Design in Motion packs FreeHand 8.0 for Web page creation
Macromedia Inc. once again has released a new suite with its upgraded FreeHand drawing program. This time, the suite is Web-oriented. FreeHand 7.0 [GCN, May 26, 1997, Page 34] came bundled in the FreeHand Graphics Studio, which included xRes, Extreme 3D and Fontographer. The new Design in Motion suite, of which FreeHand 8.0 is part, has other new components: Flash 2.0 and Insta.HTML 2.0. Each program comes on its own CD-ROM and has a
Play encryption game with tokens, keys and a new way to bluff
Government users who want to secure Internet transactions and e-mail have focused either on the National Security Agency's Capstone technology or on RSA Data Security Inc.'s encryption products. Other players deserve a look, especially by agency engineers who work on homegrown encryption schemes. There's even an alternative security plan that could get around the laws forbidding export of high-end encryption.
DEA eyes global NT network
The Drug Enforcement Administration, one of few federal agencies that are opening new offices, has set out to build a 10,000-seat network running Microsoft Windows NT. Congress and the Justice Department agreed last year on special funding for the network, said Ned Goldberg, chief of operations and support in the DEA Office of Information Systems.
Defense wants PKI now
To jump-start development of a public-key recovery system, the Defense Department plans to require its vendors to use strong encryption, deputy Defense secretary John Hamre said recently. Because it wields significant buying clout, Defense's more stringent requirements should boost government and industry efforts to build systems for managing encryption keys, Hamre said last month at an Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association event in Washington.
Folder switch in Windy City leaves Windows 98 scan in general shock
The Rat sent his spies to the recent Spring Comdex to see what they could see. As usual, the cyberrodent's legions did not fail him. They managed to record some of the events leading up to the ill-fated Microsoft Windows 98 demo during Bill Gates' keynote. As the Rat is sure you've heard, the soon-to-be-launched operating system crashed spectacularly while trying to operate a scanner attached to a Universal Serial Bus port.
A DOD director finds good in date code crisis
VAIL, Colo.--Army officials need a broader perspective on information technology, speakers said last week at the Small Computer Program's Spring Program Status Review here. "We, in some cases, are not the right people to be managing PCs" because of the difficulty of maintaining technical expertise, said Col. Dean R. Ertwine, deputy for systems acquisition at the Communications-Electronics Command Management Center at Fort Monmouth, N.J.
Broad DMS requirements set
Specifications for the Defense Message System medium-assurance requirements will be inclusive enough to attract competitive vendors, a program official said last month. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Defense Information Systems Agency came up with the requirements. DISA has yet to approve the task force specifications, but Dawn Hartley, DISA's chief engineer, said the specs will be open and broad enough to attract commercial vendors.
Get rid of the termination-for-convenience clause
It is always amusing to watch the reaction of a businessperson or corporate lawyer who first learns about some of the standard clauses in a government contract. Shock, outrage and disbelief are the usual reactions to terms and conditions that the government and its contractors take for granted. One of the most amazing clauses is the one that lets the government--but not the contractor--terminate a contract for convenience.
$1,528 flat-panel monitor pales in comparison to its predecessor
Sometimes the second generation just isn't as bright as the first. That's the case with Compaq Computer Corp.'s new flat-panel monitor. The 14 1/2-inch TFT450 is about $1,000 cheaper than its 15-inch predecessor, the TFT500, which earned a Reviewer's Choice designation [GCN, Sept. 15, 1997, Page 39]. But the TFT450 lacks its forerunner's crispness and consistent brightness. When I filled the screen with a single color and looked at it straight on, the top
OCC tries hand at fix-it shop
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has an idea that could help large agencies save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year: fix your own computers instead of sending them back to the manufacturer for repair. The idea, a rarity among federal agencies, surfaced when Bell Atlantic Corp.'s computer maintenance contract with OCC expired in late 1994.
Usefulness of apps has gotten lost in all the razzmatazz
Be truthful: Have computers made your office more productive? Or do you and your co-workers spend most of your time upgrading software, learning new versions, and seeking or providing help? Computers certainly have boosted productivity for government scientists and engineers who deal with big numbers. Computers are essential to their work.
USPS to sell postage on Web
The Postal Service is testing software that lets customers buy the electronic equivalent of postage stamps over the Internet. The service is beta-testing Internet Postage from E-Stamp Corp. of Palo Alto, Calif., said Roy Gordon, USPS' program manager for the SmartStamp program. USPS is reviewing several other packages for possible adoption, he said, some of which are in the alpha test stage.
DOD halts ATM buys, pending standards OKs
The Defense Department earlier this month banned the buying of asynchronous transfer mode systems and services until DOD drafts ATM standards. But DOD might approve the standards and lift the ban within a matter of days, a DOD official said last week. Arthur Money, the department's designee for the assistant secretary of Defense for command, control, communications and intelligence post, has halted all ATM buys until the Defense Information Systems Agency produces specifications, certification requirements
FTS' claim may not ring true
The FTS 2000 contracts supposedly drove down the cost of agencies' long-haul telecommunications by about 85 percent. So, just how much of a bargain is a long-distance call? The rock-bottom price quoted by former Federal Technology Service commissioner Robert J. Woods was 2 cents per minute. That figure was quoted again in March by present commissioner Dennis J. Fischer at the FTS users' forum in Atlanta, for calls from one government user to another on
Who needs cable? Broadcast free on the Web with a webcam
Want to know the weather conditions in New York City right this minute? Or maybe you wonder whether smog is concealing the famous Hollywood sign overlooking north Los Angeles. You can find out instantly on the Web, and not by checking a weather map, either. Point your browser to http://www.realtech.com/webcam/ to see a real-time view of New York from the 77th floor of the Empire State Building.
IRS musters IT to snare cheats
After eight years of preparation, the IRS last week loaded 6 million tax records into a data warehouse that will fundamentally change the way the service deals with errant taxpayers. IRS compliance officials are counting on a Teradata warehouse server from NCR Corp. of Dayton, Ohio, to help them through the agency's reorganization. The warehouse is a component of the tax systems modernization plan.
Face the HR facts
Brain drain. Exodus of talent. Hollowed-out government. Phrases such as these evoke images of a federal work force depleted of people who can get anything done--a government staffed by the tired, the incompetent or the young and inexperienced. Is that really so? A recent GCN article detailed the fact that 11 high-ranking Defense Department information technology officials had departed within a 30-day period [GCN, April 6, Page 6]. The departures prompted a worried rebuke from
How about this plan for streamlining life: Bill runs everything
The Rat has managed to survive yet another tax day. This time the sailing was a bit smoother because he learned from last year's printing fiasco to finish his tax return well in advance. Naturally, like all red-blooded Americans, he waited until the last possible moment on April 15 to mail off the money.
Unisys and whistle-blower face off in PC fraud lawsuit
A 2-year-old whistle-blower lawsuit, which alleges Unisys Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. bilked the Navy on sales of custom PCs to the service, is poised for its day in court--even though the government has never acknowledged that fraud occurred. The U.S. District Court in Minneapolis recently agreed to hear the case, which a former Unisys employee filed in January 1996.
GSA seeks FAST streamlining, savings
Can FAST grow faster and bigger and become more efficient? That's the objective for the General Services Administration's Kansas City, Mo., Federal Acquisition Services for Technology office, which acts as a personal shopper for agencies. The organization's new director, Wayne Cooper, said he hopes to rein in operating expenses and raise revenues above last year's $470 million.
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