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Education

Submission + - IT Schools to Watch (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "These leading-edge graduate schools are moving at the pace of real-world IT, delivering coursework that's relevant to today's IT professionals. Plus: How to tap the value of IT education in the harsh reality of the business world, and how to explain what you bring to the table. Home in on a career-boosting education at one of 56 leading IT schools in your area with this special report's interactive map."
Software

Submission + - 'Very Important Victory' for Open Source Praised (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Free software advocates are hailing a federal appeals court ruling that allows greater protection for open-source software against copyright infringement. The key point in the ruling is that it gives those who use Artistic License the leverage to also argue copyright infringement rather than just breach of contract. Eben Moglen, a Columbia University law professor and founding director of the Software Freedom Law Center, said the decision will reduce legal uncertainty and increase the "attractiveness of free software and open-source distribution models for both software developers and IT vendors." IT Blogwatch rounded up opinion on the matter, including that of Lawrence Lessig, who writes: " Trust me, this is huge ... The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit [is] THE "IP" court in the US ... Important clarity and certainty by a critically important US Court ... A very important victory.""
Security

Submission + - Cyberallies Help Georgia Fight Internet Attacks (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "In an intriguing cyberalliance, two Estonian computer experts are heading Georgia to keep the country's networks running amid an intense military confrontation with Russia (Update: No peace, but ceasefire). Poland has lent space on its president's Web page for Georgia to post updates on its ongoing conflict with Russia. Estonia is also now hosting Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, which has been under sustained attack over the last few days. "Let's just say we moved it," Pärgmäe said. "I know that there are interested parties who read media so it's not good to say exactly where the hosting is.""
Security

Submission + - Former Prosecutor: UFO Hack Looked Like Terrorism (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "After the computer network at the Naval Weapons Station Earle was breached and crashed just a few weeks after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, investigators thought it might be part of a larger al-Qaeda plot against the United States. Was the break-in organized by a nation-state? A terrorist group? After throwing critical resources at the probe when the government was already investigating not only the 9/11 attacks but the anthrax killings, investigators didn't track the breach to al-Qaeda. They tracked it to an unemployed system administrator in the U.K. — Gary McKinnon, who has said he broke into U.S. military computers hoping to uncover evidence of UFO. He has been charged with hacking into 92 computer systems at the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense and NASA. "The concern was there," said Howard Schmidt, who began working at the White house as the vice chairman of the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board in 2002, in the midst of the McKinnon investigation. "When these things take place, you never know till the very end what their motivation is.... You don't know if it's a nation-state or a terrorist group. You have to work it as if this was the most important case you ever worked. There is a finite amount of resources. This pulled big resources that could have been used for other things.""
Businesses

Submission + - Dell Defends Its 'Cloud Computing' Trademark Bid (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Dell's trademark of the commonly used term "cloud computing" is one of those eyebrow-raising events that immediately begs the question: How is that possible? The simple answer: Dell is proving that it is possible; it is in the final stretch of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approval process. Late criticism has sparked Dell to now defend the effort: "The intent is to protect our intellectual property in our growing cloud computing business," spokesman David Frink said. "Our intent is not to stop others from using the term." Dell's definition describes "the design of computer hardware for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others; customization of computer hardware for use in data centers and mega-scale computing environments for others." After it was pointed out that the definition Dell provided doesn't sound narrow, Frink went back to a point he had made earlier, that the trademark application hasn't been opposed until now. Intellectual property lawyers say it is not too late to protest, even if a trademark is granted, as looks likely."
Businesses

Submission + - 'Exxon Mobil' Hijacked by Impersonator on Twitter (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "It seems innocuous enough at first. A user claiming to represent Exxon Mobil on Twitter highlighted this post from Aug. 2, "Did You Know? We supported local NGOS (non-governmental organizations) in Angola and Indonesia to develop their capacity to effectively partner with multi-national companies." The Twitter page is dotted with the Exxon Mobil name, logo and photos of Exxon gas stations. More than 300 "followers" signed up for since July 28, when posts purportedly from the company first appeared. But Exxon Mobil does not know who "Janet" is or if he or she is even a company employee, a company spokesman said Monday. "There are several inaccuracies (on Twitter)." The company plans to contact Twitter because of some copyrighted material being used without authorization. While Exxon Mobil has "no problem" with those who might criticize the company, it does object to anyone doing so anonymously, the spokesman said. "We think it's important that people are transparent and honest about whom they represent.""
Google

