Windows Weekly 484: Microsoft for Life!

It's time for Windows weekly with

Paul Thurrott and Mary-Jo Foley.

Microsoft wants you for life,

and their ready to kill the next screen.

Paul is excited for the new Xbox and

Mary-Jo talks about Microsoft's

bad cloud day. Window's Weekly is next.

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This is Window's Weekly with Paul Thurrott

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September 21, 2016 Microsoft for life!

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It's time for Windows weekly with
Paul Thurrott and Mary-Jo Foley.

I'm Father Robert Ballecer in for
Leo Laporte

who is currently looking for the answers

to life, the universe and everything

acrossed the pond. Of course Paul Thurrott

is the guru behind Thurrott.com the

previewer of news, reviews and analyzes

for tech enthusiasts. Mary-Jo Foley the

mastermind behind ZDnet All About

Microsoft blog. Together their here to

bring a light to the deep cave of

Microsoft news, like a over charged light

bulb battery exploding in the darkness.

Paul, Mary-Jo so good to have ya.

(Mary-Jo laughs)

(Paul) It's like your introducing

Bond villains there.

(Mary-Jo) I know I was like Wow!

The masterminds.

(Paul) Master of Disaster Mary-Jo Foley.

(Father Ballecer) Do you have a cat?

and can you do this with your fingers?

- I think I need that on a business card.

If I still used business cards I would.

That is one of those strange things.

At these conventions that we go to
these shows

we all do the business card thing and

I've even got down the whole Asian thing

of handing like this and a bit of a bow.

But, um, those collect dust afterwards,

I almost never use them.

- No, No! I don't even have one.

- I was going to say I think I have some,

but I've never brought them anywhere.

-Wait!, You two go to shows, don't you?

It's kind of a thing, it's how you say
hello, right?

- uh

-Well now people just say, "where can

I find you?" and I just day "All About

Microsoft"

- Mary-Jo and I just bump our phones

together and say "Power twins activate."

(Mary-Jo laughs)

- No, I don't know every once in a while

someone will hand me a business cards

and I have a momentary bit of confusion,

like I don't have one of these things,

or I don't have it with me.

You know I feel, it's like a weird moment.

I feel like I need to give them something

in return, it's like someone comes over

with a gift and you don't have anything

to give them.

-Yeah, that's what it is. I know
I'm handing

out cards like they are candy, but it's

just because I want to give you something.

It's like thank you very much for
your time,

uh, here's something, and stop talking

to me now.

(laughing) yes, right!

(Paul) I've met the social obligation

(Father Ballencer) And if you actually
want to see

where this is gonna be put up you
can contact

ma at this other wise I'm just gonna
assume

that you just don't care (Mary-Jo) Yep
(laughter)

(Paul) I needed a resume for something,

you know, like a year ago or more, I. . .

Thurrott.com, what do you mean I...?

(laughing) I don't keep track of my

accomplishments, I'm not even sure what

I would do with that.

(Father Ballencer) Our Field producer,

Colene Goldstein, she's actually

really good LinkedIn. Before she
hands over

her card, she'll just say can I find
you on

LinkedIn and she's just building up
this huge

network of all these people that she's
connected

to and she says that's far more efficient

than trying to take a card and then
remember

where it came from and who they

represented six weeks ago.

Because remember a lot of the people that

you meet don't actually work for
that company

they work for a PR company that represents

the company that you are talking to.
(Paul) Right.

and you won't remember who that is unless

you actually write it on the back of
that card

and even then sometimes you don't remember

- I have to look at the lower third to
remember

Mary-jo's name. (laughing) you know I'm

really not good at that kind of thing.

(Mary-Jo) He's bad at this thing.

(Fa. Ballencer) I have to look down here

If I don't see that?

(Paul) Hi! I'm Fr. Rob, What does
that say?

(laughing) Sir Foley, no let's not
do that.

I'll right let's get away from social
convention

cuz we've got some pretty spectacular
windows news

who's got this first one, because
eventually

Microsoft has finally "oh! that's right
we're not

offering the free version anymore,
maybe we

should kill that nag screen"

Mary-Jo - Yeah I can start it off a bit.
Um,

Yesterday, the 20th, Microsoft put out a

KB article that said "Hey we're finally
going to

push through Windows update, an update

that takes away the Windows, get
Windows 10 app.

So if you remember July 29th was the
actual day

the offer to get a free Windows 10 ended.

And at that time they said it might
take us

a little while to faze this out
because we've

so thoroughly inundated everyone
with this app

and the promotion. So actually the real

day when this ended at least when
the app ended

was yesterday. And it's starting to roll

through the Windows update. It replaces

the get Windows 10 app and it goes away.

But the weird complication
not complication

but the weird kind of coincidence is

you can actually still get Windows 10
as free upgrade

You just have to use your existing
Windows 7

or 8.1 product key and you can still
unlock the free

upgrade, which is something Microsoft
is not

actively advertising, but Paul has been
verifying it daily.

(Paul) well weekly

(Mary-Jo) I've been asking him
is it still up

(Fa. Bellencer) Cuz, I was told
that if you do

the get Windows 10 thing and then
you roll it

back you're always set you can always
re-download it

(Paul) Oh! yeah, yeah this is for
new installs.

In other words you have never
done this before

you have a key you can do a clean
Windows 10

right now and it would still work.

(Fa. Bellencer) Wait! What? That's not how

it's suppose to work.

(Mary-jo) Yep
(Paul) I know, and by the way

one day it won't, I mean maybe
this weekend

or the weekend after that, someday,
I'm gonna

wake up, I'm gonna test it and
it's not gonna work

you know it's just.. It's going to
happen eventually.

But, um, I wrote an article about this

not working probably a month ago
in anticipation

of it not working and it's just
kept working

the things been sitting here at
my desktop since

August. (Fa Ballencer) So you just try and

do an update everyday just to make
sure it still goes?

(Paul) not everyday and least once a week.

- Now does this

(Mary-Jo) Yesterday, I said to him can you

still do it? And he's like, Yep you can!

-So does this now increase the
value of the

Windows 10 upgrade, because now
you can't get

it except maybe if you know this
super secret,

now do people actually want it?

(Paul) I.. No.. I suppose..
I think the issue

is.. Well if you wanted to save some money

I suppose you could go buy Windows 8.1

product key and you know, well you

wouldn't actually buy Windows 8.1

I should say, it's possibly you can
buy a copy of it

somewhere cheaper because nobody wants it

anymore and than you could upgrade
now for less money

than buying Windows 10. Or maybe you just

had keys for some reason, maybe a
company that has

keys allotted or you bought the
package version

at some point, maybe you bought
the Windows 7

family pack back in the day and you
only used

two of the three keys and you've got
an extra

one sitting around for what ever reason.

If you have a key it will work. If you

got them from TechNet that will work.

um, and someday it won't. So, we'll see.

-Microsoft won't say when they think

it will no longer work in fact they aren't

really publicly saying that it still works

if you ask them, they just don't answer

when you ask about this.

And I assume it's the same thing
that they said

about the get Window 10 app

that it might take some time for them

to shut it off. But the other
theory is they

are just leaving it open for those laggers

who didn't get around to updating by
July 29th

and they can say to them "You know what,
psst

by the way."

- It doesn't hurt anybody, I think
that's the

point that if they are people out there
in the world

with Windows 7 install that they've
never done

Microsoft would much rather see them be on

Windows 10, if they're going to do a
new Windows

install. Why wouldn't they want that.

- I can also see this heading off a lot of

complaints from people who said "oh man

I tried to upgrade and I totally forgot
and I

did it in August and it didn't
work anymore"

No that's not actually a valid excuse.

You know September 21st, October 21st,

It's starting to get to the point where

you can't pretend you've been

procrastinating and than just forgot
I mean,

You know at some point it's just. . .

Their just leaving it open, its fine.

I have no problem with this.

- This is actually a huge opportunity
for us

because I know Alex has been trying to

update the Tri caster to Windows 10

(Paul) Actually Padre, Let me correct you

you shouldn't run Windows update on the

Tri caster, New Tech doesn't say
you should

So I really hope that nothing. . .

Oh Crap! (Laughing)

- This is what happens, You get a
nag screen

in the middle of Windows weekly

that's oddly blocking me out entirely,

that's different (Mary-Jo) It is

You know we're going to have to live
with this

for the next 20 -30 minutes because

unfortunately, click the initiated
and it'll

take that much time to install and

uninstall it. (Mary-Jo) They'll see
us though

we're off to the sides. Not when you zoom

on us, but the big picture you can see us.

(Paul) How do I know that this
graphic hasn't

been used more gleefully on
Macbreak weekly

and whatever morning show I'm sure you do?

(Fa Ballencer) Uh, this weeks it's Google,

I think this is actually the
new title card

for Floss Weekly. Um Floss Weekly will

never reserve your copy.

Do either of you still have Windows 7,
8 & 10

Machines in your environment?

(Mary-Jo) Yes, I have 7,

(Fa Ballencer) So no 10 at all?

(Mary-Jo) Yeah I have 10 and 7, but no 8

(Fa Ballencer) Really? I have 7, 8.1
and 10

(Mary-Jo) You have all of them.

(Fa Ballencer) Well because I mean 10

does still kill some of my USB devices

so my production machines have to stay 8

and I have one laptop and that just works

better at 7.

(Mary-Jo) I just have the desktop I still

use because it's just an older machine,

the Dell that I've had for awhile
I just left

it on 7, cuz I'm like Eh, when I need to

replace the machine Ill just get

Windows 10 machine.

(Paul) But what about all those
gotta have it

apps you can't run?

-Um?!

(Fa Ballencer) Now a quick question,

this really did hurt Microsoft's
reputation,

right? I mean Yes, That number of how

many deployments they have of Windows 10

is forever going to be asterisk.

People said "Well how many of those were

accidental upgrades or how many of those

were installs and then rollbacks almost

immediately. This. . Will people
forget this

or will Windows 10 upgrade nag screen

be the butt of jokes for the next two

decades. (Paul) Honestly I think they've

irreparably harmed their reputation with

this and not just Microsoft generally but

the reputation of Windows as well.

The forced upgrade thing was a
huge mistake

on their part and a very risky gamble and

the recent people aren't going to forget

it is because they came out and said we're

going to hit a billion within two to three

years and then right before Windows the

windows ten free upgrade ended they said

you know what we're not going to make that

goal and so even though they did that they

were unable to you know meet
this reasonable

goal, I thought, of reaching a billion

users in that timeframe.

- You know Mary Jo there's two ways to

look at this. There's one way and
this would,

I think this is where Paul lines up, there

was an executive or some marketing person

who said you know what we want to hit a

billion because it sounds like a
great number.

So let's just force this on people. The

other way to think of this is that some

engineers said you know what people

will like ten if they just try it if
we just

get it on the machine they will understand

what all the hoopla is about.

Which of those do you fall with?

- So I also, like Paul, think this was a

big mistake and the part that really

kind of riled me the most was when

Microsoft was taking the tack of saying

it's for users own good that were doing

this and you know I was like wait this is

so paternalistic How can you say what's

for my good or my mother's good who

accidently got Windows ten and
like flipped

out when she got it you know I just think

that argument didn't work. I'm happy. They

made a free upgrade available very easily

to people but I don't think they should

have rammed it down people's throat.

