Stories by Eric Lai

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.

CIOs clamor for usage-based pricing

Sick of overpaying for features they don't need or use, <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9140456">enterprise</a> 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.

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.

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.

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