Innovation

Perspectives on the Value of Open Source

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:15:00 EDT

Recently, I have had the opportunity to work with a number of clients on their strategy to leverage the advantages that open source can achieve across their IT organizations. I found the major motivator and attention getter for open source adoption is the promise to cut costs; but increasingly, interests now include ways open source can provide control and enable agility.

Automating Website Testing Using Open Source Tools

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:30:00 EDT

In today's competitive world, the most important presence for a corporation is their website. It not only acts as a face for the company but also as an interface enabling its clients, users, and prospects to communicate with the company. As websites are accessible to users via thin clients such as web browsers, the quality and reliability of a website are paramount to its success.

Overdue Innovation in Mobile

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:15:00 EDT

Why is the 'collaborative source' development approach uniquely suited and required to drive innovation in the mobile-communications software stack? What are the early fruits of its impact? Out of the principles of open source and the particular market and legal constraints of the telecom world, a best-of-two-worlds approach is being forged: the collaborative source development model that is spawning overdue innovation in mobile.

Software Appliances: Delivering Open Source

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:45:00 EDT

Appliances. The very word is emblematic of stability and strength. Think of the appliances in your kitchen. Unless you're particularly unlucky, 99.9% of the time your refrigerator, stove and dishwasher just work. You don't have to give it a second thought. When we talk about software appliances, we're talking about a similar stability.

There's Power in a Common Customer View

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Last summer, a group of technical experts from various open source companies came together under the banner of the Open Solutions Alliance, rolled out an enterprise-class application, and demonstrated the power of collaboration with the launch of the Common Customer View project, an interoperability project that integrates data from diverse front-office, back-office, and planning applications.

How Open Source Is Changing Network Management

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:00:00 EST

Enterprise networks are growing increasingly complex. Over the past five years, the increased focus on unified security, network optimization, and application acceleration has resulted in an explosion of new technologies, specialty devices, and vendors. The proliferation of high-speed connectivity networks and logical overlay networks - all running over the same physical links - have made it all but impossible for network teams to maintain consistent security, access, audit and change control using manual processes and device-specific management tools.

The Cure for What Ails System Administrators

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:00:00 EST

The introduction of Linux into the data center has brought with it the promise of a new level of cost-efficiency and flexibility for enterprise data center environments. IT professionals prefer Linux for their data centers because it's highly customizable and can be adapted to address specific issues more easily than any other operating system.

Ten Open Source Solutions Your Enterprise Should Be Using

Thu, 03 May 2007 16:15:00 EDT

Linux tends to take center stage when it comes to support and other services for enterprise open source users. However, there are literally thousands of other solid open source packages available that perform a wide variety of functions. Unfortunately, there's a real lack of information about the options and considerations for selecting open source that not only meets the functional and technical requirements of specific tasks, but has the support and backing that enterprises need to manage risk. As a result, with enterprise developers lost in a sea of open source options, it can be a daunting task to make the best choice.

An Inexpensive Network Emulator for Testing Applications

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:00:00 EST

This article presents a simple and inexpensive methodology for predicting the performance of a client/server application over a wide area network. A network emulator, placed between the client and server, is used to vary key network properties, such as latency, bandwidth and packet loss. This method is not meant to replace extensive network modeling tools such as OPNET or Load Runner, however, it can provide developers with a simple way to explore the behavior of applications over a wide area network before deployment. For example, developers will be able to determine performance over a dial-up line or low-speed frame relay circuit.

Open Source Software, Standards, and Java

Sat, 21 Oct 2006 15:00:00 EDT

Sun Microsystems recently announced its intentions of finally publishing Java under an Open Source license. But what does that actually mean? We'll take a quick look at what it means to be 'Open Source,' how the Java language specification compares to other more formal language standards, and the importance of the brand and certification programs. We'll then look at what benefits Sun may get from distributing Java as Open Source and at some of the problems that will have to be addressed.

Linux Technology Leadership and the Forking Issue

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 12:30:00 EDT

Linux is the fastest-growing embedded operating environment in the world today. It's quickly becoming the single largest operating system platform for embedded computing. As a result, many technology managers must come to grips with the complexity and the dynamics of Open Source software in general and Linux evolution in particular. Particular questions and concerns arise in the areas of compatibility, the role and nature of different versions of Linux (the 'forking issue'), and the technology advancement process itself. The history of incompatible proprietary versions of Unix contributes significantly to these concerns. It's critical for the continued successful adoption of Linux that these concerns be assessed and understood. The nature of Linux as Open Source dramatically changes not just the specifics of these concerns, but relative to the history of Unix, changes even the nature of the concerns themselves.