But it's also, I don’t know
if it qualifies

as ironic but, You know one of the kind of

contracts you enter into with Microsoft

when you do install or get Windows 10 is

you're accepting a constant stream of

upgrades and you really can't do anything

as an individual to befriend that from

happening. Least not elegantly or easily

and your introduction to this new world is

Microsoft seamlessly and inelegantly

jamming Windows 10 down your throat

you know it's it's kind of a nasty preview

of what the future holds for you when you

do this and it's just the wrong first step

you know to resent, it was a
terrible mistake

- Yeah and then the, you hiding of the way

that you would actually accept the upgrade

where people were closing the window.

That was really bad. That made like a bad

situation worse. So yeah not a good look.

- In writing about this topic today

I decided not to go back and hit on every

single little milestone in this because

frankly it's kind of depressing.

You know, when you go back to look at the

sheer amount of stuff that both of us I'm

sure have written about this get
Windows 10

thing since last year and the various ways

they changed it silently some Windows

Update, or group of Windows Updates would

go out, some of them would prevent the

blockers from, you know or the un-blockers

I guess from you know working.

some of them would change the way the

dialog looked or worked. You know in the

past when you close the window, it would

just go away but at one point when you

close the window you silently
have accepted

the upgrade and that's purposefully evil.

It's terrible.

-For me I think that hurt more
than anything

else because I understand wanting to

force out the update. Especially since

they believe it's going to be much more

secure, it's going to be much more feature

rich. But the fact that they kept playing

cat and mouse with people who just didn't

want to be nagged anymore. That's the

reputation strike it's like ok
if I went to

the trouble of removing that nag screen

then obviously I'm a savvy user if I can

do that. So the fact that you're trying to

work around what I did. Now I feel as if

we're playing Microsoft nanny state.

-Right -Yeah, yeah

A lot of times you know they keep saying

you know what, we're letting people get

around it, if they go in and edit the

registry settings. I'm like, wait a second

hold on, that's not something most people

should do. In fact, probably very few

should do it. And so when that was

like “Hey were give you an alternative

to get out of it. I was like uh, that's

not a good option.

-That's not an alternative.

–No

- I mean the funny thing they get looking

back over a year of articles
for this topic.

What I reminded myself of was in late June

one month before the free offer ended.

They finally added something to that

box that said I don't want this please

stop asking me. It took them eleven of

the twelve months to get to that point.

That's how it should have been on day one.

You know it's just uh, you just can't

recover from this. We don't know, we may

never know the psychological impact that

had on what may or may not have been

very good to Microsoft customers that day,

who upon looking for a new computer at

some time in the future may decide they

need, they are going to get a pro book

instead or a mac book or well probably not

a Linux computer that's crazy.
But you know

what I'm saying. That they're
going to look

at an iPad even or something, whatever.

And just make that decision because they

don't want to be harassed which is a

completely reasonable request. You know.

-Let's close the book on this bad chapter.

–Yeah, yeah I think so.

It's not a mulligan but it's since you say

OK you know what, you kind of hit some

of the numbers you wanted not the big one

but now actually show us that our faith in

you is not misplaced. But to be fair, we

could look at other companies in the

industry, like Google that are doing the

same sort of strong arm tactics.

Google right now is making a big push for

HTTPS, they want everything to be encypted

end to end on the internet, that's a good

goal, but some people feel that their

approach is heavy handed. Now, the new

updates to Chrome are going
to automatically

mark any site that doesn't have
HTTPS built

into it as insecure so that little icon is

going to pop up, warning people that maybe

they shouldn't visit the site.
People think

that's heavy handed, but those looking at

it say, "well this is ultimately going to

lead to a better internet." you could make

the same call here. You could say "Look,

this was heavy handed, this was

Microsoft being the worst of the nannies,

but a more secure OS ultimately is a

better experience."

-All of the goals that Microsoft had for

this were valid right. Even the
self-serving

ones you know, the notion that we would

all be better off if more of us run the

very latest version of the O. S. and were

always updated to be on that version would

make us all more secure because it's less

work for Microsoft to do to fix
the problems

you know, are going to occur down the road

Everyone benefits from that there's no. .

you can't really dispute it. But the

problem is when they say oh good, everyone

agrees? Good! Now you're all getting the

new upgrade is like whoa whoa hold on a

second, you know, you mention for example

that you have U.S.B. devices that don't

work on Windows 10. I'm sure anyone.

listening to this has some examples of

some things whatever might be, uh…

that don't work you know or some reason

whatever it may be that they couldn't

upgrade. I mean you can't. . . I don't

believe you can I mean they
tried you can't

really just jam this kind of thing down

people's throats.

-And for our few fruit flans in
the chat room

right now. Why is it that Microsoft trying

to force Windows 10 on people was a

boondoggle. Whereas another company's

decision to remove a standard
port was brave?

(Mary-Jo laughs) Courage

(Paul) Good marketing.

(Fa. Ballencer) Maybe this was just

Microsoft’s courage, and we’re all just

misunderstanding it.

-Uhm –Ok (Laughter) -Well OK

(Paul) It was courageous of them
to attempt.

(Fa. Ballencer) It was, it was. Although

I will say something I really don't like

is the fact that they've disabled
something

from 8 because if you do Windows stacked

side by side it's pretty seamless but if

you do one on top of the other there's

always a hard break as you move between

screens. In 8 you used to be able to

disable that sticky window, you just move

right through it. You can do the same

registry edit in 10 but it doesn't fix it.

That never goes away and that's why I

don't understand that, Go figure.
All right.

When we come back. We need to talk about

something a bit more cheery because we've

we've been hammering on Microsoft
so rather

than talking about a forced
Windows 10 update

I think maybe we should talk about some

Layoffs -Yeah. (laughter)
-Oh boy!

–Yay let’s get pumped. But first let's go

ahead and take a moment to thank the first

sponsor of this episode of Windows weekly.

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OK this is one of these stories that it

almost feels as if a
continuation of stories

that we've already covered but who

wants to talk about the bad news for

pink slips over at Microsoft.

(Mary-Jo) Oh wait, can we talk about the
Skype thing first.

(Fa Bellencer) OK sure. OK You know

what that's hold off on the super awesome

(Mary-Jo) I mean it's related but we can

we could kind of mix it up a little.

-The people getting pink slips got
them over Skype. (laughter)

(Mary-Jo) That would have been interesting

(Paul) Which explains why some of them

have been home. Some of them got it
seventeen times. (laughing)

(Mary-Jo) Burn, burn
(Fa Bellencer) ok Skype, let’s do Skype.

-Ok so this um, Paul should the S.M.S.
relate because you, I think you've

actually looked at it, right?

-No, well not exactly, so, Err,
how do I explain this,

but earlier this year Microsoft announced
a feature that was going to come

in the Windows 10 anniversary
update called messaging everywhere

and the idea is that you have a Windows
Phone or an Android phone

and you can use your computer to send
text messages and receive text messages

right like you can do in a Mac if you
have an iPhone as well.

And everyone was really excited about it,
some insiders started testing it

and then very late in the game they said
you know what.

Actually we're not going to put
this in Windows ten.

This makes more sense for Skype
we'll put it in the Skype preview app

but sometime later in the year they
yanked it out of Windows 10

some people were disappointed you
know because they were using it

but you know I think we can agree that
a messaging feature makes more sense for

Microsoft's messaging solution than it
does for Windows specifically so

it's going to be part of Skype. So
in the most recent Windows insider build

which was released last week I think
Microsoft's added this feature in for

the first time and now they're calling it
S.M.S. relay actually been calling

about for some time but it's a slightly
more technical and less interesting name

and the functionality is supposed to work
the same way in this initial version

however you need to have the latest fast
ring version of Windows 10 from

windows insiders. I think 14 9 23 or
something like that. And you also need

to have that same build on Windows 10
mobile it only works on those two systems

so I have both of these things
but I couldn't get it.

I'm not seeing it on my phone
I don't know why.

but the idea again is that you can from
the Skype preview app on Windows 10

for P.C.'s send and receive text messages
and so if your phone is over the corner

charging somebody sends you a text message
you get a notification on your P.C.

click on it you can reply to it right
there. It sends out over your phone

as you would expect so it's coming.
And it will come as part of Skype, right?

so we won't have to wait for the next
major version of Windows 10 to get it.

Which by the way is another one of
the advantages of putting it on Skype.

-You know what's weird though I think I
messaged you about this that I have an

Android phone. I have a Windows 10 P.C.
and I am seeing my text messages

from my phone show up on my Windows 10
P.C. and I'm not on

the insider program right!
–Which is really interesting.

-Yeah, So I think it's because of Cortana
though because I have Cortana on both

and I believe that also gives you some of
that functionality but that then

I'm like OK So is this in the future
going to be taken out of Cortana?

-Yes so, right. Actually it's kind of
confusing because this is hum,

I wrote a book about Windows 10 that I'm
still updating for the anniversary update

and one of the things I put off literally
to the very end that I will wrote right

in the last of all the new content is
phone integration because it's actually a

little convoluted there are three ways
right now that you can get information

back and forth from your phone through
Windows 10 as I understand it. One is this

new S.M.S. relay feature in the Skype
preview. One is the thing you're seeing

which is the Cortana integration but
there's also like a Windows phone

integration I will get Windows Phone
notifications in Action Center on

Windows 10that are notifications that
came from Windows 10 in the phone and so

they could be about anything it will be
like Facebook updates.

You know different things from different
apps on the phone and those things will

actually surface in Windows 10 of my P.C.
as well. So I'm still trying to kind of..

where and how all these things happen
and why you know it's interesting I have

three different phones, so I have and
Android phone like you do and I have the

Windows Phone and also an iPhone
So the iPhone doesn't really do anything

but the expectation is that you'll have a
pretty decent level of functionality

through Android if you have Windows 10
and then obviously if you have

Windows 10 mobile you would have
the best experience

because those two things would
be tightly integrated.

-You know that's something in a
feature I actually would really like

something in Windows that shows me how
the various services integrate because

it's always an crapshoot for me about what
notifications I get on what devices like

you I've got I.O.'s devices I've got
Windows devices I've got Android I think

Windows Mobile and it always, I’m never
really sure what is syncing and what's not

-It's like a roulette wheel and I just was
speaking Skype specifically, this morning

I was chatting with Brad on Skype & we're
you know we're texting back and forth

he writes, I write you know five minutes
goes by, 15 minutes and all of a sudden

one of my three phones in this case it
was my iPhone the screen lights up and

I look over and it's a Skype notification
of something. Brad had written me on Skype

about two minutes earlier. And so for
some reason that one version of the app

on that one phone lit up. It was like all
my devices or weight are in the back and

one of those are like I got it. I got it,

and it just kind of like I'm having an
active conversation in Skype on Windows.

You know why? Why would these other
things? You know how it is, if I go to my

Android phone and I turn them on right
now and I go into Skype. You know thus

waking it up which is a mistake. It's like
Jason from Friday the 13th or something

but if I do wake it up briefly it will
flash those one two three conversations

that are marked unread the conversations
I had earlier with Brad actually this one

from Twit and the conversations I had
with Mary Jo according to this version of

the app these conversations are unread.

-I know, that happens to me too. Yet when
I when I've had my Windows 10

laptop off for a while I turn on you know
they all the messages filtered through

but then some show up as unread
and some show up as read.

