Google Brings State-of-the-Art Dynamic Layouts to Blogger

Google just launched dynamic views for Blogger, its free blogging platform, and they are something else. Powered by AJAX, HTML5 and CSS3, these new themes for Blogger users are heavy-duty, interactive designs, not mere blog templates. The announcement claims that they also load '40 percent faster than traditional templates,' but that will require some testing. Just in trying to load Google's blog posts announcing this update, this author saw lots of new Blogger loading graphics with spinning gears.

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Nevertheless, these designs look amazing. They have infinite scrolling, dynamic loading of graphics and new posts, easy re-sorting, keyboard shortcuts for navigation and, of course, one-click sharing to Google Plus 'and other social sites.' There are seven new templates, and they can be gently customized. More customization options will be added 'in the coming weeks.' The flagship Google blogs for Gmail, LatLong and Docs are getting dynamic makeovers, too.

From the Blogger Buzz blog, here are descriptions and examples of the seven new themes:

Classic (Gmail): A modern twist on a traditional template, with infinite scrolling and images that load as you go
Flipcard (M loves M) - Your photos are tiled across the page and flip to reveal the post title
Magazine (Advanced Style) - A clean, elegant editorial style layout
Mosaic (Crosby's Kitchen) - A mosaic mix of different sized images and text
Sidebar (Blogger Buzz Blog) - An email inbox-like view with a reading page for quick scrolling and browsing
Snapshot (Canelle et Vanille) - An interactive pinboard of your posts
Timeslide (The Bleary-Eyed Father) - A horizontal view of your posts by time period

You can input the URL of any Blogger blog to preview it in Dynamic Views here.

Blogging Gets Complicated
Blogger is bringing the heat with this update. It builds on last month's overhaul of the blogging control panel and analytics dashboard, and its first native iPhone app launched earlier this month. I guess that rebranding effort we heard about in July isn't happening. Right now, the Blogger brand looks about as strong as ever. The move puts Blogger squarely in the camp of the bigger, louder, more intense new wave of publishing tools. These designs are not quite the full-screen blowouts of new ventures like Jux, but they certainly stretch the constraints of the term 'blog.'

It's a smart move, since competitors are going the other way. Tumblr designs aren't exactly minimal, but the tool is best suited for small posts that get re-shared into all kinds of different venues and layouts, and it pretty much owns that market. Posterous has tried to turn even sharper, rearranging its app around mobile posting and sharing, edging more into the territory of social media tools. And no one can forget WordPress, which is doing just fine, thank you very much, but its ecosystem rests on themes developed by third parties, and these new dynamic Blogger themes are a step or three above, technologically.

What do you think of the new Dynamic Views in Blogger? Tell us in the comments.

70-642 Exam

QUESTION 1
ABC.com has a forest with a domain named ABC.com. A server named ABC-SR05 is configured
as the DNS server. During a routine security check you discover a number of outdated resource
records in the ABC.com zone. You successfully set up the DNS service to do scavenging on ABCSR05
but after a month ABC-SR05 was clogged up with the same stale resource records again.
What action should you take to take away all outdated resource records?

A. You should execute the dnscmd ABC-SR05 /AgeAllRecords command.
B. You should disable the DNS service on ABC-SR05 and manually start scavenging stale
records.
C. You should execute the dnscmd ABC-SR05 /StartScavenging command.
D. You should enable the DNS scavenging utility on the us.ABC.com zone.
E. You should execute the dnscmd /zonerefresh command.
F. You should increase the Expires After setting of the Start of Authority (SOA) record.

Answer: D

Explanation:
You again noticed the same stale resource records still lay na.contoso.com even after enabled
DNS scavenging on Server1 because the Server1 may not have na.contoso.com zone integrated
with AD DS and loaded at the server.
To ensure that the stale resource records are removed from na.contoso.com, you need to enable
DNS scavenging on the na.contoso.com zone. The aging and scavenging can be configured for
specified zones on the DNS server to make sure that the stale records are removed from the
specified zone.
Reference: Enable Aging and Scavenging for DNS

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/7972082c-22a1-44fc-8e39-

841f7327b6051033.mspx?mfr=true

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---

QUESTION 2
You work as the enterprise administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network uses the public
namespace ABC.com. All servers on the ABC.com network run Microsoft Windows Server 2008.
The ABC.com CIO does not want user to have the ability to copy the public DNS zone records.
You must make sure that the zone transfers are restricted to DNS servers that are listed in the
Name Servers option without affecting the operation of the public name resolution.
How will you comply with the CIO’s requirement?

