InfoWorld articles from August 2004

InfoWorld archives from August 2004

CA to revive dormant database: Company to open-source Ingres in effort to outperform SQL Server, Oracle.(Computer Associates International Inc. new product)
August 2, 2004... Computer Associates is looking to breathe new life into a long-quiet database and, in so doing, is gunning to make it outperform Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database 10g. CA plans to open-source the Ingres database this week at the...

HP iPaq enables seamless switching: Latest handheld transfers between wide-area cellular and WLANs.(Hewlett-Packard Co. introduces new product)
August 2, 2004... In the race to provide an integrated communications device for the enterprise, Hewlett-Packard pulled out in front last week with the iPaq h6315. Through a partnership with T-Mobile, HP has equipped the latest iPaq with GSM/GPRS voice and...

LinuxWorld parades open source momentum: Top-tier vendors unveil apps, storage products for open source OS.
August 2, 2004... The Linux nation will gather this week at its annual conference in San Francisco to show off a range of software based on the v2.6 kernel, its new 64-bit server hardware, and a brand-new Java application server. Novell will use the...

MS delays 64-bit Windows.(Microsoft Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Microsoft has further delayed versions of Windows equipped with 64-bit extensions, this time until the first half of 2005. The 64-bit Windows XP client was originally due in early 2004 but had already been delayed; the server software was...

Sun adds to JES support.(Sun Microsystems Inc., Java Enterprise System)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Sun Microsystems is extending support for its JES (Java Enterprise System) to third-party operating systems and hardware platforms in a move aimed at gaining more uptake for the server software. JES -- a stack of enterprise software comprising...

MyDoom strikes again.(targeting the search engines)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Another variant of MyDoom, MyDoom.O, spread last week, targeting the AltaVista, Google, Lycos, and Yahoo search engines. Google acknowledged that visitors experienced slowness but said that the Web site was not significantly impaired by the...

IBM opens storage to rivals: Vendors map virtualization strategies.
August 2, 2004... IBM ratcheted up its commitment to storage virtualization last week with the announcement of third-party support for its TotalStorage SVC (SAN Volume Controller) for the Cisco MDS 9000 family of switches. The announcement is just the beginning...

Microsoft offers Office System SP.(Service Pack)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Microsoft last week unwrapped its first Service Pack for Office System 2003, adding capabilities to its OneNote and InfoPath applications, improved speed and performance, and a collection of previously announced security fixes. The release...

IBM bolsters Content Manager with standards.(International Business Machines Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... IBM plans to extend Web services, XML, and Java interoperability in the next version of its DB2 Content Manager, which is due for release by late 2004 or early 2005. Big Blue detailed Project Cinnamon, now in beta, which provides graphical XML...

Stalker adds SIP to messaging platform.(enterprise messaging suite)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Stalker Software rolled out a new version of its enterprise messaging suite, featuring support for the telephony standard SIP. CommuniGate Pro Version 4.2 Real-Time Communications builds on SIP to provide secure IM, VoIP, videoconferencing,...

EDITOR'S LETTER: Half Xeon, half Linux.(technology change)(Editorial)
August 2, 2004... Technology changes quickly; so must magazines that cover it Editors like to maintain the comforting fiction that magazines are smooth-sailing ships, vessels that run with machinelike precision. We've got well-established workflows,...

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Nocona pulls a fast one.
August 2, 2004... Intel asks customers to put their faith in a stopgap architecture As a Xeon, Nocona is a honey of a power boost: fat cache; fast clock speed; smaller, denser die; and faster front-side bus. Intel's engineers busted hump to make Nocona...

CTO CONNECTION: RSS bandwidth blues.(really simple syndication)
August 2, 2004... Making RSS more manageable on the server side takes extra effort My recent column "RSS growing pains" provoked passionate discussion in the blogosphere, which really picked up speed when the article was linked from Slashdot. Many readers...

REALITY CHECK: Taming the paper tiger.(paperless work)
August 2, 2004... We've given up on the paperless office, but at least we can reduce paper costs Far from creating the paperless office, the digital age is responsible for an increase, not decrease, in document generation. We have the Internet, PDF files,...

