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10 Best IT Products Of 2006

digihome writes "CRN.com chooses the ten best new products of 2006, including the best development tools, server, notebook and storage device. Some of the choices may surprise you ... such as their choice for operating system of the year." From the article: "With Windows Vista, Microsoft has refreshed the user desktop experience. While debate rages over whether the five-year wait was worth it, the truth is Vista is pretty much the only game in town. One may question whether Vista should be bestowed with Product of the Year recognition in the operating system category. But the product unquestionably brings new features and capabilities to solution providers that in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users."

223 comments

  1. Impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    But the product unquestionably brings new features and capabilities to solution providers that in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users.

    Wow! It must be really cool if it does that!

    1. Re:Impressive! by polar+red · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It's when you read sentences like those, that you are sure the article is written by some marketing departement, and not by a technology specialist.

      --
      Yes, I'm left. You have a problem with that?
    2. Re:Impressive! by hamburger+lady · · Score: 1, Insightful

      that and terms like 'revenue stream' and 'value added'.

      yeesh.

      --

      ---
      Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
    3. Re:Impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      But the product unquestionably brings new features and capabilities to solution providers that in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users. *head explodes*
    4. Re:Impressive! by carpltunl · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Or some acronomic tendency...

      Like your sig.

      --


      Mama, I got 'dem ole cosmic blues again.
    5. Re:Impressive! by rudeboy1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't mean to nitpick, but did you note the magazine? It's whole subject matter revolves around VARs. That's Value Added Reseller

      --
      Raging in an online forum won't do anything for the world around you. To see change, you must take action.
    6. Re:Impressive! by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 5, Insightful
      in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users.

      Yeah, I figure they mean this kind of dialogue:
      End User: Hi. I'm having a problem with $PRODUCT

      Tech Support: Hi. We need your credit card number. Tech Support is $45/hour.


      --
      Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
    7. Re:Impressive! by gwayne · · Score: 3, Insightful

      In other words, it's a popup window that says "Your computer is infected with spyware. Click here to buy our spyware remover!"

    8. Re:Impressive! by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      The key part is "new revenue generation dialogues with end uses."

      "Buy it."
      "Why? We don't need it."
      "Buy it or else."
      "Okay."

    9. Re:Impressive! by evilmousse · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Did you notice the relevance of your own sigline: "Attack the message, not the messenger."?

    10. Re:Impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      But Vista isn't officially launched until January 30, 2007

      That's not THIS year!

    11. Re:Impressive! by jbrader · · Score: 5, Funny
      "Buy it."

      "Why? We don't need it."

      "sudo buy it"

      "ok"

      With apologies to xkcd

      --
      You are so boring that when I see you my feet go to sleep.
    12. Re:Impressive! by HoldenCaulfield · · Score: 2

      Umm . . . considering that the site is aimed at "VARs and technology integrators," I'd say the wording is totally appropriate. As stated in the Wikipedia article on VARs, these people are making money by offering services. For their audience, the idea that "the product unquestionably brings new features and capabilities to solution providers that in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users" is one of the key measures of a good product . . . their audience is looking to make money, and diversifying revenue streams is something that most are probably interested in . . .

    13. Re:Impressive! by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      But Windows doesn't have sudo. Vista has some kind of similar authentication, doesn't it? Oh, but it was annoying so we turned it off.

    14. Re:Impressive! by hamburger+lady · · Score: 1

      yes, i did. yes, i know. yes, you're being pedantic.

      --

      ---
      Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
    15. Re:Impressive! by Sleet01 · · Score: 0

      Right. In my Marketroid -> English dictionary, "new revenue generation dialogues with end users" is defined as, "A hitherto-unexperienced financial ass-raping."

      --
      -- Let him who is without spelling error ignite the first flame --
    16. Re:Impressive! by StarvingSE · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Vista's new "security feature"

      (install "untrusted" software aka we didn't pay MS $500)
      run software
      Vista: whoa! are you sure you want this to run? click yes
      Vista: whoa! your software is accessing your HD, is this ok? click yes
      Vista: whoa..... you get the picture

      basically its going to be a pain in the ass to run open source software unless you turn this "feature" off, and then its just as insecure as any other windows. Vista security is just a bandaid, nothing more.

      --
      I got nothin'
    17. Re:Impressive! by thelexx · · Score: 1

      The marketing people are complicit with corporate directors in creating the exaggerated, misleading or outright false messages to begin with. The messengers would be the tv stations, magazines and newspapers that publish them.

      --
      "Gold still represents the ultimate form of payment in the world." - Alan Greenspan, 1999
    18. Re:Impressive! by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 4, Funny

      That article really drove a value added decision process with this end user based on business intelligence marketing strategiums! Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres...

      --
      It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
    19. Re:Impressive! by bitt3n · · Score: 5, Funny

      My crowbar should get product of the year. I use it to engage in revenue generating dialogue with random people on the street.

    20. Re:Impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      But the product unquestionably brings new features and capabilities to solution providers that in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users.
      aieeee! My eyes! The goggles aren't even helping!
    21. Re:Impressive! by cgreuter · · Score: 2, Informative

      Umm . . . considering that the site is aimed at "VARs and technology

      integrators," I'd say the wording is totally appropriate.

      Bingo! This publication is aimed at people who resell technology products. That means that for a product to be of interest to them, it has to be a recognizable brand that can be resold at a markup. Open-source software or whitebox PCs are The Enemy to these people.

      I recall reading a best-of/worst-of list by either CRM on a similar publication. What I remember was that all of the best-of items had recognizable brands, referred to by name: Apple notebooks, Palm PDAs, etc. The worst-of items, though, were all vague, wishy-washy categories like "white-box PCs". The real "message" of the article was that the only good stuff is name-brand stuff.

      (Sorry, I can't recall the citation, so consider this an unsupported anecdote.)

    22. Re:Impressive! by a.d.trick · · Score: 5, Funny

      I took me a while to figure it out, but this is the best Engish translation I can come up with:

      The product provides a way for businesses to commit highway robery on their customers.
    23. Re:Impressive! by cyber-vandal · · Score: 5, Funny

      The mangling of the English language for no good reason really sucks though. Revenue generation dialogues indeed. Why don't these arseholes just disappear up their own arseholes and do us all a favour.

    24. Re:Impressive! by jacksonj04 · · Score: 4, Funny

      If anybody want to hold me at gunpoint then provide me with a taylor made suit, I'm fine with that.

      --
      How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
    25. Re:Impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      An asshole disappearing up its own asshole is like dividing by zero.

    26. Re:Impressive! by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      And deducing the messenger from the message caracterizes as an attack against the message or the messenger?

    27. Re:Impressive! by dosquatch · · Score: 2, Funny

      An asshole disappearing up its own asshole is like dividing by zero.

      I'm sorry, you must be looking for the "undefinity" article. Down the hall, to the left.

      --
      "Hey, the third matrix movie would have been good except for the plot,story, and acting." --AC
    28. Re:Impressive! by h2_plus_O · · Score: 0, Troll

      um... you don't pay MS to get a certificate of trust. You get one of those from any of your friendly trust authorities. Microsoft isn't even in the business of issuing them.
      Seriously, UAC (that elevation of privilege prompt) is one point where they got it right finally. This has nothing to do with whether a product is open source or not- it has everything to do with whether the app is well-designed enough to do what it needs to do with minimal need for elevated privilege, and whether the producer of the app is willing to certify that these are the bits they shipped, and back it with a certificate.

      --
      If there's one thing I won't stand for, it's intolerance.
    29. Re:Impressive! by misleb · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It is more like, "Hey, that's a nice computer you have there. I would hate to see it get infected by a virus because we got lazy about maintaining security on older versions of Windows. Here, buy Vista."

      -matthew

      --
      "THERE IS NO JUSTICE, THERE IS ONLY ME." -Death
    30. Re:Impressive! by The+Warlock · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So it's like somebody holding you at gunpoint and offering to sell you a bulletproof vest?

      --
      I've upped my standards, so up yours.
    31. Re:Impressive! by evilmousse · · Score: 1


      since "deducing" in this case does not mean "researching factual information", and instead means "applying my own prejudices of who makes these kinds of statements" i believe it's the latter. it was a slam against marketing people. i don't disagree with it as a loose stereotype, but i couldn't ignore the contrast between the message and the sig a line below it.

    32. Re:Impressive! by Sam+Ritchie · · Score: 1
      ...whether the producer of the app is willing to certify that these are the bits they shipped

      So how do you certify those are the bits you shipped when you're shipping source code?

      --
      This sig is false.
    33. Re:Impressive! by tcc3 · · Score: 1

      I dont see how you can argue this is a bad thing. Its warning you about suspicious activity. If you know / trust the app, you can install it as admin. If you are not an admin it asks for admin credentials. If you are an admin, it basically does an "are you sure" to make sure youre not blindly clicking through.

      How is this not a vast improvement security wise?

    34. Re:Impressive! by Sj0 · · Score: 1

      To be fair, those dialogs are "Our records indicate that your copy of Windows has been activated the maximum number of times. Purchase another copy of windows or you can't use your PC anymore."

      I like to think of it as "Driving legitimate users to piracy", rather than "new revenue generation dialogues with end users"

      Oh, Microsoft. It's funny that you don't even pretend to want customers anymore.

      --
      It's been a long time.
    35. Re:Impressive! by misleb · · Score: 3, Funny

      And then they shoot you in the foot after you buy the vest.

      --
      "THERE IS NO JUSTICE, THERE IS ONLY ME." -Death
    36. Re:Impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Actually that sentence does sort of serve a purpose. Let's actually read it...

      But the product unquestionably brings new features and capabilities to solution providers that in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users.

      The pop quiz:

      1) According to this sentence, what does the product bring to end users?

