Technically Speaking

This Thursday Microsoft Windows 7 will be available for the world at large to purchase and run on all of their computers.  I think this is a good thing, like most in the tech community, based on the fiasco that was Windows Vista, there are some huge steps forward coming in Windows 7.

I was reading a post at TechRepublic by Jason Hiner who pointed out his hits and misses in Windows 7, and in many ways I agree with him.  The system and data partitions should be split up by default to allow the OS to be wiped out and corrected without losing user data.  The OS is leaner than previous releases and will keep itself out of the way even in terms of UAC.

The one area where my opinion of Windows 7 differs from Mr. Hiner is in the area of the taskbar.  At first I wasn’t sure if the new Dock-like taskbar would be useful, but in fact it is onw of the most used places in the OS for me.

The addition of jump lists from both the start menu and taskbar make information very easy to find.  Mousing over the item on the taskbar, when it is running will show you the list of instances available just like grouped task bar items did in Windows XP. 

For example, mousing over a taskbar icon for Internet Explorer, will show a preview window of the open tabs.  You can then select which tab you need by clicking the instance.  For me this is an improvement over the list of titles when you click the XP taskbar because you get to preview the windows that are open.

I do not disagree that the new taskbar will be confusing for users as they get started with Windows 7.  The missing quick launch toolbar, and its move to the entire taskbar, was a bit of a change even for me when I didn’t use the QL toolbar for much of anything.

The review of hits and misses is a great read, and will help point out some key areas where things are better and where they aren’t, but because the OS is new and there are a large number of XP users still out there, the confusion will be seen, I think as a learning curve in most cases.  Will there be some who want to go back to XP?  Sure.  There will be and thats alright for now… as more and more companies and consumers get their hands on Windows 7 this will change and might even repair the damage done by Windows Vista.

So far, I haven’t found, other than a few driver issues that I need to fix, much in Windows 7 that doesn’t feel like an improvement.  The ability to search for anything on my computer from the start menu or Windows Explorer is huge.  I realize that this is a Vista carry over, but it seems to work better for me in Windows 7.  I no longer get discouraged that something isnt where I thought it would be in places like Control Panel because I can simply search for it or the action I wish to perform and get taken right to the item I need.

I am excited to see where Windows 7 takes the PC and Microsoft, and even curious about how it might shape the next version of Windows.  So far the vista from Windows 7 is pretty promising, especially given the view from the last Windows release.

Affiliation Disclosure: Derek is a contract contributor to TechRepublic and a Microsoft MVP. 

I read a great article this morning over on TechRepublic about try vs. do. The article got me thinking about how things get or don’t get) handled when it comes to commitment.

Being a one person IT shop, I am responsible for many tasks that need to get completed, and try to hold myself accountable to those tasks, but as time goes on, the less critical non-business stoppage tasks fall off the sheet until they surface again.

Partially due to a lack of commitment to see them through to fruition and partially because they aren’t mission critical tasks. Changing the tapes everyday is critical, skipping weekends and holidays, but needs to get done whenever there is new data to store. This gets done daily, with a few exceptions, and is very routine.

What happens though if I forget, or am so busy fixing a critical problem, that it moves on to the backup and cannot proceed because I did not get the tape changed? That is a problem. I am only to hold myself accountable for the success or failure of the task, but business could suffer in the long term (or in the short term if the network or infrastructure fails) and there is no one to blame but myself.

Everyone forgets things, even master list makers, but tying oneself to the accountability of the task with some means which could be painful if the task is missed, which was a key suggestion in the article, is a great motivator.

No I am not going to fork over my entire paycheck to the local food pantry if I fail to change the tapes, but perhaps a check for fifty dollars if the task isnt accomplished. Just enough to feel it if you miss your deadlines. Perhaps start a lunch fund for your team, put a bit of money in there to get it going, but then monitor outcomes of tasks within your team. When a task is not completed by its deadline, the person responsible has to commit 10 dollars to the lunch fund. Or perhaps each team member puts money up and when the task is missed, it gets in the lunch kitty, and the responsible person then puts up new money.

This might motivate those who tend to miss tasks to get them done. If members of your team like to goto lunch and miss things on purpose, consider using the money to send the accounting staff or sales team out for steaks courtesy of the missed deadlines fund. That will surely change the motivation.

As a leader, getting yourself and your team to stick to tasks and deadlines can help you improve both performance and morale among your team. This will be something management notices, maybe not right away, but they will catch on sooner than you think.

Check out the original article for more.

Like it or not, when you accept the responsibility of an IT manager position, you will get to do some type of support for your internal customers.  Even if that is just to rally your team because someone in the office is escallating cases to you.  How you handle these things will reflect on both yourself and your team.

What about external support?  You know when you have to call in outside help becasue application X or device Y is not doing what the manual and the Internet claim it should.  I have been in that position a time or two and it is getting better, but I think my attitude toward the situation may be only partly to blame.

Recently in two separate posts for TechRepublic.com I stepped through two very cool support scenarios.  One dealing directly with a help desk call and the other dealing with the use of Twitter to get help solving an issue.

Please give them a look and leave a comment about any experiences you have had with either.

TechRepublic: When the help desk actually helps

and

TechRepublic: More than ‘social’ Networking – don’t count out twitter as a useful support tool

I look forward to seeing your thoughts on both of these articles.

Given the state of the global economy in 2009 and the budgets of organizations frozen or sliding, many technical conferences may see attendance drop this year. In a post on Tech Republic, Jason Hiner has looked at conference attendance and put up a poll.

Personally, I will not be attending conferences this year on the company dime, however I am going to attend Tech Ed. Because I have found learning and interacting with those also in IT, these conferences are important, but they are expensive and organizations looking to stretch budgets might be wise to cut back on sending employees there.