February 16, 2007
the funcave’s been long past due for a bit of maintenance.
namely…
loading the spiffy new 2.1 release of wordpress.
but for this update it’s important to verify both the version of mysql & php running on the server which hosts the funcave. seeing as how that server happens to be a drone in the ownwebnow horde, which means i don’t have administrative root access to it…
& v had called it a night…
yours truly was forced to verify the info by different means.
the sql admin console told me the version of mysql immediately, but php was a different story.
until i ran across this tip:
- create a file called phptest.php
- copy the following command into the file & save it
<?
phpinfo();
?>
it will display an insane amount of information, including the version of php.
as in…10 pages or so of info.
word of caution: immediately delete that phptest.php file from the server after you are done using it. you won’t want that much information in the wrong hands.
also…
queenie might be very happy to know that i printed that insanely long phpinfo page to onenote for safekeeping.
her & her bloody crusades…
|| posted by chris under freebie, migration, utility belt || comments (0) ||
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February 15, 2007
a comment over at vladville got me reminiscing about my halcyon days as a certified partner aka cp & as a gold certified partner aka gcp.
so i went to looking at what’s out there in the upper reaches of the partner stratosphere now.
imagine my surprise at the changes in the licensing benefits.
it used to be that gcp got you 100 internal use licenses.
but now they’ve upped that to a max of 500, altho the starting base is still 100.
you can get there through incentive grants, based on activity in the partner program.
for example…
if you earn a given competency, you are normally granted additional licenses of software related to that competency.
so when you’re calculating what attaining gcp can mean, you need to add up things like that, plus…
-
unlimited demo licenses.
-
10 licenses of visual studio team edition & msdn premium, with a max of 100.
-
100 training licenses of desktop productivity software for on-premises customer training, altho this requires dedicated training pcs.
even cp’s gotten a bit of a boost.
not to mention things like…
-
free customer satisfaction surveys
-
co-presenting opportunities
-
use of the across america truck
and finally, above all else…
but here’s the thing about cp & gcp that’s the big difference between those levels & registered member.
cp & gcp are built on the capitalist model, while rm is built on the socialist model.
as a cp or gcp, you are actually tangibly rewarded for the work you do with microsoft product, whether your business is structured to resell, install, develop, or any combination of those & about a dzen or so other things.
i took a 2 technician, non-reselling operation to the top of the ms partner program in a little over 6 months. it would have been 3 if i’d had a chance to speak to sharon peterson earlier than september of 2005.
fact of matter: to get there we focused on adding solutions & completing implementation projects that spread the microsoft stack, building off sbs as the core.
which we did for several reasons totally unrelated to the software grants, such as…
-
becoming the known leader in our service area.
-
expand our areas of expertise via competencies to expand our service areas
-
gain greater contact with microsoft in our region & beyond.
but more than anything…
it all boiled to down one word…
r-e-s-p-e-c-t
if you do what it takes to become a professional & a leader in your area of expertise, including presenting yourself as a professional & a leader, you will get the respect you need to be a success.
never underestimate the importance of that.
it can open so many doors that would normally be totally closed to you.
that’s not to say that people will automatically fall at your feet & throw money at you for inhaling & exhaling. but it will give you a credibility edge that your competition would kick their own dog to have.
but for registered members…
once you’re in…
& maybe finish sbsc…
that’s just about it.
there’s really no way to improve your standing, short of making the huge leap to cp.
it’s a one-size-fits-all program involving millions of people world-wide. which means it is bound to really fit no one very well & quite frankly…be a victim of its own dubious level of success. kinda like canadian health care.
so no matter how much anyone whines & moans about it…
my own personal opinion is that action pack’s days are numbered.
registered partner has already been killed…
left as a shambling zombie, lurching around like something from night of the living dead. it’s just that no one has noticed yet.
so my suggestion for anyone who depends on action pack to run your business…
start budgeting the yearly $1600 for entry to cp & get another mcp number associated with your organization soon.
otherwise…
don’t come whining if a rug or 3 are pulled out from under you.
|| posted by chris under business, funlab, it pro, nostalgia, opinion, utility belt || comments (1) ||
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February 14, 2007
others have already posted their thoughts about the action pack livemeeting today.
vlad, tim & i chatted back & forth in messenger the whole time, stunned out of our gourds at some of the things being asked.
as has been posted here at the funcave & elsewhere…
there are some serious, legitimate questions folks have about the direction of the action pack program. there have also been some serious, well-reasoned suggestions that have been offered to address these concerns.
unfortunately, there wasn’t much of that on display in this call.
take a look at the q&a. i’ll warn you now: you will prolly feel stupider for having read it. the live replay won’t be much better.
it does get funnier tho if, every time you hear one of the blue badges say that’s a great question!, substitute the words i want to gouge out your brain with an icepick.
seriously tho…
this really wasn’t a big surprise to anyone paying attention. go to any technet event & it’s basically the same thing.
fact of matter, which 99% of folks don’t seem to understand…
if you don’t at least act like a professional, how can you expect to be treated as one?