STRATEGIC DEVELOPER: Tragedy of the network commons.(PKI summit conference)
August 2, 2004... Effective security and identity management hinge on user behavior, not just technology A recent survey found that 75 percent of Dartmouth students have shared their network passwords. "They like having people who know their password,"...

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: IE nixed, Mozilla fixed.(internet explorer)
August 2, 2004... Looking for love in all the wrong places So I went on my first Net-inspired blind date last week. I was prepared: I brought a copy of my background check, a DNA sample, and a small clip book of my favorite columns with the jokes...

A close look at Nocona: Various tweaks make Intel's new EM64T-enabled Xeon a dazzling 32-bit performer, but the 64-bit stuff falls short.
August 2, 2004... On the surface, Nocona's improvements appear typical of intel's dual-processor Xeon evolutionary tradition: a higher clock speed and a faster front-side bus. But this time, in a departure from its usual formula, Intel has added several...

Intel strikes back with Nocona: Fresh from the foundry, Intel's fast new 64-bit chip leaps ahead of previous 32-bit Xeons. But can it challenge Opteron?(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 2, 2004... Infatuated with Itanium, Intel has long resisted the obvious: creating a 64-bit chip that simply extends the x86 architecture on which the company built its fortune. Instead, Intel has ceded that ground to AMD, whose 64-bit, x86-compatible...

Nocona injects more power in Dell PowerEdge line: The 64-bit sizzle aside, Dell's new Nocona-based servers are solid upgrades to an established line.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 2, 2004... Dell's new dual-processor PowerEdge 1850 and PowerEdge 2850 servers -- the company's first to use Nocona -- represent a significant upgrade for x86-based servers, and they will prove to be tough competition for servers running alternative...

Configuration Management for Network Administrators.(Emprisa Networks)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... Emprisa Networks has shipped e-NetAware, its new tool for managing configuration changes on large, multivendor enterprise networks. E-NetAware maintains a central repository of configuration data, which it uses to automatically correlate...

Steeling Against Spam.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... The new version of IronMail -- CipherTrust's appliance for fighting spam, virus, phishing, and other e-mail attacks -- has improved the way it reports the reason a given message was marked as spam. In addition, version 4.5 adds support for...

High Performance PHP.(Zend)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... The authors of the Zend II Engine, upon which the recently released PHP 5.0 open source Web scripting language was based, have released a version of Zend Performance Suite, taking advantage of PHP's newest features. Using a combination of...

Identity-Based Compliance Tool.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2004... A module for Courion's Identity Management Suite 7.0, ComplianceCourier automates many of the processes organizations need to comply with regulations such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and Sarbanes-Oxley. It...

Highwall raises barriers against wireless intruders: New hardware provides rogue AP detection, even for businesses distributed through multiple floors.(access points)(rogue detection system)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 2, 2004... High deployment cost remains a problem with current wireless IDSes and rogue detection solutions, because IDS sensors have to be placed alongside wireless APs deployed throughout the enterprise infrastructure. Competing solutions from AirMagnet...

In search of the bottom line: When it comes to the TCO for any operating environment, management costs take top billing.
August 2, 2004... Linux on the desktop might mean freedom from software-licensing costs for some IT departments. But when it comes to evaluating desktop Linux's TCO, it's the human cost that is most important. According to industry research company IDC, the...

Investing in the Linux client: The Allied Irish Bank expects to see solid returns on an 8,000-system migration to Linux.
August 2, 2004... User experience, application availability, ease of maintenance, and stability are often chief concerns when deciding whether to deploy Linux on the desktop. For the Allied Irish Bank, however, the decision to move the 8,000 clients in the...

The business case for desktop Linux: It's come a long way, but is Linux on the desktop compelling enough to make the switch?
August 2, 2004... It's one of the perennial questions facing the open source movement: Is Linux ready for the corporate desktop? Ready or not, Linux is coming. Industry research company IDC predicts that enough companies will see the benefits of a Linux...

Linux and hardware still have trouble getting along: Older desktops fare well in tests, but newer equipment reveals compatibility shortcomings.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 2, 2004... A major hurdle for any Linux desktop rollout is hardware compatibility, or lack thereof. Whether leveraging older hardware or rolling out new systems, ensuring that every component in the desktop works as it should is key. Linux's...

