Latest News from Bill Roth

The Government Can See You Naked: EPIC Sues

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST

In an announcement on its web site, epic.org, the Electronic Privacy Information Center has sued the US Government over the use of "devices that capture images of individuals stripped naked." The Transportation Security Agency has confirmed that the Body Imaging devices, which are part of the Millimeter Wave Passenger Imaging Technology Pilot, are being used in at least one Virginia Court. Also, a San Francisco International Airport spokesperson confirmed, on KQED radio late last year, that the device is in use in the international terminal at the airport, as well as in at least 11 other airports nationwide.

Supreme Court Case Could Freeze Innovation

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:30:00 EST

In the High-Tech industry, the machinations of the US Supreme Court are, at best, fodder for dinner party trivia questions. There is one case on the Supreme Court docket this year that has the potential to change the way intellectual property protected in the United States, and have a major effect on the software companies who rely on the patent process. It could also have a devastating effect on innovation.

CIA Falls for Cloud Computing in a Big Way

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:45:00 EST

The most anticipated talk of the day, at the Cloud Computing Conference and Expo yesterday, was by the deputy CIO of the CIA, Jill Singer. Her talk was entitled, Enterprise Cloud Computing, the Infrastructure’s Final Revenge. She acknowledged the problem with defining Cloud Computing, and then went on to give her paragraph-length definition of “the cloud”. Her talk focused on the part of the Cloud behind the firewall.

Long Lines, No Parking: A Good Sign?

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:15:00 EST

Day One of the Cloud Computing Conference and Expo is in full swing. First off, it took me nearly 30 minutes to find parking. For some reason the top level of the parking structure of the Santa Clara Convention Center was closed off. Not sure why. Then I walked through the San Jose Hyatt. At that point, I ran into the lines. The lines for registration were 50-100 people deep. And there was no special “press” registration. I waited 42 minutes to get my badge, and so did everybody else.

Ebay's Silver Lining

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:40:22 EDT

(Full disclosure: As of this writing, I am likely to take a job with Ebay in the next few weeks).

Yesterday, Ebay posted earnings that were less than stellar at first blush. But when you dig behind the numbers, there are many reasons for optimism. First, the potential sale of Skype will generate cash for other activities. I must admin that I am a fan of skype, and would like to see them keep it, but I trust management to make the decision that they can spend the $2B in cashe they hope to generate more profitably. It is also important to note that Gross Merchandise Value is up. As an eBay seller, I am quite aware that the marketplaces business makes most of its money off a percentage of the sale price of the items on eBay. Hence, more good news.

Second, a good chunk of the reason behind the depressed earnings was the integration of Bill Me Later. This is a good thing. The BML purchase, while not intuitive, is a great move. It not only beings on a payment method with higher margins, it also has been seen to be the only payment method that actually improved conversion on ecommerce sites. It not only helps customers, but it helps EBay as well.

Ebay's Silver Lining

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:40:22 EDT

(Full disclosure: As of this writing, I am likely to take a job with Ebay in the next few weeks).

Google Analytics Set Up. Now What?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:37:24 EDT

Once you get Google Analytics set up, the next question someone usually asks is: What do I pay attention to? In my view, the following metrics are useful for a first timer. Consider this a kind of Google Analytics 101.

Visitors: Many people still focus on hits, which the number of times a particular file is pulled from a server. But it is more relevant to pay attention to the pages that people who come to your site actually see. Some people also still pay attention to page views. This is also inaccurate, 1000 page views is irrelevant if the same person loads a page 1000 times. You care how many unique people look at the page. This is the visitor metric. Google analytics give you a decent amount of visitor related data.

Bounce Rate. Bounce rate is a metric of how many visitors come to you site, look at 1 page for a short time, then go somewhere else. It is a measure of how dull and irrelevant your pages are. A high bounce rate is bad, but you will never get to a 0% bounce rate. Google analytics also gives you bound rate per page, so you can find your worst offender.

