News, Facts, Quotes, Trivia, etc.

• 45% of U.S. companies monitored employee e-mail, phone usage and computer files in 1998, up from 35% in 1997 (according to American Management Association)
• Online but unsure: "92% of CEOs, COOs, and CIOs around the world now have Web access, but only 50% say they "feel comfortable" online" (according to a survey of 1,700 senior executives around the world; Arthur Andersen Consulting)
• Y2K Joke
• DOJ briefs managers about Web-based 'malicious' code (Federal Computer Week, May 3, 1999)
• Programmers Shortage in U.S. (according to Dice.com)
• C/C++ - 6,200
• Oracle - 3,500
• COBOL - 3,300
• Microsoft Visual Basic - 3,000
• Microsoft SQL Server - 2,600
• Java - 2,500
• Sybase - 1,500
• PERL - 1,000
• Informix - 500
• CGI (Common Gateway Interface) - 500
• Smalltalk - 250
• How much are you worth?...
• Internet and Education
• Dr. Joel Orr - "Question of the Month"
• Top Wired Countries(as of Jan. 1999 - Source: Computer Industry Almanac, Inc.)
• U.S. - 76.5M
• Japan - 9.75M
• U.K. - 8.1M
• Germany - 7.14M
• Canada - 6.49M
• Australia - 4.36M
• France - 2.79M
• Sweden - 2.58M
• Italy - 2.14M
• Spain - 1.98M
• Netherlands - 1.96M
• Taiwan - 1.65M
• China - 1.58M
• Finland - 1.57M
• Norway - 1.34M

 
• Database Worldwide Market

           1997            1998
• Oracle       37.9%       40.4%
• IBM          15.3%       17.8%
• Informix      5.8%         5.7%
• Microsoft    4.4%         5.1%
• Sybase        5.3%         4.4%
• Others       31.3%       26.6%
• PC Shipments Soar(Worldwide PC shipments, first-quarter 1999)

                       Q1-1998            Q1-1999        % Change
• Compaq                3.05M            3.35M        10%
• Dell                      1.54M            2.30M        49%
• IBM                     1.61M            2.11M        31%
• Hewlett-Packard    1.32M            1.49M        13%
• Gateway                  .779M         1.08M        38%
• What makes an organization successful: (ERP News, April 1999, page 3)
• People - 62%
• Process - 16%
• Technology - 12%
• Other - 10%
• Front-End (Visual/OO) Development Tools
• Microsoft’s Visual Basic
• Borland’s Delphi
• Microsoft’s Visual C++
• Sybase’s PowerJ
• Micorosft’s Visual J++
• Borland’s Enterprise JBuilder
• Sybase’s PowerBuilder
• Sun’s Java WorkShop
• Forte
• Symantec’s Visual Cafe
• Smalltalk
• IBM Visual Age for Java
• Supercede
• Silverstream
• A Web Application Development Discipline (?!)
• Book Review: "New World, New Rules: The Changing Role of the American Corporation"
• The Y2K Page...
• InfoWorld
• Bob Lewis: IS Survival Guide
• Management Speak - May 10, 1999
• Memo-writing secrets: (NASA's Alan Cunningham)
• "Apply standard newspaper-writing rules: Who, What, Where, When, Why
• Be brief: Say it efficiently to save your readers' time
• Explain technical terms and jargon
• Create the memo so it can stand alone and still deliver your whole message
• Target your audience precisely
• Write as if your memo could be published in the local newspaper
• Read books on memo writing."
• "Speaking of Loyalty:" (Dr. Edward Wakin, Beyond Computing, May 1999)
• Loyalty that is bought is just as easily sold
• Loyalty is much easier to talk about than to build
• Once lost, loyalty is hard to regain
• Managers who listen find that employees do the same
• Instead of blind loyalty, look for open-eyed commitment
• The less loyalty there is, the more supervision will be necessary
• The better the management, the greater the loyalty
• Loyalty breeds trust, and vice versa
• Loyalty is an asset that needs attention; disloyalty gets by on its own
• Loyalty works both ways: Those who give it expect to receive it
• Loyalty building amounts to good management.
• "Loyalty Builders:" (Dr. Edward Wakin, Beyond Computing, May 1999)
• Provide compensation that's competitive
• Set up an orientation program for new hires abd define expectations.  Spell out what people can expect from the company and what the company expects from them
• Promote from within whenever possible
• When opportunities for promotion are limited, provide new responsibilities
• Give people a chance to maximize their potential
• Empower people and learn how to delegate, both of which demonstrate trust.
• Graduate degrees in Computer Science and Computer Engineering
• Cheap and Easy Animated GIF Programs (Inside Training Technology, May 1999)
• GIF Construction Set
• Gif.GIf.giF
• GifBuilder for Macintosh
• "Beatles and back-ups..."
• "YESTERDAY"

