America: NN+I : MCI's Capellas looks toward all-IP future
By Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
MCI Inc.'s Web conferencing offering with Microsoft Corp. introduced Tuesday is just the beginning of a move to let users make PCs into phones, MCI President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Capellas said in a keynote at the Networld+Interop conference in Las Vegas.
"This is where it starts. But at the end of the day, we will completely embed telephony into the desktop with full streaming audio and video capabilities," Capellas said at the end of the presentation, which included a description - and a failed demonstration - of the service. (...)
The companies will jointly develop and market systems for communication and collaboration using Microsoft Office Live Meeting that will let Windows users easily share documents with other users live over a network, starting from any point in an application. For example, by clicking a button, a user who gets a Microsoft Word document in an Outlook e-mail message can start sharing that document live with the group that was copied on the e-mail.
The partnership reflects a larger vision of convergence of all types of content and communications on a single IP (Internet Protocol) infrastructure, Capellas said. "It's sort of like a duck. There are a lot of feet paddling under there that you don't see. But because it's all IP-based, there's no change to the network topology," Capellas said of the collaboration service. (...)
The service, called MCI Net Conferencing powered by Microsoft Office Live Meeting, is avail-able now and is aimed at small bu-sinesses as well as large enterprises. (...) MCI will lead with the joint Microsoft offering when selling Web conferencing to new accounts. (...)
Advanced services are the key to success in the telecommunications business, Capellas said. (...) Customers are beginning to look beyond price to services when shopping for a carrier, and want to buy an integrated service rather than put together a set of components, Capellas said. Security and network reliability also are key issues for customers, he said. (...)
The vision of telephony fully integrated into the desktop, potentially stepping in on telephony system vendors such as Nortel, is years away, he said. In any case, some customers will want to use PCs for telephony and others will always want to retain a separate phone, he said. Current Analysis Inc. analyst Ron Westfall, who attended the Nortel briefing, wasn't so sure. If the functions of a phone and a PBX (private branch exchange) enterprise telephony platform move on to Microsoft clients and server software, Nortel and others could be left behind, he said.
"Enterprise infrastructure vendors run the risk of being commoditized," Westfall said. "It does represent a competitive concern for equipment manufacturers on the enterprise side, such as Nortel, but also Cisco (Systems Inc.), Extreme (Networks Inc.), Foundry (Networks Inc.) , 3Com (Corp.), the whole cast of characters."
America: N+I : 3Com unveils wiring-closet switch with 10G expansion
By Phil Hochmuth; Network World Fusion (US)
3Com Corp. announced stackable 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches aimed at bringing fat net pipes to enterprise wiring closets.
The SuperStack 3 Switch 3870s are aimed at enterprises interested in deploying high-density Gigabit to the desktop today or in the fu-ture. The 10G expansion slot could be used to link with a 10G backbone switch, allowing desktop switches to uplink directly with a LAN core. (...)
The switches come in 24- and 48-port versions with 10/100/ 1000M bit/sec Ethernet on all ports. A single 10G expansion module is included on the back, as well as a 40M bit/sec interconnect for 3Com's proprietary stacking technology. 3Com's stacking technology allows up to eight SuperStack 3870 s to be linked together with a 40G bit/sec backplane. The stack can be managed as one virtual switch, with a single IP address. The SuperStack 3 Switch 3870 48-port switch costs US$6,000, and the 24-port Switch 3870 costs $4,000. Both boxes are scheduled to ship in June.
America: IBM looks to modernize Cobol
By Paul Krill, InfoWorld (US online)
IBM Corp. is looking to modernize Cobol applications by bridging its mainframe-oriented Cobol and WebSphere products to EJB and service-oriented architectures. The company unveiled new versions of its Enterprise Cobol and WebSphere Studio Enterprise developer products on last Monday.
Improvements in Cobol extend the life of Cobol applications, which IBM officials said account for more than 200 billion lines of code in use worldwide. With the new version of Enterprise Cobol, Version 3.3, the language can be extended to Web applications, SOAP, and HTTP, according to IBM.
In Enterprise Cobol Version 3.3, programmers working with IBM's z/OS can generate outbound XML from a Cobol data structure and interoperate with EJB, according to IBM. (...) Developers can write EJB in Cobol 3.3 on WebSphere z/OS, which is the mainframe version of the WebSphere application server. (...) The Cobol compiler replaces manual coding to the Java Native Interface through automatic generation of JNI code that Cobol uses to communicate with Java. (...) EJB can perform functions such as accessing information in databases or making risk calculations in insurance applications.
Also featured in the new release of Enterprise Cobol is the debugging of Cobol mixed with other types of application code. Version 3.3 also supports the latest release of DB2 Universal Database, which is Version 8.
