InfoWorld.com articles from January 2008

InfoWorld.com archives from January 2008

Take home more tech pay in 2008; Capitalize on your resolution to make more in IT this year by heeding our expert insiders' timeless advice.
January 1, 2008... Byline: Jason Snyder Another year of milestones and launches, and what do you have to show for it? A rekindled resolve to make your career in IT more worth your while this year in terms of the pay you take home. Sure, there have been...

Anti-botnet vendors plug in; New wave of IT startups gains attention as carriers, ISPs, and large enterprises seek stand-alone botnet-blocking technologies to protect their systems and networks.
January 2, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines A small group of IT security startups are hoping to cash in on the rise of the botnet scourge as businesses -- telecommunications carriers and Internet service providers, in particular -- seek new methods for stopping...

Q&A: McAfee, Symantec CEOs talk security; McAfee CEO David DeWalt and Symantec CEO John Thompson answer tough questions about data protection, consolidation, and the IT security market.(Company overview)
January 2, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines In early December, InfoWorld Senior Writer Matt Hines had the opportunity to sit down with John Thompson, chief executive of Symantec, and David DeWalt, chief executive of McAfee, to interview the leaders about the...

Eclipse reeling in Swordfish as SOA framework; Open source project leverages OSGi, Service Component Architecture, and Java Business Integration.
January 2, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill The Eclipse Foundation with its Swordfish project is developing an open source SOA framework intended for applications ranging from enterprise environments to embedded systems. Based on technology from German...

Facebook hack fuels Web 2.0 concerns; Using people instead of technology to spread malware is the latest – and alarming – trend in security.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines Researchers at security gateway vendor Fortinet have uncovered an adware-distribution scheme being carried out on the Facebook social networking site considered to be the first attack propagated on the wildly popular...

Apache Wicket 1.3 set for Java Web development; AJAX is bolstered in new release.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Looking to make Web development easier for Java developers, the Apache Software Foundation began offering this week Apache Wicket 1.3, an open source component-based Web framework. Formerly housed at SourceForge, the...

HP c3000 BladeSystem strikes with precision; Compact and powerful system stands tall above traditional servers and storage devices.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Mario Apicella I've never visited your server room, but I'd wager that behind every rack resides a cobweb of cables. This tangled mass isn't just unsightly; it's indicative of how IT admins are stretching the architectural limits...

Webroot delivers real-time defense against malicious code; Solution provides an effective triple shield for home and small offices against viruses, spyware, and other Net nasties.
January 3, 2008... Byline: Keith Schultz In today's Internet world, protecting end-user PCs from the unknown is one of the most important things you can do. No matter how a system is compromised -- be it a virus or a "drive-by" install of malicious code via...

SAS launches Real-Time Decision Manager; Application puts cross-sell opportunities into the business process.
January 4, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz With the introduction of Real-Time Decision Manager from SAS, the expanding use of predictive analytics synchronized to work with a concurrent business process will receive a major boost. The SAS technology...

SECURITY ADVISER: Security predictions for 2008; A recap of 2007 and what to expect in the coming 12 months.
January 4, 2008... Byline: Roger A. Grimes At the beginning of each year I like to talk about what did or didn’t happen during the past year, and what to expect in the coming year. Unlike past years, I’ll try not to get too emotionally ramped up...

STORAGE INSIDER: Stop the big-drive addiction; New 2.5-inch drives from Hitachi open worthwhile possibilities for laptops and storage arrays.
January 4, 2008... Byline: Mario Apicella Looks can be deceiving. Take Hitachi GST's recent additions to its Travelstar line. The 2.5-inch drives may not look that much different than other small form factor drives, but one glance at their specs is enough to...

Answer key: You don't know tech; The facts behind this week’s top 10 tech questions.
January 4, 2008... Byline: Dan Tynan Now that you know how you scored, you probably want to know why. Check out the answers below for the gory details. And be sure to return next year for another news quiz, ripped straight from the tech headlines. ...

