Switch Systems Blog

Toms Hardware has a lengthy (19 page) review of Windows Server 2008. Looks like Vista, tastes like Windows Server!

Slashdot have put up part 2 of their "behind the scenes" look at what powers /. - part 1 covers the hardware, and now part 2 covers some of the software and configuration.

Today mozilla launched Prism "...an application that lets users split web applications out of their browser and run them directly on their desktop."

I just tried using it with our CRM and I don't think it works well with windows Vista... If you want to try it out you can download it from here. It's more than just a desktop shortcut to a website!

An enjoyable evening last Friday at the FSB/Exeter College award ceremony, our congratulations go out to Underhill Estate Agents (winners of the best employer) and Lefroy Beauty Therapy (winners of best small business).
Switch was nominated as one of the 8 contenders for the 'best small business' in Exeter - thank you to all of our clients who took the time to vote for us, see ifyou can spot myself and ruairi in the picture!

From The Register:

Fasthosts, "the UK's number 1 web host", has fired off emergency emails telling customers to change all their passwords after police were called in to investigate a major data breach.
"As a precautionary measure, Fasthosts has asked its customers to update their passwords. This includes their control panel, email, FTP, and database passwords, all of which can be changed via the customer control panel. Fasthosts has now implemented customer password encryption to further protect customer data."
We've asked Fasthosts why the passwords were not encrypted in the first place. It said: "Historically, Internet companies have rarely encrypted passwords to aid customer service."

This article on the register says "BT reseller DMSL has created a IT repair service that will compete with the likes of the Geek Squad and PC World's Tech Guys by offering support services for home users and small businesses across the UK." - the difference being that the "FixITlocal" service will be operated by local resellers who have signed up to be part of the group.

I'm not sure how they plan to regulate and check the skills/credentials of each individual reseller (a simple "i agree to the PCA Code of Practice" checkbox just doesn't cut it!) , and looking at the sign-up form and text on the website leads me to believe that you have to attempt to sell their supplied products. It will be interesting to see if this has any impact on The Tech Guys.

I've only had a chance to play this for a couple of hours, but first impressions are that this game is fantastic! The classes are quite balanced (though my favourite class the demoman now lacks detpacks and mirv grenades), medics are greatly improved, and the whole game just feels very polished (though that might just be the shiny cell shading). Well done valve!

Ars Technica reports that the Unreal Tournament 3 demo is due out sometime in the next 2 weeks, according to posts on the official forum.
Team Fortress 2 is also out tomorrow at $29.99 for those of you who haven't purchased the Orange Box. Shack News has the new 'meet the demoman' trailer up.

I found a cool little table which shows the degredation that installing different types of AntiVirus and Firewall software - check it out:

Software	% Boot Delay	% Prime Delay	% FileIO Delay
Norton Internet Security 2006	46	20	2369
McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8	7	20	2246
Norton Internet Security 2007	45	8	1515
Trend Micro PC-cillin AV 2006	2	0	1288
ZoneAlarm ISS	16	0	992
Norton Antivirus 2002	11	8	658
Windows Live OneCare	11	8	512
Webroot Spy Sweeper	6	8	369
Nod32 v2.5	7	8	177
avast! 4.7 Home	4	8	115
Windows Defender	5	8	54
Panda Antivirus 2007	20	4	15
AVG 7.1 Free	15	0	19

As you can see, norton's internet security suites have a huge impact on system performance. Our recommended antivirus software (AVG, Avast! and Panda) do quite well.

From Ars Technica, this article outlines BT's hopes that it's users would share their internet connection, using a new router which allows secure public access. BT's Gavin Patterson holds out hopes that the FON scheme can someday "cover every street in Britain." "We are giving our millions of Total Broadband customers a choice and an opportunity," he added in a statement. "If they are prepared to securely share a little of their broadband, they can share the broadband at hundreds of thousands of FON and BT Openzone hotspots today, without paying a penny." Sounds like a good idea to me!

Switch has been nominated for this years small business award, organised in conjunction with the Exeter Business School and the Express and Echo. A big thank you goes out to all of our clients who took the time to nominate us, check out the coverage here.