The Ramblings of a Geek…

I’m sure this site has existed for sometime.  It would nice to see this at 0%.  So if you have IE6 installed, there really is no reason these days…. lets kill it once and for all.  Click image to go to the site.

A client recently required Windows Server 2008 server, they already had Windows Sever 2008 R1, with Hyper-v installed and required an additional server.

So we ordered a copy of Windows Server 2008 R2 for their additional sever requirements.  Upon receiving this copy the license sticker got me intrigued. It had both a physical product key and a virtual product key.

The performance benefits that come with Windows Server 2008 r2 for hyper-v are more than worth while.

So could we use these product keys to install Windows Server 2008 R2 and use the virtual key as intend and get the Windows Server 2008 R2 performance benefits?

It appears you can!  Take a look at this extract:

Q. If I have one license for Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard and want to run it in a virtual operating system environment, can I continue running it in the physical operating system environment?

A. Yes, with Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, you may run one instance in the physical operating system environment and one instance in the virtual operating system environment; however, the instance running in the physical operating system environment may be used only to run hardware virtualization software, provide hardware virtualization services, or to run software to manage and service operating system environments on the licensed server.

Source: www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/licensing-faq.aspx

Which is exactly what were doing. 

So their has been a lot in the tech press or the so called blogosphere about Google+ not supporting business.  From what I can can work out if you use Google apps account you are considered a business.

Google seems to have forgotten that they allow individuals to sign up to Google apps, so that you can use your own domain with Gmail as one of many advantages.

Due to this restriction I’m unable to use Google+ (even though I have been invited).  I have received an invite to my old Gmail account, which I can get access to Google+ but I’m reluctant to invest any time with this as Google has apparently stated that “business” accounts won’t be able to transfer data.

I feel that this is a unnecessary restriction on the service, I also feel it may be telling about happy many individuals actually bother with Google Apps.

I updated my Windows Phone to the Mango Beta a week ago.   For a beta it appears to be fairly stable and performance is the same as it was before if not better in some areas.  Here’s a few quick thoughts:-

• I was hoping that Mango would fix an issue with You Tube links, they don’t play, when you click on a you tube link from anywhere in the phone.   This is a isn’t acceptable, the experience has to be at least the same as iOS or better, hopefully this issue will be address before mango is finished.
• Text to speech just doesn’t work.  Hasn’t recognised a single thing I’ve tried saying to the phone, I’m guessing it would work better if I was American.
• The Scanning of Microsoft Tag’s works well and so does the listening to Music detection.
• You can choose which contacts are displayed in your contacts now, which is welcomed.
• Being able to save camera settings is a god send.
• I keep getting notified that there is a App update available and yet when I go and do it there isn’t one.  – It’s is beta software after all.

I’ll keep updating this post when I come across anything of interest.

I came across this 158530 Microsoft Knowledge base some time ago and have only just got around to posting, I have republished here for easier reading.

Yey!  Angry birds for Windows Phone is in the market place, not sure what day this week this was released, but you can download,  £2.49   Have fun people!  Link.

On a Sky+HD box, the hidden menu is Services 0 0 1 & press Select. Then go to RF Outlets and turn the power on, remembering to save the settings.

The above also works on the new Sky Boxes being shipped. 

I’ve been reading the following posts from Paul Thurrott’s.

Windows 8: Sinofsky @ D9 Transcribed, Part 1

Windows 8: Sinofsky @ D9 Transcribed, Part 2: The Demo

Windows 8: Sinofsky @ D9 Transcribed, Part 3: Q & A

Paul doesn’t seem to link to the acutal D9 video for some reason, so I thought I would here to allow people to make up their own mide up,

EDIT:  He does.

Microsoft Windows President Steven Sinofsky unveiled the new look of Windows
at D9. Here’s the video. June 20, 2011

I’ve been a Daddy for a month.   Sure has gone really fast.  Not had much time for geeky software of late between the day job and being at the hospital in the evenings and the weekends.

Ethan should be home soon.  So I should be able to find some time in the evenings and hopefully the weekends whilst he and mummy are sleeping.

Microsoft has showed the firs look at Windows 8.

This doesn’t really answer how if at at apps between x86 and ARM are going to be compatibly.