-Yep.

-So I'm not sure what makes
both of those things happen.

-Yeah I ended up going into Windows 10
notification I just turning off everything

because I was so tired of
receiving the same notifications 15 times

-Yep

-Actually there's something else that I
do love the syncing across accounts

that actually does work nicely except
for the fact that at home. I've got this

monster set up with two 4K. monitors
and a bunch of little monitors around the

periphery and it tries to import those
preferences into my laptop and it doesn't

matter how many times I tell it not to do
that it. There's always an update in the,

the switch gets turned back on & suddenly
all the text on my laptop is tiny.

Because it's adjusting with what it thinks
I want to the desktop, which that's again

I want some sort of central control panel
that shows all my devices and which

settings are moving between which devices.
It sounds like that's an absolute

necessity now with all the different
devices that we use. And with all the

syncing that Microsoft trying to build
into the products. That's a necessity.

-Yeah you know obviously Microsoft doesn't
have a big presence slash

any presence in Mobile and so one of the
concerns that they have that maybe Apple

doesn't have and Google only has to a
lesser extent say with IOS Devices is the

cross-platform stuff you know Bart W on
Twitter's ask Mary-Jo and I if S.M.S.

relay is coming to the Skype apps on IOS
and Android as

well and it's a reasonable expectation
that it would but

you know of course on Android you have
a Microsoft has a

much easier way of getting into the
system and making

this more seamless whereas in IOS,
if you think about how

Cortana works you kind of have to go
in and run the app

for some things to happen. You know it's
never going to be as. .

even though it can you know, it can sort
of run in the background a little bit

you can never be sure that it will always
be there. This is more easily done on

Android and Windows Phone So if you…
Mary-Jo do you know off the top you head

has Microsoft ever spoke to S.M.S relay
on IOS Android?

-I don't remember them saying that.

–It seems like it would have to the right?

(Mary-Jo) I know it does seemed like it

would have to

-What would be the point of S.M.S relay

to Windows 10 mobile?

-Right.

- Mary Jo I've got an enterprise question

for you. Do we know how many versions of

messaging Windows has.. uh Microsoft has

because you've got Skype. You've got

Skype for business. You've got Skype for

broadcast and then you've got the link

stuff which was actually supposed to take

over for the Skype stuff but then that

seems to be flipped. Now that we've got
the Dela

do you see what's in the strategy going

forward or we just keep getting fractured

off into different types of Skype
and do they still have

that artificial delineation
between consumer and enterprise?

-They do. They still have the delineation

there is still Skype consumer and Skype

for business are not the same product

even though they're both called Skype and
you're right. Link is still kind of

hanging around for some on promise the

stuff but ultimately Link, the Link name

will totally go away and link will be

completely superseded by Skype for
business that will happen.

-Because that was going the other way. I
mean Skype was going to go to go away and

they were going to keep Link and so now
they've reversed on that.

- Yes So I think they're being pretty

consistent on length being supplanted by
Skype for business.

-OK.

-I think next week which is Microsoft

ignite we might hear some new things

about Skype for business and kind of

where that's going because every time we

ask Microsoft about Skype they'll answer

Skype consumer questions but they won't

talk at all about Skype for business. And

I think next week's show because it's a

very I T pro focus show we probably will

hear some new things about Skype for

business and hopefully about how it's

going to be syncing soon with OneDrive

and OneDrive for business. That's

something people are really waiting

anxiously for and last we heard that was

going to happen in the final calendar

quarter of this year. So we're almost in
the final calendar quarter.

Seems like we should get some new
News on that next week.

- Wait Skype for business will sync with
OneDrive?

-With OneDrive for business, yes!

-How does that.. Wait what is it syncing?

- They’ll be integration. Sorry. Am I
saying OneDrive business or

am I thinking Share Point.
I’m thinking about Share Point.

-OK, OK that makes sense

-Sorry I'm thinking about Share Point

when I'm saying OneDrive for business but

um, it may, Microsoft talked about Share
Point and OneDrive business being able to

actually have better sync across those

two products and they said that was going

to counter Q four and I think that's what

we might hear about next week. But yeah

you know every time we ask about Skype.

You know we've heard recently that Skype

is moving to this new kind of universal

next generation client and when I asked

Microsoft you know does that also mean

Skype for businesses is going to be on

that same universal client.

They said we're not really talking
about Skype for Business.

-You're like whoa.

-Don't get ahead of yourself here.

- And don't forget the upcoming Skype for

Web R.T.C. because I mean that's also

another universal client and universal,
universal.

-But we should talk about this thing that

surfaced this week called Skype for life.
Speaking of .

-Oh good I was just hoping we would have
another Skype.

- Speaking of Jason from Friday the 13th.
(laughing)

-OK what is Skype For Life?

-OK So ARS Technica Dr Pizza over there

got a tip from one of his sources or

maybe multiple sources that Microsoft was

working on a product called Skype For
Life and he and a lot of us have first

kind of thought maybe this was a name for

the universal Skype client that would

work across all different platforms that

would be kind of like what Microsoft has

described as the universal Windows

platform equivalent but for the other

platforms like IOS and Android. But then

Paul dug around a little and thought it

through and he says no but that is not
what that it is.

-No! No I mean I talked

to Peter about it., Skype, Ironically.

And I don't doubt that he was told this

and I don't doubt that the person who

told him saw this and thought that they

understood what they were seeing but you

know I talked to the Skype guys back in

June or July about the strategy Mary Jo

just discussed where they're moving to a

new generation clients they have updated

their back end infrastructure they

temporarily have to maintain the old

P.D.P. infrastructure for certain

applications or services but that's going

to be going away. The combination of

these two back end services explains the

Skype reliability issues that we've all

seen over the past you know several

months I was told. And I thought you

know, Skype For Life and making yet again

new, some new client that would somehow

run across all those platforms didn't

make any sense to me and if you look at

that next to their previously stated

strategy it's clear to me that Skype For

Life is just a marketing term and what

they're describing internally I think is

the culmination of that previous existing

strategy that the new infrastructures

switched over to their new clients are

all available. They all interact and all

have the new features and it's not that

it's one client's I mean obviously

Windows will have P.W.P. clients, IOS and

Android will have native apps there,

Linux will have what they have and there

will be the web version as well. And

these things will have some baseline of

functionality that works across all of

them on this new infrastructure that's
the point of it.

-You know what I'm going to still be a

doubter here. OK I don't think, I think

the more I think about this the more I

think you're right that it isn't a new

totally new Skype client. I think that

would just be crazy and kind of going

back to what they just got away from but

I think Skype For Life is something else

and the reason I'm thinking that it's a

marketing slogan but, maybe it's

something like you know they call Skype

translator a feature of Skype like that.

That's how they brand that and Skype for

teams which is what they're going to be

doing to compete with Slack. I also think

they'll call that a feature of Skype. I

don't think they'll call of a new version

of Skype. So I'm thinking Skype For Life

might be something like using Skype to

improve your life in some way. So maybe

it's like I don't know I'm just I'm

totally reaching here but Skype like

maybe Skype and the Microsoft Health

platforms somehow connected or you know

Skype being used for some specific thing

that's more about health and welfare and

maybe a very specific almost like a

vertical I'm just guessing here again but

I think it's something else.

-I mean that seems very far reaching. It

might be simpler that you know it's funny

we were just kind of joking around and

slash complaining about how you know

Skype will ring on various devices and

whatever because we have various devices

because we're nerds and so Skype For Life

could be as simple as what I think of a

Skype everywhere this this feature you

know that a normal person with a computer

and a phone or a tablet and a phone would

want to get messages everywhere and

that's the For Life. In other words.

Whatever your life is whatever your

habits are whatever devices you choose to
use Skype will be there. You know.

-That could be

-I just you know regardless of what it is

I mean I think it's mostly a marketing

term. Right. Not so much a product. And

it's almost just a way to describe
functionality to normal people.

-I'd be down with the marketing term. I
spoke with a rep a Microsoft rep over at

IFA in Berlin last month and or no this

month and of course didn't want to talk

about it but what he was describing was

that this is Skype UC this is the unified

communication promised the idea of we

don't want Skype to be an app. It

shouldn't be something you start up it

should be something that is just

everywhere. They're using Microsoft

products. You should be able to say

Cortana call Paul Thurrott and it will

automatically kick out Skype and it

doesn't even call a Skype it just

connects. Hum, and I can see that I mean

that UC promises has been something

that's been around for ten years maybe

this is Microsoft finally saying let's do.

- Or saying we finally have enough pieces

in place for it makes sense right. I mean

even the things like integrating Skype

into Outlook.com and OneDrive.com on the

web or the Outlook 2016 Mail clients in

office 2016 which you know depending on

your view of things you might find

incredibly useful or incredibly annoying

because it certainly on the web, they

don't do a good job with that but

I think that these things are all part of

… how do you describe a bunch of little

things? It's a.. what's the theme? You

know universal communications is how we

would say it in the enterprise and maybe

Skype For Life is how they want to say it
to people.

-You know what Padre just gave me a crazy
idea another crazy idea.

-Oh good

-What if Skype For Life is a bot?

-Oh

-Now they’re intergrading more bots into

Skype right and there's been all this

talk about a concierge bot that Bing was

working on for a while to be kind of like

your personal assistant for a life. You

know somebody who you could say hey what

movies are playing can you get me some

tickets. Maybe this is Skype For Life?

-But then Skype for life would have to
fight Cortana to the death.

-I know. Yeah. BOTS and Cortana they...

I think they're siblings I think they're
friends but yeah

-Their twins, Skype For Life is the twin

they kept in the closet until he was a

teenager so he’s a little stunted.

We've actually got people in the chat

room, we've got ‘hey it's Todd’ who

suggested that Skype For Life is actually

the name of a new form of judicial

punishment and then you see the really

really bad, you only get to use Skype
(Laughing)

-It sounds like a big punishment.

-And a guy could be like oh I’ve been
Skyped.

-Should it just be Skype 10? I mean,

cause that was the whole idea of Windows
10. It is the last Windows you will ever

own is this Skype 10 is it like look it
will always be this way.

-And what you're supposed to do

everything to ensure it. That’s windows.
God bless

-The ultimate Skype.

-Honestly Windows 10 is a terrible name

right. That should have just been Windows

I don't think we need to go 10 I think if

anything we should be stripping the

numbers off of the products that still
have numbers.

-Maybe they really want it to be
Windows X.

-Apple's doing that right? Apple's
changing back

-They've kind of moved to the right

because they still have version numbers

obviously you have to have the stuff

behind the scenes but you know they talk

about the new version MacOS as Sierra.

You know and they've been doing that for

years. I guess but they really they

emphasize that you know it's a friendly

name and I think that's a nicer approach

than some godly book like H.P. product

names or version or just not version

numbers because numbers or even using the

version number the name is just it's just

it's I think that's just old fashioned

-Yeah

-Yeah it's kind of I mean because you
have to…

-I know especially if its the last right

last version of something, supposedly

-It should have just been Windows
ultimate,

Oh wait, we've already used
that. Never mind!

-Calling something the last version of

this product is like the worst way to

market something ever invented. You know

this is the last version we're ever going

to make a Windows. Oh know we’re gonna

keep updating it, but this is the last
one.

