- A new brand of tech toga party
- InfoWorld Daily Podcast
- The sporting storage season
- Quote of the day: PCs scarier than Halloween
- PC bargains nigh?
- InfoWorld Daily Podcast
- Another laptop battery sparks
- Quote of the day: Knowing when to abandon the losers
- Quote of the day: Agility vs. reuse
- To patch or not to patch?
October 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)
A new brand of tech toga party
SOA: Donning sheets and going to a frat house is old hat compared to the new TOGA[F] party that David Linthicum reports about in this post. TOGAF, so you know, is short for The Open Group Architecture Framework. "What you have to remember about things like this is that the real value is the discipline that they outline, but really don't provide. You, the architect, must learn how to leverage this approach, or others, for the problems you're looking to solve. If you don't do that, all the approaches, frameworks, and methodologies won't help you." Of course, Linthicum is referring to service-oriented architectures.
Hardware: Here's an idea whose time has come. The Association Connecting Electronics Industries says that by June 15, '07, it will have a standard for making safer lithium ion batteries. In the meantime, don't use your laptop by a gas pump.
Columnists' corner: This week's Off the Record opens with a spinoff from an old joke: Steal my data, please. Our author finds himself in a situation that was not even a little funny, though. After taking a new assistant IT manager gig, he learns that the organization's most critical database is still running on Windows NT 4, and this after Microsoft ceased support for the platform. But the plot thickens when he figures out that the server is connected directly to the 'Net, sans firewall -- and his boss is too chicken to add one.
Security: That's not to say that firewalls are foolproof, no. Hackers, in fact, have posted code that could effectively disarm the Windows Firewall, even on a fully-patched XP box using Windows Internet Connection Service.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 31, 2006 10:53 AM
October 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Office Live to leave beta phase, hackers disarm Windows firewall, publishers join lawsuit against Google, and more
LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 31, 2006 07:55 AM
October 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Storage: The World Series is over and the NFL playoffs are yet to begin, so perhaps you gamblers out there would like try your luck at betting on the future of storage? Okay, okay. This is more akin to playing the stock market than calling your bookie, but startup Storage Markets aims to bring the predictive market approach to storage, Mario Apicella reports in this post. "As an honorary trader, I can testify that Storage Markets is fun and addictive, which should motivate more people with storage expertise to join and keep the transactions going," Apicella writes.
Best of the blogs: Jon Udell finds himself redesigning one of Edward Tufte's data tables, and wondering how his version could work more interactively on the Web and how more people could conduct such changes. "Can web collaboration address these scaling problems? Maybe. We have lots of good ingredients: social networks for images, code, and documentation. Time to get cooking!" Scaling the Tufte effect.
The news beat: Microsoft says that its Office Live service will emerge from beta testing come November 15 and bring a few new features along for the ride. SPEC.org forms a working group to build benchmarks for virtualization software. And Hewlett-Packard details its first c-Class line of storage devices to tap the blade form factor and to make SANs a reality for smaller companies.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 31, 2006 07:26 AM
October 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: PCs scarier than Halloween
The really frightening thing that I realized today is the fact that sitting in the dark watching a horror movie is not as scary as sitting down at a PC that I don't own or maintain.
That's really saying something.
And I don't think it's just my paranoia talking.
I sat down at a generic PC today, checked to make sure that the firewall was on, running and up-to-date, ran through a check of local anti-virus status, ran a quick anti-spyware scan via my USB drive, and still couldn't bring myself to log onto any system that I would normally be connected to remotely from my own laptop. -- Victor Garza. You know it's bad when Halloween doesn't scare you.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 31, 2006 04:01 AM
October 30, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Hardware: With the demand for desktop computer motherboards on the wane, users just might be able to reap bargains when purchasing new PCs. On the flip side, strong demand for laptops is stirring up a shortage of components.
Columnists' corner: "Oracle's decision to offer full, enterprise-class for Red Hat Enterprise Linux -- including software updates but sans Red Hat branding -- was a direct attack on the leading Linux vendor," writes Neil McAllister in Oracle's Red Hat support spells trouble for Sun. "Red Hat's stock plummeted in response." But what about Oracle's other partner, Sun Microsystems?
Best of the blogs: Continuing that topic, Matt Asay offers his take. "Oracle has good Linux expertise in-house. But translating that into a compelling support offering, especially for someone else's product, is going to be a long, expensive road for Oracle, and not financially advantageous for its customers," he writes after reading an analyst report suggesting that Oracle won't be able to outperform Red Hat on support. "[By the way], Oracle, if there's even a shred of credibility to your claim that you made this move 'for your customers,' then I'd recommend you working more closely with Red Hat to provide the support these customers apparently crave and can't get from Red Hat alone. That would be the right thing to do. Not what you did."
Podcasts: Jon Udell speaks with John Schneider, CTO of AgileDelta, about the proposed W3C standard Efficient XML, including its foundations and uses. Tune in here.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 30, 2006 10:49 AM
October 30, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Another IE 7 flaw found, Seagate gives encrypted hard drive another shot, Microsoft offers free accounting software and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 30, 2006 07:48 AM
October 30, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Hardware: After opting not to go through with a full recall, Fujitsu reports that one of its user's battery's kicked out sparks, though it did not catch fire.
Best of the blogs: Many news sites and Web pundits are aghast with president Dubya's remarks about 'the Google' and, as Ted Samson points out in Politicians don't get IT, there are larger, more important concerns at play. "Bush isn't the only elected leader out there who has demonstrated a poor grasp of fairly basic technology -- and worse. As such, I think these kinds of gaffes ought to elicit more than dismissive snickers or disgusted eye rolls."
Security: Yet another vulnerability is detected in IE 7. Much like a previous one, the latest is a ghost lingering from IE 6 -- in this case it was first uncovered two years ago. The workaround Microsoft provided then, though, does not seem to prevent attacks in the new version. Microsoft's new browser is haunted by an old flaw.
