Microsoft mostly releases Vista SP1

Sometimes I think that what Microsoft’s Vista operating system really needs is an exorcist given the amount of unnatural occurrences plaguing it, but what it got this week was a disorderly rollout of Service Pack 1:

[Y]ou can now download Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update. For those of you eager to receive the benefits of Windows Vista SP1 - you can now do so! We’ve seen quite a bit of questions in our comments so we want to communicate as much as possible surrounding Windows Vista SP1 and today’s release to Windows Update as we can.

For those of you happy to wait - sit tight because SP1 will start downloading to PCs automatically beginning in mid-April (Remember, this happens only if you have your Windows Update configured to automatically download updates and SP1 will automatically download but not automatically install).  But if you want to get the benefit of a year’s worth of improvements right now, go check Windows Update today…(Hit the Start Menu, All Programs, and select Windows Update).

If in running Windows Update you do not see Windows Vista SP1 listed, there are a number of good reasons for this (Eight in fact, see the whole list).

And there’s the rub as everything from an installation of a wrong language to a troublesome device driver could potentially hold up the parade. Microsoft says they are working on these problems and have recalled last month’s prerequisite Servicing Stack Update (KB937287) which caused some Vista systems to continually reboot, but the whole thing has a chancy feel when what Microsoft wants out of SP1 is an impression of solidity.

Adding to to the uncertainty were the mixed messages concerning retail availability of SP1 in boxed copies of Vista and on OEM hardware. It appears that Vista with SP1 is now available at some retailers including Amazon, but OEM PCs with SP1 won’t start showing up until April. As for current users that don’t want or whose connectivity can’t take a huge download from the Internet, the plans for a DVD copy are still up in the air.

The puzzling thing is that Microsoft knows how to do this right, but can never seem to put it all together for Vista. As for SP1 being what it takes to get the vaunted enterprise customers on board the Vista train, add at least 6 months for them to qualify Vista with SP1 for internal use.

Update (March 23): See “So Microsoft, Why Can't I Get Windows Vista SP1?” for an example of some SP1 driver incompatibility pain and yes, PC OEMs share the blame with Microsoft.

Packers.com Reacts to Brett Favre’s Retirement

There's nothing like a Web site being down when there's a big event or a breaking news story.  For a high-profile Web site to be down can be detrimental to its owner, especially if the particular event – or any type of event - can be predicted.  Black Friday online shopping and Super Bowl ads mentioning Web sites come to mind.

Last week, it was mistakenly posted on the Web site of the NFL's Green Bay Packers its star quarterback Brett Favre was retiring.  It turned out the "story" was merely a preparation for whenever the announcement of his retirement was made.  It caused a small panic for Cheeseheads everywhere.

Today it was announced Favre is retiring.  So I went to the Packers' Web site at packers.com to see how they handled the announcement.  The team and its Internet consultant apparently anticipate a deluge of traffic, so they redirected traffic to the home page to a special "breaking news" page as shown below.

(click on the link to view a larger version)

On the page is the following text:

Welcome to the Packers.com Breaking News page.

Due to the magnitude of today’s Packers news, Packers.com is offering this Breaking News page in lieu of our normal Packers.com site. With minimal graphics and no ancillary content, page loads should be quick, even in this period of high demand. All news stories from today will be listed right here on the Breaking News page. If you are seeking archived Packers.com material, you may still access the regular Packers.com site here.

This is a wise move, and interesting they actually stated it as they did.  And to Mr. Favre, thanks for the memories, except for Super Bowl XXXI.

I Just Want To Know What’s Going On

I know there's something going on.  And no, I am not just talking about the 80's song by Frida.  There's something going on out there that I don't know about but I feel I should.  The question – and challenge – is, how do I find out about it?

I am talking about what we refer to as "the news." In my younger days, it was easy to find out what was going on.  Growing up in western Massachusetts, the biggest choice we had was watching channels 22 or 40, and most people watched 22.  (Occasionally we watched channel 3 and saw Oprah's friend Gayle, but that was in Hartford, CT so we didn't care as much about the Nutmeg state, but I digress) WHYN-AM was news radio before they called it that.  Then there was the Springfield Daily-News that everybody read.  And for the smaller, local stories, there was The Reminder.  Keep in mind this was the 70's and 80's, and for those who were around then will know that was all we needed.

When I moved an hour away from my base to Pittsfield, MA when I graduated from college, the first thing I did was subscribe to the local newspaper, the Berkshire Eagle.  Why?  I wanted to know what was going on.  A year later when I finally landed in the Boston area, I would get the Newton Tab, Waltham Daily News-Tribune and the Sunday Boston Globe, with TV news and WBZ-AM news radio filling in the gaps.  In both cities, the combined news coverage worked, and as this time period was the 90's.

Fast forward a decade or so, and I am in Chicago.  I have only purchased the Chicago Tribune once – my wife's name was in it.  I get the daily emails from the Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, but they only offer the larger stories.  And TV news only shows a small subset of those larger stories - the murders, not the smaller stories like the minutiae of the city council.  Chicago is also much larger than Boston – its population is about half of that of Massachusetts!  In order to fill in the gaps, I read blogs from news providers such as Crain's, professionally-run blogs like the Chicagoist and Gaper's Block and a variety of individual bloggers.  Those combined give me a much better picture of the smaller news stories.

So what's my point?  There has been a lot of talk about the demise of the printed newspaper and TV news.  Where I don't know when this will happen, my guess it will be a slow and painful one.  I do believe the timeframe will be based on its relevancy – will it be the place people go to get the news, or be entertained?  When the news is followed by one of those Hollywood reporter shows, it's hard to tell when one ended and the other began.  Is it that I have something out for journalists or reporters?  Heck no. I just want to know what's going on, and they just don't seem to be telling me anymore.

(IT) Website/E-Commerce Creative Director SW London

Rate: £55k-£65k + Bonus   Location: South West London   

My internationally renowned client is currently looking to put in place an experienced B2C Online/E-commerce Creative Director. Based from their prestigious South West London HQ's you will ideally have solid experience in delivering Web based online projects through your marketing background. Exceptional brand awareness and brand development experience is a must for this position and this should have been totally consumer related in regard to target audience. Excellent client focused skills are required along with presentation skills. Experience in Microsoft Office and Microsoft Project is essential as is the ability to work in a team environment. This is a newly formed role and so will bring exceptional scope within the next 24 months. In return for these skills my client is offering a fantastic starting salary of up to £60000, individual bonus, tremendous benefits and excellent career progression.

Rate:£55k-£65k + BonusType:PermanentLocation:South West LondonCountry:UKContact:Gareth PikeAdvertiser:Intelect Recruitment PLC - Manchester PermEmail:Gareth.Pike.056AE.229D2@mail.jobserve.comStart Date:ASAPReference:JSGP/CD/0404

Drupal Theming for Immigration Law Site - oDesk

I am looking for a developer with extensive experience with Drupal development.  I have an existing immigration law website that is a Drupal site but needs a lot of work.  The project would involve programming a theme (I will provide photoshop or similar file) for the site and helping configure, add, and develop various modules.  There shouldn't be any custom module development, but will include an e-commerce aspect. Main features of site to include: 1. ...

Work Load: FullTime
Estimated Duration: 1 week
Starting On: March 19, 2008
Posted On: March 19, 2008
ID: 729492
Category: Web Development > Other - Web Development
Skills: Drupal programming, development, theming
Country: United States
Hours Billed: 0

click to apply