In Depth

In Depth

Operating systems software

• 2006, the year for Linux on the desktop?

  IT experts have predicted the eminence of desktop Linux for over 15 years. It may be that this is the year it fulfils its promises  Continue Reading

• Lettings group looks to hosted messaging for franchise support

  Belvoir Letting Agents, one of the UK's largest residential property lettings and management organisations, is rolling out a hosted messaging and collaboration service for its staff and franchised operations across 92 offices.  Continue Reading

• The revolution on the desktop

  The humble desktop PC is changing radically, in a way that promises to make the hardware more secure, enable easier PC management and provide internet users with sophisticated graphical user interfaces.  Continue Reading

• Pioneering service lets Ashford tenants choose council houses using SMS system

  Smart projects: council reduces administration time spent on housing queues.  Continue Reading

• Law firm moves from Netware to Windows

  Law firm Olswang has completed its migration from Novell's Netware to a Windows 2003 back-end environment with Windows XP desktop PCs.  Continue Reading

• Security: Businesses urged to shift growing burden of security back onto software suppliers

  US security body the Sans Institute has urged businesses and governments to use their purchasing power to persuade IT suppliers to lock down the security of their software applications.  Continue Reading

• Barnet boosts efficiency by outsourcing document processing in revenues office

  The revenues department at Barnet Council in London has improved the speed and efficiency of its document handling by using a managed document processing service.  Continue Reading

• Easy and efficient patching all comes down to having the right management software

  If cars were sold in the same way as software, you would have to hook your Mondeo to the internet and download the latest code update before you left the garage.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft and Symantec - between the lines

  What's really behind the "row" between Microsoft and Symantec ?  Continue Reading

• Commission for Rural Communities rolls out hosted mobile system for field staff

  Countryside Agency replacement to provide remote mobile access  Continue Reading

• Linux players back LSB standards initiative to improve compatibility

  The open source community is collaborating on a set of binary standards that will increase compatibility among Linux systems, through a project called Linux Standard Base (LSB).  Continue Reading

• Confront compliance

  Richard Hall explains how a financial software company is getting a grip on years of e-mails and other documents  Continue Reading

• Wales gets a taste of BT's network of future

  BT's five-year 21st Century Network project launches in Cardiff: total IT and telecommunications convergence featuring VoIP, wireless broadband in 'super exchanges'  Continue Reading

• Can I see your licence, sir?

  Software licensing is getting more complex as new business models and technologies emerge. Danny Bradbury ventures into the licensing maze  Continue Reading

• Explorer 7 and Windows vista set to drive demand for RSS skills

  Web content syndication format key to new Microsoft apps  Continue Reading

• WinFX shows .net managed code is the future for MS developers

  What is it?: WinFX is the application programming interface (API) used in Vista, the forthcoming version of Windows. FX stands for Framework Extension, and WinFX is literally an extension of the .net Framework.  Continue Reading

• Is Linux a viable alternative to Windows?

  There has been a lot of noise both from the desktop Linux camp and from Microsoft trying to rebut everything the Linux brigade says. So should you be considering Linux as an alternative to Microsoft on the desktop?  Continue Reading

• Outlook flaw 'a risk to all users'

  A bug in Microsoft Outlook Express could allow hackers to take control of a machine even when its user does not use the e-mail program.  Continue Reading

• Enhancements make Microsoft's mobile e-mail 'good enough'

  Microsoft has announced a raft of enhancements to its mobile e-mail solution that make it worth considering as an alternative to more expensive offerings  Continue Reading

• B&Q boosts efficiency and cuts costs by replacing e-mail with workflow software

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• London Waste

  Orange enables executives of London Waste to remain in touch with the office while on the move  Continue Reading

• Storage 911: How to troubleshoot your storage

  Our emergency guide takes you through the steps you can take to prevent disaster, and then, more importantly, offers an organized list of usual suspects, from the complex to the deceptively simple.  Continue Reading

• Netscape 8 gets patch just hours after launch

  Netscape was forced to release a security update for its Netscape 8.0 browser just hours after it was launched last week.  Continue Reading

• Office 12 aims to meet demands of 'overwhelming' info streams

  Microsoft Office will be taking a new direction with its next release, Office 12, chief software architect Bill Gates has...  Continue Reading

• Messaging: Instant profit

  Don't write off instant messaging as just another management headache. Properly applied it can offer many business benefits....  Continue Reading

• Ten years on, has Java managed to deliver its promise of 'write once, use anywhere'?