A. Check the Service Locator (SRV) resource record enabled option on all ABC.com domain
controllers.
B. Configure the priority value for the SRV records on all the domain controllers of us.ABC.com to 1.
C. Check the Allow zone transfers only to servers listed on the Name Servers option on ABC.com.
D. Uncheck the DNS scavenging option on the us.ABC.com zone.

Answer: C

Explanation:
To ensure that public DNS zone records cannot be copied without impacting the functionality of
public DNS name resolutions, you need to configure the Allow zone transfers only to servers listed
on the Name Servers option on ABC.com. This setting allows you to restrict zone transfers only to
DNS servers listed in the Name Servers resource option on ABC.com.
Reference: DNS Zones

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=pL89TOMFcHsC&ABC=RA1-PA244&lABC=RA1-

PA244&dq=Allow+zone+transfers+only+to+servers+listed+on+the+Name+Servers+option+&sourc
e=web&ots=StFz29rSf5&sig=0wRSARkgYxCy2ohweQs4QUDMqEQ&hl=en#PRA1-PA243,M1

---

QUESTION 3
You work as the enterprise administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a domain
named ABC.com. All servers on the ABC.com network run Windows Server 2008 and all client
computers run Windows Vista.
The ABC.com network has two Servers named ABC-SR05 and ABC-SR06. ABC-SR05 is a
domain controller that is configured as DNS server. ABC-SR06 is configured to run a legacy
application. You receive an instruction from the CIO to include parameters like Service, Weight
Protocol, and Port number for the legacy application on ABC-SR05.
What action should you take to accomplish this?

A. You must create a Host Info (HINFO) record on ABC-SR05.
B. You must create a Well-Known Service (WKS) record on ABC-SR05.
C. You must create a Service Locator (SRV) record on ABC-SR05.
D. You must create a Pointer (PTR) resource record on ABC-SR05.
E. You must create a Start of Authority (SOA) record on ABC-SR05.

Answer: C

Explanation:
Your best option in this scenario would be to create a Service Locator (SRV) record. To configure
DNS on ABC-SR05 to include the parameters such as Service, Priority, Weight Protocol, Port
number, and Host offering this service for the custom application, you need to configure Service
Locator (SRV) records. An SRV record or Service record is a category of data in the Internet
Domain Name System specifying information on available services. Service locator (SRV)
resource record. Allows multiple servers providing a similar TCP/IP-based service to be located
using a single DNS query operation. This record enables you to maintain a list of servers for a
well-known server port and transport protocol type ordered by preference for a DNS domain name.
References: SRV Record

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SRV_record

Resource records reference / SRV

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/9b561e1b-9a0d-43e5-89a8-

9daf07afac0d1033.mspx?mfr=true

---

QUESTION 4
You work as the network administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a forest with two
domains named us.ABC.com and uk.ABC.com.
All servers on the ABC.com network run Windows Server 2008 and all client computers run
Windows Vista. Users in the us.ABC.com zone complain that it takes a long time to access
resources in the uk.ABC.com zone.
What action should you take to reduce the resolution response times? (Each correct answer
presents part of the solution. Choose TWO.)

A. You should create and configure a GPO with DNS Suffix Search List option to uk.ABC.com,
us.ABC.com.
B. You should configure the priority value for the SRV records on all the domain controllers of
us.ABC.com to 5.
C. You should apply the policy to all user workstations in the us.ABC.com zone.
D. You should enable Scavenge Stale resource records in the Zone Aging /Scavenging Properties
dialog box of every workstation.
E. You should create and configure a GPO with the Local-Link Multicast Name Resolution feature enabled.
F. You should execute the dnscmd /zonerefresh command on the workstations in uk.ABC.com.

