Micro-Soft and BASIC Programming

To begin, we must go back to 1975 Harvard University where a young sophomore student named William Henry Gates III teamed up with childhood classmate Paul Allen to create a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800. Together the two formed a partnership and named it Micro-Soft. Quickly the program gained acclaim from computer hobbyists all over and the team officially registered the trade name “Microsoft”—this time without the hyphen—with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico on November 26, 1976.

Over the next ten years Microsoft continued to write programs for dozens of computer systems. Back at that time, each manufacturer used its own proprietary components and software needed to be designed for each individual machine. It would be like having to formulate a new type of gasoline for every car model released. Luckily, in the early 80s, Apple Inc. established its Macintosh and IBM its IBM PC as the two standards for consumer-level computers. This allowed Microsoft to focus more on the features of its software and not the hardware compatibility.

Welcome to Windows

On November 20, 1985 Microsoft launched its first retail version of Windows. It was with this program that Microsoft became a household name. From its conception in the 80s to its latest release of Windows 7, Windows has gone through countless updates, modifications, and improvements to better meet the needs of the user. This strict focus on anticipating and producing what the customer wants—better and cheaper than the competition, mind you—is largely the key to Microsoft’s success.

There Ain’t No Party Like an Office Party

Microsoft has never been satisfied with solely one project. Before Windows was flying off the shelves, Microsoft decided to jump on the office productivity software bandwagon with a program called Multi-Tool Word (later just Word) and compete with such rivals as WordPerfect and WordStar. Microsoft’s productivity programs later got bundled into the Microsoft Office suite and were, interestingly, launched first for Macintosh systems in 1989, with a release for Windows’ then latest version, 3.0, in October of 1990. This trend of Macintosh versions being released before the PC counterpart continued up until the release of Office 97 (PC) on November 19, 1996 followed by Office 98 for Mac over a year later. From then up until today, with the recent release of Microsoft Office 2010, the PC versions have been launched first.

Branching Out: Video Games and Hardware

The latter part of 2001 brought with it a whole new realm for Microsoft to conquer. Microsoft continued its reign as the software king through its entering the video game market by acquiring Ensemble Studios (creators of the Age of Empires series) and shortly thereafter introducing Microsoft Game Studios to represent the company’s video game publishing interests. But more than just mere software in the multi-billion dollar industry, Microsoft cut its teeth with its own video game console, the Xbox. It was a smash success and was followed up with the Xbox 360 in 2005.

Microsoft also dipped its hand in the music and mp3 player market with the Zune. Although not as successful in taking a large chunk of the market as the Xbox has, the Zune has earned a reputation for being a quality music player in an iPod dominated society.

Microsoft Made for TV Movie?

Believe it or not, there is actually a movie based on the birth of Microsoft and Apple, Pirates of Silicon Valley. What’s even more surprising: it’s actually a decent flick. Sure, it’s all nerd jokes and computers, but watching the story of these two tech giants is quite fascinating—that is if you’re into that kind of thing. I don’t know if I’d pop it in for a date night; unless, of course, the first half of the evening consisted of you and your significant other participating in a tag-team Slayer round. But, hey, who am I to judge?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey into Microsoft’s past and learned a couple things along the way. Check back here soon for the next installment of “A Brief History On.” And remember, if there’s a company you’d like to see showcased, just suggest it in the comments below.

enjoy.

Punch! Software was founded in 1998 by Gary Jenkins, Pete Pierce, and Steve Davis with the idea that 3D design shouldn’t be a tedious task used as a means to an end, but rather a fun tool to help express one’s creative side. Based out of Kansas City, Missouri, Punch! delivers the one-two knockout of home and landscape design software.

Since 2000, Punch! has been the #1 selling H&L design retail software brand in the U.S. and they do it with such great products as Home and Landscape Design Suite, Weekend Project, and more. As Computer Aided Design (CAD) is standard in engineering and architecture, CAD is becoming more and more common around the household, and with good reason. Why spend an entire weekend shuffling furniture, testing paint samples, and second-guessing yourself, when you can simply re-create your bedroom or kitchen in no-time? With easy-to-use tools, your virtual house becomes a blank canvas to create your masterpiece. Wanna see how that accent wall looks in lime? How about sky blue? A couple clicks and you’ll know.

My wife and I just bought our first house, and this program will come in very handy for our various updating and remodeling projects. With Home & Landscape Design Suite, those home-improvement projects don’t seem near as daunting. What’s even better; no exhausting manuals nor 4-year degree in Structural Engineering necessary!

