InformationWeek Daily Archives
06/19/2013 03:20:49 Daily, October 29Red Hat Won't Cut Prices Because Of Oracle: CEO
In This Issue:
1. Editor's Note: Commonsense Systems: Not!
2. Today's Top Story
- Red Hat Won't Cut Prices Because Of Oracle: CEO
Related Stories:
- The Linux World Learns How Larry Ellison Does Business
- Red Hat Tumbles As Oracle Targets Linux Customers
3. Breaking News
- Microsoft Mandates Office Piracy Check
- Apple Posts Fix For MacBook Sudden Shutdowns
- Google Blogger Service Outages Spark User Firestorm
- Nearly 1.5 Million Back-Office U.S. Jobs Seen Moving Abroad
- Sun Micro Posts Narrower Loss As Revenue Rises
- Private Conversation Is Aim Of New Blog Software
- McAfee Reports Preliminary Q3 Results
- Online Metrics Service Predicts Pirates, Sexy Women Will Be Popular Halloween Costumes
- IBM Technology Keeps Future Chips Cool
- Brief: U.S. Supreme Court To Review Microsoft Patent Case
- Nasdaq Gives Apple De-Listing Reprieve
- Vinyl Vaults Into Digital Age With New Devices
4. Grab Bag
- Most Countries Meet E-Passport Deadline (InternetNews)
- Public Radio Seeks Recall Of FM Devices Used In Cars (Baltimore Sun)
- Sony Laptop Battery Injures User (Associated Press)
5. In Depth: Smartphones
- Smartphone Buyer's Guide
- Smartphones Fall Short In Several Areas
- Mobile Devices Are Ready To Take Their Place Alongside PCs In Businesses
- What's The Most Frustrating Thing About Smartphones? Take Our Poll
- Nokia Wants Your Cell Phone To Tell You Where You Are
- New BlackBerry 'Pearl' Comes With Expandable Memory
6. Voice Of Authority
- 5 Steps To Getting A Handle On The Smartphone Explosion
7. White Papers
- IT Governance Solutions For The Federal Government
8. Get More Out Of InformationWeek
9. Manage Your Newsletter Subscription
Quote of the day:
"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." -- Albert Einstein
So I went to renew my driver's license and was told that the Registry's computer couldn't handle my multisyllabic, hyphenated last name and that I'd have to work with the Social Security Administration to change my moniker or figure out which one the U.S. government will know and tax me by.
To be clear, this isn't a limitation on the license itself. No, there's plenty of room on the little laminated card for what I was requesting. Instead, it was the computer system that ran out of space. Apparently, if your last name is longer than, say, 17 letters, something's gotta give. And it isn't the Registry's computer.
Surely I'm not the only person to have gotten married in, let us say, advanced middle age. I still use my maiden name for business and go by my husband's name for everything else. Especially when traveling with the kids—using different surnames on airplane tickets tends to make the Homeland Security guys very unhappy. And it's been a bit unhinging to have those little intimate talks in the side room with armed, unhappy people each time we travel together. (Happy vacation, kids! Pay no attention to that large man with the pistol!)
After 10 years of marriage, I thought the time had come to add my husband's name to my driver's license. After all, it was renewal time anyway. Well, the Registry didn't think it was a swell plan the first time I tried, so off I went to the Social Security office with approximately 947 pieces of documentation, my mother, and my dog to prove my "new" identity. Then back to Registry for the second time.
The upshot: The surname on my license is now 16 letters long (my maiden and married names all smooshed into one). I'm looking forward to more of those little chats with the Homeland Security folks. I dare them to try to pronounce my name.
Have you run into inefficient or downright stupid computer-related issues lately? Share them on my blog entry.
