Grad School Textbook Blunders

My information system classes just started again and I’m
actually enjoying Decision Support
Systems. For the most part, the textbooks, (which cost more used at the GWU Bookstore than new
on Amazon), are excellent standards of
information systems. However, when they go off-topic or try to predict trends,
they start to, well, go off a bit. 

George
Marakas’ Decision Support Systems In the 21^st Century is good
from what I can tell after chapters 1, 2 and 13, but chapter 13, “The Systems
Perspective of a DSS,” has some funny statements: “Because the World Wide Web can be easily eaccessed via any type of
available hardware, end users having Windows, MAC-OS, LINIX [sic], UNIX, or
even a home television Web service can easily share and access the DSS
application.”

If you’re going to publish a textbook on DSS and get a
university to charge me outrageous sums for it, you could at least spell Linux
correctly. It makes me doubt the accuracy of the entire chapter.

Also, read this: “The current
standard for Web-base applications is JAVA.  Although showing great promise, JAVA is not
yet capable of providing fast, reliable performance in complex application
environments, primarily because it is interpreted, rather than compiled into
machine code.” Personally, I would disagree with the statement on several
levels. Java is a standard, but not the standard. Most languages used to
process web requests, like ASP, PHP, Perl, Python, are interpreted, and can run
on several platforms. I believe interpreted languages are far more common for web
applications than compiled languages, like C or C++.

My database textbook, Modern
Database Management, says this: “The
Bluetooth wireless standard will greatly accelerate development of wireless
PDAs that connect to the Internet. This development will accentuate the
importance of protecting data security in an increasingly wireless world.”




I
would agree with the second sentence, but not the first. Bluetooth is used to
synchronize mobile devices with your laptop or desktop, or to print wirelessly, not so much to connect
to the Internet. That would be Wifi, WiMax, CDPD, CDMA, GSM,  TDMA, FLEX, Mobitex, etc., but not so much
Bluetooth. I am nitpicking, but for the cost of grad school and textbooks, you’d think they would get it right, even when they go
off-topic. The authors would be better sticking to what they know, but who
knows, I could be wrong. What do you think?

Someone Used My Photo

A blogger linked to my photo from her page. I'm flattered. I thought it was almost a throwaway photo, but posted it anyway just because I liked the view of Times Square from a New York Taxi. Since she didn't copy it outright, I could tell from the referrals to my site and I added a credit to the photo. I still have no idea how she found it.

The depressing part is how totally un-hip and geeky my blog is. But that's me.

original photo

Free Development Tools from Microsoft, Sun

Since many developers are writing free and open source tools for Linux, well, many free and open source tools are available for Linux. The cost of entry to development is low, and thus there are free applications competing with each other on Sourceforge. (E.g. Gallery, one of my favorites.) There are even free development tools and IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) for Linux.

 

Microsoft and Sun have now realized that having many developers working on your platforms could help sell them. Microsoft’s IDE, Visual Studio, has a free version, as well as a free version of its latest SQL server, SQL 2005. While it doesn’t have all the features of the full version, it’s pretty good, and will allow you to develop applications on Microsoft platforms.

 

Sun has also responded to the Linux development juggernaut, but has bet the farm. Sun has some of the most mature and detailed tools in the developer world. Until recently, they were expensive. Now you can download them free when you join the Sun Developer Network, which is also free, but you have to register. Sun has gone further than Microsoft, making nearly all of its operating system software free as well. Sun is also doing its best, as is Microsoft, to create a friendly space for developers.

 

Sun is betting the farm because, despite the quality of its products, Sun was about to become irrelevant in the face of the dot Net – Linux battle. Linux is free, but dot Net presents a friendlier interface and more standards. Sun’s tools were even more expensive than dot Net.

 

Whatever your choice for development, it’s a great time to be a developer. The Internet is getting interesting again. This year may be the one when the hype returns.

Cyber-Crime Up, Cyber-Crime-Fighting Down

Hackers have stolen hundreds of thousands of personal records over the past year, and many more thousands have been "lost or stolen." That's what happens when you fail to log backup tapes in your data center/server room/closet. Why not encrypt the backup tapes using the built-in software functions? There's a chance you might not be able to recover them as quickly. USA Today reported that the data of 55 million Americans have been exposed.

Last year could be the year that many more criminals discovered that hacking is profitable. Script kiddies and web site defacements are no longer a top threat. The people hacking into your network no longer want credit -- they want your money and records. And they will do their best to make sure you never know about the intrusion. Imagine the bullet list for a criminal mastermind PowerPoint presentation: hack into system, get data, erase logs, establish new credit, buy stuff.

Given the number of unemployed with education and the inability of law enforcement to track activity across borders quickly, international organized online crime will increase. Which do you fear more: a script kiddie going for web site defacement and shout-outs or a team of experienced, professional criminals targeting your data?

Our government will probably not be able to help. As cyber-crime grows increasingly sophisticated, the cyber-crime-fighting budget was cut. According to the USA Today story, cyber-crime now beats illegal drug sales in dollars, at $105 billion, although figures from the government on cyber-crime losses are generally exaggerated. Law enforcement can’t even do anything when someone steals your laptop and signs in to MSN Messenger as you.

Once again, you’re on your own to defend yourself and your data. The credit-reporting companies have responded by offering a pay-service to monitor your own data. And don’t leave your laptop unsecured anywhere ever. Those consumer-marketed biometric gadgets and USB keys may or may not protect your data, but the laptop is a commodity and even password-protected BIOSes can be rewritten.

What to do? Protect yourself and your data. No one is going to help you, except maybe an expensive computer security consulting firm.