Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Exam 70-498 Delivering Continuous Value with Visual Studio Application Lifecycle Management

Published: June 8, 2014
Languages: English, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil)
Audiences: IT professionals
Technology: Visual Studio 2015
Credit toward certification: MCP, MCSD

Skills measured
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Define an effective end-to-end Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) (15-20%)
Understand the value of an end-to-end view of Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools and practices
Understand that an observable problem may be indicative of a more general process issue; explain the difference between optimizing a piece of the ALM process, such as manual testing, and optimizing the entire ALM process
Explain the benefits of fast feedback
Explain the importance of fast feedback related to communicating requirements, explain the benefits of end customer feedback to early software iterations
Implement strategies to reduce end-to-end cycle time
Identify bottlenecks in the delivery process, identify metrics that highlight bottlenecks, create potential solutions whose effectiveness can be validated, understand the relationship between work in process (WIP) and cycle time
Implement strategies to improve software quality
Identify process steps that introduce defects, understand the end-to-end quality process, bring quality efforts early in the development cycle
Implement strategies to reduce waste
Identify wasteful activities, create strategies to eliminate waste, measure the effectiveness of waste removal activities
Create a process improvement plan
Create strategies for implementing organizational change, identify key metrics to be tracked during the improvement effort, create consensus for the change

Preparation resources
Agile software development with Microsoft Visual Studio ALM
Applying ALM with Visual Studio 2012: (02) Define an effective end-to-end software development lifecycle
Adopting Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server for Application Lifecycle Management

Define the ALM process (15-20%)
Role of different ALM processes
Understand the cost and benefits of the key ALM processes, including agile, scrum, waterfall, and Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)
Implement a scrum/agile process
Establish self-organizing teams; holding a scrum/agile planning meeting, hold daily scrums/stand-up meetings, hold retrospective meetings, hold scrum review meetings
Define a scrum/agile process for a team
Establish criteria on when to cancel a sprint/iteration, establish tooling and process for scrum/agile artifacts, establish the scrum definition of "done," determine sprint/iteration length, determine how to handle backlog items/user stories not completed in a sprint/iteration, determine how to monitor sprint/iteration progress, use collaborative tools
Implement Microsoft Solution Framework (MSF) for CMMI process improvement
Establish project drivers (scope-driven, date-driven), assign product requirements to iterations, manage changes, manage issues

Preparation resources
Applying ALM with Visual Studio 2012: (03) Define the ALM process
MSF for Agile Software Development v5.0

Define a software iteration (15-20%)
Plan a release
Identify a flexibility matrix, identify releases based on priority items in flexibility matrix and release criteria, resource planning (scrum team is responsible for allocating team members), identify techniques to optimize a team that is geographically distributed, select a project methodology, risk management
Define a project-tracking process
Plan and manage a portfolio of multiple projects, identify a project tracking tool and an associated process (triage process, bug management), define how to manage effort, determine team forecast management, define a prioritization scheme, determine how to validate project health
Scope a project
Scope the effort for a release, define an architecture design process, define scope boundaries (is/is not list), determine the definition of “done,” define a process when effort estimates are significantly inaccurate

Preparation resources
Applying ALM with Visual Studio 2012: (04) Define a software iteration
Planning an iteration (CMMI)
Reports (SQL Server Reporting Services)

Define end value for the software iteration (15-20%)
Elicit requirements
Define project requirements, review and clarify requirements, define acceptance criteria, define UI platform requirements (web, mobile), assign a business value
Estimate requirements
Manage and assign effort estimates (assign story points); resize user requirements into smaller, manageable pieces; execute task breakdown; estimate the requirements baseline
Document requirements
Define acceptance criteria, list requirements, add requirement details, design UI storyboards
Prioritize requirements
Identify requirements that are critical path, identify must-have requirements, enable the entire team (including customers) to participate in requirements prioritization, identify dependencies

Preparation resources
Managing requirements and user expectations in agile projects
Applying ALM with Visual Studio 2012: (05) Define end value for the software iteration
Develop requirements