The news beat: Seagate says it will deliver a hard drive featuring built-in encryption in early 2007. Juniper details its plans for branch offices, including a cadre of products to ease network management. And Sun is looking to raise NetBeans' profile with a partner program and new endorsements.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 30, 2006 07:38 AM
October 30, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Knowing when to abandon the losers
The typical project portfolio, [says Jim Andrew, senior partner at consultancy BCG] can be divvied into three parts. A third are proven winners. Another third are still in their infancy; it's too early to tell how they'll turn out. The last third have either outlived their usefulness, never got off the ground, or never will. Even so, they've been kept alive for any number of misguided reasons, from favoritism to sheer force of habit. Sound familiar? Then maybe you should examine your full slate of products -- and advocate pulling the plug on any losers. -- Steve Fox. Redefining innovation.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 30, 2006 06:51 AM
October 27, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Agility vs. reuse
The value of SOA is the ability to get your enterprise in an agile changeable state, and thus better able to align with business. Most IT departments can't do this today, and that's limiting their value to the business. That's how this SOA stuff, which is very expensive, makes you money. Reuse is possible, also valuable, and will occur if you do SOA right. -- Dave Linthicum. Real World SOA blog
Posted by Caroline Craig on October 27, 2006 06:28 AM
October 27, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Columnists' corner: With IE and Office under a zero-day attack barrage these last few months, "Microsoft takes it on the chin while the latest patches are being debugged. ... and consumers are left hanging in the wind until an official patch is deployed." In Security Adviser, Roger Grimes suggests users might want to consider installing third-party patches while waiting for the real thing from Microsoft.
Best of the blogs: Is your MacBook dozing off during e-mail? Dave Rosenberg points the way to a firmware upgrade in his Open Source blog. And Sean McCown invites readers in his Database Underground posting to "complain early, complain often" when it comes to beta products. Microsoft apparently assigns a developer to every single issue, so make your voice (and complaints) known.
Reviews: An InfoWorld exclusive look at BEA's AquaLogic BPM 5.7 reveals a good all-purpose process management engine with "minor foibles in an otherwise all-around strong product." Get the full review here. Barracuda Web Filter 310, an appliance that protects networks from spyware, also gets put through its paces and the Test Center finds it "contains more features and customization than any other for the money." Read the full review here.
Posted by Caroline Craig on October 27, 2006 05:47 AM
October 26, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Free software in a propriety wrapper
I think we can expect Oracle to get frustrated with supporting someone else's codebase. If it takes off from a business perspective, then fine, but I really doubt that large numbers of people will switch from Red Hat to Oracle as a provider of support for Red Hat. Red Hat, certainly, is not going to make it easy for customers to live on both sides of the fence, and most companies will want SOME access to Red Hat. So if Oracle wants to make money from "owning a linux stack" then I don't think this is a winner. On the other hand, if they just want to keep a lid on Red Hat, without rocking the boat too much, then this works fairly well. Fundamentally, though, this is still free software in a proprietary wrapper. -- Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu founder. Open Sources blog
Posted by Caroline Craig on October 26, 2006 08:58 AM
October 26, 2006 | Comments: (0)
EMC and the debate over power efficiency
Columnists' corner: EMC's recent power efficiency claims may be overstated and have rivals up in arms, but that's a debate that customers need to hear. Mario Apicella throws down the gauntlet over power and cooling costs and asks for formulas to back up EMC's claims.
Reviews: In Part 2 of his review of the Xserve Xeon, Tom Yager takes a more detailed look at the hardware and says that Apple hasn't lost its touch for server engineering. Apple's value-add "is easy to see if you open yourself to the possibility that putting Intel chips in a server needn't define the boundaries of a server's capabilities." If you missed Part 1 of this review, look for it and other discussions of Xserve Xeon in the Enterprise Mac blog.
The news beat: In an already crowded blogging market, Six Apart is launching a service for blogging newbies. Vox will even compete with a couple of services from its own company. The global recall of millions of laptop batteries has pushed Sony into an operating loss for Q2 despite a jump in sales. And Cisco continues its summer buying spree with yet another acquisition, this time snapping up mobile telephony software company Orative for $31 million in cash.
Posted by Caroline Craig on October 26, 2006 05:51 AM
October 25, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Best of the blogs: Oliver Rist kicks off a series about Living with Office 2007. Rist has been running the beta along with Vista RC2. "It's actually been two weeks now and I may not stop using it at all, which is most likely going to tick of Dell PR since I'm running it on their PC," Rist confesses. "Hey, a bunch of steak-eating Texan dudes coming up here to get what they want. What could possibly happen?" I'll let Rist tackle his own question but, seriously, there's more to this caper than that.
Review: "Apple's new server is a story, not because I'm Mac-aligned, but because if Xserve Xeon were stripped of the logo, the aluminum and the trappings of Apple culture, it'd be hailed as a server design breakthrough," writes Tom Yager, in Xserve Xeon review, Part 1. "Xserve Xeon is not Xserve as you've known it, and if you're well familiar with x86 1U servers, you'll find that Xserve Xeon is unlike any x86 server you've seen or used." All that said, though, "Xserve Xeon is not flawless -- there are design challenges presented by compact rack servers than even Apple hasn't overcome." Be sure to keep an eye on the Enterprise Mac blog for forthcoming parts of the review. Also, Yager's column this week is on Xserve and how it fits into Apple's approach to external services.
Storage: What with all its acquisitions and branching into new software realms, the question has to be asked: Is EMC losing touch with hardware? You won't find an answer in this post at The Storage Network, but Mario Apicella does reveal the reasons that drove him to pose the question.
The news beat: Cisco CEO John Chambers haunts Oracle OpenWorld attendees by saying that IT vendors and customers have gotten too comfortable with the status quo and, as such, have grown nervous about change. Acer vows to beat Lenovo and take over the third spot in global PC market share by next year. And after losing BenQ Mobile as a customer, Infineon says it will layoff 400 workers.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 25, 2006 10:57 AM
October 25, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Review: Apple's Xserve Xeon, MS says XP SP3 ship date slips, T-mobile taps into home broadband for better cellular service and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 25, 2006 08:08 AM
October 25, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Columnists' corner: While telecoms have been busy promoting the advantages of WiMax, Ephraim Schwartz investigates what's behind the push for WiMax. And it's not necessarily about serving customers. "End-users and corporate users may not have much say in how this plays out in the end," Schwartz reports.
