Blog and Be Bloged

ALM versus SDLC

2011-01-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

I often find people confusing these two terms, Application life cycle management and software development life cycle, they are similar as they sound but differ as conceptually.

SDLC == Software Development Life Cycle; this includes everything to do with DEVELOPING a software application, including requirements, architecture, coding, testing, configuration management project management.

ALM == Application Life Cycle Management; as the name suggests includes everything that is part of the Application Lifecycle. When does the life of an apps start? No, not in development, it starts somewhere in the business as an idea, a need, a challenge, a risk. When does the life of an application end? No, not at the end of development, but when the application is no longer used by the business - potentially many years after the initial development.

I find a visual representation of ALM and SDLC may be this is helpful to understand both terms.

PDF Zilla Announce Free License

2011-01-25T00:18:00.000-08:00

For those of you who need pdf converter, this could be good news. PDFZilla.com announced that they present the giveaway product, i.e. the free key registration for their software called PDFZilla.

PDFZilla Key Features
Convert PDF to Word
Convert PDF to Word with all text and Graphical data.
Convert PDF to RTF
Convert PDF to Rich Text Files. You can edit all text and graphic by Windows Wordpad.
Convert PDF to TXT
Convert PDF to plain text files. You can edit text by Notepad.
Convert PDF to Images
Convert PDF to BMP, JPG, GIF or TIF files.
Convert PDF to HTML
Convert PDF to HTML files and automatically generate the Index file.
Convert PDF to SWF
Convert PDF to Shockwave Flash Animation files which can be published on websites.
Page Selection
Convert all the pages, or partial pages of PDF file.
Easy to use software
Add a PDF File -> Select the Output File Format -> Click on Start Converting button, then just have a cup of coffee :)
The giveaway is valid until Feb 5th, 2011, so don’t miss this good chance.
For More Information Please Visit PDFZilla.com

Deskzilla Lite 2.0

2010-07-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Deskzilla Lite is a desktop client for Bugzilla (tm) bug tracking system, free for small projects with less than 1,000 bugs.

It delivers features for better productivity and improved working environment for Bugzilla users. Deskzilla downloads bug information from Bugzilla and stores it in a local database.

You can view and edit bugs and upload changes to Bugzilla. Additionally, it indexes all downloaded bugs, providing you with search capabilities and live statistical numbers. Benefits:

(a) Increased project visibility: use issue breakdown structure and live issue counters to monitor and analyze the state of a project
(b) Greater mobility: work with local copies of your issues when you are offline. The changes are synchronized to the server automatically when you become online.
(c) Improved productivity: save time by using interactive desktop application interface.

Key Features:

(a) Offline availability via cached bug records.
(b) Issue breakdown structure with queries and sub-queries.
(c) Instant issue counters providing immediate insight into the state of the project.
(d) Visual merge for merging parallel conflicting changes for a single bug.
(e) Screenshot capturing and editing tool.
(f) Aggregated access to several Bugzilla accounts in one rich user interface.

System Requirements: 2000/XP/Vista
License: Freeware

Download Now

Alfresco the Next Generation Platform

2010-06-29T22:59:00.001-07:00

Alfresco is the leading open source alternative for enterprise content management. It couples the innovation of open source with the stability of a true enterprise-class platform. The open source model allows Alfresco to use best-of-breed open source technologies and contributions from the open source community to get higher quality software produced more quickly at much lower cost.

Alfresco is built using the latest open source infrastructure components including: Spring, Hibernate, Lucene, MyFaces and is based on Aspect-Oriented-Programming.

Alfresco's use of state-of-the art technology enable it to deliver a supported system that is:

   * 5 Times Faster than Traditional Closed Systems
   * 90% Less Expensive than Traditional Closed Systems

Alfresco is:

   * Open – Open Source, Open Standards
   * Source – Best-of-Breed Open Source Components
   * Enterprise – Enterprise-Scale, Enterprise-Infrastructure, Enterprise-Control
   * Content – Documents, records, Web Pages, Images, Rich Media
   * Management – Most Experienced Team in Content Management in the World from Documentum and Vignette.