Answer: A,C

Explanation:
To configure the user workstations in the us.ABC.com zone to improve the name resolution
response time for resources in the uk.ABC.com zone you need to configure a new GPO that
configures the DNS Suffix Search List option to us.ABC.com, us.ABC.com. Thereafter the policy
can be applied to all user workstations in the us.ABC.com zone.
A customized DNS suffix search lists to ensures that clients can locate services and other
computers when they perform single-label name queries.
Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution cannot be used because it allows IPv6 hosts on a single
subnet without a DNS server to resolve each other names. Therefore it need not be used here.
DNS SRV records cannot be used because they are the service records, which are a type of DNS
entry that specify information on a service available in a domain. They are typically used by clients
who want to know the location of a service within a domain. When multiple hosts are configured
for the same service, the priority determines which host is tried first.
Reference: Create a Disjoint Namespace / Update the DNS suffix search list

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/afe94bc3-41fb-4817-84b5-

5517c38a0d391033.mspx?mfr=true
Reference: Introducing MS Windows Vista/ Learning about Dual Stack and IP Management
Enhancements

http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/7/8/578cbb95-c42e-4b9f-9989-

93ffdeae8af4/Introducing_Windows_Vista.pdf
Reference: Understanding DNS SRV records and SIP

http://blog.lithiumblue.com/2007/07/understanding-dns-srv-records-and-sip.html

---

QUESTION 5
You are employed as the enterprise administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a
domain named ABC.com. ABC.com has a subsidiary company named TestLabs.com. The servers
on both domains are configured to run Windows Server 2008.
You are responsible for a ABC.com server named ABC-SR05. ABC-SR05 is a configured to run
the DNS server role. There is a server on the TestLabs.com network named TESTLABS-LR18
that is configured to run the DNS server role. ABC-SR05 contains a stub zone. The master for the
stub zone on ABC-SR05 is ABC-SR06. During routine monitoring you discover that ABC-SR06
has failed resulting in name resolution problems for ABC users connecting to the TestLabs.com
network.
What action should you take to overcome this problem?

A. You must decrease the Minimum (default) TTL setting in the SOA record for the zone on
TESTLABS-LR18.
B. You must modify the stub zone to a secondary zone on ABC-SR05.
C. You must create a new Service Locator (SRV) record in the primary DNS zone on TESTLABSLR18.
Also create a new host (A) record for ABC-SR05.
D. You must enable DNS scavenging in the DNS zone on TESTLABS-LR18.
E. You must use a DNS forwarder on TESTLABS-LR18.

Answer: B

Explanation:
Users are not able to resolve names for testlabs.com because the master server has failed. To
ensure that users are able to resolve names for testlabs.com in such a scenario, you need to
change the stub zone to a secondary zone on ABC-SR05. This is because the primary name
server notifies the secondary zone server keeps an identical copy of the primary zone. Although it
contains read-only zone information, it can resolve names of the existing names.
You need to remove the stub zone because it requires the IP address of at least one DNS server
in the source domain to the DNS server hosting the stub zone. If this server goes down, then the
stub zone records eventually expire.
Reference: The Long and Short of Stub Zones / What Happens if a Source Server Goes Offline?

http://redmondmag.com/columns/article.asp?EditorialsID=641

Reference: DNS Stub Zones in Windows Server 2003

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/DNS_Stub_Zones.html

---

QUESTION 6
You are employed as a network administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a domain
named ABC.com. All servers on the ABC.com network run Windows Server 2008 and all client
computers run Windows Vista.
The ABC.com domain contains three Windows Server 2008 servers named ABC-SR05, ABCSR06
and ABC-SR07. ABC-SR05 and ABC-SR06 are configured as DNS servers while ABCMicrosoft
70-642: Practice Exam
SR07 passes DNS requests on to ABC-SR06.
How can you configured to enable ABC-SR07 to be updated as soon as DNS records are updated
on ABC-SR06 ?

A. You should execute the ipconfig /flushdns command on all ABC.com client computers.
B. You should execute the dnscmd /clearcache command on ABC-SR07.
C. You should decrease the Retry Interval value of the Start of Authority (SOA) record of ABC.com
to 10 minutes in the DNS service.
D. You should increase the Expires After option of the Start of Authority (SOA) record to 10
minutes in the DNS service.
E. You should enable the DNS Client service on the all client computers in the zone.

