Modern software development involves a mind-boggling variety of moving parts. HealthCare.gov proves now we have to come back to basic project management. Software development has come center stage in America due to discussions concerning the Affordable Care Act’s healthcare exchange website. It also has brought its share of drama, when Cheryl Campbell, senior vice chairman of CGI Federal, the prime IT contractor accountable for developing the web site, blamed system bottlenecks on work by another contractor. Andrew Slavitt, executive vp of Optum/QSSI, the contractor in question, was probably more accurate when he testified to a home commerce committee that the true culprit was the complexity of the location. Lots of the critical components, which have been developed by multiple vendors, “were overwhelmed,” he said. Ignoring the politics, the key is that modern software delivery is complex: Not just is the software itself complex, but so is the way it is assembled and built. There are layers of components and frameworks built by third parties,... Read More »
Author: admin
Facebook, Google, Twitter & LinkedIn Team Up On WebScaleSQL
[ Developer] Facebook, Google, Twitter and LinkedIn announced a brand new collaboration among their engineer teams called WebScaleSQL. A spokesperson for Facebook tells us that the corporations are “working to share a standard set of changes to the upstream MySQL branch as a way to be available via open source,” and “will include contributions from MySQL engineering teams in any respect four companies.” WebScaleSQL will expand on existing efforts by the MySQL community, and we will be able to continue to trace the upstream branch that’s the latest, production-ready release (currently MySQL 5.6), Facebook says. So far, the engineers have arrange a system for collaborating, reviewing code, and reporting bugs. One engineer can propose a transformation, and another from another company will review the code and offer feedback. If an agreement is reached, will probably be pushed to the WebScaleSQL branch for everyone else. Each company can then further customize WebScaleSQL for his or her own needs. The engineers have already made an automatic framework... Read More »
Google Glass Prompts Attack, Woman Claims
Alleged assault appears to have arisen from a desire to not be videotaped. Mobile World Congress: 5 Hot Gadgets (Click image for larger view and slideshow.) A woman says she was assaulted for wearing Google Glass at a San Francisco bar on Friday evening, the most recent in a chain of confrontations that belie the city’s longstanding reputation for tolerance. On her Facebook page, Sarah Slocum, contributing editor at social news site Newsdad and resident of San Mateo, Calif., wrote that she was verbally and physically assaulted and robbed “as a result of some wanker Google Glass haters.” She claims one among her assailants, a guy, grabbed her Glass from her face and ran outside and that his friends stole her purse, wallet, and cellphone. She says she recovered her Glass but has not found her other possessions. A San Francisco Police Department spokesman confirmed that a police report in regards to the incident have been filed and is under investigation. The girl got into... Read More »
IBM Stuffs Flash Into Next-Generation Servers
IBM moves flash storage contained in the box — 12.8 TB of it — to work alongside RAM and cut data movement latencies. IBM Predicts Next 5 Life-Changing Tech Innovations (Click image for larger view.) IBM has unveiled what it calls its next generation of cloud and massive data servers, the X6 series. The x86-based line will run Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge processor in four- and 8-way configurations and should be full of flash memory. IBM has used flash or solid-state drives as adjuncts to spinning disks and RAID arrays outside the server. However, now it has migrated flash contained in the server case. To take action, it needed to redesign flash memory sticks to slot into the random access memory’s dual-inline memory slots on a server’s motherboard. It then designed motherboards with room for 12.8 TB of flash, in addition to 6 TB to twelve TB of RAM. That’s a primary for IBM and a primary for the industry, IBM spokesmen said. By redesigning... Read More »
Microsoft Surface 2: Hands-On Review
Microsoft’s Surface 2 is a huge improvement, but it is not for everybody. I’ve been using Microsoft’s Surface 2 for just about a month, and it improves in literally every far more than its misbegotten predecessor, the outside RT. That isn’t necessarily saying much, given the low bar set by the unique, however the Surface 2 is essentially a beautiful satisfying device. I’m consequently disappointed that i will not wholeheartedly recommend the skin 2. It is a terrific device for specific groups of users, but given its cost and limitations, a lot of people it will likely be better served by other options. The Surface 2 is fun to apply, but with a $449 base price, it would be too compromised for many users. Still, progress is progress. The skin RT, which Microsoft still sells for $349, doesn’t warrant even a certified endorsement — its sales had been awful for a reason. Windows RT 8.1 adds some polish to the device’s OS, however the RT... Read More »