Develop customer value with high quality (15-20%)
Define code quality indicators
Perform code review, including security and performance analysis; analyze code for common defects; calculate code coverage; perform architecture validation
Incorporate unit testing
Establish unit test standards, develop a strategy for adding unit tests to existing applications, select the unit test type, establish the code coverage target, use shims and stubs to isolate your application
Develop code
Develop maintainable code; define coding standards; define application architecture; define configuration management process and tooling, including source control tree, branching strategy, solution structure, source control/check-in policy; manage multiple repositories using Git; use architecture, model, and design tools; use quality and diagnostic tools
Validate quality
Organize test artifacts, such as test cases, suites, plans, and requirements; define test strategy; manage test execution; perform cloud-based load testing; identify test types and associated tools; identify and configure environments; analyze test runs
Customize a team project
Customize a work item, customize work item queries, customize Team Portal, identify areas and iterations, manage roles and associated permissions

Preparation resources
Applying ALM with Visual Studio 2012: (06) Develop customer value with high quality
Verifying code by using unit tests
Customize team projects and processes

Integrate development and operations (15-20%)
Implement an automated deployment process
Architect an automated build and deploy workflow, integrate automated tests, automate deployment into both test and production environments, review diagnostic logs for builds, manage releases including Release Management
Implement pre-production environments
Automate the creation of virtual test lab environments, automate deployment into virtual test environments
Manage feedback between development and operations
Implement tools to simplify communication; identify, measure, and report key analytics and performance indicators, such as cycle time and mean time to repair (MTTR); create appropriate shared artifacts and process to facilitate communication; standardize required artifacts for defect reports; create strategies for test case reuse (both automated and manual) in production; monitor an application in production to optimize usage and performance
Troubleshoot production issues
Gather defect data from bugs in a production setting, provide actionable data to the development team, monitor applications running in production for potential issues, manage incident response times collaboratively between development and operations, use Application Insights appropriately

Preparation resources
Applying ALM with Visual Studio 2012: (07) Integrate development and operations
Setting up test machines to run tests or collect data
DevOps: Integrating development and operations for the last mile velocity



QUESTION 1
You are utilizing the Microsoft Visual Studio Scrum 2.0 process template.
Your development team uses the storyboard feature in Visual Studio 2012.
You need to ensure that there is consistency of user interface between different features of the product.
What should you do?

A. Create a design guide document with images of sample standard layouts. Provide a copy of this document to all team members.
B. Create custom storyboard shapes by using Microsoft PowerPoint that match your corporate standard user interface (UI) controls. Export these and make them available to the team as an import for use in all storyboards.
C. Create custom storyboard shapes in PowerPoint that match your corporate standard UI controls. Save the results as a PowerPoint template in the SharePoint site associated with the Team project collection. Instruct team members to import the shapes.
D. Create images of your UI controls as GIF/JPEG files that match your corporate standard UI controls. Export these and make them available to the team as an import for use in all storyboards.

Answer: B


QUESTION 2
You manage a software development project that includes multiple feature teams. The teams integrate their code into a shared code repository as frequently as possible.
You plan to configure a build definition by using the default build process template (DefaultTemplate.xaml).
You need to know when a check-in from a feature team has broken the build or caused a test to fail, without impacting the feature team.
What should you do?

A. Set the Analyze Test Impact parameter to True in the build process template.
B. Set the build trigger to Continuous Integration and enable automated testing.
C. Add the Builds check-in policy to your team project.
D. Create a shelveset command for pending changes. Queue a build using the latest source with the shelveset parameter.

Answer: B

QUESTION 3
You are a scrum master.
You need to lead the daily scrum meeting.
Which three questions should you ask? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose three.)

A. What will be done before the next meeting?
B. What went well?
C. What has been accomplished since the last meeting?
D. Are there any potential improvements?
E. What obstacles are in the way?
F. Is the burndown up to date?

Answer: A,C,E


QUESTION 4
You manage a project that has three teams working in parallel on a single codebase using a Scrum process methodology.
You need to ensure that each team can manage work separately while editing a shared code base.
What should you do?

A. Within a single team project, create separate iteration paths for each team. Assign each team member to their respective iteration path.
B. Create a team project for each team, assigning different team members to each team project.
C. Within a single team project, create three teams. Assign each team member to their respective teams.
D. Create a team project for each team, assigning all team members to each team project.