      2) Which of the following could be described as a "revenue generation dialogue"?
                  a) "Check out the new features." "Neat"
                  b) "This new product will save you a lot of money." "Great"
                  c) "Give us all your money or we will kill your servers" "Ulp"

    37. Re:Impressive! by jlarocco · · Score: 1
      So how do you certify those are the bits you shipped when you're shipping source code?

      MD5? Or SHA if you're really paranoid, maybe?

    38. Re:Impressive! by ToasterofDOOM · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, not all of us are into that sort of stuff, it's a little kinky. Also, it's not extremely high tech, however innovative it may be.

      --
      I am Spartacus
    39. Re:Impressive! by Sam+Ritchie · · Score: 1

      I've obviously been a little bit obtuse - I'll rephrase:

      How do you certify to Windows those are the bits you shipped when you're shipping source code?

      AFAICT, Vista will treat all open source applications (or at least, source distributions of them) as untrusted.

      --
      This sig is false.
    40. Re:Impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about a maclaurin made suit?

    41. Re:Impressive! by Dabido · · Score: 1

      'And then they shoot you in the foot after you buy the vest.'

      Or possibly the head! :-)

      --
      Sure enough, the cow costume was hanging up next to the superhero outfit and sailors uniform. (S,Spud)
    42. Re:Impressive! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We're talking about an article that made Windows Vista the OS of the year for 2006 - even though it won't be released until 2007.

      sudo CRN -k stop

    43. Re:Impressive! by Jesus_666 · · Score: 1

      Vista: Whoa! ... Whoa! ... Whoa!

      So Vista is based on Keanu Reeves?

      --
      USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
    44. Re:Impressive! by StarvingSE · · Score: 1

      It isn't a matter of well designed apps. Its a matter of the fact that windows so entwines everything into the kernel, that apps have to run as an admin to be able to do anything useful. I'm not really a Linux fanboy, but you don't need to have a UAC prompt there, there is simply kernel space and user space. Why can't windows just follow suit?

      --
      I got nothin'
    45. Re:Impressive! by h2_plus_O · · Score: 1
      It isn't a matter of well designed apps. Its a matter of the fact that windows so entwines everything into the kernel, that apps have to run as an admin to be able to do anything useful.
      No, it's a matter of well-designed apps as well. I've got dozens of quite useful apps on my vista box, none of which require elevation for anything but their install or uninstall. This includes my antivirus, development tools, source control enlistments, media editing software, the works.
      Running as a limited user used to be very painful on Win2k and NT4 and even on XP- but on vista it's quite painless with well-designed apps. ...and while it may be tempting to blame Windows for being how it is, that doesn't make an app that requires unnecessary elevated privileges anything but badly designed.

      Why can't windows just follow suit?
      The simple answer is that they'd probably love to, but they have customers who want to run their existing apps, and the customer is always right. ...the impact of this is that they *are* following suit, but are doing so the slow way- by working with app vendors to fix their apps, by blocking some apps from running altogether, and by shimming others.
      --
      If there's one thing I won't stand for, it's intolerance.
    46. Re:Impressive! by h2_plus_O · · Score: 1
      ...whether the producer of the app is willing to certify that these are the bits they shipped
      So how do you certify those are the bits you shipped when you're shipping source code?
      Good point- not with a certificate. Sorry, I tend to think in terms of binaries as deliverables. My customers also get my source, but we also provide build infrastructure that includes signing, so that when they build they don't have to do anything and their binaries are signed. It probably helps that my customers are by and large entirely in-house.
      --
      If there's one thing I won't stand for, it's intolerance.
  2. No! No! No! They got it all wrong by antifoidulus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Tiger was released LAST year so it shouldn't be considered a winner for this year....oh wait, that ISN'T Tiger? Well I'll be damned....

  3. 10 Best VAR Profit Makers For 2007 by ReidMaynard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Thank You

    --
    -- www.globaltics.net

    Political discussion for a new world

    1. Re:10 Best VAR Profit Makers For 2007 by Shag · · Score: 1

      Oooog, yeah. Because of course VARs read /.

      Also known as 10 Best IT product press releases nobody here is actually going to care about. Bleah.

      Then again, it is CRN, so what else would we expect?

      --
      Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
  4. Hate these lists. by WED+Fan · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Generally, I hate these lists. The usual response is, "But X isn't on it." Well, first thing on the list was a schnazzy little tool that I started using this year. Fantastic, awesome, Stylus Studio 2007. Rock on.

    --
    Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    1. Re:Hate these lists. by eln · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The big problem with this list is that it's mislabeled as the "10 Best IT Products of 2006," when it should be labeled "Ad Copy for the 10 IT Products whose sales force managed to sweet talk the analysts who wrote this thing enough to be included."

      I've read enough trade magazines to recognize that the blurbs on all of these products come pretty much verbatim from the sales office of the respective companies.

      This article is purely for VARs. None of the blurbs are anything close to actual reviews. Having worked for a company whose product looked cool but had major problems under the hood (due to feature creep and unrealistic deadlines primarily), but still managed to get great reviews from "analysts," I can tell you it's distressingly easy to get publications like this to give glowing reviews, even if what you're offering is either broken or primarily vapor.

    2. Re:Hate these lists. by Capt+James+McCarthy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I will never fully trust a gui to develop another gui.

      --
      There are no loopholes. It's either legal or it's not.
    3. Re:Hate these lists. by GigsVT · · Score: 1

      Some of these products are pretty strange anyway. I couldn't imagine anyone buying one of these. Basically most of the things solve problems that no one cares about.

      --
      I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
    4. Re:Hate these lists. by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Basically most of the things solve problems that no one cares about.

      You are clearly not a manager.

      --
      This guy's the limit!
    5. Re:Hate these lists. by Moofie · · Score: 1

      I will never fully trust a machine tool to fabricate another machine tool.

      (In other words...huh?)

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    6. Re:Hate these lists. by WED+Fan · · Score: 1

      But, you should always trust a tool to be a tool.

      I love Stylus Studio because it takes the bother out of XSLT design, and lets me focus on what I get paid for.

      --
      Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    7. Re:Hate these lists. by hamburger+lady · · Score: 1

      only a ninja can kill another ninja.

      --

      ---
      Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
    8. Re:Hate these lists. by Andrewkov · · Score: 2

      Especially on Slashdot.

    9. Re:Hate these lists. by Moofie · · Score: 3, Funny

      Pirates can TOTALLY take out ninjas because CANNONS!

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    10. Re:Hate these lists. by banerjek · · Score: 1

      I can tell you it's distressingly easy to get publications like this to give glowing reviews, even if what you're offering is either broken or primarily vapor. Having authored many articles and finishing work on my second book, my experience is that publishers like to spread good news and avoid printing the negative. This generally applies to peer reviewed manuscripts as well as trade journals. Although people worry about getting sued, that's not the only issue. Everyone likes to maintain good relationships with individuals, companies, etc that they know they'll have to deal with in the future. Strained relations make life difficult for everyone on many levels.


      Just yesterday, my publisher returned a chapter where I described a serious problem that lacked solution. The reason I had submitted it the way I had is that I think it's important for people to understand when critical issues cannot yet be handled satisfactorily -- i.e. don't get on the bleeding edge unless you want to be there.

      However, they still want a more positive spin. They'll get it rewritten the way they want, but anyone who actually reads the book will need to think that much more critically when they encounter the section I'm working on now.

    11. Re:Hate these lists. by JazzLad · · Score: 1

      Thank goodness I don't currently have mod points. My head would explode deciding funny or insightful ...

      --
      "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." - Every fascist, ever
    12. Re:Hate these lists. by dosquatch · · Score: 1

      i.e. don't get on the bleeding edge unless you want to be there.

      The problem with the "bleeding edge" is that most people overlook the "bleeding" part.

      --
      "Hey, the third matrix movie would have been good except for the plot,story, and acting." --AC
    13. Re:Hate these lists. by hoojus · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually best way to kill ninja is by shouting "bedtime".

    14. Re:Hate these lists. by dzelenka · · Score: 1

      RAmen!

      --
      Bah!
  5. 2006? by onedobb · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So a product that will be released in 2007 is the product of the year in 2006? Now I'd defend Microsoft to a point, but this is absolute bullshit. Vista should not win this at all. It's not even released to the mass market yet.

    1. Re:2006? by polar+red · · Score: 2, Informative

      well, ... technically the version on the list is already shipped. This means they could put the consumer version on the list NEXT year...

      --
      Yes, I'm left. You have a problem with that?
    2. Re:2006? by WED+Fan · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have to agree with that.

      I've disliked the betas of Vista, and hate the marketing. But, I generally like MS. My personal thought is that Vista will be tepid, like Windows ME. I'm sticking with my XP Media Center, and won't upgrade my hardware for awhile, maybe the next OS will have something that will make me want to upgrade.

      That said, to have a product on the list that is not even in public use is a little bit of a stretch.

      --
      Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    3. Re:2006? by benzapp · · Score: 0, Troll

      What a ridiculous troll. I love how you attempt to conceal your trollish ways with the quick cover of "But I generally like MS".

      Please, oh scheming troll, tell us how Vista will be like Windows ME!

      --
      I don't read or respond to AC posts
    4. Re:2006? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      tell us how Vista will be like Windows ME!

      What did MS Windows ME provide that motivated people to migrate from MS Windows 98?

      What does MS Windows Vista provide that will motivate people to migrate from MS Windows XP?

      I'm guessing the list of reasons will be pretty similar, barring the underlying changes that most users won't appreciate. Vista won't provide me anything right now over XP much like ME didn't provide me anything over 98. In fact, I'm guessing Vista will create more headaches because of software developers, game vendors in particular, not properly writing their code to run under regular user accounts.