Google Analytics Set Up. Now What?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:37:00 EDT

Visitors: Many people still focus on hits, which the number of times a particular file is pulled from a server. But it is more relevant to pay attention to the pages that people who come to your site actually see. Some people also still pay attention to page views. This is also inaccurate, 1000 page views is irrelevant if the same person loads a page 1000 times. You care how many unique people look at the page. This is the visitor metric. Google analytics give you a decent amount of visitor related data. Bounce Rate. Bounce rate is a metric of how many visitors come to you site, look at 1 page for a short time, then go somewhere else. It is a measure of how dull and irrelevant your pages are. A high bounce rate is bad, but you will never get to a 0% bounce rate. Google analytics also gives you bound rate per page, so you can find your worst offender.

Patching Problems on BlackBerry Bold 9000?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EDT

BlackBerry recently pushed out another update of the OS for the BlackbBrry Bold, and it appears that wireless upgrades are still a problem. BlackBerry maker RIM has just posted another update for the phone, 4.6.0.297, that appears to be a set up patches on top of the previous upgrade.

Product Review: CTERA CloudPlug: Nifty Little Device

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:29:34 EDT

A review of the CTERA CloudPlug device, which was released October 6th, 2009.

Cloud Storage Products Offered From CTERA

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:24:11 EDT

The first of the two devices is targeted at consumers. The Cloudplug is a device that makes anu USB or eSata hard drive into Network Attached Storage. CTERA is also offering an online backup service for $199 for 10Gb of space. The second of the devices is targeted at small businesses. The C200 is a two-bay RAID-capable network storage appliance, with automatic online backup as well for $499. The storage limit for this bundle was not listed. The devices seem to be well received by the analyst community. “CTERA’s incredibly easy to use platform represents the next generation of storage. Combining a NAS appliance with cloud services makes sense, and the small, easy-to-install plug-and-play form factor is ideal for small businesses lacking dedicated IT staff,” said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group, and a former top analyst with Gartner.

Setting up an ECommerce Site for Cheap

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:14:36 EDT

Here are some thing to think about when you set up an eCommerce site cheaply, and how to consider doing it:

1. Get a shopping site provider like Shopify.com. I will send you some of their competitors tomorrow so you can compare.
2. Sign up for your gmail account.
3. Once you get a site, you will need to sign up for:
a. Google Webmaster Central (For making sure your site is crawled by Google)
b. Google Analytics (for watching your site)
c. Google AdWords (For advertising)
d. Blogger account (for the blog)
e. Twitter/Facebook accounts for fan and discount pages.
f. Set up a Yahoo Site Explorer site
g. Who will do you email marketing? (I recommend MailChimp for simplicity)
4. You will also have to consider the following:
a. What are you important keywords?
b. Who will write content for your blog?
c. How much can you spend on ads? Where and who do you want to target?

Setting up an ECommerce Site for Cheap

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:14:36 EDT

Here are some thing to think about when you set up an eCommerce site cheaply, and how to consider doing it:

Google Latitude: A location update

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:00:00 EDT

Don't get me wrong, the Mobile App I used on my Blackberry Bold is great, but the web version is really hard to use. I have to get through what seems like 2 different kinds of validation. I realise that there are security concerns around giving up your location, but I am not worrted about this. If I do not want people to know where I am, I'll turn the app off. Also, I have to click my way to getting a code snippet written for me. All of this appears in an iframe with I found hard to use on my personal Joomla site.

That notwithstanding, the mobile app is sufficiently cool to warrant my continued usage. I will post an update after I run it through some more paces. You can see an example of the Google Latitude on my home page.

Google Latitude: A location update

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:00:00 EDT

Google Latitude: A location update

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:18:00 EDT

I recently wrote about the notion of Location as the new element of identity. I have since started playing with Google Latitude. It is a more formal version of the MoosTrax app I wrote about, but it is also harder to use.Don't get me wrong, the Mobile App I used on my Blackberry Bold is great, but the web version is really hard to use. I have to get through what seems like 2 different kinds of

The New Dimension of Identity

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:30:00 EDT

For people who travel a lot, or people whose business is not fixed in one location, the question "Where are you?" can take on added significance. There are a spate of new tools and web sites that can help the mobile professional answer this question. In fact, location becomes a new dimension to being online. Being on line is no longer a binary yes or no. It is now a yes or no, and a where.

