Attivio: A Wave Maker
April 13, 2011
“Attivio Software Making Waves” reported that Attivio, Inc. and Traction Software have teamed up with the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative and Cornell University to collaborate on a “community portal”. The portal will bring together members of the scientific community, including universities and agricultural organizations from around 45 countries. They will work together to study wheat rust (a fungal disease that jeopardizes wheat, barley, and rye crops) and to prevent it’s spread. The write up said:
Knowledge is typically spread through presentations and the publication of research within leading journals – a process that can slow the exchange of knowledge by months and years…Given the severity of the threat to the world’s food supply, the BGRI could not afford to operate on that kind of timeline. We needed a collaborative platform that could be easily organized and updated and be accessible from anywhere in the world.
The Attivio software has the ability to compile the information of scientists all over the globe. Scientists often use a wide range of formats and file types. The Attivio system processes a range of content types, include information in SharePoint or locked up in the unwieldy Adobe Portable Document Format. Attivio does search as well as business intelligence functions. The objective is to save scientists time and money in their efforts to stop the Borlaug Global Rust blight. Without the Attivio system , wheat rust might extend its reach.
Worthwhile effort at a time when most search vendors want to do customer support (also a blight of sorts) and shift the responsibility of finding information to algorithms (an intellectual blight of sorts).
Leslie Radcliff, April 13, 2011
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Lost a View? Pentalogic to the Rescue
April 13, 2011
Microsoft has a tendency to move things around in programs and operating systems under the shielded guide of “user improvement.” Sometimes these improvements are beneficial or necessary; other times they make things more complicated. Cough…Windows Vista. The old adage don’t fix what’s not broke comes to mind. It came to our attention that SharePoint 2010 recently lost its view: “Pentalogic: View Rescue.”
In SharePoint 2010 the View Selector Menu has moved from the top right of the List View Web Part (LVWP) to the Title area breadcrumb. However as soon as you add any extra web part this View selector menu disappears, leaving you to perform ninja moves with the LVWP and ribbon in order to get it back.
You will want to check out the new version of View Rescue from Pentalogic to get your view horizon back in order. These small changes are really irritating. Do the Microsoft developers do these things on purpose as a power demonstration?
For more SharePoint tips visit Surfray.
Torben Ellert April 13, 2011
Have Your Cake. Eat It Mashed Up
April 12, 2011
The blog Search Nuggets is all about reviewing user experience and business strategy and their latest blog “The Corporate Mashup” is no different. In the blog Marcus Johansson expounds on the need for a corporate search engine that allows users the freedom to search information and receive relevant queries in little time.
In today’s mishmash of business and technology it is important to have an understanding of user requirements as well as technical savvy, such is the case with search engines like Google. The engines are everywhere, even in your toolbars. They’re readily available for users at any time of day and have no problems communicating information between the systems. The problem arises when you put the same search engines to use behind the “corporate firewall.”
“Imagine if you had a common front-end to all those esoteric systems. A solution that lets you search everything at once, with proper tools to dig around in the result set. Even better, a solution that lets you act on the results… You find whatever you’re looking for, and you act on it immediately.”
Because of the strict social restrictions most systems don’t share information and users become bogged down with endless URL’s. that’s where Enterprise Search comes in, it creates a common thread between systems so that you can find what you need, when you need it. Sounds pretty good if you think about it, now if the corporate mash up dream could only be brought to fruition.
Stephen E Arnold, April 12, 2011
Search Technologies: Makes the Google Search Appliance Sing
April 12, 2011
According our information here at Beyond Search, There are more than 35,000 Google Search Appliances in organizations worldwide. Although data are sketchy, some US government agencies have more than 50 GSAs providing search and retrieval functions. To put the number 35,000 in context, Autonomy has more than 30,000 licensees of its search system worldwide. In short, since 2002, the Google Search Appliance has moved from novelty to one of the most widely used enterprise search and retrieval systems in the world. Only public Web search systems reach more users than Google’s GSA.
In order to learn the ins and outs of the Google Search Appliance one had to put in long hours scrutinizing Google’s copious online documentation and then work through a GSA set up. Google makes a low cost appliance available, but many managers and system administrators need a fast start and insider tips for getting the most out of GSA.
Until now, combining the basics with the “need to know” information to make the Google Search Appliance sing was knowledge that simply was not available in an easy-to-digest form. Search Technologies, one of the world’s leading search consultancies and integration firms, has responded to this market need. We learned that Search Technologies will participate in a Federal Search Seminar on May 5, 2011. The location is the Google office at 1101 New York Avenue. You can get additional information at this link. You can register via the Search Technologies Web site at this link.