IBM digs into security management; As organizations struggle to meet security regulations, IBM says its mix of technology, services, and partnerships puts it at the forefront of security providers.
January 7, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines IBM is aggressively expanding its security portfolio in hopes of becoming the de facto source of advice and technology for businesses looking to adopt high-level IT governance and risk management strategies -- a...

Ruby on Rails IDE geared to Visual Studio 2008 users; SapphireSteel extends product line for developers used to Microsoft's software development platform.
January 7, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill SaphireSteel Software, which helps Microsoft Visual Studio users work with the Ruby on Rails Web framework, launched on Monday a version of its Ruby In Steel IDE embedded with Visual Studio 2008 capabilities. Ruby In...

Linus Torvalds still sticking with GPL 2; The Linux creator says that while version 3 could become useful, GPL 2 more closely matches what he wants from a license.
January 7, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Linux creator Linus Torvalds, in an interview being made public by the Linux Foundation Tuesday, stressed that version 2 of the GPL (GNU General Public License) still makes the most sense for the Linux kernel over the...

Symantec SIM brings friends; Symantec's SIM comes with an active network to help it analyze your events.
January 7, 2008... Byline: Curtis Franklin Jr. What is it, one might reasonably ask, that separates a SIM (security information manager) from a basic log-file aggregator? Both will, of course, aggregate log files, but a SIM must go further, gathering...

Botnets: The new political activism; Security researchers find evidence of politically motivated botnet DOS attacks that appear to be tied to recent Russian and Ukrainian elections.
January 8, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines As the United States' presidential candidates pinball their way across New Hampshire on the day of the state's closely watched primary elections, a new form of grassroots activism appears to be taking root across the...

Open source entering the mobile computing space; Companies like Wake3, Funambol, and Wind River look to use open source to bring iPhone-style capabilities and e-mail to mobile devices.
January 8, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Open-source strategies are gathering steam in the mobile computing realm with companies like Wake3 and Funambol leveraging open source to bring iPhone-style browsing and e-mail to devices. During a meeting of the...

Security information management; Buyers' Guide: Follow InfoWorld's expert advice before shopping for a SIM solution to monitor network security and compliance.(Buyers guide)
January 8, 2008... Byline: Curtis Franklin Jr. SIM (security information management) products have become more accepted as critical components within the network security infrastructure. As such, understanding the criteria for selecting SIMs has become more...

IBM launches Retail Integration Framework; RIF will ease integration between legacy and packaged applications.
January 9, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz IBM announced today the availability of its Retail Integration Framework (RIF). RIF is a SOA-based delivery mechanism that will support Big Blue's four retail process solutions or assets: multichannel retail;...

Product review: Core Impact penetration tester goes phishing; With Version 7.5, the tried-and-true attack toolkit becomes easier to use, leverages the fallibility of users to gain access to host systems, and adds security checks for Web-based databases.
January 10, 2008... Byline: Charles D. Herring, Victor R. Garza Core Impact has long been one of our favorite tools for testing the effectiveness of security devices. Now that we’ve had a chance to see what the recently released Version 7.5 of the...

Risk model moves into identity; Experts are recommending that businesses abandon piecemeal security systems and instead adopt broader, risk management-style models.
January 11, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines Across the security industry, experts are encouraging businesses to abandon piecemeal IT systems and data-defense efforts in favor of overarching risk management strategies. According to some customers, consultants,...

WSO2 bringing Ruby to SOA; Web services capabilities touted for scripting language, Rails Web framework.
January 11, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill With open-source software being formally introduced Monday, WSO2 seeks to bridge the Ruby programming language and the Ruby on Rails Web framework with the SOA and Web services spaces. The company is set to debut...

SECURITY ADVISER: Security design: Why UAC will not work; Pinning all your end-point security hopes on UAC assumes that criminals are not as smart as they really are.
January 11, 2008... Byline: Roger A. Grimes It's security's dirty little secret: Not having your users logged in as root or administrator will not stop malware. There is a huge public security thrust to ensure that users are not constantly logged on with...