      Jim

    5. Re:2006? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah, but he is smarter then that, he never says that Vista will be like ME but simply that he thinks that vista will be like ME.

    6. Re:2006? by WED+Fan · · Score: 2, Informative

      Would you care to check my post history first and see that I generally trash the people that trash talk MS?

      But then, I generally militate against knee-jerk, and the jerks they are attached to, on either side of that childish argument. Welcome to the list.

      --
      Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    7. Re:2006? by GodInHell · · Score: 1
      If it makes you feel better, the guys doing the technical review over at my school are getting good use out of Vista right now. The CDs still make great coasters. :D

      -GiH

    8. Re:2006? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The tech world is the one that is being analyzed here, not the mass market. The corporate computer world (a guess) makes at least as much money as the consumer computer world. The businesses buy high dollar machines that home people don't have uses/need for. So for this to be an "IT" survey, they _shouldn't_ include home products. Being that we already have Vista at work, and lots of other corporations do, it should be considered a product of this year.

    9. Re:2006? by westlake · · Score: 1
      It's not even released to the mass market yet.

      Since when did the mass (consumer) market begin buying product from a VAR? Which is the target audience here.

    10. Re:2006? by rising_hope · · Score: 1
      Vista Enterprise was released in November 2006, and therefor qualifies. Home Basic, Home Pro, Business, & Ultimate will be released on January 30th, 2007, so technically, Microsoft has two years in which Vista can be the best "new" operating system of the year.



      Unfortunately, the reality is, Vista Enterprise will largely be useless for corporate customers outside of testing in 2006. Way too much enterprise software gets broken on the new platform. And then there's the deployment, which can't be done using Ghost 9 or less, meaning that companies need to invest new software to make it deployable in a seemless fashion. And then there's the pain of the new Key License servers. And then, there's the hardware requirements to meet. And then.. well.. you get the idea.

      Ultimately, for all it's merits, even after running the betas for months, I'm not convinced the upgrade is worthwhile. I'm sure my company will eventually move to the new version, some time in 2008 or 2009, when XP has been EOL'd. Personally, I'll be holding out for as long as I can while evaluating other operating systems for home. Microsoft stepped over some threshold of annoyance with the new OS's stranglehold "security" and activation features that make it just annoying enough for me to jump ship.

    11. Re:2006? by Teresita · · Score: 1

      What did MS Windows ME provide that motivated people to migrate from MS Windows 98?
      Faster boot time, which partially mitigated the "feature" of more reboots. There was no migration from Win98, it was really just Win98 Third Edition.
      What does MS Windows Vista provide that will motivate people to migrate from MS Windows XP?
      Why, it will be the greatest upgrade since we went from MS-DOS 3.3 to 4.0, and subsequently to 4.01.

    12. Re:2006? by SeaFox · · Score: 1
      well, ... technically the version on the list is already shipped. This means they could put the consumer version on the list NEXT year...

      Wow, wouldn't it suck if they released each separate version a year apart? You would have to put up with MS ass-kissing for an entire decade before you could get Vista Ultimate (happily, there would already be four service packs out to address the initial issues).
  6. I wonder... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I wonder how much Microsoft paid those guys to make Windows Vista one of the best IT products of the year?

    Oh the cynicism...

    1. Re:I wonder... by kimvette · · Score: 1

      Several thousand per month in advertising revenue, plus some really neat swag for the editors.

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
  7. Top 10... by _PimpDaddy7_ · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nice, they put them on ten pages...filled with wonderful ads and other Christmas goodies.

    Anyways, here's the top ten, Karma Whore, Beeeeatch!

    WEB DEVELOPMENT TOOL
    DataDirect Technologies Stylus Studio 2007

    SECURITY SOFTWARE
    Astaro Security Gateway

    NETWORKING HARDWARE
    Server Partners File Engine

    STORAGE
    Intel SS4000-E

    APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT TOOL
    Compuware DevPartner 8.0

    IMAGING
    Minolta Magicolor 7450

    NOTEBOOK
    Hewlett-Packard Compaq NC6400

    APPLICATION SOFTWARE
    Microsoft Exchange 2007

    OPERATING SYSTEM
    Microsoft Vista Enterprise Edition

    SERVER
    SuperServer 5015M-MR

    1. Re:Top 10... by hey! · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ah, I see. They're from the Captain Louis Renault school of trade mag journalism.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    2. Re:Top 10... by SageMusings · · Score: 2, Informative

      You know,

      I'm kind of interested in the DevPartner title but I just did a quick Google search and saw the licensing varies from $2-6K/seat. That's a bit steep for a debugging tool. I doubt I get a copy where I work.

      I guess they don't count on selling too many copies.

      --
      -- Posted from my parent's basement
    3. Re:Top 10... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we have dev partner it is actually really good but quite a complex tool to use, its not only debugging but profiling and optimization.

    4. Re:Top 10... by geoff+lane · · Score: 1

      Can't say that I've heard of any of these apart from Vista but how on earth can Microsoft Exchange 2007 be a top 10 product for 2006?

  8. If I cared by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    the truth is Vista is pretty much the only game in town

    If I still cared I'd throw a fit at that comment. Instead I'll happily continue to use Ubuntu on my laptop and OSX on my Desktop. Vista who?

    1. Re:If I cared by PingSpike · · Score: 4, Funny

      That sentence was a typo...it should have read "..the only game in town willing to pay for a spot on our shitty list."

    2. Re:If I cared by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How is Ubuntu on the laptop? Does the sleep/hibernate settings work well?

      I'm asking as I have the opposite configuration - Ubuntu on the desktop and OSX on the laptop.

    3. Re:If I cared by Junta · · Score: 1

      sleep works great on my R50, except with edgy they botched the radeonfb D2 sleep mode stuff, had to migrate the patch from dapper, which did it right. Of course, they don't load radeonfb by default, so my laptop without my effort would have used 5W instead of 500mW in sleep... But if not using radeon, I bet it'd be great without sweating it.

      Can't speak to hibernate, I never need to hibernate and I use a dm-crypt swap partition, so I suspect I wouldn't be able to do it if I wanted too.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
    4. Re:If I cared by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sleep in Ubuntu Edgy on my HP Pavilion (don't know the model number off hand, I'm at work) works great. Perfect as a matter of a fact. I had some issues getting the trackpad set the way I wanted, but I eventually did. In fact I was able to set the trackpad up better in ubuntu than I can in Windows: I'm able to have it disabled for a couple of seconds for each keypress, which is fantastic.

      Ubuntu has been very impressive, in fact I almost never use my Mac. Never thought I'd say that.

  9. Vista security? by b3x · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Is prompting you for approval every time you run an app really considered innovative security?

    1. Re:Vista security? by Apocalypse111 · · Score: 1

      Innovative? Well, it "improves" on security by introducing something new (incessant prompting), so I suppose you could call it that in the loosest sense of the word.
      Now, intelligent? That's a whole different matter. And my above definition certainly didn't answer just *how* innovative that change was.

      --
      There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
    2. Re:Vista security? by Damastus+the+WizLiz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Incessant prompting is not new to security. All you have to do is run a software firewall to see that effect.

      --
      I often have trouble remembering which way is out of bed in the morning.
    3. Re:Vista security? by Apocalypse111 · · Score: 1

      New to security? No. New to a Windows product, where the norm had been simply running everything with full access and a devil-may-care attitude? Yes. Smart? Still no.

      --
      There is no mod option "-1: Disagree" for a reason. "Overrated" is not an acceptable substitute. Post something instead.
    4. Re:Vista security? by arth1 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Is prompting you for approval every time you run an app really considered innovative security?

      By suits, yes. The same suits who can't tell authorization and encryption apart, and think that security is a product you can add afterwards.
    5. Re:Vista security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uhhhh Linux prompts also douche

  10. Security... by theGil · · Score: 0
    Microsoft has put security first with Vista and has incorporated several technologies to protect the core OS from exploits.

    Just give us a few months and we'll see about that...
  11. OS of the year indeed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But it's not 1995 anymore!

    BTW: Products 2, 3, and 4 on the list use Linux.

  12. Well, duh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    This is a VAR mag, i.e. for resellers.

    Every "best product" description includes suggested pricing, margin and contact details.

    Of course in that respect Vista is THE product for 2007.

  13. Tag: fix, sham, rip-off, Florida, Diebold, Florida by Bastard+of+Subhumani · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Clearly a swiz. I mean, the Hurd isn't on there!

    --
    Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.
  14. Poor choice on server by larien · · Score: 1

    I personally wouldn't trust a server with a single hard drive - it's asking for trouble...

    1. Re:Poor choice on server by GrueMaster · · Score: 1

      Not necessarily. It's actually cheaper to strap one of these to a raid array in a separate rack case than to build a raid array into it. Also makes it easier to manage. Besides, rack file storage is migrating to iSCSI and iSATA, where the network storage systems are sending SCSI and SATA data through gigabit ethernet. I can easily see one or two of these small units in a rack full of iSCSI drives, running a large scale database. The internal drive holds the OS, and can be easily backed up to an external unit with ghost or partimage. Simplicity at work. The only think I'd be concerned with is the processor. Using a proc based on the P4 core technology doubles the heat output, and the Core 2's are readily available (currently playing with a Core 2 Extreme here).

    2. Re:Poor choice on server by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      eh..you don't replace drives on these things, you pop in another server..you have enough servers that losing 1 is no big deal.

  15. Does this remind anyone else... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    ...of a high school book report? FTA:
    "That simplicity continues through to wireless networking capability, which allows users to quickly and securely join both public and private wireless networks with click-and-play simplicity."
  16. Consider the source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    CRN = Computer Reseller News. Of course they're going to love Vista!-- rolling out Vista will be a boon to computer resellers everywhere, because few businesses are going to bother upgrading the vast majority of their existing machines, they're going to replace them with hardware beefy enough to run Vista with most of its bells and whistles.

