Opinion

Why FOSS is still so unusable

A community insider laments the poor state of FOSS usability while ignoring the real culprit behind all those ugly Linux apps

By Randall Kennedy

Aug 12, 2008 3 mins

How to avoid wrestling over SLAs

Strike service-level deals wisely, lest getting the better of the other guy come back to bite your company

By Ephraim Schwartz

Aug 12, 2008 4 mins

The importance of regular project reviews

Break big projects into collections of small ones, and correct course after each project finishes.

By Bob Lewis

Aug 12, 2008 2 mins

Sun xVM Server starting early access

Sun Microsystems is close to releasing its latest virtualization product to market: the company's first and anticipated server virtualization hypervisor technology, xVM Server.

Aug 12, 2008 2 mins

Virtual Iron’s latest release optimizes power usage

Virtual Iron is taking on additional power management in the virtual infrastructure with the release of version 4.4 that includes a new feature called LivePower.

Aug 12, 2008 3 mins

I hate that I like Apple products

Why do we continue to lust after Apple products when Apple treats us like two-year olds?

By Savio Rodrigues

Aug 11, 2008 2 mins

FUD tarnishes the telecommuting experience

Despite research pointing to productivity and cost advantages for telecommuting, skepticism on both side remains that it's a good idea

Aug 11, 2008 5 mins

Pimp my datacenter wrap-up: Photos and words

Can't get enough information about pimping-out a datacenter? We have a slide show (with narration from Brian Chee) of highlights from the air-conditioning installation.

By Curt Franklin

Aug 11, 2008 1 min

The return of the Geek IQ Quiz

I first met Oliver Rist four years ago in New York, where he introduced me to the Brazilian rum cocktail known as the Caipirinha. Things get fuzzy after that, but I do remember that Oliver was every bit as droll…

By Eric Knorr

Aug 11, 2008 2 mins

The straight con and Defcon

Are Defcon hacks bad for your city's transit system? Boston seems to think so — and they convinced a judge to prevent three MIT students from revealing vulnerabilities in the city's subway system. Cringely thinks the city and the judge are

By Robert Cringely

Aug 11, 2008 3 mins

SQL Server 2008 install notes

More notes from the field on installing the new version of SQL Sever.

Aug 11, 2008 5 mins

Kindle 2.0 in October?

Will Amazon make the Kindle more open?

By Zack Urlocker

Aug 11, 2008 2 mins

App Testing Build Automation Java

Is unit testing doomed?

Why unit testing is on the decline, especially among Java developers

By Andrew Binstock

Aug 11, 2008 8 mins

Ways to detect lies, distortions and other attempts to mislead

The ability to read character and detect false statements has been scientifically disproved. Here are some alternatives.

By Bob Lewis

Aug 10, 2008 3 mins

How can having the Olympics online be bad?

In the US, the Olympics are broadcast online using Microsoft Silverlight.

By Martin Heller

Aug 10, 2008 2 mins

NBC doesn’t own the Olympics, we do

To NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and other commercial broadcasters around the world I say, figure out another way to make money. The airwaves, the Internet airwaves at least, belong to us. It wasn't the opening ceremonies at the Olympics that was thrilling b

By Ephraim Schwartz

Aug 9, 2008 2 mins

More bad press for CIOs and SOA

Many CIOs are really hindering SOA progress, and a new CIO with a more progressive agenda can make all of the difference.

Aug 9, 2008 2 mins

Can you go from EAI to SOA?

Why EAI and SOA are not the same.

Aug 9, 2008 2 mins

Ajax Security

Black Hat and Defcon had a lot of coverage of Web 2.0 vulnerabilities. The book *Ajax Security* has been available since December 2007. Isn't anyone paying attention? And what about those 41 million credit card numbers?

By Martin Heller

Aug 8, 2008 1 min

Are vendors afraid of open source?

Find out whether management at Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and IBM think that open source is a threat or an opportunity.

By Savio Rodrigues

Aug 8, 2008 3 mins

Baby you’re a rich nerd

The App Store scams have started. Now that eight beknighted souls have dropped $1K apiece for a useless iPhone screensaver, what will the next flim flam be? Cringely has some ideas.

By Robert Cringely

Aug 8, 2008 1 min

Some advice for Microsoft: Dump Windows

If Microsoft really wants to get a firm handle on security and shore up their OS offerings, they need to jettison nearly everything under the covers in Windows, and basically write a windowing shell on top of a UNIX-based core, much like Mac OS X. Ma

By Paul Venezia

Aug 8, 2008 3 mins

LinuxWorld: Tux redux?

Me, Larry Augustin and a penguin. Film at 11:00.

By Zack Urlocker

Aug 8, 2008 2 mins

VMware DRS Performance and Best Practices whitepaper

Familiar with VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler but want a little more help with its proper setup and configuration to get the most efficient benefit from it? Read this whitepaper from VMware if you use DRS in your virtual infrastructure environ

Aug 8, 2008 1 min

Notes from the Small Business Road

Small business computing from the road is still a challenge, but the tools keep getting better. Now, if AC availability would catch up, things could get truly good for the small business traveler. If travel weren't enough of a challenge, throw i

By Curt Franklin

Aug 8, 2008 3 mins

Symantec expands its endpoint virtualization vision with nSuite

Symantec is expanding its endpoint virtualization solution with the acquisition of nSuite, which helps give Symantec's virtual workspace offering the ability to allow end-users to take their business desktops with them on the go.

