======================================================================== ROBERT X. CRINGELY http://www.infoworld.com ======================================================================== Monday, November 15, 2004
MICROSOFT SPREADS THE JOY, CISCO IS A HACKER'S TOY By Robert X. Cringely(R) Posted November 12, 2004 3:00 PM Pacific Time When I broke off a budding relationship because she voted for the wrong guy, some of the Cringe faithful were appalled that I'd let politics get in the way of my, umm, pursuit of happiness. They called me elitist, obnoxious, and shallow. You'd think I'd dumped them instead of her. Jeez guys, I never knew you cared. ADVERTISEMENT -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Faster, better, cheaper - the world of IP convergence Trends, business needs and ROI mandates are driving businesses toward an integrated IP network infrastructure. Tune in to learn how you can lower costs while increasing productivity. Go now. http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=9F1EA0:2B910B2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Bah Humbug: Just in time for the holidays, Microsoft and Intel are unwrapping a multimillion dollar Digital Joy ad campaign to spread glad tidings about Windows Media Center PCs. These beasts let you control your home-entertainment gear from one oh-so-reliable Windows interface. And on Dec. 26, when the picture freezes and you have to reboot your TV in the middle of Trading Spouses, you can blame the sugarplum fairies. The Source Code Club for Men: For the second time this year, proprietary Cisco code has been made available for sale on the Net. For just $24,000, a group of hackers calling themselves the Source Code Club will sell you code for Cisco's PIX 6.3.1 Firewall. Rumor has it, for another $24 you can buy pix of CEO John Chambers bursting a blood vessel. Like William Safire for Geeks: Numerous readers wrote to say it was perfectly acceptable for InfoWorld to use "sceptic" (not "skeptic") in a recent headline. Yes, "sceptic" is how they spell it in the U.K. -- just like "colour," "analyse," and "programme" -- but that's not how we do things here in 'Murka. Meanwhile, two Brit Cringesters were amused by my preference for "e-voting septics." That's because "septic" is short for "septic tank," which in Cockney rhyming slang stands for "yank" (kind of like "trouble and strife" equals "wife"). Hey, don't blame me; blame Tony Blair. If These Pills Could Talk: Wizzard Software has announced Rex, the Talking Pill Bottle. Press a button on the bottle, and built-in text-to-speech software reads back the instructions on the label. It's aimed mainly at patients who are illiterate or have vision problems. If it's successful, I understand the company may come out with a similar product: Uri, the Talking Specimen Jar. Got hot tips or favorite Cockney slang? Send 'em to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you may take home a posh bag, mate. Send tips to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ======================================================================== Because you can't have too much decision support You choose the platforms, the languages, the developers. And everything -- the whole IT infrastructure, the success of the enterprise - flows from there. With that much on the line, you can't have too much of the good advice you'll get in the Strategic Developer newsletter, by InfoWorld Test Center lead analyst Jon Udell. Delivered every Thursday. Subscribe at http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=9F1E9C:2B910B2 ADVERTISE ======================================================================== For information on advertising, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] UNSUBSCRIBE/MANAGE NEWSLETTERS ======================================================================== To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your e-mail address for any of InfoWorld's e-mail newsletters, go to: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=9F1E9D:2B910B2 To subscribe to InfoWorld.com, or InfoWorld Print, or both, or to renew or correct a problem with any InfoWorld subscription, go to http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=9F1E9F:2B910B2 To view InfoWorld's privacy policy, visit: http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?ctl=9F1E9E:2B910B2 Copyright (C) 2004 InfoWorld Media Group, 501 Second St., San Francisco, CA 94107 This message was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
