The Commodification of the OS is Complete

Wikipedia:

Commodification occurs as a goods or services market loses differentiation across its supply base, often by the diffusion of the intellectual capital necessary to acquire or produce it efficiently. As such, goods that formerly carried premium margins for market participants have become commodities…

It would be interesting to try and figure out if anyone saw this coming 10 years ago. Today, Microsoft announced that Windows, the last holdout, would be distributed for free with the launch of Windows 10. Some smart people ☺ saw this coming a few years ago — but it had become pretty obvious at that point.

There had to be a Microsoft meeting in the 1990's when some “freak” spoke up at a meeting and said they should give Windows away for free. He or she likely became disenfranchised after this idea was shot down over and over again. I wonder where these people are today. What are they thinking right now? Who’s been pushing for this the longest and is still at the company — that’s a cool person.

How different would our world be if Windows went free in the 1990's? Certainly this would have been a blow to Linux which became the backbone of every Internet giant.

Personally I could care less about Windows. I've been OS X for the last decade and you couldn't pay me to use Windows. But that doesn’t matter. Whatever operating system you prefer, it’s now free! This is huge. I remember in college I couldn't afford Microsoft Office software and it was a real challenge. Today the Windows OS is free, the mobile Office apps are free and the web-based version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are free. In retrospect, this is unbelievable.

Let’s recap the current situation.

Android = free
iOS = free
Chrome OS = free
Linux distros = free
OS X = free
Windows = free

Absolutely freaking amazing. How far we’ve come. I guess the Linux folks had it right the whole time!

Apple’s new iPhones eliminate most reasons to buy an Android device?

Pure Android from the beginning

I have been thinking a lot along the lines of this post from Benedict Evans regarding iOS 8 and Apple’s new iPhones.

I’ve been on Android since day 1, almost literally. At Google’s 2009 I/O conference they had their first hardware giveaway, a HTC device (later sold as the HTC Magic) running a pure version of Android. It was immediately evident that previous Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices were obsolete. It’s been all Nexus since. The Nexus One, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. My Android experience has been excellent as well as atypical. I have always had the most up to date version of Android and never had to mess with skins or bloatware. Personally I would never buy an Android device not running a clean install of the operating system which puts me in a very small minority. I've never had any doubt iPhones were amazing but my Android experience has been amazing as well.

I don’t know what my next device will be, but I will be considering iOS for the first time. There are a few key reasons why.

Extensibility in iOS 8

I think this is the most important new feature of iOS 8. Extensibility is the ability of applications to interact with one another as well as the iOS system itself. Google Voice / Hangouts could have more access to the dialer for example. Gmail could integrate more closely with Drive and Calendar. Dropbox could become a resource to any other application. The potential of this new functionality is limitless.

In the beginning iOS and Android fell into two extremes when it came to ‘extensibility’. Android essentially allowed any other application to do anything - sometimes this was good, sometimes bad. iOS took the opposite approach. With few exceptions, applications were essentially locked inside their own little area. They did not typically have access to iOS system application resources or other applications.

Today we see both Android and iOS moving away from these extremes and towards a common middle ground. Google continues to lock down Android and now Apple is opening up the iOS system. I think these moves are great for the overall quality of the user experience.

A lack of extensibility was the primary reason I never considered iOS.

Screen size

Every iPhone owner I’ve ever asked says they don’t want a larger screen. They are all wrong. My Nexus 5 has a 4.95 inch display and it’s pretty perfect. Easily my favorite device I’ve ever had. The iPhone hardware is amazing, always has been really, and the display terrific as well. That being said, there’s no benefit of the smaller display. Once the iPhone 6 becomes mainstream, the crowd reminiscing about the good old days of smaller displays is going to be very, very, very small. When it comes to displays in your living room or in your pocket, bigger is usually better at least to a point. The iPhone 6 Plus (terrible name) will certainly be too large for many people’s taste. The 4.7” display of the iPhone 6 isn’t too large - it’s just not. People will never look back.