Answer: C


QUESTION 5
Your development team is using the Microsoft Solution Framework (MSF) for Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Process Improvement 6.0 process template.
The team has identified all of the acceptance criteria for a new application. This data currently resides in a series of spreadsheets.
You need to enter the criteria into TFS for team traceability and tracking.
Which two actions should you perform? (Each correct answer presents part of the solution. Choose two.)

A. Create test case work items for each criterion in the spreadsheet. Link the test case work items with the work item(s) for the appropriate requirements.
B. Create Requirement work items.
C. Create a new task work item for each criterion in the spreadsheet. Set the Triage attribute for each task work item to Information Received.
D. Create a new quality of service test case work item for each criterion in the spreadsheet. Link the quality of service test case work items with the work item(s) for the appropriate requirements.

Answer: A,B

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

400-051 CCIE Collaboration


QUESTION 1
Company ABC is planning to migrate from MCS-hosted Cisco Unified Communications Manager
applications to Cisco UC on UCS B-Series servers. Which statement about installation media
support is true for this migration?

A. The install log can be written to a USB flash drive that is attached to the UCS server.
B. The answer file that is generated by the Answer File Generator (platformConfig.xml) can be
read from a USB flash drive to perform an unattended installation on the UCS server.
C. The Cisco Music on Hold USB audio sound card can be mapped to a virtual USB port on a
VMware virtual machine on the UCS server.
D. The answer file that is generated by the Answer File Generator (platformConfig.xml) can be
read from an FLP image that is mounted in a virtual floppy drive.
E. The Cisco Music on Hold USB audio sound card can be mapped to a virtual serial port on a
VMware virtual machine on the UCS server.

Answer: D

Explanation:
Using the AFG will allow you to get this license mac before even touching the server. It is provided
after filling in the main form of the AFG but it can also be found by looking at the last few lines of
your platformconfig.xml file.
Once you have the xml files, you will need to map those to the floppy drive of the VM (no usb
support on the VM OVA). There are many ways to do this. I simply use a freeware virtual floppy
app that I drop the platformconfig.xml file on and then copy the*.flp image out to the datastore. I’ll
end up with a directory on my datastore called AFG that has the host named *.flp images that I will
use during install. It also serves as archival of these files in the event the server needs to be reimaged.
This is important because the license mac will change if every parameteris not entered
exactly as it was prior. If the license mac changes, you will have to go through the process of
requesting new license files to be generated.
Reference:http://angryciscoguy.com/jello/cisco-answer-file-generator-to-the-rescue/


QUESTION 2
Which statement about the Cisco UC on UCS TRC and the third-party server specs-based
virtualization support model is true?

A. Both the UC on UCS TRC and the third-party servers spec-based support models have rulebased
approaches.
B. The UC on UCS TRC support model has a rule-based approach and the third-party servers
spec-based support model has a configuration-based approach.
C. The UC on UCS TRC support model requires a high level of virtualization experience while the
third-party server spec-based support model requires a low to medium level virtualization
experience.
D. VMware vCenter is mandatory for the UC on UCS TRC support model but it is optional for the
third-party server spec-based support model.
E. VMware vCenter is optional for the UC on UCS TRC support model but it is mandatory for the
third-party server spec-based support model.

Answer: E

Explanation:
VMware vCenter is
Reference:http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Unified_Communications_VMware_Requirements


QUESTION 3
Which definition is included in a Cisco UC on UCS TRC?

A. storage arrays such as those from EMC or NetApp, if applicable
B. configuration of virtual-to-physical network interface mapping
C. step-by-step procedures for hardware BIOS, firmware, drivers, and RAID setup
D. server model and local components (CPU, RAM, adapters, local storage) at the part number
level
E. configuration settings and patch recommendations for VMware software

Answer: D

Explanation:
What does a TRC definition include?
Reference:http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/UC_Virtualization_Supported_Hardware#UC_on_UCS_Te
sted_Reference_Configurations


QUESTION 4
Which capability is supported by Cisco Discovery Protocol but not by LLDP-MED?

A. LAN speed and duplex discovery
B. Network policy discovery
C. Location identification discovery
D. Power discovery
E. Trust extension

Answer: E

Explanation:
Cisco Discovery Protocol provides an additional capability not found in LLDP-MED that allows the
switch to extend trust to the phone. In this case, the phone is now trusted to mark the packets
received on the PC port accordingly. This feature can be used to off-load the switch because now
it does not need to police the information being received from the phone.


