- On the necessity of InfoWorld's 'Save XP' campaign
- Daily news beat for Feb. 29, 2008
- Microsoft will prevail against Freetards
- InfoWorld Daily Podcast
- Cringely's geek week in review
- InfoWorld Test Center guide: Content management systems
- Security development lifecycle trumps code complexity
- Too much SOA governance is a bad thing
- Daily news beat for Feb. 28, 2008
- An old Visual Studio problem rears its ugly head in VS08
February 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)
On the necessity of InfoWorld's 'Save XP' campaign
While we are close to collecting our original stated goal of 100,000 signatures, not everyone thinks InfoWorld's Save Windows XP campaign is a worthwhile initiative.
As Peter Bruzzese points out, the author of Exchangeapedia, Bharat Suneja, suggests that the campaign won't inspire Microsoft to change its plans and keep Windows XP alive beyond June 30.
Suneja, it's worth explaining, is a Microsoft MVP. A rare breed, indeed, these disciples are devout enough that, while attending an MVP Summit back in 2001, a pair of them even got married in Redmond, Wash. and read vows from their Pocket PCs.
That said, Bruzzese writes that Suneja "has done his own research on the matter and his opinion should be heard." I agree, and particularly when he explains that mainstream support will end on April 14th, 2009, and extended support will be available for five years from that date, till April 8th, 2014, both points IT shops should research. Suneja writes, in his post, "Windows XP doesn't seem like a product that's being retired prematurely."
That, obviously, is a matter of some debate. Contrarians can easily point to the reality that Vista sales are not exactly going like gangbusters.
Microsoft, in fact, just today said it will slash prices of Windows Vista up to 50 percent, though mainly in developing countries, and wealthier nations in Europe and the U.S. are likely to see discounts as small as 3 percent -- while one industry analyst said that price cuts don't get to the heart of Vista's problems.
What's more, company e-mails that were unsealed this week as part of the lawsuit that claims Microsoft deceived buyers when it promoted PCs as "Windows Vista Capable" indicate that even top Microsoft executives struggled with Vista because some of their hardware would not work with the OS.
What's your take? Is XP worth saving, or nearing retirement? Talkback via the comments function below.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 29, 2008 10:51 AM
February 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Daily news beat for Feb. 29, 2008
Yes, you read that date correctly: It's leap year.
U.S. and Canadian agencies seize more than $78 million in counterfeit Cisco gear in an investigation into imports from China.
One day after Google said that JotSpot would be reborn as Google Sites, faithful users of the wiki service cite the lack of an API and limited information about a migration path as reasons for their mixed feelings.
Mozilla is in talks with telcom operators regarding a mobile browser project that, it hopes, will "break open a closed market."
Yahoo, again, is sued by Chinese dissidents, this time for allegedly aiding Chinese authorities by turning over e-mails and other communications that landed one plaintiff in jail.
With Dell, Google, Nortel and Sprint quarterly results underscoring a possible spending slowdown, high-tech stars are falling in investors' eyes.
And, the U.S. FTC lists top targets for ID theft, among the 25 companies that account for nearly half of all stolen identity complaints are a bank and two telcos.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 29, 2008 09:48 AM
February 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Microsoft will prevail against Freetards
"Throw eggs at me if you like," Open sources author Savio Rodrigues writes.
Rodrigues, an open source proponent and IBM employee, explains that anyone who thinks the current crop of open source operating systems and applications is going to curtail Microsoft's dominance is simply not living in reality
"This should scare any OSS proponent. It seems like the folks at Redmond have been busy while the OSS movement has been prematurely readying Microsoft's eulogy," he writes in Microsoft will prevail in the face of Freetards.
Microsoft, in fact, is learning from open source developments and evidence of that emerged in Windows Server 2008.
"I hope I'm wrong. But Microsoft simply appears to be meeting the challenge of OSS better than OSS appears to be meeting the challenge of displacing Microsoft."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 29, 2008 09:01 AM
February 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Mozilla foretells of mobile browser, Spam King to get day in court, Google sheds light on healthcare services, and more 
LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 29, 2008 08:47 AM
February 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Cringely's geek week in review
Swiss missed bank Julius Baer emerged from its cave just in time for Robert X. Cringely's weekly wrap up. But its nemesis, WikiLeaks, "is hardly blameless. There seems to be a lack of adult supervision over there."
Next up: Cringe has a hard time picking his favorite quotes pertaining to the lawsuit over "Vista capable" labeling among the many indicating that Microsoft executives were aware of how much of a dog Vista is.
My personal favorite: "No [vendors] believed we would ever really ship so they didn't start work until late 2006 ..."
"It reads like a greek tragedy," Cringe writes in this Geek week in review.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 29, 2008 08:38 AM
February 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)
InfoWorld Test Center guide: Content management systems
Nobody likes their content management system (CMS). Not IT, and definitely not end-users.
That fact makes choosing one even more daunting than it already is, "but this Test Center Guide will equip you with the knowledge you need to make an informed decision," Mike Heck explains.
For starters, there are five elements of criteria to consider. Then, make sure the particular CMS fits into your existing infrastructure because obviously it has to play nice with your enterprise systems.
Heck looks at what you can get beyond the basics, how much it all will cost and, of course, several product and hosted services options.
"Choosing an appropriate content management system requires a thorough analysis of your organization's needs, then matching them to a product's features -- while respecting your budget and resource constraints," Heck explains in Test Center guide: Content management systems. "If you didn't initially, also think about how the CMS can go beyond content publishing. Efficient customer service, new revenue opportunities, and better ways to communicate with clients are all real possibilities without breaking the bank."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 29, 2008 08:24 AM
February 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Security development lifecycle trumps code complexity
As software becomes more complex, security only becomes more difficult. More lines of code, indeed, bring greater potential for bugs. At least, that's one side of the debate.
