Face-off: Is Skype enterprise-ready?

* Face-off: Is Skype enterprise-ready? * ‘Net Insider: A new face, not unlike the old one? * Editorials: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? * Op-ed: The facts about WeatherBug * Backspin: Online censorship: Avoiding the Gray Area Problem

Face-off: Is Skype enterprise-ready?

James Gaskin: Yes. Skype, when used intelligently, solves many more problems than it creates.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205faceoffyes.html?vo

Rodney Thayer: No. Skype is wrought with implementation flaws and shows signs that it is likely to be a source of significant security problems.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205faceoffno.html?vo

‘Net Insider: A new face, not unlike the old one?

SBC has put on a new image, very much along the lines of the face transplant given to a French dog bite victim fewer than 10 days later.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205bradner.html?vo

Editorials: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

We hope to cash in on the promise of that adage, as we are in what we hope is the final days of the industry’s first comprehensive performance test of network application acceleration devices.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205edit.html?vo

Op-ed: The facts about WeatherBug

WeatherBug CTO Christopher Sloop responds to security concerns from columnist, readers.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205sloop.html?vo

Backspin: Online censorship: Avoiding the Gray Area Problem

The goal of the CP80 initiative is to reduce availability, which is suppression, which is censorship. The technical proposal, the CP80 channels, is not in and of itself a censorship system; it is merely a poorly conceived mechanism for making the censorship categorizations apparent. The actual censorship proposed by the CP80 initiative would be based in law.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205backspin.html?vo

Gearhead: A good tool to manage e-mail

In our quest for tools to manage e-mail, specifically, to find ways to stop Outlook from becoming a dead end for messages (the program’s export feature is pathetic), we came across a product that we now recommend highly: Aid4Mail from Fookes Software.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205gearhead.html?vo

Eye on the Carriers: Take a peek at the net geek’s movie portfolio

So just in time for the holidays, I’ve compiled a collection of movie and television classics, new and old, that various networkers singled out as ‘great movies for network geeks.’

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205johnson.html?vo

Wired Windows: Fun makes 10 years fly

The time certainly has flown since December 1995, when Wired Windows first graced the pages of Network World. If Mencken is correct, it’s high time I escaped before the madness overtakes me.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205kearns.html?vo

‘Net Buzz: Looking to get a grip on ‘citizen media’

TopTenSources will present to visitors an array of topic-specific lists that do pretty much what the name implies: guide seekers of information to what are judged to be the best Web sources, including blogs, wikis, podcasts and traditional news outlets. There are about 100 lists at the moment, but Palfrey envisions a critical mass of thousands if not tens of thousands springing up as the site matures.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205buzz.html?vo

Op-ed: Is Avaya poised for a breakaway?

As IP telephony transitions into the strategic-value stage over the next 18 to 24 months, the market may move into Avaya’s value proposition of software and services. In contrast, all the other major IP telephony vendors are product focused, offering little to no professional services or application development environments.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205lippis.html?vo

Nutter’s Help Desk: Extending wireless range

I have a Linksys wireless router (wrt54gs) and want to extend its range. The router will be located in a wood-frame house and I want extend its range to a building 400 to 500 feet away (with a clear line of sight). Only one computer will be in the out-building. What is the best way to accomplish this – directional antennas, repeater, etc.?

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205nutter.html?vo

Dr. Internet: Updating a MySQL database with Perl

I need to update a MySQL database in response to a Web form submission that uses Perl. I know the basics of Perl, and the Web site provides the database connectivity modules for Perl, but I need some help.

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205internet.html?vo

Cool Tools: The scoop on ViewSonic’s 19-inch LCD monitor

Also: Memorex’s tiny 4GB Mega TravelDrive

http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2005/121205cooltools.html?vo