–There’ll be some serious updates to it
but no, this is it.

-So it really is just not smart mart.
(Sigh) I'm going to be…

I'm going to change my name to Padre 10.
I will be the last Padre, you’ll ever know

-Actually if you can change it to 10.01.

-There'll be updates to Padre, but this
is really the final version.

(Paul) There will always be that
little hidden miss.

(Mary-Jo) Padre Hena-versary.

-Don't we… the Padre anniversary edition.

It's ten pounds lighter but has all the
features. (laughing)

All right, we're going to bog down a bit

too much and it is a fun story, but there

is one more story that has so much fun it

has to be dispelled. Paul. There were

people screaming all over the Internet

that Microsoft is being the big bad by

trying to lock Linux out of new P.C.'s Is
this true?

–No! And that's all we need to say about

that. If I could somehow make a career

out of just debunking stupidity. Right. I
mean I just… you get into these

conversations of people on Twitter who

see these stories and they.. I think it's

the way conspiracy theories work right.

It's.. it hits on your internal beliefs

and so you instantly throw common sense

to the wind and say oh course their doing

this. Microsoft is evil. It's like guys

it's not 1998 anymore it could be maybe

upgrade the way we think about Microsoft

and their relationship with Linux in

particular. The topic and if you don't

know what it is I guess we should

probably step back a second and say that

somebody had discovered that a Lenovo

P.C. bought from the Microsoft store so

it's a signature P.C. and thus is running

something called Windows 10 signature

edition which doesn't exist. Somehow has

the magic capability of preventing Linux

from ever being installed in that

computer. That's not a capability of an

operating system that’s something that

would have to be built into the firmware

I guess of the computer I mean I

obviously there's always going to be some

way to brute stall anything on there but

you know, read it happens. There’s one of

the guys from ZD Net wrote a very calm

and collected article but anyway I

appreciated that. But here's the thing,

signature P.C. is as I describe it.

I think the smallest province of the

windows empire that exists in Microsoft.

They have no power at all the very notion

that they could require a P.C. maker to

do anything is ludicrous. Let alone the

world's number one P.C. maker. Microsoft

is not the business of blocking Linux.

They never really were. But it's one of

those things like a lot of people kind of

like want to believe is the case. Some

guy supposedly from Lenovo got into a

support forum somewhere and said Yeah.

This might this is part of our agreement

with Microsoft. That's not true. By the

way because Lenovo came out with a

statement and said no that's not what's

happening. It's one of those things like

you don't actually have to know the

answer to know the answer. It's a little

bit like the Skype For Life thing like if

you think it through. It's like this is

not what's happening and so I ... I'm not

the one that got the statement so I think

it's Tech Republic. They've got the

statement but I did a write up about it
and uh debating it…

-This is just secure boot on the UEFI
right?. I mean that's all it is.

-It's not exactly but it's that exact

kind of topic yes but Lenovo has a one

of, it's probably just one Lenovo

computer actually but there is a Lenovo

computer that has a very strange raid

S.S.D. configuration and as people are

discovering if they try to clean install

Windows 10 on that computer it won't work

either. It's. It's a very unique

configuration. It's not part of a secret

cabal with Microsoft to screw Linux users

out of their new computer but you know I

think I said this to Mary Jo privately or

maybe Brad we were I was chatting with

somebody earlier today and so consider

the market out there for people who are

going to buy a Windows based computer and

install Linux on it right and there is

some number it's a small number but the

some group of people do that. And now

let's consider the subset of those people

who are going to drive to a Microsoft

store pick it lovingly pick out their…

you know favorite signature P.C.

configuration from the store, buy it from

Microsoft. You know their favorite

company. And then put Linux on it. I mean

like I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm

not saying it's not going to happen but

c'mon. I mean and this is Microsoft's.

Path to world domination we're going to

do it through the signature pieces that

nobody even knows exists at the stores

and you can't even find there where you

live. It's just the whole thing is loaded

it's just typical. Watching this cascade

across the Internet today. It's just as

depressing. That's just so typical. You

know it destroys your faith in humanity

or reconfirms my belief that we're all
idiots. I mean it's just it's sad.

-And he thought Lenovo did show. I mean I

can't remember what they call it it's

like software services but then on boot

up you actually get the option of what

packages you want to install. So you
could make it a signature…

-You mean..?

-All the crapware.

-That’s interesting. So Lenovo not the

only P.C. makers starting to do that kind

of a thing and I really like this

approach it's because it's something P.C.

makers are not familiar with called
customer centricity.

You know H.P.’s newer machines will do

the same thing and in the past you get a

bunch of utilities and things running in

the tray and whatever was. Now you have

to seek out those applications and at the

time that you run it. It says hey we have

this tray thing we can put it and you

want to use it and if you say no that's

in the end of it you know and that's the

way things should be you know don't you
think. Yeah so.