From the feature well: A new approach to an old IT problem is emerging. It's known as master data management, and it can help heal the sad state of data in most back offices. "Similar to a complete SOA deployment a complete master data management effort is a huge undertaking, one that takes years and consumes a lot of resources with marginal interim benefit," explains Galen Gruman in Reopening the data mart. Gruman also offers a few small steps for getting started.
Podcasts: Real World SOA looks at considering semantics when building a service-oriented architecture. "Application semantics is something we're always going to deal with whether it's integration, SOA or just making two applications communicate with each other," explains host David Linthicum. "If you can't get semantics right ... then you can't pass go." Tune in here.
The news beat: At its Oracle OpenWorld user conference, Oracle pushes SOA in the form of Fusion middleware and unveils WebCenter Suite, a new toolbox for integrating portals, applications and Web 2.0 technologies. Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd, meanwhile, speaks at Oracle's show about HP plans to streamline operations so it has fewer, but deeper, partnerships. And AMD foreshadows its own 'Fusion' -- which will be born from placing an x86 chip and a graphics processor onto a single piece of silicon.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 25, 2006 04:49 AM
October 25, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Skills that make a good DBA
There are so many skills that make up a good DBA it's hard to know where to start. I think a good place is outside the typical DBA skillset. Every DBA should have web programming skills. This is without a doubt one of the more useful outside skills because almost anything you do as a DBA would be done better if you posted it to the web. We also seem to be called on to do all kinds of things that have nothing to do with DBs. You should not only know basic HTML, but you should also know ASP in either VBScript or JavaScript (both is better). You'll find these skills so incredibly useful in your daily work and you'll wonder how you ever go by without it. -- Sean McCown. Essential skills for DBAs.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 25, 2006 04:09 AM
October 24, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Early look: The new Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro
Hardware: Apple has issued its first 64-bit notebooks in the form of a Core 2 Duo-equipped 15-inch MacBook Pro and Tom Yager offers this breakdown of the advantages it has over earlier versions, not the least of which is a 39 percent power boost.
Columnists' corner: Sometimes the IT engineer's mind is a bit different from those of users, as our off the Record learned this week. "Don't assume end-users will follow instructions unless you're there to make sure they do," he writes. And, yes, that goes for putting a virus on a floppy disk, naming it in such a manner that no one should even consider running it, then sending it out to remote users. The intention, by the way, was to be able to test laptops to make sure they were virus-free before hooking into the corporate network, but not all plans work out well. How not to stop a virus attack.
Best of the blogs: More and more people are tapping into screencasts, reports Jon Udell in Intense, simple, active demonstrations. Take Pascal van Hecke, for instance, who uses one to show ways to organize loose MP3s.
The news beat: Oracle lays out the broad details of its forthcoming 11g database for which the company has yet to nail down a final shipping date. Microsoft offers the final version of Windows Defender, a free antispyware tool. And Google unveils a do-it-yourself search engine service to enable anyone to build a free search engine on any Web site.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 24, 2006 11:09 AM
October 24, 2006 | Comments: (0)
HP, Intel, Oracle look to lure mainframe users, Google unwraps DIY search engine, Oracle foreshadows 11g database and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 24, 2006 08:48 AM
October 24, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Best of the blogs: Nope, my headline is not a typo, nor is it a borderline nasty play on words certain proprietary software providers might want to use from time to time. Rather, it's what happens when one combines Ockham's Razor with the Open Source Definition. A "right to fork" results. "Yet it rarely happens" Matt Asay explains. "Even if no one ever forks, it's still a good thing ... because the right to do something often serves as a useful surrogate for actually doing it."
Podcasts: Jon Udell speaks with Cricket Liu, vice president of architecture at Infoblox, who is known for his books on DNS infrastructure and, recently, efforts to identify DNS security vulnerabilities. Udell kicks the conversation off by asking whether it would make sense to equip DNS to identify humans, not machines. Tune in here.
Browsers: Mozilla made Firefox 2.0 available for download a day early. "This latest version adds some handy features, but don't expect anything earth shattering," points out Mike Barton in this Tech Watch post.
The news beat: Microsoft slides Sender ID onto its list of free specs. AMD's CEO sees a transformation in IT that will ultimately result in customers having the influence rather than vendors. And SAS unwraps Model Manager, a lifecycle management tool.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 24, 2006 04:35 AM
October 24, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Spammers are winning
The attacks make little sense, since, according to my webhost, they emanate primarily from Southeast Asia and appear to be trying to post link spam comments on my site, but then suddenly escalate into something that looks more like a concerted DDOS attack. Why would link spammers who are trying to take advantage of the fact that my site allows anonymous posting of comments deliberately create a surge that crashes it instead? I don't know. But let's face it. In the larger picture, the spammers are winning. And the fact that their victory may very well wind up destroying the Internet, or at least Internet e-mail, isn't going to stop them for a moment. -- Ed Foster. Phoning it in.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 24, 2006 04:02 AM
October 23, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Interview with a DOJ security expert
Q&A: Christopher Painter, who serves as the principal deputy chief of the U.S. Department of Justice's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, speaks with the IDG News Service in this interview about what was accomplished at the last G8 24/7 High Tech Crime Network meeting last week in Rome, as well as current and emerging cybercrime trends.
Columnists' corner: "Why would Microsoft be interested in the former Vintela [now owned by Quest], which provides management tools for Linux?" asks Neil McAllister in Managing Linux, the Windows way. There are, indeed, several possible reasons, including the potential "to keep Linux right where Microsoft wants it -- at the back of the server room."
The news beat: IBM sues Amazon.com for patent infringement concerning presentation of applications in an interavctive service, data storage in an interactive network, presentation of advertising in an interactive service and several others. Oracle offers to buy MetaSolv, a provider of software that manages the provisioning of VoIP, IPTV and VPNs. And two trade associations call for changes to international rules on data transfers.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 23, 2006 10:54 AM
October 23, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Firefox 2.0 due this week, Oracle president defends acquisition strategy, EMC boosts energy-efficiency with storage hardware, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 23, 2006 08:21 AM
October 23, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Firefox 2.0 to leave den this week
Browsers: Chasing the scent of IE 7, Mozilla says that version 2.0 of the Firefox browser should be available Tuesday, and it will bring new features missing in IE 7, such as the ability to restore the browser to pages in the event of an unexpected OS restart. Firefox 2.0 also includes improved tabbed browsing, an antiphishing filter, and spell-checking.
