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Salesforce.com has opened its code to outsidedevelopers for the first time with the introduction ofApex, a new multi-tenant programming language andplatform. Companies will be able to useApex to tailor or reprogram their Salesforce.comdeployments or build entirely new components withinthe application from scratch Salesforce.com previously has offer...

The adaptation of technologies that were once exclusive to big science and the military for commercial public use has become a characteristic of our times. Notable among them are global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS), both of which have been growing in adoption as their technological evolution continues Part 1 ...

In considering whether or how to reorganize customer service and back-office functions offshore, the option to open a captive subsidiary service center may not receive full consideration in comparison to outsourcing options. Here we look at the case for Western companies to establish their own dedicated service centers -- especially in India The p...

With its mix of capability and flexibility, often at a lower cost, Linux continues its aggressive growth in the enterprise server market, according to new research A survey of nearly 400 IT developers and professionals indicates that use of Linux in at least some servers is still on the rise, reportsEvans Data....

When consumers buy a top-rated software product, are they really getting what they pay for? That's what Sunbelt Software's Chief Scientist Joe Wells is addressing in the wake of anti-spyware and antivirus testing methodologies that appeared in Consumer Reports, the magazine published by the non-profit Consumers Union The independent testing organiz...

Third party antivirus vendors are becoming increasingly convinced that Microsoft's rigorous security protocols for its forthcoming Windows Vista operating system are in effect a back-door effort to gain market share in the computer security space Symantec -- and more recently, McAfee -- have charged the Redmond, Wash.-based conglomerate with abusin...

Google's new Code Search, a developer tool that scours the Internet for software code, is stirring up buzz over what some see as its potential for misuse bycomputer attackers Code Search is meant to optimize searches for specific software codes, scripts, licenses and related information. However, concerns have arisen over possible nefarious uses of...

In the latest sign of shifts in how established media companies view free online video sharing, YouTube Monday announced content distribution deals with two record labels and a major U.S. TV network CBS said it would use YouTube to distribute short clips of its shows and those from its premium cable channel Showtime Networks, as well as its basic c...

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on Tuesday will ship a 50 GB Blu-ray disc, making it the first company to release a film using a high-definition format that can store twice as much data as traditional, standard definition media Sony Pictures will release the hit comedy motion picture "Click" on Tuesday. Action-drama "Black Hawk Down" will be avail...

Search giant Google is reportedly close to a deal to purchase video sharing site YouTube for an estimated US$1.6 billion Neither company would comment Monday on published reports that suggested the two sides are deep into talks about a YouTube acquisition, one that would dramatically alter the online video landscape by giving Google a well-establis...

Microsoft on Friday rolled out Windows Vista Release Candidate 2 (RC2), the new version of the Windows operating system, to technical testers with a pledge to make the final Vista version publicly available soon Vista Build 5744 is expected to be the last interim release before the software is approved for manufacturing. However, the same was said ...

Oracle's Fusion -- its middleware designed to help customers use the various enterprise suites and applications it has acquired over the last few years -- has been incorporated into PeopleSoft Financial Management 9, the first new release of the application in eighteen months Fusion Features...

Biometric security providerUPEK announced onMonday a partnership with Internet security firmPay By Touch to bring an integrated biometric security service called "TrueMe" to online transactions UPEK makes a fingerprint reader that is preinstalled in some laptops and is also available on separate USB fingerprint sensors. When activated, laptop owner...

The Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002 is a congressional act passed to prevent future scandals of Enron proportion and is considered to be one of the most significant changes to federal securities law in the United States. The Enron scandal and other similar scandals damaged investors' confidence in the accuracy of all public corporate financial statements. Among the major provisions of the Act are criminal and civil penalties for securities violations, as well as increased disclosure regarding executive compensation, insider trading, and financial statements...

As a rule, manufacturers have been blissfully unconcerned with some of the finer points of CRM functionality and processes -- but not because they have been indifferent to their customers' needs Rather, the low adoption rates of CRM technology in this sector have been more reflective of manufacturers' business operations, which traditionally have n...

Most fans of Linux know that while the open source operating system has proven its might in corporate computer servers, it has languished on the desktop, where Microsoft maintains its monopoly While companies such asLinspire,Xandros and others try to make Linux more appealing on the desktop, Ubuntu Linux distributorCanonical faces a different chall...

Winter slowly drifted into Silicon Valley last week. In the aftermath of what appeared to many of us to be a largely politically motivated "scandal" surrounding HP, not only was HP's business largely unaffected but federal laws regarding the practice of pretexting were left in limbo Meanwhile, I was left wondering if folks caught the very real diff...

Video games are often associated with the bloom of youth, but a study released this week shows that isn't true in all segments of the market -- especially the "casual" game market Casual games tend to be family-friendly and non-violent; often they involve puzzles or word play. They're about as far away as you can get from "Grand Theft Auto" or "Hal...

MySpace.com may have been discovered and popularized by younger people, but adults over 25 years old comprise a surprising portion of the user base, according to new figures released by comScore's Media Metrix According to the firm, visitors to MySpace.com and Friendster.com generally tend to be older, with people age 25 and older comprising 68 and...

The founder of popular social networking site MySpace.com is claiming the site is worth 100 times what it sold for last year and is prodding federal agencies to probe the sale of the company to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp News Corp. purchased MySpace last year for US$580 million. Founder Brad Greenspan now says the site is worth at least $20 billion...