Download Link

Free Services to Monitor Your Site’s Uptime

2010-06-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

You can’t sit staring at your monitor 24 hours a day to keep an eye on your website(s), so thank the heavens for the free services out there that do it for you.
Whether site downtime means loss of revenue or just loss of face, or you need to stay a step ahead of your clients, these services offer you a completely free way of knowing what’s up, what’s down and in some cases, why.
Read on for our list of ten suggested solutions, but as this list is by no means exhaustive, please do share any services you favor in the comments.

1.UptimeRobot

Number of Sites you can Monitor: 50
Regularity of Checks: Every 5 minutes
Methods of Alerts: E-mail, SMS, RSS
UptimeRobot looks at your site header’s status codes every five minutes and if the code comes back with a problem, does further checks. Then, if there are still issues, it lets you know about it pronto. Created by two devs who think the web should be free or cheap, it’s guaranteed a no-payment service until August 2010, so hop over now to check it out.

2. Pingdom

Number of Sites you can Monitor: 1
Regularity of Checks: User set, from 1 minute upwards
Methods of Alerts: E-mail, SMS (up to 20 per month), push alerts via iPhone app
Pingdom is a big boy of the paid monitoring services market, but does offer a very basic free account. Although the free service only lets you monitor one site, we feel it’s particularly worthy of mention since it comes with a free iPhone app gives you a handy on-the-go solution for monitoring your website’s status.

3. Mon.itor.us

Number of Sites you can Monitor: 1
Regularity of Checks: Every 30 minutes
Methods of Alerts: IM, SMS, E-mail, RSS
Mon.itor.us is the free little sister service to Monitis and offers a simple set-up for its external monitoring. As well as alerts, the app tracks failures and logs a report of the uptime/downtime of your website per day, week or month and makes the reports available to you in real time.

4. Are My Sites Up?

Number of Sites you can Monitor: 5
Regularity of Checks: 25 times a day
Methods of Alerts:
The freebie option from Are My Sites Up? checks as many as five of your sites at least 25 times per day with unlimited email and SMS notifications that, in most cases, will help tell you why your site has gone offline by providing the HTML status error code. Paying up for the premium service opens up access to an iPhone app that is sadly not available for free accounts.

Pictures: New 7 Wonders vs. Ancient 7 Wonders

2010-05-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

Pictures: New 7 Wonders vs. Ancient 7 Wonders

Release Readiness Review Checklist

2010-05-04T04:02:00.001-07:00

Below is a sample checklist for Release Readiness Review and Pre Delivery Audit. It is useful both for Project Managers and Software Quality Analysts.

    * Is delivery going against approved Contract/Statement of work/work order? If not, is the mail for approval from senior management available for the delivery?
    * Has the requirements document / FSD validated and approved by client?

    * Are all the requirements implemented as per approved requirement document or specification document or as agreed with the client? If not, is it documented in the release notes / delivery note etc and approval taken from customer / delivery head?
    * Are all Non-technical / non-functional requirements satisfied / completed?
    * Is the build verification done before each Testing?
    * Are all test cases updated to ensure complete test coverage?
    * Are all cycles of testing completed and defects closed ? If any defcet is open, is it documented in the release notes / delivery note etc and approval taken from customer / delivery head.
    * Are all review defects closed?
    * Is the test Coverage Goal met as mentioned in test plan?
    * Is the traceability from requirements to source code to test cases to test results documented and available for review?
    * Is the goal for System testing / functional testing or any other type of testing is met?
    * Are all the test cases for acceptance testing identified and documented?
    * Are all audits done for the all items as identified in the software quality assurance plan?
    * Are the findings of FCA / PCA / other audits closed (if any) ?
    * Has the test cases executed on target environment (or similar of target environment) ?
    * Is acceptance criteria for system validation available?
    * Does end product / application meets the acceptance criteria during system testing ?
    * Is the code modification history updated and code files are labled properly in the configuration tool?
    * Are all the work products, deliverables and code consistent?
    * Are the CIs of the entire release package identified?
    * Is each CI in the release package CI tested / reviewed / approved?
    * Are all findings of testing / review of CIs closed?
    * Is the FTP credentials or CD key etc documented? Are these communicated to client / customer?
    * Is release media and its access verified before sending the information to client?
    * Are the following documents / deliverables / work products ready: FSD, ADS, DDS, Test Plan, Test Case, Release Note, Installable Product, Source Code, Test Programs, Drivers, Read me File, License File, Known Problems List, Installation Procedure, Install Scripts, User Manual, Programmer’s Manual, Administrator Manual, Test Reports, Training Material or any other deliverable required by client?
    * Is the delivery made from the static folder of VSS?