Location: The new dimension of identity

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:58:00 EDT

Instant messaging gives us the ability to rapidly communicate to (and annoy) your friends and co-workers, but it also lets people know if you are on-line, or your “presence”. Who you are and whether or not you are on-line important elements of your identity. But, since we life in the physical world, our location is important as well. For people who travel a lot, or people whose business is notBill Roth's GSI Commerce Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16221925589628736421rothw@gsicommerce.com0

Location: A New Dimension of Identity

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 EDT

Many new smartphones include a GPS chip. The Blackberry Bold, for instance, ships with several applications to make use of the chip, and it is easy to download Google Maps as an additional application. While the GPS can take some time to warm up initially and acquire satellite signals, once it has a good fix, it usually keeps it. There are a number of useful (and less useful) sites that can help you find your way around. The ability to provide maps with driving directions is long established. There are also sites that will help generate real-time maps of your current position.

One of the most useful is oddly-named MoosTrax. A small application installs on the Blackberry. It is a bit unusual, as it installs as a new set of preferences, and not as an application. The application can be then set up automatically login, and update your preferences. Preferences include the update period, and the minimum resolution needed for a report. This is useful in allowing for only those updates when your GPS has acquired the level of accuracy the user desires. It also helps to save on data charges for un-necessary updates.

Several years ago, WarDriving was all the rage in the hacker community. This is the practice of attaching a GPS receiver to a laptop with a wireless card and driving around a neighborhood mapping Wi-Fi hotspots. While the bloom is off that particular rose, there is a new site, which does the cell-tower equivalent, OpenCellID. It also has a small application that loads onto the blackberry (or Nokia S60, or Windows Mobile phones) which allows the user to see information on their location, the location of the nearest cell tower and information about that tower.

This works only with GSM cell networks. All GSM towers have a unique ID attached to them as well as a carrier code, and country code. The application finds the Cell ID of the cell tower your phone is attached to, and looks up where it thinks it should be, if it exists in the database. If the application does not find it in the database and it has a decent GPS location, it will add a rough location for this tower, If it does find it in the database and the location is of a sufficient resolution, it will tell the user how far they are from their cell tower. On the face of it this is useless application. Why do we need to know where our cell towers. The simple answer is most likely: Because we can. There is a worry that someone is creating a geo-location database that could help to knock out our cell networks with cruise missiles, but this could be because the author watches too much 24.

The state of GPS receivers has improved quite a bit over the last few years. For example, TomTom’s GPS products, like the new GO 740 , are essentially full computers with a Linux operating system, and now sport on-board GPRS wireless data connections for map and traffic updates. This is a marked improvement to the the existing models, like the TomTom GO 630, which has to use a kludgey Bluetooth data connection to get data at drive time.

There are a number of tracking items available for the TomTom, There is a good block on how to turn a TomTom into a tracking device here. TomTom also has their own version of tracking other TomTom users, which you can read about here.

People have been marketing Location-based Services for a while, but until now they have not taken off, for a number of reason. Expensive hardware, incomplete data, and the difficulty into integrating various geographic data systems. Now that impressive, low-cost hardware is coming standard, substantial geo-data available for mash-up on the internet, location-based services are becoming a reality.

Imagine a world where you will be offered deals for things on your “wish list” when you are in vicinity of a retail store that has what you want in stock. Imagine being able to find the nearest location with the best deal on something you want after taking a picture of a UPC or QR code with your phone’s camera. For mobile professionals, having a device that will recommend a good cup of coffee in the morning, because you are travelling and its morning. Or let your family know where you are when you are away from home for an extended time. Or to simply let someone know where you are, especially when you do not have a clue yourself.

