New mainframe can’t keep IBM sales from slidingIBM reported a 12 percent drop in revenue for the last quarter despite a big boost from its new z13 mainframe. Profit was down 5 percent to $2.4 billion on revenue of $19.6 billion. IBM said Monday that its cloud, analytics and mobile business increased more than 20 percent from a year earlier, but wasn’t enough to offset declines elsewhere.Google’s Mobilegeddon hits TuesdayIt’s here: the day that webmasters have called Mobilegeddon for its potentially cataclysmic effect on those who did not heed the warnings has arrived. On Tuesday, websites that aren’t sufficiently mobile-friendly will find themselves tumbling far down in Google’s search rankings.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The writing’s on the wall about the short supply of IPv4 addresses, and IPv6 has been around since 1999. Then why does the new protocol still make up just a fraction of the Internet?Though IPv6 is finished technology that works, rolling it out may be either a simple process or a complicated and risky one, depending on what role you play on the Internet. And the rewards for doing so aren’t always obvious. For one thing, making your site or service available via IPv6 only helps the relatively small number of users who are already set up with the protocol, creating a nagging chicken-and-egg problem.The new protocol, which is expected to provide more addresses than users will ever need, has made deep inroads at some big Internet companies and service providers, especially mobile operators. Yet it still drives less than 10 percent of the world’s traffic. This is despite evidence that migrating to IPv6 can simplify networks and even speed up the Web experience.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The writing’s on the wall about the short supply of IPv4 addresses, and IPv6 has been around since 1999. Then why does the new protocol still make up just a fraction of the Internet?Though IPv6 is finished technology that works, rolling it out may be either a simple process or a complicated and risky one, depending on what role you play on the Internet. And the rewards for doing so aren’t always obvious. For one thing, making your site or service available via IPv6 only helps the relatively small number of users who are already set up with the protocol, creating a nagging chicken-and-egg problem.+ Also on Network World: iPhone 7 rumor rollup +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Navigating outdoors is easy with GPS and when augmented augmented by WiFi the the accuracy and availability of geolocation increase significantly … until you step inside a building.Once you’re inside and there’s no GPS signal WiFi geolocation might give you a rough fix though usually you’re effectively “off the grid.” But knowing where you are inside a structure can be crucial in large factories or office buildings. It may also be crucial for others to be able to locate you.If you want to build an app that’s capable for geolocation within a building you should take a look at Indoor Atlas, an SDK for iOS and Android, which uses magnetometer data from your smartphone and cloud-based mapping data to locate you to within 2 meters or less in real time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Google says it’s Project Loon is close to being able to produce and launch thousands of balloons to provide Internet access from the sky.Such a number would be required to provide reliable Internet access to users in remote areas that are currently unserved by terrestrial networks, said Mike Cassidy, the Google engineer in charge of the project, in a video posted Friday.The ambitious project has been underway for a couple of years and involves beaming down LTE cellular signals to handsets on the ground from balloons thousands of feet in the air, well above the altitude that passenger jets fly.“At first it would take us 3 or 4 days to tape together a balloon,” Cassidy says in the video. “Today, through our own manufacturing facility, the automated systems can get a balloon produced in just a few hours. We’re getting close to the point where we can roll out thousands of balloons.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Google says its Project Loon is close to being able to produce and launch thousands of balloons to provide Internet access from the sky.
Such a number would be required to provide reliable Internet access to users in remote areas that are currently unserved by terrestrial networks, said Mike Cassidy, the Google engineer in charge of the project, in a video posted Friday.
The ambitious project has been underway for a couple of years and involves beaming down LTE cellular signals to handsets on the ground from balloons thousands of feet in the air, well above the altitude that passenger jets fly.
“At first it would take us 3 or 4 days to tape together a balloon,” Cassidy says in the video. “Today, through our own manufacturing facility, the automated systems can get a balloon produced in just a few hours. We’re getting close to the point where we can roll out thousands of balloons.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Broadband provider CenturyLink has joined the long list of ISPs and trade groups suing the U.S. Federal Communications Commission over its net neutrality rules.CenturyLink filed its lawsuit Friday, becoming the seventh organization to challenge the rules approved by the FCC in late February. The FCC officially published the rules in the Federal Register, the official publication for U.S. agency rules, earlier this week, prompting a round of lawsuits.The company objected to the FCC’s reclassification of broadband from a lightly regulated information service to a more heavily regulated common-carrier service. CenturyLink spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year to “build, maintain and update an open Internet network and does not block or degrade lawful content,” it said in a statement.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Internet of Things promises to be a job bonanza for developers, and coders can expect plenty of work at very good pay, according to Michael Rasalan, a director at California-based developer research company Evans Data Corp.But there's a catch: To get the best jobs, you'll need the right skills and plenty of experience.INSIDER: 5 ways to prepare for Internet of Things security threats
Most developers are already on the right path to acquiring that mix of skills and experience. An Evans Data survey in July found that 17 percent of the developers contacted were already working on applications for connected devices, while an additional 23 percent expected to begin working on them in the next six months.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Increasingly, computers are deciding what news stories we read, and may even end up teaching our children to speak. But whether we should allow them to is becoming the subject of a heated debate related to the use of algorithms.Algorithms are pieces of code that, much like a recipe, provide a set of instructions to complete a task. They are used by companies like Google and Facebook to determine what search results are relevant and what posts are shown in someone’s timeline. They are used to mediate social, political, personal and commercial interactions for billions of people and can act as powerful gatekeepers that are increasingly used to make decisions for us or about us.