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Software - Items Of Interest

The painful truth about age discrimination in tech - 17/2/2010
There are bold programmers, but no old programmers -- the reasons for this reality aren't simple age discrimination.
The miracle of Web apps gone wrong - 23/11/2009
Browser-dependent Web applications were never a good idea, but now it's gotten out of hand.
$5.4 billion a year: the cost of IT failure in NZ - 9/11/2009
New analysis attempts to calculate the total cost of failed IT spending.
Ignoring your business's browser? That's a mistake - 19/5/2009
The new variety of browsers and an increased dependence of browser-based apps change the game for IT.
Agile approach may clash with govt tender policy - 15/5/2009
Government structures could constrain the adoption of agile development.
Cloud computing a 'security nightmare,' says Cisco CEO - 23/4/2009
'Swamp computing' might be a more appropriate name, says one security expert at the RSA conference.
Are Quirky Developers Brilliant or Dangerous? - 16/3/2009
Some of the smartest developers I’ve ever worked with were also some of the weirdest.
Security needs to be 'baked in' say experts - 9/3/2009
You wouldn't buy a car and then buy airbags from another vendor, so why do it with software, says expert.
Nine-year-old writes iPhone code - 6/2/2009
A nine-year-old Malaysian boy in Singapore has written a painting application for the Apple iPhone.
The Economics of Giving It Away - 2/2/2009
In a battered economy, free goods and services online are more attractive than ever. So how can the suppliers make a business model out of nothing?
The case against cloud computing - 2/2/2009
There are five key impediments to enterprise adoption of cloud computing. With a risk management framework in place, appropriate decisions can be made - and justified.
The case against Web apps - 29/1/2009
Five reasons why Web-based development might not be the best choice for your enterprise.
Hiring Software Developers: The Agile Aptitude Test - 27/1/2009
Menlo Innovations' Richard Sheridan and Lisamarie Babik explain how "extreme interviewing" can help hiring managers choose Agile developers who are ready to apply its principles.
Dangerous coding errors revealed - 13/1/2009
The US National Security Agency has helped put together a list of the world's most dangerous coding mistakes.
Slim down your software - 8/1/2009
A new Forrester report says to forget the "enterprise" and shoot for a leaner, meaner software development process.
Avoiding the high cost of bad code - 7/1/2009
Enterprises face overbudget app dev efforts that please no one. Good management is the answer.
Salesforce suffers system wide outage - 7/1/2009
Salesforce.com users are left in the dark.
SOA gets an obituary - 5/1/2009
Burton Group analyst Anne Thomas Manes has declared SOA dead but says that offshoots like mashups and cloud computing remain alive and well.
Forrester: CIOs wrestle with too many enterprise BI tools - 23/12/2008
Despite BI consolidation efforts, one in five CIOs run six or more BI tools, says survey.
26 Ways To Know Your Software Development Project Is Doomed - 10/12/2008
There's always a moment when you realize that all is lost, that there is absolutely no way THIS project can be a success. Here's a few signs that should suggest your project is headed for failure.
Open-source developers set out 2020 road map - 8/12/2008
Open-source advocates offer their vision of software in 2020.
Confidential customer details exposed on Qantas site - 1/12/2008
Qantas' website breaches the privacy at least two customers.
Corporate espionage: The hack at an all-time high - 21/11/2008
Criminals are breaking into personal and corporate computers to steal critical information and money. Don't believe it's not serious -- or that it can't happen to you.
Microsoft won't Budge on Windows Live Hotmail Redesign - 10/11/2008
Microsoft defends its new hotmail interface and tells users to switch to a desktop client or the mobile version if they can't access their accounts.
Is Salesforce.com the new Microsoft? - 6/11/2008
Little Zoho finds out the hard way that "open" becomes closed when you're in Salesforce's way.
Looking for job security? Try Cobol - 23/10/2008
As long as there are mainframes, there will be Cobol. Learn the language and the culture and you might land a job that that lasts until retirement.
'Shotgun' Mergers in Financial Services Put IT Teams and the Success of the Deals to the Test - 10/10/2008
Weekend M&As don't offer IT teams enough time to analyze security threats, competing systems and integration synergies, or figure out how to consolidate enterprise applications. But even in today's tumultuous financial landscape, IT needs to ensure due diligence is done and make the deals work.
The A-Z of Programming Languages: C# - 1/10/2008
Microsoft's Anders Hejlsberg reveals the history behind one of the most common programming languages, C#, and what the future holds for C#4.0.
Cloud computing is a trap, warns GNU founder Richard Stallman - 29/9/2008
Web-based programs like Google's Gmail will force people to buy into locked, proprietary systems that will cost more and more over time, according to the free software campaigner.
Is Your Next Language COBOL? - 18/9/2008
Don't count Cobol out. It's a key element in modern distributed business software architectures.
