Sun Workstation: Still Crazy After All These Years

Sun introduces first Intel workstation in two decades | The Register

**In the ’80s Sun briefly marketed an Intel 80386-based machine, the Sun386i, designed to run SunOS and support DOS applications. But hey, we probably all did crazy stuff back then.

The new workstation is called the Sun Ultra 24.  But 20 years ago the 386i also had a cool code name: The Roadrunner.  Oh, that fast 386 processor, the promise of running IRAF side-by-side with Word, it was what every big-money scientist had to have.  I was the sysadmin: 90% of my time went to supporting 10% of the workstations.  Crazy indeed.

No more Boot Camp for El Tigre

Apple stops Boot Camp downloads

While licenses will expire when Leopard launches, Apple has confirmed that Windows partitions created with Boot Camp will continue to work. However, the Boot Camp Assistant, software that sets up and manages Windows partitions, will not. Apple also has said that it will stop delivering driver updates to beta users.

How Encyclopedias Work

A fascinating description of how encyclopedic knowledge is accumulated.  Its just that Web 2.0 and Wikipedia reveal the process in real time.

The Wikipedia War Over Dumbledore’s Sexuality

Some people apparently ran right to their computers and edited Dumbledore’s entry. This was considered obvious vandalism by some who hadn’t heard the news, so they reverted the page. So for a while, it was a war between the informed and the uninformed, with edits and reverts flying.

Looking forward to Java 6

Ajaxian » Sun has rewritten the browser Java plugin

Sun is announcing that they have ground up rewritten the Java plugin in the browser. The features of the rewrite are:

• Improved scripting support (java/javascript integration is better)
• Improved reliability
• Supports more powerful applets (applets can ask for more memory)
• Better windows vista support (signed applets)
• Enterprise features (run one applet in a particular JRE version)

Where’s MY White Wire?

What would happen if you plugged in both wires? 

The Long Tail: The Black Wire and the White Wire

Hence my two cables–in a sense, my computing ego and id. Scratch most companies and their employees and you’ll find the same. So why not build IT infrastructure that reflects the reality that one size doesn’t fit all? To encourage experimentation at the edge while protecting operations in the core, two networks work better than one.

Google’s Bluffing

Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free? 

A fair point.  If Google can get Verizon to buy the 700MHz band, and still have open access to it…..

But what if Verizon pulls strings and seals up the 700MHz spectrum, leaving Google without a mobile Ace up its sleeve?
Don’t they have to bid?

Apparently not.  According to GaGaGoogle … there is always Sprint and WiMax….

Is this a cunning plan B…or was it plan A all along?

On Google’s Mobile Strategy

We believe Google has no intention of bidding on the spectrum, owning the spectrum, or running a wireless network. It’s not their core business. Google is sitting at the spectrum card table, holding their cards tight, and bluffing— with a straight face. They are trying to loosen the hold wireless carriers have on us, the end users.

Intrade: Another Good Prediction Market Site

Well organized and good graphics.  Intrade is very interesting, but I have trouble embedding their charts into my site.

Big Social Networks Converge

Everyone headed to more complex social graphs, opening up API’s and dipping into advertising.

Google To “Out Open” Facebook On November 5

On November 5 we’ll likely see third party iGoogle gadgets that leverage Orkut’s social graph information - the most basic implementation of what Google is planning. From there we may see a lot more - such as the ability to pull Orkut data outside of Google and into third party applications via the APIs. And Google is also considering allowing third parties to join the party at the other end of the platform - meaning other social networks

Facebook Has LinkedIn In Their Crosshairs

And now Facebook is quietly making changes to their data structure to allow for the concept of “networking.” Currently on Facebook, users can say they are looking for friendship, dating, a relationship, random play or “whatever I can get.” But networking was recently added as a desired relationship type to the API (note that it is not yet an option on Facebook itself yet).

Counterstrike: Murdoch, DeWolfe Announce MySpace Platform and New Privacy Controls

Like Facebook, MySpace will soon allow the notion of different types of friends (family, friends, business contacts, etc). When accepting someone as a friend, you can also set the friend type. When that person visits your MySpace profile, the information they see will be based on the type of friend you are - resume type stuff for business contacts, drunken frat party antics for your college friends, etc.

Why EDGE is competitive

Blackfriars’ Marketing: Why EDGE versus 3G matters less than you think

“Does 3G really improve the user experience dramatically?” Most pundits would reply, “Well, of course Internet experiences improve with higher bandwidth. That’s why the world went broadband.” And if the pundit is having a bad day, they’ll add “Duh.”

Funny thing though. They’re wrong.

How to be a great CIO

So this article showed up in email (go figure) and it was so good I had to post it.

I think the article misses out on not giving more consideration to outsourcing as a real way to improve IT while reducing costs.  Its not the ideal solution, but can be a very effective way to end a dysfunctional system and is worthy of more in depth thought.

Nevertheless, every CIO should read this, if they expect to survive.

Kill the CIO! | The Register

Their savvy CIOs are fully fledged members of the management team, able to couch technology expenditure in real business terms, and are not afraid to quantify risk, manage and mitigate it. In short, they lead.