Chrome to Displace Windows: Bold Assertion
July 3, 2012
If this is true, it is a very big deal. Business Insider declares that “Google Is Pushing Enterprises to Ditch Windows and Try Chrome OS.” Can you imagine the upheaval? I suppose it would be a good day for out-of-work IT pros.
Actually, even Google‘s Chrome leader Sundar Pichai realizes the takeover would be a gradual thing. Over the next six months, he has said, his company will be working hard to convince us that their cloud-focused OS is the way to go. He understands that complete domination may take a few years. The Chromebook is not the only option, either. The few folks who still prefer a desktop could turn to the recently released Chromebox.
Apparently, apps adoption is the key to the kingdom. The article reveals:
“Pichai believes that all of the companies that chose Google Apps over Microsoft Office could be talked into getting rid of their PCs altogether. ‘The thing that will seed the market for us is Google Apps,’ the Google VP said to a crowd at GigaOM Structure conference Wednesday in San Francisco. Google Apps is growing like crazy at ‘triple-digit-percentage’ rates Pichai said.”
Writer Julie Bort points out that it is hard to tell exactly how many apps that “triple-digit-percentage” represents. However, indications are that it is a significant number. Companies are already transitioning from their PCs to the cloud, and usually let employees chose their own thin-client devices. The question is, which OS will dominate the shift?
Cynthia Murrell, Juuly 3, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Enterprise Search Has a Back Seat Driver
July 3, 2012
Once again, the technology road behind enterprise search is being questioned and some are mapping out a new route for a company road trip. According to Norm.al’s article, ‘Search vs. Findability vs. Information Retrieval’ findability is the new buzz word of today, but utilizing a back seat driver seems questionable.
The self-appointed tour guides have determined:
“What Findability should be, and what the Semantic Web promises is a new approach. Order first and then the rest will be easy. By using Faceted Search or other Information Retrieval interfaces findability is achieved. Computer Search is based on indexing a junk of data, while Findability should be a process defined at the moment when the data are created.”
“If we could note the order, is Junk of Data, to Order by a third party who analyzes your content based on keywords, NLP and some other great metrics.”
No one really likes a back seat driver and now they are trying to hop in and bark out directions. Sometimes the search engine road may get a little bumpy, but utilizing the right landmarks will get you where you need to go without the interference of detours.
The pavement on this new road seems to still be a bit wet, so one might yet find themselves spattered with debris. Will these distinctions stick? We think not. Search is dead. Long live the next set of buzzwords from self-appointed experts, “real” analysts, and failed Webmasters.
Jennifer Shockley, July 3, 2012
Two Traditional Publishers Still Trying to Make Online Pay Off
July 2, 2012
I found it interesting that the Chicago Tribune is undergoing another online redesign. My father, who is now 91, wanted to use the online version of the Chicago Tribune. The Web site was essentially impossible for him on both his desktop computer and his iPad. Since the hard copy of the paper was no longer available in Peoria, Illinois, he gave up. The Tribune is now trying to do a combination of free and pay wall in an effort to generate revenue, buzz, and engagement. For the story, navigate to “Redesigned Chicago Tribune Web Site to Wall Off Some Content.” Please, keep in mind that the story can be blocked from public access at any time, so you will have to become creative to locate the story. Here’s the passage which caught my eye:
Registration soon will be required to access premium features such as columnists, reviews, in-depth and investigative reporting and new content from outside news sources, the newspaper announced Tuesday. All content, including premium content behind the new registration wall, will be free. Visitors who choose not to register will still have unlimited access to basic content, which includes breaking news, photos and videos.
I can get local news from services such as Topix.com. Although not perfect, my father can click an icon and see information.
