Date: 01/30/08 (Data Management)    Keywords: technology

Sterna Technologies was one of the few enterprise products to present at Demo 08. The company introduced its Business Positioning System (BPS), which is another name for Business Performance Management (BPM) or any other variety of acronym for dashboards the improve corporate performance. Sterna's technology goes...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7790

Date: 02/01/08 (Data Management)    Keywords: technology

I had a chance to speak with Stephen Pollack, Founder, CEO of PlateSpin, the other day. Since it has been a while since we had a chance to chat, I looked forward to his refreshing, rather pragmatic, approach to virtualization technology. For those of you keeping score, PlateSpin - An...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/virtualization/?p=333

Date: 02/01/08 (Open Source)    Keywords: technology

When Wall Street loves a technology deal, it's usually a bad deal. Wall Street loves this deal. Loves it like your 10 year old daughter loves Hannah Montana.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/zdnet/open-source/~3/227306681/

Date: 02/06/08 (Computer Geeks)    Keywords: technology, security, web, microsoft, google

The most common question that I get in my inbox is...

Why don't you use Mac OS X?

Some of you are under the impression that I don't use Apple products, or anything that's not Microsoft. That's not true. I am, in all honesty, a company agnostic. I use an iPod, I use many of the Google products, I use a Playstation instead of an Xbox...I use tons of things that aren't made by Microsoft. And, I'll say it, Windows is the only thing that Mircrosoft has produced that I like.

I'm not being ignorant, I'm very open-minded about technology. I'm not a die-hard anything. If Microsoft put out an absolute stinker that didn't even work, you'd bet I'd switch over to Ubuntu or Mac OS in a heartbeat (or maybe I would just downgrade to the previous version of Windows).

Some of you are also under the impression that I've never even tried Mac OS X or any operating system besides Windows. Far from true. Just two weeks ago, I was running Ubuntu. I liked it, but I couldn't lose my Windows apps. I've got connections with people that run Macs, and they've let me work on their computers, and I'm a fairly experienced Mac OS X user (though that's not saying much).

I get this question at least once a day by IM, email, LJ-message, whatever, and I decided to post the answer here in a new weekly feature to this journal.

Before I begin, I want to make it clear that Mac OS X is a fantastic alternative to the world of Windows. If you're just using it for photos, web browsing, stuff like that, Mac OS X is great. If you're a power-user, though, you need an OS like Windows. Now, I bring you the reasons why I don't use Mac OS X.

User interface
The Menu Bar is too far away from your focus. When you have an application open, your focus is on the middle of the screen (I don't see why you would have a window maximized since the dock (I'll get to that later) is in the way, and the monitor is huge). The Menu Bar is all the way at the top, hundreds of yards away from your focus. I didn't even notice it the first few times I was using it.

The dock is just terrible. Icons for the same file type are exactly the same, so you can't tell what is what. It gets in the way. Didn't they learn to avoid things like this in GUI Design 101? The dock, while it looks great and is a great marketing strategy, doesn't do much for productivity. Windows' quick launch bar is way better.

Usability
When using Mac OS X, I found my productivity was cut by a fraction. It wasn't a big difference, but it was a significant one. Like I said, if you're a general user, Mac OS X is fine, but for me, I've got to have something where I can actually do important things. There are also articles on the web that put Windows and Mac OS X running on the exact same hardware (a Mac computer!), and found that Mac OS X was slower than Windows. On a Mac computer. Hey, it surprised me, too.

Security
I know, I know. Mac OS X has this big reputation about being the most secure OS on the planet. Even though it's not true, think about the users. Mac OS X has about 20% of the market share, the rest goes to Windows. That's over 250 million users, ladies and gentlemen.But, nonetheless, Mac OS X does have some security issues.

Time Machine, which is praised by Mac OS users, does it's job just a little too well. Let's say you downloaded a Trojan, and let's just say it deleted some of your data. You restore your data from Time Machine, but guess what? It restores that Trojan as well. My idea: when you remove something from your computer, a Trojan, it should ask you if you want it archived in the Time Machine. Just a little suggestion

Cost
Jesus Christ! $1,200 for an iMac with only 250GB of storage? $1,700 for a MacBook Air? This is ridiculous. I can buy a brand new HP computer with Windows installed, with 600GB of storage, for only about $800. Maybe the iMac should cost a little more, because it can run Windows, and it's the only machine that you can run Mac OS X on legally, and it doesn't have a tower, but not that much more. Maybe $900, maybe a little more. I'll be honest, though, I don't mind having a computer tower. Building a desktop computer using notebook computer parts just doesn't seem safe to me.

So, those are my main concerns about Mac OS X, and I why I won't use it. When Mac OS XI comes around, I might check it out, to see if there is any improvement, but until then, I'm a Windows user.

Source: http://community.livejournal.com/computergeeks/1149394.html

Date: 02/05/08 (Security)    Keywords: technology

President Bush unveiled his $3.1 trillion--yes trillion--fiscal 2009 budget and there are a lot of technology highlights to go around. Whether this budget ever gets approved anywhere near its current state remains to be seen (fiscal 2008's budget isn't official), but directionally there are some key highlights....