Its clear that a modicum of privacy is needed. You many not want everyone to know where you are. In fact, you many not want anyone to know where you are. So far, all the location based services reviewed in this article can be turned off.

It its clear that “location” is an important part of identity, and will play an important role in the kind of applications we see in the future. However, the digital notion of location is like superman’s powers: You can use it for good or evil. The onus is on the device manufacturer and software developers to use this power appropriately, and for we the consumers to take them to task when they don’t.

Location: A New Dimension of Identity

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:00:00 EDT

My Review of Acer Aspire One AOA150-1165 10.1 Netbook (Sapphire Blue)

Fri, 29 May 2009 14:12:00 EDT

Radio ShackAcer redefines mobile connectivity with the Aspire One 10.1" netbook.Acer Aspire One AOA150-1165 10.1" Netbook (Sapphire Blue)Love the AOD150 BillRoth San Jose, CA 5/29/2009 4 5Pros: Adequate Storage, Good Battery Life, Compact, LightweightCons: Small KeyboardBest Uses: Word Processing, Video Viewing, Blogging, Web BrowsingDescribe Yourself: Quality OrientedI have had my Acer Bill Roth's GSI Commerce Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16221925589628736421rothw@gsicommerce.com0

The Acer Aspire One AOA150-1165 10.1 Netbook (Sapphire Blue)

Fri, 29 May 2009 04:00:00 EDT

Radio Shack

Acer redefines mobile connectivity with the Aspire One 10.1" netbook.

Acer Aspire One AOA150-1165 10.1" Netbook (Sapphire Blue)

Love the AOD150

BillRoth San Jose, CA 5/29/2009

http://images.powerreviews.com/images_merchants/stars/10240_stars_small.gif); background-position: 0px -144px;">

Pros: Adequate Storage, Good Battery Life, Compact, Lightweight

Cons: Small Keyboard

Best Uses: Word Processing, Video Viewing, Blogging, Web Browsing

Describe Yourself: Quality Oriented

I have had my Acer AspireOne AO150 netbook for about a month, and I have to tell you…I love it. I bought it from Radio Shack in King of Prussia, PA, after doing research on RadioShack.com. I have to admit that this was the first technology purchase I have made that was fashion-based. I admit, with some trepidation, that I asked for a blue one. (They had pink ones in stock, and my fragile middle-aged guy ego would not allow that.)

For most things that I use my personal laptop for, it works great. It's surprisingly light, and more importantly, solid. My fear was that it was like the Sony VAIOs, which I have found rather chintzy. It comes with Windows XP, and I was easily able to add Ubuntu 8.10. Ubuntu works flawlessly, but I have a suspicion that it does not do as good a job managing the power as Windows does. But I could be wrong. The on-board wireless works without issue.

The greatest thing is that the battery lasts forever. The stock model has 1GB of memory, and the battery lasts nearly 8 hours. I end up traveling cross country frequently and even when I have to changes planes in Chicago, Phoenix or Dallas, I never need a charge.

To be clear, this laptop is not for everyone. I would not write code on it, nor would I use Photoshop or GIMP. I mainly use it for blogging and reading email. Browsing can be a bit chunky, and there are pauses from time to time. But this is to be expected, since it is only sporting an Intel Atom processor. I also use it as my principle iTunes machine. The 160GB drive is more than enough for my needs, with roughly 1600 songs, and a bajillion podcasts. I would have paid for an SRAM drive, but 32GB seems perilously small. 80 GB would be perfect.

I also watch a lot of movies. Most of my movies come from iTunes, but I also watch Hulu,.com as well. Here you have to be careful. Where possible you need to configure things that deal with streaming media to have as large a buffer as possible. Also, if you have a lot of applications running the video will be delayed and jumpy. Interestingly the audio always seems to be real-time. I wonder why. But, if you makes sure to shut down all extraneous apps, and if you know how, use the Task Manager to kill any processes you don't need. I turn off Google Desktop, but that could be a suspicion on my part.

