Archives


DoD improves logistics through RFID

The DoD plans to use active RFID on freight containers and consolidated air pallets and will use passive RFID on cases, pallets and packaging on unique identification (UID) items -- items inside the freight containers and air pallets.

IT slow to embrace enterprise Linux

There is a lot of Linux talk, but can the OS walk the walk? Tools and utilities are still needed, say experts.

Who goes there?

Before Linux was accepted by the IBMs and Oracles of the world, most Linux installations tended to follow the open-source, do-it-yourself model. There, distributions were downloaded, tweaked and then shared with the rest of the open-source community in compliance with the General Public License (GPL) model that regulated its use.

Perspective on XML: Steady steps spell success with Google

Developer lessons from Googlemania: Keep interfaces simple, don’t write off legacy and make the technology transparent.Google is a technology even our grandmothers can use. Like an oracle, you express what you seek in simple terms, never minding the underlying magic; unlike an oracle, however, you don’t have to bring an offering before you’re seen, and the answers are generally informative and not couched in puzzles.

Reporter’s Notebook: Failed project talking or Tales of the FBI

A phone conversation with industry luminary Ken Orr helps to highlight some findings on Trilogy, an important FBI software project that is too long in coming.

Books in Brief: Lessons learned from experience

New Mochal book does not set out to teach you about some complicated project management scheme. It simply tries to teach basic concepts that apply no matter what complicated project management scheme you’re trying to use.

A sampling of wireless development tools

A sampling of wireless development tools.

Tracking today’s wireless tools

Pervasive? Maybe not yet. But wireless applications are here. Now development teams must sort through a variety of tools and languages to meet the corporation’s need to be mobile.

Wireless is everywhere

Is the global wireless network the computer of the future? The wireless world appears to be expanding at a rate that surprises even top executives at Sun and other leaders in business computing. What does it mean to application development?

Eating your own dog food

IT is being asked to streamline corporate governance, but the IT house itself is not necessarily in good order. Ironically, while most companies rely on IT to implement technology solutions for running the enterprise, IT is typically the last group to adopt technology to manage its own domain.

The 10 ways of KPI

There’s a lot of talk these days about Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). They are the backbone of scorecards and dashboards, which organizations use to present performance information to executives and staff. Unfortunately, BI developers seem to focus more on creating visual metaphors than on understanding what constitutes a good KPI that delivers long-term value to the firm.

A review of XWall 3.1 and Mapforce 2004

Mike Gunderloy reviews XWall 3.1 and Mapforce 2004.

Is now the time to manage Web services?

The action is heating up, but it will take a couple of years for security and other management-related standards to gel and make their way into products.

The paradox of open source

According to open-source advocates, the model is more responsive because you do not have to wait for vendors to solve bugs. However, for corporate customers, who tend to prefer the assurance of having someone to call at 3 a.m. to fix a problem, the open-source model has little appeal.

Product Review: Flex your UI

Flex delivers a very rich client dev tool on the first try. This tool and cross-platform RIA will only get better.

A tale of two surveys

Gartner and Cutter Consortium survey users about their plans to implement Web services.

Product Briefs

A look at software tools and technologies on the market.

Review: X1

A lightning-fast search engine for Outlook that can handle the largest message stores, X1 is worth the slightly premium price

Editor’s letter: What’s next?

In the July issue, we take a look at some technologies that are grabbing the interest of IT executives worldwide -- wireless, Web services management tools and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology -- and have the potential to provide a significant boost to the technology sector.