OmniUpdate is the leading Web CMS for higher education

If you are a college or university who is looking to upgrade their web sites and user interfaces for the public, students, faculty, and alumni, it is important that you not miss out on considering OmniUpdate as your recommended system and tool of choice.  OmniUpdate is the leading Web Content Management System (CMS) for the higher education vertical market.  After my investigation of this software system, support, training, product offerings, and new features, I continue to find myself duly impressed.  Not only are they nimble evolving their CMSto maximally meet their customer needs, they continue to match new emerging standards from the W3C, they cultivate new partners, and they hold high standards for customer support and training.  Check out this video from the CEO:

http://omniupdate.com

Skpe-Microsoft Integration will first hit Windows Phone and Xbox. Will Lync be next?

It appears the primary path for Skype integration in Microsoft products will first occur in Windows Phone and Xbox.  Will Microsoft Lync be next on the agenda?


http://allthingsd.com/20120531/skypes-tony-bates-says-the-goal-is-to-get-billions-of-active-users/?mod=obnetwork

Cisco worries about Skype, Microsoft Lync integration

The Microsoft purchase of Skype may present some road map issues for business enterprises planning their future Unified Communications services.   It is expected that Microsoft will seek to integrate Skype with MS Lync and reduce interoperability updates with Cisco and other vendors especially in the video calling standards arena.

http://m.zdnet.com/blog/btl/cisco-worries-about-skype-microsoft-lync-integration/69554

Cisco Unified Communications Integration™ for Microsoft Lync

An outstanding article that summarizes many of the features, specifications, and discussion points from integrating Cisco Unified Communications and Microsoft Lync:

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/voicesw/ps6789/ps6836/ps11390/data_sheet_c78-635040_ps11390_Products_Data_Sheet.html

New Internet Taxes from the UN and ITU?

There is a proposal to impose taxes for build out of the Internet infrastructure in remote parts of the globe.  While on the surface this may sound appealing to help those less fortunate, it turns out this is actually an attempt by frustrated international government officials to impose collection of excessive fees for telecom and data usages.  Traditionally, excessive fees and taxes have been charged in the past for phone calls.  But with the advance of Internet and Voice over IP solutions (e.g., Skype) the collection of large usage fees collections have dramatically eroded.  There are a host of problems brought forth by the new proposal to tax Internet usage.  Most fundamental of these are the negative impact on the free flow of information with remote users essentially isolating those who need that free flow to counter the repressive regime in power.

See this article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57449375-83/u.n-could-tax-u.s.-based-web-sites-leaked-docs-show/

Laptop/Tablet Convergence using Windows 8

In Windows 8, the latest version of Microsoft's O/S which is still in beta, it will now be possible to combine a laptop PC and Tablet/iPad functionality inside one device.  Samsung has already accomplished this admirably as is outlined in the attached article.  While this makes sense for laptop/tablets, I still regard as highly unlikely that this kind of convergence can supplant the need for a full-function desktop PC.

See article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57450013-92/windows-8-tweeners-take-on-apple/

Android's one killer feature that trumps iPhone: Alerts!

Android has Apple beat hands down in the usability and methods of their Alerts feature.  This is an area that Apple would be hard pressed to exceed over Android because it would require a full-scale rewrite of their IOS home screen software and operational features.  

I have personally experienced the limitations of the iPhone in the alerts area.  Although the new alerting schema in latest IOS 5.1 release goes a long way towards improvement, it still suffers from severe issues:  inability to delete alerts individually, lack of easy glance-ability to determine overall alerts status, and chronological ordering across all alerts.

See this article for details:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57449969-94/androids-one-killer-feature-that-trumps-the-iphone/?tag=mncol;popPosts

New iPad is a Win. Tablets Will NOT Replace PCs!

Apple announced its new third-generation iPad, which packs a new high-resolution Retina display. “Until you see it you can’t understand how amazing it is”, said CEO Tim Cook.