Today, Punch! boasts a rather impressive, albeit similar, line of home-improvement CAD programs. They ship tens of thousands of units monthly all over the U.S., in addition to Canada, Europe, and even Australia. Whether you need to do some major backyard landscaping, or a simple bathroom touch-up, Punch! has already thought of your project and has a tool designed just for you. Summer’s right around the corner, and now’s the time to be planning those major projects. Follow our links to see what Punch! can do for you. I even think we’ve got some Punch! software deals going on right now, so don’t wait! Until next time.

enjoy.

One of TechSmith’s most popular products, Snagit, celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. Released back in 1990, Snagit was created as an image assistant tool which allows you to take “snapshots” of your computer screen. From there, you can use Snagit software to manipulate and edit the image into a custom graphic to use as you see fit. It’s really an ingenious idea. If you’re like me and have ever had friends or family call you up needing help on their computer, instead of spending hours trying to explain how to do something, you can simply take step-by-step images and let them follow your own notes or arrows or whatever directly added to the images. Customize your images for websites, tutorials, and more.

Not only did Snagit hit the 20-year milestone, but TechSmith also just released version 10 of the product. With new features and enhanced tools, Snagit 10 is ready to simply your life with its easy to use interface and design. So, what are you waiting for, another phone call from the in-laws? While you’re at it, check out the other tutorial and website enhancing programs in TechSmith’s line. They have some pretty cool video capturing software perfect for YouTube. Until next week!

enjoy.

Everyone in business is (or should be) familiar with Business Objects and their line of products. From Crystal Reports to Xcelsius, Business Objects has been a major player in business solutions over the years. Until recently, other than their name, I knew very little about Business Objects. I decided (with some encouragement from my boss) to learn more about them. So, I packed my lunch and went on an Internet Quest.

On their website, I found a basic history of Business Objects. Go back to 1990 Paris France and you’ll meet two business-minded men: Bernard Liautaud and Denis Payre. Together, they founded Business Objects. The following two-and-a-half decades brought tremendous growth and success for the company. It became the first European company to go public on the NASDAQ in 1994. Its revenues passed the $100 million in 1999 and then $1 billion in 2005.

Business Objects caught the attention of industry giant SAP (which, in case you’re wondering, stands for Systems Applications and Products), and in 2008 SAP acquired Business Objects. Today, they lead the market in business performance optimization.

At SoftwareMedia.com, we are proud to be an SAP Business Objects partner. As such, we offer Business Objects products at unbelievable prices and provide top-notch customer support to assist in any way we can. So, check out our line of Business Objects software and find out how they can help take your company to the next level.

Check back next week for the latest installment of A Brief History On.

enjoy.



If your Mom loves to send you greeting cards then the Hallmark Card Studio 2010 is a great choice. She can select from thousands of cards, add her own custom message or photo, and print or email your special card without standing in a LONG line at the post office.  Is Mom wondering where she hangs on the family tree? Family Tree Maker lets you organize your family story, create charts and reports in a variety of formats to share with friends and family, integrate with the 7 billion names in historical records on Ancestry.com, and even receive hints linking you to matching records.

Does Mom like to print everything she runs across online? If so, then Print Shop 23 will be her wonderland. It includes everything she needs for incredible designs. It’s easy to create amazing print projects in a snap.  Start with 19,000+ unique and creative templates for a wide variety of projects, including: invitations, photo projects, CD/DVD labels, and even calendars. It would be like a day at Disneyland for her. By the way, if she can’t find Disneyland, no worries. Check out Delorme GPS Devices.

From all of us at Softwaremedia.com, we would like to wish all the Mom’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day and hopefully your kids spoil you on Sunday.

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Corel: most anyone using a computer for either the home or office has used, or at least knows of, their products. Over the years, Corel has managed to maintain a respectable following with its graphic design and word processing software suites. However, despite its best efforts, it’s been unable to dethrone the top dogs in the biz: namely, Adobe and Microsoft. Will this year be any different?

2010 marks a year of new releases from these three companies. Microsoft is scheduled to release its anticipated MS Office 2010 in retail stores sometime this summer. Adobe’s follow-up to its highly acclaimed Creative Suite 4 is also due out within the next couple months. Corel brought to the show its latest version, Corel X5. Corel, however, beat the others out the gate with its March release. Was this a pre-emptive strike to try to get an early chunk of the market? Perhaps. Regardless, X5 does have some pretty nifty features that shouldn’t be overlooked despite it being the underdog.

