for the novice, but I went to the user’s collection of Synths, right clicked on the respective thumbnail of the Synth, view the image properties, copied the URI from there and pasted it in,” Pendleton explained.
MySynths will first of all enable Facebook members to add Photosynths to their page. Each Synth needs a Title and a source URL. But Facebook users are also free to add a Thumbnail Image URL, a Thumbnail Description, extra details, location data, and even external URLs with more information on the content shared. For every Synth added, a thumbnail will be displayed on the profile page featuring a link to the Facebook page that hosts the embedded Photosynth.
“The Thumbnail Description, again can be anything you want, but you may be best off to just copy the content from the site. Same goes for the long description,” Pendleton said. “The location is a bit trickier. If there is a globe icon on the Photosynth page, that means that it has been georeferenced and you can sort of reverse figure it out for yourself. If you uploaded the Synth yourself, you obviously know where the Synth belongs in this world and can enter it yourself. Add a URI for more information – in this case I put the Real Estate Agent’s web site URI.”
Users will also be able to opt for their Synths to be added to the application tabs and even for them to be published via their Facebook feed. Of course that MySynth also offers the possibility to manage and edit synths after content has been embedded. “Before you can publish to your feed, you have to grant the application the ability to publish posts or comments, so remember to click the link and configure that before you continue. Click “Add Synth” and BOOM! you’re done,” Pendleton stated.
source here http://news.softpedia.com/news/MySynths-Publish-Photosynths-on-Facebook-via-Windows-Azure-119049.shtml
Monday, August 24, 2009
Windows Azure Blob Gets New Set of Features
Microsoft announces new features for Blog:
The Windows Azure Blob features that allow customers to manipulate files as large as 50 GB have been updated. Brad Calder, from Windows Azure Storage, revealed that the new additions to Microsoft’s Cloud operating system went live on August 11, 2009. Testers currently leveraging the Community Technology Preview of Windows Azure are already able to take advantage of the evolution of Windows Azure Blob modifications. However, Windows Azure CTP users should know that the new collection of features is only available via the Windows Azure Storage REST interface. However, Microsoft does plan to continue with the evolution of Windows Azure, by integrating the new features into future release of the Windows Azure SDK and storage client library.
“We are releasing a new set of features for Windows Azure Blob. Windows Azure Blob enables applications to store and manipulate large objects and files in the cloud. The blobs (files) can be up to 50GB in size for the CTP. All changes for this release are versioned changes, using “x-ms-version: 2009-07-17”. All prior versions of commands executed against the storage system will continue to work, as we extend the capabilities of the existing commands and introduce new commands,” Calder noted.
The latest features added to Windows Azure include Update Blob with PutBlockList, Root Blob Container, and Shared Access Signatures for Signed URLs. Windows Azure testers will now be able to update the contents of specific blobs. This was not the case ahead of the August 2009 refresh. In fact, before the update, refreshing content was synonymous with re-uploading the entire blob, even though the changes introduced were affecting a single block.
“With this new version, PutBlockList now allows you to add blocks, remove blocks, replace blocks, shuffle the order of existing blocks, or any combination of these for an existing blob. The benefit of this new feature is that to perform these changes you only have to upload the blocks you want to add or change. PutBlockList now allows you to create a new version of the blob by choosing blocks from a combination of (a) the existing set of blocks that comprise the current blob from the committed block list and (b) the newly uploaded blocks from the uncommitted block list,” Calder explained.
With the introduction of the Root Blob Container – Windows Azure now supports scenarios in which multiple storage accounts can leverage a single root blob container. In this regard, Cloud applications will be able to not only store but also reference blobs right off the domain address. “With this versioned change, we also changed the way applications perform operations on containers to make it explicit that it is a container operation instead of a blob operation,” Calder added. “Note, to use the root blob container “x-ms-version: 2009-07-17” must be specified. Support for anonymous requests that do not require a x-ms-version HTTP header to be specified will be added in the future.”
Windows Azure users can take advantage of Shared Access Signatures for Signed URLs to produce signatures that will streamline access to Azure Blobs. All signatures can be time-bombed, and have specific expiration dates, making it possible for Azure Blobs to be accessed without owning a private key or without the content being public.
