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TAG: Talkback

February 28, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Is Mac with virtual Windows hard to resist?

In One PC switcher's tale, InfoWorld columnist and chief technologist Tom Yager tells of a friend he converted to a hybrid Mac-PC (via Parallels) machine:

"[I] told her that if she chose to keep using Windows, even indefinitely, I'd make sure that was easy for her. Yet I also explained that I had made it just as easy to explore the Mac platform, and that she couldn’t damage Windows or OS X by experimenting with either one."

Will she make the switch? Stay tuned, he writes.

I suppose price will always be a factor, with PC desktops dirt cheap and laptops hovering around $800 (not as well-equipped, I know, Mac fans.) But With Parallels' update of its feature-rich Desktop virtualization software final as of yesterday, as one solid option... why would she, or some businesses for that matter, not, given the ability to have one machine be either Mac or PC, or both, based on their employee's needs?

Is Mac set for a big boost ahead?

Posted by Mike Barton on February 28, 2007 04:45 AM

January 30, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Should AMD be worried?

Tom Yager writes in Don't stick a fork in AMD: With all the vigor and exactness of stock market analysts explaining a one-point shift in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, pundits are penning obits for AMD in the aftermath of Sun Microsystems' recent decision to buy chips from Intel. Poor AMD: first Core microarchitecture, the looming doom of quad-core Core, and now the defection of its sole first-tier monogamous mate. Talk about your slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

I invite my colleagues in the media to run their AMD cover stories with Titanic metaphors now and get it out of their systems. As they say in my business, this whole Intel-eating-AMD's lunch angle doesn't have legs.

Agree or disagree? Intel's latest breakthrough on 45-nm chips should be more of a worry.

Is AMD in trouble with the Sun deal or Intel's latest one-uppance?

Posted by Mike Barton on January 30, 2007 03:20 AM

January 24, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Is new media all that?

In InfoWorld chief technologist Tom Yager's column today, he writes of the Net's great expectations to replace traditional media, concluding: "The Internet is the right vehicle for carrying information to the masses, but traditional media, as technologically backward and restrictive as it is, can't die out until the masses value immediacy and interactivity to the point of need, and everyone can get access to the Net for the price of a subscription to the local paper."

Well, hang on a sec. The really big stories I see still come from near day-long reporting for the big dailies. Immediacy is nifty, but quality reporting takes time.

Tom says he reads newsweeklies, apparently finding them of high value. I think dailies serve the same function to the immediate-Web as weeklies do for the more-immediate dailies. In other words, they need each other.

Let's hope that never dies. My rant is over. What do you think about where online fits in the media landscape: Replacement in wait, or additional source?

Posted by Mike Barton on January 24, 2007 03:42 AM

January 17, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: iPhone up to BlackBerry e-mail challenge?

Tom Yager writes in A glimpse at a true superphone that a mobile messaging device, no matter how fancy, must meet the standard for reliable mobile e-mail set eight or nine years ago by the two-way pager, and alive today in BlackBerry devices.

Is iPhone just a lightweight push e-mail player, and not up to the Blackberry challenge? Do you need such real-time e-mail, and are you willing to pay for it with your cellular provider (certainly a consideration for many, and considered by Apple in not going the BlackBerry Connect route)?

Have your say, below.

Posted by Mike Barton on January 17, 2007 11:05 AM

January 11, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Offshoring not costing developer jobs?

Offshoring of software development by software companies is not costing Americans jobs, according to a report being announced Thursday by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA).

"[Offshoring] was used almost entirely as a form of expansion, not as a replacement," Thomas said.

"There's a lot of negative talk," that is particularly political, about offshoring costing American jobs, Thomas said. "That's not really the case."

Do you agree? Have a story about losing your job, or one that is supportive of this survey? Have your say, below.

Posted by Mike Barton on January 11, 2007 04:39 AM

January 10, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Concerned over NSA involvement with Vista security?

New today that the NSA helped Microsoft make Vista secure have raised concerns about possible 'back-door' access to data by the spy agency.

Are you concerned? Will this affect Vista adoption plans?

Posted by Mike Barton on January 10, 2007 08:34 AM

January 09, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Are iPhone, AppleTV revolutionary?

