OpenTangent

Cloud computing is making waves in more than just the biggest technology companies . The concept is undeniably convenient, not just for those who use the cloud but also those deploying them. Until recently, decent cloud deployments were reserved for the Googles and Amazons of the world but as with all good inventions it is becoming increasingly affordable. The next logical step is the ability to privately deploy clouds to keep your internal productivity safely behind a firewall. Why Eucalyptus then? Besides the fact that it's compatible with Amazon's enterprise level EC2 , besides the fact that it defines Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud , besides the fact that it's open source and thus supported by a vast community of developers, when the head of the worlds most important database management software Mårten Mickos , becomes the head of Eucalyptus, that's the signal that this is one to watch out for. Mickos also has his hands in the RightScale pie, which conveniently builds ...

IBM , Canonical and Simmtronics are realising their joint effort to pump low cost netbooks  into the African market . The netbooks will apparently be sold for around US$190 (just under R1500) and will run a Lotus enriched Ubuntu Netbook Edition  which has been named  IBM Client for Smart Work . What's important to note about this package is that it has the productivity capabilities of a desktop solution that would cost three to four times the price. How do they achieve this? With thin client , cloud architecture  which effectively reduces the need for powerful hardware by placing the majority of the work load on the server. Mark Shuttleworth introduces the product below: An ARM processor could have improved the performance to cost ratio in my opinion but overall i think this is exactly the kind of thing that sparked the netbook evolution. I am currently running Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.04 beta on my EeePC although i use it primarily fo...

The fact that the concept of intellectual property exists at all is, an indication that greed is a driving force in our global economy. A company that boasts about it's patent portfolio might as well have a marketing campaign declaring it's intention to stunt growth in technology. Microsoft is one such company and it doesn't just threaten, it's also willing to pull the trigger. With numerous lawsuits in it's wake Microsoft has clearly declared it's intolerance to competition, although they've been beaten in the patent game as well. Linux and all open source products for that matter are reasonably resistant to patent onslaught due to the nature of open licensing. I can comfortably say that Linux has been the single biggest influence in driving Microsoft innovation. Microsoft may not be able to destroy Linux as a competitor but that will certainly not stop them from trying to thwart it's success. Microsoft can still sue companies for using patent infri...

" The Cloud " is often confused with the Internet, probably because the Internet is officially portrayed as a cloud in diagrams . A cloud is in fact an application or suite that runs on a server and is served to thin clients , traditionally through a browser but not exclusively. The Internet is a great facilitator to such a deployment. Pretty much all processing and data storage is kept on the server and the user merely taps into it remotely. Obvious advantages of cloud solutions are centralised deployment and maintenance and also the ability to access applications from almost any device that can run a browser . There is also the major advantage of mobility, allowing users the freedom to work from anywhere with a connection. In recent years we have had major strides in mobile technology like netbooks and 3G as well as rapid price reduction for said hardware and services, pushing the mobility envelope even further. The desktop remains a tool for the professional but wit...