The one issue that drives me crazy is the keyboard. I knew this going in, so my expectations were set appropriately. I think this is compounded by my atrocious typing. I never took Sister Judine's typing class, a decision I regret every day. (That said, I believe I am the best 6 fingered typist in San Jose). In the interest of fairness, I must say that after working on 2 1000-word blog posts (not including this one) in Microsoft Live Writer, I have to say I am getting used to it. Once you learn the keyboard shortcuts, you can become relatively proficient.

All in all, it was a great purchase and one I would recommend if you are looking for a netbook.

()

The Acer Aspire One AOA150-1165 10.1 Netbook (Sapphire Blue)

Fri, 29 May 2009 04:00:00 EDT

Radio Shack

Acer redefines mobile connectivity with the Aspire One 10.1" netbook.

Acer Aspire One AOA150-1165 10.1" Netbook (Sapphire Blue)

Love the AOD150

BillRoth San Jose, CA 5/29/2009

http://images.powerreviews.com/images_merchants/stars/10240_stars_small.gif); background-position: 0px -144px;">

Pros: Adequate Storage, Good Battery Life, Compact, Lightweight

Cons: Small Keyboard

Best Uses: Word Processing, Video Viewing, Blogging, Web Browsing

Describe Yourself: Quality Oriented

()

TomTom GO 630 Great!

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:14:00 EDT

Radio ShackAlways find your way with the GO 630 by your side.TomTom® GO 630 GPS ReceiverTomTom GO 630 Great! BillRoth King Of Prussia, PA 4/2/2009 4 5Pros: Compact, Large Screen, Easy To Set Up, Reliable Performance, Easy To Read, Easy Menus, Acquires Satellites QuicklyCons: Short Battery LifeBest Uses: Urban Navigation, Faster RoutesDescribe Yourself: Power UserHow are you with directions: Bad Bill Roth's GSI Commerce Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16221925589628736421rothw@gsicommerce.com0

Review of TomTom® GO 630 GPS Receiver

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:00:00 EDT

Radio Shack

Always find your way with the GO 630 by your side.

TomTom® GO 630 GPS Receiver

TomTom GO 630 Great!

BillRoth King Of Prussia, PA 4/2/2009

Pros: Compact, Large Screen, Easy To Set Up, Reliable Performance, Easy To Read, Easy Menus, Acquires Satellites Quickly

Cons: Short Battery Life

Best Uses: Urban Navigation, Faster Routes

Describe Yourself: Power User

How are you with directions: Bad w/Directions

I recently moved from San Jose, California, to a suburb of Philadelphia. As a result, I do not know where to find anything, and I get lost a lot. I had been using Google Maps on my phone, but holding the phone and driving caused too many near accidents.

So I bought a in-car GPS Navigator from RadioShack.com. I got a TomTom GO 630. I picked that one, since it has all the features I was looking for (and some I did not know I wanted) and it had good reviews.

The shipping experience was great, and it showed up in 2 days. They had a clearly defined return policy, which I am happy to say I did not have to use.

Now, I will admit to being a nerd, but I was attracted to the TomTom because of a couple of things. First of all, its a Linux device. It has its own version of Linux, which just amazes me. Second, it had a bunch of internet update features.

I should have tried one out first to see if the navigation was ok, but I got lucky. The GPS I have our family Hondy Odyssey is terrible. It makes mistakes, has roads that do not exist, etc. The TomTom maps are great, and what's more, you can edit them and share your edits with your friends and with TomTom.

Next is the voices.You can download a host of free voices, and you can actually record a voice as well. I downloaded the free Irish voices, and I recorded my own. I find it somehow comforting that I am giving myself directions. Raises my self confidence a bit. Its like multi-tasking without the work.

One feature I did not expect to like was the BlueTooth connectivity. It connected to my Blackberry Bold (with a small amount of effort, as the bold is not officially supported) and worked. The speakerphone is very good.