Apple's Steve Jobs announced the stunning iPhone and AppleTV, saying that in 1984, Apple (no longer Apple Computer; name changed to break the chains of being a PC company) introduced the Macintosh, and changed the computer industry. In 2001, Apple introduced the iPod, and changed the entire music industry. "Well, today, we're introducing three revolutionary products of this class," Jobs said. "The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. The third is a breakthrough Internet communications device."

Apple has easily upstaged CES with its jaw-dropper phone in a halo effect coup and a serious contender for a seat in the world's living room at a time that CES advocates argue has come, but are the devices and deals revolutionary or simply evolutionary?

Posted by Mike Barton on January 9, 2007 08:49 AM

December 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Your news predictions for 2007

Calling your shot in a fluky game such as baseball, with its rotating spheres and cylindrical bats, is almost impossible. Same for IT? InfoWorld editors take a big swing with their news predictions for 2007.

Now it's your say. Tell us how it will play out in 2007, below.

Posted by Mike Barton on December 18, 2006 10:45 AM

December 15, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Does Linux have the right stuff for mobile devices?

In this Computeworld article we are running today, reporter David Haskin writes: Linux has been mentioned as a potentially leading platform for mobile devices for as long as there have been mobile devices. However, mobile Linux is still largely missing in action. The new crop of high-visibility smart phones such as the Samsung BlackJack, the Nokia E62 and the Treo 680 are based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile, the Symbian and the aging Palm OS platforms.

So why are some in the mobile industry saying, once again, that Linux is on the brink of becoming a significant platform for advanced mobile devices such as smart phones? And why should anybody but industry insiders and geeks care?

Perhaps, a more apt question for you, dear InfoWorld.com readers, is: Is Linux the best platform for smart devices, and why ... What's wrong with MS, Symbian and Palm OS, and do we need another mobile OS?

Posted by Mike Barton on December 15, 2006 10:30 AM

November 21, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Annual AV a headache?

In Annual charges now the rule with AV software, IDG News Service's Robert McMillan reports that automatic renewals may be convenient for vendors but are often a headache for consumers and small businesses.

Are AV subscriptions giving you a headache? Talk back to us, below.

Posted by Mike Barton on November 21, 2006 10:25 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 02, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Can Web-based apps outwit, outplay, outlast the desktop?

We sentenced InfoWorld Senior Contributing Editor Oliver Rist to 7 days of using only Web-based productivity applications. Here's how he survived.

He sums up his week with this (trimmed):

Plus, all these applications are hampered by their very foundations: the Web. Without a Web connection, you can't use these applications. With a spotty Web connection ... you're dead. Locally installed applications are simply more reliable and feature-rich. No big surprise there.
Companies such as Zoho, however, will most likely change that within the next two years. No, they won't offer everything that Office does on the Web. But they'll offer enough to make many smaller businesses turn their heads -- especially at an eventual price point of about $10 per user, per month.

Certainly Microsoft takes the Google desktop invasion pretty seriously. Do you think desktop apps are under threat by the Web 2.0 invasion anytime soon? Talk back to us.

Posted by Mike Barton on October 2, 2006 10:00 AM

September 29, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: MS anti-malware biz a conflict of interest?

InfoWorld Security Adviser Roger Grimes writes the Microsoft's new malware-fighting tools raise debate about making profit from holes in your own products.

"The company's worst critics are worried that key vulnerabilities could be left in Windows longer to benefit additional Microsoft revenue streams," Grimes writes.

"I think it is a fair question, and I encourage the discussion and debate."

Care to join-in? Talk back to us.

Posted by Mike Barton on September 29, 2006 09:00 AM

September 25, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Is SaaS a money sieve?

In our Special Report, How you will pay for software, InfoWorld notes that software-as-a-service, dual-core processors, and virtualization are changing the software licensing game.

But is SaaS really a money saver, or a method of nickel-and-diming you to death until it costs more than a traditional on-premises license?

What has your experience been? Talk back to us.

Posted by Ephraim Schwartz on September 25, 2006 10:45 AM

August 30, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Will Linux survive underground?

