News (61)

Virtualisation gets ready for the mainstream

Virtualisation is a hot topic in the IT industry, to be found in every new processor, every datacentre and on every roadmap. But if the average person on the street has even heard of virtualisation, the idea probably left little impression beyond something to do with running corporate datacentres packed with computing hardware. Read more »

Microsoft pushes for single global patent system

A senior lawyer at Microsoft is calling for the creation of a global patent system to make it easier and faster for corporations to enforce their intellectual property rights around the world. Read more »

Open source hack could make mobiles vulnerable to prying ears

If you are using a GSM phone -- the 2G standard used by the majority of the world's mobiles -- you are likely to have just a few more months before it will be easy for practically anyone to spy on your communications. Read more »

Search leaders debate semantics

If those chasing Google have anything to say about it, search on the internet is going to become more about a conversation than an exchange of keywords. Read more »

Microsoft gives Bing stronger search filter option

Microsoft has tweaked the search filters on its new Bing search engine following criticism that its smart motion video feature allowed web surfers to watch porn without visiting adult websites. Read more »

Oracle/BEA: 12 months on

In the heady days of January 2008, database maker Oracle had finally captured the prize that it had been courting for many months, BEA, and in an instant became the largest middleware player in the market. But are the real results yet to appear? Read more »

Oracle to buy Sun for US$7.4bn

Software giant Oracle is to buy server and software maker Sun Microsystems, the two companies announced late Monday. Read more »

Berners-Lee: Semantic Web will have privacy built-in

Web pioneer Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said that the Semantic Web will make the privacy of online communcations stronger, and will allow people to control who can use their data. Read more »

FAQ: Yahoo-Google ad deal's antitrust scrutiny

Nobody, least of all Yahoo and Google, doubted that the two companies' search-advertising deal would escape any antitrust scrutiny. Read more »

Microsoft's Ozzie: open source scarier than Google

Microsoft's chief software architect Ray Ozzie reckons open source programmers' freedom from answering to shareholders makes it a greater threat to Microsoft than Google. Read more »

Features (26)

2009: A Linux year in review

This article looks back over the year 2009 at developments in the world of Linux and Open Source. What do you think are the big stories? Read more »

Will Microsoft, Google, Amazon talk you out of your datacentre?

Several big technology vendors are racing to build a fleet of big datacentres that will enable them to offer more internet-based services to consumers and enterprises in the next five to 10 years. See why they think they will be able to talk you out of running your own datacentre. Read more »

Taking on Twitter with open source software

One service that seemed to come out of nowhere and get instant buy-in from influential digerati around the Web was Identica, an open source microblogging alternative from Montreal resident Evan Prodromou, who in 2003 had co-founded Wikitravel. Read more »

Capture an Oracle 10g audit trail in XML format

The Oracle database has long had the ability to audit selected types of operations against the database, storing the audit trail in a system table. This table, SYS.AUD$, resides in the data dictionary. On some operating systems, you can also write audit records to the operating system's own event logging subsystem. Read more »

What makes a high-performing team?

Have you ever been on a project team where team members all got along, they all had the right skills, and everyone worked hard and pulled together to get the project done? Read more »

Check out these Web development tools from Microsoft

Many are often overwhelmed by the number of development tools and options streaming out of Redmond. Here's a rundown of the current Microsoft products that are available for building Web-based applications. Read more »

JavaFX sends Sun back to the future?

Sun's chief technology officer for software discusses the issues facing Sun with JavaFX and whether it will be enough to put Java back on the desktop. Read more »

The Mobile Future

The next battle for the hearts and minds of internet developers will be fought on the mobile phone. Read more »

Expert: User passwords getting stronger

A sample of login information from 34,000 MySpace.com members seems to indicate that internet users are getting better at picking more secure passwords, according to a prominent security expert. Read more »

Developer Spotlight: Gian Sampson-Wild

Gian Sampson-Wild is an accessibilty expert and one of the speakers at this year's Web Directions conference to held in Sydney this year. Builder AU interviewed Gian via email prior to the commencement of Web Directions to talk about accessibility, how to make it a part of the development process and where to from here. Read more »

Blog (5)

No paper, no promotion

Chris Duckett [blogs:betaliving] -- It comes at no surprise to learn that HR people use IT certifications to choose between candidates when hiring, but in some organisations it can also inhibit career advancement. Read more »

Mandriva, Turbolinux enter Linux alliance

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- Forgive me if I sound skeptical, but during the nine years I've covered Linux, not once have I seen a favorable outcome to the partnership of the type Mandriva and Turbolinux announced Wednesday. Read more »

Virtualisation -- threat or menace?

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- It sounds like VMware's Rosenblum has this opportunity figured out, and I suspect that Microsoft's Virtual PC managers do too. It'll be interesting to watch this market develop over time. Read more »

Being happy with Windows NT

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- When it comes to making Academy Award winning films, it would appear that Windows NT is the operating system of choice. Read more »

GPL 3 -- a bridge too far?

Staff [blogs:syslog] -- Now it's time to create a new phrase: "free as in free software," meaning the freedom to make adversaries of potential partners -- the kind of freedom one has when one's work must be carefully excluded from other people's projects. Read more »

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  • Chris Duckett IE9's H.264 vote killed Ogg

    In a split decision by the judges, the winner of the W3C/WHATWG video codec consensus is H.264, taking home the future of video playback on the internet while loser Ogg goes home with nothing but thoughts of what might have been. Read more »

    -- posted by Chris Duckett

  • Staff Google launches Apps Marketplace

    Google launches and app store, while Mozilla plans to re-write its open-source license. More of this week's news in the Roundup. Read more »

    -- posted by Staff

  • Staff Microsoft showcases new NUIs

    TechFest, Microsoft's internal even took place this week with researchers showcasing some new interfaces the company is working on. Read more »

    -- posted by Staff

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