It also works with my phones data service so it can connect to deliver me weather info. You do have to signup for services, like live traffic and updated fuel prices.

It has a bunch of safety features which are good for a guy like me who will frequently get into trouble. These include turing the monitor off between directions, and making some of the buttons

It can also be a music player, and can control an iPod. I have not tried this yet, but my 13 year old daughter thinks its cool.

In some ways this is bad for the environment, because I find myself driving all over the Delaware Valley just to see how the GPS works. For instance, I looked up a pub in Horsham, PA, and drove there from King of Prussia. It got me right there. Only one problem: It was closed for remodelling, and the web site did not reflect this. Apparently they were making the pub into a Brazilian BBQ. A good idea, but I was just not in the mood. That said, it got me there with no problem, and even asked me if I wanted to avoid the toll-roads.

All in all, this is a great device.

Postscript: My wife recently bought a refurbed GO 720 from the Shack, and it also worked like a charm, though appeared to be somewhat faster.

()

Review of TomTom® GO 630 GPS Receiver

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:00:00 EDT

Radio Shack

Always find your way with the GO 630 by your side.

TomTom® GO 630 GPS Receiver

TomTom GO 630 Great!

BillRoth King Of Prussia, PA 4/2/2009

Pros: Compact, Large Screen, Easy To Set Up, Reliable Performance, Easy To Read, Easy Menus, Acquires Satellites Quickly

Cons: Short Battery Life

Best Uses: Urban Navigation, Faster Routes

Describe Yourself: Power User

How are you with directions: Bad w/Directions

()

We Are on the Cusp of Fundamental Change, with iPods and Web 2.0:Chuang

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:45:00 EDT

Alfred Chuang started out by talking about his core believe that we are on the cusp of fundamental change, with the advent of iPods, Web 2.0, and social networks. He started with a discussion of Mashups, and talked about how most of them are consumer facing. He then said 'The era of innovation in packaged applications is over.' He then called out the key needs he has seen recently from customers.

The Most Annoying Aspect of Web 2.0

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:15:00 EDT

One of the more annoying aspects of Web 2.0, etc., is the injection of neologisms, protologisms, or just plan made up words. In fact, I do not think that I have heard a talk from my friends Jay Simons or David Meyer in the last year that has not included a protologism. (I like the word protologism better, since it indicates something not quite finished, completed, or even valid). This include words like 'folksonomy'.

Semantic Web The Next Big Thing?

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:30:00 EDT

Now for the obvious question. Why is all this abstruse research relevant to business? To answer that, you have to go back to first principles. What is enterprise software all about? Automation. Taking people out of the loop. Improving cycle time. Improving responsiveness. So what good is semantics? Consider a workflow in a business. There are a series of steps in the workflow in which some of the steps are done by computers, and some of them are one by people. Most often, the ones done by people, are because some inference or decision has to be made on the incoming document or data. If we begin to augment the information on the web, more of the decisions, and more of the inference-ing, can be done by computers. This will lead to faster overall completion of workflow, by removing the off-line human element, where possible. This results in saving money and greater productivity, and this is why 'semantics' is important to business.

Shameless Online Marketing: BEA Workshop Studio for $99!

Mon, 21 May 2007 18:30:00 EDT

TheServerSide and BEA have come together to offer TSS readers BEA Workshop Studio 3.3, normally $899 USD, for $99 USD until May 31, 2007. This is part of what will become integrated with Workshop for WebLogic 10 (announced yesterday on TSS), and contains many of the same features. The upgrade to 10.1 Studio is included for this price, so if you purchase 3.3 now, you'll be able to upgrade.

JavaOne - Day One Keynotes

Wed, 09 May 2007 21:15:00 EDT

JavaOne never ceases to amaze me. Year after year, I expect the show to be a flop. This year is no exception. I am wrong again this year. In my cab ride from my hotel in the Theatre District, I can see hundreds of attendees (obviously developers) trekking their way through the Tenderloin, across Market and Mission to Moscone. With their wheeled-backpacks in tow, the mirthless programmers, mostly male, trudge toward the 12th JavaOne.

