Articles by Roger Strukhoff

The Business Value of an SOA Strategy

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:00:00 EDT

After IMPACT 2007 in Orlando, Java Developer's Journal had the opportunity to talk with Sandy Carter about IBM's new SOA announcements at the event, as she is responsible for driving IBM's cross-company, worldwide SOA marketing initiatives.

AJAX World Editorial — Taking AJAX Seriously

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:45:00 EDT

Over the past two years, AJAX as a general technological approach seems to be maturing very quickly. I won't bore this magazine's savvy audience by recounting for the umpteenth time how, when, and by whom the term was coined, and I fully realize that many of you had been working - sometimes for years - with JavaScript, XML, and related languages and approaches before the term AJAX came into existence.

CFDJ Editorial — Scorpio Becomes Beta

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Roman astrology turned into the Greek alphabet recently, with the announcement that the previously named 'Scorpio' has been released as the ColdFusion 8 Beta. Initial reaction from the most sophisticated members of the CF community was positive.

Creative Integration at Adobe

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:30:00 EDT

The increasing integration of Adobe and former Macromedia products continues with Creative Suite 3, which is available in a version targeted specifically to Web developers and designers. Designers today - whether they started in an era of X-acto knives and border tape or have recently graduated with a degree in digital design - must have at least a nodding acquaintance with the various strains of code that underlies their work. Yet the tools have long been powerful enough that they don't have to consider themselves to be programmers.

Virtualization in Media: Microsoft Latest to Expand Media Mogul Aspirations

Fri, 18 May 2007 15:00:00 EDT

The report that Microsoft is buying local digital marketing shop Aquantive for six BILLION dollars shows that if we're not in a new bubble, we're in something that sure looks and feels like the real thing. Redmond seems bent on regaining consumer computing supremacy as it competes with Yahoo and Google for the lion's share of the 21st century media marketing business.

Former CA CEO Joins LogMeIn Board of Directors

Thu, 17 May 2007 10:00:00 EDT

Before forming Uproar, Cron spent nearly two decades at CMP Media where under his leadership the company grew from an information technology trade publishing company into a global, publicly traded media multinational. As CMP's President, Publishing, Cron was responsible for the company's U.S. business, and he spearheaded its entry into online activity before the internet became core to the media industry. With the executive team, Cron took CMP public with a NASDAQ offering co-managed by Goldman Sachs & Co. and Lazard Freres. Cron later engineered the sale of CMP for $920 million to Miller Freeman, Inc., part of the $4 billion UK-based United Business Media.

Hurd Outlines HP's Internal Virtualization

Thu, 10 May 2007 21:15:00 EDT

Mark Hurd said that HP had more than 700 datamarts, 87 datacenters, 20 petabytes of non-shared storage, and were running on 5,000 applications. Since his arrival in 2004, the company has reduced the number of datacenters to three and consolidated 9,000 servers 'by virtualizing and blading half the infrastructure.' Noting that 'virtualization is a big deal to us,' Hurd also said HP has cut the number of apps its uses to 1,400, and can now 'provide real-time enterprise financial information, supply chain information, and customer information across the enterprise.'

Adobe Was at the Forefront From the Beginning With Its Postscript Fonts

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 12:15:00 EDT

Development and Design are two sides of the same coin in the digital age, and it is very nice to consider in any case how well these two formerly separate worlds have come together over the past two decades. Adobe was at the forefront from the beginning, with its Postscript Fonts. Based on earlier work by Adobe co-founder John Warnock at Xerox PARC and Evans and Sutherland, Postscript was integral to the Apple LaserWriter, hooked to an Apple Macintosh, all announced in 1984.

AJAX and Simpler Times

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 14:00:00 EST

We live in the eternal present, yet think mostly about the future and the past. When we are able to stop time and consider what's going on 'right now' or 'these days,' we often think about how our lives and times used to be simpler. How often do you recount stories from a 'simpler, more innocent time?'

RIA AJAX Atlas Revolution

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 16:45:00 EDT

'Ease-of-use' is one of those buzz terms that software marketeers routinely inject into their promotional copy to describe their product. The term is one of those unarguable concepts; after all, who's not in favor of ease-of-use?

DNDJ Editorial — Tools of the Trade

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:00:00 EDT

Last month, we addressed platonic concepts in this space, albeit in as surface-level a way as possible. Just added a little pretentiousness to what could have otherwise been a deadly dull column. The topic of hand was 'ease-of-use' and the practical reality of achieving such a thing in the world of software development.

Flashback to January 2006: Exclusive SYS-CON.TV Interviews on "OpenAjax Alliance" Announcement

Thu, 21 Sep 2006 19:30:00 EDT

IBM is taking the lead role in rolling out an 'OpenAjax' initiative that seems sure to add significant momentum to recent grassroots efforts to bring Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, or AJAX, application development to the forefront of the i-technology universe. Open source organizations such as Eclipse and Mozilla are backing the initiative, as are a suite of companies that each bring something unique to this effort.

