Three weeks ago, in the Architecture/e-Business E-Mail Advisor, I considered some of the issues involved in outsourcing IT

Three weeks ago, in the Architecture/e-Business E-Mail Advisor, I considered some of the issues involved in outsourcing IT

Several years ago, while a software development lead, I was introduced to the concept of automated software testing. Just point, click, and record the test cases, the vendor promised.

Several years ago, while a software development lead, I was introduced to the concept of automated software testing. Just point, click, and record the test cases, the vendor promised.

Information on offshore outsourcing companies seldom reaches the mainstream IT industry publications.

Information on offshore outsourcing companies seldom reaches the mainstream IT industry publications.

When deploying systems with a large business process change component, one of the most critical steps is to implement a process to measure change. It's all well and good to design a knowledge management system, train the users, and use change management techniques to decrease resistance to change. But, in the end, how do you know whether or not you solved the business problem you were attempting to solve?

Last week's Advisor focused on the fact that the US Department of Justice has asked, as part of its settlement of the Microsoft case, that Microsoft middleware products be grouped with the applications company and not with the operating systems company. I said that it would be a good thing, since it would level the playing field between COM+ and Enterprise JavaBeans.

In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Harbor with his gun ships. What Perry did (once euphemistically called "the opening of Japan") was controversial both then and now. But Perry did not go to Japan out of the goodness of his (or America's) heart; rather, he and his ships were there on behalf of old-fashioned, bare-knuckle, imperialistic capitalism.

In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Harbor with his gun ships.

In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Harbor with his gun ships.

I recently attended an excellent software development conference focusing on a variety of "leading trend" methods. Many of the topics were ones like risk management or knowledge management -- which no one opposed, but on which many companies have not made much progress. Why not?

Ed Roman, CEO of The Middleware Company, (edro@middleware-company.com) and the author of one of the best EJB books, took the trouble to read the government's petition to have Microsoft broken into two separate companies and pointed out something that you probably haven't yet seen in the popular press.

Editor's note: A recent posting on the Cutter Forum by Borys Stokalski contains some interesting predictions we thought would be of interest to Cutter IT Journal subscribers.