Answer: B

Explanation:
To ensure that ABC-SR07 is able to resolve the updated DNS record immediately you need to run
the dnscmd . /clearcache command on ABC-SR07.
Both the DNS server and the local DNS resolver cache any records they receive for a period of
time determined by a TTL setting in the record. The SOA for the zone determines the default TTL,
which is one hour for Windows DNS servers. To ensure that server immediately finds the updated
record, you need to use the Clear Cache option in the server’s property menu in the DNS console
or use the Dnscmd utility with the syntax dnscmd /clearcache, so that less records needs to be
searched.
If you restart the DNS user workstations it will only clear the DNS client cache. This will not resolve
the problem and restore proper name resolution however the DNS server will still respond to query
the name of the workstation.
Reference: dnscmd . /clearcache

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/library/e7f31cb5-a426-4e25-b714-

88712b8defd51033.mspx?mfr=true
Reference: 10 DNS Errors That Will Kill Your Network

http://mcpmag.com/features/article.asp?editorialsid=413

---

QUESTION 7
You work as an enterprise administrator for ABC.com. The ABC.com network consists of a forest
with a domain named us.ABC.com. All servers on the ABC.com network run Windows Server
2008.
You are responsible for a DNS server named ABC-SR10 that hosts numerous secondary zones of
which us.ABC.com is one.
What action should you take to have ABC-SR10 perform the function of a caching-only DNS
server?

A. You should have the DNS stub zones disabled on ABC-SR10 prior to re-enabling the DNS
service.
B. You should have the DNS service uninstalled on ABC-SR10 prior to re-installing the DNS
service.
C. You should configure DNS Scavenging on ABC-SR10.
D. You should modify the DNS zones on ABC-SR10 to standard primary zones.
E. You should re-configure the DNS service with one or more forwarders.
F. You should enable Zone Aging on ABC-SR10.

Answer: B

Explanation:
In order to reconfigure ABC-SR10 as a caching-only DNS server you need to disable and reenable
the DNS service on ABC-SR10. Uninstalling and reinstalling DNS service will remove all
the previously configured data from ABC-SR10.
Reference: Install the DNS Server service

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/421cd57a-9fd4-42da-8d22-

067738f034ee1033.mspx?mfr=true

---

QUESTION 8
You work as the network administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a forest that
contains four domains. All servers on the ABC.com network run Windows Server 2008. The
domain controllers are configured as DNS servers. All ABC.com users make use of a Web server
named ABC-SR02 to accomplish their daily tasks.
What action should you take to make sure that ABC.com users can access ABC-SR02 by using
Internet Explorer? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose THREE.)

A. By creating a GlobalNames zone on a DNS server.
B. By configuring ABC-SR02 in order to enable DFS-R on it.
C. By replicating the GlobalNames zone to all domains controllers in the ABC.com forest.
D. By creating a host (A) record for ABC-SR02 in the GlobalNames zone.
E. By creating a LegacyWINS zone on a DNS server.
F. By replicating the GlobalNames zone in the DNS zone for the forest root domain.

Answer: A,C,D

Explanation:
To ensure that users from all domains are able to access a ABC-SR02 by browsing to http: //Test
WebApp you need to create a zone named GlobalNames on a DNS server. Then GlobalNames
zone can be replicated to all domain controllers in the forest. Lastly a host (A) record can be
created for ABC-SR02 in the zone.
GlobalNames Zone (also known as GNZ) is designed to enable the resolution of the single-label,
static, global names for servers using DNS. GNZ is intended to aid the retirement of WINS, and it’s
not a replacement for WINS. GNZ is not intended to support the single-label name resolution of
records that are dynamically registered in WINS, records which typically are not managed by IT
administrators.
Reference: Understanding GlobalNames Zone in Windows Server 2008

http://www.petri.co.il/windows-DNS-globalnames-zone.htm

---

QUESTION 9
You work as the enterprise administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a domain
named ABC.com. ABC.com has its headquarters in Miami and a branch office in Toronto. IPv4
addressing is utilized at both offices.
During the course of the day you receive instruction from ABC.com to travel to the Toronto office
and deploy an additional server named ABC-SR06.
What action should you take to configure Routing and Remote Access on ABC-SR06?

A. You should have ABC-SR06 configured with the Routing and Remote Access role.
Then you should execute the netsh command with the interface ipv4 enable parameter.
B. You should have ABC-SR06 configured with the Routing and Remote Access role.
Then you should enable IPv4 Router Routing and Remote Access on ABC-SR06.
C. You should execute the netsh command with the interface ipv4 enable parameter on ABCSR06
prior to enabling Routing and Remote Access.
D. You should execute the netsh command with the ras ipv4 set access ALL parameter on ABCSR06.
Then you should have Router Routing and Remote Access enabled for IPv4 and IPv6.

Answer: B

Explanation:
To configure routing on the server at the branch office, you need to first install the Routing and
Remote Access role on the server and then enable the IPv4 Router Routing and Remote Access
option on the server.

