The Curious Engineer

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Hal's (Im)Perfect Vision

hal2020.com

Comments about the state of the technology world and its future

Tech news / industrySecurity

’10’15’20’25
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408 from 11 Sep 2007 to 1 Jan 2026
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now and then (1 in the last year)
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personal blog
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2026 1

  1. 98% of Developers can’t program a computer

2024 1

  1. The Death of Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA)

2022 1

  1. MFA – Still best described as PITA

2021 3

  1. Twenty years, but seems like yesterday
  2. Windows XP’s Twentieth Anniversary
  3. Reading tea leaves on the SEWIP Block III

2020 4

  1. Masking Ignorance
  2. Covid-19 Impact on AWS
  3. The CDC and Seniors, a disconnect
  4. Endings and Beginnings (Part 2 – Gaia Platform)

2019 5

  1. ARM in the Cloud
  2. Endings and Beginnings (Part 1 – AWS)
  3. Ad-blocker Wars
  4. Prime 1-Day Delivery Really is Different
  5. DMARC or Die

2018 16

  1. The Travel Buddy PC
  2. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory
  3. Google goes to the dark side on JEDI
  4. The Big Non-Hack?
  5. The Product Shipping Tax
  6. Challenges of Hyperscale Computing (Part 3)
  7. Keezel – Another Internet Security Device
  8. Amazon and the ACLU
  9. Amazon and Sales Tax
  10. Adblockers are the new AntiVirus
  11. Playing the Amazon Blame Game
  12. The rise of custom chips
  13. My Mobile Phone is Sacrosanct
  14. Challenges of Hyperscale Computing (Part 2)
  15. Microsoft “can’t win for losing”
  16. Amazon moving off Oracle? #DBfreedom

2017 21

  1. Service Level Agreements (SLA)
  2. 16TB Cloud Databases (Part 1)
  3. Amazon Seattle Hiring Slowing?
  4. Sonos One
  5. Good browsing habits gone bad
  6. Product Launches and Vendor Conferences
  7. Surface Book 2
  8. Where is my Surface Book 2?
  9. Microsoft Phone (Part 2)
  10. Microsoft Phone (Part 1)
  11. Using DNS for Security – Comodo Dome Shield
  12. Does per-incident support make sense in the cloud?
  13. A newfangled buggy whip is still a buggy whip
  14. Amazon Key: Bad idea or evolutionary pressure tactic?
  15. Amazon HQ2 – The Uber Test
  16. Sonos and Alexa, now for Niles…
  17. Finally a Brand New WINDOWS PHONE!
  18. CUJO Firewall: Approach with Caution
  19. Whole-home Internet Security
  20. Maybe Consumer Reports is right about the Microsoft Surface family
  21. Does Intentional finally have clear intent?

2016 1

  1. The beauty of Amazon RDS Multi-AZ

2015 2

  1. Amazon RDS Customers: Update Your SSL Certificates by March 23, 2015
  2. Android, the anti-productivity OS

2014 46

  1. Where’s Windows?
  2. Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
  3. Landed. Hiring.
  4. On the Threshold with Windows Phone (amongst other things)
  5. 72 hours with Android
  6. I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up
  7. Microsoft the OEM
  8. Surface Pro 3: It’s all about the form factor
  9. The Missing Mini
  10. Is there a point of diminishing return on improving fuel economy?
  11. Will Microsoft get the new Surface(s) right? Part 2
  12. Will Microsoft get the new Surface(s) right? Part 1
  13. Free Windows (TANSTAAFL)
  14. Let the Build 2014 games begin!
  15. Microsoft has a near miss with the Xbox One Media Remote
  16. 10″ LTE for me
  17. Supporting other platforms before Windows
  18. A call for EMET Lite
  19. NEW post on Windows XP situation
  20. Finishing turning Windows Blue
  21. SQL Server 2014 Delayed Durability/Lazy Commit
  22. Satya shuffles his leadership
  23. Another stupid Anti-Malware test?
  24. Microsoft Goes Low
  25. How much of a broadband monopoly is there?
  26. “Net Neutrality” gives me a headache
  27. What’s wrong with an insider?
  28. More fuel on the Android apps on Windows fire
  29. The Scott Guthrie Manuever
  30. The one about the new Microsoft CEO
  31. Microsoft and an Android play
  32. Where is Windows going?
  33. 1984 wasn’t 1984, but 2024 might be
  34. Another one bites the dust
  35. No real comments on today’s Microsoft announcements, yet
  36. Tablets, Phablets, and Phones: Is there change in the wind?
  37. The change in Windows strategy
  38. Is Windows 8 the new Vista? (Redux)
  39. Windows XP: Apocalypse Now
  40. Accessories are the Windows 8 tablet achilles heel
  41. The Smart TV Market
  42. XBOX: Fail
  43. More on Credit Card data breaches
  44. The New Windows Organization
  45. Data Breaches ARE a big deal
  46. Jon DeVaan and Grant George