Apart from above points, the status of below points can also be checked:

    * Baselining of deliverables in configuration management tool
    * End of project backup and restoration of the backup
    * Readiness of maintenance / support plan
    * Is the problem reporting procedure documented and communicated to client?
    * Are the contact persons documented and communicated to client??
    * Is the post release defect reporting template ready?
    * Whether request has been made to IT for making the project repository under VSS read only?

FSD Audit Checklist

2010-05-04T03:56:00.001-07:00

Checklist for Work Product Audit of Functional Specification Document:
1.    Does the customer approve the System Study Document?
2.    Does the FSD follow Quality Management System template?
3.    Are the requirements specified in the FSD consistent with the system study document and / or the contract for the project?
4.    Does FSD contain details about the existing system and the scope of the proposed system?
5.    Are the features of proposed software were listed out in the FSD?
6.    Are all the functional requirements were listed in the document?
7.    Does FSD addresses non-technical requirements?
8.    Does the FSD address interface and other implied requirements?
9.    Does the FSD identify all other interfaces like Hardware, Software, communication and user with which the software is expected to interface with?
10.    Are Sub requirements for product components identified?
11.    Does the product component sub requirement satisfy the parent requirements in terms of functionality?
12.    Have alternate requirements been identified, in cases where betterment on cost, reduction in risks and functionality could be achieved?
13.    Have risks, if any, related to requirements implementation, been identified for documentation in the project risk plan?
14.    Does the document addresses the assumptions, constraints made during FSD preparation?
15.    Are the reports and screen formats given in FSD?
16.    Is all the list of inputs and outputs were listed out in FSD?
17.    Does FSD contain the inter-relationship among the modules identified?
18.    Are the requirements specified in the FSD, verifiable?
19.    Are the performance requirements of the software addressed in the FSD?
20.    Are the reliability requirements of the software addressed in FSD?
21.    Are the safety requirements of the software addressed in the FSD?
22.    Are the security requirements of the software addressed in the FSD?

Top 10 unknown Google tricks

2010-05-02T01:30:00.001-07:00

Below is a list of top ten Google tricks many users don't know about.

1. Definitions - Pull up the definition of the word by typing define followed by the word you want the definition for. For example, typing: define bravura would display the definition of that word.

2. Local search - Visit Google Local enter the area you want to search and the keyword of the place you want to find. For example, typing: restaurant at the above link would display local restaurants.

3 .Phone number lookup - Enter a full phone number with area code to display the name and address associated with that phone number.

4. Find weather - Type weather followed by a zip code or city and state to display current weather conditions and forecasts for upcoming days.

5. Track airline flight - Enter the airline and flight number to display the status of an airline flight and it's arrival time. For example, type: delta 123 to display this flight information if available.

6. Track packages - Enter a UPS, FedEx or USPS tracking number to get a direct link to track your packages.

7 .Pages linked to you - See what other web pages are linking to your website or blog by typing link: followed by your URL. For example, typing link:http://www.articleflix.com displays all pages linking to Computer Hope.

8. Find PDF results only - Add filetype: to your search to display results that only match a certain file type. For example, if you wanted to display PDF results only type: "dell xps" filetype:pdf -- this is a great way to find online manuals.

9. Calculator - Use the Google Search engine as a calculator by typing a math problem in the search. For example, typing: 100 + 200 would display results as 300.

10. Stocks - Quickly get to a stock quote price, chart, and related links by typing the stock symbol in Google. For example, typing: msft will display the stock information for Microsoft.

The Rise And Fall Of Waterfall

2010-04-26T04:40:00.000-07:00

Google is testing a new search interface

2010-04-08T00:50:00.000-07:00

Google is testing a new search interface, the new look is not visible to everyone, but only for some users. The new look is with a new Google logo, colorful buttons and a permanently featured sidebar, something similar to Bing. The sidebar allows to narrow down the search to News, Blogs, Images, Video, Maps etc.

