According to Netcraft’s January 2008 web server survey, a whopping 156 million websites (about 25 billion pages) are functioning on the internet. That provides a pointer towards intricacies involved in maintaining digital identities by the users and service providers as well.
“These companies will help bring OpenID into the main-stream market”

OpenID eliminates the need of multiple user accounts across different websites; that is, it will give access to different websites (if the website supports OpenID). But will OpenID really help in easing our digital lives? At present, there are various websites or service providers allotting free OpenIDs to the users, and that’s where the glitch lies. And as many would have anticipated, security is not the stumbling block, thanks to the back up by VeriSign, rather the purpose of ease of use stands unfulfulled. First, you need to create an OpenID with one of the service providers (one more identity added to the clutter!), which will enable the user to use it on another OpenID supported website. Since OpenID has arisen from open source community, nobody owns it or stands to gain from it, which deprives the technology of having a uniform structure. Moreover Yahoo, which has already started using OpenID, does not support third party OpenID, instead the user has to create a new OpenID with Yahoo, which can be used on other supporting sites, If Google, Microsoft (which already has MSN Passport), IBM and others decide to do it the same way than it will only add to clutter and confusion among users.

A pointer to better solution could be spotted few years back when users could use software like cheetah for using chat services offered by Yahoo, mIRC and MSN. The user had to log in using his Yahoo, mIRC or MNC ID and could experience a much better service without having to register with anyone. Hopefully, the players, rather than seeing it as a game of one upmanship, will see the larger good now, to enable OpenID to live up to its stated promise.

Introduction :

Database Management System built from open source code are gaining more popularity among developers community. The reason is obvious-it is free, whether your purpose of use is commercial or non-commercial. Open source movement that started long ago as a group collaboration and intellectual exchange to meet Information Technology challenges and opportunities has become a viable alternative for developing software products. The major breakthrough that resulted from Linux operating system was that it instilled greater confidence in open source community to adopt the Linux model for other type of software products. As a result a large number of open source software products are available for use today. Hundreds of open source projects are underway at different community sites like Source-forge, Tigris, etc.

Open source databases have proved themselves as competitors to enterprise databases like Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, etc. They have made deep inroads into medium and large enterprise applications due to their enterprise-level features and capabilities. In the past few years database adoption pattern of companies has shifted significantly. It has moved sharply from sophistication to cost-effectiveness. High profile companies like Yahoo are using open source databases. Most of the web hosting companies are providing open source database as an inexpensive option, understanding that web applications evolve gradually.

A recent study by Evans Data Corporation reveals that there is growing acceptance of open source database in the enterprise and it is surging in popularity. Over a period of three the usage has gone form 12% to 60%, the survey reports. The overall popularity goes to MySQL and Fire bird, which account for 34%.

Due to maturity in database technology, there is a substantial improvement in database security and robustness. “When you have a fairly robust database that has liberal licensing terms (such as Firebird), you don’t have to pay to replicate and install it on servers where you need it, ad it’s a very appealing proposition” said Mr.Mckendrick, an analyst or Evans, who is based in SantaCruz, California.

Popular Products

A number of open souce databases are available today. They are of different sizes and of different maturity levels. Most popular among them with stable production versions are MySQL, Firebird, PostgreSQL, Ingres, and Cloudscape. Choosing a database from all of these is not so easy, but it all depends on what you want to do. Brief overviews of each of them are as follows:

MySQL

This database is the most popular open source database system. It provides higher level of speed, scalability and reliability, It is the best alternative to higher-cost and more complex database systems today. This is the reason why it is the right choice for most enterprise IT departments, web developers and packaged software vendors for a low-cost and highly reliable database-driven applications. It is available for major OS platforms including RedHat enterprise Linux, Microsoft Windows Server, Sun Solaris, and HP-UX. It supports advanced DBMS features like stored procedures, triggers, and views.

Firebird

Firebird has been in use in production system for the past two decades. It offer excellent concurrency, high performance, reliability and powerful language support for stored procedures and triggers. It is available for Linux, Windows and a mixture of Unix plat forms with support for ANSISQL-99. Thus it has tied in popularity with MYSQL.

Postgre SQL
It is the by-product of the database research at the university of California at Berkeley. It is a highly scalable, SQL complaint, object-relational database system, having over 15 years of development history. It is available for major OS platforms, including Linux, Windows and Unix McOS.

Ingres
Ingres is high performance relational database solution for mission critical applications in small to medium size enterprises. It is also suitable for development in large enterprises having high-volume transactions. Its scalability, reliability and high-performance make it a good choice for cost-effective data-driven applications in the enterprise. It is flexible to leverage information resources across a wide range of platforms including linux, Unix, Windows and Ipen VMS. It supports language platforms like Java and Microsoft .NET making it suitable for integration.

Cloudscape
Originally developed by a company called Cloudscape, the database product came to Informix later and then to IBM in 2001. IBM refreshed the product and put it on the track to make it the most popular Java database. Cloudscape database is 100% pure Java database which runs in 4 MB of space on the J2SE or J2EE platform. Despite its small core, the database is capacious as its table size is limited to available disk space. It supports advanced SQL features like stored procedures, triggers and good transaction management and security. Since it is designed as Java embedded database, it provides zero-adminstration. Cloudscape data can be imported into zero-administration. Cloudscape data can be imported into DB2 enterprise database without any diffiulty.

Advantages of Open Source
Usually, the first seeming advantage of open source models is the fact that open source software is made available free or at a low cost. But this characteristic is not exclusive to open source software, and several proprietary software product are made available in similar ways (a well-known case could be Microsoft’s Internet Explorer). What really distinguishes open source software from software available without fee is the combination of effects due to the characteristics. How these characteristics turn into advantages are mentioned below.