Corel has a bit of a unique challenge facing it in that it has products in two big venues: home/office documentation and graphic design. It isn’t merely in a competition of three, but rather two separate one-on-one competitions with each Microsoft and Adobe. Why do it? Well, with a strong track record and the loyalty of its consumer-base, Corel is able to hold its own in each ring.

Type the words “Corel vs. Adobe” in a Google search and you get bombarded with blogs and forums. After reading a few threads to see what the Posters wrote, I didn’t walk away truly converted to one over the other. Not that it was my intent to be swayed by a few Bloggers, but I was interested to look at the debate as a fence-sitter. Basically, all the ranting and ravings from the fans came down to one absolute: the product he/she endorses “rocks” while the competitor’s “sux.”

The battle between Corel and Microsoft wasn’t any less gory. Websites dedicated to prove one program is better than another, using a “scientific” point system, exist—complete with categories and wording catered to the favored product. I can’t help but laugh to myself. It’s sad though; so much discord among fellow writers and designers. Meanwhile, the companies soak up the free advertising and, no-doubt, resulting sales.

In this great society of choice, it’s comforting to know that whatever program you choose, you’ll have an army of support to teach you cool new things. And across the way you’ll have a group that despises you based on your choice and hopes your computer crashes for using “that abominable product.” Luckily, from this war spawns updates, improvements and lower prices from the competing companies. Who says war is good for nothing?

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Now, there’s isn’t a given day where I don’t check my email, stalk my friends on Facebook, track the weather (for biking preparedness), chat with other online addicts friends or just surf the web at least once. Okay, granted, working online and writing a blog doesn’t help…  But, when I see half my friends on their smart phone obsessively replying every constant ding from a new email or text message… or when any vacation I take with friends or family entails at least one person bringing their laptop… or when I dine at a restaurant and see the entire table next to me typing away on their data-capable phones rather than actually conversing with each other… I start to wonder. Is the Internet more of a hindrance than it is helpful? We were just fine without it before, but does that mean we could do it again?

The internet has definitely become the stem of many controversial issues — take Australian censorship or the ethical usage of Internet regarding patients for example. What we thought was already a small world (after all), has been made even smaller and more accessible through the world wide web. Email. Instant message. VoIP. Streaming media. Technology has evolved and zipped light years past the days of the Pony Express and Morse code.

Of course, with the good, comes the bad — there’s always that balance, right? Internet has caused a rise in negligence and violence. The Sydney Morning Herald notes a couple of instances:

Last month, a couple let their three-month-old starve while they raised a virtual child in an online game, spending most of their days at an internet cafe instead of caring for their newborn, police said.

That baby died of malnutrition. Oh, and hold on, there’s another one:

In February, a 22-year-old bludgeoned his mother to death for “nagging” him about playing internet games, police said. He then played games online for hours, paying with his mother’s credit card, a police statement said.

In South Korea, where these two instances occurred, more than 90% of households have broadband internet access. In addition, 24-hour internet cafes are abundant in Asia. As an alternative to staying the night at a hotel, much of the younger population partying late hours in Japan opt to spend the night at a 24-hour internet cafe until the train systems start back up in the morning. In Taiwan, internet cafes have become a popular hangouts — even ranging from cheap, affordable facilities to ritzy, expensive surroundings. Dr. Kim Tae-hoon, a psychiatrist who treats teenagers for internet addiction says, “In South Korea, it’s easier for citizens to play online games than to invest in their offline personal relations through face-to-face conversations.” He continues by noting, “People are becoming growingly numb to human interaction.”

The University of Maryland conducted a study asking 200 students to give up all media (Internet, cellphones, television, music, etc.) for one day. Is it surprising that, according to the New York Times, they found “many showed signs of withdrawal, craving and anxiety along with an inability to function well without their media and social links” after just 24 hours? One student confesses, “I clearly am addicted and the dependency is sickening.”

Although the American Psychiatric Association has yet to recognize Internet addiction as a disorder, South Korea has already decided to take action against the estimated 2 million people classified to be an addict. The South Korean government will be “restricting access to popular online games, and is sending counselors to elementary schools to teach children about healthy internet usage.”

