Articles by Jack Martin

Exclusive Interview with Dick Williams, CEO of Wily Technology

Wed, 22 Jun 2005 11:15:00 EDT

Wily Technology (www.wilytech.com) provides Enterprise Application Management solutions. The company's products are designed to enable companies to successfully manage their critical Web applications and infrastructure by providing real-time, end-to-end visibility into the performance and availability of these systems. Wily Technology is based in Brisbane, California, just south of San Francisco. WJ's former Editor-in-Chief Jack Martin had a chance recently to sit down with company CEO Dick Williams.

Are Application Servers, XML, and Web Services Fads?

Wed, 23 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST

I received a lot of feedback last month on my 'Will Every Child Be Left Behind?' editorial. A lot of you related your collective disappointment in the current state of our public schools. What surprised me was the number of readers who thought that application servers, XML, and Web services were current buzzwords, not core foundations of modern technology.

Will Every Child Be Left Behind?

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST

The politicians are at it again with their general collective hallucinations. Recently Rod Paige, the U.S. Secretary of Education, made the following statement: There is a new fervor in American education and a new creativity that's being driven in part by this generation of tech-savvy students. We are already seeing some remarkable results, and I believe this trend bodes well for the future of our country.

IBM Partners Produce Mutual Benefits

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WebSphere Journal, recently sat down with Buell Duncan, general manager of ISV and Developer Relations for IBM.

Alliances and Business Development

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

Steve Pattison, vice president of alliances and business development at Interwoven, talked to Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WJ, about the enterprise content management (ECM) provider's relationship with IBM.

Tightening The Reins

Tue, 04 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

Another month is upon us and the world continues to change. The world of corporate governance is making its presence felt in all corners of information technology as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requirements begin to take effect with regard to Section 404. You only need to read the daily newspaper or watch some television to get a feel for the level of corporate scandals that pervades our society.

Security, Firewalls, and Keeping the Door Locked

Mon, 08 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST

As the world becomes progressively more comfortable with e-business as a business model for the 21st century, criminals are also gaining a level of comfort in stealing information at a progressively alarming rate. Information theft is a global problem that will continue to grow as criminals become more adept at using technology as a tool to a achieve their goals.

WebSphere Goes Autonomic

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

IBM just announced WebSphere Application Server (WAS) version 6, which IBM says can save companies as much as $110,000 per minute in lost revenue and productivity. This capability is a major advance for enterprise-class computing.

The Move to SOA

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

On October 6, 2004, IBM announced the latest release of WebSphere, version 6. The next day, Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WebSphere Journal, sat down to talk with Dr. Bob Sutor, the director of WebSphere Foundation Software, about some of the new features in this release.

Why CICS?

Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

In this Q&A Rick discusses ways in which companies can protect their mission critical data even as they connect their networks with outside partners.

You May Have Noticed

Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

As I'm sure you've noticed. over the last few months I've been asking you whether you think BEA is DOA? The response has been intense and interesting. At some points some readers started with personal attacks on me and, in some cases, the publisher of this magazine. I think those people have watched way too much cable television news over the last couple of years.

The World of Telematics

Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:00:00 EDT

We're very excited about that relationship. As you may know, OnStar is the world's largest telematics service provider (TSP), with more than 2.5 million subscribers. Hopefully, by the end of 2004, that will have grown to more than 3 million subscribers, which will make OnStar 5 times as large as the second largest TSP.

Can Your Car Talk? - WebSphere Journal Exclusive Interview with OnStar

Tue, 28 Sep 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WebSphere Journal, recently sat down with Bruce Radloff, CTO of OnStar, and Tony Lent, vice president of OnStar's Wireless Strategic Business Unit, to talk about how they use WebSphere.

Will the XP Update Break Your Applications?

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Microsoft has released an XP update with advanced security technologies and has urged Windows XP users to turn on Automatic Updates to get consistent security updates. However, IBM has told its users not to install the Windows XP update.

WebSphere Journal Exclusive Interview: What's Happening in WebSphere

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Last month, Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WebSphere Journal, and Tom Inman, vice president of product management and marketing, IBM WebSphere Software, talked about the differences between WebSphere and WebLogic. This month, they look at what's happening in WebSphere now and in the future - and review briefly the open-source competition, such as would-be alternatives like JBoss and Apache Geronimo.