Submission + - Web Apps Get Real: GDocs vs. ThinkFree vs Zoho (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Web-based productivity suites, once almost a contradiction in terms, have become real challengers to desktop applications. Google Docs, ThinkFree, and Zoho, have all made major improvements in recent months. They're becoming both broader, with more applications, and deeper, with more features and functionality in existing apps. The question is: Are these three applications really ready to take on a desktop-based heavy hitter like Microsoft Office?"
The Internet

Submission + - DNS hole prompts synchronized patching (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "In a rare synchronized security move, Microsoft, Cisco Systems and other IT vendors have released software patches aimed at addressing a fundamental design flaw in the Domain Name System (DNS) protocol used to direct traffic on the Internet. Virtually every domain name server that resolves IP addresses on the Internet is vulnerable to the flaw and needs to be patched against it as quickly as possible to avoid potentially serious problems, such as companies having all of their network traffic rerouted to malicious Web sites or having employee e-mails captured by attackers, said Dan Kaminsky, a researcher at security services firm IOActive who discovered the flaw earlier this year but had not disclosed it until Wednesday. IT Blogwatch rounds up some opinion on the matter, noting 'Drop everything and patch your DNS: like, NOW'."
Google

Submission + - Google is doing WHAT? (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Its motto is 'Don't do evil' — but it looks like anything and everything else imaginable is pretty much fair game. "The whole Google empire started as a research project, and it's a core in their DNA to try and discover new things and figure out how to monetize them," says JupiterResearch analyst Michael Gartenberg. "When you have a market cap like they do and the cash cow in the guise of paid search, they can keep experimenting. You need the financial wherewithal to support these projects, and plenty of smart people to carry them out. Google does not seem short on either." Who would have thought a search site company would get involved in laying a fiber-optic undersea cable between the U.S. and Japan? Do you love Google (and its apps and services), fear it, or both?"
Operating Systems

Submission + - Kiss VMware's Rump Good-Bye (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "A perfect storm is brewing ahead and, like a fishing captain who doesn't get that a plummeting barometer means stay at port, VMware is persisting in sailing into disaster, writes Stephen J. Vaughn-Nicholls writes, who provides his case for why we'll be saying good-bye to former industry leader VMware's rump. Number One on that list: Microsoft is about to roll out its Hyper-V virtualization in Server 2008 this August. I am no friend to Microsoft, but every now and again, as they did with Excel, the boys from Redmond get something right. I've used beta of Hyper-V on Server 2008. In a word, it's 'impressive.' And, it will come to Windows shops ready to go in the server."
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft's Golden Age: Going, Going ... Gone? (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "With Bill Gates giving up his day-to-day role at Microsoft next week, a big question remains: Are the company's best days behind it? Microsoft is being challenged by proponents of open document formats, while open-source software, Web 2.0 technologies and software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings are nipping away at Microsoft's lucrative Windows and Office franchises. Chief among the threats is Google. "When Microsoft looks at Google," said Rob Horwitz, head of research at consulting firm Directions on Microsoft, "it sees a younger, beefier and more suntanned version of itself, and it says, 'Wow.'" But as one story in Computerworld's uber-package on Gates' departure sums up, Gates' historical legacy may focus more on philanthropy than on Microsoft. Be we're not letting him off that easy... with a summation of his legacy that includes a reality check on that 640K-quote, his five best and worst moves, and a recap of quotes in his words, and others'."
Communications

Submission + - IT Pro Vacation Planner: Unplug to unwind? (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Rod Masney believes it's a key part of his management role to encourage his employees to really disengage from their in high-pressure IT jobs — to take a week or two at the beach or that long-awaited European tour. Only problem, the global director of IT infrastructure at Owens-Illinois doesn't follow his own advice much. "I believe people should strive for work/life balance, but I'm not very balanced," admits Masney, who is also the immediate past chairperson of the Americas' SAP User Group. "My PC bag is like my purse; it goes everywhere I go, and so does my BlackBerry. They're my safety blankets." He's not alone. Beth Stackpole has some tips to find some balance. However, one comment left on the Computerworld story nails it: "At 700 emails a day, the 'right balance' has already been lost.""
Security

Submission + - Windows Bluetooth flaw tops PatchTuesday (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
CWmike
CWmike writes: "Gregg Keizer delves into the latest Microsoft patch round, which fixed 10 vulnerabilities, four marked "critical." The one that caught the eyes of most analysts was MS09-030, a critical update that patches a single bug in Windows' implementation of Bluetooth. "This sounds like it's pretty bad," said Eric Schultze, CTO of Shavlik Technologies, "but the bulletin is unclear and doesn't tell you whether Bluetooth is enabled by default on Windows XP." If it's not, he added, the danger would be reduced. An attacker could exploit the flaw by flooding the receiving system — a laptop in a public place, for example — with a large number of malformed SDPs (Service Discovery Protocols)."

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