Daily Update: IE 9 RC on WU, IE 9 Blocker, More

Good morning.

Microsoft has added the Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate (RC) as an optional update on Windows Update for Windows 7 (and, I assume, Windows Vista) users. That should generate a bit of controversy, but I think the good news here is that Microsoft is clearly pretty confident this is a high quality release.

Also available: An update blocker that will help corporate environments hide the coming final release of IE 9.

Not a surprise, but Apple announces that it is enabling a subscription service for all content publishers on its App Store.

Speaking of Apple, the company has also released the results of an audit of its suicide-prone supplier, Foxconn. So surprise, but it's "magical and revolutionary." I guess self-inflicted deaths are waaay down now at the Chinese sweatshop.

Speaking of death and Apple, while the iPhone's auto-correct capabilities are the source of much humor, sometimes it actually gets pretty serious. Yikes.

According to Foote Partners, Microsoft certifications won't help you get a better-paying job. But apparently Cisco, Oracle, EMC, VMware, IBM, SAP and Red Hat skills are a better bet. This makes no sense to me, sorry.

Facebook has released a new photo viewer and it is TERRIBLE. In fact, the first few times I saw it, I assumed it was the result of a web browser rendering error and re-loaded the page. Please, Facebook.  You must fix this.

You're going to see the term Yet Another Android Tablet a lot this year, so just get used to it. Here's another one.

Headline of the year: Microsoft CEO promises better Windows Phone. The gag: It's not clear is the year is 2010 or 2011, since that promise was made in both.

Discuss this Article 4

iknowjack
on Feb 15, 2011
Regarding the IE 9 RC on Windows Update: according to the IEBlog, the only folks who will see it there are the ones who had previously installed IE 9 Beta. Given that, I see no controversy. IE 9 RC has not shown up in Windows Update on my Windows 7 machine, nor do I expect it to. I would expect it to show up sometime after IE 9 goes RTM.
jvd897
on Feb 15, 2011
Re: IE9 RC -- I think it's only being pushed to the IE9 beta users. Or at least, that's what the blog post seems to suggest.

"Starting today, Monday, February 14, 2011, the Automatic Update (AU) feature of Windows Update (WU) will offer users of Internet Explorer 9 Beta an upgrade to the Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate."

mlambert890
on Feb 15, 2011
Paul,

The cert thing is a result of over saturation and watering down of the cert.

Cisco certs are particularly high value - the CCIE cert still carries tremendous prestige - and network engineering jobs in general have been less assaulted by outsourcing and offshoring trends - the move towards cloud platforms has actually bolstered demand for network engineers in many areas and VMware specialists are doing well here also (especially in private/hybrid cloud)

RHEL and Linux in general has remained an underfilled niche, so certified pros can still command high dollars.

Oracle, SAP and IBM provide top tier applications and, as a result, their certified pros can command top dollar.

The MCSE extremely commoditized. MSFT has done a fair job of trying to bring value back to the cert itself, but the market dynamics are not good for your typical MS IT pro. There is a real shift happening towards business value focused architecture work (breadth and knowledge of the business) as consumerization and commoditization combine to put transformational pressure on IT.

Traditional Windows IT pros are generally too focused on moving parts and too married to a low end commodity. It is very easy for an organization to simply shift this operational function offshore or hand it over to HP or IBM (who function as body shops)

That is the reason MSFT cert programs are declining in terms of value. It is simply a result of downward pressure on commodity IT skill in general. As the largest commodity platform, Windows IT pros are the canaries in the coal mine.













Waethorn
on Feb 16, 2011
MCSE seems to be a target for many private post-sec IT school grads, but it has become undervalued lately. What seems to work better is for an IT person to specialize in a certain area with a focussed certification, and then get some actual hands-on experience in a lower-position job. Companies (including IT firms) aren't hiring IT people with a $85,000+ starting salary anymore, and one thing that they want that many post-grads incorrectly think they can cover up with certs, is EXPERIENCE.

Please or Register to post comments.

IT/Dev Connections

Las Vegas
September 30th - October 4th

Paul ThurottYou'll have the opportunity to experience:
• 120 Technical
Sessions
• Networking with Peers
• Expert Speakers


Come See Paul Thurrott & Mary Jo Foley in Person!

Register Now

Office 365 InfoCenter

Get the latest insight and info from Paul

Read Now!

What I Use