WebSphere Studio Enterprise Developer 5.1 .1 features IDE capabilities for both J2EE and Cobol development. The product supports service-oriented architectures in that SOAP-based access can be developed for mainframe applications. A mainframe system, for example, could be linked to a Windows program.
Also in the new release, Web-Sphere applications can communicate with CICS applications without having to separately buy WebSphere Studio Application Developer Enterprise Integrator. Also featured is enhanced capabilities for z/OS connectivity and queue management and developer support for Host Access Transforma-tion Server.
America: Enterprise mobility gains ground
By Cathleen Moore, InfoWorld (US)
Mobile computing in the enterprise has a wealth of tools and services at its disposal, as evidenced by the variety of wireless devices and applications demonstrated this week at Mobile Showcase 2004 in Palm Springs, Calif.
Among several miniature computing devices previewed at the show, FlipStart combined the full functionality of a laptop in a PDA-size package. The 1-pound device runs Windows XP Professional, contains integrated 802.11b and 802.11g, and features a 30GB hard drive, 1GHz processor, and 256MB of RAM. The FlipStart currently offers two hours of battery life, with a three-hour battery-life de-vice in the works. The devices previewed were prototypes; the consumer-ready product is scheduled to ship in January 2005.
Another previewed computing device, a 14-ounce mini-PC called the OQO also offered full functionality, including support for Windows XP applications. The OQO features a 1GHz processor, a 20GB hard drive, and 256MB of RAM.
The fact that this device run XP Pro is a real benefit because it is the standard OS on most laptops in corporate environments, said Neil Strother, senior analyst at In-Stat/ MDR.
America: Judge hears arguments in Novell-SCO suit
By Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
SAN FRANCISCO (05/11/2004) - A federal judge heard arguments from Novell Inc. and The SCO Group Inc. in a Utah court Tuesday in the "slander of title" case brought by SCO against Novell last January.
Lawyers for SCO and Novell argued two motions during the proceedings, each lasting about 30 minutes, according to Bruce Lowry, a Novell spokesman. Arguments were made over a SCO motion to move the case back to the state court where it had originally been filed, and a Novell motion to dismiss the case.
"We said that he shouldn't dismiss the case, that there is a lot more to be heard still; a lot of evidence to bring forward," said Blake Stowell, a SCO spokesman.
Judge Dale Kimball of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah said he would take the arguments under advisement. No timeline was set for when a ruling on the motions would be made, according to Stowell.
The case is effectively a feud over which company owns the copyright to the Unix System V operating system.
Novell sold certain rights to its Unix business in 1995, but claims that it retained copyright over the Unix code. SCO, which eventually acquired the Novell rights, maintains that it now owns the Unix copyright, and has filed a US$5 billion lawsuit against IBM Corp. that is connected to this claim. Palm-One expands retail chain with airport store.
America: IBM adds Brocade switches to BladeCenter
By Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)
Two weeks after announcing plans to integrate an Ethernet switch from Cisco Systems Inc. into its BladeCenter servers, IBM Corp. on Tuesday will announce a similar deal with Brocade Communications Systems Inc. to create new integrated Fibre Channel switches for the same line of high-density servers.
The Brocade switches, called the Entry SAN Switch Module and the Enterprise SAN Switch Module, are similar to Brocade's SilkWorm 3850 switch except they will contain a more sophisticated software stack, said Rob Sauerwalt, the global product manager for IBM eServer BladeCenter.
They are designed to be plugged into the backplane of IBM's BladeCenter chassis, just like the Cisco Intelligent Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module (IGESM), which was announced April 29.
IBM is promoting the integrated modules as easier to use than externally connected switches. "They install a lot faster, are managed a lot easier, and they greatly reduce the cable count versus an external solution," Sauerwalt said of the Brocade switches.
The Entry module will support a two-switch fabric, while the Enterprise module will connect to storage area network fabrics with as many as 239 switches.
Both products will be available in June, Sauerwalt said. The Entry product, designed for small and medium-sized businesses, will be priced starting at US$14,500. The Enterprise module will start at $19,999, he said.
America: Red Hat offers Desktop Linux for corporate users
Robert McMillan and Todd R. Weiss, Computerworld (US)
Red Hat Inc. last week announced a desktop version of Linux that is designed for mainstream corporate users and includes open-source document-processing applications and messaging software.
The new release, called Red Hat Desktop, is a companion product to the vendor's current client-level offering. But the existing product, Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS, is aimed at technical users such as software developers and computer-aided design engineers, not office workers.
And unlike the technical release, which is sold on a per-system basis, Red Hat Desktop will be available in packages of 10 or 50 units when it begins shipping this month, said Mike Ferris, Red Hat's product marketing manager for Enterprise Linux.
