CIO Today: NewsFactor Network - - Report: Modest I.T. Spending Jump Likely

CIO Today: NewsFactor Network - - Report: Modest I.T. Spending Jump Likely: "Forrester said company executive who were surveyed planned to increase 2005 I.T. budgets at a similar growth rate, an average of 6.4 percent.



'Overall, I.T. optimism is up quarter over quarter, with the number of CIOs (chief information officers) citing a very strong business climate tripling,' Forrester said.
However, Forrester said it sees no big surge in spending for new technology, with only modest spurts for replacement of personal computers and other items.
'Forrester estimates that the U.S. is halfway through the current cycle of technology digestion, which started in 2001,' the research firm said.
'While the next four years will remain relatively quiet in terms of major technology innovations and surges in new investments, the foundation for the next big wave of transforming technologies is taking shape.' "

Entertainment Directory

Canton Volunteer Fire Company holds its 22nd annual LOBSTERFEST on Friday through Sunday, August 16-18 at Canton Springs Rd. in Canton. Dinner includes clam chowder, lobster, corn and beverage for $14; other foods will also be available from the food booth and dessert room. Entertainment and dancing are free. Dinners will be served from 6-10 p.m. on Friday, which features the 7th annual Cruise Night car show sponsored by Berkshire Automotive; the Nifty Fifties Band will play live. On Saturday, dinners will be served from noon-10 p.m. with live music by Eleventh Section and Diamondback. Saturday also features the first annual Poker Run and Bike Night to benefit Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang and Breast Cancer Research of CT; for more info call 860-693-4830. Dinners will be served from noon on Sunday until sold out; live music by Flipper Dave starts at 1 p.m. The event will be held rain or shine; eating will be under cover. For more info call 860-693-8120.



Entertainment Directory

Wireless: NewsFactor Network - Wireless Networking - Sprint Raises the Bar on SLAs

Wireless: NewsFactor Network - Wireless Networking - Sprint Raises the Bar on SLAs: "By Jay Wrolstad
Wireless NewsFactor
August 9, 2004 11:24AM

Sprint is encouraging corporations to move wholeheartedly into wireless communications by offering money-back guarantees for its PCS network performance. The SLAs will help Sprint separate itself from the competition,"

CIO Today: NewsFactor Network - Web Services - I.T. Leaders Collaborate on Web-Services Spec

CIO Today: NewsFactor Network - Web Services - I.T. Leaders Collaborate on Web-Services Spec: "Finding common ground in the interoperability of Web-services applications, I.T. giants BEA Systems , IBM , Microsoft , SAP and Sun Microsystems have submitted a specification to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) as a step toward creating an industry standard.
WS-Addressing defines a standard for identifying and exchanging Web-based messages between multiple end points and platforms, thus simplifying a process seen as critical to the acceptance of emerging Web services. "

E-Commerce News: E-Commerce: Companies Cautious on Windows XP SP2

E-Commerce News: E-Commerce: Companies Cautious on Windows XP SP2: "'SP2 is somewhere between an upgrade and a whole new version of Windows,' Gartner analyst Richard Stiennon told the E-Commerce Times. 'For that reason, enterprises are going to want to carefully make sure it's going to work with all the applications they use.' "

"The enhanced security features might also cause conflicts with third-party firewalls and other security appliances. Published reports have suggested that users of Zone Alarm firewalls reported bugs after installing the update. "

Boston Web Design

From Jason's articles, "When designing a site, the number one question to be asking is, “How can I design our site’s appearance and usability to optimally achieve our business’s goals?” If you plan to hire a person or company to design the site, have the answer to this question handy when signing the contract and make sure they understand and can carry out exactly what you need. Beware of design for design’s sake. In fact, when carrying out any action involving your business’s website, from designing to coding, to maintaining and marketing, the issue of optimally achieving your business’s goals and facilitating the user’s experience should be front and center at all times.
"
Read more.. Boston Web Design

Digital Web Magazine - This Old Website: Web Renovations

Hey Jim, remember when we built our first JavaScript alert and were proud because we "knew JavaScript"? This article reminds me of the good old days and makes me REALLY glad I didn't stay there, but am now beginning to rebuild some of my sites with XHTML and CSS! :) Read on From Ken Westin, Digital-Web Magazine:

"I think we all remember our first Web sites after learning just a little HTML: it is a bit like putting a two-year-old in a room with white walls and handing them a box of permanent markers. However, after learning to make monkeys jump across the screen, we began to slowly build more sophisticated sites that focused more on users’ needs. It is only through continued study that we come to understand how to build good Web sites, and of course the study will never end." More: Digital Web Magazine - This Old Website: Web Renovations

Digital Web Magazine - This Old Website: Web Renovations

From Ken Westin, Digital-Web Magazine:

Digital Web Magazine - This Old Website: Web Renovations: "Odds are that while you are working on your iterative redesign, changes will need to be made to the structure, or even the look and feel of the site. This needs to be considered when you begin the process. Moving to an XHTML/CSS-based design will help this by taking the first step of separating content from design.
If you use CSS-styled links, in combination with a server-side technology for creating a navigation subsystem, you will go a long way toward saving your sanity in the future, even if it is just a simple server-side include."