"In general, I wholly believe in this axiom, but it doesn't always have to be true. In fact, there is empirical evidence that better coding practices can more than offset the complexity argument," Roger Grimes explains in this week's installation of Security Adviser.
That's where Security Development Lifecycle, SDL for short, comes into play.
SDL is a practice that has worked well at Microsoft, continues Grimes, who is a full-time Microsoft employee, and he offers statistics not just to inflame anti-Microsoft zealots, but to promote two points.
First, increasing complexity doesn't have to mean more vulnerabilities and, second, it's time for developers not using SDL to get on it.
"If you want to improve your company's security programming, teach SDL and build it into the company culture. It might take a little while to get the ship turned around, but once you do, the results are tangible, and they'll benefit everyone."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 29, 2008 06:17 AM
February 28, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Too much SOA governance is a bad thing
Whereas most people are just studying service-oriented architecture and don't really know what it is, let alone SOA governance, sometimes the "manage by technology" notion has a tendency to confuse things, David Linthicum explains.
There may be too much focus on SOA governance at this point.
"We seem to be spending a lot of time discussing how many services we're going to build before we need SOA governance, and not enough time on what that means to a more holistic architecture."
Instead, we need people who understand governance to control and drive policies and management around the services we're creating, and those not yet created.
Linthicum urges IT pros to do a lot of research before jumping feet first into any kind of architecture. Experience, after all, is an excellent teacher.
Tune into the SOA Report podcast.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 28, 2008 10:26 AM
February 28, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Daily news beat for Feb. 28, 2008
Google says that today JotSpot is being reborn as Google Sites, a wiki component of Google Apps that it hopes will provide a less expensive alternative to Microsoft's SharePoint or Lotus Notes.
PayPal cautions against using Apple's Safari browser, citing the lack of two important anti-phishing security features as the reason it did not make the list of recommended browers.
What with data-laden laptops disappearing, an uptick in attacks, and the looming possibility of an audit, healthcare specialists are finding that cyberattacks are a growing threat and, as such, are ratcheting up efforts to protect patient information.
The U.S. DOJ and FTC both give an affirmative nod to Oracle's bid for BEA, bringing the deal closer to an end, though it still has to gain approval from the European Union.
A cadre of storage titans came out to back Windows Server 2008 at Microsoft's launch event on Wednesday, one of them calling the new OS "an opportunity we can't afford to miss."
NetSuite rolls out NS-BOS, a package of tools it hopes will spur more ISV's to write applications on top of the NetSuite platform.
And next month standards bodies will cast another vote to decide whether or not to adopt Microsoft’s Open Office XML document format. But while proponents and opponents debate the virtues of approval or rejection, the more apt question has become Does the OOXML vote even matter?
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 28, 2008 09:38 AM
February 28, 2008 | Comments: (0)
An old Visual Studio problem rears its ugly head in VS08
In discovering "a weird symptom" in Visual Studio 2008, Martin Heller is "looking forward to Visual Studio Service Pack 1," already.
After contacting Microsoft's Visual Studio team to little avail, Mr. Heller eventually uncovered something of a surprise: those corrupted .NCB files that were a recurrent problem in Visual Studio .NET are not behind us but, instead, still nagging in VS08.
"I've isolated the problem. I've also fixed it for now," he writes in An old Visual Studio bug rears its ugly head.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 28, 2008 07:49 AM
February 28, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Google re-christens JotSpot as Google site, Opera chooses Google as search engine for its browser, PayPal says not to use Apple's Safari, Oracle's BEA buy approved, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 28, 2008 07:29 AM
February 28, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Apple and Lenovo's latest slender laptops, the MacBook Air and ThinkPad X300 respectively, are both slim, sleek and, to some folks at least, even sexy.
But there's more to a notebook PC than love at first sight. Take eco-friendliness, for instance. The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment tool, aka EPEAT, lets you search for the varying levels of greenness the group assigns products, including PC hardware.
Both notebooks offer green advantages over rivals, boast low-power processors, are Energy Star 4.0 compliant, and use fewer materials. Further, they're both are designed for easy disassembling end-of-life management. Yet one garnered Gold status while the other earned Silver.
And the winner is ... well now, hold on just a second.
"As I learned this week by comparing the EPEAT standings of Apple and Lenovo's recently released ultra-thin notebooks, a vendor can reap precious points to boost a product's rating a full color grade by meeting criteria that arguably don't translate into meaningful green benefits for the buyer," Ted Samson writes in MacBook Air vs. ThinkPad X300: Which is greener?
Samson closes with some shopping advice: a higher status ranking, or price tag, does not necessarily make for a greener product. "Take a moment to study differences among products."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 28, 2008 05:24 AM
February 28, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Wall Street. The European Union. IT shops the world over. And a whole raft of competitors, many of them more nimble. All these are gunning for Microsoft now, leading Bill Snyder to ask Can Ballmer pilot Microsoft in a changed tech world?
"Despite successes with SharePoint 2007 as well as good reviews for the new Windows Server 2008, Microsoft has been increasingly embattled by open source alternatives such as Linux, and it faces a growing threat from Google in the on-demand delivery business," Snyder writers.
What's a poor CEO to do? Snyder wonders.
"Opening the APIs and opening up the wallet -- if not for Yahoo, then for another major player -- are smart moves. But the road to change is full of potholes -- and other drivers and the highway patrol. Hang on tight."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 28, 2008 04:55 AM
February 27, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Another unseen benefit to green IT equipment
Giving a nod to Ted Samson's Sustainable IT blog blog, Curtis Franklin points out in A green network a less-considered advantage of eco-friendly technology in the back office.
