Webtop Applications

For my ninth blog I would like to discuss the topic of web-top applications. A web-top application is basically any desktop application that is run through a web browser. This is not to be confused with a web/network operating system. A web-top integrates web applications, web services, client server applications, and application servers to provide and environment similar to Windows, Mac, or any other comparable desktop application.

The term Web-top was first introduced by Santa Cruz Operation in 1994 to describe the web based operations for their Unix operating system. Since then it has grown significantly with many major online companies trying to get in on the expanding market. The most used is Microsoft, which offers its popular Office Suite as a web-top, while the ever growing Google is not far behind with Google Apps. Other companies like yahoo, Adobe, and Lazlo are also in the race, but seem to be falling behind the two front runners.

Web-top applications have many advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages include convenience, mobility, software management, and high availability from many locations. These are all very good reasons to use web-top applications. There are still disadvantages though such as speed( speed of the application relies on the speed of the connection), network connectivity, the applications features, and central control issues. One area that is an area for debate is the issue of security, as on one side your information will be less venerable to typical attacks( such as viruses, worms, and other vulnerabilities) as well as stored on a secured server. Unfortunately, the recent attacks on Google have showed us that any server can be hacked, so as long as your information is still transferred over the Internet it can still be intercepted. None the less web-top applications are a great advancement in technology, and are sure to grow to new prevalence over the next few years.

The wonderful world of modularity

Modularity has been around for a little bit, but in the computer world it is only as old as computers. Operating systems are a perfect example of using modularity. On the first computers, without an operating system, every program needed the full hardware specification to run correctly and perform standard tasks, and its own drivers for peripheral devices like printers and card-readers. Even then, with the rapid growth of technology, an operating system became necessary.

Why are operating systems necessary? Could you imagine getting on a computer and not knowing where to start? Imagine going to work and not having a desk to work on. An OS serves as an interface between the hardware and the application you are using. There is something called a "kernel" in the OS. A kernel serves as a sort of bridge between data processing and applications. The kernel manages the system's resources, such as the communication between software and hardware components. In other words, the kernel is the biggest component of all operating systems.

This is not the only thing that an operating system handles. It takes care of things such as managing system memory, interrupts (a signal indicating the need for attention or an event in a software command), dual mode operation, and many other things.

This might be a bit much for those of you who only know how to turn a computer on, but the important thing is that it does all of this work for us so we don't have to. My favorite operating system? You had to ask. Go here and you'll see.

So, without modularity, our computers are useless. Although this post barely shows how an operating system works, I hope I have taught you a little bit more about how operating systems work.

Business Performance Measurement Systems

We talked about measurement earlier this week, and it really got me thinking, why is measurement important to business?

Vince kellen, the CIO of Depaul University in Chicago says that Business Performance Measurement Systems have grown in use and popularity in the past 20 years.Its no suprise is it? As the global shift looms ever closer firms must maximize efficiency to stay competitive. Measuring success, or failire is the first step of that process. Firms/companies may adopt BPM systems for a variety of reasons, but mostly to gain a level of control over the firm that was never achievable before.

However wonderful BPM systems are, they can be very difficult to implement. Issues range from great amounts of diversity of fields of study in the workplace,lack of affilitation with strategy, poorly defined identification process, etc. Learn more at:http://www.kellen.net/bpm.htm

Kellen goes on to explain how you can prevent these problems by first identifying "a minimal set of four criteria for designing successful BPM systems, along with 12 BPM system factors to be considered." By defining what you want in a BPM before hand, you can head off many of the most frequent problems.