- Connecting Vista to MySQL
- Take your pick!
- A service-oriented Test Center Tracker
- Test Center Tracker: Bridging technology and finance
- Test Center Tracker: Sticky sweet Sun storage, plus a hardy Ubuntu beta
- Test Center Tracker: Smart phones, safe VMs and the future of Open Source
- Test Center Tracker: Escape from reality?
- Test Center Tracker: Windows improvements, iPhone app dev, and network security
- Test Center Tracker: From secure VMs to stable desktops
- Test Center Tracker: Ajax, Vista troubles, and green lightweights
April 16, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Geometry quiz: Can we draw a straight that joins together Vista, virtual disks, a new version of Ajax development tools and MySQL? Well, geometry has nothing to do with that but I would bet dollars against pennies that a similar line can be easily drawn in your data center.
Virtual to the core
Depending on who you are talking to, and sometimes you may get different answers at different times, Windows Vista is described as either an embarrassing fiasco or the best OS you can ever load on a desktop or laptop. My personal opinion? Glad you asked. I am somewhere in between those two extremes, but I haven't found yet a compelling reason to migrate my personal machines from XP. Was Microsoft too concerned with compatibility while developing Vista? Were those concerns the reason why Vista looks so much like XP? What should be the target of the next desktop OS from Microsoft? Randall Kennedy is mulling those questions and offers an interesting answer, but you'll have to read it all here.
Open up your vdisks
Virtual disk are the pillars of virtualization and probably the main reason for the success of that technology, but do you really know what's their structure? Probably not. Moreover, from outside of virtual machine you loose access to files and other data stored on its vdisks. If you ever spent a though on that, a new SDK and API combo from VMware should fill that gap, David Marshall reports. Why is this new free tool, dubbed somewhat predictably VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit, important? Please read David's post to find out.
New ways to Ajax
Speaking of development tools, Backbase just released a new version of their Enterprise Ajax platform. What caught my eye is that development and deployment on low end servers is free, but Martin Heller gives a quick and comprehensive round up of what the new version brings to the table in today's Strategic Developer.
The MySQL show goes on
Last but not least, I am glad to carry on the flag for the MySQL show in Santa Clara, still ongoing today and tomorrow. Perhaps if you are in the area it's still possible to find time for a visit? For an overview of what to expect at the show and more teasers here is what Zack Urlocker has to say.
Posted by Mario Apicella on April 16, 2008 08:29 AM
April 09, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Be it Symantec future plans, simplifying the installation of OSS, sharing the pain of nasty updates or piercing one of the latest Microsoft apps stack , whatever your pleasure or your inclination you should find worthwhile reading today's Test Center Daily selection. Enjoy your visit and please come back .
Turning the page on Veritas
Not a moment too soon, after only two years of saber-rattling Microsoft and Symantec decided it was not worth fighting over an even older dispute.
I am tempted to ask what caused this sudden change of heart after so much tough talking and after making an entry or two in a court docket , but frankly why bother? Obviously there wasn't much of a case there, so let's bygones be bygones and focus on the future, on the ongoing Symantec ManageFusion event in Las Vegas, for example. David Marshall is there and is taking notes on what's cooking.
Opening up Open Source
What's your definition of a geek? Let me suggest this one: Someone who thrives dealing with the intricacies of installation requirements and applications' prerequisites. If you fit that description BitNami is not for you. For the rest of us (and our moms) Savio Rodriguez has an interesting post on how BitNami is making complicated OS applications easier to install on all major platforms.
No more updates for me!
Finding those automatic software updates a bit overwhelming? Well, you are not alone. Randall Kennedy has posted a heartfelt rant on how a couple of well coordinated (not!) updates from Adobe and Microsoft can ruin your day.
Scottie, Groove me up!
If you listen to the marketing hype and to some reviews Groove is Microsoft way of simplifying office collaboration. Well, it gets complicated before getting simpler, which is why you should read Peter Bruzzese comprehensive review. Here is part two of Peter two-pronged stab at Groove, but reading part one first could be a good idea.
Posted by Mario Apicella on April 9, 2008 08:05 AM
April 08, 2008 | Comments: (0)
A service-oriented Test Center Tracker
It's Tuesday in the Test Center, and there's a wealth of blogging on services of one sort or another. There are services from large to small, internal to external -- it's just a service-oriented world out there.
Google leads Salesforce in SaaS: Ephriam Schwartz looks at the SaaS battle between Google and Salesforce.com and sees the advantage in nearly every category going to Google. Google, he says, has the technology, the cash, and (most important) the strategic vision to be the same sort of giant in services that they've been in search. Is this good news? It depends, as so much does, on whether you're a customer or a competitor...
Social services?: David Linthicum has been reading press releases from vendors, and has seen an interesting approach from IBM: SOA as dating service. Big Blue wants to help publishers and builders of different services find one another so they can play nicely together -- ideally, in IBM's SOA sand box. No word, yet, on whether you have to share your favorite band and what you're doing every waking moment in order to be truly popular.
The criminals find services: Criminal minds are unlikely to let any good idea go un-exploited, and Matt Hines is looking at criminal elements who are getting in on software as a service -- for malware. Criminal hackers aren't known for their cooperative mindset, but SaaS lets them build on existing code and turn their real efforts to the creative part of the venture -- the creative part that makes sure life will be difficult for the rest of us.
Posted by Curt Franklin on April 8, 2008 01:25 PM
March 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Bridging technology and finance
Today's Test Center Tracker starts from the heart of computing to end up with a mention of IPOs and SEC reports connecting those two extremes in a single jump. Please read on.
More powerful machines or more machines? For the not so young among us this question will bring to memory an old debate between mainframes and minicomputers, or between minicomputers and open systems. Well in today's "Ahead of the curve" Tom Yager is proposing the modern day version of that dilemma that compares two competing architectures from AMD and Intel. Read it all here.
Do you need more "V"? "V" as in Virtualization, server virtualization to be precise. If you do, don't miss this early peek of Parallels Server a new product still in beta that challenges the big names of virtualization as a hosted or self standing solution. In his eval Randall Kennedy finds some promising new features that should make Parallels Servers more competitive and more desirable.
Your IPO dollars at work Speaking of big names of virtualization, VMware has plans to invest $100 million in India David Marshall is reporting , and to increase the number of employees in that area to 1,000 units, or about 20 percent of the total workforce declared in the last SEC 10-K report. Do I see anything wrong with that? No, I am glad for my Indian friends, but I'll follow other investments of the company with much interest. Meanwhile, join me in reading David's report.