Security: Although viruses, it seems, are waning in popularity due to their complexity, malicious hackers are contiously drumming up bigger and badder code, which leaves companies in dire need of constanstly updating their security wares. "With the re-appearance of companion malware and the growing threat of root kit Trojans, forensic investigators need to inspect suspected infected computer disks with out-of-band methods and verify the integrity of all installed programs," explains Roger Grimes in Keeping up with advancing malware. "Any good computer security person really should have been taking the extra precautions all along. But when most of the malware hasn't been doing this, it's easy (and I'm guilty of this) to become lazy and take shortcuts."
From the analysts: Naysayers might insist that one cannot have a first annual of anything because nothing is technically annual until at least the second year that you conduct it, but David Margulius doesn't care (consequently neither do I) as he kicks off his "first annual From the Analysts political endorsements." Now, he's not so much peddling specific politicians as suggesting that we vote for candidates who have a clue about IT and ideas on how it can be harnessed to improve the world. "Look them in the eyes and remind them that IT is to the 21st century what railroads and world wars and moon shots were to prior generations -- a main event that will shape our destiny." Cast your vote for IT.
The news beat: EMC adds new Symmetrix and Clariion models to its storage roster, with a focus on power-efficiency and simplifired configuration, respectively. IBM and Tibco each take on data management with SOA technologies for integrating data and enabling the creation of composite applications through Web services. And Oracle president Charles Phillips defends the company's expansion-by-acquisition strategy, saying it will continue.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 23, 2006 04:50 AM
October 23, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: ITIL's overnight success
Can something that's been kicking around for more than 15 years qualify as an overnight success? It certainly feels that way with ITIL, a collection of nine books that lays out a blueprint for IT service management. In the United States, at least, ITIL has recently catapulted itself from a respected, if somewhat obscure, treatise for governance geeks to a mainstream discipline. -- Steve Fox. IT by the book.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 23, 2006 04:19 AM
October 20, 2006 | Comments: (0)
How to leave IT, in its second volume
Best of the blogs: Okay folks, I didn't expect this one to cycle back around into a sequel, but Bob Lewis has produced a second chapter on How to leave IT. If you care to pick nits, it was a reader who revisited the topic, a 28-year veteran of IBM who now wants to "leave the IT arena to the folks (left brainers) who like that stuff." Lewis begins with "I can't help you. Nobody can." But, of course, the sage has words of advice. A taste: "You don't have to settle on just one path with a laser-beam focus. Nor do you have to make the transition to your dream job in one giant leap."
Notes from the field: Hobnobbing with former CEOs and other Mahogany Row residents, Cringe determines 'tis better to just resign than do so in scandal. Robert X. witnesses a new world record for the most security patches sent forth, kinda sorta, in a single day. The star of this week's episode, though, in a cameo appearance, is Patches O'Houlihan. That's right, the dodgeball legend. Intermix suit is nixed, Microsoft (almost) gets fixed.
The news beat: Microsoft is training Colombian ex-paramilitaries in IT as part of an effort to get them into the country's job market. The European Union approves Hewlett-Packard's plans to purchase Mercury Interactive. And AMD says it will ship 65-nanometer chips in the fourth quarter of this year.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 20, 2006 11:03 AM
October 20, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Talkback: Should IT be an election issue?
In Cast your vote for IT's future, InfoWorld columnist David L. Margulius writes: There are lots of issues people evaluate politicians on these days, but their position on or background in IT isn't usually one of them. I'm suggesting we change that -- starting now [With the crucial midterm congressional elections just a couple of weeks away (not to mention a bevy of state and local contests)] -- by supporting candidates who 1) have a clue about IT, and 2) have an enlightened position about how IT can be used more effectively to improve our world.
Do you back David's push that the time has come for IT to count in deciding on candidates? Talk back to us below.
Posted by Mike Barton on October 20, 2006 09:13 AM
October 20, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Your favorite stories this week
Here are the 5 most clicked-on InfoWorld.com stories for the week beginning Oct. 16, 2006.
5 Update: Excuses on iPod virus not credible
4 Vista nags users, Verizon accuses
3 20 ways to get promoted in the tech industry
2 Recalling a Dell with a cracked LCD
And...
1 Apple's Xserve Xeon: Built to fall apart
Well, have at 'em.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 20, 2006 09:06 AM
October 20, 2006 | Comments: (0)
IE flaw not in IE after all, Vista frustrates security vendors, HP vying for top PC spot, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 20, 2006 07:46 AM
October 20, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Reprise: Are IT recruiters worth the headache?
Best of the blogs: Sean McCown rekindles his series on the value of IT recruiters with this post containing several of the dumb questions that a headhunter told him to ask interviewers. "I'll tell you what the most successful people here do, they don't ask me questions like that," McCown quips. The rest of his series can be found at his Database Underground blog.
Podcasts: SMEs, with the emphasis on 'small', can now show direct-attached storage the door, thanks in large part to two new offerings this week from Pillar Data Systems and Xiotech that not only make networked storage easier but also keep the price in their range, more or less. Tune into Storage Sprawl.
The news beat: Windows Vista is not even out the door yet and already the security discussions are off to a bad start. 3Com brings a cordless VoIP phone to the enterprise, designed specifically for workers who move around a lot. And former HP chief Carly Fiorina says that the changes she made at HP will take 5 years to play out.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 20, 2006 04:52 AM
October 20, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Software not as alive as some say
You've got to take these kinds of self-serving surveys [Deloitte 's 12th annual '2006 Technology Fast 500' list] with a grain of salt -- and maybe a pitcher of margaritas to boot. More than half of these companies are privately held, so there's limited visibility into their actual finances. Even if the top line for company X grew by 1000 percent, who's to say that their costs didn't go up even faster. More telling, the list is based on five-year revenue growth percentage. A large percentage of a small number is still a small number. -- Steve Fox. Software: Not dead yet.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 20, 2006 04:03 AM
October 19, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Best of the blogs: As I wrote yesterday, Real World SOA author Dave Linthicum is re-tooling his 12 steps to SOA. The first piece: semantics. "The management of semantics has always been a key consideration in the world of application integration and now SOA," he begins. "To date we've done a poor job in managing semantics, lacking the understanding, the discipline, as well as the enabling technology and standards. Perhaps it's time we finally get a handle on it as we move to SOA." Read Linthicum's full entry here.
