That's according to Mister Gates himself, who says the next incarnation of the OS will be so vastly different, users may not like it right off the bat.

Despite the tight security, rumors have been circulating as to some of the differences. Some early versions "leaked out" onto the internet, which included major changes to the graphical user interface and either a new file system or an updated to the existing one.

With previous promises coming from Microsoft that Longhorn would be available to the public in 2005, I think the really shock would be if they actually delivered. Now THAT would be scary.

Have a great weekend folks!

Apologies for the down time - there hasn't been a lot going on with NWC Inc. specifically, except for some testing until today.

Bruce Boardman is currently in the throes of a review of Web SLA managers and it beating hard upon the NWC Inc. infrastructure. I am working on another review of products within the infrastructure and, of course, that means that things have gone wrong.

I spent a good portion of the morning rebooting the application server and removing code from the PHP based front end to stop the calls to our .NET application that handles shipping updates. The machine must have been rebooted at some point, because the ASP.NET State Service was not started and when I tried to start it, it errored out on "bad login".

But it's never been touched! It was installed and configured by Microsoft's installation program - why did it fail now? I fixed the login information and started the service but alas and alack - the .NET apps still aren't running and, quite frankly, the level of debug information available is about as helpful as a hot cup of tea at noon on a mid-summer's day in Texas.

But the rest of NWC Inc. is up and running happily again, without interacting with the .NET applications. Since Steven and I are off to lovely Syracuse, NY to meet with our fellow Network Computing staffers this week, the .NET app will have to wait until we return.

If you're bored while we're gone, take a trip over to Network Computing's site and follow the links to Bruce Boardman's review - you can help us out and possibly win a cool toy from 3Com.

What are you waiting for? Go go go!

Please also find the following online-only specials.

• TechQuiz: Application Development best practices: You could win a TiVo Series2 40-hour digital video recorder, complete with a TiVo lifetime subscription, compliments of Mercury Interactive.
• Network Design Manual: Network Management
• Top 11 List: we're looking for the Top 11 signs Linus Torvalds needs a summer vacation.
• Compare IT: VoIP Gateways

