Avoid Windows Live Mail 2012 patch KB 3093594 -- it freezes Windows

Microsoft's latest distribution technique smells a lot like malware

Friday afternoon I started hearing about a mysterious message from Microsoft that warned Windows Live Mail users their systems wouldn't work "in a few weeks." They were exhorted to download and install a patch -- there's a link to KB 3093594 -- or upgrade to Windows 10 and use the new Universal Mail app (which is almost universally panned).

The sign-up message looks exactly like malware. The patch crashes many systems in many different ways, with the Calendar app taking particular credit. It's a mess, and you should avoid it.

No phone, no problem: NSA will target the cloud instead

Terrorism fears are ramping up government spying and creating more laws around cloud data access -- it'll cost us billions

As of last week, the National Security Agency can no longer cull through Americans' phone records, but it can continue to eavesdrop on our emails, video chats, and documents. The NSA can keep metadata already collected until Feb. 29, 2016, and your phone data will continue to be collected by telecom companies.

But the fact that phone records can no longer be easily searched is nearly meaningless to the world of cloud computing. If the data is still up for grabs -- and it is -- then we're likely to have the same concerns we did before the USA Freedom Act that curtailed some of the NSA's activities last week. 

In fact, we should be more concerned because there will likely be a shift of focus in the NSA from phone records to data.

3 hottest cloud job skills for 2016

Need a new gig or bigger paychecks? Burnish your skills and start your search here

I get this a lot: People approach me at conferences and ask about the hottest cloud skills. Why? Because they want to learn more, declare their expertise, and get a new and higher-paying gig. I can’t blame them.

In the past, it was enough to understand the differences among SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS, but now companies are looking for very specific cloud skills. As their needs grow more specialized, qualified candidates are harder to find, so salaries go up and large signing bonuses are common.

What will be hot in 2016? Here are the three hottest cloud job skills I see: 

Node.js discloses two critical security vulnerabilities

The Node.js Foundation revealed a denial-of-service and an out-of-bounds access issue and said the fixes will come next week

Node.js is facing two security vulnerabilities, including a potentially major denial-of-service issue, with patches for the problems not available for a week. Releases of Node.js ranging from 0.12 to version 5 are vulnerable to one or both issues.

A bulletin issued today by the Node.js Foundation, which has jurisdiction over the popular server-side JavaScript platform, covers "a high-impact denial-of-service vulnerability" and a "low-impact V8 out-of-bounds access vulnerability." V8 is the Google-developed JavaScript engine leveraged by Node.js. Officially, the DoS issue is labeled as CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) 2015-8027, while the access problem is identified as CVE-2015-6764.

PHP 7.0 delayed, but release candidate available

In order to address some lingering bugs, the PHP team pushed back the 7.0 release two weeks

PHP 7.0.0, a high-performance upgrade to the popular server-side scripting language for Web development, was due for a general release late last week. Instead, builders of the language offered a seventh release candidate (RC).

Release candidates are generally considered the final precursor to a general release; the first release candidate for PHP 7.0.0 became available in August. But this seventh RC is supposed to finally lead to that general release, according to the PHP development team.

Google Cloud gains security for Docker containers

With Twistlock Container Security Suite, businesses can apply security controls and defenses to containers without involving developers

Container security startup Twistlock announced general availability of its Container Security Suite on Tuesday. It features integration with Google Cloud Platform that provides container image scanning, access control functions, and the ability to enforce runtime security policies.

Container Security Suite, in beta since last May, adds multiple layers of monitoring to containers, such as the ability to scan applications in containers to detect vulnerabilities, and to apply access control logic and policies to the containers. This lets businesses apply security controls and defenses without getting in the way of how developers work with containers, said Chenxi Wang, chief strategy officer of Twistlock.

Red Hat is boring -- and more open source companies should emulate it

Brick by brick, Red Hat has built itself into a powerhouse without raising piles of VC money. Today's open source upstarts could learn from it

Most open source companies no longer aspire to be the “Red Hat of” this or that market. But guess what? Those same open source companies still have something to learn from Red Hat -- namely, how to be boring.

Not boring in the sense of “these products put me to sleep,” but boring in the sense of thoughtful, consistent growth. While Red Hat can’t boast the GDP-sized profits of an Apple or the still-eye-popping growth of a Facebook, Red Hat has a P/E multiple (75) that suggests investors believe it has high-growth potential, even as it delivers a seemingly pedestrian rate of 15 to 17 percent.