Posted by Mario Apicella on March 26, 2008 09:05 AM
March 24, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Sticky sweet Sun storage, plus a hardy Ubuntu beta
Abuzz over Honeycomb: Test Center Analyst and storage guru Mario Apicella has savored a sweet taste of Sun's new StorageTek 5800, aka "Honeycomb," a impressive solution for meeting your company's fixed-content archiving needs. Sun delivers in Honeycomb easy management, strong performance, and extraordinary resilience, says Mario -- plus the company's ties to the open source world mean promise more software features faster than competing proprietary solutions.
Ubuntu 8.04 beta proves hardy: Ubuntu developers have clearly poured a lot of hard work into the latest beta release of the popular desktop OS. While not much has changed in terms of its appearance, writes InfoWorld contributor Neil McAllister, there's plenty to admire beneath the hood, from improved installaion to superior security.
Posted by Ted Samson on March 24, 2008 02:58 PM
March 19, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Smart phones, safe VMs and the future of Open Source
The beauty and the beast. The personal gadgets battle seems to be polarized around the joust between Blackberry and iPhone, while other illustrious players may have lost ground before even starting to be popular, Tom Yager suggests in Ahead of the Curve. Which one should you choose? Well, it depends on where your priorities are. In many ways, comparing these two phones is like making a choice between form and function. The iPhone has much to be liked, but hasn't , and perhaps never will, come even close to the industrial efficiency of the Blackberry, Tom explains.
VM safety, true concern or hype? While many more voices begin to suggest that a virtual environment is open to specific security breaches, others take a more cautious view, David Marshall explains in Virtualization Report. There are good points to be made for each side. Is VM security mostly a vendors driven concern to open yet another target platform for their products? If that's the case, the additional cost of the security products could be an unnecessary burden that slows down the "P" to "v" move. On the other end, customers will hesitate to move applications to a virtual environment if they fear it could be less protected. Read more here about those opposite points of view.
The future of Open Source? I see too many surveys for my own good, but this study on the future of Open Source has got my attention. Perhaps it's because it was launched by a Venture Capital party, which it's newsworthy in itself. Perhaps I am biased because the results of the survey will be disclosed at the upcoming, InfoWorld hosted, Open Source Business Conference in San Francisco. If you are also intrigued by that survey read more here from Zack Urlocker
Posted by Mario Apicella on March 19, 2008 04:59 AM
March 12, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Escape from reality?
Don't you wish sometimes you had a magic wand to free your memory, and perhaps the world, from things like the idiotic behavior of a sleazy politician caught in a scandal? You know who I am referring to, don't you?
Well I have that magic wand. Perhaps it will work only for a few minutes, but enjoy this short vacation in today's Test Center daily pick.
Let the iPhone games begin
Or so we hope. Tom Yager gives a quick overview of what the upcoming SDK could bring to the iPhoners, and games are not a small part of his dream. Think for example, what powerful games developers could build around the exceedingly rich set of gestures of the iPhone. Read this and more in Ahead of the Curve.
Speaking of smartphones...
Zack Urlocker describes his own experience with the Palm Treo Centro. Admittedly the Treo Centro doesn't compete well with the brightest and smartest gadgets in that space but in Zack's own words is a no-brainer upgrade from Treo 650.
Show me the power of the CLI
It may sound ironic, perhaps even a vindication to the *nix folks, but lately Microsoft seems to express its best when a GUI is not in the way. This time the focus is not on the Linux-like ability of Windows Server 2008 to run without a graphic interface but on PowerShell. If you read TechNet PowerShell is an old and indeed powerful friend that now has received a surprising public acknowledgment from VMware, David Marshall reports.
Technorati Tags: Apple, iPhone, SDK, Palm Treo, smartphones, Windows, Microsoft, PowerShell, VMware, TechNet, Windows Server 2008
Posted by Mario Apicella on March 12, 2008 09:17 AM
March 10, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Windows improvements, iPhone app dev, and network security
Longhorn top 10 - Though not as amusing as anything you'll see on "Letterman," Sean McCown and Tom Yager's top 10 list of improvements to Windows Server 2008 provides a useful overview of the key features that earned the server high marks in our recent review.
Review: RedSeal delivers the big security picture - Securing your IT assets is a seemingly never-ending task. Figuring out just where to begin can be induce heavy sweating. InfoWorld contributor Steve Hultquist has discovered a powerful solution in RedSeal Security Risk Manager: "Combining device configuration data with vulnerability data and other information, SRM creates a visual map of high-value, high-risk assets, and provides a collection of views and reports that help you zero in on the most effective path to mitigation," he writes.
App licensing and the iPhone - Donning his Enterprise Mac hat, Tom Yager contemplates Apple's $299 enterprise development license that entitles developers to create and distribute custom iPhone software strictly for internal use. Details from Apple are hazy, and Tom has plenty of questions on the subject.
Posted by Ted Samson on March 10, 2008 12:04 PM
March 05, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: From secure VMs to stable desktops
Today's Test Center Tracker touches on three equally important topics: Securing you virtual machines, giving your business associates tools to better monitor performance and why you should hold on the best fitting, more stable Microsoft desktop OS. Please read on.
Virtualizing security? - Or should we say securing virtualization? Regardless of which expression feels more proper, bringing more security to guest VMs could become a tad closer now that VMware has made public VMsafe, a vision and an API to reach that goal.
Providers of security products are jumping at the opportunity but there are good reasons why these new security tools in the make should have the blessing of standards bodies, David Marshall explains.
An obstructed Vista - I would be really surprised if you haven't noticed the "Save XP" campaign on our pages. What are our motivations for keeping XP going? Glad you asked because Galen Gruman has put together a comprehensive laundry list of why we are doing it. Even more important Galen explains what the campaign is not about. Not Microsoft bashing, not an endorsement for Linux or Mac... Please click here for more.
To BI or not to BI? - The name, PerformancePoint Server 2007, can be deceiving but this latest application from Microsoft actually targets the business intelligence space, J. Peter Bruzzese reports.
How does PerformancePoint compare with other applications in the same space? Initial feedbacks from one early user seem to be positive, but read all the details in Enterprise Windows.
Technorati Tags: Business Intelligence, VMware, virtualization, VMsafe, BI, Windows XP, Vista, Linux, Apple, Microsoft
Posted by Mario Apicella on March 5, 2008 06:59 AM
March 04, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Ajax, Vista troubles, and green lightweights
While politics junkies wait for polls to close in places like Ohio and Texas, IT pros can spend time thinking about serious issues -- like critical differences in open source Ajax toolkits, critical flaws in Windows Vista, and the critical question of which lightweight laptop really has the smallest footprint. InfoWorld writers are all over the critical questions this week, so let the counting begin...
A deep look at Ajax toolkits: Ajax was supposed to smooth over the differences between browsers, but what do you need to know to choose an Ajax toolkit? There are hundreds of options out there, and Peter Wayner looks at eight open source Ajax toolkits to help you figure out which is the best for you. Peter takes a close look, and if you're in the market for a new development tool you'll want to pay special attention to the screencast tours of all the candidates.
