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Category: Microsoft

There are 6 posts published under Microsoft.

Why do Startups Hate on Microsoft?

I am not going to persuade you to use Microsoft, if what you are already using works for you.  However, I always find it weird to hear startup founders trash Microsoft products when enterprise products are what they do best.

 

Moreover, they actually give their stuff away for free if you a young or fledgling business.  I’ll try to shed some light on some of the misconceptions of Microsoft products, and tell you what has worked for my company, Vinylmint.

 

In 2011, Vinylmint was organizing the development team and needed some software solutions for project management, cloud services and support, and database administration.  We looked at a lot of solutions like, Amazon Web Services, Rackspace, and even some local companies like InMotion Hosting.  They are all comparable solutions and will all get the job done.

 

But, then I heard about the BizSpark program.  Microsoft created Bizspark to support young companies and to provide them with their enterprise software resources for free with the hopes of winning them as long-term customers later.   Windows Azure, the comparable solution to the cloud services above was as equally elastic when considering scalability, secure, well-documented, well-supported, and more importantly free for one year with a $60,000 credit in year two.

 

Free is always good.  So, Immediately I was intrigued.  Like most Founders I was still a bit skeptical about additional solutions outside of their Microsoft Office Suite, which was still buggy with the release of Windows Vista a year earlier.  So, I began researching their project management tool, Visual Studio Team Foundation Server (TFS), their database architecture systems in SQL Server, and web layer solutions in Microsoft Web API.  Again, each of these were comparable to solutions like MongoDB and RavenDB, but were better document, easier to deploy rapidly, and could scale quickly with dramatic increases in traffic.  Some developers would argue that SQL Server is an antiquated solution for a select use case, but I have found that technical support and documentation are keys to saving your development team time, and saving the CEO money on consulting fees if you can’t do it internally.  Furthermore, Microsoft Web API is akin to HTML5, and Pivotal Tracker, Asana, and Basecamp are watered-down versions of Team Foundation Solutions.

 

The best part, besides saving money that is, was that all of Microsoft’s solutions fully integrate into one another, allowing you to track, trouble tickets the moment they occur in your stack, manage task and communicate from a central location, and communicate with experienced technical support teams to quickly resolve issues.   Plus, Microsoft BizSpark gives startups access to world-class mentors, potential investors, clients, advisors, partners and valuable offers to help run their business. Startups also get access to technical, product and business training & support.

 

I could go on an on about how Microsoft’s solutions stack up to the popular tools used by the emo-entrepreneur universe of Microsoft haters. Fundamentally, it all comes down to what your team is comfortable with using and what works for your budget.  I just think, it’s a no brainer for a startup to take advantage of great tools backed by one of the most successful companies of all time who chooses to conveniently give their services away for free.  I mean, isn’t that why we use Google?

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Whither Enterprise Search for 2014

After giving a lecture at the Fall 2013 Enterprise Search Summit in Washington, DC a VP at Giant Media Company asked me the question: “What’s ahead for enterprise search in 2014?”

 

As I began relaying the canned response that I usually save for these “predict the future” queries, to my surprise, several people who were wandering past my grouplet stopped to listen. Despite the somewhat autumnal talks I heard, the interest in a nearly dead software sector surprised me and spawned several questions: Why is there such an interest in enterprise search? Why are organizations still struggling to find documents after 50 years of “innovation” and hundreds of millions in investment in a utility service? Why are conference attendees, after three days of commentary, still struggling with what seems to me to be a very basic question?

 

Here is my attempt to answer some of these questions. Namely, what is in store for 2014? Over the next year, there will be more attrition among search vendors. Some outfits will just fade away. (No, I won’t mention any of the firms on life support. Executives at these firms regale me with tales of resurgence. I don’t have the appetite for this type of rah rah. Microsoft, take note, I am not saying Fast Search & Transfer is a dead duck.) Attrition, as I use the term, includes acquisitions. There will be some snap ups, but these deals will lead to the absorption of the “brand” into the acquirer’s product line. This is largely the fate of Autonomy, Brainware, Endeca, Exalead, InQuira, ISYS Search Software, RightNow, Vivisimo, and any firms I have overlooked. The gap or void in proprietary enterprise search will continue to be filled by quasi proprietary systems like ElasticSearch, LucidWorks, Searchdaimon, Sphinx Search, and the many other open source services available. There are some “pretenders” to the revenue glory of Autonomy before it was acquired by Hewlett Packard. But in reality, these vendors lack brand clout and have to amp up their marketing to have a shot at hundreds of millions in revenue. Net net: Lots of buying, failing, and start upping.

