microsoft security essentials

i just downloaded and installed microsoft security essentials beta for my only machine left running windows vista (all my other machines are running windows 7 rc). since i do not typically run anti-virus software because of the overhead normally associated with such software, i wanted to see how security essentials acted on my machine.

i have to say that i am very impressed with the simplistic way security essentials employs to keep my machine safe. it also appears that it is not eating up all my lappy’s resources while it is running (which is why i never ran anti-virus software before).

i am excited for this release and feel a bit safer since i know virus writers are becoming more and more clever on how they infect machines.

go get some windows 7

if you are a msdn or technet subscriber, you now have access to the release candidate (rc) of windows 7. i suspect the download will be overloaded, but i know we are anticipating the huge demand.

if you do not subscribe, you can get your hands on win 7 on may 5.

is microsoft cool? part 1

the debate is on. is microsoft cool? with the latest ad, it seems that folks that can’t spend a couple grand on a laptop is “not cool enough to be a mac person.” lauren runs through an apple store and finds out that nothing but there 13” macbook is going to fit into her budget of $1000 or less (and just barely). so does it mean that if i don’t have an apple on my machine, i am not cool. hardly!

as i was going through specs and prices for my next laptop, it was clear that i can get much more machine in a pc than i can get in a mac. this is not just because i work at microsoft either. i rolled with a macbook air for some time until i realized that it was just not cutting it in the performance department. so i ebayed the air and now rock out with my voodoo envy 133 (also not under a grand, but it is so damn sexy!). it has a removable battery, 2 usb ports (one shared esata), express card slot, and comes with an esata external optical drive. take that air.

to this day, i am much happier having this guy then having the air. first, the software i am most used to runs way better and i do not have to compromise drive space by running boot camp or some virtualization software on a mac. since i was running vista as my primary os on the mac anyway, it didn’t make sense to keep dual booting the machine.

while cool is a relative term, i think cool means getting the tech that makes the most sense for you and using it to make cool things. because at the end of the day, it is about what you make with your machine and not what it makes you.

a little voodoo with windows 7 beta

windows 7 beta running on my voodoo envy 133… nuff said.

holy crap! expression half off at the msft store

i just saw this in an email. for a limited time, there is a 50% off discount on microsoft expression studio, expression blend and expression web through the new microsoft online store. who said santa does not come early?!?

startup? go get some bizspark

today we announced a program to help technology startups around the world incubate ideas and drive innovation forward. instead of rehashing everything the bizspark site says, go there now and see if you qualify then get all signed up. you can also check out microsoftstartupzone.com for more information.

back to business

coming right back from some relaxation i jumped right into our central region dpe (developer & platform evangelism) off-site in my new hometown of chicago. i think it was good for me to come into the off-site with some relaxation under my belt since the three days were jam packed and i felt exhausted after each one.

the one thing i do enjoy out of these off-sites is the ability to talk to incredibly smart people that i normally do not get a chance to talk to very often because we are all spread across 18 states within the central region of the us. these off-sites are mostly about figuring out how we can be more successful in achieving our commitments. the emphasis this time really seemed like cross-teaming which i love (there was also the extremely fun team ride on segways).

all-in-all the off-site was a success and i feel slightly drained sitting here in the loop office, but i know there is work to be done and a community to serve. so, back to business for me.

finishing up planning and going dark

i spent the past couple days with good friend and colleague, larry clarkin, going through some final thoughts on our community plan for this year (msft fiscal started beginning of july). these are the times that are most challenging since we really have to be precise on what we think we can work with the community to do throughout the year. i find myself saying “this is stupid” and “i am gonna punch this spreadsheet in the face” quite a bit during this time.

what is not stupid is the end result that comes from putting all this hard work into a plan. it is about ensuring we are putting the right resources in the right places to better serve the community of developers we so love. that same community provides to us feedback throughout this process so that we are not making decisions without their best interest in mind. that is the part i love.

what i hate are spreadsheets. i am a developer and i love to code so unless i am building some sweet ass obas, then keep me out of excel. it is the necessary evil that keeps us on track and not all over the place throughout the year, so i can’t complain too much (although i am).

the beginning of the fiscal year is always stressful. being at microsoft for over 3 years now, you would think i would be used to it, but i am not. so that is why i go dark around this time of year with my family on a beach in the outer banks with limited access to just about anything but sand and ocean. however, someday i will learn to leave the laptop at home and let the email build. but until that day comes, gorbett is still open for business.

chat with scott guthrie

while i was filling my brain with technical goodness at techready, our internal training event, i had a brief opportunity to sit down with scott guthrie (i was seriously debating on whether to link back to his profile cuz’ if you don’t know who scott guthrie is, shame on you :)) before he rushed off back to his family.

i was actually taping a podcast for thirsty developer so the audio on the video is not great (since i did not want to mess around with mixing the recorded audio with the video). actually the video is not great either since i did not bring a tripod and had my camera sitting on a pillow on an ottoman and it clearly sunk (remind me to yell at my boss for not getting me some good video gear).

even with the poor equipment setup, the video was still worthwhile to post alongside the thirsty developer podcast (which also contains another chat i had at techready, but i will save that for a different post). it really is amazing that a corporate vice president at msft can be so down to earth and understand the community that he serves. it also helps that he is wicked smart too!