Tomorrow (Tuesday, January 30th) is the big day. That's when Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, long in the making and refinement, and it's Office 2007 suite will be available for purchase by the commonfolk.

Only this time around, you can choose between buying online and downloading or going to the store and picking up a cardboard box and CD. This is the first time the OS and productivity suite have been made available for purchase and download online.

On Tuesday, the Windows Marketplace site will allow you to make your purchase and get that immediate gratification, all from the comfort of you own easy chair (or whatever seat fits the bill). The Marketplace system uses their Digital Locker, which allows you to purchase software online and get back at it later - you can store your purchase online.

Vista delivers some significant and (I think) important security enhancements, so from that standpoint I see it as something akin to a must-have. However, with all the versions being shipped and the relatively complex hardware requirements to review before you purchase, be sure to take the time to see what you really need.

Office 2007 is something I can recommend whole-heartedly. I have been running it for a year or more in betas, and the release version, which I have been using since the day it was made available to volume license customers, is excellent.

What editions can you buy online on Tuesday? Microsoft will let you purchase and download upgrade copies of Windows Vista and and full copies of these Office editions:

• Windows Vista Business
• Windows Vista Home Basic
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• Windows Vista Ultimate
• Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007
• Microsoft Office Professional 2007
• Microsoft Office Standard 2007

(via Trevin)

One thing I've noticed about all the weblogs out there is a significant lack of content on certain topics. Management and dealing with management issues is one example. There are a few out there that are quite good, but it's not a common topic. Probably because it's not exactly exciting, geeky or all that interesting to the average person. Or maybe because managers are afraid to talk publicly about problems they run up against. Or because not many managers blog. Personally, I run across complex issues all the time, and I enjoy talking about them in an appropriate way. I think it makes me a better manager in the long run to hear what others have to say. Hence this weblog entry.

A while back I was meeting with one of the people I work with and discussing the variety of ways communication problems can drag an organization down. It was one of those typically generalized philosophical conversations, the kind I like to think of as learning moments. Some call them teaching moments, which is also accurate, but I like to remember I can (and better) learn while mentoring, too. It's a given that inefficiencies can make it difficult to get things done in business, and inefficiencies in communication can certainly have a significant impact. As we traded thoughts back and forth on the topic, I realized that my compadre was unawaredly mixing two different problems together, and classifying them as one. We stopped for a moment, and I explained to him what I see as the difference between communication and behavior problems. There is a fundamental and critical difference, I pointed out - one that is often overlooked and misunderstood.

We've all known people who say or do things that don't contribute in a positive way to an effective team or organization. Unfortunately we often describe such people as having "communication problems," when in fact what they exhibit is instead a complex set of behavior problems.

Because the two types of issues are fundamentally different (as are the respective solutions), a well-honed ability to recognize the difference between them is an valuable and important management trait for one who has the desire to make changes in this area.

A communication problem exists when there is a process gap or other barrier that makes it impossible to successfully communicate some critical information. For example, in the IT support world, we often wonder why users don't provide us with the information we need to help them. Instead they tell us a life story and pass on a lot of information that won't help us solve the problem, all while leaving out the critical nuggets of data. Then the IT employee wonders why and spends significant time chasing users down and trying to gather the missing details needed to work the issue.

But the communication problem in this case is not the lack of information provided by the customer. Rather it's the lack of a properly-defined process. I suggested, in our hypothetical conversation, that if an IT help desk employee has to regularly perform the same tasks and if the information necessary for success is challenging to gather from users, then the solution should be in doing something to ensure the proper information is collected and that the users know what's needed and expected. That's a communication process. And a well-defined communication process does a couple things: It sets clear, unambiguous expectations and provides a known mechanism to accomplish the activity it defines. It also needs to be reasonable and usable, to be fully successful. Perhaps the IT help desk would deploy a standard form, for example, which collects all of the information required to resolve a class of issue. At that point, once the user population has been made aware of the form and process, it is reasonable to expect the users to take advantage of the tools and instructions provided.

Now, if our information communication process is in place and communicated effectively and sufficiently, yet the people to whom the process applies neglect to do their part, we no longer have a communication problem. At that point, we have graduated to a more complicated class of issue: The behavior problem.

Behavior problems are individual in nature, and are more closely related to personality and situational issues. They're not typically resolvable with processes. Instead, they require individual guidance and potentially some form of discipline. Now, the term "discipline" here does not have to be a negative word. Rather, I use it in the context of behavior and performance management. And what works for one won't always work for the rest. This is the area where the professional manager earns his or her stripes: Working with people to change default behaviors in situations where the behavior cannot work. It's hard work.

