Compaq will offer Linux version to work with its own high-end Unix
Compaq Computer Corp. said last week it will deliver Unix servers at all price points by providing compatible versions of open-source Linux and Tru64 Unix. Tru64 is a high-end Unix operating system that Compaq obtained last year as part of its acquisition of Digital Equipment Corp. Initial demand for Linux on Compaq servers will likely come from high-performance technical computing users and Internet providers that already operate distributed environments, Compaq officials said.
Lab Notes
Jason Byrne jbyrne@gcn.com Michael Cheek, mcheek@gcnlab.com Connection failed. If you're among the Microsoft Windows 98 users who installed the operating system's critical-up-date notification feature, you probably are regretting it now. Microsoft recently released a Java Virtual Machine update, and Win98 users with critical updates are receiving a daily reminder to download it to patch a year 2000 readiness problem.
IGrafx package contains thousands of business graphics
Graphics professionals will find Microsoft Office add-ons galore in the iGrafx System from Micrografx Inc. of Richardson, Texas. The $100 iGrafx Share package lets users improve flowcharts and other Office documents with a choice of 5,000 business graphics. Users can organize graphics and photographs using more than 40 file filters including an animated Graphics Interchange Format filter.
Professional Calendar
Course. Arlington, Va. Contact the Federal Web Management Institute; phone: 703-524-0099; Web: www.fwmi.org/FWI_Courses.html. Lecture. Gaithersburg, Md. Contact the National Institute of Standards and Technology; phone: 301-975-3293; e-mail: marianne.swanson@nist.gov; Web: sales.nist.gov/conf/secure/CONF116/conf_register.htm. Seminar. Dallas. Contact the MIS Training Institute; phone: 508-879-7999; e-mail: mis@misti.com; Web: www.misti.com. Luncheon address. Washington. Contact Government Computer News; phone: 301-650-2000; Web: www.gcn.com.
Joint air forces team beefs up NATO network
Personnel from six air forces in Europe have converged on Cervia Air Base, Italy, to support the communications needs of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Operation Allied Force. The services are providing NATO troops and commanders with classified as well as unclassified Internet access and e-mail over a LAN. Although it could use more capacity, the LAN has been operating virtually without errors, said Maj. Tim Williams, commander of the 48th Expeditionary Communications Flight.
Desktop Computing | New Products
| New Products Isys:web with Rich HTML can display fully formatted, converted word processing documents in Web browsers without add-on viewers. The software from Isys Odyssey Development Inc. of Englewood, Colo., does Rich Hypertext Markup Language conversion for documents in Lotus Ami Pro, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word, Rich Text Format and Corel WordPerfect.
TeamSite promises control of Web content
The premature Web postings that recently embarrassed the Bureau of Labor Statistics twice within three months could never have happened on sites with automated workflow, according to the chief executive officer of an Internet software company. Martin Brauns, CEO of Interwoven Inc. of Los Altos, Calif., said the posting errors by BLS employees showed "the Web has become as mission-critical as accounting systems, whether agencies realize it or not. Updating with a shout across the cubicle
When Microsoft and the government talk, the walls have Rat ears
Packet Rat R. Fink The Rat's well-placed sources have reported back to him the state of ongoing negotiations between Microsoft Corp. and the Justice Department. Using modern surveillance technology stolen from the movie set of Will Smith's "Enemy of the State," plus the usual array of allegedly intelligent agents, the Rat has obtained a transcript of a recent negotiating session—or so they called it.
DOE builds firewall at lab to fend off hackers
What's in Los Alamos' firewall Los Alamos National Laboratory has hidden most of its unclassified network behind a custom-built firewall to stop hacker attacks on the Energy Department facility at Los Alamos, N.M. Public information is consolidated on about 150 Web servers outside the firewall. The rest of about 17,000 networked devices now are off-limits to the public, said Gina Fisk, a
Army's contract offers HP deals to all agencies
The Army Infrastructure Support 1 contract, launched by Telos Corp. last week, has some good deals for federal buyers. How good? How about a $1,195 Hewlett-Packard Co. PC server or a sub-$500 PC? Telos of Ashburn, Va., bid Hewlett-Packard systems in winning the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract last year. It fended off an agency-level protest by Vanstar Government Systems Inc. of Fairfax, Va., now known as Inacom Government Systems. IS-1 is open to all agencies.
DLA supply center keeps track of office software
In the second year of its Defense Logistics Agency electronic software distribution contract, Beyond.com Corp. has gotten a thumbs-up from supervisory computer specialist Michael Ryan at the Defense Supply Center in Richmond, Va. Ryan praised the Sunnyvale, Calif., online software reseller, formerly known as Software.net, for improving its Cache Server 2.0 configuration tool. "It's a good tool for upgrades," he said, and users no longer have to run Microsoft
GAO assails Customs' handling of ACE project
The General Accounting Office last month slammed the Customs Service's billion-dollar Automated Commercial Environment project for its technical and management weaknesses. But Customs officials, while promising reform, said GAO exaggerated the problem. In a report released March 3, GAO said the Customs ACE program—an effort to modernize systems that process import data—has an unrealistic budget and lacks a systemwide architecture plan.
Sceptre's Soundx has all the right moves for the road
Monitor maker Sceptre Technologies Inc. has hit the ground running with its first notebook PC, the Soundx 7500, a rugged road warrior with sophisticated features. I carried the Soundx on a flight to Las Vegas, a train to New York and a road trip of nearly 1,000 miles. It booted up in airports, trains and automobiles, in hotel rooms and conference suites.
Agencies must keep pace with latest buying rules
No one who knows the procurement process thinks it is easy to change. Vast and complicated, it is like the Titanic: It doesn't turn easily. That's why legislative and regulatory changes sometimes have unintended consequences or bizarre beginnings. For example, the requirement for certified cost data came about because of a concern that defense contractors were sandbagging targets in incentive contracts. This small issue sprouted into a major
DOE halts classified computing
The Energy Department this month temporarily halted all classified computing work at three of its nuclear weapons laboratories while it reviews security measures. On April 1, the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M., began a stand-down of all classified computing except for those necessary for safety and security, lab director John C. Browne said.
DOD exec offers an off-the-shelf caveat
Here's how to buy commercial the Frye way DENVER—Commercial off-the-shelf products have been portrayed as a silver bullet that can solve many information technology problems, but their use is not a panacea, a Defense Department official said.
Gracey brings IT to the fore
Harold Gracey has worked in the Veterans Af-fairs Department for 16 years. He was chief of staff until July, when he became acting assistant secretary for information and technology. As the VA's first chief information officer, he has pushed for compliance with the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996.
Don't succumb to a Net-driven secrecy panic
Could the Internet provide an excuse for a new wave of government secrecy? That is a possibility. A dispute about the disclosure of risk management plans for chemical accidents is beginning to point in that direction. Let's begin with the law that generated the dispute. Under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to implement a program to prevent chemical accidents. An EPA rule directs thousands of facilities to prepare risk management plans
IRS creates app workaround
What Opal toolkit does Because IRS programming resources are so heavily dedicated to year 2000 and modernization programs, the tax agency had to find a workaround for an antiquated green-screen application that tracks large cash transfers.
Future of DSL technologies is bright, advocates say
Digital subscriber lines are poised to take over the last mile of existing local telephone networks—at least according to DSL proponents. "There is more than light at the end of the tunnel," said John Freeman, an analyst at Current Analysis Inc. of Sterling Va. "It seems like we are emerging from the tunnel."
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