Beyond Blinking Lights and Acronyms

Who's Watching Windows 7? Wed 14 Oct 09

Microsoft has lots of company ahead of the launch.

A lot of people, myself included, are eagerly awaiting Oct. 22, the day Microsoft will launch its new operating system, Windows 7. As the manufacturer, Microsoft is obviously the one most concerned, but they aren't the only ones with an interest in seeing that it is a successful product launch.

Based on their latest latest earnings reports, operating systems are very important for Microsoft. The reports indicate that client systems, which represent all the various PC operating systems, account for roughly 25% of Microsoft's revenue but about 54% of its income. Microsoft does note that "revenue from Windows operating systems declined reflecting PC market weakness, especially PCs sold to businesses, and a decline in the OEM premium mix."

PC Makers’ Unrequited Love Tue 29 Sep 09

Why Dell and Xerox are going after services companies.

Recently hardware firms Dell, HP and Xerox made a flurry of announcements about combining selling hardware and providing technology consulting services.  Dell said it would acquire Perot Systems for $3.9 billion. HP's announced it will re-brand consulting firm Electronic Data Systems as HP Enterprise Services. Not to be outdone, Xerox said this week that it’s buying Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) for $6.4 billion.

There may be some sound logic behind the Dell and HP moves, but frankly I just don't see it. Judging from how the stock market reacted to Dell's announcement, I may not be alone. Xerox's move does however present an interesting opportunity.

A True Error, Not a Glitch Tue 28 Jul 09

Baytown Mayor Admits Error In Release Of Banking Info

I've written recently about The Real Problem With Computer Glitches.  Computer glitches are when something goes wrong but we don't talk abut someone making a mistake or a bad process being used.  Something just happened without human intervention (yeh, right).  I followed that up with a comment an Another Glitch regarding Goveronor Scharzenegger and a computer glitch that kept a law student from taking the bar exam.

Although I don't want to beat this subject to death I just have to comment about an article I saw in today's Houston Chronicle, Baytown releases banking info for 10,000 by mistake.  It seems that some how banking information about 10,000 people that paid tickets after being caught by a red light camera.  What was interesting was how this was portrayed. 

Another Glitch Sun 26 Jul 09

Schwarzenegger: Overlook glitch, let paralyzed grad take bar exam

My last post, The Real Problem With Computer Glitches, dealt with the mis-direction calling failures merely "glitches" causes.  This morning I ran across a story on CNN, Schwarzenegger: Overlook glitch, let paralyzed grad take bar exam.  It seems that a glitch or technical error was keeping law student, Sara Granda, from taking the bar exam because she paid for the test with a check instead of the usual method of using a credit card.  Fortunately, it appears that Schwarzenegger is coming to the rescue.

As heart-warming as the story is, it is missing a couple of key elements. First, what really caused the problem, and second, what is being done to prevent it from happening again.

The Real Problem With Computer Glitches Wed 22 Jul 09

Calling system failures ''glitches'' only masks the problem.

Visa prepaid debit cards recently suffered a rather public and embarrassing problem. It seems that a "small" number of users made normal purchases only to be charged $23,148,855,308,184,500-- basically, $23 quadrillion and change. Visa later indicated that fewer than 13,000 transactions were affected. The credit card company subsequently removed the charges and magnanimously waived the overdraft fee.

This was, as is quite common in these situations, described as a computer glitch. But the term "computer glitch" really frustrates me. People have been conditioned to think of a computer glitch as something that just happens when the computer goes haywire and that there is nothing that can be done to prevent it. 

Step Away From The Computer Wed 08 Jul 09

Don't Let Technology Inhibit Communication

E-mail, instant messaging and social media tools such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter have dramatically changed the way we communicate. While technology has made communication easier, it hasn't necessarily improved the quality of our communication.

The reason: We can hide behind technology and avoid the human interaction that is essential for good communication. But this doesn't mean we should abandon our technology. Rather, we need to strike a moderated balance in our use of technology.

Twitter's Dilemma Wed 10 Jun 09

Has the popular microblogging service become a victim of its own success?

I started using Twitter five months ago with some reluctance. I wasn't sure if I'd like it or if I'd be willing to put up with the inane commentary. Since then, I've learned that Twitter is really about conversation that you can make as trivial or serious as you desire. I've even suggested that Twitter has a place in the corporate world.

Although I still see the value in Twitter, I am beginning to wonder about its long-term viability. Twitter is growing exponentially and has reported an astounding 1,382% year-over-year growth. This growth has, however, apparently caused scalability issues and may also cover up some disturbing trends that could adversely impact its long-term user base and possibilities for monetization.

Identity Protection Goes Beyond Technology Mon 01 Jun 09

We need to include the "human element" in our identity protection schemes

Identity theft and security is always in the spotlight through the constant stream of news stories about companies losing confidential customer or client data, such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, health histories and so forth. These "breaking news" stories now seem to happen so frequently that we scarcely pay attention to them unless, of course, we are directly impacted by them. They have, however, heightened the public awareness and have even spawned new identity protection businesses.

IT companies rightly react to this by developing new technologies to improve security and eagerly market these to CIOs as a way to protect the personal information of their customers and clients. While we should use these appropriately we can't rely just on technology for identity protection.

Kindle's Future Wed 13 May 09

Amazon's device is great for reading books and documents, but can it expand beyond this niche?

Amazon's new Kindle DX due out this summer is, for the most part, a larger version of the Kindle with a 9.7-inch screen aimed at newspapers, periodicals and textbooks.

At a time when most digital devices tout how many different things they can do, Amazon has taken an interesting approach with Kindle. It is not a computer, nor a phone, nor a browser--and it is definitely not a music player. What the Kindle is: a very well-designed e-reader. All of its features and functions are focused directly on the reading experience and nothing more.

Analyzing The Cloud Wed 29 Apr 09

A recent report says cloud computing may not be cost effective for big companies. But that's not the whole story.

A few weeks ago, I had lunch with an old friend and his associate, who happened to be an analyst at one of the major information technology research firms, and our conversation drifted to cloud computing.

During this conversation, we agreed that cloud computing would make inroads with small- to medium-enterprises (SMEs) but not with large enterprises. Our conclusion wasn't based on economics but on IT culture. As my new friend stated, "The No. 1 barrier to the use of the cloud is IT culture."