What the bass means to me

SEE ME, HEAR ME - I exist don't I?

For years, since high school, I have played in band after band. None being more particularly successful than any other, I learned to play the guitar because I wanted that one thing that always escaped me: To stand out. I wanted to be noticed for once, and playing guitar and singing in a rock band seamed like a great place to do it. I already had a passion for all things music and years of vocal training under my belt, so why not?

The idea started when, in my junior year of high school, a new friend, Dan Senyk, and I started writing music about a girl in our chemistry class. This girl was like the village bicycle and the lyrics wrote themselves. Dan picked up his Les Paul and banged out some righteous power chords as I began to sing some of the aforementioned nonsense, creating something that somewhat resembled music. We recorded our "masterpiece" and thought we were brilliant.

Our little musical exploration left me wanting more, so I called up Dan and told him I wanted to play bass. He discouraged (mildly) my intentions and said I should, instead, learn the guitar. Dan, for all his idiosyncrasies, had the right idea (even as destiny would have it, I eventually ended up on the bass). Through playing the guitar, I learned everything I needed to know about musical theory and song writing. This is all thanks to Dan's influence, chiefly.

Dan and I would go on to write many more ridiculous parodies before having to focus on 'growing up'. The important thing was that I was finally being noticed for anything at all really. I learned I had a passion for music that I never knew existed. Even though we covered and wrote more serious music, looking back it would have benefited our time more if we just stuck to being clowns. It was the entire basis of our friendship, after all, and it really got me through some tough times. It's too bad I never got to thank him for that...

BASSICALLY MY PASSION FOR MUSIC

At some point I turned to the bass. There was something about the bass guitar that struck a chord with me. The execution of the bass varied with the emotion being portrayed, but through it all the bass is the glue that holds everything together.

I mostly approach bass parts as a mystery that needs to be solved. With all the varying approaches that are out there, it really feels like no one has really got it "figured out". Should I pluck with my fingers/pick/slap/tap? Am I following the drummer or am I just duplicating the guitar... or something else entirely? Should I sit in the pocket or should I show off? Is this the song where I finally get to pull out that solo I've been mastering?

A solid bass line allows the guitarist(s) to wail on solos without care for the direction the rest of the band is headed in. A solid bassist allows the drummer to throw in a fill or get creative because the beat is locked down. The singer always knows that when the drummer is acting like a 2 year old and the guitarist is too vain, the bassist is there to be his/her wingman and get him/her through it.

MY ROLE

So while I knew why I was such a bass enthusiast from a musical perspective, I never connected the dots on what it meant to me personally. Recently I had a revelation regarding this. Being the glue is really what I do. I grew up being glue!

It never mattered how I kept everyone around me happy, it only mattered that they stayed together. My sense of humor, my hard work and determination, my inability to confront others about my own personal unhappiness; all things I do to keep things around me stable.

I know I exist now; I'm beyond that. Going forward, I want to be the glue for people that support me. When you are young and after that, you are forced to support people that do not support you back. You do not get to choose these people and that is OK.

The bassist typically works in the background, unacknowledged for his or her important work. Case in point (for non musicians), name one famous bassist? You probably can't! The bassist is the underdog yet serves such a critical role. I like being the underdog as well. When you watch a band play, there are no expectations for the bassist. That is when I have the opportunity to 'wow' everyone. This is also how I feel about my role in life. Not only can I make a group 'stay together', I'll make it the best experience it can possibly be. And no one was expecting it.

Are you really keeping crucial data on a laptop?

NO CODE ON LAPTOPS!

'No Code on Laptops' is a policy at Google. Employees are not allowed to store code on their laptops. These employees are issued small laptops designed for e-mail and web use. The reason for this is obvious. At best, the laptop's hard drive could die and all the hard work would be lost. At worst, the laptop could be stolen and with it Google's extremely valuable Intellectual Property. Few would argue that in either scenario there is NOT a liability to Google.

Now Google has the resources to provide high speed broadband (WiFi) to all its employees everywhere they go: Their Google branded apartments, their Google branded public transportation, etc. Whatever the cost, though, it is justified. How can Google afford not to in this competitive environment? It's an arms race after all and whoever delivers the best product at the right time wins.

A LESSON TO BE LEARNED...

If you own a small to medium sized business you too should be asking yourself the same question. I realize the convenience of using a laptop for mission critical work seems justified. The reality of the situation is that there is no convenience to be found when your confidential information is lost. If you think it won't eventually happen to you, you are kidding yourself.

