Stories by Eric Lai

N. Korea develops operating system with Windows-like GUI, Linux guts

The North Korean government appears to have developed its own graphical Linux-based "Red Star" operating system, though its people still prefer that symbol of Yankee high-tech imperialism, Microsoft Windows.

Dell is latest to unveil 'zero client' hardware for VDI

Jumping on the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) bandwagon, Dell has announced its first 'zero client' device aimed at large enterprises.

Twitter growth prompts switch from MySQL to 'NoSQL' database

Ryan King, an engineer at Twitter, today told the blog MyNoSQL that the social networking company plans to move from MySQL to the Cassandra database for what he called its resilience, scalability and large community of open-source developers.

Apple disses our DRM for iPad, Adobe says

Apple Inc. will not use Adobe Systems Inc.'s e-book digital rights management (DRM) technology, an Adobe executive said on Wednesday.

Wired app for iPad avoids Apple's Flash blockade, ePub format

At the TED conference last week, Wired magazine showed off a new digital version of its publication that's targeted at tablets like Apple Inc.'s iPad that relies on software built by Adobe Systems Inc.

CIOs clamor for usage-based pricing

Sick of overpaying for features they don't need or use, enterprise software customers are eager for vendors to adopt pay-per-use models that better align cost with consumption, according to an IDC report published last month.

Exploding batteries on planes: Rare and small risk

As the U.S. Department of Transportation proposes stricter rules on the shipments of lithium batteries, a close look at Federal Aviation Administration data finds that mid-air incidents involving batteries have been both rare and, apart from one catastrophe, relatively benign.

Linux, Windows or both? Doesn't matter to virtual desktop vendor, Ulteo

Ulteo is poised to offer commercial support for its free virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) software, which the open-source startup says will cost companies a fraction of established offerings from Citrix Systems, Microsoft and VMware, while offering, in some cases, more choice in platforms.

Report: Microsoft may launch new Office cloud license

Microsoft may be close to adding a new way for big businesses to buy Microsoft Office.

Linux, Windows or both? Doesn't matter to virtual desktop vendor, Ulteo

Ulteo is poised to offer commercial support for its free virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) software, which the open-source startup says will cost companies a fraction of established offerings from Citrix Systems, Microsoft and VMware, while offering, in some cases, more choice in platforms.

Apple iPad to trigger belated tablet boom, says ABI Research

Like a rising tide lifting all boats, Apple Inc.'s high-profile iPad will help sales of all media tablets to grow nearly 15-fold over the next five years, ABI Research Inc. predicted on Tuesday.

Data warehousing vendors squabble over flash memory

Scalability has been the buzzword for data warehousing vendors over the past several years, with the standout questions being, how many petabytes of data can I store? And how many servers and nodes?

Where netbooks still beat the Apple iPad

Despite the introduction of the iPad and the harsh words of Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, netbooks will continue to thrive, say analysts and commentators, who cite the tablet's missing features and relatively high price.

Oracle will boost MySQL, release Cloud Office suite

Oracle Corp. today promised to aggressively push its newly acquired MySQL open-source database, rather than kill it.

Apple tablet unlikely to be B2B-ready, says vendor

Tablet computers preceding Apple's expected tablet may have been a dud with consumers, but they have actually made some inroads in industries such as health care, construction and field service.