  Language will be central to the future development of online applications and services  Continue Reading

• Java flows from the browser to the datacentre

  Java's 10th anniversary marks the evolution of Sun's programming language from a tool to write fancy interactive websites to a...  Continue Reading

• Case history - Bright Grey

  Intranets, e-mail and databases are just some of the business applications that rely on network connectivity. If an...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft stresses security and quality commitment in Longhorn

  Users considering Microsoft's next major operating system, code-named Longhorn, can expect stronger security and privacy, laptop...  Continue Reading

• Take care of low-level code with Qt and focus on GUI functionality

  Qt is used to build multi-platform graphical user interfaces  Continue Reading

• Growing use of Linux could make mobile apps more cost-effective

  Advances in mobile operating systems and the growth of Linux will make it easier for companies to build more cost-effective...  Continue Reading

• Linux to break into mobile market

  Linux will take a significant share of the mobile operating system market over the next five years, says analyst Meta Group.  Continue Reading

• Any information, any time, any network - how close are we to the full take-up of 3G?

  Last month's 3GSM conference suggests 3G is taking its first steps to maturity  Continue Reading

• FrontBridge guarantees the mail gets through

  Total Message Management supplier FrontBridge Technologies has launched Active Disaster Recovery (ADR) for email continuity, an...  Continue Reading

• It's not yet time to write off the mainframe

  Reports of the death of the mainframe have long been exaggerated. Most business data is stored on mainframes and a new breed of...  Continue Reading

• How BT cut the cost of computing

  And outsourcing desktop management not only saved millions, it also improved service  Continue Reading

• Full steam ahead for mobile workforce

  Uninterrupted access to e-mail facilitates flexible working  Continue Reading

• Functionality is dead

  Back in the 1990s, what organisations wanted from IT systems was functionality and technology. But users are now looking for...  Continue Reading

• All new chips multicore, says Intel

  Intel has confirmed that in future all its chips will be multicore and has revealed additional desktop, server and mobile...  Continue Reading

• Kicking out dead time

  A man of many talents, Gary Turner is a professional kick boxer and guest commentator on Eurosport as well as the proprietor of a...  Continue Reading

• Interview: John Swainson, CA's new CEO

  John Swainson, who was named CEO-elect of Computer Associates International last week, speaks about his new post, the decision to...  Continue Reading

• Top 10 IT stories of 2003

  2003 offered some respite from megamergers, corporate scandals and the boom-and-bust cycle, but 64-bit computing, worms and spam...  Continue Reading

• Security software turns its attention from the external threats to the dangers within

  Technology can safeguard your firm from employee activity.  Continue Reading

• Linux keeper and SpikeSource CEO talk about open source

  Accommodating large patch sets in Linux is expected to mean separating version 2.7 of the platform to accommodate these changes,...  Continue Reading

• In search of a better way to look for data

  Search engine Google has enjoyed a successful flotation and its recently released desktop search tool is receiving lots of...  Continue Reading

• C# goes head to head with Java

  When resources are tight companies try to limit the number of programming languages they support. Microsoft's C# and Sun's Java...  Continue Reading

• Ballmer bullish on future, bearish on Linux

  Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer touted his company's vision for a bright future, while casting doubt on alternatives to...  Continue Reading

• All systems go

  The effectiveness of next generation servers is dependent on their operating systems. What are their strengths and weaknesses?...  Continue Reading

