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The article reports on the evolution of x86 microprocessor which was introduced by Intel Corp. The x86 family has progressed from desktop personal computers to servers, portable computers and supercomputers. The term x86 refers to the set of machine language instructions that certain microprocessors from Intel and a few other companies can execute. X86 processors beginning with the 8086 and including the 80186, 80286, 80386, 80486 and various Pentium models right down to today's multicore chips and processors for mobile applications have incorporated a growing x86 instruction set.

The article reports on the negative reactions of corporate customers to U.S.-based Microsoft Corp.'s license checks. In 2005, the company visited about 1,200 corporate users it suspects may be not licensed properly. Microsoft is also trying to persuade corporate customers to participate in its Software Assessment Management program which it claims is not a license compliance audit. Under the program, Microsoft pays for its consulting partners to educate customers on the merit of asset management, help inventory installed software and make recommendations on policies and procedures.

This article presents news briefs related to the computer industry. Munich, Germany-based electronics giant Siemens AG has reached an agreement to acquire Myrio Corp., a Bothell, Washington-based developer of software for emerging IP television services that use the Internet to deliver video. Microsoft Corp. will issue eight security alerts with patches for Windows, Office, MSN Messenger and Exchange. Five of the security bulletins apply to Windows, and at least one of those is deemed critical. VMware Inc. will release its Workstation 5 desktop virtualization software, which will run on Windows and Linux host operating systems.

Presents news briefs on the computer industry in the United States as of February 26, 2001. Accidents that happened during the upgrade of the Web site of Columbia House Co.; Cut in the earnings targets made by Sun Microsystems Inc.; Increase in revenue of BEA Systems Inc.

The article provides information on how "Computerworld" identified the top 12 green information technology (IT) companies in the U.S. According to the article, green IT companies are those that are implementing smart, efficient strategies to achieve green IT. The measures taken by the publication include developing a set of criteria to identify the companies with the help of green-IT experts and creating a checklist-style survey and weighing scheme based on the input provided by the experts. It further notes that only those companies that filed verification letters were considered.

The article reports on developments in the touch interface technology in the computer industry. According to computer science Professor Robert Jacob, touch technology is one aspect in computer research that is gaining a lot of attention, particularly in the development of a reality-based interaction. Moreover, Microsoft Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories have partnered in developing LucidTouch, a mobile device that recognizes commands form the user's fingers. Further, one aspect in computer touch technology that the industry is trying to address is the problem on what is being referred to as fat fingers, particularly on small devices.

The article offers information on the best places to work in information technology (IT) in the U.S. The first mentioned is at Cummins Inc., that outsourced many of its lower level and more IT jobs which include programming, help desk and computer operations. Another at General Mills Inc., wherein the firm develop marketing information system for activities like the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. State Farm Insurance Cos. also qualified for the best places to work in IT, in which the company has huge quantity of data that maintains on IBM z/OS mainframes.

The article reflects on the status of information technology industry in the United States. It mentions the challenges facing U.S. business sector such as the ongoing threat of terrorism, high energy and health care costs and the fear of accelerated global warming. It comments on the effects of these problems to IT business and organizations.

The article presents project management challenges that information technology (IT) will face in 2006. It also provides tips for surviving these challenges. Due to offshoring arrangements or business expansion, project managers need to prepare their staff for overseas collaboration and a greater understanding of cultural differences. In addition, with many requests for projects, IT will increasingly turn to vendors, outsourcers, and managed service providers to offload some of the burden so they can focus on core competencies. This scenario requires a single point of responsibility within the organization to sponsor and manage the project.

This article focuses on the adoption of supercomputing in the corporate information technology mainstream in the U.S. Efforts are under way to broaden the corporate base of supercomputing users. For example, the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) in Columbus, Ohio has launched a program called Blue Collar Computing that is designed to provide businesses that lack high-performance computing expertise with tools for testing the technology. OSC envisions wide-scale use of high-performance systems by companies looking to run complex simulations and visualizations of products during the design and testing process.