JavaOne 2007 Predictions

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:30:00 EDT

Last year, I took a stab at predictions as to what Sun would announce at the 11th annual JavaOne. This year, for JavaOne 2007, I'll take a stab at what Sun and some of the other major vendors will announce. It will be fairly easy to predict the major themes from the vendors. Most of them will be spouting 'Web 2.0' and talking about development and production assistance for mashups, etc. In addition to new tools, some chatter about PHP, and a talk by Gary Horen, we're flexible enough such that I am sure we'll have some last minute excitement.

BEA Systems' AJAX Survey

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 18:15:00 EST

We need your help. My team is trying to understand the demand for AJAX, in all its forms. Could you take a few minutes and answer a short survey? We're also offering an incentive. By taking the survey, you will have a chance to receive a $100 Amazon gift certificate. (BEA employees are not eligible).

Ubuntu Server 6.10 and WebLogic Workshop 9.2

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:30:00 EST

In this post, I will be recounting my experience with Ubuntu server 6.10, WebLogic Workshop 9.2, and REST. Note: This in no way implies support of any kind from me or BEA. This is just the personal experiences of someone who can not keep his hands off the keyboard. This also gave me an opportunity to code up some REST samples, since many customer I come in contact with ask about it.

BEA World 2006: Beijing Day One

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 11:15:00 EST

Day one of BEA World started out with the usual fanfare at a packed hall, and our Liquid Thinking video in Chinese. The master of ceremonies was Sichen Yu, one of the key technical people in China. Marcus Tsoi, the General Manager of our China business then kicked the day off by welcoming and thinking out sponsors. He then introduced Steve Au Yeung, who runs the entire APAC region for us. Steve talked about the growth in several countries in APAC, not just China, including India and others

Java 6 Shows Up

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:15:00 EST

Java 6 is has been announced on Monday. While not really a blockbuster release, it has some useful features. First, XML processing, via JAXP and JAXB are now standard. I believe that Sun is also removing some APIs for the first time. In addition, the inclusion of JSR 269 standardizes the annotation processing API, which is a validation of the metadata-driven application development model that BEA introduced to the world in 7.0. The toolable, declarative programming models for EJB, Web Services, and Pageflows, introduced by BEA, morphed into JSR 175 format in Java 1.5 SE, was quickly adopted by EE level JSRs like 181 and 220. Now the processing API for compilation has been standardized in Java 6.

Oracle OpenWorld: Sound and Fury, Signifying Almost Nothing

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 12:30:00 EST

A week ago, I attempted some predictions on what Oracle would announce at OOW. I would like to review how I did. But first a few general comments. First off, what a boring conference! Not a log of news, except for Linux, and everyone including me knew it was coming. Also, from what I have heard, there was not alog of excitement in the air for the show. Too bad for Larry. Now onto a scorecard of how I did with my predictions.

Oracle Will Make Its "Unbreakable Linux" Announcement Tomorrow in Ellison's Keynote

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 15:30:00 EDT

Latest update I have is that Oracle will make its Linux announcement on Wednesday in Larry's Keynote. He'll call it 'Unbreakable Linux'. Now how they will position it as non-competitive when it takes revenue away from RH remains to be seen.

What Oracle Will Announce This Week: Predictions

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 07:45:00 EDT

Oracle OpenWorld is this week, so expect an avalanche of announcements by the company about their various efforts. OK, so the title is misleading. I admit I do not *actually* know what Oracle is going to announce, but it is not hard to figure out what's coming. Here's my top 10 list of likely Oracle announcements.

BEA Exec Re-states BEA's Position on Open Source

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:45:00 EDT

It is the day before BEA World Prague, and it seems like a good time to revisit what BEA's position on open source is. As I travel across the globe, I have been describing our position to developers, and they instinctively understand it. I wanted to write it down, in order to be able to refer to it.