To add spice to the new service, the Chicago Tribune will be adding additional content. The new approach seems to be working. “Tribune Digital Signups Exceed Wildest Dreams” asserts:
Chicago Tribune executives are ecstatic over initial reaction to their digital membership program, the first step toward instituting a partial pay wall for online content. As of early Sunday, more than 22,000 readers had registered as digital members since the redesigned website launched at 6pm Thursday. [June 28, 2012]. The news item reported:
At some point in the future, those who’ve registered will have the option to pay for premium content, including material from the Tribune, the Economist and Forbes. Details of the pay wall plan will be determined by feedback from users…
The challenge will be to generate enough money to pay for the digital effort, offset losses in traditional advertising, and make up the shortfall from the fixed and variable costs which are dragging down traditional newspapers. Will the Chicago Tribune hit its financial goals? I hope so. I also hope that the company gets enough money to invest in the interface. My 91 year old father is not getting any younger but to win him back as a subscriber, the Tribune has to deliver a service which is usable.
Inteltrax: Top Stories, June 25 to June 29
July 2, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, what’s new with some of the biggest names in the business.
One rising company is bringing bright minds together, as we found in the story, “Lexalytics Conference Tackles Future of Analytics.”
“Latest Angoss Software Targets Unstructured Data” shows how a company not used to making waves in big data is doing just that in a major way.
Finally, “Digital Reasoning Leads in Partnerships,” shows one of the brightest minds in the business teaming with other smart companies to form a big data hydra head.
Big data is moving fast and the companies within the industry look like an atom smasher at times, they are going so quick. Look here to find the breakdown of every move and news bit for analytics.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
July 2, 2012
Obedience School for Cross Domain Semantics
July 2, 2012
It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks according to Semanticweb.com’s article, ‘FirstRain Spotlights Semantics Across Domains’. Semantic approaches for a targeted domain work well because one can train the NLP engine to recognize key words that are applied. The downside is that the business world of today is vast and the current training limitations for specific domains cannot always scale.
FirstRain has opened a unique version of a semantic obedience school as:
“Affinity scoring must be a breakthrough for classes of information where there is a lot of ambiguity, and the cool thing about it is that you can actually apply it in a way to create a virtuous self-improving spiral that works across massively different information domains. When you set up the correct feedback loop of affinity scoring and don’t encode to different domains, but let it swing across those you are trying to match things to, you can create a self-learning system.”
The new system derived by FirstRain is capable of re-training the most stubborn of semantics and inspiring functionality. By creating adaptable semantics they have taught an already workable system to handle a variety of information in an even more efficient process. The semantic obedience school could very well be the next big thing in the business world if all goes as they plan. The new routine seems feasible, so has FirstRain cracked the tough training nut of cross domain semantics?
Jennifer Shockley, Juuly 2, 2012
Microsoft and Mobile Device Optimization
July 2, 2012
The word of today is optimize, and Microsoft is once again scoring at the top of the technology class. The article, ‘Microsearch Announces Mobile Device Optimization Features for its Hosted Search and Retrieval Services’ at Scotnetwork.com explains how Microsoft’s new mobile device optimization can benefit online publishers of electronic documents that want to take their classes from home, so to speak.
Microsoft just created a cover all cheat sheet to pass any test:
“As most mobile device users know, some mobile devices simply will not accept long documents when the device is in wireless mode. And when they do, download times can feel long for the user, and bandwidth use can be expensive. Our new Publishers Services are totally optimized for mobile device users, saving time and money.”
“Our new document search & retrieval optimizations are compatible with all contemporary wireless devices, as well as wired computers. Users can set their own device download preferences on the go.”
Even taking notes is easier. Microsoft offers a sticky note feature which allows researchers to add page content on their screen that will remain when they return to the pages. Locating and viewing information in long documents will now be faster, easier and cheaper for mobile device users. Owners of online content will be able to score higher by appealing to wireless scholars using laptops, tablets and other mobile devices. Microsoft’s mobile device optimization just won the title of class Valedictorian.