• Because the people they're chewing up and spitting out now are just too hard and crunchy. -- Dalton Smith
• I better buy them before Bill Gates gets around to it.-- Eric Keown
• Just like Gordon Gekko, "Because I can!"-- Mark Aninao
• Number 10 on his Top Ten List of Competitors I Want To Destroy (Microsoft appears nine times as #1-9)-- Mark Aninao
• Larry Ellison doesn't really want PeopleSoft, he just doesn't want
• PeopleSoft to be bigger than Oracle.-- Douglas Bartsch
• If you can't beat'em, Buy'em-- Bruce Weymouth
• To determine the exact size of a corner.-- Marc Gartenberg
• Sponge Bob told him to "It's got People in the title!"-- Nicholas Hart
• Really wanted JD Edwards so he can rename company to J-DOE and cut a record deal-- Nicholas Hart
• Heard it could cure baldness -- Nicholas Hart
• His pals in government say its OK -- Nicholas Hart
• Was told they have free Viagra for all employees -- Nicholas Hart
• Wants their Yacht -- Nicholas Hart
• Wants to be a better not richer man -- Nicholas Hart
• This name is actually what he thinks of his customers -- Nicholas Hart
• Become the biggest 'ERP' -- Nicholas Hart
• Make Bill Gates mad -- Nicholas Hart
• I wanted to buy them before that Bill Gates did! -- David Pierson
• Since Oracle can't beat PeopleSoft on a feature basis, they want to buy the best!-- Suzanne Kaneda
• The name Oracle sounds like the company has all the answers and the name PeopleSoft sounds like it is easy to use.-- Jason Wankerl
• Because Safra asked him "why are our people soft"? He heard - "buy peoplesoft".-- Tim Peterson
• Because Larry is Larry.-- Victor Adamson
• Likes the name as it implies that humans are soft. -- Chris Devine
• Because Larry thinks he can buy goodwill. -- Victor Adamson
• While he was water-skiing behind a blimp, a mermaid swam up next to him and told him that $16 a share was a fair price for PeopleSoft. -- Andy Nowak
• I guess he thought that if Bill Gates had Micro-soft, he should have something-soft, too -- Duke Walls
• PeopleSoft? I thought you said soft people like the rest of my senior management team. -- ron guyer
• (sound of dice rolling) Come on! Daddy's cubicle needs a new dry erase board - and Throne. -- Patrick Bodayle
• Instead of the "Jones", he wants to keep up with the "Gates". -- Steve Harvey
• Being "Big", he wanted to buy the "Middle" and get the "Small" thrown in for free. -- Steve Harvey
• Thought he was helping a long lost relative named J.D. Edwards. -- Steve Harvey
• Martha Stewart gave him a hot stock tip. -- Steve Harvey
• When Conway left Oracle for Peoplesoft, Larry sternly said.."You'll be back" --Neal Greenberg
• Larry's analyst told him to take it easy and spend some time out in the country --Neal Greenberg
• He wanted PeopleSoft's "good deal" to expand into the Stockton/Lathrop area. --Nancy Moldoch
• He was tired of SCO getting all the free publicity. --Michael Andrews
• He heard Bill might be looking to buy it. --Jim Coursey
• Is trying to keep up with the Gateses in the world domination game. -- Carol Hammond
• He needed some professionals who REALLY new how to design a Realtional DataBase. -- Ed Weingartner
• He wants to increase competition by reducing the number of software vendor by 1. -- Hien Ly
• "Cause I want what I want, when I want, how I want, without anyone asking what I want!" -Larry Ellison -- Jeff Murdoch
• So he can rename the merged company to "Oralsoft" -- Estevan Roman
• Always wanted to use the Dilbert Line "Get ready to be assimilated" -- Vishal Shirodkar
• How could he explain PeopleHard to his wife? -- K. A. Riley
• Larry was jealous of Bill's antitrust case and wanted his own. -- Dan Cale
• Wanted to soften his image to get more women. -- Henri De Roule
• Pretend he has acquired half of MicroSoft. -- Barry T. Drake

On Wednesday, Microsoft announced a critical vulnerability that affects nearly all versions of Windows, including Windows Server 2003 -- touted as "the safest ever."

Basically, with this flaw the "bad guys" can take command of your PC over the net, steal info, check out e-mail conversations and so forth. You know...pretty much every nasty thing you can imagine.

Redmond was quick to throw out a patch (available here), but let's be realistic -- this is probably more embarassing than Will Ferrel's character in "Old School" going streaking in the Quad.

• Last week for our TechQuiz on Traffic Management; also the last chance to win a Palm 71 PDA
• IT Minute Audio Program: Desktop Management by Michael J. DeMaria (requires Real Player)
• New Top 11 List: Signs Linus Torvalds needs a summer vacation
• Compare IT: Network and Service Management

Of course, all I ever ended up doing was play games with the Commodore. I mean, really...who didn't? But like so many things of my youth (my Star Wars figures, my Transformers), my Commodore vanished into the musty realms of my garage, and eventually, I guess, the garbage bin.

No loss, right? I mean, who still uses that thing? Well, approximately 6 million Commodore users still do. And Tulip Computers knows it!

The Netherlands-based company and owner of the Commodore brand name (since 1997), is about to relaunch the system to take advantage of the interest in all those obsolete games. Once more, everything old is new again. If you've been saving those old games somewhere, you may find yourselves very popular...and maybe a few dollars richer.

Sigh -- I gotta start developing a "packrat" mentality.

Please also find the following online-only specials.

• TechQuiz: Traffic Management...win a Palm Zire 71 PDA!
• NWC Project: Web SLAs
• Reader Assisted Testing: Win an NJack!
• Network Design Manual: IP Storage
• Compare IT: Managed VPN Services

We will be taking a few days off to enjoy the holiday, Lori is already on her way to Wisconsin's Northwoods for some camping and fishing relaxation. I will be spending some time with my wife and my parents this weekend and relaxing in the pool.

On behalf of Lori, myself, and the entire Network Computing Staff, we wish you a great Independance Day weekend! Stay safe and have fun! We'll be back next week.

