307 News Story Topics
Remove Filter  | Seems every time I write a piece suggesting open source as an option, I get a couple of comments warning readers about the scary complexities of open source licenses. So I decided to ask a guy who knows free and open source (FOSS) exactly what the deal was regarding FOSS …  |
| | [I]This is the mystery of the quotient - Upon us all a little rain must fall. ~Led Zeppelin, The Rain Song. [/I] It's been quite a couple of weeks for Google. First there was the mistake that caused the entire Internet to be [URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/31/google-flags-whole-internet-as-malware/"]flagged as malware[/URL]. Next came the great … |
| | The great Gmail outage, which as far as I can tell lasted a couple of hours over night in the US has prompted some nasty articles such as this one from [URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/24/trouble-in-the-clouds-gmail-turns-into-gfail/"]TechCrunch[/URL] where they derisively refer to Gmail as Gfail. Let's grow up, people. Software fails all the time and … |
| | You have to give Microsoft credit. They keep trying, even if what they are trying is copying Apple. This time they have announced they are going to open retail stores. Sound familiar? It should because it's what Apple has done so successfully with its Apple Store strategy. The problem Microsoft … |
| | I've never made it a secret that I'm a big fan of Apple products. I love my Mac Book Pro and my iPhone, but I have to say that Apple has been pissing me off lately. The company has decided to throw its legal weight around to protect its market … |
| | When Facebook changed its [URL="http://consumerist.com/5150175/facebooks-new-terms-of-service-we-can-do-anything-we-want-with-your-content-forever"]terms of service[/URL] on Monday, it caused an immediate uproar, and when people screamed loudly enough, Facebook backed down. What this shows me is that although Facebook is a free service, it exists and is successful because we make it so. The millions of people who … |
| | [I]Hans plays with Lotte, Lotte plays with Jane Jane plays with Willi, Willi is happy again ~Games Without Frontiers, Peter Gabriel. [/I] I'm forever fascinated with the gamesmanship that goes on between Google, Apple, and Microsoft. You expect them to undercut each other at every turn, to do whatever it … |
| | Microsoft is readying a new cloud service called [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/myphone/myphone.aspx"]My Phone[/URL] that enables users of Windows Mobile 6 or later to sync contacts, calendar appointments, photos, and other information with the My Phone web site. According to an [URL="http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2009/02/06/microsofts-skybox-site-live-branded-my-phone/"]Engadget report[/URL] on Friday, Microsoft will officially launch the service at the[URL="http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/"] Mobile … |
| | Since Palm introduced its [URL="http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/090109-CES-2009-Palm-Introduces-Smartphone-with-GPS/"]new smart phone[/URL] at CES last month, the buzz has been deafening and for that alone, Palm deserves a lot of credit. Let's face it, they were up until that moment, a company on life support, but with one smoothly-presented product announcement they were on the … |
| | [URL="http://www.webinknow"]David Meerman Scott[/URL] (who is also a fellow contributing editor at [URL="http://www.econtentmag.com"]EContent Magazine[/URL]) is an expert in social networking and using the internet as a marketing tool and speaks frequently on the subject. His best selling book, [URL="http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books.htm"]The New Rules of Marketing and PR[/URL] was published in 2007 and was … |
| | I came up with an idea this week: What if Microsoft made Windows open source? Before you accuse of me of link baiting, I believe this idea has merit for several reasons. It will reduce the cost of development, put the power of the community behind supporting what's become an … |
| | Last week Apple and Microsoft released their fourth quarter MP3 player sales figures, which Apple chooses to call its first quarter for some odd reason, and the numbers were a startling contrast. On one hand you had Microsoft with a 54 percent drop off in sales from the fourth quarter … |
| | There are number of factors coming together that lead me to believe that open source's moment is right now, today, this year. Open source already runs so many things and just last week as Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States, he asked Scott McNealy of … |
| | For the last 10 years Google has been on an upward trajectory making gobs of money and astounding us all with there seemingly endless fount of innovation. For a time, there seemed to be a new product announcement every week. Google has always been very savvy about exploiting the news … |
| | There has been a lot of chatter this week about the health of Steve Jobs. On one level, it's a perfectly understandable discussion. Jobs is a public figure and as such what happens to him--good or bad--interests us. But a friend of mine suggested that any discussion of Jobs' health … |
| | There was a big fuss earlier this week when The Sunday Times of London published an [URL="http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5489134.ece"]article[/URL] claiming that every Google search was the equivalent of boiling a pot of tea. My my, talk about a tempest in a tea pot. The Times attributed this bit of profundity to a … |
| | Lots of strong opinions about Microsoft out there. There are people who stand behind it staunchly. In their eyes Microsoft can do no wrong and critics like me are simply buffoons who don't get it. Then there are people who hate Microsoft for everything it stands for. In their minds … |