The Nexus 5, and previous devices, ruined the 4” screen size for me. Regardless of how much I liked iOS and Apple's hardware, I would not have bought a device with a 4” display.

Google Integration

This really goes hand-in-hand with extensibility but is worth considering separately given the importance, and popularity, of Google’s mobile apps. I am personally and professionally heavily invested in Google’s services. I depend on them to do my job and make a living.

Over the last 12-18 months we’ve seen Google’s iOS development team really come into its own. In the past it was not uncommon for Android’s functionality to be several months ahead of iOS. Android’s ‘extensibility’ was wide open. Gmail offered a more integrated experience. Google Voice could control all outbound and inbound calling from the system’s dialer - Voice wasn’t a stand alone application that could handle calling, it was THE app handling all calling, texting, voicemail, etc.

Today it’s not uncommon for iOS to receive new functionality first. While Android still leads the way most of the time, the lag for iOS may be days or weeks rather than months. To 99.99999% of people, this difference is now imperceivable. I work with Google’s applications and mobile devices every day. I would have a very hard time coming up with much of a list of areas where Android offers more functionality than iOS across Google’s services.

The Verdict

At this point, I’m not sure. I'll wait to see what Google has in store this fall when we typically see new Nexus hardware. But this is the first time I’ll actually have a decision to make. 

The most important new feature of iOS 8? IMO extensibility

There's nothing particularly fancy about "extensibility", it just means apps can "talk" to each other, and they have more access to the OS. This has been a key design component of Android pretty much since Day 1. Apple has allowed "extensibility" between the core system apps forever. Mail can talk to Calendar for example. 

With iOS 8, Gmail will be able to integrate much better with Drive and Hangouts. Hangouts, should it fully replace Google Voice, may be able to have full access to the system's inbound and outbound calling capabilities. A user could also extend their favorite keyboard app across the entire system.  

Extensibility across iOS is a great win for users. Basically Apple is allowing 3rd party apps and users much more access to the full power and potential of other applications and the operating system, and by extension, no pun intended, to the device's wonderful hardware.

Commodification of the desktop operating system complete

OS X in Windows 7 in Chrome OS on Cr-48

So I read a great post the other day about the commodification of the client operating system. I surprisingly agree with the author. I think that's the way we're headed.

In Amazon style, Amazon would like us to get our commodities from Amazon. Several months ago Amazon released Amazon Workspaces.

Amazon WorkSpaces is a fully managed desktop computing service in the cloud. Amazon WorkSpaces allows customers to easily provision cloud-based desktops that allow end-users to access the documents, applications and resources they need with the device of their choice, including laptops, iPad, Kindle Fire, or Android tablets. With a few clicks in the AWS Management Console, customers can provision a high-quality desktop experience for any number of users at a cost that is highly competitive with traditional desktops and half the cost of most virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions. 

Pretty cool really. Cloud-based desktops were really unheard of before Amazon's release of Workspaces. Virtual desktops? Sure and they're terrible. Hosted desktops? Sure, and they're even worse. True cloud-based desktops before Amazon Workspaces? Nope.

With Workspaces a small business could have always up to date, always secure Windows computers at their beckon call. The device being used by the end user can be a system like Chrome OS which you can't really break. Starting Chrome OS up from scratch takes a few minutes at most.

Around the world today millions of hours will be spent messing with operating systems. Large corporations have entire teams dedicated to desktop support. Our idea of the operating system will soon be a distant memory, no more special or important than the black pen that runs out of ink, quickly interchanged with another without a second thought.

Mavic Crossmax ST on 2012 Specialized Epic Comp

Putting Mavic's 2014 Crossmax ST wheelset on the 2012 Specialized Epic Comp was actually very easy. But I couldn't find much information about the process or compatibility. In hindsight that might be because it's so straight forward but it definitely took some time to figure it out.

First things first, the 2014 wheels are compatible. This Epic is running the stock RockShox Reba RL 29.