Twitter CEO to developers: We messed up

At the Twitter Flight conference, Jack Dorsey attempts to set a clean slate with disgruntled developers

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, speaking at the Twitter Flight conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, apologized for the company’s subpar relationship with developers and stressed the need for an open dialog.

Developers have led the way in innovating with Twitter, Dorsey said. “Developers took our service from day 1 and made Twitter [have] a much more global reach.” He cited applications that enable a plant that tweets when it wants water and a pothole that tweets to local officials when a vehicle runs over it.

Oracle considers a new effort to develop mobile Java apps

The OpenJDK community has until Oct. 12 to vote on the proposal to ease development for iOS, Android, and mobile Windows

Oracle is considering ports of the Java Development Kit (JDK) to support iOS, Android, and the mobile version of Windows, in an effort that would expand Java's presence in a growing part of the technology market.

Under the Mobile Project proposal, Oracle would contribute a build system, the HotSpot JVM, and JDK source changes to target mobile platforms. The resulting environment could produce static Java runtimes and modifications to the Zero interpreter needed for iOS devices. A headless JDK 9-based port is planned.

Dumb user errors? Must be Monday at the help desk

Everyone has bad days, but the start of the week seems to bring out no-brainer help requests around the office

It happens to all of us, when after a long, taxing day, you can't string together two coherent thoughts. Due to mental exhaustion, we make mistakes and overlook minor details. I don’t mind helping users in such cases. In a couple of minutes, I can fix the tech problem, remove one worry, and help them get on with their day.

And if the help desk call happens to come on a Monday, there's no telling what to expect.

Microservices: Simple servers, complex security

As microservices replace monolithic applications, they're proving to be more flexible, but also more complex to secure and protect

The benefits of microservices architecture -- smaller development teams, faster release cycles, fewer dependencies, less risk -- are becoming widely known, thanks to companies like Amazon, Google, and Netflix sharing their experiences. Less widely understood are the security challenges introduced by this new paradigm, but the engineers in the vanguard have wisdom to offer on this front as well.  

You need to keep in mind more than a few details before you rip the wrapping off the shiny new app containers. Instead of securing one monolithic app or a couple, you're now responsible for perhaps dozens of smaller services, all capable of interacting with each other in a number of ways. What's more, you're trying to secure those services from outside attack and internal misuse, deliberate or not. 

Oracle says Java 9 modules will be a boon for developers

An Oracle official expects the module system planned for Java 9 to bring improved scalability and performance to the popular enterprise platform

The module system planned for debut in next year's Java SE (Standard Edition) 9 platform will treat modules as a fundamental new kind of program component, with the system improving scalability and performance, a key Oracle Java official says.

In a blog post this week, Oracle's Mark Reinhold, chief architect of the Java platform group, discussed the goals of the module system. Chief among them is reliable configuration, to replace the "brittle, error-prone, class-path mechanism" with a means for program components to declare dependencies on each other. Strong encapsulation, which allows a component to declare which public types are accessible to other components, is also a goal.

Cloud backup: Don't rely on your provider alone

Cloud providers take care of your data, even in disaster. But you shouldn't leave the job solely to them

You've moved data to the cloud. Now it's time to talk about disaster recovery -- how to build a resilient system that can recover from catastrophic failure.

Amazon Web Services, for example, says its S3 service "is designed to deliver flexibility, agility, geo-redundancy, and robust data protection." To IT, that means the system is fault-tolerant, managing the resiliency needs for you. ("Geo-redundancy" means that, if a center goes down, another center in another part of the country or world will pick up the load. You should never miss a beat.) 

If AWS and other public cloud providers include a certain amount of resiliency services, does that mean your data is safe? For the most part, it is. Public cloud providers take great pains to see that data is not lost -- ever.

Cobol -- yes, Cobol -- gets a bridge to Node.js

Cobol and Node.js may seem like an odd pairing, but a developer has created a link between the two platforms, despite criticisms

Linking the old world of programming with the new, a Web developer from Romania has built a bridge between highly fashionable Node.js and that venerated but antiquated business programming language: Cobol.