• Systinet CEO: Three phases for web services

  Thomas Erickson recently took over as president and CEO of Systinet, one of a growing number of companies focused on the web...  Continue Reading

• Messaging threat affects firms of all sizes

  SMEs and City firms alike have caught staff divulging sensitive data through instant messaging systems. As use of the technology...  Continue Reading

• Don’t pay SCO without a refund guarantee

  Software company SCO is suing IBM for billions of dollars and threatening users of Linux with legal action, claiming that IBM has...  Continue Reading

• Ballmer promises better security and value

  Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer showed himself ready to face up to user concerns about security and licensing when he...  Continue Reading

• Top 10 Grayware identifiers

  Your guide as to whether you’ve been hot by Grayware from network security company Fortinet  Continue Reading

• How can I improve standard documents?

  SME strategy special: Expert advice on desktop office productivity applications  Continue Reading

• Could your firm use open source software?

  SMEs are discovering the cost gains to be had from deploying open source software, but only after doing an impact analysis to see...  Continue Reading

• Strategy Clinic: Is now the time to make a move to Linux?

  Linux, security and holiday cover: readers' solutions to recent Strategy Clinic problems  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On how security affects shareholder confidence

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• MS to focus on Unix migration, says Linux strategist

  Read the second part of Microsoft's chief Linux strategist, Martin Taylor about his first year in the job.  Continue Reading

• The agenda behind Microsoft Shared Source

  Why should users care about the difference between Microsoft Shared Source and open source?  Continue Reading

• Your shout! On how compensation could have paid for the IT

  Have your say at computerweekly.com  Continue Reading

• BP switches from intranet to internet

  Oil giant aims to provide 60% of employees and third-party users with secure access to corporate systems, including applications,...  Continue Reading

• Longhorn's loss may be some users' gain

  Microsoft's retreat from its Longhorn ambitions and its decision to add several Longhorn technologies to Windows XP and Windows...  Continue Reading

• Seeboard feels power of Computacenter service

  Power utility Seeboard needed an IT partner to run its desktop and network servers while still allowing it to control its IT...  Continue Reading

• WS-I tackles web services attachments

  The Web Services Interoperability Organisation (WS-I) will release three profiles intended to make it easier to send attachments...  Continue Reading

• Computacenter makes it happen THUS

  Computacenter's OneDesk service helps ensure that IT at communications company THUS always runs smoothly  Continue Reading

• SP2 users face compatibility tests

  With the code for Windows XP Service Pack 2 now ready, users will soon be able to install the operating system update across...  Continue Reading

• SP2 sticks spanner in software works

  There can be no doubting that SP2, the latest update to Windows XP, will make toast of some applications.  Continue Reading

• Service Pack 2 sheds light on Longhorn

  Bill Gates has described the release of Microsoft’s next operating system Longhorn as the biggest of the decade, but will it be...  Continue Reading

• LinuxWorld special

  Time to take the plunge with Linux? Read the latest product announcements and industry debate at the San Francisco conference...  Continue Reading

• SCO CEO: No need to sue more customers

  As SCO Group reseller and developer community gathers for its annual SCO Forum convention in Las Vegas this week, one question on...  Continue Reading

• Whatever happened to UnitedLinux?

  Four Linux suppliers agreed to create a standardised, certified and robust enterprise-focused version of the open-source...  Continue Reading

• Users get on the road with 3G data services

  In the next few months, users will be able to choose from four 3G data services, each of which has benefits and drawbacks that...  Continue Reading

• IBM readies 'Atlantic' tools and promises more open source

  IBM plans to upgrade its Rational and IBM tools portfolio, called “Atlantic,” and will also make some of its products available...  Continue Reading

• Storage Management Survival School: Lesson four

  E-mail is one of the biggest problems most storage admins are facing. How do you cope and manage this growth? Find out in lesson four of Storage Management Survival School.  Continue Reading