QUESTION 5
Which two mechanisms does Cisco EnergyWise use for neighbor discovery? (Choose two.)

A. multicast
B. LLDP-MED
C. UDP broadcast
D. Cisco Discovery Protocol
E. TCP

Answer: C,D

Explanation:
Cisco EnergyWise Neighbor Discovery Process
The Cisco EnergyWise neighbor discovery process is the mechanism by which domain members
discover each other and populate their Cisco EnergyWise neighbor tables. Cisco EnergyWise
queries can subsequently be distributed to all domain members using the neighbor relationships to
monitor and control the power usage of devices within a domain. Cisco EnergyWise domain
members automatically discover their neighbors through one of two mechanisms:
•Cisco EnergyWise UDP broadcast packet
•Cisco EnergyWise CDP packets
UDP broadcast packets are automatically sent out switch ports which support Cisco EnergyWise,
regardless of whether the interfaces are configured with the no energywise interface-level
command. CDP packets are sent when CDP is configured for the switch ports.
Reference:http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/solutions/Enterprise/Borderless_Networks/Energy_M
anagement/energywisedg.html?referring_site=smartnavRD#wp555927


QUESTION 6
Which protocol does the Cisco Prime LAN Management Solution application use to communicate
with Cisco EnergyWise domain members?

A. UDP broadcast
B. Cisco Discovery Protocol
C. UDP unicast
D. TCP
E. multicast

Answer: D

Explanation:
Cisco Prime LMS 4.1 uses TCP port 43440.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Microsoft Urges Users to Patch Internet Explorer Flaw

The company says a vulnerability in its Web browser could allow hackers to take control of a PC. The patch will give Microsoft time to develop a more complete repair.

Microsoft is urging users of its Internet Explorer Web browser to download a temporary patch to prevent hackers from possibly taking control of their PCs.

The company posted a security advisory late in the day Sept. 17 advising users to download the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) if their browser is Internet Explorer versions 6 through 9. IE 10, which will be included in the coming Windows 8 operating system, is not affected. Microsoft provides step-by-step instructions on how to download the tool and deploy it.

However, a Reuters news report quotes some computer security experts as saying that the patch might be too difficult for the average computer user to configure and that an easier alternative is to simply download another browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Opera Software’s Opera browser.

A researcher in Luxembourg discovered the flaw Sept. 14 when his PC was infected by a piece of malicious software known as “Poison Ivy” that hackers use to steal data or take remote control of PCs, Reuters reported.

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The threat is described as a “zero-day vulnerability,” which is computer-speak for a vulnerability that was previously unknown. If a user with a vulnerable browser visits a Website and clicks on a link, malicious code could be downloaded onto their computer.

“We have received reports of only a small number of targeted attacks and are working to develop a security update to address this issue,” read a blog post by Yunsun Wee, director of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Group. Wee described the EMET as a “workaround” that will protect a user’s computer until a more permanent fix is developed.

Besides deploying EMET, Microsoft also advises users to set Internet and local intranet security zone settings to "High" to block ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting in these zones. These settings can be found in the control panel of the Windows XP, Vista or 7 operating systems. However, it notes that while taking that step will help prevent exploitation, it may affect usability. Microsoft, therefore, says that trusted sites should be added to the Internet Explorer Trusted Sites zone to minimize disruption.

The most recent Microsoft Patch Tuesday, the once-a-month announcement of the latest security updates, was Sept. 11.

Internet Explorer is the most used Web browser with a 53.9 percent share of the market globally, according to NetApplications.com.

Microsoft took the opportunity to remind consumers of the steps they should always take when accessing the Internet on their computers: enable a firewall, apply all software updates and install antivirus and anti-spyware software.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

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Saturday, August 18, 2012

Google raises ante for next Chrome hacking contest to $2M

Google yesterday said it will pay up to $2 million for major vulnerabilities in its Chrome browser at a second Pwnium hacking contest this fall.

Pwn2Own, a rival contest sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, will award as much as $200,000 in a mobile-specific challenge slated to run several weeks earlier.

