InfoWorld Daily | Tom Sullivan » TAG: Web services

July 12, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Singin' them Web service blues

TAGS: Web services

App dev: Martin Heller belts one out about being tasked to integrate an unmanaged C++ application with another company's C# 2.0 program and ASP.NET 2.0 Web site for licensing. "It seemed simple enough," he begins. Not for long. "When it came time to test the code, the Web service call never returned." What did come to Martin, though, is a little tune. I'll not spoil the fun other than to say it's classic Web service blues.

Careers: Many, if not most, of the projects IT professionals deal with daily are too complex for a single person. "The days of the lone ranger were past with the first 8-track player," John West explains in Getting big things done even when you can't change the big picture. West offers advice on doing just that, with a sprinkling of caution, albeit the promising variety. "You will probably not be successful on your first couple of attempts, but the nice thing about failing with this approach is that your teams will still be more energized, creative, and productive than teams resulting from more traditional management approaches."

Columnist's corner: What do Subway commercials and outsourcing have in common? Oliver Rist has been thinking about both. The ads, you see, show a girl chomping down on a sandwich bigger than her head. "We call that biting off more than you can chew. And when that happens in real life, you should take smaller bites ... or outsource," Rist waxes philosophical in Sink your teeth into outsourcing. A great place to start is the help desk. A second is when your company acquires another. The list -- and Rist’s sandwich metaphor -- continues. "Think about it and crunch some numbers. With any luck, you'll regain enough time to leave the office for lunch."

Posted by Tom Sullivan on July 12, 2007 04:39 AM

October 11, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Quote of the Day: The social Web

TAGS: Web services

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

August 30, 2006 | Comments: (0)

What the heck is Windows Live, anyway?

TAGS: Web services

Best of the blogs: Microsoft's Windows Live QnA service is now available, so what better time to take a hard look into whether Windows Live is the real deal or not. In his TechWatch post Mike Barton cuts through the hype surrounding the Windows Live juggernaut.

Columnists' corner: Jon Udell is wowed by Amazon's just-announced metered virtual server farm called EC2. In this week's Strategic Developer he takes the rent-a-grid for a test whirl and explains why online application hosting just can't be beat.

The news beat: It may have taken longer than expected to get here, but DDR2 is finally crowned DRAM king and takes its place as the most popular memory chip used in PCs. HP and Cisco are teaming up to plan and build wireless LANs that can support applications such as advanced security, location-based services, voice, and LAN access for visiting contractors. And Google has expanded its controversial book search service to let people download entire copies of books in PDF format.

Posted by Caroline Craig on August 30, 2006 05:52 AM