The itmWEB Information Technology Report

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http://www.itmweb.com
http://www.jeffgainer.com
http://www.methodology.org
http://www.open-technology.com

A monthly report featuring selected IT topics and time sensitive links.

Volume 3, Number 2, April - May 1999

ISSN: 1099-8411

Welcome to the 22nd distribution of the itmWEB Information Technology Report. This month's edition is being distributed worldwide to 1,914 IT professionals and associates. You are receiving this report because you either requested it from one of the sites above, or you have been referred to the email list as having a potential interest. itmWEB's policy is not to SPAM. The itmWEB report is a professional resource, and care is taken to only send the report to interested readers. We do not share our email database with anyone for any purpose.

Please find instructions for unsubscribing at the end of this report.

Edited by: Russ Finney
Please send comments or contributions to: itreport@itmweb.com

CONTENTS:

1. Up Front - Announcements and Technology News
2. Product News - New Developments and Offerings
3. Jeff Gainer's Critical Path - IT Insights
4. Management Quickies - Tips for IT Executives
5. Bug, Virus, & Hacker Alerts - Problem Awareness
6. Open Source Software - News & Opinions
7. Selected IT Resources - Hand picked for Quality

The technology privacy debate continues...

Intel continues to feel the effects of the unique chip ID number which is embedded within the new Pentium III processors. After providing software patches to "hide" the number from public view, several labs have released programs which "go around" the Intel patches to find the unique number. Intel has been reporting these new programs to the Virus software companies for inclusion in their file scans hoping to prevent the use of these "privacy busters". The bottom line - as long as a unique ID resides on the chip - people will figure out ways to retrieve it.

Microsoft has the same issue in Office 97. This product places a unique document number into files created by the Office suite. Microsoft has also released software patches to block the unique ID numbers from being created on these files.

This unique number was actually put to good use when the author of the recent "Melissa" virus was tracked down using this electronic fingerprint. My guess is that most folks won't take the time to install these patches anyway. But if you are worried about your documents being traceable - you probably should install the patches.

http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/99031912win98

Austin's newest public company Vignette was recently in the news. Greg Peters, Vignette's CEO, gave a good overview of Internet commerce strategy. Vignette is providing the foundation software for websites such as: CBS, AT&T, Dun & Bradstreet, Chicago Tribune, Lands' End, New York Life, CNET, Hewlett Packard, Simon & Schuster, Time Warner, US West, and others.

http://www.infoworld.com/scoop/sc?990413iv2

Get ready for the big freeze...

Two out of 10 large companies plan to halt new system installations beginning in June to avoid system retesting for year 2000 compliance.

http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/CWFlash/9903299A66

The big news from Houston, Texas was the departure of Compaq CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer. The additional departure of the CFO as well as a report of earnings far below analyst expectations has caused a significant drop in the stock price. If you are a Compaq fan - now might be a time to consider buying a few shares.

http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9904191compaqchanges
http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9904202compaqbarth
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990420S0005?ls=twb_text

Surprise! The new Explorer 5.0 doesn't completely follow current Web standards. Cascading style sheets, the document object model, and XML may not work in the new browser as developers expect.

http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9903195web

What about Netscape Communicator?

It is in big trouble. Recently, long time browser developer Jamie Zawinski left Netscape, and he posted a sizzling resignation letter on the internet explaining his exit reasons:

http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/nomo.html

This is not good news.

The Mozilla project seems to be falling behind the curve, and Microsoft is turning on the heat. Up in Seattle, the IE team is sensing weakness, and they are gearing up for the final kill. Or so they think.

A quick look at this month's itmWEB visitor logs shows that Communicator is still used twice as often as Internet Explorer. Microsoft may be pulling ahead in technical capability, but they still have quite a way to go before they win the total hearts and minds of the masses. The outcome of this browser battle will certainly be analyzed by business schools for years to come.

For a quick update on the new Communicator (Mozilla) version, check out this article for an overview of the status of the ongoing "open source" browser project:

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990420S0031?ls=twb_text

Wondering what technology skills will be important in the next century? InfoWorld makes a few guesses:

http://www.infoworld.com/scoop/sc?990422ft1

Which iMac color is the most popular? Apple isn't saying. But retailers are hinting that "tangerine" is moving slowly.