• The availability of the source code and the right to modify it are very important. It enables the unlimited alteration and enhancement of a software product. It also makes it possible to port the code to new hardware, to adapt it to changing conditions, and to reach a detailed understanding of how the system works. This is why many experts are reaching the conclusion that to really extend the lifetime of an application; it must be available in source form. Source code availability also makes it much easier to isolate bugs, and (for a programmer) to fix them.
• The right to redistribute modifications and improvements to the code, and reusing other open source codes permits all the advantages due to the modifiability of the software to be shared by large communities. This is usually the point that differentiates open source software licenses from “nearly free” ones. In substance, the fact that redistribution rights cannot be revoked, and that they are universal, is what attracts a substantial crowd of developers to work around open source software projects.
• The right to use the software in any form. This, combined with redistribution rights, ensures (if the software is useful enough), a large population of user, which helps in turn to build up a market for support and customization of the software, which can only attract more and more developers to work in the project. This, in turn, helps to improve the quality of the product, and to improve its functionality. This will cause more and more users to give the product a try, and probably to use it regularly.
• Lincense management will not be necessary. For some companies, keeping track of legal software licenses and verifying that every thing stays legal is a full-time job, Open source licenses give you permission to use them for any purpose on any number of computer or period. You only need to worry about license management while modifying and/or distributing
  the software outside your company, and even then it’s fairly straightforward.

Conclusion
Currently the leading product is MySQL, and the recent survey with some of the developers has showed Firebird as the most used open source database for enterprise applications and also the most used for single purpose applications. Indeed MySQL and FireBird are now roughly equal amongst open source users.
Developers have been using open source database for many years, since they’re free and don’t add to the expense of early trial projects. Such trialing has laid the foundation for open source databases to follow in the footsteps of Apache and Linux, two open source code products that have penetrated the enterprise wall.

Now the question is “can so many open source database products survive?” Yes, all these products can produce a strong market that justifies their survival and, with open source products, what really matters is how it is going to produce the support required to keep the product evolving and appropriate.
With such a range of free database products available, many organizations are going to think twice about paying big database license fee- and having thought twice, choose not to pay them. (A courtesy from ICFAI Journal of IT.)

The words software update and software upgrade are often confused to be one and the same.  The difference needs understanding.  Updates are also know as patches.  Updates often means small changes / corrections / bug fixing done to software.   Updates just gets added on to the existing software.  No new installation will be required.  Updates come totally free of cost.

On the other hand upgrades are major changes, new functions etc added to a software. Updates requires new installation and generally comes with a cost.   Upgrades can also be a number of patches bundled together.  Upgrades are also know as releases.

It becomes critical to understand the update / upgrade policy attached to a software at the time of procurement decision.

Another new mantra in the technology sphere. Green Computing… looking at the un-recyclable waste the computer hardware is producing today, the future is in thin clients and recylability.

clipped from en.wikipedia.org Green computing Green computing is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently. Typically, technological systems or computing products that incorporate green computing principles take into account the so-called triple bottom line of economic viability, social responsibility, and environmental impact. This differs somewhat from traditional or standard business practices that focus mainly on the economic viability of a computing solution. These focuses are similar to those of green chemistry; reduction of the use of hazardous materials such as lead at the manufacturing stage, maximized energy efficiency during the product’s term of use, and recyclability or biodegradability of both a defunct product and of any factory waste. A typical green computing solution attempts to address some or all of these factors by implementing environmentally friendly products in an efficient system

During a conversation with Mr Rahul, from INFOFRIEND a magazine for IT needs, I was asked about the softwares on iPOTT that have RoHS compliant module. It was indeed a pleasure to know that we are talking about the RoHS factor in softwares. But I certainly felt the divide again.

There is this group which discusses the RoHS & Green computing, but there again is the other group which calls us to ask the difference between a client-server and web based application. Are we having a divide again?

When the digital divide is getting bridged is there another divide forming?

clipped from encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com RoHS ? (Reduction Of Hazardous Substances) European Union regulations enforceable on July 1, 2006 that set maximum concentration limits on hazardous materials used in electrical and electronic equipment. The substances are lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

The total domestic IT/ITes market revenue will touch Rs. 1,10,000 crore in 2008 which is 24% over 2007.The above is a key prediction by IDC India. Outline of the report is as below:
The trend for the coming year will be enterprise and consumer services. IT deployment will be across all market segments, including a number of emerging verticals. The government IT infrastructure is also likely to scale up. The consumer IT Sector will be driven by the Internet, Mobile convergence, web 2.0, social networking etc. Virtualization, Uptime, availability and performance management of infrastructure and applications to be at the core of innovation. Broadband will emerge as a favored choice in 2008, though mobile Internet will continue to grow as an alternative Internet access medium.

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US-based Access Market International (AMI) Partners Inc, defines small and medium-sized businesses as commercial enterprises with a maximum of 1,000 employees or up to 999 employees to be precise.

Small Businesses is defined a commercial enterprises with a max of 100 employees or up to 99 employees.

Its now 6 days since we first wrote to yahoo on our bounced mails. Let’s talk ‘my dilemma’. We have close to 5000 users on iPOTT with yahoo ids. The ids are with us as they have registered as a ‘Promoter’ or ‘Buyer’ or they have subscribed for our Softnews letters. Today, we are not able to send out even our new year wishes to our registered users.

Yahoo has been very nice to send auto responses to every mail of ours. We have provided all possible details as evidence to claim that our mails are only opt-in mails. We are asked more and more information, when in-spite of providing; we don’t foresee any solution in near future. Come to think of it, the questions which are being asked? Take a look at one of the mails below:

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