Apple Q4 revenue hits $20 bil.

Apple Inc. revenue topped $20 billion after sales of iPhones, iPads and other products soared, the company reported Monday. Apple sold 4.2 million iPads and 14.1 million iPhones in its fourth quarter. Revenue jumped 67 percent to $20.3 billion from $12.2 billion last year.
For the full fiscal year, Apple's net income jumped 70 percent to $14 billion. The shares, however, sold off as much as 6 percent after-hours.

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Apple’s Earnings: Chips in the Masonry?

After a few hours to sleep on it, the maket reaction to Apple’s solid quarter still seems a bit puzzling. But pulling on a few strings, the ingredients of the angst become clearer.
First, as we noted in a post early yesterday, optimism surrounding Apple had reached such a level that mere greatness (as opposed to galactic greatness) might prove enough to disappoint. There’s actually a good deal of mere greatness in the report, and perhaps even a hint of human frailty.
Apple shares traded down 6% in after-hours trading and they look set to open around $300 a share, down from the regular close of $318. Not a good thing for the recent tech-led market.
Here are a few reasons Apple is coming down to earth (for now):

• Gross margins fell to 36.9% from 41.8%. Second consecutive quarter that this important metric has declined. It could indicate that Apple’s pell-mell growth isn’t being managed as effectively as it could.
• The phone sold great – nearly double the year-ago period at 14.1 million units. The iPad? Not so great at 4.2 million units. That might explain the blistering harangue by Apple CEO Steve Jobs against competing iPad products (read: Google) in the earnings conference call.
• Apple loves to talk the Street down so it can soar over the analyst estimates. It may be getting too good at it. It guided expectations to $4.80 a share in the next quarter, down from consensus expectations of $5.07 a share.
• Nothing goes up forever. Apple has become one of the most valuable companies in the world, sporting a market cap of $290 billion. Only ExxonMobil, at $337 billion, is bigger in the U.S. ExxonMobil has 102,000 employees and annual revenue of $317 billion. Apple has 34,000 employees and annual revenue of $57 billion. Of course, Apple is growing great guns, ExxonMobil is not. Other techs? Microsoft has a market value of $223 billion and IBM is a piker at $180 billion.

While angst is the order of the day, don’t forget this luscious niblet in Apple’s favor. The company’s quarterly profit rose 70% to $4.31 billion, a surge good enough to surpass mighty IBM which had profits of just $3.59 billion, 12% higher than last year. 
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Apple, IBM, Microsoft Will Test Tech Rally

Over the past six weeks, technology shares have soared. The Nasdaq Composite, an admittedly broad measure of tech, has risen 15% during that period, leading the market on its latest upward sprint.
Is that all about to go awry, starting this morning? Late yesterday, it certainly looked to be the case. Investors reacted badly to Apple and IBM earnings – which were both strong, but not strong enough to satisfy. Then came news of a top executive departing moribundish Microsoft.
This morning, however, global stocks are mostly higher. Asia has closed mostly in positive territiory and Europe is edging upward. Technology stocks, however, are putting in a mixed day, reflecting, perhaps, concern about what will happen when the U.S. opens in a couple hours.
Not too many big tech earnings today (EMC Corp. and Juniper Networks report), so tech-centric investors will continue to examine the earnings results from Apple and IBM. Since the view seems to be that the earnings weren’t “strong enough,” as opposed to truly lousy, the downside for both companies, and tech generally, is most likely limited.
Don’t be surprised if they are trying to take the group higher by the second-half of the session.

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YouTube Leanback graduates as Google TV is nigh

YouTube Leanback has had one of the shortest beta inceptions of any Google product, but with Google TV arriving in US stores this week it’s had to grow up quickly.  The system – which basically gives streaming YouTube videos a more TV-friendly interface – will be the center of the Google TV YouTube experience.

“When you view Leanback on Google TV (or online), videos based on your subscriptions and viewing history will begin playing immediately. If those don’t pique your interest, Leanback offers 10 channels, updated daily, featuring popular and interesting videos in genres like Comedy, Entertainment, News, Science & Technology, How To & Style, and more. You can also watch full-length movies and TV shows rented from youtube.com in the highest quality.” Google

There’ll also be straightforward access to the (currently US-only) beta of YouTube Rentals.  As for Google TV, the first Logitech Revue box will be priced at $299.99 and is due to hit shelves imminently.