Jennifer Shockley, July 2, 2012
Speculation on New Surface Tablet and SharePoint 15 Integration
July 2, 2012
Rich Wood, an enterprise search and collaboration guru at Perficient, takes a closer look at Microsoft’s new Surface Tablet and SharePoint in his post, “Wish List: Four Keys for SURFACE and SharePoint Next.” Wood outlines some features that he suggests will help the next SharePoint release take full advantage of the slick new tablet. The author explains one of his wish list items:
An INTEGRATED USER EXPERIENCE is essential. There’s been a lot of talk about the “Metro” UI of Windows 8 and the Windows Phone. It’s beautiful and slick and very appealing, although of course some have grumbled that it’s too much of a jump from the traditional Windows style. To truly integrate into this brave new world, SharePoint Next needs to look and feel like an extension of Windows 8 and (less difficult by far) play well with its cousin, Office 15.
Wood also suggests that responsive design, touch friendly command interaction, and a SharePoint app should all be high on the priority list to integrate SharePoint and the Surface tablet. He brings some good points to the table as mobile usage only continues to increase.
It seems the folks at Mindbreeze also understand the importance of the mobile experience:
Smartphones and tablets are constant companions, indispensable in the business world. Information needs to be able to be exchanged at all times and wherever you are. Easily. Quickly. Securely. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Mobile makes company data available on all mobile devices.
Mindbreeze can save employees time by connecting them to the right information via a user-friendly interface. Navigate to http://www.mindbreeze.com/ to read more.
Philip West, July 2, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Business Intelligence Niche Splits Open
July 2, 2012
Datamation says business intelligence is where the action is in “BI Goes Wild: Business Intelligence Becoming Ubiquitous.” Does that mean Search is of secondary importance? No (of course not!) but BI is in the spotlight because of its broadened adoption, as described in a new survey from Dresner Advisory Services.
Dresner’s 2012 Wisdom of Crowds Business Intelligence Market Study queried professionals from around the world, though over half were in the US. Half the respondents were IT pros, about a fifth senior (non-IT) executives, and the remainder included a smattering of workers in marketing, finance, research and development, operations, and other roles. Survey takers represented a wide range of industries.
The study found that the use of BI applications has grown dramatically outside the traditional areas of information processing, finance, and marketing; the “other” category grew by 13% over the last year. The article notes:
“The improving ease of use and other factors are driving an increased number of BI tools in large companies. ‘The proliferation of multiple BI tools continues to accelerate as various lines of business independently invest in solutions,’ Dresner notes in his report. ‘Nearly half of the largest organizations reported the use of four or more tools.'”
The report noted that some key areas now using business intelligence include human resources, supply chain, R&D, and strategic planning. See the write up for some ways in which these “other” departments are making use of BI applications, as well as ways their traditional usage is changing.
Just remember: it would all be for naught if it weren’t for the ability to Search.
Cynthia Murrell, July 2, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Conference to Maximize Gaming and Social Media
July 2, 2012
Industry conferences are par for the course but the recently announced Global 3D Virtual PLM Conference & Exhibition is a new breed of conference that encourages participation by being totally virtual. The MCAD Café article, “Social PLM 2012, The Global Virtual Conference and Exhibition in PLM, Engineering and Product Design Is Announced,” explains this first-in-its-kind approach to conferencing for the PLM industry.
“In an innovative 3D immersive format with avatars, which is close to face-to-face, based on Altadyn’s conferencing platform, 3D-VirtualEvents.com , attendees can interact with expert speakers and PLM vendors through a life like experience with an amazing sense of presence, which favors social collaboration, but in the most efficient manner from their office, with no need to lose time and spend money travelling. They can also network in real time, and have hallway conversations with other attendees from around the world.”
The creators of the conference, 01consulting, are presenting the virtual conference in a game-like format that encourages exploration and socialization among visitors. Pushing participants headfirst into social media is a great approach for a conference focusing on the social aspects of PLM. We expect as more companies currently utilizing new PLM solutions realize the benefits social media can offer their industry and performance they will embrace it.
Catherine Lamsfuss, July 2, 2012
Protected: FRE 702 and Predictive Coding
July 2, 2012
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