AJAX and Simpler Times

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 14:15:00 EDT

Sun Was Concerned About Eclipse in OpenAJAX

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 10:30:00 EDT

Dan Roberts, Director of Developer Tools at Sun Microsystems, discussed the company's recent decision to join the IBM-led OpenAJAX Alliance, in an exclusive SYS-CON interview. He was joined by Sun AJAX Architect Greg Murray in the interview, who discussed the importance of interoperability within the Alliance membership.

Analyst Booted Off Net Neutrality Conference Call

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 17:15:00 EDT

Tne Net Neutrality bandwagon has added a new gear with the passage of a bill that favors telcos over Net Neutrality proponents. There are several opinions in this debate, and one certitude: if you question at least one group too persistently, you get disinvited from the discussion.

Is God on the Side of Net Neutrality?

Fri, 09 Jun 2006 12:30:00 EDT

The 'Net Neutrality' debate is heating up in Washington, DC and around the U.S., as legislation that may determine a key aspect of the future of the Internet as we know it works its way through Congress. On the surface, it seems to be a simple matter of giant telcos vs. giant web companies. But there are many currents flowing in these waters.

The More Things Change, the More They Change

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 13:00:00 EDT

If you don't like change, stay away from the software development world. But if you embrace change, then these are among the most exciting, if volatile, times in years.

IBM's David Boloker Delivers Deep View of OpenAjax Alliance

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 12:45:00 EDT

David Boloker talked about 'the promise of richer user interfaces, encompassing all devices' during his presentation at the Real-World Ajax Seminar at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York on June 5.

SOA Web Services Edge: Cassatt CEO Bill Coleman Delivers Keynote

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:00:00 EDT

Cassatt CEO Bill Coleman outlined a vision of the future in which broadband access, open source software, and the creation of true service-oriented architectures (SOAs) deliver a variety of services to customers who are given much more choice than they are given today.

Sun Wields Ax; Aiming For Savings In The Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 12:45:00 EDT

An 11-13% workforce reduction and the consolidation of its real estate portfolio are just two of the measures that Sun's CEO Jonathan Schwartz and his CFO Michael Lehman announced after what they called 'their comprehensive review of Sun's entire global operations.'

Did SAP Get the AJAX Memo?

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 07:00:00 EDT

Contrasting events in May showed a clear difference in perspective over AJAX, considered by some to be the number one story in the IT world today. Whereas AJAX was the main story at JavaOne in San Francisco, it was nowhere to be found across the continent at Sapphire '06 in Orlando.

AJAX Cleans Up at JavaOne 2006 in San Francisco

Wed, 31 May 2006 14:30:00 EDT

Ajax was the word of the day and talk of the town during the recent JavaOne 2006 Conference in San Francisco. This was probably not the largest JavaOne ever, but had to rank among the strangest with a distinctly non-Java technology dominating every conversation and most of the exhibit floor.

Sun Gains Server Market Share; Linux Continues to Grow

Tue, 30 May 2006 22:00:00 EDT

A new report from Gartner Dataquest allows company spokespeople and commentators to have fun with numbers. The net result of the report is that there's just enough good news to make everyone cautiously optimistic.

Bloggers = Journalists, Says California Court; Apple Loses

Tue, 30 May 2006 12:30:00 EDT

A three-member panel from a California State Appeals Court has ruled in favor of bloggers who revealed information about Apple Computer from confidential sources, only to earn the legal ire of the Cupertino-based icon. No less a personage than Walkter Cronkite was cited in defense of these bloggers.

Yahoo and eBay Team to Take on Google

Fri, 26 May 2006 10:45:00 EDT

Yahoo and eBay have announced a multi-year 'strategic partnership' with four major components: search (along with graphical advertising), online payments, a co-branded toolbar, and the emerging 'click-to-call' functionality. The companies said their agreement will be fully up to speed in 2007.

SYS-CON i-Technology Podcast: Enron and SOX, Net Neutrality In the News

Thu, 25 May 2006 17:15:00 EDT

The conviction of Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling was in no small part to Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) legislation. Does this mean the government has done something right? Does it mean the government may be on the right track on another issue, Net Neutrality?

AJAX Was On Everyone's Mind, Web 2.0 Too...

Mon, 22 May 2006 10:45:00 EDT

'J2EE is so dead, beyond dead,' said a prominent AJAX consultant to this reporter in an unguarded moment. His sentiment was reflected by a number of people at the recent JavaOne 2006 conference. But hey, 'not so fast,' say many others.

OpenAjax Alliance "Not Trying to Create a Standards Body or a Product"

Thu, 18 May 2006 11:30:00 EDT

Representatives from OpenAjax member companies met over a two-day period recently, and emerged with an important semantic change from referring to OpenAjax as a collaboration to calling it the OpenAjax Alliance. They also decided to focus on interoperability as the main challenge facing them in their efforts to build momentum behind AJAX.