-Well it sure beats me having to spend
the first thirty minutes of my new P.C.’s
life. Uninstalling everything that came
pre-installed.
-Yes right. Actually we will never be
deemed intelligent beings by future
civilizations because of things like this
it's like when you buy an electronic
device and spend the first thirty
minutes. Updating the software or when
you buy a smartphone and you install apps
and you spend the next seven days.
Removing or changing notifications or
like what you just said you buy a new
P.C. in the first thing you do is take
things away from it. It's like this is so
counter. Intuitive and counterproductive
and yet we just sort of sort of accept
that this is the way it is you know
that's what makes me so sad that
signature seems to be kind of not an
emphasis anymore because I remember when
I got my Acer A seven it came to me as a
signature device and I didn't even know
it was going to and it was such a
different experience. Oh yes it's the
way. So let's see four years ago this
month. Microsoft opened their store in
Boston and I bought the very first
computer that was sold at that store
which is a fifteen inch Samsung ultra
book. It was one of the last Windows
seven computers they sold right because
one was a came out. Thirty or forty five
days later and to this day when I restore
that saying and it goes back to that
clean windows seven signature edition
thing with beautiful wallpaper and you
know no crap anywhere it's still like
this calming almost transcendental moment
like you open the thing up in like nice
you know and that's not the reaction.
Typically happen the P.C. is right it's
too bad I mean seriously there is
something about having to do a hardware
store for you to go back to the factory
disks and you know yeah when in any time
you do that there's going to be hours and
hours if not days of updates it's going
to go through round and round and round
but that's not the infuriating part for
me because that I can just leave off in
the corner the interior infuriating part
is I know I'm already going to have an
anti-virus it's going to take five
restarts to fully get rid of it because
it just sticks in there and you have to
do a little bit of registry editing to
get rid of the stuff that doesn't know an
install at all. Which we probably I know
we've talked about this on the pod cast
whatever. You know some months ago but as
part of the windows tenth anniversary
update there's a new tool it's not
actually included in the O. S. but you
could it's linked to from the O. S. And
so I think people are probably familiar
with the reset your P.C. functionality of
that they Butin Windows eight also
available one is ten thing is if you use
that on a P.C. that came from a P.C.
maker which is you know most P.C.'s. The
P.C. maker can edit that image that's
installed so your crapper all comes back
right when you reset the P.C. you get the
crapper. But there's a separate tool
called refresh Windows it's linked to
from the same place in the settings up in
Windows time with the anniversary update
you download the tool it downloads
windows ten it's a clean version of
Windows ten and then you can install that
and then so instead of getting the
crapware laden version you might get from
say whatever peace maker Dell H.P.
whoever you get Microsoft's clean image
right. And so the pro there is you don't
get the stuff you're talking about at the
end of R.S. whatever stupid utilities
people put on there. The minus side is
you may not get the driver you know
little bonus piano and probably Dell have
decent utilities for keeping that
particular machine up to date with
drivers for example you don't get that
thing. And so you might have to do a
little bit of extra work if you want some
of that stuff or if you need it you know
if you look in device manager and some of
your stuff hasn't been recognized you
know you might find yourself going to the
H.P. or Dell or lead over whatever
website and dolling the drivers but at
least you have that option. And so I
think that's a lot closer to a signature
P.C. type experience except that it's not
fine tuned for YOUR exact computer which
was the point of signature one of the
signature and if anyone wants an almost
Signature Series just deny the retail
version of the operating system and
that's what you get and yeah it sounds
stupid but it really there is something
that is so nice about starting the P.C.
and realizing the only thing on here is
the bare O. S. everything that gets added
on is my choice. And that's by the way
another thing I think we all do with
these devices doesn't matter what you're
talking about a phone tablet computer.
That first day you install the things you
know you need right. The just the
absolute necessity. You have to examine
or use I.E. to install chrome. Yes
exactly which I believe is you only
reason. Exist. Over time as you use the
device whatever it is you know P.C.
tablet whatever you realize oh wait i
need this thing too and you listen to it
it spirals right so over time you fill
the thing up and you. You know there's a
bunch of junk on there but those first
couple days wonderful. It's like the. You
know the out of box thing is kind of like
it should be. I mean it's not always with
the P.C. If you get the wrong kind but
but you know that's what it is. And so we
we kind of try to recapture the magic.
Let's reset it back a little. But we do
have to talk about the layoffs at some
point because it is a big story and it's
not it's not it's not totally happy but
it's also not totally unexpected right.
Rate. And we saw sales. You know we did
and you know I think a lot of people
forgot but in July Microsoft announced
during S.E.C. filing that they're going
to be laying off. Almost three thousand
more people this fiscal year which is
their fiscal twenty seventeen. Over the
weekend there was a report by the Fed
Financial Times that Microsoft was
closing Skype London and I saw some
people report this says and laying off
four hundred people but actually the
number that Microsoft is laying off is
closer to two hundred and thirty. I think
I called them and asked them how many as
how many people is it and they said it's
about two hundred thirty and that's a
combination of people who work for both
Skype and yammer in London.
Some people be moved to the Paddington
office some are just going to be let go.
They also last week. Paul and I kenna
were catching bits and pieces of this
through Facebook because we saw different
people we knew posting a Facebook that
they had been cut but they cut another
three hundred people on top of that
mostly from the Puget Sound Redmond area
and a few people from other geographies
around the world. These five hundred plus
layoffs that happened last week are part
of that two thousand eight hundred fifty
that they announced in July. This isn't a
new group of people. Well who didn't you
know who bikes upset and were adding
another five hundred right. These are
people all different divisions not all
concentrated in one division. Except for
the Skype and yammer part that are being
let go across the company. Microsoft's
definitely continuing to tighten you know
felt tight doing belt tightening across
the company getting rid of people before
the layoffs were largely Windows phone
related and Windows Mobile these new ones
are not because they pretty much laid off
all of those people originally it was a
bunch of the Microsoft sales people
because they had a sales for York this
year when Kevin Turner left. Now we're
getting into the product areas some
people in one doze some in office people
across different parts of the company. So
if you hear about layoffs that happened
recently that is what happened. Yeah a
lot of my Microsoft contacts are heads
down right now. You know not necessarily
because they're fearing this round but
because they realize you know what
Microsoft is actually they're not doing
the. The cutthroat competition anymore
but they are looking to the various
departments and finding out. Do you have
any personnel that have not really
contributed anything in the last five
years. I think the H.R. term for these
people is dead wood and it's a it's
always difficult to talk about someone
like that but if you've been at a company
for twenty years. And you haven't really
been challenged or maybe you've become
really really cynical it might be time to
move on. You know I've seen that I in
over the past year or two as we talk
about layoffs obviously there's the human
side to it. It's always very tragic
people to lose their jobs but looking at
the company from sort of a Microsoft
watching perspective I think Mary Jo
would agree this is a very big and in
some ways still bloated company with lots
of levels of hierarchy and management so
forth and. You know the people I know
personally for Microsoft are two to one
very smart people they they do want to
change the world but I think the system
they're in might be a little too big and
complex. You know for things. Happen so
it's possible that the Dell is making
these changes like many of the changes is
made to speed response time make sure
they're focusing on the right things and
all that kind of stuff so. As C.R. one in
the chat room is saying how well they're
downsizing their way to success and I
know it's very easy to see it that way
but there's another view and if you take
a step back. You can actually see it. I
know Mary Jo and Paul you've both seen
this is because you cover Microsoft so
deeply but especially during the Balmer
years. There were little fiefdoms that
developed in Microsoft and the freedoms
were all about how many employees were
under your thumb and so you had reason to
some was a minute ago you had these
little who are accumulating kingdoms not
really caring about the predictive
productivity they were getting out of
people they were just cared about how
many people they were in charge of and
that there's no action on the side to
this with power comes the ability to
influence direction and I always think
back to this one example. I'm not saying
that this product would have been
successful but at the time when Steven
Sinofsky was running the Office group
there was a project that came up from I
don't remember what group it was but it
was an office but it was basically an
attempt to put office in the cloud at the
time that it called the cloud but it's
called Net docs and he killed it because
it competed with Office right and the
theory here is that Microsoft might have
come out with something that was Google
Docs and all that stuff years earlier. If
they just hadn't been so or if the people
in power hadn't been so concerned about
protecting their products. You know that
you couldn't compete with something like
Windows or Office if you did that you
were out you had to support that right
now. It's possible and probable that not
talks was a joke that it was based on
Active-X. that it was stupid. Whatever I
don't know but you know but that's the
type of thing that happens in that kind
of organization. Plus you know we've
talked about this a lot but the emphasis
of Microsoft these. Days is very
different from the old Microsoft you know
Windows was the main cast of Microsoft
for years now everything has to be about
the cloud for them and the shareholders
want that The Wall Street analysts want
that. So if you're working in a group
that's Windows related. You know they're
they're definitely kind of putting the
squeeze to you. I think. And if you're
doing something that's more cloud focus
enterprise focused. Something that's
about collaboration teamwork that kind of
gives you an edge and I think it's also
just about job kind of not restructuring
but more and more just like changing of
the emphasis set at about what matters.
And what's going to make the money for
Microsoft right. So some of that's a play
to let you know I think we talked about
this. So when does weekly The notion you
know the new newer surface devices say
Microsoft on the right. And this one
Microsoft notion that we're moving
forward as one company not as the you
know the guns pointed at each other all
the little fiefdoms that we were just
talking about you know it's a new way for
Microsoft. You know a new way of doing
things right and that's why that's why I
actually still I'm very bullish on
Microsoft I love what Nadella has done
that idea of taking down the ramparts and
making the little princes actually work
with one another. Yeah it doesn't work
any other way all the ranges are though
you know a lot of these because you know
externally. I agree with you right. I
think this stuff is necessary. It's
exciting for Microsoft as a company that
in many ways to become so calcified you
know for to see them reacting to things
quickly and moving quickly as it is it's
very exciting in hitting that the right
products and things but I know from
personal experience with different people
that this change is very hard for some of
the people. There's been a not just the
ones who've been like Oh no. But just
people who see projects just
disappearing. You know there's some other
people who are the opposites true like
they've been champing at the bit for ever
to like work. Teams across teams and
they're like oh finally they're letting
us talk to each other before and that
wasn't really encouraged or even allowed
right. So those people are really happy.
And not to hammer on Steven's Nasi of it.
What the heck you know when they did
Windows eight right. They went to the
Windows Phone team and said Trump shows
the mattress stuff and they say here you
go and for the Windows Phone perspectives
are great. We're going to collaborate
this guys we're going to come out with
this cohesive system. Nope they never
talked again you know the Windows Phone
guys are always the B. team to the
Windows guys now in Windows ten with him
gone and you know different people in
place that is what's happening but it
happens. Three to five years too late.
This is stuff that should have happened
on day one. It's these thing should have
evolved together. You know you could have
made the case back in I guess we're
talking two thousand and ten two thousand
and eleven two thousand and twelve.
Certainly that Windows Phone had been in
market at mature to some point. Ned if
you're going to go to market with an R.
T. style tablet device. It should have
been Windows Phone No US was already
there. It had to happen. It was all there
but no they started over from scratch.
They created another Windows system that
ran out arm. Instead of you know basing
it on the thing they really had very
strange but ten years ago I I had a
contact in the X. Box division and a
contact in the Windows division and we
had a weird exchange of the course of six
weeks where basically they were using me
as an intermediary to pass messages.
That's another and I was like you work
little one hundred yards away from each
other. What's going on here and by the
way if they're still there and then same
teams they all work for the same guy I
know exactly example. That's one
organization and that's why they were
emailing through me. They're like we
can't be seen to be emailing one another.
Someone will see it and get really upset
I was thinking that is so dysfunctional.
That's what he had is the worst kind of
triangulation ever. Even you know like
Ray Ozzie remember when he was the chief
scientist or whatever to the chief
software architect stop. Protect You know
you know he allowed teams to compete on
you know file sync technologies and
things like that and instead of
determining you know that you're the best
ideas from each group let's make one
thing you know you allow this internal
competition to occur and what happens on
the outside is you see that they have
three different file sync solutions at
the time or four and which one do I take
a bet on and why are there so many and
doesn't the show a lack of leadership.
You know and I'm sure there are
management strategies or theories that
this is a good way to do things but we
know from experience with this particular
subject that you know that didn't go very
well.
When eventually it all became one drive
you know but for several years there were
many many different solutions. There were
I remember when all those think engines
are out there and it was like it was a
time I should think you like which one
are they talking about red. I'm not I'm
not going to remember all. I mean now
there are a lot of those life sink in and
you know it was a struggle one single
team was doing a whole different sync
thing which are you know it's like don't