If you want to try the new search look for yourself try this java script trick

javascript:void(document.cookie="PREF=ID=20b6e4c2f44943bb:U=4bf292d46faad806:TM=1249677602:LM=1257919388:S=odm0Ys-53ZueXfZG;path=/; domain=.google.com");

Go to Google.com and then paste the javascript code in the address bar of the browser and hit enter. Now reload the page you will see the new Google.com look with colored buttons. If it doesn’t work you may need to logout of Google and try again.

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 - Enterprise Edition

2010-03-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 is an ideal, production-quality server for consolidating multiple workloads onto a physical server, allowing organizations to make more efficient use of their hardware resources. Built upon Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition and bolstered with new functionality, Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 enables IT organizations to enhance their administrative productivity and rapidly deploy new servers to address changing business needs through automated deployment and configuration of connected virtual machines that are easily administered with standard server management tools. Microsoft® Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 now provides improved performance for non-Windows guest operating systems by leveraging hardware-assisted virtualization, high availability for both planned and unplanned downtime, and improved support for backup and disaster recovery. Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 is an extensively tested and well supported virtualization solution that is supported both by the broader ISV community and by Microsoft in conjunction with its server operating systems and applications.

Because it is part of the Microsoft Windows Server System, Virtual Server 2005 R2 is designed to integrate seamlessly with your other server infrastructure investments.

Download Link

Google will no longer support Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6‏

2010-03-07T22:47:00.000-08:00

Good News for Designers: As of March 1, 2010, Google will no longer support Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 browser

Inside the Excruciatingly Slow Death of Internet Explorer 6

It's the bane of Web designers everywhere, and it makes most modern Websites look broken and horrible. So why are 20% of web surfers still using it?
Today was supposed to be a great day for the Web. As of March 1, 2010, Google will no longer support Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 browser-a decade-old dinosaur engineered to navigate the Web as it existed in the year 2000. Why would this be cause for celebration? Because IE6 is barely capable of navigating the modern Web and a total nightmare to build sites, services and applications for.
But ten years after its release, it's still being used

