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Picking a favorite product from an impressive crowd of competitive offerings is never an easy task, and such was the case with our Editors' Best and Community Choice awards this year. The former award program highlights products that Windows IT Pro editors and contributors believe are worthy of recognition, whereas the latter program turned that process over to you, our readers.
Our Community Choice awards allowed readers to decide which products and services were chosen for acclaim and recognition. Rather than presenting a predefined list of products and services that limited your selection to choices our editorial team had already made, this year we decided to open up the process to everyone and let you determine the products and services that were worthy of inclusion in our final voting phase. We also encouraged IT pros to submit comments about why they selected the products they did, so you'll see lots of insightful comments and real-world wisdom from IT pros about their favorite products on the pages that follow.
Unlike last year—when we treated both award programs as separate entities—we decided to merge both of these award programs together this year. We've listed the top three Editors' Best products in each category directly adjacent to our Community Choice winners. Sometimes our editors and readers agree on what products and services were best in a given category, and sometimes they didn't. Yet regardless of whether these winners were picked by editors or readers, one thing is certain: All these awards recognize products and services that are considered the best of the best in their respective categories.
By presenting our Community Choice and Editors' Best award picks next to each other this year, we're hoping we'll encourage some dialogue about the selections that were made. Do you agree with the choices our editors have made? Or do the picks that our readers have made carry more weight? Please let us know what you think by emailing us your comments, or by visiting our online forums and writing a post or two.
Read on for our winners!
Best Free or Open Source IT Tool
Editors' Best
Gold: Spiceworks—Spiceworks (www.spiceworks.com)
Silver: PowerGUI—Quest Software (www.powergui.org)
Bronze: Truecrypt—Truecrypt (www.truecrypt.com)
"Spiceworks is arguably the best of a new breed of free, web-based services for IT pros that combine impressive feature sets with active, online communities of active IT pros." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"Designing and configuring a full-blown SNMP-based network management system (NMS) console can be an expensive and time-consuming process. Spiceworks eliminates the tedium and lowers the up-front cost by delivering an NMS console as a web service hosted offsite." —Mel Beckman, contributing editor, SQL Server Magazine
"There are a lot of PowerShell scripting and GUI tools on the market these days, but PowerGUI remains one of the best, and it's free!" —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Sysinternals Suite—Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
Silver: Adobe Reader—Adobe (www.adobe.com)
Bronze: AVG Free—AVG Technologies (www.avg.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Microsoft's Sysinternals Suite …
"You might not need all of these tools, but the ones you do need are absolutely essential."
"No IT pro can afford to be without these tools."
"A must-have collection for the serious admin."
Best Active Directory and Group Policy Product
Editors' Best
Gold: GPExpert Group Policy Automation Engine 2.0—SDM Software (www.sdmsoftware.com)
Silver: Privilege Manager—BeyondTrust (pm.beyondtrust.com)
Bronze: Group ID Suite—Imanami (www.imanami.com)
"SDM Software's GPExpert Group Policy Automation Engine 2.0 is a tool that helps the Group Policy–challenged manage Group Policy as though they were Group Policy experts."—Caroline Marwitz, associate editor, Windows IT Pro
"SDM products and free utilities allow the most powerful GPO management. SDM Software clearly shows its leadership in Group Policy management products with innovative solutions that no one else provides. The company led the way in automation of Group Policy management with its Group Policy Automation Engine and free PowerShell GPMC cmdlets—which I personally value highly. These technologies were introduced by SDM long before Microsoft provided limited functionality in Windows 7."—Guido Grillenmeier, contributor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Scriptlogic Active Administrator—ScriptLogic (www.scriptlogic.com)
Silver: Group Policy Manager—Quest Software (www.quest.com)
Bronze: Active Directory Change Reporter—NetWrix (www.netwrix.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about ScriptLogic's Active Administrator…
"I believe it's the best AD resource on the market and priced perfectly."
"Lets you recover that OU and save embarrassment and time."
"Wonderfully comprehensive tool set for managing AD."
Best Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Tripwire for Servers—Tripwire (www.tripwire.com)
Silver: Managed Endpoint Protection Services—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Bronze: IronPort C-Series—Cisco (www.ironport.com)
"\[Tripwire's\] leading platform-integrity-checking software allows for advanced data anad system protection and centralized monitoring. It's a great tool for compliance purposes."—Jan De Clercq, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"Tripwire is an effective tool for protecting your network. The product is a great security add-on, regardless of your primary intrusion-detection software."—Mark Joseph Edwards, senior contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: VIPRE Enterprise—Sunbelt Software (www.sunbeltsoftware.com)
Silver: ESET NOD32—ESET (www.eset.com)
Bronze: OfficeScan—Trend Micro (www.trendmicro.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Sunbelt Software's VIPRE Enterprise …
"Easy to deploy, excellent value, low machine overhead."
"Least use of memory, least impact to system and processes, performs as well (perhaps better) than the biggies."
"Totally reliable, catches and defends the environment more than any other product, and has the lowest CPU usage."
"It's fast and light on system resources. It's also not just antivirus (quarantine or delete files) but provides a brute-force clean-up of the crud left behind by malware (including dummy files, registry settings, DNS entries, and browser help objects)." Best Auditing and Compliance Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Control Compliance Suite—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: ChangeAuditor—Quest Software(www.quest.com)
Bronze: Active Directory Change Reporter—NetWrix (www.netwrix.com)
"Keeping your IT infrastructure in compliance with the many different corporate governance rules and regulations can be an arduous task. It is expensive and is aimed at larger enterprises, but Symantec Control Compliance Suite can help ease the compliance burden immensely."—Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"It's a big product to cover a big problem, but Symantec Control Compliance Suite gives you many options for deployment. It has broad platform support for multi-OS environments, runs agentless or agent-based, and features many out-of-the-box policies for common regulations, such as SOX and PCI, as well as letting you define policies specific to your environment."—B. K. Winstead, associate editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Control Compliance Suite—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: GFI EventsManager—GFI (www.gfi.com)
Bronze: Change Auditor—Quest Software (www.quest.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Symantec's Control Compliance Suite …
"Extremely comprehensive."
"Control Compliance Suite gives me really great reports about my organization's compliance with internal and external standards."
"I can't imagine anything better."
Best Backup and Recovery Software
Editors' Best
Gold: Backup Exec 12.5—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: Backup Now 5.5—NTI (www.ntius.com)
Bronze: Tivoli Storage Manager—IBM (www.ibm.com)
"Backup Exec has become the industry standard for simple and easy-to-use backup solutions for small to midsized businesses (SMBs). Symantec and Dell even teamed up last year to provide a complete turn-key solution, which I wrote about in my review, 'Dell PowerVault DL2000 Powered by Symantec' (InstantDoc ID 101476)." —Eric B. Rux, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"Backup Exec is probably the most well-known backup application amongst IT pros—and with good reason. Able to back up myriad sources from flat files straight up to multi-instance SQL Server databases and store the backups on both disk and tape, this product has only gotten better with each version. It's particularly handy in the heterogeneous environments everyone has today because it can back up non-Windows platforms." —Michael Dragone, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Backup Exec 12.5—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: Acronis Backup and Recovery—Acronis (www.acronis.com)
Bronze: Veeam Backup & Replication—Veeam (www.veeam.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Symantec's Backup Exec …
"With Backup Exec, I no longer worry about data loss. Recovery time is quick, and backup and restore management is very convenient."
"Well laid out, reliable, great new features. Backing up Exchange Server is a breeze."
"Easy to use, with superior granular-recovery functionality." Best Business Intelligence and Reporting Tool
Editors' Best
Gold: Tableau 5.0—Tableau Software (www.tableausoftware.com)
Silver: NovaView 6.0—Panorama Software (www.panorama.com)
Bronze: Analyzer—Strategy Companion (www.strategycompanion.com)
"What I like about Tableau 5.0 is that SQL Server professionals don't have to spend a lot of time training business users on how to use it—anyone can quickly learn to use this product to create active dashboards and reports and analyze data, as long as they have access to the Internet. Tableau 5.0 also lets you tie in to multiple data sources and create interactive visualizations that help you better understand your data, and therefore help you make informed business decisions, faster."—Megan Keller, associate editor, SQL Server Magazine and Windows IT Pro
"Filling the gaping hole left by Microsoft's absorption of ProClarity, Strategy Companion Analyzer is the best solution to complete the Microsoft BI platform. For analysts, power users and general report consumers Analyzer supports the full range of SQL Server Analysis Services features. It has a zero-footprint client interface, making it simple to deploy and manage with delivery options for SharePoint, Excel and Internet Explorer. Analyzer offers a powerful and intuitive set of analysis tools and visualizations that let business users make more confident decisions"—Douglas McDowell, contributor, Windows IT Pro
"Giving stakeholders the information they need in a format they can understand is invaluable, and Tableau 5.0 does that better than just about any other BI tool."—Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: IT Analytics—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: Crystal Reports—Business Objects (www.businessobjects.com)
Bronze: XtraReports Suite—Developer Express (www.devexpress.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Symantec's IT Analytics …
"Leverages all the data inside the Altiris platform."
