Taking notes in the cloud

I move between a lot of machines these days, work, clients, home and so on. I am finding it more and more the case that I need to move all sorts of information between them quickly and easily. This is where “cloud computing” come to the fore. If you have access to the Internet then you can use some service out there to store your data.

The latest one is Evernote. Much like Microsoft’s Onenote, Evernote give you the ability to create all sorts of free form notes, copy and past information, clip stuff from the web and search it all. The great thing now about Evernote is that fact that it has gone on-line. This now means that I can create notes on any PC and upload then to the Internet. Firstly, this means that I have a backup, secondly it also means I can access them from any Internet connected PC. Even better Evernote has mobile and web versions. This means you can create and save Evernote information on your mobile, have it sync with the Internet and then access it from another PC. With the web interface you can simply log into a web page and create and edit notes and again have it sync with your desktop.

This is proving to be a real productivity gain because now if I need to make notes or take a screen shot when I’m out at a client’s site I can do so in Evernote and know that I will be able to access that information when I return to the office later. No more messy pen and paper or sending emails, I simply access the web interface of Evernote and copy my information there. Simple. I also really like the availability of Evernote on my Windows Mobile device, simply because it can upload to the Internet and then I can access that information from anywhere. Now where ever I am I can document and capture information about what I’m doing, store it centrally but access it anywhere I have a PC or Internet access.

So what’s the cost? At the moment Evernote is in beta so it is free! Even when it launches I’m pretty sure I’m going to pay money for the service since it so handy. You can sign up for an invite to the beta at the Evernote site or send me an email (robert@saturnalliance.com.au) and I’ll send you an invite from my account.

The difference between IT and real people?

One simple word “No”. Seems that every time you talk to someone in IT they are always saying “no” or being negative. What do I mean? I was talking to a friend who is a developer and I mentioned that Picasa is not only free and a great way to organize your images BUT also provides online storage. Why the hell would you store those bulky pictures on your own equipment when you can get someone else to do it? I asked.

The immediate reaction to my suggestion was “What about this …” and “What about that…”. Come on man, enough with the negative waves dude! But afterwards it got me to thinking about how negative IT people can be. They always seem to be raising issues, always saying that something like that isn’t secure and telling you how much trouble it is. Most users can’t understand why something simple can’t easily be added to a program. Truth be told that in the IT business the simple things are usually the hardest to implement. So any idea a user may suggest will be seen by an IT person as simply more work. It may seem simple to the real person but only an IT person truly understands what’s involved.

This leads me to believe that these days “real” people are simply bypassing IT people and forging ahead with what they want to do regardless of the consequences. They would say,”I want to listen to music so I’ll download and install iTunes” or “I want to communicate with others, so I’ll access facebook” and so on. Because the Internet not only allows you to access information quickly but also to find it quickly, those people who think they understand the technology are quickly being bypassed by people “who just can’t wait”.

Will real people and IT people ever see eye to eye? I doubt it. Why? Simple, the Internet is creating a level playing field where people with very little knowledge can do stuff that used to take heap of knowledge. If you are an IT person who reckons you know a lot, consider how many places there are on the Internet that give more detail about anything you care to name. Now consider how fast this amount of information is growing. So no longer do I need the knowledge, I simply need to know how to find it. Yes?

Windows Sharepoint Services Operations Guide – Free download

I have uploaded the first chapter of my Windows Sharepoint Services Operations Guide and made it available for free download. This chapter will give you a better idea of exactly what the Guide contains. To download Chapter 1, simply click here.

As the plan for the Guide is to be a work in progress Chapter 1 is now Version 1.00. As additional information is added I will upload updated versions of the chapter. I have decided to release what I have completed so far on the Guide for the simple reason I want to gauge the demand for this out in the market. Hopefully there will be enough demand for me to warrant giving the unfinished parts of the guide more priority.

I believe that most people will find the guide to save them a lot of time if they are planning on configuring Sharepoint. There are plenty of tricks and traps that I have discovered over the years from my own experience and from the Internet. A good example is what I have been working on lately. I have been testing the migration from Sharepoint v2 on SBS 2003 (i.e. http://companyweb) into Sharepoint v3 installed on the same SBS machine. The migration to SBS Premium with SQL isn’t too hard but on SBS Standard with Windows Internal Database, well that is another story. It has taken me many, many hours to develop and document a procedure that works and is relatively quick and easy. That is where I think the real value of the Guide lies.

So, even if you have no interest in the Guide download Chapter 1 and have a look and let me know if there anything else you feel that I should be covering. My aim is to make it the best possible source for Sharepoint (especially on Small Business Server) and appreciate any feedback (robert@saturnalliance.com.au) you can give me.

Is knowing how to search more important?

When you need to know something these days where do you go? Google (sorry Microsoft but that’s the fact). Now the good thing about Google is that it returns just about everything that matches your search, which conversely is also the problem with it. I know lots of people who say they can’t find ANYTHING with Google. The reason why? They have no idea how to use Google properly. I doubt whether many people have read about the advanced search features Google offers. All they do is type the first thing that come into their head into the search box and expect what they want to be on the first page.

I think that I am getting pretty good at finding what I want these days. Typically, it does take some time, some refining and bouncing from site to site but eventually I do find it. Case in point. I was looking for some information on using the command stsadm -addcontentdb and Windows Internal Database (microsoft/ssee##) and Windows Sharepoint v3. After some refining I found a site that didn’t give me the answer but gave me enough clues to deduct a solution that worked. Yeah. Now, is it fair to say that I’m a good searcher or a deducer? With the power of Internet search these days I’m pretty sure that the answer you are looking for is out there BUT first you have to find it. Then typically the search results you get is usually not a direct solution to your problem, you gotta apply a bit of lateral thinking to find the solution that you require.