by an estimated 20% of surfers. And while Google's move is one in the right direction, I'm not breaking out the whiskey and noisemakers for IE6's funereal wake quite yet. Sadly, IE6 isn't going away for good anytime soon.
Those unfamiliar with the Internet Explorer 6 saga might be wondering what the big deal is. How could the life or death of one browser be so critical to the future of our increasingly Internet-based lives? When compared to browsers of today, IE6 is a standards-incompliant antique. It debuted during a dark, dark period in Web history; In the summer of 2001, Microsoft had soundly beaten Netscape into submission for a 90% lock on the browser market and was in the uniquely powerful position to decide which Web standards it would ignore, which it would integrate, which it would halfway adopt and which it would simply make up. And IE6 is the bastard child of this hubris. It doesn't behave like any other browser on the market because it doesn't interpret Cascading Style Sheets or JavaScript according to the universal standards set by organizations like the W3C. I've heard of developers spending anywhere between 20% and 50% of their time on a project making a site work in Internet Explorer 6. I know of many others who simply chop out advanced features, enhanced interactivity and slick design elements altogether, just so their work doesn't "break" in IE6.
Why do they bother? Because nearly a decade after it shipped with Windows XP, IE6 still commands a mind-blowing 20% market share for browsers, according to the most recent statistics compiled by NetMarketShare. That's more than double the shares of Chrome and Safari combined, and just shy of Firefox's 24% piece of the pie. And that's only Internet Explorer 6. Combined with its better-behaving but by no means perfect descendants, IE7 and IE8, Internet Explorer as a whole owns 62% of the browser market. Now, browser market share is not an inexact science and the numbers vary widely from site to site and country to country, but you get the picture.
The longevity of IE6 is the result of a perfect storm of unfortunate factors. First among them: Microsoft's IE division simply fell asleep. Having emerged the undisputed victor of the late '90s browser wars, Microsoft had virtually no competitors and so no incentive to fix any of IE6's bugs. It took Microsoft more than five years to release IE7, which was an improvement over IE6, but still a disappointment for Web designers and developers. Five years! In the five years between 2004 and 2009, Mozilla released three versions of Firefox (actually, 3.5 versions to be exact). Meanwhile, Chrome has gone through four iterations in just over a year. In those five years between IE6 and IE7, technological progress on the Web was severely hobbled to say the least. After all, who cares if Firefox can do something really cool if only a handful of users will ever see it?
But Internet Explorer 7 did eventually come out, and so did Internet Explorer 8, Firefox, Safari, Chrome and new versions of Opera. And yet, IE6 remains the second most popular browser in the world (behind IE8). What gives? The chief reason Internet Explorer 6 keeps hanging on is because people are using it at work or on work computers.
As anyone who's ever used a computer furnished by their employer can attest, IT departments are slow to make any changes that might disrupt the delicate balance of their electronic ecosystems. And they sure as hell aren't going to let you upgrade or install anything yourself.
Making matters worse, Internet Explorer 6 is deeply embedded in the infrastructures of countless corporations worldwide. Back when IE6 was the only game in town, businesses invested in Intranets and browser-based apps that functioned only in IE. Why bother with anything else? Five years later, of course, a lot of businesses learned the hard way that "IE-only" actually meant "IE6-only." Oops. Now, ask yourself how much interest corporations have in re-investing more capital to fix something that, in their eyes, isn't broken. The answer is: not much.
A recent article on Dell's IT Expert Voice blog cited another reason your company doesn't upgrade to IE8 or another browser: user control. Your bosses don't want you on Facebook and YouTube, and they know that the experience of visiting these sites with IE6 will be painful enough to limit your time on them. They effectively block you without coming off as overtly Orwellian. Win win.
Finally, there are the countless folks who simply don't know any better-a contingent I was reminded of by David Walsh, a developer for the Mootools Javascript framework (for which IE6 support remains a priority). "When it comes to Internet Explorer 6, developers ask, ‘God, why do people choose to stay with it?'" he says. "But, I like to remind them that users don't care and shouldn't have to care. The one example I give is my grandmother. She doesn't know what a browser is. She just knows that when she clicks the little blue ‘e' on her desktop she gets to see the Internet."
It's not just grannies, either. I was using the computer of a 30-something year-old friend recently and mentioned my surprise to see him still using IE6. He asked me why it even mattered.
If people aren't allowed to upgrade or have no idea that they need to, then does the Google announcement inch us any closer to an IE6-free Web today than we were yesterday? "It's an important first step that I'm quite happy about," Walsh says. "But, I don't think it would be wise for developers to say, ‘Well, Google is doing it so I'm going to do it too.' I foresee at least another year or two of having to support Internet Explorer 6."
I'm less optimistic than Walsh, and that's thanks mostly to Microsoft's pledge to support IE6 until April 8, 2014-the day it officially ends support for Windows XP, the OS it was bundled with. As much as it pains me, I have to give Microsoft a tiny bit of respect for doing this. Though the company wouldn't provide comment for this story, it pointed me to a blog post explaining the method behind this madness. "Dropping support for IE6 is not an option because we committed to supporting the IE included with Windows for the lifespan of the product. We keep our commitments. Many people expect what they originally got with their operating system to keep working whatever release cadence particular subsystems have." Microsoft is basically taking the exact opposite approach to upgrades that Apple takes, which is to upgrade quickly at the expense of its users (Snow Leopard on G5, anyone?).
For its own part, Microsoft would be happy to see you stop using IE6, too. In another blog post, the company says, "Think about what technology and the Internet were like in the year 2000 – and consider how they've evolved since then. In 2000, ‘phishing' was something that happened at the lake, not online. There was no social networking, no RSS feeds, and no real blogs. It was a different time – and people's browsing needs were different."
The post goes on to explicitly recommend moving off of IE6. The problem is, corporate IT departments won't do so until they absolutely must, which may be well after the April 2014 death knell sounds. If Microsoft was smart, it would actively help businesses upgrade their IE6-based systems to IE8 (and future versions). And they would do it for free.
Why? Because IE's very survival could be at stake. If Microsoft doesn't, then Google could certainly afford to offer similar support for companies to move their systems over to Chrome. Overnight, we could see Chrome's market share balloon to 30% and all versions of Internet Explorer shrink to below 40%.
Walsh points out that Explorer's market share is being further threatened by empowered Web developers and a more educated Web-going public. "There's this assumption that people are going to go straight from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 7 or 8," he says. "But, the thing we have to realize is that browsers as a whole have become more popular. Five years ago, most people probably didn't know what a browser was, but more and more they're able to indentify them. And as Web sites drop IE6 support, developers are going to steer people toward the browsers they like. Firefox, Chrome and Safari are going to be pitched a lot more than IE and I think those browsers have a good chance at being the next step for people."
But IE6 is something many Web developers will have to tangle with for years to come. For any Web site considering following Google unto the breach, I ask you to remember a few things. First, Google.com isn't going to suddenly stop working for folks using IE6. By dropping support, Google is saying that future upgrades to sites and services like YouTube, Gmail and Google Docs will no longer prioritize IE6 compatibility. Second, let your user base determine your course of action. David Walsh's blog, for example, is targeted at professional Web designers and developers. "My Website is 1% IE6," he says. "So I don't really care about it." (Only 5% of PopSci users are on IE6). But, you can believe a site like the New York Times will care about IE6 until the bitter end. No matter what you do, consider this comment to one the above-mentioned Microsoft blog posts:
"I work for a large financial services company with 40,000+ employees. And yes, every desktop PC and laptop runs WinXP and IE6. More than 85% of all browsing is intranet. Basic news sites etc deliver the information without the frills. For our vendors who offer Web portals (eg home loan valuations, stationery suppliers etc) - we'll simply dump them if we can't access their sites after a ‘no-IE6 revamp.'"
So, there it is. Continue at your own risk. And in the meantime, IE6's celebratory funerals might be in haste.