Perhaps the most useful set of terms we can keep in mind when it comes to defining the issue and a solution: Communication Management and Behavior Management. Understanding these and knowing the differences are what we really need to be concerned about. That and the fact that even with a good communication method in place, it still takes the people and personalities that can and will work within any processes established to be successful.

What kinds of behavior problems are often confused with communication issues? Well, there's the "that's not what I want" class of problems. And then there's the "I didn't think of it so I can't get behind it" philosophy. Or the "that doesn't apply to me because I decided I didn't want it to" issue. Often behavior problems involve some form or another of what I refer to as "terminal uniqueness" - People who believe that they are different and their jobs, situations, wants, needs, requirements and desires are completely different than those of anyone else, and  that therefore nobody else can possibly understand or make decisions that might affect whatever they're focused on. And there are, of course, many more.

Anyhow, I have a variety of stories from my own management experience (both as related to me personally and with others) that illustrate this point, but one person's examples only help to define the situation in a self-limiting form. Do you have examples of your own experiences where the cliche "communication problem" term has been applied, but in reality the issue was people not playing nice? How do you deal with those situations and people?

And I should finish up by pointing out that I am far from perfect in this area. None of us are. I've not been the easiest person to manage at times over the years, to be sure. But a good healthy conversation helps us all to be aware of what's happening around us and within us, and allows us to learn and grow. So, let's converse.

What do you think?

I ran across the Giveaway of the Day web site the other evening and was intrigued. I've watched it for a few days now and have downloaded a couple of the programs they've offered. Basically, the site has a different piece of commercial software (typically smaller, utility-style stuff but you never know) that they give away for free for 24 hours. The catch, if you can call it that, is that you can only download any given program during its 24-hour offer period, and you have to install it during that period, as well. If you wait and try to install it later (as I did in once case), the product cannot be successfully registered.

But for free, whatcha gonna do, complain? I mean, come on. Heh. This is an interesting vehicle for getting people to check out other software offered by the companies whose software is featured, I suppose (they show examples of other software titles offered by each company with links).

Worth checking out. Be sure - as always - to use caution whenever downloading any software from the Internet. Good antivirus and antispyware software is important to have in place and running before you start downloading stuff. Heck, before you ever use the Internet for that matter.

In addition, the site has a freeware library that contains some interesting stuff as well as a Game Giveaway of the Day site. Same methodology, only it's games you get to play with.

Here are today's software and game give-away's:

The Guardian (in the UK) has a writer who points out that there are 164 branches of Starbucks within five miles of Regent and Wigmore Streets in London. That got me to looking around a bit, and I discovered that within 20 miles of where I work, there are no less than 184 Starbucks stores. Luckily I live in the middle of nowhere, so there's nothing near my home. I used to live right across the street from one until move out here. Talk about pricey!

How much should you be worried? Check out the Starbucks store locater for yourself and see what your situation looks like.

Makes me think... Is Starbucks the new Marlboro? I quit smoking a few years ago...

Okay now people, those of us who grew up elsewhere in snow and ice know what it means to drive in it (and have a bunch of reasons not to). I mean, I learned to drive in three feet of snow ferchrysake... There are times when you just have to restrain yourself. So, if you live in a city where it gets icy once or twice a year, and if the only way you can drive halfway decently is if its dark and cloudy but completely dry on the ground (you know, when even direct sunlight makes you lose control), then please please please please... just don't leave the house when there is snow or ice on the ground. Especially in a vehicle. That nice AWD car or four wheel drive SUV won't help you one little bit as soon as you touch the brakes... But it will dent. There is no force field.

Evidence to support my argument is available by clicking the pretty picture. Please review. TYVM:

(photo from King5 News)

"Elementary teacher Derek Porter witnessed 15 different car
collisions on icy roads outside his Portland apartment
Tuesday morning and caught several on home video."

I know, I know... All us security pros are often looked upon with disdain. We "make your job harder" and "come up with policies and rules that make it impossible to do any work." On those exaggerated points we can agree to disagree. We have to strike a balance, which can be hard to do at times, and below is just one of many, many reasons why. I wish I could discuss all the Bad Things(tm) that cause us to do the things we have to do, but unfortunately that's not always possible.

A recent UTube video shows how a simple browser address typo can result in a complete mess, from a security standpoint. And in the grand scheme of things, this particular security issue is relatively small.

But for the average computer user it's a big deal. Take a look for yourself.

The dramatic accompaniment music is fun (and superfluous), but the threat is real, and not fun. Imagine how you would respond to this problem. Or would you even respond. Many people just pretend it didn't happen and keep on using their computer. I can't tell you how many times someone has told me, "I have a virus son my computer, it's been there for a couple months and it keeps getting worse."

And the whole time they use their computer to do online banking, pay bills, and all those things that should be protected.