Found on Github, the node-cobol project enables the running of Cobol code from Node.js, the popular server-side JavaScript platform. "I just thought it would be funny to create a bridge between a popular actual programming language -- Node.js -- and an old one -- Cobol," developer Ionica Bizau said in an email. "Honestly, I don't really think there is a real need, except the nostalgia that it creates especially for the Cobol programmers and people who know what Cobol is."

Cloud wars: China's deep-pocketed Alibaba takes on AWS

A $1 billion investment in the cloud sounds like a game-changer, but it's not

China's Alibaba Group Holding last week said it would invest $1 billion into its Aliyun cloud computing arm to challenge Amazon Web Services. This move kicks off what could become a global battle between the two e-commerce giants. Also, it could change the dynamics in the cloud market now dominated by AWS, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.

Windows 10 review: Hold off if you use Windows 7

Windows 10 is what Windows 8 should have been, but it has too many rough edges to attract Windows 7 users. Continuous upgrades could change that as early as this fall

Windows 10 is much more usable than Wndows 8 or 8.1 and proudly offers a bundle of new features, including improved security, a new browser, and the voice-activated intelligent assistant Cortana. You might even call Windows 10 the most revolutionary version of Windows ever, mainly because it will be continually upgraded as part of Microsoft's "Windows as a service" effort.

But the question is not whether Windows 10 is a good upgrade for Windows 8 users -- obviously, it is. The real question is whether Windows 10 deserves to supplant Windows 7. Despite substantial new functionality in Windows 10, Windows 7 users should wait until the upgrade train brings more improvements.

The era of ever-cheaper cloud services is over

Microsoft and IBM are raising prices, which enterprises can easily absorb

After years and years of competitive price cuts, Microsoft is hiking prices on its cloud computing service. IBM is also adjusting prices upward.

Over the last several years, cloud prices have dropped significantly as cloud providers sought to grab more market share. It became so routine that I stopped reporting on such price drops: Another price cut? Who cares?

I suspect we'll see some more price increases in 2015 and 2016, for the simple fact that cloud providers are under pressure to make actual money, not simply gain market share. The margins are likely razor thin, so price hikes are the only way to increase cash flow now that the demand is on a path of steady growth. As cloud providers lock in customers, they are bound to raise prices, much like large enterprise software providers have done for enterprise licenses. 

Most enterprises are not sensitive about cloud service prices. They are getting smarter about how to get value from the cloud, and they have better cost models, so they understand that even a pricier cloud is still good deal.

Indeed, with the related costs of talent, training, and network upgrades, the expense of cloud subscriptions are only a drop in the bucket. I create these cost models often, and I rarely see the cost of cloud services make much of a difference, all things considered -- at least not yet. 

I expect the hikes will continue, but I also expect the prices won't rise so fast that they drive customers to competitors. 

The industry's 800-pound gorilla, Amazon Web Services, has not made any price-hike announcements. When it does, you know the trend to higher cloud pricing is the new normal.

Source: http://www.infoworld.com 

What’s the future for Windows Phone?

Despite rumors of its potential demise, Microsoft likely to hold on to the mobile business to keep its hand in the market

Despite rumors that Microsoft is about to kill Windows Phone, some industry observers say that's unlikely for several reasons, especially the expected gains from the rollout of Windows 10, which will run on smartphones and other devices.

The rumors of Windows Phone's imminent death seem to have started with Microsoft's announcement on Monday that it sold its Bing Maps mapping technology to Uber and transferred about 100 workers in data analysis and image collection to the ride-sharing company. That announcement came the same day that Microsoft said it will exit most of its online advertising business in a deal with AOL.

MEAN vs. LAMP for the future of programming

LAMP diehards take note: The flexible simplicity of MongoDB, ExpressJS, AngularJS, and Node.js is no joke

The transition from cutting-edge curiosity to practical workhorse is not one that many technologies make. Yesterday’s precocious upstarts often fail to live up to their Version 0.1 promise -- not so for the technologies that make up the fiercely acronymized MEAN stack.

It was only a few years ago that MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js were raising eyebrows on their own. Now they’ve grown up and ganged up, and together they’re doing serious work, poaching no small number of developers from the vast LAMP camp. But how exactly does this newfangled MEAN thing stack up against LAMP? When is it better to choose the well-tested, mature LAMP over this upstart collection of JavaScript-centric technologies?

