SOA Software expands in face of AmberPoint acquisition by Oracle
February 9, 2010

It's not easy being a small, services oriented architecture (SOA) management and governance player. But if anyone was wondering about the likely longevity of this tiny niche, or whether it will simply be subsumed into broader systems management or business service management frameworks, SOA Software has news for you.

Yesterday it was announced that probably its nearest rival, AmberPoint, would be acquired by Oracle; yet today SOA Software announced that it is not withering but expanding. The firm claims it grew revenue 55% last year and made an operating profit.

Now it says it's expanding its European presence with the appointment of Steve Pope as VP of Europe, and Simon Parker as director technology Europe, to, "Support and drive the company's rapid growth in the European markets".

SOA Software counts IBM, Microsoft, JBoss (Red Hat) and SAP among its alliance partners. No surprise that Oracle's not on that list, especially after yesterday's news.

On balance though, one can't help wondering whether this little segment is long for this world. SOA projects are never undertaken for their own sake and nearly always suck in other elements that may need more traditional systems or service management capabilities anyway. So won't this type of technology just become part of broader suites, as being suggested by Oracle with its AmberPoint buy?

Posted by Jason Stamper at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)

CBR Podcast: Novell CEO on his bold new strategy
February 4, 2010

I caught up with the president and CEO of Novell, Ron Hovsepian recently, to find out more about the company's recently announced Intelligent Workload Management strategy.

Of course, I also took the opportunity to ask whether he still believes that the firm's controversial agreement with Microsoft on Windows-Linux interoperability and virtualisation was in the firm's best interests, considering how the open source community reacted to the deal for the most part (angrily).

And needless to say I asked for his thoughts on the firm's latest results.

Anyway to listen to the podcast click the link below (there's an approximate timeline of the questions below if you want to skip to a particular segment):
Ron Hovsepian Novell CEO Podcast.wma

Ron Hovsepian, president and CEO of Novell.

0.22: Can you tell me what you are most proud of at Novell during your tensure as President and CEO thus far?

1.55: One of the more controversial decisions since you've been CEO was to sign that interoperability agreement with Microsoft. Knowing what you know now about the open source commmunity's reaction, was that the right move for Novell?

4.12: How pleased are you with Linux platform revenue, and is it doing enough to make up for [any declines] in Novell's more mature product categories?

5.25: You acquired PlateSpin and Managed Objects... can you explain what your recently announced Intelligent Workload Management strategy is all about?

9.15: Can you put some more detail around specific products in those four key areas: Build, Manage, Secure and Measure?

16.45: Is the sales decline in Novell's most recent quarter (Q4 revenue 09 was $216m, down from $245m in Q4 '08) purely down to the economic environment, or are there areas you have identified where you need to improve your execution?

19.00: Novell has plenty of cash in the bank; how keenly will you look at acquisitions in 2010?

20.30: The average tenure of a CEO is about 5 years; do you feel that you have plenty more you can do at Novell, to regain some of that growth?

Posted by Jason Stamper at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)

The magic of iPad
January 29, 2010

Source: GlobalX on Flickr.

Posted by Jason Stamper at 4:58 PM | Comments (0)

The 10 biggest iPad disappointments

The much-hyped launch of Apple's new tablet-style computer on Wednesday has done little to change my belief that it's a solution looking for a problem.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in trademark black turtle-neck sweater, said, "iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."

Getty Images.

Creating a new category in the fast-moving electronics industry is no mean feat. Let's not forget that despite its numerous successes, even Apple has not always been able to do that. There were portable music players before the iPod, and smartphones before the iPhone. There weren't many square computers before its G4 Cube, but then that product bombed anyway.

Is the iPad really a brand new category of device?

I fail to see that it is. As we've established, tablet computers have been around for many years. What makes the iPad drastically different? It runs a different operating system (most others run Windows or Linux) and because it's from Apple, integrates well with the likes of Apple's iTunes and its online iBookstore, and can run all the apps than run on the iPhone. That's about the long and short of it.

Apple's says the iPad is a "magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price". But who really needs it? iPhone users already have access to the thousands of apps in the Apple App Store (not to mention an existing subscription to a telecoms operator). Anyone with a laptop, notebook or netbook has large-screen portable computing nailed, with the advantage of a folding keyboard that protects the screen from scratches and knocks and is more familiar and faster than the iPad's on-screen touch keyboard.

Much has been made of the argument that it will revolutionise publishing because you can download thousands of books, or read newspapers on it in glorious full colour. Sure, for a few hours. While Apple claims "up to 10 hours" of battery life you're unlikely to see that in real-world situations, especially once you have a number of battery-hungry apps running from the App Store and are using Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity in anger.

