Cloudy with a chance of Licensing
Latest news on Microsoft licensing, Cloud, and AI
I saw these over on The Chive earlier, and they’re awesome. Very funny and very true!
Even if you are involved in social media/marketing I’m sure you can appreciate these 
Here are a few of my faves:
See the rest here:
http://thechive.com/2011/01/17/things-real-people-dont-say-about-advertising-23-photos/
Microsoft have now released the new version of Small Business Server, SBS 2011 and as well as product improvements, they’ve also made some changes to the licensing.
In SBS 2008, you chose either SBS Standard OR SBS Premium and then purchased Standard CALs AND Premium CALs (for those users accessing the extra features).
However, with SBS 2011 even the server licences have a layered licensing model. This means you purchase:
and then, if you need the Premium functionality of a 2nd Windows Server and SQL, you must purchase ON TOP of the standard licence:
This is quite a change and one which was not communicated very well at all.
They have also introduced a new edition:
“a new, easy-to-use, first-server solution designed and priced especially for small businesses (up to 25 users) that can seamlessly integrate into online services such as Office 365, cloud backup and cloud management solutions. It is expected to release in the first half of 2011. “
Users don’t need CALs for the Essentials edition but it is hard locked at a maximum of 25 users.
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.
The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 120,000 times in 2010. If it were an exhibit at The Louvre Museum, it would take 5 days for that many people to see it.
In 2010, there were 95 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 535 posts. There were 246 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 17mb. That’s about 5 pictures per week.
The busiest day of the year was January 12th with 675 views. The most popular post that day was Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Centre (VLSC).
The top referring sites in 2010 were en.wordpress.com, google.com, wellytonian.com, windowsteamblog.com, and google.co.in.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for windows mobile 7, windows 7 backgrounds, windows 7 presentation mode, windows 7 background, and sccm dashboard.
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Centre (VLSC) December 2009
83 comments
Windows 7 Presentation Mode June 2009
8 comments
Microsoft Open Licensing (OLP) July 2009
1 comment
Microsoft BPOS: Sharepoint Online 2010 November 2009
3 comments
Windows 7 RC New Features April 2009
Halo Reach, Microsoft’s super successful final instalment in the Halo series has a new map pack. – Noble.
From the 30th of November, 800 Microsoft points will get you:
What are these new worlds? Find out below…
“Though we may never fully understand these devices, it is not our nature to leave ancient stones unturned.”
This abandoned shoreline facility bends both sea and sky to an unnatural purpose, but the ground itself has quickly become another all too familiar battlefield. Though the two opposing symmetrical bases may never reveal their ancient purpose, both now offer makeshift shelter and access to strategic routes perfectly suited for small and large scale skirmishes alike. Tempest supports 8 – 16 players and offers a variety of modes including Free for All, Team Slayer, Team Objective and Big Team Battle. Tempest also provides players with a huge Forge palette, allowing them to create new custom map variants that can be shared with the community-at-large.
“Orbital dockyards provide rapid refuelling and repairs for a variety of UNSC vessels.”
Within the confines of this low orbit dry-dock, UNSC craft undergo rapid repair and rearmament in support of the enduring war effort. But for the small squads of infantry who now fight over the mirrored interior hallways and open central hangar bay, this platform no longer provides any safe harbour – whether the close quarters combat is occurring inside or out of its artificial gravitational field. Anchor 9 allows 2-8 players to face off in game variants including Free for All, Team Slayer and Team Objective.
“ONI officials believe the data buried within this artefact is key to our survival.”
Atop this icy precipice, the Invasion continues. These modular archaeological labs were never intended to withstand such a large scale onslaught of Covenant military power, but the information being extracted here may prove vital to humanity’s survival. In response to the imminent Covenant threat, UNSC ground and air assets have been deployed to bolster entrenched Spartan countermeasures. This dig site must yield salvation, or it will become a grave. Breakpoint offers multiplayer mayhem for 8-16 players, and supports the Invasion and Big Team Battle game variants.
Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect has sold more than 2.5 million units in just 26 days!
Don Mattrick, President of the Interactive Entertainment Business said:
“We are thrilled about the consumer response to Kinect, and are working hard with our retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments of Kinect to restock shelves as fast as possible to keep up with demand. With sales already exceeding two and a half million units in just 26 days, we are on pace to reach our forecast of 5 million units sold to consumers this Christmas”
Kinect is now available at over 60,000 retailers in over 38 countries…well poised to break the 5 million mark!
Angry Birds is awesome.
If you’re not familiar with it, it’s something of a mobile device phenomenon. A game where pigs have stolen eggs from birds (hence their anger) and where retribution is exacted by the sling shotting of birds at the aforementioned pigs! They’re not just regular birds though, some drop bombs, some ARE bombs, some divide into 3 and plenty more super powered feathered adversaries.
It, of course, started on the iPhone but recently became available on Android devices and was download 1 Million times in 24 hours!
That’s helped somewhat by the fact that it’s ad-supported on Android – meaning it’s FREE to users.
Anyway, I’m not here simply to talk about the game. I’m here to talk about the fact that it is coming to the consoles; that’s right – Angry Birds will be on:
which is great stuff. I’m especially excited if they make it a Kinect game, as JonThomasDesigns says in the Gizmodo comments says:
They Should make a first person view using Kinect ,, Like you’re pulling the Slingshot .. Once you launch you become the Bird and use movements to do the special move such as splitting in 3 or dropping the egg
That would definitely be a great game 
Rovio Mobile also tell us that Angry Birds 2 is under way and:
the pigs will be a lot more active than just being slingshotted at by birds
Looking forward to this…I assume there’s a Windows Phone 7 version coming right?!