Vista knowledge: That Vista and its attending flotilla of drivers didn't really play well together is well known. The question for many users has been whether Microsoft knew about the situation before they released the latest operating system, or were caught by surprise when millions of users started to have problems. According to the latest article by Randall Kennedy, Microsoft knew, and pushed forward with the release. The problem now isn't so much what to do with Vista (with SP1, things are starting to settle down), but how much the lingering memory of Vista will effect adoption of Server 2008. What are your plans?
Light green computers: Apple's MacBook Air and Lenovo's ThinkPad X300 are the standard-bearers in the race for small, light, high-powered computers. The footprint each occupies on the desk is well-defined, but how about the environmental footprint each leaves? Is there a clear winner in the Green Computing Sweepstakes? InfoWorld's Ted Samson evaluates the two lightweight laptops to see which is the most environmentally responsible. Along the way he finds things like Energy Star compliance and the amazing 85-pound battery charger. Which machine won? Go read Ted's post, and find out.
Posted by Curt Franklin on March 4, 2008 12:47 PM
February 27, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Exploring the unknown in Google and Microsoft
My selection for this Test Center Tracker brings together two unlikely bedfellows, two vendors that coming from completely different starts entered a collision course that neither of them, nor many of us, would have predicted only a few years ago.
Is open really open?
Tom Yager tries to shine a light on the recent Microsoft conversion to the Open Source priesthood and the outcome is, well, worrisome. Does Redmond really mean "open" when they say it or are there strings attached that could trap trusting adopters later on? Here is the answer, according to Tom.
Meet the Android Google's Android that is, sorry SCI-FI lovers. With this SDK, which has some futuristic streak beside its name, Google hopes will persuade legions of developers to use it to create application for mobile devices. Rick Grehan took a closer look at what's inside the kit and... but I don't want to spoil the reading of Rick piece, find yourself what's the verdict on Android-1.
Posted by Mario Apicella on February 27, 2008 09:06 AM
February 26, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: How to Vista
Snow is falling, wind is howling, and the Sunshine State is dark. Sounds like a great day to contemplate your Vista migration path. In this Test Center Tracker, we look at how to plan your Vista move, one way to avoid network chaos, and little green switches for green small businesses.
This Way to Vista: If you're going to move to Microsoft Vista, you'd better put in the up-front planning time to increase your odds of a successful journey. InfoWorld's Galen Gruman has rounded up InfoWorld Vista Migration Tips for your consideration. Take a look, follow the links, take notes, and pack a snack: Migrating to Vista isn't to be taken lightly. Fortunately, you're not alone, so plan to take advantage of InfoWorld's experience during the move.
This Little ARP of Mine: Speaking of leaning on our experience, Brian Chee a Very Interesting Experience (that's tech-talk for incredibly frustrating) with routers out in Paradise. Take a lesson in ARP from Brian and save yourself serious trouble when it's time to make changes to a complex network.
Maybe it Is Easy Being Green: It may not be easy, yet, but it's certainly getting easier, with a growing number of vendors releasing products that demonstrate ecological sensitivity as one of their key features. Ted Samson reports on new SMB switches from D-Link as an indication that the trend shows no signs of slowing down. It's not just that these switches are green -- the fact that they're from D-Link shows that another company is taking small-business computing seriously, and keeping it green while doing so.
Posted by Curt Franklin on February 26, 2008 01:48 PM
February 25, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Windows Server 2008 a "must-upgrade" OS
Server 2008: the host with the most: InfoWorld Chief Technologist Tom Yager isn't all about Mac, as evidenced by his fresh new review of Windows Server 2008. Microsoft has made great strides with the latest version of the OS, including the addition of "fine-grained, modular configurability [that] lets you shrink the OS footprint down to virtualization guest-friendly size, and Server Core drops the Windows GUI to dramatically reduce the memory requirements of a virtualized guest," Yager writes. There's plenty more to be said about Windows Server 2008. See for yourself right here.
How to deploy Vista: Like it or not, if you run a Windows shop, you're going to be moving to Vista. If that strikes you as a daunting process, fear not: InfoWorld has compiled plenty of tips and tricks to ease the migration. Of course, if you want to fight for more time to continue running XP, consider getting behind InfoWorld's Save Windows XP campaign.
Windows vs. Windows vs. Windows: Wrapping up this Windows-centric Test Center Tracker, Enterprise Desktop blogger Randall Kennedy asserts that comparing users' perceptions today of Vista to their initial impressions of XP is illogical: "The introduction of Windows XP was a watershed moment for the PC industry, one that firmly cemented Microsoft's role as the pace-setter for the desktop. Contrast this with Vista, which is basically Windows XP with more 'stuff' heaped on top, and you begin to see why so many users are balking at the upgrade message," he writes.
Posted by Ted Samson on February 25, 2008 11:02 AM
February 20, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Like a pebble in your shoe
Like a pebble in your shoe
Don’t we love technology? Of course we do, only a crazy person would otherwise put up with the persistent roller coaster of excitement and disappointments that comes with the territory when you practice IT on a daily basis.
For example, only moments ago, while I was working on this comment, Internet Explorer crashed a few times blaming an Adobe Flash plug-in.
To add insult to injury, I wasn’t even using IE at crash time; The browser was just sitting there while I typed away in another window.
More frustrating yet, why did IE had to concede defeat like an unmoving presidential candidate only because an add-on goes south?
I am tempted to get on a thousand words tirade about the benefits of task isolation and suggest severe sentences for non compliance, but I won't.
Perhaps a better idea would be to issue a citation to the programmers responsible for the misbehaving code, and force them to take a defensive programming class within 90 days.
I am not holding my breath on that either, but IE repeated crashing this morning is a good stage-setting for today’s Test Center Tracker. Please read on for more pebbles in your shoes.
How hard can that be? This pebble was found by Sean McCown, who began scratching his head while doing some code maintenance. No, Sean didn’t have to challenge new frontiers, nor was he about to enter an uncharted programming universe. His relatively easy task was to do a search and replace on some SQL queries. How hard can that be? Find out from Sean.
Time for a new phone? When was the last time you looked at your cell phone with a critical eye? (iPhone owners need not answer that). Unless you are much more careful than most, my bet is that you’re getting tired of all the blemishes your phone now has.
Perhaps, there are also things you never liked about it and now can’t bear them anymore. Well you are not alone: Find out what Zack Urlocker has to say about his aging Treo 650 and see how that compares with your phone annoyances.
