operations

A peek at the source code behind Google Docs by a third-party blog site offers a tantalizing hint of some features that may be around the corner.

The Web site Google Operating System (no relation to Google itself) revealed yesterday that it dug into the source code of Google Docs to find a message that said simply: "Coming soon: Third party applications, cloud printers, and sync devices."

Cloud printing, which lets you print to any local or shared printer without the need for a print driver, is a feature that Google has teased for awhile. The company has … Read more

Out of all of Google's acquisitions, the company's acquisition of the maker of the Android mobile operating system was its "best deal ever," a company executive said at an industry conference yesterday.

Speaking at the Stanford Accel Symposium yesterday, David Lawee, Google vice president of corporate development, reportedly praised the 2005 buy of Android for an undisclosed sum. His comments were first reported by VentureBeat.

It's hard to argue with Lawee's contention. Five years after the acquisition, Android is appealing to customers around the world. During the second quarter alone, the mobile operating system … Read more

Editors' note: Tested on the Samsung Taylor, Samsung Focus, and HTC Surround.

In February 2010, Microsoft introduced Windows Phone 7 to the world. A complete overhaul of the company's mobile operating system, Microsoft got the tech world excited about it again with its fresh user interface, added features, and promises of improved performance. We've had to wait a long nine months since then to see if Windows Phone 7 actually delivers everything it promises, but we finally got a chance to find out. With the first wave of devices expected to hit on November 8, here's what … Read more

A new report from the nonprofit Linux Foundation shows that Linux continues to grow at breakneck speed and will outpace all other server operating systems over the next five years. Additionally, Linux will be chosen for more than 66 percent of new or "greenfield" applications.

The report, titled "Linux Adoption Trends: A Survey of Enterprise End Users," reflects the results of an invitation-only survey with responses from 1,900 individuals. According to the report, Linux adoption continues to grow for a number of reasons, not just driven by reduced costs, but by technical superiority and security … Read more

Certain ideas lurk largely at the boundaries of the IT industry, periodically making a push for a more central role. One such is the appliance or integrated stack--an assembly of hardware and multiple layers of software from a single vendor.

The argument for this concept revolves around simplifying the acquisition of technology and optimizing its operation.

Of course, vertical stacks were once simply the-way-systems-were-built. This model largely gave way to horizontal layers such as microprocessors, operating systems, and databases developed by different specialist vendors and brought together at the end user. (Former Intel CEO Andy Grove describes this shift in … Read more

The adoption of cloud computing is happening today, or so say a wide variety of analysts, vendors, and even journalists. The surveys show greatly increased interest in cloud computing concepts, and even increased usage of both public and private cloud models by developers of new application systems.

But does your IT organization really understand its cloud journey?

Friend, colleague, and cloud blogger Chris Hoff wrote a really insightful post today that digs into the reality--worldwide--of where most companies are with cloud adoption today...at least in terms of internal "private cloud" infrastructure. In it, he describes the difficult … Read more

Cloud computing and data center virtualization are both changing the way IT operations are organized, and the toolsets sought to automate operations tasks. Recent conversations with a variety of cloud practitioners have reemphasized this for me, and I wanted to lay out what changes I see coming to the operations space, and why those changes are important when considering your future (or your product's future).

A few months ago, I wrote a series of five posts I dubbed the "Big Rethink" series. If you haven't read the series yet, I invite you to do so now. … Read more

Though there are some free virtualization tools available, most have limitations. VirtualBox is a free open-source virtualization tool powerful enough for enterprise systems yet easy enough for home users. It runs in Windows editions 95 to 7, Mac OS X, Solaris, and Linux, and it supports a wide range of guest operating systems, including MS-DOS, early versions of Windows, and OpenBSD.

VirtualBox's wizard-based interface simplifies the creation and management of virtual machines (VMs). The tabbed main display is paired with a side panel listing all existing VMs. Control icons labeled New, Settings, Start, and Discard handle all functions, and … Read more

A bevy of Android devices will ultimately mean that Google's mobile operating system will control largely half of the smartphone market, according to a Piper Jaffray report. Apple's iOS will probably top out with market share of 20 percent to 30 percent in the long run.

The big picture? Android and Apple will squeeze rivals such as Nokia and Research in Motion, according to the Piper Jaffray report. These also-rans will duke it out for the 20 percent share left on the table.

Android will grab half of the smartphone market ultimately just because of its product cycle … Read more