STORAGE INSIDER: Dell could best EMC in joint AX4 release; New Clariion array enters a crowded segment -- precisely why Dell stands to gain more.
January 11, 2008... Byline: Mario Apicella As you may have heard, Dell and EMC this week trumpeted branded versions of the Clariion AX4 storage solution -- in Dell's case, the AX4-5 -- aimed at SMBs. Developed jointly, the technology differs little, yet...

Answer key: You don't know tech; The facts behind this week’s top 10 tech questions.
January 11, 2008... Byline: Dan Tynan Now that you know how you scored, you probably want to know why. Check out the answers below for the gory details. And be sure to return next year for another news quiz, ripped straight from the tech headlines. ...

InfoWorld launches drive to save Windows XP; Sign the petition at www.SaveXP.com today.
January 14, 2008... Byline: InfoWorld Editors The clock is ticking for Windows XP, the tried-and-true Microsoft operating system that millions of businesses and individuals depend on. Soon, the only Windows option will be Vista, an operating system that...

‘Save XP’ videos sought; Help turn up the heat on Microsoft.
January 14, 2008... Byline: Galen Gruman As part of InfoWorld's effort to save Windows XP from being discontinued on June 30, we're encouraging IT staffers as well as individual users to contribute their own videos on why XP should be saved. (Our plea is...

Why XP must be saved; The costs are too high and the benefits too low to be forced to switch to Vista.
January 14, 2008... Byline: Galen Gruman The clock is ticking: Microsoft will end OEM and shrink-wrapped sales of Windows XP on June 30, 2008, forcing users to shift to Vista. (System builders, meaning those who do white-box PCs, can sell XP through December...

Coghead moves UI over to Adobe Flex; Change will improve performance and broaden developer audience as it moves Web 2.0 application development toward the mainstream.
January 14, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz Coghead took a giant step toward taking Web 2.0 application development mainstream with the announcement today of Coghead version 2.0 which will use Amazon's EC2 (Elastic Computer Cloud) hosting service and...

New malware toolkit thwarts AV; Random JS Toolkit allows attackers to create threats that only attempt to victimize an individual computer in the same manner a single time to protect against discovery by anti-virus systems.(Medical condition overview)
January 14, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines Web gateway filtering specialist Finjan is reporting a new toolkit that uses randomized JavaScript to stay hidden from virus crawlers and deliver its payload via compromised Web sites. Dubbed by Finjan's Malicious...

Talent management meets Facebook; SuccessFactors will incorporate links to Facebook in its human capital management SaaS offering.
January 14, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz With the Facebook phenomenon continuing to capture the imagination of consumers, broadcast television networks, and a number of ISVs, SuccessFactors, a talent-management SaaS (software as a service) provider,...

IBM expanding Jazz ALM access; IBM is opening up the Jazz.net community to everyone and is touting its Bluegrass project -- a Second Life-style virtual world for developers.
January 14, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill IBM is moving forward with its Jazz application lifecycle management platform Monday, expanding access to the Jazz.net community and touting Project Bluegrass, which seeks a virtual world for developer collaboration. ...

What to expect at Macworld Expo 2008; Leopard, new Macs, Office, a new iPhone, a packed exhibit hall and a rousing keynote punch through the post-CES haze.
January 14, 2008... Byline: Tom Yager When Steve Jobs hits the keynote stage at the 2008 Macworld Conference and Expo on January 15, he will face a ballroom full of bloodshot eyes, a sea of journalists, analysts, and bloggers knocked loopy by the culture...

Study shows SOA worries systems integrators; Standardized software environments could reduce demand for their services.
January 14, 2008... Byline: Galen Gruman Although SOA efforts are still early-stage at most organizations, systems integrators who work for government agencies are concerned that SOA efforts might put them out of a job. So says the Input Executive Forum, a...

BEA WebLogic VE brings virtualization to the application server; Our product review reveals that WebLogic Server Virtual Edition is a bold innovation that effectively leverages VMware server virtualization but is currently hampered by a lack of management tools.
January 14, 2008... Byline: Andrew Binstock As IT finds itself slowly but irresistibly sucked into the virtualization phenomenon, vendors of application servers have begun to participate in the new trend. Perhaps the most aggressive and innovative of these...