Manageability is a must for Linux to succeed on the enterprise desktop: Vendors need to weave in centralized policy management.
August 2, 2004... Linus Torvalds has said that he thinks Linux on the desktop is at least five years, maybe 10 years, away. There are many folks who want to prove him wrong, and perhaps that was his impetus. Regardless, for desktop Linux to succeed in the...

Linux nearly ripe for the enterprise desktop: Looking at four commercial Linux desktop OSes, the Test Center finds lack of enterprise-level manageability a common shortcoming.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 2, 2004... One of the more divisive concepts in IT these days is Linux on the desktop. There are those who would prefer nothing else, pointing to myriad security and stability problems found in Microsoft operating systems, and there are those who would...

New storage offerings point to lower costs: HP kicks SAN in face of storage prices.(HP StorageWorks MSA 1500)
August 9, 2004... Hewlett-Packard introduced storage devices last week that are the latest in a brewing wave of lower-cost storage products designed to enable customers to move from DAS to SAN environments. HP announced the HP StorageWorks MSA (Modular Smart...

Cingular dives into corporate e-mail: Company aligns with Seven to provide IT access to and from carriers.
August 9, 2004... After several years of wireless carriers trying to convince the enterprise that they can be a trusted partner in hosting corporate data, Cingular Wireless announced an alternative, hybrid e-mail solution using Seven's technology last week. ...

IBM Offers Cloudscape as Open Source.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... IBM has found a new home for the Cloudscape database software it picked up in 2001 through its acquisition of Informix. The company reports it will give Cloudscape to the Apache Software Foundation, which will oversee Cloudscape as an...

AOL Buys Mailblocksin Spam-Fighting Effort.(America Online Inc)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... America Online (AOL) snapped up Web-based e-mail company Mailblocks in an effort to bolster its own e-mail services with greater anti-spam protection, mail management, and interface improvements. AOL did not specify the terms of the deal but...

SAP Details India Plans.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... SAP said it is increasing the number of staff at its Bangalore, India, development center to 3,000 by 2006. The center currently employs 1,100 developers and plans to increase the headcount to 1,500 by the end of this year, company officials...

Site-search tools expand scope: Kanisa, Atomz, Endeca deliver guided self-service, commerce search tools.
August 9, 2004... Aiming to help an enterprise's Web site customers better help themselves, new tools from Kanisa, Atomz, and Endeca build on core search technology to offer guided customer self service and guided Web commerce search. Kanisa last week...

Oracle admits to security holes.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Oracle acknowledged multiple security holes in its database software and plans to issue a security alert. The U.K. security expert who found the holes criticized Oracle's conduct, saying that it has been sitting on patches for about two months...

Gateway to ship BTX desktop.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Gateway said that it will introduce in September one of the first desktops built using a new chassis design by Intel, the BTX (balanced technology extended). BTX is an updated chassis and motherboard design that allows PC manufacturers to deal...

Business Objects may face charges.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Business Objects received a notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that the group intends to recommend a civil action against the company for possible violation of U.S. securities law. The notice is in relation to an...

Patents emerge as an open source issue: Calls for IP law reform heard at LinuxWorld conference.(intellectual property)
August 9, 2004... The SCO group may not be the threat it once was, but IP (intellectual property) concerns were front and center at the LinuxWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco last week. Conference speakers called for changes to U.S. IP law and the way the...

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Open source convention packs heavy hitters.(O'Reilly Open Source Convention)
August 9, 2004... Show highlights the promise of accelerated development and lower costs Unlike the glittering spectacle of JavaOne and Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, the O'Reilly Open Source Convention hums so quietly in the catacombs of a...

REALITY CHECK: Are SOAs customer- or vendor-driven?(service-oriented architecture)
August 9, 2004... Despite the hype, service-oriented architectures are not ready for the fast lane Technology will put the customer back in the driver's seat, or so it was thought during the dot-com era. To believers, the trends of build-to-order,...

STRATEGIC DEVELOPER: Showdown at the VM corral.(virtual machine)(dynamic programming languages such as Perl, PHP, Python)
August 9, 2004... Highly productive dynamic languages such as Perl lack the ironclad, managed environment of Java and .Net; someday the two will meet The CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network) is the backbone of the Perl community. It includes hundreds of...