Tom Yager, in his column Ahead of the Curve: "At the end of the decade, we'll find that Apple UNIX has overtaken commercial Linux as the second most popular general client and server computing platform behind Windows." But the Linux kernel will thrive: "[Linux will] be the de facto choice for embedded solutions. By 2010, 'embedded' will assume its appropriate meaning, which to my mind is 'specialized.'"

Do you agree with Tom's predictions? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Lisa Blackwelder on August 30, 2006 10:42 AM

August 11, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Does 'built to last' apply to IT?

In David L. Margulius' column Does 'built to last' apply to IT?, he writes: Today's innovation influences tomorrow's products, but does Google have 100 years left in it?

Does 'built to last' apply to IT? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on August 11, 2006 09:15 AM

July 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Does Apple moving away from open source matter?

Neil McAllister says to Forget about open source at Apple in his Open Enterprise column today.

Is it that easy for you to say goodbye? Talk back to us.

Posted by Mike Barton on July 31, 2006 08:12 AM

July 14, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Desktop lockdown pros, cons

In Roger A. Grimes' Unauthorized applications are (still) a bad idea he notes the range of response he received from last week's column, Effective security isn't easy, but it is possible.

This week, Roger makes the case for unauthorized software bans more clear by heading once more into the breach.

Where do you stand? Talk back to us.

Posted by Mike Barton on July 14, 2006 10:00 AM

June 19, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Are patents killing innovation?

In Patent overload hinders open source innovation, Neil McAllister asks, what good is it to release source code under a free software license if anyone who compiles it will have to pay patent license fees?

Are patents killing innovation? Talk back to us.

Posted by Mike Barton on June 19, 2006 09:59 AM

June 15, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Next big IT worry?

In CIOs: Fear the worst, IDC chief research officer John Gantz warns today's big trends -- net-telephony convergence, open-source software -- will remake the IT landscape by 2012, and drive CIOs crazy.

What's the next big IT worry? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on June 15, 2006 10:02 AM

June 07, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Is the performance-per-watt push misleading?

In Tom Yager's PPW: Watts all the fuss?, we writes that the performance-per-watt campaign for CPUs is ridiculous and misleading.

Do you agree? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on June 7, 2006 10:40 AM

June 06, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Your views on Vista

With Beta 2 of desktop Vista and Server (Longhorn) out, the clock is ticking on preparing for Windows' next big step. Share your thoughts here on the betas, architecture issues, and anything under the Vista sun as you prepare for the long-awaited next generation.

Posted by Mike Barton on June 6, 2006 02:51 PM

June 05, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Has free enterprise software's time come?

In Neil McAllister's Ubuntu makes a bid for the enterprise he asks: Is free, commodity enterprise software an idea whose time has come?

Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on June 5, 2006 09:39 AM

May 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Free Software Foundation's DRM dogma

In Neil McAllister's Free Software Foundation: Free as in "do what I say", he writes of "FSF's recent, regrettable spiral into misplaced neopolitical activism, far removed from its own stated first principles. In particular, the FSF's moralistic opposition to DRM (digital rights management) technologies, which first manifested itself in early drafts of Version 3 of the GPL (Gnu General Public License), seems now to have been elevated to the point of evangelical dogma."

Has FSF crossed the line? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on May 31, 2006 10:06 AM

May 29, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Your hands-on hacks

In Hands-on hacks get the job done we highlight some brilliant IT workarounds from the rank-and-file. Share your heroic hacks below.

Posted by Mike Barton on May 29, 2006 05:34 PM

May 26, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Feeling the strain

David L. Margulius' Tech jobs take stress to whole new levels takes a look at a new study that claims IT is the most stressful occupation going.

Many of you could probably write entire chapters on this subject. Talk back to us about your own experiences with tech job stress.

Posted by Caroline Craig on May 26, 2006 04:51 AM

May 23, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Your world without Microsoft

Ephraim Schwartz's Imagining a day without Microsoft asks a cross section of industry cognoscenti this simple question: What would happen if Microsoft and all of its technology disappeared tomorrow?

Enough of what they think. Talk back to us about what the world with Microsoft would mean to you.

Posted by Mike Barton on May 23, 2006 10:54 AM

May 17, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Should Apple open up OS X again?

In Tom Yager's Apple closes down OS X he writes that the Intel edition of Apple's OS X is now a proprietary operating system, putting it in the unique position of losing hardware sales to software pirates, or fear of them.