Apple reportedly to build its own high-speed data network

Such a network could ensure speedier delivery of iTunes content and other data and reduce some of Apple's reliance on third-party network providers.

Apple may cook up its own high-speed data network so it can control and more quickly push out music, videos and other content to its users via the cloud.

The company wants to own and control network pipes, or cables, to link its four large US data centers and Internet hubs in certain unnamed cities, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing "people familiar with the plans." The goal would be to shoot more data through its own network, thus avoiding the huge fees involved in renting network capacity from other companies.

Apple users already chew up network data streams by downloading iTunes content and using iCloud to store and sync their personal files. Apple will reportedly unveil its own music streaming music service at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, thus putting more onus on the company to provide the necessary network bandwidth. Reports have also surfaced for years that Apple wants to roll out its own online TV service. With all that potential data, Apple doesn't want its users bumping into traffic jams, hence a potential need to build its own network.

"User experience is very important to Apple, but delivery of its content is the one part of that experience it doesn't control," Andrew Schmitt, an analyst at IHS Infonetics Research, told Bloomberg. "If they want to control and maximize that user experience, they're going to have to control that last piece."

Apple will still rely on its current network providers but wants to create and control its own network as a supplemental resource, according to the sources. The process would move the network pipes that connect Apple's data centers in California, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon and other locations closer to Internet hubs in more populated areas. Content from Apple would then find its way to consumers through broadband networks and cellular towers. Apple has been working on a way to send data through fiber lines at hundreds of gigabits per second, according to one of Bloomberg's sources.

Apple will also upgrade its process for building data centers. Instead of buying off-the-shelf servers, switches and other equipment from such suppliers as Hewlett-Packard and Cisco, Apple would work with other companies to design its own equipment, which would then be made by third-party manufacturers.

Apple is expected to spend billions on the new network and upgraded data centers, according to Bloomberg's sources. In February, the company announced that it would convert a failed sapphire plan in Arizona into a data center, a task that Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said would entail a $2 billion investment from Apple.

Source: http://www.cnet.com

Why the boring Android M is good news for IT

The few changes at worst do no harm to IT and in some cases may make things a little easier or safer

IT likes systems to be stable and not change, which is why it took a decade for most enterprises to begin replacing Windows XP with Windows 7, and why Windows 10 may not get widespread enterprise adoption until 2020. But in mobile, the major OSes change every year, and IT has much less control -- often, no control -- over what OSes are in use.

So, Google's Android M, announced yesterday, is a comforting update for IT. Android M is a minor update to Android 5.0 Lollipop OS that was announced a year ago, was formally released in November, and began appearing on mainstream devices only in February. It should have few, if any, implications to IT when it ships this fall and starts showing up on mainstream devices next winter.

Windows 10 Mobile on track for most Lumia phones

Microsoft's next test version of Windows 10 Mobile, expected around the first week of April, will support a lot more devices than the first one did.

Microsoft's Operating Systems Group team has added code to the next test build of Windows 10 Mobile that will allow that release to work on the majority of Windows Phones.

When Microsoft released the first test build of Windows 10 Mobile in February, it was built to run only on a handful of Lumia devices, specifically the Lumia 630, 635, 636, 638, 730 and 830 phones. Microsoft execs attributed the small number of initially supported devices to the "very tight OS partitions" that left insufficient room for the installation process to update the OS in place.

Three tips to get you started with Workflow 1.1

Workflow, the popular iOS automation app, has received a huge update adding new features and actions. Here are some tips to help you get started.

                                     Workflow on an iPad. 

Workflow is one of those apps when you first start using it on your iOS device, you have a moment of questioning how it's possible for such an app to exist on iOS.

After using the app for the last few months, I still don't know how it was allowed through the App Store. But I'm thankful it was. The latest update to Workflow adds new features and actions and improves upon the app tremendously.

Turn your phone into a computer mouse with Remote Mouse

Remote Mouse lets you use your iPhone, Android or Windows Phone as a touchpad to control your onscreen cursor in a pinch.

I'm writing this one with my wife in mind, who has been using a work-issued laptop with a broken trackpad for nearly a year. She has adapted by using a wireless mouse, but since she also has a work-issued iPhone 6 , she could use that instead of the old mouse I gave her and carry one less item in her work bag. All that's needed is the Remote Mouse app and its companion Mac/PC app.