"Default cube schemas and reports, visual quality, ease of use, dynamic tables and graphs, benefits of SQL reporting services."
Best Cloud Computing Product or Service
Editors' Best
Gold: Amazon Web Services—Amazon (www.amazon.com)
Silver: Google Apps—Google (www.google.com)
Bronze: Zmanda Cloud Backup—Zmanda (www.zmanda.com)
"Although Amazon Web Services isn't cheaper than running your own server in the long run—even in a hosted colocation facility—the ability to rapidly spin up additional capacity on a pay-as-you-go basis is extremely valuable. Amazon Web Services' management tools have become very mature, while staying easy to use, so you can easily and cheaply add Amazon Web Services to your bag of application hosting tricks." —Mel Beckman, contributing editor, SQL Server Magazine
"Google is a pioneer in offering applications in the cloud, and Google Apps has emerged—in some use cases—as a viable alternative to competing traditional IT solutions. It may not be a good fit for many organizations, but Google Apps is definitely making an impact." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Amazon Web Services—Amazon.com (www.amazon.com)
Silver: Meraki Cloud Controller—Meraki (www.meraki.com)
Bronze: Salesforce.com—www.salesforce.com
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Amazon's Amazon Web Services …
"Best cloud computing product for enterprise-level cloud computing."
"Very simple and easy to manage." Best Database Monitoring and Performance Product
Editor's Best
Gold: Performance Advisor for Analysis Services—SQLSentry (www.sqlsentry.net)
Silver: Zero Impact SQL Monitor—SQL Power Tools (www.sqlpower.co.uk/)
Bronze: Ignite—Confio Software (www.confio.com)
"Analysis Services' presence is becoming stronger throughout enterprises as more companies are realizing and adopting BI-related solutions and platforms. Analysis Services Professionals have had to rely on out-of-the-box APIs, counters, and traces to obtain Analysis Services monitoring capabilities. With the release of SQLSentry's Performance Advisor for Analysis Services, this is no longer the case. The Performance Advisor for Analysis Services product makes for a great companion tool for the Analysis Services Professional." —Derek Comingore, contributor, Windows IT Pro
"What I most appreciate about Performance Advisor for Analysis Services is that it lets you monitor SQL Server Analysis Services' (SSAS') resource utilization in real-time mode or historic mode, then easily troubleshoot bottlenecks from its intuitive Performance Dashboard for SSAS. It also offers monitoring and alerting for SQL Server Reporting Services and SQL Server Integration Services, so you can keep an eye on Microsoft's entire BI platform from one console." —Megan Keller, associate editor, SQL Server Magazine and Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Zero Impact Enterprise Monitor—SQL Power Tools (www.sqlpower.com)
Foglight Performance Analysis for SQL Server—Quest Software (www.quest.com)
Performance Advisor for SQL Server—SQL Sentry (www.sqlsentry.net)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about SQL Power Tools' Zero Impact Enterprise Monitor …
"Zero Impact Enterprise Monitor is essential in our company for diagnosing performance problems."
"Valuable information, succinctly delivered."
Best Deployment Product
Editors Best
Gold: Prowess SmartDeploy Enterprise—Prowess (www.prowess.com)
Silver: Symantec Ghost—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Bronze: Acronis Snap Deploy 3—Acronis (www.acronis.com)
"SmartDeploy is a well thought-out deployment solution. It overcomes one of the major drawbacks of standard disk-imaging solutions—having to create a master image for each hardware platform—by providing Platform Packs to download at no additional cost." —Eric B. Rux, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"SmartDeploy gives IT pros a range of excellent templates and wizards to use through the deployment process, letting them same time and money and focus on more pressing problems. SmartDeploy is something that any IT pro tasked with deploying PCs should take a look at." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Symantec Ghost—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: Installaware—Installaware (www.installaware.com)
Bronze: SpecOps Deploy—SpecOps (www.specopssoft.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Symantec's Symantec Ghost …
"This is, hands down, the best tool for quick, non-ghosted deployments."
"It just always works!"
"Creating and deploying images is a snap." Best Development Tool
Editors' Best
Gold: Adobe Dreamweaver—Adobe (www.adobe.com)
Silver: Altova XMLSpy—Altova (www.altova.com)
Bronze: TestComplete—AutomatedQA (www.automatedqa.com)
"I've been using Dreamweaver for web development—personally and professionally—for more than a decade. No other web development app combines so many features with such an easy to use interface. Whether you're a DBA, IT pro, or end user, Dreamweaver is the best tool for the job." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"TestComple simplifies the entire testing process with the help of a powerful and lightweight integrated environment. It does the job of testing various applications very nicely."—Anand Narayanaswamy, technical editor, DevConnections
Community Choice
Gold: Adobe Dreamweaver—Adobe (www.adobe.com)
Silver: Coderush—Developer Express (www.devexpress.com)
Bronze: RadControls—Telerik (www.telerik.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Adobe's Adobe Dreamweaver …
"This web editor simply does everything."
"Everything is faster, easier, and more intuitive with Dreamweaver."
"Very highly recommended to anyone building websites."
Best Hardware: Server
Editors' Best
Gold: ProLiant DL380 series—HP (www.hp.com)
Silver: NEC 5800 series—NEC (www.nec.com)
Bronze: PowerEdge—Dell (www.dell.com)
"The ProLiant line of servers is likely represented in every datacenter in existence. The DL360 and DL380 are the workhorses of many IT shops and for good reason: reasonably priced, extensive support options, and a myriad of configurations." —Michael Dragone, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"Hardware is hardware. The CPU comes from Intel or AMD, the hard drives are industry-standard, and the memory is OEM'd from Korea. The real question is, 'Who is going to answer the phone when you have a problem?' HP support is rock solid. Period." —Eric B. Rux, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"The HP ProLiant DL380 servers are fantastic virtualization hosts." —Alan Sugano, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: ProLiant DL380 series—HP (www.hp.com)
Silver: PowerEdge 2900 series—Dell (www.dell.com)
Bronze: IBM BladeCenter Server—IBM (www.ibm.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about HP's ProLiant DL380 servers …
"Excellent power, reliability, and manageability for a solid price."
"HP products always have fewer problems than those of other vendors."
"Reasonably priced, reliable, and highly expandable." Best Hardware: Workstation
Editors' Best
Gold: ThinkStation S20—Lenovo (www.lenovo.com)
Silver: OptiPlex 760—Dell (www.dell.com)
Bronze: ThinkPad W700—Lenovo (www.lenovo.com)
"Designed for intensive tasks such as computer-aided design/engineering, scientific applications, and digital content creation, Lenovo's ThinkStation S20 is a powerhouse. This desktop workstation packs a whopping amount of power into an affordable price point for any organization." —Douglas Toombs, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"The Lenovo ThinkPad W700 is a monster of a portable machine, with a 2.53 GHz quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme processor T9300 (6MB, 1066MHz), 4 GB of RAM, a 250 GB hard drive, a 17-inch screen running at 1920 x 1200, and a built-in Wacom digitizer"—Paul Thurrott, news editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: OptiPlex 760—Dell (www.dell.com)
Silver: HP Z800—HP (www.hp.com)
Bronze: ThinkCentre—Lenovo (www.lenovo.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Dell's OptiPlex 760 workstations …
"Dell makes workstations that are solid performers. Great warranty. I've been very lucky with my desktops and had pretty much zero system failures."
"Inexpensive, high quality, very dependable."
