Professional Calendar
1 U.S. Southern Command Computer Awareness Day Conference. Miami. Contact the Federal Business Council; phone: 301-206-2940; e-mail: sales@fbcdb.com; web: http://fbcinc.com./ 7-9 Security Today's Networks Seminar. Washington. Contact the MIS Training Institute; phone: 508-879-7999; e-mail: mis@misti.com; Web: www.misti.com. 12 GCN Forum with IRS' Albert Mazei Luncheon address. Washington. Contact Government Computer News; phone: 301-650-2000; Web: www.gcn.com.
New players in the domain name game signal some changes
Big change is afoot in the Internet's Domain Name System registration. It won't affect .gov and .mil registrations, which are handled by separate, government-controlled systems. But the pending change will affect agency users and webmasters nevertheless. I've been paying particular attention to domain names lately because of a mistake I made in a recent column.
Are those tremors in the Northwest?
Product delays by Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. have the potential to shake up the technology landscape dramatically. I'm not talking about year 2000 readiness. Nor am I guessing that the Justice Department will break Bill Gates' Microsoft into a bunch of Baby Bills or that Federal Trade Commission actions threaten Intel's industry dominance.
CleanSweep for the sysadmin
LAN administrators who want to control unauthorized software on their networks have an ally in Quarterdeck Corp.'s CleanSweep for Administrators 1.0. The package lets a manager use Quarterdeck's CleanSweep on PCs running Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0. The manager can lock the Options tab in the client to prevent setting changes. A 25-user site license of CleanSweep for Administrators 1.0 starts at $250.
DOD ComputingBriefing Book
They're certifiable. The Naval Supply Systems Command is serving up personal digital certificates through its Web site at www.pki.navy.mil. The command wants to improve its customer service through online services that reduce requisition order time, provide procurement details at a single electronic location and give nearly instant validation of an individual's security clearance level.
Linux gets its first firewall
The Phoenix firewall inspects incoming packets and distributes them according to rules established by the administrator. Inbound data can be blocked, and there are anti-attack features to stop common types of attacks. The Java graphical interface allows remote administration and is designed to provide strong authentication and encryption from the Web browser.
Imaging
The term imaging can apply to anything from document management to computer-aided design to scientific visualization. In its most classic sense, imaging—the digital collection, manipulation and output of high-quality pictures—has long been considered the province of graphic artists and game programmers. No longer. Forces have combined to bring imaging technology down from the clouds:
Dell vows to keep up competition with IBM despite $16b parts deal
Do not look for an IBM Corp. mainframe or AS/400 minicomputer with Dell Computer Corp.'s name slapped on it as a result of the seven-year technology agreement between the two companies announced this month. Dell chairman Michael Dell said in Washington last week that although his company's agreement with IBM "gives us broad, full access to a big candy store of technology," Dell will continue to develop its own servers and compete vigorously with IBM. He
MEDCOM prescribes online distance learning
The Army Medical Command has during the last nine months deployed 67 computer training courses at 30 far-flung locations to help keep its transient personnel up to date on widely used software. "We cannot afford to do training in person any longer," said Maj. David Gilbertson, chief of information management and training programs for MEDCOM at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Suite creates Web site for DOD, aerospace vendors to share data
The Defense Department initiative to cut the cost of building and maintaining aircraft and missile systems is still alive, supported by software from Lockheed Martin Co. subsidiary Formtek Inc. The company's CITISolution represents the latest incarnation of the electronic commerce data management system that conforms to DOD's Continuous Acquisition and Lifecycle Support standards, said Rodney Heisterberg, director of electronic commerce solutions for Formtek of Palo Alto, Calif.
Old laws will hinder 21st century e-commerce
How often do we hear that the government should act more like business? An Internet-era irony is that the government is actually acting as a model for business, not the other way around. Many agencies are grappling with how to provide services electronically to the public. But laws and regulations are creating barriers to Internet delivery of financial services from the private sector—barriers that only Congress can lift. As electronic commerce gains a foothold, financial services
Celeron-powered PCs are on the money
Even if you're no power user, the latest office suites, database programs and network applications require good hardware. Until recently that meant paying $2,000 or more for a Pentium II system. The PCs with Intel Celeron processors, however, are affordable choices for users who don't need maximum power, just good performance, for most office applications.
Navy lab: 'I want my HDTV'
At the recent ComNet trade show in Washington, Fore Systems Inc. of Warrendale, Pa., and the Naval Research Laboratory transmitted live, high-definition television images via asynchronous transfer mode switches. The demonstration network that carried the images between Washington and Newport News, Va., consisted of commercial products and prototype technologies developed with federal funding.
2000 workers deserve vacation from the leave laws
Another year 2000 problem is looming, and this one will require Congress and the president to fix it. Across the federal government, thousands of computer specialists—managers and code jockeys alike—are toiling to correct computer code. After long hours and forgone vacations, these troops are in for a rude awakening. Only 240 hours of their annual leave will carry over into 2000.
White House names Peter Swire to be an adviser on privacy policy
Peter P. Swire, a specialist in privacy law, will advise the White House on policies for government and industry use of personal information. Swire will guide administration initiatives, work with states and be an international contact for privacy issues. An Office of Management and Budget official said, however, that Swire will not set policy.
Treasury to test seat management concept
The Treasury Department will be the second user of the General Services Administration's Seat Management Program. Treasury will use GSA's desktop outsourcing program for 1,600 PCs at its headquarters as a seat management pilot, Treasury chief information officer James Flyzik said. The pilot could determine whether seat management will be used elsewhere in the department, he said.
OMB issues an online deadline
OMB issues guiding principles on electronic government Agencies will offer all government services electronically within 31/2 years, or they will have to answer to the Office of Management and Budget. That is the gist of a draft OMB regulation issued this month to help agencies implement the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, which was included as part of the fiscal 1999 omnibus
Management application combines and updates data, reducing duplication
The Housing and Urban Development Department estimates it is saving more than $900,000 per year in mailing costs by streamlining records duplicated on different mailing lists. A half-dozen HUD divisions had the job of maintaining mailing list databases for members of Congress, mayors and HUD 2020 seminar participants. "Some of the databases were up to date, some weren't," said Joseph A. Duffy, project leader for HUD's Development Technology Division.
By swapping source code, Sun and Oracle want to give oomph to Internet products
Oracle Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc. plan to exchange key source code and binaries to enhance their existing Internet products and develop new ones. Sun will integrate components of the Oracle8i Internet database into its operating system to support Sun middleware applications. And Oracle will license core components of SunSoft Solaris for its low-cost database server appliance, coded-named Raw Iron.
AAFES phone service contract goes to MCI WorldCom.FTS
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service has awarded a 10-year, $1.5 billion communications contract to MCI WorldCom Inc. to supply pay phones, residential and phone center service, Internet access and calling cards at Army and Air Force installations around the world. MCI WorldCom beat out incumbent AT&T Corp., Qwest Communications International Inc. of Denver and Sprint Corp. The contract award came less than a month after MCI WorldCom won a portion of the General Services
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