Computer Systems, Elegant Simplicity, and Profoundly Obvious Design - 11/9/2008
In the design of computer systems, all our efforts, our analysis, our long hours are all directed to one end. That end is to discover a design with a quality called “elegant simplicity”.
Delphi: a secret weapon for Windows developers - 2/9/2008
Ever since .NET burst onto the scene back in early 2002, Microsoft has promoted it as the primary platform for custom applications.
REST and XML Web services - 18/8/2008
Tim Bray is clarifying his position on REST versus XML Web services and SOAP.
IT workers pushed to the limits - 18/8/2008
Downsizing, offshoring, and a widening gulf between techies and management -- is IT at the breaking point?
Labours of love - 2/8/2008
It takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a skilled carpenter or musician - but what makes a true master? Richard Sennett on the craftsman in us all.
Open Source Software a Security Risk - 21/7/2008
Three month study focuses on 11 open source software packages and each community's response to security issues.
The Dangers of Cloud Computing - 7/7/2008
On-demand apps and services have several security risks that IT should address up front.
Asperger's: the IT industry's dark secret - 23/6/2008
IT is a uniquely attractive industry for the autistic.
Eight Reasons Why Companies Still Say 'No' to SaaS - 5/6/2008
Amid growing SaaS hype, many enterprises have discovered sound reasons to ignore software-as-a-service. Here are the top eight, according to Forrester Research.
Six Secrets of Top-Notch Business Analysts - 23/5/2008
While a business analyst's responsibilities may vary by company and project, every IT employee and businessperson knows a good or bad BA when he sees one. Here's what the good ones do very well.
13 reasons why Ruby, Python and the gang will push Java to die… of old age - 28/5/2008
Lately I seem to find everywhere lots of articles about the imminent dismissal of Java and its replacement with the scripting language of the day or sometimes with other compiled languages.
My kid could code that - 24/5/2008
Imagine what it must be like to be an abstract-expressionist painter. You spend countless hours slaving over the canvas, applying all your creative talents and academic training to produce the truest expression of your painterly art, only to hear some gallery patron whisper, "My kid could do that."
Opinion: Outsourcing Agile – can it be done? - 24/4/2008
A standard contract doesn’t really ensure that you’ll get what you want.
Forrester: AJAX-powered web apps disappoint power users - 26/3/2008
Power users find AJAX applications very complex, says report.
How to Tap IT's Hidden Potential - 10/3/2008
Too often, there's a wall between a company's information-technology department and everything else. That wall has to go.
Pervasive Web apps flaws under siege - 28/2/2008
The volume of threats leveled at Web-based applications continues to surge and the sheer number of flaws existent in many such programs is making it easy for attackers to be successful in their efforts to steal data and generating income, according to the latest research report issued by Cenzic.
Developers the focus of Microsoft launch - 27/2/2008
Developers are magicians, says Microsoft developer evangelist.
Accenture exec raises concerns over SOA shortfall - 10/12/2007
It's not delivering to its potential, CTO says.
IT Complexity Is Costly if You Don't Take Steps Now - 28/11/2007
Don't wait for your legacy systems to spring a leak.
Strategies for Dealing With IT Complexity - 26/11/2007
Every innovation, every business process improvement, comes with an IT complexity tax that must be paid by CIOs in time, money and sweat.
Don't view software as an expense: researcher - 12/11/2007
Too many firms take that view, professor says.
CIOs struggling to demonstrate value of IT - 24/9/2007
IT executives are struggling to demonstrate the value of their department to their organizations, according to research commissioned by service management software provider Touchpaper.
7 reasons I switched back to PHP after 2 years on Rails - 22/9/2007
I spent two years trying to make Rails do something it wasn’t meant to do, then realized my old abandoned language (PHP, in my case) would do just fine if approached with my new Rails-gained wisdom.
British Boards Underestimate IT Risks - 5/9/2007
IT professionals' failure to clearly communicate technology risks leaves boards ill-informed to make decisions, according to a new report.
A Guide to Hiring Programmers: The High Cost of Low Quality - 5/8/2007
I was invited to a wonderful dinner party (I swear it wasn't too spicy Sarah!) with some St. Louis Perl peoples this week while I'm here on business. At one point we were talking about hiring programmers, specifically Perl programmers.
Rush to Ajax makes for happy hackers - 2/8/2007
The rush to adopt Ajax is leading web developers to make basic security mistakes, in some cases a decade old, that leave gaping holes in their applications.
MarketWatch: SaaS - understanding the back end - 8/6/2007
SaaS is not an easy option for ISVs because any attempt to take part in this market requires them to overcome multiple barriers from infrastructure provision and application availability and performance, to business and revenue model changes and SLAs, which demand not only a different skill set or partner network but also a fresh mindset.
