A rush of codd to the hand

By Sean McGrath

Sometimes, typos can be useful. Earlier today I wrote "rush of codd to the hand" in an e-mail when I should have written "rush of code to the hand." The e-mail concerned a not-very-pretty system of my acquaintance (I wrote it), in which the programmer (moi) had starting coding way too early in the development cycle out of sheer youthful enthusiasm.

In my experience, a rush of code to the hand is a very common problem in software development. A problem that is only adequately tackled through the application of large amounts of experience. Looking back now on the programmer I was then (we are talking 1992-93 time frame here), I simply was not experienced enough to make the right call. You live, you make mistakes, you learn, you move on.

Read the full article here.

Bring out the tinfoil hats

By Dan Blacharski

Many schools and college campuses have been using WiFi technology to allow students to have broader and easier access to the Internet. The technology seems to be everywhere. Airports are giving travelers access, and you can even get it at coffeehouses, so you can log on and check your email while you're swilling down your morning coffee. Hospitals are taking advantage of the technology to permit caregivers to have access to computerized patient records at each bedside. I have to admit, my ancient Windows 95 laptop doesn't have WiFi, but I can see the attraction.

Read the full article here.

SAP sinks teeth into rich SME pie

After introducing products tailored to meet the needs of smaller businesses, SAP now aims to follow through on marketing and support with a new dedicated unit -- Global SME. The unit will launch in January with Hans-Peter Klaey at the helm. In this interview, Klaey talks about SAP's midmarket strategy and his role as president of Global SME.

Read the full interview here.

Linux hot, standards not with China, Taiwan

Earlier this year, members of Chinese and Taiwanese IT associations announced broad plans to work together to jointly develop and promote Linux as well as home-grown standards for certain IT components. The idea is to match Taiwan's technology prowess with China's huge number of users as a base for a global Linux putsch, and to create new standards to compete with global initiatives from Blu-ray to CDMA (Code Division Mutliple Access). In this interview, Roger Liao, deputy director of international affairs at one of Taiwan's biggest industry groups, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA), discusses progress on both fronts, in addition to other IT developments in China.

Read the full interview here.

The Chinese Internet: No happiness

By Dan Blacharski

I've lived and traveled all over Asia, and love it -- there's nothing quite like strolling by the street vendors peddling fried beetles and chicken heads. In countries like Thailand, where there is relatively more freedom than some other Asian countries, I marveled at the stark contrast of seeing a vendor in her big straw hat selling live fish right outside of a flourishing and modern Internet café.

Over the weekend, Reporters Without Borders reported that Chinese Internet users could no longer connect to the Chinese or English versions of Wikipedia. There's been some back and forth in China around Wikipedia (as well as several other online sites), with China re-opening the English Wikipedia on October 10, and the Chinese version in the middle of November. Has there been a change of heart again by the powers that be? It would seem so, and today, if a Chinese citizen wants to know about the history of American Thanksgiving, what was the longest novel in English ever published, or to read about British game show host Richard Dawson or some other such trivia, they'll have to go elsewhere.

Read the full article here.

Microsoft: Code is better, not perfect

Over the last few years, Microsoft Corp. has aggressively sought to change the image that its products have poor security. The company says that Windows Vista, which has been released to manufacturing, will be its most secure operating system to date, representing a top-down change in how its programmers develop code with security in mind. In this interview, Stephen Toulouse, senior product manager for the Security Technology Unit, talks about how Microsoft's security teams approach problems with software and the current threat landscape.

Read the full interview here.

Saving on SIM

By James Gaskin

SIM, or Security Information Management, isn't a common item in most companies, but it will be. As security gets messier, automation and better reporting will drive more companies to SIM packages.

Read the full article here

Bad things may come

By Dan Blacharski

Last week, the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, gave a BBC interview on the future of his creation, and regrettably, much of the press, including the venerable Guardian, came to their own conclusions for the sake of a good story. The headline, "Creator of web warns of fraudsters and cheats," with the subhead "Blogging one of biggest perils, says innovator," misleads one to believe that good Sir Tim may be having second thoughts about his invention. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Read the full article here.

Microsoft: Code is better, not perfect

Over the last few years, Microsoft Corp. has aggressively sought to change the image that its products have poor security. The company says that Windows Vista, which has been released to manufacturing, will be its most secure operating system to date, representing a top-down change in how its programmers develop code with security in mind. In this interview, Stephen Toulouse, senior product manager for the Security Technology Unit, talks about how Microsoft's security teams approach problems with software and the current threat landscape.

Read the full interview here.

Solution spheres and application cubes

By Sean McGrath

The relationship between the words 'solution' and 'application' is key to understanding an important question in the world of IT, namely: 'How come solutions built with off-the-shelf application X are invariably nearly, but not quite, complete solutions to the original problem as expressed by the customer?'

Read the full article here.

PS3: Sharp graphics for same games

By Martyn Williams

Over the past few days I've had the good fortune to enjoy some quality time with the console, first on demo machines in Sony's central Tokyo showroom and then with some launch titles at Sony's offices. While my total gaming time will quickly be overtaken by anyone who manages to
snap up a console on launch day, I've come away with enough of an impression to know that I want one -- but perhaps not immediately.

Read the full review here.

Astricon

By James Gaskin

The Open Source Voice over IP community was nice enough to locate their recent convention about 15 miles from me, so it was easy to go see what's cooking in the Asterisk world today. I saw more than I expected and less than I expected, making for an interesting visit.

Read the full article here.

Airline Insecurity

By Dan Blacharski

A noisy flap took place last month when Indiana University student Christopher Soghoian created and made available a computer program that allows people to print bogus airline boarding passes. Here's what bloggers are saying about the incident.

Attack of the killer digicam

By Sean McGrath

In recent times, sites publishing user-generated video content, such as YouTube have been very much in the news. Young people who, prior to video sharing sites became popular, had no particular interest in investing in a camcorder are now doing so and producing home videos that are, well ... interesting. Videos of themselves goofing around in the kitchen. Videos of a friend's opinions on pop star X. Videos of how best to care for your pet hamster. Everything imaginable. It is tempting to watch some of these and dismiss them as skateboard-like. That is, possibly a passing fad, possibly a phenomenon destined for niche status. Perhaps "professionally produced" video will always be beyond what amateurs can produce. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

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HP's Factory Express

By James Gaskin

Part of my HP Houston campus tour in early October included their Factory Express custom configuration and assembly center. If you want your HP server and storage unit order to come installed and tested in a rack, rather than in 212 boxes, you will love Factory Express.

Read the full article here

Internet voting is inevitable

By Dan Blacharski

With voting day upon us, it's time to re-visit the idea of Internet voting. It's a concept that a lot of people love to hate, but its proponents are just as enthusiastic. Are there security and equity concerns? Sure. Nonetheless, it's inevitable. The Internet has grown so rapidly, and it's infiltrated our daily lives in so many ways -- we use it to communicate, to shop, to pay bills, and even to find romance. We use it to get our daily supply of news and opinions, and we use it to create blogs and web sites whenever we have an axe to grind.

Read the full article here:
http://www.itworld.com/Man/3827/nlsblogvote061031/index.html

What's in your pack? Security tools for road warriors

By Brent Huston, MicroSolved, Inc.

I am often asked about the security tools that I regularly use, so here's a look at what I carry every day -- whether I'm on the road meeting with clients or at the office. You never know ... you might find a tool or two here worthy of a spot in your own security backpack.