My previous post explained my interest in open source software and how I try to use it where ever possible. A couple of days ago while browsing round the web I noticed that the new version of Ubuntu (6.0.6) has been released. Having been quite a fan of 5.10 I immediately set about downloading it. The new version comes in two different flavours; server and desktop. I decided to download… Read More »More Open Source – Linux coming to the end user
For a long time now I have used open source software where ever possible in favour of the commercial alternatives. One of the main reasons for this is to save costs of expensive licenses but increasingly recently I am finding myself use more and more open source packages because I actually prefer the functionality that some of the products give me. For example. take a look at the number of extensions… Read More »Supporting Open Source
A Feast of Identity Management I was intrigued by a post I read from Dave Kearns this afternoon about how Identity Management can be likened to a restaurant meal. Whilst I find the analogy a little unpalatable (sorry ;-)) I think he raises a really interesting point. Traditionally we have always thought of enterprise solutions as either 'best of breed' or 'product suites'. Gartner has clearly stated that product suites… Read More »A third option for Identity Management
There has been a lot of talk over the past week or so about compartmentalizing Identity and how this won't work with the National ID cards. The comments have mostly originated from the article by Michael Osborne of IBM. He makes some very interesting points explaining some of the fundamental floors in the governments plans for National ID cards. However, one of the very valid points he makes is around… Read More »National ID Cards and Compartmentalizing Identity
A few weeks ago an old colleague emailed me an invite to join him on LinkedIn. I must admit that I had never heard of this site. However, trusting my friend, I clicked the link and signed up for an account. I then started to search for people that I knew; work colleagues, friends, customers etc. It seems that I must be about the last person on the planet to… Read More »The last one to be connected
Not long ago I was on a night out with some work friends. As is customary on these nights out, we ended up at a casino. Don't get me wrong, I aren't a hardened gambler. I only go to eat the free sandwiches and spend my £20 spending money 🙂 However, back to the story. This particular casino was not one that I had been to before and as a… Read More »Trusting the use of Identities
A couple of weeks ago, one of my work colleagues told me about a book he was reading called A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. Having just finished "Digital Identity" and fancying a change from the usual technical books that I usually engross myself in, I thought it sounded worthwhile giving it a try. Having finished it in a few days, it is one of those books that I… Read More »A Whole New Mind….really does open your mind
For some time I have been one of these people who loves to watch fly-on-the-wall documentaries, especially any of the ones featuring the 3 blue light services (police,ambulance and fire). Usually, the police ones follow the same mould every week. Police attend an incident There is a bit of a tussle The alleged criminal is arrested They are taken down the nick and charged The summary at the end of… Read More »Police Powers in the UK to tackle uninsured drivers
I have spent a bit of time recently playing with Google Earth, mainly due to the fact that high resolution images have been uploaded near my home. I find it amazing the level of detail that you can see, even down to people in the street. I was even more impressed with terrain and buildings that you can see in major US cities. I also see that Google has released… Read More »Google Toys
A colleague of mine recently posted his thoughts about costs of holidays during school holidays against the cost during school term. Whilst I understand his point about supply and demand I think the point extends deeper than a pure supply and demand issue. My daughter brought home a letter at the start of last term from the LEA (Local Education Authority) requesting that we don't take our children out of… Read More »School Holidays