2013 73

  1. Can Microsoft get the Nokia branding right?
  2. Windows Phone: Getting better all the time
  3. The dangers of immature standards
  4. Forefront UAG is no more
  5. More on life with the Dell Venue 8 Pro
  6. TANSTAAFL -Making Windows Phone and Windows RT free
  7. Bill Gates will resign as MSFT Chairman within a year
  8. Lumia 1520 is a Phablet, not a Phone
  9. Is this the year of Windows 8 tablets?
  10. Microsoft needs to be more aggressive on encryption
  11. Brief comment on Surface Pro 2
  12. A week with 8″
  13. 8 for 8: 8″ Windows 8.1 Tablets hit the market
  14. Nokia and the great Windows RT debate
  15. Time for hope? Surface and Windows RT/8.1
  16. Hilltop Steakhouse Flash Mob
  17. Health Care Reform SUCKS
  18. How much influence is Microsoft having on Nokia right now?
  19. The Future of Microsoft – Part 2
  20. The Future of Microsoft – Part 1
  21. SteveB’s Retirement Announcement
  22. The value of strategic vision
  23. Hope for Windows 8
  24. Kill your Windows XP systems, before they kill you!
  25. Fixation on Margins: The Surface RT Debacle Edition
  26. Some things never change
  27. Doing the successor speculation shuffle
  28. First reaction on Microsoft’s reorganization
  29. On org structures, goals, and metrics
  30. A key principle of Microsoft’s upcoming reorganization
  31. Don Mattrick departs Microsoft
  32. The NSA and Six Degrees of Separation
  33. Microsoft Reorganization Rumors
  34. What if Microsoft got NOOKed?
  35. The Windows Phone App Problem
  36. “Win Reviews”
  37. Blacked Out due to CISPA
  38. Touch Hate
  39. Xbox Always-On
  40. PCs are the new Mainframe, and not in the good sense
  41. What will the follow-on to Windows Server 2012 be called?
  42. Apple TV and Xbox 720 to usher in new era of A/V-control interfaces
  43. Google Reader and other customer tragedies
  44. Windows Blue Buzz
  45. Does Windows RT have a place in the sun?
  46. It’s a good thing I have anti-malware software installed
  47. WinFS, Integrated/Unified Storage, and Microsoft – Part 4
  48. What if Microsoft had done Windows 8 differently?
  49. Now I get it, the Consumer guys at Microsoft are just plain wrong!
  50. Losing patience with Windows Phone
  51. WinFS, Integrated/Unified Storage, and Microsoft – Part 3
  52. WinFS, Integrated/Unified Storage, and Microsoft – Part 2
  53. WinFS, Integrated/Unified Storage, and Microsoft – Part 1
  54. Quick note on Surface Pro being sold out
  55. Microsoft is, and deserves to be, judged by a different standard
  56. Microsoft Office for Linux: Are people asking and answering the wrong question?
  57. Congratulations Microsoft on the Surface Pro
  58. Another little “shopping” trip to Best Buy and the Microsoft Store
  59. Microsoft and Dell, more and less than meets the eye
  60. More Surface Devices (Part 2)
  61. Surface Compression
  62. Outlook RT for Windows RT
  63. More Surface Devices (Part 1)
  64. What to expect in today’s Microsoft earnings report
  65. Having a versatile Surface
  66. Better thinking about Surface sales
  67. About that $2B annual loss from Microsoft’s search business
  68. Crapware, and how we got here
  69. The impact of “cheap” on PC buying psychology
  70. The Windows Phone developer business experience
  71. Collaboration
  72. There is no ARM in Windows RT
  73. Intel and the Windows 8 Launch