"For me, the best part of many 'green' networking products is that they've eliminated the fan ... loud equipment can drive me batty. Quiet equipment is wonderful."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 27, 2008 11:20 AM
February 27, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Daily news beat for Feb. 27, 2008
I highlighted this in a previous post but the fact that Microsoft is launching Windows Server 2008 today belongs in a daily news roundup just the same. Watch the video preview of WS08 here.
The European Union fined Microsoft another $1.3 billion for failing to honor the 2004 antitrust ruling against it in what the EC called "a clear disregard of its legal obligations."
Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie, meanwhile, said that Google owes its life to Microsoft, for without the PC Google wouldn't have a business and, what's more, "I don't think they can do anything we can't do." Oddly enough, Mundie did not come clean as to who Microsoft, then, owes its existence. So, here's a bit of Carl Sagan wisdom for you, Craig: In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.
Microsoft is not the only company making waves today. Finjan finds an illegal database with more than 8,7000 stolen FTP credentials including user name, password and server addresses that anyone can purchase and use to launch malicious attacks against the compromised systems.
According to figures from Gartner, 2007 was a blockbuster for mobile phones, and the first time more than 1 billion were sold in a year.
And the EC approves Acer's acquisition of Packard Bell, saying the deal would not impede competition.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 27, 2008 10:43 AM
February 27, 2008 | Comments: (0)
What's really behind Microsoft's promises to be more open
Microsoft's open source initiative, by some accounts, is making the company look really good; others remain skeptical.
Tom Yager has another take altogether: It's about little more than lawyers.
"I wouldn't touch code created by anyone who has come within whiffing distance of Microsoft's published code, APIs, and protocols. How am I supposed to know whether someone's going to sell the code derived from my code derived from Microsoft's patented protocols?" Yager asks in Microsoft opens, just a little.
That's because the boilerplates include the phrase "licensed patents" which, of course, belong to Microsoft and the fine print says that the royalty-free and unfettered redistribution stuff doesn't apply unless you've licensed the applicable patents that Microsoft has attached to it.
"At the moment, I can't imagine any conditions that would make me comfortable with using any of what Microsoft is publishing. I wouldn't tack a piece of code onto this post, for fear that it might be covered by some far-removed patent."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 27, 2008 10:02 AM
February 27, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Microsoft unveils Windows Server 2008 with high hopes for it -- and Vista. Also, EMC says it will roll out online storage services, MTI Micro shows fuel cell prototype, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 27, 2008 08:02 AM
February 27, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center preview: Inside Google's Android SDK
Our reviewers peer under the hood of Google's foray into the handheld OS realm and find out what it's like to work with the Android SDK.
"When a developer writes an Android application, that developer codes in Java," Rick Grehan explains. And the Europa version of Eclipse is the preferred development platform for Android applications, though "you are not tied to Eclipse as your Android development system. The Android SDK does provide tools that let you use other IDEs in place of Eclipse."
Android also brings a whole new lingo for developers to learn which, Grehan points out, will require some time spent with the documentation.
What it doesn't bring is anything compelling enough to set it apart from other handheld OSes.
"Android is definitely a work in progress. If you want to try your hand at creating a significant Android application with the existing toolkit, I salute you. But be prepared for a challenge."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 27, 2008 07:30 AM
February 27, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Microsoft's high hopes for Windows Server 2008
Microsoft today is officially launching what was once Longhorn and is now known as Windows Server 2008 (WS08) -- and doing so with high hopes for the OS.
"Microsoft is counting on new features in Windows Server 2008 to attract interest from corporate IT managers," Sumner Lemon of the IDG News service reports in Microsoft has high expectations for Windows Server 2008. "These features generally fall into one of four areas Microsoft focused on when developing Windows Server 2008: security, virtualization, Web productivity and business intelligence."
Timed for its release, InfoWorld's Test Center took a long look at WS08 and found it, in this in-depth product review, to be "an upgrade IT can't refuse ... a 200-pound gorilla that eats commercial Linux."
The Test Center also shares Secrets of Windows Server 2008, with a focus on the impact the new OS is going to have on IT shops and the organizations they support.
And in the Special Report: Microsoft's server big bang is something for those of you who have already decided not to touch the new server anytime soon. Well, in the words of contributing editor J. Peter Bruzzese, "Windows Server 2008 is absolutely awesome." You must move to Windows Server 2008.
All that said, if there are logical reasons why you should not, or can not, move to Server 2008. What are they? We'd like to know. Talkback below.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 27, 2008 05:02 AM
February 27, 2008 | Comments: (0)
It's a different world than when XP came along
While there are those who liken the Windows XP to Vista migration to previous shifts involving earlier operating systems, contributing editor Randall Kennedy remains firmly against such a notion.
"None of the pressures that drove customers to Windows XP -- the rickety Windows 9x underpinnings, the desire to unify Microsoft's disparate Windows architectures and leverage NT technologies across a broader user base -- exist today," he explains in Why grapefruit suck.
Rather, IT today is by and large, satisfied with Windows the way it is, Kennedy adds.
"This is why I will continue to call-out those who try to downplay Save XP by equating resistance to Vista with the earth-shattering transition that was Windows 9x-to-Windows XP," he adds. "That move was truly apples-to-oranges, while Vista remains more of a grapefruit."
"Here's hoping that Windows 7 is a bit more palatable..."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 27, 2008 04:19 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Inside Sun's integration of MySQL
Now that Sun has officially closed its acquisition of MySQL, Zack Urlocker shares some observations on the process.
Urlocker, you'll recall, serves as MySQL's executive vice president of products.
"The approach that the Sun execs and managers have taken has been professional and respectful every step of the way," Urlocker writes in Integrating MySQL with Sun. "To Sun's credit, they have demonstrated tremendous flexibility and agility with this acquisition."
Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz said this morning that the open source database is not only a perfect fit in terms of culture, business and technology, but also the most important purchase in Sun's history.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 11:30 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Presidential candidates on H-1B visas
In the tech and business worlds the issue of H-1B visas is paramount and, with a relevant deadline fast approaching, Ephraim Schwartz thinks at least one of the three most popular candidates would say something about it.
"The premise of all three is based on the belief that there is a skills shortage in the United States," Schwartz writes.
But they are not discussing the issue with frequency.
It wasn't exactly simple to track down where each stands, but then Schwartz is not easily deterred.
"So, without further ado, and as a public service, here are the candidates statements on H-1B visas."
The three presidential candidates on H-1B.
"None talk about the H-1B visa being used as a tactic to hire workers at wages lower than the prevailing market. Rather they imply once the skills shortage of American workers is closed then they would review the H-1B program."
Hmmm.
Several readers comment with contrarian viewpoints. What do you think? Should politicians wait on H-1B or act now? Talkback below or via the above link.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 11:15 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Daily news beat for Feb. 26, 2008
IBM today made some mainframe moves, unveiling a new System z10 machine and, along with it, software and resources to help educate programmers about how to more easily develop, administer, automate and deploy mainframe applications.
Lenovo strikes up a challenge for Apple in the form of ThinkPad X300, which it claims is more feature-rich than Apple's MacBook Air, while still pushing the envelope of lightweight ultraportable PCs. On the full-size notebook front Apple, for its part, unveils pumped up MacBook and MacBook Pros, adding bigger hard drives and 45-nanometer Penryn chips. (Thanks to Computerworld for that last one.)
Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz talks up MySQL as the acquisition closes, saying that the open source database is not only a perfect fit in terms of culture, business and technology, but also the most important purchase in Sun's history.
Network Solutions faces a class-action lawsuit alleging that it has unfairly profited from its questionable practice of automatically reserving a domain name once someone runs a search on it.
And a Google official, speaking at the Adobe Engage conference, says that Google's fate is tied to the Web, and that is exactly why the search company is working on social networking initiative, applications and platforms.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 10:41 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
SOA spending increases while benefits, and future, remain murky, Microsoft to stop making HD-DVD drives for Xbox, Trend Micro buys Identum, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 07:55 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Hundreds of millions 'to be wasted' on SOA
Analyst house AMR Research found that while SOA spending is on the rise nearly everywhere, a lack of clarity about its benefits makes IT's long-term commitment to the model iffy.
"Hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested pursuing these markets in 2008, much of it wasted," said AMR analyst Ian Finley. SOA spend up despite unclear benefits.
Why? Well, for one, the actual benefits of creating an SOA remain somewhat murky and, in some instances, even misguided. Whereas vendors and others cite the ability to reuse components as one major benefit, in reality IT shops are finding that agility is the more practicable, if harder to measure, advantage to SOA, Finley contends.
As of now, Finley is concerned that SOA may not get picked up much beyond the early adopters — mainly financial services, telecommunications, and government organizations that are predisposed to the value of architecture and thus more willing to pursue SOA for less-quantifiable results.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 07:43 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Comic desperation in the back office
Readers weigh in on why taking your trousers off to lasso a help line 10 feet away is never a good idea -- even if you can't let go of that power button on a critical server.
Suggestions involved coins, sticky tape, shoelaces and an unlikely strategy that even the contributor admitted, "I chanced it, and it worked. It didn't power off. Something like that isn't in the tech manuals, and it doesn't work everywhere."
The comments come in reaction to last week's Off the Record, in which a young IT professional removed his pants and used them to try and reach that helpline because, had he taken his finger off of a critical server power button, he thought he'd be history.
Have your own wacky tales of IT shenanigans? Submit them -- we don't publish names, so your boss won't ever know you talked. Send to offtherecord@infoworld.com.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 06:33 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Obama is to WiMax as Clinton is to LTE
What do the two senators vying to be the Democratic presidential candidate have in common with wireless broadband?
Personally, I'd not be surprised if neither of them even knows much about LTE or WiMax.
But Ephraim Schwartz sees a parallel.
"The battle between LTE and WiMax reminds me of the current presidential Democratic primary. Only a few short months ago, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton was the expected Democratic presidential candidate. Then the junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, took the mantle from her almost overnight. Obama is to WiMax as Clinton is to LTE," Schwartz writes in The looming battle over wireless broadband.
Back to broadband...
"And so the fight over standards is a race to give users the same level of performance when mobile as they have when tethered to the desk. Whoever can do that first will win the hearts and minds of customers."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 05:52 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
The pros and cons of four-day workweeks in IT
One reader writes into Bob Lewis with a quandary.
"As an employee I love working 4x10s. But as an IT manager it's a real headache," he explains, and then asks Lewis' advice.
Lewis returns that, "times are tight, which likely means everyone has more work without getting more pay or support. A minor perk like a 4x10 work week is worth preserving under these circumstances."
But the reader, and anyone else facing similar scheduling problems, ought to focus more on attitudes than the work week, Lewis suggests.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 05:14 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
As promised in this previous post, Sean McCown has uncovered a DBA-specific feature within Microsoft's forthcoming database, code-named Katmai, and to be officially known as SQL Server 2008.
"Katmai has this cool feature where you can run code against a group of servers," he explains in this Database underground entry. "This is a fabulous feature and it looks like MS got a couple things right here.”
Naturally, there are aspects to this function that McCown points out "didn’t get done as well as I'd like." Not complaints, per se, just touches that would have made it perfect, such as the ability to do the same thing at the database level on an individual box.
McCown's piece includes a Camtasia demonstration of how it all works.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 26, 2008 04:28 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Comcast charging more for less
That's the assertion that readers are making over at Ed Foster's Gripe Line.
