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Archive for May, 2006
Future SAP technology direction
Until 128-bit hardware is developed and a 50TB Oracle database can be loaded into a server’s RAM, SAP is indicating its intended strategy regarding 64-bit hardware and Unicode support. All new SAP Netweaver releases from 2007 will be supporting Unicode environments only. Furthermore, due to the “problematic operation” of 32-bit servers, all new SAP Netweaver releases will require 64-bit hardware.
Converting a system to Unicode is not a huge issue. Conversion tools are available, and SAP is promising that it will be possible to convert systems to Unicode as a by-product of a release upgrade. I see the forced conversion to 64-bit environments a bit more of a problem. I know of numerous sites that have recently purchased new 32-bit hardware. Given that hardware is still considered a serious investment by most companies, the case for a platform change may not be easy to make. Conversions from 32-bit to 64-bit environments require migration activities to be carried out, depending on the existing database management system installed.
Meeting? What meeting?
5 years ago
by manfred
in Life in South Africa
Meeting? What meeting?
Originally uploaded by MHertenberger.
Ever been in a meeting where you have no clue what’s going on? No introductions, no background, no idea what results are being sought. What a fucking waste of time!
Don’t catch that train
5 years ago
by manfred
in Life in South Africa
Train travel in SA is a bit of a hazardous affair nowadays. More than ten kids have been killed surfing the railway cars and many more passengers than that have been thrown to their (near) deaths in the past month or so alone. Kids surfing the railways – that’s for kicks, but it’s pretty daft. So their IQ levels are possibly not where they should be…
Striking guards throwing their honest, working brethren from moving trains – that’s just plain barbaric! We need some tough action to stop crap like that!
Bluetooth stack error
5 years ago
by manfred
in Connectivity
Everything works fine in computerland until…something happens. This time, the damned Bluetooth stack is not willing to get into gear. The strangest message in Widcomm’s BTStackserver: License invalid, shutting down stack server. What the hell that means, is beyond me. The Bluetooth software is part of XP or the HP software I got with the nx8220. So I’ll try and re-install to see whether that makes this frustrating error go away. As usual, it would occur when I need to use Bluetooth 
Update: a reboot of M$ Windows XP has resolved the issue…
Activesync 4.2 in the works
6 years ago
Overall, the performance of Activesync 4.1 is a huge improvement over any previous release. Though there are still some issues regarding unresolved items that I am simply not able to always get around, the functionality is excellent. Being able to synchronize multiple PC’s and directly with an Exchange server works flawlessly most of the time. Microsoft has posted a public beta of the new release, Activesync 4.2. The download link is here. There is little information about 4.2. I’m assuming it’ll be a fix release rather than a version with new features.
Schumacher to quit?
Niki Lauda seems certain that Michael Schumacher will be hanging up his helmet at the end of this season. According to Wheels24, Lauda sees Kimi moving to Ferrari and Schumacher heading out of Formula 1. Though Lauda is often one to make curious predictions, this one could well be on the money. Schumacher has taken a long time to consider whether or not to renew his contract at Ferrari and, with mid-year fast approaching, there is still no sign of his intentions.
Schumacher has set numerous records that will undoubtedly prove tough to break. Maybe its the right time to choose a more relaxing and less dangerous pastime.
Google Notebook
They brought us the search engine, email service, calendar, video service and many more.
Now, Google is getting ready to unleash their web-based notebook. Funny enough, I was actually able to log in and start creating a first notebook, but that no longer works. Now, the log on screen is about as far as I get. The purpose of the Google Notebook is to provide a central storage area for…notes, I guess. Examples on the site indicate research and travel planning. Hopefully there’ll be a plug in to pull stuff from the Scratch Pad in the Google sidebar. That would be useful.
New MacBook
Apple has released a new MacBook. This is the expected replacement for the G4-power iBook and features an Intel processor. The MacBook is available in either a 1.8GHz or 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo and, in true iPod style, black or white.
The integrated iSight camera is built into the top lip of the 13″ screen and a remote control for FrontRow is included. It features a slot-loading DVD drive and up to 120GB of hard disk space. The usual connectivity options and ports are provided, together with iLife ’06 and Mac OS X Tiger.
Sony Vaio UX Micro PC
Another new form factor – what else would one expect from Sony! Never stick to any standard, that seems to be their motto.
The new Vaio UX Micro PC is set to rival the Microsoft UMPC, but includes a pull-out keyboard. Rumours regarding the poor usability and performance of the UMPC devices have made the rounds, giving this Sony with a keyboard a bit of an edge…
The UX runs Windows XP Professional with an Intel processor. The processor is a low power CPU, ensuring longer battery life. There is no indication of the expected runtime or standby time. Regardless what the manufacturer states, the actual battery life is generally nowhere near their estimate. Wireless LAN, Bluetooth and EDGE support is included. The screen is SVGA with stylus support and two cameras are integrated into the unit for video conferencing. A fingerprint reader provides additional security.
Sony will include a docking unit for additional connectivity: USB, Ethernet, Firewire, etc.
The UX looks weird with the keyboard extended, but this could be a serious piece of hardware if the performance on XP is acceptable.
Sony’s press release is here.
JAMin – week 2
6 years ago
Week 2 of my JAMin experience started with the download of the latest ROM release from the Clubimate website. The device had performed flawlessly during the first week, but the ROM update was required to enable Microsoft’s Direct Push. A big pity with ROM updates is that the entire memory is wiped clean. That means all applications, data and customization disappears.
The ROM update is about 58MB in size and is supported by an excellent updater. There was one scary moment when the updater no longer connected to the JAMin. A device reset and a restart of the update process worked. I recall having had a similar problem with my LOOX – the first time the updater starts, the Activesync connection breaks. It simply needs to be re-run. The time for the upgrade is 10 minutes and the device indicates its progress through critical and non-critical phases by alternating between a blue and red progress bar. A restart at the end and then the lengthy performance of reinstalling all applications.
Surprisingly, the version on my device was very old. The new version adds the much anticipated Communication Manager. I’m not sure what else is built-in. I’ve noticed little else, other than a new battery indicator in the status bar and the letter E indicating GPRS/EDGE instead of a letter G. To my relief, the Fizz Traveller (now version 2.3) alarm clock can now wake the device out of standby mode! Another bonus for upgrading. This is the first time I can use a PocketPC as a reliable alarm clock.
There’s really no configuration to be done for the Direct Push to work. Obviously the Exchange server must have the correct service pack loaded. Once ActiveSync has been configured with the server address and user details, a simple click on the Direct Push icon in the Communication Manager activates Direct Push. It works like a charm, sending Emails to the device as soon as they are received. Data transfer costs remain low, as the JAMin doesn’t maintain a constant connection and no extraneous periodic synchronization needs to take place. Most impressive!
During the next week, I intend loading some additional applications and testing the overall AV performance of the JAMin.
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