The program will include how to plan a sophisticated search application. The Search Technologies and Google team will discuss the most common pitfalls and how planning can mitigate these challenges. The return on investment will be discussed with particular reference to the payoffs from Google’s simplified approach to deployment and the next-generation methods for integrating disparate content into the GSA’s retrieval system. In addition, the session will dig into how to connect to multiple repositories within an organization. Running separate queries across many different enterprise and desktop systems is no longer feasible in today’s fast growth data environment. The session will also include a review of the most recent technological advances in search, including the innovations in the latest version of the GSA.
According to Search Technologies’ founder, Kamran Khan:
This session is about how to fit search into real life business issues. Technology is important, but a focus on the business problem is paramount. The presentations provide the attendee with expertise gained through implementation of the GSA in a variety of different work situations. A focus on specific business objectives makes the GSA sing.
Appliances, like toasters, are made to plug in. but the GSA benefits from being implemented with a business focus. The Search Technologies’ team has handled more than 60 GSA implementations. You can benefit from this direct knowledge in the Google Washington, DC office. Space is limited.
Stephen E Arnold, April 12, 2011
Search Technologies
Predictive Movie Watching?
April 12, 2011
Ever wish you could bypass the annoying ritual of figuring out just what movie you should rent? Now you can.
According to ReadWriteWeb, Hunch, a predictive entertainment tool, has reached a collaborative agreement with Samsung and Digitas to launch a new interactive social movie watching experience called “The Smart Living Room.”
After a viewer answers a series of Hunch personality questions, The Smart Living Room creates a personalized movie recommendation including the genre best suited for that viewer as well as movie title suggestions. The viewer can then create a movie watching event by inviting friends and family through Facebook or email.
The Smart Living Room uses Hunch’s same movie predicting ability and applies it to television.
Stephen E Arnold, April 12, 2011
The Answer to SharePoint Solutions: The Genesis Framework
April 12, 2011
If you use SharePoint it is a given fact you will need a structured solution from custom development. To resolve your problem, code needs to be packaged correctly with storage structures. A great write-up at how to obtain a SharePoint solution is, “SharePoint 2010 Genesis Framework – A framework that will help you create amazingly structured SharePoint solutions.”
Most developers run into problems when they create a solution package:
- A lot of CAML/XML needs to be written
- It’s difficult to handle additions and changes to content types already in use
- No strongly typed access to SharePoint Data, unless you choose use LINQ-2-SharePoint
They usually combat these issues by managing the provision of content type with code and “ensure-style-features” to update the types piece by piece. This involves a lot of code and developers end up creating helper class mini-frameworks.
SharePoint 2010 Genesis Framework (SPGEN) was invented by Tony Restino to end the structured solution tedium. SPGEN allows you to create classes that represent the different elements in SharePoint (i.e. content type, site columns), set attributes to correspond to XML, helper methods for incremental updates, easily create Listltem, data access methods for CAML and LINQ, and LINQ implementation. SPGEN will save you a lot of work time!
To further enhance your SharePoint experience check out Surfray.
Torben Ellert April 12, 2011
SharePoint Semantics Now Available
April 12, 2011
Smartlogic Sponsors SharePoint Semantics Blog
A new publication provides an information service about one of the world’s most popular software platforms. The new information service is SharePointSemantics.com, and it focuses on the world’s fastest growing content and collaboration platform and how semantics and work flow can compound the SharePoint ROI for organizations.
Smartlogic, one of the world’s leading search and content processing semantic technology vendors, is underwriting SharePointSemantics.com, a news service that covers news and information about SharePoint content processing, semantic technology for Microsoft SharePoint, indexing, taxonomies, ontologies, metatagging and related content technologies.
Jeremy Bentley, CEO of Smartlogic said:
We have long needed an objective, candid news service for SharePoint semantics and related technology. When ArnoldIT showed us the trial issue, we saw the service as a way to fill the gap. We find the daily updates, Monday through Friday, a great way to keep up with the newest technology for SharePoint. Our own semantics offerings benefit from this information. We are able to spot trends and adapt our market leading work flow and semantic technologies to take advantage of new opportunities.
Bentley continued with, “We enjoyed working with the Arnoldit.com editor , a librarian trained in indexing and collection development, throughout the development process. At Smartlogic, we value useful information which SharePointSemantics provides year-round.”
