MANAGE

Imagine Regmon on steroids, and you'll have a glimpse of this home-run hitting process watchdog. Process Monitor's simple spreadsheet-like interface displays processes through a user-created filter. The interface lacks simple single-click column sorting, however, columns are easily shown or hidden.

Process Monitor displays an extensive amount of information that will appeal mainly to advanced users. Context-clicking a process offers a pop-up menu of options to display additional information or affect the process. The pop-up is also available as the toolbar Event menu. Other pull-down menus manipulate the great amount of information to highlight trends. A button bar offers … Read more

Originally intended for blogging, but customizable into just about any configuration, WordPress is the Firefox of cross-platform content management systems, including the iPhone. Extensible and proud of it, the program itself is known for having one of the simplest installations of any CMS available.

The download is a ZIP file that comes with instructions on how to install it to your server, requiring an FTP client and administrator-level rights. Documentation for the ''five-minute install'' at its Web site is extensive, clear, and concise. The WordPress support forums haven't failed me yet in answering even my most difficult questions.

Without … Read more

This blog has been updated with the correct default kilowatt-per-hour rate.

Sometimes it's the little things that count, especially when it comes to your carbon footprint.

When it comes to PC usage, those little things include turning off your computer when you're not using it. Enter Verdiem, with its free download called Edison, which it is offering to consumers to help with their PC power management at home.

Verdiem has a similar product for large enterprise customers--and they of course charge for it. But Edison is free, and available at the company Web site, or from Microsoft.com/environment. … Read more

IBM announced Monday that it plans to acquire business rules management software maker ILOG in a deal valued at $340 million.

Under the deal, IBM will merge ILOG into its WebSphere brand, in a move to expand its middleware software footprint. Middleware is a layer of software that helps servers running databases and Web site software talk with servers running applications.

By combining its business process management (BPM), business optimization, and service-oriented architecture (SOA) software with ILOG's business rules management technologies, IBM is aiming to provide customers with the ability to gather up all relevant information spread throughout their … Read more

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Oracle dabbled in the identity space with database access controls and a network directory. But it really wasn't considered a player in this space.

This changed in 2005 when Oracle acquired its way into identity management with the purchase of Oblix and Thor Technologies. Even with these acquisitions, many industry watchers never thought that Oracle could buy its way into the market and weave disparate products into an integrated suite.

Once again, common wisdom was completely wrong. While others struggle or abandon this space, Oracle has vaulted to a leadership position. In fact, … Read more

AOL is scrapping some online destinations but will push others harder in an attempt to improve its finances, according to internal memos.

Among those products to be shuttered are Bluestring, a site to share videos, music, and photos; Xdrive, a general-purpose online storage service; and AOL Pictures, where people could store and share photos, according to a July 14 memo from Kevin Conroy, AOL's executive vice president of products and marketing. The memo was published Thursday by TechCrunch.

"These consumer storage products haven't gained sufficient traction in the marketplace or the monetization levels necessary to offset the … Read more

Personal organizer PageOnce has a great iPhone application that I think many will find to be incredibly useful. Like its desktop sibling, PageOnce for iPhone is a feed aggregator the likes of Netvibes or MyYahoo. The only difference is that you're feeding it account information for utilities and services to get a quick overall view of your various balances and spending activity.

I've been using the application for the past few days, and have come to rely on it almost exclusively to keep track of bank accounts, mobile phone usage, and my Netflix queue. In fact, it's … Read more

Glam Media, a digital content company that hosts hundreds of Web sites, blogs, and online magazines, has hired Michael Adair as vice president of corporate development and finance.

Adair previously was head of sales finance for Google North America, where he "helped lead the team that managed strategic acquisitions responsible for over $3.5 billion in revenue, including dMarc, YouTube, and DoubleClick," Glam Media said in a statement Wednesday. The company said its publications reach more than 10 percent of U.S. women who are 18 or older.

"With his deep operational and corporate development experience from … Read more

Chad Dickerson, leader of Yahoo's Brickhouse effort to produce interesting new online technology, has left the company for start-up Etsy.

"In leaving; I'm confident that Brickhouse is in good shape. The product teams (Fire Eagle and Yahoo Live) are focused and cranking," Dickerson said on his blog Tuesday. "Brickhouse continues to attract new talent and strong support from Yahoo management. I'm pleased to be handing the reins over to Mike Folgner, who was CEO of Jumpcut, where he took Jumpcut from idea to product to acquisition by Yahoo."

Dickerson will be chief technology … Read more