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The article discusses the factors that information technology (IT) and business organizations should consider when evaluating delivery of any business application via the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. The factors include the integration tools and support offered by the software vendor and the analysis options provided by the SaaS application. The questions that organizations should ask when evaluating SaaS vendors are presented.

The article focuses on the significance of trusted functionality on operating systems. Trusted operating systems have been used in the past to lock down the most classified and confidential information in an organization. Several computer companies are already functionality in their mainstream products. The author evaluates different kinds of operating systems with trusted functionality from several companies including Sun Microsystems Inc. and its Solaris 10, Red Hat Inc. and SELinux, Novell Inc. and AppArmor.

This article reports that Atlanta, Georgia-based hospitality product distributor Springfield Corp. opted for Siemen's HiPath OpenScape to replace its legacy private branch exchanger-based phone system. HiPath OpenScape is a voice over Internet Protocol-based presence-aware real-time communications software suite, which provides a view of all users and their voice, instant messaging, e-mail, or video devices. It also reports that Engage Inc. created a product that would offer HiPath OpenScape as a hosted service. The embedding of HiPath OpenScape into a hosted service is suited for small and medium-size businesses like Springfield.

This article provides information on the Bullfighter software. In 2003, Deloitte Consulting released a piece of software called Bullfighter, which was supported by the company and available to anyone for free. Deloitte decided to stop supporting Bullfighter. Instead, the company turned it over to three ex-Deloitters with the caveat that the software had to remain free and the new owners must make it clear that the product had no more affiliation with Deloitte. The ex-Deloitters--now incorporated as Business Idiots LLC--agreed and Bullfighter's life was saved. Deloitte's intention was to help people write more clearly and concisely by removing, as the name implies, the bull from documents. After writing a document, users can run it through Bullfighter and receive a Bull Index as well as suggestions as to where and what to cut from the document. Of course, since this is all computerized, it is not 100 percent correct in its suggestions, but it can help. Once downloaded and installed, Bullfighter appears as a small toolbar in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Bullfighter works with Word and PowerPoint to help eliminate jargon from users' writing. It actually has its own jargon database that it uses when scoring documents. In addition to looking for jargon, Bullfighter also uses the Flesch Reading Ease formula, developed by the late Rudolf Flesch.

Reviews the publishing software Creative Suite from the firm Adobe.

The article discusses service-oriented architecture (SOA), describing the problems, challenges, and high expectations associated with the use of SOA. The author defines SOA as an architectural style that is independent of the use of a particular technology. Software companies face a dilemma of choosing the technologies and design tactics that will help them realize their development objectives. Other topics include understanding options when using SOA to develop software and the negative impact SOA can have on software architecture.

The article discusses product management for software product lines, which allow companies to save money by reusing assets across several different software products. Product management for software lines is traditionally a functioning of marketing, which focuses on sales and deadlines. To successfully manage a line of products companies should optimize revenues and costs for the entire product line rather than individual products and improve the communication between technical and marketing personnel.

Details a survey that shows how severe the problem of defects in computer software is as of late 1998, and which companies give consumers the most help. Reaction from users that problems are on the rise and software vendors are to blame; Tips to work around problem software; Web sites to get relief from problem software. INSET: The Ugly Bug Hall of Shame.

Examines how patents can't protect or invigorate the computer software industry--only cripple it. Description of what is being patented; How the patent system itself seems unsuited to the nature of software development; Problems; How the Patent Office is carving up the intellectual domain of computer science; Consideration of how software patents are actually preventing the adoption of new technology, rather than encouraging it; Copyright and trade secrecy; Effective course of action.

This article analyzes the pros and cons of patenting computer programs in the U.S. A proposed set of guidelines that would aid patent examiners in reviewing applications for computer program patents has raised opposition in Washington D.C. The consensus in the patent office is that the guidelines are inadequate. The House Judiciary Committee plans to hold hearings this year on an entire revamping of the patent laws in the U.S. Bell Laboratories is supporting the program patents, but most manufacturers remain solidly against patenting programs. Some software firms would like to receive program patents; however, the resistance shown by the Patent Office to patent computer programs is currently blocking the way.

The article reviews several computer software, including the Greased Lightbox script, Greasemonkey Firefox add-on, and Inline Google MP3 Player script. INSET: Install Greasemonkey and Its Scripts for Your Firefox Browser.

The article presents information related to some tips on how computer can be used in an efficient manner. The Get Info window displays lots of interesting things about files and applications and one can see the selected item's size, location, and modification times, name and extension, and more in this window. One should click once on the icon in the menu bar and then move the slider that appears to adjust the system's overall volume. One can open the international preference pane and click on the input menu tab to access the special characters.

The article reviews the productivity suite software Word Perfect Office X3 from Corel Corp.