    This is hardly an award given for technical merit. Vista represents a full trough for all the revenue-hungry pigs to crowd around.

    1. Re:Consider the source by RobertCorsaro · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I can't wait to buy all those non-Vista compatible machines for cheap!! If people really do adopt, it will be great fun for me. Cluster anyone?

    2. Re:Consider the source by WED+Fan · · Score: 1

      Hell yeah!

      I hadn't thought of that angle. I've been wanting a good rig for a new media server.

      --
      Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong fix.
    3. Re:Consider the source by rudeboy1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Post non-AC next time. Believe it or not, you have something valid to say.

          I would be willing to lay down money, matter of fact, I might, if they're taking bets on such a thing in Vegas, that Apple is just waiting for the not-quite-as-technical-as /. public gets a hold of Vista and cries out a collective WTF. I would be sitting on the king of all ad campaigns. This, to me, seems like the first time MS has shown it's underbelly, and Apple is sitting in a strong enough position to grab a MUCH larger market share, (maybe not majority, but a lot closer) if they are smart about it. Something to the effect of "here is what sucks about Vista. We have addressed all that with the latest OSX. Come buy a Mac... You'll find that after you've spent $500 on Vista, you're no longer saving money buying a PC over a Mac." But, you know, with some parketing pizzaz. Get that Justin kid back on camera and drive the point home like your life depended on it.

      My opinion? Screw em both. SUSE strikes me as OSX without the pricetag. That's what I'll be sticking to. I'll be keeping XP around to run WoW. That's pretty much my OS lineup for the next 5 years...

      --
      Raging in an online forum won't do anything for the world around you. To see change, you must take action.
    4. Re:Consider the source by Omnifarious · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes that was my thought after reading a few of the blurbs. The thing I was most amused by though is the percentage of their top-ten products that are basically special purpose Linux boxes. Which OS is really making more money for VARs? :-)

    5. Re:Consider the source by jmorris42 · · Score: 1

      > I can't wait to buy all those non-Vista compatible machines for cheap!!

      Good thought. Guess I should probably carry by butt to Dallas next year and hit 1st Saturday for some bargains. I remember when corporate america was tossing all of their perfectly good CRTs because they had to buy crappy 1st generation LCD panels to keep up appearances. Lots of good deals for about a year.

      --
      Democrat delenda est
    6. Re:Consider the source by Kidbro · · Score: 1

      My opinion? Screw em both. SUSE strikes me as OSX without the pricetag. That's what I'll be sticking to. I'll be keeping XP around to run WoW. That's pretty much my OS lineup for the next 5 years...

      I needn't add anything to your excellent summary of the situation - just point out that WoW runs excellently under Wine (second hand knowledge), and Cedega (first hand knowledge). Just FYI :)

  17. CRN Mission Statement by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 4, Informative

    From their Media Kit page:

    Mission Statement

    CRN drives sales by empowering VARs and technology integrators with the vital news and technology information they need to generate demand and grow revenue. CRN is the newspaper of record for the channel. For 24 years, VARs, Solution Providers, technology integrators and IT consultants have turned to CRN first each week for immediate and actionable information.


    This has nothing to do with "best of breed" or anything like that. It's purely about MAXIMIZING REVENUE by doing as little as possible.

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:CRN Mission Statement by Marcus+Erroneous · · Score: 1

      Absolutely! It's all about the Benjamins for this article, as evidenced by the Mission Statement. My favorite part of the article is "promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users." This isn't about helping or empowering the end user, this article is about items that will help you, the Value Added Resaler, to make money. These products are their picks to help you do that. And, having played with Vista some already, it will surely help generate revenue opportunities for this articles target audience.
      Our point of view, looking for a stable OS that is secure and empowers the end user is antithical to these people and this article. I'm looking to set up the OS and move on, not keep coming back. But, there are plenty of bad IT shops out there doing small business support and this will enable them to fasten themselves firmly to their customers, like a tick on a hound. For them, this is the best OS. For us, it's a shame. Then again, if you insist on running a MS OS, call them to help you with it. If you really want to set it up and just use it, we'll put a *nix distro on for you.

      --
      You must be the change you wish to see in the world - Ghandi
  18. Vista? by sasserstyl · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Any such list that includes Windows Vista as the "Best Operating System" loses all credibility.

    I have been running Vista for a few weeks now and it is nothing more than an incremental improvement on Windows XP/Server 2k3.

    Given the resources of Microsoft, the worldwide importance of the OS and the time taken for development, Vista is a disgrace.

    1. Re:Vista? by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Hey, don't forget Exchange as best app!

    2. Re:Vista? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry, but you clearly haven't exercised or don't understand the new search features alone if that is your view. It is CLEARLY a huge improvement over the old search and pretty much just killed google desktop search..as it is better, faster, and part of the OS....and not to mention Google desktop is a friggin memory hog. How come when Google produces memory hogging bloatware, there aren't 100,000 virgin slashdot nerds lining up to bash it? Hmmmm.........

      Try again newbie...

    3. Re:Vista? by Chicane-UK · · Score: 1

      I think what bugs me most about Vista being, supposedly, the number one OS is that simply because of the article writers ignorance about whats out there, products such as Ubuntu Linux (which quite frankly have come on leaps and bounds), a product which they will post to YOU for free of charge, doesn't even get a mention.

      How can Microsoft be cheered for releasing a product so late, so devoid of promised features, and so much worse than its predecessor? My experience with Vista RTM (obtained through volume licensing at work I might add) has been truely dire.. it lasted all of a week on my PC before I came crawling back to the reliablity of Windows XP!

      What a joke.

      --
      "Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in, get the hell off my property!!"
    4. Re:Vista? by sasserstyl · · Score: 1

      The search functionality is much improved, I agree.

      I think Vista *is* an improvement over XP (see my original post) - but I think it should have been so much more given the resources of Microsoft and the fact that the system is the primary interface to computers experienced by millions of people around the world.

      Case in point: Windows Explorer is still *essentially* the same old thing we used back in 1995 FFS!

      I want you to spend 2 minutes of your life thinking about how much better Windows could be in the area of filesystem navigation *alone* (improvements in usability such as reduced screen clutter, different "metaphors" for navigation) - then you will understand what I mean by saying it's a disgrace.

      That's not to mention that the underlying OS remains based on XP which was based on W2k which was based on NT4 etc. If you look into the actual modus operandi of the operating system you will discover that it is (as it was in 1996 with NT4) fundamentally flawed from a security standpoint because you can inject code into a process and simply tell that process that the injected code is it's own. When I discovered this a couple of years ago I almost fell off my seat - just imagine the implications of this.

      And when you start resorting to insults rather than solid argument I stop taking your point seriously. And just because my Slashdot membership ID is pretty high, that doesn't mean shit when it comes to real-world technical experience.

  19. This Article Smells of Bad Cheese by twifosp · · Score: 5, Insightful
    With advertisements becomming harder and harder to shove down people's throats, CRN has a solution for you. Clevery disguised as a top 10 list, we will include your product, written by your own marketing department, for a nominal fee. Be sure to include plenty of buzzwords and acronyms about how it will transform your life, but try not to include any real technical information on why this product is the best!

    -- Jeff P. Realname

    1. Re:This Article Smells of Bad Cheese by brxndxn · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You got it exactly right..

      CRN should be reported to whoever that government agency was that was investigating viral marketing. The 'Top 10 IT products' seem to be little more than advertisements.

      --
      --- We need more Ron Paul!
    2. Re:This Article Smells of Bad Cheese by literate · · Score: 1

      Not true. We didn't pay CRN anything for this review. And we don't advertise (yet) in their magazine. They had our FileEngine product for about a month. During my interview (which lasted about 2 hours,) they asked lots of questions. The words in the article are theirs, not ours.

  20. wow what a spammy website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting


    Adblock Plus blocked 44 out of 90 objects on each page (not including referrer links or sponsor links!)

    so >50% of each page is adverts and then the "article" (if i can call it that) is spread over 10 pages, i guess there is no dignity on that site

    adding content must be so inconvenient them, at what point does a site go from providing a quality service to becoming a spam linkfarm ?

    thank goodness for adblock and a hostsfile, good example of how to piss off a visitor

    1. Re:wow what a spammy website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mozilla went nuts when I was looking at those pages, wouldn't respond, disk churnin' like crazy, calmed down nicely after closing those windows. Nasty...

    2. Re:wow what a spammy website by HoldenCaulfield · · Score: 1

      How do you go from 44/90 being greater than 50%?

    3. Re:wow what a spammy website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "44 out of 90"
      "so >50% of each page"

      You may want to relearn your maths...

    4. Re:wow what a spammy website by JD-1027 · · Score: 2, Funny

      You only got about 50% blockage?

      I just got a blank page when I went there.

      My blocker figured out the article was an ad.

    5. Re:wow what a spammy website by fucksl4shd0t · · Score: 1

      My daughter told me today is opposite day, so he was right.

      --
      Like what I said? You might like my music
    6. Re:wow what a spammy website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was wondering why the site looked so odd. Adblock had killed so much of the site that it looked funky. This what happens when you ignore web dev rules like Adblock law #15 "If your page looks screwy because of Adblock you have too many obnoxious ads."

  21. Vista is the product of the decade by hypermanng · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I mean, in the sense that they've been mucking about with it for at least that long. Isn't it Cairo, finally arrived? Something like that, anyway.

    Of course, it won't really be all there until next year, so perhaps they're being premature in including it on the list. Also, it will indisputably be the product of the year next year in terms of money.