Best Hardware: Laptop
Editors' Best
Gold: Lenovo T400—Lenovo (www.lenovo.com)
Silver: MacBook Pro—Apple (www.apple.com)
Bronze: EliteBook—HP (www.hp.com)
"The ThinkPad 400s offers familiar ThinkPad advantages like the best-in-class keyboard and build quality and custom add-in software that actually enhances the Windows user experience and combines it with one of the sleekest, lightest and most elegant notebooks ever created. The best news? It's available with an optional multi-touch screen too." —Paul Thurrott, news editor, Windows IT Pro
"Apple's $1200 13" Macbook Pro is easily the highest-quality notebook I've ever used, and as a network engineer I've been forced to use everything. Its seven-hour battery life is the real deal, too, not some trumped-up laboratory-only number. I routinely get eight hours working time on my MacBook Pro." —Mel Beckman, contributing editor, SQL Server Magazine
"Now available with SSD drives, LCD backlit screens with desktop-worthy screen resolutions, and switchable discreet graphics while still featuring the awesome ThinkPad keyboard and docking options, the \[ThinkPad T-Series\] packs a punch without weighing you down or breaking the bank." —Michael Dragone, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Latitude—Dell (www.dell.com)
Silver: MacBook Pro—Apple (www.apple.com)
Bronze: Elitebook Series—HP (www.hp.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Dell's Latitude laptops …
"Exceptionally lightweight with great battery life."
"Just a terrific combination of features and functionality on the road."
"A sturdy, reliable performer." Best Hardware: Networking
Editors' Best
Gold: Cisco routers and switches—Cisco (www.cisco.com)
Silver: NSA series of firewalls—SonicWALL (www.sonicwall.com)
Bronze: Barracuda Link Balancer—Barracuda Networks (www.barracudanetworks.com)
"While not often receiving the tender, loving care that other IT hardware and software does, in today's Web 2.0 cloud-compelled IT world, the humble Cisco products are the plumbing that keeps most (if not all) of us afloat in some way, shape, or form. I have yet to meet an IT pro who didn't have some piece of Cisco gear somewhere in their environment." —Michael Dragone, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"My old boss used to tell me, 'Nobody ever got fired for buying Cisco gear'." —Eric B. Rux, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Cisco routers and switches—Cisco (www.cisco.com)
Silver: ProCurve switches—HP (www.hp.com)
Bronze: EtherFast switches—Linksys (www.linksys.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Cisco's routers and switches …
"I've never had any problems after implementing Cisco gear."
"Cisco always offers great support—quick, efficient, and generally knowledgeable about their products."
"It simply works."
Best Hardware: Appliance
Editors' Best
Gold: Bomgar Box—Bomgar (www.bomgar.com)
Silver: SA 500 Series Security Appliances—Cisco (www.cisco.com)
Bronze: Barracuda Spam Firewall—Barracuda Networks (www.barracudanetworks.com)
"If you need to provide remote support to your users on just about any device and don't want to use a cloud-based solution (such as GoToAssist), it's hard to beat a Bomgar Box. Available in several different affordable configurations, it's an overlooked device that should be considered." —Michael Dragone, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"The Bomgar Box is an appliance preloaded with the latest release of the company's remote support software. The solution enables attended and unattended remote PC access with multi-platform support." —Caroline Marwitz, associate editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Cisco ASA 5500 Series—Cisco (www.cisco.com)
Silver: SonicWALL NSA 2400—SonicWALL (www.sonicwall.com)
Bronze: Barracuda Spam Firewall 300—Barracuda Networks (www.barracudanetworks.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Cisco's ASA 5500 series …
"One device instead of many devices equals lots of extra cash in the budget."
"It performs exquisitely at so many security tasks."
"Robust, stable, easy to use." Best IT Automation Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Automation Anywhere Enterprise—Automation Anywhere (www.automationanywhere.com)
Silver: NetIQ Aegis—NetIQ (www.netiq.com)
Bronze: AutoMate 7—Network Automation (www.networkautomation.com)
"Automating the most time consuming and repetitive IT tasks can reap huge benefits for any harried IT professional. Automation Anywhere Enterprise isn't the only IT automation product on the market, but it's unarguably one of the best." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"This best-of-breed solution lets you easily design and manage your automation task—without the necessity of programming knowledge." —Jason Bovberg, senior editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: AutoMate 7—Network Automation (www.networkautomation.com
Silver: Kaseya 6.0—Kaseya (www.kaseya.com)
Bronze: NetIQ Aegis—NetIQ (www.netiq.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Network Automation AutoMate 7 …
"Automates common IT scripting processes via an intuitive, easy-to-use IDE."
"I can honestly say that this product has streamlined and simplified my job."
Best Interoperability Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Centrify Suite 2008—Centrify (www.centrify.com)
Silver: Splunk—Splunk (www.splunk.com)
Bronze: Quest Authentication Services—Quest Software (www.quest.com)
"If you're a systems administrator in charge of managing a diverse assortment of platforms and OSs while simultaneously remaining compliant with complex regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, SOX, and PCI, you should put Centrify Suite 2008 on your shopping list." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"We love Centrify DirectControl. It allows our clients to easily integrate their non-Windows systems into Active Directory (AD), and we can even support AD GPO's on Linux, UNIX, and Macs!" —Dustin Puryear, IT consultant
Community Choice
Gold: Quest Authentication Services—Quest Software (www.quest.com)
Silver: GroupLogic ExtremeZ-IP 6.0—GroupLogic (www.grouplogic.com)
Bronze: Centrify Suite 2008—Centrify (www.centrify.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Quest Authentication Services …
"Lets us extend AD's security and compliance such that identities from UNIX, Linux, and Mac platforms and enterprise applications can interoperate with AD."
"Stellar product, great support." Best Messaging Product
Editors Best
Gold: PROMODAG Reports for Microsoft Exchange Server 8.5—PROMODAG (www.promodag.com)
Silver: Zenprise MobileManager—Zenprise (www.zenprise.com)
Bronze: E-mail Security Platform—Sendio (www.sendio.com)
"PROMODAG has been around for a long time and remains the gold standard for Exchange administrators who want to mine message tracking logs for data to help them understand the volume of messages that their servers handle. PROMODAG Reports is a great example of sustained success because they take a source of data that Microsoft has largely ignored and use it to provide an insight that is compelling and valuable for administrators." —Tony Redmond, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"As a mature product, PROMODAG Reports manages reporting for Exchange quite well. The product is simple and it works. It has well over 100 reports and certainly includes all the reports most requested by customers. PROMODAG Reports is an excellent choice for SMBs." —William Lefkovics, contributor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Skype—Skype (www.skype.com)
Silver: Google Apps—Google (www.google.com)
Bronze: Lotus Notes—IBM (www.ibm.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Skype …
"I've loved Skype since the first day I used it."
"Free VoIP, anywhere in the world!"
"In a class by itself."
Best Microsoft Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Windows Server 2008—Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
Silver: SQL Server 2008—Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
Bronze: System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008—Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
"Windows Server 2008 is undoubtedly the best Windows Server product yet, and serves as a solid foundation to build a Windows IT infrastructure. Server 2008 R2 promises to make this stand-out product an even more stellar performer." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"Microsoft continues to improve the SQL Server platform, and SQL Server 2008 should help Microsoft continue to make inroads into larger and larger enterprise applications." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Exchange Server 2007—Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
Silver: Office 2007 Professional—Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
Bronze: Windows XP Professional—Microsoft (www.microsoft.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Microsoft's Exchange Server 2007 …
"It integrates with everything I do."
"It's a beast." Best Mobile and Wireless Product
Editors' Best
Gold: iPhone 3GS—Apple (www.apple.com)
Silver: BlackBerry Bold—Research in Motion (www.blackberry.com)
Bronze: Athena—Odyssey Software (www.odysseysoftware.com)
"Apple has clearly shaken up the smartphone industry, and other smartphone vendors are struggling to reach parity. Cheaper mobile phone solutions exist for the enterprise, but none are having as large of an impact on the mobile enterprise as the iPhone." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
The iPhone 3GS has terrific fit and finish, the web browser is better than anything available on any other mobile device platform, and the UI is polished, fast, and easy to learn." —Paul Robichaux, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: iPhone OS 3.0—Apple (www.apple.com)
Silver: BlackBerry Enterprise Server—Research in Motion (www.blackberry.com)
Bronze: AstraSync for BlackBerry—MailSite Software (www.mailsite.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 …
"It's the best mobile OS by far."