• In Real Format
• in QuickTime Format

• Our next software upgrade includes an eraser. -- Linda Fennell
• "You" are the I.T. department and you are instructed by the CIO to terminate all employee e-mail accounts. -- Gary VanHorn
• Times are tough when one IT professional says, "Boy, am I getting a lot of spam", and someone in another cube replies, "Great! I'm trying to save on going out for lunch." -- Craig Kensek
• The mail team starts charging individuals for each email they send. -- Scot Templeton
• IT comes to your desk asking for the 286 PC you are still using to become the new company web server. -- Scot Templeton
• Each IT person is responsible for ~1000 systems... no, wait... that's normal. -- Scot Templeton
• Standard help desk wait time is 2 days... if you get off the line, you start over again. -- Scot Templeton
• Networks are reverted to 10Base2 Coax LANS to save money on hubs and switches. -- Scot Templeton
• Everyone who knew anything about a critical application is laid off and replaced by one person who only knows Pascal. -- Scot Templeton
• IT is finding new ways to generate income such as selling the new systems on eBay as applications get moved back onto the systems from they were just moved off because they were obsolete 5 years ago. -- Scot Templeton
• IT starts hosting porn sites on "under utilized servers" and asks for "volunteers" to help the company's "bottom line". -- Scot Templeton
• Even UNIX administrators are being laid off. -- Scot Templeton
• You overhear IT people talking about looking for a job with Microsoft. -- Scot Templeton
• What brilliant designer engineered and what executives agreed to the fact that: The only way to change from using the onboard video chip option is changed through the BIOS. How do you navigate your BIOS if you can't see it?. -- Andrew korunes
• Oh that was yesterdays budget, today you get half. -- parks fields
• Can't dial into the network from home anymore because company sold the modems and server. -- Steven Estrada
• Help Desk calls are answered by the CIO. -- Glenn Petrucci
• I can get almost all my work done and have time for important projects. -- Bill Shroyer
• Upgrades for everyone! These e-machines are NEVER obsolete! -- Dan Wagner
• "We're sorry to interrupt your ACCESS database, but it's interfering with our JezzBall Tourney". -- Keny Drescher
• To eliminate downtime due to travel, end-user computers come to you, you don't go to them. -- Nick Nielsen
• Instead of an email upgrade, the boss hands out packages of post-it notes. -- Phyllis Palmer
• Even the analysts from India cost too much. Now you have to go to China, etc. -- Dan Kwitchen
• Beg for upgraded disk space on the server, IT Budget Tsar asks "Do you have an MFM or RLL interface available?" -- Bill Ward
• Ask for a new RAID unit, get a case of bug spray. -- Bill Ward
• "Why don't we upgrade the server to a Pentium Pro? After all, it's a professional version of a Pentium. We can get it in 2.33 GHz speeds! And everything I've seen says we can get them cheap!" - CFO, April 27, 2003 (for those not in the know, the Pentium Pro came up to 233 MHz speeds, and is LONG obsolete). -- Bill Ward
• PC refresh rate is directly tied to layoffs. -- Steve Hale
• The new 'tech' in the IT department is Judy from the Mail room, because she knows how to 'un-jam' the printer. -- Norma
• Preventive maintenance means a sign that reads "Don't touch it, you'll break it". -- Norma
• Now, let's see. What did I do with that super glue? -- Darcy Jojola
• You have to buy your own batteries for your pager!! No local phone calls for YOU!! -- Cathy Crist
• I would like to see porn sites be required to list their sites as a (.adu) site. That way we could block .adu sites. What do you think? -- Coy cates
• "New payroll deduction: $10/week fee to get new week's password." -- Miles O'Neal
• Overheard in break room: "The new guy got a ZX-81, and I'm stuck with a ZX-80!" -- Miles O'Neal
• My project needs a terabyte of disk space; they sent over four pallets of DSDD 8" floppies... -- Miles O'Neal
• OOPS - that had typos, should be: The navy has hot bunking, we have hot keyboarding. -- Miles O'Neal
