Microsoft To Replace Entourage With New Outlook For Mac
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Microsoft has announced that the next version of Office For Mac will include Outlook as a replacement for Entourage.
“It is an exciting time for the MacBU with updates to our current products and the first public announcement about the next version of Office for Mac. For several years we have focused on providing the best Microsoft Exchange client for the Mac, and the Web Services Edition delivers that today for Entourage users,” said Eric Wilfrid, general manager for the MacBU at Microsoft. “Outlook for Mac will bring features our customers have long requested — such as Information Rights Management — that make working across platforms even easier. I think people will see that this move to Outlook for Mac is more than just a name change.”This could be really good, or really bad. Although Microsoft says this will not be a feature-to-feature match for Windows-based Outlook, anything that gives Mac users greater compatibility, especially with Exchange, is a positive step forward. That being said, we all know that Microsoft doesn't always deliver as promised. A new Outlook for Mac is vaporware at this point, since the release of Office for Mac is at least eighteen months out. And I hope the migration process from Entourage to the new Outlook isn't as problematic as the one we had to endure from Outlook Express for Mac to Entourage when the latter was first released.
I think this represents acknowledgment on Microsoft's part that the Mac is in the enterprise to stay, and I look forward to testing the new Outlook for Mac when it becomes available.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 11:22 AM 0 comments
Labels: apple, mac, microsoft office, outlook
Internet Safety For Kids Class This Monday, August 17th, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
With the school year about to start, now is a great time to educate your kids and yourself about Internet safety. I'm teaching two sessions this Monday, August 17th, one from 9:30am-10:30am and the other from 11am-1pm. For more information on this and my other computer classes please visit my web site or contact the Cary Park District at (847) 639-6100.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 4:38 PM 0 comments
Labels: computer classes, Internet, kids
New Office 2008 For Mac Update Fixes Glitch
Friday, August 7, 2009
To update Wednesday's post, Microsoft has released a new Office 2008 For Mac update which fixes a glitch that prevented users from opening some Office 2007 For Windows (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx) documents. The new update is version 12.2.1 and can be obtained here.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 8:26 AM 0 comments
Labels: alerts, apple, mac, microsoft office
Mac OS X 10.5.8 And Office 2008 For Mac Service Pack 2
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Two major Macintosh updates of note. The first is that Apple has released the latest update for Leopard, Mac OS X 10.5.8, along with a slew of security updates for Leopard and other versions of the Mac OS. As always it's a good idea to back up your system before applying these updates. You will find them via Software Updates in your Apple Menu.
On a similar note, Microsoft has released an update for Office 2008 for Mac, and with this one I have to urge caution. Service Pack 2 (version 12.2.0) breaks compatibility with Word 2007 for Windows (.docx) files. You'll find the advisory and workarounds here. If you require the ability to open .docx files I recommend you hold off on this update until the problems are fixed.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 5:03 PM 0 comments
Labels: alerts, apple, mac, microsoft office, security
Fall 2009 Computer Classes
Friday, July 31, 2009
My computer class schedule for fall is now available. In September I will debut a new class for the Cary Grove Chamber Of Commerce on Social Networking: Marketing Your Business Online. I have also added two new classes via the Cary Park District:
- Internet Safety For Kids
- Protecting Yourself From Cybercrime
- Computer Housekeeping
- Web 2.0 For Job Search (new)
- DIY Tech Support For PC/Mac (new)
Posted byTriona Guidry at 10:36 AM 0 comments
Labels: computer classes
AVG Antivirus Mistakenly Marks iTunes As Malware
Monday, July 27, 2009
A recent update for the Windows-based AVG antivirus program surprised users when it mistakenly identified several components of iTunes as a malware trojan called Small.BOG. This is called a false positive, when security software quarantines legitimate software.
If you run into this problem, the fix is to update AVG, then update iTunes. This technical bulletin from AVG provides more details.
Don't forget to subscribe to Tech Tips (free!) for the latest computer news plus bonus tips, tricks and product reviews.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 2:42 PM 0 comments
Labels: alerts, antivirus, itunes, malware, pc, spyware, viruses, windows
Emergency Microsoft Patches Issued Tomorrow
Microsoft is releasing a pair of out-of-sequence security patches tomorrow, to fix vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer and Visual Studio. It's unusual for Microsoft to stray from their regular Patch Tuesday cycle (the second Tuesday of the month). While the Visual Studio patch will affect a small percentage of computers, the Internet Explorer patch applies to any computer running Windows.
To make sure you get these updates, either turn Automatic Updates on (bearing in mind the pros and cons of doing so) or visit update.microsoft.com to check for these latest patches.
Software patches (also called updates) are fixes for bugs that could allow malicious software to enter your computer. By staying current on these patches, you improve your computer's defense.
Don't forget to subscribe to Tech Tips (free!) for the latest computer news plus bonus tips, tricks and product reviews.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 8:28 AM 0 comments
Labels: alerts, antivirus, consumers, emergency, Internet, internet explorer, malware, pc, security, small business, spyware, viruses, web, windows
Cloud Computing For Consumers Makes Me Cringe
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The latest buzz in the IT world is all about "cloud computing" and "software as a service" (SaaS). These two related terms refer to doing all your computing via the Internet rather than software locally installed on your computer. But the idea of consumers relying solely on cloud computing makes me cringe. Why?