"An even better fit for the enterprise."
Best Network-Management Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Observer 13—Network Instruments (www.networkinstruments.com)
Silver: Orion Network Performance Monitor—SolarWinds (www.solarwinds.com)
Bronze: EventSentry—NETIKUS.NET (www.netikus.net)
"Network Instruments continues to be a groundbreaker in the realm of network management, and its Observer monitoring platform—which prides itself on retrospective network analysis (essentially a "TiVo for your network")—is testament to that. The latest version of Observer brings the power of real-time and retrospective network analysis to virtualized environments." —Jason Bovberg, senior editor, Windows IT Pro
"If you've ever dreamed of attaining unprecedented visibility into your network and the devices that connect to it, you need to take a look at Observer. This product just keeps getting better." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: NetFlow—Cisco Systems (www.cisco.com)
Silver: Orion Network Performance Monitor—SolarWinds (www.solarwinds.com)
Bronze: GFI Network Server Monitor—GFI (www.gfi.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Cisco Systems' NetFlow …
"More a standard now than a product, it's just the essential information at the heart of network traffic."
"Industry standard." Best Patch Management Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Shavlik NetChk Protect—Shavlik (www.shavlik.com)
Silver: ZENworks Patch Management—Novell (www.novell.com)
Bronze: Numara Patch Manager—Numara Software (www.numarasoftware.com)
"Shavlik NetChk Protect does a terrific job of automating the patch process, and its scheduler is particularly effective, discovering and deploying patches while constantly monitoring system needs." —Jason Bovberg, senior editor, Windows IT Pro
"Whether you need patch management, asset management, or security management, Shavlik NetChk Protect makes your job easier by automating your troubleshooting efforts. Today's less-is-more IT departments need this kind of tool to handle these types of tasks." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Patch Authority Ultimate—ScriptLogic (www.scriptlogic.com)
Silver: ZENworks Patch Management—Novell (www.novell.com)
Bronze: Prism Patch Manager—New Boundary Technologies (www.newboundary.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about ScriptLogic's Patch Authority Ultimate …
"For the enterprise, there's just nothing more complete."
"Lets you accomplish everything you need to do from one central UI."
Best Scripting Tool
Editors' Best
Gold: PowerShell Plus Professional Edition—Idera (www.idera.com)
Silver: PrimalForms 2009—Sapien Technologies (www.sapien.com)
Bronze: WMIX 2.0—PJ Technologies (wmix.pjtec.com)
"PowerShell Plus has features that all types of administrators can use, no matter the type of systems they manage or how well-versed they are in PowerShell. It's a well-rounded IDE." —Karen Bemowski, senior editor, Windows IT Pro
"PowerShell Plus is simply the most effective IDE available. Even if you're a PowerShell expert, you'll benefit from this product's powerful console and script debugger." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: PowerShell Plus Professional Edition—Idera (www.idera.com)
Silver: TextPad—Helios Software Solutions (www.textpad.com)
Bronze: UltraEdit—IDM Computer Solutions (www.ultraedit.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Idera's PowerShell Plus …
"The library of sample solutions is great to jumpstart some necessary administrative tasks."
"Best-of-breed IDE for PowerShell. It's a must-have for PowerShell users."
"Best debugging and code completion for PowerShell scripts. Period." Best Security Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Likewise Open 5.1—Likewise (www.likewise.com)
Silver: F5 Big-IP Local Traffic Manager 10.0—F5 (www.f5.com)
Bronze: HP ProtectTools—HP (www.hp.com)
"Livewise Open is a nice Windows, UNIX, Linux, Mac integration product that allows for centralized security management from Active Directory and Enterprise single sign-on (ESSO)."—Jan De Clercq, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"Likewise Open is a treat to the networking community. The software lets Linux and UNIX systems authenticate to an Active Directory server and is capable of providing single sign-on(SSO) functionality."—Mark Joseph Edwards, senior contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Symantec Endpoint Protection—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: GFI Endpoint Security—GFI (www.gfi.com)
Bronze: Citrix Access Gateway—Citrix (www.citrix.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Symantec Endpoint Protection …
"It's got the most complete assemblage of functionality and innovation."
"Best in class. I use it every day and have never had a virus."
"Most comprehensive endpoint security solution on the market today."
Best SharePoint Product
Editors' Best
Gold: ControlPoint for SharePoint—Axceler (www.axceler.com)
Silver: Professional Archive Manager for SharePoint—Metalogix (www.metalogix.net)
Bronze: NearPoint for SharePoint—Mimosa Systems (www.mimosasystems.com)
"Axceler ControlPoint helps IT pros get better control of their SharePoint environment through permissions management, content management, in-depth usage analysis, policy enforcement, and flexible alerts and scheduled analyses." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"ControlPoint provides the tools and intelligence to help you managing and monitor large farms effectively and integrates well with the existing SharePoint UI; the ability to manage user permission levels is nicely implemented." —Curt Spanburgh, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Site Administrator for SharePoint—Quest Software (www.quest.com)
Silver: Colligo Contributor Pro—Colligo Networks (www.colligo.com)
Bronze: CorasWorks Workplace Suite 10—CorasWorks (www.corasworks.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Quest Software's Site Administrator for SharePoint …
"Has helped me completely understand and manage my entire SharePoint environment."
"For SharePoint management of servers and sites, it's the best and most comprehensive product out there." Best System Utility
Editors' Best
Gold: Diskeeper 2009—Diskeeper (www.diskeeper.com)
Silver: Norton SystemWorks Basic Edition 12.0—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Bronze: GFI Network Server Monitor—GFI Software (www.gfi.com)
"Diskeeper does its job well. It defragments in the background without hurting system performance and doesn't require defragmentation scheduling." —Zac Wiggy, assistant editor, Windows IT Pro
"Diskeeper 2009 is loaded with features, works as advertised, and can bring the most choppy and fragmented hard drive back to silky-running smoothness." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Norton SystemWorks—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: Diskeeper 2009—Diskeeper (www.diskeeper.com)
Bronze: Acronis Disk Director—Acronis (www.acronis.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Symantec's Norton SystemWorks …
"I had a sluggish, mostly unresponsive computer, and after letting Norton SystemWorks loose on it, the system is now as fast as it used to be."
"I've always had great luck with Norton products."
Best Systems Management Product
Editors' Best
Gold: Double-Take Move—Double-Take (www.doubletake.com)
Bronze: Prowess SmartDeploy Enterprise—Prowess (www.smartdeploy.com)
Silver: GPOADmin with netPro NetControl—Quest Software (www.quest.com)
"Double-Take Move is an impressive, no-fuss solution that has all bases covered; it eliminates the hazards associated with migration to new hardware, uses mature technology with support for locked files, is hardware independent and even captures NTFS alternate data streams and transactions. Applications and users can stay online during migration, and only experience a short disruption in service during cutover." —Russell Smith, contributor, Windows IT Pro
"SmartDeploy is a well thought-out deployment solution. It overcomes one of the major drawbacks of standard disk-imaging solutions—having to create a master image for each hardware platform—by providing Platform Packs to download at no additional cost." —Eric B. Rux, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Altiris Client Management Suite—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Silver: Desktop Authority—ScriptLogic (www.scriptlogic.com)
Bronze: HP Operations Manager—HP (www.hp.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Symantec's Altiris Client Management Suite …
"Out of all the vendors we considered, Symantec offered the most comprehensive capabilities."
"By far the best in the market for multi-platform, multi-device client management."
"Industry leader." Best Training and Certification Product or Service
Editors' Best
Gold: LabSim—TestOut (www.testout.com)
Silver: Train Signal Computer Training Videos—Train Signal (www.trainsignal.com)
Bronze: PrepLogic eLearning Videos—PrepLogic (www.preplogic.com)
"TestOut's LabSim is a true innovator in the IT training and certification space. This online lab technology helps further learning for professionals of all levels. Newcomers to the field can gain a level of hands-on experience on or off campus unlike ever before, and seasoned professionals have easy access to skills-based online training to earn additional certifications or degrees." —Brian Reinholz, training & certification editor, Windows IT Pro
"We feel that between the LabSim materials, the optional textbook TestOut offers, and the online course portal, our students have a very robust online environment that offers a comprehensive and integrated online experience." —Marcus Butler, contributor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: Train Signal Computer Training Videos—Train Signal (www.trainsignal.com)
Silver: LabSim—TestOut (www.testout.com)
Bronze: Global Knowledge IT Training Classes—Global Knowledge (www.globalknowledge.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about Train Signal's training videos …
"Train Signal videos are definitively the building blocks of creating a solid foundation when learning a technology such as Exchange 2007."