An even scarier scenario are the many SMB in regulated industries. In this age of competitiveness, is it worth the risk? One cannot simply ignore the facts because the implications are overwhelming.

If you own or operate a SMB that provides highly confidential or sensitive services to your clients, please ask yourself, "How do I feel about explaining to my client that all their financial data is the hands of whoever stole my laptop?".

The cost of providing a Server Based Computing (SBC) model to your employees is not as high as you might think. That is not to say it is a cost saving model (although it can be), rather SBC can save you in efficiencies and reduce the risk your business is exposed to.

Laptops, workstations and many other computing devices can easily connect to the primary work environment (desktop) in a server room through SBC. The many technologies that power SBC should not concern you. All that matters is how quickly and easily you can access your safeguarded primary work environment.

Here's an example of a user connected to his Windows work environment on his laptop, then switching to his iPad. Notice how seamlessly the user can switch between the two computing endpoints and not skip a beat in his work. Not only is the work now safeguarded but efficiencies and real convenience are gained.

Mac OS X loses file association for ICA files

MISSING OPTION FOR CITRIX ONLINE PLUG-IN

I had a user who recently purchased an iMac and wanted to access the corporate published desktop via our Citrix Access Gateway. Unfortunately, whenever he would try to launch the hyperlink for the desktop VMware Fusion would load.

I verified that the Citrix client for Mac OS X was installed from the link here. After a reinstall however, the behavior continued. Even uninstalling Fusion did not help, instead displaying a [null] result. Creating an *.ica file on the desktop, right clicking and choosing 'Open With', there was no other option than the file association for VMware.

RESOLUTION

1. Launch /Library/Application Support/Citrix/Citrix online plug-in.app <- This creates a new option in the launcher user file for Citrix
2. Create an *.ica file and Command + I to get info
3. In the 'Open with:' section, choose 'Citrix online plug-in' as the option
4. Click 'Change All...'

CONSIDERATIONS

Snow Leopard includes a 64 bit version of Safari and earlier builds of the Citrix online plug-in (v 11) were not compatible so make sure you have the latest and greatest installed.

Unlike Windows, File Associations are not centrally managed through the GUI. There are 'dirtier' ways to change the user account's file associations through the Terminal; this is the safest and easiest way however.

How useful will Desktop Virtualization be in 5 years? 10 years?

As I ponder the impact of Google's Chrome OS and HTML 5, it makes me take another look at enterprise software. Software on the web continues to evolve and impress. Have you even seen the Outlook Web Access client that comes with Exchange 2007? At this rate, how much longer will it make sense to install and maintain Outlook?

Enterprise software is *slowly* moving to the web. The integration of SharePoint and Office 2010 Web Apps excites me. If you have not heard about it, check out Web Worker Daily's write up.

Microsoft is not the only moving their software to the web. In the accounting world, I continue to watch my job become less and less relevant. Intuit has ported QuickBooks to the web. CCH, a juggernaut in the accounting vertical, has released their entire ProSystem fx Suite online.

CAN DESKTOP AND APPLICATION VIRTUALIZATION MATURE FAST ENOUGH?

All client virtualization solutions seek to similarly solve the immediate difficulties faced by IT departments that the distributed nature of Microsoft Windows creates. Distributed computing has failed, to put it bluntly. The reason there are so many vendors (Microsoft, VMware, Citrix, among others...) all trying to solve essentially the same problem; that Windows was never designed for this purpose. Every solution struggles to work for more than just task workers. Still yet, the solutions available clearly have much room to grow before they are usable in most enterprises.

There will always be software that benefits from application virtualization and streaming, though overtime that will be more and more of a niche use. My fear is that by the time client virtualization "grows up", it will be too late. But then again, maybe that is what Microsoft wants. Slow and steady will not win this race.

Apps moving to the web may happen sooner than you think

Easily the largest bet that Google is placing for Chrome OS is that developers will develop for the web, utilizing HTML 5 standards. Many on the blogosphere have been quick to cite all the reasons why this is a poorly placed bet. Outside of Google, how many applications are as useful as the free apps provided by Google? Google has set the bar quite high in developing for the web. Truth be told, if Google convinces the application developers of the world to develop for the web, it will be more than Chromebook owners who will benefit.