This article discusses the move of software vendors to subscription pricing models. Valid concerns about a subscription software world remain. For starters, users are likely to pay more in the long run, since payments are regular and ongoing. And some analysts predict that a subscription-based consumer software market could squelch innovation because small startup companies may not be able to afford the tools needed to develop and maintain such services. To avoid pricey forced upgrades, users should research the product's life cycle.

The article reports that with modules to manage human resources (HR), projects, financials, logistics and workflow, Exact Software Co.'s e-Synergy computer software delivers more than the sum of its parts. e-Synergy provides midsize companies with a Web-based business management suite that is affordable and relatively flexible. e-Synergy does a good job of integrating a core workflow system with components for managing customer, financial and HR data in a way that gives companies a good tool for creating internal and external-facing applications. The management approach for pricing and revisions hits a good middle ground between perpetual-license and subscription models. Pricing starts at 1,000 dollars per user for a perpetual license, with maintenance and support each costing 10 percent of the purchase price per year. Exact Software Co. has the product on a long-track development process, with no major version releases in the past three years. But any customer with a maintenance subscription has access to the functions that have been introduced at regular intervals during that time. INSET: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

Reports on the growth of open-source technology, and its implications for Linux and other open-source software companies. Fast-growing popularity of Linux and other open-source products; Increase in the number of open-source software projects; Red Hat Chief Executive Officer Matthew Szulik's claim that open source will help establish a shared worldwide computing environment.

This article focuses on follies of a computer industry that produces larger and computationally more demanding programs full of largely useless features -- that look good only in marketing brochures and that force users to upgrade their machines every three years. While it is true that almost everyone in the U.S. owns a television or a washing machine, not everyone owns a guitar. Automobiles are convenient transportation, but there are at least three ways in which our dependence on them has been artificially increased. First, with the systematic destruction in many cities of public transportation. Second, by driving the urban design of our cities in a direction that makes use of automobiles indispensable. Third, by refusing to explore options other than individual ownership of the physical vehicle. Computer and software manufacturers seem to have realized they can't maintain sales based solely on the usefulness of machines alone and appear to be following a similar strategy.

The article presents information on several computer software and hardware products. The screenwriting software Movie Magic Screenwriter 6.0.3.111 from Write Brothers Inc. makes a strong play for the top box-office spot. One of the most stable and full-featured professional screen-writing software tools available, Movie Magic adds significant navigation and outlining capabilities. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) client such as VPN Tracker 5.2 Professional from Equinux connects to a VPN server or gateway, creating an encrypted tunnel. The SpaceNavigator for Notebooks from 3Dconnexion Inc. is a 3-D mouse that helps to move horizontally, vertically, and in a third dimension of depth within 3-D programs such as Autodesk Maya, Google Earth, and Second Life.

The article reviews the JotSpot Version 2.0 software from JotSpot Inc.

The article presents the author's views on Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Vista version of Windows operating system. Microsoft has added the User Account Control (UAC) feature that will be of immense help to average users. Under UAC, both administrators and standard users will be able to operate with the standard user security token.

The article presents information related to the iTunes software. The iTunes allows just five users to connect to any shared library in a day. With the help of iTunes one can store music in a central location and access it from any of his home computers. The other iTunes users on other network can see the shared name that one have set in iTunes' preferences. The Sharing pane in iTunes' preferences show how many users are connected to a shared library. Each person want to create playlists to access his or her favorite files more easily with an entire household's music. INSET: Set Up a Music Server.

The article presents an interview with Corey Thomas, group product manager for SQL Server for Microsoft Corp., about the rationale behind the decision why the company did not pursue the separate delivery of WinFS or the second beta for the product. The announcement during the TechEd conference about the release of the products was made in good faith, however changes in the shipment were made just recently after a series of discussions made. One of the things considered for the changes was the data platform and the couple of pillars behind it.

The article focuses on the cancellation of the delivery of the WinFS file system by Microsoft Corp. The company first announced that it is no longer pursuing the separate delivery of WinFS, as well as the second release of the product, which it had long been promising. Peter O'Kelly, an analyst at Burton Group PLC said that the decision was necessary and pragmatic. Microsoft cut WinFS out of both operating systems, Vista and Longhorn, releases so it could ship them in a more timely fashion. Microsoft officials said WinFS would be made available as a stand-alone technology after Vista and Longhorn Server shipped.

The article examines the new operating system, Vista, developed by Microsoft Corp. The computer software company is set to deliver a broad-scale build of Vista to 2 million testers. It is also projected that in concurrence with the launch of the Vista builds shall be the introduction of the Office 2007. As recalled, the two Vista builds, including two interim community technology previews released in the past couple of months to beta testers known as technology adoption program. It was found out that the new operating system has suffered as variety of performance and compatibility problems. INSET: Vista: What you need to know.

