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Microsoft Describes How Virtual Earth Was Built
You want to know what the definition of "cool" is? It's sitting in the front row of a hotel meeting hall, watching a demo of Microsoft Virtual Earth on the 12-foot display in the front of the room, as the camera plunges from the sky to swoop and soar around detailed digital models of the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the streets of Philadelphia. Even cooler: Listening to John Curlander, general manager of Microsoft Virtual Earth, explain how it was built.
Yahoo And Microsoft Fight For Mobile Search While Google Pushes For The Entire Third Screen
I have finally settled back into New York after a jam-packed visit to this year's CTIA Wireless in Orlando, Fla. One of the big stories in the wider media that, surprisingly, didn't generate much insider buzz at CTIA was the on-going war to capture the emerging mobile search market.
What Makes a BPM Suite a Winner?
I'm updating my BPMS Report series on BPMInstitute.org to the new-and-improved 2007 version. A major change from last year is a beefed-up evaluation scoring. I've discovered that many users go straight to the scorecard at the end of the 25-page report to find out which product "won?" It's probably asking for trouble, but I'm posting my new methodology right here so readers can comment.
Microsoft Research Provides Sneak Preview Of 'Boku' Programming Environment For Kids
A Microsoft researcher on Wednesday demonstrated Boku, an educational game designed to help children as young as five years old exercise their brains by doing programming. Boku is a cute little cartoon robot head with big, soulful eyes who hovers over a cartoon grassy field.
LG Shows Off Phones With Google At CTIA, But No Google Phone
The world's fifth largest handset maker, LG, today at CTIA announced their plan to pre-install Google applications on future LG handsets released in North America and other markets.
Gartner Sees Strong Growth, Vendor Consolidation In BPM Market
The market shift toward business process management suites is expected to leave many pure-play BPM vendors behind, particularly as major infrastructure vendors start flexing their muscles in the market
How Do You Tell If A Flash Drive Is ReadyBoost-Ready?
Although my article on ReadyBoost doesn't dwell on it, the Windows Vista feature that creates a code-page cache on a flash drive or flash memory card does put potential users of the feature in a bind, and reader Rich Farkas called me on it almost as soon as the article appeared. How, he wants to know, are potential Vista users supposed to know whether their PC will benefit from ReadyBoost? And
Google's Arms-Length Embrace Of Windows Vista
So much is said about the rivalry between Microsoft and Google that it's easy to forget they share a common interest. Windows Vista and Google's Web-based applications will coexist on millions of computers as more people make the move to Microsoft's new operating system. That software combo had incendiary potential, but so far no alarms are sounding.
Q&A: SAP on Rich Apps, Architecture and Ajax-Based Portal Enhancements
Rich Internet applications promise interfaces that are more responsive, productive and adaptable to various deployment environments. SAP executives Dennis Moore, General Manager of Emerging Solutions, and Andrew Cabanski-Dunning, marketing director for NetWeaver User Productivity Solutions, discuss the required back-end infrastructure, and they reveal plans for Ajax-powered portal functionality to be introduced at next month's Sapphire event.
The Daily Show Looks At The Viacom Lawsuit Against Google's YouTube
"The Google guys will be like, yo, check it out, we just put another gold-plated rock-climbing wall in our office. We're CRAZY rich!" Watch the video below the fold.
The Real Issues With XPDL, BPEL and BPMN
Keith Swenson is one of the true superheroes of BPM, and a pioneer in the development of interoperability standards. He periodically feels called upon to insist that XPDL does not compete with BPEL… then usually adding that XPDL is actually better... The latest fracas started when Keith claimed victory from the fact that eight of the 12 vendors in the top-three Gartner Magic Quadrants support XPDL.
How To Dress For Success At Google
Google employee Jason Warner offers some fashion advice on how to dress for success in Google's offices. Apparently, it starts out with the right shoes.
