Open Access and Research Articles
November 8, 2011
Free the information! “Academic Publishing Profits Enough to Fund Open Access To Every Research Article In Every Field,” asserts Techdirt. Writer Glyn Moody points to some blog articles which analyzed academic publishing profits and insists that the companies make more than enough from publication fees to afford making articles freely available. Publication fees are most often paid by an author’s funding institution. After quoting his sources, Moody summarizes:
But those are just details; what really matters is the fact that collectively the top two or maybe three publishers take out of the academic world enough profits to pay for every research article in every discipline to be made freely available online for everyone to access using [the Public Library of Science’s] publishing fee approach.
I agree that, from researchers to medical professionals to businesses, open access would be a boon to every segment of society. The question is, how do we get the publishers to give up a segment of their profits for the greater good?
Are academic publishers getting closer to a collapse? Budgets are tight. Those responsible for negotiating deals are hearing talk but getting modest concessions from publishers? Young researchers are Web savvy? Will the subscriptions just give way like a damp paper bag with one too many tomatoes dropped in by a teenager bagger. Search may just be good enough to find low cost or free information via the Web or an app for that.
Cynthia Murrell, November 8, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
MIndbreeze Mobile for SharePoint
November 8, 2011
Mobile devices are quickly gaining ground on personal computers as the primary entry point to the internet and other online resources. Any discussion of enterprise software is incomplete without devoting attention to mobile access. Waldek Mastykarz analyzes the effectiveness of SharePoint 2010’s mobile device support in, “Inconvenient SharePoint 2010 Mobile Redirect.” Mastykarz’s main complaint with SharePoint mobile access is its unsuitability for internet-facing Web sites because its lack of support for anonymous users. We learned:
Not only is the standard mobile experience useless on an Internet-facing website, but it also cannot be turned off. The mobile redirect is baked into the request processing module provided with SharePoint (the SPRequestModule HTTP module) and there is no on/off switch provided that you could flip to make it go away.
The author explains several workaround options for mobile access, but is quick to mention that no workaround is seamless and none completely fix SharePoint’s limitations. A solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze Mobile is a better overall fit for this and other SharePoint shortcomings. We learned from Fabasoft that:
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Mobile uses a browser-based Client that is specifically adapted to the requirements of smart phones such as BlackBerry, iPhone and Android. Only three kilobytes of memory and the installation of one single certificate are required. After these steps are taken, the corporate installation of Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise – and thus all connected data sources – can be accessed through the usual Mindbreeze URL.
Additionally, Mindbreeze maintains continuous checks of existing access rights. Improving the users’ experience, every information object can be opened in Mindbreeze mobile in a preview mode that features the accompanying metadata. Enterprise solutions are useless without effective and efficient mobile solutions. Look into Mindbreeze as a good solution for increasing the usability of SharePoint’s mobile enterprise access.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 8, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Learn about the New SharePoint 2010 Online for Office 365
November 8, 2011
Our colleagues at SurfRay are sponges for information about SharePoint and so are we.
The reason?
SharePoint 2010 is a popular tool in corporate enterprise. It advances communication by sharing content and acting as a venue for employees network. Microsoft has deployed a new enterprise tool to boost SharePoint’s already strong technology. SharePoint Online is part of Office 365 suite for online productivity solutions. Microsoft’s official TechNet Magazine published a detailed rundown on the augmentation: “SharePoint 2010: Microsoft SharePoint Online: An Overview for Enterprise IT Professionals.”
It tells us that SharePoint Online provides a single solution for collaborating with team members and external parties, finding organizational resources, looking up corporate information, and gleaning business insights for better-informed decisions. SharePoint Online is a cloud-based service and requires little additional cost because there isn’t any on-site software to install. It also fits easily into any Microsoft based infrastructure.
SharePoint Online can serve a wide range of enterprise use cases. For example, organizations could extend an existing intranet to remote locations, such as branch or retail outlets. Other use cases include creating an external Web site for events or limited-time projects, or sites that provide partners or suppliers with carefully controlled access to corporate information, such as product specifications or inventory supplies.