To wit, Foster begins with a question: Can a vendor with a monopoly on providing one type of service to you cripple it if you refuse to buy other services from them as well?
"Comcast's use of phony TCP reset packets against some broadband customers has spurred several lawsuits and even today's FCC hearing, as well as hopefully refocusing public attention on the whole net neutrality issue,” Foster writes in Oh, no it's Comcastic.
It's not just broadband customers feeling the squeeze, either. "Indeed Comcast's fondness for nickel and diming its cable TV customers was clearly one of the big reasons it finished so strongly in the Worst Vendor poll," Foster adds. "I suppose we can hope that the FCC will find out exactly what Comcast is up to, although I'm not going to holding my breath."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 10:27 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
False: Google is one of most open companies on the Net
Robert X. Cringley, noble journalist that he is, has some confessions to make: Google is one of the most open companies on the Net, Cringe is the father of Jamie Lynn Spears' love child and, oh yes, he taught George Clooney how to be handsome.
"The problem with that last paragraph is that none of those statements are true," Cringe comes clean in It may be Google's data, but it's you they're gonna arrest.
Just try asking the company about what it does and why.
To Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Cringe writes, "if you really believe in an innovative and open Internet, it's time to open up a little yourself. Tell me why you need my IP address information for 18 months. Better yet, give me the choice of whether you can really have it. Because right now, Google feels like a much bigger threat to my privacy than Microsoft and Yahoo combined."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 10:09 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Daily news beat for Feb. 25, 2008
A critical bug in VMware's virtualization software allows attackers to move beyond a guest operating system and modify or add files to compromise the underlying host OS, the company acknowledged. At the company's VMworld show, meanwhile, management tools take center stage.
Startup Metaram today is unwrapping technology that overcomes traditional server memory limitations to enable users to quadruple memory – and that without new hardware.
SAP ships more than 50 enterprise service bundles, which are essentially sets of existing interfaces packaged in a variety of ways to address specific business processes, while the apps vendor, in conjunction with Microsoft, said they will target the healthcare industry with Duet, their joint software that integrates Microsoft's Office with SAP's ERP.
And, Microsoft's promises to be more open and to make interoperability easier for competitors just might be genuine this time around, if only because, in the words of one industry analyst, it is now costing the company more to be proprietary than it would to be open. Is Microsoft turning over a new leaf?
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 09:52 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Adobe unwraps AIR 1.0, startup touts technology to extend server memory, hacking group turn Google into scanner, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 08:02 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Responding to David Millman's assertion that instead of service-oriented architecture, SOA ought to stand for solutions-oriented architecture, David Linthicum concedes that the industry "may have gotten the name wrong."
But for different reasons, perhaps, than Millman suggested.
"The term service oriented architecture does lead many to believe that Web services are always the way. That's not really true. Indeed services can be deployed using any number of technology approaches, languages, and standards," Linthicum explains in SOA by any other name.
In the end, though, it doesn't really matter so much what you call it, "as long as you do it right."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 07:14 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
InfoWorld's Vista deployment guide
For those of you who are considering or approaching Windows Vista, InfoWorld's Vista deployment guide offers insights acquired by IT professional who have already been down that road.
In How to deploy Windows Vista, early adopters share their tips and tricks on how to not only deploy it will minimal disruption but, ultimately, how to get the most of the new OS.
The guide also includes advice on picking the right time to move to Vista, easing deployment and management, and working with the new security model.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 06:28 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Adobe melds desktop, Web apps with AIR
Adobe's AIR, short for Adobe Integrated Runtime, ships today.
The runtime allows Web applications to be run on the desktop in a disconnected fashion, said Michele Turner, vice president of the Adobe platform business unit, because, "we really believe the innovation in technology today is ... on the Web and that the desktop has stagnated over the last couple of years."
AOL, NASDAQ and The New York Times are already using AIR, Paul Krill reports in Adobe melds desktop, Web apps with AIR.
"Although AIR is offered free of charge, Adobe plans to make money from it by selling development tools for it such as Flex Builder. The company may sell service components as well. Adobe also is building products such as Adobe Media Player for playing video feeds on top of AIR," Krill writes.
Adobe today released an AIR SDK and Flex 3, the primary programming language for AIR.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 05:50 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Product review: Windows Server 2008 is upgrade IT can't refuse
As Windows Server 2008, formerly code-named Longhorn, makes its final way out of Microsoft's corral this week, our Test Center inspected the beast and was surprised.
"You who have followed Tom [Yager's] somewhat tepid Longhorn coverage may be shocked to discover that his in-depth review of Windows Server 2008 holds the new OS in high esteem," editor-in-chief Eric Knorr points out, in A long, long look at Windows Server 2008.
Thanks in no small part to a smaller resource footprint that brings a host of capabilities, including virtualization, enhanced security and better networking, Microsoft’s 64-bit OS, Windows Server 2008, is what Tom Yager calls an upgrade that IT can't refuse.
"Microsoft has executed Windows Server 2008 in a way that makes commercial Linux far less appealing," Yager explains in Product review: Windows Server 2008 is the host with the most and the perfect guest. "In those places where Linux might be seen as a good fit for its performance and small footprint, any Windows Server 2008 SKU ... all but slams the door shut on Linux in a Windows shop."
While Longhorn's features are already known to the public, Sean McCown shares Secrets of Windows Server 2008, those being what you need to know now, as well as "the actual impact that Longhorn will have on your organization." These include restartable ActiveDirectory Domain Services, NTFS enhancements, Server Core, Read-only domain controllers, and the list goes on.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 04:49 AM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
MS open APIs and file formats a mixed blessing
"Be careful what you ask for: you might get it. That goes double when you ask Microsoft to release its internal APIs, protocols, and file formats."
And so Martin Heller begins Open Microsoft APIs and file formats a mixed blessing.