Web 2.0 is vulnerable to attack - 2/4/2007
Security researchers have found what they say is an entirely new kind of web-based attack, and it only targets the Ajax applications so beloved of the 'Web 2.0' movement.
Web 2.0 users open a Pandora’s box of security problems - 2/4/2007
Next generation net brings benefits but introduces hazards.
Study links staff use of Web 2.0 to security risks - 2/4/2007
Sensitive work issues are being talked about online.
Govt and taxpayers are paying too much for IT - 2/4/2007
There is more money to be made being a consultancy that specialises in preparing government tenders than in winning the business.
John W. Backus (1924 - 2007) - 20/3/2007
The man who for all practical purposes invented the modern concept of the interpreted programming language, and who gave us the first principles upon which the software industry was formed, died over the weekend at age 82.
Novell linked to 'Windows cheaper than Linux' statement - 14/3/2007
Novell has issued a joint press release with Microsoft, in which HSBC, a customer of joint technology from the two companies, claims that Windows has a lower total cost of ownership than Linux.
Business and IT Have Different Priorities in 2007 - 1/3/2007
Getting business managers and IT managers on the same page is always a challenge, whether times are good or times are bad. And if the latest Gartner Executive Programs survey of more than 1,400 chief information officers is any indication, 2007 is not lining up to be an exception. But the things that CIOs will have to do to make upper management and bean counters happy might be a little different this year.
Microsoft Accounting App Hits 1 Million Downloads - 20/2/2007
Microsoft is touting its free accounting application, which it debuted last October for small businesses, as a success, announcing that it has been downloaded by 1 million people in just 3 months. Office Accounting Express 2007 is Microsoft's first shot across Intuit's bow.
The rise of the business analyst – once again - 12/2/2007
BAs have never been as important as now, says Michael H Hugos
The death of computing - 22/1/2007
Neil McBride says computer science was populated by mathematicians and physicists but now virtual robots can be created by eight-year olds without needing programming, logic or discrete mathematics skills. Does that mean we have a dying discipline?
Scott Rosenberg: What Makes Software So Hard - 5/1/2007
The history of software development is marked by missed deadlines, blown budgets and broken promises. Author Scott Rosenberg discusses this dysfunctional culture, and why it persists.
Web users driving change in 2007 - 1/1/2007
It is often said the only constant in the world of hi-tech is change - a fact that makes prediction notoriously difficult. But here three tech veterans give their view about what will drive change over the next 12 months and beyond.
Why Software Sucks ... And What You Can Do About It, by David S Platt
Today’s software sucks. There’s no other good way to say it. It’s unsafe, allowing criminal programs to creep through the Internet wires into our very bedrooms. It’s unreliable, crashing when we need it most, wiping out hours or days of work with no way to get it back. And it’s hard to use, requiring large amounts of head-banging to figure out the simplest operations.
Is Microsoft thinking of closing Windows? - 15/12/2006
Gartner Inc has predicted that the recently released Windows Vista will be the last major release of Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system.
Simplicity Is Highly Overrated - 12/12/2006
“Why can’t products be simpler?” cries the reviewer in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the local newspaper. “We want simplicity” cry the people befuddled by all the features of their latest whatever. Do they really mean it? No.
Poor requirements-definition equals ICT failure - 9/11/2006
Business analysis expert Glenn Brûlé says internal centres of business excellence could help ICT deliver what the business wants.
Microsoft Offers Free Accounting Suite - 30/10/2006
Upping the ante against Intuit, Microsoft on Monday released a new accounting software package for small and home businesses. The most alluring feature of the offering may not be its Outlook-like interface and Office integration, but rather its price: free.
Most ICT spending is ‘dead money’: Gartner - 23/10/2006
Majority of tech dollars go on 'keeping the lights on', analyst says.
Ajax at teething stage - 21/8/2006
The emergence of the Ajax programming style in the past year and a half has made rich web clients more than just a pipedream. The fact that it uses established technologies that are in some cases a decade old means that there is relatively little vendor control over its use.
Borland revives turbo product line - 8/8/2006
Turbo Pascal, one of the tools that put Borland Software Corp on the map over 20 years ago, is about to be revived. On the eve of spinning off its developer tools unit, Borland is reviving the Turbo product line as part of a new strategy for rekindling customer buzz.
Application UI goes back to basics - 12/7/2006
Users rediscover that an effective interface doesn't always need bells and whistles.
Broaden your options: Don’t fear native code - 12/7/2006
The conditions that brought .Net and Java into being are no longer today’s reality.
Microsoft .Net update - 10/7/2006
Twenty-eight months since my last report on Microsoft’s .Net technology suite, it’s interesting to see what’s changed and what hasn’t. The desktop version of the Longhorn OS was renamed Vista, but its release status remains the same: beta. Of the three .Net-oriented “pillars of Longhorn” — Avalon, Indigo, and WinFS — two are renamed (Avalon to Windows Presentation Foundation and Indigo to Windows Communication Foundation) but none have shipped, and WinFS has been pushed post-Vista.