News analysis: Cognos wants IT's approval; Added administrative tools should help IT be willing to spread BI to more knowledge workers.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz On Tuesday, Cognos unveiled Cognos 8 BI v3, most likely the last upgrade before the acquisition by IBM is final. The Cognos board ratified the acquisition earlier this week. However, Version 3 was under...

Cyber-espionage moves into B2B; The SANS Institute says that cyber-espionage has spilled from governments into the private sector and that it will expand in international business in 2008.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines The practice of cyber-espionage is rapidly moving beyond the government sector and finding its way into the world of international business, according to experts with SANS Institute, one of the world's top IT security...

MuleSource readies open source SOA governance; ESB, BAM features also highlighted in product rollout.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Branching out in the SOA space, MuleSource will introduce Tuesday its Mule Galaxy software, an open source SOA governance platform with an integrated registry and repository. The company also will refresh its Mule...

12,500 sign 'Save XP' petition; The petition results and related comments show that there's still a strong desire to keep the current Windows.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Galen Gruman Within 36 hours of the full launch of InfoWorld's petition drive asking Microsoft not to discontinue Windows XP as planned on June 30, 12,621 people had signed the online petition. And dozens of the site's readers...

RealBasic platform gets introspection and eyes the Web; The cross-platform application development tool supports Windows, Mac, and Linux OSes and offers a similar environment to Visual Basic.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Real Software is adding an object-oriented introspection capability to its RealBasic rapid application development tool Tuesday and has set sights on tuning the product for Web development. Supported on Windows,...

Semantic Web takes big step forward; World Wide Web Consortium's SPARQL query technology published; Semantic Web could impact Google, Internet ad models, analyst says.
January 15, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill The Semantic Web, a concept tossed around for years as a Web extension to make it easier to find and group information, is getting a critical boost Tuesday from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). W3C will announce...

Oracle's BEA buy should bolster Fusion; But it's unclear if this will reshape Fusion's middleware strategy.
January 16, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz Market share and technology, a sometimes unbeatable combination, is the raison d'etre behind Oracle's acquisition of BEA, say several industry analysts. What Oracle wanted was access to the high-quality, large...

Sun, MySQL synergies stressed in merger; Sun gets successful open source vendor and part of LAMP stack while MySQL gets major IT vendor backing.
January 16, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill With Sun Microsystems' $1 billion acquisition of open source database vendor MySQL announced Wednesday, Sun gets ownership of a major player in the open source software industry while MySQL gets the backing of a...

Salesforce to launch development-as-a-service; SaaS provider Salesforce.com introduces the Force.com Development-as-a Service technology as well as a 99-cent-per-log-in pricing model.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz Stealing a page from the Apple iTunes playbook, Salesforce.com announced on Thursday a $0.99 pricing model. The introductory subscription pricing is on a per-log-in basis and is meant to accelerate the adoption...

Analysis: Sun’s billion-dollar baby; Following its buyout by open-source-happy Sun, will MySQL founder or flourish?
January 17, 2008... Byline: Neil McAllister If you had any doubts about Sun Microsystems’ commitment to open source, it’s time to set them aside. Sun put its money where its mouth is Wednesday, with the announcement that it would buy open source...

Lab test: Riverbed Steelhead and Steelhead Mobile push the WAN performance envelope; Version 1.0 of the software client brings huge performance gains to CIFS file transfers, though HTTPS and NFS are not supported; Version 4.1 of the site-to-site solution shows overall performance improvement over Version 3.0, while adding key features, including HTTPS support.
January 17, 2008... Byline: Keith Schultz I sometimes wonder why there aren't any movies made about IT superheroes. Sure, there's always Superman (able to leap tall buildings in a single bound) and Batman (the caped crusader), but what about WANman –...