• Due to budget cuts, we will only allocate one user ID per three employees. -- Miles O'Neal
• When you leave a job, and come back 2.5 years later and everything is the same. No.. I mean the same pcs I bought in 98.. Win95, 64MB RAM. -- Ryan P. Robe
• Complains that the copier's glass is "a mite warm for comfort". -- Jeff Murdoch
• Your investigating new ways to use old 286 computers as a server. -- John Bullinger
• Your boss says you need to reduce spending after you just bought a $.05 blank cd. -- John Bullinger
• You come home from work and your wife thinks your a door to door salesman. -- John Bullinger
• IT Staff are forced to double up as janitors to save costs. "Hello, I'm here to do your windows and empty your recycle bin, and then do your windows and empty out your trash". -- Steve Hay
• "Hmmmmmm what's this do??....oops". -- Mike Wiles
• You volunteered to be the coffee person just to keep your job. -- Ihaab Dais
• Based on your rough treatment of mobile devices and our enterprise cost-cutting initiative, we have some good news and some bad. The good news is we've got mobile computing that's right for you. The bad news is, it's an Etch-a-Sketch. -- Chris Snell
• The temps. productivity has slacked off, so they will avoid being asked to hire-on with the company. -- Tracy LaGrange
• Your CIO is interviewing with WorldCom. -- Chris Malone
• You have to provide the new accounting person with a Pentium 133 desktop connected to a 10mbps Hub. -- Stephen Walker
• I hear they're talking about replacing our e-mail server with tin cans on strings. But they're going to use big cans in order to try to preserve the bandwidth. -- Sue Long
• You find a copy of your boss' resume in the printer. -- Guy Bass
• Your new application generator software turns out to be "shareware". -- Guy Bass
• Computer terminals are installed in the outdoor smoking area. -- Guy Bass
• Your team meetings are moved to McDonalds' playroom. -- Guy Bass
• Donuts are provided at your team meeting - for $1.25 each. Coffee is $5. -- Guy Bass
• Donuts and coffee are required or a $10 cover charge is levied. -- Guy Bass
• You are required to use both sides of "post-it" notes before discarding them. -- Guy Bass
• Your new job description includes parking cars between projects. -- Guy Bass
• Your head-hunter gives you his new phone number and it is in the "911" area code. -- Guy Bass
• Your new CIO asks "What does "IT" stand for?" -- Guy Bass
• Manager takes back your 2% Bonus and says we are still over budget. -- Chris Goodis
• Mainframe is more important that Network. -- Chris Goodis
• The IT Manager is actually working instead of reading Network Computing. -- Chris Goodis
• VOIP is still bleeding edge technology. -- Chris Goodis
• Your Boss is younger than you and you know more than him. -- Chris Goodis
• Why can't I have Win2003 server to just play with it? -- Chris Goodis
• Mailroom delivery is faster than e-mail delivery. -- Chris Goodis
• Still using a 9x product. -- Chris Goodis
• You are thinking of transferring to the Mailroom. -- Chris Goodis
• There is no such thing as ROI. -- Chris Goodis
• Your new boss came from the Mailroom. -- Chris Goodis
• Your new desktop equipment just came in. You typewriter and Etch-a-sketch will replace your desktop and laptop respectively. Have a nice day. -- Robert St John
• "We've cut costs on wiring by implementing a GOPHER infrastructure -- just tie your floppy disks around the little guy's neck and tell him to run to whoever's needing your files." -- The Dave
• "We got a killer deal on refurbished first generation iMacs for our marketing department!" -- possibly spoken by a tech support engineer who'll inevitably end up buried alive in a bond blue colored casket. -- The Dave
• Now, reading "Dilbert" makes you sob uncontrollably. -- Richard Tjoa

Thanks to Gary Pultz for pointing out that a blank search in NWC's "Catalog-o-widgets" returned a terrible faux pas page, complete with a Java stack trace.

The fix was minor, so I ran on out and fixed it up.

In other news, our heating/cooling seems to have leveled off. The termperature is constantly hovering around 74 degrees, which makes our hardware (and Steve) happy.