Digital Web Magazine - This Old Website: Web Renovations

From Ken Westin, Digital-Web Magazine:

"The word “redesign” can strike fear into any Web Manager’s heart, especially if you are working with a medium- to large-scale Web site. A redesign is even more complicated nowadays when we are being asked to do more with less, with hiring freezes, smaller budgets and larger projects: a “redesign” seems like an impossibility. However, if time is not a pressing issue and a site redesign is called for, it’s possible to redesign your site “while it is moving.” Instead of demolishing the old site and starting fresh, consider the project more like a “renovation” in that you can redesign the site in sections and even begin to apply new technologies to make future redesigns easier. Instead of thinking of a site redesign as one massive project, begin to think of the redesign as an iterative process starting from the ground floor and working your way up."

Read More... Digital Web Magazine - This Old Website: Web Renovations

Wireless News: Wireless: NewsFactor Network - Mobile Data - Telstra, Hutchison Form 3G Wireless Venture

Wireless Industry Trends.

You do want wireless, you just want to do it correctly! Read on....

--Kate

Wireless: NewsFactor Network - Mobile Data - Telstra, Hutchison Form 3G Wireless Venture: "Australian satellite operator Telstra and terrestrial 3G operator Hutchison have formed a joint venture to share and expand Hutchison's 3G network, known as 'H3GA.'
Telstra is making cash payments of A$450 million (US$316 million) in four installments to enter the 50/50 joint venture.
'The joint enterprise will open opportunities for new revenues for Telstra and H3GA, stimulate growth in 3G service uptake and provide significant savings in capital expenditure for 3G network construction,' according to a joint statement from the companies. 'It will also reduce operating expenses such as site rental and maintenance.' "

"Expanded Network
Telstra will launch its 3G services to customers in 2005, utilizing the entire H3GA network footprint of more than 2,000 base stations covering Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Telstra and Hutchison expect to increase the size of the network over the next three years, to expand into Canberra and other regional centers. The companies say that the collaboration will help them expand the 3G footprint more quickly than otherwise would have been practical. "

NewsFactor Network - Wireless Networking - Hot Spots Good for Business, Starbucks Says

NewsFactor Network - Wireless Networking - Hot Spots Good for Business, Starbucks Says: "'Starbucks customers have clearly embraced Wi-Fi technology as part of their daily routine,' says Ken Lombard, president of music and entertainment for Starbucks.
He added the hot spots are 'bringing customers in more frequently and keeping them in the stores longer, primarily during off-peak hours.' "

Quote of the Day

As I begin the final journey in the second stage of my degree, I am presented with a famous quote, one that reminds me that my short term successes will lead me to my longer term goals...

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin
with a single step.”
Laotzu

XP ICS - Internet Gateway

XP ICS - Internet Gateway: "Using the Internet Gateway on Windows XP
To monitor the ICS server's Internet connection on a computer running Windows XP, open the Network Connections folder and double click the Internet Gateway icon."

ICS for Win2000 - Broadband WAN Connection

ICS for Win2000 - Broadband WAN Connection: "If two adapters are not installed, you won't see the 'Sharing' tab in the Local Area Connection properties window.
To prepare for ICS installation:
Install your cable modem, DSL or other high bandwidth connection and test it so that you know you can connect to the Internet
Install a second NIC and set up your LAN with TCP/IP so that you know your computers can communicate with each other."

Linux News: Open Source: Linux Conference Opens in San Francisco

Linux News: Open Source: Linux Conference Opens in San Francisco: "Tech executives, software developers and others will gather in San Francisco this week to talk about how they are putting Linux to use in business.
More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo starting today and running through Thursday at the Moscone Center.
This year's gathering will include more than 190 exhibitors, compared with 135 last year, according to IDG World Expo, which sponsors the event. "

E-Commerce News: E-Commerce: Five Myths in E-Commerce About Personalization

Ironically, spyware and adware programs that are unsuspectingly installed on your machine have gotten a bad rap. And if it got there unbeknownst to you, and without your permission, that is wrong.

However, when you create an account at a site for a personal experience, I, for one, expect a website to be smart enough (given the funds of the site owners) to play smart. If I click on articles about sports, I want advertisements (a few nicely playing ones) about sports. However if I am selecting articles about woodland management or lake ecology, I would perhpas prefer advertisements, in calm, natural colors, about birding websites and humming bird feeder manufacturers. I would not necessarily want flashy ads with flash movies of upcoming hockey games. (Yes I get a kick from this ice sport, but not at that moment, do you get my drift? :)

I started learning about personalization at one of the content management weekend workshops I attended a few years ago. If you take a few minutes to understand the techncial aspects behind the scenes, you will see that not ALL (yes some!) monitoring of my behavior can have a welcome outcome. Personalization comes in two flavors - that for which we volunteer information about ourselves (remember those little product cards that ask which products we use and what our leisure activities are?) or on websites - what our top two interests or industries are.. The second is by creating an audit trail of where we click and returning related content. Not such a bad idea!

Read more -

E-Commerce News: E-Commerce: Five Myths in E-Commerce About Personalization: "However, personalization has fallen victim to a number of misconceptions that have cast it in a less positive light, almost to the point of becoming e-commerce's four-letter word. This creates a paradox because, by its very nature, personalization should be the cornerstone of an e-commerce strategy. It is only through the collection and analysis of customer data that a truly robust online customer experience can be created, one that mirrors the offline experience in terms of service and satisfaction."