HOW APPLE'S APP STORE AND SMARTPHONE COMPETITION WILL SPUR HTML 5 DEVELOPMENT

You would have to be living under a rock for the past year to have not heard the constant developer grousing of the App Store approval process. Applications are rejected for nebulous reasons, updates that resolve bugs sit on Apple's desks for months, approved apps a shell of what the developer wanted to include, etc. This process has led to half completed apps, developers abandoning the platform altogether and apps becoming less profitable as needless development time is wasted.

Regardless of the strengths of the App Store, the once incredible momentum and enthusiasm is gone. Competitors to Apple are catching up as well. The enthusiasm for the latest Android smartphone, a joint venture of Google, Motorola and Verizon dubbed 'Droid', is proof. Having spent some time with the phone, I can whole heartedly agree with reviewers' stance that it is not an iPhone killer. The Android OS lacks the polish of the iPhone OS, nor is it anywhere near as intuitive to use. Not yet, at least.

Follow the logic here: I'm a developer and have finite resources. I want to develop an app for as many platforms as possible with as little development time as possible. That means code once and done. I don't have time to wait for Apple to approve my app and chance that I'll have to rewrite code that works fine as is. How should I code?

ENTER HTML 5

Both the iPhone and Android browsers support HTML 5. On the desktop OS front, even Internet Explorer 9 is getting the HTML 5 treatment. Also, RIM acquired Torch mobile means that all BlackBerries will soon have a default WebKit based browser, making HTML 5 support highly inevitable. So if you're on a netbook, laptop, desktop or smartphone, chances are your browser will support HTML 5 standards.

With companies like Microsoft, Google and Apple, as well as the entire open source community, all pledging support for HTML 5 standards, it is clear that the industry sees tomorrow's applications living on the web.

WHY CAN'T TOMORROW BE TODAY?

Given the current frustrations being experienced by app developers, one has to wonder why they wouldn't be rejoicing at the opportunity to move to HTML 5. HTML 5 puts the developers in control:

• Remove the Vendor middleman
• Applications do not have to be installed
• Applications can be taken offline
• Updates are applied at the developer's choosing
• All platforms supported

Everybody wins, sort of. Moving code to the web can be a tedious process and requires the support of the user community. Showing there is a demand will help move this process along.

GOOGLE STANDS TO WIN THE MOST

Regardless of whether the Chromebook is a success, the success of HTML 5 will result in more time spent on the web. More time on the web means greater exposure to Google's ads, resulting in Google making more money. Though the greatest experience on the web, particularly at an ultra low price point, will be on the Chromebook. Can bandwidth speeds accelerate fast enough for web apps to be useful in enough of the country?

A Change Users Can Believe In

Change is inevitable. Seasons change, the weather changes, our height changes and so does our weight. Everywhere I look is change. Nothing is more human than the ability to adapt to change. The human race survived an Ice Age; talk about adapting to change!

CAN USERS ADAPT TO A CHANGE IN OS?

It is certain there are two things that bring about change:

1. Inspiration
2. Desperation

When we look at the explosion of mobile market share on both the Android and iPhone/iPod Touch platforms, it is obvious why this happened. Users are inspired by the new and innovative way they can quickly and conveniently access the web. By a couple of intuitive gestures or presses, users are on the web faster than ever. Simply pull the MID out of your pocket and go.

As Mark and I joke often, if you asked them, "Excuse me, what OS are you running?", you'd be lucky if you received more than a blank stare.

HOME APPLIANCES JUST WORK

When I turn on my TV, I'm watching what I want within seconds. When I turn on the radio, I'm listening to music within seconds. When I pick up a phone, I immediately hear a dial tone and I can contact someone within seconds. That's the way home appliances function. By that measure of ease of use, it is readily apparent that a computer is not a home appliance.

Imagine for a moment a world where every home appliance was like the computer. Your TV has to reboot because it received updates in the middle of the Giants game. Your radio is infected with a virus and the antenna has to be unplugged immediately so it doesn't spread the infection to other radios. Your phone's connection is slow today so your voice will be delayed for 5 seconds.

Clearly immediacy and reliability of a home appliance are paramount to its success. When we look to the explosive growth in the MID market, it is also obvious that users are desperate for immediate and reliable platforms to connect to the web.

OPERATING SYSTEMS ARE NOT AT THE CENTER OF THE USERS COMPUTING EXPERIENCE

There was a time when the OS was a 'killer app'. These days, the web is at the center of everyone's computing experience. There are a whole generation of users who live on Facebook, YouTube and the like. Everyday, these web apps change with them and become more sophisticated. The OS has become peripheral to the users experience.