2012 105

  1. The so-called “Fiscal Cliff”
  2. A few odds and ends for a slow news day
  3. Putting Expression Studio’s demise in perspective
  4. Does Microsoft have a Phablet Strategy?
  5. And now for another edition of How the Windows Eco-System Fails: Best Buy at its worst
  6. Some Anti-Malware basics
  7. Google’s Exchange ActiveSync Debacle
  8. Are evaluations of Microsoft Security Essentials unfair?
  9. OEMs continue to fail on the Windows 8 Launch
  10. A little commentary on recent Microsoft news
  11. Is Windows RT the ultimate example of using Telemetry?
  12. Is Microsoft making a dent in public perception?
  13. Thoughts on the new Windows leadership
  14. A scenario where the Surface shined
  15. Are OEMs creating a self-fulfilling prophesy?
  16. Just how are those Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 launches going?
  17. Live Long and Prosper SteveSi
  18. Why I probably won’t buy a Windows Phone 8 device this fall
  19. Where are the 7″ Microsoft tablets?
  20. Understanding Office
  21. Performance of the Microsoft Surface and Windows RT
  22. About that WP8 SDK
  23. Understanding the Microsoft Surface (a sort of Review)
  24. Just keep calling it Metro
  25. Today’s the day! Will there be any real news on Windows 8 or Surface?
  26. Why users hate tracking
  27. “Jane you ignorant slut”
  28. Living with a Windows “RT” Tablet
  29. WSJ and NYT Readers for Windows 8/RT
  30. Stop compounding Microsoft’s Windows RT mistakes
  31. A Windows Phone “Plan B”
  32. Is Microsoft really building its own Windows Phone?
  33. Yes Virginia, Anti-Virus software is quite useful
  34. Windows 8 and Arrogance (or not)
  35. Developers ignore creating “Windows Store” Apps at great peril
  36. Goodbye Forefront, it was nice knowing you
  37. Beware Cloud Services bearing gifts
  38. An OEM (HP) is making my life difficult. Good!
  39. Vendors are missing out on a malware fighting technique
  40. Anatomy of a Startup – PredictableIT Part III
  41. What a different Best Buy experience
  42. Is Microsoft the big winner in Apple’s win over Samsung?
  43. What’s Next for Microsoft
  44. The $199 Microsoft Surface
  45. Acer’s JT Wang is part of the problem
  46. A data point on the lack of Windows Phone 8 Upgrades
  47. You can’t defeat SPAM when legitimate mail looks like SPAM!
  48. Microsoft, Linux, and Patents
  49. And now a word from our sponsor
  50. Skydrive vs. NAS vs. Windows Home Server vs. Windows’ Shares
  51. Tumblr is back on my good side
  52. The upcoming Vanity Fair article on Microsoft
  53. Acknowledging the aQuantive Mistake
  54. Should someone buy RIM?
  55. Critics of the Microsoft Surface just don’t get it
  56. Four reasons we are losing the fight against Malware
  57. The practical impact of not upgrading older phones to Windows Phone 8
  58. The marketing gaffe that could sink Windows Phone
  59. Skimming the Surface
  60. Will Microsoft introduce its own Tablet?
  61. More on Windows 8/RT target market, low-end Windows Tablets
  62. Windows RT Pricing
  63. Protecting yourself from malicious websites
  64. Anatomy of a startup – PredictableIT Part II
  65. Keeping Windows 8 “Fresh” after RTM
  66. Windows 8 Release Preview Impressions
  67. Anatomy of a startup – PredictableIT Part I
  68. 100,000 Apps and I can’t find anything to install
  69. Uber Failure
  70. What makes you think they know anything?
  71. How will Microsoft keep existing Windows Phone’s “Fresh”?
  72. Slow Industry Response to Malware Reports is Killing Us
  73. Samsung and AT&T Send Messages
  74. Media Center, DVD Playback, and Microsoft’s Media Strategy
  75. Looking for the Microsoft Nook
  76. Windows Phone 7.5 will top out at 100,000 apps
  77. Will existing phones be upgradeable to Windows Phone 8?
  78. Fewer Windows 8 Editions, thankfully
  79. Third party mobile phone pricing
  80. More on Apps for Windows Phone
  81. Is Microsoft courting the wrong developers for Windows Phone?
  82. The Corruption of “Release Candidate”
  83. Strike 3 for AT&T?
  84. Windows Phone Apps on Windows 8: Missed opportunity or a Shoe yet to drop
  85. Tablets are creeping into business
  86. How many more Windows 8 shoes are left to drop?
  87. To 3G or Not to 3G?
  88. Hacktivism: Some things never change
  89. Can you use multiple “windows” with Windows 8?
  90. Unlimited Data Plans: A reality check
  91. Can Windows 8’s Metro succeed on the desktop?
  92. Untangling Tango
  93. Why a locked down Metro/WinRT model makes such a big difference to security
  94. Dear Developer, excuse me while I slap you silly
  95. Silverlight is dead, long live XAML
  96. Windows 8 is not all about Tablets, it’s about the future
  97. Updating my Desktop Apps on ARM entry
  98. Windows on ARM (WOA)
  99. A perspective on Big Data, NoSQL, and Relational Databases
  100. Surviving on a smaller piece of the pie
  101. Forget Mix, Remember TechEd
  102. Untangling some of the people moves at Microsoft
  103. Skype: Get real about what to expect after the Microsoft acquisition
  104. Microsoft Trustworthy Computing (TwC)
  105. Is 2012 the year people break the Cable habit?

