Enterprise IT
XML: Revenge of the Nerds
Despite the enabling nature of open networks and the explosion of Internet users and uses, the pace of application development has been decidedly slow. It's not much easier to develop an enterprise-class application now than it was 10 years ago, and there's little reason to believe that's going to change any time soon. It's hard to imagine drawing a geometric line on a chart and calling it "IT Productivity Gains" without provoking belly laughs.
ReadGetting Real About Real-Time Video
Skepticism, like twilight, is a gradual process. Just as twilight slowly obscures the details of the landscape, so too skepticism creeps up on us and extinguishes alternatives, reducing our visibility until the only thing apparent is our immediate situation-the status quo. For that reason, we hold on to our optimism and reserve criticism, in general, for what it would take to bring technology into the mainstream. Windows95 roll-out hype? We were charmed. OS/2 Warp Connect? That's lovely. Unix on the desktop? If only. Copeland? Can't wait. Real-time video on demand across the Net to the home? Now, wait just a minute, there's only so much we can grin and bear.
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