Compare battery life to the e-reader competition: the Kindle from Amazon claims the battery will last 7 days from a single charge, while Sony's eReader measures battery life as up to 7,500 continuous page turns. So it's not a direct e-reader competitor, if all you want to do is read digital books on the move.

I'm sorry, but I still don't quite get it. I clearly don't believe in magic. As I've also said before, people will buy this thing. That's the cult of Mac.

Anyway for my pick of the top 10 iPad disappointments read the extended entry here.

Posted by Jason Stamper at 3:25 PM | Comments (0)

Gartner assures us Apple is launching tablet style Mac tomorrow
January 27, 2010

If anyone was wondering whether all the hype about a possible Apple tablet computer -- variously being called the iSlate or iPad -- was just a spoiler and that the firm may not launch something after all, you might want to think again.

Analyst firm Gartner, which is likely to have its ear pretty close to the ground on this one, is admant that some kind of slate will be launched at the Apple event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco tomorrow.

One interpretation of what the iSlate might look like. Source: Cult of Mac.

The analyst firm has sent round a list of analyst contacts it says can offer comment to the media on the day, which is quite telling in itself:

"Carolina Milanesi, Gartner Research Director can comment on the hardware and its positioning within both the Apple portfolio and the connected devices market from smartphones to notebooks."

"Charles Smulders, Gartner Managing Vice President can comment on the product's positioning within the Apple portfolio and the client device market in general."

"Van Baker, Gartner Research VP can comment on the viability and usability of the product and the likely consumer reaction as well how it relates to the overall tablet market."

"Mike McGuire, Gartner Research VP can comment on content capabilities and significance of the device to media companies and rights holders."

Meanwhile CBR's Jason Stamper can comment on why whatever Apple launches, he won't be buying it.

Posted by Jason Stamper at 9:05 AM | Comments (0)

Morning Roundup: pick of the comment
January 25, 2010

Our pick of the best of the morning reading

Why I will wait in line again (Scobleizer)
Web watcher Robert Scoble outlines why he'll be first in line when Apple's mystery device finally goes on sale.

Apple Tablet: The Second Stage Media Booster Rocket (Flurry)
The eagerly-awaited tablet has been spotted in the wild! Mobile app analysis firm Flurry claims that about 50 devices are in use on Apple's Cupertino campus and takes a look at what they are being used for.

Bill Gates launches his own website (The Telegraph)
Microsoft founder Bill Gates starts his own website to keep us up to date on his current life and work. The announcement comes days after he joined social networking site Twitter.

Will no one slate the iSlate? (CBR)
As the countdown continues to Apple's event on Wednesday, where the firm is expected to announce a tablet computer, CBR editor Jason Stamper cuts through the rumours to ask whether all the hype is really justified.

Why the NHS can't get its browser act together (The Guardian)
Organisational inertia means we're saddled with an ageing, vulnerable browser across our hospitals and key government departments. That's not good, says Charles Arthur.

Posted by Jason Stamper at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

Why I'm slating the iSlate
January 22, 2010

Amongst the thousands of news articles and blogs gushing over the anticipated launch of an Apple tablet computer next week - possibly called the iSlate or iPad, or neither - it's perhaps worth taking stock of the situation and asking whether all this hype is really justified.

The concept of a tablet or slate PC is not new. They've been around for about 10 years, and it's a format that came to the mainstream thanks to a product announcement by Microsoft in 2001, which saw the Redmond-based firm launch a pen-enabled computer running a licensed copy of the "Windows XP Tablet PC Edition".

It was essentially a laptop-style device that featured a touch-screen with handwriting recognition, to make it easier to jot down notes, rush off a quick sketch or whatever. Some manufacturers opted to stay with the laptop's physical keyboard, spawning a category known as "booklets", while others dropped the keyboard in favour of just a touch screen in a device resembling a slate.

So first off, let's just remind ourselves who brought this concept to the masses - Microsoft - before we wonder whether Apple's version will "change the world" as some commentators are suggesting.

Second, it's worth noting that so far, such tablets have found only a limited audience. A recent Morgan Stanley report suggested two million tablet PCs were shipped last year, compared with 34 million netbooks and 131 million notebooks.

So why hasn't the concept of a tablet PC overtaken more traditional laptops, notebooks or indeed the latest netbooks already? Wikipedia has a fairly comprehensive list of disadvantages including the higher cost, snail-like speed of handwriting recognition compared to a keyboard, screen and hinge damage risk, less familiar ergonomics and in most cases a relative lack of power.

So if Apple launches a tablet-style Mac next week, will it change any of this? I sincerely doubt it. To read the rest of this article click here.

Digg this

Posted by Jason Stamper at 5:16 PM | Comments (0)