After the specs about SharePoint Online, the article describes specific features and troubleshooting questions that developers may have. Microsoft makes a good case to add SharePoint Cloud to your business enterprise solutions, but how well did it perform in the field tests? We’ll be on the lookout for more information on that.
In my opinion, SurfRay Ontolica has outperformed Microsoft built solutions for SharePoint search.
Whitney Grace, November 8, 2011
SurfRay
Business Process Management: Bit Player or Buzz Word?
November 7, 2011
I spoke with one of the goslings who produces content for our different information services. We were reviewing a draft of a write up, and I reacted negatively to the source document and to the wild and crazy notions that find their way into the discussions about “problems” and “challenges” in information technology.
In enterprise search and content management, flag waving is more important than solving customers’ problems. Economic pressure seems to exponentiate the marketing clutter. Are companies with resources “too big to flail””? Nope.
Here’s the draft, and I have put in bold face the parts that caught my attention and push back:
As the amount of data within a business or industry grows the question of what to do with it arises. The article, “Business Process Management and Mastering Data in the Enterprise“, on Capgemini’s Web site explains how Business Process Management (BPM) is not the ideal means for managing data.
According the article as more and more operations are used to store data the process of synchronizing the data becomes increasingly difficult.
As for using BPM to do the job, the article explains,
While BPM tools have the infrastructure to do hold a data model and integrate to multiple core systems, the process of mastering the data can become complex and, as the program expands across ever more systems, the challenges can become unmanageable. In my view, BPMS solutions with a few exceptions are not the right place to be managing core data[i]. At the enterprise level MDM solutions are for more elegant solutions designed specifically for this purpose.
The answer to this ever-growing problem was happened upon by combining knowledge from both a data perspective and a process perspective. The article suggests that a Target Operating Model (TOM) would act as a rudder for the projects aimed at synchronizing data. After that was in place a common information model be created with enterprise definitions of the data entities which then would be populated by general attributes fed by a single process project.
While this is just one man’s answer to the problem of data, it is a start. Regardless of how businesses approach the problem it remains constant–process management alone is not efficient enough to meet the demands of data management.
Here’s my concern. First, I think there are a number of concepts, shibboleths, and smoke screens flying, floating, and flapping. The conceptual clutter is crazy. The “real” journalists dutifully cover these “signals”. My hunch is that most of the folks who like videos gobble these pronouncements like Centrum multivitamins. The idea is that one doze with lots of “stuff” will prevent information technology problems from wrecking havoc on an organization.
Three observations:
First, I think that in the noise, quite interesting and very useful approaches to enterprise information management can get lost. Two good examples. Polyspot in France and Digital Reasoning in the U.S. Both companies have approaches which solve some tough problems. Polyspot offers and infrastructure, search, and apps approach. Digital Reasoning delivers next-generation numerical recipes, what the company calls entity based analytics. Baloney like Target Operating Models do not embrace these quite useful technologies.
Second, the sensitivity of indexes and blogs to public relations spam is increasing. The perception that indexing systems are “objective” is fascinating, just incorrect. What happens then is that a well heeled firm can output a sequence of spam news releases and then sit back and watch the “real” journalists pick up the arguments and ideas. I wrote about one example of this in “A Coming Dust Up between Oracle and MarkLogic?”
Third, I am considering a longer essai about the problem of confusing Barbara, Desdemona’s mother’s maid, with Othello. Examples include confusing technical methods or standards with magic potions; for instance, taxonomies as a “fix” for lousy findability and search, semantics as a work around for poorly written information, metatagging as a solution to context free messages, etc. What’s happening is that a supporting character, probably added by the compilers of Shakespeare’s First Folio edition is made into the protagonist. Since many recent college graduates don’t know much about Othello, talking about Barbara as the possible name of the man who played the role in the 17th century is a waste of time. The response I get when I mention “Barbara” when discussing the play is, “Who?” This problem is surfacing in discussions of technology. XML, for example, is not a rabbit from a hat. XML is a way to describe the rabbit-hat-magician content and slice and dice the rabbit-hat-magician without too many sliding panels and dim lights.
What is the relation of this management and method malarkey? Sales, gentle reader, sales. Hyperbole, spam, and jargon are Teflon to get a deal.