Business Intelligence: WebSphere Journal Speaks Exclusively to Dave Lai, CTO of Viador

Mon, 30 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

With a customer roster that includes Fortune 500 companies like Citibank, Verizon, JP Morgan, and medium-sized shops like Spectra Marketing, Viador - provider of reporting and OLAP analysis tools for customers that need to do reporting and analyze their data such as financial analysis - also has a very strong presence in China. 'We are one of the largest business intelligence tools companies in China right now in terms of the support infrastructure,' Viador CTO Dave Lai tells Jack Martin. Read on for more about IT in China, the differences between WebSphere and WebLogic, and the up and coming role of Linux.

How Low Does BEA Have to Go?

Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

How low does BEA have to go before Oracle or, for that matter, anyone makes an offer for BEA? The answer may be lower than you think. Someone, anyone buying BEA has been a perennial topic of conversation for the past couple of years.

Why WebSphere? - An Exclusive Interview with Tom Inman, of IBM WebSphere Software

Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WebSphere Journal, recently spent some time chatting with Tom Inman, vice president of product management and marketing, IBM WebSphere Software, about WebSphere's market share relative to BEA's WebLogic, how IBM handles WebSphere sales, its customer and partner programs, and its plans for the future. This month, WJ offers part 1 of this interview, on market share and BEA.

Partners Compare WebLogic and WebSphere: An Exclusive Interview with Devi Gupta of Prolifics

Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Jack Martin speaks to Devi Gupta, director of Strategic Marketing at Prolifics, about IBM WebSphere and BEA WebLogic.

Partners Compare WebLogic and WebSphere: An Exclusive Interview with George Kosmides of Noospherics

Wed, 04 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Jack Martin also spoke to George Kosmides, president of Noospherics, about their IBM relationship.

SOAs Help Businesses Deal with Change

Mon, 28 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT

IBM announced some new software and services to make it easier for companies to adapt their information-technology infrastructures to changing business conditions. The latest IBM offerings will help companies build service-oriented architectures (SOAs), which are collections of business processes that use reusable standard interfaces to integrate applications within a company as well as with customers and suppliers.

An Exclusive Interview with Tom Inman of IBM WebSphere Software

Mon, 28 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WebSphere Journal, recently spent some time chatting with Tom Inman, Vice President Product Management and Marketing, IBM WebSphere Software, about WebSphere's market share relative to BEA's WebLogic, how IBM handles WebSphere sales, its customer and partner programs, and its plans for the future. The following is just part of the discussion of IBM's largest competitor in the application server market. The complete interview can be found in the next issue of WJ.

IBM Puts Its Stinger in the Competition Again

Wed, 26 May 2004 00:00:00 EDT

IBM is really on a roll as WebSphere continues to shellac BEA in market share and product extensions. Now they go and release Stinger (beta version) for the next-generation DB2 to give Larry Ellison and Oracle something to think about.

Sarbanes-Oxley: The New Rising Star

Wed, 05 May 2004 00:00:00 EDT

Ineffectual corporate management has given a great gift to programmers, system administrators, and CIOs - endless corporate accounting scandals. Our federal government has not missed this scandalous behavior, as they have passed an extraordinarily strong, far-reaching law to contend with financial fraud.

IBM Offers New Role-Based Tools

Tue, 30 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST

Well, it's another month and we're off to a good start with IBM making it easier for people to find new uses for WebSphere. IBM has taken the teams-based approach to the next step. They just released a roles-based group of tools - six power packs and eight tracks in total - based on what you do, with two for developers focusing on either J2EE or .NET. System analysts and architects who need to model are also included.

Going Vertical: Interview with IBM's Paraic Sweeney

Tue, 30 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST

WebSphere Journal editor-in-chief Jack Martin recently chatted with Paraic Sweeney, IBM's VP of Marketing for Industry Solutions and Business Integration, Software Group. In this exclusive interview, Sweeney discusses IBM's Middleware Industry Solutions initiative, the drivers behind adding an industry-vertical dimension to the business, and the company's decision in 1999 to focus on middleware and get out of the application business.

Sarbanes-Oxley: The New Rising Star

Fri, 05 Mar 2004 00:00:00 EST

Ineffectual corporate management has given a great gift to programmers, system administrators, and CIOs - endless corporate accounting scandals. Our federal government has not missed this scandalous behavior as they have passed an extraordinarily strong, far-reaching law to contend with financial fraud.