Posted by Mario Apicella on February 20, 2008 07:20 AM
February 19, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Get Your Reports Here
It's been a beautiful Tuesday across much of the land, the sort of day that makes you want to generate a truly comprehensive report. In the Test Center, we have reviews of two different report-generation packages and a Layer-7 switch that just happens to be great at reporting.
Strong Reporting Switch: When simple traffic control isn't enough, your network might be ready to see packets switched on application data, rather than mere source and destination information. If that day is rapidly approaching for your organization, you'll want to check out Steve Hultquist's review of the Consentry LANShield Switch. Steve found that the LANShield performs its switching duties well, but truly shines when it comes to reporting on what it's been doing. Speaking of reports...
Corporate Open Source Reporting: Oh, sure, we've all known about serious enterprise reporting packages forever. Most of us, though, didn't know that open source reporting software was quietly improving through repeated development cycles under the big-business radar. Now, open source reporting is ready for prime time, and Peter Wayner has a review of two top reporting candidates: JasperServer Professional and Pentaho Reporting. Neither retains the open source bones (or the open source price-tag), but Peter reports that each retains the multi-layered functionality and rock-solid code that should meet the needs of the most report-hungry organization.
Posted by Curt Franklin on February 19, 2008 06:59 PM
February 13, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: On the desktop and beyond
On the desktop and beyond
Today's Test Center Tracker pick is on the periphery of corporate IT, and begins by briefly circumnavigating the desktop then sailing toward the unexplored horizons of mobile computing.
SUN courts the desktop The proximity of Valentine days is probably just a coincidence, but SUN's finally revealed attraction for the desktop has all the traits of a love story repressed for long time. With the acquisition of Innotek SUN is also reassuring the millions of people who are already using VirtualBox, but please read David Marshall's story for more.
To iPhone or not to iPhone... Can its beauty and slick features gain the iPhone a legitimate place in the corporate world? Security consultant Leon Erlanger has been asking this question and others, but not from the predictable crowd of iPhone zealots. The answers that Leon collected from corporate circles may be surprising.
Mobile applications wanted Are we taking advantage of the millions of smart phones and other mobile gadgets we constantly carry around? Probably not, argues Tom Yager. Read this intriguing chapter of "Ahead of the Curve" to find out what we still can't do with those gadgets and why.
Posted by Mario Apicella on February 13, 2008 08:58 AM
February 11, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Is MacBook Air all fluff?
Lighter than air: Steve Jobs elicted oohs and ahhs with last month's unveiling of the MacBook Air, the world's thinnest laptop by Apple's estimation. Test Center Contributing Editor Paul Venezia has taken the machine for a test drive to assess just what the trade-offs are for the nifty form factor: "There are sacrifices, to be sure, such as the single USB port and the lack of an internal optical drive, but they're minor when the Air's size and weight are taken into consideration."
Playing with Cobra: Strategic Developer Martin Heller spent part of his weekend dabbling in Cobra, an open-source language that blends Python and Eiffel -- with other influences on top. His advice: Give it a try, and "expect an interesting language for console applications that's on the verge of becoming useful."
5 things SOA vendors are missing: Real World SOA blogger David Linthicum has compiled an insightful list of points that seem to evade many purveyors of services-oriented architecture wares. Among them: Your product has to work (yes, he's picky that way), and you have to know what SOA is.
Posted by Ted Samson on February 11, 2008 10:06 AM
February 06, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Drives, power and politics
Drives, power and politics
What can possibly link small form factor drives, virtual desktops and the power of HPC? Nothing if not your interest, I believe is the correct answer. Today's column is a short but fascinating trip bordering some major technologies. Enjoy.
New Mexico to share HPC power, for a fee? I think you’ll like this story because it’s about a top tier HPC system, the money it will cost, a creative way to lessen the burden on the tax payers and perhaps just a pinch of politics, of the good kind, that is. Read John West intriguing report to find out more.
Getting ready for virtual desktops. I was rather surprised to see my new doctor stopping to type things on a computer keyboard while he visited me. Even more surprising was that his office was filled with HP thin client modules. Well done, doc! Keep apps and data well separated from the human interface gear. If this separation sounds like something you could use too, Citrix has just released the Citrix Provisioning Server 4.5, a new version that offers the tools to do that breakup via software, David Marshall reports.
Small drives are getting big The InfoWorld Test Center tries hard every year, but it’s humanly impossible to review every new product or service that hits the market. That’s why I keep my eyes peeled to catch also reviews done elsewhere: Some are really worth sharing. My pick this time is an extensive round up of 250GB small form factor drives recently published by the X-bit labs.
Posted by Mario Apicella on February 6, 2008 11:26 AM
February 05, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Virtually Green Blogs
It's a bloggy day in the Test Center, with a look at green features in unexpected places and reports from the InfoWorld Virtualization Executive Forum.
Unexpected Hints of GreenTed Samson went looking for different shades of green and found them at companies like PeopleCube an BigFix. Increasing the intelligence through which employees reserve assets like conference rooms and audio-visual equipment may not sound green, but Samson found that making the best use of physical plant resources, like PeopleCube is working to do. can have a big impact on overall energy use. BigFix is addressing energy use, as well, with features that bring greater intelligence to the on/off control of servers and application infrastructure pieces. It just goes to show that "sustainable" can start in all sorts of interesting places.
The Virtual Future: Yesterday was Virtual Computing Day here at InfoWorld, and the timing was set to coincide with the Virtualization Executive Forum held in San Francisco. I joined many of my colleagues (and many of our readers) there, and began a series of comments in the SMB IT blog. There will be more my notes at the Forum, but head over now to read the first posts and leave your comments and questions on the virtual future of your IT shop.
Posted by Curt Franklin on February 5, 2008 12:04 PM
January 30, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Virtualization rules
Today's Test Center Tracker is all about virtualization and includes news about an upcoming event, new emerging products and an intriguing perspective on what the future of this technology could be.
The "V" forum is coming to town If you are involved in deploying virtualization technologies in your company, the upcoming InfoWorld Virtualization Executive Forum is a precious source of information and offers an opportunity to compare your own experience with other point of views. If you are not deploying virtualization, attending the forum will probably make you feel a little guilty. Please find more info on this event here
That's Parallels for you The name Parallels probably won't ring a bell but that's the new name adopted by the company that makes Virtuozzo, David Marshall explains. In addition to a new name, the vendor is also announcing a new version of Virtuozzo Containers, an interesting release that you shouldn't miss. Please read David's report to find out why.
No more IT babysitting? Don't let outsiders read this, but in private we can probably agree that most of the IT job is like running a sophisticated kindergarten, requiring attentive supervision of both users and business applications. There is probably not much we can do about users, but Tom Yager believes that combining virtualization and smarter software building tools could bring a certain degree of maturity and self-reliance to applications. It's all in today's Ahead of the Curve.