Facebook alone has over 300 Million users; how many locally installed applications can boast as many or more users other than the web browser? That's not to say that there are not local applications that we cannot live without. The problem for OS's is that handful of applications are growing smaller and smaller everyday. Paul Thurrott wrote about this very concept and I must say, I Thurrott-ly agree with him.

HUMANS WILL ALWAYS CHOOSE THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE

Extending the traditional OS to the Internet has been a slow and painful process, to paraphrase Jon Stokes' article which briefly comments on how the PC is failing at the Internet.

I believe that users are desperate for a change. The sheer volume of help desk tickets any IT professional receives are indicative of this. Percentage wise, how many tickets simply come from a misunderstanding of how to do something in Microsoft Windows? Sure, we IT professionals brush it off as, "Users need more training", or worse, call them all sorts of names. I often wonder how many IT jobs have been created solely because of the complexity of the OS.

If change does not improve the way a user connects to their applications, then it will fail (think Linux and how hard it is to even get applications on it that aren't already bundled).

Users just want to be connected to their applications. Therefore, the potential for a Chromebook that boots right into the web browser and near-instantly connects them to their applications touches on the very drivers of change. So the potential is there, connecting users to their applications with as little resistance as possible. That's all I'm saying. But will all their applications move with them to the web?

Why does Chrome OS matter to the Enterprise?

It doesn't. It's all about the mindset and where users learn best: at home. Consumerism has kept IT afloat during the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression and shows no sign of slowing down. I personally can't remember in my career so many users bringing gadgets, phone and netbooks to work with them and asking how they can work from them, such as accessing corporate e-mail, calendar and published applications.

OK, so follow me here. I'm not implying that the Enterprise needs to adopt Google Chrome OS. If you thought that and stopped reading, well, I understand. There is so much discussion on the blogosphere regarding whether or not Chrome OS will be a success; thus reiterating the pros and cons of the web-centric OS would be a waste of your time. I want to look at it from the IT professionals perspective. I want to encourage every IT professional out there to tell everyone to buy a *mature* Chromebook, and here's why:

Thanks to Microsoft, starting with Windows 95, much of the way users use their computer at work has everything to do with the way they use their computer at home. Chrome OS is a browser based OS, but in terms of IT speak it is a 'Thin OS'. Changing the way users play will inevitably change the way users work.

FILES SAVED LOCALLY BY THE USER ARE FILES THAT WILL INVARIABLY BE LOST FOREVER

Redirecting a user's 'My Documents' has been standard procedure for IT Departments for sometime now. For a fact, most users will never take the time to backup their files, so redirection is a good thing. In SMB, laptops are ubiquitous! The fact that Microsoft didn't include tools in Server 2003 to redirect the entire user's profile is extremely short-sighted on their part. Did Microsoft designers/developers ever take a moment and ask themselves who they are really coding for? I do not know. My point with all of this is that we want users to be accustomed to storing files somewhere other than locally. All too often in large enterprises and SMB, files are lost forever because a laptop was stolen, the hard drive shit the bed, the user overwrote an important file, etc. To give them a choice to store the file locally will inevitably lead them to do so. It's not their fault! They really have no idea what they are doing, honest. We have to train them through use at home that this is a baaaad idea.

USER INSTALLED APPS ... SERIOUSLY?

I like the idea of Citrix Dazzle and that users can select the applications they need. That's not what I'm referring to here. If a user brings a disc from home and wants to install said application which has not been vetted by the IT Department, now that's what I'm referring to. The whole notion that a user should be able to install their favorite personal apps on a company owned asset used only for business purposes is solely driven by the fact that the two environments, home and work, look and feel identical to them. We should have never let users have a wallpaper, it was all down hill from there... Chrome OS, users cannot install applications. All their applications are on the web which they know their firewall will block. One less hassle/political battle to fight!

THIN CLIENTS FTW!

All #epicpuns aside, thin clients are especially sexy for IT professionals. Managing clients with nice personalities is about as much fun as getting a lap(top) dance from one. Users will love the features of Thin Clients such as instant-on and no antivirus software subscriptions that eat up all their machines resources and marginally protects them from viruses and malware. They will also enjoy not having to make sure Windows Updates are installed (who has their machine on at 3 AM anyway?). After experiencing this at home users will beg for it at work. And won't we all be happy. :)