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Microsoft researcher: Java attacks reached “unprecedented” levels during Q3

According to a recent report by Microsoft Malware Protection Center researcher Holly Stewart, attacks on Java reached “unprecedented” levels during the 2010 third quarter; but, most of them largely went unnoticed by the security community.
In a Monday blog post, Stewart, a senior program manager at Microsoft, specified that during the third quarter, attacks against Java touched six million, as against the earlier quarter figures of less than 100,000 attacks on Adobe PDF documents.
Talking about the attacks, Stewart said in the blog post: “Java is ubiquitous, and, as was once true with browsers and document readers like Adobe Acrobat, people don't think to update it. On top of that, Java is a technology that runs in the background to make more visible components work. How do you know if you have Java installed or if it's running?”
Stewart also added that almost all of the Java attacks during the third quarter could be traced to three vulnerabilities that have now been patched. These three holes are the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) list’s CVE-2008-5353, CVE-2010-0094, and CVE-2009-3867.
While CVE-2008-5353 and CVE-2010-0094 are deserialization issues, CVE-2009-3867 is a remote code execution issue caused by improper parsing of long file://URL arguments. Specifically speaking, CVE-2008-5353 was attacked around 3.5 million times; CVE-2009-3867 was attacked nearly 2.6 million times; and CVE-2010-0094 was attacked over 200,000 times.

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Apple beats the Street

Still, iPad supply problems drop shares

By Herald wire services
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - Added 8 hours ago

Apple Inc. easily surpassed profit and revenue forecasts again, but supply bottlenecks curbed iPad sales to below Wall Street’s bullish targets, sending its shares down 6.5 percent in extended trading.
Weaker-than-projected gross margins and iPad shipments disappointed investors who had expected more from the company.
Some analysts said sales of the iPad, which began only in April, should ramp up in the current quarter as the company resolves hitches in the supply chain.

“IPads were low, but I also think they had a lot of production problems getting that off the ground,” said analyst Jane Snorek of First American Funds. “IPad demand is red hot and they can sell as much as they can make.”
Apple sold 4.2 million iPads in its second quarter on the market, below Wall Street’s expectations. Some analysts had projected shipments of closer to or even more than 5 million for the tablet computer launched only in April.
The company sold 14.1 million iPhones from July through September, more than the 12 million or so analysts were looking for.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs made a rare appearance on a conference call, noting Apple sold more iPhones than Research in Motion sold BlackBerry phones in the most recent quarter. “I don’t see them catching up with us in the foreseeable future,” he said.
Jobs also spoke disparagingly of the new tablet computers built on Google’s Android software. “The seven-inch tablets are tweeners, too big to compete with a smart phone and too small to compete with an iPad,” which has a 10-inch screen, he said.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple’s net income rose to $4.3 billion, or $4.64 per share, from $2.5 billion, or $2.77 per share, in the same period last year. Revenue jumped 67 percent to $20.3 billion from $12.2 billion last year.

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Gartner Predicts 19 Million Tablets in 2010 – Driven by iPad

Gartner, a major technology research company, just released their latest tablet sales forecast and it appears that the iPad is fueling a huge adoption of the new tablet form factor.  The company expects 2010 tablet sales will exceed 19.5 million units and that this numbers will largely be driven by Apple iPad sales.
Apple last reported iPad sales numbers back in June when they announced over three million iPads has been sold in less than 80 days.  Most analysts agree that Apple will easily exceed 10 million units this year, making it the best selling tablet device in the history of the market.
With a growing number of companies jumping into the tablet market with their own devices, the market has quickly become one of the fastest growing consumer electronics segments.  Apple, not waiting on the competition, has been expanding the iPad ecosystem in order to grab market share.
The company is looking to extend its market share going into the all important holiday season and just recently added Walmart, Target, AT&T and Verizon as new retail sales channels.  The availability of the iPad in these new retail outlets is sure to have a dramatic impact on iPad sales this year and help Apple grow its lead in this hot segment.
With increased supply and strong demand, Gartner expects worldwide consumer and enterprise adoption of media tablets to grow dramaticaly over the next several years. The company is forecasting tablet sales to exceed 54 million units in 2011 and grow to more than 154 million units sold in 2013.
This sharp increase in sales is expected to come at the expense of other consumer electronics devices as tablets begin to cannibilize sales of e-readers, netbooks, gaming devices and laptops. Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner says “Mini notebooks will suffer from the strongest cannibalization threat as media tablet average selling prices (ASPs) drop below $300 over the next 2 years.”
The iPad has turned out to be a surprise hit, exceeding the wildest expectations of industry analysts and the press.  When Apple first unveiled the iPad earlier this year, many people were skeptical that Apple could successfully establish a new “third class of device” as  Steve Jobs had suggested.  Fast forward six months,  Apple has been able to successfully execute their iPad strategy and have filled a unique niche in the consumer electronics market by selling millions of iPads. Based on Gartner’s forecasts, this trend should continue for the next several years.

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Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle Detailed

Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle Detailed [Microsoft's Big Offering For The Holiday Season Includes 250GB Hard Drive, Two Top-Notch Games, But No Kinect]

 

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Ah, the holidays. The most wonderful time of the year for those who make consumer goods. Microsoft has detailed their official holiday bundle for the Xbox 360 this year. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for Kinect, you’ll have to look elsewhere, but this plain holiday still bundle still packs a punch, including two Triple-A games.