Posted by Mario Apicella on January 30, 2008 09:48 AM
January 29, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Turning Green into Gold
Spinning right action into good financial results, looking closely at Microsoft's Unified Messaging Server, and partaking of the Spirit of the Marathon -- Winter storms aren't slowing things down here at InfoWorld.
Green Pays: It's nice to do things for the environment, but for many organizations a greener future just isn't enough justification for action -- they have to make owners, shareholders, and other stake-holders happy. Over in Sustainable IT, Ted Samson is talking about a report showing that the federal government could save $275 million a year through sustainable purchases. While that represents about one good congressional earmark, it's good to see any indication that our government might just be able to do something a little more efficient with our money. Later on, Ted reports that Intel is turning up the volume on green power, becoming one of the most aggressive purchasers of Green-tag electricity. When an acknowledged industry leader moves forward on a sustainable front, it's a very good thing.
One Inbox to Rule Them All: In Enterprise Windows, Peter Bruzzese is looking at a couple of issues; Bill Gates' altruism and Unified Communications Server's needs. The most important point I see about the second is that Unified Communication Server doesn't stand alone -- you'll need to have other components installed to make use of its features. It's obvious that unified communication is going to be a huge issue as we move forward in business networking, and it's important to understand just what's involved before you jump in.
Marathon Effort: OK, I've never been a runner -- I was power-lifter instead. I understand the commitment required to train and compete in marathons, though, so I was taken with Zack Urlocker's Open Sources post on "The Spirit of the Marathon". Success in business requires many of the same qualities found it competitive marathon runners, so the post isn't as off-topic as Zack makes it sound -- and a good analogy can be a very powerful thing when it's time to inspire a team. Read the post, see the documentary, and get ready for that long run.
Posted by Curt Franklin on January 29, 2008 01:28 PM
January 28, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Visual Studio 2008 a bright IDE
Visual Studio advances with few missteps: InfoWorld Strategic Developer Martin Heller has discovered a wealth of impressive developments in Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE, including expanded support for creating SOA, Web 2.0, Windows Presentation Framework, and Silverlight applications. "With few exceptions, users of every level of Visual Studio will find the 2008 release improved. It's a strong upgrade, and a solid foundation for future development," Heller writes. Read the review in its entirety here.
Waiting for Windows 7: Enterprise Desktop Blogger Randall C. Kennedy has been mulling whether or not we'll see Microsoft crank out Vista's successor earlier than first announced. His prediction? Yep. "It won't take a major engineering effort to turn the ashes of Vista (which, despite its reputation, did incorporate some good ideas) into a solid OS that corporate IT actually wants," he writes. Let him know what you think.
Smaller drives nurture green IT: The Test Center's Storage maven Mario Apicella took at recent peek at storage through a green lens as he reported about Infortrend's new enterprise-class array based on 2.5-inch drives. Turns out that the smaller size translates to significant green benefits over 3.5-inch models: It delivers comparable performance using less energy and less space. " So why aren't more small-drive storage arrays being offered?" asks Apicella. "For the same reason SUVs still mount gas-guzzling engines: Because we didn't ask vendors to do better."
Posted by Ted Samson on January 28, 2008 11:55 AM
January 16, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: SUN mulls the ultimate consolidation
Let's face it, if someone would give us a dime every time we hear, read (or write) the word "virtualization", we would get rich quickly. iPhone is another word that seems to pop-up everywhere. Actually, although much more recent, iPhone is becoming a serious challenger to the popularity of the "V" word, don't you agree?
Read today's TC Tracker and you will add at least two dimes to your hypothetical wealth. As a bonus topic, find out how someone at SUN is dreaming of a future without data centers.
VMware turns to applications The name, Thinstall, is a not exactly a give-away but this tiny company is the first serious step the virtualization giant is taking toward virtualizing applications. Wondering what that is? In a nutshell, think of tools to free applications from their OS shackles, so that they can easily be moved around. Sounds good, but Randall Kennedy has some concerns about this acquisition.
MacWorld anyone? Not to worry if you couldn't make it this time, Tom Yager was there happily reporting about what's new from Apple. And there is plenty. The MacBook is thinner than ever and in great shape to keep running over a long ride. About the iPhone... but wait, read what else is making a splash in Ahead of the Curve
Pushing consolidation a bit too far? What a difference a few years and the wildly growing cost of energy can make. Not long ago having many large and well equipped data centers was cool, almost an indication of how succesful a company was. Today consolidation is in, and large, power-hungry data centers are out. But how far can you push data center consolidation? SUN could get down to zero, yes, no data center at all in less than eight years John West reports
Posted by Mario Apicella on January 16, 2008 09:19 AM
January 15, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Is Vista Not Green?
We're just getting used to the idea of subjecting new products and techniques to green scrutiny, and taking that very close look can produce some very interesting results. In today's Test Center Tracker, we have some very good corporate behavior, a very interesting technology analysis, and the sort of blue sky questioning that can lead to radical changes in the way things are done.
How Green Was My XP: In Sustainable IT, Ted Samson looks at the end of Windows XP, and is troubled by the ramifications of upgrading all those corporate computers to handle Vista's power requirements. It's not that XP was designed to be more ecologically friendly, but when you add up the environmental impact of surplus-machine disposal and the more power-hungry computers that will replace the last-generation XP workstations, you end up with a non-trivial footprint on the landscape.
Sharing the Green: There's also some good news in Sustainable IT, and Ted gives props to IBM, Nokia, and Sony for sharing patents that involve energy savings and sustainable product use. It's good to see companies show that doing the right thing and being profitable aren't mutually exclusive.
A Big "What if?": Almost all of us have wondered, at one time or another, what would happen if the world ran a bit differently than it does in our current reality. Over in Open Sources, Zack Urlocker ponders the results if Detroit ran more like Silicon Valley. When he gives it some thought, he's not at all sure he likes what he imagines -- particularly when he imagines sitting in the results doing 70 MPH on an Interstate highway. With Tesla looking more and more like a cautionary tale, it's just possible that Silicon Valley isn't the best model for every industry.
Posted by Curt Franklin on January 15, 2008 12:17 PM
January 14, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: BEA WebLogic VE proves half-baked
Bold yet unmanageable: Based on his hands-on testing of WebLogic VE (Virtual Edition), Test Center Contributor Andrew Binstock concludes that it's pretty darn innovative. The appliance leverages server virtualization by delivering an enterprise-ready application server in a preconfigured stack. Less impressive, however, is the system's lack of central management. The system's still in beta, though, so BEA has time to spruce it up.
Sign on to Save Windows XP: InfoWorld has a formally launched a campaign to keep Microsoft from prematurely retiring XP and effectively pushing customers to adopt Vista. The arguments to save XP are numerous (including my own green perspective). Join the cause today!