Stephen E Arnold, November 7, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Inteltrax: Top Stories, October 31 to November 4
November 7, 2011
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, its impact on businesses and nations around the globe.
A good overview of this topic was our article, “Businesses Prepare for Analytic Bandwagon” http://inteltrax.com/?p=2674 which showed proof that businesses across all industries and sizes are latching onto the power of big data analytics to improve their bottom lines.
More specifically, we saw its impact on a tiny nation in the story, “New Zealand Stepping onto World BI Stage,” http://inteltrax.com/?p=2687 which showed how that country’s passion for big data with companies like Right Hemisphere and ComOps.
We issued a firm warning to any business trying to get something for nothing in “Freemium BI Software Not the Total Answer to Analytic Woes,” http://inteltrax.com/?p=2694 which warned that free BI tools are no match for the investment of proven analytic tools.
This is a wide swath of analytic focus, but each well worth the attention. Whether it puts a small country on the tech map, offers companies chances to get more competitive or also tempts budgets with worthless freebees, IntelTrax is watching the pulse of the industry to keep readers informed.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax
Google and Competitive Position
November 7, 2011
Quote to note: I read “Google Chairman Eric Tells US Senators Apple’s Siri Could Pose ‘Competitive Threat‘”.
Here’s the quote:
I would disagree that Google is dominant,” he said after senators asserted that Google is approaching a monopoly. “By investing smartly, hiring extremely talented engineers, and working very, very hard (and with some good luck), Google has been blessed with a great deal of success.”
Definitely a keeper. I like the “luck” touch too.
Staephen E Arnold, November 7, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Implementing with Intent
November 7, 2011
In a blog dedicated to document management news, the haphazard implementation of SharePoint is highlighted. Read the full commentary at, “SharePoint Surge Continues but Strategies Are Lacking.”
A recent survey by AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management) has found that less than 50% of SharePoint implementations were subject to a formal business case, and only half of those required a financial justification. As a result, most did not have a management plan as to which of SharePoint’s many features were to be used, and where. Meanwhile, SharePoint deployment is proceeding rapidly, with 22% of respondents reporting it to be in use by 100% of office staff. This adoption rate is set to double by this time next year.
SharePoint is the current enterprise fad, with the adoption rate growing exponentially. However, is the effort even effective or worthwhile if the implementation is done without planning? Customized installation is costly but without customization the platform is virtually useless. Furthermore, a highly customized system can create a steep learning curve for new users.
One solution we found in our research is Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise. We learned from Mindbreeze:
A corporate-wide information platform maintaining and continuously expanding a well-funded knowledge base needs the greatest possible flexibility. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise links the most common data sources in corporations and organizations by special connectors, establishing the basis for further links to the creative utilization of internal corporate knowledge.
With Mindbreeze, the learning curve for new users is lessened and day-to-day work is more efficient for staff. Customization is automatic and relevant. To get the most out of your SharePoint installation, implement with intent and look into Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 7, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Activating Keyword Search in SharePoint 2010
November 7, 2011
Whenever we visit a search engine, we use keyword search terms to find our desired information. This is a standard feature for any search engine or content software, such as SharePoint 2010. But did you know that you have to manually activate that control in SharePoint? Bamboo Solutions has an article that will resolve any troubleshooting you might have with keyword search, “How To Configure Keywords for SharePoint 2010 & Apply Them to List Search Web Part.”
As you know, among the most important features in SharePoint is the ability to search keywords and find any word on your Web Application. In this article, we will take a look at how to activate the required services to search keywords in SharePoint 2010. We cannot search for a keyword on a site until we’ve first activated Search Services on the Central Administration page. Note: SharePoint does not activate Search Services automatically, and you must activate it manually. With Search Services activated, now we’ll introduce you to how to configure the services to search keywords quickly.
What follows is a great visual guide that walks you through each step. In our humble opinion, these are the best type of instructional guides, because they allow you to see what you are doing.
However, keyword search should be activated out of the box, so avoid the frustrating detail work. Embrace SurfRay Ontolica.
Whitney Grace, November 7, 2011
SurfRay
A Coming Dust Up between Oracle and MarkLogic?