Microsoft ponders Windows successor - 30/6/2006
A successor to the Windows operating system, while still very much in the theoretical stage, is expected to better leverage multicore processors, for starters, a Microsoft official says.
Businesses should take a holistic attitude - 20/6/2006
From his background in the exacting world of accountancy, through his fatherly dedication to honing the performance of his son's racing cart, to running the country's largest information and communications technology (ICT) services company, Chris Quin seems to be a stickler in his search for efficiency.
The show-off moment: a danger for developers - 14/6/2006
ICT architects need to learn “expectation management” skills, so what they deliver coincides with what the client expected in terms of services and payback to the business, says Unisys ICT architect Dermot O’Brien.
Web 2.0 is hot — both today and tomorrow - 22/5/2006
IBM web futurist David Boloker says Web 2.0 may be hyped but it will change the way we view and use the web.
NHS IT chief blasts vendor "dishonesty" - 16/5/2006
Richard Granger, director general of IT at the UK National Health Service, has hit back at critics of the $10bn Connecting for Health (CfH) project, and claimed that there is an "essential dishonesty" between IT services vendors and their customers.
Obstacles to developing web apps ‘critical issue’ - 10/4/2006
Obstacles to developing web applications was a critical issue on the minds of Java developers at TheServerside Java Symposium held recently in Las Vegas.
Beware the Lowest Price - 9/5/2005
Awarding contracts to the lowest bidder is optimistic at best, dangerous at worst. So why do we keep doing it?
The C# Design Process - 4/8/2003
Anders Hejlsberg, the lead C# architect, talks with Bruce Eckel and Bill Venners about the process used by the team that designed C#, and the relative merits of usability studies and good taste in language design.
Quotes about Programmers
Their rumpled clothes, their unwashed and unshaven faces, and their uncombed hair all testify that they are oblivious to their bodies and to the world in which they move. These are computer bums, compulsive programmers. (Joseph Weizenbaum 1976)
If Architects Had to Work Like Web Designers
Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion. My house should have somewhere between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one.

Hardware - Items Of Interest

March of the terminators: Robot warriors are no longer sci-fi but reality. So what happens when they turn their guns on us? - 21/5/2009
They can fly, they can swim, they can spit out 550 high-explosive shells a minute. And most terrifyingly of all, they'll soon be able to think for themselves.
Five-Dimensional Data Storage - 20/5/2009
A new material could eventually be used to store vast amounts of data on a disc.
IBM to build massive supercomputer for US government - 4/2/2009
New machine will run at a record 20 petaflops.
Flying saucer 'nears US take-off' - 1/9/2007
It has been called the vehicle of the future and the ultimate way to beat the rush hour commute.
Fishermen pull the plug on Vietnam's web - 9/6/2007
As much as 61 miles of cable must be replaced, say Vietnamese government officials.
Chips push through nano-barrier - 27/1/2007
The next milestone in the relentless pursuit of smaller, higher performance microchips has been unveiled.
Brain sensor allows mind-control - 12/7/2006
A sensor implanted in a paralysed man's brain has enabled him to control objects through just the power thought.
Freescale makes magnetic memory breakthrough - 11/7/2006
Freescale Semiconductor Inc has made a leap for memory technology by announcing the first commercial magnetoresistive random access memory, or MRAM, chip. And it's ready for volume shipping.

Other - Items Of Interest

Bettor's Strike wins the 2009 Victoria Cup - 11/12/2009
"The Kiwi got up!" - Bettor's Strike and driver Dexter Dunn win the 2009 Victoria Cup at Melton’s Tabcorp Park.
NZ Cup & Miracle Mile Winner Monkey King - 9/12/2009
Kelly Williams speaks with Brendon Hill trainer of Miracle Mile winner Monkey King.
Monkey King wins the 2009 Miracle Mile - 29/11/2009
"The NZ Cup winner's done it again!" - Monkey King and driver Ricky May win the 2009 Miracle Mile at Menangle and breaks a new Australasian record.
My Scotsgrey wins the 2009 New Zealand Cup - 14/11/2009
"The grey has done it!" - My Scotsgrey and jockey Leith Innes win the 2009 New Zealand Cup at Riccarton.
Monkey King wins the 2009 New Zealand Trotting Cup - 10/11/2009
"Here comes the monkey!" - Monkey King and driver Ricky May win the 2009 New Zealand Trotting Cup at Addington.
Shocking wins the 2009 Melbourne Cup - 3/11/2009
Shocking and jockey Corey Brown win the 2009 Melbourne Cup at Flemington.

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