2007 network industry graveyard
As a pre-Halloween treat, here are the network technologies, companies and ideas that have died so far this year.
Microsoft talks strategic acquisition plans
Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer said the software giant will likely buy 20 or so companies a year for the next five years. Most of them will be what Ballmer characterized as “footnotes” – that is, companies in the $50 million to $200 million range. Ballmer said such acquisitions are more strategic to the company than large ones. There aren’t many companies in the $6 billion to $15 billion range the company would want, Ballmer said.
Cafe Latte attack steals data from Wi-Fi PCs
If you use a secure wireless network, hackers may be able to steal data from your computer in the time it takes to have a cup of coffee.
The Storm that never ends
We like to imagine that hackers are smart, but it is their collective incompetence that has allowed the IT industry to survive their attacks as long as they have.
6 hot items on the hacker’s holiday shopping list
Malicious hackers and other assorted bad guys looking for new tools for plying their trade this upcoming holiday season will have plenty of toys and services to choose from.
Zyxel delivers blanket Wi-Fi and a big chassis
Network vendor Zyxel has played down the prospects of 802.11n fast Wi-Fi in business, at the launch of a “channel blanket” wireless switch for medium-sized companies, and a chassis switch for the big boys
Pump-and-dump spam goes Top 40
In the latest pump-and-dump stock-spam scam, spammers are attaching MP3 files to otherwise empty e-mail messages; no subject line, no text in the body of the message. The MP3 files are named after a well-known recording artist, such as Fergie, Carrie Underwood, even Elvis.
BEA vs. Peoplesoft: 10 reasons it’s different this time
On paper, Oracle’s recent $6.7 billion offer for BEA Systems looks a lot like the hostile bid for PeopleSoft four years ago — a bad-for-competition, bad-for-employees, bad-for-customers deal designed with one goal in mind: fatten Oracle shareholders’ wallets by taking out a competitor.
One of the ‘Net’s most powerful women lands a new role
Leslie Daigle is the first chief Internet technology officer at the Internet Society. Daigle’s new position, which was announced Wednesday, is the latest in a series of high-profile hires by the nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to helping the Internet grow through education, policy and standards development.
LIVE CHAT
Successful Cisco training and certifications with Wendell Odom The Cisco Cert Zone. Now text chat with Wendell live, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. EDT, Wed. October 24, where he will answer your questions on certifications, training, Cisco technology and anything else you want to talk about. Wendell has spent the majority of the last 15 years teaching, consulting, and writing about networking technologies in general and Cisco products in particular. No registration is required. Just go to the Network World Chat page at the appointed time and log in.
You love his books, known as the quintessential tools for Cisco certifications and training. You love his blog on Cisco Subnet,
PODCAST
Rumor Mill: Who’s Buying Who?
Jason and Keith discuss the latest gossip on tech company acquisitions, whether the iPhone is toxic, and how you should deal with offensive co-workers.
BLOGS
Buzzblog: $2 a month too much to pay?
A new survey suggests that three-quarters of users of social-networking sites would rather ditch their pages and friends than pay a mere two bucks a month. It says here that three-quarters of them are bluffing.
Today on Layer 8, we have to wonder if the military is the well-oiled machine we sometimes think it is:
The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines were really only looking for a few good men and women. Problem is, they were looking for those folks on the Gay, Lesbian & Everyone Else (GLEE.com) Web site. Gay men and women are barred from military service if they are open about their sexual orientation – the widely ridiculed “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule.
Today at Cisco Subnet:unified communications strategy. And, the new summer/fall 2007 Cisco product quick reference guide QRG is now available.
Apple in February 2008 will introduce a software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone. Somewhere, Cisco’s R&D team is smiling. The SDK represents a huge opportunity for Cisco’s
Today at Microsoft Subnet:views and reviews of Lotus Symphony: Two columnists like it, one blogger doesn’t; 10 little-known features of Windows 2008; Details of Microsoft virtualization revealed in video; Sneak peek at Live Workspace — Microsoft’s stab at software plus services.
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