Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

  • The end of Exchange? I don’t think so…

    “Be afraid”, be very afraid”… is the opening of a blog post by Scott Cameron, an account strategist for Microsoft, titled “Office 365: The End of Exchange?” It’s an odd post that combines a fair element of truth with some fairly dubious predictions. This is a topic that I am asked…

  • Recommended: Windows Phone 8.1 update

    It’s been two weeks since I took Paul Thurrott’s advice to upgrade my Nokia Lumia 1020 to Windows Phone 8.1 (the developer pre-release). In that time I have roamed from Ireland to France and Italy and the phone has functioned perfectly, so all I can report is that this is…

  • Exchange Unwashed Digest – April 2014

    If only because it started with the last two days of the Microsoft Exchange Conference (MEC), April 2014 was quite a month for the Exchange community. Here’s what I discussed during the month in my “Exchange Unwashed” blog on WindowsITPro.com. Exchange 2013 is a resource hog – no surprise there…

  • Whoops – there goes my domain controller during an Exchange update

    What to do on a lazy Saturday afternoon? Ah, let’s go and update some Exchange 2013 servers with a new build. Just the thing to do so as to be able to avoid the plaintive cries of “the grass needs to be cut” or “that hedge needs trimming.” So off…

  • How not to request a product review

    Like many of my fellow Microsoft MVPs, I regularly receive messages from software vendors requesting me to review their products. This is not unexpected as it’s perfectly reasonable for vendors to seek reaction and feedback about their work from people who are active in the industry. The fact that a product…

  • Noise-cancelling headphones and laptop woes

    Reading the Forbes.com review of the Bose QuietComfort 20 in-ear headphones, I am reminded quite how good these headphones are.  The review goes into a level of technical detail that audiophiles will enjoy. All I can say is that I use these headphones every day and enjoy their capabilities very…

  • What Microsoft needs to do to fix modern public folders

    The amiable Kanika Ramji, program manager for Exchange public folders, might have gulped a little when she saw the packed crowd at the “Experts Unplugged” session covering Exchange’s longest-lasting and most-persistent collaboration technology at the Microsoft Exchange Conference (MEC) on April 1. After all, the Internet had buzzed with criticism…

  • Exchange Unwashed Digest: March 2014

    March 2014 saw a lot of preparatory effort for the Microsoft Exchange Conference in Austin, which took place at the end of the month. However, before we got to MEC, we had to cope with a late breaking bug for Exchange 2013 SP1 and some other stuff too… Here’s what…

  • The colorful side of MEC 2014: All the stuff that makes a conference

    What can I say about the Microsoft Exchange Conference (MEC) that recently finished in Austin? Lots of blogs and other comments have already been posted, including my assessment of the messages contained in the day 1 keynote, the splendor of the sessions delivered on day 2, and some closing thoughts…

  • Exchange Oscars at MEC 2014

    The Microsoft Exchange Conference (MEC) brings people together who are interested in Exchange and associated products. It’s a great gathering of talent and passion and it provided a suitable time to recognize people who have made contributions to the development of Exchange over the near and long term. The Exchange…