JavaOne 2006: "Not a Question of Whether, But of How"

Wed, 17 May 2006 11:15:00 EDT

Sun retained a certain ambivalence toward the whole 'open' question during the keynote presentation at JavaOne 2006 in San Francisco. And we didn't have Scott McNealy to kick around Microsoft and IBM anymore. Altogether it made for a lackluster presentation, at least in one person's view.

WebSphere vs WebLogic: IBM and BEA Spar Over SPEC Results

Tue, 16 May 2006 13:30:00 EDT

Benchmarks can mean whatever you want them to mean, it has always seemed. Although useful as a rough guide to performance, and sometimes price/performance, technology companies are famous for interpreting complex benchmark results as victories over their competition and them employing visual aids such as planes, snails, and automobiles to demonstrate their point.

BEA Systems and BlueDragon: A Blended Development

Mon, 15 May 2006 12:45:00 EDT

After BEA's announcement regarding their release of the BlueDragon BEA WebLogic Server, SYS-CON Media had the chance to talk with Blake Connell.

Sun Offers "No Comment" on IBM-Driven OpenAjax

Fri, 12 May 2006 09:30:00 EDT

Dan Roberts, Director of Developer Tools Marketing at Sun Microsystems, said the company is open to talking to IBM about the Open AJAX initiative. 'We're not sure exactly what the initiative means, what its goals are, and so we are open to a dialog (with IBM) about (Open AJAx),' he said in an exclusive interview with SYS-CON. Roberts outlined Sun's recent Java Studio Creator 2 product and strategy during the interview, and noted that Sun has been working with AJAX developers for some time. He said that Sun's current non-involvement with Open AJAX does not preclude cooperation between the company and other members of the initiative. He noted, in fact, that Sun is working with IBM on a specific aspect of AJAX tools development.

Microsoft and IBM in the Age of AJAX and Web 2.0

Wed, 10 May 2006 10:00:00 EDT

All companies, and especially companies with the mass of an IBM or Microsoft must integrate The Big View into their Big Revenues and Big Cash Stacks. It is good for business to do so. It also happens to be good for society. Microsoft, where are you going today?

Microsoft AdCenter and New Direction Panned

Fri, 05 May 2006 08:30:00 EDT

Industry commentator Dwight Davis told us, 'Having a solid ad management and distribution engine is an important part of Microsoft's belated response, but it isn't the only necessary element. Unless Microsoft can make its search engine -- and other online services -- more competitive with Google's Microsoft won't have the necessary traffic to match Google's allure to advertisers.' But there's a lot more to this story...

Podcast: Storage Company Quantum Acquires ADIC, Battles Sun, HP, and IBM

Thu, 04 May 2006 14:00:00 EDT

Storage and Enterprise IT Analyst Marc Farley comments on the newly announced Quantum acquisition of ADIC. The $770 million acquisition can be viewed as a defensive move, but it also strengthens Quantum's story while competing against major enterprise IT vendors Sun Microsystems, HP, and IBM, Farley says in this exclusive podcast.

SYS-CON Podcast: Java Testing Expert Frank Cohen on XML, and AJAX

Tue, 02 May 2006 22:15:00 EDT

SYS-CON author Frank Cohen, who also authored the book 'Java Testing and Design,' appeared with SYS-CON West Coast Bureau Chief Roger Strukhoff and IT Analyst Marc Farley on a recent 'TechMash' podcast, in which he addressed the challenges of developing and deploying AJAX applications in a variety of enterprises.

SYS-CON Podcast: AJAX, Net Neutrality, and Microsoft Considered

Mon, 01 May 2006 08:00:00 EDT

The growing influence of AJAX has been featured at SYS-CON events over the past several weeks, with a primary focus on the developer side of the equation. But what about the IT management aspects. Enterprise IT analyst Marc Farley joins Roger Strukhoff in a discussion about AJAX and IT, and also considers issues relating to Net Neutrality as well as Microsoft's recent China investment in this exclusive podcast.

SOA Web Services Leader Bill Coleman: "Software Isn't IT Anymore!"

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 16:00:00 EDT

Bill Coleman is founer and CEO of Cassatt Corp. Prior to that, he co-founded BEA Systems, and also served as Vice President of System Software at Sun Microsystems. He will be keynoting SYS-CON?s Web Services Edge Conference and Exhibition at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York in June. Bill was interviewed recently by SYS-CON West Coast Bureau Chief Roger Strukhoff.

SYS-CON i-Technology Podcast: Storage Analyst Marc Farley Comments on Sun

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 10:15:00 EDT

Marc Farley, president of Building Storage, Inc., was interviewed by SYS-CON West Coast Bureau Chief Roger Strukhoff about the CEO transition at Sun, specifically about how Sun's storage strategy was, in his opinion, a bad deal at the time and one that does not bode well for the future.

Sun's McNealy Steps Down as CEO: "This Isn't About Me"

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 19:30:00 EDT

Sun Microsystems Chairman Scott McNealy relinquished his long-held CEO position on Monday, April 24, announcing it at the end of a conference call just as an official press release about the transition hit the wires. Sun's stock was up in after-hours trading.