    One almost wonders if it made the list this year so they can omit it from next year, when other OSes might embarrass it. Not to name any names.

    --
    I am the one true god. However, as an atheist, I don't believe in myself. I guess I have a self-esteem problem.
    1. Re:Vista is the product of the decade by SoulRider · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, No, No. Vista is not the product of the decade, its the product that took a decade.

    2. Re:Vista is the product of the decade by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      No, Vista is not Cairo... Vista would be Cairo if MS didn't take everything out of it (again) to actualy make a release.

  22. intel iMac and MacBook by boxlight · · Score: 1

    What, are you kidding me? The intel iMac and MacBook are far and away the best new products of the year.

    1. Re:intel iMac and MacBook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean laptops? What's so special? We've had those for years.

    2. Re:intel iMac and MacBook by Dog-Cow · · Score: 1

      CRN is for VARs. Apple doesn't allow/have any VARs.

      I was a bit miffed too, until I realized.

  23. CRN drives sales! by mangu · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Also note the amazing lack of Open Source products on that list


    Amazing? Why should the lack of Open Source products in a site whose mission is to "drive sales by empowering VARs and technology integrators with the vital news and technology information they need to generate demand and grow revenue" be amazing?


    Open Source is "Best of Breed" when it comes to generate advantages for the users, not to "drive sales".

    1. Re:CRN drives sales! by aegl · · Score: 4, Interesting
      "Also note the amazing lack of Open Source products on that list"

      Two of the products on the list run Linux ... isn't that open source?

    2. Re:CRN drives sales! by RalphP · · Score: 1

      The sad part is, I tend to make more money as a "computer guy" from FOSS than from retail software. Don't make any on the software itself, but for Joe Sixpak and his wife Suzy, they'll pay me to install it, to migrate the data, and to show them how to use it. Which all is pure profit for me, unlike, say, installing a copy of Office (where I'm out at least 350+ dealer cost before I get to make any money on it! And no, I'm not sure, last time I checked it was more like 384 for Office 2000 ... ) But CRN still doesn't pay much attention to FOSS. RwP

    3. Re:CRN drives sales! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "Also note the amazing lack of Open Source products on that list"


      Two of the products on the list run Linux ... isn't that open source?

      The Lenevo laptop got a mention as a runner up. Heck if I'll be able to find OSS drivers for 1/2 the hardware 'features' on that Hewlett-Packard Compaq NC6400.

      And two of the products were Microsoft Exchange 2007 and Vista. TFA mentions that even Microsoft is now recommending you split up Exchange onto separate servers. At least Domino has the 'super-groupware bloat' excuse for running like a dog on nearly-supercomputer server hardware. Plus the DMZ server bit sound interesting: lower your spam by letting only part of your Windows mail system get 0wned. (Assuming your not the target of the botnet your new server just joined.)

      And what the heck is DevPartner? Is it a Visual Studio plugin? An IDE? A database validation suite? I've even used slick|edit, which which as of last week wasn't on the wikipedia IDE list. I've never heard of it before.

      I do like the 1U server they picked. It has worse stats than my 2U home gaming rig bought at the end of 2005. They harp at how 5 of them could fit where an 10 blade server (running 20+ Windows-in-VMware-on-Linux servers) would. What's the advantage again? Oh, right selling more stuff.

      Sorry, this reads like some salesman sold one too many ads and the editors needed a way to cop-out on product placements.
    4. Re:CRN drives sales! by literate · · Score: 1

      Oops! FileEngine is built with Progeny Debian Linux!

  24. Bah humbug by silentounce · · Score: 1

    Christmas Cheer? How so? This is nowhere near as Christmassy as a hacked Santa Claus.

    --
    There are many tongues to talk, and but few heads to think. -Victor Hugo
  25. God Damnit Zonk.!!! by ColdCoffee · · Score: 2, Informative

    I want my 5 minutes back!!! Sheesh.

    --
    Sig? - yeah, whatever.
  26. Did you guys NOT look at the Networking Hardware? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NETWORKING HARDWARE
    Server Partners File Engine

    Based on Linux and Samba.

  27. Vista promises by CODiNE · · Score: 1

    "new revenue generation dialogues with end users."

    Ahhh yes, increased support calls and service contracts. Exactly why an IT admin would lovingly bestow such wonderful products upon those he is paid to help.

    --
    Cwm, fjord-bank glyphs vext quiz
    1. Re:Vista promises by Divebus · · Score: 1

      Boy, you said it Chewie. Was this Vista and Exchange bit written by the King of VARs, Ben Dover?

      Can't talk much about the other products but - sheesh - putting Vista and Exchange on ANY list as a "Best Of.." makes me want to puke. Worse, whoever reads that e-rag will have it stuck in their head "...it says right here that Vista is the best of the best of the best.." ... I just puked again; sorry.

      They advertise a Podcast on there! I'm surprised they know what that is. Methinks they have their heads in the sand.

      Congrats to Kim Brand for FileEngine making the list. At least some writers at the e-rag are doing their job.

      --

      Most of the stuff on /. won't survive first contact with facts.
  28. Re:BWAHAHAHA!!! by Damastus+the+WizLiz · · Score: 1

    I wont even waste mod points on this comment. I think it speaks for it self as a highlight of fanboy trolling.

    --
    I often have trouble remembering which way is out of bed in the morning.
  29. Worthless link bait. by Dzimas · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is thinly disguised link-bait from a site I've never heard of. Is there any special reason that it was deemed /. worthy, apart from the fact that their inclusion of Vista will incite a vicious troll war? To make things even worse, each of the 10 "winners" appears on a separate page to pump up ad impressions.

    1. Re:Worthless link bait. by MyOtherUIDis3digits · · Score: 1

      I believe the word you are looking for is "kickback"...

      --
      Ignore anything I said above, I actually agree with everything you believe - mod accordingly.
  30. On the Notebook by MrCrassic · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I actually own the workstation edition of this laptop (the model from last year, nw8240). I think that while the specs (at that time) were top notch and could not be beat in a smaller package, the build quality of the computer is kind of bad. The casing is quite easy to break and is easier to look "beat up." The screen is also questionable, as mine had dead pixels and "yellow" spots after less than six months of use. The service department of my school replaced that computer's motherboard two times in the last year alone, and I am not one to put my computers through the rough.

    Why aren't any of IBM/Lenovo's Thinkpad offerings on that list? I see that computer used more often than the high-end HP's in business anyway, which is well deserved because they are rock solid and last a really long time. I had their 760L from 10 years ago working until 2 years ago when someone took the computer and smashed it to the floor. And even after that it still worked! The same went for my Thinkpad 600.

    If my computer's internals hadn't been replaced, the thing would have been gone in less than six months, which is unacceptable to me.

    1. Re:On the Notebook by darjen · · Score: 1

      I actually own the workstation edition of this laptop (the model from last year, nw8240). I think that while the specs (at that time) were top notch and could not be beat in a smaller package, the build quality of the computer is kind of bad. The casing is quite easy to break and is easier to look "beat up." The screen is also questionable, as mine had dead pixels and "yellow" spots after less than six months of use. The service department of my school replaced that computer's motherboard two times in the last year alone, and I am not one to put my computers through the rough. Why aren't any of IBM/Lenovo's Thinkpad offerings on that list? I see that computer used more often than the high-end HP's in business anyway, which is well deserved because they are rock solid and last a really long time. I had their 760L from 10 years ago working until 2 years ago when someone took the computer and smashed it to the floor. And even after that it still worked! The same went for my Thinkpad 600. If my computer's internals hadn't been replaced, the thing would have been gone in less than six months, which is unacceptable to me.

      My company purchases Thinkpad laptops for all of their full time employees. I am currently working on a T43. Of course it helps that they are one of IBM's biggest commerce partners. I personally can't stand using them... I enjoy using my own laptop much better. It has a lot to do with the placement of keys on their keyboard. Very convoluted for a programmer.

    2. Re:On the Notebook by WuphonsReach · · Score: 1

      Why aren't any of IBM/Lenovo's Thinkpad offerings on that list? I see that computer used more often than the high-end HP's in business anyway, which is well deserved because they are rock solid and last a really long time. I had their 760L from 10 years ago working until 2 years ago when someone took the computer and smashed it to the floor. And even after that it still worked! The same went for my Thinkpad 600.

      Because the Thinkpad systems last too long?

      A reseller only gets revenue when you buy something. It's not in their best interests to push items that won't need to be replaced for a decade.

      (Personally I think 5 years is about it for laptops that are moderately used. Mostly depends on how much time they spend in their docking station vs being toted hither and yon. Wear and tear is the typical killer for anything made after 2002, while prior to 2002 the laptop would be replaced due to being too slow after a few years.

      My personal laptop is a 6 year old Tecra 9100 that averages about 3000 hours of use per year. It's just about on its last legs. Can't add a bigger HD and can't add any more RAM and the single-core CPU is a limiting factor for me.)

      --
      Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?
    3. Re:On the Notebook by MrCrassic · · Score: 1

      While I agree with you and see your point, where does the 'limiting factor' stop? One thing is for a laptop to last about 3 - 5 years, and another is to last nearly six months before giving out! At that point, any laptop should be reaching their prime, not their failure!

      Furthermore, this isn't the only case where I have heard of quick degredation of HP's products. My cousins had an HP Pavillion which also kicked the bucket before the end of that year!

      If I had to purchase a laptop for business/corporate use, I would rather purchase a single-core Thinkpad T series rather than any new HP/Dell computer. As I have seen this trend for quite some time now, I think most people in this position would agree with me.

    4. Re:On the Notebook by WuphonsReach · · Score: 1

      We stick with either Thinkpad T (or maybe X) series, Toshiba Tecras or the Apple MacBooks. We typically spend $1800-$2400 on a machine. Usually the business class products are designed / built better. Well, most days. We've had very good luck with the Tecras and Thinkpads.