Stephen E. Arnold, managing director of ArnoldIT, said:
SharePoint Semantics fills a gap in enterprise software coverage. The new information service features information from a wide range of sources. These include journal articles, stories from Web logs, presentations at conferences and on services such as Scribd.com, and traditional print media. The goal is to make SharePointSemantics.com the place a professional can consult to find out ways to improve the user’s SharePoint experience, enhance findability, and boost the ROI for an investment in Microsoft’s state of the art technology.
The Web site (www.sharepointsemantics.com) will include articles, features, and links to important SharePoint resources. In addition, the SharePointSemantics.com editorial team will offer critical comments about products and services. As good as SharePoint is, the editors want to flag concerns and ways to deliver a satisfying user experience. Comments are permitted for every SharePointSemantics.com story. An About section sets forth the editorial policy for the Web log. Story ideas may be submitted to sharepointsemantics at yahoo dot com.
You can sign up to receive Twitter updates when new stories are posted. In addition, the content is made available via RSS. Stories may be republished as with other ArnoldIT.com blogs such as www.inteltrax.com. ArnoldIT.com does ask for a backline and a credit line. If you are unsure about how to credit a story in SharePoint Semantics, use the comments section of the blog to inquire about a reused opportunity.
The information is made available in order to assist those with an interest in enhancing the metatagging and semantic operations of SharePoint 2010, a product of Microsoft Corp. with more than 100 million licensees worldwide. SharePoint Semantics is not affiliated with Microsoft Corp. The word SharePoint is part of Microsoft’s line up of server products and is used in the title “SharePointSemantics” as a way to explain the contents of the open source information in this free news service based on open source information. No rights to the word “SharePoint” are attendant.
About Smartlogic
Smartlogic is a software company that specializes in semantics. Smartlogic’s Semaphore is an Enterprise Semantic Platform that augments traditional information management systems like search, content management and business workflow engines by adding advanced content classification, metadata and navigation capabilities to deliver a more complete enterprise information management experience. Smartlogic clients are organizations across the globe who value their information assets and Semaphore helps these organizations derive meaning and value from their information by adding a semantic layer to their existing systems as well as use Semaphore to mitigate the risks associated with those same information assets. Semaphore does this by capturing an organization’s subjects and topics into models, and then puts these models to work. More than 250 companies like NASA, Bank of America, UBS, AutoDesk, Oxy, Ford Foundation, Pitney Bowes, The National Health Service, Royal Bank of Scotland [ABN AMRO], The Office of Public Sector Information, Yell.com and others use Smartlogic today. For more information about Smartlogic, navigate to www.smartlogic.com.
About Stephen E. Arnold, ArnoldIT
Stephen E. Arnold is a technology and financial analyst with more than 30 years of experience. He is the recipient of the following awards: ASIS Eagleton Lectureship, 1986; Online Best Paper Award, 1989, the Malcolm Hill Award, 2003, the OSS Golden Candle Award in 2007. In addition to “Google: The Digital Gutenberg,” he is the author of more than 50 journal articles and a number of other books, including “Internet 2000” and the first three editions of the 600-page encyclopedia of search called “The Enterprise Search Report.” His new study of enterprise search will be published by Pandia in Oslo, Norway, in May 2011. The phrases “content with intent,” “SIMM,” or “variants” should be credited to ArnoldIT.com. If you want an information service that provides informative information and a boast to your firm’s professional reputation, write seaky2000 at yahoo dot com.
SharePoint Semantics is not affiliated with Microsoft Corp. The word SharePoint is part of Microsoft’s line up of server products and is used in the title “SharePointSemantics” as a way to explain the contents of the open source information in this free news service based on open source information. No rights to the word “SharePoint” are attendant.
Jessica Bratcher, April 12, 2011
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Has Facebook Netted the Chinese Golden Carp?
April 11, 2011
I was in Hong Kong 10 or 11 days ago. I had a number of informal conversations with individuals who were wild and crazy and who were straight and narrow. Baidu is definitely a factor in the China market, but if the folks with whom I spoke know their dry fried Szechuan crispy beef, the Chinese government is generally keen on having a purpose-built, slices-dices-chops search engine. Oh, it will curate too. Like the word “curate”. It means filter I believe.
When I read “Facebook May Strike China Deal With Baidu,” I wondered if the deal would have legs. I don’t doubt that there will be some type of “play” for Facebook. In fact, I agreed with this statement:
These sources said the new venture wouldn’t involve Facebook.com, which is blocked inside China like many more social networking sites, but a jointly owned, new social networking website. It’s unclear when the site could launch: joint ventures need to be approved by the Chinese government and that can take a while, and they have to staff it up with experienced executives that both sides can agree on.