• Features and Prices.  Apple’s new iPad has a 264PPI Retina display, A5X with quad-core graphics, iSight, 5MP camera, 4G LTE.  The new iPad is priced at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB. And $629, $729, and $829 for 4G. It will be available on March 16th in the US and from March 23 for 32 other countries. The iPad 2 will continue to be sold for $399 in a 16GB flavor and $529 for a WiFi + 3G 16GB model.
• Display Technologies.  The display has four times as many pixels as the iPad 2 display. Apple promotes the new display at length on its iPad Features page.  “When you squeeze four times the pixels into the same space, signals can get crossed, colors become distorted and images get fuzzy. To solve this we had to elevate the pixels onto a different plane and separate from the signals.”  Apple is referring to SHA (Super High Aperture) pixel designs. SHA is a method of increasing aperture ratio by applying approximately a 3 µm thick photo-definable acrylic resin layer to planarize the device and increase the vertical gap between the ITO pixel electrodes and signal lines. This reduces unwanted capacitive coupling and enables the electrode to be extended over the gate and data lines without causing cross talk or affecting image quality. SHA technology was pioneered years ago but adoption was slow due to process complexity and costs. However, as the needs for super high resolution displays for mobile applications have increased, SHA has now become a critical technology.  More than 25% of LCDs have adopted SHA technology and that is likely to grow.
• Business Model.  Apple's business model with the iPad is also a success.  Following a strategy that worked with the iPod, Apple begins by releasing a novel, category-defining product. Then, as rivals scramble for some way to respond, Apple continues to put out slightly better versions every year, each time remaining just out of reach of the competition. Meanwhile it lowers its prices and expands its product lineup, making its devices more accessible to a wider audience. Then, to finish, it finds a way to boost its position through network effects and customer lock-in.  As a result, the iPod maintains a whopping 78 percent dominance of the market share in music players.  Apple is making a tidy profit on iPad tablets while competitors sell at a loss in an attempt to compete (Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook).  Apple owns the hardware, software, service, and a gets a cut of all Apps sold through its App Store.  
• Are we in a Post-PC World?  Apple’s Tim Cook spoke about the company’s role in a ‘post-PC’ world.   “We’re talking about a world where the PC is no longer the center of your digital world,” he said, “but is just another device. The devices you use the most are more portable, more personal, and dramatically easier to use than any PC has ever been. The iPad is reinventing personal computing.”  Last year alone, Apple sold some 172 million of these post-PC devices, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod. 62M of them in the final quarter alone. If you count the iPad as a PC, it outsold every other major manufacturer last quarter with 15.4M units.
• Will Tablets/iPads Replace PC's? - Many are saying that the PC will die and tablets will rein supreme.  This would be a mistake.  PCs are the ubiquitous power work station for business settings and power home use.  Will tablets complement them?  Absolutely.  Even during recent conversations with my technoid friends, it was clear that you still need a PC and that the iPad is a terrific supplemental mobile device that complements your PC.  More and more you will find that the PC sits at the heart as your server system for major processing, storage, and more.  Will there come a time when the tablets will be powerful enough to replace PCs?  Possibly.  At some point, if we feel comfortable enough, we may use the network cloud as our server and storage.  But the input methods and adjunct device for tablets would need to be expanded.   
• Flawed Rationale.  Tablets require expensive prefab design components and wholesale replacement whenever hardware upgrades or maintenance is needed. Locking integrated PC-like components into a tight tablet-like case forces you into custom integrated circuit boards that require wholesale replacement when upgrades or repair is needed. This is a design promoted by manufacturers to increase profits.  
• Advantages of Flexible Ubiquitous PC.  For most of us, it is better to have the advantage that a ubiquitous flexible PC tower provides. Here you can select from among the BEST components at competitive prices for repair, upgrade, replacement, or even to build the best system from scratch. Yes you need to learn a little more about the technology -- but its worth it!   Because (1) you benefit from such learnings in our increasingly high-tech hyper-connected world, and (2) it saves you money!  You can easily upgrade and add new computer capabilities as technology evolves.   We built my system from scratch, researching the best components, buying from NewEgg, ASUS motherboard, Intel Core Duo, Western Digital drives, high reliability, WIFI, and dual O/S booting with vmware. Much more powerful server-like features... at a cheaper cost than a Dell.

