The
latest
version of BizTalk Server (one of the more creatively named Microsoft products)
is now out and includes a few new features and a heckuva lot more advice.
BizTalk is Microsoft's main SOA play, as it connects up applications to each
other and ties them to mainframe and other high-end resources.
The new rev, BizTalk Server 2006 R2, talks to RFID and -- in a future update
-- will deal with more third-party apps (always a good thing).
What I find most interesting is Enterprise Service Bus Guidance, which gives
architectural advice to BizTalk customers and interested SOA parties.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/17/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
I love software -- when it works! -- and have been covering it nonstop for over
two decades. (It seemed to crash less 20 years ago -- except for the Amiga,
of course.) Hardware, to me, was always a bit boring. I mean, a Pentium or Itanium
can't do anything without software.
And during all of those 20 years, desktop hardware -- as much of a snooze as
I find it to be -- has vastly outstripped software. The only exceptions I can
think of are the old Amigas -- which fully exploited the Motorola 68000 processor
and a host of dedicated sound and graphics chips -- and video game systems,
which likewise push multiple processors to the max.
So here we are, in 2007, years after 64-bit processors became commonplace...largely
running 32-bit apps. Our own Keith Ward looked
into the situation and has good news, in the form of 64-bits becoming more
entrenched for server apps, and bad news in that we'll probably be running 32-bit
PC apps on 64-bit PC gear for years to come.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/10/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Before I get started on what I hope is a light-hearted look at the news, we
should all pause to remember the tragedy of Sept. 11.
I was at NetWorld+Interop in Atlanta, right across from the CNN Center. The
hall was filled with thousands of people, and with planes still in the air,
we thought it best to go to a restaurant, bar or back to our hotels.
Two days later, I drove past New York around midnight. The smoke was still
billowing and a creepy, metallic smell had drifted as far north as the George
Washington Bridge.
I'd like to hear where you were and what your thoughts are six years later.
Write me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/10/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
I've never hidden my love for the Amiga computer. It's the only machine I've
ever formed a personal bond with. The machine is largely gone now (though a
dedicated group of fans have kept the OS alive), but its games aren't.
Amiga, a company born out of the ashes of Commodore, is shipping a whole
heap of old Amiga games ported to Windows. The best news of all: They cost
less than five bucks each!
I'm still waiting to see if they port Lemmings!
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/10/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
For the third year running, IT salaries have gone up. If you're still making
the same cha-ching as you did in 2004, it may be time for a little heart-to-heart
with the old boss.
If he says no, you might want to show him a copy of Redmond magazine's
latest salary survey, which is summarized here.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/10/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Tomorrow, Microsoft is expected to go easy on IT workers, releasing a
scant
four patches.
Even better, there's only one critical patch which involves remote execution
of code, and can apparently be fixed rather easily with a simple reboot of the
Baseline Security Analyzer.
Posted by Doug Barney on 09/10/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Sun, to my mind, has been a mite shy about Java lately. It's been years since
I've heard Scott McNealy talk about "write once, run anywhere," and
how Java is going to take over the world.
But Sun apparently cares a lot more about Java than I thought, as it's changing
its stock symbol from
SUNW to JAVA (a little more catchy, eh?).
This is actually pretty cool, as it signals a long-term commitment to the Java
community.
Posted by Doug Barney on 08/27/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
We at
Redmond have been semi-fans of what Microsoft is doing with open
source interoperability. Clearly, Microsoft has a Windows-first approach to
interoperability and management, such as its support for Centeris, Centrify
and Vintela (now owned by Quest), which all do a fine job of helping Windows
tools like AD to manage Linux, Unix and other systems (even the Mac!).
And Microsoft's détente with Novell is very real, unlike the deal with
Sun which seems to have turned into nothing besides an agreement not to publicly
flog each other.
Microsoft critics continue
to harp on the flaws, arguing that Microsoft doesn't "get" open
source licensing and, as a commercial (read: capitalist) concern, is trying
to define (read: control) how interoperability happens.
The critics are absolutely right, but so is Microsoft. It's doing the best
it can given the limits of self-interest. But that's just my opinion. Tell us
what you think at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 08/27/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
You gotta love Mark Cuban, the founder of Broadcast.com and billionaire owner
of the Dallas Mavericks, where his temper and outspokenness have resulted in
over $1 million in fines (a drop in the bucket for someone worth $2.3 billion).
While Cuban made his billions from the Internet, he's not too excited about
what he sees in today's cyberspace. Cuban argues that the Internet "is
dead" and -- in a huge surprise to kids all over America -- that the 'Net
"is for old people."
Cuban loves to stir things up, but he makes some excellent points in a lengthy
interview with Portfolio magazine. His main concern is that broadband
speeds aren't increasing fast enough and aren't nearly snappy enough to support
revolutionary applications like quickly downloading high-quality movie files.
In a move I'll happily back, Cuban is calling for home connections to be 1GB
per second. Now, that's some serious downloading!
Posted by Doug Barney on 08/27/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
ROI researchers Nucleus Research have found that when it comes to dollars and
cents, SOA doesn't always make cents (or dollars).
A
recent report shows that only a minority (37 percent) of SOA shops have
gotten their money back on SOA investments.
I worked for a bit for Nucleus and can tell you that its methods are pretty
darn solid. The group has debunked many a vendor ROI claim, saving customers
probably millions.
That said, these findings don't mean that SOA is no good. It's just that today,
SOA is complex, expensive and not always fully backed by developers.
I questioned SOA in
a recent editorial, asking if it was too complex and grand for its own good,
and if we would even be talking about it five years from now. What do think?
Is SOA the Lord's gift to software or a scheme for consultants and vendors to
make money? Let us know at [email protected]!
Posted by Doug Barney on 08/27/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Script Start, an automation tool that focuses largely on log-in scripts, is
now open
source.
The tool from Georgia-based Entrigue Systems has a graphical interface and
can "map drives, install printers, configure Outlook profiles, modify environment
variables, adjust Internet proxy settings [and] configure RDP connections,"
the company's Web site explains. Hmm, sounds a bit like our friends from ScriptLogic!
Going open source doesn't mean Entrigue has given up on capitalism. The higher-end
version that includes product support will be sold for $990 for each domain
controller.
Posted by Doug Barney on 08/20/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments
Forty months ago, Sun and Microsoft buried the hatchets (the same ones they'd
been hurling at each other's skulls). As part of a broad agreement, Microsoft
promised it wouldn't sue Sun for any StarOffice patent or copyright infringement.
Little did Microsoft know that Google would use this deal against it. Last
week, Google announced that it's giving
away StarOffice, which ordinarily retails for $70 bucks.
Now, before you get too excited, keep in mind that the paid version includes
support. With the Google version, you're pretty much on your own. If you look
at it that way, it's nearly the same as simply downloading OpenOffice, which
is also free.
While some critics contend that this is a major challenge to Microsoft Office,
it's simply a marketing/distribution deal. And since the Google home page is
so sparse, I doubt most users will even know the software is available. If Google
really wants to unseat Office and Windows, it'll have to do a lot better than
this!
What say you? Share your thoughts with other Redmond Report readers be e-mailing
me at [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on 08/20/2007 at 1:15 PM0 comments