Practical Technology

for practical people.

May 13, 2011
by sjvn01
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How Skype does, and doesn’t, work

Skype, the voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and video program, is very popular. It’s also pretty bad software. Really, what were you thinking Ballmer when you wrote a check for $8.5-billion for Skype? You do know that not even two years ago Skype was valued at $2.75-billion right?

Here’s the simple truth. Skype has historically had many software problems and late last year the entire Skype network crashed for several days, we can pretty count on these kind of problems showing up on a regular basis.

You see, Skype is a modified peer-to-peer (P2P) network application. Skype started as a variation of the now outdated Kazaa P2P file-sharing program. When you make a Skype call your voice and video is encoded with a 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption key and then passed from one Skype PC to another between you and whomever you’re calling.

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May 12, 2011
by sjvn01
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Few Options Exist for Managing Multiple Mobile Platforms

Fiberlink, an enterprise mobile management company that supports endpoints at companies such as Bank of America, Bayer and Volkswagen, reports that the days when you could support a single mobile platform are history. According to its numbers, only 28 percent of companies support a single mobile operating system, while 22 percent support three and 33 percent support four or more.

Mike Sedehi, senior IT operations manager at Matson Navigation, a major Pacific Rim logistics firm, says the biggest problem with supporting several platforms is “not having a proper device-management tool to effectively secure, monitor and update the devices in a controlled environment. A user can take their device home and update it. Or worse, the service providers simply push updates to the device, bypassing our controls.”

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May 11, 2011
by sjvn01
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Five Reasons why Google’s Linux Chromebook is a Windows killer

When Google first started talking about Chrome OS, I thought it might be turn into a Windows killer. Well, now we know that the first commercial Chromebooks will be available in mid-June and there’s no question: Google is aiming right at the Windows business desktop market.

Can Google do what the Mac was never able to do? What the various desktop Linuxes, even the most popular ones like Ubuntu have never even come close to pulling off? I think it can. Here’s why.

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May 11, 2011
by sjvn01
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Hire a Hooker? There’s an app for that.

Don’t ask me how “Leading sugar dating website, SugarSugar, managed to gets its SugarSugar Dating App through Apple’s Puritan application wall, but the company claims that it’s “an innovative mobile application for locating singles interested in the ’sugar’ lifestyle’” will be out on June 1st.

OK. And, what the heck is a “sugar” lifestyle. I’m glad you asked. According to the site, it’s “for generous men looking to spoil, and dynamic women looking for financial support with bills, or who just need some excitement in life!” Ah., OK, prostitution in other words. Or, I suppose you could look it as a try-out system for would-be mistresses.

There’s nothing new about the world’s oldest profession being online. Sure, over-zealous prosecutors managed to chase Craigslist out of the adult services business. So what? I see that another online classified ad site, Backpage, is now offering adult services ads. Anyone want to bet me that if Backpage is hammered in the same way Craigslist was there will be yet another online general purpose ad site with adult services ads up and running before the day is out?

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May 11, 2011
by sjvn01
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Canonical switches to OpenStack for Ubuntu Linux cloud

OK, it’s not too surprising that Canonical, Ubuntu Linux’s parent company, has switched to OpenStack for its Ubuntu cloud foundation technology. After all, Canonical started flirting with OpenStack back in February. What is surprising is that Neil Levine, who as Canonical’s VP of corporate services, which included the cloud, has jumped ship to start a new company, Soba Labs.

First, for Ubuntu, OpenStack, and not Eucalyptus will make up the core of the Ubuntu Cloud. The company claims that the current releases of the Eucalyptus-based Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC), will not be impacted. Specifically, “Eucalyptus will continue to be a available for download and will be supported by Canonical. This means that customers who have deployed private clouds based on existing Ubuntu releases will continue to receive maintenance, and in the case of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Long Term Support) this will continue through to April 2015. Eucalyptus will remain within Ubuntu and will be available for users who prefer this technology. For customers with existing private cloud deployments, Ubuntu will provide tools to automate the migration process to the Ubuntu Server 11.10 release when it is released in October 2011.”

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May 10, 2011
by sjvn01
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Microsoft’s Ballmer $7.7-Billion Skype Blunder

I’m bemused to see that Microsoft’s Grand Poobah Steve Ballmer has blundered yet again. This time, instead of Vista, the operating system that never should have seem the light of day, or Windows Phone 7, the far too little, too late, attempt to play in mobile devices, he’s wasted a cool $8.5-billion (Billion!) on Skype.

Seriously? Ballmer just burned more money than Oracle did on buying Sun for a video-conferencing and Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) company? Come on! The only thing that Skype has over any of the dozens of other video-conferencing and VoIP companies out there is brand recognition and Skype’s brand is not worth $850-million much less $8.5-billion.

I mean, come on, Microsoft already has this technology. They’ve been selling these services in products like Live Meeting and Microsoft Lync, formerly Office Communications Server, for over a decade now. Sure, hundreds of millions of people already know and use Skype, but how long will they now that Microsoft owns it? I think Harry McCracken, well-known writer and editor, hit the nail on the head when he remarked, “Skype to be rebranded as Microsoft Internet Phone Professional Premium 2012 (KIDDING!)” on Twitter. Boy, I wish I had come up with that line. That’s exactly how people will see this deal.

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