Three observations.
First, the social function of next generation communications is pretty darned impressive. In a nation state which is into black and white rules, the likelihood of unfettered social media is probably not a popular idea among the government’s senior officials. I am not sure it is all that popular in other countries, but China is the new superpower so what it does is quite influential.
Second, if China whips up a “good enough” search engine, life for the non governmental entities can be okay but probably not great. The unfettered approach to business that is popular in the US is not likely to flourish quite as business would in the US ecosystem. Stated another way, don’t get a Baidu tattoo just yet.
Third, in the business and political climate of China and its client states, I am not sure that “social” is going to work exactly as it has in Egypt. Social conditions are different and there is a some evidence that cleverness is a key part of survival in China.
When I was in Xian, a city alleged to be one of the termination points for the “Silk Road” trade route. According to information provided to me by my “personal guide”, merchants would be admitted to a special area connected to the main city. Upon entering the area, the merchant would see a big space. When the gate shut, the merchant would see he was in a walled area. Egress required opening a gate. Merchants, according to my “personal guide” did not get keys. The big gun would negotiate with the merchant. If the merchant was recalcitrant, the big gun had the merchant in a good looking, secure holding pen.
I figured out that if the big gun made an offer, it was probably a good idea to accept that offer. After all, I understand the notion of “shooting fish in a barrel.”
Whether this anecdote is correct is irrelevant. The fact that I heard it from a “personal guide” provided sufficient insight to how at least one Chinese professionals perceived the best practice for negotiating with merchants from outside of the Middle Kingdom. I recall reading this bit of advice:
All warfare is based on deception.
Net net: The search and social story is still unfolding for a darned big market that Google has managed to blow off and Facebook is angling to net like a big golden carp. My, my. Interesting.
Stephen E Arnold, April 11, 2011
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Google and Microsoft: The Security Card
April 11, 2011
The source is Microsoft. I don’t know if the information in “Google’s Misleading Security Claims to the Government Raise Serious Questions” is accurate. The tension between Microsoft and Google seems to be increasing. The allegation that Google is behaving like a combination of Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Commodore Vanderbilt brightened my blog a few days ago. Now we get Microsoft’s playing the security card.
Powerful stuff and a maneuver that will have to be discussed by the various government decision makers as long as the budget keeps on paying them. Toss in a few assorted blue chip and azure chip consultants, and you have a recipe for investigations, depositions, study groups, and PR excitement. Good news for some I guess.
Here’s a passage I noted:
…Imagine my [Microsoft professional's] surprise on Friday afternoon when, after some delay, some of the court papers were unsealed, at least in part. There for all to see was a statement by the Department of Justice contradicting Google on one of its basic FISMA claims. The DOJ’s brief says (on page 13) “On December 16, 2010, counsel for the Government learned that, notwithstanding Google’s representations to the public at large, its counsel, the GAO and this Court, it appears that Google’s Google Apps for Government does not have FISMA certification. This revelation was apparently as striking to the lawyers at the Department of Justice as it was to me. The Justice Department brief states “We immediately contacted counsel for Google, shared this information and advised counsel that we would bring this to the Court’s attention.
My view on this matter is that until more information becomes available to me in Harrod’s Creek, the best I can do is assert, “Interesting.”
The impact of the security card is of interest to fewer people than own iPods but ultimately may be more important than some of the other hoo-hah about Google. The notion of stretching security like a rubber sheet may be one of those plays that persist through time. Like a clever chees move from a young Bobby Fischer, specialists may pick up the play and make it a model for young Microsoft emulators to absorb, modify, and use to devastating affect.
Best to be prepared for these sorts of things. Looking back won’t do the job. The security card is a big play.
Stephen E Arnold, April 11, 2011
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Quote to Note: Puppy Kicking Technocrats, Cease and Desist
April 11, 2011
This is a quote to note and a short honk. First, point your browser bloat machine at “Microsoft Has Lost the War to Linux.” Next, note the quite slick phrasing; for example, “somewhat strange interview”, “Linux based Android”, and “from the Vole” (borrowed from a somewhat more crisp blog by the way). Finally, consider this passage:
He said that he didn’t care about Microsoft these days. It used to be Linux’s big rival, but now it’s kind of like kicking a puppy.
“Kicking a puppy”. Slam dunk. The only problem is the persistence of such non entities as IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle. But the “kicking a puppy” is T shirt material. Now we just need a better name for Solr. Maybe “puppykicker”?
Stephen E Arnold, April 11, 2011
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