Stories by Joab Jackson

Oracle NetBeans 7.2 supports the latest PHP, C++

The newest version of the Oracle NetBeans IDE (integrated developer environment) will come with support for the latest versions of PHP and C++.

Linux Mint 13 rallies behind Gnome

With the new version of Linux Mint, released Wednesday, the developers behind the open source Linux distribution have put all energies behind Gnome, offering two versions of the desktop interface.

Wolfram expands into system modeling

Expanding beyond its scientific and engineering number-crunching software, Mathematica maker Wolfram Research released a desktop application for full-scale system modeling and simulation, the company announced Wednesday.

Oracle buys social relationship management company Vitrue

Taking a step into the social media marketing industry, Oracle is purchasing Vitrue, the two companies announced Wednesday.

Microsoft beats data-sorting record with new approach

Besting a record set by Yahoo in 2009, the research arm of Microsoft have deployed a new technique for quickly sorting large amounts of data, called Flat Datacenter Storage (FDS).

New Nmap probes IPv6 networks

Preparing for the eventual widespread conversion to IPv6, the Nmap Project has updated its namesake security scanning tool so it can scan IPv6 networks using a variety of novel techniques.

Nasdaq's Facebook glitch came from race conditions

The Nasdaq computer system that delayed trade notices of the Facebook IPO on Friday was plagued by race conditions, the stock exchange announced Monday. As a result of this technical glitch in its Nasdaq OMX system, the market expects to pay out US$13 million or even more to traders.

Linux 3.4 released quickly, after smooth development cycle

Just over two months after its last major release, Linus Torvalds has posted the newest version of the open source Linux kernel, which supports new graphics processors from Nvidia and Intel, improves file system functionality and comes with a new security module.

Five things CIOs should know about big data

Five key points CIOs should know when considering big data

Researcher runs IP network over xylophones

Vint Cerf once wore a shirt that read "IP on Everything," a wry comment on the versatility of the Internet Protocol he helped invent, a protocol that underlies all Internet communication. Now a University of California Berkeley researcher has put Cerf's maxim to the test, running an IP network over a set of xylophones, played by human participants.

HP expands Cloud services beta

Preparing for its entry into the market for IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service), Hewlett-Packard has launched a second beta program of Cloud computing services it plans to offer commercially.

Study: Facebook relies on good design to retain users

What is Facebook's secret to keeping the world's largest user base content? Sticking to well-proven software design principles, one study has concluded.

Twitter success thrives on narrow focus

Those looking to build a substantial following on Twitter would do well to stick to one particular topic, rather than use Twitter to discuss a wide range of subjects, a Carnegie Mellon University researcher has advised.

The rhythm method: temporal taps a novel user input

Issuing commands to tomorrow's computational devices could be as simple as tapping out a few beats on a touchscreen or trackpad, French researchers suggest.

ACM CHI: more search could be crowdsourced

Search engines could use crowdsourcing to expand the range of answers they give to their users, a group of researchers from the Microsoft and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have concluded.