BEA on AJAX

Tue, 19 Sep 2006 18:15:00 EDT

BEA has a broad ranging AJAX strategy. It extends across our tooling, server and portal product lines. In general, BEA views AJAX as a nascent technology, but are keen to deliver users the ability to build and use applications with AJAX attributes.

Ubuntu and BEA Workshop Studio

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:30:00 EDT

I work in Building 2 on the 4th floor of BEA's Corporate offices. I had moved into a new office, when I noticed a box of CDs on the filing cabinet near my office...

JavaOne 2006: Day Two - Oracle Keynote

Wed, 17 May 2006 13:45:00 EDT

It's Day Two of JavaOne and I am covering the Oracle Keynote to see how they spin their Fusion vision today. Preparations for our Keynote are going well and we're getting good visibility . The keynote started out with an obilgatory corporate video, with the tag line 'Start in the Middle'. John Gage came up and did his usual MC routine, pointing out that there are 56 hours left, and his usual poll of the audience. He expressed fascination with an afternoon session with concurrency and double-ended queues. Gage then exhorted folks to go see the the slot-care racing demo, which is an example of real-time Java, i.e. deterministic Java.

JavaOne 2006: JavaOne Sun Keynote Day 1

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:30:00 EDT

John Gage did his usual MC, routine. Then Jonathan Schwartz came on stage, and started off by somewhat inexplicably offered a download of hardware, the new Niagra boxes. He then brought Ed Zander on stage, who was in town for the Gartner symposium. Ed was the former COO of Sun, and current CEO of Motorola.

JavaOne: A Look Back, and Predictions For This Year

Mon, 01 May 2006 14:15:00 EDT

Back in the day, the real decision on what to announce during JavaOne didn't really happen until the week before the show. (They could use it as a forum to announce their new CEO, but I will stay away from that one.) However, if I had to bet on what Sun will announce, I would put my money on them trying copy the work we are doing (again) - this time on Blended.

Bill Roth's Blog on Oracle JBoss Acquisition: "BEA Workshop for JBoss"

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 23:30:00 EST

It is rumored on a couple of news sites that Oracle is buying JBoss. If this is true, it is an exciting opportunity for BEA. Oracle would, IMHO, kill JBoss, whether through malice or benign neglect. Not many people realize that with the acquisition of M7, BEA now has a development tool product which can deploy applications to many other open source application servers like JBoss and true open source, open community containers like Apache Tomcat. This presents those developers that have to work in this blended environment that mixes open source and commercial technologies with a migration path from JBoss to any of the other platforms BEA Workshop supports, like WebLogic Server, WebSphere, Tomcat, or Resin.

Service-Oriented Architecture Best Practices

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST

The concept of a service-oriented architecture is a powerful tool for simplifying enterprise integration. Following the three principles of modularity, encapsulation and loose coupling will achieve some amount of improvement for an individual service. It is insufficient to have a loose set of principles to guide enterprise architecture designs.

Slashdot Enters the Political Arena

Sat, 09 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

'With the advent of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Induce act, the technical community can no longer be uninvolved,' says Jeff 'Hemos' Bates, vice president of editorial operations and executive editor of Slashdot.org. 'Part of the reasons that the DMCA was passed is that people were not involved,' Bates added. The solution: Slashdot.org now has a political site, http://politics.slashdot.org, taglined 'Politics for Nerds. Your Vote Matters.'

Linux and Public Safety

Tue, 31 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

On June 30, IBM and two U.S. senators announced the initial deployment of a system to link local Mississippi law enforcement agencies to a single database of public safety information. The federally funded project will deliver public safety information across Mississippi to the desktop and a range of mobile devices.

LinuxWorld, San Francisco: "We View Cloudscape As Important As Eclipse," Says IBM

Fri, 06 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

IBM and the Apache Foundation announced that IBM is contributing the Cloudscape product it acquired from Informix to the Apache open source program. The project name for the effort will be 'Derby.' The contribution amounts to more than 500,000 lines of Java code. In related news IBM also clarified its Linux distribution strategy.