The bundle includes the new Xbox 360 S “Slim” in it’s sleek black, along with the new 250GB hard drive capacity. As for the games, it’s including the old Xbox 360 standby pack-in, Forza 3. What’s new is that it also includes a code to download a digital copy of Microsoft’s Alan Wake horror/action game. What’s interesting is that Alan Wake is not a “Games On Demand” title, but it should be in the future, if Microsoft is going to distribute it digitally.
It’s worth noting that there are quite a few people out there who still don’t have internet or don’t connect their consoles to the internet (or, according to a chap in my local GameStop most people don’t. Sort of doubt him, though). These people will be missing out on one of their pack-in games, so bummer for them.
This bundle is still unconfirmed for North America, though. Via tips from insiders, it’s been “confirmed” for South Korea (₩398,000 or $359) and Europe (€250 or $350). If you’re hoping for a North American release, the above artwork is from a Canadian Microsoft distributor, according to gaming blog Joystiq, giving all of us hope for a North American release.

Via | Post filed under Computer/Console Gaming

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No GTA2 Re-release

 

 

It’s nice when rumors are true, but unfortunately a good portion of them turn out to be wrong. An old countdown clock on Rockstar Games’ website had everyone talking about Grand Theft Auto 2 getting a re-release on the Playstation Network and/or Xbox Live. In a display of supreme irony, this clock has only popped up due to a fix for the Y2K problem which caused the code to act as if the 21st century didn’t exist. The clock is from 1999 and was the countdown clock to the release of Grand Theft Auto 2 on the original Playstation.

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Haze demo May 6th

Fans of Free Radical’s upcoming FPS, Haze, are in for quite the treat as Sony has officially confirmed that a game demo will be hitting the PSN next week, May 6th to be exact.

While the demo comes in the wake of one of the GTA 4’s release, perhaps the fact that Haze lets users safely abuse drugs will spur some interest.

Free Radical Design’s Haze will hit store shelves sometime in May of this year, that is if it doesn’t get delayed, again.

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VMware Fusion 1.1.2

his is the software publisher's description.

From the virtualization industry leader comes VMware Fusion. Simply the best way to run Windows, Linux, or Solaris at the same time as Mac OS X - without rebooting.

Built from the ground up for the Mac, VMware Fusion leverages nearly a decade of virtualization expertise to harness the full power of your Mac hardware, while still supporting Windows-only applications, USB 2.0 devices, 64-bit, and accelerated 3D graphics.

Say goodbye to the Windows desktop - seamlessly run Windows XP applications just like Mac applications; use Exposé to switch between any application, minimize to the Dock, bring forward only the application you care about, and use familiar Mac keyboard shortcuts. Use the VMware Fusion Launch Palette to easily access all your Windows applications, and keep your favourite Windows applications in the Dock.

VMware Fusion 1.1 contains a number of new features including experimental support for DirectX 9 and support for the iPhone under Windows. The Unity support has been enhanced and much more.

Sadly VMware have changed the way you have to download their software, so you need to be a registered VMware user to obtain access. This download points to the form where you can register or login to download.