Google's Pwnium 2 will take place at the Hack In The Box security conference on Oct. 10 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Like the inaugural Pwnium, which Google sponsored in March at the CanSecWest conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, the upcoming challenge will pit researchers against the then-current version of Chrome. Vulnerability and exploit experts who demonstrate exploits of previously-unknown bugs will be eligible for awards of up to $60,000 for each flaw.

For what Google calls a "full Chrome exploit" -- one that successfully hacks Chrome on Windows 7 using only vulnerabilities in Chrome itself -- Google will pay $60,000 -- the same amount it handed out at the first Pwnium.

A partial exploit that uses one bug within Chrome and one or more others -- perhaps in Windows -- will earn a researcher $50,000, a 25% increase over the same category in the CanSecWest contest. Finally, Google will pay $40,000 for any "non-Chrome" exploit that doesn't involve the browser, but reveals a flaw in, for example, Windows or Adobe's Flash Player -- which is bundled with Chrome.

Google also added a new class of awards for incomplete exploits. "We want to reward people who get 'part way' as we could definitely learn from this work," Chris Evans, a software engineer on the Chrome security team, said in a Wednesday post to Google's Chromium Blog. "Our rewards panel will judge any such works as generously as we can."

The company committed up to $2 million total to Pwnium 2, twice the maximum it risked for the original. It's unlikely it will end up paying anywhere near $2 million; in March, it wrote checks totaling $120,000, or 12% of the $1 million limit.

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To claim any award except in the "incomplete" category, researchers must not only pinpoint the vulnerability but also provide working exploit code to Google.

Evans repeated what Google had said earlier, that the original Pwn2Own was a success. "We were able to make Chromium significantly stronger based on what we learned," he said, referring to the name of the open-source project run by Google that then feeds code into Chrome itself

Both researchers who won $60,000 prizes at the March event -- Sergey Glazunov and someone identified only as "PinkiePie" -- also took home the Pwnie Award last month in the "Best Client-Side Bug" category for their Chrome work.

Another hacking contest will take place several weeks before Pwnium 2.

HP's TippingPoint will run a mobile-only version of its annual Pwn2Own in Amsterdam Sept. 19-20 at the EUSecWest security conference, where hackers will face off against Apple, Nokia, RIM and Samsung smartphones.

TippingPoint's Zero Day Initiative bug-buying program will host the event, with help from sponsors AT&T and RIM, the struggling maker of the BlackBerry. Prizes total $200,000, a record for Pwn2Own, with the top-dollar award of $100,000 going to the first researcher who demonstrates a hack of cellular baseband, the silicon inside mobile phones that connects them to carrier networks.

Other rewards will be handed out to the first to hack NFC (near field communication), the communications protocol being promoted for mobile payments, and SMS (short message service), the text-messaging service.

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Saturday, August 11, 2012

Why Acer is wrong about Microsoft Surface

Acer's CEO tells Microsoft to 'think twice' about building tablets because it's "not something you are good at"

Computerworld - Acer CEO Campbell Kan slammed Microsoft this week, telling a newspaper reporter that Microsoft should "think twice" about its decision to make Surface touch tablets.

"It is not something you are good at so please think twice," he said.

Oh, really?

I think Kan should think twice about that statement. If he did, he'd realize that's he's totally wrong.
Microsoft hardware is better than Microsoft software

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Everybody calls Microsoft a software company, but of course Microsoft makes hardware, too. In fact, Microsoft has been making PC hardware for longer than Acer has. When Microsoft started designing and making mice in 1982, "Acer" was called "Multitech" and was still an electronic components distributor.

On average, Microsoft hardware fares far better than Microsoft software, either critically or commercially or both. Yes, the number of historical Microsoft software products dwarfs the number of hardware products, but Microsoft's hits-to-flops ratio is vastly better in hardware.

If you were to stop people on the street and ask them which Microsoft product is the best in its class, or ask them which Microsoft product they "love," the answer in both cases would probably be: Xbox 360.

Microsoft's track record on hardware is pretty amazing. Its mice and keyboards are among the best-selling ever. (I personally prefer Microsoft mice above all others, and even use one with my MacBook Pro.)

Microsoft's LifeCam webcams and LifeChat headsets are super good products for the money.

And Microsoft's SideWinder line of gaming peripherals are pretty great, too.

And remember the Zune? This little digital media player flopped in the market, mostly because Microsoft got it right just as the category itself was being killed off by smartphones, which replaced stand-alone media players.