wash pits theory of management like let
them fight it out I prefer the days of
active sync where there was active sync
and then act as a snowball and active
scene for enterprise ACAS security for
exchange because that really made it. You
know very easy to understand we call it
when you re use an acronym. It's a called
the You example it up or whatever it's
like they did that with active SEC like
Active Sync was which is ever used. You
know as a term someone just thought it
sounded like a really cool name so they
wanted to use it on their the products as
possible and it took me a while to
realize that two products that were
called Active Sync actually had and it
was no sharing of the code base tween
them those guys probably hated each
other. Yes. Well because it was the
exchange side and then it was the mobile
side and they didn't I mean they were
competing. With each other. I remember
the spring green circle very well I still
have nightmares about it. And that's what
happens when you build a dysfunctional
company. All right. When we come back.
What's going to be wearables ignite. What
do we want to talk about big night would
be like to know it's yeah. It's too soon
too soon man to think we're let's do
wearables because everybody wants to know
what's going on with the band of course.
So we'll be bending up in jest a bit but
first let's go and take another break.
Because we need to thank another sponsor
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the story of these companies and you know
how and intended and then eventually.
Sega and assume Sony you know kind of
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got a nonfiction pick for Paul you can
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Windows Weekly. OK So we've got some
wearables I did see a few of these in
Berlin and they looked they looked
wearable they looked interesting. But
should I be excited Mary Jo. I you know I
still I'm I don't have a smart watch. I
did use the Microsoft band for a bit of
time and I thought it was OK I use the
band too but I'm I still haven't really
seen anywhere Bill device and I'm like
yes I would pay that I would wear that.
And now if you are a fan of Microsoft
band. We talked last week on the show
that we had heard some rumors that
Microsoft may be no longer making the
band after band two. Right after the show
ended a day later we found out that
Microsoft was rebranding the Microsoft
health application to band. So people who
are downloading the Microsoft updates to
the Microsoft health application for i O
S Android and Windows. We're seeing
suddenly that it was called Band instead
of health Microsoft hasn't really said
what's going on with that but my sources
said to me that what they think is that
Microsoft's rebranding health to band
because right now Microsoft the Microsoft
health app that exists really just is
meant to sync with the band. It's
supposed to work with my band. I think
what they're going to do is come out with
a now their new app that will be called
Microsoft health. And that will work with
the Microsoft Health Service on all
different kinds of devices not just the
band. They'll be able to work with.
Android devices different kinds of phone
platforms and all all different kinds of
thanks and I think the reason they're
doing this is Microsoft's priority going
forward in the space is the health the
health service and the health
applications and not so much the actual
band hardware which has been something
that a lot of people love but has had
kind of mixed success. And in fact the
Bantu a lot of people have had problems
with it. Splitting and they've had to
return it and I just I just think
Microsoft's kind of in a place right now
where maybe they're thinking about a new
wearable at some point maybe it'll be
another kind of a fitness band that'll be
branded surface some day but I think the
band line as we know it is done and now
we're going to see them talk about how
the health service and the help app and
not so much the band. I think are going
to fall and a band for life. I think is
no God don't give them any ideas please
don't you find out about our secret
plans. Maybe Mary Jo is right. Maybe that
band is now called Skype the life. You're
going to wear sky. He is because that
makes sense. I'm telling him.
Do either of you wear a band I like the
band I did try it out. But do you wear it
on a daily basis. Now that I mean well I
switched to Fit Bit three months ago
issue I mean you know I really I like to
mix up and for what it is I think it
makes a great compromise a compromise
that is around place. It's a nice middle
ground between an expensive and complex
smartwatch and in a lower end kind of
fitness tracker right it I think it's got
the right mix of functionality. I think
the thing that really kills it be on the
reliability issues which you know came to
light over time is just you looking at
one day battery life. That's the problem
with the Apple Watch it's a problem with
a lot of these devices. You know if it
bit. I think is the one I have the thing
lasts for seven or eight days on a charge
it's incredible and. It accomplishes the
same basic things that I like the most
about wearables today which is somebody
texts you and you can see what it is you
get you know reminders to get up and move
around. It's it does the fitness tracking
kind of stuff so I think I think they
just running into
a marketing issue and on the one hand
where you know no one even knew this
thing existed they didn't do good job of
selling it and just a battery life
limitation you know an apple. I know
wanted to put solar kind of to video a
new Apple Watch and they didn't because
of the battery life stuff there was no
way to cram a thing in there make it
work. Well let's let's not say that
because Samsung did. Says absence got
their new three D. which does have a cell
radio in it. Absolute Truth and wife high
and it runs for four days. That's what I
meant was Apple couldn't do it. Apple. So
you know one of the things that Microsoft
did with the original Microsoft and it
was pretty impressive was just put that
much in there in a sensor sense I think
there were eleven sensors in the first
advice. You know the second went out it
wanted two other sensors you know they
were Brahman or for for altitude and so
forth you know that kind of data
collection is really exciting you know
let's see what we can do with that
promise and ever really did much with it.
You know and of course we don't do a good
job of selling it and then as Mary Jo
pointed out sadly the second one at the
same exact reliability issues as the
first and that's if there was this kind
of the end of it right there. They also
at least at some point were at kind of
contemplating the idea of putting windows
some variant of Windows ten inside the
band the bands that the band want to ban
to both had firmware inside that was not
windows inside. And right before Linux
isn't really in him right before we get
all these tips about Mike. Maybe ceasing
work on the band I had heard from one of
my contacts that they are the team that
was put to try to get Windows tend to
work on the band had been disbanded. So I
think. So yeah I think I think you know
that the idea was let's make this part of
the windows ten family right. Like
everything else has everything else is
running what the core of Windows ten the
Common Core. So why not have the band do
that too but for whatever reasons they
decided that was going to work not
feasible. And so maybe it's they go back
to the drawing board. Now come up with a
new wearable that is Windows ten core
from here and that was thinking as you
were talking about other wearables which
Brad who I work with has heard as well. I
was thinking you know they have to be
looking at windows ten this is the point
you know the universal platform that they
can add that to the list of targets you
can have as a developer. I think that has
to maintain. I'm just I'm still not
really sold on the wearable tech and I've
covered it extensively I threw out a
bunch of really good pieces of tech in my
lab but ultimately I don't want anything
on my wrist in fact this is you mentioned
battery life this is the problem with
the. The the technology that was
generously donated by Leo Laporte.
Basically because I waited for him to
remove things from his office to go on
the free table and I just followed them
and I got myself a modern three sixty.
It's a fantastic piece of tech but
because I take it off and because you
have to charge it on that little awkward
station. I sometimes forget it on my lap.
So if you were to say do you have a band
and I went upstairs and change I actually
took the Fifth it off or left it up to my
better. So I actually have it on right
now it's not. That's just a coincidence
but the problem I have with that exact
advice you're talking about. I have one
as well. The Moto three sixty or the
Apple Watch is that these are you would
get you would get used to it because if
you just use the one device but it's as a
kind of a strap that you have. Kind of
connected everything it's a fairly you
know you balance the thing on your wrist
and you turn to try and not you know it
it's because I test different devices
like I sometimes don't spend enough time
with any one device like the Fitbit is
very simple to class the Apple Watch I
find in the Model three sixty. You know
you have to get used to it right. It's
kind of like time shoes you have to do it
a bunch of times you know so you can get
good at it. I have to think adventurously
I would get used to it because I wore a
watch for the first twenty years of my
life but since then I just I don't want
to hitting on my wrist it just feels
weird even even after a couple of hours
of it being on my wrist I still feel it
there. I still want to take it off. I
wear regular watch still and I feel weird
when I don't have it. What do you do with
that I actually use it to. Hell I know
what I thought. And I thought watches
only do things like give you really
abbreviated versions of the text messages
so that you have to reach in your pocket
to take out your phone when they let you
know he had one and I used to you know.
When's people got laptops and then spawn
phones you know you get into that kind of
meeting joke where like people are
sitting there doing their own thing on
their devices and not paying attention to
whatever the person is speaking or
saying. And that's considered rude it
might be unprofessional whatever and so
you know one of the big defenses about a
wearable is like you know if you're a
smart watch you can casually classed any
watches not as obvious or as terrible as
looking at like a phone screen or tablet
or a P.C. or whatever but you know I
think nothing signals to the people
you're talking to the in opting attention
more than when you do this kind of thing
really. And now you know I mean it's just
like you're bored right and you're like
it's just a little or you know we almost
done here. We were up to subsume. I do. I
love sitting at a table when someone's
wearing a smartwatch and I think you
could tell they don't want to be rude but
their eyes keep going down in their.
Risks like this you know like I know what
you're doing just take out your fellow
man you should start asking Siri
questions. Siri delete that e-mail. Yeah.
As my daughter once did she walked into
my office and she said X. box off. And
actually across the Internet there are
cries of anguish because people are
watching windows weekly playing thirty
four per time I watch the weather. So you
know I don't know I understand that
wearables have a bright future I
understand that it's a big profit center
in or send it has to be a part of any
cloud strategy because it's a great way
to get data metrics but I'm still not
completely sold to figure anything else
about wearables or should we start
looking at last when I watch I missed
what you know. That's about right. How
are we done with wearables Let's talk
cloud Let's talk cloud because this
actually is exciting interesting and
where the of a post-mortem. What
happened. Microsoft suffered a major
cloud hic up and a few people picked up
on it quickly and actually merger you
were one of the very first who was able
to confirm that there was outages of
various Azure services. What happened.
Yeah I didn't it wasn't any kind of a
great great thing that I did or Also my
came on Twitter last Thursday morning and
everybody was was tweeting to me like as
you're is down. It's a huge outage so I
looked at the status page and they were
having a giant D.M.S. outage for Azure So
that took down ended up taking down like
almost every How's your service or at
least limiting service on it. I mean
everything was going down as your media
services as your search H.T. insight
everything everything was it was like a
cascading thing and then there were no
workarounds being posted and people were
just saying I can. To anything. I'm like
totally stuck. I cannot do anything. I'm
just sitting here twiddling my thumbs. So
after a couple of hours. Microsoft got
D.N.A.'s back up but then in the central
part of the United States. People were
still having sequel outages. Then after
everything seemed to be solved. I started
getting people tweeting me about one
drive being down and. I don't know if the
one drive part was connected to the
original D.M.'s outage because parts of
one drive do run on Azure. I never could
confirm that was connected but it seemed
to be right around the same time and that
outage hit a number of people in Europe
and the US I think also India for number
number of hours and Microsoft wouldn't
say anything about that one and I
couldn't get anything just that we know
some customers are experiencing problems
and we're working on it. That's that. So
if you if you want to know more about the
specifics about what happened and what
Microsoft saying they're going to do
going forward to try to prevent this. If
you go to the as your status page that
you could you could just search for that
as your status page and you look up in
the history September fifteenth. You'll
be able to see the whole poll postmortem
and dissection of what went wrong and
what they intend to do to try to assure
that up going forward. I think it wasn't
a good day. It wasn't a good day and I
think the official position was that it
was a spike in the work traffic that
brought down. D.M.'s which I mean
suspiciously says suspiciously sounds
like it's was attacked and that's what
especially some people thought. Now some
people thought that some people like it
must be a denial service some like but I
don't know if it is but they're not
saying it. That's what it is but who
knows what I'm with you at the far more
interesting part of the story is not that
there could have been a denial of service
against Microsoft Yes because that could
happen anywhere. The more interesting
part is the services that are actually
linked together by azure. Yeah it does
give you a sneak peek into some of the
inner workings that Microsoft has been
very recalcitrant to explain right. I'm.
We know there are tons of services
available on Azure if you go on at the as
your page you can see they have so many
different products now working on Azure
plus a bunch of other services that are
parts of things like not all of X. Box
Live runs on measure but some pieces of
it do to so when as your has a major
problem. It affects pretty much
everything. Obviously sixty five. I mean
they they're connected in there too so
you know when you have something like a
D.M.'s outage pretty dire and something
they needed to fix as quickly as
possible. I will give them credit that
they were giving people very regular
updates but the updates weren't very
encouraging. It's like yeah we know this
is down and we're trying to fix it. That
was kind of it. At least at least they
were acknowledging they knew and they
were working on it because sometimes the
health dashboard goes down to an asher
and then you. It looks when you look at
it like everything's good. But nothing's
working so at least this time. That was
not the case.
All right and the thing about Azure is it
is a self healing network and it should
be able to route around problems and the
fact that it did come back up relatively
quickly for such a large network that is
a testament to the technology but there
is no such thing as a network that cannot
be brought down. There's always going to
be and as long as it's using the
networking protocols that we have today.
You can take it down if you want if you