Microsoft allows developers to examine .Net source code; The .Net Reference Source Project is meant to help developers build better software, but they first must upgrade to Visual Studio 2008.
January 18, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Microsoft said this week that it is now allowing developers to examine source code for .Net Framework libraries as a way to help developers build better software. But developers first will need to upgrade to the newly...

Sun SPOT technology set for open source; Sun is set to open-source everything related to SPOT, from hardware to software, but a user questions Sun's commitment to the technology.
January 18, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Sun is expected to announce next week that it will make the Sun SPOT (Small Programmable Object Technology) device platform available via open source, but a user expressed concerns about Sun's commitment to the...

SECURITY ADVISER: Internet security: What will work; Here's a radical plan for making the Internet safe for every legitimate user.
January 18, 2008... Byline: Roger A. Grimes In the first column of this year, I discussed computer security outlook and hopes for 2008. I forecast more of the same that we saw in 2007: more spam, more malware, more bad guys basically owning the Internet and...

STORAGE INSIDER: EMC's solid-state play begs for benchmarks; Putting SSDs in Symmetrix looks good on paper, but proof of performance-to-cost ratios are in the testing.
January 18, 2008... Byline: Mario Apicella I would bet dollars against pennies you didn't miss the EMC buzz about SSDs (solid-state drives) in Symmetrix. The vendor carefully orchestrated the announcement in hopes of capitalizing on the most interesting...

Answer key: You don't know tech; The facts behind this week’s top 10 tech questions.
January 18, 2008... Byline: Dan Tynan Now that you know how you scored, you probably want to know why. Check out the answers below for the gory details. And be sure to return next week for another news quiz, ripped straight from the tech headlines. ...

Tech's all-time top 25 flops; These pivotal moments are the history you don't want to repeat.
January 21, 2008... Byline: Neil McAllister Imagine how different the tech industry might have been had Gary Kildall accepted IBM's offer, back in 1980, to license his computer operating system for a top-secret project. CP/M would have been the OS that...

Apple growth will draw malware attacks; Mac OS X is safer today -- but not necessarily more secure for the long term -- than Windows.
January 21, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines As Apple continues to grow its worldwide market share and the company's products find their way into more business environments, attackers are certain to follow and create greater volumes of exploits aimed at...

Product review: Lombardi Teamworks conquers BPM with superb tools, flexible execution; Lombardi Teamworks 6 Enterprise sets the curve with superior simulation and analysis tools, nicely integrated performance monitoring, and unmatched ease of development for IT and business users.
January 21, 2008... Byline: James R. Borck The most well-rounded business process management system (BPMS) we've tested to date, Lombardi Software's Teamworks combines an execution and events monitoring engine with a close-knit IDE and tools for modeling and...

Panda feeds safer transactions; Using collective intelligence malware aggregation technique, Panda Security claims to have created new levels of protection for online transactions.
January 22, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines Panda Security launched a new application on Tuesday aimed at thwarting customized attacks carried out against users of online transactional systems. The system, Panda Security for Internet Transactions, promises to...

The real lowdown on XP license deadlines; If you've missed the XP deadline, you can always go the downgrade route.
January 22, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz With the first end date deadline for the general availability of Windows XP just six months away, June 30, 2008, there are a number of XP licensing questions that are still on the minds of internal licensing desk...

W3C offers HTML 5 draft; Upgrade to Web spec boosts interoperability and adds 2D graphics and audio and video backing, but it will need strong support from browsers.
January 22, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill The first major upgrade to the HTML specification since 1997, HTML 5, was published in an early draft form Tuesday by the World Wide Web Consortium, featuring APIs for drawing two-dimensional graphics and control of...

Avaya announces SIP-enabled handsets; Network infrastructure provider is transitioning products from IP to standard SIP-based products.
January 23, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz The IP wars continue this week with Avaya, now a privately held rather than public company, announcing Avaya Communications Manager 5.0 and new customer service solutions, including a SIP-enabled handset for CSRs...