Google. Facts and Figures !!

2010-03-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

A 'more revolutionary' Web

2010-02-23T01:59:00.000-08:00

Just when the ideas behind "Web 2.0" are starting to enter into the mainstream, the mass of brains behind the World Wide Web is introducing pieces of what may end up being called Web 3.0.

"Twenty years from now, we'll look back and say this was the embryonic period," said Tim Berners-Lee, 50, who established the programming language of the Web in 1989 with colleagues at CERN, the European science institute.

"The Web is only going to get more revolutionary," he told delegates Tuesday at the opening of the 15th annual International World Wide Web Conference.

While Berners-Lee shrugs at the use of the term "Web 2.0" - a Silicon Valley buzzword to describe the Internet since the dot-com bust of the turn of the century - he does say he sees a new level of vigor across the network.

To many in technology, Web 2.0 means an Internet that is even more interactive, customized, social and media-intensive - not to mention profitable - than the one of a decade ago.

It is a change apparent with multilayered media databases like Google Maps, software programs that run inside Web browsers like the collaboration-friendly word processor Writely, high-volume community forums like MySpace, and so-called social search tools like Yahoo Answers.

But the software specialists, technology executives and entrepreneurs attending the conference in Edinburgh are looking beyond that, focusing on another - though less user-friendly - catchphrase: the semantic Web, another brainchild of Berners-Lee.

In this version of the Web, sites, links, media and databases are "smarter" and able to automatically convey more meaning than those of today.

For example, Berners-Lee said, a Web site that announces a conference would also contain programming with a lot of related information embedded within it.

A user could click on a link and immediately transfer the time and date of the conference to his or her electronic calendar. The location - address, latitude, longitude, perhaps even altitude - could be sent to his or her GPS device, and the names and biographies of others invited could be sent to an instant messenger list.

In other words, the "mark-up" language behind each Web page would be cross-referenced into countless other databases, once developers agreed on a common set of definitions.

Much of that foundation has been established over the past several years by the World Wide Web Consortium, a technical standards and policy group headed by Berners-Lee.

Now comes the effort to push Web developers to adopt the components and put them into software, services and sites, said Nigel Shadbolt, a professor who teaches artificial intelligence at the University of Southampton in England.

"There is an obvious place for the semantic Web in life sciences, in medicine, in industrial research," Shadbolt said, and that is where most of the focus is today.

"We're looking for communities of information users to show them the benefits," he said. "It's an evolutionary process."

The big question is whether it will move on next to businesses or consumers, he said. A consequence of an open and diffuse Internet, he noted, is that unexpected outcomes can emerge from unanticipated places.

For instance, some early experiments in highlighting new relationships from existing Web data have come out of Flickr, a photo-sharing site that members categorize themselves, and FOAF, which stands for "friend of a friend," a research project to describe the various links between people.