The United States’ first in-patient treatment center for Internet addiction opened for business last summer near Redmond, Washington. The center, called reSTART, gives various examples of students who have become largely in debt or even dropped out of college due to internet addiction. But erm… the $14,000 price tag for treatment could be cause for self-help in of itself — or perhaps another reason to continue on(line)?

Stanford University’s School of Medicine estimates that one in eight Americans show at least one sign of internet overuse. A Huffington Post article by therapist Lisa Haisha, even takes internet addiction one step further by examining specifics, Facebook addiction. “Since the term Internet Addiction is broad, some psychologists have identified and classified sub-categories of Internet addiction,” says Haisha.

Director of I Will Center, a government-funded counseling center in South Korea, Park Hye-kyung says, “It’s a little ironic that what was invented to make our lives better has come to make it worse for some.” Could you do without Internet? Has it harmed your way of living more so than helped it? I’m stuck; I have no idea…What do SND readers think?

As Ars Technica points out, the claims Microsoft make are flimsy. Could this why they took the post down? The video demonstration where the Microsoft blogger illustrates the privacy issues concerned with Google Chrome has been taken offline — showing a blank screen when hitting play from linked articles. When I tried to access the original post at TechNet, it sent me to a default file not found page. Ironically, Google has a cached copy of the article. So, there’s no denying it was up at one time today, at least.

Was Microsoft just testing the waters against Google? Wars may be raged (or raised) in the near future…

The iPad is coming to stores soon… possibly.

Google mobile services have been partially blocked in China.

Nothing catching my eye just yet…

An iPhone for Verizon may debut before year end.

Microsoft has patched a number of vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer.

Hold on.

As I mindlessly scroll through Google Reader, a Washington Post article by Dana Scarton jumped out at me and caught my eye: Google and Facebook raise new issues for therapists and their clients. My mind wakes. It cranks into gear. The article makes me think. It makes me wonder. Scarton lays down a number of interesting thoughts to ponder over.

Is it ethical for a therapist to fish out a patient’s blog, Facebook, website or other readily available information on the Internet? Would that be a breach of privacy? Or a means to better understand a patient? I mean, after all, you are paying a therapist to get to know you — in a way. And the internet is publicly accessible…

Scarton describes a case where a patient overdosed on sedatives. The patient’s psychiatrist, Damir Huremovic, was forwarded a suicidal email containing links to a website and blog the patient wrote. What’s a concerned doctor to do? Well, in this case, Huremovic decided that it was okay to click on the links. Scarton writes, “after all, the Web site was in the public domain and it might contain some potentially important information for treatment.”

What do SND readers think? Scarton’s Washington Post article knocked out some great points to both sides. And goes on to take into account, what if the roles were reversed?

In a detour from our typical light-hearted overtone at SND (and killing the buzz a little — anyone watch that Community episode last week?)… I asked the opinions of a few staffers here at SoftwareMedia.com what they thought about the issue.

From the lot of people I quickly polled, we seemed to be fairly split. About half the surveyed staffers didn’t have a problem being searched online, the other half had concerns. Almost everyone agreed it wasn’t straight out black and white though. From my “discovery,” here are a few highlighted quotes:

Ashley — “I think it’s fine.  I mean, you’re going to the therapist to basically divulge your whole life anyway.  If you really want help, you should be willing to let them know everything about you. On the other hand, the therapist needs to maybe not take EVERYTHING from the internet as truth.  I feel like anything done on the internet is an extreme of yourself.”

Brandon — “(I’m) all for it. If someone has published something online, then it is available for anyone who wishes to view it. Thus if someone has something published about them without their permission they need to seek out the source and have them remove the information. Because the internet is such an open and public place, people need to be very careful about what they post.  Social networking sites are a huge source of this private information made public. And many people don’t realize just how public their information is when they publish it. But the onus is on the publisher, not the reader.”

Emily — “I think there is a lot wrong with that but honestly it’s probably a good tactic.”

Allison – “At first it seems invasive but if you are turly trying to understand & help this individual I do not see any harm in it. Besides prospective employers are now doing (it), landlords. People need to watch what they share (online).”

Dave — “Well, I’m torn. On one hand, the information is out there in the public domain. On the other hand, I think it’s somewhat inappropriate (and) the information could likely be untrue.”

Okay, okay. So I’ll be fair and also throw in my two cents. I have to agree. The Internet is public domain. When I asked Kevin for his opinion he told me he had no problems with it. “My name is generic and people can never find me anyways,” he told me. Well, “Lansia” isn’t exactly a common name. An Italian car, perhaps… but I’ve never met another with my name. Hence, the slight caution I always consider when publishing personal information to the world wide web. I know that what’s published may be searched by millions (billions?) of Internet users.