- It's not secure
Microsoft's upcoming incarnation of Office is an example. Office Web will offer versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint than run directly from the Web. But consumers don't know or care where their applications come from as long as they work. So let's say Jane Consumer wants to open financial data stored in an Excel file. She may not know she's trusting her entire fortune to the cloud (e.g. the Internet). What about a consumer who is working from a home computer, opening confidential documents that ought to be kept within the confines of the corporate network? When you use the Internet, you never know who might be intercepting your information. I wouldn't want my data trusted exclusively to the cloud. I wouldn't even be satisfied with regular local backups. I want my data where I can see it, smell it, touch it, and above all control it. - Your environment can be changed at the whim of developers
Many web mail users complain to me that they don't like it when their provider changes the look and feel of their email service without notice. Imagine if your word processor and spreadsheet did the same thing. There is something to be said for locally installed software that you can manage as you prefer. Apparently consumers feel the same way, given how many people are still using Windows XP so they don't have to deal with Vista's changed interface. You could also consider the huge number of complaints Microsoft received when they removed the tried-and-true Office menus in favor of Office 2007's (gack) ribbon toolbar. - What if your Internet connection goes down?
Purveyors of SaaS promise ways to work offline. But how well will it work in reality? Do you really want to count on having a reliable Internet connection just to open a document? What about people in areas who have no access to steady high-speed Internet? - What if your SaaS provider pulls the plug?
You could wake up one morning, turn on your computer and discover that the software you need to do your work is vanished, gone, kaput. You might even be at the mercy of vendors who change your license agreement, then demand a ransom to keep your software alive. We've already seen that happen with the way some antivirus software vendors gouge you for automatic payments. What if they offer a full-fledged product, then strip the features and start charging extra for them? Or what if your vendor goes under? With locally installed software, at least you still have the software. With SaaS, you might lose the software and your data, too. Worse, what if they decide they now own all your data and can do with it whatever they like? - Advertising and fakes
How would you like it if you were working on a document and an advertisement interrupted you? Or what if you received a phony popup pretending that your document is corrupt and you suddenly need to buy some nifty (fake) software that will solve the purported problem? This already happens with fake antivirus software. I don't need it in my word processor. - The potential for censorship
Look at China's attempts to firewall their entire country and crack down on social networking sites. Relying exclusively on cloud computing could, in theory, give a government the ability to silence what it doesn't like. This is the same reason I believe in net neutrality: freedom of expression.
- Ease of use
Imagine not waiting for your computer to start up or load an application. This would appeal to many consumers. With cloud computing you could access your software as easily as opening a browser window. - Your environment can be changed at the whim of developers
Yes, I said that above, but it can be a good thing too. You could get new features without having to install new software. It might even be cheaper since you wouldn't have to pay for the CD or DVD. Perhaps you could buy features for short-term use, as you need them. I'll bet people who make casual use of super-expensive software like Adobe Photoshop would enjoy that ability. - Less expensive hardware
Google's Chrome OS will run at first on netbooks, inexpensive PCs that require only minimal hardware to operate. With cloud computing the vendor takes on the burden of processing power; all you need is a Web browser. Again, this might be highly appealing to consumers and could help bring computing power to those who currently cannot afford it. - Convenience
Many consumers enjoy being able to work on their documents anywhere, anytime, without the need to log into a home machine or fiddle with a USB drive. That's why Google Docs is popular. People are often willing to trade privacy for convenience.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 9:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: articles, cloud computing, consumers, Internet, saas, security, web
Celebrating The Apollo Missions
Monday, July 20, 2009
Being an astronomy aficionado, I can't let today go by without celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
The Apollo Guidance Computer had 64 kilobytes of memory and worked at a snail's pace of 0.043 megahertz. To put that in perspective, the computer I'm writing this on has 2 gigabytes of memory (=2,097,152 kilobytes) and a processor speed of 2 gigahertz (=2,000 megahertz).
Even in these economic times, it's important to support our space program. I encourage you to learn more by visiting these web sites. And, while I'm at it, I'd like to ask all of you to promote dark skies in your neighborhood by pointing exterior lights toward the ground, using motion sensors, and encouraging legislation that discourages light pollution. Our children deserve to be able to see, and visit, the stars.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 10:36 AM 0 comments
Labels: space exploration
Yahoo Shuts Down GeoCities Sites
Friday, July 17, 2009
If you have a site that is on GeoCities, now is the time to find another Web host. On October 26, 2009, Yahoo will shut down all GeoCities sites. Once one of the most popular destinations on the Web, GeoCities has faded in recent years and now contains many defunct pages. However, some GeoCities sites still contain valid information and/or are referenced elsewhere, so it's a good idea to have the site owner move valid data elsewhere and update your links accordingly.
Posted byTriona Guidry at 8:53 AM 0 comments
Labels: Internet, Internet providers, web