Both add "meaning" where such context did not exist before, just by changing the underlying programming to reflect links between databases, Shadbolt said.

"Over a 5-to-10-year time frame, I think you are going to see increasing amounts of this semantic Web integration," he said.

Patrick Sheehan, a partner in 3i Investments, a venture capital firm based in London, said investment was beginning to follow the "blue sky" period of big dreams for the semantic Web. His company financed two such early-stage companies this year, both in Britain.

"You can now say 'semantic Web' without getting a totally blank stare back," Sheehan said, adding that he had seen "several, not hundreds," of proposals. "The technology is still mostly coming out of the universities. But these companies are real, solving real problems - they're not just doing research."

Garlik, based in Richmond, England, and listing Mike Harris, the chief executive of the online bank Egg, as its chairman, aims to use semantic programming to manage personal information online. OmPrompt, of Oxfordshire, focuses on message-driven trading communities.

Sheehan believes that Europe, particularly at places like the University of Southampton, is leading the world in semantic Web research, though it remains to be seen whether the region can be as successful at commercializing it.

Not that anyone is counting, but Berners-Lee, whose work at CERN was inspired by a desire to share research papers widely among physicists, sees only two distinct versions of his Web: the Web of documents, which emerged in the 1990s, and the Web of data, which will be the result of the semantic programming languages.

"People keep asking what Web 3.0 is," Berners-Lee said. "I think maybe when you've got an overlay of scalable vector graphics - everything rippling and folding and looking misty - on Web 2.0 and access to a semantic Web integrated across a huge space of data, you'll have access to an unbelievable data resource."

Said Sheehan: "I believe the semantic Web will be profound. In time, it will be as obvious as the Web seems obvious to us today."

Windows 7 Desktop Optimization Pack 2010

2010-02-21T22:26:00.001-08:00

Microsoft has labored to tailor its Desktop Optimization Pack solution accelerators to the latest iteration of the Windows client and server. On February 22nd, the Redmond company delivered the first Windows 7- and Windows Server 2008 R2-friendly components of the Microsoft Optimization Pack 2010 (MDOP 2010), which are designed to play nice with additional technologies from the software giant, including the upcoming Office 2010.

Both the final version of Application Virtualization (App-V) 4.6, and the Release Candidate development milestone of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) Service Pack 1 are now up for grabs. App-V 4.6 along with App-V 4.6 for RDS have been already wrapped up and are offered to customers in their final form. Microsoft still has some work to do to complete MED-V SP1, but launched the RC to coincide with the release of MDOP 2010.

“As Windows 7 continues to gain excitement across the industry, enterprises are evaluating their desktop strategy including Office deployment, application compatibility and desktop management. Together, App-V 4.6 and MED-V 1.0 SP1 with Windows 7, Office 2010, Windows Server 2008 R2 and System Center deliver a world class desktop for your enterprise,” stated Karri Alexion-Tiernan, director of Product Management, App-V.

With MDOP, Microsoft is offering a comprehensive package of solution accelerators exclusively for enterprise customers, designed to streamline the adoption and migration of its latest software releases including Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Office 2010. The collection of various deployment tools is available only to Software Assurance customers, with some exceptions, including App-V 4.6 for RDS (which was former referred to as App-V for Terminal Services).

“With App-V 4.6,which is available via MDOP 2010, customers can have access to apps from anywhere, improve app delivery and management, and accelerate migration to Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010 as virtual apps can be deployed in many desktop scenarios including VDI, TS, and local desktop,” revealed Gavriella Schuster, senior director, Product Management for Windows Client.

“Today we are also releasing MED-V 1.0 SP1 RC, which provides full support for Windows 7. For incompatible apps that cannot be fixed to run natively in Windows 7 or are dependent on Internet Explorer 6, MED-V allows IT to create managed virtual machines running previous versions of Windows and Internet Explorer so users can upgrade to Windows 7,” Schuster added.

With the delivery of MDOP 2009 R2 in 2009, the software giant revealed that it was planning to launch MDOP 2010 in the first quarter of this year. To this date, there are in excess of 25 million MDOP licenses, which allow customers immediate access to MDOP 2010 via Microsoft’s Volume Licensing Site.

Microsoft Application Virtualization for Remote Desktop Services 4.6 (App-V 4.6 for RDS ) is available for download here