Sure, it's good in principle. And it's even a boon for some Microsoft competitors, but what about for programmers?
"I'm not so sure it's a good thing for me. Frankly, I was already overwhelmed trying to keep up with the explosion of APIs and classes coming out of Microsoft. And those were the ones that were designed to be used by mere mortals."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 04:23 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Social networking and the long con
It's back: the long con.
Social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, are proving to be fertile ground for cybercriminals.
Not only can they launch malware and adware schemes, but attackers can also "start running long cons on people through which they can play on sympathies to distribute malware or infiltrate an organization to hold data for ransom," said Michael Whitehurst, vice president of global support with Marshal, a maker of Web and e-mail filtering technologies.
Which means the time is nigh for IT to enact, and enforce, protection policies. "Beyond that they need technical safeguards to back those policies, but the outlook for all this is still pretty grim," said Paul Henry, vice president of technology evangelism at network gateway maker Secure Computing. "Most companies are barely providing sufficient protection in the context of Web 1.0."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 10:19 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Daily news for Friday, Feb. 22, 2008
The hacking group Cult of the Dead Cow turns Google into a vulnerability scanner that scours Web sites for sensitive information, namely passwords and server flaws.
Storage titan EMC buys Pi for its online storage functionality and, in so doing, rounds out its cloud computing initiative and continues marching into the consumer and personal data realm.
Chipmaker AMD says it is making its performance library available as open source code so that developers can more easily and effectively build applications for x86 machines.
Researchers at Princeton University find that hard drive encryption has an Achilles' Heel, as they discover a trick for stealing encryption keys to access all of the data stored on a drive.
Quebec police arrest 17 and break up a hacking ring that, they allege, is responsible for $44.3 million in damages to computer systems.
And the strategy Microsoft unwrapped yesterday, along with open APIs may help Microsoft repair its tarnished reputation in the technology industry, though skeptics, including the European Commission, question whether Microsoft will really change its business practices, or truly be a friend to the open source community.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 09:44 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Upping the virtualization ante
VMware and Left Hand Networks are showing off Virtualization Solution Kits (VSK), a joint offering that promises to bring together the best of virtualization to SMBs and beyond, at VMWorld Europe in Cannes, France.
"I installed in my lab the nuts and bolts of the kit," Mario Apicella writes in Virtualizing the whole shebang. "This is one of those rare instances where an otherwise costly and untamed collection of software gets morphed into a suitable solution."
The thought of blending two virtualization products, quite naturally, can be downright daunting. That's particularly true when, even though they're packaged together for convenience, they remain separate administrative domains.
"Properly configured, however, each solution lends some of its strength to the other," Apicella writes.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 09:35 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Cringely's geek week in review
It's Friday and, yes, that means time for another installment of Cringe's tasty geek week in review.
Today, the lineup includes Microsoft's shenanigans to dispel Vista myths down under, the spy who launched me, and please hold still while we Google your colon.
"Letting Google and MS play doctor with my PC is bad enough, but doing it to my actual body is just a bit beyond the pale.'
Agreed.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 09:01 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Social networking becomes enterprise security hole as criminals play the long con, MS opens APIs and makes interoperability promises not everyone believes, EMC buys Pi, researchers extract files from encrypted drives, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 07:21 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
InfoWorld News Quiz: The week in tech
The week that was was packed with Microsoft news, so you'll have to be on top of the software giant's actions to earn a passing grade.
First question: What is Microsoft's next likely move if Yahoo refuses to capitulate?
Got it? Then the last question is one of multiplication rock involving Linkin park, Apple's SoHo store, Microsoft's interoperability promises, and a satellite-killing missile.
In between, you'll find Vista getting yanked, WikiLeaks and shady Swiss Banks, and oh so much more.
Think you know tech? Prove it! Take the InfoWorld News Quiz.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 06:51 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Why security will only get worse
Roger Grimes clearly remembers, though it was a decade ago, security guru Bruce Schneier telling him that computer security was only going to get worse.
"This was in the face of increasingly accurate antivirus programs, improved patch management, and solid improvements in OS security across all platforms," Grimes explains in Computer security's dubious future.
Now, Grimes poses the same question to Schneier. "Computer security is not likely to improve in the near future because of two reasons ... The overarching reason for both of these trends is complexity. Complexity is the worst enemy of security; as a system gets more complex, it gets less secure."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 05:58 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Can XP users really switch to Linux or Mac?
With the Save XP campaign continuing to capture momentum, and signatures, and myriad XP users facing, in the words of one such reader, a choice between "an operating system that would soon be obsolete (XP) or one that was buggy and would break much existing hardware (Vista)," both Linux and Mac desktops could be appealing right about now.
But, how realistic is a switch to Linux or Mac OS X?
"For some users -- often technically savvy people such as engineers, consultants, designers and CTOs -- it is clearly an option that already works quite well," Galen Gruman explains.
For consumers, making such a transition is one thing, but in a business environment, it won't be quite as easy. For those who chose to do so, though, picking the right platform is another matter still.
Gruman goes over the pros and cons of each in Time to dump Windows?
"A one-size-fits-all approach may be unrealistic. And that likely explains why many businesses will have a mix, dominated by Windows XP today (and perhaps Vista in a few years) but not exclusively tied to Microsoft's OS."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 05:26 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Microsoft doesn't give DBAs much consideration with Katmai
"I just got a chance to poke around in the Katmai SSMS and I really hope it's not feature complete," Database underground author Sean McCown writes.
That's because a few of the little things, details that make or break a product release, some of those have been overlooked.
The job monitor, for starters, fails to remember refresh settings. Another, and one of several McCown has personally asked the Redmond tools guys for, is sharable snippets with nicknames. A third: undockable Windows. And the list goes on ...