"Very polished, excellent instruction."
Best Virtualization Product
Editors' Best
Gold: VMware vSphere 4—VMware (www.vmware.com)
Silver: NxTop—Virtual Computer (www.virtualcomputer.com)
Bronze: Citrix XenServer 5.5—Citrix (www.citrix.com)
"VMware vSphere 4 has a lot of nice new features, but you can justify the upgrade by the increase in performance alone. We're seeing performance increases of 20 to 30 percent and in some cases even higher depending on the application with the same hardware." —Alan Sugano, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"NxTop is a complete end-to-end solution that allows you to create and deploy VMs to systems with a management console that helps you keep track of who has what. It also has a remote swipe option so that if a system gets stolen and boots up and connects, the VM evaporates." —J. Peter Bruzzese, contributor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: VMware ESX Server 3.5—VMware (www.vmware.com)
Silver: Endpoint Virtualization Suite—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Bronze: Citrix XenServer—Citrix (www.citrix.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about VMware ESX Server 3.5 …
"Simply the most important, sophisticated virtualization product on the market."
"It's evolved into such a mature virtualization product!"
Best Hardware: Storage
Editors' Best
Gold: Intel SSD drives—Intel (www.intel.com)
Silver: nTier Deduplication appliance—SpectraLogic (www.spectralogic.com)
Bronze: DroboPro—Data Robotics (www.drobo.com)
"As the price of SSD drives continue to plummet, you'll need to seriously consider taking the leap. It's the most worthwhile upgrade you can make to any computer system these days, and the Intel drives are amongst the best SSDs available." —Michael Dragone, contributing editor, Windows IT Pro
"Intel SSDs—along with the rise of virtualization and the boom in iSCSI SAN adoption—are undoubtedly contributing to a revolution of storage in the enterprise." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"The Drobo is exactly what today's IT pros need—automated, easy-to-use, plug-and-play backup functionality in the form of a cool gadget." —Jason Bovberg, senior editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: EMC Clariion—EMC (www.emc.com)
Silver: Dell EqualLogic PS5000—Dell (www.dell.com)
Bronze: NetApp FAS3100—NetApp (www.netapp.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about EMC Clariion …
"Easy-to-use, affordable networked storage."
"The new virtual-aware EMC Clariion is perfect for my VMware environment."
"Love the expandability."
Best High Availability/Disaster Recovery Product
Editors' Best
Gold: everRun VM—Marathon Technologies (www.marathontechnologies.com)
Silver: DataKeeper Cluster Edition—SteelEye Technology (www.steeleye.com)
Bronze: Symantec Veritas Storage Foundation HA for Windows—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
"Marathon Technologies' everRun VM is a snap to deploy, is easy to use, and is loaded with features. If you need to protect your virtual infrastructure from an unforeseen mistake or mishap, everRun VM is a great choice." —Jeff James, editor in chief, Windows IT Pro
"I really like the simplified approach that everRun HA takes to server availability: The completely automated setup and configuration makes it a unique product in the arena." —Jason Bovberg, senior editor, Windows IT Pro
Community Choice
Gold: DataKeeper Cluster Edition—SteelEye Technology (www.steeleye.com)
Silver: Symantec Veritas Storage Foundation HA for Windows—Symantec (www.symantec.com)
Bronze: Acronis True Image Echo Server—Acronis (www.acronis.com)
Quotes from the Windows IT Pro community about SteelEye's DataKeeper Cluster Edition …
"Very reasonably priced for what you get."
"A cost-effective and comprehensive DR solution."
2009 Windows IT Pro Editors' Best and Community Choice Awards
Picking a favorite product from an impressive crowd of competitive offerings is never an easy task, and such was the case with our Editors' Best and Community Choice awards this year. The former award program highlights products that Windows IT Pro editors and contributors believe are worthy of recognition, whereas the latter program turned that process over to you, our readers.


text:
Domain dropcatching service
Domain dropcatching service is an absolutely novelty on the Polish market. If you have found an interesting domain, which was not renewed by the owner and is about to be freed, you may order its dropcatching. That means that, when our system detects that the domain has been freed, it will be automatically registered for you. This way you, have a unique chance to "catch" the domain before others even realize it has been released!
Our system regularly checks all domains which are about to be catched. As soon as it is detected that domain has been freed, it is registered and awaits for payment. After the payment, it is transferred to the person who ordered its dropcatching. Then it is possible to obtain the AuthInfo code allowing to transfer the domain to a different registrar, or to point it to different name servers.
Dropcatching process description
After ordering the domain dropcatching, within about two hours it is added to the queue of monitored domains. From that time, the domain is regularly checked and if it is detected that it was released, it is then registered. What happens next, depends on how many people ordered dropcatching of this domain:
If only one user was interested in the domain, this person is informed via email and SMS about domain registration, and has 72 hours for payment. If payment is received within this time, the domain is transferred to the person who ordered it.
If more than one user was interested in the domain, it goeas to a private auction. On this auction, it is bid by all people who earlier ordered to catch it; no-one else has access to this private auction. One bid is automatically inserted in the auction, for the person who ordered the domain catch first. The aucton is held for 2 days; the winner must pay the final price in 72 hours.
If the domain is not paid within 72 hours, the domain goes to a public auction which is available for all users. The winner of this auction has also 72 hours for payment.
All auctions (both private and public) are secured from so called "sniping". If during the last 5 minutes of auction an offer is placed, the auction will be automatically extended for another 5 minutes.
To avoid problems with paying for catched domains, it is possible to fund the account earlier. The prepaid amount will be used for registration of catched domains until it runs out.
Current prices for domain dropcatching are displayed in the price list.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I have been stitching for as long as I can remember, quilting for about 12 years and teaching patchwork & quilting for 2 years. I am in love with anything to do with fabric or stitch - I prefer machine piecing for quickness but then love to hand quilt to finish.
Recently I have rediscovered English paper piecing and am producing hexagons almost daily - I have to stop and produce a quilt at some point!


text: Chris Samuel wrote: > On Friday 29 December 2006 04:24, Robert G. Brown wrote: > >> I'd be interested in comments to the contrary, but I suspect that Gentoo >> is pretty close to the worst possible choice for a cluster base. Maybe >> slackware is worse, I don't know. > > But think of the speed you could emerge applications with a large cluster, > distcc and ccache! :-) > > Then add on the hours of fun trying to track down a problem that's unique to > your cluster due to combinations of compiler quirks, library versions, kernel > bugs and application odditites.. > >> I personally would suggest that you go with one of the mainstream, >> reasonably well supported, package based distributions. Centos, FC, RH, >> SuSE, Debian/Ubuntu. > > I'd have to agree there. > >> I myself favor RH derived, rpm-based, >> yum-supported distros that can be installed by PXE/DHCP, kickstart, yum >> from a repository server. Installation of such a cluster on diskful >> systems proceeds as follows: > > What I'd really like is for a kickstart compatible Debian/Ubuntu (but with > mixed 64/32 bit support for AMD64 systems). I know the Ubuntu folks started > on this [1], but I don't think they managed to get very far. Here's a bare bones kickstart method (not Kickstart[tm] per se): http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Debian/kickstart.html Regarding kickstart, among choices for pre-scripted installers it is one of many. I personally favor the likes of SystemImager, even though it's not quite in the same category (FAI is though, IMO). Even dd with netcat is pretty powerful for homogeneous nodes. Once you've chosen your distro based on experience/need, there are usually a few ways to put it on your spindles. > The sad fact of the matter is that often it's the ISV's and cluster management > tools that determine what choice of distro you have. :-( > > Yes, I know all about LSB but there are a grand total of 0 applications > certified for the current version (3.x) [2] and a grand total of 1 certified > application (though on 3 platforms) [3] over the total life of the LSB > standards. [4] > > To paraphrase the Blues Brothers: > > ISV Vendor: Oh we got both kinds of Linux here, RHEL and SLES! Here, here. Sometimes I feel like going after these clowns with a clue-by-four. > Bah humbug. :-) > > Chris -- Geoffrey D. Jacobs


text:
Pitching, homers again push White Sox past Twins
MINNEAPOLIS -- With the music blaring over quiet chatter throughout the White Sox clubhouse, there was a general sense of serene happiness Saturday night.