High hopes for MacWorld: InfoWorld's Chief Technologist and Apple Enthusiast Tom Yager is mighty excited about this year's MacWorld conference in San Francisco. Tom already knows he'll learn more about Mac Pro and Xserve -- but he's quite keen on the possibility of a new iPhone and news about Mac tablets. What juicy fruits will Apple's who bear? Best tune in and see.
Posted by Ted Samson on January 14, 2008 02:33 PM
January 11, 2008 | Comments: (0)
A New Way to Follow the InfoWorld Test Center
The Test Center has a lot of great information (and tons of new reviews, previews, and buyer's guides coming in 2008), but it can be tough to keep up with everything that's coming out. That's why we're going to use Twitter to let folks know what's happening. Head over to our Twitter home page to start following the Test Center. You'll get a "tweet" every times something new is posted here at the Test Center.
Let us know what you think -- and sign up to follow us on Twitter!
Posted by Curt Franklin on January 11, 2008 06:23 PM
January 09, 2008 | Comments: (0)
TC Tracker: An Apple with eight cores
Want an Apple with eight cores? Care to learn about upcoming, fast, air-born data transfers? Would you rather hear the latest buzz on virtualization? It's all here in TC Tracker.
New short, fat pipe from Sony One of my favorites from CES Is Sony's Transfer Jet, a new technology that promises fast wireless data transfers over a short distance. How short? Well, according to our report centimeters, which is less than inches if the metric system is not in your DNA.
Do you understand virtualization? No offense meant, but I had to ask because according to a new study that mantra is misunderstood and underestimated among enterprise users, David Marshall reports.
I have my doubts on that. For example, which technologies is that study referring to? Are all different flavors of virtualization equally misunderstood? With that premise, does the reports see any future for the technology? Read David comments to find out more.
Want an Apple with eight cores? Intel's new 45 nm processors haven't been out for long but Apple has already deployed them in two systems, Tom Yager reports. Apple makes also easy to find out how much energy all that processing power is costing you, Tom explains in this segue.
Posted by Mario Apicella on January 9, 2008 07:59 AM
January 08, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Layer One Networking and a New Guide
We keep trying to figure out how do networking without a physical layer, but so far we haven't figured that out, yet. Until then, we'll need to worry about things like cables. Brian Chee has looked at the craft and art of cable lacing, as part of the general focus on cables at InfoWorld. We also introduce a new kind of product article here in the Test Center -- one that should make reviews even more useful to you.
Network Beauty: When you have to network more than two or three systems together, cable management becomes a significant issue. Over in the Geeks in Paradise blog, Brian Chee takes on the nearly-lost art of cable lacing, and discusses why it's so important to current network maintenance and performance. In particular, he asks why more network centers aren't using cable harnesses -- a tool that auto and aircraft manufacturers have used for years -- to maintain order and regularity in their infrastructure. When you pair Brian's post with an object lesson in structured cabling in Off the Record, you have the basis for a serious discussion on just how important good cabling installation and management are to your network's continued performance.
A New Buyer's Guide: One of the constant issues we face here in the Test Center is how to make all our reviews useful to our readers. We've decided that one answer is a new kind of article, the Buyer's Guide. These articles will bring together information on the products, technologies,and companies within a product category, and provide a convenient place for us to link to all the reviews and analysis we've done on the products. Each of these guides will evolve as the market and products evolve, and will be updated to reflect new reviews and analysis. The first buyer's guide, our Buyer's Guide to SIMS, is up now. Take a look, and let us know how we can make it better -- there's much more to come.
Posted by Curt Franklin on January 8, 2008 01:16 PM
January 07, 2008 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Peek at the top tech of 2007 -- and beyond
And the winners are ... With the Writers Guild of America on strike, it's hard to guess what the next Emmy or Oscar Awards will bring. Fortunately, we're not having any strikes here at InfoWorld, and thus we can bring to you the 2008 InfoWorld Technology of the Year Awards. Once again, we've sifted through the piles of product reviews we did in 2007 and shined spotlights on the cream of the crop in various categories, from app dev to storage.
Scenes from CES: From IM to thumb drives, much of today's ripe enterprise technology took root at previous CES events. Thus, InfoWorld is tracking this year's show in Vegas with great scrutiny. Tune in and place your bets on which CES showings will change the tech landscape.
Symantec scores with SIM: If you're a security admin, perhaps one of your new year resolutions was to bolster further bolster your network security. (The little Chihuahua in the guard uniform wasn't cutting it.) Symantec's SIM (security information manager) appliance might be what you seek. InfoWorld Senior Analyst Curtis Franklin gave the box a test spin and has deemed it "a highly capable system that leverages the power of the Global Information Network to bring significant security intelligence to bear on network security events."
Posted by Ted Samson on January 7, 2008 12:30 PM
January 02, 2008 | Comments: (0)
TC Tracker: It's a promising, wonderful new year!
Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2008!
Want to keep XP? Of the many changes expected for later this year, the end of life of Windows XP is probably a primary concern for many IT departments.
If you're wondering why, welcome from that long trip from Mars: Here on Earth many fear that discontinuing Windows XP will force or at least accelerate a migration to Vista, the new Microsoft OS that like a well groomed but unconvincing politician has failed to win the hearts and minds of the majority.
Are you sharing the same concern? Then, join the Save Windows XP petition and let Microsoft know that you want to keep the OS running for a long (longer?) time.
A Leopard as a server? Speaking of OSes you should not miss the review of the Mac OS X 10.5 Server that the holiday schedule makes easy to overlook.
It's a rose that has its thorns, but Leopard server makes the power of Unix easy to control and deploy, Tom Yager reports.
Scanned on my cell What happens when you put together mobile phones and barcode technology? You could carry a boarding pass on your phone, for starters, and use the built-in camera as a bar code reader. Learn more in this intriguing chapter of Geeks in Paradise where Brian Chee explores the various options brewing around this fascinating topic. And don't forget part two
Posted by Mario Apicella on January 2, 2008 08:23 AM
December 19, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Red alert for IE
You patched what? Hopefully this reaches you just in time to stop the automatic update rollout of Internet Explorer at your place. Last week's updates could do more harm than good, Sean Gallagher reports. Some unfortunate early adopters have experienced crashes and erratic behavior with IE. If this hits home, Sean has a couple of suggestions to fix the mess. It's all in Enterprise Windows.
A Bluetooth for you Let's face it, you work hard and deserve a personal reward. On the other end, She Who Must Be Obeyed may not be comfortable picking up gadgets for you. So what are you waiting for? Tom Yager has a couple of suggestions that will look good under the Christmas tree and will look even better on your ear. And sound good too, Tom found out.