"It just goes to show once again that MS really doesn't give DBAs much consideration," McCown writes in Talking to myself. "Anyway, I'm going to keep looking for DBA enhancements in the GUI and I'll report if I find anything that's actually easier than it was 10 yrs ago."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 04:53 AM
February 22, 2008 | Comments: (0)
The first edition of Hacking was a best-seller, at least according to the publisher.
Martin Heller picked up the second edition and, when he finished, "put it down with mixed feelings," he writes in this mini-review.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 22, 2008 04:10 AM
February 21, 2008 | Comments: (0)
50 open source alternatives to proprietary apps
Zack Urlocker points to Jimmy Atkinson's article, The top 50 proprietary programs that drive you crazy -- and their open source alternatives.
Zack's post is brief but gives us a taste of some apps he didn’t expect alternatives to, including Norton Ghost, McAfee Anti-Virus, and others.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 21, 2008 11:02 AM
February 21, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Daily news beat for Feb. 21, 2008
At long last, Microsoft acknowledges the impact open source and open standards have had not only on its business but, more important, on the industry as a whole. That came as the software giant promised "greater transparency" in its development and business practices and outlined a new strategy to provide more access to APIs and proprietary protocols. Related: Microsoft opens APIs.
McAfee says that virus writers are acting locally. No longer interested in worldwide fanfare, or the law enforcement efforts that brings, malware creators, instead, are becoming more crafty with attacks and targeting users in specific regions.
Cisco tries to turn cities green in order to battle climate change; CEO John Chambers told government officials that instead of working individually, pioneering cities should work with each other and private industry to create a "replicable blueprint" for making urban centers friendlier to the environment.
Analysts predict that NAND flash memory prices will plummet which, in turn, will bring down the cost of consumer products, including Apple iPods, as well as other MP3 players, digital cameras.
Even with its proposed Yahoo acquisition holding the potential to disrupt the company's entire search strategy, Microsoft forges ahead with enterprise and Internet search technologies, including Live offerings and products to come out of its purchase of FAST.
And Hewlett-Packard's former managing director in India, Som Mittal, faces prosecution charges for not providing adequate security to employees.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 21, 2008 10:15 AM
February 21, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Malware writers act locally, Microsoft forges ahead with expanded enterprise search offerings, BlackBerry problems continue, Cisco details green plans, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 21, 2008 09:33 AM
February 21, 2008 | Comments: (0)
In this week's podcast, David Linthicum connects the dots between SOA and Web 2.0.
"The reality is we're putting together these new architectures which deal with lots of assets in the enterprise as services," he begins. "We're also finding that there are also assets outside the firewall, on the Web, that are services as well."
It may be sacrilegious to enterprise architects, but by putting those services that you didn't build, host or own, into your own portfolio, IT can cost-effectively leverage them.
"We're going quickly to a world where many of the valuable services that we’re working with within the enterprise and going to lie outside the enterprise."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 21, 2008 05:59 AM
February 21, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Turning Green IT into greenbacks
With an upfront investment totaling $50,000 and three months implementation time, one Web host managed to save $1 million in power just this year.
The Planet's VP of facilities called that "found money."
"This story of sustainability doesn't begin with aspirations of a cleaner, greener plant; rather, it's firmly rooted in a practical business conundrum that many a datacenter admin no doubt faces," Ted Samson explains in Cashing in on Green IT. "In addition to padding the company's bottom line, the new energy savings means more growth potential for The Planet."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 21, 2008 05:49 AM
February 21, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Raising the hackles of open source developers
First, a question: Is measuring open source contributions really useful?
Well, the folks at startup Ohloh would no doubt answer in the affirmative and then explain how it hopes to profit from doing just that.
But its effort to do so has raised the hackles of open source contributors in more than one way.
"There are reasons to be skeptical about Ohloh, but every new social force -- and open source is surely such a force -- goes through many iterations and takes many different turns before maturity," Bill Snyder explains, then puts a positive perspective on the whole thing. "Even if individual implementations fail, the next guy will have something to learn from."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 21, 2008 04:52 AM
February 21, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Vista, even with SP1, still slower than XP
While some bloggers debate Vista's benchmark results for areas where Microsoft claims to have improved performance with SP1, Randall Kennedy re-joins the conversation with a reminder that, when it comes to productivity applications, services, multimedia tasks, among others, "Vista is an absolute dog compared to XP."
Kennedy explains in Vista is still slower than XP that while Vista does perform "quite tolerably" on today's state-of-the-art hardware, XP SP3 "absolutely screams" on high-end, multi-core machines.
"When you finally do give in and buy that new 'Designed for Vista' PC, do yourself a favor and provision yourself a small XP partition, just as an experiment. Don't settle for Vista until you've seen how much performance you're trading..."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 21, 2008 04:47 AM
February 21, 2008 | Comments: (0)
What with a plethora of scripting languages and app dev frameworks just now starting to walk, the stalwart Java is starting to look a little bit old – and at just 13 years.
Microsoft .Net, PHP, and the Ruby stable, are among the younger generation threatening to push Java out. What's more, vendors and IT shops alike are increasingly turning to the new crop, opting against Java. And a research firm's study stated a case for .Net surpassing Java, popularity-wise, in enterprises.
"But don't count Java out just yet," Paul Krill asserts in Java threatened by new app dev frameworks. "The platform has incredibly strong allies and an immense code base. Just as user sites must tend to legacy Cobol code, so will they have to tend to a lot of Java code in the future."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 21, 2008 04:41 AM
February 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Windows Server 2008 SP1 is not the only service pack making news today.
But first a clarification: It's Microsoft's community outreach, as much as the service pack itself, that is spurring the outrage to which my headline refers.