EMC to offer SaaS backup and recovery service; Mozy Professional is upgraded to MozyEnterprise with RSA-level security.
January 23, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz Leveraging its October 2007 purchase of Berkeley Data Systems [BDS], EMC announced this week that it will offer an enterprise backup and recovery solution, MozyEnterprise, over a hosted SaaS platform for desktops,...

Google Android leaves Sun wondering; Sun VP Gosling says no business model offered for much-hyped mobile platform; thus, no position can be taken.
January 23, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill While Google's Android SDK for mobile applications could become a formidable competitor to Sun's own Java platform, Sun vice president James Gosling said Wednesday it is not possible for Sun to take a position on...

Some NAC users tout successes; The long-term viability of NAC -- and the question of if it will remain a standalone product set -- is still up in the air, but some users are already seeing benefits.
January 23, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines Security industry analysts and other market watchers are still working to understand the long-term viability of NAC (network access control) as a standalone technology, but some end-users contend that they are already...

Bigger budgets go to strategic IT; Don't expect rewards for merely cutting IT costs, Gartner says.
January 23, 2008... Byline: Galen Gruman After years of hearing that investing in IT was a smart strategic plan, business executives seem to have gotten the message, according to a new Gartner CIO survey released today -- but only when the dollars are going...

Why save XP? Readers speak out; On the record or off, IT pros explain why they're not prepared to say goodbye to XP and upgrade to Vista.
January 24, 2008... Byline: Galen Gruman InfoWorld's petition asking Microsoft not to discontinue Windows XP after June 30 has garnered more than 65,000 signatures since Jan. 14. And with those signatures have come thousands of reader comments that reveal why...

Mobile app developer alliance pondered; Attendees at Sun's mobile developer conference will discuss an industrywide alliance to tackle issues such as fragmentation, security, and deployment policies.(Conference news)
January 24, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Do mobile application developers need to band together to tackle the tough issues facing them? Attendees at Sun's Java Mobile & Embedded Developer Days Conference in Santa Clara, Calif., on Thursday afternoon will...

WSO2 open source mashup builder leverages JavaScript; WSO2 also relies on Web services with the launch of WSO2 Mashup Server and its hosted online version called Mooshup.com.
January 25, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill WSO2 is offering its open-source WSO2 Mashup Server product, which leverages JavaScript and Web services in assembling mashups, on Monday. In positioning the product for use by JavaScript developers, the company is...

SECURITY ADVISER: Control user installs of software; Learn how to verify the status of applications and data without wresting all control over what users put on their hard drives.
January 25, 2008... Byline: Roger A. Grimes I've written many times over the years, including as recently as last week, that letting users execute and install their own software will always allow viruses, worms, and Trojans to be successfully installed....

STORAGE INSIDER: Smaller drives nurture green IT; The world's first enterprise-class storage array to feature 2.5-inch drives reduces power consumption as well as footprint.
January 25, 2008... Byline: Mario Apicella Infortrend quietly marked a storage milestone last week, shipping the EonStor B12, the first enterprise-class array based on 2.5-inch drives. Combining power and reliability in a small size, the B12 could become the...

Answer key: You don't know tech; The facts behind this week’s top 10 tech questions.
January 25, 2008... Byline: Dan Tynan Now that you know how you scored, you probably want to know why. Check out the answers below for the gory details. And be sure to return next year for another news quiz, ripped straight from the tech headlines. ...

Security lessons from the top; IT vendors have had to learn data protection best practices early.
January 28, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines The importance these days of protecting your business from security threats is clear. But how to do it well often remains a vexing problem. Major IT vendors have faced this challenge like everyone else -- but with a...

How to get Windows XP after June 30; Businesses will still have a few ways to avoid a forced move to Vista.
January 28, 2008... Byline: Galen Gruman Two weeks ago, InfoWorld launched a petition campaign to save Windows XP. So far we’ve gotten more than 70,000 signatures, thanks to a passionate response from a wide range of XP users. We hope we can persuade...

Mandiant releases Intelligent Response discovery tools; Mandiant's new set of electronic evidence discovery tools perform post-breach analysis tests to accelerate the response process.
January 28, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines Mandiant introduced new incident response automation technology that promises to perform the first set of post-breach analysis tests the IT security company would provide via its breach investigation services. Having...