Yesterday,
All those backups seemed a waste of pay
Now my database has gone away
Oh I believe in yesterday

Suddenly,
There's not half the files there used to be,
And there's a milestone
hanging over me
The system crashed so suddenly

I pushed something wrong
What it was I could not say.
Now all my data's gone
and I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay

Yesterday,
The need for back-ups seemed so far away
I knew my data was all here to stay,
Now I believe in yesterday

• Computer Industry Market Leaders
• New Work Habits for the Next Millennium
• Web Authoring Tools
• Contact Manager/PIM Software
• Corporate Portals Providers
• 2Bridge Software
• DataChannel, Inc.
• Plumtree Software
• Epicentric, Inc.
• Sqribe Technologies
• Viador, Inc.
• Wall Data, Inc.
• PC Utilities
• "Is it time for Linux?"
• Enterprise Ready Web Application Servers
• Java Development Choices
• Java Made Simple
• Microsoft's VBA 6.0
• Web Statistics
• Cyberdialogue's
• Articles
• Whitepapers
• How to Build Web Sites
• Executive Salary Survey
• "Is Sillicon Valley Racist?"
• Leadership:
• Leadership and listening never end.
• E-business is everything; without a sound e-biz strategy, you will be history.
• Attitude is key; life as a CIO is not easy - a can-do attitude will take you far.
• Decisiveness and determination will always be in demand.
• Empower your staff, your management and your customers.
• Responsiveness and responsibility will enhance your reputation.
• Sell your ideas, your vision and your strategy.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Innovation and immagination are key ingredients that all great IT leaders share.
• People are the business of IT.
• AntiVirus Utilities
• Computer Associates Int'l. - InoculateIT
• Trend Micro - ServerProtect for Win NT Server 4.x
• Semantec Corp. - Norton AntiVirus 5.0 for Win NT Server
• Network Associates Int'l. - NetShield for Win NT
• Panda Software - Global Virus Insurance
• Sophus PLC - Sophus Antivirus
• Dr. Solomon's Virex
• When Disaster Strikes...
• Advanced Data Solutions
• CBL Data Recovery Technologies
• Computer Solutions of America
• Data Recovery Labs
• DriveSavers
• Ontrack
• SpinRite
• 100 Best Places to Work in IT
• "Who's Leading the ERP Race" - Percentage of companies within their industry that have ERP in place (Source: Computer Economics, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA)
• Manufacturing - 40.5%
• Professional services - 26.2%
• Distribution - 18.4%
• Utilities - 15.4%
• Banking and finance - 12.9%
• State and local government - 12.5%
• Trade services - 12.3%
• Transpostation - 9.5%
• Health care - 9.7%
• Insurance - 7.7%
• Federal government - 4.0%
• Worldwide groupware market (in million of users, as 1998)
• Lotus Notes/Domino - 29.57
• Microsoft Exchange - 21.19
• Novell Groupware - 14.21
• "Digital Digits" (Source: Global Technology Business, July 1999)
• 59% - Percentage of US technology professionals using Microsoft Internet Explorer
• 2,000 - Number of e-mails received by Linux inventor Linus Torvalds while on two-week vacation
• 4 - Number of distribution partners now carry Compaq products, down from 39 last month
• 70 - Estimated number of free Internet service providers started in the UK since October 1998
• 1.5 million - Number of subscribers for FreeServe, the UK's first free ISP
• 125,000 - Number of UK subscribers to the Microsoft Network, MSN
• 10.3 million - Number of households in Europe and the US with digital television (Datamonitor)