| | Let's face it, when you have Macworld and the Consumer Electronics Show in the same week, it's an overwhelming amount of news to deal with, even (maybe especially) for a technology journalist like myself who gets paid to follow the latest and greatest and report back to you. I've been … |
| | I was carrying around the headline of this post all day yesterday since I saw a [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/jan/05/steve-jobs-apple-health-letters-full"]Guardian article[/URL] yesterday morning with the text of a letter Steve Jobs wrote to the Apple community. Jobs explained that he felt compelled to let everyone know that he was sick, but he was …  |
| | I write a great deal about Google mostly because it is always trying new things and putting them out there for free for the world to try. The tools are easy to access and use from wherever you are--any device with a browser and an internet connection--and you can't beat … |
| | [I]Instant karma's gonna get you Gonna knock you right on the head ~John Lennon. [/I] It's 2009 and I'm sure the powers that be at Microsoft are hoping it's going to be a good one without any tears, but even as the old year closed, the news kept getting worse … |
| | This is the time of year for wish lists, so why not make a list of products I would like to see Apple make in 2009. I'm not under any illusions that Apple will actually listen to me, but this is a fun exercise and some of these would be … |
| | Joe "Zonker"Brockmeier is the Community Manager for openSUSE. He has been involved with Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) since 1996 when he discovered FOSS while a college student and was hooked. For most of his career he has worked as a technology journalist covering Linux and open source topics. … |
| | Cnet [URL="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10122751-37.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5"]reported[/URL] the other day that Microsoft has placed an app, Seadragon, in the Apple AppStore, even before releasing it on the Windows Mobile platform because, get this, the iPhone is the only phone platform with the graphics chops to handle the application. There is such delicious irony in all … |
| | In a wide ranging [URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/10/marissa-mayer-at-le-web-the-almost-complete-interview/"]interview[/URL] with Tech Crunch's Michael Arrington on Wednesday at [URL="http://www.lewebparis.com/"]Le Web[/URL] in Paris, Google's Marissa Mayer talked about all things Google, but what I found most interesting was when the conversation turned toward the future of search. Mayer said the key to the future of search … |
| | [I]Too much information running through my brain Too much information driving me insane ~Police, Too Much Information. [/I] Yesterday, Seth Godin wrote a post in his blog called, [URL="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/12/warning-the-int.html"]Warning: The Internet is almost full[/URL]. It's not of course, and he had is his tongue planted firmly in his cheek, but …  |
| | I love my iPhone, but like any device, it's far from perfect and there are several missing pieces. Fortunately, the App Store gives third party developers the opportunity to fill in these holes. Today, I'm going to review five tools that provide functionality missing on the standard iPhone. [B]Flash for … |
| | I like to follow news about Apple and its products as much as anyone. It's interesting and fun and watching the speculation is a kind of voyeurism, a way to get inside a company that keeps a tight lid on information, but much like baseball trade rumors, which I also … |
| | With much fanfare Sun announced its new JavaFX platform yesterday, but curiously [URL="http://channelsun.sun.com/video/javafx -- do more!/3856260001"]in a video introducing the platform[/URL], Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz, made the browser the enemy of content owners, and set up JavaFX as the platform to give developers and content owners direct access to users. … |
| | Yesterday Adobe announced it would be laying off 600 employees worldwide, which represents, according to published accounts, 8 percent of the workforce. Reports suggested that Adobe was a victim of the overall economic slow down and the lower than expected earnings were due to selling fewer copies of the new … |
| | According to a recent [URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/23/microsoft-to-rebrand-search-will-it-be-kumo/"]TechCrunch article[/URL], Microsoft is planning to rename its Live Search product, Kumar, which means cloud or spider in Japanese. What Microsoft needs to learn, and what the [URL="http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/"]Get a Mac ads [/URL]have captured so well, is that it's not about PR or branding or the name … |
| | I've had my iPhone for about a month now and for the most part I'm very pleased with it, but if I could have a meeting with Apple engineers, there are a few things I would tell them to change: [B]1 Protect the Glass Out of the Box[/B] Perhaps my … |
| | It's been about a week now since the now infamous Motrin ad hit the air waves. It caused a social media firestorm the likes of which the internet might never have seen and that's saying something. If for some reason, you haven't heard, you can go to [URL="http://parenting.amuchbetterway.com/the-motrin-mom-videos/"]parenting.amuchbetterway.com[/URL] and see … |
| | In a report on enterprise open source usage released this week, Gartner research director Laurie Wurster stated in rather strong language that companies could face a big intellectual property issue because they are using the software without understanding the IP implications of the licensing language. But is she exaggerating the … |