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Glossary for Web Developer

Apache	Apache is a freely available Web server that is distributed under an "open source" license. Version 2.0 runs on most Unix-based operating systems (such as Linux, Solaris, Digital UNIX, and AIX), on other UNIX/POSIX-derived systems (such as Rhapsody, BeOS, and BS2000/OSD), on AmigaOS, and on Windows 2000.
Apple/Apple Computer	Apple Computer, Inc. is a prominent hardware and software company best known for its Macintosh series of personal computers. Introduced in 1984, the Macintosh was the first widely sold personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI). That feature and others -- such as an improved floppy drive design and a low-cost hard drive that made data retrieval faster and more reliable -- helped Apple cultivate a reputation for innovation, which the company still enjoys today.
Application	A software piece or module designed to fill the specific needs of a user; for example, software for project management, issue tracking, file sharing, etc. This contrasts with system software, e.g. operating systems like MS Windows or UNIX.
Backup	A copy of database and associated files set aside for security purposes. In case of data loss, backup is used to recover the working database or files.
Back end	Administrative mode of a shopping cart protected by administrator's login and password and not accessible for customers.
Bandwidth	In computer networks, bandwidth is often used as a synonym for data transfer rate - the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second). This kind of bandwidth is usually expressed in bits (of data) per second (bps). Occasionally, it's expressed as bytes per second (Bps). A modem that works at 57,600 bps has twice the bandwidth of a modem that works at 28,800 bps.
BSD	BSD (originally: Berkeley Software Distribution) refers to the particular version of the Unix operating system that was developed at and distributed from the University of California at Berkeley. "BSD" is customarily preceded by a number indicating the particular distribution level of the BSD system (for example, "4.3 BSD"). BSD UNIX has been popular and many commercial implementations of UNIX systems are based on or include some BSD code.
CD-ROM	CD-ROM (Compact Disc, read-only-memory) is an adaptation of the CD that is designed to store computer data in the form of text and graphics, as well as hi-fi stereo sound. The original data format standard was defined by Philips and Sony in the 1983 Yellow Book.
Cookie	A cookie is information that a website puts on your hard disk so that it can remember something about you at a later time. (More technically, it is information for future use that is stored by the server on the client side of a client/server communication.) Typically, a cookie records your preferences when using a particular site. Using the Web's Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), each request for a Web page is independent of all other requests. For this reason, the Web page server has no memory of what pages it has sent to a user previously or anything about your previous visits. A cookie is a mechanism that allows the server to store its own information about a user on the user's own computer. You can view the cookies that have been stored on your hard disk (although the content stored in each cookie may not make much sense to you). The location of the cookies depends on the browser. Internet Explorer stores each cookie as a separate file under a Windows subdirectory. Netscape stores all cookies in a single cookies.txt fle.
C++	C++ is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language that is viewed by many as the best language for creating large-scale applications. C++ is a superset of the C language. A related programming language, Java, is based on C++ but optimized for the distribution of program objects in a network such as the Internet. Java is somewhat simpler and easier to learn than C++ and has characteristics that give it other advantages over C++. However, both languages require a considerable amount of study.
Document	When used in reference to the WebAsyst applications, a document is any file containing text, media or hyperlinks that can be transferred from/to a server.
DOM	Document Object Model (DOM), is a programming interface specification being developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It lets a programmer create and modify HTML pages and XML documents as full-fledged program objects.
Download	A process of transferring to your computer a copy of a file that resides on another computer.
Ecommerce (electronic commerce)	The conducting of business communication and transactions over networks and through computers. Specifically, ecommerce is the buying and selling of goods and services, and the transfer of funds, through digital communications.
Front end	Also referred to as 'storefront'. A part of online store available for public use, where customers can navigate through products catalog and place orders.
Gigabyte	A gigabyte (pronounced GIG-a-bite with hard G's) is a measure of computer data storage capacity and is "roughly" a billion bytes. A gigabyte is two to the 30th power, or 1,073,741,824 in decimal points.
Groupware	Collaboration software, also known as groupware, is a software tool that integrates the work of multiple concurrent users located at separated workspaces. Usually a groupware package consists of several web based applications designed for the automation of your collaborative activities.
GUI interface	A GUI (usually pronounced GOO-ee) is a graphical (rather than purely textual) user interface to a computer. As you read this, you are looking at the GUI or graphical user interface of your particular Web browser. The term came into existence because the first interactive user interfaces to computers were not graphical; they were text-and-keyboard oriented and usually consisted of commands you had to remember and computer responses that were infamously brief.
Hardware	In information technology, hardware is the physical aspect of computers, telecommunications, and other devices. The term arose as a way to distinguish the "box" and the electronic circuitry and components of a computer from the program you put in it to make it do things. The program came to be known as the software.
HDD (Hard Disk Drive)	In a personal computer, a hard disk drive (HDD) is the mechanism that controls the positioning, reading, and writing of the hard disk, which furnishes the largest amount of data storage for the PC. Although the hard disk drive (often shortened to "hard drive") and the hard disk are not the same thing, they are packaged as a unit and so either term is sometimes used to refer to the whole unit.