Security: Not 24 hours after Microsoft posted the security-conscious IE 7, Secunia reports that it found the browser's first flaw -- a vulnerability that would allow malicious Web sites to snag personal information. Secunia gave it a 'less-critical' rating, its second lowest.
Columnists' corner: In this week's installment of Enterprise Windows, Oliver Rist presents Visiting Vista RC2, Part One. Rist sticks to the business aspects, including IE 7, Java, security features and, most important of all, games. "They messed with Solitaire." Yes, there will be a memorial service.
The news beat: Red Hat promises to deliver a stronger beta 2 of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 within weeks. IDC says that 1 billion mobile phones will sell this year alone. And Microsoft campaigns against piracy in the UK with the slogan 'Keep IT Real' and an associated program.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 19, 2006 11:14 AM
October 19, 2006 | Comments: (0)
IE 7 arrives, along with first security flaw, AMD and Apple beat the street, Ballmer says Microsoft to spend $7.5 billion on R&D, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 19, 2006 07:38 AM
October 19, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Browsers: Microsoft makes Internet Explorer 7 available as a free download from its Web site and says that it will be a high-priority of its Automatic Updates service next month. The browser, available for download at Microsoft's site, brings a host of new features, including support for RSS feeds, tabbed browsing and tighter security.
SOA: The elusive merging of voice and data networking remains. Or at least the "two different cultures have so far failed to spectacularly come together," as Jon Udell writes in Why SOA and VoIP will converge. But sooner or later they will do just that. "There are too many opportunities to ignore, and those opportunities multiply as service orientation takes hold."
Best of the blogs: While we're on the topic of service-oriented architecture, Dave Linthicum shares trials and tribulations of creating SOA methodology. You see, he's cranking out a new edition of his 12 steps to SOA. First he dropped the 12 -- but the core issues remain the same.
Columnists' corner: If you take it's word, "Transmeta and Intel were working together until some dustup over the value of Transmeta's IP," Tom Yager reports. Guess what happened next ... Intel ended the deal, but kept the intellectual property, some of which may have ended up in its performance-per-watt chip. "Transmeta's not some down-and-outfit that's using a blindly issued patent to shake down a wealthy neighbor." Transmeta takes on Intel.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 19, 2006 04:38 AM
October 19, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Windows security not worse than others
Surprise, Microsoft Windows is no worse than most other popular platforms in terms of the number of vulnerabilities. Numbers alone never tell the whole story, but you can't read the figures and come away feeling that the Mac OS X or Linux is somehow doing a better job. Overall, all the compared OSs are doing a less than stellar job. If you want true security, use OpenBSD, otherwise what you use is going to have a fair amount of publicly announced exploits on a regular basis. -- Roger Grimes. Windows versus everyone else exploit numbers.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 19, 2006 04:04 AM
October 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Apple's specialty: customer neglect
Best of the blogs: Almost, really, almost ready to give up on Macs altogether, Dave Rosenberg instead relegates himself to be "a self-loathing Mac user for as long as Apple continues to treat me, and a growing majority of its customers and supporters like the enemy." The problems: a squeaky spacebar and a sinking mouse trackpad. Ought not require a 'genius' to fix these, right? Not so. But the whole experience did get Rosenberg in an existential mood, if only for but a moment. "My wasted time aside, what blows my mind is that Apple continues to put the onus on their customers rather than taking true responsibility for a faulty product." An ongoing saga of Apple's customer neglect.
Security: Even though systems are more complex and hackers ever more sophisticated, when it comes right down to it, users remain the biggest threat to enterprise network security. Bearing that in mind, there are ten security trends worth watching.
DRM: Use and recontextualization might be fundamental to the Web, but that doesn't mean we always should, points out Jon Udell, in DRM for asking nicely. A while back, at the request of This American Life, he took down a blog post and met the unexpected consequence that TAL became the favorite show he never tuned into. "So I've not heard TAL since June, and I'm greatly looking forward to Episode 203." If you missed it I, too, highly recommend that episode about tapes made for just one person.
The news beat: SAP keeps quiet about NetWeaver subscription pricing for the service that will enable individual developers to create new applications for its integration platform. Sony Ericsson and Nokia each introduce tools for sprucing up phone displays. And Microsoft agrees with Orange to tie up their IM networks.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 18, 2006 11:19 AM
October 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Apple's specialty: customer neglect
Best of the blogs: Almost, really, almost ready to give up on Macs altogether, Dave Rosenberg instead relegates himself to be "a self-loathing Mac user for as long as Apple continues to treat me, and a growing majority of its customers and supporters like the enemy." The problems: a squeaky spacebar and a sinking mouse trackpad. Ought not require a 'genius' to fix these, right? Not so. But the whole experience did get Rosenberg in an existential mood, if only for but a moment. "My wasted time aside, what blows my mind is that Apple continues to put the onus on their customers rather than taking true responsibility for a faulty product." An ongoing saga of Apple's customer neglect.
Security: Even though systems are more complex and hackers ever more sophisticated, when it comes right down to it, users remain the biggest threat to enterprise network security. Bearing that in mind, there are ten security trends worth watching.
DRM: Use and recontextualization might be fundamental to the Web, but that doesn't mean we always should take advantage of it, points out Jon Udell, in DRM for asking nicely. A while back, at the request of This American Life, he took down a blog post and met the unexpected consequence that TAL became the favorite show he never tuned into. "So I've not heard TAL since June, and I'm greatly looking forward to Episode 203." If you missed it I, too, highly recommend that episode about tapes made for just one person.