• 790,000 - Number of households in Europe and the US with TV-based Internet access (Datamonitor)
• Surveys, surveys, surveys...
• Buyer's Guide
• Software 500 Companies
• Government Computer News Shopper
• Storage Technologies
• Microsoft Releases Windows 2000 Beta 3
• SCO UnixWare 7 to Deliver Big Savings to Businesses
• Making Manager - (Source: RHI Consulting, Menlo Park, CA; based on a survey of 1,400 CIOs at companies with 100 or more employees)
• 27% - Interpersonal skills
• 23% - Advanced technical skills
• 17% - Customer service orientation
• 16% - Business acumen
• 11% - Ability to meet deadlines
• 6% - Other/Don't know
• You'll thrive in any large company if you...
• Have good training in the fundamentals of related technial topics
• Have the willingness and ability to go beyond basic technical-problem solving
• Are able to grasp teh "big picture"
• Can summarize technical problems succinctly
• Can write clear and complete functional specifications
• Are able to identify, manage, and direct outside suppliers in the development of components and subsystems
• Are willing to put in long hours when teh job demands it
• Can work on mulitple projects at one time
• Can manage budgets
• Have excellent people skills
• Linux - common OS architecture
• Project Success Factors - (Source: Enterprise Solutions, July/August, 1999, % of Respondents)
• User Involvement - 15.9%
• Executive Management Support - 13.9%
• Clear Statement of Requirements - 13.0%
• Proper Planning - 9.6%
• Realistic Expectations - 8.2%
• Smaller Project Milestones - 7.7%
• Claer Vision & Objectives - 2.9%
• Hard-Working, Focused Staff - 2.4%
• Other - 13.9%
• "Project Management can no longer imitate the three monkeys - hear no failures, see no failures, speak no failures."
• "If you create a consistent set of project standards that all team members follow, motivation stays high and you'll have the tools necessary to succeed."
• "X-Windows - can still mark the spot"
• "Your Favorite 50"
• "What do Xers (generation) want?
• Total honesty
• Unlimited access to information
• Training for another job
• Total responsibility for projects
• Constant feedback
• Few rules
• Telecommuting
• The latest tools."
• Oxymorons...
• 34. Legally drunk
• 33. Exact estimate
• 32. Act naturally
• 31. Found missing
• 30. Resident alien
• 29. Genuine imitation
• 28. Airline food
• 27. Good grief
• 26. Government organization
• 25. Sanitary landfill
• 24. Alone together
• 23. Small crowd
• 22. Business ethics
• 21. Soft rock
• 20. Butt head
• 19. Military intelligence
• 18. Sweet sorrow
• 17. Rural Metro (ambulance service)
• 16. "Now, then..."
• 15. Passive aggression
• 14. Clearly misunderstood
• 13. Peace force
• 12. Extinct life
• 11 Plastic glasses
• 10. Terribly pleased
• 9. Computer security
• 8. Working vacation
• 7. Tight slacks
• 6. Definite maybe
• 5. Pretty ugly
• 4. Rap music
• 3. Political science
• 2. Government worker
• And the number one top Oxymoron of all time...
• 1. Microsoft Works.
• Top US Patent Holders (1999)
• "Whatever your great, never-been-done-before idea is, I guarantee that 12 other startups doing it are being funded--right now." - Jerry Colonna, managing partner of venture-capital firm Flatiron Partners, at the eBusiness Conference & Expo, December 1999
• Cause of IT Reboots (Source: Microsoft Corp.):
• 43% - Core NT
• 16% - Device drivers
• 16% - Third-party drivers
• 13% - Hardware failure
• 12% - Anti-virus software