Google Denies Google Phone And Stresses Mobile Software
So is Google actually building a mobile phone or not? This burning question is keeping mobile bloggers everywhere busy. And just when it looked like Google had confirmed the long-awaited Google Phone, another company executive thi
GPL Redraws The Rules Of Software Competition
Work on GPL Version 3 continues, but the debate between Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds over new features is less important than the rewriting of the rules that GPL has imposed on the landscape.
Put to the Test: Xythos Enterprise Document Manager 6.0
Xythos offers a low-cost-yet-scalable approach to document and records management that is refreshing, but it lacks the breadth and depth of the leading enterprise content management suites.
Field Report: Appliance-based Integration Offers a Shortcut to Salesforce.com
Northeastern University deploys Cast Iron's integration appliance to link PeopleSoft, DB2 and an on-demand sales force automation application.
Et Tu, Scoble?
On the heels of further bad news about Vista--the latest being that Adobe now says it has no plans to issue updates to the current versions of its products to ensure Windows Vista compatibility--comes a backstabbing by Microsoft's former pet poodle, Robert Scoble.
A Fix For Microsoft's Patent FUD?
My rant on Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's latest FUD attack on Google is only a sideshow to the main event, which is Ballmer's unremitting logorrhea about Linux. The Linux community is fighting back with efforts like Bryan Peters' Show Us the Code Web site, but it's going to take more than that to get Microsoft to put its intellect
Which Google Phone Did Google Confirm This Week?
Google's chief executive in Spain and Portugal, Isabel Aguilera, this week confirmed that the Google Phone is for real. But she downplayed the much-anticipated device, saying it was just one of 18 R&D initiatives Google is currently funding. But which device is it?
Windows Vista Diary: Free Sidebar Gadgets From Google
Want to beef up Vista's relatively thin complement of Sidebar Gadgets, those little applets that reside on your desktop and let you do things like track the temperature or play video poker? Now there's a free way to do so, thanks to Google.
Ballmer On Google: Same FUD, Different Day
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer yesterday bad-mouthed Google for being successful at only one business (even though it's a business Microsoft has been trying unsuccessfully to break into). But the target doesn't matter. It could have been Linux. Or Apple. I'm just worn out by the repetition. Ballmer's trash-talking is a tired routine. He needs to get a new act.
If Viacom Wins Its Case Against Google
Viacom's lawsuit against Google for copyright infringement probably will be withdrawn when Google blinks and offers Viacom a major portion of the ad dollars it brings in hosting Viacom content.
But on the off chance that the case makes it to trial and Viacom wins, Google should argue that any damages get reduced by the value of the traffic Google has sent Viacom's way, not to mention the brand awareness Google ha
Views on BPEL (Re: Oracle, IBM, SAP and Microsoft)
Sandy Kemsley calls attention to an excellent review of BPEL from Oracle's Dave Shaffer and Manoj Das in (ironically) WebSphere Journal. Probably the best summary of the differences between the new BPEL 2.0 and the little-lamented BPEL 1.1 standard that I've seen yet in print. She also notes the seeming fakeness of BPEL4People, a joint SAP-IBM white paper that has achieved the highest buzz-to-bang ratio in the history of BPM.
Viacom Vs. Google... Smells Like Shawn Fanning
Here we go again. The content kings beating up on the messenger. This time, however, I blame the lawyers.
Is Social Networking Destined To Go Bust?
Michael Hirschorn takes an in-depth look at online social networking and predicts that sites like MySpace will soon go bust.
Bloggers Worry Google Might Reverse Its Position On Net Neutrality
Drew Clark over at GigaOM asks a great question: Does Google plan to change its position on net neutrality? It seems that while Google has been the foremost business booster for net neutrality in public, the online company has been cutting deals with the carriers to be their preferred provider.
Rumors Grow That Google Is Building A Mobile Phone
Last week my colleague Eric Zeman blogged about growing rumors that Google is building a mobile phone. I blogged about the potential for a Google Phone twice in January and
Aargh! Microsoft to Pirates: Bring 'Em On
"If they're going to pirate somebody, we want it to be us." Who would have thought that would have come out of a Microsoft exec's mouth last week? No, Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft Business Division, hasn't suddenly sided with free software activist Richard Stallman. He's just a shrewd businessman who tellingly finished t
Xactly Upgrades On-Demand Sales Compensation Management Tools
Xactly unveils an upgrade of its online sales compensation management service, and launched a set of application programming interfaces for connecting to other business systems.