The news beat: SAP keeps quiet about NetWeaver subscription pricing for the service that will enable individual developers to create new applications for its integration platform. Sony Ericsson and Nokia each introduce tools for sprucing up phone displays. And Microsoft agrees with Orange to tie up their IM networks.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 18, 2006 11:19 AM
October 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Hackers create tool for evading antivirus software, EFF files suit against U.S. DOJ over database of personal records, Intel revenue down, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 18, 2006 07:50 AM
October 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Three of the scariest words in IT
Best of the blogs: To some IT professionals, there are words that conjure images more fearful than a headless horseman cutting through a dense Sleepy Hollow fog. One such phrase: managing business change. Bob Lewis strikes back with a checklist for getting the conversation off on the right foot consisting of a half-dozen steps to ease IT minds.
Columnists' corner: Overflowing data storage is a common problem. And, usually, the solution is quite simple. Just not always. Take the case of our Off the Record author, for instance. After delayed decision making, his owner/CFO called in a firm we'll refer to as 'Dubious Network Consulting.' "Dubious sent Joe -- a 'professional' making ten times my salary. Joe was a nice guy, but I got the impression he was a bit out of his depth. I was about to leave for a one-week vacation, so I made him promise that he would not change anything until I got back and he could bring me an external backup that I could check to ensure our data was intact." I'm sure you can guess where this one is headed, but I personally guarantee that it's even worse than your imagination thinks it is. Server upgrade, no upside. Could this have been worse? Or, do you have a more horrific story? Talkback via the comments function below.
The news beat: Microsoft releases guidelines for customer privacy, which some view as a response to prior criticism about the company's efforts to collect and catalog personal data. IBM's CFO, Mark Loughridge, says that Big Blue had a strong third quarter thanks in part to a balanced mix of software, hardware and services. Intel reports that its profits sunk 35 percent; and Yahoo's revenue also fell short for the third quarter.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 18, 2006 04:45 AM
October 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Microsoft's dress code is holding it back
So, will MS ever be a world-leading software vendor? The answer is absolutely NOT...never ever never will they ever be able to maintain anything other than a perfunctory standing in the software community. Why? It's simple. Because they hold such a loose dress code. It sounds like the two things aren't related (success and dress), but they are. They must be, because that's what we're told constantly by almost every company out there. -- Sean McCown. Microsoft will NEVER be a leading software vendor.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 18, 2006 04:07 AM
October 17, 2006 | Comments: (0)
VCs make googly eyes at 'Net again
Business: Venture capitalists are once again warming up to Internet innovation, after vowing to avoid the sector once the dotcom bubble burst. A sense of restored confidence, according to this story, is catalyzing a new generation of online services that have not only made it big, but also proven themselves sustainable business-wise.
Screencasts: An avatar of Jon Udell attends IBM's virtual block party, in which he reports on the social possibilities of 3D worlds. "One thing that's easier to do here than in the real world is bail out," he finds. Watch it here.
Databases: MySQL confirms that it will add a database monitoring and advisory service, code-named Merlin, to its MySQL Enterprise quiver of subscription services. Ingres, meanwhile, sets up shop in India with the aim of growing its business in that region.
The news beat: With profits down, EMC reveals intentions to layoff 1,250 employees. Microsoft foreshadows its Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance, a suite consisting of pieces it acquired from Softricity, AssetMetrix, Winternals and DesktopStandard. And Skype says it will release a Symbian client by year's end.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 17, 2006 11:17 AM
October 17, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Sun embarks on virtualization strategy, EMC to hold layoffs as profits are down, Sony to replace 90,000 laptop batteries, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 17, 2006 07:25 AM
October 17, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Microsoft responds to Vista security concerns
Security: Reacting to public complaints from the likes of McAfee and Symantec, Microsoft issues an API that will enable security vendors to disable the Security Center console that is part of Windows Vista. The remaining concern, however, is PatchGuard, which has security vendors saying they need kernel access to turn on critical security features.
From the feature well: Looking for a strategy to advance your career? There are at least 20 ways to get promoted in the tech industry. The first is 'think business first, technology second.' Numbers two and three are 'raise the bar' and 'volunteer for jobs no one else wants' respectively. I'll not spoil the ending.
The news beat: IBM sends 'Hawk' aflight; now known as Information Server the software is for "understanding, cleansing, transforming and delivering reliable, in-context information that had been previously scattered across organizations." iPass plans to expand its remote management to more effectively enforce corporate policies. And Sony joins the battery recall party by offering replacements for its own Vaio notebooks.
Best of the blogs: Roger Grimes brings some comedic relief in the form of Amazon entries for the tech head, replete with fake RFCs. In Grimes' words: the humor is more in the reviewer's remarks than anything else. [Ed's note: Per Roger's comment below, he did not technically mention any fake RFCs; rather, "I just say that if you're the type of person that likes the fake RFCs, then you'll like these books..." Roger explains. My bad.]
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 17, 2006 04:31 AM
October 17, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Bottom of the intelligence barrel
Google and its competitors are fighting for market share because, now, market share in and of itself means success. From now on, 'the next big thing' will not mean great technology; it will mean whichever online entity can come up with the most 'viewers.' If that means the content is at the bottom of the intelligence barrel, you won't hear investors complaining and you will see a lot of copycats. But what you won’t see are inventive twenty-somethings putting their skills toward coming up with innovative technology to change our lives. -- Ephraim Schwartz. Google-YouTube deal is a new low for the 'Net.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 17, 2006 04:03 AM
October 16, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quad-core Xeons step into horizon
Hardware: Both Hewlett-Packard and Tyan detail forthcoming systems based on Intel's quad-core chips. Tyan demonstrated devices aimed at small or home offices that will tap several of the news chips, while HP plans to unveil a new line of workstations housing the processors in mid-November.
M&A: McAfee buys Onigma for $20 million dollars and in return gets software for preventing data leaks. Hewlett-Packard extends its offer to acquire Mercury for a third time. And NEC sells Packard Bell to John Hui, the former owner of e-Machines.
Podcasts: Jon Udell speaks with Mark Ericson, the director of SOA product strategy for BlueNote Networks, about VoIP and SOA convergence, communications-enabling business processes and recruiting voice and video channels in the context of a transaction to strengthen the relationship. Tune in here.
