Stories by Maggie Biggs

Product Review: Beta IDEs Aim for Java 2

IBM's VisualAge for Java, Professional Edition 3.0, beta, stands poised to deliver a stiff challenge to rival Java development tools. The VisualAge development interface offers productivity enhancements and distributed debugging capabilities that will turn up the heat.

Product review: DB2 hits its stride

Once year-2000 projects are behind you, you will most likely focus on adding or enhancing Web applications to strengthen your business's competitive edge. With this in mind, database heavyweights IBM and Oracle are jockeying for a central role in your plans by expanding their services so as to become core end-all Web platforms.

Product review: Oracle alleviates web content jam

Many organisations experience frustrating delays when attempting to get new or updated content into Web applications or onto Web sites. Most content-creation tools on the market today require some degree of development expertise - creating bottlenecks for fast-paced content updates.

Product review: Notes/Domino delivers killer ROI

Release 5 (R5) of Lotus Development's flagship Domino server and Notes client delivers a bevy of impressive improvements, including expanded Web capabilities and broad platform support, while blending both groupware and application server facilities into a single solution.

Product Review: Seagate Raises Bar for Data Sharing

It is imperative for corporate decision-makers to have the best data-analysis tools at their disposal, along with solid methods to share information. Though there is no shortage of business intelligence tools in the marketplace that attempt to meet this need, I found that recent releases from Seagate Software aptly meet the data-analysis and information-sharing challenge.

Product Review: IBM DB2, a Strong Push for Linux

Linux has entered the new year on a hot streak. It was one of the big stories of 1998 -- as many IT professionals realized its potential for corporate use. The operating system has continued to prove itself as a solid and reliable platform for enterprise data and applications.
The beta version of IBM Corp.'s DB2 Universal Database 5.2 for Linux, which I just tested, adds yet another highly viable choice for sites seeking a database management solution.

Product review: Netscape ripe for Web

Reliable, scalable, and manageable Web server software is the backbone of any successful intranet, Internet, or extranet operation. Netscape Communications' Enterprise Server 3.6 nicely meets the demands of mission-critical Web serving and, as a solution, is well-suited for enterprise settings.

Product Review: IBM VisualAge for C++ Boosts Tools

C++ developers are always seeking ways to enjoy the power and performance of the language; yet they also strive to complete their projects in a more timely manner. IBM Corp.'s VisualAge for C++ Professional 4.0 provides the tools necessary to shorten the project cycle while also beefing up compilation performance.

Product review: WebLoad halts traffic troubles

Web sites that do not adequately test application traffic before rollout can suffer from miserable performance. RadView Software's WebLoad 3.0 nicely meets the testing challenge by offering simple-to-use tools that will help organisations closely measure application performance before a disaster strikes.

Transforming Mainframe Computing

Ask people for their perspectives on dinosaurs and some will immediately offer an opinion that includes the word extinct. Others will offer the suggestion that dinosaurs haven't gone away -- they've just evolved into the birds and reptiles we know today.

Product review: Better business builder

The recent planned acquisition of Netscape by America Online has led to much discussion about the convergence of consumer and business computing on the Web. In that milieu, Netscape's Application Builder 3.0 will be a real asset to AOL and to IT sites that need to develop and deploy Web-related business applications.

Product review: Notes expands its client options

Lotus Development's second public beta of Release 5 (R5) of the Notes client and Domino server adds impressive improvements that will help dispel the notion that Lotus is a proprietary groupware solution.

Product review: Oracle Lite 3.5 extends corporate data

Palm and Windows CE devices have proven handy for managing personal information, but not so useful for mobile employees who need to work with corporate data in the field. Oracle Lite 3.5 provides good manageability, connectivity, and application options that make corporate data access via personal digital assistants (PDAs) much more feasible.

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