 

Second, the technology to distribute search functions across multiple, lower cost computing resources will expand. Most vendors at least talk about a cloud option. Some like Searchdaimon can deliver. Unfortunately most of the other vendors who yammer about massively parallel, distributed, scalable, extensible cloud solutions are scattering fairy dust. Cloud solutions are easier for vendors to support. Lots of customers use the vendor’s platform. However, for many organizations, the cloud is a bit of a problem. There are pesky contractual requirements for some government work. There are costs that depend on old fashioned taxi meter pricing tables that “kick in” when certain thresholds are crossed. There is the unfortunate issue of latency at different points in the information retrieval system that make some Fancy Dan solutions run erratically or slowly. Net net: Technical advances in infrastructure will outpace innovations in search technology.

 

Third, interfaces are now positioned as a way to improve information retrieval. Sure, interfaces are a big deal for those who want to get General Mills’ type information. You pick a box and the cereal company decides what goes in it just like Google’s mobile search. Next year interface will be an even bigger deal. The reason is that interface distracts the child in the enterprise as a shiny watch mesmerizes a baby. The hard problems like what content is available, what specific units require what specific information complete a work task, what content is accurate, and what content is needed to answer a business question are ignored. In 2014 it will be a lot more fun to go to a meeting to talk about colors and icons. Net net: The visual revolution will push tough questions out of sight.

 

Finally, mobile usage will make personalization an essential. With that personalization, filtering becomes the go-to function. The future of point-and-click means that more workers will be taking what the system gives them. If the system provides the right information at the right time, life is good. If the system provides flawed or off point data, maybe the lousy decision making will accelerate. Exciting. Net net: Mobile almost guarantees a continued devaluation of nuts-and-bolts search and retrieval.

 

In regard to the interest in enterprise search that followed my talk:

 

I think some of the interest is more in job getting and job keeping than search. Some of the folks in the hallway grouplet showed heightened attention when I pointed out that folks get fired when the “new” search system disappoints users or the organization’s chief financial officer.

 

Additionally, I have mounting evidence that the confusion about “which system” to select is only escalating. The reason is that the available proprietary systems have to be compared to and contrasted with the “free” open source search systems. Believe me, the procurement job is getting harder. That, of course, feeds risk and stokes anxiety. At this time, none of the mid tier, azure chip consultants are much help. “Industry leader” IDC bought some information from me and did not pay me for my work. The vaunted IDC “search mavens” seem more confused than the deer in the hallway grouplet. Third, money is tight. Search is viewed as a service that has bitten some companies in the ankle before is now viewed with great skepticism. As a result, the individuals who have to “fix up” the incumbent system or license a “next generation” system are not getting much, if any, management support. The result is dithering. There you have it, the outlook for 2014: Uncertain buyers, revenue hungry (maybe desperate vendors), annoyed system users, and unconvinced senior managers. Search is interesting. Enterprise search will remain a digital turkey. The consultants will almost certainly give thanks.

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Top Startup and Tech News Today-7 Things You Missed Today

1. LinkedIn Sued by Users Who Say It Hacked Email Accounts, Stole Contact Lists

LinkedIn users claim that LinkedIn accessed their email so the company could mine out a list of contacts and then send spam-like emails. The suit claims that “Linkedln is able to download these addresses without requesting the password for the external email accounts or obtaining users’ consent.” The complaint argues accessing “the users’ email accounts and downloading of all email addresses associated with that users’ account is done without clearly notifying the user or obtaining his or her consent” and is essentially hacking.

 

The suit doesn’t make clear how LinkedIn is hacking these email accounts – there are no specifics, except for the accusation that LinkedIn is hacking the email accounts. LinkedIn is denying the accusations, and put out a statement, saying that. “LinkedIn is committed to putting out members first, which includes being transparent about how we protect and utilize our members’ data… We believe that the legal claims in this lawsuit are without merit, and we intend to fight it vigorously.”