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Wikileaks goes to HollywoodWikiLeaks won plaudits from people who want to see the workings of government exposed to daylight, by publishing a vast trove of U.S. data several years ago. Now, it’s decided to expose another cache of purloined information that has decidedly less obvious benefit for the public interest. It’s put up a searchable database of the documents stolen from Sony Pictures last year in a high-profile hack, using the rationalization that basically, big companies should have their dirty washing hung out just because (insert reference to military-industrial complex here). Those who can’t wait to read a Hollywood executive’s true feelings about a certain famous actress would probably agree.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Now that Nokia’s made its move for Alcatel-Lucent, speculation is rampant on how Nokia rival Ericsson might respond. And the presumed target for Ericsson is Juniper.By buying Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia would become the leading provider of wireless equipment to service providers and significantly expand its wireline portfolio, making it a more formidable competitor to Ericsson. Specific wireline assets to be gained from Alcatel-Lucent would be the core and edge routers sold to service providers, of which Alcatel-Lucent is the No. 4 and No. 2 player in the industry, respectively.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In antitrust case, EC could have a tough time proving Google abuseA European Commission victory in its antitrust case against Google is not a sure bet. The narrowly defined case, focusing on search results that allegedly favor Google Shopping, indicates that the Commission thought that broad charges would not stick, legal experts say. And to successfully conclude the case, the Commission must show that Google’s actions harm not just competitors, but consumers as well, which could be a stretch.Israeli camera tech may be lens on future Apple productsTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
ALLEN, TX -- Nokia’s $16.6 billion acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent is an example of the industry shifting just as Cisco predicted, its CEO said this week.Cisco CEO John Chambers has said that the IT industry in in for some “brutal” consolidation with perhaps only two or three of the top five companies standing in five years. Alcatel-Lucent may be vanishing if Nokia’s offer to swallow the company up is approved.“The market is playing out just as we expected,” Chambers said during an exclusive interview with Network World at Cisco IT Data Center Day here. “It’s going to be brutal, with some musical chairs. They missed market transitions so now they have to move rapidly.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
I know what you’re thinking: Only 43%?But we’re talking here about a single question: “How do your actual ISP speeds compare to the advertised speed?”And as you can see from the screen capture of the poll results above, roughly four in 10 of some 5,000 Slashdotters who bothered to weigh in say their actual speeds are slightly lower or significantly lower than what their ISPs advertise.Yes it’s an online poll and hence a self-selected sample, but these are people who by and large care more and are better equipped to make this judgment than other ISP customers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Internet hasn’t totally invaded the nation’s air traffic control system, but as it does the Federal Aviation Administration faces a growing challenge to make sure the network is locked down secure.The security issues arise as the agency moves from a point-to-point legacy air traffic control structure to a new IP-based system commonly known as NextGen or Next Generation Air Transportation System. NextGen in a nutshell will move the current radar-based air traffic system to one that is based on satellite navigation and automation.+More on Network World: The most magnificent high-tech flying machines+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
One of the main arguments for the trade groups and ISPs that have filed six—yes, six—lawsuits against the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules is that the agency violated a 69-year-old administrative procedure law in crafting the new regulations.The two ISPs and four trade groups filing lawsuits in recent days have challenged the FCC’s decision—as part of the new net neutrality rules—to reclassify broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service, instead of its long-standing classification of broadband as a lightly regulated information service. The plaintiffs, in addition to accusing the FCC of violating administrative procedure, will argue the agency violated ISPs’ constitutional rights.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Nokia has said it has entered into a memorandum of understanding to acquire Alcatel-Lucent in a deal that would value the French telecommunications equipment maker at €15.6 billion (US$16.5 billion).The Finnish company is also considering a possible divestment from its Here mapping and navigation business.On Tuesday, Nokia said it was in talks for a merger with Alcatel-Lucent. Under the all-share deal announced Wednesday, Nokia will make an offer for all of the equity securities issued by Alcatel-Lucent, through a public exchange offer in France and the U.S., on the basis of 0.55 of a new Nokia share for every Alcatel-Lucent share.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Nokia has said it has entered into a memorandum of understanding to acquire Alcatel-Lucent in a deal that would value the French telecommunications equipment maker at $16.5 billion.The Finnish company is also considering a possible divestment from its Here mapping and navigation business.On Tuesday, Nokia said it was in talks for a merger with Alcatel-Lucent. Under the all-share deal announced Wednesday, Nokia will make an offer for all of the equity securities issued by Alcatel-Lucent, through a public exchange offer in France and the U.S., on the basis of 0.55 of a new Nokia share for every Alcatel-Lucent share.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The rush is on to sue the U.S. Federal Communications Commission over its net neutrality rules, with three trade groups and AT&T filing legal challenges Tuesday.The agency now faces six lawsuits related to the regulations.Mobile trade group CTIA, cable trade group the National Cable and Telecommunications Association [NCTA] and the American Cable Association, which represents small cable operators, all filed lawsuits Tuesday, with AT&T announcing its own lawsuit late in the day.The four new lawsuits all challenge the FCC's decision to reclassify broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service, reversing a longstanding agency position that it is a lightly regulated information service. The CTIA lawsuit also focuses on the reclassification of mobile broadband.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
You’ve probably heard about the looming shortage of Internet addresses, even if you’ve never gone looking for one. But depending on what websites you visit and how you get to them, you may be helping to solve it.If you go to Google or Facebook through a major carrier in the U.S., Germany or France, for example, there’s a decent chance you’re using IPv6 [Internet Protocol, Version 6], the next-generation system that has so many addresses that the world may never use them up. Though it’s pretty much invisible to end users, the new protocol is already making service providers’ networks run better and may be speeding up your connections, too.“I think a lot of people don’t realize how much IPv6 there is out there,” said Mat Ford, technical program manager of the Internet Society, the organizer of World IPv6 Launch.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here