Examines three assumptions in information technology (IT) organizations that need to be corrected. Belief that installing a chargeback system for the true cost of IT is either too complicated or too fraught with political peril to be undertaken; Notion that end users want to remain ignorant about technology; Opinion that IT professionals do not need to aggressively manage their IT career.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry. Plan of Unisys Corp. to eliminate 3,600 jobs; Financial forecast for SAP AG; Promotion on the use of Linux operating system on cellular phones by Motorola Inc. and PalmSource Inc.

This article presents Hewlett-Packard Co.'s (HP) technology direction as outlined by its chief executive officer, Mark Hurd. According to Hurd, no major product lines will be spun off, and for corporate users, HP will focus on its core offering of servers, storage, and management tools. Hurd's message was one of stability. He said that HP will remain committed to the Itanium processor and to the company's adaptive enterprise framework. But he also said that HP has to make sure that they can show up with products that are deliverable against this framework.

This article examines the purpose of information technology research and development (R&D). Late in the 1990's, the typical R&D mission was to move ahead to the next technology no matter what. Research often went almost directly from experimentation into production without proper testing, without any justification of the value of the technology to business, without plans for properly engineering it into the environment, and without a design for deployment. However, this scenario has changed. The focus has shifted from research's sake to meeting business needs. INSET: People, Roles and Expectations.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry. Release of a service pack to Microsoft Corp.'s Navision software; Financial performance of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. for the third quarter of 2005; Purchase of the privately held company, ConnecTerra Inc. by BEA Systems Inc.

The article provides ways of identifying information technology project sponsors, who are spellbound by their risky mindsets toward the project. The sponsor's role is vital. He is expected to approve milestones, supply funding, and run interference for the project. Either an ally or a foe is better than someone who lacks interest in the project entirely. If the sponsor is against the project, help him identify the reasons why a project should be dropped instead of fighting a losing battle. If the sponsor is not involved, however, the risk of not fulfilling the project objectives is higher.

The article provides seven steps that could help information technology professionals efficiently build a solid business case. These steps refer to the following: 1) understanding the business goal; 2) inclusion of project costs, ongoing maintenance expenses, and estimated returns on investments; 3) presentation of various scenarios; 4) consideration of culture; 5) consideration of nonfinancial benefits in business cases; 6) inclusion of collateral costs; and, 7) consultation with business partners.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry. Launch of features that Rally Software Development Corp. plans to add to its Rally Release 5.5; Availability of a new version of Infravio Inc.'s flagship product for managing and governing the core components of a service-oriented architecture; Plan of Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. to sell laptops with embedded radios.

The author of this article highlights the need for information technology (IT) professionals to think much harder and much deeper about what IT people actually do for a living. They need to be a lot more reflective about their career identities. Leaders need to be much more proactive and articulate in describing the evolving IT workscape, that is, IT work, workers and work processes. This lack of clarity is not a problem of poor communication skills. It is a problem of trying to use old words and frameworks to describe a totally new world.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry. Review of informal complaints against Microsoft Corp. (MC) over its business practices; Acquisition of Nimcat Networks Inc. by Avaya Inc.; Purchase of Alacris Inc. by MC.

This article identifies factors that contribute to the failure of an information technology outsourcing deal. The organizational shortcoming, not knowing enough before negotiating a deal, should be the first place to lay blame. The company bought the wrong package of services, and the answer at this point is to get busy negotiating changes to the agreement. Another area to lay blame refers to broken processes. For instance, the company still owns development and architecture, but infrastructure and networks have been outsourced. For the users, the change implementation process is a single entity. For the company, it is two.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry. Schedule of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Technology Forum 2005; Lawsuit filed by Eatoni Ergonomics Inc. against Research In Motion Ltd. over the design of the BlackBerry 7100 keyboard; Ability of a former Microsoft Corp. executive to help his new firm, Google Inc., to set up a research and development facility in China.

This article provides tips for information technology leaders and consultants to help them manage situations wherein employees want something, like compensation, benefits, technology, and security, that employers cannot give. It is suggested to articulate how leaders will provide a culture and environment that the employee would not find in many other companies. Furthermore, there is a need to stress the career opportunities being offered. There should be discussions on the projects employees get to work on, the people they work with, and the opportunities available to them.