2. BlackBerry Returns to Corporate Roots to Save It From Oblivion

BlackBerry is cutting its workforce and product line in order to refocus on the demographic that first brought them success: corporate customers. BlackBerry announced last week that they were cutting 4,500 jobs and taking a writedown of up to $960 million for unsold phones. BlackBerry’s Z10 phone, which was supposed to make BlackBerry relevant and a smartphone leader again, was released to mediocre reviews. BlackBerry’s attempts to find an acquirer have been fruitless so far.

 

BlackBerry’s shares have fallen 17% to $8.73 since September 20th. The stock has fallen 94% since its 2008 high. BlackBerry, which was credited with inventing the first smartphone more than a decade ago, has not managed to keep pace with Apple and Samsung. The company continues to produce news models and products of smartphones, however, none have managed to become a hit with the consumer audience so far.

3. New Surface expected from Microsoft at NYC event

Microsoft is expected to announce new Surface tablet computers in New York on Monday. One version of the Surface tablet is expected to have a smaller screen to compete with Apple’s iPad Mini. The new Surface tablets are expected to be lighter and thinner, thanks to a new processing chip that uses less energy and doesn’t require a fan.

 

Microsoft released Surface tablets last October but sales have generally been slow. During the April-June period, they accounted a $900 million charge in expected losses for the Surface RT after they slashes prices. Microsoft is trying hard to join the personal tablet trend, although they are still not the leaders of the industry.

4. German group claims to have hacked Apple iPhone fingerprint scanner

A group of German hackers have claimed to have hacked the iPhone fingerprint scanner, just two days after Apple launched the new technology. Two prominent iPhone security experts validated the claim made by the German hacker group, the Chaos Computing Club. Apple representatives did not comment.

 

The Chaos Computing Club, one of the larger and more respected hacker groups, posted a video on their website showing somebody accessing an iPhone 5S with a fake fingerprint. The website then continued to describe hoe members of their biometric teams had been able to crack the fingerprint scanner. “Fingerprints should not be used to secure anything. You leave them everywhere, and it is far too easy to make fake fingers out of lifted prints,” Starburg, another hacker, said on CCC’s site.

5. Tests: New iPhones Less Durable Than iPhone 5

SquareTrade, which provides protection plan for gadgets, tested Apple’s iPhones to see if they could withstand drops, dunks, and other common smartphone injuries. It found that the latest models of iPhones were not as durable as last year’s iPhone 5.  However, the biggest disappointment was Samsung’s Galaxy S4, says SquareTrade, which stopped working after being submerged in water and being dropped a height of five feet. The phone that withstood these challenges the best was Googles Moto X.

 

“We were expecting that at least one of the new iPhone models would up its game, but surprisingly, it was the Moto X that proved most forgiving of accidents,” said chief marketing officer of SquareTrade, Ty Shay. Generally, with every iPhone the upgrade, the phone becomes more durable and stronger; it seems as though this time, it is not the case.

SquareTrade reviewed each device based on eight factors, including the material, the phone’s size, it’s weight, the phone’s ability to withstand drops of five feet, and the phone’s ability to stand being dunked in water for 10 seconds.

 

Officials from Samsung, Google, and Apple have not responded.

6. Nokia racks up the retweets by poking fun at Apple’s iPhone 5C

A tweet posted to Nokia’s Twitter account said “thanks, Apple” and was juxtaposed with images of the rainbow-hued Nokia Lumia product line, along with the text “imitation is the best form of flattery.” The photo has received over 38,000 retweets and is one of the most successful branded tweets ever. Business Insider reports that Twitter has confirmed that this tweet is in the “top echelon” of marketing tweets throughout all the site’s history.

 

Although Nokia didn’t invent multi-colored electronics, and Apple’s been pushing colored iPods for year, the Lumia did bring back color to the cell market in a noticeable way. And besides, it’s a war between brands on Twitter – generally, anything goes in these situations.

7. Sprint confirms ‘One Up’ early phone upgrade program

On Friday, Sprint confirmed their early-upgrade program, “One Up,” that will let customers pay in monthly installments and change their phones annually. Spring is the last of the four major carriers to offer such a program. Under the plan, subscribers could get an unlimited talk, text, and data plan for as low as $65 a month. New or existing customers who have owned their phone for at least a year are eligible. Customers who are eligible don’t have to trade in their phone during the sign up process if they don’t want to.