Bottom line.  Choose the ubiquitous flexible PC tower as your powerhouse system. There is a place for the miniaturization integration technology of tablets, laptops, and iPhones for mobility computing, but not as your main system.  (Sources:  Apple, Slate, CNET, and more)

Cloud and Mobile Solutions for Business Communications

I've been a fan of Cloud-based Business Communications ever since my team and I drew up designs for an IP-based Centrex Services in the late 1990s while working at the Advanced Technologies division of U S WEST / Qwest service provider.   It's been conventional wisdom that there are too many “PBX” vendors scrapping for a market that was at best growing at historical rates, while new, big players like Microsoft and Cisco were pushing into the market.  The assumption was that weaker, lower-share vendors would get acquired by bigger players.  Instead, we find that many are sticking around: Alcatel-Lucent sold off Genesys to private equity but otherwise hasn't made any moves towards further reduction of their Enterprise business unit.  Siemens Enterprise Communications evidently showed interest in ALU Enterprise but ended up passing on it.  At the same time, SEN seems determined to take a run at growing its market share in North America.  Enterprise communications platform vendors are staying on the field. And if they want to keep viable, they are going to have to expand their vision.  The future communications platform MUST include mobile and cloud solutions.  ShoreTel is a good example of a company to watch that's heading in these right directions within their sweet spot of small/medium enterprises.  Recently, ShoreTel's has made two acquisitions, of Agito Networks last October, and of M5 Networks -- both with a mobile and cloud solutions focus.   Every communications equipment vendor is going to also need to be a service provider as well.  It's not an either/or, it's more of a requirement.   Unified Communications (UC) with a PBX, UC without a PBX, and UC via the cloud.  Interesting choices will be offered as we continue to update investments in communications capabilities for the enterprise customer.  (Research Sources:  Enterprise Connect, etc)

Upgrading to iPhone iOS 5 and migration issues

My upgrade was from the 3gs to 4s iPhone. The driving reasons were: better screen resolution, improved features, faster processor, wifi-based backup and software upgrades, FaceTime and iMessage, and better network in my area by switching from AT&T to Verizon. Another unexpected plus was the trade-in value of my 3gs. Totem was my choice and they gave me $137 via an easy shipping process and PayPal payment.

The nays against were starting another 2 year contract, reported battery loss issues with the 4s, and loss of simultaneous voice and data when using Verizon's CDMA network protocol. The battery loss issues were fixed in Apple's subsequent iOS 5.0.1 release. CDMA or GSM? Cellular network protocols was another way to look at the AT&T or Verizon question. Turns out that the simultaneous voice and data issue with CDMA was mostly a non-issue because you CAN use simultaneous voice and wifi. I'm primarily a wifi user because 802.11g is roughly 6 times faster than 3G. But I did have to give up this capability when using Verizon cellular data.