This article defines and describes high-maintenance employees in the information technology sector, and examines approaches on how to deal with them. High-maintenance employees are those who feel that their knowledge is exclusive or who have eccentricities that lead to bad behavior that they think they can get away with because of their technical ability. Letting an employee get away with negative behavior leads to high maintenance, so an aggressive approach is recommended such as changing an employee's role, starting disciplinary action early, or even providing time off so the employee can address the problem. INSET: KEEP BABY; TOSS BATHWATER.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry. Issuance of a patch for a vulnerability in Symantec Corp.'s corporate antivirus software; Acquisition of the dedicated server assets of Interland Inc. by Peer 1 Network Enterprises Inc.; Upgrade of Microsoft Corp.'s line of keyboards and mice.

This article examines the worth of information technology (IT) certifications. Some organizations seek to employ workers with certifications such as A plus and Microsoft Certified Professional. They think that certification is an indicator of professionalism and dedication to the industry. However, certifications seem to have lost some of their allure. A study by Foote Partners LLC shows that for the 12-month period that ended April 1, 2005, noncertified workers received a larger average pay increase than those with certifications. Some say the study shows a shift in the value IT executives place on certifications. INSET: A Better Way?.

This article presents a five-part framework in analyzing the stories of information technology (IT). This framework is classified into the following: 1) content; 2) clarity; 3) consumability/showmanship; 4) control/spin; and, 5) correctness/believability/accuracy. The big issue facing IT practitioners is the need to frame their messages and know their audiences. It is rare to find an IT organization with the right narrative, an effective story line or powerful metaphors. There is a need to make infrastructure and security interesting.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry. Plan of BEA Systems Inc. to buy portal software maker Plumtree Software Inc.; Confidential settlement reached by Microsoft Corp. in a trademark infringement case brought against it by biometrics company, Artemis Solutions Group Inc.; Expectation of WiMax Forum's completion of validating a system for certification testing.

The article presents news briefs relevant to the computer and technology industry in the United States compiled as of August 2005. Agilent Technologies Inc. announced plans to sell its semiconductor product division to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Silver Lake Partners. Hewlett-Packard Co. has agreed to resell Emulex Corp. Fibre Channet host bus adapters (HBA) with its blade servers. Intel Corp. announced its plans to release its dual-core, hyperthreaded Xeon and Xeon MP processors, codenamed Paxville in the latter half of 2005.

The author of this article examines what computer user groups need to do to deliver sustained value to their key stakeholders, their members and vendors, and how they can remain strong and relevant. For vendors, user groups offer tangible and quantifiable benefits. Vendors say user groups help them reduce the cost of communicating key messages to users, minimize technical support expenses, generate sales leads, strengthen inroads with business partners, and create efficiencies in capturing market feedback, product evaluations, and competitive input.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry in the U.S. Appointment of William Nuti as president and chief executive officer of NCR Corp.; Acquisition of eight .Net-based application adapters by Microsoft Corp.; Availability of a version of Web-Sphere Portal from IBM Corp.

Reports on developments involving companies in the computer industry. Filing of an anti-trust suit by Broadcom Corp. against chip maker Qualcomm Inc.; Estimation of Mercury Interactive Corp.'s revenue for the second quarter of 2005; Completion of the merger between Symantec Corp. and Veritas Software Corp.

This article reports that a legislative battle from software users is looming over the controversial Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) software licensing law. The push for state-by-state adoption of the UCITA was first abandoned because of widespread opposition. But the group of software users that led this opposition has since been quietly drafting its own model software-licensing law. Its concerns is that courts may use UCITA as a reference point in legal disputes, giving vendors a victory through the legal system that they could not gain in state legislatures.