---

QUESTION 10
You work as the enterprise administrator at ABC.com. The ABC.com network has a domain
named ABC.com. ABC.com currently has their headquarters located in Miami. The ABC.com
network servers run Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and the client computers run Microsoft
Windows Vista.
You are preparing to deploy a computer named ABC-SR21 which is configured with the Network
Access Policy (NAP) server role. ABC.com wants you to have the tunnel interface and the IPv6
Loopback interface as the only connections running IPv6.
What action should you take?

A. You should execute the netsh interface ipv4 enable command on ABC-SR21.
B. You should consider clearing the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) checkbox in the Local
Area Connection Properties window.
C. You should execute the netsh internal interface ipv6 delete command on ABC-SR21.
D. You should consider disabling the IPv4 Routing and Remote Access option on ABC-SR21.

Answer: B

Explanation:
To disable IPv6 for all connections except for the tunnel interface and the IPv6 Loopback interface,
you need to uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) from the Local Area Connection
Properties window.
This is because unlike Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, IPv6 in Windows Vista and
Windows Server 2008 cannot be uninstalled. However, you can disable IPv6 in Windows Vista
and Windows Server 2008 by doing one of the following: In the Network Connections folder, obtain
properties on all of your connections and adapters and clear the check box next to the Internet
Protocol version 6 (TCP/IPv6) components in the list.
This method disables IPv6 on your LAN interfaces and connections, but does not disable IPv6 on
tunnel interfaces or the IPv6 loopback interface.
Reference: IPv6 for Microsoft Windows: Frequently Asked Questions

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/network/ipv6/ipv6faq.mspx

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Microsoft Lifecam Studio review

It might not be pretty, but the Microsoft LifeCam Studio is a powerful device
Microsoft’s LifeCam Studio looks like a CCTV camera from a dystopian nightmare – forget the eye of Sauron, this feels like the eye of Microsoft, and it’s pretty terrifying 70-640 Training .

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Perched on top of our monitor, we were frightened to use our iPads and iPhones while in its gaze, lest a warning light went off in Steve Ballmer’s office and Microsoft employees swept into our office to force Zunes into our trembling hands.

Of course, looks aren’t everything, and underneath the LifeCam Studio’s rather austere surface is a very decent camera. With a maximum resolution of 1080p, the detail and quality of the video it produces is exemplary.

The Truecolor technology included with the device makes subtle changes to lighting and colour that help improve the overall quality of your footage, and can be tweaked to produce the best looking video for your environment. There are also some fun video effects and augmented reality objects that can be added to the live video.

All of this comes at a price. If you’re recording at full 1080p HD resolution with effects turned on, your PC’s CPU usage will spike, and if your machine isn’t powerful enough to cope, your footage will more closely resemble a slow PowerPoint slideshow than smooth, DVD quality video.

It performs perfectly well as a webcam for video chats at lower resolutions, but unless you and your contacts have fast internet connections and no data caps, broadcasting at full HD is out of the question. The LifeCam Studio is much more suited to video blogging Microsoft Free MCTS Training and MCTS Online Training.

How Microsoft SQL and Oracle Certifications Compare

Which database certification is the most marketable? It is clear when searching online job sites that Oracle, DB2, and SQL Server certifications are what employers are expecting from a qualified database administrator (DBA). Being aware of the different standards for each industry will help you decide which is best for you 70-640 Training .

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SQL Server 2008 is the current version and offers progressive certification levels entitled Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), IT Professional (MCITP), Master (MCM), and Architect (MCA). The MCTS Implementation and Maintenance certification is required for the MCITP DBA exam Microsoft Free MCTS Training and MCTS Online Training.

The MCTS Database Development certification is required for the MCITP Database Developer exam. Both the MCITP DBA and the Database Developer certifications are required for the MCM exam. The MCM certification is required to reach MCA. The MCA certification requires a review board interview conducted by Microsoft. This would be the most marketable certification for someone wanting to move into a senior DBA position at a small to medium size company.
Oracle has historically been the most popular platform for larger companies. It has a balanced presence across all platforms and currently dominates all forms of UNIX. It is a close second to SQL Server on Windows and has been the most marketable certification internationally for years. The Oracle 9i Release 2 certification has three progressive levels of advancement called Associate (OCA), Administrator (OCP), and Master (OCM). An OCM will work best for someone looking forward to joining a large company and is willing to relocate.

