Peter Coffee

With its confirmation early in September of new zero-day exploits aimed at users of Word 2000, Microsoft gave fresh impetus to enterprise evaluation of alternatives to the companys Office applications. Microsoft had already spurred buyers to think about their options with the radical user interface redesign of the forthcoming Office 2007. When eWeek Labs looked […]

Im now in the process of reviewing Parasofts Jtest 8.0, released today as the latest update to a Java code testing tool that Ive tracked now through several versions. Notable improvements in Version 8 include the addition of new capability to trace code behavior through complex applications, as well as integration of code review processes […]

Risks due to software monoculture were accurately identified in 2003, when computer security pioneer Dan Geer and his co-authors issued their controversial report on the risks of pervasive deployment of Windows. Theres more than one kind of monoculture, though, and the prevalence of any single operating system—insecure or otherwise—may be the least dangerous kind. In […]

Few products retain a coherent vision and a top-flight technical team long enough to celebrate a Version 10 release; even then, its a dubious achievement if it entails excessive feature creep or over-specialization. Click here to read the full review of SQL Anywhere 10. 2 Few products retain a coherent vision and a top-flight technical […]

Like the first attempts at a “horseless carriage,” the “Internet shopping” that weve seen so far is only an incremental update of something we already knew and understood—not something fundamentally new. You can easily imagine a wooden wagon that moves without a horse in front of it, but that wont make you think of the […]

The recent brouhaha concerning whether Pluto is a planet included arguments that reminded me of errors often made by the techno-elite. Im talking about the kinds of errors that shift the definition of success, turning an IT departments focus away from meeting the real needs of real users. For those whove been more troubled lately […]

A U.S. Government order for “several million” RFID chips puts Infineon Technologies on the pointy end of the international push for standardized electronic passports. Infineons Aug. 21 announcement has driven home the scale of this massive rollout, with 15 million logo-bearing U.S. e-passports expected to be issued in their first year of general use. The […]

Looking at the prospect of a Google office suite, and at how that package might competition with Microsofts Office, requires at least a five-point examination. A credible competitor for Microsofts Office must offer good answers to questions concerning application design, user training, enterprise process customization, data control and client computer support. Whatever Microsofts recent sins […]

For any organization or IT professional involved in application development, few things are more costly and frustrating than delivering to users exactly what you thought theyd agreed they wanted—only to find their reaction lukewarm, or even negative. An Aug. 28 announcement by Capgemini U.S. and iRise highlights the potential of simulation tools to close the […]

Editors note: The following blog entry is the most read and commented post to date at eWEEK.com Weblog. In view of the apparent passion and questions it has stoked, weve decided to share it here in print. Tell us what you think at www.blog.eweek.com/blogs/eweek_labs. Like a train wreck happening in slow motion, the end of […]