Apple Swift follows familiar path to .Net and Android

Silver lets developers use a common language across multiple platforms, but it is not a cross-platform technology

Swift, Apple's new language for iOS and OS X application development, will be extended to the Microsoft .Net and Google Android platforms via a free third-party implementation called Silver.

Built by RemObjects Software, Silver enables developers to write code directly against .Net, Java, Android, and APIs, the Silver Web page says. Silver, which moved a general beta stage a couple weeks ago, serves as a native compiler for its supported platforms, and non-UI code can be shared between platforms.

Find the IMEI number for a lost or stolen Android device

Losing your phone is awful, but if you're working with your carrier and law enforcement to recover it, they may need your IMEI number.

 

Once you realize your device is gone, you'll probably think about what sort of personal information is accessible via the device, what photos you had saved on it, and the cost of replacing it. If you've already attempted to recover the device with the Android Device Manager (or your friend's Android), then it's time to contact the police and your wireless provider to report the situation.

Your carrier may require a police report to prove that the device is actually missing. In addition to the make, model and visual appearance, the police and your carrier may request the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) to help identify the device. This is number is unique to your hardware, and may allow the carrier to discontinue service to it, or blacklist it from their network if it was stolen.

As a recent post on the Digital Inspiration blog points out, you can still find your IMEI without the phone in your hand. Here's how:

Start by logging into your Google Dashboard by heading to http://www.google.com/settings.

                   Google Dashboard displaying Android devices.

After you're signed in, click the arrow next to Android. You will see all devices that have been attached to your Google account. Find your current phone and copy the IMEI number.

Hopefully the combined effort of the police and your wireless carrier will help you retrieve your device.

Source: http://www.cnet.com

Google to shut down Helpouts on April 20

The Internet giant says its video tutorial service isn't growing fast enough.

Google says its video tutorial service wasn't growing fast enough.

Google announced Friday it is shuttering Helpouts because the 1-year old video tutorial service isn't growing as fast as the company wants.

"The Helpouts community includes some engaged and loyal contributors, but unfortunately, it hasn't grown at the pace we had expected," reads a blog post about the shutdown.

How to add Dropbox files to Gmail messages

The new Dropbox for Gmail extension gives Chrome users an easy way of attaching cloud files.

 

Want to share a Dropbox link with someone? There are many ways to go about it, but most of them involving a fairly clunky procession of finding, copying and pasting links.

If you're a Chrome user and a Gmail user, however, Dropbox sharing just got a whole lot quicker. The new Dropbox for Gmail extension for Chrome lets you preview and send Dropbox files and links without clicking away from your composition window. Here's how to get started:

Download your YouTube videos in their original resolution

Want to move your YouTube videos to another service but don't have backups? Skip downloading the low-resolution ones from your account and use this method instead.

YouTube is a great medium for sharing your videos with friends, family or the world in general. However, if you want to post your videos elsewhere, you'll need to keep copies on your hard drive. If you don't have backups, you could download them from YouTube, but you'll get lower-resolution copies of your videos. As a solution, the Digital Inspiration Blog recommends skipping YouTube's video downloads and using Google Takeout instead. Here's how:

Intel eyes connected homes with Lantiq purchase

The company has been working to diversify beyond its personal-computer chips business. Last year's focus was on wearables.

Intel is expanding its push into the connected-home market, agreeing to buy home-networking and broadband chips company Lantiq.

The Munich, Germany-based company could help Intel build up its smart-home technologies, especially in residential gateways and smart routers, which are used as hubs to connect other devices around the house.

The deal, announced Monday, is expected to close in the next three months, though terms weren't released. Lantiq was created in 2009 when German chipmaker Infineon agreed to sell its wireline communications business to San Francisco-based private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital for 250 million euros ($280 million).

The deal is a small sample of a big push by many tech firms to get a piece of the rapidly expanding smart-home market. Last year, Samsung Electronics snapped up smart-home devices maker SmartThings for an undisclosed sum, and Google purchased smart thermostat maker Nest for $3.2 billion. These companies are all betting that people's homes will soon include many more connected devices, so they are busy making Internet-connected appliances and more complex routers.