| | Google announced on Friday that it was adding on-demand indexing to its hosted Google Site Search product, giving customers the ability to instantly re-index a site after adding new content. This gives web site owners running Google Site Search much greater control over the indexing process than in previous iterations … |
| | [I]Way down deep it's the same old you Way down deep you ain't hiding the truth Just for a minute you had me confused Baby way down deep it's the same old you ~Tom Petty, Same Old You.[/I] My colleague Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols in his aptly titled [URL="http://blogs.computerworld.com/the_big_windows_7_lie"]Cyber Cynic[/URL] column … |
| | I was watching a [URL="http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1568178642/bctid1906856143"]video[/URL] of a panel from the Web 2.0 Summit on [URL="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/cloud_computing_panel_at_web_2.php"]ReadWriteWeb[/URL]. I've had a growing fascination with Cloud Computing in recent months, and this particular panel included key players from Google, Salesforce.com, Adobe and VMware (with Tim O'Reilly acting as panel moderator). As each man made … |
| | Microsoft announced a new program the other day called [URL="http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/BIZSPARK/Pages/At_a_Glance.aspx"] Microsoft BizSpark[/URL], where they give away a boat load of software and services to young startups and presumably lock them into Microsoft long-term. For a small start-up with little capital, this has to be a very attractive offer. Microsoft not …  |
| | All last week, Microsoft was trying desperately to shift the spotlight from Vista, the OS that has become a major liability for the software giant. To that end, Microsoft made a flurry of announcements including Azure, the newly announced cloud platform, the Windows 7 Alpha and a preliminary view of … |
| | This week at the Professional Developer's Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft made a big splash by announcing a new [URL="http://cooney.typepad.com/lauren_cooneys_blog/2008/10/welcome-azure-qa-from-the-experts.html"]cloud computing initiative it's calling Azure[/URL]. It's significant on several levels. First of all Microsoft wants to compete with services like [URL="http://aws.amazon.com/"]Amazon S3[/URL] and offer online storage and online computational services. … |
| | [I]“Informed decision-making comes from a long tradition of guessing and then blaming others for inadequate results.” ~Scott Adams. [/I] There is a battle going on out there in cell phone land involving the 3 hottest-of-hot cell phones. I write of course about[URL="http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iPhone.jsp"] the iPhone from AT&T[/URL], the [URL="http://www.t-mobileg1.com/"]G1 from T-Mobile[/URL] … |
| | [I]In time the Rockies may crumble Gibraltar may tumble They're only made of clay But our love is here to stay ~Ira Gershwin. [/I] These are heady days for Apple and its CEO Steve Jobs. In spite of a world economy that appears to be sliding out of control, and … |
| | [I]You can do one of two things; just shut up, which is something I don't find easy, or learn an awful lot very fast which is what I tried to do. ~Jane Fonda [/I] Steve Ballmer doesn't seem to have learned Jane Fonda's big life lesson. In fact, dude doesn't … |
| | There's been a lot of hullabaloo this week on the internet about Apple's audacity to announce the new Mac Book line without [wait for it] a firewire port [gasp audibly]. I know, it's a bold move on Apple's part, and it didn't help matters when Apple reportedly deleted a thread … |
| | With no end in sight to the economic malaise and a good chance that this could be lasting a while, it's time to find ways to cut your IT budget. Just today OpenOffice.org announced that [URL="http://www.openoffice.org/"]the Release Version of OpenOffice 3.0[/URL] is available on its web site, and it's proving … |
| | Rumors are flying this week ahead of Apple's big Mac Book event on Tuesday that it will announce the long rumored sub-$1000 notebook. In fact, my friends at [URL="http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/09/800-for-a-new-macbook/"]The Unofficial Apple Weblog[/URL] are reporting that someone has gotten their hands on a price sheet ahead of the announcement suggesting that … |
| | Over the last week or so, I've been exploring cloud computing. My basic thesis through this series has been that as the economy sours--it's darn close to curdling--cloud computing gives you access to sophisticated applications without expensive hardware. Sounds like a smart play on the face of it, but when … |
| | [I]A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. ~Mark Twain. [/I] This week we learned what can happen when Citizen Journalism runs amok when an untrue rumor began circulating that Apple CEO had suffered a severe heart attack. As soon as … |
| | My post the other day, [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3277.html"]Does Using Gmail Mean You're Stupid[/URL], produced some thoughtful comments from people that made me me think harder about the advantages and disadvantages of Cloud Computing. There are security risks and data ownership issues that you have to take into consideration. To get another point … |
| | [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman"]Richard Stallman[/URL], the founder of the [URL="http://www.fsf.org/"]Free Software Foundation[/URL], stated the other day that he thought Cloud Computing was stupid and we were all being duped by the cloud vendors. Specifically, in[URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/cloud.computing.richard.stallman"] an interview with London's Guardian[/URL] newspaper, he said, ""It's stupidity. It's worse than stupidity: it's a marketing hype … |
The End.