Now perhaps I do have an advantage being qualified as an Electrical Engineer and perhaps all those years at university did actually provide me some benefit in the methods I use today to locate information. To be an expert these days you don’t need to know the answer you just have to know where to look. The faster you can obtain an answer the smarter you are I believe. So if you haven’t looked at the advanced search features Google offers then I strongly suggest you do because it will put you ahead of the pack. As for improving you ability to decipher, decrypt and deduce an answer, well that only improves with practice. Remember a craftsman is only as good as their tools and for information workers Google is the tool of choice. So sharpen your skills so you can wield it like a master.

Windows Sharepoint v3 Operations Guide

I’d like to announce the release of my Windows Sharepoint v3 Operations Guide. This guide is specifically aimed at Windows Sharepoint Services (WSS v3) rather than Microsoft Office Sharepoint Services (MOSS) and specifically aimed at Small Business Server (SBS) networks.

The Guide is available in three ways:

– Any one single chapter for AUD$49

– All chapters for AUD$149

– All chapters and DVD of required files updated regularly for AUD$249 annual subscription

All payments can be made via http://donation.saturnalliance.com.au

For more information about the content see:

http://supportweb.ciaops.net.au/Shared%20Documents/wssops.aspx

Much of the content is till in the final stages of completion but the chapters on installation on a Windows Server and SBS are complete. If there is enough demand for what I’m creating then I’ll spend more time working on completing the all the chapters.

Each chapter will include a comprehensive step by step process including screen shots at all the relevant stages. As improvements, updates and enhancements are made they will be included in the product and made available to subscribers immediately. For subscribers the DVD will include the actual Sharepoint installation files, SQL 2005 Express as well as all the relevant documents from Microsoft and myself.

So, have a look and let me know what you think and what you would like to see as I would like to really develop something that is worthwhile to all those working with WSS v3 out there. Keep an eye here as well as the link above as I begin to post more information about what the Guide will contain.

No one seems to know

I’ve been doing some research lately into the different versions of SQL server into which you can store Sharepoint V3 data.

Firstly, you can install it into SQL 2000 but as we all know this version is old hat and not really recommended going forward, but if you have SBS 2003 ( as opposed to SBS 2003 R2 ) then you can still use the version of SQL 2000 that came with it to store Sharepoint V3 data.

Now the recommended method of storing Sharepoint V3 data is in an SQL 2005 server. Right, if you install Sharepoint V3 you are going to get WMSDE database, which from my understanding is a cut down version of SQL 2005. Why do I say that? Well, when WMSDE installs it ALWAYS installs to C:\WINDOWS\SYSMSI\SSEE\MSSQL.2005 enough said. So you can also install Sharepoint v3 into WMSDE, SQL 2005 Express, SQL 2005 Workgroup, SQL 2005 Standard and SQL 2005 Enterprise.

I understand the limitations that have been imposed on each product (which can be found here). Aside from these limitation of database size, memory and processor usage what I don’t understand is whether there is really any difference in performance or otherwise between the different versions of SQL 2005. Interestingly, I can’t find anything or anyone who can tell me!

Why is this an issue? At the high end of the market where there are plenty of dollars it doesn’t matter but at the small business end there is a HUGE difference. Let me illustrate. If you use the inbuilt WMSDE that comes with Sharepoint V3 you don’t pay anything and you get no database size limitation. The major limitation with WMSDE is that it ALWAYS installs onto the C: drive. So, if you don’t want that you need to install Sharepoint V3 onto SQL 2005 Express which can be located on the drive and directory of your choice. But, SQL 2005 Express (which is still free) has a limitation of a 1GB of RAM usage and a 4GB database size. For most small networks this is probably ok but let’s say you have a bigger rollout planned. So, to overcome this you must upgrade to SQL 2005 workgroup. Now you are going to have to go out and buy the server software BUT if you are on SBS 2003R2 Premium you’ll have it included. Again, you can install SQL 2005 workgroup data onto any drive you want but it still does have limitations. SQL 2005 Workgroup has a 3GB RAM limit but no database size limit. The great thing on SBS 2003R2 Premium is that you don’t need any additional client licenses.

What now happens if you want to put Sharepoint V3 on a member server? You can still use WMSDE and SQL 2005 Express for free but if you want to use SQL 2005 workgroup you are going to have to buy the server software as you can’t install the SQL software that comes with SBS 2003R2 Premium on any other server but the SBS server. Although you do have to have to pay for the SQL 2005 Workgroup server software if you are using SBS 2003R2 you automatically have the client rights for this second server, again saving you money. But let’s say that you want to use an SQL version without limitations, then you need to upgrade to SQL 2005 Standard but when you do this you’ll also need to purchase client licenses for each network user who is going to access the server or a per processor license. Don’t forget that the SQL 2005 Standard edition software is pretty expensive. So as a business at the smaller end of town who wants to implement Sharepoint V3 there are some interesting questions.

Putting all that aside, I want to know what is the fundamental performance difference between WMSDE, SQL 2005 Express, SQL 2005 Workgroup and SQL 2005 Standard. I understand all the memory and database limitation but at its most fundamental level can anyone tell me whether there is any REAL difference? Now I can appreciate there is between WMSDE and all the other versions BUT is there really any difference between Express and Workgroup? What about workgroup and standard? Why so I pay so much more for standard just to get no RAM limitation. Surely there must be more to the higher price than that?

Interestingly, as I said before, I am yet to find anyone or anything that can give me hard evidence as to any differences between the versions of SQL apart from those imposed database and memory. I sort of get the impression that they are all the same product under the skin but simply artificially hobbled to create a range of versions for a range of prices.

Am I wrong? Can someone show me something that demonstrates the fundamental performance differences between the different versions of SQL 2005.