Datamation Staff

PCMag: Greenpeace has issued a new report which accuses several of the world’s largest technology companies of running “dirty” cloud computing environments, while lauding others. Specifically, the organization faults the environmental practices of Apple, Microsoft, Twitter and Amazon, but praises Google and Yahoo for “prioritizing access to renewable energy in their cloud expansion, and [becoming] […]

ZDNet: With their high profile trial underway, both Oracle and Google have presented the broad strokes of their arguments in the lawsuit that will attempt to determine whether Android violates Java copyrights. In a lengthy slide presentation, Oracle presented examples that seem to show Android copying directly from Java APIs. In addition, it cites Google […]

Fast Company: Reporter Brent Schlender covered Steve Jobs for many years, and he recently discovered recordings from interviews with Jobs that had been kept in a storage shed. Re-listening to those tapes convinced Schlender that Jobs’ “Wilderness Years,” the period between 1985 and 1996 when he didn’t work at Apple, were some of the most […]

MercuryNews: On the heels of a $25,000 fine related to privacy violations by its StreetView cars, Google has become the target of another privacy-related federal investigation. This time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating allegations that Google bypassed the default security settings on Apple’s Safari browser. Those actions could constitute a violation of Google’s […]

Computerworld: A new survey from WhiteHat Security finds that developers are getting better at avoiding security bugs in their websites. In 2011, WhiteHat found that the average website had 148 security vulnerabilities. That may seem like a lot, but it’s actually down from 230 in 2010 and 480 in 2009. Typically, it takes companies about […]

InformationWeek: Microsoft has revealed for the first time that Windows 8 will come in four different versions: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8 Enterprise will run on traditional desktops and laptops, while Windows 8 RT will run on ARM-based tablets. “For many consumers, Windows 8 will be the right choice,” blogged Microsoft’s Brandon […]

The Next Web: Documents obtained from one of Google’s partners suggest that the company is planning to launch a new service called Google Drive, possibly next week. The rumored service would be similar to Dropbox, offering users personal storage in the cloud. However, while Dropbox offers 2GB of storage for free, Google Drive will reportedly […]

PCWorld: Beginning May 1, Rackspace will switch its infrastructure as a service (IaaS) offerings to the OpenStack open source cloud computing API. According to Rackspace’s Mark Interrante, the OpenStack API is “more extensible and more robust” than the company’s previous interface. He also claimed that OpenStack would cut in half the amount of time cloud […]

The Washington Post: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has cleared Google of charges that it illegally collected data about Wi-Fi networks using its Street View cars, but the agency still wants to fine the company $250,000 for failing to assist with the investigation. “For many months, Google deliberately impeded and delayed the Bureau’s investigation by […]

MercuryNews: On Monday, two of the largest technology companies in Silicon Valley will face off in a trial that could have major implications for the software industry. Oracle is suing Google because it believes Google’s Android mobile operating system makes illegal use of Oracle’s Java programming language. Oracle wants $1 billion in damages and an […]

InformationWeek: A new InformationWeek survey finds that the average IT worker makes $90,000 and received a 1 percent pay raise this year. The average IT manager makes $116,000, a 1.8 percent increase over 2011. However, some job functions pay much better than others, as help desk staffers make about $55,000, while cloud computing staffers earn […]

Computerworld: Enterprise software vendor SAP has released preliminary financial data for the first quarter, and the company said revenue climbed 11 percent compared to last year, hitting €3.35 billion ($4.36 billion). However, margins declined from 19.7 percent in 2011 to 18.8 percent this year, for total income of €630 million ($820 million). Thanks to a […]