DB2 is the platform of choice for most mainframes. It has a significant UNIX and Linux market presence because it runs on almost any operating system. DB2 offers a highly scalable and flexible product in a setting where most of the customer interaction happens through an ATM or kiosk of some kind. These custom devices require custom software and applications that can eventually report to an Oracle or SQL database but cannot run the software themselves.

The progressive certifications for DB2 are IBM Certified Database Associate, Administrator, and Advanced DBA. The Associate level is the prerequisite to the Administrator, which includes DBA for Linux, UNIX, and Windows (LUW), Mainframe DB2 DBA for z/OS, and IBM-Certified Application Developer. These certifications are only for a dedicated DB2 and mainframe professional as DB2 is not marketable is other industries and platforms.

Cloud Computing: What You Need to Know About PaaS

Cloud computing discussions invariably begin with the "IPS" taxonomy: Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service and Software as a Service. This taxonomy has the virtue of being comprehensible and neatly partitioning assessment requirements:

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The Challenges PaaS Presents

Why would one call PaaS a significant challenge for users? Simply because the undoubted power and productivity of these platforms brings a new set of issues to enterprises that they may not realize until well after they've deployed a number of applications.

Here are some of the things IT leaders should think about as they begin to evaluate their PaaS options:

1. Lock-in. Using a PaaS framework entwines your functionality with the CSP framework far more than installing your application into a provider's virtual machine. Attempting to extract an application when it is internally dependent upon services the provider presents requires deep inspection of code--not just installing a tarball into a different provider. The productivity you gain by leveraging the PaaS provider's offerings is matched by the dependence you suffer by being locked into the specifics of the offering. I'm less disposed than many to see lock-in as purely negative, as in my experience organizations embrace lock-in because it provides significant benefits. But it's important to go into this with one's eye open because it definitely represents a higher level of lock-in.

2. Complexity. Every PaaS provider puts its set of functionality together differently, with its framework constructed according to its view of how applications should be designed. Trying to determine how best to write and run your application in a PaaS environment is not trivial. For sure, it's a big step away from traditional on-premise environments.

3. CSP (cloud services provider) differentiation. As noted above, a number of PaaS frameworks claim to provide a layer of abstraction that hides the details of the cloud provider from the application developer. Setting aside the likelihood of this application abstraction really working, it overlooks the meta-application functionality that can lock one in as surely as anything. Much of this functionality will be provided by the CSP--think monitoring and payment systems, for example--and will focus on operations, not application writing. CSPs will use this level of functionality to differentiate themselves, with the net effect of locking you in at the operations level rather than the code level. Don't think this won't happen. The first thought a cloud provider has is, "How do I differentiate myself from other CSPs?" because they all fear becoming the computing equivalent of a "dumb pipe."

4. New skills. Your application developers will need to learn a new framework and how to develop applications for it. While many early cloud adopters are blessed with highly skilled development personnel that build new skills quickly, in the rest of the industry, getting organizations up to speed with something new is a human capital challenge.

5. Mapping existing practices to new frameworks. Most organizations have defined frameworks, methodologies and operational practices. These will have to be evaluated in light of a new framework and modified accordingly. In effect, this issue already exists with IaaS cloud offerings; it will just be exacerbated as the richness of the new framework presents more touch points for mapping.

This list may seem like a jeremiad full of reasons to refuse to embrace cloud computing. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that significant issues present themselves with every new platform, whether it be minicomputer, personal computer, cloud computer or mobile computer. It's crucial to recognize what challenges accompany the benefits associated with every new platform and prepare to meet them. It's also important to keep in mind the stresses--and solutions--that have occurred in the past. To quote the writer George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Bernard Golden is CEO of consulting firm HyperStratus, which specializes in virtualization, cloud computing and related issues. He is also the author of "Virtualization for Dummies," the best-selling book on virtualization to date.

Intel Joins the Windows 8 Developer Push

IDF takes place at the same time as BUILD, and the Wintel alliance (for now) is linking arms to reach out to developers Microsoft 70-640 Training .”.

If you’re going to Intel’s Developer Forum next week and want to know what’s up with Windows 8, good news: you don’t have to jet down to Anaheim, Microsoft has got you covered at IDF, too.

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As we all know, the Microsoft BUILD conference takes place next week in Anaheim, California (just across the street from Disneyland). BUILD is a rollup of PDC and WinHEC, so it’s the show for developers to attend. At the same time, Intel is hosting the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco.