Email legal issues continue...

Intel recently won a case it brought against a disgruntled former employee. This case could have important ramifications for all companies which rely on electronic communications. The case will probably be appealed, but it is worth keeping an eye on:

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990428S0022?ls=twb_text

Here comes Microsoft's Final Win 2000 Beta

I attended a meeting of about fifty CIOs held in Houston a few weeks ago, and had the pleasure of hearing about the new release directly from Bill Gates. The Microsoft CEO spoke for about an hour, and then he answered direct questions from our group for another hour.

My impression?

Microsoft is worried. The marketing line was: "we know many of you are concerned about Y2K right now, and that you will probably wait to implement anything this major until next year, but now is a perfect opportunity to implement this in order to get a competitive advantage over other companies in your industry". Even the Microsoft diehards I know in Houston didn't buy it. Based on my conversations after the presentation, everyone will be slow to adopt Windows 2000 until next year.

However, I was impressed by the evolution of the product. It is different and enhanced. But get ready to train your network administrators. Microsoft is introducing a number of new concepts, and a clear understanding of these will be essential for exploiting the new features.

http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9904294winbeta
http://www.infoworld.com/scoop/sc?990420nw2
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990428S0027?ls=twb_text

Microsoft's Office 2000 is due in June:

http://www.cnet.com/Digdispatch/dispatch321.html
http://cgi.zdnet.com/slink?422

Off again, on again...

Microsoft is planning a new version of Windows 98 after all, and it won't be based on the NT operating system kernal.

http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9904073winhec

Oracle has announced Developer 6.0. This product is focused on creating and deploying database applications which are browser based:

http://www.infoworld.com/scoop/sc?990427rv2

A bit of bad news for Oracle - IBM has overtaken Oracle in database market share. Mainframe DB2, as well as the Unix and NT DB2 versions, have pulled IBM back into the lead.

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990323S0004?ls=twb_text

Making Predictions

by Jeff Gainer

Something about the turn of the millennium makes IT industry pundits want to make predictions. And it's not just the Y2K problem -- all the gee-whiz Internet stuff we're doing is fueling all this prediction-making, too. We can certainly make some tantalizing predictions in this industry. But somehow, I've resisted this temptation. Maybe its because I don't drive to work in a personal spaceship, as was predicted in 1957. No Jetsons future, instead it is this: From my home, I go downstairs to the office, make a pot of coffee, and check my email. The commute takes about 90 seconds.

So I've been understandably cautious about making predictions. I learned such caution from a dispatch from the 1876 Centennial Exposition. A mightily impressed reported gushed about a new device called the telephone, which would allow people at distant points to communicate instantaneously. The reporter went on to predict that there would soon be one in every major city. A less perspicacious official with Western Union, however, was not impressed. On seeing the newfangled device, he opined, "No conceivable commercial value whatsoever."

And in September 1929, a bright young economist named Peter Ducker confidently asserted "Stocks have attained a permanently high plateau."

Predicting the future for computers and information technology is particularly risky. IBM chairman Thomas Watson predicted a world market for a maximum of five computers. In 1949, Popular Mechanics magazine noted that computers were getting smaller and asserted: "Computers may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." And in 1977, the president of Digital Equipment confidently pronounced: "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."

So let's face it, we have to learn how to hedge our bets with our predictions. For a fine example, when asked which direction he thought the stock market would go, J.P. Morgan sagely advised, "I think it will fluctuate." Reporters dutifully noted the financial doyen's words, then hurried to telephones to file their urgent dispatches on the future of the market.

A high-school football coach regarding his star player, though, made my favorite prediction. This eloquent coach happily concluded, "The best thing is that his future is still ahead of him."

Indeed.

So in this spirit, after pontificating on the impending millennium I'll make a few predictions of my own:

Computers will continue to get smaller... The stock market will continue to fluctuate... And the future will continue to be ahead of us.

Copyright 1999, Jeff Gainer, All Rights Reserved

Known in some circles as "Jeff the Evangelist," Jeff Gainer thinks and writes about the state of information technology and process improvement from his office in Colorado, aircraft cabins, and the back seats of Lincoln Town Cars and limousines. Mr. Gainer's latest musings appear in the January edition of Cutter IT Journal, where he discusses the possibilities of "The Coming Backlash: Twilight of the Gods?" You can visit Jeff's company and read some of his previously published articles on the Web at <http:www.jeffgainer.com>, or contact him by email at:
gainerj@jeffgainer.com.