IT Needs to Saddle Up for World's Biggest Roundup

Fri, 27 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST

Some new opportunities are appearing in the world of technology, some of them quite unexpected. Faced with the specter of mad cow disease appearing in the U.S., the American rancher and the entire chain of U.S. food suppliers are about to embark on a far-reaching program that will affect every American consumer who eats beef - and eventually any animal product.

Offshore Outsourcing: Magic Bullet or Dirty Word?

Thu, 05 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST

In the world of IT, outsourcing - also known as 'offshoring' - is either the dirtiest word you can utter or a brilliant one; it's all about who says it to whom and where it is said. No matter who uses it, it is a word most often said in private.

Your Software Is Only as Secure as Your Developers

Fri, 30 Jan 2004 07:52:29 EST

As we go to press with our December issue, Microsoft has issued its 65th security bulletin of the year disclosing a security flaw of critical severity in most versions of its popular Windows operating system. Microsoft urged users of Windows 2000, Millennium, 98, and NT 4.0 to download a software patch from the company's security Web site. Microsoft's newest version, Windows XP, does not have the problem. Attackers could exploit a vulnerability in the software that underlies many database functions and take over the user's computer.

It's You, Not the Software

Fri, 30 Jan 2004 07:52:08 EST

The IBM WebSphere family of products can be a lot of different things to different people, and – just like any family – each member has its own strengths and weaknesses.

IBM's Rob High Talks WebSphere Security - Part 2: Layered approach thwarts attacks

Fri, 23 Jan 2004 16:37:13 EST

Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WebSphere Journal, recently spoke with Rob High, IBM Distinguished Engineer and chief architect for IBM WebSphere Application Server. In this exclusive interview, High discusses the SMB market, computing as a utility, and WebSphere's approach to security.

How to Deal with IT Outsourcing? Fulfill Society's Unmet Needs

Fri, 23 Jan 2004 15:54:12 EST

The whole point of my recent series of editorials has been to get people thinking about what has happened to the job market for IT developers and administrators - and where it is going next. Over the past two months I have written about what I have witnessed at countless dot coms and development companies around the country and where I see the IT work market going.

Form & Function - Part 1: Principles are the basis of the WAS architecture - and its success

Wed, 24 Dec 2003 12:08:19 EST

Jack Martin, editor-in-chief of WebSphere Journal, recently spoke with Rob High, IBM Distinguished Engineer and chief architect for IBM WebSphere Application Server. In this exclusive two-part interview, High discusses principles of architecture, the evolution of customer requests into product features, and IBM's longstanding commitment to being on the front lines with their customers.

Offshoring Offers Opportunities for U.S. IT Troubleshooters

Wed, 24 Dec 2003 12:05:19 EST

Whether you like it or not, the offshoring of IT projects is here to stay, so get over it. If you can't get over it, get out of IT. But before you head for the exit, think about what you'll be missing.

Outsourcing: Magic Bullet or Dirty Word? It All Depends on Your Perspective

Mon, 24 Nov 2003 11:22:49 EST

In the world of IT, outsourcing is either the dirtiest word you can utter or a brilliant one; it's all about who says it to whom and where it is said.

WebSphere Strategy Focuses on Tried-and-True

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 09:51:20 EDT

WebSphere Journal editor-in-chief Jack Martin recently chatted with Joe Damassa and the WebSphere marketing team, which features some new faces but is just as dedicated to the continued success of the WebSphere brand. In this exclusive interview the team discusses open standards, ISVs, Web services - and where WebSphere will go in 2004.

Profit Without Honor

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 09:23:05 EDT

The latest way to make a buck is to get your company some very cheap labor using L-1 visas. You can pay the new workers less than minimum wage - and it's completely legal.

The Demand for On Demand

Wed, 24 Sep 2003 09:24:37 EDT

WebSphere Developer's Journal Editor-in-Chief Jack Martin recently spoke with IBM's Peter Fordyce, Worldwide WebSphere Foundation and Tools Sales Manager about how he sees his group's role in the WebSphere community - and what customers are looking for.

Lots of Exciting Happenings in the World of WebSphere

Wed, 24 Sep 2003 09:14:26 EDT

It's been a busy month in the world of WebSphere, with the advent of some very exciting new functions in WebSphere Studio and WebSphere Application Server. The latest version of WebSphere Studio (v5.1) takes a huge step toward helping people build Web applications in Java - without needing to be a Java expert.