Microsoft SPLA, Service Provider Licence Agreement is, as the name suggests, a licensing program aimed at Service Providers. It gives them a very cost effective subscription based licensing model, allowing them to offer monthly pricing to their users.
Come January 1st 2011, there are going to be some changes to the Windows Server pricing:
| Product | Price Change |
| Windows Web Svr | -21% |
| Windows Svr Std | -21% |
| Windows Svr Ent | -21% |
| Windows Svr Datacenter | +30% |
Why is Windows DataCenter going up? Well, it’s actually going DOWN, as the current price is technically a promo that’s been going on for about 2 years 
For more info and some FAQ’s, head to:
Project Server 2010 is the latest version of Microsoft’s Project planning and collaboration solution, and it can be much more confusing.
The previous version, Project Server 2007, was a stand alone product whereas Project Server 2010 has some dependencies on SharePoint 2010. However finding out exactly what these dependencies were and how necessary they all are was quite a lengthy process, one which I will describe here to save you time 
The question is:
“Does Project Server 2010 require Sharepoint Server 2010”
The answer is:
“Yes”
As to which version of SharePoint is required, well that’s where it got interesting!
I could see how sitting Project Server on top of SharePoint would be useful so I imagined that SharePoint 2010 Foundation would do the job. It’s pretty powerful and it’s free – seems the perfect fit to drive a Project Server 2010 implementation. However, a look at Technet brought up this:
I found it hard to believe that it would require the ENTERPRISE version, as that isn’t cheap, so I set off to verify this.
I spoke to the Microsoft Ask Partner Technical Pre-Sales team and they did the same as me. Said that Foundation would be fine…and then checked Technet!
Still I wasn’t satisfied so I went to the
site and there I found this:
A diagram of the Server Architecture for a Project Server 2010 implementation from:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee767687.aspx
To me, the above says that SharePoint Foundation is perfectly acceptable and that SharePoint Enterprise is only required to serve ASPX pages in the Project Web App.
I’d love to get some feedback as to your thoughts on the above
I went back to the Ask Partner team and they agreed with me.
So at this point it seems that SharePoint Foundation is fine and we’re about done.
However, I also put this request out to the TwitterSphere and one of my favourite people at Microsoft came back and told me to look on page 117 of this month’s Product List, so I did…
“Project Server 2010 customers will require SharePoint Server 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 Standard and Enterprise CALs”
Despite that, they’re still one of my favourites
So that’s it really…both Technet and the Product Lists say that if you want to run Project Server 2010 you MUST also licence SharePoint Server 2010 with Standard AND Enterprise CALs.
I don’t particularly agree with this, as it adds quite a chunk onto the cost of the solution.
| Project Server | £3768 |
| Project Pro | £684 |
| Total | £4452 |
| SharePoint Server | £3768 |
| SharePoint Std CAL | £72 |
| SharePoint Ent CAL | £63 |
| Total | £3903 |
| Grand Total | £8355 |
The above is based on standard Open Licensing and as you can see, the addition of SharePoint Enterprise almost doubles the solution cost.
I understand that having SharePoint Enterprise gives the client a whole raft of other wonderful tools and I’m a huge fan of SharePoint however, it’s a lot of extra money if you’re not going to use any of the extra features. I feel this will prohibit many businesses from being able to implement a full Project Server solution.
I am currently researching an alternative solution which is based on SharePoint Foundation customisations and from what I’ve heard so far, this could be a great alternative for many people.
Microsoft Kinect has been with us in the UK for 6 days now and 12 in the US. It’s clearly doing very well as Microsoft have revealed that it’s already past the 1 million sold mark which is an amazing achievement, and very well deserved.
A lot of blogs and internet types on Twitter are running with the following comparison:
iPhone = 74 days to 1,000,000 sold
iPad = 28 days to 1,000,000 sold
Kinect = 10 days to 1,000,000 sold
To me, this is a completely pointless comparison. Not only do these items sit in different areas of technology but there is also a significant price difference:
Kinect = £130
iPad = £429
At almost 3.5 x the cost, it’s hardly surprising that the iPad sales went a little slower is it? Plus Kinect is an add-on for the best selling console in the world which gives it a huge, ready (and easy) to engage sales base.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think Kinect is brilliant, I’m a huge fan of Microsoft and think most things Apple do are evil, but I don’t think these comparisons serve anybody well. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they negatively affect Microsoft as it makes them seem desperate to “beat” Apple, enough to use pointless data such as this. The kicker is that it’s nothing to do with Microsoft, it’s not Redmond putting these out but various bloggers and tech sites on the net…however Steve B et al will be on the end of negative effect on consumer mindshare.
Realistically, the only comparison that is anywhere near worthwhile is Kinect’s performance against Playstation Move…and I’m sure it will always win 
The Computer Weekly blog awards are back for 2010, and I’ve been shortlisted in the:
“Individual IT Professional Male”
category, which is pretty exciting!
I can see I’m up against Mark Wilson and Steve Clayton so any and all votes will be most appreciated 
I’m also shortlisted in the:
“Company/Corporate: Large Enterprise”
category. I was in this section last year and again find myself up against the likes of TechCrunch, BBC and Cap Gemini!
The voting link is here:
I’m “Software Ruminations” in the list – vote away!
