I am a fanatic about Windows security. Every Windows box has Zone Alarm, ClamAV, and Spybot. I also have autodownload of Windows patches, but always review them before installation. Most of the time I just allow them to be installed, but I want to see them before they're installed.
Ray Ozzie says open source is a bigger threat to Microsoft than Google. That's according to Mary Jo Foley, who discusses Ozzie's presentation at a conference this week.
When last seen in December, Gartner was advising companies that despite the fact that Vista had no discernible must-have (or even useful) enterprise functionality, they should adopt it nevertheless, because it would position them for Windows 7.
I had the opportunity to visit the MIT Media Lab last week, and it was truly a great experience.
"The important thing is to plan a strategy, to set guidelines on where and when open source products are to be used. IT shops are scrambling to set open source policies, but almost no one has implemented one with any teeth"
This week's eWeek contains what should be a wake up call for every CIO regarding the pervasiveness and challenge that open source represents to their jobs and organizations. In the midst of an extensive interview with Jonathan Schwartz and Rich Green, Schwartz cites this anecdote, which provides dramatic evidence of the role open source plays in today's IT landscape. Here is the anecdote in its entirety:
"Where are all the open source billionaires?" Wired asks in its March issue. Wrong question. The right question is "Who will become billionaires because of open source?"
Next revelation from Gartner: "Sun to Rise in East Tomorrow."
One of the most interesting presentations at last week's Open Source Business Conference was not, strictly speaking, about (or even particularly connected to) open source at all.
Attended what was billed as a smackdown between SAP and Salesforce at the Churchill Club's "Great Debate: The Future of Enterprise Software." The two belligerents were Hasso Plattner, co-founder of SAP, and Mark Benioff, found of Salesforce.com.
I attended a fascinating event at the Churchill Club last week: "Who Do You Trust? Trends in Trust and Influence for the Next Generation of Business Leaders."
There's a deep irony in last week's announcement that Microsoft's head of Windows marketing, Michael Sievert, has "left the company," corporate-speak for "been dumped." At least they didn't add the killer clause "to pursue other interests," corporate-speak for "dumped with enthusiasm."
So, the long-awaited shoe finally dropped. Oracle launched an unsolicited bid for BEA. While a BEA acquisition has been anticipated for a long-time, I'm surprised only that it took so long for Oracle to finally come calling; BEA would have been much cheaper a few years ago, but perhaps Oracle was preoccupied digesting its other victims acquisitions.
I noted a story that Gartner Group reported that worldwide IT spending is on a pace to reach US$3.1 trillion in 2007, with a forecast of US$3.3 trillion next year. Even more interesting is that IT spend in developing countries is rapidly rising, with one-third of all IT spending (i.e., US$1 trillion) being done by nations other than North America, Western Europe, and Japan.
Sun's Xen virtualization strategy: ho-hum or woo-hoo?