2011 88

  1. Will Enterprises (aka Business) buy Windows 8?
  2. Is 2012 Microsoft’s Year?
  3. Why doesn’t Windows Phone sell?
  4. Deepsec 2011: Are Companies “Evil” When it Comes to Privacy?
  5. Will Microsoft buy Nokia Redux
  6. What’s behind Terry Myerson replacing Andy Lees as head of Windows Phone
  7. Update on the Nokia/Microsoft Windows Phone relationship
  8. Kindle Fire is no iPad
  9. Why is Microsoft really doing ARM support?
  10. Update: Can Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 Ship in June 2012
  11. Will Windows 8 on ARM support Desktop Apps?
  12. Don’t they claim Linux is secure?
  13. Stop SOPA and PIPA
  14. Can Windows 8/Windows Phone 8 ship in June 2012
  15. Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8: Cousins or Siblings
  16. More proof that Toyota needs Microsoft-style Program Managers
  17. “For all of us who have lives, there’s Windows” – David Gewirtz
  18. What the heck is “Program Management”?
  19. OLE DB and SQL Server: History, End-Game, and some Microsoft “dirt”
  20. Good summary of Windows 8 security
  21. Thinking about User Interface paradigms and an eventual “Humanoid UI”
  22. Think of Computers as Biological Systems
  23. Windows 8 Defender
  24. What does Windows 8 have to do to succeed?
  25. How important is Windows 8 to Microsoft’s future?
  26. The Industry loses another Titan
  27. Porting Microsoft SQL Server to Linux
  28. Why are there so many website security breaches?
  29. Windows XP support to end soon, and your use should end sooner!
  30. Aren’t classified files encrypted?
  31. Windows Phone Mango to ship in September or December?
  32. Hacked Twitter Account
  33. Internet Security Myths
  34. The insanity of using public computers
  35. Microsoft to aquire {NVIDIA|Nokia|Yahoo|Whoever}
  36. Is Symantec also in the Scareware business?
  37. Launch a Cyberattack, receive a Cruise Missile as a reward
  38. Why you need more than one Anti-Malware product protecting you
  39. Malware or Not?
  40. Expect a slow Q3 for Windows Phone 7 Apps
  41. Adobe Reader installing McAfee Security Scan Plus Scareware
  42. How long does it take to get infected with Malware? About 5 minutes
  43. SenderID Followup
  44. Is Skype really worth $8.5B to Microsoft?
  45. Bing going Mobile
  46. Is Hotmail’s “Trusted Sender” feature more than just show?
  47. Has Microsoft put the nail in the coffin on SenderID?
  48. Old Operating Systems never die, and it seems they don’t fully fade away either
  49. This one doesn’t count
  50. Time and Malware
  51. Why haven’t we seen a Microsoft Windows Application Store?
  52. When are we going to get serious about computer/network security (Part 3 – WiFi)?
  53. Is Bing Putting the Squeeze on Google?
  54. Quick Take on Windows Phone at MIX11
  55. The Continuing Microsoft and AT&T Windows Phone “NoDo” Debacle
  56. What I expect for Windows Phone at MIX ’11
  57. TRUSTe gets its Tracking Protection List act together
  58. It’s time for Windows XP to die