had enough resources but but Paul let me
ask you about this. There was a saying in
the early days of cloud computing in the
early days of say like the Google
Chromebook that. Oh this sounds like a
good idea to move everything into the
cloud until you lose internet
connectivity and then that one bad day
makes the entire investment worthless.
This was the bad day. This was just
misses in the middle of the workday not
being able to access Office three sixty
five their one drive to different
degrees. Does this did this kill it did
this make it an incredibly bad day and
now it makes the investment useless. You
know I you know the thing that's always
lost in these discussions is that. Cloud
computing is not an all or nothing affair
when you talk about things like e-mail or
obviously if it's cloud hosted I mean it
is close to it even before we have a
cloud. If that thing is is down is down
it has nothing to do about that but you
know your data should be sent to your
client your application should be running
on your P.C. I mean as an officer a sixty
five user you should have access to
functionality and so it's not that it's
not all or nothing. You know and I still
think that the the promise of the cloud
is met by today's infrastructure you know
but that it can only get better with more
pervasive contact of it sort of course
but I don't know. Honestly for all of the
kind of Chicken Little stuff that goes on
with cloud computing even today these
things are kind of rare aren't they. I
mean we don't really have weekly office
three sixty five or G. Mail outages it
doesn't really work that way. Now I think
I think one thing the bug a bunch of
people in Europe about this one last week
was the week before that there had been a
pretty not not as pervasive but another
outage that affected as are people like
wow twice and two weeks what the heck
Microsoft you know come on. So I agree it
isn't something happens every day and I
don't think it's a reason to just abandon
cloud computing or say oh that's why I'm
not doing the cloud because you know your
own company's servers go down to it if
you're running your own servers. But I
think I think the fact that those two
things happen back to back that some of
the people especially in Europe kind of
agitated and understandably so. Yeah. You
know this is why you've got a company
like V.M. Ware which has admittedly had
some bad years as they've as people been
moving away from virtual machines into
containers. But they're betting
everything on their N S X platform and
the next X. platform in short is a way
for enterprises to be able to do hybrid
deployment so on. On premise and not just
on premise and cloud but on premise and
in multi cloud in other words they want
to make it as easy to run in Azure and WS
and Google Web services and the premise
at the same time so that theoretically as
long as your network is up has some sort
of connectivity. You should still be able
to continue working and I you know I
think we're going to see more of the big
players including Microsoft who will take
that that view of we will let you run
your Azure services on another web
service to to give you that measure of
security that you will always be able to
get to it even if one of these services
goes goes down. I see that being becoming
popular. Or no he I and heard about that
actually so that's kind of mentioning
thing something to listen for next week.
See if Microsoft talks about that and
ignited Well you know it will be. It will
be a brave brave new world. Speaking of a
brave new world. There was a story that
we actually talked about the last time I
stepped in for Leo I think it was back in
June of Microsoft announcing a new Azure
service that was in Germany and the big
news about that was it would be entirely
in Germany. So all the data would be
stored in Germany they would never allow
any of the data to go to a data center
that was not in Germany because Germany
has really good privacy laws and
Microsoft is saying we will not even have
access to it. We're going to give
everything to a caretaker third party
environment. And Brylin are then I.D.'s
and if you were a citizen of the cloud
you were a citizen of Germany and I say
to you it been I as your lawyer as your
but Paul what's puts what's this all
about. It's finally out as a I don't I
have no idea what this is this is Mary's
meout of jail right. You've heard of
Germany. So today is the day that this
new Microsoft region in Germany. There's
two data centers that and that it
actually was turned on an open for
business so. Oh yeah it's a big data
sovereignty story like you just said
Padre it's something you know Microsoft
hasn't been able to completely block
access to customer's data from
governments when requested and that's
what their whole Ireland case is about
that they've been fighting there but
they're trying to kind of get around this
in different ways and this German data
center idea where T. systems which is a
Deutsche Telecom subsidiary is acting as
the data trustee in the state a center is
coming to play. So if you can decide you
want Microsoft to be the one accessing
the data there or you can say no I don't
even want Microsoft in here. I WANT I
WANT TO systems to be my administration
here in Germany. So any as your service a
camera in these data centers is going to
have the same protection. So for example
I O T I O T is running in these data
centers I believe Officer sixty five also
so you'll still have that benefit an
offer of having an extra nl trustee be
the one administering your data and the
data will stay on premises there in
Germany so kind of cool kind of like a
workaround for Microsoft to try to say
you know what we're taking your privacy.
Seriously people and here's what we're
trying to do to get to kind of. Not get
around the law but find another creative
way to ensure Davis aren't. I don't think
they're getting around the law. I think
they're trying to fill in the void where
the law has not caught up exactly the
great some very high profile cases
involving Microsoft and data security
that the most high profile of them would
be the case in Ireland about whether or
not a U.S. court could compel Microsoft
to give them information that was stored
on a server that was on the land of
another sovereign country. And Ireland
was a little bit iffy because they were
going back and forth about what was
allowed by treaty and what was not but
with Germany. It's very clear. You cannot
step onto German sovereign soil and
demand something from a data center and
that's why Microsoft's at the So. But
who's going to who's going to buy this
who's who's going to want the service
who's going to demand the service. I
think a lot of your customers and you're
right. For sure. I've even had people
asking me if I'm not based in Germany
could I transfer my data from another
data center to this one and I don't know
the answer to that I think I did ask Mike
is not that but I haven't heard back. So
people I think people are very interested
and curious about how that's going to
work and. You know I'd be surprised a
lot. I would too. But. Actually P.S.
chops in the chat room has an interest
interesting point. He says as the law
catches up. We could have a data privacy
Cold War you have different countries
saying well I mean if if you let them
into the data for our citizens will let
them into the data for your citizens. So
I was right up a situation where who's
going to be the Cayman Islands of or the
Switzerland of you know data storage data
is that you don't see. Yeah we're not
going to let anyone in and then you'll
have you'll have the country saying well
if we didn't do this. Another country
would so we're just providing a service
that's necessary to do we just come up
with a new data laundering scheme. Yeah I
think we're doing well. I have to declare
my data for for tax purposes. Is this is
how this is going to me. Yes I don't like
this. All right. You know what we talked
enough about enterprise I want to get
into some gaming and only if only there
was a member of this panel who knew
something about gaming. I'm ready. Let's
go. Mary Jo I understand you're a big guy
Gears of War fan right Mary Jo. Oh yes I
am sure you're all about the shooting and
what weapons do they have in Gears of
War. I don't even know this game but
weapons. I'm assuming there's some guns
and some nights right. Cats and there.
That's it. Cats are ultimate weapon. No
but Paul and the chances. Can you tell me
a little bit about the the X. Box ass and
their Minecraft bundle because Microsoft
has been conquering the world with
Minecraft. My ship. You know since the X.
Box One S. came out in early August
they've been kind of bulging out the
lineup with different bundles you know
they have is a Gears of War for bundle
for example which is ridiculous looking
but the Biograph one looks really good
actually. Especially if you haven't
bought into this yet in the Microsoft
ecosystem because it's no bunch. It's no
more expensive than the normal console.
But you get the game for free. Obviously
an X. box when you get the game for free
on Windows ten and then you get a bunch
of favorites and builders tax just you
know downloadable content that you
normally would have to pay for all
bundled into this thing and so for three
hundred bucks I mean this is actually
it's a it's a great deals and then
Minecraft is amazing and so if you've
never experienced Minecraft I mean this
is a great way to get into it. So that's
kind of a cool one. And then the Gears of
War for news is that the game was
completed this week. So it's gone gold.
It's being released in October and if you
preorder it. You can play it. I think
it's four days early so I believe it
comes out on October eleventh and those
who preordered it. I don't know if
probably digitally obviously. Can start
playing it on the seventh and so this is
a new kind of a rejiggering of the story
you know so there was a trilogy of Gears
of War games that came out on X. Box
three sixty was made by a third party
developer Why can I think of the name of
a company that's crazy. It doesn't
matter they sold it to Microsoft and so
now Microsoft and using this. Thanks
again no Gears of War was not just three
sixty studios. Know it was the cliff.
Liz. Icas kills mentioned that it's a no
no bunches News I'm guessing is the same
studio that did the Bio Shock. No this is
embarrassing. So anyway they were one of
the Epic Games epic in sight so they did
the truly original trilogy on the three
sixty three sixty exclusive. Well it was
a Microsoft it's a the first Gears of War
game actually shipped on Windows and then
they did the three sixty version and so
now on the X. Box when we have the
original game is available remastered the
other games are available backwards
compatibility and now we're getting a new
Forth game which takes place you know
twenty year years later there's you know
you don't you know the story the hell
breaks loose etc etc So it's a pretty big
deal because you know exclusives kind of
drive console sells and so forth so
Microsoft has had Halo and Gears two and
so gears have a new series again as games
coming out for the X. Box was kind of a
big deal. So we shall see someone
included with us as in software. No.
It's kind of interesting that's October
eleventh because that's also a big day
for Dynamics three sixty five. Thanks.
Yeah I'm sure that's not coincidental.
I'm sure it's not. Well I mean dynamics
is one of the most profitable division in
Microsoft currently and I mean that a tie
in right well let me ask you this we're
thinking about doing a little Gears of
War thing here at the studio because Lee
has got his X. box. I've actually got an
X. Box one S. on his way along with Gears
of War when it comes out but I will be in
Rome. So it's shipping to me in Rome.
We're all going to have our little
Kingston Gears of War branded headsets. I
think we need a death match. Yeah OK. I'm
not great at deathmatch I will say here's
the war those games. The single player
stuff has been really good a story has
been good for the most part the
deathmatch stuff if you're really used to
the fast moving kind of twitchy. You know
Call of Duty type stuff it's a little
more grounded. They've got it a little
bit more vertical over the years but you
know it's fresh the first gamers you come
across down low to the ground and that
was pretty much where you stayed so I'm
not I'm not great at it but. Well I mean
if you play with us. I'll try to get Pope
Francis on the on the controller. I've
heard that he he can frag like nobody
else. I just want to hear him swear like
a sailor and then the Gears of War is
pretty good but the one that I was most
impressed with at E three in the one that
I really really want to play is cup head
because that looks fantastic. And I know
I don't know that you love it and. Well
actually I will say even Mary Jo is look
I was curious about that one actually a
kind of you know like forty style
animation. It's been about Willy. But I
think there were a few there was the ship
of thieves or ship of yeah ship of Ship
of thieves or sea of these. So much. And
then there were a few at three that
actually were kind of interesting three
realms. No it wasn't three sorry. I'll be
back in just naming of studio. All right.
When we come back it's time for tips and
picks and to close out the show but first
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Windows Weekly. Alright. I always get
confused by the Q. and A who's the Q. and
who does the a. Hit. I don't even know if
we need to do a Q. and A today because we
have so much in the pics. Oh yeah
actually I love your picks this was an
interesting one. I saw this and I was I
was wondering where we were going to go
with it but says find out. D. Apple find
your iPhone I don't even know what that
means. Oh well let me explain. I'm a
Microsoft guy obviously read it. Been
writing about Microsoft technology
products for twenty something years. I
approached things from kind of a
Microsoft standpoint but I think it's
fair to say that in the mobile world.
Things have gone in a slightly different
direction and so like Microsoft itself
you know we kind of have to adapt and you
know before Microsoft shipped Windows
Phone I was an i Phone user because
Windows Mobile was so terrible. I used
Windows phone for several years obviously
things have kind of fallen apart over the
past couple years and so I've spent a lot
of time looking at Android and i Phone
and I I would say to people who are
Microsoft people you know Microsoft fans
are Microsoft uses customers whatever it
is probably the closest thing you're
going to get to a Microsoft type
experience but more important because the
system can be you know adapted and
customize so much you can change the the
lock screen in the the larger screen. I
mean it basically everything about it it
affords you the opportunity to have a
real Microsoft experience because
Microsoft makes lock screens and
launchers and you know and keyboards and
all kinds of things for Android so you
can have a real Microsoft experience on
the internet but people who use. I Phones
do so for a reason there are good reasons
on an iPhone you might get one from work
you might have to have one and so I've
been using an iPhone for years really. In
fact I've owned I've owned almost every i
Phone model that Apple has ever ship I've
only didn't purchase two of them but I've
always worked very hard to kind of keep
the distance from some of the Apple
products and services. I don't use things
like AAPL music or i Cloud or Siri or any
of that kind of stuff and so I wrote an
article about this but I've been doing a
series of tips about using Android from
kind of the perspective of a Microsoft I
have written a few articles like this for
i Phone but not nearly as many and so
recently I kind of. A bunch of thoughts
around what it's like to use an i Phone
from a you know from a Windows or
Microsoft user perspective and you know
again you can't there's not much you
can't change the larger screen you can't
you know there's no Microsoft lock screen
that you can install you kind of stuck
with some aspects of it because that's
you know what Apple does but actually i
OS is open up you can change the keyboard
you can use fifty which Microsoft owns
you want to do that and Microsoft all of
Microsoft's high profile apps are on i
Phone as well. And so the point of this
is just that you don't have to give up
your soul. Per se to use an i Phone. No I
think I had. I Phone you kind of gave it
