• VMware finds 'killer app' in Salesforce.com add ons | Cloud Computing – InfoWorld
  "Johnson says SpringSource is trying to achieve a level of portability that would let Java applications run on multiple clouds, and also to run on any hypervisor, or servers that have not been virtualized."
• Citrix Online: Free GoToManage, GoToAssist Pro Trial for MSPs
  GoToManage (née Paglo) has free, unqualified lead trials. Good for them.
• Recurly Raises $1.6 Million To Help Companies Manage Subscription Billing
  A startup for doing payments collection. Everyone says this is a hassle, esp. when dealing taxes across cities, states, countless, etc.
• Apple iPad replacing PCs as well as paper?
  We're all curious about tablets replacing desktops and such.
• VMware links Hyperic, vCenter for app monitoring | Virtualization – InfoWorld
  New Hyperic release with much VMWare integration, of course.
• The Sorcerer's Apprentice, but with money: another look at HFT
  A quick overview if some flash trading data and charts.
• OOXML and Open Clouds: Microsoft’s Lessons Learned
• The lions of IT, the mainframe pros, learn new post-recession approaches
  the news from SHARE: we gotta cut costs.
• Microsoft, Salesforce.com settle patent litigation
  Looks like Microsoft won this one: seems like Salesforce.com is paying Redmond…?
• Apathy kills Google's new-age Wave • The Register
  Wave end of lifed. Pretty shocking actually for all the initial hype: Google rarely kills anything: Jaiku, dodgeball, Gears, what else?
• Citrix and VMware stake out desktop and server virtualization territory | Virtualization – InfoWorld
• Citrix and VMware stake out desktop and server virtualization territory | Virtualization – InfoWorld
• SoftLayer Acquired In Management Buyout
• Clearwire Fancies Bite of AT&T's Apple
• Would You Dial An Open Source Help Desk?
• 5 major changes in store for the workplace in 2020
• How Big is Amazon’s Cloud Computing Business? Find Out
  Astounding, indeed: "According to their estimates, AWS business had a net income of $58.2 million in 2010 and will make $100.7 million in 2011. By 2014, that number will jump to $393 million, or 83 cents a share. The analysts estimate that gross margins of the web business will be around 50 percent versus Amazon’s gross margins of around 22 to 23 percent."
• iBrainstorm | A Creative Collaboration Tool

Disclosure: see the RedMonk client list for clients mentioned.

• Lean Java EE 6 Without Spring And Spring 3.0 In Java EE 6 World: Summary and Conclusion (eJug Session) : Adam Bien’s Weblog
• How Popular Is Actually Java EE 6? : Adam Bien’s Weblog
• Puppet Labs Releases Enterprise Enhancements in Version 2.6 | Puppet Labs
  Some new features: “* REST API, making it easier to integrate Puppet with other systems. * Preliminary Windows support for heterogeneous computing environments.
  Language enhancements & an Internal DSL so administrators who know and want to use pure Ruby for infrastructure development, can easily do so. * Event model, which lays the foundation for powerful reporting and monitoring. It provides structure to data generated by the system and facilitates reporting and analysis, simplifying the identification of infrastructure problems.”
• Puppet Labs Closes Series B Funding | Puppet Labs
  “$5 million Series B venture capital funding round led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, bringing its total funding to date to more than $7 million.”
• Online Transcriber | Great Prices & Quality Services
  Pretty good rates.
• Oracle Mergers & Acquisitions: Who’s Next?
  Speculating about what company Oracle will acquire next.

Disclosure: see the RedMonk client list for clients mentioned.

A little something extra…

I was in the Yosemite/Fresno area for a wedding this weekend. As the picture above shows, it was a great chance to get an In-n-Out burger – it was my son’s first time there, though he’s much too young to enjoy them, tragically. Man, they are so delicious.

The wedding itself was wonderful, with an old west, vaudeville theme. Check out some of the pictures.