Led by ace Chris Sale -- who admittedly didn't have the smoothest outing -- the White Sox used a pair of multi-run homers and a little help from the clear, evening sky, to prove once again they could win on the road with an 8-5 win at Target Field just one night after breaking their 10-game road skid against the Twins.View Full Game Coverage
MINNEAPOLIS -- With the music blaring over quiet chatter throughout the White Sox clubhouse, there was a general sense of serene happiness Saturday night.
Led by ace Chris Sale -- who admittedly didn't have the smoothest outing -- the White Sox used a pair of multi-run homers and a little help from the clear, evening sky, to prove once again they could win on the road with an 8-5 win at Target Field just one night after breaking their 10-game road skid against the Twins.View Full Game Coverage
"Anytime you come back with a 'W' you always feel good about it," Sale said. "Obviously, there's some things I'd want to change, especially in that third inning, but at the end of the day, a win's a win. The music's playing. People are smiling. We're good to go."
The music continued to flow through the clubhouse for the second consecutive night thanks to a lucky Adam Dunn fly ball in the eighth. While Josh Willingham looked like he had the read on the ball, he lost it in the sky and lights and it dropped well to his right, allowing Alejandro De Aza, who was pegged with a pitch from reliever Josh Roenicke to start the inning, to score for a 6-3 lead.
De Aza all but iced the win an inning later with a two-run shot to right off Casey Fien. Addison Reed stepped in for his 30th save of the season, retiring the final three batters.
"They hit some balls hard, we had some homers, kind of made some catch-up, get-back-into-it plays and then put it away," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "It was a good win all the way around."
Despite a rocky third inning in which Sale gave up four straight hits with two outs, the southpaw did what he could to give his team a chance to win, limiting the Twins to just three runs on nine hits and a walk through seven innings. He also struck out eight.
After facing the minimum through two innings, Sale gave up his first hit of the game to No. 9 hitter Pedro Florimon. After another hit by Brian Dozier, Sale hung a pitch to Joe Mauer, who blasted it to right, missing a home run by inches. The hit went down for a two-run double and was followed by an RBI double from Willingham off the bullpen fence that De Aza misjudged over his shoulder.
"Making some mistakes to some great hitters," Sale said of the inning. "I hung a breaking ball to Mauer and he's going to do that. Try to sneak a fastball by Willingham and maybe pay for it. Just try to breathe after that. Try to forget about it and get back out."
The Twins held a 3-1 lead, but the White Sox didn't trail for long.
With two outs in the fourth, Dunn roped a double down the right-field line. Avisail Garcia followed with another double, except along the left-field line, scoring Dunn. With Garcia on second and Jeff Keppinger on first after he was issued a walk, Dayan Viciedo lifted a three-run homer deep into the left-field bleachers, putting the White Sox ahead, 5-3.
"Tank hit that big home run for us," Sale said. "For me, anyways, that's a big confidence builder. You going out there and you have a three-run inning like that and your guys come back in and score four -- that shows that we're still fighting. So I go out there and keep fighting for them as well."
The home run not only marked Viciedo's 10th of the season, but the first given up by Twins rookie starter Andrew Albers. Through his two previous starts, the lefty had thrown 17 1/3 shutout innings.
After De Aza led off the game with a hit for the third time this series, and moved to third on an Alexei Ramirez hit that was lost in the sun, falling for a double, he scored on a Paul Konerko groundout, ending the rookie's scoreless run. Albers left the game after seven innings, allowing five runs on eight hits, a walk and three strikeouts.
"Early on, I was struggling with my command, falling behind a lot of hitters," Albers said. "I just didn't have a lot of rhythm. The first three, four hitters I had a tough time hitting the outside corner. I had a lot of three-ball counts tonight. That makes for a tough day. Luckily, after the home run I was able to settle down a little bit and find a little bit of rhythm."
The Twins did pull within one late in the game, picking on the White Sox bullpen. After his gaffe in the top part of the inning, Willingham made up for it with a double to the right-field corner. Ryan Doumit followed with a two-run blast to right off reliever Nate Jones, making it 6-5.
The White Sox worked out of similar jams for three straight middle innings, stranding a runner on second in the fifth, sixth and seventh.
In the fifth, the White Sox ended the threat when Gordon Beckham flipped a Mauer grounder from his glove to Ramirez, who fired to Konerko at first for a double play.
"That was probably a game-saver right there," Sale said. "There was a guy on first and second, one out. For him to even get a glove on that is amazing enough but to be able to flip it up and get a double play out of it -- that's a pitcher's best friend. Very grateful for that."
Kelly Erickson is an associate reporter for MLB.com.


text:
Tom Brown is the father-in-law of Dartmouth alum and ABC News White House correspondent Jake Tapper. I admire Jake's work; he seems to me to be a straight shooter. He's not toeing anybody's line.
Mr. Brown draws attention to Tapper's new book, The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, to be published on November 13. He writes:
Jake details life for our soldiers as they build, man, support and abandon an outpost in Afghanistan. Troops die, families are notified and the drama and danger individually felt are communicated factually and honestly in a true story of the war in Afghanistan.
Read the book and understand why our service members and their families do what they do. Read the book and understand the war in Afghanistan.
Jake is my son-in-law. I was privileged to watch the last honest reporter standing (my opinion) dedicate himself to reporting truth and honor of the families and individuals involved in his writing of The Outpost.
It is the great American story of the war and a classic.
Visit The Outpost on Facebook, take the time to read it, and you will be better for it.
Tom Brown
Mr. Brown closes on a local note:
P.S. You guys do a great job with Power Line. I was raised in Roseville, Minnesota and now live in Virginia. (Grandkids.) Say hi to Ole and Lena for me.
We've run lots of book notes over the years, but never one from the author's father-in-law. We are glad to have Mr. Brown's testimony to the merits of The Outpost on the record for the benefit of interested readers.


text:
2'6" x 6'3" / 75cm x 190cm
3'0" x 6'3" / 90cm x 190cm
4'0" x 6'3" / 120cm x 190cm
4'6" x 6'3" / 135cm x 190cm
5'0" x 6'6" / 150cm x 200cm
6'0" x 6'6" / 180cm x 200cm
Click here for great deals!
Available up to 8pm
Available for you to pick
With Promo Code Mattress15
On Trustpilot 36,124 Reviews
British Bed Company The Grand Duke (Firm) 4' Small Double
Customer Price
Product Information
and Measurements
Plus recycling
The Grand Duke mattress is filled with the finest quality natural fillings, including wool, silk, cashmere, and temperature-regulating cotton. The silk is used on the top of the mattress to give it a soft, light, opulent feel.
The Grand Duke is softer than its predecessor, the Duke, and contains all of the same features, like the British Bed Company's exclusive bulldog border, which reinforces the sides of the frame so you can sleep right up to the edge of the mattress and still feel perfectly supported.
Consisting of a whopping 2000 pocket springs, the Grand Duke is the ultimate mattress when it comes to providing you and your partner with all the comfort and support you could possibly need.
Please note that 4' mattresses or smaller don't come with end handles, however side handles are still provided. On 4'6" mattresses and above, end handles are provided.
Please note headboard is not included.
Please note wood may be visible through the Classic fabrics.
Divan base is manufactured by British Bed Company
is the level of support to the body, suitable for average to heavily weighted people. This is not a comfort rating.
in a 5'. Each spring is encapsulated in fabric, body moulding, no roll together, quiet and perfect for side sleeping.
fillings are softer and finer than wool, a rare fibre that is only used in quality products.
fillings are 100% polyester, man made, very durable, great recovery.
is soft in texture and light in weight, creating the ultimate top layer to any mattress, pure comfort and opulance.
34 cm
buttons evenly over the sleeping surface, keeping the fillings together and adding a tension to the springs.
Attached to the border, aiding rotation and turning of the mattress.
Perimeter wire to give strength to the edge of coil sprung mattresses, a sign of quality.
Located on the border, allowing the mattress to breath and release damp air.
Two sleeping sides, turn and rotate frequently.
Domestic Flamability Rated Source 2 for Low Hazard, General Domestic use
This product is made in Britain
This product has a 5 Year Warranty, inclusive of any guarantee period. More info
Lovely mattress, firm but still soft. Very supportive and very deep.