“Applications can now create these Signed Access Signatures and add these to requests to Azure Blobs to create Signed URLs. You create a signature computing a hash over a canonicalization of the request using your storage account secret key. The signature can then be used as part of the URL to provide read, write, or delete access for blob requests. Note, Shared Access Signatures do not require the use of x-ms-version,” Calder stated.
click here for more http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Azure-Blob-Gets-New-Set-of-Features-119134.shtml
The Windows Azure Blob features that allow customers to manipulate files as large as 50 GB have been updated. Brad Calder, from Windows Azure Storage, revealed that the new additions to Microsoft’s Cloud operating system went live on August 11, 2009. Testers currently leveraging the Community Technology Preview of Windows Azure are already able to take advantage of the evolution of Windows Azure Blob modifications. However, Windows Azure CTP users should know that the new collection of features is only available via the Windows Azure Storage REST interface. However, Microsoft does plan to continue with the evolution of Windows Azure, by integrating the new features into future release of the Windows Azure SDK and storage client library.
“We are releasing a new set of features for Windows Azure Blob. Windows Azure Blob enables applications to store and manipulate large objects and files in the cloud. The blobs (files) can be up to 50GB in size for the CTP. All changes for this release are versioned changes, using “x-ms-version: 2009-07-17”. All prior versions of commands executed against the storage system will continue to work, as we extend the capabilities of the existing commands and introduce new commands,” Calder noted.
The latest features added to Windows Azure include Update Blob with PutBlockList, Root Blob Container, and Shared Access Signatures for Signed URLs. Windows Azure testers will now be able to update the contents of specific blobs. This was not the case ahead of the August 2009 refresh. In fact, before the update, refreshing content was synonymous with re-uploading the entire blob, even though the changes introduced were affecting a single block.
“With this new version, PutBlockList now allows you to add blocks, remove blocks, replace blocks, shuffle the order of existing blocks, or any combination of these for an existing blob. The benefit of this new feature is that to perform these changes you only have to upload the blocks you want to add or change. PutBlockList now allows you to create a new version of the blob by choosing blocks from a combination of (a) the existing set of blocks that comprise the current blob from the committed block list and (b) the newly uploaded blocks from the uncommitted block list,” Calder explained.
With the introduction of the Root Blob Container – Windows Azure now supports scenarios in which multiple storage accounts can leverage a single root blob container. In this regard, Cloud applications will be able to not only store but also reference blobs right off the domain address. “With this versioned change, we also changed the way applications perform operations on containers to make it explicit that it is a container operation instead of a blob operation,” Calder added. “Note, to use the root blob container “x-ms-version: 2009-07-17” must be specified. Support for anonymous requests that do not require a x-ms-version HTTP header to be specified will be added in the future.”
Windows Azure users can take advantage of Shared Access Signatures for Signed URLs to produce signatures that will streamline access to Azure Blobs. All signatures can be time-bombed, and have specific expiration dates, making it possible for Azure Blobs to be accessed without owning a private key or without the content being public.
“Applications can now create these Signed Access Signatures and add these to requests to Azure Blobs to create Signed URLs. You create a signature computing a hash over a canonicalization of the request using your storage account secret key. The signature can then be used as part of the URL to provide read, write, or delete access for blob requests. Note, Shared Access Signatures do not require the use of x-ms-version,” Calder stated.
click here for more http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Azure-Blob-Gets-New-Set-of-Features-119134.shtml
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Riviera Windows Azure Reference Application Available
Here's one article where one company jumps into the Windows Azure wagon:
The release of version 1 of Microsoft’s first Cloud operating system is approaching fast and will be available to customers in November 2009. In this regard, companies that are looking to jump aboard the Windows Azure wagon now have available a reference application. Project Riviera can be accessed through the MSDN Code Galley and is available for download with components governed by three separate licenses. Source code files are up for grabs via the Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL), the binary files are offered with an MSDN Code Gallery Binary License, and the documentation files with a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
“Project Riviera is a comprehensive code sample to demonstrate how to develop multi-tenant highly-scalable line-of-business application on Windows Azure Platform. This sample is developed by Global Partner Architecture Team in Developer & Platform Evangelism group at Microsoft in collaboration with Cumulux - our Cloud ISV partner. Riviera uses Customer Loyalty Management scenario for illustration purpose but many building blocks are applicable to range of line-of-business applications,” Microsoft revealed.
Customers should know that Project Riviera is in no way a product or solution from the Redmond company. In this regard, the software giant indicated that the sample code had been built and offered only for evangelism purposes. Windows Azure, the company’s Cloud platform, was debuted into public testing at the end of October 2009. For the time being the Cloud OS continues to be available to testers as a Community Technology Preview.
“Key features of Riviera:
-Multi-tenant data store based on Azure Table Storage as well as SQL Azure.