The Links

• Eli Lilly ends talks to expand Amazon Web Services use
  Just talked with a reporter about the Eli Lilly not expanding use of Amazon cloud due to liability problems –
• Why Most Cloud Contracts Shouldn’t Be Negotiable
  "If self-service cloud providers, such as AWS, really want enterprise customers, they must consider how far they’re willing to bend to earn that business. In some cases, negotiation might be an option. Enterprises, in turn, need to figure out what they actually want from the cloud, because with most cloud providers, they can’t have their cake and eat it too. There are plenty of cloud options offering negotiable contracts, meaningful SLAs and even dedicated resources, but they don’t accept American Express."
• VA set to spend billions on IT
  $12 billion over five years, and a new procurement system…. looks like blood in the water for snarky vendors.
• AlcaLu in Recovery Mode
  they like the potential
• Burton Group: Avoid Office 2010 lock-in, stick with Office 2007 | Applications – InfoWorld
  I wonder what good examples of software that don't lock you in are.
• Surgient Acquired By Quest Software
• Swinging Big
  GWOS ads and update.
• RealNetworks Scrambling For New Products Now That Restructuring Is Complete
  whoa!
• Microsoft: We are focusing on eight core businesses | ZDNet
• Austin Cloud User Group – DataSolutions Blog
  I'll be speaking at the second Austin Cloud User Group meeting, kicking off the topic of cloud, hopefully.
• A private cloud is still a giant computer for VMware
  VMWare indicates it will go after mainframe money, including application modernization.
• Where IT budget dollars will be spent in 2010
• SpiceHeads In The Clouds
  SMB data on cloud usage. Low with concerns of security holding some back.
• Open Core is Dead
• Mainframes drive strong Q2 for Unisys
• Time Inc.’s iPad Problem is Trouble for Every Magazine Publisher
  They should just make a mobile web version behind a paywall if Time wants cash.
• Convirture goes open core with 2.0 virt tools • The Register
• Eric Schmidt on Google’s Next Tricks
  Kind of a dicey quote here when it comes to open source feel goodies, hopefully there's something kind of missing context: '“If we have a billion people using Android, you think we can’t make money from that?” Schmidt asked rhetorically.'
• Today in Infrastructure
  "I think cloud providers will settle for average-scale applications in the near term."
• 100 million Facebook pages leaked on torrent site | THINQ.co.uk
  I predict no one will really care long term.
• Citrix fluffed by XenDesktop virt in Q2 • The Register
  Much detail on revenue breakouts and on XenDesktop sales for desktop virtualization.
• HP confirms Windows 7 and WebOS tablet plans | Mobilize – InfoWorld
  Strange strategy: different OSes for consumer vs. business. I'm pretty sure business users would like the same flashiness & UX of the consumer device.
• TechCrunch
  Well, I guess they're not going to buy Quora.com

Disclosure: see the RedMonk client list for clients mentioned.

• ConVirt 2.0 Enterprise Press Release | The Convirture Blog
  New release of Xen and KVM virtualization manager.
• Talend Open Studio 3.0
• Will Adobe See the Light (of Day)?
  In the comments, some official word from Adobe that, yes, they like and intend to do more with the open source foot-hold of day. Erik Larson says: "we are very excited for Day's considerable 'open source savvy' to expand Adobe's already significant open source efforts and expertise. That is a strategic benefit of the combination of the two companies."
• IBM hits out at Microsoft over review
  Some light context on the (alleged) Microsoft vs. IBM feuding going on the EU using mainframe emulators as their Austria-Hungary.
• Streetline Appoints Zia Yusuf as President & CEO – MarketWatch
  High level SAP exec goes to internet of things company.
• Web CMS: Adobe Buys Day Software for US$ 240 Million
  Nice swoop into some more technology details.
• Windows Phone 7 briefing report: no enterprise app deployment at launch
  Some of the lower-level details of the Windows Phone 7 platform.
• Adobe to buy Day Software • The Register
• Corporate America, You’re Not Ready for Internal Clouds!
  Forrester says slow and easy on cloud use: go traditional and start in dev/test, then LoB, etc.
• Augment Reality for the Enterprise – SAP Employee Unveils Prototype
• Nimsoft Promotes Pay As You Go Service Provider Monitoring
• Canonical fluffs one-click Ubuntu cloud stack • The Register
• Seersucker-Suited Senators Dress for Success

Disclosure: see the RedMonk client list for clients mentioned.

• Wikileaks' Afghanistan war logs: how our datajournalism operation worked
  "datajournalism in action"
• HP says prefab data center cuts costs in half
  I'd be interested in the market size for all this prefab, shipping container data center stuff going around.
• On the Street… Outside of the Principe Di Savoia, Milano
  "I mean, would Fred Astaire have looked so cool dancing in cargo shorts?"
• The Spy Scandal Is Over. Next Comes The Reckoning.
  "This is the result of betrayal and traitors always end badly. As a rule, they end up in the gutter as drunks or drug addicts…The special services live under their own laws, and everyone knows what these laws are."
• SaaS 101: 7 Simple Lessons From Inside HubSpot
• IDC: SaaS momentum skyrocketing | Cloud Computing – InfoWorld
• Europe Starts Antitrust Inquiries Against I.B.M. – NYTimes.com
• My Top 10 Favorite Costumes at Comic Con
  yes!
• Google: City Of Los Angeles Apps Delay Is Overblown
  cases la googleapps email cloud
• IIAR Analyst of the Year Survey
  Give input on who think good analysts are for the 2010 survey.
• Dell's fraud settlement explodes PC market myths
  "Intel's rebates amounted to 38 per cent of Dell's operating profit in the fiscal year 2006, and rose to 76 per cent (or $720m) in one quarter alone, Q1 2007. While almost all of the Intel funds were incorporated into Dell's component costs, Dell did not disclose the existence, much less the magnitude, of the Intel exclusivity payments."
• Two Austin startups raise venture money
• AT&T activates 3.2 million iPhones in Q2, 10x iPhone 4s as 3GS
  "The company's financial results announced today confirm it activated 3.2 million iPhones in its just gone quarter."
• With Subsidies, Electric Cars Gaining Foothold in Texas
• Competition Spikes As More Smartphones Are Sold Than Ever Before
• Rackspace aims for a cloud platform based on Linux model
• The Apache Software Foundation Announces Apache FOP Version 1.0
• New IBM Mainframe a 'Data Center In-a-Box'; Can Manage 100K Virtual Machines Simultaneously — Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine Online

Disclosure: see the RedMonk client list for clients mentioned.