The acquisition comes as Intel, based in Santa Clara, Calif., has been working to grow past its core personal-computer market, which had faced decline for years, and into new areas around the Internet of Things, in which just about anything can be connected to the Web. Many of Intel's Internet of Things deals last year centered on wearable technology, with the company teaming up with watchmaker Fossil and glasses-frame maker Luxottica to create new devices.

Source: http://www.cnet.com 

Control music on your Mac from your iPhone's Notification Center

The TodayRemote app lets you control music playback on your Mac from your iPhone without needing to open an app.

 

Apple has long offered the Remote app that lets you use your iPhone to control Apple TV or iTunes on your Mac. With the TodayRemote app, you can control iTunes on your Mac with the added benefit of not needing to open an app on your iPhone to do so. TodayRemote lets you add a widget to Notification Center, giving you access to playback and volume controls just by swiping down from the top edge of your iPhone. The app is free, but a $1.99 in-app purchase lets you use TodayRemote with Spotify, Rdio, VLC and Vox, while also adding global volume control and the ability to control multiple Macs from a single iPhone.

Police now 'see' through walls and know if you're home

Technically Incorrect: The Range-R is a piece of military equipment that police are using now to check if there's someone in a building.

       The Radar-R is handheld and can detect whether there    

        is human life inside a building.

Police forces increasingly are taking advantage of the technology behind military equipment initially designed for combat.

Sometimes, though, the police might be coy about which of these gadgets they use to protect and serve.

How to use WhatsApp from your computer

Tired of only being able to access your WhatsApp conversations on your phone? 

Start using WhatsApp Web.

       WhatsApp on an iPhone, with WhatsApp Web in the background. 

Earlier this week Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced WhatsApp Web. The new service makes it possible for a user to link a website accessible only through Google's Chrome browser to his or her WhatsApp account. In doing so, WhatsApp conversations will sync between the mobile device and desktop.

Five ways to lower your smartphone data consumption

Which apps and services are the worst offenders when it comes to chewing through your data plan?

 
                            Data usage on a smartphone.

In the early days of cell phones, it was all about the minutes -- voice minutes, that is, because people used their phones to call each other. (Weird, right?) You had to limit your conversations or suffer the horrors of overage charges.

Group Text+, Email+ simplify group conversations on iOS

Two new iOS apps aim to eliminate the pain points of sending emails and iMessages to large groups.

                    Group Text+ and Email+ on an iPhone 6 Plus.

Even with the improvements Apple made to the Messages app in iOS 8, and with the ability to create contact groups on iOS, the process for sending a message or email to more than one person could use some work.

How to take advantage of Dropbox for Business APIs

Users love Dropbox, but until recently, it wasn't a great tool for business use. The new APIs added to Dropbox for Business last month changed all that

Cloud services have become an increasingly important part of modern IT. Yet a broad mix of services can be hard to manage and control, with consumer-grade services existing alongside enterprise tools on user devices. That has led to confusion, with users bringing their favorite consumer services into business workflows -- but not considering how they affect risk.

One tool that has made the leap from consumer utility to business essential is Dropbox, one of the easiest-to-use cloud storage and file-sharing platforms. Until recently, it has been hard to manage for businesses. That all changed in December with the launch of a set of Dropbox for Business APIs. Focusing on user management, the new APIs opened up the platform to anyone who wants to build tools to control and manage users of the service.

Group Text+, Email+ simplify group conversations on iOS

Two new iOS apps aim to eliminate the pain points of sending emails and iMessages to large groups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Group Text+ and Email+ on an iPhone 6 Plus.

Even with the improvements Apple made to the Messages app in iOS 8, and with the ability to create contact groups on iOS, the process for sending a message or email to more than one person could use some work.

PHP vs. Node.js: An epic battle for developer mind share

Here's how the old guard and upstart darling of the server-side Web stack up against each other

It’s a classic Hollywood plot: the battle between two old friends who went separate ways. Often the friction begins when one pal sparks an interest in what had always been the other pal’s unspoken domain. In the programming language version of this movie, it’s the introduction of Node.js that turns the buddy flick into a grudge match: PHP and JavaScript, two partners who once ruled the Internet together but now duke it out for the mind share of developers.

