Gawkwire: Web Hosting and Internet News Resource

Apple Bitten by Latest Rumors on Jobs's Health

2008-12-31T12:34:00-05:00

Shares of Apple fell as much as 2 percent on Tuesday after technology Web site Gizmodo reported a rumor that CEO Steve Jobs's health was declining.

A spokesman for Apple declined to comment on the rumor.

When asked about Jobs's health, the spokesman said, "If ever Steve or the board of directors decided that he was no longer capable of doing his job as CEO of Apple, I'm sure they will let you know." ... Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/apple_bitten_by_latest_rumors_on_jobs_s_health.html

OS shoot-out: Windows vs. Mac OS X vs. Linux

2008-12-26T09:37:00-05:00

The Mac's been on a roll, both due to its highly regarded Mac OS X Leopard operating system and to an unhappy reception for Microsoft's Windows Vista. The result: For the first time in memory, the Mac's market share has hit 9.1 percent, according to IDC data, and Windows' market share has dipped below 90 percent. (Linux distributions make up the rest.)

But can either Mac OS X or Linux be more than a niche OS? After all, Windows runs practically everything, from widely used productivity apps such as spreadsheets to highly niche applications such as chemical modeling. Mac OS X and Linux simply don't have the app base that Windows does. Of course, the fact you can run Windows on a Mac or Linux system, thanks to Parallels Desktop and EMC VMware Fusion, lets you have your cake and eat it too. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/os_shoot-out_windows_vs_mac_os_x_vs_linux.html

Google, Apple, Microsoft sued over file preview

2008-12-26T09:35:00-05:00

Cygnus Systems sued the three companies on Wednesday saying that they infringed on its patent with products such as Windows Vista, Internet Explorer 8 and Google Chrome, which allow users to view preview images of documents on the computer. Mac OS X, the iPhone and Safari also infringe, the company said in court filings. Apple uses this technology in its Finder and Cover Flow Mac OS X features, the filings state. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/business/google_apple_microsoft_sued_over_file_preview.html

What can you afford NOT to do on IT security?

2008-12-23T10:07:00-05:00

With the ailing economy putting a crimp in IT budgets, information security managers -- like just about everyone else in the tech world -- are feeling pressure to keep their costs in line.

Few expect to be hit with outright budget reductions, at least in the short term; regulatory requirements and the ever-expanding list of external and internal threats make it hard to devote less money to security efforts. But there is a growing push to curb or defer spending increases, according to IT managers and security analysts. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/business/what_can_you_afford_not_to_do_on_it_security.html

Google Optimizes Mobile Search for iPhone, T-Mobile G1

2008-12-23T12:00:00-05:00

Google on Thursday launched visually optimized search results for the iPhone and T-Mobile G1 Android devices. Whether users are using Google search through the search widget on the G1's home screen, the search box in the iPhone's Safari browser, or Google.com on either device, the search results are optimized for their particular device.

Users won't have to scroll back and forth or zoom in, and Google said the pages load more quickly. ... Go to source y analysts. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/google_optimizes_mobile_search_for_iphone_t-mobile_g1.html

The Five Coolest Hacks Of 2008

2008-12-21T23:17:00-05:00

Hacks are a dime a dozen. But the hacks that stand out are the innovative and imaginative ones that infiltrate and haunt our daily lives -- the ones that make you think twice before you zip through the electronic toll fast-lane on the highway, scan your fingerprint on your office building's entry system, or post your status on Facebook for fear that an attacker is lurking and able to abuse your privacy on these systems.

Sure, your iPhone might get cracked someday, and your Website could get temporarily knocked offline by a denial-of-service (DoS) attack. But what if an attacker used your own iPhone to hack you, or used a special kind of DoS attack to shut down your hardware permanently? That's the kind of ingenuity we're talkin' about. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/the_five_coolest_hacks_of_2008.html

Cutting Costs Will Drive IT Projects in 2009

2008-12-22T09:15:00-05:00

As the recession bites into budgets, enterprise IT will focus on projects with a fast payback and those that help cut costs. That will see increased emphasis on technologies like virtualization and cloud computing, which will increasingly come into the production environment.

The move into these technologies will see a shift from their currently unstructured implementations to implementations where proper IT management principles are applied, Jim Grant, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development at enterprise management systems vendor BMC told InternetNews.com. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/business/cutting_costs_will_drive_it_projects_in_2009.html

Microsoft Discusses Upcoming SaaS Plans

2008-12-10T12:00:00-05:00

Microsoft Corp will soon launch a full range of online versions of its software products, including the Office suite, and expects the weak economy to accelerate growth of the nascent Web-based software market, a senior executive said on Monday.

Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft's business division, is leading the company's entry into the "software as a service" market, which offers programs that are hosted online instead of downloaded to computer hard drives. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/business/microsoft_discusses_upcoming_saas_plans.html

Cloud computing to the max

2008-12-10T09:42:00-05:00

Cloud services claim to provide nearly everything you need without requiring you to run your own IT infrastructure. From e-mail and Web hosting to fully managed applications to vast on-demand computing resources, the cloud is shaping up to be one of the most important technology shifts in the last few years.

Sound too good to be true? Based on my experience over the last two years, I estimate that companies can easily offload 50 to 100 percent of their needs to cloud-based services with minimal business impact and near zero risk -- provided you follow the most basic best practices. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/business/cloud_computing_to_the_max.html

Wikipedia Censorship Sparks Free Speech Debate

2008-12-08T23:19:00-05:00

The Internet Watch Foundation -- a nonprofit, nongovernment-affiliated organization -- added the Wikipedia page for the Scorpions' 1976 album "Virgin Killer" onto its blacklist Friday. The IWF's concern comes over the image on the album's original cover, which shows a young girl completely nude. (A cracked glass effect obscures a direct view of her genital area.) Someone had reported the image as inappropriate through the IWF's online submission tool, the organization says, and its internal assessment found the photo to be "a potentially illegal indecent image of a child under the age of 18." ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/wikipedia_censorship_sparks_free_speech_debate.html

Does Google Have a Secret OS?

2008-12-07T23:22:00-05:00

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Net Applications caused a bit of a stir this week with a report that showed Microsoft's operating system share had dipped below 90 percent. This played very well where anti-Microsoft sentiment was strongest, not surprisingly.

Net Applications uses software sensors at 40,000 Web sites around the world to measure traffic and come up with its stats. These stats include operating system, browser, IP address, domain host, language, screen resolution, and a referring search engine, according to Vince Vizzaccaro, executive vice president of marketing and strategic alliances for Net Applications. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/does_google_have_a_secret_os.html

Gartner's Top 10 disruptive data-center technologies

2008-12-06T06:00:00-05:00

A new computing fabric to replace today's blade servers and a "pod" approach to building data centers are two of the most disruptive technologies that will affect the enterprise data center in the next few years, Gartner said at its annual data center conference Wednesday.

Data centers increasingly will be built in separate zones or pods, rather than as one monolithic structure, Gartner analyst Carl Claunch said in a presentation about the Top 10 disruptive technologies affecting the data center.
... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/gartner_s_top_10_disruptive_data-center_technologies.html

Apple yanks antivirus advice from its Web site

2008-12-05T09:33:00-05:00

Late Tuesday, Apple Inc. yanked from its Web site a controversial support document that had urged Mac users to run antivirus software. The recommendation was "old and inaccurate," a company spokesman said today.

The document, which had become the focus of considerable discussion among Mac users and security experts this week, is no longer available on Apple's support site. Instead, users who surf to its location are greeted with a generic message: "We're sorry. We can't find the article you're looking for."

"We have removed the KnowledgeBase article because it was old and inaccurate," Apple spokesman Bill Evans said in an e-mail Wednesday. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/apple_yanks_antivirus_advice_from_its_web_site.html

Yahoo Shares Rise on Reports of New Buyout Plan

2008-12-04T09:43:00-05:00

Shares in troubled web portal Yahoo rose as much as 16 percent Tuesday after a report that former AOL chief executive Jonathan Miller was trying to raise funds to buy out all or part of the company.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Miller was talking to private equity firms and sovereign wealth fund managers to raise as much as 30 billion dollars to purchase the company at between 20 dollars and 22 dollars a share.

The report followed a strongly-denied story in the Sunday Times of London that Miller was collaborating with Microsoft to fund a 20- billion-dollar purchase of the company's search business. ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/business/yahoo_shares_rise_on_reports_of_new_buyout_plan.html

True Datacenter Automation: Coming Soon?

2008-12-02T00:55:00-05:00

Companies concentrating their datacenter automation efforts on server automation are making a strategic mistake.

That's the view of Glenn O'Donnell, a senior analyst at Forrester Research. He believes what's needed is a more holistic view of datacenter automation.

"It's misguided to give server automation all your attention," he said. "You have to look at servers, the network, storage and applications together. The real magic is orchestration." ... Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/true_datacenter_automation_coming_soon.html