You'll need to stop by your local bike shop or order a front quick release skewer, you won't need the rear quick release skewer included with the wheel set.

These adapters need to go on the front wheel. You'll lose the 9 mm (I think) RWS thru axle and switch to a standard quick release.

In the rear you'll remove the 135 mm parts included on the wheel and use the 142 mm adapters included with the wheelset. 

Bottom line, everything you need to get the wheels setup is included with the wheelset, except the front quick release skewer you'll need. I bought one from my local bike shop for $10. 

Gmail hacked?

This is a cross-post from the Umzuzu.com blog. 

The Attack

It usually starts the same way each time, you get an email from one of your contacts, "Hey, I got this weird email from you?" 

You immediately know you didn't send them anything weird or otherwise. You check your sent items for clues. Sometimes clues are right there, sometimes the bad guys have covered their tracks. What do you do now?

Technically speaking you probably weren't hacked but rather phished. In a phishing attack you become the unwitting accomplice, actually handing over both your username and password. The images below show the attack email and phishing site that's been making the rounds the past few weeks.

OFTEN THE EMAIL WILL COME FROM A "TRUSTED" OR KNOWN CONTACT AS THE ATTACKER LEVERAGES THE CONTACTS SAVED WITHIN THE VICTIM'S ACCOUNT. 

Stranger Danger

I've shown this site to several people and many of them say if the site was from a trusted person, they'd probably hand their credentials over by attempting to "sign-in".

This site is simply a form that might as well say, "give me your username and password so I can phish your account". If there is ever any doubt, never provide credentials. 

This site offers many clues that can help us determine it's part of a phishing attack. (Click here to enlarge). 

The Response

You've confirmed or strongly suspect someone besides yourself is leveraging your Gmail account to send email. What next? 

Change your Gmail password

You can do so here: https://accounts.google.com/b/0/EditPasswd or from your Gmail Settings: 

1. Open Gmail.
2. Click the gear in the top right.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click the Accounts tab at the top.
5. Click Change password in the “Change account settings” section.
6. Type your current password and your new password. We highly recommend you create a unique password - one that you don't use for any other websites. See more password tips below.
7. Click Change password.

There are also several other ways to access your Account's Security settings. 

Review your Security Settings

You can find them here: https://www.google.com/settings/security 

Review, confirm and update your 'Recovery & alerts' information as needed. This is a great opportunity to review these settings in detail to make sure everything is up to date. 

Check your Gmail Filters

The more sophisticated attacks will often configure Gmail Filters to hide evidence of the intrusion, continue to leverage your account for nefarious activities or attempt to regain access. If a Filter does not look familiar, Delete it. 

To edit or delete existing filters

1. Open Gmail.
2. Click the gear in the top right.
3. Select Settings.
4. Click the Filters tab.
5. Find the filter you'd like to change and click edit or delete to remove the filter.
6. If you're editing the filter, enter the updated criteria for the filter in the appropriate fields, and click Continue.
7. Update any actions and click the Update filter button.

Check your Gmail Contacts

It's becoming more common for the attacker to delete the victim's Contacts. We assume this is to keep the victim from warning other potential victims before the phishing emails have a chance of snaring more victims. If your Contacts have been Deleted, leverage Gmail's 'Restore contacts...' feature under the 'More' menu. 

Review additional information

If you've followed the steps above your account should be back within your control. Google does provide additional tools that can be leveraged to review additional information. 

From the Gmail footer, you can find 'Last account activity' Details in the bottom right or by visiting 'Recent activity' here: security.google.com (When accessed from Gmail, this feature also allows you to "Sign out all other sessions", very handy if you forget to sign out somewhere.) 

Last account activity will show us the recent login activity for our account - if you see Germany, China, Russia, etc. but happen to be in the United States you know your account was indeed compromised. It is common to see your mobile device log activity from other areas but they should be within the United States and relatively close to your general location.   

Protecting yourself

Leverage two-factor authentication 

Enable 2-Step Verification, commonly called Two-Factor Authentication. You can start the process here.

