Windows 7 Family Pack Back

Microsoft just announced that the old 3-pack of Windows 7, known as the Family Pack, will be available in the US on October 3.

If you haven’t yet bought licenses for all of your computers, wait a month. $ 125 for three licenses of Win7 Home Premium Edition rates as a first-class buy.

I know a lot of people who live overseas who’ll be asking their friends in the US to snag a box.

15 Years Later: Remembering Windows 95

Check out this blog written by Brandon LeBlanc on what Windows 95 was like 15 years ago.

ah, the memories of upgrading from Windows 3.11 to Windows 95 on an old Compaq computer in early 1996 when it came pre-installed with Windows 3.11 but also bundled a Win95 upgrade CD.

How Microsoft screwed up Windows Live Mesh

Mesh has an interesting future, but for now it’s shut off from the rest of Microsoft’s cloud.

Too bad, really. Details in my Tech Watch blog.

The iPad’s halo effect on corporate Mac sales

Apple’s rolling over the slate market, but at the same time, it’s selling more Macs than ever. Gartner says that in 2Q 2010, 9.8% of all PCs sold in the US were Macs. I’m betting that number will increase significantly in 3Q. See why in my InfoWorld Tech Watch blog.

Do the math: 175,000,000 copies of Win7 isn’t that impressive

From my InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. Microsoft says it’s sold 175,000,000 copies of Windows 7 since October 22. Sounds impressive, but when you to the math, it’s both disappointing and mystifying.

If you use Hotmail or Messenger, read this

One of the most important privacy articles I’ve ever written just went up on the Windows Secrets newsletter site.

If you have a Windows Live ID – a Hotmail account, an @live.com or @windowslive.com address – you better take a look. Somebody’s watching. And tattling.

What do we really know about Windows 8?

Less than you think.

Check out my InfoWorld Tech Watch blog.

QuickTime, Picasa, OpenOffice all avoid simple security procedures

I just posted an article on my InfoWorld Tech Watch blog that may be of interest.

It’s quite disheartening to see how many common software packages don’t use even the simplest system-level antimalware protection.