What’s Up with Web 2.0?

Potentially, Web 2.0 technologies open up new avenues for interaction between businesses and their customers. However, so far, corporate adoption of Web 2.0 has focused on solutions such as wikis and blogs that extend traditional marketing and communication tools. One factor that makes IT professionals leery of Web 2.0 is that, in some cases, adoption of Web 2.0 technologies, particularly software as a service (SaaS) solutions, may lessen dependency on IT professionals and even result in lost jobs. But as with any new technology, IT professionals have an important role to play in assessing the pros and cons of various technologies and in integrating new information management tools with existing applications and data. Therefore, while adoption of Web 2.0 technologies for business has been relatively sluggish thus far, you can’t afford to ignore the buzz.

• Network Computing explores how companies are using Web 2.0 technologies.
  http://www.networkcomputing.com/immersion/soa-ws/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=B3JKRBLMXPK3IQSNDLPCKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=202600298

Related Links

• InformationWeek looks at some innovative ways to communicate with customers..
  http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=204201055

Beyond JavaScript Basics

Whether or not to include JavaScript (or other scripting languages) in web applications is a controversial question, and one that is subject to the ever-changing definition of state-of-the-art web development. At the moment, JavaScript is generally endorsed in the web development community because the language is a key component of Ajax. Once you’ve decided to include simple JavaScript actions (e.g., responding to a mouse click) in your applications, you may also want to consider more sophisticated controls such as pop-up menus or tabbed web pages.

• OnLamp.com’s three-part series offers a selection of advanced JavaScript coding techniques..
  http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2007/07/05/writing-advanced-javascript.html.
  http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2007/08/23/advanced-javascript-ii.html.
  http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2007/11/20/advanced-javascript-iii.html

Demand for Some IT Jobs Down, Others Up

At first glance, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers indicate that between 2006 and 2016 the demand for programmers will decline, but demand for some other technology professionals will grow significantly. For example, the bureau predicts that jobs in networking systems and data communications will increase by more than 50 percent between 2006 and 2016. During the same period, the report predicts that the number of computer programming jobs will fall by 4.1 percent. However, before you think about abandoning programming in favor of networking or a career in a totally different field, it pays to take a closer look at the numbers. Several programming-related job categories — database administrator, computer systems analyst, and computer software engineer — are expected to grow significantly. In fact, jobs for “computer software engineers who work in the application professions sector” (whatever that means) are expected to grow by nearly 45 percent!

• A report from eWeek summarizes predictions for the IT job market from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report..
  http://www.careers.eweek.com/article/Tech+Job+Sector+Growing+at+Record+Paces+Through+2016/221039_1.aspx

Business Intelligence Revisited

Ultimately, all IT solutions center around business intelligence, which can be loosely defined as the process of extracting and presenting useful information from data. However, the number of companies that have a true business intelligence solution is relatively small, despite that the volume of data and the need to analyze the data are continually increasing. Even if you don’t have the budget or the time for a major business intelligence initiative, you can improve business intelligence for your company by keeping in mind some basic principles.

• InformationWeek summarizes the Forrester report on business intelligence..
  http://www.intelligententerprise.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=203103123

Fame Is Fleeting

• Computerworld shares the stories of some relatively unknown contemporary computer pioneers..
  http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9046678

Related Links

• To accompany its list of unsung IT heroes, Computerworld updates the story of some more well-known contemporary computer trailblazers..
  http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9046680

Sharon L. Hoffman is a System iNEWS senior technical editor. She began working with IBM midrange systems in 1981, and her background includes extensive application development as well as creation and delivery of technical education. You can e-mail Sharon at shoffman@SystemiNetwork.com.