Futurelawyer

What A Surprise - Ballmer Dismisses Chrome OS

Microsoft's Ballmer Dismisses Chrome -- InformationWeek. What a surprise. Steve Ballmer dismissed the Chrome OS planned by Google as no competition to Windows 7. For reasons other than those he stated, I have some agreement with him. However, I don't think Windows 7 will be a runaway immediate success either. Of course, with the millions of desktops running Windows, and the number of computer makers who will be selling computers with Windows 7 already installed, I don't think Windows is in any danger of going out of business. The article is correct that many enterprise and business entities are staying with XP; because Vista and 7 don't really add much functionality to the OS. In a business environment, you just want a reliable OS that works, and XP fits that bill.

A Gathering Storm - Cloud Computing And Legal Risk

Lawyers shine light on real cloud concerns | The Wisdom of Clouds - CNET News. Today seems to be my day for clouds and rainstorm metaphors. While cloud computing is a metaphor for web-based software and computing, there are many risks, and not all of them relate to the security of the data as applied to a specific business or application. Will cloud computing make large-scale data attacks more likely? If a cloud computing application is hacked, it eliminates the necessity of hacking thousands and millions of individual computers. Every computer that uses the web-based application will be compromised. The author of this post points out several problems with cloud computing that focus on the difficulties. Lawyers need to strike a balance between the benefits of web-based computing power and efficiency, and the real risks. How do we do that? Baby steps, children, baby steps.

Microsoft plans free, online version of Office

Microsoft plans free, online version of Office - Los Angeles Times. While I have deplored Microsoft's dominance in the past, I am happy to see a spirited competition with Google, since competition is always good for the consumer. Many lawyers use Microsoft Word and Outlook. I use Outlook 2007, in conjunction with Amicus Attorney, to handle my calendaring and contacts, since everything seems to sync with Outlook. I use Word and OpenOffice to read .doc files that others send to me. While I have a Google docs online account, I seldom use online word processors. However, when Microsoft offers a free version of Word online, I might make an exception. As always, the move online seems inevitable, if flawed from a security point of view. When everything is in the cloud, what happens when it rains?

Lane Guide Lender Directory

Lane Guide Lender Directory. One of the cool things about this blog is that I am always getting emails about new (or old) products that are useful to lawyers. The Internet has given new functionality and visibility to some long standing products, formerly only available for big bucks in the print version. A good example is the LaneGuide bank and lender directory. This venerable product, around in print form since 1957 used to require a visit to the library for access. With the Internet, and a small yearly fee, the entire directory is now available online wherever you have Internet access. Need to find out where to send that payoff request? The Guide has over 140,000 lending institutions, with address and contact information at your fingertips. Brave new world.

Google's Chrome OS - Fly On The Wall?

What will Google's Chrome OS watch you do? | Webware - CNET. There's a fly on the wall, and it is watching you. Lawyers who blog talk a lot about the death of privacy on the net. Everything you send over the air, or the net, can be intercepted, used and abused, and just generally messed around with. This always raises lawyer hackles; whom do we sue, and when do we sue them? Additionally, lawyers handle private information on a daily basis, and have a duty to take "reasonable" precautions to keep that data private. Large commercial entities deal with private information as well; health data, financial data, the list is endless. The ease and convenience of using computers and the web to make our lives easier is addictive. Once you have paid your bills online, it is tough to go back to writing checks and licking stamps. I suspect that there will be a backlash against Google's coming Chrome OS for this precise reason. Google will have to prove that an OS that is based upon Internet connections, and Google's control over the data, is safe. Of course, in today's world, safe is a relative term, isn't it?

Cloud Computing - Be Careful Out There

Google App Engine misfires | Webware - CNET. Online applications have a certain attraction; no more worrying about updates to software; access to your programs and data wherever you are, if you have an Internet connection (and who doesn't nowadays?). I have, however, always been wary of enterprise critical applications that rely upon Internet access, for security and reliability reasons. If Google Apps can go down for four hours, who is safe? I will probably never completely trust my essential applications to Internet only access, unless there is offline backup and the ability to run locally in the event of an outage. I strongly support online applications that perform discrete tasks, and which keep a copy of your data on your local machines. I also support Web 2.0 software that mines data and answers from the Web and brings it to you on your local machine. Complete program and data access and storage in the cloud? I don't think so.

View Legal Documents On A Kindle DX?

Web-based litigation support & document management software; litigation SaaS (software-as-a-service). Good friend and advertiser, Gene Albert, whose Lexbe website is a great place to store and view litigation documents, writes to advise me that he has one of the new Kindle DX readers, and sends a photo along to prove how useful it could be to view scanned PDF files of litigation and legal documents. Okay, Gene, you win. This would be a great tool for lawyers who need usable access to their case documents. An iPhone or iPod Touch, my preferred solutions for ereading would be too small for this, I think. Now, if anyone wants to give me $500 to buy one of these, I will be happy to try them out.

VersusLaw - How Much Are You Paying For Legal Research?

VersusLaw ...... For $13.95 a month, you can have access to case law from every Court in the land, with a competent search engine, and an easy to use interface. For $24.95 a month, you get that and more, including a citation search feature. In the old days, we scoured Shepard's Citations in books to do what computers and the Internet now do for us. Versuslaw is the first and the best at putting legal case law research online. The prices are so low, they're insane!

Death To Newspapers - Long Live IPod?

TampaBay Mobile. My readers have been, depending on their point of view, either cursed or blessed by my recent rants and ravings about the death of newspapers. In fact, the paper newspaper is rapidly giving way to a new way of keeping current, the website. Nobody wants to subscribe to a lot of newspapers, and nobody wants all that newsprint laying around either. With apologies to the dogs,cats and birds of the world, I was converted this morning, in a flash. I have long taken three cups of coffee, and a 30 minute stint in my comfortable easy chair to wake up in the morning. I have always thought that a big part of that experience was the tactile feeling of the morning newspaper in my hands, and the smell of fresh newsprint. It can be a pain to hold and turn the large pages of the typical newspaper while reading; however, it was part of a daily ritual that I treasured. At least that is what I thought, until this morning, when, much to my surprise, the morning paper wasn't outside when I went to look for it. What to do? Well, I have been using the iPod Touch as an Ereader lately, and it is great for reading RSS feeds during idle moments. On a whim, I took the Touch to my chair, and fired up the mobile edition of my hometown paper, the St. Petersburg Times. Imagine my amazement when I got all the news in a hand-sized page, while still enjoying my coffee and quiet sojourn in my chair! And, I didn't have to pay for the newsprint version! I have a new tradition, and a new routine. Now, I take my coffee and my iPod Touch to my chair in the morning. If you old-fashioned curmudgeons don't like it, just leave a comment at my blog.

Chuck Newton: Bing Bong Bing

Chuck Newton: Bing Bong Bing. Chuck Newton does a great job in this post analyzing the possible influences of the Microsoft choice of Bing as the new name of its "decision search engine". Of course, since we are both old, we would first think of Bing Crosby when we heard the new name. However, I am sure recent TV fans would also think of the Sopranos' bar in New Jersey. The fact remains that Microsoft has a long way to go if they want to compete with Google. I am certain that nobody will switch because of the name. Chuck is also right that I have a new banner. Change is good. Thanks, Chuck, for noticing.