Symantec satisfies a long-felt need with Utilities just for NT
As an OS for power users, NT 4.0 Workstation lacks Win95's warm fuzzies and can scare off the easily intimidated. Version 4.0 runs on both the Server and Workstation editions of NT 4.0. Symantec has avoided some of the superfluous gewgaws in the Win95 Norton Utilities, such as the System Genie. This NT program is for users who believe in belt-plus-suspenders management and don't want a lot of small talk.
So long, Emmett
If he disliked something, he let you know in no uncertain terms. I found this out after running an editorial cartoon he didn't like. Paige was also decisive. In one recent lightning move, he canceled a $350 million procurement the Defense Information Systems Agency had planned for the Defense Department megacenters before the ink on the draft solicitation had dried.
When Net providers upgrade, watch out for e-mail gremlins
The provider began tinkering with its Telnet interface, eliminating the menu and dumping users directly into a Unix shell. That must have been fun for new customers. It took me a few tries to find my e-mail without knowing which version of Unix was involved. Then the provider, without any warning, installed another version of its server software, which failed to support user names longer than eight characters. I couldn't access my jmccormick@penn.com e-mail account for
The seven habits of highly effective Web sites
How do I know? A few months ago I wrote about problems I had with the Postal Service Web site and about the difficulty of using Portable Document Format files. The column got a tremendous response, and I learned a lot from the readers who e-mailed me. I didn't learn anything from the federal webmaster who said ignorant users like me were the cause of all the problems. Hopefully, that guy can find work doing
FDA takes tobacco to movies
How did the agency do it? Broadband videoconferencing. "We wanted to find as many ways as possible to effectively communicate what the regulations were," said Sharon Natanblut, FDA associate commissioner for strategic initiatives. "And satellite videoconference seemed a perfect vehicle to do that." To reach retailers across the country, FDA teamed up with the United Artists Satellite Theatre Network and the Public Health Service's Division of Communications Media to beam the February conference to 25 major metropolitan
CEO lays out plan for Corel
CorelDraw was the Ottawa company's flagship product until the purchase of Novell Inc.'s PerfectOffice suite, including WordPerfect, in 1996. Corel also bought the Paradox database manager from Borland International Inc. that year, having licensed it earlier. An engineer by trade, Cowpland received a doctorate in engineering from Carleton University and cofounded Mitel Corp. The 53-year-old native of Sussex, England, plays squash and tennis, has a black belt in martial arts and competes in triathlons.
A nasty virus with a naughty name nabs our innocent cyberrodent
For a couple of months, the wired one's agency chief information officer has been chanting the intranet mantra. As related earlier [GCN, May 12, Page 66], the heartless CIO volunteers his agency as the test bed for just about every intranet initiative that comes along. This headlong rush to migrate users and applications to Internet standards has left everyone breathless, particularly the Rat's hard-working minions.
FreeHand Graphics Studio gets upgrade for the Web
This isn't low-end software. It takes up more system resources than garden-variety desktop applications, and I applaud Macromedia for resisting the trend toward less documentation and technical support. Each program in the suite has its comprehensive user guide. Online help is extensive and context-sensitive. FreeHand 7, this suite's vector drawing component, has full-color autotrace to convert bit map drawings into full-color, editable vector line art. The search-and-replace function can find each occurrence of a graphical characteristic
Defense will outsource travel
Under a new Defense Travel System, travel arrangements will shift from DOD to commercial travel agents. DOD staff will enter information at their PCs into the Common User Interface (CUI), which the travel agents will be able to access. In many cases, DOD has spent more money administering travel services than on the travel itself, according to department estimates. Travel administration has cost DOD between $60 to $100 per trip for military personnel on temporary duty
Choosy Web sites are infuriating and violate policy
"Best viewed with Netscape" and "best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer" are phrases that make me grind my teeth. In crafting my agency's World Wide Web pages, I turned down Microsoft's developer goodies because I would have to put that phrase on my pages. I just don't believe it's right to have to write Web pages that favor one browser over another.