How big is your screen? If you answered "Not big enough", a new version of VMware Workstation could help reduce some of the clutter, David Marshall explains. VmWare Workstation 6.5 is still in beta but the screen shot posted by David makes me wanting to jump in. On second thoughts, I may need a larger monitor too.
Posted by Mario Apicella on December 19, 2007 08:36 AM
December 17, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Mu busts vulnerabilities
Secure thanks to you, Mu: There's nothing quite like a vulnerability to expose your organization's confidential data to malicious types. If you're among the IT admins of the world like to plug those security holes, InfoWorld Contributing Editor and Security Adviser Roger Grimes has found an excellent solution: the Mu-4000 appliance. The box "uses intelligent fuzzing logic to expose security weaknesses and performance issues in any device that talks to a network," Grimes writes. We also have a nifty slideshow presentation of the appliance at work.
Open a box of virtualization: If you're in the market for an open-source desktop-virtualization alternative to VMware Workstation, you might check out innotek VirtualBox 1.5.2, just reviewed by InfoWorld Contributing Editor and Enterprise Desktop Blogger Randall Kennedy. While not without its flaws, the product has evolved nicely in recent months, proving an "extensible, modular desktop VM platform" that "shines with unique virtualization features," Kennedy writes.
Mandriva in a flash: Strategic Developer Martin Heller gots his mitts on a nifty gadget aimed at Linux users who like to travel light. Mandriva is offering a bootable 4GB Flash drive containing a portable version of Mandriva Linux 2008. "The general idea is that you can take this little memory stick with you and be able to run Linux from it, do Internet and Office tasks with Firefox, Thunderbird, and OpenOffice, and save your files to the free space on the drive," Heller writes.
Posted by Ted Samson on December 17, 2007 11:48 AM
December 12, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: From VM to the Web, almost
New processors performance, Web based applications and virtual OSes are all elements that can affect how you and your users work. Learn what's happening in those three areas in today's Test center Tracker.
Now let's virtualize those names Paul Venezia shares today what he learned during his initial weeks of exposure to VMware Infrastructure 3.5 - This new version is still in beta but its reliability defies many shipping products, Paul reports. Too bad that the VMware developers seems to be having a mental block finding new names. Can you tell on the spot what's VI3.5 and what's V3I? Oh well, if that's all what's wrong with VMware Infrastructure 3.5 I am ready to install.
Is AMD fighting misfortune? Can a new chip from rival Intel and some unfavorable comments slow down AMD? Well, bad luck is also part of it, and what's happening to AMD is nothing new in the chip industry, Tom Yager explains in Ahead of the Curve.
Keeping one foot on the desktop? That may be considered rude behavior but, figuratively speaking, that's what Microsoft seems to be doing with the release of the beta version of Office Live Workspaces, Sean Gallagher suggests in Enterprise Windows. With the addition of Workspaces, Office Live starts to look a bit more like Google Apps Sean explains. Is Redmond getting ready for a suite of Web based apps completely detached from its established dominion, the desktop? Read what Sean has to say to find out.
Posted by Mario Apicella on December 12, 2007 08:22 AM
December 11, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: A Little Green, a Lot of Testing, and a Dangerous Component
It's a small win for green computing, a balancing act for software testing, and the acknowledgment that the most dangerous component in any given computer system isn't the fault of either programmers or engineers in today's Test Center Tracker.
Green Gets Small: When you can take a low-power computing option and build it into a tiny package that reduced the need for raw materials and manufacturing energy, then it's a green win from start to finish. That's what Artigo has done with their latest development system, and Ted Samson takes a close look over in Sustainable IT.
The Testing Touch: When you build any software system, testing is a critical part of the development process. Who, though, should do the testing -- should it fall on the shoulders of those inside the development organization or on those of outside engineers with no "skin in the game" of development? Zack Urlocker looks at the pros and cons of inside and outside testing in Open Sources and reaches a balanced conclusion.
The Most Basic Vulnerability: There's no real disagreement: the most dangerous component of any computer system is the user who sits at the keyboard. How should you patch this critical vulnerability, and what can you do to protect the system if the vulnerability must go unpatched? Matt Hines asks the question in the Zero Day Blog, and finds a long list of suggestions.
Posted by Curt Franklin on December 11, 2007 10:11 PM
December 10, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Office Live misses the mark
Not quite dead: At long last, the big Redmondian machine has raised the curtains for Office Live Workspaces, its online document-sharing solution. Contributed Editor Randall C. Kennedy has taken a close look at the melding of Microsoft Office and the SaaS (software as a service) model -- and he wasn't overly impressed. "The lack of any real innovation makes it difficult to differentiate OLW from the myriad hosted and non-hosted SaaS productivity solutions," he writes.
Riding the Rails aboard XP: With last week's release of Ruby Rails 2.0, Strategic Developer Martin Heller decided it was time to update his installation. Alas, the process proved trying -- but perhaps other Rails enthusiasts can learn from Heller's suffering.
Borland blends BI and ALM: InfoWorld Editor at Large was busy over the weekend, reporting that Borland intends to roll out products next year marrying business intelligence with application lifecycle management. The solutions "will collect data stored in disparate toolsets for use in reporting metrics in application development projects," he writes.
Posted by Ted Samson on December 10, 2007 11:58 AM
December 05, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Following evolution
Not all people necessarily agree on Darwin's theory of evolution but when we focus on IT even the strongest advocates of "Intelligent Design" would throw their arms up in despair. It may be tempting to say that there is no intelligent design behind what's on our focus today but nobody can deny that there is an evolutionary streak.
The clock is ticking for Intel - What's your favorite mascotte? Many people would respond to that question naming a cute, lovable animal. Others might go a little out of their way to find that unique species that better epitomizes their marketing plot. For example, a few years ago Quantum named one of their tape libraries after a Mako shark. Well, as unbelievable as it may seem next year we will see two unusual and somewhat related mascottes, with a very different evolution path, battling over desktop domination, Tom Yager reports.
Not quite a Revolution - A propos of evolution, we all know that to be a slow process, which probably explains the name Nokia gave to their new phone, Evolve. The new phone is not much different in features from a previous model but is more environment friendly than its ancestor, Ted Samson explains in Sustainable IT.
Paper will be next - It may come as a surprise to most people that the PDF format has become an ISO standard. . What? Wasn't PDF a standard already? Also surprising is that, as reported by Summer Lemon of the IDG News Service, there was one voting member at ISO that didn't want PDF to become a standard. Oh well, there is always one, but what matters the most is that Adobe won't have the only say in how PDF will evolve in the future. Does this mean that I won't get as many updates to Adobe Reader? I am all for it.
Posted by Mario Apicella on December 5, 2007 08:59 AM
December 04, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Competition Rules
There's new competition, the word on subscription, and a bright new condition in Vista-land as we dive into a bunch of bloggy goodness in today's Test Center Daily.