Aug 7, 2008 3 mins

Can’t upgrade to Katmai

OK, I know I just blogged, but I wanted to give you the results of my first official upgrade experience to Katmai

Aug 7, 2008 1 min

What will the “cool” Web services look like?

Web services should not only provide critical business functionality but support complete heterogeneity. But will the new ones do that?

Aug 7, 2008 3 mins

The feeding frenzy

SQL Server 2008 setup notes and technical resources

Aug 7, 2008 3 mins

California’s Cobol conundrum

Maintenance fix or complete overhaul? A state's budget hangs in the balance.

By Neil McAllister

Aug 7, 2008 4 mins

Calling all COBOLers

It's easy to joke about California's being held captive to a lack of Cobol programmers. But those Cobol programmers do exist, and we'll need them for a long time.

By Bill Snyder

Aug 7, 2008 4 mins

Greening by industry

Do you know what technology your industry needs to move toward sustainability?

Aug 7, 2008 5 mins

The iPhone, Exchange, ActiveSync, security, and some serious annoyances

If you want ActiveSync and a secure OWA implementation, you'll be putting up another Exchange front-end server just for that, or living with the fact that you can't require SSL connections or use forms-based auth with OWA, opening up some h

By Paul Venezia

InfoWorld open source awards

What do Alfresco, SugarCRM, FireFox, Hyperic, VirtualBox, Pentaho, MySQL and SNORT have in common?

By Zack Urlocker

Aug 6, 2008 2 mins

Don’t tell Mozilla Labs that open source doesn’t innovate

Mozilla Labs is looking for your input and help in designing your next generation browser. Check out the innovative features and capabilities that they're looking at already.

By Savio Rodrigues

Aug 6, 2008 2 mins

No more Katmai.

Microsoft goes RTM with SQL Server 2008.

As some of you may know, I send out a free Green Tech newsletter every Thursday. In it, I recap some of the top green-tech news of the week that you may have missed, plus inject some of my own thoughts on what's going on. To subscribe, head on o

VMware scripting is getting easier with VI Toolkit

Scripting and developing with VMware is getting so much easier with the addition of PowerShell, the VI Toolkit, new documentation, and all of the community help and support

Aug 6, 2008 3 mins

Do you need a VP of ‘Enterprise Architecture Revolution?’

Wanted: A visionary, aggressive, and hardworking executive who is willing to drive change for the better around our dysfunctional and complex enterprise architecture that’s costing the business and the investors millions of dollars a month.

Aug 6, 2008 2 mins

Application virtualization: Endeavors and Symantec

Application virtualization and streaming startup, Endeavors Technologies, has again run into a few problems, but this time, they could be suspending their shares. Intel and Symantec on the other hand are out there in the marketplace touting the benef

Mojave just part of Microsoft’s much-needed makeover marketing campaign

The Mojave Experiment's success is debatable, but Microsoft must roll up its sleeves to battle false rumors, bad press — and Apple

By J. Peter Bruzzese

Aug 6, 2008 6 mins

Anonymous returns, Scientology responds

Anti-Scientology crusaders Anonymous have returned, though what they have to say isn't exactly clear. Meanwhile, the Church has a bone to pick with Cringely — and he's not giving any quarter.

By Robert Cringely

Aug 6, 2008 5 mins

iPhone hackers go too far, get shut down by Apple

Apple's 2.0.1 firmware update for iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch disable a valuable open source alternative to Apple's App Store, all because hackers won't make contract-busting carrier unlock distinct from worthwhile efforts to mak

By Tom Yager

Aug 6, 2008 5 mins

A disruptive manager inside IT and how to deal with him

Bad planning or effective backstabbing?

By Bob Lewis

Aug 6, 2008 6 mins

Bad JavaScript needs to be stamped out

The recent SiteMeter bug reminds Martin that bad JavaScript code is ruining his Web experience on many sites

By Martin Heller

Aug 5, 2008 3 mins

ADC lands Platinum LEED pre-certification for new Sacramento facility

Sustainable techniques and technologies such as "free cooling" bring the facility's PUE down to just 1.1

Aug 5, 2008 3 mins

Best of open source software awards: Storage

Bossie winners for network and online backup, NAS server, file and directory comparison, disk monitoring, and storage administration

Aug 5, 2008 4 mins

Best of open source software awards: Security

Bossie winners for application security, penetration testing, password cracking, network firewall, IDS, security log analysis, disk encryption, and gateway security

Aug 5, 2008 5 mins

Best of open source software awards: Productivity applications

Bossie winners for sound editing, 3D modeling, Web browser, image editing, PDF creation, and office productivity suite

Aug 5, 2008 3 mins

Best of open source software awards: Platforms and middleware

Bossie winners for server and desktop operating system, enterprise service bus, database, database admin tool, data migration, and desktop and server virtualization

Aug 5, 2008 5 mins