Pie Fight At The Open-Source Corral
We love it when tech moguls talk dirty to each other. Back in the good old days, Scot McNealy and Steve Ballmer would spare no effort to insult one another, and Larry Ellison rarely has a good word for anyone, including his own underlings. Windows will give you bad breath, and Linux causes lung cancer, if you believe the big guys' propaganda mills.
Clock Stoppers
Some market watchers think EU approval of Oracle's proposed takeover of PeopleSoft is inevitable. It isn't.
Business Technology: Our Nation's Health Depends On IT
If the U.S. health-care community could create a secure network that would make health records and prescription orders available online nationwide, it could save billions of dollars--and thousands of lives--every year.
You Sat in Seat 7F AND You Ordered the Chicken ...
In the three years since 9/11, the term "data mining" has become a dirty word among privacy advocates. While much evidence points to digital invasion of privacy as a legitimate concern, I didn't think much about it until I wrote a story this week about the Transportation Security Administration's plans to test its new Secure Flight program. TSA has ordered all 77 domestic air carriers to provide passenger name reco
SmartAdvice: Consider Long-Range Vision For IT When Upgrading ERP Systems
Get users on board early and incorporate company strategy when planning an ERP upgrade, The Advisory Council says. Also, adopt cybersecurity policies to head off cyberthreats and consider getting a technology-risk insurance policy; plus, measure a project's business value before it gets started.
Seeing Past The 'Shared Source' Peep Show
For those of you who prefer a hands-off approach to software development, Microsoft has just the deal for you: This week, the company announced it would expand its Shared Source program for government clients to include its Office suite. But if the OpenOffice team thinks that's the worst Redmond has in store, they may want to curb their optimism.
Keeping EA Demons at Bay
When describing the principles behind a successful state enterprise architecture, Patricia Carlson earlier this week said it should be as practical and flexible as possible and include input from not just state IT professionals but those on the federal and local level as well. Speaking on a panel at the National Association of State CIO's annual conference in New Orleans Monday, Carlson, the Wisconsin Department of Administration's c
Analytics Unbound
RFID will do a lot more than streamline supply chains. It will stretch BI to entirely new dimensions.
Open Source Hardware
Can the open-source model be extended beyond software? It already has. In speaking today with Indian scholar Deepak Phatak, I learned about the "Simputer," introduced in 1998 and licensed under the Simputer General Public License, an open-source license developed for hardware.
SmartAdvice: Web-Based Collaboration Helps Bridge Travel, Time Gap
The next generation of Web-based collaboration tools are appearing as more companies use near-real-time sharing of documents to speed workflow, The Advisory Council says. Also, Microsoft's delay in releasing Longhorn won't affect the desktop-software strategy of most companies.
The Calm Before The Storm?
Few things are more dangerous than a wild animal that gets cornered and can't find a way to escape. Does the same truism apply to the world's largest software company?
RFID Needs Insight, Not Scare Tactics
Is RFID a powerful new technology that can help spark business innovation, or is it an intrusive high-tech vermin that should be obliterated, Bob Evans asks.
Patent Revolution
Not since the dawn of the previous century has technology, and the need to protect inventors' ideas and techniques, had such a profound impact on business and society. Today, as it was 100 years ago, new inventions that change the way people work and live emerge at a furious pace. Likewise, today, as it was a century ago, inventors (we're more likely to call them developers now) seek to capitalize on innovative ideas and build upon other's innovative ideas.
The Privacy Lawyer: RFID May Be Risky Business
As we move closer to the day when individual items by and large will be tagged, companies had better be prepared to have clear policies for how they'll handle data they may collect from consumers.
SmartAdvice: Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Is Ongoing, So Prepare For Now And In Future
Getting ready for Sarbanes-Oxley will test whether your company can meet the act's compliance guidelines for financial and IT controls, The Advisory Council says. Also, look for a general collaboration app when you decide to implement supply-chain forecasts; and use dashboard tools to manage outsourcing contracts for more control and greater ROI.
Even The Button-Down Crowd Loves Linux
A recent study of Linux usage found overwhelming support and user satisfaction. The study of computer-using organizations looked at 281 sites and found that
90 percent were using Linux, with a high degree of customer
satisfaction.
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