This article presents information related to disaster management in computer industry. Some Chief Information Officers (CIO) are imagining potential disasters that go well beyond the everyday hiccups that can disrupt applications and networks. Others, recognizing how integral IT is to business today, are focusing on the need to recover instantaneously from any unforeseen event. Many are trying to do both. But CIOs agree that disaster recovery planning has taken on an immediacy that didn't exist in the '90s. The best-prepared executives recognize that speed is essential in recovering from whatever disaster might come to pass. And in addition to regularly backing up to tape that's then stored off-site, companies are employing newer technologies to take snapshots--every five minutes, or every hour, depending on the business--to reduce the risk of potential loss. But while the technology exists to ensure that a company doesn't experience a catastrophic loss of data even if its systems go down, experts say executives need to make disaster recovery a priority and fund it appropriately if they want to guarantee business continuity during almost any situation. INSET: Simulation Surprises.

The article highlighted the opinions of various businesswomen in the information technology (IT) and computer industry about women's contribution to IT and what these women expect in return. According to the women IT experts, 21st century brings an increased demand for the expertise of IT women, primarily caused by the expected labor shortage in the industry. They added that despite the increase in the number of women in IT, the industry still provides more favor to male practitioners. The executives also related stories where developing women in their organizations has positively affected their career and their company's success. They also enumerated the factors that IT managers should know about women in IT and how they can use these information to enhance their companies' status in the industry.

The author comments on the issue of the IT Leadership Academy's study which shows that most people outside the computer industry objectifies information technology (IT) professionals. According to the author, IT professionals are viewed as tech objects and nothing more. The Academy's examination revealed that the mental processes of IT leaders are for the most part unmapped and poorly understood. Despite these perceptions, the author asserted that IT professionals are people worth knowing who deserve to be treated as the wonderful individuals they really are.

Software developers and testers are guided by different motives, pressures and perspectives. Developers are motivated to complete code quickly and accurately and move on to the next problem. Testers are required to quickly find and report problems within the system. In the course of a project, the more defects testers find and submit to developers, the less time developers have to work on them, and communication may break down. Members of the project team commonly start to rely on entering short descriptions and comments into a defect-tracking system as a means of communication. In this article, the author provides some techniques that can improve communication between testers and developers and help them in fixing problems faster. INSET: Face TO Face.

According to panelists, smaller, more agile vendors pose a threat to the dominance of the larger players, but do not expect a rapid revolution. According to Thomas Malone, a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, Microsoft has already defied the odds once by staying a dominant player as the computer industry made a major technological transition in the late 1990s from the personal computer era to the Internet era. But panelists do not agree on just what Microsoft's biggest challenge is. For information technology consultant Paul A. Strassmann, the company's business model just is not suited to the 21st century. INSET: A View From Inside Microsoft.

The article presents information on computer industries. It reports that windows machines are the undisputed personal computers of choice for corporate IT, the biggest single market for PCs. Research ranked the maker of Macintosh machines No.10 on its market-share list in 2004. Yet despite significant efforts by Windows suppliers, Apple Computer Inc. still remains a dominant player in vertical market segments such as publishing and digital media. According to research from New York-based a company, 83% of graphic designers, 77% of corporate design departments and 65% of advertising agencies rely on Macintosh computers. And publishers also continue to depend on Apple's machines. Apple's embrace of Unix in its Mac OSX operating system and gave the company a big boost among scientists who need hefty processing capabilities. The Unix application software available for Macs is another benefit touted by users. Most Mac technical support personnel argue that the machines are far simpler to manage than Windows boxes. INSET: The iPod Factor.

This article discusses WiMax, an informal term that covers two emerging broadband wireless standards for metropolitan-area networking. WiMax promises alternate routes to land lines for disaster discovery and relief from the price and service tyranny of the incumbent local-exchange carriers. It has a compelling high-speed mobile component and describes by some as a high-quality broadband that mirrors connectivity experience in the office. There are two corresponding WiMax standards: (1) IEEE 802.16-2004 for fixed point-to-point and point-to-multipoint wireless access, and (2) IEEE 802.16e, for mobile wireless access from laptops and handheld. INSET: QoS Advantage.