• AT&T or Verizon?  Switching from AT&T was hard as a past employee of Bell Labs and a long time customer. I also believe that AT&T is on the right trendsetting roads regarding future technology directions and 4G LTE rollouts as described at their presentations at CES and other industry conferences. Their GSM cellular protocol permits simultaneous voice and data AND can be used worldwide. Objectively though it seems that Verizon right now has the better network in the west coast region especially Ventura county. This assessment is based on anecdotal reports of signal strength and user experience of call quality. I've heard the same is true in the Denver, Colorado area. Conclusion: AT&T may be mostly focused on eastern and southern USA region, international, and large city targets whereas Verizon places more emphasis on the western region USA.
• Migration Issues for Apps and Data?  Apple leaves a lot to be desired in this area. I was unexpectedly hit with serious migration issues of apps and data. You would think that a company that prides itself on user interface liquidity would smooth the transitions in upgrading from an older iPhone to a new iPhone. I could design a better migration method for users. It should be as simple as doing a backup of your older iPhone and then a seamless apps environment restore which upgrades the iOS in the process. But no, I had to do a one-by-one app restore as well as recreate my app screen layouts and folders -- totally unacceptable with today's technology. Did Apple really just slop this process together? And where pray tell in iOS 5 is the easy method to turn on/off Bluetooth? Do they really want to cause users to fumble through their settings : general : Bluetooth menus when getting ready to drive with their wireless headset? And why don't News push alerts work after upgrading? Is there really an UDID transfer problem when doing an apps restore from an older iOS? Come on Apple. Where's the quality control and systems test?

CES Trends and Wrap Up

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January at Las Vegas is the technology industry's annual mega convention, bringing together upwards of 140,000 attendees to see the latest and greatest products, services, and Apps -- all the building blocks of our tech-centric, hyper-connected culture.   Key trends at the 2012 CES show include:

• Mobile Smartphones - Hot phones this year included the Nokia Lumia 900, HTC Titan II, Motorola Droid 4, Droid Razr Maxx, and Samsung's Galaxy Nexus. Interestingly, despite expectations, there were not many phones using Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of the Android operating system -- these were largely missing. Instead, 4G LTE, AT&T, and Windows Phone seemed to be the stars of the mobile show.   The Lumina 900 won best of show.  This represents Nokia's return to the U.S. market which has been dominated by Android phones and Apple's iPhone.  Nokia's move here was to partner with Microsoft and run the Windows Phone 7 operating system.  No announcements about which carriers this phone will emerge on, but watch AT&T who is one of the biggest suppliers of Windows Phones.  Latest rumor is the 900 will be available from AT&T in March at $99 with a standard 2 yr contract.
• Networking:  One of the show highlights was the D-Link Amplifi HD Media Router 3000 (DIR-857).   Wireless routers are a critical part of any home network, but they're no longer limited to just converting your home broadband to Wi-Fi. The  DIR-857 serves multiple functions that match our needs today.  For example, the DIR-857 optimizes online video (Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, etc) with blazing dual-band speeds and an "HD Fuel" feature which prioritizes video streams.  Also supports USB 3.0 for optimal connections to connected devices (printers, storage) and an ability to access and manage via a Web browser, iOS, or Android apps!
• Thunderbolt - This is the new high-speed port technology standard from Intel that is starting to be picked up by other manufacturers than just Apple. It is a new trend that promises faster networking and performance interfaces with storage devices and affordable with add-on adapters.
• Best Software/App:  The new BlueStacks for Windows won best in show and will ship preinstalled on Windows 8 machines to bring the entire Android Market to Microsoft's O/S.  It  is expected to ship by the end of 2012.  When Windows 8 launches, more than 400,000 Android apps will be available to users!   BlueStacks is designed to be fully integrated into Windows' new "Metro" interface so your key Android apps can get their own dedicated tile assigned.
• Cloud-based Services and Wi-Fi - Cloud-based storage and services was also a very popular item at CES.   Related to this, there was much talk about 802.11ac, the new Wi-Fi high speed standard (sometimes called 5G Wi-Fi).   Although there were no working devices at the show, all the networking vendors were committed to offering 802.11ac devices this year.
• Ultrabooks - These ultra-thin and light powerful devices seemed to be the new hot consumer trend pushed by the computing industry. New tablets did appear but these were more off brands and not the kind of competition worthy for the iPad. The market dominance of the iPad seems to be unchanged from last year.  Pay special note to the best in show HP Envy 14 Spectre. This device distinguished itself with an all-Gorilla glass lid and palm rest and was clearly one of the sharpest lookers at the show.
• Gorilla Glass 2 - This was a clear winner at CES. Not because it is particularly snazzy in itself, but it has so much promise in what it enables in new products. It promises 20% lighter glass that is thinner, stronger, and enables more light passage and touch sensitivity that will make our new products even more snazzy.
• Tablets:  The ASUS Memo 370T stood out as one of the best tablets at the show.  It's a 7 inch Android tablet powered by a quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 with 1GB RAM, 8 megapixel camera, 16GB storage, HDMI, and 1200 x 800 pixel resolution screen.  Looks like it will give great competition to the Amazon Kindle and other tablets at a price point target around $250.
• Cameras: The big trend for cameras seems to be the move toward  "interchangeable lens cameras" or ILCs which offer much better quality than point-and-shoot and megazoom cameras, but in smaller and lighter form factors than digital SLR cameras.  The Fujifilm X-Pro 1 is it's ILC mirrorless model that won best in show.   This camera incorporates several innovations including a promising new sensor with a color filter array and a hybrid viewfinder, all in a sleek retro design targeted for professionals.
• Home Theater:  The Simple.TV DVR/video streamer won best in show award.  For those who want to cut the dependence on cableTV providers, the Simple.TV DVR might be the next big thing.  It's doesn't have a built-in hard drive or video output (for cost savings) and instead lets you supply your own hard drive, then stream over-the-air TV to the Simple.TV app available on iPad, Roku, Google TV, Boxee. It can even stream over-the-air TV outside your home network if you sign up for their $5/month premium service.
• TVs - 3D is NOT the hot trend it was last year at CES. This year it is Internet-connected TVs with feature-rich options for streaming and gesture-driven or voice-recognition navigation. Microsoft Kinect gesture-driven technology is a clear winner in gaming and as expected is broadening as a general platform for TV and entertainment.  Make sure to note the best in show LG 55EM9800 TV with it's Organic Light-Emitting Display (OLED) technology which offers terrific performance with absolute black levels, excellent viewing angles, ultrafast, and all without the need for backlighting.  This TV has an fantastic picture packed into a frame that's just 4mm thick.  Likely to be very expensive this year, but to high-end customers it might be worth it.
• Best Car Tech:  New Blackberry technology for cars?  Canada's Research In Motion is busy upgrading the next generation of BlackBerry smartphones to a new operating system known as QNX.  But what's also happening is that QNX is being prepped for deployment to cars.  At CES, the QNX-powered dashboard was very impressive with an innovative application of NFC (near-field communication) technology to "instantly and automatically" pair a Bluetooth smartphone!  Also it sported an Ultra HD voice technology that brings stereo CD quality audio to basic phone calls.  There was also Apps integration for both front- and backseat passengers.

  (Research Sources:  CNET, etc)

CES as an AT&T Developers' Summit?

AT&T has made a major effort to expand and enhance its developers summit conference by adding top executives and making some major announcements at the yearly event.  It has also co-located their  summit with the Consumer Electronics Show which is a must-see event for anyone in the technology business.  Last year, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega laid out the company's plan to accelerate its 4G LTE deployment, as well as rebrand its HSPA+ network as a 4G network.  This year's summit is expected to bring more 4G LTE phones, Nokia 900, Windows phones, and a number of Android handsets, as the company looks to provide a spark to its LTE ambitions.  By making the summit a spot for major announcements, the company is raising the profile of the event, drawing even more developers at a time when all of the carriers are trying to rally more to their side.  AT&T announced the launch of its YP Developer Program, which is designed to help developers take advantage of the company's digital yellow pages business.  The program is separate from AT&T's core developer program.  The program will help developers create apps that can access YP's 17 million local listings and 4,600 business categories.  AT&T will be focusing on getting developers to build apps that can run on its network more efficiently, an ongoing push for the company.  Another major theme will be promoting HTML 5 as a standard to create apps. It's one of several companies actively pushing HTML 5.  AT&T has also expanded the number of sessions available to developers, with many them offering tutorials on technical details and a chance to play with the latest devices.  The sessions also include AT&T's partners, including Qualcomm, Microsoft and other vendors.  The event actually started unofficially yesterday with a hackathon, when developers quickly program new apps. It's one of my many such contests AT&T holds each year to promote apps.  (Research Source:  CNET)

