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Body: Just read a cute news article that talks about “International Talk like Yoda” day. As I read it I can’t help but think of how this relates to the SMB IT Professional community.  No – not the actual talking like Yoda, but the persona that he is. Yoda is certainly old and wise – that much is for certain. In all the Star Wars movies, you see Yoda using his years of experience to solve problems and defeat enemies much bigger and stronger than him.  How does he do that I keep thinking… then I realise that it’s actually … Continue reading The difference between Yoda and you

Body: I created a persona some years back now called SBSGuru – I did this because a certain moderator took offence to my challenging his views of a group I was involved in, and I wanted to rejoin that group so as to keep an eye on things and still help keep the community "on track".  As it happens the group is a low traffic one and it’s not a big thing. Anyway – today I was informed that another was calling themselves SBSGuru – imagine my surprise to find that this guys "exists" after all those years.  Check out … Continue reading Identity theft – someone stole my SBSGuru ID.

Body: Microsoft it would seem are somewhat concerned over the furore in the community over their recent contact with SMB customers.  Honestly – I think a large part is a storm in a tea cup and it’s diverting us from other things that we should be focusing on. Earlier today, I received a phone call from the head honcho of MS Australia’s SMB Team.  Inese Kingsmill has taken the time out of her day to contact me about the concerns that many are expressing in the community over this letter.  I’m actually sorry that she had to do this – … Continue reading Thank you for calling Inese it is appreciated.

Body: Hmm – did that headline grab your attention – I hope it did. Today it was exposed that Microsoft Australia are reaching out to their/our clients to "better engage with them".  They are doing this by sending out letters direct to the clients asking them to contact Microsoft and let them know the numbers of desktops, servers and the like that they have.  In return the customer will gain untold riches, unlimited licensing and a 1GB USB stick (2 out of those three are lies – guess which yourself).  This would be about the 5th or 6th time in … Continue reading Microsoft are stealing all my clients….

Body: Yeah – well that’s the experience that I’ll have over the next few weeks.  You see – I’ve just moved house, and whilst my phone line will be connected next Tuesday, getting DSL will take abouter 5 to 8 working days AFTER that.  So in the meantime, I’m somewhat restricted to my Vodafone data card.  I have one for my desktop and one for my laptop.  Problem is for some reason – they don’t even have 3G here so it’s GPRS or nothing!  So you figure – Wayne’s moved out into the boonies right?  Nope – the area I’m … Continue reading Remember when all you had was a 56k Dialup Modem?

Body: An interesting topic being discussed on a number of different forums that I’m involved in is the question of Microsoft’s Partner Program.  Many have had issues with the various programs over the years, sometimes with no resolution.  Recently one of the partners raised a thread in a discussion group and I was literally stunned at the lack of response from other partners that I KNOW have had similar issues.  So the question must be asked… Do Partners still value the Microsoft Partner Program? What problems have you had, what issues do you think need to be changed?  If you … Continue reading Do Partners still value Microsoft’s Partner Program?

Body: Last week, Microsoft announced the Release to Manufacturing of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1.  The same day as an MSDN subscriber, I could download Windows Server 2008 and begin testing on the final product.  Not so for Windows Vista SP1 however.  Microsoft have announced that this will be available some time in March…  Sorry??? What was the RTM then?  If the product is not ready they why did you Release it to Manufacturing?  I feel more and more that the marketing machine at Microsoft is driving product release dates which bear no relevance at all … Continue reading Microsoft promotes piracy due to their attitudes

Body: I blogged earlier today (Questions about Australia) about some funny things that people ask about Australia.  Then I had the need to ask Microsoft for a hotfix via the web interface they have.  Here’s the response I got below…. Hello, Thank you for contacting Microsoft Customer Service. I understand from your message that you would like to obtain hotfix from Microsoft. I am unable to locate the hotfix mentioned in KB article 934396 for the product you have specified. From the information you have provided in your message, I understand that you are located in Australia. There are significant … Continue reading You know – it just ain’t funny anymore…

Body: By the look of it many people just can’t wait for SBS Cougar to be released, therefore they want to get onto Exchange 2007 right now.  Let me tell you people don’t bother.  Wait for SBS Cougar instead as you’ll find everything will work in the SBS way. The SBS Blog has info on how to get Exchange 2007 into your SBS 2003 environment right now.  It’s here http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/archive/2008/01/10/exchange-2007-in-an-sbs-2003-environment.aspx However things that are not 100% clear that you need to be aware of include… 1. You will need to install a second 64bit server to host your Exchange 2007 … Continue reading So you want Exchange 2007 in your SBS Environment- really?

Body: In December, Vodafone announced a 5GB Data bundle for $39.  This included a 24 month contract and a free data card.  As we were a reseller, I was aware that these were coming and we had discussions with Vodafone about this back in October and were advised that we would be able to attach these data plans to our existing mobile phones which were part of a Business Cap plan.  That is a very significant advantage indeed we thought as I currently pay $29 per month for 100MB on my mobile phone and $99 per month for a separate … Continue reading Vodafone – 5GB Data Bundles – Misinformation abounds