The quality of the mattress is very good, very happy with our purchase!
Was This Review Helpful? 5 0
This mattress was bought for two `very heavy` individuals and fitted the criteria specified as being most important, that being at least 30 cms thick and extra firm for `obese` people. The mattress was quite heavy and `solid` in its construaction and has a excellant feel of quality about it. And the result in the two weeks that it has been in use has been very positive from both individuals concerned as they have found it extremely comfortable to sleep on and has almost eliminated back pains the
Was This Review Helpful? 8 4
Tried so many mattresses in so many places before coming across this one. Added bonus of an online discount made the decision easy. Having slept on it now for a couple of weeks would highly recomend to anyone and quality seems built to last as well.
Was This Review Helpful? 3 0
Really pleased with my purchase; the mattress was comfortable from day one and is really warm. I was impressed by the way it was packed in a double wrapping of thick clear plastic with extra protection at each corner. Although it is a "Firm" it is not rock solid, you still sink into it, which is considerably more comfortable than I had anticipated.
Was This Review Helpful? 2 0
Lovely and comfortable mattress. Its a very deep and and a well made item, due to its size we nearly did not get it up our stairs as they have a 90 degree bend and limited headroom, however I gave the guys a bit of extra help and it went up. They were a couple of superb guys and very helpful.
Was This Review Helpful? 3 1
This mattress is of excellent quality and value for the money, I have used this same mattress but in double bed size for the last 4 years and it is still as good as the day it was purchased, I would recommend this mattress to any prospective buyers.
Was This Review Helpful? 0 0
AMAZING!! Great service, quality and price. This is the best mattress I have slept on, you honestly feel like you are sleeping on luxury for a price that wont break the bank. You can`t put a price on a good nights sleep :-).
This is the best mattress we have ever had firm but very comfortable
Thick and durable yet soft topping. Has been so much better for my back, while also being stylish and well made
Well made and heavy mattress, firm without being too hard and very comfortable. Can`t feel if my partner moves on the other side of the bed! Delivery was prompt and easy to organise. I will be using mattress man again.
Have just replaced a memory foam mattress with this one. Only had it for four months, no support very hot and found we slid down the bed, this one is Sooo good, nice support, best sleep we have had for a long long time. Only wish I had seen it earlier. Only fault was one man delivery to door, was beyond a joke, it was so heavy, no way he could move it on his own, we struggled. Would suggest paying extra to have it put in bedroom. It does however need turning which is a job in itself, our weekl
Was This Review Helpful? 1 0
Bought this mattress for our guest room so hasn`t been slept on yet. However, first impressions are of a very good quality, firm product delivered promptly. This is my second purchase from Mattressman and my current mattress gives me the best night`s sleep! Would recommend Mattressman for quality products, good prices and efficient service.
We offer FREE next working delivery between the hours of 8am - 6pm to UK mainland addresses. Orders below the value of £100 will incur a charge of £7.
We deliver free to the UK mainland and offer a charged service for addresses outside of the UK mainland
a traditionally filled dual sided mattress with a huge specification. containing 2000 pocket springs with a first class array of natural fillings including; wool, silk and cashmere for your added comfort in a strong, durable damask cover. a further bonus is this mattress is available as a firm or medium allowing you choose your preffered firmness to hone the comfort down perfectly for your individual needs, guaranteeing a good nights sleep


text:
The following items were compiled from reports prepared by law enforcement agencies.
Willits Police Department
November 21
Arrest: 12:01 a.m. at Safeway Danny Ray Birch, 24, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Arrest: 2:27 a.m. Mariya Rose Ilar, 27, of Willits, was arrested on Coast Street on suspicion of domestic violence.
Arrest: 9:13 a.m. Delilah Janey Belle Knight, 32, of Willits, was arrested at 1500 S. Main Street on a warrant for violating probation.
Report: 10:27 a.m. Woman cited and released at the Pepperwood Motel.
Report: 10:44 a.m. Man refusing to leave from 221 S. Lenore Avenue.
Arrest: 4:36 p.m. Brandon Lee Langenderfer, 19, of Laytonville, was arrested on 100 E. Valley Street on suspicion of violating felony probation, possession and transportation of marijuana. Langenderfer had been arrested in August 2011 on suspicion of attempting to rob his great-grandmother of her social security check at gunpoint. A judge ruled Langenderfer was incompetent to stand trial for this in November 2011.
Arrest: 7:37 p.m. Vernon Lee Knapp, 57, of Willits, was arrested on a warrant for misdemeanor hit and run.
Report: 11:22 p.m. Victim of possible kidnapping and terroristic threats contacts police near Brown"s Corner.
November 22
Report: 12:02 a.m. Fight underway at Diggers involving 30 to 40 people.
Report: 1:42 a.m. Assist sheriff"s deputies with traffic stop on Center Valley Road.
Report: 3:30 a.m. Possible prowler near the House of Pizza.
Report: 11:12 a.m. to 2:59 p.m. A series of alarms at Willits High School and commercial establishments around town.
Report: 6:29 p.m. Man with taser at Safeway, cited and released.
November 23
Report: 9:23 a.m. Patient creating a disturbance at Howard Hospital.
Report: 10:07 a.m. Verbal altercation at Tower Mart involving three people.
Report: 10:53 a.m. Fraudulent prescription reported by Rexall.
Report: 4:33 p.m. Theft at Safeway.
Arrest: 5:07 p.m. Rebecca Penny McBride, 37, of Willits, was arrested on E. San Francisco Avenue on a warrant for possession of a controlled substance.
Report: 5:10 p.m. Hit and run at Willits post office.
Report: 7:04 p.m. Vandalism on 201 Holly Street.
Report: 8:37 p.m. Theft from the Pepperwood Motel.
November 24
Arrest: 3:12 a.m. Christina Jean Riffle, 25, of Roseville, was arrested at the Pepperwood Motel on suspicion of receiving stolen property and petty theft from vehicles.
Report: 5:07 p.m. Vehicle theft in front of John"s Place.
Report: 6:27 p.m. Mentally ill person may need assistance at Tower Mart.
Report: 6:48 p.m. Assault involving several persons on the 300 block of E. San Francisco Avenue.
Arrest: 10:36 p.m. Dena Darlene Morris, 50, of Willits, was arrested on Blosser Lane on suspicion of violating probation for creating a disturbance. She had been warned at 8:02 p.m. after police were called to the scene for a possible public intoxication at the same address.
November 25
Report: 3:05 a.m. Man warned about drugs at Chevron.
Report: 9:11 a.m. Man refused to leave from Safeway gas station; then was creating a disturbance at Earthlab at 9:34 a.m.
Report: 10:39 a.m. Traffic accident in Taco Bell parking lot.
Report: 11:16 a.m. Burglary occurred a week ago at a residence on 300 block of McKinley Street.
Report: 1:50 p.m. Group of persons refusing to leave Baechtel Grove Middle School.
Arrest: 6:04 p.m. Mark Owen Nunnemaker, 52, of Willits, was arrested at the Circle K on suspicion of public intoxication.
Report: 9:49 p.m. Domestic disturbance at Holly Street apartments.
Mendocino County Sheriff"s Office
November 23
Sono Carrigg, 48, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of violating probation.
November 25
Jessica Rae Bruce, 25, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of violating felony probation.
Mendocino County Probation Office
November 21
Sean Michael Shannon, 23, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of violating felony probation.
Victor Gene Schleuder, 54, of Willits, was arrested on suspicion of violating parole.
California Highway Patrol
November 22
David Lee Tolbert, 62, of Laytonville, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, failure to have an ignition interlock device and violation of probation.
November 25
Baxter Wyatt Shannon, 48, of Laytonville, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
Samuel A. Taylor, 28, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was arrested on suspicion of possession and transportation of marijuana for sale.
NOTE: Under U.S. law, all those arrested are innocent until proven guilty. TWN encourages those arrested to contact the newspaper upon conclusion of their case so the outcome can be reported.


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WI Environmental LLC., a company dedicated to the treatment of heavy metal contaminates, claims to have product that will clean up Puget Sound as well as assist worldwide in the remediation of contaminated soil, water and air.
The company has created a trademarked product to solve the world¹s problems with heavy metal contamination. The signature product, XR-88, encapsulates and renders benign a multitude of toxic heavy metals and poisons including arsenic, lead,
nickel, chromium and chromium hexavalent 6.