Lt. Fred Wissing, application development services supervisor for the New Jersey State Police in West Trenton, plans to take a close look at Red Hat Desktop for possible use by the department's 4,000 end users. "We're going to snarf up a copy and install it and see what it can do," he said, adding that the evaluation process will include an examination of the existing end-user applications to see how many of them would have to be modified to use Linux.
Wissing said the department already uses Linux for a variety of back-office server functions, but only one power user is currently running desktop Linux as part of a trial. Several IT staffers have also installed Linux on their desktops, he said.
Red Hat Desktop will include open-source applications such as OpenOffice 1.1, the Evolution e-mail client and the Mozilla Web browser, Raleigh, N.C.-based Red Hat said.
Dan Kusnetzky, an analyst at market research company IDC, said the fact that Red Hat is already known in the corporate server market should help the desktop software gain acceptance from users. But Red Hat will need more than that to succeed with the product, he added.
"They're going to need partnerships with every single one of the desktop hardware suppliers," Kusnetzky said. "If there isn't a strong story about how Linux comes preinstalled on the desktop hardware of your choice, then it will not be as broadly interesting."
Ferris said Red Hat executives are working with systems vendors to develop plans for marketing the software, but he added that no hardware makers are ready to announce support for Red Hat Desktop.
In March, Hewlett-Packard Co. said it would make Novell Inc.'s SUSE Linux software its standard desktop distribution of the operating system. HP supports Red Hat Linux on some of its notebook PCs and plans to do so on its desktop systems, an HP spokeswoman said. But she declined to comment on whether HP specifically plans to support Red Hat Desktop.
Robert McMillan is a reporter for the IDG News Service.
America: PalmOne in Philadelphia
By Stacy Cowley, IDG News Service (New York Bureau)
PalmOne Inc. is dangling its wares before flyers at Philadelphia International Airport with the opening of a new store that will serve as the flagship of its stealthily expanding retail network.
The airport shop is the eleventh, and largest, outlet in a chain of kiosks and stores designed to introduce PalmOne's handhelds and smartphones to consumers who don't shop at tech retail stores like Best Buy and Circuit City. Palm-One is treating the stores more as a pilot project than a full-blown retail channel strategy - most are kiosks, and the company contracts for the stores' staffs.
The company's goal is as much to advertise its wares as it is to actually sell them.
Gadget vendors have had mixed results with running their own, branded retail shops. Apple Computer Inc.'s stores are profitable and popular, but Gateway Inc. recently shuttered its chain of shops, preferring to rely on direct sales and the usual retail channels.
PalmOne opened its first retail shop in October 2002, Somsak said. So far, the vendor has outlets in California, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey, in addition to its new Pennsylvania store. Somsak declined to comment on future retail plans.
America: Wi-Fi security standard to require new hardware
By Ephraim Schwartz; InfoWorld (US online)
In June the IEEE is expected to finally ratify the 802.11i security standard that uses for the first time AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) technology, a powerful 128-bit encryption technology.
While AES, a standard currently approved for government use, FIPS 140-2, (Federal Information Processing) will give the enterprise the kind of strong encryption and sophisticated ciphers it has been asking for, it will also require new access cards and in many cases new APs (access points), according to Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Current processors in Wi-Fi cards and in many APs are not powerful enough to encrypt and decrypt 128-bit ciphers.
"Because WPA2 uses AES at its core, it requires an upgrade to support the co-processing needed," Hanzlik said.
WPA2 is the name the Wi-Fi Alliance has chosen to identify IEEE 802.11i standard.
The IEEE is also expected to ratify, at the earliest the end of this year, a QoS spec, IEEE 802.11e. The spec will have two components, WME (Wi-Fi Multimedia Exten-sions), which can be used by developers to assign priority to packets. The second piece of the spec is WSM, (Wi-Fi Scheduled MultiMedia), and it will control resource management for bandwidth.
On the business side QoS will be mainly targeted in voice over Wi- Fi applications on VoIP (voice over IP) devices, according to Hanzlik.
"Eventually it will manage cell phones that include Wi-Fi and switch between networks as appropriate," Hanzlik said.
On the consumer side, QoS services will be required as consumer electronics vendors put Wi-Fi into TVs, DVD players, and home entertainment systems. (...)
Seeking to expedite the QoS standard, as it did with the 802.11i security standard when it took the stable portions of the specification to create WPA, the Wi-Fi Alliance will start a certification program for the WME component of the 802.11e spec in September.
Asia and Pacific: Sony shrinks the Vaio U
By Martyn Williams; IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)
Sony Corp. has redesigned its Vaio U personal computer by removing the keyboard and reducing the display size to come up with a tablet-style PC that's about the size of a paperback book.