-Per tenant customization of data model
-Per tenant customization of business logic (using Windows Workflow in Windows Azure)
-Per tenant customization of user interface using Silverlight 3.0. Customization can be multi-level – custom theme, custom XAML, and custom XAP.
-Automated tenant provisioning.
-Windows Azure web role->Azure Queue->worker role pattern for high volume transaction processing that can scale on demand
-Claims aware web service and web application using Geneva Framework
-Active and Passive Federation using Geneva Framework, Geneva Server and .NET Access Control Service (ACS)
-Windows Live ID authentication for consumer facing web site
-Use of Patterns & Practices Enterprise Library Caching and Logging application blocks in Windows Azure,” reads an excerpt from the description of Project Riviera.
source here http://news.softpedia.com/news/Riviera-Windows-Azure-Reference-Application-Available-119238.shtml
The release of version 1 of Microsoft’s first Cloud operating system is approaching fast and will be available to customers in November 2009. In this regard, companies that are looking to jump aboard the Windows Azure wagon now have available a reference application. Project Riviera can be accessed through the MSDN Code Galley and is available for download with components governed by three separate licenses. Source code files are up for grabs via the Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL), the binary files are offered with an MSDN Code Gallery Binary License, and the documentation files with a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
“Project Riviera is a comprehensive code sample to demonstrate how to develop multi-tenant highly-scalable line-of-business application on Windows Azure Platform. This sample is developed by Global Partner Architecture Team in Developer & Platform Evangelism group at Microsoft in collaboration with Cumulux - our Cloud ISV partner. Riviera uses Customer Loyalty Management scenario for illustration purpose but many building blocks are applicable to range of line-of-business applications,” Microsoft revealed.
Customers should know that Project Riviera is in no way a product or solution from the Redmond company. In this regard, the software giant indicated that the sample code had been built and offered only for evangelism purposes. Windows Azure, the company’s Cloud platform, was debuted into public testing at the end of October 2009. For the time being the Cloud OS continues to be available to testers as a Community Technology Preview.
“Key features of Riviera:
-Multi-tenant data store based on Azure Table Storage as well as SQL Azure.
-Per tenant customization of data model
-Per tenant customization of business logic (using Windows Workflow in Windows Azure)
-Per tenant customization of user interface using Silverlight 3.0. Customization can be multi-level – custom theme, custom XAML, and custom XAP.
-Automated tenant provisioning.
-Windows Azure web role->Azure Queue->worker role pattern for high volume transaction processing that can scale on demand
-Claims aware web service and web application using Geneva Framework
-Active and Passive Federation using Geneva Framework, Geneva Server and .NET Access Control Service (ACS)
-Windows Live ID authentication for consumer facing web site
-Use of Patterns & Practices Enterprise Library Caching and Logging application blocks in Windows Azure,” reads an excerpt from the description of Project Riviera.
source here http://news.softpedia.com/news/Riviera-Windows-Azure-Reference-Application-Available-119238.shtml
Monday, August 17, 2009
NY Times on Google vs. Microsoft
an article about data center operations...
August 17th, 2009 : Rich Miller
As we’ve often noted here at DCK, data centers are the front line on many business battles of the Internet age, including the rivalry between Microsoft and Google. Ashlee Vance at The New York Times examines how the two companies approach their data center operations this morning on the Bits blog, noting Microsoft’s roof-less Generation 4 design and the company’s recent decision to migrate its Windows Azure operations out of Washington State for tax reasons.
The Geopolitics of Cloud Computing - Gartner
Just went through this article about cloud computing. Read on.
Like most highly hyped technology topics, also cloud computing is raising increasing political attention. This is already clear for the U.S: Federal Government where many people at OMB and GSA push the idea of cloud computing as a cure for various IT diseases. But this is happening also at the state and local level. Two apparently unrelated news concerning the State of Washington give a flavor of what I mean:
According to a CIO article, some lawmakers recently criticized the creation of a new State data center and office complex, claiming that the use of cloud infrastructure from vendors would be less expensive.
According to a Microsoft blog post, due to a change in local tax laws, Microsoft decided to migrate Windows Azure applications out of their northwest data center (actually in the State of Washington) prior to the commercial launch scheduled for November. An article on The Register reminds that “When Microsoft first started work on its Quincy, WA, facility, it enjoyed from a manufacturer tax break, but in December 2007, the break was rescinded by the state attorney general because data centers “do not produce a product which is sold to the companies’ customers.” Microsoft soon halted construction on its local data center (as did Yahoo!)”. This latest announcement looks like an additional step in the direction of divesting from Washington.
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