SOA: The question of whether SOA will cause developer underemployment or not, meanwhile, is on David Linthicum's mind. "I'm not sure we'll see a reduction in development with the advent of SOA, but perhaps a redistribution of talent in the longer term," he writes.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 16, 2006 11:19 AM
October 16, 2006 | Comments: (0)
McAfee scoops up Onigma, Hewlett-Packard to lauch quad-core systems, SAP expands NetWeaver, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 16, 2006 07:57 AM
October 16, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Gaming technology bleeds into business
Columnists' corner: Think gaming technologies and the enterprise are mutually exclusive? You're not alone, but "game technology is bleeding into the conventional business world, points out editor in chief Steve Fox in Gaming for business. Take Second Life, for instance, where "the virtual-community-to-business-community crossover is largely theoretical." The same cannot be said of chips, though, as "core gaming technology is going mainstream" in the processor realm.
Open source: By embracing open standards, browser maker Opera has primed its offering for open source, but the company is not planning to actually open source its code. "The majority of Web surfers still use closed source browsers. Microsoft Internet Explorer is of course the leader, but even Apple's Safari, which is built around an open source core, contains proprietary components," explains Neil McAllister in this week's installment of Open Enterprise."If Opera gives away the secrets of its advantage by opening its source code, what revenue model is left for it?"
Screencasts: Accompanying our Test Center review BizTalk 2006 deftly connects enterprise apps is this demonstration of the product that incldues a look at Microsoft'd design goals for BizTalk, the functions it can perform for different roles in an enterprise, and the visibility it brings into IT infrastructure. Watch the screencast here.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 16, 2006 04:43 AM
October 16, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Previewing Vista RC2
Overall [Windows Vista] RC2 does show more stability than RC1, and I was able to survive more than a week on that, no problem. All my peripherals and network devices were fully supported and most were discovered and installed automatically. Graphics are hungry, but if you feed them a good video card they're crisp and happy. Just be careful to fully test your business application library before deploying this operating system. -- Oliver Rist. Preview: Microsoft Vista RC2.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 16, 2006 04:11 AM
October 13, 2006 | Comments: (0)
HP hires ethics and compliance officer.
Gee, that's a good idea. And while they're at it why don't they close the barn door.
Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on October 13, 2006 01:26 PM
October 13, 2006 | Comments: (0)
IE 7's biggest security improvements
Columnist's corner: Perhaps the most anticipated incarnation of Internet Explorer, IE 7 is ready and slated for availability on Oct. 18, with Windows Update and Automatic Updates to be rolled out come Nov. 2. Naturally the new browser will carry some problems along for the ride, but "what I love is its increased security," explains Roger Grimes, who offers a summary list of the 16 most significant security improvements in IE 7 in Security Advisor.
From the analysts: If you're the type to put stock in IT certification as a gauge of brainpower, then you'll likely find the 2006 Global Skills Report interesting. It looks at the skills certification of some 300,000 folks across 200 countries, and guess who ranks highest ... that's right, the U.S. India was second, followed by Russia, but that is where things get intriguing. Overall, the largest growth percentage was garnered by Belarus, which was up 49 percent. "I'm not sure measuring IT certifications is the best way to evaluate global talent pool trends, but it's worth tracking," explains David Margulius in Which country boasts the biggest brains in IT?
Notes from the field: Cringe figures this week he can pull in a quick $100 million if only he can determine, by hook or crook, LonelyGirl15's phone number. No pretexting, of course, lest he join HP chair Patricia Dunn in the 'I thought it was public information' defense. And with Microsoft's anti-piracy technology coming in Vista Cringe reckons he'd got enough nagging on the way to keep him occupied, err, distracted from what's outside his window. Vista nags users, Verizon accuses.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 13, 2006 11:46 AM
October 13, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: All collaborated out
Microsoft's SharePoint push has made team-style collaboration a hot buzzword in Windows IT shops -- mainly because Redmond's made it so easy. Grab a template, add some team-specific content, spend a little time handling permissions and you can have a fairly sophisticated internal collaboration site up and running in hours rather than weeks ... That's powerful stuff no matter how you slice it and certainly a competitor or collaborator to the Wiki wave flowing over the rest of the Web. But while RSS certainly fits into this mold, collaboration really isn't where we're looking to use RSS. Frankly, I'm all collaborated out. -- Oliver Rist. Used properly, RSS boosts collaboration.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 13, 2006 04:05 AM
October 12, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Hardware: Earlier in the week we looked into the power crisis among datacenters, but the back-office is not the only place to reduce the environmental impact of computing. Via Technologies, in fact, teamed up with Evesham Technology and Tranquil PC to build PCs based on Via's C-7D chip -- which the companies bill as a carbon-free processor. N.B. I described the online package IT looks toward a greener datacenter earlier this week, so I'll not repeat myself here other than to offer the link.
Best of the blogs: Rather than putting all their security eggs into a single vendor's basket, many customers prefer the best-of-breed tack. "The experience one reader had with Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2007 identifying his favorite firewall and [anti-virus] packages as 'incompatible applications' makes you wonder how much longer such an approach will be possible," Ed Foster writes in Norton 2007 incompatibility warning breeds insecurity. "While it seemed highly improbable that Symantec would deliberately make NAV incompatible with two popular security products ... the responses of Symantec's support reps made him wonder."
The news beat: With Microsoft inching closer to a final version of Windows Vista, some 250 hardware and software products have been certified for the new OS and are expected to be available in time for the holidays. Users are steering away from 3G because of its high fees for Web surfing, music downloads and games, among other services. And although the price lists for Sun Microsystems and its acquired StorageTek will become one on Oct. 17, from outward appearances it seems that integration issues still linger.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 12, 2006 11:14 AM
October 12, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Google blends Writely and Spreadsheets, McAfee CEO steps down, Transmeta sues Intel for patent infringement, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 12, 2006 07:10 AM
October 12, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Microsoft's second generation of OBA
Applications: Microsoft issues the Office Business Application Reference Application Pack this week. More than just a mouthful, the OBA RAP is a reference for building the front end to a supply chain management system that addresses the disconnect between business process and business practice, according to one Microsoft official.