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Top Startup and Tech News Today: 7 Things You Missed Today

1. Hackers Offered Cash, Booze to Crack iPhone Fingerprint Security

 

Hackers are excited for Friday’s iPhone 5S release; not because they want the product, but because they want to be the first to hack the fingerprint scanner. A micro venture capital firm joined security researchers in offering $13,000 in cash, as well as alcohol, Bitcoin currency, books, and other prizes to the first hacker to do so. The content is hosted on istouchidhackedyet.com. Arturas Rosenbacher, who donated $10,000 to the hacking competition, says the effort will bring together some of the hacking community’s smartest minds to work towards the common goal of helping Apple identify bugs they might have missed.

 

An already published problem is the fact that it is possible to bypass the lock screen of iPhones to access photos, email, and other applications. Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said that the company was already working on a fix as “Apple takes user security very seriously.”

 

2. Apple Suppliers to Boost Gold iPhone Production

 

Apple has asked suppliers to increase production of the gold iPhone 5S by an additional third after seeing strong demand. On Apple’s Hong Kong website, the gold iPhone 5S has already sold out. The gold model is the most popular among pre-orders in Hong Kong, which is a major iPhone market. Another major market is mainland China, which was among the first markets where Apple launched the new iPhones. While stores haven’t disclosed estimated of how many people have showed up, the lines seemed longer than the lines for the iPhone 5 launch.

 

The iPhone 5C, with its plastic casting and colorful design seemed to be less popular than the 5S in Hong Kong. Most customers seem willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a higher-end smartphone.  28-year-old Chris Wong explained the situation by stating “I think the metal casing looks much better.”

 

3. Online Piracy of Entertainment Content Keeps Soaring

 

Although sites like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu continue to grow and make it easier to legally watch entertainment online, the volume of pirated entertainment also continues to grow, at a faster pace.  In fact, the amount of bandwidth used for copyright infringement accounts for 24% of total Internet bandwidth. The number of people engaged in copyright infringement has also grown; as of January 2013, 327 million users illegally sought copyrighted continent.

 

This copyright infringement is detrimental to Hollywood studios, music companies, and other industry essentials. The general method employed by such organizations is generally a sponsoring of bills – for example, in 2012, most of the entertainment industry backed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). However, both acts died in Congress after a massive opposition campaign led by Google, Wikipedia, and other internet giants, as well as a huge negative backlash from the civilian public.

 

4. Google redesigns logo, homepage

 

Like many other companies, such as Microsoft and Yahoo, Google has also revamped its official logo. The logo has been changed on Google’s search page and a new menu bar with a smaller range of links on the right side, has been installed. The new logo is flatter than the old, drop-shadowed logo, and is the first change to Google’s logo since 2010. A spokeswoman at Google said that similar changes would slowly be rolled out across all of Google products. This is being done in an attempt for Google to help streamline users’ experience of Google’s services; they hope that by flattening the logo, they remove distractions from the user.

 

Sarah Rotman, a tech analyst, said that Google’s revamped logo is subtle, as Google depends on loyalty and does not want to make any large changes that would alienate Google’s users.

 

Although many other changes have made, not all changes are available to all users yet. It is an ongoing process that will finish slowly.

 

5. Will Google Glass Catch On in the Office?

 

Christopher Kaeding performed a typical surgery – a knee to ligament reconstruction – while broadcasting his view of the procedure via Google glass. He showed the surgery to local medical students in a nearby conference room, saying that the device allowed him to shift between conversations with students and consultants without having to desterilize his hand. He plans to buy one when they officially come out in 2014. “Glass is first and foremost a consumer device intended for people from all walks of life,” says Chris Dale, Google spokesman. Startup Evernote chief executive officer, Phil Libin, says that Google Glass will likely be used mostly at work.

 

Google Glass features navigation, speech-to-text transcription, and video. Supervisors can use the gadget to film inspections, technicians who need a reminder can review product manuals; there are so many possible usages for Google Glass, which is why people assume that most Google Glass purchases will be to businesses and government agencies. “There’s the potential with Google Glass for there to be a significant increase in corporate surveillance of employees,” says Frederick Lane III, author of The Naked Employee: How Technology Is Compromising Workplace Privacy. “The amount of information that could be collected is really staggering.”