Hosting	A way of using web based software. Does not require installation of any software pieces on your desktop computer. Instead, all your software applications, database and files are located on a computer in the Internet, which is maintained by your host provider for a certain monthly fee.
HTML	An acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. HTML codes are interpreted by the web browser to format documents in a particular way.
IIS	IIS (Internet Information Server) is a group of Internet servers (including a Web or Hypertext Transfer Protocol server and a File Transfer Protocol server) with additional capabilities for Microsoft's Windows NT and Windows 2000 Server operating systems.
Internet Explorer	Internet Explorer (IE) -- sometimes referred to as Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) -- is the most widely used World Wide Web browser. It comes with the Microsoft Windows operating system and can also be downloaded from Microsoft's website. The IE browser competes with an earlier browser, Netscape, now owned by AOL.
Issue	A bug or defect report, work order, problem description, task or any request, which needs someone’s attention and action to be fixed, implemented or processed in some other way. Usually an issue is added in a list and someone is assigned to implement it.
JAVA (JAVA Script)	Java is a programming language expressly designed for use in the distributed environment of the Internet. It was designed to have the "look and feel" of the C++ language, but it is simpler to use than C++ and enforces an object-oriented programming model. Java can be used to create complete applications that may run on a single computer or be distributed among servers and clients in a network. It can also be used to build a small application module or applet for use as part of a Web page. Applets make it possible for a Web page user to interact with the page.
Kernel	The kernel is the essential center of a computer operating system, the core that provides basic services for all other parts of the operating system. A synonym is nucleus. A kernel can be contrasted with a shell, the outermost part of an operating system that interacts with user commands. Kernel and shell are terms used more frequently in Unix operating systems than in IBM mainframe or Microsoft Windows systems.
Linux	Linux (often pronounced LIH-nuhks with a short "i") is a Unix-like operating system that was designed to provide personal computer users a free or very low-cost operating system comparable to traditional and usually more expensive Unix systems. Linux has a reputation as a very efficient and fast-performing system. Linux's kernel (the central part of the operating system) was developed by Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki in Finland.
Megabyte (MB)	As a measure of computer processor storage and real and virtual memory, a megabyte (abbreviated MB) is 2 to the 20th power bytes, or 1,048,576 bytes in decimal notation. According to the IBM Dictionary of Computing, when used to describe disk storage capacity and transmission rates, a megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes in decimal notation.
Memory	Memory is the electronic holding place for instructions and data that your computer's microprocessor can reach quickly. When your computer is in normal operation, its memory usually contains the main parts of the operating system and some or all of the application programs and related data that are being used. Memory is often used as a shorter synonym for random access memory (RAM). This kind of memory is located on one or more microchips that are physically close to the microprocessor in your computer. Most desktop and notebook computers sold today include at least 16 megabytes of RAM, and are upgradeable to include more. The more RAM you have, the less frequently the computer has to access instructions and data from the more slowly accessed hard disk form of storage.
Merchant account	A written, commercial bank account established by contractual agreement between a merchant/business and a bank and/or a payment gateway. The agreement contains the respective rights, warranties, and duties with respect to accepting bankcards like Visa or MasterCard. You must apply for this account directly from your bank, or from the Payment Processor.
Mozilla	Mozilla was Netscape Communication's nickname for Navigator, its Web browser, and, more recently, the name of an open source public collaboration aimed at making improvements to Navigator. This public collaboration was essentially launched and is still substantially supported by Netscape (now owned by AOL); however, the Mozilla project is independent. Netscape can use its code but so can anyone else.
MySQL	MySQL (pronounced "my ess cue el") is an open source relational database management system (RDBMS) that uses Structured Query Language (SQL), the most popular language for adding, accessing, and processing data in a database. Because it is open source, anyone can download MySQL and tailor it to their needs in accordance with the general public license. MySQL is noted mainly for its speed, reliability, and flexibility. Most agree, however, that it works best when managing content and not executing transactions.
Netscape	Netscape, now part of America Online (AOL), is one of the two most popular Web browsers. Currently, almost all Internet users use either Microsoft's Internet Explorer (MSIE) browser or Netscape, and many users use both. Although Netscape was initially the predominant product in terms of usability and number of users, Microsoft's browser is generally considered superior by many users (although many other users see them as roughly equivalent) and has taken a significant lead in usage. Netscape's browser,called "Navigator," was developed in 1995.
Open Source	Open source is a philosophy of software distribution that allows anyone to read and modify the program's source code. Because anyone can modify the source code, bug fixes, improvements or implementation of new specific features occur rapidly.
Oracle	Oracle (in ancient Greece, someone in touch with the deities; from Latin, oraculum or divine announcement) says it is the world's leading supplier of software for information management but it is best known for its sophisticated relational database products (notably Oracle9i), which are used in Fortune 1000 corporations and by many of the largest websites. Oracle's relational database was the world's first to support the Structured Query Language (SQL), now an industry standard.