He writes that users in demanding fields such as biosciences or meteorology do hack OS kernels to slim them down, alter the balance between throughput and computing, and to open them to the resources of a massive grid. And the availability of Intel’s top-shelf compilers, debuggers, libraries, and profilers create unprecedented opportunities to optimize OS X for specific applications.

But he says in his Enterprise Mac blog that the shutdown need not be so because you can't pirate hardware.

Should Mac OS X's openness be restored to the state that its most demanding users expect and deserve?

Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on May 17, 2006 09:54 AM

May 15, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: ODF plug-in a Microsoft killer?

Neil McAllister writes in No love lost between Microsoft and OpenDocument:

The reason Microsoft won't write any code to support ODF, and the reason Microsoft wants to block OpenDocument, is because OpenDocument is a threat to Microsoft's bottom line. Period. Protecting those file formats must be worth countless millions, if not billions of dollars to Microsoft.

But could the ODF plug-in, and the subequent drift away from Microsoft's Office suite it may foster, really threaten the software giant?

Talk back to us below...

Posted by Mike Barton on May 15, 2006 10:15 AM

May 09, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Trouble ahead for IT?

Ephraim Schwartz writes in Gartner weighs in on the state of IT that his chat with a Gartner fortune-teller reveals troubling times ahead.

Do you agree, or is this assessment way off? Talk back to us below...

Posted by Mike Barton on May 9, 2006 11:00 AM

May 08, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Does "real" open source matter?

In New models, challenges for open source businesses, Neil McAllister asks, "Does offering proprietary, albeit innovative, technologies built on top of open source mean Greenplum is not a 'real' open source company? I leave that for you to decide. Is IBM an open source company? Is Novell? Is Google?"

Talk back to us below...

Posted by Mike Barton on May 8, 2006 11:38 AM

May 01, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Time for Sun to get real?

In Sun's Schwartz still doesn't get Linux, Neil McAllister writes of Schwartz's comment, "We will be one of the consolidators of the open source industry ... as well as, certainly, in the open source operating system industry."

Consolidators? Can he be serious? The sooner Sun recognizes that -- and recognizes where its real competition is coming from -- the sooner it can give up schoolyard games like "King of Open Source" and concentrate on becoming a real contender once more.

Time for Sun to get real? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on May 1, 2006 10:58 AM

April 24, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Hotspot era over?

While mobile 3G has had "more up and downs than a Six Flags Thrill Ride," it has quietly added an option for those seeking high-speed Internet on the go.

From 3G today: Broadband on every corner, a brief explanation:

Although 3G services still can't be considered cheap, prices have moved into range, averaging $60 per month for unlimited data using a notebook and PC Card, with enterprise volume discounts, discounts for bundled voice and Wi-Fi, special pricing for shared buckets of megabytes, and lower monthly pricing if you use a phone or BlackBerry device as a modem. If you compare this with the average charge of $8 to $12 per day for Wi-Fi in hotels and airports, you're in the right ballpark for frequent business travelers.

So, is today's 3G broadband, with more convenience but still boasting Wi-Fi speeds, really worth the price? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Tom Sullivan on April 24, 2006 05:00 AM

April 17, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: JBoss more than Red Hat can chew?

Open Enterprise's Neil McAllister poses an interesting scenario for Red Hat with its JBoss buy.

He writes: Apparently JBoss by itself isn't a sufficiently attractive acquisition target for Oracle. But maybe an overextended and struggling Red Hat battered by heated competition with giant vendors that are out of its league -- with not just a premier Linux distribution in its portfolio but all of JBoss' technologies, as well -- is.

Reports today say Oracle is eyeing its own Linux distro.

Has Red Hat bitten off more than it can chew, putting it on Oracle's menu? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on April 17, 2006 10:53 AM

April 14, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: preparing for bird flu havoc?

MIT simulation showed this week that the deadly H5N1 bird flu might cripple the supply chain, and the global economy.

Is your enterprise prepared, or on the way to getting there? Talk back to us below on what plan of action is reasonable at this stage.

(And don't miss Oliver Rist's Top six steps toward disaster-recovery post worst-case scenario ideas.)