More CRM: Ahh, competition. That's what Microsoft is hoping to give Salesforce.com with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0, the software as a service that gets launched later this month. Microsoft has a hosted-service version that shares virtually all the features of the software edition, and Sean Gallagher has the story on both.
A Strong Subscription: One of the on-going questions in the open-source software market is how, precisely, companies can thrive while doing business within it. Savio Rodrigues spotlights one model and talks about the critical differences between a software subscription and a service subscription to both customers and vendors.
Common Sense Reigns: It seems that all Vista users have another strong reason to get ready for SP1: The WGA "kill switch" goes away. Randall Kennedy's Enterprise Desktop talks about just how good that is, and provides an update on a desktop benchmark challenge
Posted by Curt Franklin on December 4, 2007 12:52 PM
December 03, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Center on user identity
Federated identity 101: The allure of federated identity on the Web is enticing for IT admins. It "enables one organization to serve as an identity provider for another frees IT from having to manage the identities of partnering organizations' employees and customers, thereby facilitating the pursuit of competitive-advantage projects," notes Test Center Contributing Editor Phil Windley. Windley not only delivers an overview of federated identity; he hones in on OpenID and CardSpace, which stand proudly at the forefront of user-centric identity. Check out our entire special report one the subject, including podcast interviews, right here.
Microsoft vs. Kennedy: There's nothing like a bit of controversy to kick of the week, and lo, some appears to be brewing between the Redmond giant and InfoWorld Enterprise Desktop blogger Randall Kennedy. The short of it is, some techies at exo.performance.network ran some benchmarks comparing Vista performance to XP, and they determined that Vista pretty much sucks by comparison. Microsoft fired back by attacking the benchmark used in the analysis, called OfficeBench. Thing is, Kennedy himself developed OfficeBench years ago, and its gained notoriety in the IT world. Kennedy's not taking Microsoft "baseless" criticism lightly and has thrown down the gaunlet: "I hereby formally challenge Microsoft to prove that OfficeBench, as executed by the exo.performance.network research staff, is not a valid measurement of cross-platform, cross-version performance under Windows and Office." Will Redmond bite?
10 techs for a greener datacenter: At the risk of shamelessly promoting my own work, I discovered a great (and free) white paper from Emerson Networks the other day the outlines some interrelated technology strategies to reduce costly energy waste in the datacenter. I wrote about it in my Sustainable IT blog, and I suggest that datacenter operators download the Emerson paper itself.
Posted by Ted Samson on December 3, 2007 11:29 AM
November 28, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Taking a Spider from BI to Zoho
A powerful new computing platform, more smarts for business and a Web office suite that promises to work offline are all in a day work (or two) at the Test Center.
Say "Hi!" to a Phenom platform What happens when you marry a 64-bit quadcore Phenom processor with ATI graphics? Surprisingly you get Spider, a new platform from AMD that should catch more than just flies. In the words of Tom Yager the new platform is "agile on any terrain" and "has exceptional vision". It's all in today's Ahead of the Curve.
Pervasive BI? To paraphrase the words of Gandhi, BI would be a very good idea. Like Western civilization, BI hasn't exactly won everybody's hearts and minds, which is probably why Microsoft is injecting more BI features in the upcoming SQL Server 2008. Read what Sean Gallagher has to say in Enterprise Windows.
Not just online Q: What's the ultimate challenge for a suite of Web office applications? A: Getting some work done also when a Web connection is not available. On a plane, for example. That's where Randall Kennedy took Zoho Office for a test ride. Find out how Zoho Office performs when airborne in Enterprise Desktop.
Posted by Mario Apicella on November 28, 2007 09:06 AM
November 27, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Maybe you can take it with you
There are libraries to carry around, green power sources for I.T. centers, and good business in open source for today's Test Center Tracker.
Take it all:If you can take everything you need with you, why wouldn't you? That's the question Brian Chee is asking in Geeks in Paradise after looking at the new Amazon Kindle. It's not so much the idea of grabbing the local newspaper on the electronic reader--what if you could have your entire reference library on a portable, easily searchable tablet that accompanied you to your desk and to jobs in the field? Now you're talking...
A mighty wind: HP is taking big green steps with their newest data centers, powering one with solar power and another with wind. Ted Samson is all over this in Sustainable IT, and it looks like a decent model for other tech firms to follow.
Happy days...: The high-tech sector has been up and down for months, but one segment seems to be on a consistent upward path -- open source businesses are starting to flourish. Zack Urlocker takes a look at the businesses and their business plans and likes what he sees for the long run.
Posted by Curt Franklin on November 27, 2007 01:27 PM
November 26, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Leopard scores big
A perfect 10: Apple has achieved perfection with the release of Mac OS X, at least in the eyes of InfoWorld Chief Technologist Tom Yager. He's given the OS a bottom-line score a 10, a feat no other company has achieved (at least as far back as I can remember). "Leopard will change the way you work with computers, and entirely for the better," Yager writes. Why? Best read his review and find out.
Don't venture toward Vista: While Tom Yager is singing the praises of Mac OX X, Enterprise Desktop blogger Randall Kennedy has some less-than-favorable assessment of Windows Vista: "For the vast majority of enterprise IT shops, Vista is not -- and likely never will be -- the right choice for their immediate desktop computing needs." Ouch. What's his beef with Vista? Find out right here.
Scrub your Web services: Testing a SOAP-based Web service may seem simple enough -- but simple, it ain't. Tools abound to ease the task, fortunately -- and Test Center Contributing Editor Rick Grehan has taken a close look at five such solutions: AdventNet's QEngine, Crosscheck Networks SOAPSonar, iTKO's LISA, Mindreef's SOAPscope Server, and Parasoft's SOAtest.Readers. He shares some great insight, differentiating the five products and pointing out their respective strengths and shortcomings. Looking to scrub you Web services clean? Then check out his review.
Posted by Ted Samson on November 26, 2007 11:55 AM
November 21, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Test Center Tracker: Our Thanksgiving menu
Our Thanksgiving menu
It wasn't planned (as far as I know) but our selection of articles for today appropriately brings to mind the abundance of a Thanksgiving banquet.
Getting SOA right David Linthicum proposes an enticing appetizer with thoughts and suggestions on how to get your SOA projects in top shape. Testing, testing and then more testing, of course, but what and how? Read all about it in Real World SOA
Beware of the Orcas Not the whales of course, but the gold version of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 that just became available for download, a fact that didn't escape Tom Yager. Could this new release help developers inject a friendlier behavior in Windows apps? Read on to find out.
Virtually free Speaking of next year and Microsoft, Sean Gallagher shares his thoughts on what could be the impact of Windows Server 2008 Virtualization Component, an add-