This article discusses the leadership in the computer industry. The respect and admiration one long had for anyone who aspires to that lofty goal are what, more than anything else, have put him in awe of this year's class of Premier 100 IT Leaders. Hand in hand with that commitment to servitude goes a commitment to fostering diversity, since the latter also instills an appreciation for what lies beyond the territorial priorities and, perhaps, outside of the comfort zones. Recognizing the value of contributions from people with different national and cultural backgrounds is another hallmark of outstanding leadership. That appreciation was articulated over and over by this year's group of Premier 100 IT Leaders. It's a simple, but sublime, observation. And it's one that has yielded a Capgemini training program to bring employees from different continents together so they can interact with their colleagues from other cultures. It just does not get any cooler than that.

This article focuses on two parts of the information technology (IT) industry in the U.S. that have not changed proportionately: IT organizations and the IT services companies that support them. The latter is easier to demonstrate. While many product companies vanished long ago, the same four services firms, IBM Corp., Electronic Data Systems Corp., Computer Sciences Corp., and Accenture Inc., have been the dominant players for as long as the IT services business has existed. Powerful disruptive forces have affected the hardware and software sides of the industry, but there is no such forces that have affected the services sector.

This article comments on the use of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP Service Pack 2. This major update is a step forward for a company that has had an abysmal record on security. But it is only one overdue action. Users should also install more capable firewalls, antivirus software, and anti-spyware applications. But the service pack also reminds of a situation that the company has never properly addressed, the retail /computer security problem.

This article examines the benefits of virtual directories, which are used for applications that can access only a single directory when the user data or attributes reside in many places. They offer a fast and efficient way to get identity management software and other directory-dependent applications online. These directories are similar to another tool, the metadirectories. Both can access user data from different repositories. Metadirectories, a core element of user provisioning tools, copy data into a new repository that must be created, maintained, and synchronized. INSETS: When to Use Virtual Directories;Virtual Players.

The article presents news briefs on the computer industry in the U.S. as of March 2004. Oracle Corp. said it plans to ship a new version of its Collaboration Suite messaging software late 2004. The upgrade will add instant messaging and other features. Oracle executives said that they remain committed to the software despite a small market. In another news, Red Hat Inc. reported a 43 percent year-over-year increase in revenue for its fourth quarter, which ended February 29, 2004. The company, which was profitable in the quarter, said it sold about 87,000 new subscriptions for its Enterprise Linux operating system. Meanwhile, the GNOME Project delayed an upgrade of its open-source desktop software from March 24 to March 31 because of an intrusion on its Web server. A member of the group said in an e-mail posting that none of the source code it has released was affected. The upgrade to GNOME 2.6 was put on hold to give systems administrators time to investigate the incident. Separately, PeopleSoft Inc. unveiled two customer relationship management applications tailored for financial services firms and universities.

Explains that need for people in the information technology (IT) to celebrate their profession amidst the negative news about the IT industry. Samples of success and achievements of IT personnel that call for celebration; Importance for IT personnel to develop confidence to be able to creatively address future problems.

Discusses the effect of the bill requiring copyright protection technology to block music and video piracy, on the technology industry of the U.S. Impact of the legislation on corporate end users; Objective of the legislation according to Carey Sherman, general counsel for the Recording Industry Association of America; Implications of the legislation for the computer industry.

Presents news briefs on the computer industry in the United States as of April 16, 2001. Features of the Oracle 9iAS Wireless Edition 2.0 software of OracleMobile Inc.; Agreement signed by Educause with the United States Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration; Increase in the proposed 2002 information technology (IT) budget.

Presents news briefs on the computer industry in the United States as of March 12, 2001. How the NakedWife virus attacks computer systems; Overview of the hacker attack made on the Web site of Bibliofind.com; Bankruptcy protection filed by CyberCash Inc.; Sales warning issued by Intel Corp.

Presents news briefs on the computer industry in the United States as of February 26, 2001. Estimated losses of the companies from hackers who break into its telephone systems; Settlement of the patent infringement lawsuit of Intel Corp. with First International Computer Inc.; Shutdown of the operation of Webvan Group Inc. in Dallas, Texas.