CES Hot New Phones and Nokia Returns to USA

Nokia announces the Lumina 900 and Sony the Xperia -- both support the new AT&T LTE high speed network. Xperia has a 1280 x 760 screen resolution -- beautiful! The Lumina has 800 x 480. Both have powerful cameras and long battery life even with the large screens.

The Lumina 900 in particular is a must to watch.  This represents Nokia's return to the U.S. market which has been dominated by Android phones and Apple's iPhone.  Nokia's move here was to partner with Microsoft and run the Windows Phone 7 operating system.

CES 2012 Opens Today! Microsoft's last year.

As as a long time attendee at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I will be looking forward to hearing about the latest industry trends. Much has been made about Microsoft's decision to pull out of CES after 10 years of delivering an opening keynote. They are choosing to follow Apple's lead -- Apple never shows at CES and instead calls a press conference when they have product announcements. Frankly I think it's to Microsoft's disadvantage to not participate. In any case, here's to exciting tech news forthcoming from CES!

Google Voice - Moving in the Right Direction

As one of the original architects of Voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications here in the USA, I just have to express my accolades for Google Voice (GV). I am also expressing this as a long-time user from before it became GV and was known as Grand Central (Google bought them in 2008).  One phone number for Life which links to all you other phones: mobile, landline, office, home.   The VoIP is typically a short-haul too which helps reduce congestion and improves sound quality.  But many other benefits of joining the Internet and telecommunication together in a rich medley of features is present. You can do call filtering, establish call groups, custom greetings for groups, block spam callers, send/receive no cost text messages as data messages, transcribed voice mail that can be forwarded to email, links to your Google Contacts and iPhone directories, and more.

• Using Google Voice.  Perhaps the best way to illustrate the advantages is to describe my own usage. I have GV set up on my home office PC as well as my iPhone linked to my Google Contacts in Gmail. I also have various call groups setup for family, business, friends, etc with custom greetings. I also have a special group for Telemarketers that is immediately blocked and sent to the phone company's standard 404 "phone number not found" greeting. I also use the True Caller app on my iPhone which further blocks telemarketers and helps populate my directory with address, photos, and birthday info from Facebook. My iPhone and Google Contacts are synched in real time by Microsoft Exchange - so any changes I make are populated across both. Finally a directory that makes sense, flows to my devices, linked to my voice, email, and texting services, and is secure and preserved in the cloud.
• Carriers and Google Voice.  As you might predict, the phone companies are upset by Google's foray into Voice Services. They feel unable to compete with Google's "no charge" services. This was illustrated by AT&T's hand in getting Apple to remove the Google Voice apps from iPhones. Fortunately that tactic didn't last long. They have also pursued litigation with the FCC but again Google has been able to fend them off with the data services spin. Being a previous employee of AT&T bell laboratories for 10 years I can understand their concerns about the threat. But a better way to compete would be through innovation rather than attempting to stifle it.

PC Towers to be replaced by Large Screen Tablets?

A current design trend being promoted by manufacturers is to kill the PC Tower. The flawed rationale is that consumers want large screen tablets with integrated computer components and interfaces packed into the tablet case. The idea is that this simplifies cabling, eliminates consumer assembly, provides convenience and a cleaner look.