SQL Server gets tryout at USGS
The Interior Department agency each year makes several thousand new and revised maps and sells at least 3 million paper copies. It has around 3 terabytes of geospatial images. The 18-month cooperative R&D agreement, announced here at Microsoft Scalability Day, gives the corporation a large image database for testing the SQL Server release, which goes into beta testing next month.
Computer spending doesn't pay off for DOD
Congressional critics charge that despite spending billions of dollars on new computers, the Defense Department has not benefited from its Corporate Information Management program. DOD launched the CIM campaign in 1989 as a way to yield better results from its systems investments. CIM had two chief goals: streamline business operations and implement standard administrative systems DOD-wide.
Davis suggests spinning off FSS as private office May 18, 1998
Rep. Tom Davis wants to privatize the General Services Administration's Federal Supply Service to make it more flexible and competitive. The change would likely free FSS from the constraint of federal rules, including Civil Service regulations that restrict pay and compensation, the Virginia Republican said. A privatized FSS would have its own board of directors and would set its own rules and regulations, Davis said.
Windows has date flaws May 18, 1998
Microsoft Windows 98, now under Justice Department scrutiny, is the only fully year 2000-ready operating system from Microsoft Corp. Other Microsoft OSes aren't quite there yet, even though company officials describe the current Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Windows NT 4.0 releases as "compliant, with minor issues." The company earlier had said its 32-bit operating systems were ready for 2000.
Training courses aren't enough to initiate changes
The truth may set you free, but it won't necessarily make you happy. In fact, it can make you darn unhappy. I've had that experience with some management classes I've taken. An intensive management training program can spark creativity and enthusiasm for change that contrasts sharply with the mundane bureaucracy many of us inhabit. After some programs, I've seen freshly minted graduates begin job hunting because they believed that their new skills and insights would not
SSA: Go ahead, borrow from our 2000 contingency plans May 18, 1998
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—When the General Accounting Office in February 1997 advised the Social Security Administration to establish year 2000 contingency plans, agency executives were skeptical. But not any more. SSA, widely viewed as one of the agencies best prepared for the millennium date change, is the first to have a plan for systems failure.
Who needs an auditorium
The Defense Department streamed video broadcasts to Pentagon and DOD PCs around the world this month for the third annual Acquisition Reform Week. Top officials held interactive conferences—viewable through Web browsers over the Internet or on a Pentagon intranet—using software from Starlight Networks Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. The audience was able to take part in the webcast discussions or play back the videos on demand.
Microsoft's Battle is for the Small Guy - May 28, 1998
Not everyone believes Microsoft Corp. is out to squish the small guy. In fact, Microsoft has made it possible for hundreds of small businesses to thrive under its partnership programs. Some of those partners are rising to Microsoft's defense in the looming anti-trust battle. Demonstrating support for Microsoft in its battle with the Justice Department, M. Victor Janulaitis, CEO of Positive Support Review, a Santa Monica, Calif. software firm announced that it has posted a petition
GAO: 2000 czar must be stricter with agencies
The Clinton administration's year 2000 czar must rein in agencies' year 2000 work if critical systems are to be ready in time, a report from the General Accounting Office said. GAO praised the administration for creating the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion and appointing a 2000 chief. But if the council is to be effective, the report said, it must use its influence to make sure agencies prevent disruptions to critical services.
Put everyone on the same page
That's the view of Richard Rebh of WebFlow Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., who said the company's SamePage suite turns collaborative information systems inside out by letting several people work in the same document simultaneously. "That creates a more agile organization," Rebh said. The Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Department, NASA, Army Corps of Engineers and intelligence agencies have evaluated or purchased the SamePage 2.0 application suite, which runs under the SunSoft Solaris, Silicon Graphics Irix and
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link
If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.
Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.
Cookie List
A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:
Strictly Necessary Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Functional Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Performance Cookies
We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.
Sale of Personal Data
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Social Media Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.
Targeting Cookies
We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.