The front face is dominated by a 5-inch TFT (thin film transistor) LCD (liquid crystal display) that sits in the center. The case is rectangular in shape and is designed to be held horizontally, so the user's thumbs are near a small number of control buttons positioned either side of the display. The screen resolution is 800 pixels by 600 pixels (SVGA) although the machine can drive an external monitor at a higher resolution.
The new Vaio U is available in two models, the VGN-U50 and VGN-U70P, with the latter having generally higher specifications.
The U50 is based on the ultra low voltage (ULV) version of Intel Corp.'s Pentium M processor running at 900MHz, has 256M bytes of DDR (double data rate) SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM) and the Windows XP Home Edition operating system. The U70P has a 1GHz version of the same processor, double the main memory and Windows XP Professional Edition.
On the networking side, IEEE802.11b/g wireless is built in and the computer has a single USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 port. Four additional USB sockets, an IEEE1394 (FireWire) socket and Ethernet socket, among others, are available via a port replicator.
Compared to the current Vaio U model, which was already the smallest PC offered by Sony, the U50 represents a considerable reduction in size and weight. It measures 167 millimeters by 108 millimeters by 26.4 millimeters, which is smaller in each dimension than the U101. The U50 weighs 550 grams compared to 880 grams for the U101. (...)
Sony plans to launch the U50 in Japan on May 29 at a price around ?179,000. Launch details for the U70P, which will be available exclusively through Sony's online shopping site, were not announced. There are no current plans to sell either computer outside Japan.
Asia and Pacific: TOKYO EDGE : Sharp puts optical zoom in cellphone
By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)
Sharp Corp. has unveiled a cell phone handset that comes closer than any other phone to duplicating the functions of a standard digital still camera.
The V602SH handset will go on sale in Japan in late June this year through Vodafone KK. It combines a 2-megapixel CCD (charge coupled device) image sensor and optical zoom. A 2X optical zoom can be realized with a single button push when the phone is in digital camera mode, while a second push returns it to no zoom. Positions between these two settings are not available.
It's the first time a cellular telephone has featured an optical zoom, Vodafone said, as it unveiled the phone at Business Show 2004 in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Until now camera-equipped cellular telephones have featured either a digital zoom or no zoom function at all. The V602SH includes a digital, as well as an optical zoom function.
Optical zoom requires the position of the lens to move, and that makes it more difficult to fit into small devices such as cellular telephones where space is limited. Sharp installed the camera module behind the hinge on the lower half of the clamshell phone, to make use of the extra space at the thickest part of the case.
Another feature is the ability to swivel the display around through 180 degrees so that it faces outwards when the clamshell-style handset is closed. This enables the phone to be held like a normal camera when taking pictures.
The display itself is a 2.4-inch TFT (thin film transistor) LCD (liquid crystal display) with 320 pixels by 240 pixels (QVGA) resolution and the ability to display 260,000 colors.
The phone also supports Java applets up to 256k bytes in size, a digital music player, barcode reader and menu that can be switched between Japanese and English.
It measures 50 millimeters by 98.5 millimeters by 24.9 millimeters and weighs 132 grams. Talk time is 130 minutes and standby time is 400 hours. No price has been set for the phone at pre- sent and it will not go on sale overseas.
Europe: Microsoft tells disk makers to redesign products
By Chris Mellor. London, Techworld.com
Not content with telling hardware manufacturers what they must do, now Microsoft Corp. is informing disk makers that they have to make read and write speeds faster. It even tells them how to do it - add flash memory cache.
The problem is processors wait for disk data reading/writing to end before embarking on their next task. The main delay is waiting for the disk head to be moved to the right part of the disk. By trying to anticipate which data is going to be needed next and pre-fetching that into cache memory in the drive unit the disk wait can be radically reduced. Microprocessors use the same technique to pre-fetch in
structions likely to be needed next; it makes them run applications faster.
Microsoft wants the cache in the disk drive - effectively a small solid state disk alongside the spinning hard drive - so that, if the computer crashes, no write data will be lost. At present any write data in a computer's memory is lost if the system crashes or loses power.
An added benefit for notebook users, the software giant adds, is that writes to disk could be batched up and done every ten minutes or so. Microsoft has produced its own tests which show average notebook users wrote under 100MB of data every ten minutes. So by doing what it says, it could possibly reduces notebook power needs, and so increases the life of a drive.
Flash memory has a limited lifespan of around 100,000 read/write cycles. Heavy users would exhaust that in a couple of years but light users' notebooks would have up to 40 years before the flash memory wore out, we are told.
Of course what this is all about is the next version of Windows, Longhorn. It may not have an official release date yet, and may spend more time being delayed than being promoted, but what is becoming clear is the software giant has failed yet again to reel in its hunger for high specs. Except this time around, Microsoft is insisting everyone else change their products to fit in with its operating system. It will take a year or more for disk drive vendors to design in flash memory modules into their drives - if they agree to do it in the first place.