• Flawed Rationale.  Don't buy into this fallacious thinking! This is a design promoted by manufacturers who want to sap your funds by locking you into expensive prefab design components and tablet replacement whenever hardware upgrades or maintenance is needed. Locking integrated PC components into a tight tablet-like case with a big screen forces you into custom integrated circuit boards that require wholesale replacement when upgrades or repair is needed. And guess what? You have to go back to that manufacturer to get those parts -- so you're locked in as a customer at higher prices! Laptops do this. Think too of the integrated TV and DVD Player products -- what do you do when the DVD Player goes bad? Go back to a manufacturer-certified service center for a high cost repair? This is similar to a strategy that Dell has taken to customize their computer motherboard and other components so you MUST buy upgrade and repairs from them.
• Advantages of Flexible Ubiquitous PC Tower.  For most of us, it is better to have the home court advantage that a ubiquitous flexible PC tower provides. Here you can select from among the BEST components at competitive prices for repair, upgrade, replacement, or even to build the best system from scratch. Yes you need to learn a little more about the technology -- but its worth it!   Because (1) you benefit from such learnings in our increasingly high-tech hyper-connected world, and (2) it saves you money!  You can easily upgrade and add new computer capabilities as technology evolves.   We built my system from scratch, researching the best components, buying from NewEgg, ASUS motherboard, Intel Core Duo, Western Digital drives, high reliability, WIFI, and dual O/S booting with vmware. Much more powerful server-like features than a PC... at a cheaper cost than a Dell.
• Bottom line.  Choose the ubiquitous flexible PC tower as your powerhouse system. There is a place for the miniaturization integration technology of tablets, laptops, and iPhones for mobility computing, but not as your main system. This is especially true for home and small business users. For large business, there may be some rationale because you can negotiate large discounts on manufacturer service plans.

Resolving Microsoft .NET Issues on Windows 7

Recently immersed in Microsoft's .NET infrastructure in the Windows 7 environment (see below for .NET definition) to resolve application software problems.  In past scenarios, I've hired and managed .NET and SQL developers to build applications needed for Operations within the BoA nationwide telecom division.  However, this current experience involves a hands-on repair of .NET framework setup and dependencies to enable proper execution of key Catalyst Control Center applications for ATI/AMD graphics cards.  Began a dialogue with Microsoft .NET engineer Aaron Stebner to get clarity about how to resolve Windows registry errors and .NET framework version installation issues.  It is important to note that the different versions of .NET can either be standalone, interdependent to other versions, or integrated with the OS -- so make sure to clarify and debug based on the particular properties of each layer.  Also utilize the Aaron's setup verification tool to determine which .NET layer is actually the source of the problem.

Wikipedia's .NET definition:  The .NET Framework (pronounced dot net) is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages ... . Programs written for the .NET Framework execute in a software environment ... known as the Common Language Runtime (CLR), an application virtual machine that provides important services such as security, memory management, and exception handling. The class library and the CLR together constitute the .NET Framework.

Learnings from HP's failure with TouchPad & WebOS

Hewlett-Packard (HP)'s resounding failure in 2011 with TouchPad and WebOS products is instructive as a lesson in navigating the pitfalls and successes of emerging technologies.  Touchpad was intended as serious competition to Apple's iPad mobility platforms but it fell flat because of flawed technological underpinnings of the WebOS operating system.  WebOS was the target of HP's $1.2 Billion acquisition of Palm in 2010.   Pitched as the "future direction" of improved linkage between Applications and the Internet -- HP bought the pitch and suffered from a flawed analysis of its potential based on poor non-technical management assessment.  Some say that WebOS was ahead of it's time, a better concept that failed only in implementation.   In truth, there were inherent performance issues in a system that was flawed from the beginning based on the open-systems WebKit.  This was compounded by Palm's rush to market that skimped on development of optimized software libraries and tools as building blocks for applications, and a later twice re-working of those building blocks that frustrated third-party development.  Poor management, evaluation, and investment of resources by both Palm and HP have resulted in a very expensive acquisition that has fallen flat.  The WebOS products direction is all but abandoned now.   For more, see WebOS doomed to fail, say former HP and Palm employees