Clean-up efforts in Puget Sound typically require dredging or digging, which releases buried toxins. Timothy D. Wandell, president of WI Environmental, said: "I grew up and live on Puget Sound, and want nothing more than to see this treasure of the Pacific Northwest cleaned up."
By applying XR-88, contaminates are rendered benign, allowing the contaminated bottom sediment to remain safely in place, and saving hundreds of millions in hauling and dumping fees. To date, some methods used to clean up the Sound have resulted in containment and long-term unstable storage of contaminant. With XR-88 the soil pulled from the Sound can be treated on site and returned to its original place if desired or used elsewhere as an entirely safe building material in many cases.
According to a press release, XR-88 has passed all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tests including the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure test for leachability.
Wandell Environmental, LLC is an environmental solution company founded by
Timothy D. Wandell in 1996.


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Bar Docket No. 19885
In the Matter of NEIL A. DEAN,
In a letter dated August 20, 2008, to the Clerk of the Appellate Courts, respondent Neil A. Dean, of Topeka, Kansas, an attorney admitted to the practice of law in the state of Kansas, voluntarily surrendered his license to practice law in Kansas, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 217 (2007 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 330).
At the time the respondent surrendered his license, there had been a finding by the Review Committee of the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys that there was probable cause to believe that the respondent had violated the Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct in five separate complaints. The allegations in the complaints were that the respondent failed to act diligently, failed to communicate with clients, abandoned representation of clients, and misappropriated client funds.
This court, having examined the files of the office of the Disciplinary Administrator, finds that the surrender of the respondent's license should be accepted and that the respondent should be disbarred.
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Neil A. Dean be and he is hereby disbarred from the practice of law in Kansas, and his license and privilege to practice law are hereby revoked.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Clerk of the Appellate Courts strike the name of Neil A. Dean from the roll of attorneys licensed to practice law in Kansas.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this order shall be published in the official Kansas Reports, that the costs herein shall be assessed to the respondent, and that the respondent forthwith shall comply with Supreme Court Rule 218 (2007 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 337).
DATED this 26th day of August, 2008.


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Faculty Handbook
State of Connecticut Drug-Free Workplace Policy for Western Connecticut State University
The State of Connecticut and Western Connecticut State University (hereafter referred to as the "University") are committed to winning the battle against substance abuse. Substance abuse jeopardizes a stable family structure, increases crime, impacts worker productivity, and presents a continuing and growing drain of government funds. For our youth, substance abuse is an especially serious threat. Drugs destroy their hopes and dreams and, all too often, their very lives.
The workplace is not immune to the influence of substance abuse. Worker safety, health and efficiency are adversely affected. Therefore, in harmony with Connecticut's three-pronged strategy of education, treatment and enforcement to combat substance abuse and in accordance with federal legislation, this Drug-Free Workplace Policy has been adopted.
Effective March 18, 1989, the federal government enacted the "Drug-Free Workplace Act", (41 U.S. Code §§701 et seq.). This act requires that any employer receiving federal funding must certify that it will maintain a drug-free workplace. Among other things, the act requires that a policy be published notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, possession, or use of controlled substances is prohibited in the workplace. It also requires that certain actions be taken if this policy is broken.
General policies
It is the policy of the State of Connecticut that each employee has a right to come to work and perform his or her job in an environment that is free from the illegal use of drugs. It is also in the interest of the State and the public that employees be able to perform their duties safely and efficiently. The State is firmly committed to promoting high standards of health, safety, and efficient service. Thus, our goal is to maintain a work environment free from the effects of drug abuse.
It is the policy of the State of Connecticut that employees shall not unlawfully manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess or use a controlled substance while on the job or in the workplace, or be under the influence of a controlled substance, not prescribed for him/her by a physician, while on the job or in the workplace. Any employee violating this policy will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination.
It is the policy of the State of Connecticut that employees with substance abuse problems are encouraged to participate in a counseling or rehabilitation program prior to being in a disciplinary situation. Employees should be advised of the Employees Assistance Program provided by the agency and any available drug counseling or rehabilitation programs (1).
Employee Requirements
Employees shall not unlawfully use, possess, distribute, dispense or manufacture controlled substances or be under the influence of a controlled substance while on the job or in the workplace. Any employee violating this policy will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination.
"Controlled substances" are specifically defined in federal law and consist of two classes of drugs: (1) those commonly thought of as "illegal" drugs; and (2) certain medications if not being taken under a physician's prescription or according to a physician's orders, which the federal government has determined have a potential for abuse, or are potentially physically or psychologically addictive.
Employees must give notification in writing to Mr. Fred Cratty, Associate V.P. for Human Resources,within five (5) calendar days of any conviction for violation of a criminal drug statute if the violation occurred in the workplace. A conviction means a finding of guilt (including a plea of nolo contendre) and/or the imposition of a sentence by a judge or jury in any federal or state court. This reporting requirement is in addition to any agency work rules that require notice of arrests and/or convictions. An employee who is so convicted or who fails to report such a conviction is subject to discipline, up to and including termination.
"Workplace" includes any locations owned, operated or controlled by the State, whether the employee is on or off duty, and any other locations while on duty where State business is conducted, including traveling on State time to or from such work locations.
The agency must notify the appropriate federal agency in writing, as well as the Office of Labor Relations, within ten (10) calendar days of receiving notice that one of its employees funded under a federal grant or contract has been convicted for a violation of a state or federal drug statute occurring in the workplace.
Employees who have substance abuse problems are encouraged to participate in a rehabilitation program and should be notified of the Employee Assistance Program and available drug counseling or rehabilitation programs. The federal act requires that an employer take action within 30 calendar days of receiving notice of a workplace drug conviction to impose discipline upon and/or to require satisfactory participation in a substance abuse rehabilitation program by the convicted employee.
Since it is a federal certification requirement that employees be notified of this policy, each employee will receive a copy of it. The policy will also be available at Human Resource Department bulletin board in University Hall at 181 White Street, Danbury Connecticut 06810.
1- Information regarding Western Connecticut State University's Employee Assistance Program can be obtained at the University's Human Resources Department or from the Human Resource website -- www.wcsu.edu/hr


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Saeco Repair Center
Espresso Machines
Trade-in Program
Coffee Beans
Outlet Store
Miele Vacs
Java Points
The Black Cat Project is by design a pursuit of something we will never catch: the perfect espresso in all of its manifestations. But that does not mean we will ever stop chasing it. This project is rooted in our belief that only the best coffees can make the best espressos. We want you to experience amazing single origin, Micro-Lot and seasonal espressos with truly distinct flavor profiles. When all of these pieces come together, you are left with the beautiful simplicity and complexity you will find on the other side of a great shot of espresso. The BLACK CAT PROJECT: The never-ending pursuit to re-invent espresso!
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"Black Cat Decaf Espresso"
Peggy Huff on 12/3/2014 8:56:31 AM
Positive Product Points: I have had several very expensive organic decaf coffees before, but this one, by far, is outstanding and I am reordering.
Commentary: Most excellent decaf for my Giga 5. Love having two bean hoppers. Customer services is excellent as well. I highly recommend this company, even if receipt of orders can be a little slow.
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If this were April 1, I'd bet that the following headline from ABC News is a joke: "IRS Official in Charge During Tea Party Targeting Now Runs Health Care Office." But the joke is on us. Here's the story:
Sarah Hall Ingram served as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012. But Ingram has since left that part of the IRS and is now the director of the IRS' Affordable Care Act office, the IRS confirmed to ABC News today.
Her successor, Joseph Grant, is taking the fall for misdeeds at the scandal-plagued unit between 2010 and 2012. During at least part of that time, Grant served as deputy commissioner of the tax-exempt unit.
Grant has been pushed out the door. Today he announced that he would retire on June 3, despite being appointed as commissioner of the tax-exempt office on May 8, a week ago.
But Ingram remains in her post. Perhaps the administration believes that Obamacare is too important to be entrusted to an honest, non-overtly partisan bureaucratic.
Rep. Rep. Marlin Stutzman nailed it when he said today: "Obamacare empowers the agency that just violated the public's trust by secretly targeting conservative groups. Even by Washington's standards, that's unacceptable."
If only the Supreme Court had put Obamacare out of our misery.