CTO CONNECTION: Solaris takes on Linux.
August 9, 2004... When Linux has all the trappings of a commercial OS, why not consider a commercial OS? Sun Microsystems President and COO Jonathan Schwartz made a dramatic debut in the blogosphere this summer. Anyone who has met Schwartz knows that he...

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Money gets funny, Microsoft nixes pix.
August 9, 2004... In search of youth Perhaps I'm not cut out for this online dating thing. After my last experience with Janet Reno's spinster sister, I decided to go for youth and exuberance. So I had a cup of mango raspberry chai with Margo, a 25-year-old...

EDITOR'S LETTER: Following IT's action.(issue preview)(Editorial)
August 9, 2004... Technology's next important frontier is simple solutions to increasingly complex problems From time to time, this column has noted the remarkable changes now occurring in corporate IT -- a shift away from individual devices and solutions...

Product Previews, 8/9/2004: Sun fires back with quad Opteron server.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Although it was late to embrace the x86 platform, Sun Microsystems hopes to make up for lost time with the introduction of its new Sun Fire V40z, a 3U rack-mountable server based on as many as four AMD Opteron 800 series processors. The new...

Product Previews, 8/9/2004: Linux desktop for business.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Xandros has updated its desktop-oriented Linux distribution for improved interoperability with Windows networks. The new Version 2.5 includes CodeWeavers CrossOver Office 3.0.1, which can run Lotus Notes 6.5.1, Microsoft Project 2000/2002, and...

Product Previews, 8/9/2004: Symantec's plug-and-play IDS.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Information security leader Symantec has announced a new line of intrusion detection and prevention hardware. The Network Security 7100 series combines a number of detection technologies into a single appliance, including protocol anomaly...

Product Previews, 8/9/2004: Flexible data repository.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Scientific Software has unveiled the latest release of its ECM (Enterprise Content Manager), a secure repository for capturing, managing, and archiving business information, including both human-readable data and raw data collected from...

Product Previews, 8/9/2004: Not your average VPN.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Version 4 of Hybrid-VPN, Net6's unique VPN solution that incorporates the best features of both IPSec and SSL VPNs, adds new capabilities that you don't find in traditional VPNs. Remote Control allows any user on the network to connect to any...

Product Previews, 8/9/2004: Comprehensive net security.(Adaptive Security Platform)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Whereas many vendors offer single-point security solutions, Vernier Networks has announced its ASP (Adaptive Security Platform), an integrated system that combines authentication, virus outbreak management, intrusion detection, remediation, and...

Product Previews, 8/9/2004: XML integration appliance.(Datapower's product)(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Mainframe integration can be quite a chore, but DataPower says it has a drop-in solution. The XI50 XML Integration Appliance is a 1U rack-mountable server that can translate arbitrary binary, text, and XML message formats into any other format...

Product Previews, 8/9/2004: Observing WLANs.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... The new version of Network Instruments' Observer network analysis and management suite adds improved data mining and increased support for WLANs. Observer 10 reports on the status of wireless APs, including traffic load,...

SAS Enterprise Miner 5.1 digs into data: Graphical, interactive client improves tools for statistical experts and business analyst collaboration.(data mining software)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 9, 2004... A vital but rare skill among technology management teams is the ability to prepare and apply tools that help an organization adapt to the present and future and not just respond to the recent past. BA (business analytics) and BI tools...

SQL Server shapes up: An improved interface and new features make SQL Server 2005 a promising upgrade.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... Microsoft has released the second beta of SQL Server 2005, and it looks to be a major step forward. DTS (Data Transformation Services) has been completely rewritten for this release, bringing tons of enhancements and new features. The editing...

Shoring up Web services: Systinet Server for Java 5.0 brings reliable messaging to superior service management.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... When your Web Services move beyond the research stage and you start considering deployment, a production-quality SOAP server becomes a necessity. Just as a Web server provides a platform for deploying Web sites and applications, SOAP servers...