Johanna Ambrosio
Red Hat Won't Cut Prices Because Of Oracle: CEO
Related Stories:
The Linux World Learns How Larry Ellison Does Business
Red Hat Tumbles As Oracle Targets Linux Customers
Microsoft Mandates Office Piracy Check
Apple Posts Fix For MacBook Sudden Shutdowns
Google Blogger Service Outages Spark User Firestorm
Nearly 1.5 Million Back-Office U.S. Jobs Seen Moving Abroad
Sun Micro Posts Narrower Loss As Revenue Rises
Private Conversation Is Aim Of New Blog Software
McAfee Reports Preliminary Q3 Results
Online Metrics Service Predicts Pirates, Sexy Women Will Be Popular Halloween Costumes
IBM Technology Keeps Future Chips Cool
Brief: U.S. Supreme Court To Review Microsoft Patent Case
Nasdaq Gives Apple De-Listing Reprieve
Vinyl Vaults Into Digital Age With New Devices
Keep Up With Career News
8 Fast Facts About The InformationWeek 500
Most Countries Meet E-Passport Deadline (InternetNews)
Public Radio Seeks Recall Of FM Devices Used In Cars (Baltimore Sun)
Sony Laptop Battery Injures User (Associated Press)
Smartphone Buyer's Guide
Smartphones Fall Short In Several Areas
Mobile Devices Are Ready To Take Their Place Alongside PCs In Businesses
What's The Most Frustrating Thing About Smartphones? Take Our Poll
Nokia Wants Your Cell Phone To Tell You Where You Are
New BlackBerry 'Pearl' Comes With Expandable Memory
5 Steps To Getting A Handle On The Smartphone Explosion
IT Governance Solutions For The Federal Government
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InformationWeek Daily Newsletter
1. Editor's Note: Commonsense Systems: Not!
jambrosio@cmp.com
www.informationweek.com
Matthew Szulik said he welcomed the competition and that Red Hat would continue to work with Oracle to sell products alongside Oracle databases and software designed to work on the Linux operating system.
In his bold play for Red Hat Linux customers, the Oracle CEO shows how important the operating system is to his company.
Red Hat shares plunged 24% to close at $14.83 on Nasdaq, suffering the company's biggest one-day share drop since the open source Linux software distributor went public in 1999.
Users of Office XP and 2003 must prove to Microsoft that their software is legitimate to download add-ons from the Office Web site.
Apple released a firmware update and recommends all users install it, after hundreds of users reported sudden shutdowns to their MacBooks and had to ship the computers to Apple for repair.
What happens when bloggers get angry over outages and slow response times? They blog about it, of course, and they aren't happy.
The Fortune 500 could save $58 billion annually if it shifts about half of its general and administrative workforce abroad over the next decade, a Hackett Group research study finds.
Sun's net loss was narrower than analysts expected. The company noted a 15% revenue increase at its computer systems products business, which includes servers.
Instead of requiring bloggers to write for a public stage as most current publishing tools do, the new move focuses on private conversations among friends and family.
McAfee's large-enterprise business brought in $110 million, a 16% year-over-year jump, as its SMB business generated $73 million, a 5% year-over-year drop.
Hitwise looked at the popularity of Internet search terms to predict which costumes will be big this year. Among the winners: Pirate costumes, Tinkerbell, Wonder Woman, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Playboy bunnies.
As more powerful chips turn up the heat, IBM hopes its so-called "high thermal conductivity interface technology," which is said to allow a twofold improvement in heat removal, will help systems chill out.
The company is appealing an appeals court ruling that says AT&T can seek royalties from Microsoft products found to have infringed upon an AT&T patent.
Apple wins a two-month extension to file its tardy Form 10-Q quarterly report with the SEC.
Got a huge stack of wax warping in the attic? Albums that never saw the inside of a CD? With some effort, time, and money, you can convert that vinyl into digital tunes suitable for playing on your iPod.
----- The latest research, polls, and tools -----
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Electronic efforts to verify citizenship of persons entering the United States move into high gear.
Citing widespread interference on broadcast frequencies used by its member stations, National Public Radio has asked the Federal Communications Commission to order recalls of millions of FM modulators that drivers use to play satellite radios and iPods through their car stereos.
A Sony-made battery in a Fujitsu laptop overheated and gave off sparks, injuring the user, as a Fujitsu worker was visiting to retrieve the laptop as part of the company's recall of Sony batteries.
Smartphones are building a loyal fan base and connecting to company networks. Here's our in-depth investigation into the top smartphone vendors' strategies, strengths, and weaknesses.
Small screens, subpar browsers, and short battery life are among the shortcomings of currently available smartphones.
Some 85% of companies will provide more access to applications via mobile devices next year, and three out of four will increase spending on devices such as smartphones and other handhelds.
Nokia began a major push to transform cell phones into personal navigation devices last week as the company began integrating GPS technology into its handsets.
Research In Motion says it's determined to develop one of the smallest and lightest smartphones in the world that has all the capabilities of a traditional BlackBerry.
With new models coming out so often, different form factors, and tons of new features, choosing the right smartphone can be overwhelming. If you're an IT manager looking to equip your workers with one of these, Elena Malykhina gives you some advice to make the process a little easier.
IT governance can help your agency establish rigorous controls among your people, processes, and technology, while addressing OMB and congressional compliance requirements including OMB A-123, FISMA, and OMB A-11 Exhibits 300 and 53.
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