November 7, 2011
Is XML the solution to enterprise data management woes? Is XML a better silver bullet than taxonomy management? Will Oracle sit on the sidelines or joust with MarkLogic?
Last week, an outfit named AtomicPR sent me a flurry of news releases. I wrote a chipper Atomic person mentioning that I sell coverage and that I thought the three news releases looked a lot like Spam to me. No answer, of course.
A couple of years ago, we did some work for MarkLogic, a company focused on Extensible Markup Language or XML. I suppose that means AtomicPR can nuke me with marketing fluff. At age 67, getting nuked is not my idea of fun via email or just by aches and pains.
Since August 2011, MarkLogic has been “messaging” me. The recent 2011 news releases explained that MarkLogic was hooking XML to the buzz word “big data.” I am not exactly sure what “big data” means, but that is neither here nor there.
In September 2011, I learned that MarkLogic had morphed into a search vendor. I was surprised. Maybe, amazed is a more appropriate word. See Information Today’s interview with Ken Bado, formerly an Autodesk employee. (Autodesk makes “proven 3D software that accelerates better design.” Autodesk was the former employer of Carol Bartz when Autodesk was an engineering and architectural design software company. I have a difficult time keeping up with information management firms’ positioning statements. I refer to this as “fancy dancing” or “floundering” even though an azure chip consultant insists I really should use the word “foundering”. I love it when azure chip consultants and self appointed experts input advice to my free blog.)
In a joust between Oracle and MarkLogic, which combatant will be on the wrong end of the pointy stick thing? When marketing goes off the rails, the horse could be killed. Is that one reason senior executives exit the field of battle? Is that one reason veterinarians haunt medieval re-enactments?
Trade Magazine Explains the New MarkLogic
I thought about MarkLogic when I read “MarkLogic Ties Its Database to Hadoop for Big Data Support.” The PCWorld story stated:
MarkLogic 5, which became generally available on Tuesday, includes a Hadoop connector that will allow customers to “aggregate data inside MarkLogic for richer analytics, while maintaining the advantages of MarkLogic indexes for performance and accuracy,” the company said.
A connector is a software widget that allows one system to access the information in another system. I know this is a vastly simplified explanation. Earlier this year, Palantir and i2 Group (now part of IBM) got into an interesting legal squabble over connectors. I believe I made the point in a private briefing that “connectors are a new battleground.” the MarkLogic story in PCWorld indicated that MarkLogic is chummy with Hadoop via connectors. I don’t think MarkLogic codes its own connectors. My recollection is that ISYS Search Software licenses some connectors to MarkLogic, but that deal may have gone south by now. And, MarkLogic is a privately held company funded, I believe, by Lehman Brothers, Sequoia Capital, and Tenaya Capital. I am not sure “open source” and these financial wizards are truly harmonized, but again I could be wrong, living in rural Kentucky and wasting my time in retirement writing blog posts.
SYL: Patent Bill May Hamper Search Firm
November 6, 2011
We’re still struggling with the concept of search intellectual property. Are all the good ideas already gone?
Computer World highlights a potential casualty of the conflict, New Zealand’s SYL Semantics, in “Patent Removal Regretted, but Search Firm Pushes On.” Writer Stephen Bell explains the root of the issue:
The Patents Amendment Bill, waiting for its second reading after the election, includes a superficially simple clause ‘a computer program is not a patentable invention’. This is already being hedged about with guidelines from [New Zealand’s] Intellectual Property Office (IPONZ) suggesting that software will still be patentable if it produces a physical effect on machinery. SYL’s search engine is provided in the form of an appliance but this fact alone is unlikely to make future enhancements patentable if the Bill is passed.
Yeah, they’ll be up the creek. Though SYL has a patent on its technology in its home country, it hopes expand into the global market. To that end, it has applied for a US patent. The company’s CEO, Sean Wilson, asserts that developers should be able to protect their investments once an abstract idea has been converted to a usable product; this bill may prohibit his company from doing that in the US.
Since its founding three years ago, SYL has poured its resources into developing its scalable and customizable semantic platform and search engines. SYL Enterprise Search is the first in an intended series of applications aimed at different markets.
Cynthia Murrell, November 6, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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