OS (Operating System)	An operating system (sometimes abbreviated as "OS") is the program that, after being initially loaded into the computer by a boot program, manages all the other programs in a computer. The other programs are called applications or application programs. The application programs make use of the operating system by making requests for services through a defined application program interface (API). In addition, users can interact directly with the operating system through a user interface such as a command language or a graphical user interface (GUI).
Payment gateway	A combination of software and hardware that provides an interface to the bank card processing network. Typically Payment gateway is a company that provides the transaction-processing network that receives encrypted transactions from a merchant’s website and sends them to the card issuing bank for approval.
PC (Personal Computer)	In its more general usage, a PC (personal computer) is a computer designed for use by one person at a time. Prior to the PC, computers were designed for (and only affordable by) companies who attached terminals for multiple users to a single large computer whose resources were shared among all users. Beginning in the late 1980s, technology advances made it feasible to build a small computer that an individual could own and use. The term "PC" is also commonly used to describe an "IBM-compatible" personal computer in contrast to an Apple Macintosh computer.
Pentium	The Pentium is a widely-used personal computer microprocessor from the Intel Corporation. First offered in 1993, the Pentium quickly replaced Intel's 486 microprocessor as the microchip-of-choice in manufacturing a personal computer. The original Pentium model includes two processors on one chip that contains 3.1 million transistors.
Plug-in	Plug-in applications are programs that can easily be installed and used as part of your Web browser. Initially, the Netscape browser allowed you to download, install, and define supplementary programs that played sound or motion video or performed other functions. These were called helper applications. However, these applications run as a separate application and require that a second window be opened. A plug-in application is recognized automatically by the browser and its function is integrated into the main HTML file that is being presented.
Project	An undertaking that encompasses a set of tasks or activities having a definable starting point and well defined objectives. Usually each task has a planned completion data (due date) and assigned resources.
PHP	The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor is a programming language that allows web developers to create dynamic content that interacts with databases. PHP is basically used for developing web based software applications.
Server	1) In information technology, a server is a computer program that provides services to other computer programs (and their users) in the same or other computers. 2) The computer that a server program runs in is also frequently referred to as a server (though it may be used for other purposes as well). 3) In the client/server programming model, a server is a program that awaits and fulfills requests from client programs in the same or other computers. A given application in a computer may function as a client with requests for services from other programs and also as a server of requests from other programs. Specific to the Web, a Web server is the computer program (housed in a computer) that serves requested HTML pages or files. A Web client is the requesting program associated with the user. The Web browser in your computer is a client that requests HTML files from Web servers.
Shopping cart	Software that operates on an online storefront. The "shopping cart" keeps track of all the items that a buyer wants to purchase, allowing the shopper to pay for the whole order at once.
SOAP	Simple Object Access Protocol. A protocol that describes a model for packing XML enquiries and responses. SOAP messaging is used to enable exchange of a variety of XML information between server and client computers.
SQL	SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard interactive and programming language for getting information from and updating a database. Although SQL is both an ANSI and an ISO standard, many database products support SQL with proprietary extensions to the standard language. Queries take the form of a command language that lets you select, insert, update, find out the location of data, and so forth. There is also a programming interface.
Task	A piece of work that is part of the total work needed to accomplish a project. Also called an activity. A task usually has an expected duration and cost. A Project usually encompasses a number of tasks being implemented sequentially and/or simultaneously.
Trial	A period of free usage of a product or services. Usually provided by a vendor for evaluation purposes. The Customer usually does not pay for trial and makes the decision to purchase only if satisfied with a service or product during this trial period.
URL	This is the abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator, The addressing system used in the World Wide Web and other Internet resources. The URL contains information about the method of access, the server to be accessed and the path of any file to be accessed, e.g. http://www.servername.com/foldername/pagename.html
Visual Basic	Visual Basic (VB) is a programming environment from Microsoft in which a programmer uses a graphical user interface to choose and modify preselected sections of code written in the BASIC programming language. Since Visual Basic is easy to learn and fast to write code with, it's sometimes used to prototype an application that will later be written in a more difficult but efficient language. Visual Basic is also widely used to write working programs. Microsoft says that there are at least 3 million developers using Visual Basic.
Web Based Software	A specific and relatively new class of software. All software components usually reside on a web server. Access to the web based software application is through a web-browser, the web based software only needs to be installed on one web server machine. Users can gain quick and timely access to a wider variety of existing information, anytime, and from anywhere in the world.
Web server	A computer, including software package, that provides a specific kind of service to client software running on other computers. More specifically, a server is a computer that manages and shares web based applications accessible anytime from any computer connected to the Internet.
XML	Acronym for Extensible Markup Language. An open standard for exchanging structured documents and data over the Internet that was introduced by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in November 1996.

