InformationWeek Daily - Monday, March 23, 2009

Google's Summer Of Code '09: FOSS, The Next Generation Despite the negative press Google gets from time to time, they do more things right than wrong. One of the things they do right every year is their Summer of Code initiative, where they offer stipends to students who want to contribute code to some of the best and brightest open source projects out there. It's a happy collaboration, and one worth doing outside of Google's aegis. This year's list of projects accepted into GSOC '09 is up, and a great many of the names there should be household-familiar: Apache, Asterisk, Debian, Eclipse, MySQL, and Google itself. The quality of the mentoring can vary from project to project, but the basic idea -- get people exposed to writing code for open source projects in a managed way -- is terrific. I see mentoring programs like GSOC becoming more important as time goes on -- not just to encourage participation in a given project, but to provide young programmers with a sense of what it's like to work with an open source project in the first place. It's a markedly different environment (and process) than working for a proprietary software outfit, and the more opportunities there are to get exposed to that feeling, the better. That way the whole OSS development cycle doesn't seem as peculiar -- in much the same way any cultural exchange program is meant to give people on-the-ground exposure to things that would otherwise look forbidding. The idea of "code mentoring" in general could use some broader adoption. It's great that Google does it, but why wait for them to say yes to you when you could do something of the same thing independently? It's almost enough to make me wish I was a student again. Almost. That horrible excuse for cafeteria pizza nearly killed me. But it was cheap! Click here to leave me a comment about Google's Summer Of Code, or mentoring programs in general. Serdar Yegulalp syegulalp@techweb.com www.informationweek.com
New Resources from the "Business Process Management for SOA" Site: -Applying a Role-Based Approach to Business Process Management -IBM rolls out 'Event Processing' Roadmap: Goes after Business Agility -A Retailer's Transformation using SOA -How to Justify Investing in BPM for your Enterprise http://tinyurl.com/asrw2v "You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you." -- Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Wooden
How iPhone 3.0 May Revolutionize The Smartphone Industry With a new business model for third-party software, peer-to-peer networking, and richer interfaces for third-party hardware, Apple's got a potential game-changer in iPhone 3.0. Related Stories: Apple's iPhone 3.0 SDK Renews Developer Gold Rush iPhone 3.0 Gets Rush Of Business Software Support Reader Survey Are new data loss prevention (DLP) systems the best way to protect sensitive information? Vendors would like us to think so, but is it possible that policies and education, combined with the security technologies we already own, will do the job just as well? Please help InformationWeek Analytics discover whether DLP is the next must-have infosec tool, or a useful yet pricey tech required by only a subset of organizations. To learn more iPod Repairman Charged With Defrauding Apple Apple's warranty repair program for iPods allows customers to receive replacement units before the original nonfunctional music players are returned. Verizon Wireless Tops Call Quality Study Verizon had fewer complaints from its subscribers, but the difference in network quality is shrinking, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Sony Ericsson Expects Drop In Shipments Vigorous competition from Apple's iPhone and various BlackBerry models has stolen much of Sony Ericsson's thunder in recent months. U.S. Video-Game Sales Growth Slows In February The Nintendo Wii and the company's portable console, the DS, continued buck the trend in terms of unit sales. Sun Micro Seen As First Salvo In Tech Battle Quite a few technology companies could lose their independence in the next year or so as the battle among industry giants heats up. YouTube App Comes To Symbian, Windows Mobile The app will automatically choose the highest-quality video for the user depending on the device and network connectivity, Google says. 3 In 4 Drivers Favor Voice Recognition Systems Young drivers, and drivers in stressful situations are the most likely to turn to voice-recognition systems, a new study finds. Explorer 8: Bugs, Crashes, Glitches, Oh My! Microsoft's new browser is causing big problems for some computer users. Telecoms: Don't Tie Stimulus Funds To Internet Speeds Internet speeds should be set by the market, say telecom firms. Public interest groups say this is one reason why the U.S. is behind many other countries in broadband speeds. Acer Gaming PCs Overheat, Recall Issued The problem stems from insulation on the computers' internal wiring, which can become bent and stripped, safety officials said. IBM-Sun Rivalry May Finally Reach An Accord One of the main reasons IBM is willing to pay a premium for Sun is that Sun owns Java, and Java IP is worth billions in future revenue to IBM. Sony Ericsson Pushing Camera Phones In U.S. The company says consumers increasingly want a high-quality camera on their phones to share photos on sites like Facebook. All Our Latest News Innovations in Storage Virtual Event This virtual event will not only discuss storage technologies on the vanguard of innovation, but also the business issues that companies face in optimally storing, protecting, retrieving, and using corporate data. Hosted by InformationWeek and Byte and Switch. It happens March 25. To learn more and to register See InformationWeek's daily breaking news on your mobile device, visit mobile.informationweek.com and sign up for daily SMS notifications. ---------- It's Crunch Time, You Need InformationWeek Analytics InformationWeek Analytics is dedicated to providing you with comprehensive, real-world assessments of technology solutions. These in-depth research reports are written by IT professionals with real world experience, so you can make sound decisions. informationweekanalytics.com/ ---------- Evaluating a New technology? Need Real World Answers? Get them directly from your peers and industry leaders at InformationWeek Forums. These technology specific events will immerse you in real life issues and solutions and provide peer to peer networking to answer your specific questions. informationweekevents.com ---------- Want it all - in one place? Get it at InformationWeek Reports Technology reports - for IT Professionals by IT Professionals. With hundreds of reports in 15 plus technology areas, you will find the research you need, when you need it. Easy to search and download - bookmark it today! informationweekreports.com ---------- 2008 InformationWeek