Mystified by the meltdown that is the public reaction to Vista Service Pack 1, and Microsoft's reaction to that reaction, Tom Yager writes, "I wouldn't say it's the Second Coming. Apparently some people would, and they were pissed off that they weren't among the first invitees to the event."
Yager goes on that Vista SP1 was leaked to the Web, Microsoft then issued discs to media outlets and, ultimately, sheepishly and apologetically put Vista SP1 out for public download well in advance of the RTM.
"I see this as a sequence of three events that spin a tale more cautionary than amusing," Yager writes in Vista SP1: Release to mob. "What should Microsoft brace for next? A tidal wave of moaning from the entitled over the absence of their pet fixes and features."
Related news: Microsoft yanks Vista SP1 update, causing endless reboots.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 20, 2008 11:07 AM
February 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Daily news beat, Feb. 20, 2008
The latest chapter in the Microsoft-Yahoo saga sees Yahoo acting to protect employees in the event that Microsoft manages a hostile takeover. To that end, Yahoo introduces two new severance packages it claims will cover all full-time workers.
Speaking at Stanford University, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates sends the message to China and other countries that Internet censorship will not work. "You cannot control the Internet." In the end, free speech will win out.
T-Mobile and AT&T join Verizon with unlimited plans. The providers follow the trail Verizon blazed just this week with unlimited calling within the U.S. Sprint Nextel, however, did not unwrap a package to match.
Business process management, otherwise shortened to BPM, is one of the fastest growing software markets – but it's not without obstacles. BPM growth, challenges cited. BEA Systems this week issued "The 2008 State of the BPM Market White Paper" in which it found that, while BPM has seen rapid growth in recent years, organizational challenges to deployment outweigh technical ones.
And IT spending is poised to slow in the second quarter of 2008, according to a fresh survey from an investment advice firm. Nearly one-fourth of respondents indicated that they'll reduce or halt spending, while even those giving IT investments a green light represent the lowest levels in four years.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 20, 2008 10:27 AM
February 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Microsoft knights Windows Server 2008 RTM as Service Pack 1, HP reports solid results, Yahoo protects employees from Microsoft, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 20, 2008 08:37 AM
February 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Eco-friendly and energy-efficient are all the rage in IT these days, at least when it comes to vendors’ marketing strategies.
But for customers, questions linger. Harper Mann addresses some of those in Green IT machine.
"How do you know if a particular component is consuming more power than it's specification calls for? What makes sense cost-wise and how did you approach implementing it?"
What green measures have you found to be effective?
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 20, 2008 06:51 AM
February 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Cringe: Shame on Swiss bank Julius Baer
First the bank strongarms a U.S. judge into closing the WikeLeaks.org domain, a site that exists so anonymous whistle blowers around the globe can document human rights offenses, corporate malfeasance, nuclear accidents, and the like, Cringely explains.
Second, and worse, the bank, Julius Baer, practices a solution that is, Cringe's words here, "so mind-bogglingly stupid, you have to wonder if these guys need help getting their pants on each morning."
Ultimately, the court orders have equated the name Julius Baer with money laundering and the documents in question are now "hotter than the Paris Hilton sex video," Cringe asserts in Look before you leak.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 20, 2008 06:24 AM
February 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Brave new technologies revisited
In last year's 12 crackpot technologies we looked at a dozen ideas that teeter between brilliantly disruptive and utterly useless.
Desktop apps, solid-state drives and ultramobile laptops have all made enterprise inroads, while others faded into obscurity.
Now, we revisit the notion with a fistful of new technologies that may, or may not, last.
"Some of this year's out-there technologies may prove fruit for future high-profile tech flops lists." Crackpot technologies that could shakeup IT. "But without forward-thinking, there would be no worthwhile enterprise advancement."
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 20, 2008 05:39 AM
February 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Windows Server 2008 jumps from RTM to SP1
In an unusual move for Microsoft, "Windows Server 2008 is actually being released as Server 2008 SP1," J. Peter Bruzzese reports. "The RTM just went out, and Server 2008 is really impressive."
Even still, most IT shops expect some lag time between the final release and the first Service Pack that is, after all, what fixes many of the initial edition's problems once companies uncover them by actually using the software.
But, he adds in Microsoft turns Server 2008 RTM into Server 2008 SP1, that Microsoft has a reason.
"Being that Vista and Server 2008 have the same architectural base, the idea is that an SP1 for Vista is an SP1 for Server," Bruzzese writes.
That said, is it a good idea? And, more important, will IT treat it as a first service pack or an initial release? Talkback below or via the above story link.
Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 20, 2008 04:42 AM
February 19, 2008 | Comments: (0)
ActiveX attacks continue, Toshiba discontinues its HD DVD products. Toshiba and SanDisk team up on NAND flash memory, Unisys lays out a services-led plan for datacenters, and more LISTEN!
Posted by Caroline Craig on February 19, 2008 10:29 AM
February 15, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Reader's weigh in on Carr's prediction
Yesterday's post about Bob Lewis' translation of Nicholas Carr's most recent prediction drew several reader comments.
Most offer insightful agreements with Lewis assertion that people in the trenches, those "up to elbows in the challenges associated with integrating SaaS solutions into legacy environments," have a clearer picture than the hazy perspective one gets at the 100,000 feet vista.
In case you missed it: Lewis boils Carr's recent work, The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, From Edison to Google, into terms starkly relevant for enterprise IT. "Utility computing and SaaS mean IT will wither away.”
Then again, Lewis disagrees with the prediction.
As I mentioned so do some readers. One even points out that, "really big firms often do NOT 'outsource' their electrician functions, because for them economy of scale works in the other direction. If the simplest of simple to use utilities can still support an 'in house' support function in some cases, the idea that something orders of magnitude more complex won't sounds a bit far fetched, to say the least."
What do you think? Join the discussion via the link above, or talkback with the comments function below.