      OTOH, for a spare laptop that isn't going to see heavy use, it's tempting to purchase a $600 laptop. And then replace it every 2 years. Not sure which is better over the long run. Just seems like a waste. Plus the $600 machine probably doesn't have enough RAM, a big enough HD, or a hi-res screen. And you're dealing with the week of productivity loss every 2 years to migrate from the old to the new...

      I guess as long as folks value price over quality, we'll continue to see the Wal-Mart effect in the market.

      --
      Wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?
  31. Re:the truth is Vista is pretty much the only game by kev000 · · Score: 1

    Yeah, Vista is a very refreshing OS... to people that have been locked into Windows XP for over 5 years. /agree It's the only game in town... to those who have been locked into Windows Me. In reality, Apple needs to be thanked for making the necessary innovations for Vista to win.
    *********
    Refreshing to the masses, but no innovation over Linux or Mac OS, just a replication.

  32. Color Laserjets, Compaq/HP, Exchange, Vista... by jimstapleton · · Score: 1

    and no-names...

    That sums up what they listed there, and it's pretty sad, when, of the stuff I do recognize, Vista is in the lead.

    Laserjets? Sorry, waxjet offset has been out for longer, and looks better. You can get one from Xerox for $500 less and it will out perform what they have.

    HP/Compaq? *cringe*, Never again. Those are some of the buggiest computers I've seen, and the tech support is second only to Apple in terms of bad experiences for me.

    Oh Supermicro is on there, too, I gues they are OK, though I prefer Tyan myself... I've had better experiences there, but that's hit or miss.

    Still, I guess I can't expect much better from a company that pumps out meanignless marketting gibberish throughout most of it's articles, and technobabble that only shows they don't quite understand that of which they speak.

    --
    34486853790
    Connection too slow for X forwarding? Try "ssh -CX user@host"
    1. Re:Color Laserjets, Compaq/HP, Exchange, Vista... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Buggiest computer my ass. You ever see a PA-RISC box with hundreds of users on it daily with uptime over a year?

  33. They didn't have an OS category last year by SwedishPenguin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    or the year before that.
    So it seems to me that this new "best operating system" category was tailor-made for Vista. Add to that the fact that Vista is being named product of the year for a year where it's been available for companies for less than a month, hardly enough time for companies to migrate, and it looks to me like a marketing puff piece written, or funded, by Microsoft.

    1. Re:They didn't have an OS category last year by n8k99 · · Score: 1

      Even before reading the article (ok, I quit when I saw that they put it on ten pages) I wanted to know who paid for the advertisement not that I expected to catch Kaiser Sozee in the act or anything.

      --
      For some reason my fountain pen doesn't work here.
  34. Nice favico, CRN. by Glytch · · Score: 1

    It doesn't look a thing like CNN's, nosirree.

  35. Vista screenshot by zlogic · · Score: 1

    A bit offtopic, but still...
    The screenshot of Vista in TFA is not the final build and not even RC1 but rather some older beta. The "About system" dialog has the old XP-like icon instead of Vista's Windows Orb. And that dialog's side has an XP-like background.
    The article's author clearly hasn't used Vista and probably downloaded the first screenshot of Vista from Google Images. I guess other stuff is reviewed and tested a lot better :-)

  36. Given the magazine's intentions... by sethstorm · · Score: 1

    Wouldnt this list be the be the 10 IT products best to avoid? Vista's on there(the "only game in town"), HP's on there(enough said), and the rest are mostly revenue generating devices that come in a box.

    --
    Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
  37. This article was FUD... by huckda · · Score: 2, Informative

    nothing there was glamorous or would likely make any REAL IT person's top 50 list let alone top 10.
    IT shouldn't give a damn about a .NET programming IDE for example...
    and Vista...you can bet your sweet @$$ IT folk are NOT putting that in their top 10 list!

    --
    "Just Smile and Nod." --Huck
  38. Operating System of the Year by E++99 · · Score: 1
    OPERATING SYSTEM
    Microsoft Vista Enterprise Edition

    *Feels a sudden disturbance in the force. As if a million slashdotters cried out it horror, and then their frickin heads exploded.*
  39. this is one really disturbing organization... by owlnation · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This CMP lot are part of the United Business Media Group. This is a very well connected little organization. The Directors' biographies read like a who's who of British Industry. Fingers into AOL, fingers into banks and big insurance companies, fingers into major Indian outsourcing companies etc etc etc.

    Of course their reviews may be neutral and may uphold journalistic principles.

    Adjust your tinfoil hats to maximum shield strength folks this publication looks like the Illuminati UK Branch IT Monthly.

  40. Stylus Studio by oprig · · Score: 1
    "all calls are answered within 24 hours"

    I've been on the phone with Dell tech support waiting for a rep, but never for up to 24 hours.

    1. Re:Stylus Studio by macwarriorny · · Score: 1

      "all calls are answered within 24 hours"

      Wow, that's a lot of ringing.

      --
      Life is such a sweet insanity. The more you learn, the less you know.
  41. Unbelievable! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't know you, but I work in a IT company (we develop industrial control stuff) and haven't seen any of those!!! Not even one!
    humm....

  42. ... and prices by Browzer · · Score: 3, Informative


    WEB DEVELOPMENT TOOL
    DataDirect Technologies Stylus Studio 2007
    "Stylus Studio 2007 XML Enterprise Suite is priced at $795. Oak Park, Calif.-based DataDirect offers average margins between 10 percent and 35 percent. Seasonal spifs also are offered."

    SECURITY SOFTWARE
    Astaro Security Gateway
    "Pricing is based on active users and concurrent connections. Configurations for as few as 10 users to unlimited users and connections are available. Suggested pricing for a sample configuration allowing 250 active users and 512,000 connections, including subscriptions and one year of maintenance, is $11,885."

    NETWORKING HARDWARE
    Server Partners File Engine
    "Prices start at $235 per month for a unit containing two mirrored 120-Gbyte hard drives. The monthly fee covers installation, integration, monitoring and maintenance. Updates are performed automatically as needed. Configurations with larger capacities are available at a higher price. A built-in double-layer DVD burner lets users put up to 18 Gbytes of backup files on removable media from an easy-to-use push-button interface. To prevent user tampering, no mouse, keyboard or monitor come with the appliance."

    STORAGE
    Intel SS4000-E
    "The SS4000-E is available as a barebones unit with no hard drives for $550. That's a beautiful thing for system builders that want to configure it themselves. It's also available preconfigured with four 500-Gbyte hard drives for $2,000."

    APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT TOOL
    Compuware DevPartner 8.0
    ???

    IMAGING
    Minolta Magicolor 7450
    ~$2.5K - Froogle

    NOTEBOOK
    Hewlett-Packard Compaq NC6400
    "Solution providers have a dizzying array of options for configuring a unique notebook for their customers. Specifically, the basic nc6400 (en362UT) starts at $1,199 and comes with an Intel T550 processor, 512 Mbytes of RAM and a 60-Gbyte hard disk. Meanwhile, the higher-end model nc6400 (RA264AT) retails for $1,549 and comes with an Intel T2400 processor, 1 Gbyte of RAM and a 60-Gbyte hard disk. All models feature a three-year warranty and weigh as little as 5 pounds."

    APPLICATION SOFTWARE
    Microsoft Exchange 2007
    "Pricing for server licenses and standard Client Access Licenses is the same as Exchange 2003, but Exchange 2007 introduces the Enterprise Client Access License, which includes Software Assurance. The price for Exchange Enterprise is $3,999 and the Client Access License is $67, which includes calendaring, mobile device access and basic antispam."

    OPERATING SYSTEM
    Microsoft Vista Enterprise Edition
    ???

    SERVER
    SuperServer 5015M-MR
    "The SuperServer 5015M-MR has an expansion slot that supports PCI and PCI-X cards, and it supports PCI-Express x8 cards using an optional riser board. It only has one 3.5-inch hard drive bay but will accept up to 8 Gbytes of memory. The server is optimized for and sized right for security appliances such as firewalls and VPNs. Supermicro sells this server as a barebones white-box unit for only $600, and fully configured units are available from distributors. A typical configuration would contain a 3.2GHz dual-core Pentium D processor, 4 Gbytes of memory and a 300-Gbyte SATA hard drive, all for less than $1,500."

    1. Re:... and prices by pmc · · Score: 2, Informative

      Astaro Security Gateway

      This is a firewall evaluated to EAL2 - are they completely insane? There are loads of EAL4 and EAL4+ firewalls that will give you much better protection than this. Not to mention a firewall running on a virtual machine - that is an extremely bad idea (I'm not sure if the product of the year is actually evaluated to EAL2 but the best they've got for any product seems to be that).

      Intel SS4000-E - The SS4000-E is available as a barebones unit with no hard drives for $550 or fully loaded (2TB) for $2000

      Huh - why not buy a fully stocked unit from Buffalo for $1250 - ah margin.

  43. Minolta!? by nFriedly · · Score: 1

    I quit reading the article after the printer page because they picked a Minolta Magicolor. Those things have got to be the worst printers ever. To quote a coworker "Minoltas are shittier than lexmarks.. yea."

  44. Top 10 Reasons to Hate Top 10 Lists by Infonaut · · Score: 2, Insightful
    1. They arbitrarily set the list at 10 entries, even though there may be only 3 quality products, or 52 quality products
    2. They encourage lazy thinking, by comparing apples to oranges
    3. They have become so common that any one top 10 list becomes indistinguishable from any other top 10 list
    4. They almost never include any sort of ranking criteria, so readers don't know if the decisions were made on the basis of *cough* advertising dollars or a more rigorous standard
    5. They smell funny
    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  45. Best server a generic 1u box? by spun · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Wow, who would have thought that you could cram 5 single processor dual core 1U boxes into the space that you could cram 16 quad processor quad core blades into? This is simply AMAZING!