Columnists' corner: CTO's and their back-office staffs don't typically think about gaming in the workplace. But, writes Tom Yager, "the same technology that game developers use to make virtual basketballs bounce like the real thing does a bang-up job of cryptography and compression." Those capabilities come in the form of media extensions to the x86 that "aren't used where they could make the greatest difference," Yager adds in The closeted genius of x86.
The news beat: Intel details the new system-on-a-chip, now shipping in small quantities, which supports the standard for WiMax networks that serve stationary users but can be upgraded to mobile folks as well. Transmeta, meanwhile, sues Intel claiming that the Pentium and Core PC chips violate 10 patents covering processor and power efficiency design. And Nokia keeps its smartphone lead by continuing to pull ahead of competitors, including RIM.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 12, 2006 04:51 AM
October 12, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: The reality of IE 7 security
News out of Redmond is that IE 7 will be pushed to XP customers this month. The automatic push (if you have Automatic Updates) can be denied or delayed, but will be pushed out and offered automatically. I love IE 7, but it will break some applications, so test thoroughly before committing in your environment. -- Roger Grimes. IE 7 to be pushed to XP this month.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 12, 2006 04:08 AM
October 11, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the Day: The social Web
It's no accident that such minimalist modes as e-mail, chat, blogs, and wikis capture so much of our online attention. The Web began as, and keeps proving to be, an experience that's more about social interaction than passive entertainment. -- Jon Udell, "Second Life builds the social metaverse"
Posted by Lisa Blackwelder on October 11, 2006 11:57 AM
October 11, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Best of the blogs: What would you do if your employer was repeatedly overbilling clients for IT contract work? Would you keep quiet or blow the whistle and risk losing your job?
That's the ethical dilemma Bob Lewis raises in his most recent blog posting.
The news beat: The topic of overbilling is also haunting Oracle -- to the tune of $98.5 million, which is the size of the settlement Oracle has reached to compensate for PeopleSoft's allegedly overcharging government customers over the years. And Google ratchets up the rivalry with Microsoft by integrating its Writely and Spreadsheets apps and moves another step closer to offering a full suite alternative to Microsoft's Office. And in the latest development in the HP pretexting saga, three private investigators employed by HP have pleaded not guilty to felony charges in the affair.
Columnists' corner: Ephraim Schwartz looks at the symbiotic relationship between IT and universities in Reality Check, and examines the ways in which SOA is helping promote a new breed of interdisciplinary IT workers to meet the dramatic changes brought about in IT by outsourcing and offshoring.
Posted by Caroline Craig on October 11, 2006 06:15 AM
October 10, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Special report: As the acronyms (and the technologies they stand for) SOA and VoIP collide IT gets a new, advanced generation of communications that are part and parcel of the Web services era. That means that "telephony services such as presence, click-to-call, call routing, and Web conferencing can be combined with other communications and data services to create innovative new composite apps and services that can be recombined and reused to create still other new apps and services," writes Leon Erlanger in SOA finds its VoIP. The package also includes a case study on application service provider The Hudson Group, which integrated voice with its Web infrastructure and order entry systems.
Best of the blogs: As the SOA business continues maturing, Dave Linthicum spots these patterns distinguishing the good vendors from the bad. The first is the ability to be self-critical. And it doesn't hurt to know when to walk away from a deal, either.
Gripe Line: Dell gets a failing grade in school. And, no, this one is not about exploding batteries. "One out of six desktops failing within the first month certainly seems like a rate few schools would be happy with. What really upsets the reader though is the long periods of time it takes to get each system fixed, particularly when he feels Dell should just replace them with new systems that work," Ed Foster reports.
The news beat: Microsoft denies allegations by BayStar Capital that it promised to guarantee the firm's $50 million investment in SCO. Iona unwraps version 4.1 of its Artix ESB, which brings new orchestration functionality and is integrated with AmberPoint's SOA management platform. And Sun Microsystems teams up with Laszlo Systems to enable developers using the OpenLaszlo platform to write applications for J2ME mobile devices.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 10, 2006 04:29 AM
October 10, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Quote of the day: Hints of open source desperation at BEA
When all other arguments are exhausted, BEA's CTO [Rob Levy] predictably falls back on paranoia about viruses and hidden back doors. In his world, closed is good! 'You want to know where a piece of code came from,' he says, 'because if you don't control it, how do you know there is nothing malicious in it?' Good question, Mr. Levy! I suppose I have two options. One is to run an independent audit of all the open source code in my enterprise to determine if there are security holes or exploitable flaws. The other is to trust BEA. Given the amount of misinformation BEA seems willing to spread around, I know which one I'd rather do. -- Neil McAllister. BEA hits out at open source.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 10, 2006 04:02 AM
October 09, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Special report: It's no surprise that the more hardware a datacenter has, the more heat that gets generated and, in turn, the higher the cooling costs. Energy costs escalate and the whole situation leaves IT confronting the datacenter power crisis. In some companies, namely Google, engineers are predicting that "energy costs could dwarf equipment costs." One trick: run datacenters on DC (direct current) and save up to 20 percent. You can also find a power-saving checklist within the online package.
Open source: An executive at investment firm BayStar Capital says that Microsoft's senior vice president of corporate strategy and development vowed to guarantee BayStar's part in a $50 million investment in SCO. Once that was made, however, Microsoft stopped returning the company's phone calls. This came out in a court filing, but at least one analyst doubts its viability given the inherent risk.
Podcasts: Jon Udell speaks with Ellen Ullman, author of the 1995 book Close to the Machine: Technophilia and its Discontents, about how the programmer's asynchronous, machine-mediated, always-on lifestyle impacts individuals and society.
The news beat: Microsoft revokes the MVP status of adware distributor Cyril Paciullo, the creator of Messenger Plus and Messenger Plus Live. Salesforce.com unwraps its Apex programming language and platform which an exec calls 'a third core pillar' of its strategy, along with hosted CRM and AppExchange. And Oracle scoops up Sunopsis, a data integration company.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on October 9, 2006 11:14 AM
October 09, 2006 | Comments: (0)