Summit Preview: Graduate to Strategy- and Process-Driven BI
Analyst-driven BI silos are no longer enough. That's the key message at this week's Gartner Business Intelligence Summit in Chicago. Analyst Bill Hostmann details trends and best practices that are putting information and insight to work.
Nokia To Challenge Google and Yahoo With Mobile Ad Services
Nokia plans to launch two new mobile advertising services. What? Nokia is going to offer advertising? Does that mean Nokia is now a rival to Google? Yes, Virginia, it seems everybody is now in competition with Google.
Is Simulation Fake?
At the recent Gartner BPM Summit, I was shocked to see how high a pedestal the Gartner analysts now place simulation analysis. The BPMS and modeling tool vendors now universally throw it into the box. How else to get into that Magic Quadrant? I haven't looked at all of them myself, but my sampling to date tells me this is a fake feature if ever there was one.
Windows Diary: Spring Ahead, Fall Back, System Crash?
Like a Nostradamus prophecy, my 1999 prediction about Y2K proved correct after that nonevent came to pass (I predicted it was going to be much ado about nothing.) This Sunday, March 11, though, I'm concerned about glitches surrounding this year's early arrival of daylight-saving time, resulting from admins who haven't been proactive enough in making sure their systems have been properly updated.
France, China, And Turkey Handcuff The Internet
France, China, and Turkey have been in the news this week with wrongheaded attempts to handcuff the Internet. All three countries are trying to use regulation to control what they see as Internet-fueled damage to society. Sadly, all three countries are likely to find that the regulations are at best ineffective, and, at worst harmful.
Windows Vista Diary: New Mac Ad Pokes Fun At Vista Security
I had forgotten how annoying Vista's User Account Controls (UACs) are, until I was reminded by the latest installment in Apple's series of uber-cool Get A Mac television ads.
Q&A: Scorecard Pioneer David Norton on Strategic Alignment
Strategy is what differentiates a company, yet nine out of ten firms fail to execute on their strategies. Performance management guru David Norton discusses the team approach to measuring and managing for breakthrough results.
Get with the Plan: Aligning Performance Goals With Corporate Strategy
Disjointed improvement initiatives can work at cross purposes and throw your company into chaos. Here's how to get operational performance management programs in sync with the strategic mission.
Windows Vista Diary: Caught In A Vicious Update Cycle
When we last left our hero, he was grappling with an annoying Vista activation problem (eventually solved by a Microsoft patch). This week, he's caught in Windows Update hell, and he's apparently not alone.
Oracle's Hyperion Buy Marks BI Sea Change
Yesterday's blockbuster announcement confirms the trend toward consolidation in the business intelligence and performance management markets. Here's a look at the impact on BI competitors and Hyperion products.
Microsoft Declines Ad-Supported Enterprise Software
Microsoft's slowly getting into the ad-supported software game for consumers and small businesses with its Live services. That might be a necessary strategy in the Google era, but chief software architect Ray Ozzie says software for big business is a whole different ballgame.
Join The Windows Vista Roundtable
Have you heard enough about Windows Vista yet? Unless you still use an Underwood typewriter to produce your daily reports, you've no doubt been bombarded with analysts, journalists, bloggers, and other pundits who have offered their opinion and advice about Microsoft's new operating system. But what about the people out there in the trenches -- the ones who will actually have to install, implement, and support Vist
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The State of Cloud Computing - Fall 2020
Download this report to compare how cloud usage and spending patterns have changed in 2020, and how respondents think they'll evolve over the next two years.
2021 Top Enterprise IT TrendsWe've identified the key trends that are poised to impact the IT landscape in 2021. Find out why they're important and how they will affect you.
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