    Yes, for the pedantic nitwit lurking out there ready to pounce, IBM does not recommend this without some serious upgrades to the BladeCenter power supply and a very good external cooling system. Seriously though, generic dual core 1u servers are so two years ago.

    --
    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
    1. Re:Best server a generic 1u box? by businessnerd · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Agreed. Reading the server pick was insulting to my intelligence. I see the picture, and it's not too impressive. Looks like a 1U standard server from a company I've never heard of. I start reading the overview and they state why it's so great: "It's small! Only 1U but has dual processors!" This is where I step back and say, but that's nothing new, and what about blades. If you want to talk small, you better be talking blades. Oh but they have an answer for that. "Blades are expensive and you can fit five of these in the space of one bladecenter for less money." To which I reply, but the IBM bladecenter has 14 blades in that same space. 14 is greater than 5. So unless you compare 14 of these things to the price of a bladecenter with 14 blades, don't talk to me about price and space.

      Seriously though, I know it's been said, but this list just smells funny. I mean set aside the whole Vista pick, the Notebook pick was based completely on the fact that you could customize it. So why not Dell, Lenovo, or any other laptop for that matter? What was it about the HP that made it so much better than the others? Nothing, no comparison data at all. Not even any evidence that the notebook was even tried out. The rest of the list was made up of stuff I had never even heard of. You'd think that a best of the year that is about to end list would include things that created a lot of buzz during said year. This seems to be more of a list of clearance items. Top Ten items we couldn't sell and need to get rid of because they are taking up space of 2006!

      --
      "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how drunk you get." -- H. J. Simpson
    2. Re:Best server a generic 1u box? by spun · · Score: 1

      Top Ten items we couldn't sell and need to get rid of because they are taking up space of 2006!

      It's Channel Reseller News, a trade rag, so I think you hit the nail on the head there.

      --
      - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  46. They had to get Vista in there somehow... by FellowConspirator · · Score: 1

    Read through the list, and you find all the 6 other 9 are Linux-based products or who where selected in part because of the quality of their Linux support. Among Vista's features that put in it the top 10:

    "...brings new features and capabilities to solution providers that in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users."

    "...an OS that brings enhanced stability to the desktop should shepherd a plethora of upgrades and opportunities for the channel through the coming year."

    So, apparently, it's so good that people will want to spend lots of money on software to make it do what they want. Fantastic.

  47. Non Product of the Year by YetAnotherBob · · Score: 1

    Great, the product of the year isn't even released in the year. Are they biased or just plain stupid?

    Well, Microsoft does have a reputation of pulling advertizing from publications that don't print what they are told. This may just be that policy in action.

    --
    Everybody knows 3 people with my name.
  48. Vista is pretty much the only game in town by ratboy666 · · Score: 1

    And yet... Storage, security and networking winners are based on Linux. Discounting Vista itself, that is 30%.

    Just something to think about.

    Ratboy.

    --
    Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061
  49. I'm even shocked... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I mean, I sorta figured the zealots would come out in full force against the article but...geez, this is ridiculous. You people are pissing all over yourselves simply b/c one of your "wonderful" OSS products (not FOSS) didn't show-up on the list. What babies.

    Listen, I know this is hard for some of you to understand b/c you aren't old enough to have a job yet but, companies are in the business of making money. Seriously, I know that is hard for some of you to grasp, but that is why companies exist. That should be all you need to know to figure out the rest. (Although, the fact that many of you actually believe that many FOSS/OSS "products" are business-worthy, does make me doubt your sanity...and honesty.)

    Threads like this make me feel positive about my future in the IT industry. After all of the hacks/hobbyists are fired for recommending dead-end/crappy FOSS/OSS solutions to their employer, I'll be there to step in and fix your miserable attempt to provide a solution...by actually providing a solution that WORKS!! Novel concept, huh? Remember, at the end of the day, IT is about providing solutions and solving problems so that your employer can actually make money (I know...it sounds crazy.)...not pushing some anti-American, anti-Capitalist, pro-Stallman, anti-MS agenda.

    Now, finish your milk and cookies. It is almost nap time.

  50. marketing material cut-and-paste by Deadplant · · Score: 1

    From the 'Best OS' category:
    (Vista)
    "But the product unquestionably brings new features and capabilities to solution providers that in turn promise new revenue generation dialogues with end users."

    Holy corporate shilling batman.
    This list seems to have been written by marketing droids, I wouldn't put too much stock in their determinations of the relative merit of this year's tech products.

  51. why not make our own list? by blackest_k · · Score: 1

    I'll just put my personal favourite in Ubuntu Dapper Drake, Edgy is a little too edgy but dapper was the linux version that made it possible to move away from windows and I'm sure i am not alone in that.

    So Dapper for being a real alternative to the microsoft options.

    hardware wise I think the thing most people have been thinking about is dual core processors...

    any more nominations?

    1. Re:why not make our own list? by mandelbr0t · · Score: 2, Informative

      Security Software: OpenBSD 3.9. I upgraded from 3.5 this year without too much effort. Guess what? It still works, and it's still the most secure OS on the planet. Cost: $0.

      Web Development Tool: Eclipse+Webtools. Webtools has incorporated the best features from JBoss-IDE and combined them with their already tres cool Webtools. Now I can get a vendor-neutral Web Development Tool whose features match or exceed anything out there. Cost: $0.

      Application Software: Evolution 2.2. All of the features that everyone "needs" in Microsoft Outlook, as well as Junk Mail filtering based on SpamAssassin. Oh, it also works with Microsoft Exchange servers thanks to the Novell Evolution-Exchange adaptor. Cost: $0. (Firefox 2.0 takes up too much RAM :( )

      Network Hardware: The RT2500 wireless chip. Open Source drivers, works with *BSD and pretty much any modern Linux distro. Allows for custom-built WAPs -- w00t! Cost: $100

      Server Hardware: Whatever I manage to put together with the bits lying around my basement. It'll be running Linux, so it's still faster than a new Vista machine :P Cost: $0.

      I missed a couple, but I'm sure somebody can finish the list. I guess I'm a cheapskate this year -- I won't be spending anything on my geek friends...

      mandelbr0t

      --
      "Please describe the scientific nature of the 'whammy'" - Agent Scully
  52. Funniest Stealth Ad of the Year by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Seriously, why wasn't my company offered a chance to be on this list? We could pay, and we have lots of ad copy to use for "reviews."

    I can't say I've never heard of any of the products on the list (Exchange, Vista, and HP, a couple of other company names), but the fact that 2 of the three are conspicuously bad (assuming the HP notebook is as worthless as every other HP computer I've ever seen) and Vista is an unknown that has, well, since it's the enterprise version, kind of shipped in 2006 (though it's hard to imagine a serious enterprise shop touching it even in 2007) tends to make the whole thing look pretty silly. These guys make Gartner look credible.

  53. Astaro by wguy00 · · Score: 1

    I ordered an Astaro Gateway 220 a few weeks ago. For everyone out there that says all of these products are crap, I advise you to take a look at Astaro. I think you'll be greatly surprised on what they offer and how affordable it is.

  54. Re:Vista is pretty much the only game in town. by SwedishPenguin · · Score: 2, Informative

    And yet this article from the same website concludes that Vista is in fact not the only game in town.

  55. Professionalism by Sloppy · · Score: 1
    Color printing has become a standby for today's businesses -- after all, a splash of color can add a splash of professionalism in today's competitive environment.
    I don't think that word means what you think it means.
    --
    As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
  56. What the.....? by rindeee · · Score: 1

    I got to #7 and had to stop reading. The suspense of 8-10 is not killing, injuring...heck there is no suspense. What a horrible list. Admittedly I didn't use all seven of these items, but I'm at least familiar enough with them to find it very difficult to believe that the majority should make any sort of top-ten list. Some of them (File Engine) is just a big pile of crap that shouldn't even make the 'Top-Ten Doorstops of 2006' list. How about the Intel SS4000-E. Not that there is anything in particular wrong with it, but it's a friggin piece of hay in a hay stack. It's not better or worse than the slew of similar offerings from other manufacturers. What sets it apart from them is a question left unanswered. What in the world makes it worthy of a top-ten products for the entire year of 2006 is, I imagine, truly unanswerable. And finally, the Magicolor? Has anyone reading this owned a Magicolor? It's sorta like owning a cat that eats tons and tons of cat food and then pukes it up on your floor just to go back and eat more. Then, it gets mad at you when its food is gone, so it goes and craps on your floor and eats a rubber band so that you have to spend more money (besides the money you've already wasted on food, cleaning, etc.) getting it operated on so it can eat and puke more. This may sound like a very strange analogy, but anyone who's owned a Magicolor will immediately identify. Hrumph.

  57. Re:No! No! No! They got it all wrong by tkw954 · · Score: 3, Informative
    Tiger was released LAST year so it shouldn't be considered a winner for this year....oh wait, that ISN'T Tiger? Well I'll be damned....

    That didn't stop them from picking a product that won't be generally released until NEXT year...

  58. article bashing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    well, in my experience the hp/compaq laptops mentioned in the article are good ones. Compared with the toshiba's, asusssess, acers etc. with similar price tag, they are quite stable. Never had to call in support/rma for this type (don't ask about the smudgy k550 printers) but usually HP doesn't cause too much trouble..

    astaro rocks; haven't used their boxes, but their distro is fine.

  59. Welcome to the Top 10 by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

    ... of everything you never really cared about time of the year.

  60. De-innovating by Mateo_LeFou · · Score: 1

    I think you can just turn that off.