• Empires built on free code aren't cheap • The Register
  Matt Asay has a weekly column in The Register now. This week, helping give VCs a reason to exist: "we seem to be entering an age when it's dirt cheap to start a company."
• IBM Reorganization Tucks Systems Under Software
• Wanted: An AS/400-Centric System of Systems
  "I was thinking of something with a bit tighter coupling than two private 10 Gigabit Ethernet links between the mainframes and the blades for data exchange and management. While the Unified Resource Management extensions to the Systems Director stack will no doubt make it easier to manage external AIX and Linux servers, the machines are no more tightly coupled than what companies can build today."
• IBM Revenues Hurt By Server Transitions and Currency in Q2
  Break down of IBM reported revenue and much commentary in Power/i
• Apple Wants Your SMB Business
  Apple looking to more SMB work , explicitly.
• Unisys to offer mainframe cloud services
  If it's expensive and tedious for dev and test to setup and maintain, cloud it!
• Pinning Down Zynga’s Revenues Is Like Playing Pin The Tail On The Bullet Train
• Austin's budget picture not as dire as once expected
• "The Old Line State"
• The Secret Relationship between Enterprise Architecture and Outsourcing: Part One
  "An enterprise should always ask themselves how can they increase response times not just with customers but throughout the pipeline." Good tie in of social CRM too.
• The Turkish Towel
• Big Money: AOL’s Beauty Pageant With Google, Microsoft For New Search Deal
  "AOL visitors tend to click on search ads at more than twice the rate that people click on ads on Google’s search engine. So that 2.5% market share is really more like 6% of total search advertising market share."
• Dell’s Trouble Kicking the Intel Habit – Bits Blog – NYTimes.com
  Dell's payola from Intel. Salacious quotes like "for 3 qtrs now, Intel money has made the qtr. A bad way to run the railroad."
• Technology fetishism is skin deep | Guy Dammann
  A sort of weirdly cynical take on people not being sincere with their gadget lust. Kind of like if Jaren Lanier was obsessed with computers instead of octopuses and funky instruments.
• Is Canada the Worst Consumer of its Own Innovation?
  Canadian innovation is often sold of to California, the piece contends, mostly because Canadian tech culture isn't setup to acquire.
• Bloatware Creeps Into Android Phones | Gadget Lab | Wired.com
  "It is amazing how any app or widget on the phone associated with the handset maker (HTC) or the network provider (Sprint) is invariably a P.O.S."
• Global SaaS Enterprise Application Sales to Exceed $8.5 Billion in 2010
  "Global sales of software-as-a-service (SaaS) in the enterprise application segment will jump more than 14 percent to $8.5 billion this year when compared with the $7.5 billion generated in 2009, a spike attributed largely to the business community’s growing endorsement of cloud computing, according to data compiled by researcher Gartner Inc."
• The future is female. And Republican | Clancy Sigal
• IT departments swamped by consumer devices
• Leaving iPhone for Android
• Financial Advisors Spend 23 Hours A Week Online, Mobile Use Increasing
  Not sure what to do with this: financial advisors want more (free, I'm guessing) sources of info on the web..?
• Nokia’s fall from grace: The Background Story
  "Suddenly in 2007 Wall Street lost its respect for facts, and started to believe Apple’s version of the story, ignoring the truth."
• The Risku Manifesto: A radical plan to rescue Nokia
• HP Windows Slates Coming “This Fall”
• Developers and End-Users Driving Google's Enterprise Strategy Says Forrester
  'Hammond calls information workers Google's "Trojan horse" for enterprise adoption. Forrester's Workforce Technographics Survey, from Q3 2009, found 39% have used online productivity tools such as Google Docs for work related purposes. Hammond speculates this sort of independent end-user adoption will spur further enterprise adoption. "If you've been in the enterprise IT space for any length of time, Google's strategy should feel familiar to you; it's right out of Microsoft's playbook," write Hammond. "As Google appeals to individual users, it opens up a pathway into enterprise IT budgets."'
• Microsoft Skips Over Mobile And Talks Xbox Live Instead
• Microsoft 'record' results beat Jedi mind trickery

Disclosure: see the RedMonk client list for clients mentioned.