Sony E1300 tape drive sates hunger for large servings of storage: SAIT technology and WORM capabilities strong selling points for pricey storage solution.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... As do other vendors of tape storage drives and media, Sony faces the reduced market appeal of tape-based data protection. Relentless increases in the demand for storage capacity, combined with the availability of ever faster, disk-based...

e-Security spots rogue traffic: The latest incremental update to this event-driven security product gains major new features.(Brief Article)
August 9, 2004... The e-Security 4.2 security event management suite scans events reported by devices for potential security problems, links them through a correlation engine that compares events to what's normal on your network, and sifts out potential threats....

RIM, Good Technology push to get mobile e-mail rolling: GoodLink, BES solutions locked in a fierce competition to become the de facto wireless workforce enabler.(Research In Motion, BlackBerry Enterprise Server)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 9, 2004... To me, a mobile connection to the Internet means that my mail server hunts me down wherever I am and tosses my mail to me. Instead, I've had to settle for using my phone as a modem and, later, forwarding new mail headers to my phone as text...

DbEncrypt protects databases at the column level: Granular encryption extends deep into your SQL Server or Oracle databases.
August 9, 2004... DbEncrypt allows you to apply column-level encryption in your SQL Server database and assign view permissions to different users. Whether for obscuring credit card numbers, social security numbers, personal patient information, or financial...

Entegra maintains SQL integrity: Lumigent's SQL Server auditing solution observes unobtrusively.(structured query language)(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 9, 2004... You can't know whether a database is truly secure unless you know what data has been accessed, how it has been modified, and who has viewed it. Entegra -- an enterprise-level auditing tool for SQL Server (and soon for Oracle) -- can tell you...

Recouping the costs of regulations: Enterprises are spending a bundle on compliance. Is there any ROI other than avoiding trouble?(return on investments)
August 9, 2004... When you get put on hold by Nth Orbit -- suppliers of compliance solution Certus -- you don't hear generic Muzak. Instead, you're serenaded by a John Denver wannabe strumming a banjo and crooning, "My bottom line is falling more behind, I've...

Keeping data confidential: Prying eyes can cost companies big time, especially when medical records are exposed. These techniques for obscuring database records can help.
August 9, 2004... Many companies that were doing business in a relatively carefree fashion a year ago now find their customers insisting on high levels of accountability. Of course, health-care organizations have been under the watchful eye of the Joint...

Are you ready for the feds?: With an extensible framework, IT can meet regulatory compliance mandates years in the future as well as those looming just ahead.
August 9, 2004... "Hurry up" is the latest battle cry at companies struggling to fall in line with an onslaught of government regulations. The summer of Sarbanes-Oxley, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and other mandates is upon...

HP invokes Adaptive Enterprise mantra: Product upgrades readied for HP World show.
August 16, 2004... Hewlett-Packard will detail enhancements to its virtualization products, the HP-UX 11i Unix operating system, and its AlphaServers this week during its HP World 2004 conference in Chicago. The announcements fall under HP's Adaptive...

iSCSI gets some respect: Adaptec, EMC, IBM, and Nimbus Data Systems make moves.(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Having received a renewed boost from those who see it moving out of niche markets, iSCSI (Internet SCSI) may finally be getting some much-needed respect. "We're seeing more interest [in iSCSI]," said Jeff Barnett, manager of storage...

Wherenet adds biz rules to RFID: Context-sensitive location data promises to reduce manufacturing costs.(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... The first indication that the value of RFID (radio frequency identification) will extend beyond the supply warehouse was shown last week by WhereNet, a provider of wireless location and communications technology. WhereSoft Vehicle -- a...

Microsoft boosts SharePoint integration.(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Microsoft's Office System group made available free of charge two Web Part toolkits and a Web services toolkit to boost integration of the company's SharePoint Portal Server 2003 package and SharePoint Services sites with applications from...

IBM enhances modeling tool.
August 16, 2004... IBM is looking to improve business process modeling in its WebSphere Business Integration Modeler tool by backing an emerging Web services standard and building its product around the Eclipse development tool framework. Version 5 of IBM's...

Microsoft partners merge.(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Two Microsoft channel partners said they will merge to form a new company that will be among Microsoft's largest global partners serving midmarket business applications customers. U.S.-based Tectura is joining with Denmark-based Aston Business...