In the old days, the partnership was simple. JavaScript handled little details on the browser, while PHP managed all the server-side tasks that existed between port 80 and MySQL. It was a happy union that continues to support many of the crucial parts of the Internet. Between WordPress, Drupal, and Facebook, people can hardly go a minute on the Web without running into PHP.

But then some clever kid discovered he could get JavaScript running on the server. Suddenly, there was no need to use PHP to build the next generation of server stacks. One language was all it took to build Node.js and the frameworks running on the client. "JavaScript everywhere" became the mantra for some.

Java seeks stronghold in networking for Internet of things

The proposed Kona Project would define Java APIs for use on embedded devices

Java could play a bigger part in networking for the Internet of things. The Kona Project, proposed on openjdk.java.net this week, would define and implement Java APIs for networking technologies and protocols commonly used in IoT.

How to stop sleeping with your phone

It's an unhealthy habit that many people (myself included) do. Here's how to get your phone away from your nightstand for a more restful night's sleep.

 

If you're spending each night sleeping with your phone, you should stop.

Why? Well for starters, the blue light your phone's screen gives off can keep your brain awake and affect the quality of your sleep. Tablets and computers give off that light too, but you're more likely to take your small phone to bed nightly than those gadgets.

The rise of the multimodel database

By mapping documents, graphs, and relational tables to a collection of keys and values, a single data store can support multiple data models

NoSQL entered the scene nearly six years ago as an alternative to traditional relational databases. The offerings from the major relational vendors couldn’t cut it in terms of the cost, scalability, and fault tolerance that developers need to build reliable, modern Web applications.

Flash forward to today, and now vendors everywhere tout their NoSQL solutions. Open source projects have sprouted all over the place with thousands of developers contributing to them. In fact, more than 200 different NoSQL products and companies in the market are vying for developers' attention.

8 ways mobile will get your attention in 2015

From a carrier price war to wearable technology, it was a busy 2014 for mobile -- and there's more to come next year.

A wireless carrier price war, several blockbuster deals, unlikely smartphone vendors emerging as major players and the rise of wearable technology -- 2014 was a whirlwind year for mobile.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere kicked off the year in mobile with a bang.

The year kicked off with a bang when T-Mobile CEO John Legere crashed an AT&T party at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas -- and was summarily thrown out. The subsequent buzz propelled his Uncarrier press conference -- the first of eight such events held this year.

But T-Mobile wasn't alone in stepping up. Sprint replaced longtime CEO Dan Hesse with Brightstar founder Marcelo Claure, who quickly introduced a series of new plans and promotions to win back customers. With two players getting more aggressive, larger rivals Verizon Wireless and AT&T had no choice but to respond.

The year also saw a number of big deals, from AT&T's deal to acquire DirecTV for $48.5 billion and Lenovo's $2.9 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, taking the business off Google's hands. Smaller vendors, including China's Xiaomi and India's Micromax, have risen quickly thanks to a strategy of selling low-cost devices with decent specifications and designs.

The market for wearable devices arrived this year, thanks in part to Google's Android Wear platform. Samsung, Motorola and LG, among others, tried their hand at a smartwatch -- or in Samsung's case, tried multiple times. And Apple finally took the wraps off its long-awaited design. Who cares if consumers haven't really embraced them yet?

Start here: A draft reimbursement policy for mobile users

Many companies still struggle with reimbursement and access policies for employees on the go

It's one of the most frequent questions I get at conferences: How to manage all those users who would like to -- or simply do -- use mobile devices and want their work usage reimbursed. This question usually comes up in the context of BYOD, but of course can be raised in terms of company-provided devices. In other words: Who gets those in the first place?

Although every company has its own requirements, employee-enablement bias, and context, every company can start from core, equitable principles, then modify them for their own needs and culture. What follows is my proposed draft policy based on these principles. As you begin a new year, now is a good time to (re)think your own policies around mobile and remote-access reimbursements and permissions.

When you wish upon a cloud: 3 cloud hopes for 2015

Sadly, these enterprise cloud predictions need to come true, but won't happen any time soon

It’s that time of year again, as PR people reach out to tell me about their client’s 2015 cloud computing predictions. Are you sitting down? Most revolve around whatever technology they sell. Shocker, right?

Here are three cloud computing predictions for 2015 that have no chance of coming true, though they should.