Updates in Big Tech

Oracle

Seems like silicon valley just can’t get enough soap opera drama lately. This thing with Oracle has really just been the most disappointing episode in a long string. It seems that the guy behind Sun Microsystems’ ZFS Storage technology (Jeff Bonwick) is just the latest in a long string of people to leave after the acquisition of Sun by Oracle. This has come not long after the main people behind the OpenOffice.org project have all left and created a new, more independent group, The Document Foundation. Concerns are being raised about the future of ZFS and of the Solaris operating system on several community forums, as so many former Sun employees leave the ranks. It is certainly questionable if the original vision for products such as Solaris and Java can be maintained with so many of the founding people gone.

Google

Google, the worlds largest search engine, has made it’s way into more people’s crosshairs than most big computer companies ever have. Under litigation in at least 3 countries and at least 1 state in the US for privacy violations one has to wonder if Google has finally hit the ceiling, and begin to show it’s first signs of growth pains. Google’s quick rise to the top was awe inspiring for me, but that fast climb may cause future problems for the giant, as it learns to play nicely with international markets and laws.

Microsoft

Everyone’s favorite behemoth, Microsoft has enjoyed a rather good year after being everyone’s favorite beating post for nearly 5 years. The release of Windows 7 has been very good for the software giant, and has been received well by both home and business users. Windows 7 has set world records for being the fastest sold, and most sold operating system in computer history. At last check there was over 170 million licenses of Windows 7 sold to date. Microsoft is also getting ready to redeem itself in the web browser market, recently announcing the Beta version of Internet Explorer 9. IE9 features a slimmed down interface with fewer buttons to get in the way of your internet experience, speed improvements that include the ability to disable an add-on that slows Internet Explorer from loading, and new GPU enhancements to ensure that you are getting the best experience that your computer is capable of. After using IE9 Beta for a week or so, I have to say that the changes made are significant and will most likely be very well received and very refreshing to people that use IE on a regular basis.

Apple

Apple, after recovering from some very stupid mistakes during the release of the iPhone 4 seems to be doing nicely. The media seems to have forgotten all about signal attenuation and the free cases are being used and everyone is happy. Along with that, Apple has released several updates for it’s other core products, including the iMac, iPod Touch, Nano, and Shuffle. All the products got a facelift and some new features that will please consumers and increase sales during the holiday season. Jobs also announced an update for Apple TV, a product he says Apple does as a “hobby.” While purchasing a “hobby” product may not seem appealing to many customers, the feature list and the price may. Apple TV comes supporting HD standard, built in Wi-Fi N, Netflix streaming support, and cheaper movie and TV show rentals. Jobs promises all this for a price tag of $99. I expect that for homes with HDTV’s, this may be a rather appealing product. I’m expecting a good year for Apple, and if you’re looking at buying an Apple product, the time is right. All the new products and features are out for the year, so you’ll be running the latest greatest from Apple for a while.

Summary

Today’s market appears to be like water in a bowl, sloshing back and forth in an endless cycle. It’s hard to determine the best place to throw your money, or who is even going to survive the next decade. One thing has made itself apparent, slow steady progress fairs better than rapid change.