With the Internet bringing the world smaller, information may not be retrieved and gathered on a completely whole new level. Just the other day, I used it to my advantage by comparing prices at the local retail store to their online competitors. There’s been no doubt about it; I’ve definitely saved a bit on my minor shopping addiction since the birth of Internet. My friend recently switched physicians with the help of the Internet. And employers and jobseekers, alike, have used the Internet to gain an upper hand. What does this potential employee portray himself? Facebook could tell. The web is a fountain of information, although sometimes dangerous. What’s true? What’s false? And what’s going too far?

Perhaps, my opinion of it all..  it’s okay for therapists to search patient information online. A random person can conduct that same search, why can’t someone that you are paying do so as well? However! It should all be taken in with a grain of salt. Someone online may not be the same person in life – literally and figuratively.

I also believe disclosure should also be important. Keely Kolmes, a psychologist who also writes on Internet ethics, says, “A lot of patients really want to think about you as existing in just that one space (while at therapy), and suddenly they’re seeing you on Twitter and blogging.” That certainly changes the way a patient may want to be perceived by his therapist. Awkward? It may be a side that the patient does not want the therapist taking into account.

Clearly, there’s much more to be debated. As Stephen Behnke, ethics director at the American Psychological Association, points out, “To write rules that allow our field to grow and develop and yet prevent (patient) harm at the same time: That’s the challenge.”

All right. Buzz kill over! Hey, lookit that… these peeps sure are ready for Easter this weekend.

TechCrunch recently published a few interesting stats for users on Chatroulette. By using data from Chatroulette Map, “some scrappy programming, and a passionate tech community” from just under 3,000 sessions, TechCrunch found some (possibly not surprising) statistics. A few highlights below (or read the full analysis from TechCrunch).

• Half of the spins will connect you with someone in the US…
• They also found 89% of the spins came up male, and only 11% were female
• The chances of getting a webcam with no person at all are more likely than one with a single female
• 1 in 3 females appear as part of a group, whereas only 1 in 12 males appear as part of a group

Michael, one of our IT guys, praised to me how entertaining Chatroulette could be and suggested we have the staff try it out. He took the initiative, found us a webcam-loaded laptop and set it up. After witnessing a few sessions on Chatroulette with the brave souls at SoftwareMedia.com, I can’t say that Michael was wrong nor that TechCrunch’s Chatroulette stats were far off at all.

Brandon (Warehouse) — “It’s interesting. It’d be way funny with people dressed as super heroes.”
Brandon was up first and got passed off a lot after many weird looks. Oh, did I mention we dressed a mannequin to stand next to him? After a majority of male encounters, he noted “I’d do it again, if it wasn’t just people looking for chicks.”

Jeremy (Sales) and Ashley (Accounting) — “This is amazing!” “When it works!”
Our wi-fi connection on the laptop gave us a few connection problems. Michael fixed it by plugging in the Ethernet cable. Remember that TechCrunch finding? How girls are four times likely to appear in a group? Well, Ashley told us she’d only volunteer “if I have somebody with me,” most likely because she doesn’t “appreciate the half naked men” the two encountered — 1 in 8 spins bring up a R-rating or worse according to TechCrunch. But Jeremy loved it so much, he was going to start it again right when he got back to his desk.

Dustin (Development) — “Awkward.”
Dustin lucked out and got to chat up a gal from Denmark. He did tell me, “I prefer to talk to girls.” And I bet the 89% majority of male Chatroulette users prefer to talk to girls as well… He probably had the most pleasant experience, although it would be less “awkward with less people running around” — people as in co-workers looking for ways to harass him later. Ha.

Billy (Sales) — “Freaky people! It’s weird just seeing someone there.”
It was going well in the beginning… but as Billy chatted it up, he incidentally encountered a spin that was beyond a R-rating. Sorry Billy! That immediately ended his first session of Chatroulette but he hinted at the possibility of giving it another go, “cause I’m so intrigued.”

Casey (Development ) — “Way too much…”
Pressured by a couple of nameless co-workers, Casey gave it a go and enjoyed a very entertaining session. Would he do it again? “No, I want to keep my marriage.”

Curious for more stats? In addition to TechCrunch, Comscore also did an analysis.