 

6. Microsoft commits to ‘many more’ Windows RT tablets

 

On Thursday, during Microsoft’s 2013 financial analyst meeting, Microsoft executives said that customers should be prepared for “many more Windows RT tablets” in the future. Although Windows RT and The RT-powered Surface had had many negative complains, RT-powered tablets are here to stay, says Microsoft. Terry Myerson, who is the executive VP of all of Microsoft’s operating systems, says that he is looking into exploding commonalities in design, silicon, and interfaces in order to allow a consistent Microsoft experience regardless of platform. Specifically, Myerson said that he held three beliefs: one silicone interface, one API, and all apps for all devices. Al devices should also be cloud-powered with core services powering the device.

 

7. Microsoft ups iPad-for-Surface trade-in deal

Last week, Microsoft offered $200 store credit to anyone who brought in their iPad to trade it in for a Surface tablet. Now that amount has climbed to $350. However, the process for turning your iPad in is now harder. First, Clover Wireless must determine the value of the old device. Secondly, a new Microsoft devices, such as a Surface tablet must be purchased. Then, Clover needs to be sent the old iPad – after an undisclosed amount of time, Clover will send a prepaid Visa card with the value of the trade-in stored inside of it.

A standards iPad in good condition is worth roughly $285 in rebates, which is less than half of its $599 retail price. The rebate value depends on the make and model of the item being exchanged. If you are interested in trading in your iPad for a Surface tablet, then its good news; the Surface RT starts at $350 for 32-GB. There is no announced expiration date for the deals, but it is questionable whether or not these deals will continue as more and more Surface models are released.

 

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Marissa Mayer on Yahoo!, Microsoft, and Government

At yesterday’s TechCrunch Disrupt, Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, discussed much with the topics ranging from Yahoo! to Microsoft to government with Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch.

Arrington opened the floor with what Mayer had done with Yahoo! up until now. Former Google vice president, Mayer had only been at Yahoo! for 1 year and 2 months and was able to double its stock. She attributed a good portion of this grand feat to the investments of her predecessors, but her revamp of how Yahoo! did things played a major part in this. She focused, in order, on: hiring the right people, product, traffic, and revenue.

 

To help explain the impact of Yahoo!’s newfound success, Mayer said that “the company receives 12,000 resumes a week” and that the company only has 12,000 positions—this means that every week, Yahoo! gets a resume for every possible position. In addition to this boom in potential employees, 10% of the company consists of boomerangs—employees who left and then returned to Yahoo!. She also mentioned that Yahoo! has 800 million users worldwide, and that value does not include Tumblr as well. To drive home the point that Yahoo! is still a strong contender, she asked the audience show how many used Yahoo! for any of its services in the past month; over half raised their hands.

 

The discussion then drifted towards her plans for Yahoo!. Arrington asked what changes she was planning, especially considering her prior position as vice president of Google. Mayer touched a bit upon Yahoo! mail, stating that its simpler design offers faster speeds than Google. She also plans on growing her mobile team by a factor of 10. After all, the mobile market is booming—a lot of people are using their smartphones to get information that Yahoo! already offers: mail, news, finance, sports, communication, etc.

 

Arrington then shifted the topic towards one of the two questions he always asked at the event: Who should be the new CEO of Microsoft? Mayer never did give a direct answer. She started off by saying that she admires both Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer and continues off by stating her observation of Microsoft being strong in the enterprise area, so it should look for someone who’s strength is in enterprise. Arrington then built upon her comment, asking about the weaknesses of CEOs. She said that there is actually a community of CEOs and that “they want to see each other succeed,” but what is most shocking about being a CEO is that there are so few decisions to be made, yet each of them are of the utmost importance to the fate of the company.

 

The second of Arrington’s favorite questions is about government requests for user data. Like Facebook, Mayer said that Yahoo! is trying to protect as much user privacy as they can from government. Unfortunately, companies cannot refuse to comply with the government, but Yahoo! plans to and does analyze and scrutinize all requests by the government, pushing them back as much as possible.

 

While this chat between Mayer and Arrington covered a few important topics, the conversation brings up a few key questions.  Is Yahoo!’s focus on mobile the best way to go? Who should be the next CEO of Microsoft? What should and can companies do about government requests for user? What do you think?

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Top Startup and Tech News Today-7 Things You Missed Today

1. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg on NSA Leaks: “The Government Blew It”

 

Mark Zuckerberg offered his outraged opinion when questioned about his thoughts on the fact that government is asking internet companies for user information. He says that “the government blew it” when it came to finding the balance between maintaining the civil liberties of the people and national protection. He has taken and plans to take more steps towards increasing the transparency of government requests for data.