by professional, i mean things like…
- having checked for an answer before asking a question
- having thought of possible solutions before lodging a complaint
- having the class to respect other people’s time & not babble like an idiot
personally…
i think it boils down to having way too many folks in the registered member program, as i’ve said before on this very blog. but it’s not the abusers that are doing the real damage.
i can almost guarantee you that no action pack abuser ever calls the resource desk or sits in one of these calls. heck, they already got what they were after when they received the software pack.
nope…
the real damage to programs like this happen little by little. every time someone asks a question that’s answered in the program materials.
this is a serious question…
do any of you people know how to read?
the registered member program is really starting to resemble a glorified romper room & i for one am pissed about it.
oh, you heard me correctly…
mothership is now calling it registered member instead of registered partner, folks.
i personally think that someone’s choice of words tells you much more than what they might think they are revealing.
but this is continuing evidence that a lack of professionalism is absolutely killing the smb it sector.
with that, i offer this masterpiece from john donne to my fellow smb it professionals…
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee..
that is why it matters if someone else in our profession is a nitwit or not.
it’s either time to get serious about the problem of the numbskull factor…
or shut up & quit moaning.
|| posted by chris under business, clueless, community, thumbs down || comments (1) ||
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February 11, 2007
in case you haven’t heard, mothership officially announced windows mobile 6 this week.
there are some interesting changes & updates you might want to get your head around with this release.
mobile office retooled
the venerable mobile office included with wm6 gets a much needed facelift. in fact, it looks like mothership ponied for a tummy tuck & a boob job as well.
word & excel definitely get a new coat of paint in this release, while outlook adds enough features to make the argument that it can serve as a total replacement for the pc version of outlook. alas, the new version of mobile powerpoint remains bereft of any editing functions whatsoever. once again, the road warriors mourn.
version rename
taking a page from the version insanity that infects their desktop products, mothership in its infinite wisdom has decided to introduce new terminology for the various flavors of windows mobile. in a nutshell, pocketpcs will now be called windows mobile 6 classic devices, smartphones will now be called windows mobile 6 standard devices & pocketpc phones will now be called windows mobile 6 professional devices. wow…that’s a lot less confusing, don’t you think? </sarcasm>
better certificate support
in a move that is sure to please everyone, redmond did listen to all the wailing & gnashing of teeth that arose from folks trying to use certificates on their wm5 devices, particularly smartphone users. wm6 blessedly offers tons of improvements in certificate handling over wm5. chief among these would have to be the inclusion of a built-in certificate installer & the addition of support for wildcard ssl certificates. wow. a move by mothership that will actually save folks money! in other news…the damned are snow-skiing in hell today.
more eye candy
get ready for some new screen resolutions. wm6 adds support for 800×480 & 320×320.
broad carrier & device support
the list is as long as your arm & still growing. you can expect the usual suspects to introduce devices with wm6, especially now that palmos has basically gone the way of the dodo.
sdk on the way
the codeheads lurking here at the funcave will be interested to know that the windows mobile 6 sdk will be released very soon & that it will be supported under visual studio 2005. in the meantime, there’s a whitepaper available now that outlines the changes in wm6 for developers.
here are some key additions:
- .net compact framework in rom
- sql compact in rom
- broad wm5 application compatibility
- ajax support
- remote desktop mobile
arch for more security
besides the certificate improvements, wm6 offers some much needed security functionality. encrypting content on the storage cards is great, but i’m wondering if they will finally add the ability to remote wipe those cards. heck, if nothing else…i hope they close the hole with remote wipe that was already discussed here at the funcave ages ago.
on dashers
folks using a t-mobile dash running wm5 will be able to install an upgrade to wm6 on their dash. as for everyone else…i say we go out & start beating those folks up now.
if you haven’t been blessed enough to get a look at wm6 yet, here are some excellent sources:
final word of advice:
many of the new features require exchange server 2007, altho a subset will also be available on exchange server 2003 if sp2 is installed.
so before you go out & let your mouth write a bunch of checks your infrastructure can’t cash, it’s prolly worth spending a bit of time looking at what’s what in wm6.
|| posted by chris under funlab, hardware, migration, mobility, utility belt || comments (0) ||
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February 9, 2007
now they can say that at least they didn’t send anti-terrorism & bomb squad units on a wild goose chase all over beantown…
obviously giving bostonians yet another reason to be the surliest people on earth…
all to promote the dumbest animated show ever.
seriously.
aqua teen hunger force? who came up with that piece of garbage?
i seriously think you have to be hopelessly addicted to prozac to even follow the stupid thing.
or at least smoke meth to understand what meatwad is saying.
gimme a truly ironic & comedic cartoon.
not some monstrosity dreamed by up by some skiv flying on e who couldn’t stop touching his happy meal.
sealab 2021 was awesome, altho it couldn’t survive the tragic loss of harry goz.
or gimme me somethin’ like frisky dingo…now you’re talking!
altho the best animated show you’ve prolly never heard of is the venture bros.
heck, running antelope will watch any of those last 3 with me…and she pretty much hates anything animated unless it’s named family guy, american dad, or has a big disney logo on the box.
|| posted by chris under clueless, rant, thumbs down || comments (0) ||
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