up already. But actually it's actually so
by the way that's more fair than ever
because with this version of the i Phone
the availability was so limited that I
had to get a gold version and that was
not a proud moment. Rose gold or just
going to go rose gold but I do get
playable. Is that actually part of the
price you do give your credit card and a
piece of your soul. Again a piece I
actually. That's not that we're literally
one pound you know. I hope this doesn't
even sell way. Isn't that. Well good
because I know I can give away a couple
of grams and still be good. Yeah mine's a
little fatty. But it's good eating.
Actually I just got all my bloodwork back
and I am surprisingly in good health and
I didn't expect that. That's good. Except
for my triglycerides I guess park rides
are really bad for you. But I'm somewhat
surprised by that you eat them in like
the cheese bathroom. I bathe in them. Yes
I sleep in a bed apart friends. That's
it's good for the skin. It's for that
fresh pork smell you know. All right so
we've we've got a D. Apple find your i
Phone. We've got an app pick of the week.
Who's got fire watch. I do so. I have a
bunch of epic. So the big one is yes far
right so far watches again that ship like
think last year on Playstation four and
also in P.C. through Steam. I played
through day one on raw feels Playstation
is kind of a shot. I really really enjoy
the scam and so just today. Literally it
shipped on X. Box Once you can get it now
on Microsoft's platform and so same exact
game it's a wonderful game it's kind of a
it's kind of a like interactive adventure
basically it is there's a mystery and
it's got beautiful graphics and you know
immersive sound and all that kind of
stuff but it's I mention that when I
talked about this in the park just a few
weeks ago I said I'm going to try to get
my wife and daughter to play this I think
this is a game
that would is compelling to people to
people don't play video games in the same
way that a you know a mystery series or
something which is interesting to people
I think people can get into this. So it's
a great great story. It's a really neat
game and the X. Box One version has some
unique stuff as an audio tour and when
you finish the game you can actually free
roam around the environment you can see
the whole world that they created for the
game. This looks a little like mist. It's
got it's looks like it's got that same
sort of artistic. Don't ever compare this
to mist again. OK well I guess what I
would say is you know mist for the day
was seems photo realistic I guess I'm
sure we would look at the Quite same way
today this obviously has a bit of a I
don't want to say cartoon but it's
clearly graphics like they don't attempt
to pull you into thinking that this is
you know real photograph quality graphics
but that the graphics are beautiful. It's
a beautiful game. You know really really
well done the whole thing the whole
presentation is great but it's not a
horror game is it down now but there's a
mystery. It's like it's the type of thing
where you know you show up at your new
job out in the woods and you go
investigate what's going on when you come
back. Someone has ransacked the tower
that you live in and you know the music
kind of kicks in like didn't do you know.
You can tell it's like it's getting a
little stressful like what's going on
here. And so it's just it's a mystery
that you want to cover and the audience
Slenderman is a jump out. Well it's sort
of sort of a really not exactly but then
it just a few other things I want to
throw out for maps because a bunch of
stuff happens speak. I do it operates in
the lab pick of the week a preview up
here to talk about this but if you're on
the inside a program it's certainly worth
looking at I haven't got it's work but I
know people have if you're interested in
the estimates relay stuff that is
available if you have both Windows and
Windows to mobile Microsoft has also
updated a bunch of its mobile apps on the
Internet West and so on Android Word
Excel and part point the kind of the core
apps have much simpler sharing
capabilities down and else are kids and
here and collaboration features and in
one drive. I don't actually it's funny I
read the description of the new one drive
up on us and I don't think the graph. I
don't think graphically looks any
different. That they're calling it a file
centric U.I. or whatever but it looks the
same to me but there's a new me tab and a
U.I. that lets you access all of your
account information and a bunch of other
stuff that was just hidden away before so
that's kind of cool and then the Do a
look to com which by the way I still
don't have I think I'm on what are we on
the day four hundred fifty seven or
something. If you have it. I know Mary
Jones. They've added integrated support
for a Google Drive and Facebook photos
meaning that if you're going to if you
want to you know you're sending out an
e-mail had just one on this great
vacation here are some photos you can
pull those photos in from other services
now include you know the Google Drive and
Facebook photo. I'd love to test that
feature Microsoft. If you're listening.
They're calling it one try for life. Yep.
And if you want to work you're going to
be the last one the very very last one to
get to know about now that you've asked
for it. That's how that were. Sorry it's
a yeah I mean I observed on Twitter. The
other day that hearing that other people
have the new Outlook dot com is like when
you're at war and you find out that the
buddy you're in a foxhole with is going
home and you're happy for him and in one
way but you're also like you're really
upset with him you know because he's
leaving and you're not you know I mean
it's the same kind of weird mixed feeling
so what Paul is telling us is if any of
you get the new outlook. He will will
show you in the back he wants to know
immediately. There's a place is good.
This is good to know good information to
major fully your enterprise picks of the
week. OK so my enterprise pick is going
to be what to think about and look for
next week at the Ignite show that
Microsoft's having in Atlanta. Paul and I
are going to be there a lot of other
journalists will be there but looking
ahead I'll tell you what I think we're
going to hear a lot about. So it's very
interesting to egg night this year. There
is only one day of keynotes the morning
keynote starts at nine A.M. on Monday
September twenty sixth. It goes till ten
thirty. Microsoft's going to be
webcasting that and then there's an
afternoon keynote which is four to five
on the same day. That's it for keynotes
So there's going to be a lot of recording
of all the different sessions attic of a
night and it'll be up on Channel Nine
Microsoft Channel Nine. I think we're
going to hear this is this is kind of a
no brainer. A lot about Windows Server
two thousand and sixteen there because
that's where Microsoft's going to quote
launch the product. It won't be available
that week which is next week but right
after it. I think you know first second
week of October. You'll see it starting
to be generally available. So expect a
lot of Windows Server two thousand and
sixteen all the new stuff that's
happening with containers in Windows
seven twenty sixteen will hear a lot.
Will probably also hear a lot about nano
server which is a new rule for a stripped
down role in Windows seven twenty sixteen
next week. We're going to hear a lot
about Azure stack as your stack is
basically as sure that you can run in
your own data center or that your club
provider can run in their data center for
you. I think maybe we'll hear about
Technical Preview two of Azure stack next
week it will be around the right time and
Microsoft said recently that as your
stack won't actually be available until
mid two thousand and seventeen. So it's
running late. But I think I think they do
want to get the Technical Preview out
there there's a lot of sessions about
Azure stack. I think there's going to be
some meet ups and they'll be a big
representation for as your stack. Also we
haven't said this word on Windows weekly
lately data Lake's I know every wanted to
hear it. So I think next week. Exactly.
You're going to hear. Let us read a
lake's everyone drink data lake is the
big data repository technology that
Microsoft had in previews since last
September. I think maybe at Ignite we're
going to hear them talk about data like
technologies being generally available so
we'll hear a lot of big data talk a lot
of a dupe tock probably will be tied in
with some of the data some at data summit
presentations that are happening
simultaneously with that night in Atlanta
next week. More probably more about
Microsoft's data scientists degree
program which they gave a little sneak
peek of at the world why Partner
Conference. I think the first class they
graduated from that degree program is
going to be announced or somehow
represented at Ignite That's my guess
because Microsoft said that that group of
people would be graduating in September.
So we're in September. Still I think that
could happen next week and then there's a
thing that I've talked about before in
the show called open mind studio which I
think is kind of like Visual Studio
except for machine learning. I would be
very surprised if we don't hear about
that next week too. So all of these
things and more. I'm sure. Probably a lot
of office Content Officer sixty five
office craft Share Point all your
favorite office topics will be there as
well and we've said this before. Paul and
I are doing windows weekly live next week
with Padre from ignite at our usual time
two P.M. on September twenty eighth two
P.M. Eastern and then we finally know a
better meet up or meet up is going to be
held on the twenty eighth right after the
show. It's going to be five to eight P.M.
It's at a bar craft beer bar called
Argosy A R G O S Y in Atlanta. And I
guess it's the Argosy East version of
Argosy So if even if you aren't at Ignite
and you don't have a badge you can still
come to our meet up at five to eight P.M.
We've tweeted out about it a couple times
more about it. So definitely if you're an
Atlanta or New Year. You can come and
join us there. And while I'm talking
about events. I want to throw one more
poll and I also are going to be in Las
Vegas the last week of October. At a
couple of shows that are held together
called intersection and I T.
intersection. We're going to be speaking
there too and probably will have a meet
up there. If you want to know more about
that there's a lot of really good mix of
speakers. Stephen Guggenheim ors going to
be there. Scott handsome and who else.
Brad Anderson a lot of big Microsoft
names plus a lot of the M.V.P.'s and big
well known speakers in the community
there. Dave intersection dot com You can
find out more there. So that's my mega
enterprise pick that is that we picks. Of
course we've got a guy coming up. So
that's expected. And it closes out we've
got the code name Pick of the week and
the beer pick of the week which I'm
actually looking forward to because we're
going to be doing a beer episode of know
how I drink beer but I do like the smell.
OK so. So I do code a man couldn't pick
of the week is project Bletchley and yes
it is named after that lets Lee if you
know what I'm talking about here. Let's
see the one in Bletchley Park in England
so this what project Bletchley is is
Microsoft's code name for as your block
chain as a service middleware. So far
since last year. Microsoft's been trying
to work out a way to make as sure as a
blocked as or block chain as a service be
something that people might use in
various industries not just for bitcoin
mining and all but also in a lot of
enterprises especially banking and
finance because what is blocked chain
it's actually a distributed Ledger
technology so that makes sense in a lot
of different enterprise type
applications. What they decided to do was
to try to use as your technologies to
make it easier for people to build
applications that could take advantage of
block change as a service. So they came
up with this idea of project Bletchley in
July. They put out a white paper and said
This is how we think this might work this
week they actually put out what they are
calling version one of project Bletchley
what it is is a template so version one's
just a template basically a but it's a
pretty powerful template. It's a template
that is made to help people figure out
how to kind of on board into Project
Bletchley. I wrote a blog post about
this. I have a whole bunch of links with
different things about The Crippler
technology that's part of the project
much really how that works and
architectural diagrams for people like
that stuff. And Microsoft has a walk
through of how to use this template so if
you want to just start kicking the tires
now and seeing what is this thing as
you're blocking as a service. You can
start doing that now through this
template that is available through the
Azure. Manager portal. That's the code
name fantastic. And of course the got to
do the beer part of the week right. Yeah
so this is a very interesting bear pick
stone bearing San Diego area makes a lot
of excellent beers of all kinds. They
have a very famous series of beers that
they've done called the vertical epic
series. So every year like on February
second. The second of February which is
two to two thousand and two they put out
a beer. That was called the Stone
vertical epic series two two two they did
one in three three three four four four
and these are huge collector's items like
people pay hundreds of dollars to try to
get these old very rare beers from stone
so that they can have different taste
from the vertical epic series so stone
being the smart burgers that they are
decided on their twentieth anniversary to
remake some of these famous beers that
they've proved over the years and one of
the first that they remade is the two to
two vertical epic. So they call this the
stone twentieth anniversary encore series
this is two to two and two to two I've
had it a couple of times I've had the
original and I've also had this remake.
It's really good Paul would love this. I
know strong Belgian Golden Ale like all
the things you love in a Belgian beer.
It's almost like a a strong with beer. It
has become of that. Orange yellow area.
It is pretty much. Orange flavoring very
effervescent very it's not light like a
lot away it's because it's a strong
Belgian but around seven percent really
good really really good and the remake I
can tell you is equally good. So if you
see this vertical epic. Series called The
encore series definitely give it a try
and know eighty eight is also available
now and I think will be others coming out
there you have it. All the news that's
worth having if you're a Microsoft fan
all throughout many. Joe Foley thank you
very much for making this an entertaining
enjoyable and very informative two hours.
Paul thought of course again behind the
raw dot com poll. What are you working on
what should people be heading over truth
to write dot com to find. Who are working
on. I can't tell you that. Ten year hint.
No I mean I know. But you are in as
little of a we're rolling out like a
premium service on the site and so I've
been a little preoccupied with a bunch of
that stuff lately so it's coming soon.
That's all I can say. So just go to
throughout dot com and find everything
there is to know about the man who writes
the book. And that would be a slogan If I
were making slogans I would be the slogan
I would cut it for you. Not quite as good
as the Man With No Name but yeah. No
woman who does have a name is Mary Jo
Foley of course of the all about. I
always say Android but it really is
Windows all about Windows blog over at
Z.D. Net Mary Jo you always are my source
for Microsoft happenings in the
enterprise anything interesting going on
your side that you're particularly jazzed
about. I'm just I'm like really jazzed
about ignite next week because I think
they'll be some pretty cool enterprise
announcements. And it's going to be great
that we're right there on the ground with
all the big guys like Marc recent
invention snow over all all the who's
who. So I think we'll have some really
good news stories next week. And I asked.
Again thank you for making my job that
much easier by being absolutely brilliant
and entertaining hosts. Don't forget that
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Leo Laporte we're going to be coming to
you live from Microsoft ignite next week
but until then take your with Newsweek.