    Which, of course, everyone will do. And which, of course makes ya wonder: is this thing going to be even the itsy-bitsy-tiniest bit more secure?

    --
    My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
  61. Vista? They chose VISTA? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    I mean, seriously, all it is, quite frankly, is a half-baked attempt to code Mac OS X Tiger, but at twenty times the graphics and memory usage, and plug up the major security holes in the WinXP design.

    That's not a Best IT Product, that's a catch-up product.

    Sigh.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  62. If Vista is the only game in town, Wii won't play by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    Now, if you want bulletproof, you basically mean Linux plus Oracle, or BSD plus Oracle, but Vista? Let's get real, people ...

    I mean, talk about shill city, but it's one thing to pay the sales team that places the ads, another thing to throw your journalistic integrity out the door.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  63. CRN == Channel by mitd · · Score: 1

    I receive CRN magazine which is an ad engine/fluff rag for Channel managers.
    Number One criteria for 'Top Product' is potential for 'profit maximization'.
    Need I say more.

    Vista will make channels a barrel of money which history has proven does not a good OS make.

    --
    mitd -- Made in the Dark
    "One good thing about spam... You don't gotta answer it"
  64. Re:BWAHAHAHA!!! by MyOtherUIDis3digits · · Score: 1

    I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are an asshole instead of a retard.

    Either way, posting as AC makes you a pussy also.

    --
    Ignore anything I said above, I actually agree with everything you believe - mod accordingly.
  65. Re:It's not the phone support, it's the answers by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    "all calls are answered within 24 hours"

    Yeah, but calls for Vista Support probably wouldn't go thru if handled in the US, since Redmond has been without power for days, and phone/cable shut down for one million people (now down to less than 100,000 after a week).

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  66. off topic please ignore by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    how did you get into eclipse ever time i look at it, it turns my mind into mush.
    i'd love to find some good tutorials for starting development using eclipse especially with c and java
    something which would ease my way in with taking some source in a tar and setting up a project would be good.

    I am certain eclipse would be a very valuble tool for me if i could just get over the learning curve

  67. was i the only one by JeanBaptiste · · Score: 2, Funny

    that read that as 10 Base T products of 2006?

  68. Re:No! No! No! They got it all wrong by Yakman · · Score: 1

    Technically they picked Vista Enterprise, which AFAIK was released at the end of November to business customers. It's only the consumer versions of Vista that will be out at the end of January.

  69. Basta cosi (never heard of that website.) by fululian · · Score: 1

    i'll quit this. it's zeitverschwendung. i usually like trolls very much, but this is too much. vaffanculo.

  70. Marketing Company by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From the mission statement:

    "For most technology manufacturers, driving sales is no longer simply a matter of bringing the best products to market. Sales come as a result of having your product selected as part of a multivendor solution. Accordingly, leading marketers are positioning their products and services as integrated componentsýcore technologies that add value to a total solution."

    AKA... Complete tool to the highest bidder, which in this case is obviously Microsoft. Why? Because apparently their reputation for quality and innovation (which is almost laughable) is having an affect on the sale of their products (most of which are also laughable).

  71. FTFA: by mseidl · · Score: 1

    "the truth is Vista is pretty much the only game in town."

    Read: We didn't have another choice. Nobody else offered us money.

  72. Re:No! No! No! They got it all wrong by matt_kizerian · · Score: 2, Informative

    ...and they've sold what, two whole copies of Vista Enterprise so far?

  73. Vista Enterprise by dakirw · · Score: 1
    But Vista isn't officially launched until January 30, 2007
    They're referring to the Enterprise version, which is out already.
  74. Re:No! No! No! They got it all wrong by Trendkill_84 · · Score: 1

    you sir, are a gun.

    seriously though, this really was written by a marketing department. anyone in any form of IT or is IT savy knows that vista is just doing what osx and any linux distro did about 3 years ago.

    welcome to 3 years ago, microsoft :)

    note: i do like vista, and there should be no one running xp or lower once vista gets released. its security fixes are great for windows users, and lets face it there is no way we are going to convince joe bloe who gets spyware 10 times a week to get linux or a mac, so they may as well upgrade to the latest windows o/s and be safer.

  75. How did this... by Obstin8 · · Score: 1

    ...even get submitted. A lightning ball of marketing cheese if I ever saw one. I had to stop when I saw Exchange 2K7 was on the list. Musta paid big buckeroos for placement of a glowing review of that unreleased steaming pile of, um... software.

  76. It's a pity that Vista ships vulnerable, isn't it? by leonbrooks · · Score: 1

    It's also a pity that Vista is end-of-line for MS-Windows products.

    Other than those two insignificant little points... yeah, that'd be right. (-:

    Oh, yes, and ramping up MS-Exchange as application of the year? I guess that's because of all of MS-Word's zero-day vulnerabilities of late, because splitting up that incestuous mess of an alleged email manager into seprate products hardly qualifies it.

    --
    Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
  77. Vista is Pretty Much the Only Game in Town? by LifesABeach · · Score: 1

    I find myself in the market for a new laptop; The 17 inchers are at the top of my list. But dual booting with Vista raises some serioius questions. As the Clash said, "Should I Stay (dual boot), or Should I Go (Windows has forked to a broken path)." The author puts forth an excellent argument that my parents would understand, "Vista is pretty much the only game in town." I do not think that I can agree with them because of the cost of diminishing returns. I use Windows for testing web pages, Zone Alarm, Partition Magic, CIV4, and Flight Sim; 40 gigs is enough. My concern is to have Vista upgrade XP, without corrupting my Linux install. Can I do this? Can Vista play nice with Linux on the same machine. Only time will tell the truth.

  78. FileEngine = WIN for Linux by literate · · Score: 1

    My team developed FileEngine. Getting on CRN's TOP TEN LIST is a *Major Win* for Linux! It attacks the traditional argument in the SMB reseller business that _you can't make money selling FREE software_ We've got LOTS of customers (mostly Attorneys and Not-For-Profits) that love the Open Source PROMISE: Understandable License, Reliability, Security, Freedom.

    We've simply added a business model that allows us to deliver the server hardware for free and provide SERVICE like installation, support, monitoring, remote administration, maintainenance and disaster recovery for less than $8/day!

    PLEASE SPEAD THE WORD that there's an alternative to Microsoft Windows SBS for small businesses!

    Thanks,

    Kim Brand
    Managing Partner
    Server Partners, LLC
    www.FileEngine.com

  79. Re:Did you guys NOT look at the Networking Hardwar by literate · · Score: 1

    Thanks for noticing... Kim Brand FileEngine

  80. Look at the source you Noob by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Its a magazine for VARs. If a VAR cannot make money with the product it wouldnt be in the list :). People with comments like this are not in the business, and apperently don't understand it either.

  81. BWAHAHAHAHA!!! Still wrong!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    BASED ON. It's running on a platform... using an application which, ironically enough, only exists to make it compatible with Microsoft Networks.

    However, as I said... BASED ON. Meaning, there is ZERO FOSS on that list. There are stuff which USE Lunix, but Lunix itself is conspicuously absent from that list.

    Nice try, d00d. Lunix loses again, anti-MS zealotry loses in the marketplace of ideas again (and the actual marketplace as usual).

  82. Vista? In 2006? by nwbvt · · Score: 1

    I've got an open enough mind to consider Vista as a potential "Product of the Year", but in 2006? At the tail end of the year it became available to businesses (though it won't be widely deployed by most for some time). I think in order to be "Product of the Year", it should be actually used in that year. Also, how is it "the only game in town"?

    Who exactly put this list together? Can we please avoid putting every "Top 10" list some half-baked reporter comes up with on the /. front page?

    --
    Mathematics is made of 50 percent formulas, 50 percent proofs, and 50 percent imagination.
  83. Top 10 - how yes no... by kUdtiHaEX · · Score: 1

    I don't think that this TOP10 list is relevant. What happend with other great products like Sony PlayStation3, XBOX360, Intel C2D, nVidida G80 series GPU? Most important is that Vista is there and nothing else matters :) so thay could call that list 'Top 10 Microsoft products'.

  84. Re:No! No! No! They got it all wrong by totally+bogus+dude · · Score: 1

    Well, it was specifically released so it'd fall within the Software Assurance (free upgrade) window for corporate customers, so they can claim they've already sold a heck of a lot of licenses.

  85. "New revenue generation dialogues with end users " by LazloToth · · Score: 1

    My favorite remark concerning Windows Vista was that the product will bring "new revenue generation dialogues with end users." I can imagine the revenue generation dialogue that might occur with IT managers: "Hello, this is Mr. X calling on behalf of Microsoft. Would you like to discuss a voluntary licensing audit at your company, or could I take a minute of your time to tell you about the new features in Vista?" IT Manager: "Do we get a price break on quantities of more than 50?"

    --


    It's only funny until someone gets hurt. Then, it's hilarious.
  86. *BEST* IT Products? by octogen · · Score: 1

    So the best IT product is one that
    a) generates money for someone
    b) has a beautiful user interface

    There are a lot of IT products that generate money by generating service requests, trouble tickets, helpdesk calls (etc. ...) because of their bad quality. I'm not sure whether this should be enough qualification for becoming one of the "Best IT products".

  87. Re:I'm waiting for by Bloke+down+the+pub · · Score: 1
    hopping for the top ten list of top tenm lists.
    There you go, that makes two:
    http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/2 0/2015248

    Oh. You meant good ones. Still a big fat duck, then. Sorry!
    --
    It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
  88. What the heck? by d_54321 · · Score: 1

    There's a Christmas Cheer topic on /.? When did this happen?
    Are there plans to add Hanukkah Cheer and Kwanzaa Cheer and Festivus Cheer topics?