When the first article with the title “Windows 7 GodMode” appeared in my RSS reader, I didn’t even click it because I already suspected that this was just another blog post that tries to attract attention at any costs. But now, as almost all major news sites reported about this super secret and super powerful Windows 7 feature, I also have to say a word or two about it. Of course, there is no such mode in Windows 7 that would justify the involvement of the term “God” by any means. This “God Mode” is nothing else than an undocumented folder that allows you to access certain Windows configuration applets directly. This just saves you some time because you don’t have to navigate through the Control Panel to reach the corresponding function.

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Shane Shields, a systems’ administrator writing for Toolbox.com, addressed a topic that has already preoccupied me for a while. Why do people often get so emotional in discussions about operating systems? After all, it is only software. Of course, such disputes also took place on 4sysops. The problem with discussions where emotions play an important role is that objectivity gets lost easily. Since 4sysops is a blog for IT professionals, I focus on technical matters most of the time. However, every now and then, I can’t help myself but post one of those articles which are pre-destined to evoke emotional discussions. In this post, I will explain why I do so.

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Some days ago , I outlined why I believe that Mac OS X is no match for Windows 7 when it comes to the decision which OS is the best choice for the corporate network. Today, I want to tell you the main reason why I also wouldn’t use a Mac privately. I just have to let this out publicly at least once. My aversion against Macs has nothing to do with OS features, overpriced hardware, or the ecosystem. You won’t believe it, but it is this “I am a Mac” adverts that I find quite repulsive. Their main message is that if you want to look like a cool, stylish surfer and not like a dumpy business guy, you really need to be a Mac. That is, using a Mac is not enough, you have to show everyone that you are a Mac.

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The Windows community has spoken. The five best Windows websites 2009 are:

WINNER: sevenforums.com
Runner Up 1: windows7center.com
Runner Up 2: 7tutorials.com
Runner Up 3: 4sysops.com
Runner Up 4: maximumpcguides.com

I am honored to have reached the fourth place in a contest where 65 websites have participated. Many thanks to all who voted for 4sysops!

I’ve never believed that I would be among the top five in this contest considering that 4sysops targets only a small group of Windows users whereas most of the other sites have a much broader audience.

However, there are probably quite a few other great Windows websites out there. Feel free to link to your favorite sites (preferably for Windows admins) in a comment. Don’t be ashamed to link to your own Windows website.

The Windows Club is conducting a contest for the best Windows Website 2009. A board of 11 well-known judges narrowed the list from 60+ sites and 4sysops made it somehow into the top ten. Readers can now push their favorite site to the top five finalists by voting for them. I don’t think that 4sysops has a real chance to win the award considering that there are some high-profile sites among the top ten. But it would be nice if I get at least a few votes. However, before you vote for 4sysops in an act of mercy, you should check out the other semi-finalists. Perhaps you find a great new site you didn’t know before.

Here is the complete list (in no particular order):

winhelponline.com, windows7center.com, 4sysops.com, bhandler.spaces.live.com, intowindows.com, maximumpcguides.com, msigeek.com, windowsvalley.com, sevenforums.com, 7tutorials.com

You can also vote here on 4sysops through the widged in the sidebar.

By the way, 4sysops has also been nominated for the Windows IT Pro and SQL Server Magazine 2009 Community Choice Awards (CCA). Nomination has officially ended yesterday, and finalists voting will start on August 17. Don’t worry, I will keep you up-to-date to ensure that you won’t miss this happening.

Thanks to everyone who took part in my survey! The results were quite interesting. This information is important for me because it helps me to improve 4sysops. Some of you submitted comments about my blog; I am publishing them without names at the end of this article.

Most of your comments were quite positive, which surprised me a little. I think this is due to the fact that only those of you who really like my blog were willing to spend some time answering all the questions. If you didn’t take part in the survey, you still have the chance to tell me your opinion of my blog in the comments section below. Critical responses are welcome too! So, if you think that I am a Microsoft fanboy, just go ahead and say it! But do me favor: watch your language. This is a family program. If you don’t want to comment publicly, you can use my contact form.

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Another year of blogging on 4sysops passed by. It was a good year. The number of page views doubled and so did the number of subscribers. So I say thank you to my loyal readers, especially to those who didn’t agree with me often. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might be interested to know which articles have been read most often.

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I wasn’t sure if I should blog about this. You probably wouldn’t find such a post in a traditional publication. But, I think, this is one of the differences between blogging and publishing. Blogging is something personal, whereas publishing is mostly about delivering information.

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I wouldn’t mention it, if I didn’t read this article in the reputable Networkworld. There is a contest going on for the sysadmin of the year 2007. Last year, technical competence was the deciding factor to win this contest. This year, you are also supposed to “record your own vocal track and enhancements to the SysAdmin Rockstar song”. Well, why song writing? Why not a cooking contest? Or what about the sysadmin with the hottest crochet needle?

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Just in case you didn’t watch it yet, these are the highlights of the interview of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Parts of it are quite funny. It is interesting to see how much details they can recall about their early products.

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OSTG (Open Source Technology Group) searches the sysadmin of the year. Among other things, you can earn a trip to Washington DC and a Apple MacBook. Unfortunately, this is a “closed source” competition as it is only “open” to U.S. and Canadian resident IT administrators. It seems that OSTG is not so “open” minded as one might expect. Or is it just because sysops from the rest of the world can’t compete with American sysadmins?

Via Slashdot

Computerworld published some nice user stories of backups gone badly. This is my favorite:

While I was on vacation, a young IT staffer, new to the company, decided to run his own “updated” version of an Oracle backup — wiping out the live database. I had to fly back from Scotland to rebuild the database and restore from backup. Thankfully, only a half-day’s work had to be input — by 30 people!

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I just found this video on YouTube where “Steve Balmer” is praising Windows 1.0. I really had to laugh when I saw this. It is probably a fake, but the difference to the real Balmer is not so big. When I see one of his “shows”, I usually have to laugh, too. I am already looking forward to see his presentation of Windows 6.0.

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As a system administrator you probably know the term “DLL Hell“. Functions of a DLL (dynamic link library) can be invoked by different programs. If the setup of a new application exchanges the DLL with a newer version, other applications might fail. I didn’t experience many DLL related problems recently, but it is certainly good news for system administrators that with .NET and its Global Assembly Cache (GAC) the times in DLL hell are finally over. If you’re a heavy .Netal fan you might enjoy the DLL Hell song which is a song of praise for a new era to come.