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7888

Date: 02/08/08 (Open Source)    Keywords: technology

Fact is only 10% of doctors use EMRs because they're afraid of technology dead-ends. Open interfaces eliminate that objection, or at least allow the government to overrule that objection.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/zdnet/open-source/~3/231677308/

Date: 02/08/08 (Web Technology)    Keywords: technology, security

Court order lets Homeland Security obtain precise location data from T-Mobile about customer's movements in real time. Police Blotter is a weekly News.com report on the intersection of technology and the law. What: Minnesota man charged with alien smuggling says data from a location tap of...

Source: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6229805.html

Date: 02/11/08 (Open Source)    Keywords: technology

It would be nice to know how much of their talk about technology and competitiveness is rhetoric, as opposed to reality.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/zdnet/open-source/~3/233245957/

Date: 02/12/08 (Open Source)    Keywords: technology

Technology is all about executing on ideas. That takes vision and autonomy. Take out the company and you take out the autonomy, often the vision as well.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/zdnet/open-source/~3/233782259/

Date: 02/13/08 (Data Management)    Keywords: technology

Attention shoppers, er, data center managers! For a mere $24,499, you can invest in the latest modular cooling technology from Hewlett-Packard. (Keep in mind at the price doesn't include a hook-up kit, which costs another $2,499.) The company has introduced its second-generation liquid cooling rack, the HP...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/green/?p=798

Date: 02/16/08 (Java Web)    Keywords: technology, java, security

JPC is a pure Java emulation of an x86 PC with fully virtual peripherals. It runs anywhere you have a JVM, whether x86, RISC, mobile phone, set-top box, possibly even your refrigerator! All this on top of security and stability of Java technology and cross-platform capability. JPC creates a virtual computer upon which you can install [...]

Source: http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/pure-java-emulation-of-x86-with-fully-virtual-peripherals/

Date: 02/19/08 (Security)    Keywords: technology, security, virus, spyware, spam

D-Link generated a lot of buzz when it unveiled the SecureSpot Internet Security Device at CES in 2007. The unit sits between your broadband modem and router, acting as a hardware shield against spam, viruses, and spyware. Now D-Link has integrated an updated version of the SecureSpot technology into its...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/soho-networking/?p=145

Date: 02/19/08 (Data Management)    Keywords: technology, sql, microsoft

Microsoft is rolling out on February 19 a new Community Technology Preview (CTP) test build of SQL Server 2008. The new build, which Microsoft is labeling as "feature-complete," will be available for download by any of the 100,000 testers who are registered to participate in the CTP...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1200

Date: 02/22/08 (Data Management)    Keywords: technology

The other day, I mentioned the Technology CEO Council and the various things the group has started lobbying for when it comes to support the advance of green technology. Another collaboration that will inform the future of green tech, at least as far as legislation goes, is the working relationship...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/green/?p=826

Date: 02/23/08 (Data Management)    Keywords: technology

Small and medium businesses in Singapore are set to invest $3 bln in 2008 to strengthen their information communication technology infrastructure, up 6% over in 2007's level. Telecom will contribute up to $1 bln to the 2008 total, according to Access Markets International Partners. by AM

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/?p=13986

Date: 02/25/08 (Security)    Keywords: technology, asp, microsoft

You can't understand the technology deals without being fluent in EU regulator-speak. And you also can't grasp Microsoft's next move without pondering what the European Union will do. Luckily, the Wall Street Journal shed a little light on the EU's antitrust chief Neelie Kroes. Kroes is the one...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8082

Date: 02/27/08 (Security)    Keywords: software, technology, security

It didn't take long for VMware to answer the security bell. The company on Wednesday announced a technology called VMsafe that aims to integrate security software with the hypervisor--the linchpin of virtualization software. With VMsafe VMware will provide APIs to allow security application vendors to develop products...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=905

Date: 02/28/08 (Security)    Keywords: technology, asp

Suppliers offering "virtual appliance servers" have often stopped by to brief me on their products and how they're going to take over the market in some segment or another. The most recent example was a really interesting discussion I had with Dave Asprey, VP of Marketing for Zeus Technology, about...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/virtualization/?p=352

Date: 03/01/08 (Web Technology)    Keywords: technology, web

US workers aged 18-34 prefer flexible working conditions 2:1 over other age groups. 70% of Citrix survey respondents agreed that working remotely would be a welcome opportunity. Although 23% of American workers regularly work from an offsite location, using Web technology to do their jobs, 62% of those who don’t...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/?p=14053

Date: 03/02/08 (Data Management)    Keywords: software, technology, microsoft

The blogosphere is on fire with the anticipated announcement that Microsoft will be entering the Software as a Service (SaaS) market this or next week. Just how they'll enter the market is still uncertain. My guess is that they'll in part blend SaaS with desktop technology much the way we've...

Source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Greenfield/?p=207