As Google explains:

2-Step Verification drastically reduces the chances of having the personal information in your Google Account stolen by someone else. Why? Because bad guys would have to not only get your password and your username, they'd have to get a hold of your phone.

Two-factor authentication would have foiled the phishing attack detailed in this post. Once your computer is authenticated you won't have to use two-factor authentication every time but anytime a new computer tries to access your account, two-factor authentication will be required. This strikes a good balance between convenience and security. Today many modern services offer two-factor authentication, you can learn more about other services offering this feature here. 

Never trust an unknown or unexpected login page

If you're going about your business on the web and are unexpectedly asked to provide credentials, stop. Never login to a page you don't recognize or don't expect. Always review the URL of the site requesting credentials. If anything looks 'phishy' close the window and attempt to access the service as you normally would from a trusted URL like Gmail.com or Drive.Google.com  

Leverage a good password

Keep your password secure. Don't share your password with others. In Gmail leverage Delegate Access rather than shared passwords. Don't have a single password for the whole office. If you ever think your password may have been exposed, be proactive and change it. 

Never use your primary email address and password as a username/password combination for other sites. 

Many services will allow (or require) an email address as a username, while convenient this can also be problematic if you use the same password for that site as the associated username for your email account. For example, Forbes was recently attacked by hackers who gained access to everyone's username. 

THE SECURITY MESSAGE CURRENTLY ON FORBES.COM, FEBRUARY 17TH, 2014. 

If your email address here is your primary email address and you used the same password for that email account and Forbes, you're at a greater risk of having your account compromised. While Forbes states that passwords were encrypted we can't know the strength of the encryption or if it was fully implemented. Bottom line, we don't want our primary account password in more places than it has to be. Increased points of exposure and passwords don't mix. 

Chrome OS: The King of Christmas

By most accounts, Chrome OS had a great holiday season. Some have projected Chrome OS captured more than 20% of notebook sales in 2013. Pretty amazing.

No matter how wildly successful Chromebooks become I won't be surprised. The platform deserves all the success that comes its way and then some. Why? Because it's easier.

Chrome OS is the world's simplest operating system, its greatest strength.

It was almost exactly 3 years ago when I received my first Chromebook, a Cr-48.

My initial thoughts:

Chrome OS is basically just a web browser. What's the big deal? This morning I turned on a brand new computer and in less than 5 minutes had access to all of my personal and professional email, all of my personal and professional contacts, all of my calendars, all of my voicemail, chat and all of my chat contacts, video chat, all of my documents, our customer relationship management application, our expense tracking application, project management software, access to all of my social networks and all of my bookmarks from my other computer. Pretty sweet. 

I happened to fire up that Cr-48 tonight, as I do from time to time to test it out. The Cr-48 was intended for testing only, not retail sales to the public. A "throw away" device if you will. I love firing it up to see how it performs.

Interestingly, the Cr-48 has likely improved more than any other piece of technology I've had since 2009. In fact, I think it's the only piece of technology I have that's improved since 2009.  

The MacBook Pro I was using in 2009? Gone. The Android phone I was carrying in 2009? A huge piece of junk (soon I would move to the Nexus devices and never look back). I have several Windows XP machines for work that are running well but they're custom XP configurations. Vista? Please. Windows 7? Never had a need. We do still have my wife's 2008 MacBook and while it's chugging along admirably, it won't improve without serious intervention.

Was the Cr-48 a nice piece of hardware? No, not by any definition. But to me that's what makes its improvement all the more impressive. The Cr-48 has to be one of the most underpowered, cheaply manufactured devices on the planet yet the operating system at its core is still able to improve in more ways than I could even document. 

Windows 8 is the antithesis of Chrome OS. Windows 8 usability is beyond ridiculous, it should qualify for a class action. Most consumers leverage Windows because it was the cheapest option and they don't really care about operating systems. Chrome OS is the perfect hero. Or villain depending on your perspective.