EXTRANET NEWS * Week of 24 September 2002
Editors: Joel Orr and N'omi Orr
http://www.extranetnews.com
1. COLLABORATION AT THE PLATFORM LEVEL: APPLE OS X
2. THE LIST
3. TIDBITS
4. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
1. COLLABORATION AT THE PLATFORM LEVEL: APPLE OS X
Warning: The author is a Mac lover! (but not a fool: He also
owns 3 PCs.)
IN BRIEF: Apple OS X 10.2--"Jaguar"--is a leading
example of collaboration features migrating down into the infrastructure.
More detail: Since you are reading EXTRANET NEWS, you must have
some interest in collaboration. Usually, we devote the first article in each
newsletter to an extranet or other collaborative application.
But the release of Apple’s latest operating system, OS X
version 10.2 (“Jaguar”), has prompted me to consider the possibility that
collaboration considerations must be taken into account at a higher level—-that
of the hardware and operating system.
What are these considerations? How do they differ from our
basic demands for a computing platform? To answer these questions, we have to
define what we mean by “collaboration.”
“To collaborate” is simply “to work together.” In the
engineering context, collaboration is characterized in several ways:
* Scalability: Number of collaborators and volume of data;
this covers everything from two people exchanging an occasional email to 5000
people working on a large project together. * Tightness of collaborative
coupling: the range is from completely asynchronous to simultaneous; Richness
of shared information: from simple text to dynamic 3D models with sound; *
Importance of security: the value of preventing unauthorized access; *
Importance of safety: the value of not losing data; * Interoperability; * Ease
of learning and ease of use; * Lifecycle cost; * Duration of collaboration:
minutes to years.
All of these are the computing platform’s bounding
constraints for applications—-that is, while the application can rank poorly in
qualities that support them, its upper limit of goodness is determined by the
platform.
Jaguar addresses several issues that were hitherto in the
realm of applications. This is part of a general trend in computing; more and
more functionality is migrating into the infrastructure.
Its history is fascinating: It is the product of two visions
of Steve Jobs—-one a commercial failure, the other a dead end. The failed
product is of course NeXT, and OS X in many ways is its OS heir; the dead end
is the series of operating systems that culminated in Mac OS 9.
But the net impact of these strange adventures is a
combination of hardware and software that is a candidate for “best
collaboration platform.”
Windows XP is a fine operating system. But its generality in
terms of hardware support has made it much more cumbersome, much less secure,
and somewhat less stable-—and thus more expensive over the long run—-than the
world’s most popular version of UNIX-—OS X. Also, Microsoft’s onerous new
registration process imposes yet another burden on the beleaguered system
manager while providing no benefit.
Other brands of UNIX? Even with its growing popularity,
LINUX is still a niche player, and suffering from a less-virulent but
still-crippling case of multiple versions, similar to that which allowed NT to
easily win out over its predecessor UNIX versions.
This is not the place for a detailed head-to-head comparison
among all possible collaboration platforms. I merely want to suggest that Apple
should be considered a candidate for such a role, especially in small to
medium-size enterprises. The UNIX-ish stability of OS X 10.2, the availability
of inexpensive servers, the unmatched user interface, the low overall cost of
ownership of Apple servers and clients, the use of Open Source code, the high
level of interoperability with all other platforms, and the incredible power of
AppleScript (Apple’s award-winning scripting language), all support Apple’s
candidacy.
Bottom line: Apple appears to be an excellent collaboration
platform. How much better is it than Windows XP or Linux? The newness of OS X
10.2 makes it impossible to say more than “somewhat.”
2. THE LIST
Total companies: 259 (see who's on The List at
http://www.extranetnews.com)
ADDED:
* CollaborIT, Australian Citrix-based extranet and
application sharer;
* Easy-D, construction detail library.
3. TIDBITS
* Free webinar from Loadspring: "Managing Construction
Projects in a Collaborative Environment" How secure collaboration
solutions are helping companies manage their construction projects. Thursday,
October 10; 1:30 PM Eastern; 1 Hour. For details and to register:
http://www.loadspring.com/news_events/webinar_10-10-02.html
* COLLABORATE WEST Conference - Anaheim, CA - November 4-7.
See http://www.collaborateexpo.com/
* Enterprise Web & Corporate Portal Conference &
Expo - Washington, DC - November 7-8 - Georgetown University Conference Center.
http://www.enterprisewebportal.com/
* EXTRANETS III - Institute of Civil Engineers, London -
December 10. I attended EXTRANETS II last year, and it was outstanding; small
exhibit, but very-high-quality presentations. Information:
http://www.constructionplus.uk/
* Interested in blogs and blogging? John Hiler has compiled
a wonderful annotated survey of available software. Read it at
http://www.microcontentnews.com/articles/blogware.htm
* A good feature-comparison table of blogging tools can be
found at http://www.urldir.com/bt/
* Get CUSTOMIZED up-to-the-minute nuggets of well-organized
news, press releases, and commentary from Joel and his associates in Cyon
Research Corporation. http://www.cadwire.net/ is the place to go to find out
what is going on in the world of engineering and architecture automation. And
now you can have it emailed direct to you, daily or weekly!
4. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or
ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support
any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty."
- JFK, inaugural address, 1960