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PHP Definition

The PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP -- yes, the first "P" in the acronym does indeed stand for PHP!) allows web developers to create dynamic content that interacts with databases. PHP applications are normally found on Linux servers and in conjunction with MySQL databases. It provides those servers with functionality similar to that provided to the Windows platform by Active Server Pages technology.

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.NET Definition

.NET is both a business strategy from Microsoft and its collection of programming support for what are known as Web services, the ability to use the Web rather than your own computer for various services. Microsoft's goal is to provide individual and business users with a seamlessly interoperable and Web-enabled interface for applications and computing devices and to make computing activities increasingly Web browser-oriented. The .NET platform includes servers; building-block services, such as Web-based data storage; and device software. It also includes Passport, Microsoft's fill-in-the-form-only-once identity verification service. The .NET platform is expected to provide:

• The ability to make the entire range of computing devices work together and to have user information automatically updated and synchronized on all of them
• Increased interactive capability for Web sites, enabled by greater use of XML (Extensible Markup Language) rather than HTML
• A premium online subscription service, that will feature customized access and delivery of products and services to the user from a central starting point for the management of various applications, such as e-mail, for example, or software, such as Office .NET
• Centralized data storage, which will increase efficiency and ease of access to information, as well as synchronization of information among users and devices
• The ability to integrate various communications media, such as e-mail, faxes, and telephones.
• For developers, the ability to create reusable modules, which should increase productivity and reduce the number of programming errors

According to Bill Gates, Microsoft expects that .NET will have as significant an effect on the computing world as the introduction of Windows. One concern being voiced is that although .NET's services will be accessible through any browser, they are likely to function more fully on products designed to work with .NET code. The full release of .NET is expected to take several years to complete, with intermittent releases of products such as a personal security service and new versions of Windows and Office that implement the .NET strategy coming on the market separately. Visual Studio .NET is a development environment that is now available. Windows XP supports certain .NET capabilities.

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Wireless Mesh Definition

 














 
Wireless mesh technology was developed for the US Defense Department. Basically, it was a way for tanks on the battle field to communicate with one another and a central system. Each tank was an access point (AP). An AP would talk to its nearest AP who would relay the messages to another close AP, passing messages up and down the line. The network was smart in that you could take out one tank and it would heal itself, finding the shortest way back to the central command center.

Today, wireless mesh has evolved. Most mesh technologies still use a single radio for sending the information up and down the network as well as connect with a customer device like a phone or internet connection. In practical terms, this limits the speed (bandwidth) of the network, and also means that the system can go no further than 3 hops before it needs to find a connection into the internet fiber backbone as a single radio system loses, on an average, about two thirds of its speed over three hops.

WiMax and cellular technology systems are based on the single cell tower system. Mesh uses small radios or access points which are much cheaper to deploy and which connect to each other with many possible routes, passing information up and down the system.

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WiMAX Definition

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a communications technology that uses radio spectrum to transmit tens of megabits per second in bandwidth between digital devices such as laptop computers. Similar to WiFi, WiMAX brings with it the ability to transmit over far greater distances and to handle much more data. WiMAX was developed by equipment manufacturers, service providers, and software companies around the world all of who were motivated to ensure that equipment, regardless of who made it, would will interoperate. In practice, WiMax will likely be made available to consumers by companies such as Cingular and Verizon. These companies have purchased the necessary rights to the radio spectrum and are building nationwide networks. WiMAX will coexist as a radio capability on the mobile computer, along with other radio technologies such as wireless fidelity and third-generation (3G), for many years.

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JPEG Definition

JPEG (pronounced jay-peg) is a commonly used method of compressing photographic images. The compression algorithm is "lossy" in that information is removed from the image to assist with decreasing the file size. The greater the compression, the more information is discarded. Files that have undergone jpeg compression usually have extensions such as .jfif, .jpeg, or jpg.

The name stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. JPEG itself specifies only how an image is transformed into a stream of bytes, but not how those bytes are encapsulated in any particular storage medium. JPEG is the most common format used for storing and transmitting photographs on the World Wide Web. It is not as well suited for line drawings and other textual or iconic graphics because its compression method performs badly on these types of images (it is better to use the PNG and GIF formats for such purposes.

Most digital cameras also create files that are in JPEG format. A testament to the popularity of the standard.

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Virus Definitions

Antivirus programs use a handful of techniques to identify viruses. The oldest and most common method is through the use of virus definitions. When a virus is discovered, antivirus vendors examine and look for all the changes it makes to a system. These changes can include modifying files, creating new files, and updating the system registry. All of these changes together form a list that can be used to identify the virus on other computers. This list is called a virus definition. Because viruses are created and modified all of the time, new virus definitions are created. Thus, part of the routine of checking for viruses involves downloading the new list. Unfortunately for consumers, virus definitions aren't interchangeable between programs and so you need to visit the vendor's web site or use the built-in update feature.

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iPod Definition

 






















An iPod is a palm-sized, electronic device primarily created to play music. Unlike a traditional walkman or portable CD-player, the iPod is capable of storing a large number of tracks and playing for many, many hours on a single battery charge. The iPod owes much of its success not in what it does, but in how it does it. Apple, the creator of the iPod, seems to have found the perfect combination of simplicity and functionality. Plus, a clever marketing campaign and Apple's ongoing efforts to remain relevant, resulted in the iPod striking a chord with the right demographic in a way that no other portable music player has in recent times.

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Utility Computing Definition

 

Utility computing refers to the ability of companies to access computing services, business processes, and applications from a utility-like service over a network. The idea being that if a company has to pay only for what it is using then it will be able to save money. While the company offering utility computing services can benefit from economies of scale by using the same infrastructure to service multiple clients. The alternative is to buy hardware that can handle peak loads, but is often using something along the lines of 15% of available resources. Utility computing is the evolutionary step up from Application Service Providers. The underlying technology for utility computing is grid computing -- the network of connected storage and CPUs from multiple systems into a centrally managed, but flexible computing environment.