The article focuses on the investment of Goldman Sachsin Terracotta software in order to add clustering to one of its Java-based trading solutions. Terracota simplifies the scale-out Java applications by adding needed services to the Java run-time. It delivers API-free clustering and caching services, improving the availability and scalability of production-level java deployments. Terracotta product suite offers powerful tools to help enterprise organizations design and develop clustering and caching.

The article examines SOAtest 4.5 software developed by Parasoft Corp. which helps Web services development teams transfer inadequate testing to earn an Ivy-league degree in service oriented architecture governance. SOAtest workbench generates and executes tests confirming function, standards conformance, and scalable performance. Its single license price is 3,995 dollars. The author explores the features and key functions of the software, providing details on the aspects of software implementation.

The article features Axion 3.5 software developed by Avamar Technologies Inc. Axion 3.5 backup systems combined with the FAST InStream search appliance is a useful solution that allows high-speed content searches necessary for legal discovery. Being a back-up solution, the software is easy to be implemented. An Axion 3.5-based system's price is pegged at 37,000 dollars, with the ability to protect 1.5 terabyte of data and the FAST Instream component is priced at 2,000 dollars per terabyte of data.

The article features the Systems Management Server Beta 1 developed by Microsoft Corp. The product has enhanced configuration monitoring, operating system deployment and endpoint security management capabilities. It will be released in the first half of 2007 bearing its new name, System Center Configuration Manager 2007. The results of the test of SMS v4 Beta 1, indicated a renewed focus on Windows system configuration, user access and compliance reporting. New users of the software will need significant amount of time development policies to regulate how operating systems, applications, and policies are maintained throughout the enterprise.

The article presents a sample document which is designed to help IT administrators develop request for proposal (RFP) for an enterprise-grade, stand-alone desktop anti-spyware solution. At onset, in order to identify the right solution when creating RFP, administration should have a good understanding of what the real problem that needs to be solved, the scope and size of deployment, and the potential obstacles they may exist. Several aspects that should be considered include protection and research, servers and architectures, database, clients, client distribution, updates, directory integration, policy control, reporting, and licensing and maintenance.

The article reports that Radio Systems, selling as PetSafe, opted for an integrated customer relationship management, accounting, and telephony system from Extremely Productive to integrate its existing order management software with a customer relationship management solution. Before the integration, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based manufacturer of pet containment systems, electronic pet doors, indoor fences, and electronic feeders had to input the customer's data twice making it difficult to track warranty service, product exchanges, and shipment of replacement parts. With the integrated system, the company's research and development group and marketing group are also benefiting from the data that the call center employees are collecting and maintaining.

The article reports on how content-addressed storage (CAS) systems can help information technology managers bring their organizations into compliance with regulatory mandates. CAS is an intelligent repository used to store and preserve compliance-sensitive documents such as medical records, blueprints, invoices and e-mail messages. Each piece of data that is fed into CAS are being stored using identifiers, which ensures that sensitive business content is not altered and that the paper trail is preserved within the context of a paperless environment. It also has the ability to perform high-speed searches through the repository.

The article presents a discussion on Windows' GPMC or Group Policy Management Console. Windows Vista will provide more power to Microsoft's Group Policy. Some changes are obvious, but all are significant and could cause some refocusing among third-party vendors that have sprouted up in the Microsoft ecosystem to deal with various deficiencies in previous iterations of Windows and Group Policy. Unlike previous Microsoft Group Policy management tools, the GPMC coalesces all GPO (Group Policy Objects) into a single interface and allows administrators to easily link the objects to Domains, Sites or OU (Organizational Units) in Active Directory.

The article presents an interview with Umang Gupta, CEO of Keynote Systems Inc. based in San Mateo, California, regarding his vision on the future of the company. Gupta explained issues pertaining to services rendered by the company. He said that the new Internet is programmable, mobile, and broadband, which has added complexity and problems that need to be diagnosed and fixed. In response to this, Keynote developed Application Perspective 4.0, with support for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, is developed. Gupta considered the company's services as products itself. He stressed out that the primary goal of the company is to focus on subscription services.

The article provides information on the computer software applications offered by Keynote Systems Inc. Keynote upgraded its Application Perspective monitoring service that monitors and measures responses from each element in multi-layered application. Keynote Mobile Application Perspective service measures response times and the quality of mobile content. Moreover, Keynote will be launching its Voice over Internet Protocol Perspective service and Voice over Network conference to monitor the quality of voice calls as they traverse IP data networks and public switched telephone network and provides interactive testing and validation of mobile content developers. Another software, Application Perspective 4.0 enables the development of scripts and provides more precise content validation.