IT Myth 4: CIOs and CTOs have a greater need for business savvy than tech expertise; Reality: Tech chops matter more than ever.
August 16, 2004... Job No. 1 for the first CIOs to emerge in corporate shops almost 20 years ago was to make sure the business goals of the corner office were being served by the technologies put in place by the IT department. They were to be the bridge between...

Sender ID gains traction: Anti-spam standard being woven into products before gaining approval by IETF.
August 16, 2004... Leading ISPs, anti-spam vendors, and e-mail software companies are moving quickly to add support for the Microsoft-backed anti-spam technology standard Sender ID, even as some e-mail experts raise doubts that the technology will work. ...

IT Myth 6: IT doesn't scale; Reality: Virtually any technology is scalable, provided you combine the right ingredients and implement them effectively.
August 16, 2004... At one time or another, nearly every kind of information technology has been judged and found wanting. The failures are often summed up in that most damning of epithets: "It doesn't scale." The reason, of course, is that at one time or another,...

The six myths of IT: It's time to test some long-held assumptions.(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Time to face reality. Some of our bedrock assumptions turn out to be unfounded. And chief technologists can be subject to outdated beliefs as often as any professional. With that in mind, we addressed six common IT myths and deconstructed them...

IT Myth 5: Most IT projects fail; Reality: It all depends on how you define failure.
August 16, 2004... Do most IT projects fail? Some point to the number of giant consultancies such as IBM Global Services, Capgemini, and Sapient, who feed off bad experiences encountered by enterprises. "Sapient is a company founded on the realization that IT...

IT Myth 2: Eighty percent of corporate data resides on mainframes; Reality: Try 50 percent, or even less.
August 16, 2004... It's past time to retire the myth that mainframes, those impenetrable-looking boxes understood by only a few IT magicians, still store 80 percent of all corporate data. Since their introduction in the 1950s, mainframes have largely been...

IT Myth 1: Server upgrades matter; Reality: Don't pay extra for upgradability; you'll never need it.
August 16, 2004... When was the last time you swapped out the processors on a production server? Have you ever ripped out a working system's RAID controller and substituted one with bigger cache? How about pulling out a machine's mirrored 18GB Ultra160 SCSI boot...

IT Myth 3: All big shops run multiple platforms; Reality: This 'myth' is closer to fact than fiction.
August 16, 2004... As the New Wave band Devo said, "Freedom of choice is what you got. Freedom from choice is what you want." Were they right; is having no choice easier than having to decide for yourself? Does this principle apply to IT? Do enterprises seek...

CTO CONNECTION: Digging into DNS; Humble little DNS gets far too little attention -- ignore it at your peril.(domain name server)
August 16, 2004... As CTO of InfoWorld, I have to admit that I spend more time than most CTOs on the bleeding edge of technology pondering the next big thing. A few years ago, all the Web services talk around the office had me digging into SOAP and XML-RPC; and...

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: Aliens evaded, OneNote inflated; Readers write to tell me I'm wrong.
August 16, 2004... I finally met a great gal using an online matchmaker. Smart, cute, funny, a bit of a geek but with good teeth. We even set up a dinner date -- for June 2011, when she's up for parole (prisoninmates.com). Until then, I'll have to take comfort...

REALITY CHECK: Riding the outsourcing tide; Contract manufacturing is as much about IT as it is about business model.
August 16, 2004... Contract manufacturing -- that is, owning the brand but outsourcing the manufacturing -- started as a trickle in the 1980s and is now reaching flood proportions. But hold on to your life raft, because the tide is about to get even higher. ...

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: The unwelcome gift of Java; Sun's plan to make Java open source is likely to set a precedent for other vendors.
August 16, 2004... Major vendors are getting better at donating source code to the public. But by and large, companies engage in code charity in safe and limited ways. They incorporate existing free code into their commercial products, giving their nonproprietary...

STRATEGIC DEVELOPER: The rewards of open source; How Fedora, Red Hat's free Linux distro, solicits innovation from the community.(O'Reilly Open Source Convention)
August 16, 2004... Last week, at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention, Michael Tiemann -- formerly Red Hat's CTO and now vice president of open source affairs -- spoke about the role of Fedora, Red Hat's free Linux distribution. To refute the claim that Fedora...