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TQM Definition

TQM Definition

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach that aims for long-term success by focussing on customer satisfaction. TQM is based on the participation of all members of an organization in improving processes, products, services, and the culture in which they work.

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Definition of Software

Software refers to something intangible. Although often of great value, software can't be picked up or weighed. However, software is the required to make hardware do anything. Likewise, software needs hardware to be of any value.

Typical examples of software include the web browser you're using to read this page, the web hosting software used to show you this page, and the operating system (Windows, Mac) that you interact with whenever you use your computer.

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GIF Definition

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a bitmap image format for pictures with up to 256 distinct colours. The format was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web. GIFs are compressed files, and were adopted to reduce the amount of time it takes to transfer images over a network connection.

A GIF file employs lossless data compression so that the file size of an image may be reduced without degrading the visual quality. Contrast this to the JPEG file format which discards data to achieve file size reductions. The GIF format's 256-colour limitation makes it unsuitable for photographs. Therefore, GIF is normally used for diagrams, buttons, and drawings, that have a small number of colors, while the JPEG format is used for photographs.

Many software vendors were caught by surprise when it was revealed that the GIF format had been patented by Unisys and that they would have to pay royalties for writing programs that generated (or displayed) GIF files. The desire for a comparable format with fewer legal restrictions (as well as fewer technical restrictions such as the number of colours) led to the development of the PNG (Portable Network Graphics) standard. Although the GIF patents will expire in the near future, PNG is still touted as a technically superior alternative, and has become the third most common image format on the web.

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Definition of Supply Chain Management

 

















Supply chain management (SCM) is the oversight of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Supply chain management involves coordinating and integrating these flows both within and among companies. It is said that the ultimate goal of any effective supply chain management system is to reduce inventory (with the assumption that products are available when needed). As a solution for successful supply chain management, sophisticated software systems with Web interfaces are competing with Web-based application service providers (ASP) who promise to provide part or all of the SCM service for companies who rent their service. Supply chain management flows can be divided into three main flows:

• The product flow
• The information flow
• The finances flow

The product flow includes the movement of goods from a supplier to a customer, as well as any customer returns or service needs. The information flow involves transmitting orders and updating the status of delivery. The financial flow consists of credit terms, payment schedules, and consignment and title ownership arrangements. There are two main types of SCM software: planning applications and execution applications. Planning applications use advanced algorithms to determine the best way to fill an order. Execution applications track the physical status of goods, the management of materials, and financial information involving all parties. Some SCM applications are based on open data models that support the sharing of data both inside and outside the enterprise (this is called the extended enterprise, and includes key suppliers, manufacturers, and end customers of a specific company). This shared data may reside in diverse database systems, or data warehouses, at several different sites and companies. By sharing this data "upstream" (with a company's suppliers) and "downstream" (with a company's clients), SCM applications have the potential to improve the time-to-market of products, reduce costs, and allow all parties in the supply chain to better manage current resources and plan for future needs. Increasing numbers of companies are turning to Web sites and Web-based applications as part of the SCM solution. A number of major Web sites offer e-procurement marketplaces where manufacturers can trade and even make auction bids with suppliers.

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Ethernet Definition

 
Ethernet is a network standard for data transmission using either coaxial or twisted pair cable. In the LAN (local area network) world, ethernet is the most widely used standard. Until recently, ethernet ran at 10 megabits per second, but it is just as common now for ethernet-based systems to run at 100 megabits per second. Still newer systems have been developed to transfer data at 1000 megabits per second (equivalent to a gigabit). While ethernet isn't going away any time soon, the last few feet between users and the network is rapidly being serviced by wireless technologies. Wireless offers greater flexibility to the user, but is much slower than Ethernet.

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Definition of Sarbanes Oxley

The Sarbanes Oxley Act is a set of rules put together by the US government in an effort to improve a company's audit. These rules came about primarily due to the many corporate scandals that plagued the US not too long ago including some very high-profile cases such as Enron. Initially, Sarbanes Oxley was viewed as a finance issue, but it soon became apparent that IT systems were so integral to the storage and retrieval of financial data, that much of the burden for compliance shifted to the IT department. To make matters worse, companies found that instructions were vague and definitions of compliance could differ between companies. The July 1, 2005 issue of CIO Magazine identified these items as the top 5 IT control weaknesses as reported by auditors:

1. Failure to segregate duties within applications, and failure to set up new accounts and terminate old ones in a timely manner.
2. Lack of proper oversight for making application changes.
3. Inadequate review of audit logs.
4. Failure to identify abnormal transactions in a timely manner.
5. Lack of understanding of key system configurations.

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