The article presents information on several software product releases. Harcourt Assessment Corp. has released the Early Childhood Observation System, a student assessment program designed to evaluate younger learners. Summit Interactive introduces the Ascend Math Solution, designed for grade four through adult learners, uses streaming video to provide direct instruction. Plato has introduced Foundational Mathematics and Earth and Space Science for the middle school audience. Foundational Mathematics is designed to bring remedial math learners and the Earth and Space Science is for the final curriculum installment in the Plato Middle School Science Series. A new software product from FarStone, VirtualClass, uses a district's LAN to enable teachers to broadcast their desktops to 16 computers at once.

The article reports that PixAlert, a Dublin, Ireland start-up company, has claimed to be the first with software that can find pornographic digital pictures no matter how they enter the office computers. The program does not try to monitor pornography's myriad pathways into the workplace. The software analyzes imagers for features the company say are characteristic of pornography. It has the capacity to distinguish foregrounds from background, discerns the edges of individual shapes, picks out faces and bodies, and measures luminosity and texture.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in previous issues. Discussion on computer software related to medical care; Importance of the Spyware computer software; Discussion on desktop computing and office software.

The article discusses Microsoft Corp.'s competitions in the computer software market. The first competition comes from the open-source operating system Linux. Some organizations are pushing the use of Linux in personal computers of their employees. One reason is that licensing costs are low. Another is the ability of Linux to run on old hardware that would spurn Microsoft Windows. Also, Linux is more convenient than Windows for managing a large number of computers from a remote location. The second challenge to Microsoft comes in the form of a 15-centimeter box called the Mac Mini developed by Apple Computer Inc. The third competition comes from the open-source browser, Firefox developed by Mozilla Foundation.

Reviews the Apple Remote Desktop 2.1 software from Apple Computer.

Reviews the StuffIt Deluxe 9.0 software from Allume Systems.

Focuses on the market of Indian software in China. Shortcuts taken by the Indian software industry; Provision of cheap labor to developed countries.

Reports on Virginia Technologies Inc.'s development of a software framework that could be the foundation for all future military radios. Features of the Software Communication Architecture; Custom machine computing architectures.

Caron Carlson's article on electronic voting is a well-informed overview of some of the risks in adopting paperless voting One more issue is important: access to the code used to count the votes. Any security professional will tell you that open review is the best practice for ensuring that code has no holes. Some U.S. companies have shipped software development projects overseas, pursuing low-cost labor, and have decided to turn back to developers who keep all operations in the United States. The driver in many of those decisions is security concerns: The companies determine they can't afford to expose intellectual property in markets where its legal protection is uncertain. Some companies, however, have determined that total cost of ownership doesn't favor offshoring. They have seen that the budget relief realized by offshoring software development can be more than offset by productivity losses. Too frequently, a developer without local presence cannot gain an adequate understanding of a company's software needs within the context of that company's business mission. The company's users, then, spend considerable time testing the new software, and the company must pay for followup coding to produce the business level results that were initially sought.

Reports on Siebel Systems Inc.'s acquisition of banking software vendor Eontec Ltd. Worth of the deal; Terms of the agreement.

Foundstone Inc.'s Namesake Foundstone Enterprise 3.0.1 software packs enough punch for even the largest distributed networks, adding threat correlation to Windows host assessments that make shorter work of IT managers' vulnerability assessment chores. Threat correlation is a clever value-add to Foundstone Enterprise, and you can use the function to quickly assess systems in the test network. In tests, for example, Foundstone Enterprise Threat Correlation found multiple Windows 2000, XP and 2003 systems in our network that were susceptible to a buffer overrun.

The article reports on the Application-Centric Infrastructure (ACI) initiative of software and hardware developer Cisco Systems that drew praise and criticism from the industry. Industry observers and competitors view Cisco's strategy as a way to stall the movement of software-defined networks (SDN). Other analysts see the benefit for organizations in the ACI vision of Cisco with regard network infrastructure development.

The article presents the author's views on the computer software industry. The author comments on the disinterest of using software for genuinely progressive goals. According to the author, software has a very significant role in organizing things and one should give a thought for using software in progressive purpose.

The article reports that U.S.-based Amazon.com Inc. is preparing to release a feature of its Elastic Compute Cloud service that would make cloud applications and services more attractive to business. The so-called elastic block storage has been available since April 2008 in limited beta mode. In the coming weeks, the company will be releasing a persistent storage offering.

The article reports that SAP AG is widening its business intelligence product offerings as it seeks to dispel doubts about how all its newly acquired pieces will work together. SAP also has integrated key software for strategy management, business planning and financial analysis with NetWeaver and the SAN Business Objects BI platform.

The article discusses various application software solutions. It states that best-of-breed software refers to stand alone applications which are optimized to support a single or small number of business processes rather than the entire organization. According to the author, there are many enterprises software application available that promise to support all common business processes. The applications use a single database, which usually means that once data in entered into one module, it is available in all modules.