Jim Rapoza

If you read my column regularly, you probably already know that Im not a big proponent of legislative solutions to technological problems. From copyright protections to anti-spam enforcement, I tend to think that bills from governments will cause more harm than good. However, there is a forthcoming bill of which I am in favor. U.S. […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Microsofts new portal server is generations ahead of the previous version. SharePoint Portal Server 2003 has added key Web services and integration features while improving existing strengths. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS USABILITY EXCELLENT CAPABILITY GOOD PERFORMANCE GOOD INTEROPERABILITY FAIR MANAGEABILITY GOOD SCALABILITY EXCELLENT SECURITY GOOD PRO: Best-in-class end-user interface; excellent […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WebSphere Portal 5.0 IBM has given its already-strong WebSphere Portal a boost in this upgrade, addressing pretty much all the weaknesses of previous versions (especially in the administration interface). Companies can more easily manage and leverage this powerful portal offering. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS USABILITY GOOD CAPABILITY EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE GOOD INTEROPERABILITY GOOD MANAGEABILITY GOOD […]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Vignette Application Portal 4.5 Vignette has pulled off the rare trick of acquiring an excellent product (the Epicentric EIP) and actually improving it. Vignette Application Portal provides open and flexible configuration and development options, ease of administration, and strong user management. Excellent management interface; good Web services integration; allows creation of personalized content […]

When eWEEK Labs published its evaluation of enterprise information portals this past summer, we did so knowing that highly anticipated portal offerings from two of the biggest guns in the industry—IBM and Microsoft Corp.—would be coming out in the following months. It turns out they were worth the wait. IBMs WebSphere Portal 5.0 and Microsofts […]

Say “EULAs” (end-user license agreements) quickly, and it sounds like “You lose.” Its appropriate because both mean about the same thing. EULAs have been foisting one-sided insanity on the public for some time, even though they continue to lose when tested in court. Moreover, despite the resounding defeat suffered by the Uniform Computer Information Transactions […]

While Sanctum Inc.s AppScan has been an excellent aid for Web application developers looking for security holes in their projects, much of its focus has been on helping developers as they build applications. With AppScan 4.0 QA Edition, Sanctum adds key tools to help testers and those whose job it is to track changes and […]

Discuss this in the eWEEK Forum I really appreciate my readers, but, because Im fearful of plagiarism, Im planning to implement anti-plagiarism mechanisms that will have the unfortunate side effect of preventing you from reading my column how and where you want to. While that may inconvenience some, most readers will hardly notice these controls. […]

For many IT managers and CIOs, the biggest challenge isnt dealing with users or preventing attacks on their systems by malicious crackers, its dealing with their own bosses cluelessness. Im not talking about the problem of selling IT to a CEO who doesnt understand the value and return on big IT projects and applications. Im […]

Probably the biggest surprise about Mozilla 1.5 is that it exists at all. When the Mozilla Foundation laid out its road map earlier this year, the plan was for Mozilla 1.4 (see review) to be the last version of the big integrated Mozilla suite. But with the stand-alone Firebird browser and the stand-alone Thunderbird mail […]

It would not be surprising if Macromedia Inc., whose Web development and authoring tools are dominant products in their respective markets, decided to rest on its laurels and provide minor upgrades. However, with Studio MX 2004, that is clearly not the case. The new releases of several products in the Web development suite are worthwhile […]

If you use the Web, you use Secure Sockets Layer connections. SSL is the technology that secures your connection so you can safely submit your credit card number to online merchants such as Amazon.com. It makes it possible to securely use Web-based mail clients from kiosks or shared computers. It is also used to provide […]