Doing Homework #1

Julizzette me pidió una tarea especial y acabo de completarlo. Como verán, este es el desktop de mi computadora. Tengo de todo un poco como juegos (Half life 2 y Doom3), utilidades y etc. La foto del desktop es una toma de la tierra desde el espacio. Sueno con ir al espacio en el futuro y ver la Tierra desde allá.

Bueno... volviendo al planeta Tierra, les detallare en el próximo post los resultados de una segunda asignación que estaba haciendo desde el fin de semana y que no se ha completado. La asignación era construir un desktop con procesador AMD64 en un motherboard ASUS A8V Deluxe con 2 GB de RAM y con 2 discos duros de 160 GB Serial ATA. En uno de los discos duros tengo que poner una instalación de Gentoo Linux 2.6.12 para 64 bit AMD y el otro disco el beta mas reciente de Microsoft Windows Vista beta 1 de 64 bits.

El propósito de esta asignación es comenzar a conocer bien al ambiente Linux y Windows Vista dentro de la arquitectura de 64 bits. La experiencia de las instalaciones ha sido muy buena por lo que uno aprende de lo dificil de estas. En el próximo post les cuento mas detalles cuando termine de instalar Vista y pueda subir la interfase grafica de Gnome en Gentoo Linux (estoy batallando con esto en estos precisos instantes).

Microsoft trying to reach future Google and Yahoo markets

During my day job, I received a very interesting email from Microsoft announcing a new service called Windows Live and Office Live. Check here for more info. To sum it up: it appears that Microsoft is trying agressively to get in the bandwagon of online Internet services for the masses as Google, Yahoo and other online services is trying to offer.

Windows Live is a suite of online services:

1. Live.com (beta at this moment): Pumped out version of My MSN, My Yahoo, etc.
2. Windows Live Mail (beta available in early 2006): Pumped out version of Hotmail but with the Outlook Web Access interface from Exchange 2003 (or better). This interface is like having most of your functionalities of the actual Outlook 2003 on the web.
3. Windows Live Safety Center and Windows OneCare Live (both services in beta now): Online maintenance services of your PC. Includes from online detection of PC and Windows operating system problems to virus scanning and removal. There are similar online services like PC Pitstop for online PC maintenance, and Trend Micro HouseCall Scan Now and McAfee FreeScan for online antivirus scan.
4. Windows Live Messenger (beta coming soon): Punped out messenger. This could be probable the version that Microsoft is trying to form a partnership with Yahoo for a unified messeger.
5. Windows Live Search beta-mobile (beta coming soon): Pumped out search engine for mobile devices.

The "new" suite of online services called Office Live, the following is the excerpt of the online press release from Microsoft:

"The company today also previewed Office Live, a new set of Internet-based services for growing and managing a business online. Designed to help companies establish an online presence, automate key internal and external business tasks, and collaborate with employees, partners and customers, the initial Office Live offerings are targeted at the approximately 28 million small businesses worldwide that have fewer than 10 employees. These services can be used independently but also integrate with Microsoft Office programs used regularly by more than 400 million people around the world, including Microsoft Outlook®, Microsoft Excel®, Microsoft Office Live Meeting and Microsoft Office Small Business Edition. Over time, the scope of Office Live services will expand."

It appears that Microsoft is reacting to the news of Sun and Google partnership with OpenOffice.org, Sun's open source version of Microsoft Office. The OpenOffice suite is very useful and has almost most features similar to the features of Microsoft Office...and its free.

So...lets see how the battle turns out.

Ahhh....there is Xbox Live!