 

Facebook joined a lawsuit asking the Obama administration to “allow it to disclose more details of its forced cooperation.” In addition, Zuckerberg plans on visiting Republican lawmakers in Washington D.C. and discuss the privacy issues.

 

2. Court Decision Means Another Look At Google Street View Case

 

Google has, once again, been accused of breaching wiretapping laws with their Street View car excursions. The U.S. Appeals Court in San Francisco does not plan on dismissing the lawsuit against the company which states that the Street View cars were taking advantage of unencrypted networks to collect digital conversations.

 

Google argues that the “internet data it was collecting was broadcast over the airwaves and was not encrypted” and that “the communications were more like radio transmissions than phone calls.” Circuit Judge Bybee stated that, while it is common for people to take advantage of neighbors’ unencrypted, they don’t normally record and decrypt the data obtained. This lawsuit could cost Google billions.

 

3. Five Startups to Watch From Kaplan’s TechStars-Powered Ed Tech Accelerator Demo Day

 

Kaplan’s one time joint ed tech accelerator with TechStars decided to run their ed tech accelerator program again with strong results. It’s no wonder—analysts have said that “venture capital deal activity remains strong in ed tech.” Five of the most highly praised startups on demo day are: Degreed, Flinja, Newsela, Ranku, Verificient.

 

Degreed’s goal is to provide a means of “quantifying and credentialing learning.” Flinja offers college students small projects to do in an effort to break the catch 22 of needing experience for a job while needing a job for experience. Newsela works to improve student literacy by providing stories, each of which comes in several levels of difficulty. Students will be given a version of a story that matches their reading level and they can opt for more challenging version should they choose to do so. Ranku allows students to explore virtual degree programs that is able to provide a quality education at affordable prices. Verificient is an automated proctoring system that monitors keystrokes and facial expressions to keep virtual students honest whilst taking tests and whatnot.

 

4. Hanoi: 200 Students Off School Because of Hacker

 

An identified hacker broke into the security system of Ha Dinh primary school in Hanoi, Vietnam and sent messages to the parents of students. The first of the messages informed the parents of students that there would be unexpected work and that students would not need to attend on September 6th. A following message to the parents said that the school would be upgrading its facilities for improved education and asked for a contribution of VND1.2 million along with an extra VND200,000 per child. Luckily, the school caught wind of the messages soon after the second message was sent and followed up with a message clarifying the situation.

 

5. How the Internet of Things is Making Our Homes Smarter (And Easier to Hack)

 

With everything being connected together and to the internet, the world is becoming a more convenient place. However, this comes at a price: everything becomes accessible if someone tried hard enough.

 

John Matherly created a search engine named Shodan. It doesn’t function the same way other search engines like Google or Bing do—it searches for things that are connected to the internet. Additionally, it can tell how secure a device is. For example, it discovered a huge security flaw in a hydroelectric plant in France. What Matherly does with Shodan is to warn people of unsecure devices. In the end though, “it’s the customer’s responsibility to keep their own homes safe.”

 

6. Internet Entrepreneur Believed to be First 9/11 Casualty Remembered in New Book

 

No Better Time: The Brief, Remarkable Life of Danny Lewin, the Genius Who Transformed the Internet, a book written by Molly Knight Raskin details the first casualty of the September 11 attacks. He was stabbed on the first plane that hit the twin towers, leaving behind his wife and two children.

 

What makes him remarkable isn’t the fact that he’s the first casualty, but, instead, that he was one of the co-founders of a company known as Akamai. He and Tom Leighton, the other half of Akamai, worked on codes to speed up dial-up internet connections. This success brought in billions of dollars overnight. While they started strongly, the company hit a wall and was losing money quickly—it was September 10 when they had worked out how to cut costs.

 

Though he left use early, he left behind a legacy that strongly impacted the internet.

 

7. Microsoft’s Concept Videos From 2000 Were Spot-On. So Why Didn’t Ballmer Build Any of It?

 

Back in the days of minidisc players and 9 keyed phones, Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, had a vision; one where all devices within a household could be connected together. This idea came into existence before Apple, Google, or anyone else. What happened?

 

Essentially the company didn’t realize these aspirations due to disagreements on some aspects while other facets of the idea were before its time and, before long, the dot-com bubble burst. “Had the company executed on even a fraction of its vision, Microsoft wouldn’t be out looking for a new CEO,” stated a former Microsoft executive, Charles Fitzgerald.

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