  59. Microsoft IE9 Tracking Protection Lists (Part 2 – The How)
  60. Microsoft IE9 Tracking Protection Lists (Part 1 – The Why)
  61. A Data Breach with real damage
  62. I wonder what the number is for other industries
  63. I’m glad I’m running IE9
  64. Data Breach Update
  65. Sadly, data breaches are all too common
  66. BP loses a laptop containing (unencrypted) personal information
  67. Consumers vs. Users
  68. Better article on apparent Iranian exploitation of DNS flaws
  69. I didn’t have to wait long to prove my point (vis a vi getting serious about security)
  70. When are we going to get serious about computer/network security (Part 2)?
  71. Of course there will never be another standalone “Zune” PMP
  72. Why Microsoft shouldn’t do a “Kin” Tablet
  73. No Windows Phone 7 “Mango” in 2011? Really?
  74. Nokia/Microsoft: Why was it important to industry dynamics
  75. The real significance of the Nokia/Microsoft deal
  76. Ken Olsen: Tractors and Computers
  77. Satya Nadella replaces Bob Muglia as head of Microsoft’s STB
  78. Microsoft: Ken Olsen’s ultimate success?
  79. Microsoft and Nokia, a match made in hell?
  80. Windows 8 Rumors
  81. What’s all this I keep hearing about 4G?
  82. When are we going to get serious about computer/network security (Part 1)?
  83. Is it ‘Game Over’ in Smartphones?
  84. An idea for WP7
  85. What is wrong with Comcast?
  86. The rebirth of True Mountain Group
  87. Short update on my WP7 release cycle post
  88. Bob Muglia’s departure and what it means for Microsoft

2010 8

  1. It’s all about the rhythm
  2. SYSWAN or Cisco?
  3. Microsoft Office for those who really don’t need Microsoft Office
  4. Is Microsoft going to miss the Internet TV/Streaming Video revolution?
  5. Samsung Focus, AT&T Zero, and Micro-USB Cables
  6. Capturing my final microsoft.com bio…and realized it needed an update :-)
  7. Coming soon…
  8. Hello world!

2009 7

  1. Microsoft Security Essentials
  2. First signs of life in Vegas in 3 months
  3. Preparing for MIX09
  4. Nice Win7 Power Management Feature
  5. A funny Win7 Experience
  6. First Windows 7 Experience
  7. Can infrastructure get rusty after just 6 years?

2008 14

  1. Ripping CDs
  2. Pandora Internet Radio
  3. Mobile Developer
  4. Moving to Software As A Service
  5. Map-Reduce
  6. I’m Back!
  7. GM and Hybrids
  8. Rural America is adapting to rising fuel prices
  9. Controlled Information Release
  10. Windows Home Server
  11. A couple of months of Kindle
  12. Alternative Energy
  13. On buying a Mac
  14. Hardware Reliability

2007 12

  1. The fun way to market things
  2. Zune 80GB back in stock at Walmart.com
  3. Computing Future Vision Videos
  4. Is the Amazon Kindle Ugly?
  5. Amazon Kindle
  6. Talking about Where did all the Zunes go? – Gadgets- msnbc.com
  7. Actual mail I sent relatives on Live Search
  8. Future Vision video
  9. Discrete Transactions and benchmark cheating
  10. Live Search Example
  11. Live Search really is good!
  12. Welcome!