If you don't remember the praise given this ill-fated gadget, remember what Engadget's Joshua Topolsky said about Zune hardware in 2009. He called it "incredibly sexy," "sleek," "smartly put together," and concluded that he's "taken with it."

Perhaps most devastating to Acer's case, however, is the interactive coffee table formerly known as Surface, now called PixelSense.

The original Surface, with its incredibly advanced multi-touch user interface, shipped before Apple's first multi-touch device, the iPhone.

The PixelSense is truly awesome multi-touch technology. The only major commercial company that can come anywhere close to Microsoft in designing large multitouch appliances is Jeff Han's company, Perceptive Pixel. Microsoft just bought the company!

So what part of Kan's statement is true? When Kan said: "It is not something you are good at," what does he mean by "it"?

Microsoft makes the best advanced-interface gaming appliance on the market. Microsoft makes the best large multitouch appliances on the market. And Microsoft has a killer track record in designing, making and selling hardware.

Sure, Microsoft is still making billions on software. From a business perspective, Microsoft is still a very successful software company.

But in the past 10 years, all of Microsoft's "hot" products -- the ones that lead categories, get rave reviews and engender loyal fans -- are hardware products.
Microsoft hardware is better than Acer hardware

Implicit in Kan's criticism is that companies like Acer are good at making touch tablets, while Microsoft is not.

Really?

Over the years, Acer has made some very good, very solid laptops. The company has also made pretty good desktops and tablets.

But Acer has never made a single hardware product that's groundbreaking, category leading or even exciting -- unlike Microsoft.

Acer products are solid, but bland and safe. Acer industrial design is clunky and unsophisticated and firmly stuck in the PC world of the 1990s.

Acer makes precisely the kind of hardware that has zero chance of success in Apple's iPad-driven, post-PC world.

Unlike the many laptops that Acer is best known for among users, Microsoft's Xbox 360 is in the same generational category as the Microsoft Surface. And what I mean by that is that the Xbox is really a post-PC appliance that puts a serious emphasis on innovative next-generation user interfaces.

While Acer specializes in yesterday's PCs, Microsoft makes the most advanced user interface device in the world, in the sense that Xbox uses high-definition haptic feedback, motion gesture command, voice command and more, and all this in a low-cost consumer appliance that has generated a loyal and serious fan base.

What has Acer ever built that's anywhere near as good or as advanced or exciting or as category-leading as the Xbox?

Nothing! Ever!
OEMs aren't loyal anyway

In addition to falsely stating that hardware is not something Microsoft is good at, Kan said in the same interview that "If Microsoft... is going to do hardware business, what should we do? Should we still rely on Microsoft, or should we find other alternatives?"

He's basically saying that if Microsoft is going to compete against OEMs like Acer, maybe OEMs like Acer should stop being loyal to Microsoft and look for alternatives to Windows.

My question is: What is Kan smoking? Microsoft partners in general, and Acer in particular, are perfectly disloyal to Microsoft, and have been pursuing alternatives for years.

Acer sells Linux PCs without much success. Most of the company's Acer Iconia tablets run Google's Android platform.

Is Acer's CEO unaware that Acer sells Linux and Android systems as aggressively as they can, yet almost all their revenue comes from Windows systems?

What does it mean to Kan for Acer to "find other alternatives?" Simply give up the majority of its revenue and go with the platforms that are not succeeding for Acer?
Microsoft's new strategy is the best post-PC strategy

Kan slammed Surface. But what he really fears, no doubt, is the whole post-PC world.

The truth is that so far, the post-PC universe is dominated by Apple because in part Apple has the right business model. One company makes the hardware, software and supporting cloud services as one integrated consumer appliance.

So far, this is the only strategy that works in the post-PC world, from a business perspective.

That's probably why Google is hedging its bets with the Motorola purchase, and why Microsoft is doing the same with Surface.

When appliances make their way onto desktops and into enterprises, what's a company like Acer to do?

Acer is probably afraid that Apple and Google and Microsoft will end up running away with the whole market, doing their own hardware tightly integrated with their own software and their own services, leaving the Acers of the world out in the cold.

And that's a rational fear.

Acer isn't afraid that Microsoft can't make great tablets. Acer is afraid that they can.

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