Posted by Mike Barton on April 14, 2006 11:25 AM

April 14, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Your stupid user tricks

Oliver Rist's Dark tales from your friendly IT help desk contains a few good stories left out of his Stupid user tricks: Eleven IT horror stories because they came from help desk personnel, "the poor folks who deal with user logic day in and day out".

We've got a growing list of tales online here, so keep 'em coming -- join in the Stupid User Trick fame.

Oliver's doing a follow-up to this series soon and exploring other varieties, including something on enterprise hacks. He writes: "And for that, I'm soliciting more stories from you. Think of something brilliant you figured out on your own, using only existing tools that got a positive result requiring no new money or massive consulting hours and the like ... If you have something that fits the aforementioned bill, shoot me an e-mail, and put 'Enterprise Hack' in the subject line."

Posted by Mike Barton on April 14, 2006 11:25 AM

April 13, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: what is Web 2.0?

IT dignitaries discussing Web 2.0 in the enterprise during a panel session Wednesday debated, for starters, what exactly Web 2.0 is and then pondered where it is headed.

Jeff Nolan, director of the Apollo Strategy Group at SAP Ventures, covered the topic at an IBDNetwork event, where he said: "The hardest thing about it is actually nailing down [what Web 2.0 is]."

They've had their stab at it. Now's your turn, Web developers and watchers.

Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on April 13, 2006 11:04 AM

April 12, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: set data free?

Strategic Developer Jon Udell wants his data to be free.

Is personal data free of all shackles a right, or a security risk?

Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on April 12, 2006 11:25 AM

April 10, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Microsoft's Linux nod

Neil McAllister asks, in Microsoft fights fire with fire in server virtualization market, "if Linux is good enough to get the nod from Microsoft, then it must be good enough for customers to take seriously -- right?"

Is this the biggest endorsement for Linux that Microsoft's money could buy? Talk back to us below

Posted by Mike Barton on April 10, 2006 10:45 AM

April 05, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Boot Camp a business play?

Apple putting Windows XP on the Mac has some far reaching implications in the consumer market. I'll certainly consider a MacBook Pro for home now, despite the higher price than similar Windows machines.

But could Boot Camp help to remove an objection that businesses have had to using Macs -- that they couldn't run their home-grown Windows apps on them?

Talk back to us below on that and how you might use a dual-boot Mac/Windows machine.

Posted by Mike Barton on April 5, 2006 10:35 AM

April 03, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Has InfoWorld gone Mac crazy?

Editor in Chief Steve Fox asks in his weekly letter, Has InfoWorld gone Mac crazy?

He writes: To say that Tom Yager has a thing for Apple is like saying Homer Simpson likes donuts. Yes, InfoWorld's chief technologist is a devotee. Yet it's "not a religious issue," Yager insists. It's just that Apple "stands as an example of how to do many things right."

Read the letter to the editor that sparked the controversy and more here.

Care to weigh in? Talk back to us below.

Posted by Mike Barton on April 3, 2006 10:15 AM

March 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: 10 rules for safer IE browsing

While the world awaits Microsoft's promise of the security patches for Internet Explorer due April 11, Ed Foster provides 10 rules for 'safer' IE browsing.

Did we miss any? And, should Rule 10 'use Firefox instead of IE' be among the rules, or is Firefox not as safe as it's reputed to be?

Posted by Tom Sullivan on March 31, 2006 08:33 AM

March 31, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: H-1B -- cheap labor or competitiveness?

(14 comments and counting) Talk back to us about IT workers to U.S. Congress: limit H-1B program.

Is the program about companies bringing in cheap labor and undermining pay or staying competitive and warding off offshoring? Talk back to us below.

Alsom, See Ephraim Schwartz's H-1B visa scandal gets a Congressional hearing for more background and additional back-talk...

Posted by Mike Barton on March 31, 2006 05:10 AM

July 07, 2000 | Comments: (0)

Talkback: Cell phone etiquette

In Dan Briody's The Ten Commandments of cell phone etiquette he asks for suggestions for additions.

~~Thou can make them below.~~ We've updated the original Ten Commandments with your comments. You can now have your say on cell phone etiquette here.

Posted by Mike Barton on July 7, 2000 04:32 PM

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