Demo 2008 focuses on video; This year's semi-annual event will take a major look at video content delivery as companies show off new methods and analytics.
January 28, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz With the new year comes new products, and as it is every year, many of them will be showed off at the semi-annual Demo conference, held this year in Palm Desert, Calif. Twice a year, Demo witnesses a gathering...

Demo presenters bet on predictive capabilities; A pair of startups are hitting Demo 2008 with prognostication as part of the high tech tool set.
January 28, 2008... Byline: Ephraim Schwartz The uncertain prediction market will get a new player this week when Hubdub introduces a combination news aggregation and predictive platform at the semi-annual Demo conference in Palm Desert, Calif. Demo...

HP boosts SOA governance; Software and services readied along with expansion of interoperability framework.
January 28, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill HP is announcing on Monday SOA governance software and services aimed at helping companies accelerate SOA adoption while reducing risks. Also on Monday, HP is expanding its GIF (Governance Interoperability...

Product review: Visual Studio 2008 advances with few missteps; Solid upgrade to Microsoft's IDE holds improvements for users of every level; highlights, including language-integrated data queries, new graphical design surfaces, and support for Vista, Web 2.0 technologies, and multiple versions of .Net Framework, overshadow a few nits.
January 28, 2008... Byline: Martin Heller Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 (VS08) is the current incarnation of the company’s long line of IDEs. It's the premier IDE for developing applications with the Microsoft .Net Framework and, at least, a contender...

Craigslist founder talks about open source, banner ads; Speaking at the WebGuild Web 2.0 Conference, Craig Newmark discussed the technological aspects of his famed site and downplayed its effect on newspapers.(Conference news)
January 29, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill In a candid discussion of his classified ads site and its business model, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark said Tuesday he has considered open-sourcing some Craiglist technology, frowns upon banner ads, and believes the...

Juniper switch adds security cred; Juniper's new EX series of high-speed switches is aimed directly at enterprises rather than telecom providers, making enterprise-oriented security features a must.
January 29, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines Juniper Networks claims to have added an important piece of technology for delivering on its integrated network security strategy as part of the launch of its high-speed EX-Series of enterprise switches. With onboard...

Spring, Java platform combos eyed; Upcoming enterprise version of Java anticipated by Spring Framework founder.
January 29, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Spring technology is an alternative to EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans) for Java development, but an upcoming Java version will enable combinations of established Java platform technologies with Spring, the founder of the...

SpringSource buys Covalent in open-source deal; Spring, Apache project support united under same roof.
January 29, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill In another acquisition involving companies focused on open source, proponents of the Spring Framework and Apache software have joined forces in a merger being announced Tuesday. SpringSource, developer of the Spring...

Symantec study reframes IT risk management; New report shows that availability maintenance and compliance concerns are now as vital to businesses' risk management efforts as the installation of security tools.
January 31, 2008... Byline: Matt Hines Symantec's primary strategy in the enterprise may currently revolve around the notion of IT risk management, but the company's latest research finds that efforts to refine corporate process unrelated to security...

Sun's Da Vinci Machine broadens JVM coverage; Intent is to make it easier for more languages to run on virtual machines.
January 31, 2008... Byline: Paul Krill Sun is working on technology to make it easier to run different languages on the Java Virtual Machine. Called the Da Vinci Machine, the project is being described by Sun as "a multi-language renaissance for the Java...

Product review: Synology Cube Station breaks the low-end NAS wide open; The size of a paint can, the CS407 houses 4TB of RAID 5 storage, speaks almost any file sharing protocol you might think of using, and its embedded Linux OS is open to additions; on the downside, its breadth of capabilities will tempt you to overload its somewhat meager system resources.
January 31, 2008... Byline: Paul Venezia I've been on a bit of a green kick around here for the past few months. A computer lab is notoriously power hungry, with servers running at 100 percent utilization for days on end, generating traffic or running test...