Strategic Security Survey This year, it's all about managing risk. That's the overall finding of our 2008 InformationWeek Strategic Security Study, which quizzed nearly 2,000 IT professionals about their plans and priorities for securing their companies' assets. strategicsecurity.techweb.com/ ----------	iPod Repairman Charged With Defrauding Apple Verizon Wireless Tops Call Quality Study Sony Ericsson Expects Drop In Shipments U.S. Video-Game Sales Growth Slows In February Sun Micro Seen As First Salvo In Tech Battle Virtualization At The Desktop? Examine how more than 250 companies plan to adopt server virtualization technology in this recent InformationWeek Research report, Server Virtualization. The BI Explosion Examine the business intelligence strategies of 500 companies, including deployment drivers and challenges, spending plans, and vendor selection, in this recent InformationWeek Research report. Listen To A Conversation About Battlefield Robots With:"Wired For War" Author P.W. Singer P.W. Singer, author of the book Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century, inspires wonder and fear about real-life advances in robotic technology. Thousands of unmanned drones and ground-based robots have become an essential part of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, changing the nature of war and what combat means to our soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women. Google's Mobile YouTube App Doesn't Go Far Enough Today Google made a new mobile YouTube application available to the Windows Mobile and S60 3rd Edition smartphone platforms. While it's great for consuming video on the go, it would be far better if it gave users the power to upload directly to YouTube. Sun As An Independent Business Unit Of IBM If IBM acquires Sun, and that prospect becomes increasingly likely with each day that passes without a denial, here's one thing it should consider doing : it should keep Sun intact and operate it as an independent business unit, much like EMC did with VMware. TomTom Needs To Answer Microsoft's Linux Charges TomTom, a Dutch manufacturer of in-car navigation systems, has countersued Microsoft in a legal spat that could ultimately have implications for tech vendors' ability to freely use the open source Linux OS, or parts of it, without first paying a toll to Redmond. OMG! Facebook Is Too Dangerous My 13-year old daughter and I attended an information session on the dangers of social networking presented by Children Online at my daughter's public school in New York City last night. AT&T To Offer Nokia's E71 Six Months Too Late Reports suggest that AT&T is nearly ready to begin offering the Nokia E71 smartphone. The E71 has been on sale since last summer in other markets. With the E55 and E75 on deck, why bother with the E71 at all? In Consolidating IT Industry, All Bets Are Off Polite vendor execs used to call it "coopetition"--the state of tech industry affairs whereby the fiercest of rivals could be the chummiest of partners depending on the circumstances and the market they're chasing. A more up-to-date and colloquial description of this industry dynamic might be: All bets are off. Some recent evidence: Plug Those Leaks There's a spirited discussion going on among our technology editors over data loss prevention (DLP) technologies. Is DLP the new NAC? Sure, it's expensive, but could this keep data from walking out on thumb drives? Could we finally put a lid on the insider threat? No Wonder Ericsson Wants Out: Sony Ericsson Issues Major Profit Warning Sony Ericsson may have some exciting phones in its roster of devices, but that's apparently not enough to convince consumers to buy. Today, Sony Ericsson warned that it might, might, sell half as many phones this quarter as it did last quarter. With sales that bad, who can blame Ericsson for wanting to erase its name from Sony Ericsson. Amazon Working On Software For Mobile Devices Earlier this month Amazon released Kindle software for the iPhone and now it is talking about future mobile device plans. Should Facebook Be Your Company's Intranet? On the face of it, that question may seem ridiculous. But for at least one midsize company, the answer already is "Yes!" Take a peek at the benefits -- and the risks -- raised by Serena Software's bold social-networking experiment. Real-World SOA: Definition, Implementation and Use of SOA with CentraSite Web services are having a dramatic impact on improving enterprise architecture and application development practices. This paper highlights three sample case studies illustrating how Fujitsu's CentraSite delivers SOA solutions. Forrester Consulting: Unified Communications Delivers Global Benefits This Forrester Consulting study shows how Unified Communications (UC) makes it simpler to contact others over any device in any location, enhancing business agility, cutting costs, and boosting employee productivity. Forrester finds that UC is already delivering major savings for organizations around the world in retail banking, manufacturing and education. Download the full report for free. Software as a Service Research Report No longer a niche software delivery model, software as a service (SaaS) can help small and midsize companies get access to enteprise-class software functionality without having to commit enterprise-level capital resources. Download the full report for free. The Internet & The Developing World The evolution of the Internet has been full of surprises - surprises that have sometimes resulted in radical changes in the commercial landscape, such as the arrival of Amazon, eBay, Google, YouTube, and Skype. Could one of the next big surprises turn out to be linked to developing countries? Read the full report for free from InternetEvolution.com Featured Jobs: D. E. Shaw Research seeking Chief of Staff in New York, NY University of Maryland seeking Software Systems Analyst in College Park, MD Booz Allen Hamilton seeking Process Modeling Analyst in Colorado Springs, CO Booz Allen Hamilton seeking SharePoint Architect in Colorado Springs, CO Associated Electric Cooperative seeking System Administrator in Springfield, MO For more great jobs, career-related news, features and services, please visit our Career Center. 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Sponsored bSponsored by: SL Corporation The Rise of Centralized Application Performance Management: Four Case Studies As application infrastructures become more complex, the variety of challenges in managing application performance has increased exponentially. Join us for a detailed discussion on how leading companies have successfully implemented a 360 degree APM solution to address very different APM challenges. Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Time: 11:00 AM PT / 2:00 PM http://www.techweb.com/webcasts/slcorp032409
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