This may present a quandary for some people, but thankfully, Microsoft and Intel are coordinating this rather well. For those of you attending IDF, you can get yourself at least some info on Windows 8. As for a beta, well, we still don’t know if one will come out at BUILD (although I’d be shocked if it didn’t happen). The most likely scenario is that you can register to get the beta while at IDF.

The information comes courtesy of Intel’s IDF site, which lists a few notable sessions involving Microsoft (click on the Technical Session Catalog and search for Microsoft). The biggest one comes on Wednesday, where Microsoft will deliver a session on Windows 8 called “Microsoft Windows 8 on Intel Architecture.” This session will be the look at Windows 8 and discuss “the work both companies are undertaking to deliver this new compute experience.”

Most of the sessions are reserved for Thursday, the last day of IDF. I’ve seen how attendance falls off on day 3 of IDF and question whether that’s a good idea, but maybe it was all they had Microsoft Free MCTS Training and MCTS Online Training.

The two companies will host a session called “Hot Topic Q&A: Intel and Microsoft – Windows 8.” Microsoft will have three representatives, Intel will have two engineers.

Another session on Thursday will be “Microsoft Windows Platform Evolution and UEFI Requirements.” UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface and will finally replace the creaky old BIOS firmware that has been in PCs for more than 30 years. The session will talk about the latest Windows 8 platform requirements including UEFI boot and security features.

The final session on Thursday will be “Integrating Intel Platform Capabilities on Microsoft Windows Security Architecture.” Intel will detail improvements in the Windows security architecture and how Intel hardware will work with the next-generation of Windows.

Sure sounds like a beta is coming, doesn’t it?

Microsoft's 5 biggest weaknesses

Search, mobile devices, the Web and even the desktop represent challenges for Redmond

For all its success as the world's biggest maker of PC operating systems and office programs, Microsoft's position as the dominant provider of software to consumers is at risk.

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Obviously, Ballmer underestimated the iPhone's appeal, at least publicly. Three years later, when Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7, company officials admitted they had to start from scratch. After a botched Windows Phone 7 software update broke devices that were already in the hands of consumers, Microsoft's Windows Phone VP Joe Belfiore said Microsoft was still learning how to push out phone updates, a bizarre situation for a company that had been building phone software for years.

Windows Phone 7 has posted strong customer satisfaction ratings, but it doesn't have all that many customers. It turns out Windows phone Q2 sales dropped from 3 million last year to 1.7 million this year, making the device even less popular than Bada, a smartphone operating system developed on the side by Samsung, which puts most of its mobile efforts into Google's Android.

Things look even worse in the tablet market, which is utterly dominated by Apple's iPad. Windows 7 tablets aren't optimized for touch screens, and Windows 8 won't be out until sometime next year.

A partnership with Nokia (which dumped Symbian in favor of Windows Phone 7) and the demise of HP's webOS may help, but predictions from analyst firms IDC and Gartner that Windows Phones will top the iPhone in market share by 2015 were surprising to many. Even after the Bada numbers came out, Gartner stood by its prediction that Windows will become the No. 2 mobile platform behind Android by 2015, although it said the turnaround will not start immediately and will happen mostly outside of the United States. Even this optimistic scenario depends on the vast majority of Nokia Symbian users switching to Nokia Windows phones, instead of the more popular iPhones and Androids.

"The question, again, is Nokia Windows Phone 7's white knight?" Miller says. "I think Nokia makes some brilliant hardware, but I'm not sure it's really enough to pull consumers in."

Developer interest in the platform will, as always, be crucial. One challenge is that instead of scaling its phone OS up to tablets, Microsoft has chosen to adapt its desktop OS to potential iPad competitors. This means applications built for Windows phones will be difficult to port to Windows tablets. Microsoft is set to release more details about Windows 8 in September at its BUILD conference, and this is one question Miller believes the company should address. "My hope is we will see something about app unification at BUILD," he says.

Microsoft's response: Microsoft declined to comment about Windows 8, and did not answer questions about Windows Phone 7 market share or the application development issue. Instead, Microsoft released this statement:

"*IDC has forecasted that Windows Phone will be the number two operating system worldwide by 2015. (IDC, March 2011)

*The Samsung Focus running Windows Phone 7 was voted the favorite AT&T smartphone in PC Mag's Readers Choice Awards. 'The Samsung phones had better reliability and call quality and were also noted as being the best for gaming: Windows Phone 7 devices come with Microsoft's excellent Xbox Live.' (PCMAG.com)