Want to share ideas with other IT Professionals?

Visit the itmWEB Information Technology Forums:

http://www.itmweb.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi

Nine new forums on general topics, management, programming, Inernet/Intranet, databases, IT jobs and careers, opinions, methodologies, and open source software.

How does your company's CEO define E-Commerce? This article from TechWeb says: "They know it when they see it".

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990428S0004?ls=twb_text

Informationweek has released their 1999 National IT Salary Survey Results. For many of us, the news is good:

http://www.informationweek.com/731/salsurvey.htm?ls=twb_text

Are you a new IT Manager at a new company? Here is some useful advice from Infoworld - Ten rules to follow for new IT Managers:

http://www.infoworld.com/scoop/sc?990413ft2

A former Taiwanese computer engineering student was identified by as the author of the Chernobyl virus - a virus which caused hundreds of thousands of computer crashes recently.

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559356880-69a

Here is the latest round-up of current dangers to your operation:

Alert 1:

Microsoft has revealed more Y2K issues in Windows 98:

http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990423S0024?ls=twb_text

Alert 2:

The Chernobyl virus, also known as CIH, wipes out hard drives and some BIOS chips. It is triggered every April 26:

http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9904235cih

Alert 3:

The Melissa and Papa viruses don't destroy data, but they do clog up your company's mail servers. The viruses are spread through Word or Excel attachments:

http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/pcma980331/www.pcmag.com/machrone
http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9903291melissa

Linux took center stage at the recent Comdex/Spring convention. ZDNet provided coverage:

http://cgi.zdnet.com/slink?935

Linux creator, Linus Torvalds, spoke to a Comdex crowd of about 500 Linux enthusiasts telling them to stay true to the open source movement:

http://www.infoworld.com/scoop/sc?990420nw1

Mindcraft Inc. (in a study paid for by Microsoft) reported that "Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 is 2.5 times faster than Linux as a File Server and 3.7 times faster as a Web Server."

http://cgi.zdnet.com/slink?944

CNET answers to the ten most common questions about Linux:

http://www.cnet.com/Digdispatch/dispatch331.html

ZDNet compared Linux to NetWare, and the results may surprise you:

http://cgi.zdnet.com/slink?659

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, while speaking to our CIO gathering in Houston said that he foresaw only a limited role for Linux. A reporter in the audience picked up on his comments, and you read the details here:

http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2559167407-17c

Another story about Linux going mainstream from Infoworld:

http://www.infoworld.com/scoop/sc?990408ft1

Here is a story about Gnome 1.0 vs. the K Desktop Environment (KDE). These two Linux windows managers are the competition for Microsoft's Windows. Both are powerful - but no match for Microsoft at this time.

http://www.infoworld.com/scoop/sc?990323rv2
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990407S0004?ls=twb_text

Amerada Hess is replacing an IBM supercomputer with high-end parallel clusters running Linux:

http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/CWFlash/990503linux

This new Linux-based software creates secure data tunnels between any two points on the Internet. The FreeS/WAN package uses the Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) proposed standard to accomplish these connections.

http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/CWFlash/9904272ipsec

Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)

http://www.aitp.org

The leading organization supporting the interests of Information Technology Professionals in the US and Canada!

itmWEB IT Report Archive (Past issues of this report): http://www.itmweb.com/archive.html

Annotated MIS Net Links:
http://www.itmweb.com/cgi-bin/dclinks98/dclinks98.cgi

Hundreds of links covering about fifty topic areas. A very qualified, high-quality collection.

Methodology.org:
http://www.methodology.org

A central repository of systems development methodologies, summaries, papers, books, and articles.

Open Technology:
http://www.open-technology.com

An open source software portal into projects, products, books, and features.

MIS Benchmarks and Metrics Scoreboard: http://www.itmweb.com/bench.htm

Job/Career Resource Center:
http://www.itmweb.com/jobs.htm

Real-time Technology News Wire
http://www.itmweb.com/inewswire.htm

Information Technology Features
http://www.itmweb.com/features.htm

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