• Sun comes out of the cold

  Butler analyst Tim Jennings examines how the decision by Sun and Microsoft to resolve their ongoing dispute over Java licensing...  Continue Reading

• IBM veteran extols Linux sophistication

  Jim Stallings has seen dozens of corporate shops and governments around the world push Linux from the periphery to the heart of...  Continue Reading

• I'm mobile, fly me

  A field force brandishing PDAs can give a company an instant lift. But cultural, operational and security issues need to be...  Continue Reading

• Users will be winners in Windows war of words

  Microsoft campaign highlights disadvantages of open source softwarel  Continue Reading

• Surge in the number of Linux jobs drives a rising demand for skills

  Survey shows number of job adverts asking for Linux has risen by 50%  Continue Reading

• Sun springs surprise with open source Solaris move

  Sun surprised the IT community last week by revealing plans to make its flagship Solaris enterprise Unix operating system open...  Continue Reading

• Mobile Hotmail in an instant

  Openwave is to make it easier and cheaper for mobile users of Microsoft’s Hotmail e-mail and MSN Instant Messenger systems to...  Continue Reading

• Flash Player 7 for Linux

  Macromedia has announced Flash Player 7 for Linux, a version of its rich Internet client that is bundled with Linux operating...  Continue Reading

• Open-source development models fall flat

  Typical open-source project development strategies work well for free software but do not flourish in commercial settings,...  Continue Reading

• Customer account system aims to stem £200m a year loss

  At the end of the year, the UK's gas and electricity suppliers will begin to roll out an industry-wide billing system. The move...  Continue Reading

• Rich internet apps could leave standards advocates with portability problems

  There is a hidden cost in leaving HTML behind when building web applications  Continue Reading

• HP to release fibre channel disc drives

  Hewlett-Packard is working with disc drive maker Seagate to produce a new class of disc drives called Fibre Attached Technology...  Continue Reading

• IBM-Candle deal helps On Demand

  With its acquisition of long-time business partner, Candle, IBM believes it is taking an important step in moving its collection...  Continue Reading

• Working together

  New web-based tools are giving collaborative working within organisations a new impetus, Mark Vernon looks at those in the...  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Office evolves in the face of competition from Linux

  In the SSL/CW list of IT skills, MS Office is number 8  Continue Reading

• Microsoft takes the long view on Longhorn

  Microsoft has been fuzzy on the expected ship date for the next major version of the Windows operating system, codenamed...  Continue Reading

• Return of the bright idea

  Old IT concepts never die, they just get rebranded. Danny Bradbury looks at seven technologies that were hyped as the next big...  Continue Reading

• Linux on parade

  Scalability and cost are two of the reasons the police force opted for Linux on its video-based identity parade system. Julia...  Continue Reading

• Ready to roll

  Before implementing Linux, IT managers need to consider how they will tackle a host of user issues. Danny Bradbury explains  Continue Reading

• The battle over TCO

  With Microsoft and Linux both claiming that they offer a lower total cost of ownership, IT users can be forgiven for being...  Continue Reading

• Decision time for users as .net and J2EE compete to be the architecture of choice

  For the past few years there has been a great deal of effort from the IT industry to promote the concept of web services, an...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Lost in cyberspace

  Legal restrictions and corporate protectionism have pretty much snuffed out the innovation and freedom of the dotcom boom, says...  Continue Reading

• LinuxWorld Expo: Open source prepares for the next offensive

  From today, Linux devotees will gather in New York for this week's LinuxWorld Expo.  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Flights of fancy

  The Windows versus Linux debacle continues to escalate into a heady mix of emotion, mud-slinging and complexity  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Can Gates halt the march of Linux?

  Microsoft is starting to resemble the old Soviet Union in the face of the rise of a penguin-powered Perestroika, says Simon...  Continue Reading

• Thought for the day: Don't pick on the Penguin!

  Legal squabbles over Linux demonstrate its strategic significance but do businesses no favours, says Simon Moores.  Continue Reading